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Salvation, by approving and confenting with all its Heart to the Offer, fubfcribes to the Way of Salvation in Chrift, and Truth of his Promifes: And this is the Truth of God and Chrift fealed by the Soul's Believing. Then the Spirit of Jefus Chrift afterward, when he pleafeth, irradi ates, and fhines upon the Soul, and discovers thefe Things that are freely given, and witneffeth to the Confcience of the Believer, that he is a Son of God: Thus the Spirit feals the Believer, and gives his Tef timony to his Truth.

Disciple, who knew how to preach Chrift, afferts it in exprefs Terms, 1 Job. v. 13. Thefe Things bave I written to you that believe, that ye may know that ye bave eternal Life, and that ye may believe on the Name of the Son of God: This very Thing was the great Scope and Purpofe of that Evangelick and Divine Epiftle. I find that Antinomians confound this Question, that they may have the more Advantage in their Darknefs. The Queftion is not concerning the Grounds of a Man's believing in Chrift, but concerning our Affurance, or Knowledge of our be- Now if we speak of the Ground of the heving. There is a great Miftake in firft, viz. of believing in Chrift to SalChriftians Practice, in confounding thefe vation, I know none, but that which is two, it makes Chriftians very unreasonable common to Sinners, and holden out in in their Doubtings and Exercises, there- the Gofpel generally to all. Our Sin, and fore let us have this before our Eyes; Mifery, and abfolute Neceffity,and Chrift's Faith in its first and pure Acting, is ra- Invitation of all to come, and receive ther an Adherence and Cleaving of a loft his full and perfect Salvation. I think a Soul to Chrift, than an Evidence of its Man fhould feek nothing in himself, whereLatereft in him, or of his everlasting Love. upon to build his coming to Chrift, though You know all, that it is one Thing to know it be true, no Man can come to a Saviour, a Thing, or love a Thing, and another till he be convinced of Sin and Mifery, Thing to reflect upon it, and know that I yet no Man fhould feek Convictions as a know and love it. John did write to Warrant to come to Chrift for Salvation ; Believers that they might know they did he that is in earnest about this Question, believe, and believe yet more. These bow ball I be faved? I think he should Things then are both feparable, and not spend the Time in reflecting on, and the one is pofterior to the other; After Examination of himself, till he find fome ye believed ye were fealed. The Per- thing promifing in himself, but from dif wafion of God's Love, and our Intereft covered Sin and Mifery, pass straight in Chrift, is the Spirit's Seal fet upon the way over to the Grace and Mercy of Soul: There is a mutual Sealing here, Chrift, without any interveening Search the Soul by believing, and trufting in Jefus of fomething in himself to warrand him Chrift, fets to its Seal that God is true, to come; there fhould be nothing before as John fpeaks, Job. iii. 33. When God the Eye of the Soul, but Sin and Mifery, fpeaks in his Law, the Soul receives that and abfolute Neceffity, compared with Teftimony of his Juftice and Holinefs,fuperabounding Grace, and Righteousness fubfcribes to the Equity and Righteoufin Chrift: And thus it fingly devolves it nefs of the Sentence, by condemning it felf over upon Chrift, and receives him felf. And when Chrift fpeaks in the Go-as offered freely, without Money, and fpel, the Soul feals that Doctrine of free without Price? I know it is not poffible

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that a Soul can receive Chrift till there be fome preparatory convincing Work of the Law, to discover Sin and Mifery: But I hold, that to look to any fuch Preparation, and fetch an Encouragement or Motive therefrom, to believe in Chrift, is really to give him a Price for his free Waters and Wine; it is to mix in together Chrift and the Law, in the Point of our Acceptation; and for Souls to go about to feek Preparations, for a Time refolving, not at all to confider the Promise of the Gof pel, till they have found them, and Satiffaction in them, is nothing else, but to go about to establish their own Righteouf nefs, being ignorant of the Righteouf nefs of Chrift. And therefore many do corrupt the Simplicity of the Gospel, by rigid Exactions of Preparations, and Meafures of them, and by making them Conditions, or Reftrictions, of Gofpelcommands and Promises: As in this, Come ye that are wearied. And from thence they seem to exclude Perfons not fo qualified, from having a Warrand to believe. Alas it is a great Mistake of these and fuch Words, certainly thefe are not fet down of Purpose to exclude any who will come, for, whoever will, let them come, and take freely: But rather to encourage fuch wearied and broken Souls, as conceive themselves to be the only Perfons excluded; and to declare unto us in fome Measure, the Nature of true Faith; that a Soul must be beaten out of it felf, ere it can come to Chrift. Therefore I conclude, that not only it is a ridiculous, and foolish Conceit of many Chriftians that ufe to object against believing; If I were as fuch or fuch a Perfon, if I did love God, if I had thefe Fruits of the Spirit, if I walked according to the Spirit, then I might believe. Alas! how directly oppofite is this to the Terms

of the Gofpel? I fay, if thou place Satisfaction in thefe, and from that Ground, come to Jefus Chrift, then thou doft not come really, thou doft indeed eftablish thine own Righteousness. Doth any Saint, though never fo, holy, confider himself under fuch Notions of Grace, when he comes to be juftified? No indeed; but as an ungodly Man, rather, he must deny all that, though he had it. And befides, it is most unreasonable, and incongruous, to feek the Fruits, before the Tree be planted; and to refuse to plant the Tree, till you can behold the Fruits of it. But alfo, it is contrary to the free and comfortable Doctrine of the Gospel, for a Soul to feek the Discovery of any Thing in it felf, but Sin,before it apply to Jefus Chrift. I fay, there must be some Senfe of Sin, otherwise it hath not rightly difcovered Sin; but a Soul should not be at the Pains to discover that Sense of Sin, and find it out, so as to make it a Motive of believing in Chrift: He ought to go ftraight forward, and not return as he goes; he must indeed examine himself; not to find himself a fenfible humbled Sinner, that fo he may have Ground of believing; but that he may find himself a loft perishing Sinner; void of all Grace and Goodness, that he may find the more Neceffity of Jefus Chrift: And thus I think the many Contentions about Preparations, or Conditions preparatory to believing, may be reconciled

Now if the Queftion be (as it is indeed) about the Grounds of our Affurance, and Knowledge of our own Faith, certainly it is clear as the Noon-day, that as the good Tree is known by the Fruits thereof, and the Fire by the Heat thereof, fo the in-dwelling of Faith in the Heart is known by its purifying of the Heart, and working by Love, it makes a Man a Y 2

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new Creature; fo that he, and others may, and Wantonnefs? If thefe Graces be be in

us, fure I am, 'tis no Vertue to be ignorant of them, but rather a Weakness and Dark nefs: It must then be the Light and Grace of God, to know them, and from thence to conclude, that Affurance of Faith, which is not a forced, ungrounded Perfwafion, and ftrong Fancy, without any difcovered Reafon of it. Sure Ham, the Apoftle's Counsel is, to make our Election fire, by making our calling fure. How fhall any venture to look in to thefe Secrets of the Lamb's Book of Life, and read their Name there, undoubtedly they belong not to us, they are a Light inacceffible, that will but confound and darkea us more? Therefore, whoever would know their Election, according to the Scriptures, muft read the Tranfcript, and Copy of the Book of Life, which is writ ten in the Hearts and Souls of the Elect;

fee the Difference: Neither is this any Derogation to the free Grace of Chrift, or any establishing of our own Righteoufnefs (except Men be fo afraid to establish their own Righteoufnels, that they will have no Holiness at all, but abandon it quite, for fear of trufting in it, which is a Remedy worse than the Difeafe) because I make it not a Ground of my Acceptation before God, but only a naked Evidence of my believing in Chrift, and being accepted of God: It being known that thefe have a neceffary Connection together in the Scriptures, and it being alfo known that the one is more obvious and eafie to be difcerned than the other. Sure I am, the Lamb's Book of Life is a great Myftery, and unless this be granted, I fee not but every Man's Regeneration ad Change fhall be as dark and hidden, as the hidden and lecret Decrees of God's Electi-the Thoughts of God are written in his on; for the Spirit may immediatelyreveal Works upon the Spirits of Men; his Eboth the one and the other. Is it any De- lection hath a Seal upon it. The Lord rogation to the Grace of Chrift, to know knoweth who are his, and who can break what is freely given us? Doth it not rather up this Seal? Who hath understood the commend his Grace: When a Soul looks Mind of the Lord? None can, until the upon it self, beautified with his Comeli- Lord write over his Thoughts in fome nefs, and adorned with his Graces, and Characters of his Spirit, and of the new loaths it self in it self, and afcribes all the Creature,in fome Lineaments and Draughts Honour and Praise to him? Is it not of his own Image, that it may be known more Injury to the Fountain and Fulness they are the Epistle of Chrift, not writof Grace in Chrift, not to fee the Streams ten with Ink and Paper, but with the Spiof it at all, nor to confider them, than rit of the living God, not in Tables of to behold the Streams of Grace that flows Stone, but in the flefbly Tables of the out of this Fountain, as coming out of it? Heart, 2 Cor. iii. 3. Chrift writes his I think Chriftians may be ready to idolize everlafting Thoughts of Love, and Goodtheir Graces, and make them Mediators, will to us in this Epistle; and that we may when they are known; but is this a good not think this doth extol the Creature, Remedy of that Evil, to abandon all and abafe Chrift, it is added, Ver. 5. Sight and Knowledge of the Things freely Not that we are fufficient of our felves, given us of God? Shall we not fpeak but our Sufficiency is of God. The fee of the Freenefs of Grace, because Mensing of Grace in our felves, doth not preCorruptions turn Grace into carnal Liberty, judge the Grace of God, unless we fee it

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independent of the Fountain, and behold feen in its own Light, and needs not that not the true Rife of it, that we may have any witness of it. The Spirit of God no Matter to glory of. It is not a fafe fometimes may speak to a Soul. Son, be Way of beholding the Sun,. to look straight of good Comfort, thy Sins are forgiven on it, it is too dazling to our weak Eyes, thee: This may break into the Soul as a you shall not well take it up fo; but the Beam, darted from Heaven, without Rebest Way is to look on it in Water, then ference to any Work of the Spirit upon we shall more ftedfaftly behold it: God's the Heart, or Word of Scripture, as a everlasting Love, and the Redemption of Mids or Mean to apply it: But this is Jefus Chrift, is too glorious an Object to more extraordinary; the ordinary Teftibehold with the Eyes of Flesh; fuch Ob- mony of the Spirit is certainly conjoined jects certainly must astonish and strike the with the Teftimony of our own Confci. Spirits of Men with their tranfcendant ences, Rom. viii. 16. And our ConfciBrightness: Therefore we must look on ences bear witness of the Work of the the Beams of this Sun, as they are re- Spirit in us, which the Spirit difcovers to flected in our Hearts; and fo behold the be according to the Word. The Spirit Conformity of our Souls, wrought by his makes known to us Things that are freeSpirit unto his Will; and then we shall ly given, but, by comparing Things Spiknow the Thoughts of his Soul to us. If ritual with Spiritual, 1 Cor. ii. 10, 13. Men fhall at the firft flight climb fo The Fruit and special Work of the Holy high, as to be perfwaded of God's eternal Ghoft in us, is the Medium, and the Love, and Chrift's Purchase for them in par Spirit's Light irradiates and fhines upon it, ticular, they can do no more, but fcorch and makes the Heart to fee them clearly: their Wings, and melt the Wax off them, For, though we be the Children of Light, till they fall down from that Heaven of yet our Light hath so much Darkness, as their ungrounded Perfwafion, into a Pit there must be a fupervenient and acceffoof Defparation: The Scripture-way is to ry Light of the Spirit, to discover that go downward once, that ye may go up; Light unto us. Now what is all this to first go down in your felves, and make us, I fear that there be many ungrounded your Calling fure, and then you may rise Perfwafions among us, that many build on up to God, and make your Election fure: a fandy Foundation, even a ftrong Opini You must come by this Circle; there is on that it is well with them, without any no paffing by a direct Line, and ftraight Examination of their Souls and Conver thorow, unlefs by the immediate Revelati- fations according to the Word, and this on of the Spirit, which is not ordinary and certainly when the Tempeft blows, canconftant, and fo not to be pretended unto. not ftand. Some teach, that no Man I confefs, that sometimes the Spirit may fhould question whether he believe or not, intimate to the Soul, God's Thoughts to- but prefently believe I think none can wards it, and its own State and Condition, believe too fuddenly, 'tis always in Seafon, by an immediate overpowering Tefti- nunquam fera eft fides nec panitentia, mony, that puts to Silence all Doubts and 'tis never late, in respect of the Promife, Objections, that needs no other Work or and 'tis never too early, in refpect of a Mark to evidence the Sincerity and Re-Man's Cafe. But I cannot think any Man ality of it; that Light of the Spirit fhall be can believe, till the Spirit have convinced

him of his Unbelief; And therefore, I on to fuch groundless Opinions; never would think the moft Part of Men nearer to queftion the Matter, is to leave it alFaith in Jefus Chrift, if they knew they ways uncertain. If you would judge wanted Faith Nay, 'tis a Part of Faith, your felves according to the Scriptures, and believing God in his Word, and many of you have the Marks and Chafetting to our Seal, that God is true, for racters of these who are kept without the a Man to take with his Unbelief, and his City, and are to have their Part in the natural Inability, yea, Averfenefs to it. Lake of Fire. Is there no CondemnatiI would think that these who could not on for you, who have never condemned believe in Chrift, because they fought Ho- your felves? Certainly the more you nour one of another, and went about to are averfe to condemn your felves, kill him, they had done well to have taken this fticks the cloffer to you. You with that Challenge of Chrift's, and if are not all in Chrift, all are not IfraMen ought to take with their Sin, they el who are of Ifrael, many, (nay the ought to fearch and try their Sin, that they moft Part) are but faid Chriftians, have may find it out, to take with it. I won- no real Union with Chrift, or Principle der, fince Antinomians make Unbelief of Life from him; your Love you carry the only Sin in the World, that they can- to your felves, makes you eafily believe not endure the Discovery and Confeffion well of your felves; know, that Self-love of it; it feems they do not think it so hei- can blind the Eyes, and make you apprenous a Sin. I confefs, no Man fhould of hend that God loves you alfo. Nay, ePurpose abstain from believing in Chrift, very one readily fancies that to be, till he find out, whether he hath believed which he defires to be. I beseech you, or not; but what ever hath been, he is confider if you have any Ground for your bound prefently to act Faith in Jefus Hopes, and Confidences, but fuch as these Chrift, to flie unto him, as a loft Sinner, that will not bear out always. It would to a faving Mediator. But that every Man be no Disadvantage to you, to have your is bound to perfwade himself at the firft, Hope fhaken, that in ftead of a vain Prethat God hath loved him, and Chrift re- fumption, you may have the Anchor of deemed him, is the Hope of the Hypo-Hope, which fhall be fixed within the erite, like a Spider's Web, which when leaned to, it shall not ftand; that Man's Expectation fhall perish, he hath kindled Sparks of his own, a Wild-fire, and walketh not in the true Light of the Word, and fo muft ly down in Sorrow. Many of you deceive your felves, and none can perfwade you that ye do deceive your felves, fuch is the Strength of that Delufion, and Dream. 'Tis the great Part of the Heart's Deceitfulness, to Alatter it felf in its own Eyes, to make a Man conceive well of himself and his Heart, I befeech you, do not venture your Soul's Salvati

Vail. I think one Thing keeps Men far from the Kingdom of God, because they know not that they believe not in him: We had gained much Ground on you by the Word, if we could perfwade you, that ye believe not, and have not be lieved from the Womb. We might then fay to you, as Chrift to his Disciples, ye believe in God, believe also in me: Ye have given Credit to God the Judge, and Law-giver, pronouncing a Curfe on you, and a Sentence that ye have Hearts def parately wicked, now, believe also in me, the Redeemer; Ye have believed

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