cances there: if he have no more then that, he cannot come to a State of Salvation, he dies in that Sea, The Reason of the point, Istaken, First, from the Grace held foorth in that Religi on Secondly, from their Faith. Thirdly, from their Repen tance And Fourthly, from their Obedience; they are all fuch as are but dead: their very Grace holds foorth dead Workes; the Faith of a Catholike, is a dead Faith; their Repentance, is dead Repentance, their Obedience, is dead works and that is all their Religion: and in thefe is the life of a Chri ftian, the life of Grace, the life of Faith, the life of Repentance, and the life of Obedience, if thefe be dead, what life is there? For the grace of God, By grace je are faved, not of Workes, Ephef. 2. 8. 9. Now they will not have it of Grace but of Workes, not of living Grace, but of Workes, that is the most generall opinion. Nor no redemption of Chriftians, but com mon to all alike, Reprobates and true Chriftians, and the difference arifeth in vocation, and that is out of workes, out of me Tit of Congruity, and their Iuftification is out of Merit of Workes, and Perfeverance in Grace, is out of Concurrence of Free will, and Glorification is from Merit of Condignity of Workes, and if all thefe be of workes, here is all the grace of ·God to feck, (what faith the Apostle?) If it be of Workes, it is not of Grace, Rom. 11.6. And verily, this is the best grace of Popish Religion: all their grace is of Workes, and then it is utterly evacuated. What shall I say to their Faith, it is no other but Hiftoricall. As that all that is contained in the Word is true: and verely, the Devill beleeves as much, he knowes it to be true, and will tremble, James 2. 19. And if that be the Devils faith, as James faith it is, then woe worth all Popish Faith; and that faith if you come to apply ir, That it fhall be a confidence on Chrift to falvation, they looke at that as Hereticall prefumption; what hope is there, that by Faith fuch fhould ever be justified, or faved? And for repentance it is like their Faith; fuch repentance as Indas held held forth as great they require, Confeffion,contrition,and fa tisfaction, he did it all; he was not a littlebrcken with the fence. of his finne, and the horror of it: Hee makes confeffion of it, I have finned in betraying the Innocent blood: he made fatisfa&tion, he brought againe the 30. Pieces of filver, and throwes them downe; away with thein, I have finned, in betraying the innocent blood, this is the beft repentance they have: for any repentance that springs from the fight of Gods favour, applyed to the faith of Gods people, this they will by no meanes heare tell of, and yet without faith applyed to the foule, by a promise, or word of grace, there is no life in repentance. They fee him, whom they have pierced, and mourne for him; they see him pierced by them, and for them, and this mourning is Evange call and faving. For their obedience, they looke at it, as fuch as is able to keepe the whole Law of God, and if they can dos that, they fecke life, then by Workes, not of Grace: and that Obedience that is able to keepe the whole law of God, is the Obedience of the Scribes and Pharifees, for they fo taught: and therefore our Saviour tells his difciples, Matth. 5.20. Except your righteousneffe exceedes the righteonfneffe of the Scrites and Pharisees, yee cannot enter into the Kingdome of Heaven; Such obedience, as that a man is able to keepe the whole Law, and by that to merit, and doe no more then the Law requires, it is the obedience of Hereticall prefumption, not of confidence and affiance of Faith; that is, obedience of hereticall prefumption, that is able to keepe the whole law, and make fatisfaction to the justice of Christ, and then Chrift died in vaine, unleffe hee died to make us Saviours of our felves, and that is as notorious as the former. To reprove a wicked practife of many Proteftants that are not ashamed, to fow pillowes vnder the elbowes of Ca tholiques that make them beleeve, they may be faved in that religion, fo they live honeftly and well; Oh Brethren ! doth not the Tex: exprefly fay, every one that lived in that sea, died, and died everlaftingly; there is no living bloud of the Lord Iefus there, there is no faving grace there, but workes all, and there is no lively faith there, but dead faith, no repentance, but hardneffe of heart, or legall contrition at the vttermoft, nor obedience, but fuch as is too good for him to apply the Bloud of Chrift unto, for it is able to keepe the whole Law, and make fatisfaction for the breaches of the Law, or if their owne obedience bee not fo perfect, they have fome other faints, whofe obedience may bee imputed unto them; fo that though they abhorre Chrifts Righteoufneffe, to be imputed to them,they have found out a way, that the righteousnesle of Saints may bee applyed,to make others righteous 10 that they put more honour upon the fervants of Christ, (if fome of them were the fervants of Chrift) then upon Chrift: and fay it were well their righteoufnes fhould be imputed, but that Chrifts owne righteoufneffe fhould bee imputed, they looke at it as aputative righteoufneffe, as they are not afha med to call it fo,that fee the defperate danger of living and dying in that state,in the Romish religion, in that Sea. Secondly, Let me exhort all Chriftians to hold ftedfaftly to the puritie of Religion, whether in our publicke Ministrations, or private converfations, let all favour and reake foorth the warme blood of the living Lord Iefus, for there is the dif ference of our Religion from Popery: Their religion holds forth fuch a Chrift as leaves him and his blood, like the blood of a dead Man: The foule is dead for any true Grace, or Faith, or Repentance, or Obedience, or living Comfort; the heart is ftill dead, no life of Gods favour, no life from the Word, no hope of Salvation, but all conjecturall, there is indeed the life of Papifts, no live-blood of Christ Jesus among them: But for Chriftians, It is for us to live, as thole that are made partakers of the blood of sprinkling, that speaks better better things then that of Abel, that doth pacifie, and purifie the Confcience, and both worke effectually more and more, untill the foule bee established in perfect peace, thou wilt keepe them in perfect peace, whofe minde is ftaid on thee, because he trusteth in thee. I fpeake of perfection that may be attained in our measure, in Efay 26. 3. So that be diligent to looke up to the Lord Chrift, ftil as out of Grace, to ac cept us, and by the grace of Faith to receive us, andfo draw ing the foule to lively repentance from dead works,and quickning and awakning us to lively obedience, Inthis lively eftate, we may walke before him according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praifs of the glory of his Grace in Chrift lefus |