12.

be the caufe of our Holiness: then Juftification by faith a lone muft needs be a friend unto it. For thefe Two,Free-temiffion of fin, and juftification by faith alone, go together, and are ordina.ily taken for one. And therefore, in the 3. of the Romans, The Apoftle having faid (at the 24, verle) Being juftified freely by his grace; he faies (at the 28. verle) That a man is juftified by faith: and laying, That a man is juftified by faith, he faies, That a man is justified freely by grace; thefe are put together. Now Free-remiffion of fin, and the fence thereof, is the Caufe of al our Holiness. Ye know Tit.2.11. what the Apoftle faies, The grace of God hath appeared unto all men, teaching us to deny Ungodlineß, and worldly lufts, and to live righteously, and foberly in this prefent world. All Holines comes from thence, The apparition of grace, Free-remif fion of fin. And ye know what it is that doth batch the Chicken: 'tis not the fire that doth hatch the Chicken; nor is it the cold water that does hatch the Chicken; but lay ing of the eggs under the warm feathers of the living Hen. Come to a man or woman that hath many eggs that are yet not Chickens, within a month or two,thefe are all become living Chickens: Say you, How comes it to pals, chacall thefe are now living Chickens? What! did you lay these eggs unto the fire? No, for then they would have been roa fted. What did you lay thefe eggs in the cold water? No, then they would have rotted, but I laid them under the warm wings of the living Hen, and fo they are become chickens. So you come to a living foul, a living heart, and you fay, Friend, how came you to be thus enlivened, and quickned? a month or two ago, I heard you complaining of your dead heart, Oh! my heart is dead: but how came you to be thus enlivened, and to be thus quickned? Did you go and lay your heart against the fire of the Law? No, that would have fcorch'd me, and tormented me. What? did you go and lay your heart in the cold world? No, that would have rotted me: How then? Truly, after all my fears, and after all my doubtings, I went and laid my cold heart under the warm wings of Divine love, and fo it

came

came to pass that I am thus enlivened, and I am thus quic kened, as you fee this day, for the which I blefs the Lord for ever. Three things there are that do make up a gra cious Conversation: Repentance for fin paft; Mortification of fin préfent; and the Obedience of faith, or Obedience.

Now as for Repentance: look I pray what is faid in the 7. Chapter of Luke, and fee what is the Caufe of that: You reade there a ftory of a great Sinner, that became a great Penitent, (at the 37. verfe) Behold a woman in the Ci ty which was a great finner; and he came and stod behind Jefus (at the 38. verfe) weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her bead. She wept much; why? for (faies the text at the latter end of the Chapter) he loved much. But why did fhe love much? She loved much, because much was forgiven ber. So then, Remiffion is the cause of Repentance. And have ye not fo much exprefly, in that 16. Chapter of Ezekiel, and the laft verfe. I will establish my Covenant with thee, that thou maieft remember and be confounded, and never open thy mouth any more, because of thy fhame, a ben I am pacified towards thee, for all that thou hast done. So that, this fhame, and repentance comes from pacification. And as for this matter, Lutber had fo great a fight into it, that (faies he) before I was juftified by faith alone, and faw into this matter of Free remiffion; I look't upon that word, Repent, as a ter rible word, I did even hate that word; and I wish'd that there had been no fuch word in all the Book of God: but after once that word, Jufticia, was opened, the righteous nefs of faith; and after once I underflood this Do&rine of Free remiffion, and Jultification by faith alone, then I loved Repentance.

As for the Mortification of fin: Ye know what the Apoftle faier, Let not finraign in your mortal bodies, or have dominion over you: why? forge are not under the Law, but under Grace. So then, is being under grace that does mort fie fin.

Rom 6.

12.&14.

And as for the matter of Obedience: Ye know what the Pfalmitt faies. There is mercy with thee, O Lord, that thou may Pfal.130

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eft 4.

Object.

Answ.

eft be feared: That is, that thou mayeft be Served, that thou mayeft be Obeyed. So that, Obedience alfo, comes from the fight of mercy, and of Free-remiffion.

Now, if Free remiffion and the fence thereof be the Caufe of our Holineffe; then furely, Juftification by Faith alone, can be no Enemy, but muft needs be a real Friend unto all our fpiritual life.

But by way of Obje&tion, it will be faid, (in the Third place) This Doctrine of Free-remiffion, and Juftification by Faith alone, feems to carry fomwhat with it that is oppo fite unto Grace and Holiness; for the more a man is bound unto the Law, and takes himself to be fo, the more obedi ent he will be to the Law: but now, a man never takes himself more to be bound unto the Law, than when he feeks to be juftified by the works of the Law, and fo he will be most obedient.

For Answer, Ye must know that the word Law, in the new Teftament is taken two waies: Either it is taken for the Covenant of works,thus: If you keep the Ten Comman dements perfeâly, you will live for ever; this is the Cove nant of Works; Sometimes the Law is taken for the Ten Commandements, the Rule of mans life. In the first fence a Christian is dead unto the Law, and is freed from it: but in the fecond fence, a Beleever, a Juftified person, is more bound to the Law, to observe it as a Rule of Life, than ever he was. Only you must know, there is a Twofold Bond: There is the bond of Love; and there is the bond of Fear: as there is the Law of Love; and the Law of Fear. Love, and the bond of Love; is ftronger than Fear, and the bond of Fear: for Fear is fervant to Love, Fear is the handmaid to Love; for ye never fear the lofing of any good thing but what ye firft Love; Fear is the fervant to Love, and therefore Love is ftronger than Fear, and thebond of Love ftronger than the bond of Fear. Now though a Juftified perfon be not bound unto the Law, with the bond of a fervile Fear; yet he is bound unto the Law, with the bond of Love; and fo he is more obedient, as the bond of Love, is ftronger

ftronger than the bond of Fear. A man must needs be obedient unto Chrift, that takes himself to be none of his, own,bot Chrifts. Therefore faies the Apoftle, Glorifie Chrift 1 Cor. 6 with your body, because ye are bought with a price, and because ye 20 are Gods. So long as a man feeks to be justified by works, and by the Law, fo long he looks upon himself as his own: but when a man fees that he is juftified by faith alone, then he looks upon himself as Christs; that he is not his own, and fo he is more obedient unto Chrift than ever he was before.

Secondly. If this be fuch a principle of Grace and Holinefs, How comes it to paffe,that men fin the more as they bear more of this Free remiffion, and Juftification of a poor finner by faith alone? Oh !faie sone, God is merciful, and gracious, and therefore I will now live as I lift, and repent afterward: If this Doctrine, this Truth, and this Grace of God, be the Principle of all our Holineß; How comes it to paffe, that men fin more bereby?

Object, 2

I pray, How comes it to paffe, if that water do cleanfe, Anfw. that it doth not cleanfe the Blackmore? and if fire do warm, how comes it to paffe, that it doth not put heat into the Deadman? and if the Sun do enlighten, how comes it to paffe,it doth not enlighten thofe that are blind? I may ask you the reafon likewife: But I wil tell you the reafon; the reafon of this is, Becaufe men are contrary unto God; and all that doth make this ufe & aplication of theLords mercy and grace, they are contrary unto God; for God works good out of evil: Now a wicked man being contrary unto God, he works evil out of good. God works the greatest good grace, out of the greateft evil fin: a wicked man, he works the greateft evil, fin, out of the greatest good, Geds Love and grace. Why? because he is contrary to God. But now, take this Truth, and this Grace of God, as it is in it felf, and fo it is a very real Friend unto all our grace and holiness.

But in the fourth place, You will Tay then,What is there in this Juftification by faith alme, or Free-remiffion,that does ad

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Quest.

vance our Holiness? how comes it to passe? what is there in this, that bath fuch an influence upon our lives, to make us the more boAnf.ly, the more heavenly?

3.

2.

First. The more a man does forfake any good thing of his own for Chrift, the more Chrift is engaged to give a man his good things. There is no lofing, in lofing for Jefus Christ what ye lofe for Chrift, ye shall gain by Chrift: And the greater,and fweeter any bleffing is that ye lofe for Chrift, the greater bleffi ag will Chrift give unto ye in the room thereof. Now what neerer thing is there to a man, than his own Righteoufnefs? In Juftification by faith a lone, a man laies down al his own Righteousness at the feet of Jefus Chrift; and therefore Chrift is engaged to give him a better Righteoufnefs, the Righteoufnets of God.

Secondly. God does never caufe any man to paffe under any Relation, but he does write the Law of that Relation upon his heart. For example, If the Lord does cause a man to paffe under the Relation of a Magiftrate: God wil write the Law of that Relation upon him, and give him ability to it. If God does caufe a man to paffe under the Relation of a Minifier; God will write the Law of that Relation on him. IfGod does caufe a man to paffe under the Relation of a Husband, or a Father; God will caufe the Law of that Re lation to be written upon his heart. Now when a man is juflified by faith alone, then he becomes the Son of God; To as many as receive him, he gives power to be called the Son of God; even to as many as beleeve on his Name. John, 1. 12. I fay, When a man is ju ftified by faith alone, he becomes the Son of God, he paffes under that Relation; therefore then does the Lord write the Law of that Relation of a Son upon his heart, and thereby he is made more Son like by his obedience.

Thirdly. The more a man does agree with God and the Law, the more fic he is to walk with God, and obferve the Law. When a man is juified by faith, then he is agreed Amos3-3 with God: Can two walk together, unless they be agreed? Now when a man is juftified by faith, he is Reconciled to God;

recon