CHAP. VI. How Faith must be exercifed on Gods Threatnings and Judg ments. TH thefe. HE exercife of Faith upon Gods Threatnings and Dire&. 1. Think not either that Chrift bath no Threatning penal Laws, or that there are none which are made for the use of Believers. If there were no penalties, or penal Laws, there were no diftinguishing Government of the world. This Antinomian fancy deftroyeth Religion. And if there be threats, or penal Laws, none can be expected to make fo much use of them as True Believers. 1. Because he that most believerb them, mult needs be most affected with them. 2. Because all things are for them, and for their benefit; and it is they shat must be mcv.d. by them to the fear of God, and an escaping of the punish ment. And therefore they that obj &, that Believers are paffed already from death to life; and there is no condemnation to them; and they are already justified, and therefore bave nò use of threats orfears] do contradict themselves: For it will rather follow Therefore they and they only do and will faithfully use the threatnings in godly fears.] For 1. Though they are justified, and Paffed from death to life, they have ever fath, in order of nature before their Justification; and he that believeth not Gods threatnings with fear, hath no true Faith. And 2. They have ever inherent Righteoufnels or San&tification, with their Jutification: And this Faith is part of that holiness, and of the life of grace which they are paffed into. For this is life eternal, to know the only true God, and Jefus Christ, Joha 17.3. And he knoweth not God, who knoweth him not to be true. And this is part of our knowledge of Chrift alfo, to know him as the infallible Author of our Faith, that is, of the Gospel, which faith not only, He that believeth and is baptized, fhall be saved; but alfo, He that believeth not fall be damned, Mark 16.16. And PP this this is the record which God gave of bis Son, which he that believeth not, maketh him a lyar; that God bath given us eternal ife, and this life is in his Son: He that bath the Son, bath life; and be that hath not the Son, bath not life, 1 John 5. 12. Yea as he that believeth on the Son, bath everlasting life; fo be that believeth not the Son, shall not fee life, but the wrath of God abidetb on him, John 3. 36. And therefore 3. The reafon why there is no condemnation to us, is because believing, not part only, but all this Word of Christ, we fly from fin and wrath, and are in Chrift Jefus, as giving up our felves to him, and walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit; being moved fo to do both by the promises and threats of God. This is plain English, and plain and neceffary truth, the greater is the pitty, that many honeft, well-meaning Antinomians fhould fight against it, on an ignorant conceit of vindicating Free Grace: If the plain Word of God were not through partiality over-lookt by them, they might fee enough to end the controverfie in many and full expreffions of Scripture. I will cite but three more, Matth. 10. 28. and Luke 12. 5. But fear him who is able to deftroy botk foul and body in Hell; or when be batb killed, bath power to caft into Hell yea I fay unto you, fear him. Doth Chrift thus iterate that it is he that faith it, and faith it to his Difciples; and yet thall a Chriftian fay, it mult not be preached to his Difciples as the Word of Chrift to them? Heb. 4. 1. Let us therefore fear, left a promife being left us of entering into bis reft, any of you should seem to come short of it. Heb. 11.7. By Faith Noah being warned of God, of things: not feen as yet (that is, of the deluge) moved with fear, prepared an Ark, to the faving of bi boufe, by the which be condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith. Note here how much the belief of Gods threatnings doth to the conftitution of that faith which is juft:fying and faving. Direa. 2. Judge not of Gods threatxings by the evil which is threatned, but by the obedience to which the threatnings Should drive us, and the evil from which they would preferve us, and the order of the world which they preferve, and the wisdom, and boline ß, and juftice of God, which they demonstrate. When men think how dreadful a mifery Hell is, they are ready ready to think hardly of God, both for his threatning and execution; as if it were long of him, and not of themselves, that they are miferable. And as it is a very hard thing to think of the punishment it felf with approbations fo is it alfo to think of the threataing, or Law which binds men over to it; or of the Judgement which will pafs the fentence on them. But think of the true nature, ufe and benefits of these threats or penal Laws, and true reason, and faith will not only be reconciled to them; but fee that they are to be loved and bo noured, as well as feared. 1. They are of great ufe to drive us to obedience. And it is cafier to fee the amiableness of Gods commands, than of his threats: And obedience to thefe commands, is the holy rectitude, health and beauty of the foul. And therefore that which is a fuitable and needful means, to promote obedience, is amiable and beneficial to us. Though Love must be the principle or chief fpring of our obedience; yet he that knoweth not that Fear muft drive, as Love muft draw, and is necessary in its place to joyn with Love, or to do that which the weakneffes of Love leave undone, doth neither know what a man is, nor what Gods Word is, nor what his Government is, nor what either Magiftracy, or any civil, or domeftical Government is; and therefore should spend many years at School before he turneth a difputer. 2. They are of ufe to keep up order in the world; which could not be expected if it were not for Gods threatnings. If the world be fo full of wickednefs, rapine and oppreffions, notwithstanding all the threatnings of Hel, what could we expe it fhould be, if there were none fuch, but even as the fuburbs of Hell it felf. When Princes, and Lords, and Rich men, and all those thieves and rebels that can but get strength enough to defend themselves, and all that can but hide their faults, would be under no reftraints confiderable, but would do all the evil that they have a mind to do: Men would be worse to one another, than Bears and Tygers. 3. Gods threatnings in their primary intention or use, arè made to keep us from the punishment threatned. Punishment is naturally due to evil doers: And God declareth it, to give us warning, that we may take heed, avoid it and escape. 4. That which doth fo clearly demonfirate the Holiness of God, Pp 2 God, in his righteous Government, his Wisdom and his fastice is certainly good and amiable in it felf. But we must not expect that the fame thing fhould be good and amiable to the wicked, who run themselves into it; which is good to the world, or to the just about them, or to the bonour of God. Affizes, Prifons and Gallows are good to the Country, and to all the innocent, to preserve their peace, and to the bonour of the King and his Government; bat not to murderers, thieves or rebels, Ifa. 26.7,8,9. Pfal. 48. 11. & 9. 16. & 89. 14. & 97. 2. & 149.9. & 146.7.& 37. 6, 28. Jude 6. & 15. Rev. 4. 7. & 15.4. &\ 16.7. & 19.2. Ecclef. 12. 14. Direct. 3. Judge of the feverity of Gods threatnings, partly by the greatness of himself whom we offend, and partly by the neceffity of them for the Government of the world. 1. Remember that finning wilfully against the infinite Majefty of Heaven, and refuting his healing mercy to the last, deferveth worse than any thing against a man can do, i Sam. 2.25. 2. And remember that even the threatning of Hell doth not ferve turn with moft of the world, to keep them from finning and defpifing God: and therefore you cannot say that they are too great. For that plaifter draweth not too ftrongly, which will not draw out the thorn. If Hell be not terrible enough to perfwade you from fin, it is not too terrible to be threatned and executed: He that should fay, Why will God make fo terrible a Law? and withall should fay, As terrible as it is I will venture on it, rather than leave my pleasures, and rather than live a boly life; doth contradi& himself, and telleth us, that the Law is not terrible enough to attain its chief and primary end, with fuch as he, that will not be moved by it, from the moft fordid, bafe or bruitish pleasure. Dire&.4. Remember how Christ himself,even when be came to deliver m from Gods Law, did yet come to verifie bis threatning in the matter of it, and to be a facrifice for fin, and publick demonftration of Gods Justice. For this end was Chrift manifefted, to destroy the works of the Devil, 1. John 3.5, 8. And the first and great work of the Devil was, to reprefent God as a lyar, and to perfwade Eve not to believe his threatnings, and to tell her, that though the finned, finned, the should not die. And though God fs far dispensed with it, as to forgive man the greateft part of the penalty, it was by laying it on his Redeemer; and making him a facrifice to his Jultice that his Cross might openly confute the Tempter, and affure the world, that God is juft, and that the wages of fin is death, Rom, 6, 23. though eternal life be she gift. of God through Jefus Christ. And he that well confidereth this, that the Son of God would rather stoop to fufferings and death, than the D.vils reproach of Gods threatnings fhould be made true, and than the Justice of God against fin thould not be manifefted, will fure neverthink, that this Juftice is any dishonour to the Almighty. Dired. 5. Let this be your use of the threatnings of God, to drive you from fin to more careful obedience, and to help you againft the defels of love, and to fet them against every temptation when you are affaulted by it. When a tempting bait is fet before you, fet Hell against it, as well as Heaven; and fay, Can I take this cup, this whore, this preferment, this gain of Judas, with H., for my part inftead of Heaven? If men threaten death, imprisonment, or any other penalty; or if loffes or reproaches be like by men to be made your reward, remember that God threatneth Hell, and ask whether this be not the molt intollerable fuffering. And if any Antinomian revile you for thus doing, and fay [You should fet only Free Grace before you, to keep you from finning, and not hell and damnation] Tell him that it is Chrift the Mediatour of Free Grace, which hath fet Hell before you in the Scripture, and not you: And that you do but confider of that which Chrift hath fet there before you to be considered of. Ask them whether it be not God that prepared hell for the Devil and his Angels, and Chrift himself that will adjudge all impenitent finners to it, Matth. 25. And ask them why Chrift doth fo often talk of it in the Gospel, Matth. 13. of the worm that never dyeth, and the fire that never shall be quenched, Luke 19. 27. Mark 16. 16. John 3. 36.2 Thef. 1. 8,9.&c. And whether they know why Fear was given to man; and whether Chrift miftook in all fuch commands, Luke 12.4. Het. 11.7. Heb. 4. 1. And whether God hath made any part of his Laws in vain. Pp 3 If |