Christ Dying and Drawing Sinners to Himself

After this, I beheld, and loc, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the Throne, and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palms in their hands. It is true in civil assemblies, and judicatures, Christ hath a few number; yet he hath a fair and numerous offspring of children, and when they are gathered together, they are a fair beloved world: In the Hebrew many and great, are often one and the same. As one Rubie is worth ten hundredth, one Sapphire worth thousands of common stones; so one Saint, is more then ten thousand wicked men; then all together they must be an All, a world, a whole world of ransomed ones, hidden ones, Psal. 83.4. of the Lord's Jewels, Mal. 3.17. and of Christ's precious ones, Isai. 43.4. they are the flour, and the choice of mankind.

2. Christ is willing to take away all heart-exceptions of unbelief from men. As. 1. Can God be borne of a woman to save men, not Angels? Believe it, saith the Lord's Spirit, with a sort of oath, Heb. 2.16. Verily he took on him the seed of Abraham, not the nature of Angels. Halt not at Christ's man-kindness, and not Angel-love, to the excellenter child by nature, the Angel when he fell: and its to remove our doubts, that God is brought in promising, and swearing the covenant; Christ is a sworn covenanter, Heb. 6.12. When God made promise to Abraham; because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself. Ezech. 33. The people slandred the Lord, he delighted so to have the people pine away in their iniquities, that he would punish them for no fault; but the children's teeth should be set on edge, for the sins of the father, and the grapes that they eat not themselves. The Lord answers that calumny, Ezech. 18. And here, as I live, I delight not so (so as you slanderously, and blasphemously say) in the death of a sinner, by my life, I desire you may repent and live, nor have I pleasure to punish innocent men, for no sin at all.

And the second Exception is, But Christ's heart is not engaged with a heart-burning purpose, or desire to save man; the purpose of saving came upon him but yesterday ; yea, but (saith Christ) it was not a yesterdayes business, but was contrived from eternity, Proverb. 8. before the Lord made Sea, or Land. verse. 30. I was by him as one brought up (as a son nourished with him) I was daily (when there was neither night nor day) his delights rejoicing in the habitable earth, and my deligh • s were with the sons of men. Two words express Christ old, and eternal love to men, his delights was with the sons of men, as Christ was his Fathers delight, from eternity; so was Christ feasting himself on the thoughts of love, delight, and free grace to men; sure not to Pharaoh, Judas, and all the race of the wicked, and with such a love as (if free will please) should never enjoy one son of Adam. 2. I was (saith Christ) playing, and sporting, in the habitable earth, the word 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 is to play in a dance, it is, 2 Sam. 6.21. spoken of David's dancing before the Ark, and 1 Sam. 18.7. The women in Israel playing, answered one another in their songs. It holds forth this, that it resolves the question, that Augustine loosed to a curious head, asking what the Lord was doing before the world was, he was delighting in his son Christ, and the thoughts of the Lord Jesus, in that long and endless age, were solacing him; and they were skipping, and passing time, in loving and longing for the fellowship of lost men, and since God was God (O boundless duration) the Lord Jesus, in a manner, was loving, and longing, for the dawning of the day of Creation, and his second coming again to judgment; the marriage day of union with sinners. Christ was (as it were) from eternity with child of infinite love to man, and in time in the fullness of time, it blossomed forth, and the birth came out, in a high expression of love; the man-child, the love of Christ was borne, and saw the light, Gal. 4.4. Tit. 3.4. when Christ was ripe of love, to bring forth free salvation; glory, glory to the Wombe and the Birth.

And a third Exception is, But sinners dis-obliged Christ, and provoked him as his enemies, can it be that in time, seeing how undeserving we were, he could heartily and seriously die for man, offer himself to all? God may have mercy on the work of his hand, but he cannot have mercy on sinners?

Answ. 1. Its true the Gospel is contrary to nature, and not one Article more thwarteth and crosseth carnal wisdom, then that of imputed righteousness; That crosseth Moral Philosophy so much, as we can more easily believe the rising of the dead, or any the greatest miracle, the drying up of the red Sea, then believe the Gospel; for we believe the Gospel for miracles as motives, not as causes of Faith, not Miracles for the Gospel, and if at the first we believe the Gospel for Miracles; then we naturally rather believe Miracles, and the dividing of the Red Sea, and the raising of the dead, then we can believe that Christ came to die for sinners.

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2. Consider with what a strong good will Christ died, Luke 9.51. And it came to pass when his time was come that he should be received up, he steadfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem. He hardened his face, he emboldened himself to go to Jerusalem to suffer, he mended his pace, and went more swiftly with a strong fire of love to expend his blood. Luke 12.50. I have a baptism to be baptized with 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 how am I fettered or besieged (as the word is used Luke 19.43.) till it be perfected?

3. What could move Christ to lie and fancy? were his weeping and tears counterfeit? were his dying, bleeding, sweating, [unspec 3] pain, sorrow, shame, but all shows for the market, and to take the people, Isai. 53.44. Surely, really, he bare our sorrows.

4. His offer must be real, Joh. 7.37. for with vehemency he speaks 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 He stood and shouted in the Temple, [unspec 4] if any man thirst, let him come to me and drink. Here is a dear fountain to all thirsty souls and most free: Christ thirsteth and longeth to have thirsty sinners come gratis and drink.

But I doubt he bears not me in particular at good will, are the promises made for me? Did he love me before the world was? Did Christ dying intend salvation for me?

This doubt draweth us to the fifth particular, (that so I may hasten to the uses) which is what sort of Faith it is that God requireth of all within the visible Church, for the want whereof Reprobates are condemned.

Assertion 1. Saving Faith required of all within the visible Church, is not as Antinomians conceive, the apprehension of God's everlasting love of Election to glory of all and everyone that are charged to believe. Saltmarsh in an ignorant, and confused Treatise tells us, To believe now is the only work of the Gospel,—that is, that ye be persuaded of such a thing that Christ was crucified for sins, and for your sins, —so as salvation is not a business of our working and doing, it was done by Christ with the Father,— all our work is no work of salvation, but in salvation we receive all, not doing anything, that we may receive more; but doing because we receive so much, and because we are saved, and yet we are to work as much, as if we were to be saved by what we do, because we should do as much by what is done already for us, and to our hands, as if we were to receive it, for what we did ourselves: So here is short work (saith the man) Believe and be saved — there are yet these grounds why salvation is so soon done. 1. Because it was done before by Christ, but not believed on before, by thee till now. 2. Because it is the Gospel-way of dispensation, to assure an • pass over salvation in Christ, to any that will believe it. 3. There needs no more on our sides to work or warrant salvation to us, but to be persuaded that Jesus Christ died for us, because Christ hath suffered, and God is satisfied, now suffering and satisfaction is that great work of salvation. And the man taking on him to determine controversies of Arminians touching the extent of free Grace, whether Christ died for all, (in which questions I dare make Apology for his innocence, that he is not guilty of wading too deep in them) he would father on the Reformed Churches of Protestant Divines, that we make this a rational way of justice, That God will merely and arbitrarily damn men, because he will, so as God hath put everyone under a state of Redemption and power of salvation; and they are damned not from their own will, but from God's. The opinion by Arminians is fathered upon that Apostolic light of the Church of Christ, Eminent and divine Calvin, and Saltmarsh will but second them, that he may appear a star in the Firmament, with others of some great magnitude.

But (saith he) the other way is, Christ died only for his, but is offered to all, that his who are amongst this all might believe, and though he died not for all, yet none are excepted (that is as he saith, all and everyone to whom Christ is preached, elect or reprobate, are to be persuaded that Christ died for them in particular) and yet none are accepted but they that believe, and none believe, but they to whom it is given : And having shown some dreams of his own touching these controversies, he concludeth with a Truth I believe easily. Thus have I opened, though weakly the mystery : Weakly, but willfully and daringly.

But Faith is formally no such persuasion, as to be persuaded, Every man is loved with an everlasting love, chosen and redeemed in Christ; for it changeth the whole Gospel in a lie, Christ obligeth no man to believe an untruth: Now all are charged to believe in the Son of God, and Elect and Reprobate (as there be of both sorts within the net of the Kingdom) are not loved with an everlasting love, nor did Christ die for them all.

2. Its mere presumption, not Faith, that all Hypocrites, fleshly men, slaves to their lusts, idolaters, covetous men, remaining such, never broken with any Law-work; should immediately believe Christ is their Savior, died for them, and the Father loved them to salvation, before the world was. True it is, before a sinner believe, he is an unpardoned, an ungodly and guilty sinner; but that he is unbroken, yea, or unconverted before he believe; (I speak of order of Nature) its as unpossible, as that a thristle can bring forth figs, for then he should believe having no new heart in him, which is the only principle of Faith.

3. Its a more ingenuous opinion that Christ died for all and everyone, though it have no truth in it self, then to hold that he died for the Elect only, and yet oblige men (as Antinomians do) against their conscience to believe he died for all and everyone that are engaged in the practice of believing.

4. He that believeth not, maketh God a liar, then that which is to be believed must be an Evangelike truth.

5. Faith layeth bands on all within the visible Church, to be knit together in love, unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to th • acknowledgement of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ, Col. 2.1, 2. to be persuaded that nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ, Rom. 8.37, 38, 39. To full assurance, Heb. 10. without wavering or declining, or bowing like a tottering wall. Now sure all and everyone within the visible Church, to whom the command of believing comes, Reprobate or Elect; are not holden to have a full assurance that they are chosen in Christ to salvation, and redeemed in his blood.

Assertion 2. The object of saving Faith, required of all within the visible Church is, 1. Christ's faithfulness to save believers, Heb. 10.23. Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering ; and the Apostle backs it with an Argument, that saving faith must lean upon, ( for he is faithful that hath promised ) And Paul 1 Cor. 1.9. presseth the same, God is faithful, by whom ye were called, unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.

2. We do not read in the Old or New Testament, that the decree, purpose, or intention of God to save, and redeem persons in particular is the object of that saving Faith required in the Gospel. For the second object of this Faith is the truth and goodness of that Mother promise of the Gospel, John. 3.16. and 5.25. that Gospel-record 1 John 5.10, 11, 12. He that believeth hath life eternal, and Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners, 1 Tim. 1.15. To seek and to save the lost, Luke 19.1 • . that he came to save me in particular is apprehended by sense, not by faith; for the Election of me by name to glory, and the Lord's intention to die for me, is neither promise, nor precept, nor threatening; if it be a History that I must believe, its good, show me Histories of particular men; now to be believed, except of the Antichrist, the second coming of Jesus Christ to judge the world. Election to glory is not held forth as a promise; If ye do this, ye shall be elected to glory, nor is the contrary holden forth as a threatening; If ye believe not, ye shall be reprobated, nor does the Lord command me to be chosen in Christ to salvation, before the foundation of the world, nor doth he command all men within the visible Church to believe they are chosen to salvation, or that any one Elect person, should believe a thing as revealed, which is not revealed; when he is pleased to give to any Elect person the white stone, and the new name, and to give him Faith, by which he chooseth Christ for his portion, he is then, and never till then to believe; or rather by spiritual sense to apprehend that he is chosen to salvation from eternity, so Election is neither precept, nor promise, but a truth of God's gracious good will and pleasure hid in God's mind, till he be pleased to reveal it, by the fruits thereof.

There can be no such imaginable double dealing in the world, as Arminians lay upon God : For they make the Lord to say thus, as imagine a King should speak to twenty thousand captives, I have a good will, purpose, hearty intention, and earnest desire to make you all and everyone free Princes; and pray, wish, obtest, and beseech you subscribe such a Writ of grace for that end, but I only can lead your hand at the Pen, and give you eyes to see, and a willing heart to consent to your own happiness, and if you refuse to sign the Bill of grace, you shall be tormented forever and ever in a river of fire and brimstone: Again, I have a like good will to my own justice, and purpose so to carry on the design as that sixteen thousand of you shall not have the benefit of my hand, or of one finger to lead your hand at the pen, nor any efficacious motion to act upon your will, to obtain your consent to subscribe the Writ, yea by the contrary though I of exceeding great free love, will, intend, decree, and purpose you be all Princes of glory; yet I purpose that these sixth • e • thousand whose salvation and happiness I extremely desire shall for their former rebellion, which I with the like desire of spirit could, and I only might have removed, never be mo • od to consent to this Bill of grace. Now were not this the outside of a good will, a • d should not this Prince be said rather to will and desire the destruction of these sixteen thousand, and not their honor and happiness?

Asser. 3. This is the mystery of the Gospel, in which I must profess ignorance, and that the Lord's thoughts are not as our thoughts, nor his ways as ourwayes : he hath by the preaching of the gospel engaged thousand thousands within the visible Church, to the duty of their fidutiall adherence and heart resting on Christ, as they would be saved; and yet hath the Lord never purpose • d to work their hearts (and he only can do it) to this heart-resting on Christ by faith, nor hath he purchased either remission of sins, or pardon for them. If any object, how can Christ in equity judge and condemn them for not believing pardon and salvation in his blood, when as neither pardon nor salvation are purchased in this blood to them, nor purposeth he to give them faith? Yet we may plead for the Lord: we conceive of the decree of God as of a deep policy and a stratagem and snare laid for us: whereas the Lord lies not in wait for our ruin, nor carries he on a secret design in the gospel to destroy men: If Christ should say in the Gospel-precepts, promises, or threatenings, I decree purpose and intend to redeem all and every man, but I purpose to carry on the designs so, as the far greatest part of mankind inevitably shall be lost, it should be a stratagem; but the gospel as the gospel revealeth not any decree or intention of God, touching the salvation or damnation of men intended from eternity: Indeed the gospel as obeyed or dis • beyed, reveals God's intentions and decrees, the gospel revealeth nothing but the Lord's complacency, approbation, and good-liking of the sweet connection between faith and salvation; the just concatenation between unbelief, disobedience, and eternal damnation: so the gospel reveals duties, but not the persons saved, or damned; the Lord's working with the gospel or the efficacy of the gospel (which is a far other thing) reveals the persons.

Now the difficulty is, how the Lord can command the reprobate to believe life and salvation in Christ, when there is no life and salvation either intended to them, or purchased for them.

To which I answer, 1. God gave a law to all the angels created in the truth, If ye abide in the truth, ye shall be eternally happy: ye cannot say that the devils in that instant were to believe that God intended and dec • eed them for eternal happiness, and to give them • fficacious grace, by which they should abide in the truth, as their fellow-Angels did: God's command and promise did reveal no such intention of God. So the Lord said to Adam and to all his seed, If ye keep the law perfectly, ye shall have life eternal; according to that Do this and live : yet was not Adam then, far less these that are now under the Law, to believe that God ordained them from eternity, to eternal life, legally purchased; or that any flesh should be justified by the works of the Law.

Arminians tell us that there be numbers judicially blinded and hardened within the visible Church, who cannot believe, and whom the Lord hath destined for destruction, yet the word is preached to them, they hear and read the promises of the gospel, and the precepts; Whither are they to believe that God intended from eternity to them salvation and grace to believe? I think not, For they teach that Christ neither prayeth for, nor intendeth to die for the unbelieving and obstinate world as such, nor decreed their salvation, and except men may fancy senses on the words of God's Spirit: where learned they to expound the word World, (when it makes for them) for all and everyone of mankind; and when it makes against them, for the least part of mankind, and that e • there within the visible Church only, or yet without the visible Church? for in both, Satan's world of disobedient ones is the far greatest part, s • eing the whole world lies in sin, as John saith. Let it be also remembered when Arminians say, the Lamb of God taketh away the sins of the world, that is of all and every mortal man, they mean Christ takes not away, nor sheddeth he his blood for the sins of the rebellious world; so the worlds rebellion, contu •• acie and infidelity against Christ must be pardoned without shedding of blood, and if Christ did bear all the sins of the world on the cross conditionally, and none of them absolutely: • hen our act of believing must be the only nearest cause of satisfaction for sins: but why then, if Christ satisfied on the cross for the final impenitence and unbeli • fe of the rebellious world conditionally, so they believe and be not rebellious; but Arminians should say right down Christ died for the rebellious and contumatious world, and he prays for the contumacious world as such, but conditionally; for he prays and dieth for the not rebellious world of all mortal men, not absolutely, but conditionally, so they believe in Christ; if they believe not, neither the prayers of Christ nor his death, are more effectual for them, then for Devils.

To all these we may add, that the Lord in commanding reprobates to rest on Christ for salvation, though no salvation be purchased for them, deals sincerely & candidly with them: for first he commands them to believe no intention in God to save them by the death of his Son, nor saith he any such thing to them, but only commandeth them to rely on Christ as an all-sufficient Savior. Secondly, God commands all the reprobate, even by their way, to believe that Christ in his death intended their salvation, justification, conversion, and yet whereas God taketh ways effectual, and such as he foreseeth shall be effectual for the efficacious working of justification and conversion, and actual glorification of some few, yet he taketh ways which he knoweth shall be utterly ineffectual for the salvation, justification, and conversion of all these reprobates, and yet commandeth th • m to believe that he decree: and intendeth their salvation and conversion with no less ardency and vehemency of serious affection then he doth intend the salvation and conversion of all that shall be glorified. Sure this we would call double dealing in men, and the Scripture saith he is a God of truth, Deut. 32. and the Lord who cannot lie.

Object. If a rich Inn-keeper should dig a Fountain in his Field for all passengers, thirsty and diseased, which were able to cure them, and quench their thirst; and invite them all to come and drink and be cured, upon condition they come and believe the virtue of the water to be such; and ye • should intend and decree absolutely and irresistibly the tenth man invited, should never be cured; this Innekeeper should not deal sincerely with them. So you make God to deal with sinners in the Gospel. He doth all, in inviting s • ck sinners to come and drin • life and salvation at Christ the Fountain of life, which expresseth with men who speak as they think, their sincere intention, but he intendeth no such thing.

Answ. Make the comparison run as it should do, and it maketh more against Arminians ; say that this Inn-keeper had dominion over the heart and will, as the Lord hath, Prov. 21.1. Psal. 119.36, 37. Hebr. 13.20, 21. Matth. 6.13. and that he could and doth without straining of the heart, work in all the passengers, a sense of their disease, grace actually to come and drink, and yet he taketh a dealing with the souls of some few, and causeth them come to the waters and drink, and healeth them, and he useth such means and so acts upon the will of the far most part that they shall never come, never be sensible of their disease, and yet he invites them to come to the waters and drink; its clear this Inn-keeper never intended the health of all and everyone of the passengers, but only of these few that come and drink; nor doth invitations with men upon condition, which the party invited is obliged to perform, but doth never perform, and which the inviter only of grace can work in the invited, but doth not work them, as being not obliged thereunto, speak any such intention.

Again, let it be considered, that here 1 God lies in wait for no man's destruction. 2 God is not obliged to reveal his eternal purpose and intentions touching men's salvation and damnation, but in the way and manner seems best to him. 3 God never saith in all the Gospel, that from eternity he hath passed a resolve to save all mankind, if they will, and to yield them the bridle on their own necks, that they may be indifferent and absolute Lord's of Heaven and Hell. 4 Nor should the Gospel be framed in such wisdom • , if the Lord had set down particularly the names of all the Elect and Reprobate in the world, and have proponed salvation upon condition of obedience and faith to some few, it should evidently have raised a hard opinion in the minds of thousands touching Christ.

Asser. 4. The third object of Faith is the sufficiency and power of Christ to save. 1 The Scripture maketh the object of coming which is believing, John. 5.40. John. 6.35. Matth. 11.27. to be Christ's ability and power, Hebr. 7.25. to save them to the uttermost, that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them. What the Scripture presseth us to believe savingly, that we must be inclined to misbeleeve, and for the misbeleeving thereof, the reprobates are condemned, and not because they believe not the Lord's intention to save all, or his decrees of election and reprobation. But the Scripture presseth faith in the power of mercy, Rom. 4.21. Abraham staggered not, but was strong in the faith, giving glory to God, being fully persuaded that what he had promised, he was able also to perform. Now Abraham is commended for that he savingly and for his justification, believed the power of God in the Gospel promise that God was able of his mercy to give him the son of promise in his old age; otherwise to believe simply the power of God to give a child to a mother who is passed the natural date of bearing children, is but the faith of miracles, which of it self is not s • ving, and may be in workers of iniquity, Matth. 7.21, 22. so this power then is the power of saving conjoined with the mercy and good will of Christ. 2 The Scripture holds forth to our faith the power of God to graff in the Jews again in Christ, Rom. 11.23. to make a weak believer stand, Rom. 14.4. to keep the Saints from falling, and to present them faultless b • fore the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, Jude v. 24. 3 The good Land was a type of the heavenly rest, Heb 4.1. and Heb. 3.19. some entered not in through unbelief : why, what unbelief? the Story showeth us, Psal· 93.7. Num. 14.9. Num. 13.28. they doubted of the power of God, and believed the report of the unbelieving Spies, who said, The people be strong that dwell in the Land, the Cities are walled, and very great, and moreover we saw the child • en of Anak there. Joshua and Caleb chap. 14.9. said they should not be bread for them, and their strength was gone ; then the question was, whether God was able to give them that good Land. So then men enter not into the heavenly rest because they believe not that Jesus is able to save to the uttermost those that come through him to God, Heb. 7.23. 4 The Scripture is as much in proving the all sufficiency, power, and perfection of Christ our Savior, to save, as in demonstrating his tenderness of mercy and goodwill to save; as in the Epistle to the Hebrews the Apostle laboreth much for to prove the Godhead of Christ, his excellency above Angels, and that the Angels were to adore him, his dignity and greatness above Moses and all the mortal and dying Priests, the virtue of his blood above all the bloods of Bulls and Goats, to purge the conscience from dead works, to expiate sin, to sanctify his people, to open a way, a new and living way to the holy of holiest, by his blood, that we with full assurance may draw near to God, that he with one Sacrif • ce, never to be repeated, did that which all the thousands of reit • rated Sacrifices were never able to do; that he is no dying Priest, but lives forever to intercede for us at the right hand of God. And for what is all this, but that we should believe the a • sufficiency of Christ to save? and because we have too low thoughts of Christ, as conceiving him to be but a man, or less then an Angel, or a common Priest that can do no more by his blood as touch • ng remission of sins, then dying Priests could do wi • h the blood of beasts, and that he is dead, and now when we sin, he cannot advocate for us at the right hand of God, that his redemption he brings in is not eternal, yea all this saith that saving faith rests upon Christ as God, as able and completely perfect and sufficient to save, though sinners do not in the formal act of faith believe his good will, decree, and intention to redeem and save them by name. 5 I should think that these who have high and precious thoughts of the grace, tend • r mercy, perfection and sufficiency of Christ to save all that believe, and fiducially rely on Christ as a Savior sealed for the w • rk of Redemption, though they know not God's mind touching their own salvation in particular, have such a faith as the Gospel speaks of, and do savingly believe that Christ came to seek, and to s • ve that which is lost, to save sinners, that Christ is the Son of the living God, the Savior of mankind ; and this no Devil, no temporary believer, no hypocrite can attain unto.

Obj. 1. But I believe not then that I am in particular redeemed, and without that I am a stranger to Christ; for Devils and Reprobates may believe all the general promises of the Gospel.

Answ. 1. Its true, in that act formally you believe not you are redeemed in particular; yet virtually and by good cons • quence you believe your own redemption in particular, and so you are not a stranger to Christ. 2. Its true, Devils and Reprobates may yield an assent of mind to the general promises, as true, but its denied that they can rest on them as good, as worthy by all means to be embraced ; or th • t in heart and affections they can intrust the weight and burden of their soul on these general promises, or that there is any taste of the honey and sweetness of Christ in these promises to their soul, as it is with the souls that fiducially rest upon Christ in these promises.

Object. 2. Suppose I know of a ship offering to carry all to a land of life, where people are never sick, never die, have Summer and day light, and peace and plenty forever, upon condition, I should believe the good will of the Ship-master to carry me to that land; if I know nothing of his good will to me in particular, I have no ground to believe I shall ever enjoy that good land; so here if I know nothing of Chr • sts good will to me, how can I believe he shall carry me to the heavenly Canaan?

Answ. Yea suppose, what is in question, that to be persuaded of the good will of Christ the owner of the ship to carry you in particular is the condition upon which he must carry you, but that is to be proved; there is no other condition, but that you rest on his good will to carry all who so rest on him, and that is all.

Object. 3. But I cannot believe.

Answ. You are to believe you cannot believe of yourself, and of your own strength; but you are not farther from Christ, tha • you are far from yourself.

Object 4. Its comfortable that Christ the Physician came to heal the sick; but what is that to me, who am not sick, nor of the number of these sick, that Christ came to heal for anything I know?

Ans. Its true, its nothing to you that Christ came to heal the sick, cure the distemper of sin is on you; you want nothing but that the Spirit working with the Law, let you see your lost condition, and the Gospel-offer be considered, and compared with your estate. But whether you be of the number of these sick that Christ came to heal, is no lawful doubt and comes not from God; for what that number is, or whether you be one of that number or no, is a secret of the hid counsel of election to glory, a negative certainty, that for anything ye know you are not of the contrary number, nor are ye excluded out of that number, is enough for you to father kindness upon Christ, though he should say, from heaven, thou art not a Son.

Object. 5. I shall never have ground of assurance to believe Christ's good will, nor either hope or comfort in the Gospel, covenant or promises, if Christ died for a few elected and chosen absolutely to glory, for all must be resolved on doubtsome, hopeless, sad and comfortless grounds by your way thus.

These for whom Christ laid down his life, and have ground of assurance of hope, and comfort in Christ's death and in the Gospel promises, are not all men and all sinners, but only some few handful of chosen ones, by name, such as Abraham, David, Peter, Mary, Hannah, &c. and not one more, not any other.

But I am one of these few handful of chosen ours by name, I am, Abraham, David, Peter, Mary, Hanna, &c. and of no other number; therefore I have ground of assurance of hope, and comfort in Christ's death and in the Gospel-promises.

Now the Proposition is poor, comfortless, and a very hopeless field to all within the visible Church; and the assumption to the greatest part of mankind evidently false, because many are called but few are chosen, and so the syllogism shall suggest a field of comfortless, and hopeless unbelief and doubting, yea, of despairing to the far largest part of mankind, whereas the doctrine of the Lord's good will to save all and everyone of mankind, and of redeeming all, and covenanting in Christ with all, removes all ground of unbelief and doubting, from any; offereth grounds of faith, hope, and comfort in the Gospel, of peace to all.

Answ. 1. We shall consider what certainty and assurance of faith Arminian • furnish to all and every on from the Gospel.

2. What the Scripture speaks of the assurance, hope and comfort of all and everyone; and

3. The argument shortly shall be answered: as for the first, that Arminians m • y make their syllog • sm of assurance, hope, and comfort in Christ's death as large as Christ's death, they must ex • end the Gospel-comfort and hope to the heathen, who never • eard of these comforts; now how this can be, let us judge; a very learned and eminent Divine, showeth from the matter itself, and confession of Amayrald an Arminian, that twelve Apostles could not in so short a time have gone through the whole world, yea, they must have passed many part • cular Nations who never by an • sound heard of the Gospel ; and Arminians yield to us that this was done arcan • Dei dispensatione, by the secret and unsearchable providence of God ; they would say, if they would speak truth, by the Lord's absolute, high • t, independent and unsea • chable good pleasure in his dec • ees of absolute election and reprobation. 2. Again, they are made inexcusable and freed from all guiltiness of unbe • ief, and hoplesnesse of comfort or ground of comfort in the Gospel promises, who never heard of the Gospel: y • a, even these who heard the Gospel as the Athenians, Act. 17. who • udged Paul to be a babbler, and Festus who thought him mad, and the Grecians who esteemed the preaching of the Gospel foolishness, 1 Cor. 1. And so must have heard the Gospel, yet • re not condemned so much for doub ••• ng of the •• fficiency of Christ's death, seei • g • hey believed Christ to be a • a • se Prophet, as for the • r not hearing men sent of God, Christ and the Apostles, speaking with the power of God, and en • ued with the power of working Miracles. 3. • ut what assurance, bo • e and comfort of salvation do A • minians give? One • homas Moore has written book inti •• led, The Universality of God's free grac • in • hrist to mankind; that all might be comforted, encouraged, everyone confirmed and assured of the p • o • itation and d • ath of Christ for the whole race of mankind, and so for himself in particular: Hear then what Armini • s, and Mr Moore saith, Comfort ye, comfort ye my people saith • he Lord comfort and encourage with the joy of t • e holy Ghost, with the lively hope f • ternall life, with the comforts of the Scripture, Scipio, Aristotle, Cato, Regulus, Seneca, all the Turks, Americans, Indians, Virginians, such as worship the Devils, the Sun and Moon; such as have no hope, and are without God, and without Christ in the world; bid them be assured Christ died for them, prays and intercedes for them, intends and will their salvation upon good condition, no less then the salvation of his chosen people.

But 1. The object of this faith, hope, and comfort, may stand and consist, though all and everyone of the race of mankind should belive it, with no less certainty of eternal damnation then Indians, all the reprobate and condemned Devils are under; now saving faith removeth all hazard of damnation, Joh. 3.16. Joh. 5.25. Joh. 11.26. 1 Tim. 1.15.16. Gal. 2.10. but thousands believe, yea, the damned Devils who assent to the letter of the Gospel, and gave testimony that Jesus is the Son of the living God, by the judgment of the Arminians believe that Christ died for all and everyone of the race of mankind. Ergo, all the Reprobates may have this faith, assurance, comfort and hope, 2. Saving faith bringing peace, justification, rejoicing in tribulation, purifieth the heart: But I am not a whit nearer peace that I believe that Christ intendeth to redeemn, save, justify all and everyone of mankind, upon condition they believe; for this remaineth ever a hole in the heart; God either efficaciously intendeth to save all, or inefficaciously committing the event to the good guiding of free-will which once lost all mankind; now the former neither can be known to any living; its a doubt to Arminians, if it be known to God himself: Arminians saith, Deum posse excide • e fine suo, quia non semper intendit finem secundum praescientiam; God may sails and come short of his end, because he doth not, especially in events that fall out freely, and may not fall out, intend the end according to fore-knowledge ; See then here the Arminian courage, hope and comfort ; God intendeth to redeem and save me in Christ; but ah it is as the blind man casteth his club, or shoots his arrow, he winks and draws the string, it may come up to the white, but it runs a hazard to fall short and wide; Again, its false that God intendeth efficaciously to save all; therefore Bellarmine and Arminius say, the Lord doth here as Politicians, who have two strings in their bow; for God (say they) lieth at the wait between two ends, and intendeth either the obedience, conversion and salvation of all, or if he miss, he has another string in his bow, and intends the declaration of the glory of his justice; if free-will shall thwart and cross the former intention of God, and this is the latter intention, all and every man is to believe that God intends his conversion and salvation ineffectually: but ah this is cold comfort and dubious, hazard-some and far off hope; the poor man is here between hope to be saved, (if the fortune or loose contingency of free-will be lucky) and fear to be eternally thrice more miserable then if God had never born him any good will (if free-will miscarry as it doth in the far greatest part of mankind) for Arminians do not say, one man is more saved by their pendulous and venturous good wishes and doubtsome intentions to save all and everyone, then we do by the Lord's most wise, s • aid, poised, fixed, and absolute decrees; so it is but a toome and an empty spoon, they thrust in the mouths of the whole race of mankind, when they will them thus to hope for salvation.

2. By this means God intending two ends, either the salvation or damnation of all and everyone, he puts all mankind upon large as great fear and dispair, as upon comfort and hope, and he intends and wills the destruction of all mankind more efficaciously and with far greater success, then he wills their salvation; only here is a comfort men may take to Hell with them, and an East-wind hope they may feed on; God primarily, antec • dently, and first wills my salvation, but secondarily and with better certainty of the black event, he wills in justice, my damnation and the eternal destruction of the far greatest part of mankind; and this is the Arminian comfort, and white hopes that the Tenent of Arminian universal grace, liberally bestows on all, much good do it them.

3. They stand not to make God to fluctuate between two ends; either this or this, justice or mercy ; mercy is the port God desires to sail to, and to carry all to heaven; but because he cannot be master of tide and wind, and free-will bloweth out of the East, when God expecteth a fair West wind, the Lord is compelled to arrive with a second wind as a crossed Seaman must do • , and to land his Vessel in the sad port of revenging justice, and make such a Sea-voyage, as against the heart of God (what will ye say of the destiny of free-wills ill luck?) must cast the far greatest part of mankind, as ship broken men into eternal damnation, and except God would have strangled free-will and destroyed the nature of that obedience which is obnoxious to threatenings and rewards, he could not for his soul mend the matter; and here good Reader, you have the Arminian hope and consolations, if you list to hearken to the Arminians of England now risen to comfort all mankind in these sad times. 3. Saving faith layeth hold on salvation, righteousness and everlasting redemption as proper heritage, faith being a supernatural instinct, that layeth a peculiar claim to Christ, as the natural instinct in the lamb claimeth the mother; its property that faith pe • sueth; let e • perience speak, if there be not a peculiar warmness of heart in a believer at the sight of Christ; now to believe a common salvation hanging in the air, the heaven of Turks and Armenians, and the righteousness and redemption of Indians, of Seneca, and Catiline, Clodius, and Camillus, I confess must be far from such a property.

4 Saving faith is the first dawning, the morning sky and the first day light of the appearance of election to glory. Act. 13.48. The man never hath a fair venture of heaven, nor cometh in handy-gripes with eternal love revealed till he believe, because the poor man's believing is his act of choosing God for his portion, and so cannot be an assent to a common good, general to all men, Heathens, Pagans, Jews, Turks ▪ and believers; faith makes him say, I have now found a ransom, I have found a pearl of great price, I make no other choice, my lot is well fallen upon Christ; whether Christ cast his love or his lot on me from e • erni • y, I cannot dispute; but sure, I have chosen him in time. Now for the second, The Scripture shows us of an ho • e of • ighteous • esse by faith, this we wait for through the • pirit Gal. 5.5. and of the hope laid up for the Saints in heav • n, • ol. 1.15. and Christ in the Saints the hope of glory, v. 27. and of the hope of the appearing of our life Christ, Ti • . 2.13. Which hope makes a man • o purg • himself & to be holy, 1 John. 3.3. and of a rejoicing in hope in the glory of God, Rom. 5.2 Rom. 12.12. the hope to come, for the which the Twelve Tribes of Israel serve God instantly, Act. • 6.7. and that lively hope unto which we are regenerated by the resurrection of Jesus • hrist from the dead, 1 Pet. 1, 5. and the hope that we have through patience & comfort of the Scripture, Rom. 15.4. and the hope which is not confined within the narrow sphere and Region of time and this corruptible life, 1 Cor. 15.19. the hope which experience bringeth forth, Heb. 5.4. Now whe • her we take hope for the object of hope, the thing hoped for, or the supernatural or gracious faculty of hoping, in neither respects have Seneca, Scipio, Regulus, Jews, Turks, Americans, and such as never by any rumour heard of Chri • t any hope from Scripture; Paul saith of them, and of the Ephesians in their condition, Ephes. 2.12. At that time ye were without Christ, being Aliens from the Common-wealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world ; and for the grace of hope the Scripture saith, its an Anchor cast in heaven by these who upon life and death make Jesus t • eir City of refuge, Heb. 6.19.20. it is a fruit of the Spirit, Gal. 5.5. where ever it is, it makes a man purify himself, 1 John. 3.2. its a lively hope and a fruit of predestination and of the sprinkling of the blood of Jesus, 1 Pet. 1.3, 4, 5. Now such a hope as Arminians allow to Heathen and Indians, to Reprobates, who believe that Christ died for all and everyone, and such as perish eternally, we gladly leave to themselves; and if our doctrine of particular redemption furnish ground of despair as opposite to thi • hope, we profess it: But let Arminians answer this of their own way; So God must speak to the most part of the Christian world. Be of good courage, hope for salvation in Christ, be comforted in this that Christ died for you all without exception, and be fully assured and believe there is a perfect ransom given for you, and salvation and righteousness purchased to you in Christ's blood; but I have decreed so to act upon the wills of the far greatest part of you, that you shall have no mo • e shaire in that redemption and purchased salvation then the damned Devils, whereas if I had so drawn you as I have done others, as sinful by nature as you are, you should certainly have been eternally saved in Christ's blood ; and the like, and fa • re more I could say, of the dream of the middle science and knowledge of God; for Arminians spoil the Almighty of all grace, compassion, mercy, or power to save; for this is the Gospel and no other, that God must utter by their doctrine: I hav • chosen out of grace and mercy all to salvation, who shall believe, and have given my Son, to give his life and blood a ransom for all and everyone; and I will desire and wish, that all m • nkinde were with me in eternal glory, and that my revenging justice had never been experimentally known to Men or Angel, and that death, hell, sin, had never had being in the world; but the far greatest part of mankind were to sin, and finally and obstinately to resist, both my general universal grace given to all, and my special and Evangelic calling, and that they were to do before any act of my knowledge, free decree, strong grace, or tender mercy; and I cannot bow their wills indeclinably to final obedience, nor could I so powerfully by moral suasion, draw them to constant faith and perseverance, except I would act against that which is decent and convenient for a Law-Giver to do, and destroy the nature of that free obedience that lieth under the sweet droppings of free reward, which must be earned by sweating, and under the lash and hazard of eternal punishments to be inflicted, (which I will not do) yea, though in all things even done by free agents, as translations of Kingdoms from one Prince to another, and bringing enemies against a land, which are done by free agents, I do what ever I will, and my decree stands and cannot be recalled Dan. 4.35. Esa. 14.24, 25, 26, 27. chap. 46.10.11. Psal. 115.3. Psal. 135.6. Yet in maters of salvation or damnation, or of turning the hearts and free actions of men and Angels that most highly concern my glory above all; I cannot but bring all the arrows of my Decrees, to the bow of that slippery contingent ind • fferency of the up and down free-will of Men and Angels; and here am fast fettered, that I can but dance as free-will pipeth and say amen to created will in all things good or bad. I cannot cut of the abundance of my rich grace and free mercy (though earnestly and vehemently I desire it) save one person more then are saved, or damn one more then are damned, or write one man more in the book of life, and bestow on them the fruits of my dear Sons death, then such as in order of nature, were finally to believe before any act of my middle science, or my conditional free Decree, or drawing grace; therefore am I compelled as a Merchant who against his will casts his goods in the Sea, to save his own life, because the winds and storms • ver-master his desire, to take a second course, contrary to my natural d • sire, and g • acious and mild inclination to m • rcy, to decree and ordain that all who before the acts also of my middle science, free decree, and just will were finally to resist my calling shall eternally perish, and to will that Pharaoh should not at the first or second command obey my will, and let my people go: and therefore with a consequent or constrained will to suffer sin to be, to appoint death and hell, and the eternal destruction of the greatest part of mankind, to be in the world, for the declaration of my revenging justice, because I could not hinder the entrance of sin into the world, not Master free will as free, if my dispensation of the first covenant made with Adam in Paradise should stand: Whereupon I was compelled to take a second herbrie, and a second wind, like a Seaman, who is with a stronger cross wind, driven from his first wished port; and to send my Son Jesus Christ into the world, to die for sinners, for that I could not better do, and out of love to save all, offer him to all, one way or other, though I did foresee my desire and natural kindness to save all, should be far more thwarted and crossed by this way; because force my consequent will must needs prepare a far hotter furnance in hell, for the greatest part of mankind, since thousands of them, must reject Christ, in resisting the light of nature, and the universal sufficient grace, given to all; which if free will should use well, would have procured to them more grace, and the benefit of the preached Gospel. But a heavier plague of hardness of heart, and far greater torments of fire, then these, I foresee must be the doom of such, within the visible Church as resist my calling, or having once obeyed, may according to the liberty of independent free-will persevere if they will; & notwithstanding of the power of God, by which they are kept to salvation, the promises of the eternal covenant, the efficacy of Christ's perpetual intercession, of the in-dwelling of the holy Ghost, that everlasting fountain of life, &c. may fully and finally fall away, and turn Apostates; and therefore all their hope of eternal life, their assurance of glory, their joy, their consolation and comforts in any claim to life eternal, and the state of adoption is not bottomed on my power to keep them, my eternal covenant, my Sons intercession. I can do no more then I can, but upon their own free will, if they please (and its too pleasant to many) they may all fall away, and perish eternally, and leave my Son a widow, without a wife, a head without members, a king without subjects.

And if Arminians will be so liberal or lavish of the comforts of God proper to the lords people, Esa. 40.1. c. 49.13. the proper work of the holy Ghost the comforter. John. 14.16. c. 15.26. c. 16.7. the consolations of Christ, Phil. 2.1. the everlasting, the strong consolations 2. Thess. 2.16. Heb. 6.18▪ the heart comforts, Col. 2.2. wherewith the Apostles and Saint • are comforted, 2. Cor. 1.4.6.7 coming from the God of all comfort, the Lord that comforteth Zion, Isaiah. 51.3. 2. Cor. 1.3. Isaiah. 51.12. bl • ssing promised to the mourners, Matth. 5.4. We desire Mr. Moore, and other Arminians to enjoy them; but for us, we a lo •• v nei • her assurance, courage hope, nor comforts in Christ or h • s death, but on the regenerate and believers; and this makes the doctrine of universal redemption more suspicious to us as not coming from God, that they allow to all, (even dogs and swine) the holy Ghost and the precious privilege of the Saints. Therefore thirdly, we answer, that the assumption is not ours, but theirs, let the assump •• on be; But I believe, and he proposition be corrected thus. These for whom Christ laid down his life, are some few cho • en believers. B • t I am chosen and a believe • : Ergo &c. and we grant all, so the assumption be made sure.

But I have no assurance, hope, nor comfort to rest on a general good will that God beareth to all, to Judas, Pharaoh, Cain, and to all mankind, no less then to me. For I am of the same very metal, and by nature am heir of wrath, as well as they.

2. That far-off Good will, that all be saved, and that all obey: the Lord from eternity did bear it to the fallen devils, as well as to me. O cold comfort! and it works nothing in order to my actu • ll salvation, more then to the a •• u • ll salvation of Judas the Traitor : it 〈◊〉 on moving no wheels, no c • uses, no effectual means to p • ocure the powerful ap • lica • ion o • the purchased Redemption to m • , more then to all t • a • are now spitting out blasphemy against eternal just • ce, and are in fi •• e chains of wrath, cursing this Lord, and his general good will to save them.

But the fountain good will of God, to save the elect, runneth in another channel of free grace, that separates person fr • m person, Jacob from Esau, and sets the heart of God from eternity, and the tender bowels of Christ, both from eve • lasti • g: and as touching the execution of this good will, and in time, upon this man, not this man, without hire mon • y or price. 1. because Angels or Men, can never answer that of Rom. 9.13.14.15. as it is written, I have loved Jacob, and have hated Esau, and that before the one, or the other had done good or evil. Then the natural Arminian objecteth, what our Arminian does this day, that must be unrighteousness to hate men absolutely, and cast them off when they are not born, and have neither done good nor evil. Paul answereth, it followeth in no sort that there is unrighteousness with God, because verse 15. all is resolved on the will of God, because it is his will; for he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassi • n: and upon this h • e infe • ies then the business of sep •• ating Jacob from Esau, • unnes not upon such wheels as • unning and willing, sw • ating and hunting by good endeavors; Jacob d • d here less, and E • au more; but all goes on this, on God's free goodness and mercy; all the difference between person and person, is, God has mercy, because he will, not because men will. Now because Arminians say, th • s is not mean • of election and reprobation, but of temporary savors bestowed on Jacob, nor on Esau, he a • eadgeth the example of Pharaoh a cruel Athe • st and a Tyrant, who never sought justification by the works of the Law ; the reason why Pharaoh obtained not the mercy that others obtained: I, saith the Lord, verse 17. told Pharaoh to his face, for this purpose I raised thee up, that I might make an example of the glory of my power, and name, that is, the glory of justice in thee, to all the world who hears of thee: and then verse 18. he returns to the Lord's free will, and unhired and absolute liberty, in differencing person from person. Why has h • e mercy upon this man, and not on this man, if there had been such a conceit as a general catholic good will in God, to Pharaoh, to Esau, the Apostle should now h • ve denied any absolute will in God, to separate one person from another. Arminians can instruct the spirit of the Lord, and the Apostle to say, he has an equal general goodwill and desire to save all and everyone; Esau as well as Jacob; Ishmael as • saac, the son of promise, Pharaoh as Moses, or any other man; but then two great doubts should remain: How then hated he Esau, when he was not yet born, and had not done good or evil? All the Arminians on earth, answer that. 2. But the doubt is not removed: How is it, that God loves Jacob, blesseth, and hath mercy on him, and hateth Esau, and yet Esau has neither done good nor ill? Arminians answer, in an antecedent general good will, God indeed loved Esau, as well as Jaakob, Pharaoh as well as another man: but here is the thing that makes the separation, Jacob runneth, and willeth, Esau is a wicked man; Pharaoh and others like him, bloody tyrants; and God showeth mercy with another posterior, and consequent will on Jacob's, because he runs, and wills, and has mercy on him, because he pays well for mercy; and has not mercy on Esau, because he neither • uns, nor wills. Now this is to contradict God; therefore we must bear with it, that men of corrupt minds, destitute of the truth, rising up to plead for universal atonement, contradict us. But Paul resolves all the mercy bestowed on this man, not on this man, v. 18. on this saying 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , he will, Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and hardeneth whom he will. (2) unpossible it is that conversion should be grace and matter of the praise of the glory of the Lord's grace, to Peter rather then to Judas, except the grace of God separate Peter from Judas, by moving effectually the one to believe, and not moving the other. All the wit of men cannot say, but I may glory in my own free will, that I am efficaciously redeemed and saved, rather then another; except grace efficaciously move me in a way of separating me from another, if he had alike good will to save me, and Judas and all the world; but he committed the casting of the balance in differencing the one from the other, to free-will, so as the creatures free-will made the cons • quent will of God different toward the one, and toward the other.

3. The God who is willing to show his wrath, and to make his power known, in • nduring with much long suffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction, that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared to glory, Rom. 9.2 • , 23, is also willing because he is willing to declare these two ends equally; in some because he will; the glory of power justice and long suffering; in others the glory of grace and mercy, because he will; nor did I ever see a reason wherefore God should carry on the two great state designs of justice and mercy, in such an order as he should incline more to declare and bring to pass the design of mercy then the design of justice; for out of the freedom of high and deep sovereignty he most freely intended both these glorious ends. Now as the attaining of his freely intended end of manifested mercy in some, both Angels and Men, makes visible in an eminent manner the glory of justice in other some, so the attaining of his freely intended end of pure grace in the Elect, doth highly endear Jesus Christ that we should prize the blood of the Covenant, the riches of free grace to us whom he hath freely chosen, leaving others as good as we to perish everlastingly. And as Arminians cannot deny, but that the Lord might so have contrived the business, as all that are saved, and to praise the Lord that sits one the Throne in heaven, might have been damned and should blaspheme eternally in hell the holy just Judge of the world : as he can make a revolution of all things in heaven and in earth, to a providence contrary to that which is now; so they cannot deny an eminent sovereignty, deliberate and fix • d free-will in God before any of the Elect and Reprobate were placed in s • ch a condition of providence in which he foresaw all that are saved or damned, should be saved or damned, and that this will was the prime fountain cause of election and reprobation.

4. Paul showing, Rom. 11. That God concludes all in unbelief that he might have mercy on all, and showing a reason why the Lord was pleased to cast off his ancient people for a time, and to engraffe the Gentiles, the wild Olive, in their place, saith O the depth ; and another reason he cannot find, but bottomless and unsearchable freedom of grace and free dispensation to some people and persons, and not to others. I confess it had been no such depth, if the Lord from eternity had equally loved all to salvation, but through the running & willing, or not running & not willing of the creature had been put upon later, wiser and riper thoughts and a consequent will to save or not save, as Men and Angels in the high and indifferent court of their free-will shall think good; there had been no other depth then is in earthly Judge • , who reward well doers, and punish ill doers, or in a Lord of a V • ne-yard, who gives wages to him that labors, and no wages to him that stands idle and doth nothing; this is the Law of nature, of Nations, and no depth, its but God rewarding men • ccording to their works, and God showing mercy in such as co-operate with, and improve well the benefit of God's antecedent will, and not showing mercy on such as do not co-operate therewith, but out of the absoluteness of indifferent free-will are wanting thereunto. But the great and unsearchable depth, is, how God should so carry on the great designs of the declaration of the glory of pardoning mercy and punishing justice, as their should be some persons and Nations, the Jews first and not the Gentiles, as of old, and now the Gentiles taken into Christ, and the Jews cast off; and again, the Jews with the riches of the world of Elect both Jews and Gentiles who are chosen and must obey the Gospel, and be called without any respect to works, but of grace, Rom. 11.5.6 7. and when the children had neither done good nor evil and were not born, Rom. 9.11. and these who were nearest to Christ, and did woe • k more for the attaining righteousness and life, then other strangers to Christ and Gentiles, Rom. 9.30, 31, 32, 33. Rom. 10.1.2, 3, 4. Rom. 11.1.2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, &c. rejected, and there should be others as good as these by nature, that the Lord should have mercy on; now in both these; first, God is free in his grace; secondly, just in his judgments, though he neither call, nor choose acco • ding to works; thirdly, the damned creature most guilty; and fourthly, the Lord both j • stly s • vere, and graciously me • cifull; fifthly, none have cause to complain or quarrel with God; and yet God might have carried the matter a far other way; sixthly, the head cause of this various administration, with Nations and persons, is the deep, high, sovereign, innocent, holy, independent will of the great Potter and Former of all things who has mercy on whom he will, & hardeneth whom he will, and this is the depth without a bottom; no creature Angel or Men can so behave them selves to their fellow-creatures, & yet be free, just, holy, wise, &c. but sure one creature can deal with his fellow creature according to the rules and road-way of an antecedent & consequent will; so may the King deal with his people, the Governor with those he governs, the Father with his children, the Commander with his soldiers, the Lord of a Vine-yard with his hired servants, all these may order their goodness, mercy, rewards, punishments in a way levill with the use, industry improvement of free-will, or the rebe • lion, unjustice, wickedness and slothfulness of their underlings; but no Master nor Lord can call Laborers to his Vine-yard, and exhort, ob • est, beseech them all to labor and promise them hire, and yet keep from the greatest part of them the power of ••• rring arms or legs, of free consenting to labor, and suspend his so acting on the greatest part of them, as they shall willingly be ca •• ied on to willful disobedience, and to be the passive objects of his revenging justice according to the determinate counsel of the Lord of this Vine-yard, because so he willed out of his absolute sovereignty to deal with some, and deal a just contrary way with the least part of the laborers, because he p •• posed to declare the glory of his grace on them; either there is here an unsearchable depth, or Paul knew nothing, and this calms my mind and answereth all that reason can say for universal atonement: and the

1. Use. I aim at, is, that no Doctrine so endeareth Christ to a soul, as this of particular redemption and free grace separating one from another, Psal. 147.1 • . Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem ; and amongst man • ground • here is one, verse. 19. he showeth his word unto Jacob, his Statutes and his judgments to Israel, ver. 20. he hath not dealt so with any Nation ; and he speaketh not of the measure, as if God had revealed the same grace in nature, but in an inferior degree to other Nations ; for he saith, as for his judgments they have not known them ; and th • n being full of God, for this separating mercy, he add • h, praise ye the Lord ; Christ esteems this the flour of grace, the grace, of grace and blesseth his Father for it; Matth. 11.25. I bless thee O Father Lord of Heaven and Earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them to babes ; now because Arminians say, the pride of the self-wise, and the humility of babes, are the causes separating the one from the other, and so free-will is to share with the Father in the praise of the reviled glory of the Gospel, and the discovered excellency of Christ to babes, rather then to wise men; a literal revelation no doubt was common to all babes and prudent, the swelled Pharisees, and humbled sinners; Christ pray • eth the eminency, the blossom of grace, the bloom of free-love in that the free-will of the humble and the proud made not the separation, but the good pleasure of God, ver. 27. No man knows the Son but the Father, and he to whom the Son will reveal him.

2. That which is common to all, shall never leave an impression of wonder and thankful admiration. ( I ) and ( we ) are swelled, lofty and proud things, and the Spirit of God commends grace highly in that it falls upon pronowns and persons, and not on others, 1 Cor. 15.9. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 I am the least of of the Apostle • s —verse. 10. By the grace of God, I am that I am, and his grace 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly then they all 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , but not I, but the grace of God, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 in me, Tit. 3.3. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 for we ourselves also were sometime out of our wits, disobedient, &c. ver. 4. but when the kindness and man-love of God our Savior appeared, ver. 5. — 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 he saved us, 1 Tim. 1.15. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 I am the chief of sinners, ver. 16. but for this cause I obtained mercy, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , that in me first Jesus Christ might show forth all long suffering, Gal. 2.20. I am crucified with Christ, but I live, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 yet not I, but Christ lives in me 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , and the life that I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God, who has lov • d me, and given himself for me ; 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , Ephes. 2.1. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 and you who were dead in sins and trespasses, hath he quickened, ver. 4. for his great love wherewith he loved us 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , v. 5. even when we were dead in sins and trespasses he hath quickened us, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 together with Christ, ver. 13. But now in Christ Jesus, ye who sometimes were far off, are made near by the blood of Christ ; the passing by my Father and mother, and brother and sister, neighbor and friend; and taking me, is a most endearing favor.

3. Of all in Scotland and England, all in Europe, all Adams seed, that ever were masters of a living soul in the womb or out of it; the Lord passed by so many thousands and millions, and the lot of free grace fell upon me precisely by name, and upon us, and not upon thousands, besides no less eligible then I was; what thoughts will you have of the f •• e lot of love that fell upon you ever since God was God, when Christ shall lay such a load of love, such a high weight and mass of love on you; ye shall then think, O how came I hither to sit in heavenly places with Christ! that body that is trimmed, clothed, and doubly embroidered with pure and unmixed glory, is just made of the same lump of earth, with the body of Judas or Cain, that are now flaming and sinking to the bottom of the black and sad river of brimstone; the Lord saith, Ezek. 18.4. behold all souls are mine ; and when your soul shall be loaden with glory and thousands of souls blowing and spitting out blasphemies on the Majesty of God, out of the sense of the torment of the gnawing worm that never dies; and ye consider the soul of Judas might have been in my souls stead, and my soul in the same place of torment that his is now in, what wonder then John cry out, behold what love!

4. How much love for extension, and intention: for one man, and everyone in covenant, Psal, 106.45. multitudes of mercies, and Ps. 130.7. plenteous redemption ; one David must have multitude of tender mercies Psal. 51.1. Psal. 69.13.16. Its not one love, but loves, many loves, Ezech. 16.8. Cant. 1.2. He gives many salvations to one, as if one heaven, and one crown of glory, were not enough; Ephes. 2.4. he is rich in mercy: and he quickened us when we were dead in sins 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 For his multiplied love : every man has a particular act of love, a particular act of atonement bestowed on him: can ye multiply figures with a pen, and write from the east to the west, and then begin again, and make the heaven of heavens, all circular lines, of figures; it should weary the arm of Angels to write the multiplied loves of Christ. Christ's love desires to engage many; how many millions be there of elect Angels and men? everyone of them, for his own part, must have a heaven of love; and Christ thinks it little enough that the first-bornes love, be on them all, and that they all be first-borne: Col. 1.20. It pleased the Father by Christ to reconcile all things in heaven, and in earth, to himself: All the Angels are Christ's vassals, and he is their head; Col. 2.10. then Christ must have two eyes; you seven eyes, to see for everyone, and two legs for every Angel to walk withal; Christ must have a huge host, and numerous troops in his family. (2) Who then can number the sums of all the debts of free grace, that Angels and me now Christ, and when they shall be paid? though sins shall be acquitted, yet debts of undeserved love shall stand forever and ever. O how unsearchable is the riches of Christ's grace! Know y • , O Angels, O glorified Spirits, where is the Brim, or where is the bottom of free grace? Yet not one sinner can have less grace then he has, he has need of all, he has no oil to spare, to lend to his neighbor • Matth. 25. Our deep diseases, and festered wounds could have no less to cure them, then infinite love, and free grace, passing all knowledge. It was a broad wound, that required a plaster as long and broad, as infinite • esus Christ.

Paul bows his knee to the Master of the families of heaven and earth, for this act of grace, to weigh the love of Christ▪ Ephes. 3.18. I pray (saith he) that ye may comprehend, or overtake the love of God.

2. How many are set on work to compass that love? as if one man could not be able to do it: Yet I pray, that ye with all the Saints may comprehend what is the breadth; its broader then the Sea, or the earth: and what is the length of it? its longer then between East and West; though ye could measure between the extremity of the highest ci • cle of the heaven of heavens, and then it hath depth and height more then from the center of the earth to the circle of the Moon and up through all the orbs of the s • ven Planets, and to the orbe of S • atrre • , and highest heavens: who can comprehend either the diameter or circum •• rence of so great a love? Love is an Element that all the Elect, Men and Angels, swim in; the the banks of the river swell above the circle of the Sun, to the highest of the highest heavens.

Christ's love in the Gospel takes all alive, as a mighty Conqueror; his seed for multitude is like the drops of dew that come out of the womb of the morning, Psal. 110. and they are the dew of the youth of Christ; for Christ as a strong and vigorous young man full of strength, who never fails through old age, brings in the forces of the Gentiles like the flocks of Kedar, Isaiah. • 0.5, 6.

5 Christ's love outworks Hell and Devils. Can ye seal up the Sun that it cannot rise? or can ye hinder the flowing of the Sea? or lay a Law upon the Winds that they blow not? far less can ye hinder Christ's wilderness to blossom as a Rose, or his grace to blow, to flow over banks, o • • o flee with Eagles wings. O how strong an agent i • Christ's love, that bears the sins of the world! • oh. 1.29. It woe • ks as fire doth by nature, rather then by will, and none can bind up Christ's heart or restrain his bowels, but he must work all to heaven that he has loved.

Use 2. We are hence taught to acknowledge no love to be in God, which is not effectual in doing good to the crea • ure; there is no lip-love, no raw well-wishing to the creature which God doth not make good: we know but three sorts of love, that God has to the creature, all the three are like the fruitful womb; there is no miscarrying, no barrenness in the womb of divine love; he loves all that he has made; so far as to give them a being, to conserve them in being as long as he pleaseth: he had a desire to have Sun, Moon, Stars, Earth, Heaven, Sea, Clouds, Air; he created them out of the womb of love and out of goodness, and keeps them in being; he can hate nothing that he made, now according to Arminians, he wish • d a being to many things in then seed and causes, as he wished the earth to be more fruitful before the fall then now it is, so that against God's will, and his good will to the creatures, he comes short of that natural antecedent love, that he beareth to creatures; he could have wished death never to be, no • sickness, nor old age, (say Arminians ) nor barrenness of the earth, nor corruption. Nay, but though these have causes by rule of justice, in the sins of men, yet we have no cause to say God falls short of his love, and wished and desired such and such a good to the creature; but things mscarried in his hand; his love was like a mother that conceiveth with many children, but they die in the womb; so God willed and loved the being of many things; but they could not be, the love of God was like the miscarrying womb that parts with the dead child, we cannot acknowledge any such love in God.

2. There is a second love and mercy in God, by which he loves all Men and Angels; yea, even his enemies, makes the Sun to shine on the unjust man, as well as the just, and cau • eth dew and rain to fall on the orchard and fields of the bloody and deceitful man, whom the Lord abhors ; as Christ teacheth us, Matth. 5.43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48. nor doth God miscarry in this love, he desires the eternal being of damned Angels and Men; he sends the Gospel to many Reprobates, and invites them to repentance and with longanimity and forebearance, suffereth pieces of froward dust to fill the measure of their iniquity, yet does not the Lord's general love fall short of what he willeth ro them.

3. There is a love of special election to glory; far less can God come short in the end of this love: For 1. the work of redemption prospereth in the hands of Christ, even to the satisfaction of his soul; saving of sin • s, (all glory to the Lamb) is a thriving work and successful in Christ's hands, Esa. 53.10, 11. He shall see of the travel • f his soul and be satisfied. 2. Christ cannot shoot at the rovers and miss his mark: I should desire no more, but to be once in Christ's chariot paved with love, Cant. 3. Were I once assured I am within the circle and compass of that love of Election; I should not be afraid that the chariot can be broken or • urned off its Wheels; Christ's char • ot can go through the red Sea, though not dried up: he shoots arrows of love and cannot miss, he r • d • s through hell and the grave, and makes the dead his living captives and prisoners. 3. This love is natively of itself active; Hezekiah saith in his s • ng, Isaiah. 38.17. Behold for peace I had bitterness, but thou hast in love to my soul (delivered) me from the pit of corruption, but in hebrew it is, thou hast loved my • oule out off the pit of corruption, because thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back : he speaketh of God's love, as if it were a living man with flesh and bones, arms, hands, and feet, went down to the pit, and lifted up Ezechiahs soul out of the pit; so has the love of Christ loved us out of hell, or loved hell away to hell, and loved death down to the grave, and loved sin away, and loved us out of the arms of the Devil; Christ's love is a pursuing and a conq • ering thing; I shall never believe that this love of redemption stands so many hundredth miles aloof on the shore; and the bank of the river, a • d lake of fire and brimstone, and •• yes afar off and wisheth all mankind may come to land & shoa • , and cas • eth to them, being so many hundredth miles from them, word • of milk, wine and honey, out of the Gospel, and crieth that Christ loveth all and everyone to salvation ; and if wishes could make men happy, Christ earnestly w • shes and desires, if all men were alike well minded to their own salvation, that all and everyone might be saved, that there were not a Hell ; but he will not put the top of his little finger in their • ear • to • ow and incline their will, and Christ crieth to the whole world perishing in sin, I have shed my blood for you all, and wish you much happiness; but if ye will not come to me to believe: I purpose not to pass over the line of Arminian decency or Jesuitical congruity, nor can I come to you to draw your hearts, by way of efficacious determination, if ye will do for yourselves and your own salvation, the greatest part of the work, which is to apply redemption, by your own free-will (though I know you cannot be masters of yourselves, of one good thought, and are dead in sins as I have done the other lesser part, purchased salvation for you, or made you all reconciliable and savabl • , its well; o • herwise I love the salvations of you and everyone; but I will not procure it, but leave that to your free-will; chose fire or water, heaven or hell as the counsels of your own heart shall lead you; and I have done with you; Oh such a love as this could n • ver save me! If the young heir had wisdom, he should pray that the wise Tutor lay not the falling or the standing of the house on his green head and raw glassie and weather-cock free will; we shall cast down our crowns at the feet of him that sitteth on the Throne, because he has redeemed us out of all nations, tongues and languages and l • ft these nations to pe • ish in their own wicked way: sure in heaven I shall have no Arminian • houghts as now I have, through corruption of nature. I shall not then divide the song of free Redemption between the Lamb and free-will: and give the large • st share to free-will; my soul enter not into their counsels or secrets, who thus black Christ, an • shame that fair spotless and excellent grace of God.

Use 3. Here is excellent ground of encouragements to the Elect to the believe; for the fear of reprobation from eternity is no ground that thou shouldst not believe.

Object. 1. I fear that I am a reprobate.

Answ. If thou wilt know the need that a Reprobate man has of that saving Savior Jesus Christ, thou wouldst upon any terms, cast thy soul upon Christ; which if thou do, now thou hast answered the question and removed the fear that thou art a reprobate; for a reprobate cannot believe.

Object. 2. But sin and unworthiness inclines more to reprobation, then to be loved eternally of God.

Answ. Not a whit, except the Lord had revealed reprobation to thee; sinful clay, nothing but the great Potter may wash the clay, and frame thee a vessel of honor.

Objct. 3. But sin continued in, such as my sin is, is the first morning dawning of reprobation, as faith and sorrow for sin is the first opening of election to glory.

Answ. Sin finally and obstinately continued in is a sign of repro • ation; but say you had obstinately gone on in sin (as I love not to cu • e spiritual wounds by smoothing and lessening them) yet your duty lies on you in a sense of your need of Christ, to come to Christ; the event is Christ's, you may say; Its fitting, Lord, I be a r • prob • te, but many thousands of bad deserving as I am, are singing the praises of free grace before the Throne.

Objct. 4. But if my sin evidence to me reprobation, its a cold comfort to go to Christ and believe; for sure I have obstinately gone on against Christ, and re • stead his call.

Answ. Though we are not to lessen the sins of any, yet a Physician may say, its not so desperate a disease as ye say it is; so may we say, its a strong disease that overcomes the art of Christ; though it falls seldom out never to my observing, that any finally obstinate can attain to wide, broad and auxious wishes to enjoy Christ, with some seen and acknowledged need of Christ.

Object. 5. But what encouraging comfort have I to believe, since I have gone farther on in obstinacy then any?

Answ. There cannot be such an encouraging comfort in a non-convert as is satisfactory; no work can be in a non-convert of that strain with s • ch as are in converts; ye are not to look for so much in yourself as in others; but he is far behind, who may not follow.

Object. 6. Nay, I find nothing in me that may qualify me • for Christ.

Answ. Fit and sufficient qualifications for Christ is the hire of merit, that we naturally seek in ourselves. Antinomians do not a li • tle injure us, because we teach that obstinate sinners as obstinate and proud are not immediately to believe; not that it is not their duty to believe, but because believing is physically incompatible with these persons that are to believe; since believing is the going of the sinner out off hims • lf to Christ; and a proud obstinate and rebellious sinner never broken, nor in no sort humbled under that reduplication, stays in himself. But we are far from exhorting any to stand aloof and afar off from Christ, because they cannot be prepared sufficiently for him, or because they have not a present to bring the King. Yea come, as ye are bidden, kiss the son, but tremble and stoop, faith is a lowly thing; merit or hire sufficient, in half or in whole, penny, or penny worth, to give to Chri •• , before a sinner come to Christ, or after, we utterly disclaim.

Ob. 7. But I have low thoughts of Christ, and am afraid he will cast me away; how then can J have low thoughts of myself, and be humbled, ere I believe?

Answ. There be not any of us who teach that saving humility goeth before faith. It is one thing to be broken, and plowed, another to be humble and harrowed: the law must break the r • ckie ground, ere ye believe. But Christ must break the clods, and harrow, and soften the soul; true humiliation followeth fa • th.

Ob. 8. But base thoughts of Christ, which I find in myself are most contrary to faith: I think Christ not so meek a lamb, as to put a Wolf, a Tiger, or a Leopard in his bosom.

Answ. Not any, but they have too low thoughts of Christ, ere they can come to him; for the Gospel in whole and in part, is medicine. Christ has a healing tongue; medicine is relative to sickness: Christ would never have said to unbelievers, John. 6.39. him that cometh, J will in no wise cast away : If m • n had not naturally had such thoughts of Christ, as he is rough, and strange, and Lordly, and so far from meekness that he casteth thousands of poor sinners out that come to him: so Christ's tongue in speaking these words, is good physic: all of us have j • alous and strange thoughts of Christ; Ye may know the dis • ase by the phy •• ck: contraria contrarijs curantur. The wear • e and loaden sinners take Christ to be rough, and not meek▪ therefore saith Christ, come unto me, all ye that are weary, and loaden; and I will ease you : If he be a shepherd, we natura • lie think▪ if we cannot go on our own feet, he has a club to beat u • ; Therefore Isaiah 40.11. The Lord saith, Not so, he will not beat • hose that want l • gs of their own to follow him: but he shall carry the Lambs in his bosom, and gently lead those that are with young : yea, if converts and weak ones had not jealousies, Ah, Christ is above us, and so lordly, so just, that if we be not as strong as others, he will break us, it had not been prophesied of him▪ Isaiah. 43. a bruis • dreed shall he not break, a smoking flax shall he not quench : Now precious thoughts of Christ ye cannot have till ye come to Christ, and buy from him a new mind, and new thoughts, without money.

Ob. 9. But believing is fruitless, and unpossible, if I be excluded from the number of those that Christ died for; for then I am to believe remission of sins without shedding of blood; and Christ shed no blood for me.

Answ. 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, that (1.) you are not excluded, for anything that is revealed to you. 2. That thou hast need of Christ, and art a guilty sinner. 3. That thou art commanded to believe: As for Christ's not shedding of his blood for thee; say it were so: its no more absurd that you are obliged to believe on Christ, as an all sufficient Redeemer for remission of sins, (though remission be not purchased to you in Christ's blood) then that you are obliged to believe that God will infallibly save you, when as God has peremptorily reprobated you, upon foreseen final impenitence; and has decreed not to work in you to believe, and has not purchased by his blood, the grace of believing; without the which, he seeth believing is unpossible. Let Arminians answer the one doubt, and we can answer the other; only, their way maketh God to say, he willeth the salvation of reprobates; which in very truth, he willeth not; for its protestatio facto contraria : a will contrary to his dispensation toward them▪ and so no will; whereas we acknowledge God in his promises, commands, charges to be most sincere, and that the promises belong only to the children of the promise, not to the rebrobate.

Ob 10. But its unpossible I can be fitted with sorrow for sin or repentance, before I believe in Christ. Answ. We teach not that you must first repent, then believe; or first believe, then repent; but that some legal acts of sorrow, and bruisings of Spirit, and self dispair go before faith, then acts of believing, and then evangelick repentance, in seeing by faith, him whom ye have pie • ced with your sins, and the mourning for piercing of him. Zach. 12.10. But your need, beggarlinesse, sinfulness may well be a spur to chase you to Christ: seeing Christ heighteneth 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 Jesus • , what a • ls thee at me? 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 spiritual male-contentedness, with se • f-discontent, at our own rebellion▪ and no envying of others: O that Christ who draws all men, would draw me, and he 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 mine in India, that loadeth with gold all ships, and enriches multitudes that go thither, and it has never drawn thee to make a journey thither, blame thyself, if thou be poor, when many are enriched. 1. Hath not Christ knocked at the door of thy soul, with a rainy head, and frozen lo • ks, and thou hadst rather he should fall into a swoon, in the streets, as open to him, and lodge him; and hast had open back doors for harlot lovers: O be ashamed of slighting 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 unbelieving dispair; If Christ be so willing to redeem and draw his own all, and can go as near hell as seven devils: Have noble and broad thoughts of the sufficiency of Jesus to save. 1. Consider and say with feeling and warmness of bowels to Christ, all the redeemed family 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 uncleanness to Satan; 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 sinful clay? 3. Fair Jesus Christ can love the black daughter of Pharaoh; he has found in his heart to melt in love and tender compassion, toward a forlorn Amorite, a polluted Hittite ; it breaks his heart to see the naked foundling cast out into the open fields, dying in gored blood: Christ can love, where all do loath; Its much he can love a sinner, thou art but a sinner; he 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, as no backslider can attain to: We are too soon satisfied with our own Godliness, and go not one step 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 be willing to sell all, and buy the pearl: 2. Till ye attain to some real and personal mortification; that is a subduing of lusts, a bringing under the body of sin, a heart-deadness to the world, (from this) because your Lord died for you, and has crucified the old man; I mean not a moral mortification of Antinomians, to believe Christ has crucified your lusts for you, as if you were obliged by command of the letter of Law and Gospel, to no personal mortification, that ye may be saved: never think ye are redeemed, till ye be redeemed from the walking in the ways of the present evil world▪ from all iniquity, from your vain conversation : draw not breath, rest not, till ye come to this, as ye would not turn back sliders in heart.

Redemption believed, maketh men crown Christ as their King; and such to whom Christ is made redemption, must assert and confess Christ a perfect Red • emer, the King of his Church: Those that are unpatient of his yoke of Government, would set another king over Christ, a Magistrate who by office ruleth, not by the woe • d, but by civil Laws, testify 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 controversy that God has with England, is slighting of Religion, the not building the Temple, the increase of blasphemies and heresies; fear that Christ reign 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) 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , to me: This is not a word which might have been spared, as there is no redundancie, nothing more then enough in the Gospel, so Christ is no person who may be spared; but whoever be 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 me. 1. It concern • th us much what we • leave. If we leave the earth, it is but a clay footstool, and a mortal p • rishing stage, and the house of sorrow▪ and my dying fellow-creature: if we leave sin we leave hell, the worm that never dieth; v • ngeance and eternal vengeance is in the womb o • s • nne; to leave father and mother, and all the idols of a fancied happiness is nothing; But to whom we go; to Christ, or not, to such an one as God, the substantial and eternal delight of God, O that is of h • gh concernment.

2. This (to me) coming out of the mouth of Jesus Christ, is all and all its heaven, its glory, its salvation, its new paradise, its the new city, i • s the new life, its the new precious elect stone laid on Zion, the new glory, the new kingdom: 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 me. 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-quarrel, John 5.40? Ye will not come to me, that ye might have life ; its no sport to die in sin▪ its a sad fall to fall into hell, John. 8.21. Then said Jesus again unto them I go my way, and ye shall seek me, and shall die in your sins▪ whither I go ye cannot come.

3. 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 cometh, 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 Jerusalem 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 poor and naked; then saith Christ, lean 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 soul delight itself in fatness, ver. 3. Incline your care to me, and hear, and your soul shall live, and I will make an everlasting Cov • nant with you even the sure merries of David ; Then a soul dies a souls death, he is lean, he eateth dirt, he has no bread, while he comes to Christ, Revel. 3.18. I counsel thee to buy of me. O this noble me! this brave, celebrious, this glorious me; I counsel thee to buy of me (and not of others who are but cozening hucksters) gold tried in the fire; gold buyeth all things, and is not bought; but this is not a common Merchant; and buy of me white raiment that thou mayest be clothed. But thou may • t have a burden on thee heavier then • hy back or bones canst stand under; then hear him, Ma • th. 11.28. Come unto me, all ye that labor and are laden, and I will give you rest : and because all are thirsty for some happiness, the desires are gaping for some heaven, Christ cry • h at Ie • usalem with a loud voice, with a good will • o save, John. 7.37. If any man thirst let him come to me, and drink, John. 11.26. He that liveth and b • lieveth in me, shall never die.

5. What greater reason then to hear this, Cant. 5.2. O • en to me, my sister, my dove, my love, my undefiled ; and wisdoms voice is swee • , Prov. 7.14. Hearken unto me therefore, O ye 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 ye near to me : and

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

7. What greater honor 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 days, 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 forever; yea I will betr • th thee unto me, ver. 20. I will even betroth thee unto me in faithfulness.

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, John. 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 Kingdom to me.

This, to me ▪ hath yet a greater edge and fullness of Christ's soul-taking and drawing expressions: 1. To Christ, we are drawn as to a friend; approaching to Christ is expressed by coming to him; 1. We come to him as to our home, the man that cometh to Christ is in a friends house; Christ will not cast him out, John. 6.39. The man may throw down his loads and burdens, and cast him self and his burden on him, and find rest for his soul ; he doth not stand, nor run any mo • e, but sit down under the shadow of the tree of life, Cant. 2.3. I sat down under his shadow with great delight ; Heb. I lusted or desired him, and sat 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 floor is the cheering consolation of the holy Ghost, and what futher? his banner over me is love, the colors and ensign 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 lie in a corner, in a circle infolded in the two everlasting arms? the left arm is near the heart, such a soul must lie with heart and head upon the breast and heart of Jesus Christ; and above, and underneath for pillow, for covering, for curtains, arms of everlasting love: an house all made, within and without, of eternal 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 sweet •• flour of any being, its a taking thing now, 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 coming as to a living stone, disallowed indeed of men ; but thats no ma • ter; chosen of God, and precious : who cr •• d we, but here, o • a stone with life, and so noble a life as an intellectual 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 precious stones, they should not buy a days glory in heaven; but say that they should sell the earth and the heavens, and oppignorate or lay in pledge Sun and Moon and Stars, if they were their moveable inheritance, and sell them all millions of times, they should be far from any comparable buying of the elect precious stone that is digged out of Mount Zion, Job 28.13. Man knoweth not the price of wisdom, of this wisdom, v. 18. no mention shall be made of coralls, or of pearls: for the price of wisdom is above Rubies, ver. 19. The To • az of Ethiopia shall not equal it, neither shall it be valued with pure Gold ; there's no talking, no bidding in this market so precious 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, who only can give God to the sinner, Joh. 14.6. No man cometh to the Father but by me ; it must be an incomparable privilege to come by Jesus Christ, to God; God, God is a • l in all. I can • o • savi • gly be drawn to any but to him, who can reveal God to me. Christ is the bosom, the heart, the only new and living way and door to God▪ all creatures, Angels, Men, Saints are strangers to God. The substantial, the essential, the l • ving intellectual Image, and being God must reveal God; Christ saith to Philip, John. 14.9. He that 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 bosom of a Godhead.

4. To me ] as to all perfection and completeness of fullness; they are but all streams and shadows, and emptiness while you come to Christ, poor nothing is an empty bottom to a sinner, John 1.16. Out of his fullness have all we received even grace for grace ; this is fountain fullness, God's fullness, Col. 2.9. For in Christ is fullness it self: 2. Not fullness going and coming; there a fullness in the Sea, but it is ebbing and flowing; a fullness in the Moon, but decreasing and growing; an fullness in the creature, but going and coming up and and down; but in Christ there dwelleth a fullness; it is with Christ new Moon and full Moon, and dawning and noon-day all at once: 3. All fullness dwelleth in Christ, there is fullness of beauty in Absalom, but not of truth and sincerity; fullness of wisdom in Solomon, but not fullness of constancy; he gave his heart to pleasure and folly; fullness of policy in Achitophel, but not fullness of holiness and faithfulness to his Prince; yea, it was fullness of folly to hang himself; fullness of strength in Sampson, but not fullness of faith & soundness & courage of mind, he was strong in body, but soft and impotent in mind and was overcome by an woman; there is an hiatus, a hole, and some emptiness in every creature: an Angels fullness sitteth neighbor to pure nothing, the Angel may be turned • nto nothing, and is by nature capable of folly: But in Christ there is all fullness; 4 But as every fullness is not all fullness, so every fullness is not the fullness of the God-head; the • , to me its as much as the Elect are drawn to Chri •• as the choicest, the rarest amongst all.

2. So amongst all choice things and all relat • ons, 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 eternal Priest, after the order of Melchizedek : Heb. • .1. Heb. 7.17. among gods, he stands, he's alone the only wise God ; 1 Tim. 1.17. Among Angels, the Angel of the Lord's substantial presence, the Arch-angel, the head of Angels : Isaiah. 63.9. 1. Thes. 4.16. Col. 2.10. Among beautiful things, the flower 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 again, 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 sons he is God's first begotten son, Heb. 1.6. his only begotten son, 1 • ohn 4.9. among Savior's none to be 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, he i • the choice and the first of the flock, the flower, the first glory, the standard-bearer of heaven, the heart, the rose, the prime delight of heaven, the choicest of heaven and earth, the none-such, the chief 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 God's heart. But Christ hath all eminency of grace in one. Some are God's that shall die as men. Christ the Prince of life was dead, but can die no more. Some are wise, but he is w • sdome it self; some are fair, but Christ is the beauty and brightness of the Fathers glory. We are apt to have low and creeping thoughts of Jesus Christ, and to undervalue Christ.

3. There's need of an Angel-engine framed in heaven, of a tongue immediate • y created by God, and by the infinite Art of omnipotency, above other tongues to speak of the praises of • hrist; and that Pen must be molded of God, and the Ink made of the river of the water of life, and the Paper fairer then the body of the Sun, and the heart as pure, as innocent and sinless Angels, who should write a Book of the virtue and supereminent excellency of Jesus Christ: All words even uttered by Prophets and Apostles, come short of Christ. Imagine 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, raised 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 Jerusalem, and overlayd with a new sort of Gold that was found above the Sun and Stars, many degrees above the Gold of Ophir ; and let the stones not be Marble, nor Sapphires, nor Rubies, nor digged out of the excellentest earth imaginable, but more re •• ined then elementary nature can furnish; let every stone be a star, or a piece of the body of the Sun, and let the whole fabric of the House exceed the glory of Solomon's Temple as far as all precious stones exceed the mire in the streets, and let Jesus Christ sit above in the highest Seat of Glory in this Temple, as he dwelt in Solomon's Temple, the chair should be but a created shadow, too low and to base for him. This is not yet like the Lord's expression by the Apostle, showing how eminent and high Christ is, Phil. 2.9. Wherefore God also hath more then exalted him ; he saith not 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 . God hath highted or exalted Christ; but God hath 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 over-highted and super-exalted him, and hath gifted to him 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , a name above all names that is real honor, 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 supernatural journey, its not a common way; to come to this eternal wisdom of God, as saith Job 28.7. A path which no fowl 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 air, 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 high ; 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 he getteth not one soul to him, but by strong hand and violence; never man comes to Christ on his own clay-legs, and with the strength of his own good-will, John. 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 Son, v. 39. All that the Fathe • giveth me, shall come ; The Fathers making over of any soul, 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 son. Familists teach us That there be distinct seasons of the working of the several persons of the Trinity, so as the soul may be said to be so long under the fathers, and not the Sons, and so long under the Sons work, and not the Spirits.

We 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 jointly at the same season help at the lifting of the dead out of the graves, John. 6.39.44.45. John. 5 24.25. All the three in one dead list, openeth blind eyes, and converteth lost sinners, Matth. 11.25.26.27. Eph. 1.17.18. Mat. 16.17. John. 12.32. 2 Cor. 3.14.15.16.17. John. 14.23. John. 16.7, 8.9.10. John. 14.16. Eph. 2.1.2.3.4. 1 I •• . 2.27. 1 John. 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 faithful witness, &c. 2 Cor. 13.14. Revel. 1.45. Then the Father so giveth the elect to the son, 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, John. 17.2.10.11. So there is the Fathers teaching, and the hearing and learning from the Father, John. 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 me.

In the uses of the doctrine, I have three things to speak of; 1. What a sin they be under, who resist the right arm of the Father. 2. What free-will and moral honesty 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 do, 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-sin may be the better seen 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: There be many drawers suiting us: the world is the tail of the great red Dragon, and his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven and did cast them down to the earth, Revel. 12.4. Glorious professors like glistering stars up in heaven, are drawn away, after the dirty world: should there be more power in Satan's tail to draw down stars from heaven, then there is beauty and sweetness in Christ's 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, real God-head in himself. Why will you not be drawn after the smell of his precious ointments? and Act. 5.37. Judas of Galilee arose, and drew away much people after him, and they were destroyed, and I am. 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 goodness is an angle, a vast net, that draws millions of souls to eternal perdition; every man has a soul-drawer about him, devils, and false teachers are pulling at, and hailing souls. O be drawn by Christ; he is the rose without a thorn, the Sun without a cloud, the beauty of the Godh • ad without a spot; he draws his Fathers heart to love him, and delight in him: Christ's love and the art of free grace, are good at drawing of souls; there is not a soul-drawer comparable to him: Ah our hearts are as heavy as hell; suppose that hell were of the bigness of ten worlds, all of Sand, iron, or the heaviest stones in the world, nay, all fancies that pretend loveliness are but lies, and Christ true: every piece of fair clay is hell, and Christ heaven; every beauty blackness, and he all loves, Cant. 5.16.

2. For alluring souls in a moral way, nothing like Christ in the Gospel; David is called by the holy Ghost, the sweet singer of Israel ; when Christ speaketh to hearts, he sings like heaven, and like the glory of a new unseen world, Deut. 3 • .16. Joseph 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-hymns, and Psalms of good tidings from Zion, peace, peace from heaven to the broken-hearted mourners in Zion; 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 joyful news, but few dance, Matth. 11.16.

3. The lower that high love discendeth, the sweeter and the more drawing, and the greatest guiltiness not to be drawn. Christ came down from a Godhead, and emptied himself for us to be a worm, 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 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 a bush, whence cometh Sinah, or a desert and wilderness, 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, far above the Eagle) and would have made sinners in Jerusalem his young ones, to nourish them with heat, from his own bosom 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 seen, ver. 8. amongst the myrtle trees in the bottom. It is true, the myrtle tree is far • e above the bry • r and the thorn, Isaiah. 55.13. yet its as much, a • Christ dwells amongst the bushes, and came down to the lowest plants, for the Myrtle is a bush rather then a tree, and grows in Valleys, Deserts, in the Sea-shore: 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 by the Lord Jesus, who is God's 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 guiltiness; salvation it self cannot save, when love submitting it self to hell, to death, to shame, to the grave, cannot save: you think little to let a love song of the Gospel four times a week pass by you; but you know not what a guiltiness it is.

4. The greater the happiness you are drawn to, the higher is the sin, should Christ d • awe 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 less sin to refuse him; but he draws you, Heb. 12.22. To Mount Zion, to the City of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of Angels, to the general assembly and Church of the first born which are written in Heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect; And to Jesus the Mediator of the new Covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling ; and he addeth, despise not this ; he is a Speaker from heaven: Its but ene house, one family, which is in earth and heaven; 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 • honor put on them that are in glory before us, then on us, as the first born of na • ure and grace; so the first born of glory are honored before us (we should not weep for our friends crown and honor, 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 forever, and gnash his te •• h in hell, who in right down terms refuseth to be drawn to heaven.

There is another ground of showing what a high provocation it is, to resist the Gosp • l-drawings of Christ's arm, 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 cross, is a clear allusion to the manner of Christ's crucifying, for he with his two arms stretched out, holdeth out his breast, openeth his bosom and heart, & crieth who will come and lodge in Ch •• st's heart; And again, favors proffered by a great friend in his death, ought not to be refused; and the sour • tree of the Cross was Christ's 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 died drawing and pulling in sinners to his heart; What a sin must it be to meet his love with hatred and disdain? 2. Grace moveth in a circle of life, the spring and fountain is the heart of Christ, and it reflecteth back to Chri • ts heart; he resteth not with stretched out-arms, 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 ye see Christ dying and leaping for joy to die for you, and when ye 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 iron bowels must he have who would break the cup on his face, and despise his love? Grace applied to the heart maketh it ingenuous, free, thankful; how can the sinner with-hold his love without the greatest guiltiness, that ever Devils committed? for they cannot resist Christ's drawing love: O what sweetness of strongest and captivating love to see Christ and the tear in his eye, and his face foul with weeping, and his visage more marred then any of the sons of men, Isaiah. 52.14. and a flood of blood on his body, Luk. 22.44. and yet good-will, and joy, and delight to do and suffer God's will for us, sitting on his brows, Psal. 40.6.7, 8. Heb. 10.5, 6, 7. Now when Christ is burnt up with love, and sick of tender kindness; to cast water on this love by resisting it, is the highest Gospel-sin that can be, except despiting of the holy Ghost; and a third ground of aggravating to the full, this sin of resisting Christ's drawing, I take from the judgment and the plague and Gospel-vengeance on such as Christ draweth, and they will not be drawn, and is the sin of the times; I refer these to two heads.

1. This Gospel despising of Christ now reigning in the Age and Kingdoms that we live in, cometh near to the borders of the sin against the holy Ghost, for the more men be convinced and enlightened, if they be not drawn to Christ, they are the nearer to this sin, Heb. 6.4.5. chap. 10.26.27. now may we not think hardly of these who are convinced of many Gospel-truths, and yet oppose them? doth not Christ's love come near them, and they fly from i • ? now but to neighbor or border on the coasts of a sin, like to the sin against the holy Ghost, may cost men as dear as the loss • of their soul and the next furnace for torment and pain, to these that sin against the holy G • o • t.

2. The •• mporall p • ague tha • comm • th nearest to eternal, is the judgment o • God on the Jews that refused and resisted Christ; see what exp •• ssion is put on the last judgment, that same is on the judgem • nt of Jerusalem's 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 judgment, pray, Mountains fall on us, and Hills cover us, Luk. 23.29.30.

Use 2. If Christ draw all men to him, then they are far wide who think that free-will and moral 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 supernatural work in them; civil Saints can never be glorified Saints; thousands are deceived with this; they think their lamp can show them light to know the Bride-grooms chamber-door; but ta • e these for marks of deluded men.

1. Such men will shoot and cry at adultery, as he that took Abraham's Wife from him; 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 special condemning gospel-sin, the cause of condemnation and dying in sin, John. 3.36. John. 16.9. chap. 8.24. No, but for murthering his Master; its the light of the Spirit that seeth spiritual sins spiritually.

2. Profession looketh like Paradise and the rain-Bow; 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 soul, 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 soul; open, open to Christ; multiplied fastings, and taking Christ's crown from him are dreadful.

3. They had never a sick-night for the want of Christ; Gospel profession is a light to let men see to sin, a candle to let men see to go to hell, and lie down in sorrow with art. Ah what comfort is it that I go to hell, no man seeing me, and by stealth, and my back to the Pit? What a poor comfort to go to eternal perdition, fasting and praying monthly, multiplying days of thanksgiving, and withal plundering Christ of his Royal Crown, following the sins of Prelates whom God cast out before us, exercising rapine, and unjustice, giving new laws 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-boiling of love, a faint pulse, a pale and a lean sinner dying for the absence of Christ, no man but the Spirit and Physician knowing what ails h • m, are sweet diseases; let the love of Christ abs • nt be in the man's soul a deep river: how sweet were it to be drowned in • hat river, and to die an hundredth deaths in one day, because he whom the soul loves, is gone away? O watchmen know you not where he is? O daughters of Jerusalem, can you tell him that I am sick of love? O shepherds, where is Christ's Tent? where dwells he? what is profession to this? a shadow, a straw, nothing, vanity.

4 What a decitfull thing is it make free-will the great Idol, 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 flour, and the freeness of grace like the beautiful bloome of the flour; and this freeness is so taking that it lays bands and chains on the heart; were there a good deserving in the man to buy grace, the cord should be as a single and untwisted thread.

Use 3. Christ so draws all men to him, that drawn man's will is not forced, as we have seen; and therefore Libertines err foully, who make the drawn party, blocks, and stones, and mere patients; hence these positions of Familists and Libertines.

1. In the saving and gracious conversion of a sinner th • faculties of the soul and working thereof, in things pertaining to God, are destroyed, and made to cease.

2. And instead of these the holy Ghost doth come and take place, and doth all the works of these natural faculties, as t • e faculties of the human nature of Christ do.

3. The new creature, or the new man mentioned in scripture, is not meant of grace, but of Christ.

4. Christ 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 spiritual acts.

5. There is no inherent righteousn • sse in the Saints, or grace▪ or graces are not in the souls of believers, but grace is Christ himself working in us ; who are mere patients in all supernatural works.

6. Faith, repentance new obedience, are gifts, not graces —all the elect are saved, and receive the Kingdom as little children do their fathers inheritance passively. Mr Town saith in Sanctification as well as in justification, we are mere patients, and can do nothing at all. Assertion of grace, p. 11.68.

7. The Spirit doth not work in Hypocrites by gifts and graces, but in God's children immediately.

8. We may not pray for gifts and graces, but only for Christ.

9. The efficacy 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 believer▪ is to act sin.

11. We are not bound to keep a constant course of prayer in our families, or privately, unless the Spirit stir us thereunto.

12. If Christ will let me sin, let him look to it, upon his honor be it.

13. The new heart and the walking in God's commandments are no conditions of the Covenant of Grace; where is there one word, that God saith to man thou sh • ll do this? if God had put man upon these things, then they were conditions indeed: but when God takes all upon himself, where are then the conditions on man's part? —If there be a condition, he that undertaketh all things in the covenant must needs be in the fault ; if the Lord work not in us a clean heart, and cause us not walk in his commandments, its then the Lord's fault ( abs • t blasphemia ) if we sin against the covenant.

14. The blessedness of a man, is only passive, not active in his holy, and unblameable walking.

To the end that these errors may the more fully be discovered, we are to inquire in these Assertions, what activity we have in works of grace.

Asser. 1. In the first moment of our conversion, called actus primus conversionis, we are mere patients.

1. Because the infusion of the new heart, Ezech. 36.26. the pouring of the Spirit of Grace and supplication on the family of David, Zach. 12.10. and of the Spirit on the thirsty ground, Isaiah. 44.3. is a work of creation, Ephes. 2.10. Psal. 51.10. a quickening of the dead, Ephes. 2.1.2.3.4. John. 5.25. 2 Cor. 4.6. and the wilderness is not here a coagent for the causing roses to blossom out of the earth.

2. The effect is not wholly denied of the collateral cause, and ascribed wholly to another. If Peter and John draw a ship between them, with joint 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. I am. 1.18. John. 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.

Asser. 2. The soul or its faculties are not destroyed in conversion: Peters will which he had when he was young, was the same when converted, but renewed, John. 21.18. the Saints that Peter writeth to, are not to • unne to the same excess of riot 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, regenerate • d, and justified heirs, Tit. 3.1.2.3.4. Paul the same man, a persecutor and an Apostle, but Grace made a change, 1 Cor. 15.9.10. the same mind and spirit remaineth in nature; but they are renewed in the spirit of the mind. 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 dross, and the false metal, and frames the man a new vessel of mercy,

Asser. 3. The person of the holy Ghost is not united to the soul of a believer, nor are there two persons here united or made one Spirit by union of person with person; but the person is said to come to the Saints, and to dwell with them, and to be in them, John. 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 believe, pray, love, repent, &c. We being mere patients in understanding, will, affections, memory, as Libertines ▪ teach. But the holy Ghost cometh to the Saints and dwelleth in them, in the spiritual gifts, and saving graces, and supernatural qualities c • eated in us, by the holy spirit, and acted, excited, and moved, as supernatural and heavenly habits, to act with the vital influence of our understanding, will, and affe •• ions.

I prove the former part: 1. Because such a union of the person of the holy Ghost in us, believing, loving, joying, praying, and immediately in us, were that blasphemous dei-fying and Goding of the Saints, so as believing, loving, praying, were not our works, but the immediate acts of the holy Ghost, and either the faint manner of believing, or the cold slacked loving, and praying of Saints, or their not believing, and sinful omission of the acts of faith, love, praying rejoicing, could not be more imputed to Saints, as their sinful defects, and transgressions, (but must be laid on the holy Ghosts score) then we can impute the splitting of a ship, to the ship itself and not to the negligent and willful pilot who of purpose dashed the vessel on a rock; but we must not in reason blame the ship, but the Pilot; for the loss of the ship, is the only and proper fault of the man that stirred the ship, and the ship is innocent and harmless timber: Now what sin can be in the Saints in these supernatural acts, if the holy Ghost immediately in his own person, stir the helm, 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 do pray, believe, rejoice, if the holy Ghost immediate • y do all these in them, as in a shop

2. Upon the same ground the Lord's coming down and filling John the Baptist from his mothers womb, and the Apostles and Steven full of the holy Ghost, should be the holy Ghosts personal 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 be no difference between the Ark and Temple of Jerusalem, filled with the immediate presence of God, in the Lord's manifestation of his glory there, and these Saints filled with God, in these works of free grace. I shall not believe 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 Jesus, 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 Jews, according to the fl • sh, to be God blessed forever. Rom. 9.5. H • br. 7.3. Matth. 16.13.16, and the third general Council, called that of Ephesus, and after the counsel of Chalcedone, ver. 4. and 5. do 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 hundredth miles. I know not he, but the Grace of God that was with him, 1 Cor. 15.9.10. not he, 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 affirm; because both did the work; I believe not: God and cloud • rained down Manna to Israel ; O but Christ's father, John· 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 poor, killet • , and maketh alive, maketh snow, froast, fair weather, d • outh, and rain, the Sun to rise, and go down, and that in his own person, Father, Son, and Spirit; He, he only made Heaven, Earth, Sea, and all creatures, and the world; 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 Acts 17.25. and 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 Psal. 33.9. do 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, Sun, Heavens, Men fighting, and Men Saving, and Killing; and that God personally filleth all creatures, only God in the immensity of • is nature, is all these and everywhere, 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 immensity of his essence, which is, as David saith, everywhere, 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, long suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith; now these are not the holy Ghost, who is eternal, and God uncreated, but are created in time, out of mere 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 do the work, or the repairing of decayed nature, when a healthy body recovereth out of a fever, 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 fullness of Christ, 13. and to add grace to grace, 2 Pet. 1.5.6.7. and to go 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 Moon, that can grow and advance in perfection, being God blessed forever.

3. If there be an union of the person of the Holy Ghost with the soul, and not an in-dwelling by graces, the believer as a believer, must live by the uncreated and eternal life of the Holy Ghost, or a created life. Creatum vel increatum dividunt omne ens immediate, sicut finitum & infinitum: Not the former, neither any man, nor the man Christ can in any capacity be elevated so above it self, as to partake of the infinite life of God; how the manhood of Christ partaketh of the personal 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 souls, 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.

4 The person of the Holy Ghost immediately acting in the Saints, without them or any active and vital influence of the natural faculties, cannot be guilty of sin, because David and Christ are absolved of sin 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 be united as one spirit, person with person, with him who is justly to be blamed in not acting.

Asser. 4 It must evidently follow that there is in the Saints a grace created that is neither Christ, nor the Holy Ghost in person; for what reason any hath to fancy 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 believer in all supernatural actions, for the Father is said to draw men to the Son, John 6.44. and Christ to reveal the Father, and to draw men, John 1.18. John 12.32 and the Holy Ghost to reveal the deep things of God, 1 Cor. 2.10, 11. now all the three in person do these, but all the three persons are not united to believers 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 believers, faith in Christ, and the love of Christ, should be Christ.

3. Then should a believer having a new heart, and a new Spirit, be Christed, or Godded; and God should be inca • nate in every believer, and how many Christ's 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.

Asser. 5. The Grace of God and our free will in a four-fold sense may be said to concur in the same works of Grace.

1. When free-will receiveth no more from Grace and the Lord's drawing, but only literal instruction, and if by our industry an habit of the knowledge of the letter of the word be acquired, its necessary only to the easier believing, as Pelagius said, I may believe without Preaching the Gospel, by Reading, but more easily by fair and powerful preaching, and by grace helping and assisting preaching, but yet without grace, but with greater difficulty, as I may go 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 sails, yet also without sails 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-wills industry, though the sails of grace could more expeditely promove our journey. 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 do pray and persuade the blind to see, and the cripples to walk; but its long err words fetch a soul to dry bones that they may live, or tie the broken eye-strings, or add vital power and life to eyes and ankle-bones.

2. Grace and free-will (as Bellarmaine and the rest of the Jesuits with Arminians teach) may be thought to be two joint causes, the one not depending on the other, as two carrying one stone or burden, neither he helpeth him, nor he him, but both join 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 evil: 2. Grace doth not begin in all things that concern salvation, nor doth the Lord work in us to will and to do ; if we will not do without any prior dependence on the • nfluence of the grace of God, we as much work in ourselves willing and doing, as the Lord doth, and the Lord in his grace shall follow, and not lead our will. 3. Grace doth not confer 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 do both jointly meet in one and the same effect, in which 4 Free-will divideth the spoil 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?

3. The third way is that free-will is said to believe, repent, love God, by a mere extrinsical denomination • , because it carrieth that grace • which formally and only doth perform all these supernatural actions; so Grace doth all, and free-will is a mere patient that conferreth no vital subordinate and active influence in these acts; as we say, the Apothecaries glass healeth the wound, because the oil in the glass worketh the cure; when the glass doth actively contribute nothing to the cure; or the Ass maketh rich, when it carrieth the gold that enricheth only; this sense Antinomians hold forth, and make us mere patients, and blocks in the way to heaven, and this sense Jesuits, especially Martinez de Ripald • falsely chargeth upon Luther and Calvin ; and the Council 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 principal, first inspiring and fountane cause: 1. It being a new supernatural disposition and habit in the soul, Joh. 14.23. 1 Joh. 2.27. 1 John. 3.9. John. 4.14. Isaiah. 44.3.4. Ezech. 36.26.27. Deut. 30.6. A good treasure or stock of grace, Matth. 12.35. Luk. 6.45. And also actually it determineth, sweetly inclineth and stirreth the will to these acts; yet so as free-will moveth actively, freely, and confe • reth a radical, vital, & subordinate influence & is not a mere patient in all these, as Antinomians dream, Psal. 119.32. I will run the way of thy Commandments, when thou shall enlarge my heart, John. 14.12. he that believeth in me, the works that I do, he shall do, 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 run, that ye may obtain, Revel. 2.2. I know thy works and thy labor, 1 Thess. 1.3. Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labor of love, and patience of Hope: 1. We are not dead in supernatural works, and mere blocks, Rom. 6.11. We are alive unto God in Jesus Christ, Ephes. 2.1. He hath quickened us, Revel. 2.3. For my names sake thou hast labored, and had not fainted, 1 Cor. 15.58. Be ye steadfast, immovable, always abundant 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 blessedness of the Saints only passive in receiving: though to be just • fied and receive Christ's righteousness, be the fountain blessedness, Psal. 32.1. Rom. 4.6.7. Gal. 3.13. But the Scripture speaketh of a true and solid blessedness in action, Psal. 119.1. Blessed are the undefiled in the way, Isaiah. 56.2. Blessed is the man that doth this, I am. 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 judgment, Revel. 22.14. Blessed are they that do his Commandments, Math. 5. Blessed are they that mourn, that hunger and thirst ; Then there must be a part of blessedness in sanctification, as in justification; though the one be the cause, the other the effect.

Asser. 6. The Lord's working in us the condition of the Covenant of Grace, such as faith is, by his efficacious grace, doth not free us from sin, when we believe not, nor involve God in the fault, when he worketh not in us to believe, as Crisp imagineth; Here let me by the way remove the arguments of Dr Crisp 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 we fail in our performances daily, and the Covenant is anulled and broken so soon 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 another 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 hour, you come to Chri • t, the nature of this covenant promiseth you welc • me. 2. Particular failings and acts of unbelief, do well consist with the habit and stock of faith that remaineth in him that i • borne 〈◊〉 God, 〈◊〉 is the act so tied to a time. But 3. There is, by • enuure of • he Covenant, a Privilege twofold here. 1. If by the Law a man step a hair-breath wide off the way, the door of Paradise is bolted on him, and in again can he never enter, he must seek another entery, the man has done with heaven that way, the law knoweth not such a thing as repentance; but the Covenant of grace being made with a sinner, a slip, an act of unbelief doth not forfeit the mercy of this covenant. But Christ saith, if you fall, there is place to rise again; if you sin, there is an Advocate, there is a blood of an eternal covenant; the covenant stands still to make up room for repeated grace, for a thread, 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 sin, yet can he not out-sin the eternity of the new covenant, nor can he sin an eternal priest out of heaven. 2. The Law requireth a stinted measure of obedience, even to the superlative, with all the soul, and the whole strength; any less is the forfeiting of salvation. But the covenant of grace stinteth no weak soul, 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 Abraham's foot a measure to every poor sinner; many smoking 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 be the first in Heaven, what though I be the last that enter in, though I close the door in the lowest room, so I see the throne, and him that sits on it, it is enough to me.

2. Arg. All the tie of the covenant lieth on God, not any on man, 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 do all and the new heart is but a consequent of the covenant; where is thee in all this covenant, one Word that God says 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 tied and bound to everything in the covenant, and saith, he will do it? If there be 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 not, make yourselves clean; get you the Law of God in your mind, get you power to walk in my Statutes, and when you do this, then I will be your God, and enter in Covenant with you.

Answ. 1. We never teach that the making to ourselves 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 Crisp show 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 clean 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 mere 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. John. 6.45. Ezech. 36.32. Not for your sakes, do I this, saith the Lord God, be it known unto you; be ashamed and confounded for your own ways, O house of Israel, ver. 22. I do not this for your sakes, O house of Israel, but for mine holy names sake, which ye have profaned amongst the heathen, whether ye went; and Crisp saith the Covenant in the Old Testament had annexed to it divers conditions, of legal washing and sacrifices, whereas the New Covenant under the New Testament is every way of free grace : He is far wide; conditions wrought in us by grace, such as we assert, take not one jot or title of the freedom of Grace away, and though there be major gratia a larger measure of grace under the New Testament, yet there is not magis gratia, 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 Jews more then with other Nations? Deut. 7.7. The Lord loved you because he loved you. Was Jerusalem, 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 cast 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 bottom, he repeateth it again, I said unto thee in thy blood, live ; And will Crisp say, that this i • not a history of free grace, as far from bribe or hire of merit • as in the world? or, will he say, it was God's meaning, First, wash you with holy water, and sacrifice to me, and perform all these legal conditions to me while you are Amorites and Hittites by kind, and that being done, He enter in Covenant with you, when ye 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 sinful 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 mind of Antinomians that no justified person can sin, but that they omit good, or commit ill, God is in the fault, not they; and that the justified are mere blocks in all the course of their sanctification; in all the sins they do, they are patients; God should more carefully see to his own honor, and not suffer them to sin; so they and the old Libertines go on together. For say, that the new heart, that to will and to do, to persevere steadfastly in the Grace of God, were no conditions of the Covenant (sure believing in the Lord Jesus is clearly a condition of the righteousness of faith, as doing is of the righteousness 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 tie of the New-Covenant, yet God's promise, his single word when he saith he will do such and such things, is as strong a tie as his Covenant and oath, when he knoweth its unpossible these things that he saith he will do, can be done, except he, of his mere grace, work, them in us. Now the Lord clearly promiseth, that he will give repentance, Act. 5.31. Sorrow for sin, 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. 32.40, 41. Isaiah. 54.10. chap. 59.20.21. Psal. 1.3. Joh. 4.14. chap. 10.28. Phil. 1.6. Ephes. 5.26.27. 1 John. 2.1. Then let D. Crisp or any Libertine say, when the Saints sin, in not praying, in not sorrowing for sin, in not willing, and doing, in their sins and falls in their Christian race to heaven, let me speak in the words of Crisp, whose 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 do ; Ergo, if it be not done, the fault cannot be man's, but it must be, (which I abhor to writ or speak) the Lord's.

3. God takes all upon himself, in genere causae gratiosae, Liberrimae, independentis, primae, non obligatae ad agendum ex ullae lege ; in the kind of a cause that worketh by mere grace, freely, Indepdenently, without any Law above him to oblige him to do otherwise with his own, then he freely willeth, decreeth, promiseth; for men carnally divide God's decree, which is most free, from his promise which is as free as his decree • but it followeth in no sort, as Arminians and Jesuits object to us; therefore men who do not believe, pray, walk holily, are not in the fault, being under a Law to obey; for sinful inability to obey can ransom 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 commandments, as he doth promise, Ezech. 36.27. and that we shall fear 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. I am. 3.2. and we fear not God, in this or this sin; as is possible and may be gathered from Joseph's speech to his brethren; who says he would not wrong them, for he feared God; and Job's word, that he durst not despise the cause of his servant, because he was afraid of God. Yet God promiseth, that he will keep Joseph, Job and all the elect in the way of God's Commandments, 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 unbelief, 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 tied by the Evangelic Law not to sin in anything, the Gospel granteth pardons, but not dispensations in any sins; and it can in no sort be imputed to God, because if any believer fall in a particula • sin or act of unbelief against the covenant of grace, the Lord neither decreed, nor did ever undertake by Covenant or promise to keep him, by his effectual grace from falling in that sin; 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 fail them no • . Nor is the act of believe • ng, that is wanting in that particular fall, such a condition of the Covenant as Christ either promised to work, or the necessary condition of the Covenant of Grace, or such a condition the want whereof doth annul and make void the eternal Covenant of grace.

5. I here smell in Antinomians, that God must be in fault, as the author of our unbelief, our stony hearts, our walking in our fleshly ways, because God hath promised to give us faith, and a heart of flesh, to walk in his ways, as the old Libertines said God was the principal and chief cause of sin, and that God did all things, both good and ill, the Creatures did nothing. So Calvin in ins • itut. adversus Libertines, chap. 14. in opus. pag. 446. Mr. Archer down right saith, God is the author 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 do 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 yourselves to the Lord, and take away the fore-skin 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 me. Matth. 26.41. Watch and pray: Therefore all the tie and obligation of what ever k • nd cannot so free us from sinful omissions, nor can the tie lie on God; evangelick commandments are accompanied with grace to obey & grace layeth a tie on us also to yield obedience.

6. Its a foul and ignorant mistake in Crisp to make the Covenant nothing but that love of God to man, which he cast on man before the Children had done good or evil, Rom. 9.1. That love is eternal and hath no respect to faith as to a condition, but its not the covenant it self, because it is the cause of the covenant. 2. To the love of election, there is no love, no work, no act of believing required on our part; Yea, no mediator, no shedding of blood; we 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, 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 be preached to Adam after his fall, and there is required faith on all the Saints part, to lay hold on the Covenant, Isaiah. 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. Christ's blood the seal of it. 5. The Spirit must write it in our heart: But the love of election is a complete 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 Crisp for then we should not be saved by grace; and grace should not be grace; but we are justified by faith, that is, by that Christ which faith knoweth, according to that, by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; therefore faith is no condition of this covenant.

Answ. The contrary rather followeth: 1. Seeing Crisp : doth say, none under heaven can be saved till they have believed; We are not taken in covenant by faith; neither we nor scripture speak so; taking us in covenant is before we can believe, but we lay hold on Christ, and righteousness by faith, not as a work, but a necessary condition required of us. 2. I leave it to the consideration of the Godly; if believing in him who just • fieth the ungodl • be no condition; (a work justifying, I do not think it) but only I believe and know that Christ justified me before I believed, from eternity, as some say; when I was conceived in the womb, • s Crisp sai • h; and that the threatening, he that believeth not, i • condemned already, carries this sense, he that believeth not that he is not condemn •• d, he is already condemned: Who can believe such toys?

2. Believing is a receiving of Christ, John. 〈…〉 Christ's dwelling in the heart Ephes. 3.17. Then to 〈◊〉 , must be to know that Christ was in me, before I believed, and tha • I received him from eternity, or from my conception.

3. To believe maketh me a son borne, not of flesh and blood, John. 1.12.13. and Gal. 3.26. and by faith we receive the Spirit: This then must be nothing else but I know by the light of faith, I was a son before, and had received the Spirit, before I believed: What more absurd?

4. And by faith I live not, Christ liveth in me, 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 sins, before I believed.

5. And because believing is somewhat more then a naked act of the mind, it being a fiducial adherence unto, and an affiance, acquiescence, & heart-reliance, & staying on Christ, or a rolling of ourselves on God for salvation, as is clear in the original holy languages of scripture, Psal. 18.18. Isaiah. 26.3. Psal. 112.8. Isaiah. 10.21. Mich. 3.11. Psal. 22, 8. Psal. 55.22. 1 Pet. 5.7. Cant. 8.5. John. 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 sins, not justified in his blood, because they will not know that Christ died for them in particular, and that Christ bore their sins on the cross, and justified and pardoned them long ago, all which to believe is to hold a lie in the right hand. But to return.

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 sinful and remiss manner of working with the grace of God, is a point more mysterious, then I dare undertake to explain, if these may give light, I offer them to the Reader.

Posit. 1. Grace, free grace, is the great and Master-wheel, that carrieth about heart, senses, foot, and hand, & not that only, but seed 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 be an heir of glory, is more then a supernatural principle of gift, and more then one single action above nature: Grace must make the principle gracious, and grace must inact and quicken the principle to bring forth, and graces policy makes natural men, citizens of heaven, sons of God, heirs of life, John. 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, but the head Christ, is so interested in it, that as even the finger and toe, in the natural body, cannot stir without the motion takes its beginning from life, and head, so neither can the mystical body or any joint or member of it, act or move in its supernatural or be of grace, but every individual act of grace must pay the rent of glory, to the mystical head, whose predeterminating influence does act and stir the ship; for Christ is not only the compass, and day-Star, according to which spiritual motions are directed, and hand and finger, foot, and all see with the visive power seated in the head, (for they have no faculty of seeing in themselves) and the Saints in these actions stir 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 physical, as well as in their moral 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 pieces of dry and dead timber can move regularly through so many circles, compasses, turnings of many coasts, countries, change of winds, ten thousand miles, to a certain herbrie, when timber is acted and moved with the borrowed art and reason of a man stirring the helm; so there is a 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , a reason, a wisdom in him, who is made our wisdom, to act the Saints in their heavenward motion, that are carried through so many sea-circles, turnings, contrary winds of temptations, afflictions, various soul-dispensations of sweet and sour, 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 son, that the broken bark and all his poor friends are landed, with the borrowed art of Christ, and no more thanks and praise to us, then to dead timber. That we should be 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 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 grace; but we are so drawn as Christ is great Lord, moderator, and author, and God in the second and new world of grace, as God creator is in all actions of nature, John. 15.5. without me, (as your vine tree, in whom you grow, and a stock in whom you bring forth fruit, every blossom of of life, every apple) ye can do nothing, Phil. 2.13. For it is God that worketh in you to will and to do, 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 do 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 actual every moment to make his tender Vines grow, and preserving his own from succumbring under every temptation.

2. There were no ground for Adams thankfulness and praise, that he stood one moment, or that he gave names to everything 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 actual 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 praises 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 Christ's 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 actual influence of predeterminating grace did keep the Saints, and stir 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 [unspec 1] the soul is distempered under desertion; the soul is so tender and excellent a piece, 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 Angel-tongues, (let them speak heaven, and Christ, and glory) calm a soul-fever, and words of silk, and oil dropped from the clouds, cannot command the love-sickness of a sad soul. Will ye look to heaven, while your sight fail, and weep out two eyes while Christ's time come, you cannot find ease for a broken spirit; when Christ breaketh, can Angels make whole? The conscience is a hell-fever, the comforter is gone; can you wi • h a nodde bring the phycisian back again? can golden words charm and calm a fever of hell? can you with all the love-waters on earth quench a coal 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 doors of the shadow of death; or can do such great works of creation, as to lay the corner-stone of the earth, or hang the world on nothing, which Job could not do, chap. 37. chap. 38. But who can command soul-furies? only only Christ.

The soul is down 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 do it. Can you cry, and find obedience to your call, O North, O South wind blow upon the Garden? Christ hath his own wind at command; he is master of his own mercies: Can you prophecy to the wind to come, and breathe on dead bones? Christ only can: Can you breathe life, soul, 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 war, are you a creator to make peace? he cries Hell, and wrath; can you speak joy, and consolation? are you an anti-creator, to undo what Christ does? Christ commandeth fury against a people, or person; can men, can angels, can heaven countermand?

Position. 3. The Lord's suspending of his grace cometh under a twofold consideration. 1. As the Lord denieth it to his own children. 2. As to wicked men also. As he witholdeth grace, especially actual and predeterminating: It falleth under a threefold respect; 1. As it is a work of the free and good pleasure and Sovereignty of God.

2. As it is a punishment of former sins.

3. As from it resulteth our sin, even as the night hath its being from the absence of the Sun; Death from the removal of life.

4. The Lord's denial of Grace, is seen most eminently in two cases: 1. In the parting asunder of the two decrees of election and reprobation.

2. In God's, with drawing of himself and his assistance, in the case of •• ying the Saints.

In the former the Lord has put forth his sovereignty in his two excellentest creatures: Angels and men; if we make any cause in the free-will of Angels: I speak of a separating and discriminating cause, wh • some Angels did stand, and never sin, some fall, and become devils, we must deny freedom of God's grace in the predestination of Angels: now the Scripture calleth them Elect Angels ; how then came it that they fell not? from free-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 engage the Almighty to a recompense, they could not first set their free-will to work their own standing in Court, before God did with his grace separate them from Angels that fell, Rom. 11.36. Isaiah. 40.13. 2. Make an election of Angels, as the Scripture doth, when some are called Elect Angels, and some not, then it must be 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 Author, Rom. 11.36. then they gave not first to God, to engage 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 engage the Lord in their debt, Paul, vesr. 36 saith to him be glory forever ; 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 grace to move as men, with graces wings, to fly over the Lake prepared for the devil and his Angels, whereas others fell in; otherwise Christ the Lord Treasurer of free grace, cannot be 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 fever, by drawing blood, or some other way, even as the same art can recover a sick man out of a fever, whereas another sick of that same disease, yet wanting the help of art, dieth: So the same free grace in nature, speece, and kind, not free will, hind ••• the elected Angels to fall, where as by constitution of na • u • e and mutability, being descended of that first common po • r 〈◊〉 • ase house, the first spring of all the creation of God, mere and simple Nothing, the mother of change and of all defects natural, and moral, in every the most excellent creature; th • y were as an humorous gross body, in which the vessels are full and in a nearest propension to the same fever 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 Sovereignty and dominion of free grace in calling effectually one man, Jacob, not Esau, Peter, not Judas, in having mercy, in time, on whom he will, and hardening whom he 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 joineth with the draught and pull of the right arm of Jesus Christ, John. 12.32. and his father, John. 6.44. and another refuseth, and actively and willfully withdraweth from the call of God, if the omnipotency of never enough praised grace, be not the cause, the adequate, highest, and principal cause; I deny not but corrupt and rebellious will is the inferior, culpable, and only culpable and moral cause why Judas denieth obedience to the holy call of Christ.

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

But in the engagement it self of the wind of the Spirit, for the trial of the Saints there is great ground of admiration, as 1. the blowing of the soft and pleasant breathings of the South-wind of free grace lying under the only work of sovereignty, when, and where, and in the measure, the Lord pleaseth▪ is a high and deep expression of the freedom of grace, for in one and the same prayer (the like by proportion may be said of the acts of faith, love, patience, hope) we often begin to pray, with sad and fleshly complaints of unbelief, as is evident in many Psalms and Prayers of the Saints in Scripture, Jeremy, Lament. 3. of Job, of David ; yet going on, the breathings of th • holy Ghost will fill the sails, and he returneth: therefore this, is a ground, yea, a demonstration to me; then when I find no motion of the holy Ghost, no spiritual disposition, but mere deadness, I am not to abstain from praying, because I find the Spirit not acting nor stirring in me, as Antinomians say; but 1. I am to act and do, though the principle of motion be natural; as if the first stroke on flint make not fire, we are to strike again and again: and if the fire blowing of the bellows kindle not the sticks let us be doing, and the Lord will be with us. A kindling and a flame may come from heaven; say that the Lord were wanting to me in a dead and low ebb; he will not once roll about the sight of his eye, nor let out one blast or stirring of air and wind of the Spirit toward me; yet my deadness is my sin, and freeth not me from an obligation to pray and to seek to God; the door is fast bolted, shall I not therefore knock? access is denied, and the Lord in ang • r shuteth out my prayer, Lam. 3.8. May not I look and sigh and groan toward his holy Temple? deadness is not the Lord's revealed will forbidding me to pray, because I am dead and indisposed.

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

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

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

5. It should be no sinful omission in us, not to pray when the Spirit stirreth us not, if our deadness should free us from all sin, because we cannot run, when the Bridegroom doth n • t draw. Christ's drawing goeth along with the secret decree of Election, but is not to us a signification of the Lord's revealed will, that we should not follow Christ, when he suspendeth the influence of his drawing power.

6. Now as in nature, men may so dare the Almighty in his face, that God in ju • tice may deny his influence to natural [unspec 5] causes: as when malice opposeth the Spirit of God in the Prophet of God, that the Lord refuseth to concur with the oil in Iereboams whithered a • m, that he cannot pull it in again to him. 2. When the Lord is put to a contest with false god's to work a miracle, as in his refusing to concur with the fire in burning the three children; for in all causes natural, or moral, or whatever they be, God has a negative voice and more. 3. When the axe or the saw boasteth it self against him that lifted it; the Lord may use his liberty. So (to come to the second consideration) when Peter proudly trusteth in himself: I will die with thee ere I deny thee; the Lord to punish his pride, must deny his assisting grace, when Peter is tempred, that he may know that natu • e is a s • rry undertaker; that the man rideth to heaven on a whithered reed, who aimeth to climb that up-hill-city one his own fles • y and clay, strength; and God to show a black spot on a fair face in heaven, will have it said, there standeth