A Taste of the Truth, Part 1
The Questions and Answers with the Exposition upon the same.
1. Q WHat is it that doth, may, or ought to convince you that there is a God?
Ans. The Works, (a)Rom. 1.20the Word of God, (b)1 Tim. 2.5.and my own conscience, (c)Rom, 2.15.ought to convince me that there is a God.
It behoves you and every Christian, not only to know and acknowledge the true God, (d)Ex. 20.3.whose glory onelyonly in the salvation of your immortall soul you are to seek as the greatest businesse you have in this world: (e)1 Cor. 10.30. Matth. 16.26.But also, understandingly to know and remember something that may help you in the hour of temptation to beleeve that God; (f)Col, 3.16.For sometimes Gods own people meet with this temptation, Is there a God? (g)1 Pet. 5.8, 9.And therefore if ever you should be tempted to say in your heart there is no God; (h)Ps. 14.1. The works of God.First, seriously consider how wonderfully you your self, the heavens, the earth, and all the creatures therein are made and preserved, (i)Psal. 139.14.15. Psal. 100.3. Ps. 22.9, 10. Neh. 9.6.and try, if you can apprehend God, and the invisible things of God, the eternity, wisdom, power, and goodnes of God, by his wonderfull works in you, above you, and about you in every creature. Secondly, The word of God.call to minde that the Scripture saith that there is a God, (k)Gen. 1.….and that therefore you are bound to beleeve it, because all the Scriptures of the old and new Testament (the Apocrypha excepted) containing in them all things to be known and beleeved necessary unto salvation, are the very word of God, (l)2 Tim. 3.16And appear to be so, chiefly by the spirit that did indite them, (m)Ioh 16.13. 1 Cor. 2.14 Psal, 36.9. 2 Pet. 1.21.and further by their being wholly for Gods glory, (n)Ioh. 7.18.by their power upon consciences, For the word of God is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart, (o)Heb. 4.12.which the word of Angels, and of men good and bad could never pry into; (p)Ier. 17.9. Conscience,Thirdly, make use of your own conscience in this case, which is as a thousand witnesses to you that there is a God, for the law of God that was once written in Adams heart, remains so written in your heart (q)Rom. 2.15.(though defaced) as that you know, yea, you know, that you know, that there is a God, (r)Rom. 1.21.and if you doe but think to the contrary, or any other way secretly sin against God, your self, or your neighbour, your conscience doth condemn you, (s)Rom. 2.15.and is many times so filled with horrour, as that you tremble with fear least God should tear you in pieces; which may fully convince you that there is a God, who is greater then your conscience, (t)1 Io. 3.20.to whose judgement your judgement of your self, upon your self, shall be subject.
2. Quest What is God so far as he hath revealed himself in his word?
Ans. God is one (a)1 Cor. 8.6.holy spirit (b)1 Pet. 1.15, 16. Ioh. ….24.distinguished into three persons, Father, Sonne, and holy Ghost.(c)1 Ioh. 5.7.
Although neither you nor any creature living can fully know what God is, (d)Matth. 1.27.yet you and every one ought to endeavour to know God so farre as he hath revealed himself in his word, (e)Ioh. 17.3. Rom. 15.4.and God hath made himself known in his word to be an eternall spirit, who is individuall and but one in his essence, (f)1 Tim. 2.5and yet three in persons, Father, Sonne, and holy Ghost; The Trinity.(g)Matth. 3.16, 17.and though the father be God, (h)Eph. 4.6.and the Son God, (i)Ioh 1.13, 14and the holy Ghost God, (k)1 Thes. 5.23.yet there are not three Gods, but three divers subsistencies in the Godhead, which differ in their names, and in their order and manner of subsisting, and in their actions, The Father begets, (l)Psal. 2.7.the Sonne is begotten, (m)Ioh. 1.14.and the holy Ghost proceeds from the Father and the Son; (n)Ioh. 15.26.And yet they are the same uncreate, eternall, essentiall, equall, incomprehensible, Almighty, infinite being (o)1 Ioh. 5.7.in all perfection.
And therefore when ever you are to worship God, you are to worship him, God is to be worshipped, unity in Trinity, and Trinity in unity.not onelyonly in the unity of his essence, (p)Ioh. 4.24but also in the Trinity of Persons, conceiving him in your minde to be an eternall, (q)Psa. 90.2,wise, (r)Iob. 9.4.Almighty, (s)Exo. 6.3.holy, (t)Rev 4.8.just, (u)Exo. 34.7mercifull, (x)Exo. 34.6spirit, that ought not to be likened (no not so much as in your thoughts) to any creature in heaven or earth; (y)Exo. 20.4And beleeving in your heart that God the Father is able and willing for his Sonnes sake by his spirit: that God the Sonne is willing and able from the Father by the holy Ghost: that God the holy Ghost is willing and able from the Father and the Son, to give you what you wait upon him for, in his way, above what you are able to ask, or to think how you should ask; (z)Eph. 3.20Thus God who is a Spirit is to be worshipped, in spirit and in truth, (*)Ioh. 4.24.Unity in Trinity, and Trinity in Unity.
3. Quest. How, and in what condition did this God (thus distinguished) make you and all mankinde at the first in Adam?
Answ. God made me and all mankinde at the first in Adam after his own Image, (a)Gen. 1.27.righteous both in soul and body, (b)Eccl. 7 29.and so, in a blessed condition (c)Gen. 2, 8, 9..
God that made all things of nothing for his own glory, made Adam a perfect man, the most excellent of all creatures upon earth, little lower then the Angels in heaven, (d)Ps. 8.5, 6.For he made him his son and heir of all things, creating his body and the parts thereof, (e)Luk. 3.38.apt materiall instruments for the service of an immateriall divine soul, actually free from diseases, pains, weaknesses, sorrows, and all infirmities that might make it subject to death: (f)Rom. 5.12Giving him such an upright countenance, stature, and gate, as caused all the creatures to obey him, and to stand in awe of him, The Image of God in Adam.whereby he was every way fitted to rule over them; (g)Gen. 1.28.And as God made man like himself in his Majesty in regard of his body, so he breathed a living soul into him of a spirituall substance like himself, (h)Gen. 2.7.writing a law in his heart, (i)Rom. 2.14.and giving him a positive law, (k)Gen. 2 17.and ability by his upright reason to know them both, by his naturall affections to take delight in them, by his liberty of will freely and fully to obey them. (l)Eccl. 7.29. Adams happinesse.And through his being in his whole person conformable to Gods will, and fit and able to serve and obey him, he had perfect and immediate communion with God, (m)Gen. 2.8.peace of conscience in the view of his righteous, blessed condition, comfort in his dwelling, (n)Gen. 2.15, 16.food, (o)Gen. 1.29.labour, (p)Gen. 2 15.relation, (q)Gen, 2.23.and in all the creatures, wanting nothing that his upright reason could conceive or desire to make him happy upon earth.
And as God made man righteous not immutable; but left to the freedome of his will: The covenant of works.So he made a covenant with him, (r)Gen. 2, 17.promising him life and immortall blessednesse in this world upon his personall and perfect keeping of the law written in his heart, (s)Gal. 3.12.and the positive law of the tree of good and evil. Gen. 2.17. Lev. 18.5.For the summe of the covenant or law of works was Doe this, that is, perfectly keep my law and thou shalt live: And if thou doe it not, that is, if thou transgresse my law thou shalt die the death: unto which Adam in his heart did really assent; Now as Adam: So you, and all mankinde were created in him after Gods own image, (t)Eccl. 7.29. Rom. 5.12.and in a blessed condition every way as he was; And when God made a covenant with Adam he made it with you, and all mankinde in him, promising you (as he did him) immortall glory upon earth upon your doing what he required, and enabled you to do; The use you are to make of Gods goodnes to you in your creation.which should make you not only to have good thoughts of God, if you had nothing else to move you to it: But constrain you also, to admire God, (u)Ps. 8, 4. to 9.to love him, and to glorifie him according to the knowledge you have of him, (x)Rom. 1.21.for his goodnesse to you in giving you virtually a glorious being in Adam, (y)Ps. 49.12.and actually a wonderfull being in the wombe, (z)Ps. 139.14, 15.and for continuing of it unto you, in and from the wombe unto this day, (*)Ps. 22.9, 10.being he was not bound to give you any being at all.
4. Quest. Did you and all mankinde keep the Image of God, and continue in that righteous and blessed estate that you were made in at the first in Adam?
Ans. I and all mankinde sinned in Adam, (a)Rom. 5.11.and so lost the Image of God, and our blessed estate in Paradise, (b)Ps. 49.12.and became liable to all curses temporall, spirituall and eternall (c)Gal. 3.10. Rom. 6.23..
God that governs all things for the praise of himself, (d)Mat. 10, 29and the eternall good of his, (e)Rom. 8.28suffered not only the reprobate Angels to sin and fall, and so to become devils; (f)2 Pet. 2 4. Adams sin and punishment.But the first man Adam also (by the motion of Eve that was first in the transgression by the temptation of the devil in the serpent) (g)Gen. 3.1, to 7.to transgresse his law (and in it the ten commandments) in the eating the forbidden fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, (h)Gen. 3.6.and thereby to loose his Image (i)Ps. 49.12. Gen. 3.10.as a just punishment inflicted upon him for the ill use he had made thereof; and so he became a childe of wrath, a servant of sinne and Satan, and not onelyonly unconformable to the law of God, and unapt, and unable to serve God, and to rule over all other creatures: but polluted also with originall sin in his whole person, and subject to all curses both of body and soul here, and hereafter, (k)Gen. 3.16, 17, 18, 19, 23, 24. Gal. 3.10.without the least hope of help or redresse in or from himself, or any other creature.
Now as Adam; So you and all mankinde in him transgressed the law of God, and so broke the covenant of works, for he by Gods appointment stood in the room of all; (m)Rom 5.12.And therefore his sin was imputed to you, and counted yours at your first breathing in the wombe, (n)Ps. 51.5.for which God might justly have given you a second breathing in hell; And as Adam, so you by sinning in him lost the Image of God, and became a childe of wrath, (o)Eph. 2.3.a slave of sin and Satan, (p)Rom. 6.20. 2 Tim. 2.25. Originall sinne.and wholly corrupted in your whole man with originall sin, which was conveied unto you from your parents by naturall generation; (q)Rom. 3.10, to 19.And therefore you were conceived in sin, (r)Ps 51.5.and born with a blinde minde, (s)Eph. 1.18.a stubborn will, (t)Rom 8.7, 8.a hard heart, (u)Ezek. 36.26.disordered affections, (x)Gal. 5.26.and with a body defiled with sin from the crown of the head to the sose of the foot, (y)Rom. 3, 13, to 19.whereby you became not only unfit and unable to perform any acceptable service to God, (z)Heb. 11.6.and uncapable to partake of life by a covenant of works: (a)Rom. 3.20.But prone, and apt also to evil, and that continually; (b)Gen. 6.5.And if you had your due according to the desert of the sin, you sinned in Adam, God might in his justice further punish you with all the curses of this life and the life to come, (c)Rom. 6.23 Gal. 3.10.But you cannot but sin actually through the body of sin in you; (d)Rom. 5.19, 24. 1 Ioh. 1.8. Actuall sin.And as often as you have transgressed the law of God, (e)1 Ioh. 3.4.by committing of evil in thought, word, or deed, therein forbidden, or omitting of, or failing in duty therein required: (f)Rom. 6.23.So often, over and over, you have deserved eternall death and damnation. And although you may (by the light of nature and the word through the help of the priviledges and ordinances you partake of in a visible Church, and the common grace of the spirit, you may receive thereby) repent as Iudas did, Matth 27.3, 4, Beleeve as the devils and hypocrites doe, Iam. 2.19, 20. Fast and pray as the Scribes and Pharisees did, Luk 18.11, 12. and perform all manner of duties for the outward acts of them that either the letter of the law or Gospel requires as temporary beleevers doe, Note.Luk. 8.13. Yet it is impossible you should thereby either please God, escape hell or obtain heaven, Heb 11.6. Ioh. 3.36.8.24. Because you have already transgressed the law and broken the covenant of works both virtually in Adam, and actually in your own person, and you cannot satisfie the justice of God for the breach of his law for time past, by any thing you can do or suffer for God, Gal. 3.10. neither can you personally and perfectly keep the law for time to come, 1 Ioh. 1.8. if the justice of God were satisfied for the breach of the law for time past; What you think of these things, God that understands the thoughts of your heart best knows; I conceive, that when ever Christ shall send forth his spirit in the ministery of the law to convince you of sin originall and actuall, The knowledge of your sinfull condition should humble you.and of curse and wrath due to you for the same, and of the insufficiency of any creature to free you from it, you will be so pricked in heart, and brought into bondage and terrour (which is called legall repentance or humiliation) with the sence of your sinfull, cursed, lost condition, as that you will crie out in your heart at least, what shall I doe to be saved? (g)Act. 2.37.And indeed, Christ will not be Christ to you, nor the Gospel, Gospel, (though you hear of the sound thereof) untill you receive the spirit of bondage to work you to such a frame and temper of heart, (h)Mat. 9, 12. Rom. 8.15.Go then and learn what that meaneth, They that be whole need not a Physitian, but they that are sick: as who say, not the righteous, but the sensible lost sinners have need of a Saviour.
And wait upon God in the Ministery of the law, (the ordinary means by which he convinces people of sin and miserie) [i]Rom. 2.20 Act. 2.37.for to have your sinfull lost condition further revealed to you, for you are lost, without sense of losse, [k]Eph. 2.1, 2.so as that you cannot see a need of a Saviour, untill God discover it to you [l]Ioh. 16.9, 10.neither can you rightly beleeve in Christ, untill you see an absolute need of Christ.
5. Quest. Hath God utterly forsaken you, and all mankinde in this sinfull, cursed condition you are fallen into?
Answ. God so loved the world, that he gave his onelyonly begotten Son: that whosoever beleeveth in him, should not perish but have everlasting life.[a]Ioh. 3.16.
The infinite wise God that out of his meer will and pleasure [b]Mat. 11.26.chose some Angels to glory [c]1 Tim. 5.21and in Christ some men [d]Rom. 9.11, to 27.11.5.to everlasting glory for the manifestation of the exceeding riches of his grace, Election. Reprobation.[e]Rom. 9.18and left the rest eternally to perish, [f]1 Pet. 2.4. Mat. 24.41.for the expression of his justice against sin, [g]Rom. 9.17, 22.and both for his honour: Did not deal with the elect Angels and fallen mankinde as he dealt with the fallen Angels, for he left them without a remedie: [h]2 Pet 2.4.but confirmed the standing Angels, [i]Gods love to the elect of mankinde.by the personall mediation of Christ; And so loved the world that he gave his onelyonly begotten Son, by his purpose from eternity, [k]1 Pet. 1.20.(according to the covenant of grace he had made with Christ from everlasting, and in him with all the elect, as his seed, Isa 43.10.49.8. Heb. 7.22,) by promise in the beginning, [l]Gen. 3.15.offering himself freely to Adam, and to all, without excluding any, The covenant of grace after the old administration.to be a reconciled God through the promised Messiah, as if he never had been offended: Afterward making a covenant with Abraham upon his believing, to be his God to justifie, sanctifie, protect and save him: (m)Gen. 17.7, to 12. Gen. 15.6. Rom. 4.11.adding thereunto the signe of circumcision a seal of the righteousnes of faith: And promising not only to be his God, but also to be a God to his children (n)Gen. 17.7.in outward priviledges and ordinances that they were capable of, whereby they might partake of inward grace; And therefore he required him to walk uprightly before him, (o)Gen. 17.1.to give up his children to him to cause every manchilde of them to be circumcised the eight day, (p)Gen. 17.11, 12.and to bring them up under his ordinances for him, (q)Gen. 18.19And as many of them, whether they were born Jews, or made Jews by profession as the proselytes were, (r)Act. 13.26, 43.as walked in the steps of their father Abraham, were blessed with him, in having the Lord for their God, as he had.(s)Gal 3.9.
And in the fulnesse of time God according to his promise, sent his Son, (t)Gal. 4.4. The natures of Christ.Who was God and man in one person, (u)1 Tim. 3.16 Ioh. 11, 14.perfect God, from eternity, (x)Prov. 8.22, to 30.perfect man in time, conceived by the holy Ghost with originall righteousnesse, and so without sinne; (y)Mat. 1 20. Luk. 1.3…. Heb. 7.26.born of the virgin Mary, (z)Mat. 1.25.and so dwelt among us in our nature (a)Ioh. 1 14.subject to all the infirmities thereof, sinne onelyonly excepted; (b)Heb 4.15. The offices of Christ.Ordained of God to be a prophet to teach, (c)Act 3 23.a Priest to satisfie and pray for, (d)Heb 7.21.a King to rule, and to deliver his people; (e)Act. 5.31.Filled in his Manhood by the Godhead at his conception, but more abundantly at his baptisme withall fulnesse of grace, [f]Col. 1.19. Ioh. 1.16. Christ was our surety.whereby he was fitted to fill us all with all grace sufficient to salvation, and to fulfill all righteousnesse for us; For he undertaking out of his meer love to be our surety, [g]Heb. 7.22was bound not onelyonly to doe for us what God required of us in the covenant of grace, and what we could net doe, [h]Rom. 8.…namely to fulfill the Morall law, and to give us grace to beleeve, [i]Heb. 12 1, 2and live to him: But ingaged also to suffer for us what Gods justice did require, and what we could not suffer, to wit the penalty of the breach of the law, [k]Heb. 10.9, 10.And therefore God passed by, and spared us, and spent his justce on Christ, laying on him the iniquities originall, and actuall of us all, and all the curse and wrath due to us for the same: [l]Isa. 53.6, to 12. Ioh. 1.29. 1. Pet. 3.18.so as that Christ suffered from his conception, [m]Phil. 2.7, 8.untill his resurrection, more especially in the garden, and on the crosse all the wrath that Gods justice did require, or our sins did deserve; [n]Luk. 22.40, to 45. Mat. 26.38. Mat. 27.20, to 47.And though his sufferings of body and soul were finite for time, yet they being the sufferings of him that was, and is God, [o]Rev 1.8. Christ hath satisfied Gods justice for the sins of the elect.they were of infinite worth, even to the satisfying of Gods infinite justice; [p]Eph. 5.2. Col. 1.20. Rom. 8.33, 34. Heb. 10.12.And thus Christ did doe the office of a Mediatour in both natures betwixt God and us, [q]1 Tim. 2.5.and by his active and passive obedience did redeem us from eternall death, [r]Gal. 3.13. Rom. 6.23. Heb. 2.15.and merit for us everlasting life. [s]Ioh 17 2.And as Christ suffered under Pontius Pilate, [t]Mat. 27.2.was crucified dead and buried [u]Mat. 27.35, 50, 60.to take away our sins, [x]Rom. 4.25.according to the determinate councell of God, [y]Act. 2.23.else all the world could not have crucified him: [z]Ioh. 19.11.So he rose again the third day for our justification, [a]Rom. 4.25.and fourty daies after ascended into heaven, [b]Luk. 24.51.to prepare a place of glory, for us, [c]Ioh. 14.2and now sits at Gods right hand, executing for us his Propheticall, Priestly, and Kingly offices; [d]Rev. 1.18. Heb. 7.25.whereby Pastours, teachers, and other officers of the Church are given to us, and gifts, and graces, to fit them for the same, [e]Eph. 4.10. to 14. 1 Cor. 12.28.for the revealing, and applying of Christ for salvation to as many of us as are ignorant of him, [f]Mark 16.15, 16. Rom. 1.17.and have not as yet received him: And for the accepting, [g]Rev. 8.3.building up, perfecting, and well governing of us that are called to be Saints, [h]Eph. 4.12, 13.untill he come the second time to judge both quick and dead, [i]Act. 10.42and so receive us up to glory.
The Covenant of grace after the new administrationNow as God out of his meer love for Christs sake that was to come made a Gospel-covenant under the old Testament with Abraham to be a God to him and his, annexing the seal of circumcision thereunto: So God out of his good will and pleasure for Christs sake that is now come, makes the same Gospel-covenant under the new Testament, [k]Act. 2.39.(for the covenant of grace is the same alwaies [l]Luk. 1.54, 55, to 74. Rom. 11, 13, to 25.though divers for administration) freely offering himself to be a God through Christ to as many as shall repent and beleeve, [m]Act. 2.38.17. Baptisme succeeds circumcisionand to their children, as he promised, and was to Abraham, and to his seed: instituting baptisme in the room of circumcision to be the first seal thereof unto them. [n]Col. 2.12, 13. with Rom. 4.11. How Christian infants have a right to baptisme.And therefore through Gods love to you for your parents sake as instruments (if either of them were a beleever) God at once did virtually call you, and outwardly take you into covenant with your parents, (o)Luk. 19 9. Act. 2.38, 39. Rom. 11.10.so as that you had a right to baptisme from birth, (p)Gen. 17 11. Matth. 28.18.being born outwardly a Christian, holy, and in covenant, (q)Act 15.10. 1 Cor. 7.14. Act. 2.39.as a Jew was born a Jew, holy, and in covenant, (r)Gal. 2 15. Rom. 11.16. Gen. 17.7.though inwardly sinfull, a childe of wrath, and a stranger to God.(s)Psal 51.5. Eph. 2.3, 12. Why you were baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Ghost.
Whereupon by your parents means you were in your infancy given up to the Lord, and baptized with water in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Ghost, to assure you that as God did declare himself at your baptisme to be your God according to his promise (t)Act. 2, 39.in offering his whole Christ in the baptismall water (u)1 Cor 1.30.to regenerate you, and his spirit to be a seal thereof unto you: (x)Eph. 1.13.So he will be your God (y)2 Cor. 6.18and you shall be his childe, and Christ will be your Saviour and you his servant, (z)1 Tim 4.10. Rom 6.18.and the spirit your sanctifier, and you his dwelling house: (a)1 Cor 6.19. 2 Cor. ….16. You ought now to renew your covenant with God.if you will but now (according to your bounden duty, for you are ingaged by baptisme to be wholly and only the Lords) accept of God for your God, of Christ for your Saviour, of the spirit for your Comforter as they freely offer themselves to you in the word, (b)Isa. 55 1. Rev. 22.17. Ioh. 1.12.and give up your self to the service of that God in whose name you were baptized (c)Luk. 1.74, 75.So as that by this you may perceive that God hath not utterly left you in that sinfull cursed condition you are fallen into: but hath out of his meer mercy given you a right to his covenant, Act. 2.39.3.…5. called you by his name, Heb. 8.10, declared you actually by baptisme a member of his Church (for you were admitted at your baptisme into the visible Church of Christ) 1 Cor. 12.13. priviledged you to partake of his lively oracles, Rom. 3.2. and set you in a way, whereby you may be in a farre better estate, then ever you were in at the first in Adam (d)1 Cor. 15.47, to 15. Matth. 16.18. Ioh. 10, 28. How the knowledge of Gods love in giving of Christ should work upon you.Which great love of God should not onelyonly move you to endeavour to glorifie him by beleeving and living to him: (e)2 Cor. 5.14.But melt you also with godly sorrow (which is called evangelicall repentance or humiliation) that you have wearied him with your sins, that you have pierced his Christ with your iniquities, (f)Zach. 12.10, 11.that you have neglected him that hath regarded you from eternity, and from the beginning of time hitherto; which good work, Gods love will begin in you, if once the spirit of Christ be poured out upon you; (g)Act. 2.37, to 40.Therefore diligently attend the Ministery of the Gospel the ordinary means for the revelation of the spirit, (h)Gal 3.2.that you may receive the spirit of Christ, for to convince you of Gods love in giving of Christ to be our righteousnesse, (i)Ioh. 16.8, 9, 10 Ier. 23.6.for to affect your heart with it: for to help you to beleeve it, and to cry Abba Father (k)Rom. 8.15for the further revealing, and applying of it, for your comfort here, and eternall salvation hereafter.
6 Qu…st Will God save all men by Iesus Christ, whom he sent into the world to save sinners?
Answ. He that beleeveth on the Sonne hath everlasting life, he that beleeveth not the Son, shall not see life: but the wrath of God abideth on him.(a)Ioh. 3.36.
The free grace of God hath so far appeared to all where the Gospel cometh, as that God freely offers his whole Christ unto all (b)Mar 16.1… Ioh, 7.37.without excluding of any effectually to call his who are amongst this all, to unite them by faith unto him, to beget them anew, to reconcile them to himself, to adopt them for his, to pardon them all their sinnes, to redeem them out of the hands of all their enemies, to make them wise unto salvation, to sanctifie them throughout both in their bodies and souls, and everlastingly to save them; (c)Cor. 1, 30. Eph. 1.3, to 17Whereby he plainly shews that he damns none under the Gospel meerly because he will, (d)Ezek. 33.11.but also because people will not accept of his Christ freely offered unto them; (e)Ioh. 5.40. Mat. 23.27. None are saved by Christ but Elect beleevers for whom Christ died.And yet God is so free, in his free grace, as that he saves none by it, but his chosen vessels of mercy for whom onelyonly Christ died, (f)Ioh. 10.15, 28, 19. Rom. 8.28, to 38.and to whom onelyonly power is given to beleeve; (g)Act 13 48. Your priviledges and performances will avail you nothing without faith in Christ.And therefore though you were born a Christian of Christians, descended of the stock of the godly, baptized in your infancie, and have had Christ in the word and Sacraments freely offered unto you, to be all in all to save you: yea, though you professe to have all repentance, and faith, and to doe and suffer the will of God in every thing; yet all your all, and Christ that is all in all, will avail you nothing at all to your justification and salvarion without the faith of Gods elect, which worketh by love, works of holinesse to God, works of righteousnesse to men. (h)Gal. 5.6. Phil. 3.1, to 5. Heb. 4.2. Iam. 2.19, 20. to 26.O then, trust not in your priviledges, professions of faith, performances, tears, repentances, good meanings, devotions, good praiers, good deeds, many sufferings, nor in your joyes, inlargements, nor in any of your own righteousnesses or graces: (i)Isa. 64.6. Phil 3.3, to 9 See the conclusion of the directions.But count all your all, nothing at all, without Christ, but such things as will rather condemn you, then justifie you, damn you, then save you; And all that you may win Christ, and be found in him, not having your own righteousnesse, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousnes which is of God by faith.(k)Phil. 3.8, 9.
7. Quest. Is it in your own power and strength truly to beleeve in the Lord Iesus Christ?
Answ. Faith is the gift of God, (a)Eph. 2.8.and I cannot say that Iesus is the Lord, but by the holy Ghost.(b)1 Cor. 12.3.
It pleased the Father since the fall of Adam, that all fulnesse of grace should dwell in the Lord Jesus Christ, (c)Col. 1.19.that all his, might, in their measure, receive of that fulnesse grace for grace (d)Ioh. 1.16. None have free will to beleeve, and …o to be saved if they will.So as that neither you nor any of mankinde have any grace (e)Eph. 2.1, to 7.(nor can have untill you come to Christ for it, (f)Ioh. 15.5.) either to repent, beleeve, or to doe any thing that is acceptable to God; (g)Heb. 11 6.Nay, you are so farre from having naturally a sufficiencie of grace to beleeve, (h)2 Cor. 3.5. Ioh. 6.44, 65.and so, to be saved, if you will: as that you can neither know, (i)Mat. 1….17.nor desire, (k)Phil. 2.13.nor come to Christ (l)Ioh. 6.44no not, with all the help of all the men, means, and ministery of grace in the world, (m)1 Cor. 3.6, 7.But as God shall give you to know, (n)Ioh. 1.9.desire him, and beleeve in him, (o)Phil. 1.29. What faith is.For faith is the supernaturall gift and free grace of God, (p)Eph. 2.8. Eph. 1.18, 19.whereby a sensible lost sinner is enabled to know, and perswaded to receive Christ, (q)1 Cor. 12.3.as offered in the Gospell, (r) and to rest upon him alone for salvation; (s)Heb. 7.25.saith (I say) is the gift of God, and yet it is the act of man, it is the gift and act of God, as God inclines and inables the soul to beleeve, (t)Phil. 2.13.it is the act of man as he closes with, (u)Ioh. 1.12.and rests upon Christ, (x)Ioh. 3.16. How faith is the gift of God and the act of man. Act. 16.14. Phil. 2.13.Or (to speak more properly) faith is the gift and act of God, First, as God opens the understanding of a sensible lost sinner to know the Lord Jesus Christ, and to approve of Christ as good and necessary for him; Secondly, as he inclines the will to chuse to be saved by Christ onelyonly and no other way; Likewise faith is the act of man, First as he puts forth the acts of his understanding and endeavours to know, esteem, and to approve of Christ as God gives him to know and value Christ; Secondly as he puts forth the elective act of his will, and endeavours to will, chuse, Phil. 3.12.or to receive the Lord Jesus Christ as an onelyonly necessary sufficient Saviour as God makes him willing to embrace Christ; Thus man is to act for his salvation, and to work out his salvation with fear and trembling (otherwise he that made him will not save him) as he is acted and wrought upon by the Lord; and so Gods work of grace is in us, upon us, by us. When one may be said to begin to beleeve,And therefore when God enlightens you to know Chrrst, and inclines, and enables you to come to him by his Christ for salvation in those principles of Scripture where he freely offers Christ to you, and to every one that sees a need of him, and would be saved by him: at that time, God gives you to beleeve: (y)1 Cor. 12.3. Ioh. 6 65. The priviledges of beleevers.And then, you are in the judgement of charity, effectually called, in covenant with God, Gen 15.6. (z)Luk. 19.5, 6.united to Christ, (a)Eph 5.30regenerated, (b)Tit. 3.5, to 8.justified, (c)Rom. 4.22reconciled to God, (d)Rom 5.1.adopted, (e)Gal. 3.26.redeemed, (f)1 Cor. 1.30.sanctified, (g)Act. 26 18.interessed in all the promises of God; (h)2 Cor 1.20yea, and in all the priviledges of the Saints belonging to this life, and the life to come. (i)Rom. 8.37 1 Cor. 3.20, 23.So as that you have great incouragement to endeavour to beleeve, though of your self you cannot; it is indeed Gods commandment, and so your duty to beleeve, (k)1 Ioh. 3.23and though you neither doe, nor ever did, nor ever can beleeve of your own power and strength: yet you may beleeve, being God can give you to beleeve; Ephes. 1.19, 20 For as God said, let there be light: and there was light, Gen. 1.3. So God saies to his, beleeve: and they beleeve, Act. 16.31, 34. And as Christ said to Lazarus, Come forth, and he that was dead came forth, Iob. 11.44. So Christ saith to dead sinners, Hear, and beleeve: and they obey him, Ioh. 5.25. Ephes. 2.5. Thus the Lord Jesus Christ quickens and enables all those that his father gives him to believe, and live, and to doe what he commands them. So, as that if God that saith by the spirit of Christ let every one that will come, (l)Rev. 22.17.quicken your dead heart to say, Lord, when thou saiest let every one that will come, my heart saith Draw me, (m)Ps. 27.8. Cant. 1.4. Eph. 2.1, to 7.and I will come, and run after thee: Then the work is begun, and you may be confident that be that hath begun a good work in you, will in due time finish it(n)Phil. 1.6.
8. Quest. What weans ought you to use that you may attain faith, full assurance of faith, and all other graces necessary to salvation?
Answ. I ought to wait upon God in hearing that I may attain faith, (a)Rom. 10.14.and in hearing, (b)Act. 14.22.praying, (c)Luk. 17.5.and making use of the Gospel Sacraments, Baptisme and the Lords Supper, that I may be confirmed in beleeving, and obtain all other graces requisite to salvation.(d)Act. 2.42. 1 Cor. 11 24, 25, 26.
The great God of heaven whose power hath no limits but his own will, You are bound to use means of faith.hath bound us (though not himself) to use means for the obtaining of the mercy and free grace he bestows upon his; (e)Ezek. 36.37.And therefore he hath appointed you to hear him in the ministery of his word, and not only to hear the word read, (f)Neh 9.3. Rom. 15.4.opened, (g)Luk. 4.21.22.preached, (h)Rom. 10.14.repeated, (i)Phil. 3.1.in private, in publique, at ordinary, and extraordinary times: (k)2 Tim. 4.2But also to reade the word, (l)Act. 8.28,to ponder of it, (m)Luk. 2.19.to conferre about it, (n)Luk 24.14and to suffer your self to be catechised, and examined in it, (o)Luk. 1.4. 1 Pet. ….15.that you might thereby be taught the truth of misery, (p)Act. 2.37.and the way to mercy by beleeving in Christ. (q)Act. 16.30. You are to hear both law and Gospel.And therefore you are to hear the law as well as the Gospel; The law to convince you of sin, and curse due to you for the same; (r)Rom. 3.20. Gal. 3 10.The Gospel to enlighten you of Gods great love in giving Christ to be what he was, and is, to doe what he did, to suffer what he suffered upon earth, (s)Dan. 9.26 1 Pet. 3.18. 1 Tim. 1 15.and still to doe what he doth in heaven as Mediatour to purchase, and apply salvation to every one that comes to him for it; (t)Ioh. 6.37.But you are especially to hear the Gospel preached, for it is not the law, but the Gospel that works faith; [u]Gal. 3.2. Christ crucified is the obiect of iustifying faithit is Christ, whole Christ, and every part of Christ, but especially Christ crucified that is the main object of faith, and the sure foundation you are to build upon: [x]1 Cor. 2.2. 1 Cor. 3.11.yea, it is Christ that died for this very end that sinners might be pardoned, [y]Rom. 4.25. 1 Cor. 15.3.and that now lives to intercede for ever at Gods right hand that you are chiefly to look at, [z]Ioh. 3.14, 15.and to come unto, for to apply that salvation that he hath merited by his by-past death and passion; It is Christ (I say) that you are chiefly to look at in your hearing of the word, and that you are to come unto, that he might be the authour and finisher of your faith; For you doe not nor cannot (neither doth God exspect it of you) bring faith to Christ, and to the promise: but the word of faith, and the Gospel of Christ (I mean with the inward workings of the spirit of Christ) begets faith in you, while you are hearing of it, conferring about it, meditating upon it, and upon the promises thereof, and the faithfulnesse of him that hath promised, Ephes. 1.13. Heb, 11.11, And if at, or after your attending the word, you be so pricked in your heart by the spirit in the ministery of the law with the sense of your sinfull cursed estate, When God ma… be said to open a door of faith unto you.as that you know not what to do to be saved: And so affected with Gods love in giving of Christ to die for sinners, as that your heart is thereby drawn to give up it self to Christ, and to close with him in a word, and promise, with a full purpose of heart to live to him: Then you may be said to have a door of faith opened unto you. [a]Act 2.37, 38, 39, 41. Act. 13.47, 48. Act. 14.27. What means you are to use after your first beleeving.Neverthelesse you are to use the same means aforementioned for the finishing of your faith already begun, [b]1 Pet. 2.2. Act. 2.42.and more, for now you may pray for the continuance and increase of your faith, [c]Luk. 17.5,and for a beginning, a continuance, and a growth of all other graces that you are to adde to your faith, [d]2 Pet. 1.5, to 8.and for all things you see your self, yours, and all the Saints to want that is according to Gods will; [e]1 Ioh 5.14. Eph. 6.18.yea now, you are also to make use of the Gospel-Sacraments, baptisme and the Lords Supper for the confirmation and strengthening of your faith, [f]Act 2.41.42. What a Sacrament is.for they are signes and seals, not onelyonly for signification: but also, for assurance of the truth of the covenant of grace to them that beleeve, [g]Rom 4.11.and as it were pawns given us from the Lord to make us confident that he will give us what he hath promised; [b]Heb. 6.17, 18.even as pawns are given us of men that we dare not trust; Thus low, doth the most high God condescend to his frail creatures. Therefore make use of your baptisme as often as you doubt whether God will fulfill his word and promise to you concerning the pardoning of your sins, and the saving of your soul; for you are in such cases to make use of your baptisme throughout your life; How your baptisme may confirm you in your faith.(though it be but once to be administred) and be confident that you shall as verily (if you beleeve) be pardoned, purged, and cleansed from all sinne, sanctified, and saved by the bloud of Christ: [i]1 Ioh. 1.7, 8 Eph. 5.26. Ioh. 3.16.as verily as you were sprinkled with water in your baptisme, for you have not onelyonly the word of God to evidence it to you: but also the oath of God, to seal up that evidence unto you (k)Heb. 6.17, 18.And in like manner make use of the Lords Supper, when you are full of fears least you should finally fall away from that grace of God begun in you; Not onelyonly by meditation, but also by actuall receiving of that Sacrament; For that end you should freely and willingly offer your self unto your Minister and the Elders of the Congregation you doe, How you are to offer your self unto your Minister, and the elders of the Church to be tryed and examined by them. 2. Cor. 8, 5. with Rev. 2.2, 7.or would belong unto for to be tryed and examined by them that you may be admitted unto that holy Ordinance if you be found in any measure prepared for it; Is it not meet and equall that those should know the estate of your soul (and how shall they know it without triall and examination?) that must give an account of it? But your Minister and the Elders of the Church are to watch over your soul as they that must give an account of it, Heb. 13.17. Therefore give up your self unto them (having given up your self unto the Lord) for to be tryed and approved of, by them, 2 Cor. 8.5. And when you receive that Sacrament be not faithlesse but beleeve that Christs flesh shall be meat indeed, How the second Sacrament may confirm you in beleevingand his bloud drink indeed, to nourish up your soul to everlasting life, and to perfect the grace begun in you; (l)Ioh. 6.55, 58, 61.beleeve this. I say, as verily as you receive the bread and wine the outward visible signes of that inward invisible grace, For they are visible pawns (though God be out of your sight) to secure you thereof. (m)Rom. 4.11And if in processe of time you should loose the sense of your faith, after you have been confirmed therein, and so doubt whether you ever did truly beleeve or no, as established beleevers sometimes may as well as weak Christians; (n)Isa. 50 10. Ps. 77.7, 8.9. Gen. 15, 2, 2. Matth. 14.31. What you are to doe when you are doubtfullThen begin (as if you never had beleeved before) and goe on to trust in God, (o)Isa. 50.10.and to rely on Christ in a word and promise, where he is unconditionally offered to sinners, for when you are in the worst condition, and in your thinking the most desperate lost sinner, that ever lived on this side hell, Then Christ is as freely offered unto you (if you would be saved by him, and be resolved to live to him) as he is to any sinner in the world; (p)Ioh. 7.37. Rev. 22.17.And if God incline you to follow this advice, I now give you, Then you may with comfort conceive that though the other work of faith was but false and fained, that this work now begun is true, and unfained: (q)Isa. 50.10. Psal. 2.12. Ps. 43.5.Or what was true, and unfained before, (though doubtfull and undiscerned) you may now apprehend and know it, to your more enlarged comfort then ever in times past. (r)Ioh. 14.20. 2 Tim. 1.12.And therefore make use of the Sacraments as afore mentioned, for to confirm you therein.
And if notwithstanding the use of all means you remain in your apprehension a castaway: (as any true beleever may, if once they be left of God) (s)Ps. 30.7. Ps. 31.22. Ps. 88.5, 6, 7.Yet still use the means of faith; For the more sensible you are, that you are in a lost condition, the more need you have of beleeving, and of using means that you may beleeve; and the more sinfull you are and have been, the more confident you may be that Christ came to save you, (if your heart be inclined to cleave to him) being he came into the world to save sinners, 1 Tim. 1.15. For put all your sins and the aggravations of them together that you doe, and have stood guilty of originall, and actuall, of omission, or of commission, against God the Father, Son, or holy Ghost, against law, or Gospel, your self or others, they make you but the chiefest of sinners: And then you may and ought to apply Christ, as Paul did; For when he was (in his thinking) the chiefest of sinners, then he was the most confident, that Christ came to save him, because This is a faithfull saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Iesus came into the world to save sinners, 1 Tim. 1.15. Meditate therefore of t… power and faithfulnesse of God that hath said it, and stagger not at it through unbelief, but be strong in the faith, giving glory to God, Rom. 4.18. to 22. by beleeving that God sent his Son to save you, being you are lost, and the chiefest of sinners, and being Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners, and to seek and save that which was lost. Luk. 19.10. And put forth all the powers of your soul to come to Christ that was once crucified, and that now lives in heaven actually to save as many as come to God by by him for salvation, (t)Rev. 1.18. Heb. 7.25.and venture your soul upon Gods name, (u)Pro. 18.10.(as you would venture your temporall life to get unto a strong hold, Simile.if you were pursued by an enemy) for it is for eternall life: and say, Lord God though I be, a sinfull, unworthy, ignorant, guilty, unsanctified, backsliding creature, and one that ever have been, and am ever like to be sinfull while I remain in the state of corruption: yet I stay my soul upon thee, for to have thee, to be unto me what thou hast proclaimed thy self to be in thy word, mercifull, gracious, Endeavour to understand thes… Scriptures.&c. (x)Exod. 34.6, 7. Isa. 5…. 7. 2 Cor. 1.3. Rom. 10.12. 1 Tim. 1 14. Isa. 43.25. Hos. 14.4. Iam. 1.17.and for to have thy Christ, to be made unto me wisdom, righteousnesse, sanctification, redemption, and all in all to save me to the uttermost; (y)1 Cor. 1.30. Col. 3.11. Heb. 7.25. Wait untill God give you to beleeve.And so, commit your self to God, and to the ministery and people of Christ to be resolved, and recommended to God; And thus wait upon God, endeavouring to beleeve untill God give you to beleeve, and to know that you doe beleeve; And in the mean while be of good comfort, for though you should live and die in this condition, yet you would be blessed, for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.(z)Pro. 8.34. Isa. 64.4. Lam. 3.2….
9. Quest. What manner of life ought you to lead as you are a Christian, and one that professes to beleeve in the Lord Iesus Christ?
Answ. I ought to live by the faith that I have in the Son of God, (a)Rom. 1.19 Gal. 2.…0.a godly, righteous, and a sober life, (b)Tit ….12.according to the rule of the word.(c)P… 19.9. Gal. 6.16.
The free grace of God that offers salvation to all, doth teach us, to deny all ungodlinesse, and worldly lusts, and to live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world; (d)Tit. 2.12.13.and though you cannot live to God, untill you beleeve in Christ, (e)Ioh 15.5.yet, as you are a Christian by name you should live so, as becomes the Gospel; (f)Phil, 1.27.and as you are a beleever, you should live by faith: (g)Rom. 1.17. What it is to live by faith.beleeving that you have life, and righteousnesse in Christ, when you have none sensibly in your self, (h)Col. 3.3.and that the whole covenant of grace, (i)Ezek. 36.25, to 28.and all the promises shall be fulfilled and made yea and Amen to you in Christ, (k)2 Cor. 1.20.yea, that God will make Christ that is the root of sanctification, by his spirit that is the sanctifier of his, to be all in all to sanctifie you, (l)Col. 1.19.in your whole man, that is the subject of sanctification; (m)1 Thes. 1.23.Thus (I say) you are to live by faith, that is the instrument by which we receive of Christs fulnesse grace for grace, (n)1 Cor. 6.11. Ioh. 1.16. Act. 15.9. You are not only to live by faith, but also to use all means that you may be holy.as if you were required to doe nothing else, but onelyonly to beleeve, and to live by faith: and yet you are to use all means, as private prayer, reading, meditation, conference: publique hearing, praying, receiving of the Sacrrments, exercise of discipline: and extraordinary publique, and private fasting, and thanksgiving, as if all your faith would avail you nothing, (o)See the Directions. The law is the rule of life for beleevers.Meditate therefore in the law of God, that Christ preached as the rule of life for beleevers unto the end of the world, (p)Ps. 19.4, 9. Mat. 5.17. to 48. Iob. 22.22.(For although beleevers be delivered from the morall law as a covenant of works, so as thereby they are neither justified nor condemned: yet they are not freed from it as it is a rule of their obedience, Rom. 7.25. Rom. 7.25.) And endeavour first to knovv the generall meaning of every commandment, (q)Ps. 119.15, 16.what duties are therein chiefly required, and what evils are chiefly forbidden, that you may know in some measure how to carry your self daily towards God, your self, and others; Afterward make it the businesse of your life (next to beleeving and constant immediate acting of faith on Christ alone for justification, salvation, and ability to know, and doe and suffer the will of God in every thing.) Particularly to know your duties to God in all respects, and to men in all relations, for this very end, that you may glorifie God in the performance of them: [r]Psal. 119.9.11, 18, 27, 33, 34: 35, 36, 40, 47, 48, 72.and so manifest your thankfulnesse to him, for your redemption through the bloud of his Son. [s]Luk. 174, 75.And if in processe of time after your first beleeving, (which you may partly know if you have not been very negligent in the observation of Gods work of grace in you) You finde upon strict and impartiall examination of your self, that you are of wicked, (before the love of God was shed abroad in your heart) become, out of love to God again, [t]2 Cor. 5 14 How your sanctification witnesses to you the truth of your faith and justification.powerfully godly in your desires and endeavours, or of meerly morall, and civill, truly spirituall, and holy, or of formall, and hypocriticall, really sincere, and upright: Then you may comfortably conclude, that you have a lively faith, [u]Gal. 5.6, 22, 23. Iam. 2.14, to 26.even the faith of Gods elect; that you are in Christ, [x]Ioh. 15.1. to 10.and Christ in you, [y]Eph. 3.17. 2 Cor. 13.5.making you more, and more like to his, and your father in holinesse; [z]Eph. 4.24.yet rely not so on your graces and sanctification, that is an evidence of your justification: as to neglect Christ, that is the authour and finisher of our faith; [a]Phil 3.8, 9. Ioh. 15.1, to 9. What you are to doe if you be doubtfull (after the triall of your faith by its effects) whether your sanctification be a fruit of faith, or a peece of meer morall righteousnesBut be incouraged by it, to begin afresh, with a double strength (as one that hath sped well already in the work of the Lord) to act faith on Christ, that you may further know the truth of your adhering to him, and abiding in him, by bringing forth more fruites to Gods glory. Or if you be scrupulous whether you doe or ever did truly beleeve in Christ or no, and so be doubtfull whether your new obedience, love, repentance, self-deniall and the change of your inward and outward man be a work of true sanctification which flows from faith in Christ, or a piece of morall righteousnesse that may be in one that is in the state of nature, who may have something like every grace in a beleever: Then lay aside this doubtfull work observing what it is, and when and how it was wrought in you; And begin to beleeve immediately in the Lord Jesus Christ (taking speciall notice of the time and the occasion thereof) that is to understand, know, and to approve of Christ and of his wisdom, righteousnesse, sanctification, and redemption as a necessary sutable good for you, and to chuse Christ to be all in all to teach, pardon, sanctifie, rule, and save you; And, if after this renewed act of beleeving you receive life from Christ to live to God, and in some measure to doe and suffer his will in every thing out of love and thankfulnesse unto him for his Christ: Then you may conclude that this is a true work of sanctification, and a piece of evangelicall righteousnesse, because it is an effect of faith which works by love, and you may have better evidence by this of the other work then formerly you had; However rest not in your graces and in your inherent righteousnesse but on Christ alone and in his everlasting righteousnes; And doe not neglect acting of faith upon Christ one moment of time, no not in the time of your trying the truth of your beleeving: But beleeve more that you may more and more out of love shew forth the vertues and graces of Christ who loved you and gave himself for you: That you may more and more glorifie your heavenly father by your holy conversation: That you may more and more know the truth of your beleeving; For faith, or a full purpose of heart to cleave unto Christ, is the most constant evidence of salvation (saving the testimony of the spirit) that a poor soul can have; What you are to doe when you are tempted to question your faith. 1 Pet 5.9.Therefore when you are tempted to question your faith doe not reason with Satan, but resist him: Doe not cast away your confidence, but endeavour to beleeve that you may know out of question that you doe beleeve, And say Lord, I desire to beleeve because thou commandest me to beleeve, help me to beleeve and command what thou pleasest; When you may be said to beleeve, and to be Married unto Christ.And truly if you doe desire to beleeve, you doe beleeve, for faith is not absent from those whose understandings are opened to know Christ, and whose wills are regenerated and made willing to receive him; Yea, if when God saies in his word, Ho every one that sees a need of my Christ, and that is willing to be governed, ruled, and sanctified by him as well as pardoned and saved, and that will take up his crosse and follow him, let them come and they shall have him: Your heart say, I, Lord, am lost without thy Christ, and would have him as well to free me from sin as from hell: as well to work heaven in me as to procure it for me: as well to be my King, as Priest and Prophet, though I suffer the losse of all things for him; Then the spirituall match is made, your soul is married to Christ: Then Christ and your soul are one spirit, and Christ and all that is his is yours, and you are his: And whereas you might be cast down to despair, in the sence of your many failings, and daily transgression of the law, you are to know that though you ought to endeavour to be perfect as God is perfect, (c)Mat. 5.48. None can perfectly keep the law.yet neither you, nor any Christian living can perfectly keep the law; (d)Isa. 64.6. Iam. 3.2. 1 Ioh. 1.8, 10.Nay you are so far from living perfectly, as that there is no kinde of sin, but the blasphemie against the holy Ghost, but you, or any true beleever may commit it, if you be left of God, and given up to Satan, and your sinfull selves; (e)Mat. 12.31. 1 Ioh. 5.16. Rom. 7.15. to 25.Notwithstanding this, you ought to beware of all manner of sin, (for neither God the Father, Son, nor holy Ghost, (f)Hab. 1.13. Lev 11.44, 45. 1 Ioh. 5.7.nor law, nor Gospel, nor old, nor new Testament allowes you any liberty in any sin;) (g)1 Pet. 1.13, to 17. Mat. 5.48. Tit. 2.12, to 15. 1 Ioh. 2.1. You ought to renew your repentance and faith as your sins are renewed.and to renew your repentance, (which is a branch of sanctification) and faith; as the sins of your life, and corruptions of your nature are renewed; (h)Luk 11.4. 1 Ioh 1.9. Rev. 2 5, 16, 22.for the oftner you sin, and the more apt you are to fall, through the weaknes of your faith, as young children through the weaknes of their limbs, the more need you have of renewing your godly sorrow, (i)Rom. 7.24and especially your faith on Christ in the promises of humbling, pardoning, purging, and strengthening grace; (k)Ezek 36.26, 27. 1 Ioh. 1.9. 1 Ioh. 1.7. Rom 6 14.being you can neither be rightly humbled for sin, nor receive pardon of it, nor power against it, to forsake it (which is the truth of repentance) without renewed acts of beleeving in the Lord Jesus Christ. (l)Ioh. 15.5.And if at any time in the following part of your life, you should loose the sence and sight of your faith, and of all other your by past and present graces, (for the best Saints may lose the sence of their grace, (m)Isa 10.10 Ps. 88.5, 6, 7. Lam. 3.18. You cannot finally fall away from true grace.though not the grace it self,) (n)Ps 37.24. Ier. 32.40. Mat. 16 18. Ioh 10.28, 29 Phil 1.6. What you should doe when you have lost the sight of your faith.and so be lest of God to walk in darknes, not knowing what God will doe with you, whether he will justifie you or condemn you, damne you, or save you: Then meditate of the folly, (though you be vile, yet you will wax worse and worse through unbelief) danger, and disadvantages of unbelief, (o)1 Ioh 5.10. Ioh. 3.36.that you may take heed of it; (p)Heb. 3.12.surely you can neither give glory to God, nor receive any good to your self by giving way to unbelief: (q)Heb. 10.38, 39.Nay you cannot more dishonour God, (r)1 Ioh 5.10.nor more grieve the Spirit of God, (s)Heb. 3.17, 18.nor more pierce Jesus Christ, (t)Heb. 6 6.nor more wrong your own soul, (u)Pro. 8.36.then by departing from God through an evil unbelieving heart; (x)Heb. 10.38, 39.it is like the desperate act of a guilty condemned traitour, that studies mischief in his heart, and attempts the killing of his Judge, and all that have had a hand in his just condemnation, and afterward the murdering of himself; Meditate (I say) of the evil of unbelief, so, as to eschew it: And call to remembrance that there is free grace, and mercy enough with God, (y)Eph. 2.7. 1 Pet. 1.3.that there is merit, righteousnesse, and grace enough in Christ, (y)Ps. 130 7. Dan. 9.24. Col. 1 19. Heb. 7.25. You are a creature capable of mercy.that you are a creature capable of it in that you are not a devil, (z)Ioh. 3.16. He. 2.14, &c.and in that you have not blasphemed against the holy Ghost if you penitently fear it: (a)Heb. 6.4.That you cannot any way glorifie God more then by beleeving; (b)Act 13.48. Rom. 4.20.And begin with all your might (as if you never had begun aright before) to trust, and rely wholly upon the mercy of God, and the merits of Christ, for justification, sanctification, salvation, and for all things thereunto belonging; Resolve to trust in God.(c)Isa. 50.10. Ioh. 14.1.and say, Lord, I have deserved eternall death, and damnation, as often as I have transgressed the law, (d)Gal. 3.10. Rom. 6.23. The very act of trusting on the mercy of God, and the righteousnes of Christ is true faith.I lie at thy mercy, I am thy creature, I leave my lost soul with thee, doe with me what thou pleasest, though thou kill me, yet I will trust in thee, and so endeavour to give glory to thee; And if God perswade and inable you so to doe, then you may be said to have as true a faith, (though not as strong a faith) as the most established beleevers have; (e)Iob 13.15. Ioh. 3.16. Ps. 2.12.Neverthelesse, make use of the word, and Sacraments, and signes of faith, as you have been already directed, for to establish you in beleeving; And endeavour while you live to glorifie God here by beleeving, and living so, as he would have you in his word, (f)Rom. 4.20 Matth 5.16.and so, as one that doth verily hope, and expect to live with the Lord hereafter in glory. (g)1 Thes. 4.17.The more holy you are the more communion you will have with God, the more evidence you will have of your salvation: The more glory you will bring to God here, and the more glory you will receive from the Lord hereafter; (h)Iob. 14.23 15.8. 1 Cor. 15.40, 41.And on the contrary the more you neglect sanctification (though you be a true beleever) the more God will chastise you temporally and spiritually, and the lesse communion you will have with God, the lesse assurance of salvation, the lesse glory you will give to God in this world, and the lesse glo…y you will receive from the Lord in the world to come; (i)Heb. 12.6, 7, 10 2 Cor 6 14. 1 Pet. 2.12. 1 Cor 15.41.You cannot be too holy, nor live too strictly, being you must give a strict account of all your words and works, and be accordingly rewarded.(k)…ev. 22.12. Rom 14.12.
10. Quest. What will become of you, at the hour of death, and at the day of judgement, if you beleeve in Christ and shew forth your faith by a god…y life?
Answ I living and dying in the faith, my soul shall goe to heaven, and be with Christ, (a)Eccl. 12.7. Phil. 1 23.my body to the earth, untill the day of judgement, and then it shall be raised again, united to my soul, and so, I shall be ever with the Lord in glory (b)1 Thes. 4.16, 17..
The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ hath of his good pleasure prepared an heavenly kingdome for his elect from the foundation of the world: God hath prepared a kingdom for beleevers.(c)Mat. 25.34.so, as that if you have the faith of Gods elect, when, where, or how you die, you will die in the Lord, and so be blessed: (d)Rev. 14.13.for your soul shall go to God that gave it, and be with Christ: (e)Luk. 23.43.your body indeed shall go to the earth from whence it came, but it shall be in mercy as to a resting place; (f)Isa. 57.2. The blessed estate of beleevers.And when the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the Archangell, and with the trump of God, Then your dead body among the dead in Christ shall be raised again, united to your soul, made like to the glorious body of Christ now in heaven, and so you shall be ever with the Lord in glory; (g)1 Thes. 4.16, 17. Phil. 3.21. 1 Ioh. 3.2.seeing him face to face as he is, and partaking of those joyes for evermore that eye hath not seen, nor ear heard of, nor heart conceived (h)1 Cor. 2.9. There are unconceivable torments prepared for unbeleev….
But know, and take notice, that as God hath prepared for his an inheritance eternall in the heavens: So he hath out of his infinite justice prepared eternall torments for all sorts of ignorant, impenitent, unbeleeving reprobate sinners; [i]Mat. 25.41. Rev. 21.8. Profane morall, and formal Christians declare themselves to be unbeleevers and reprobates.so as that, if you should live, and die wilfully in ignorance not knowing God, or desperately in unbelief, not obeying the G…spel, or presumptuously, in professing and faining to have faith, and yet living either openly prophanely, meerly civilly, and morally, or secretly formally, and hypocritically: then, though you be a Christian by name, and a beleever by profession, yet you will thereby declare your self to be a reprobate indeed: [i]Tit. 1.16. 1 Ioh. 3.10. Act. 15.9. The cursed estate of unbeleevers.and so be cursed here, and hereafter: Here in all conditions and relations; [k]Deut. 28.15. to 68. Ioh. 3 36.Hereafter both in soul and body for ever, For as soon as your last breath goes out of your nostrils, so soon will your soul be in torments: [l]Luk. 16.23and though your body shall go to the earth untill the day of judgement, yet it shall be in wrath; and shall be by the power of Christ as an offended Judge, raised again in dishonour, [m]Luk. 5.28, 29united to your soul: and so you shall be judged by Christ and the elect [n]Mat. 25.31, 32, 33, to 46. Mat 19.28.to go into everlasting torments prepared for the devil and his angels. [o]Mat. 25.41.Behold I have set before you, life and death, heaven and hell, salvation and damnation, Noteand as it were two eternities, eternall blisse, and eternall curse: If you know God, obey the Gospel, beleeve in Christ, and live to him, you shall have (through free mercy) life, and heaven, and salvation, and everlasting joyes: [p]Ioh. 17.3. Ioh. 3.16 26. Ps 16.11.If on the contrary you be wilfully ignorant of God, [q]2 Thes 1 8or desperately depart from God through unbelief, [r]Heb, 10, 38, 39.or presume that you do beleeve, and yet neither shew forth your faith by works of holinesse to God, nor works of righteousnesse to men, [s]Iam. 2.26.Then you will die in your sins, [t]Ioh. 8.24.and will be (through the just justice of God) cast into hell, [u]Rev. 21.8. Vnbeleevers shall be punished with pain of losseand punished for ever, not onelyonly with pain of losse of the glorious presence of God the Father, Son, and holy Ghost, of holy Angels, of sanctified Saints, and of heaven it self, and the joyes thereof: [x]Mat. 25.… 41. Luk. 13.27, 28But also, with the pain of sence in suffering the torments of the damned in hell, where you shall see nothing but darknes, Vnbeleevers shallbe punished with pain of sence.devils, and damned creatures: Where you shall here nothing but the blasphemies, and dreadfull curses, and yellings of your self, and fellow-cursed creatures: where you shall taste and feel nothing but hellish torments un-by-any-phancy-conceivable both in soul and body for ever, and ever, and ever. [y]Mat. 24.51. Mat. 25.41.O eternity! eternity! eternity! Now consider this, ye that forget God, lest he tear you in pieces, and there be none to deliver. [z]Ps. 50.22.And think of the fearfull effects of unbelief so, as to take heed of it, [a]Heb. 3.12, 19. Consider how precious your soul is, and for whatend God gave it you.even as of hell it self: accounting it a worse, and a more wofull thing to commit sin against God, and to crucifie Christ afresh through unbelief: then to be vexed with the miseries of hell; And remember that you have an immortall soul, a soul that must be as an Angel in heaven, [b]Mat. 22.30.or as a devil in hell after this life: [c]Mat. 25.41.a soul that is better then a whole world, [d]Mat. 16.26. The chief work God requires of you, is, that you should beleeve in his Son.which God hath given you for this very end that you might seek his glory and the salvation of it, by beleeving in his Son; For this is the work of God (that he chiefly requires of you while you live) that you beleeve on him whom he hath sent. [e]Ioh. 6.26. 1 Ioh. 3.23.O then solemnly set upon this work of God while it is called to day, for the night cometh when no man can work; [f]Ioh, 9.4. How you are to improve Christ and all means to further you in beleevingand by how much the more you have neglected it for time past: by so much the more be diligent in it for time to come; For this end study Christ and the whole mystery of Christ from his divine nature unto his incarnation, and so to his exaltation; (g)Cor. 2 2.The more you know of Christ the more you will be incouraged to beleeve in him; (h)Ioh. 4 10. Rom. 10.14. Ioh. 17 3. 1 Tim. 1.15The more you beleeve in Christ the more you will be enabled to live to him; (i)Ioh. 6.57. Phil. 4 13.And the more you know of Christ the more you will be provided for against doubts, desertions, temptations, the troubles of the world, and the depths of sin, and Satan; (k)Rom. 8.31, to 39. Ioh. 16, 33.Therefore I counsell you to studie the great mystery of godlinesse: God manifested in the flesh, justified in the spirit, seen of Angels, preached unto the Gentiles, beleeved on in the world, received up to glory. (l)1 Tim 3.16.And improve Jesus Christ, and not only Christ, and the spirituall meaning of his conception, birth, natures, offices, life, death, resurrection, ascention, and intercession at Gods right hand for ever: But also the most powerfull ministery, holiest company, best books, all means of grace, all Sermons, all Sabbaths, both the Sacraments and all holy duties at all times in all places both in publique and in private, for the furthering of your self to give glory unto God by beleeving; (m)Ioh 6.28 29.Happy were you that ever you were born, if you should exercise your self in the duty or work of beleeving all your daies, if you could but thereby attain the faith of Gods elect!(n)Ps. 2.12. Ioh. 3.16.