Section 10

ons,
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ons, both outward and inward, accepting as it were by the by, without refting in them, all thofe that the divine bounty fhall think fit to give ; valuing nothing but him, and willing nothing but his will. This is the felf- denied life which will infallibly condu6t us to the true good, or the manifejlatim of Jefus Chrijl in us. — When it pleafes God to drain this fource of confolations, that nourilhed the) foul for a time, and filled her with! courage to combat and defpife the world and all earthly things ; when I fay, all this forfakes us, and no^ thing fucceeds but languifhment, weaknefs and averfion to continue in that courfe of life, which we had embraced with fo much eagernefs and relifh; finding nothing nowj in ourfelves to fupply the place ol thofe fenfibilities which are with- drawn from us, the foul knows not
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where fhe is ; and as I faid, all that is paft feems to her like a pleafant dream : the enemy at the fame time confpiring with her rea- fon, difcovers to her many exceffes into which fhe has given, intoxica- ted as fhe was with the heat of her zeal, and makes her to call in queftion the whole of Chriftian ex- perience.— She knows not what to do: all is difgufting andwearifome to her-. O! how dangerous is this rock, againft which many have (truck, and been fatally fhip- wrecked ! Many fall here into li- bertinifm, if their conftitution in- clines thereunto : for having al- ready feen the infufhciency of all outward forms of worfhip, they now find nothing therein to fupport themfelves ; and the enemy mak- ing them likewife tofufpecl the in- L' ternal ways, the truth and reality of which is obfcured and hid from Q them
ien
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them at this time, they fall into licentioufnefs, and become, or are in danger of becoming Atheifts ; or elfe are in danger of falling a prey to feducing fpirits, that fail not to offer themfelves both inwardly and outwardly, promifing liberty, tho’ themfelves are the (laves of Satan, or of their own fpirit. Reafon is the moft dangerous enemy at this time, to thofe, who before their converfion led a wife and virtuous life according to the world : and it eafiiy draws the foul into its ancient way of living, making hei to fhut the gate againft all the in- ternal attractions of the fpirit o grace, which difturb and difquie her, and are defigned to make heij fenfible by the trouble they excite that fhe is in no good ftate.—i Theje are fome of the dreadful dangers and temptations that affauliji the foul in this hate : they canno
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all be defcribed, becaufe of their diverfity and number. — How ma- ny doubts, difquiets, fears and terrors, do affault the poor foul ! On the other hand, with what levity and rafhnefs is fhe tempted to plunge headlong into the world, into libertinifm ; and to give wing to her paffions that had been reftrained for a time. Who is able to efcape fo great a danger ! God alone can defend and fecretly fupport us. who never fails to do it, provided the foul doth but even feebly look unto him ; for he hath promifed to flrengthen the feeble knees, and that the bruifed reed he will not break. — He mercifully reclaims her, though (lie have gone afiray for fome time, from which few, very few. are altogether exempt, and many remain bewildered, wan- dering hither and thither, without Q 2 finch
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finding the peace and repofe they { reek after for many years: but
God brings them again into the right way, by fome violent temp- tation, or extraordinary accident, which incites them a new to have recourfe to God, who alone can help and deliver, and give them fo- fafe, who, under this ftateof uncer- tainty, fo painful and troublefome to bear, remain in peace and tran- quility, without undertaking or al- tering any thing in their conduft or ftate : for they are not in a condi-, tion to fee clearly : all is darknefs or obfcurity— -therefore cannot but miftake and fail in any thing they undertake during that period.
Thev are bleffed indeed ! to whom
/ 1/1
God at this time fends fome expe- rienced perfon, who hath himfelf pa(Ted thefe dangerous {freights, ind has been faved from being
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fhipwrecked therein, who is capa- ble of giving proper counfel, pro- vided they are humble, and willing to accept it. The heft advice for this date is this. “ Be patient, re- , main in peace, Jlillnefs and tranquility , amidjl all your trouble, anxiety , and in - conjlancy : purjue not any of th'ofe things 1 to which your difpofition to inquietude, impatience, and the like, would hurry you : wait patiently for the affiance of \ our blefed Lord, and fupport the delay of it, without feeking after, or accept- ing any pretended help that may offer from any other quarter This is a painful leffon for nature, which is fo much the more fo, becaufe the foul doth not perceive it is to God i thatlhe refigns herfelf, but is afraid, andbelievesratherthatit is owing to > its own negligence, .ftupidity and floth, that all this is fallen upon her. But whofoever will be cou- l rageous enough to furrender him-
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felf up to God, in filence and re- fignation, fuffering and bearing all the inward burnings and remorfes that torment him : perfevering to wait patiently, expe&ing help from no other but God, fhould fuch a one die in this ftate, he would find the favour and unexpe&ed help of our adorable jefus, to whom be honour and glory throughout all , eternity. Amen.
A DIS-
A
DISCOURSE
k ,
UPON THE
Univerfal Love and goodnefs of God to Mankind in and through Je- fus Chrift.
IT is the fundamental do£frine» or rather the known foundation of all revealed religion, and the un- known foundation of all natural pie- ty and goodnefs, that Jefus Chrift is the Second Adam.
That a real birth, life, and na- ture's in the fame reality derived to
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us from this our fecond Adam, as is derived to us from our firft Adam. And that as without any figure or metaphor, we are all faid to be born of Adam, and def- cended from him ; fo we are all really and not figuratively born of our fecond Adam, and have our defcent from him. And herein is feen the infinite depth of divine love and goodnefs to mankind, who though they were by the con- ? dition of their creation to be de- ! rived from one head or parent, and take his date of perfection or im- perfection ; yet were by the good- nefs and care of God for them, provided from the very beginning, with a fecond parent , or common head, who after the. fall of the firft, and the fallen ftate that he had brought upon his pofterity, fhould be a common rejlorer , and put it in every man’s power to have the fame
choice
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choice of life and death, as the firft man had ; that fo, they who were loft before they were born, and were made inheritors of a mifera- ble nature without their choice, might have a divine life reftored to them in a fecond parent, which fhould not be in the power of any one to lofe for them, but fhould depend entirely upon their own will and defire of it, upon their own faith, and hope, and hungering after it.
This eternal and immutable truth, worthy of being written in capital letters of gold ; is fuch a} is fufficient to make all men re- joice and give praife to God. For by this truth, all that feems hard and cruel to human reafon, that the pofterity of Adam Ihould be involved in the confequences of their firft father's fall, is made a wonderful fcene of love.— There
is
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is fomething fo amazingly loving and meiciful in this condu6t of divine providence over mankind, that it has furely enough in it, if once known, to make revealed religion the joy. and comfort, and defire oi every man’s heart* That ; jefus Chriu is thus the Saviour and ! univerfal Redeemer of all man- kind, that he is this Second Adam, 01 parent, reftoring Adam himfelf, and in him all mankind to a poffi* bility of being born again; and that revealed religion began with the declaration of this redemption, | and has revealed nothing but for 1 the fake and fupport of it, is a truth fufficienily attefted by fcripture.
The declaration which God made to Adam immediately after |: his fall, of a feed of the vjoman to bruife the ferpent's head, was ,a decla- ration of pardon and redemption to Adam, and in him to all mankind ;
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for what he faid to Adam , that he faid to all that were in the loins of Adam ; who, as they fell in his fall, before they were born, with- out the poffibility of any one man’s being exempted from it ; fo were they all put into this date of par- don and redemption before they were born, without the poffibility of any one man’s being excluded, or left out of it.
Every fon of Adam is in the fame covenant with God that Adam was, and has the fame&n«/erof the ferpent as near to him. as he was to Adam, and declared to behisRedeemer, in the fame degree as he was declared to be the Redeemer of Adam. And who would feek for arguments againft fuch a Saviour ? Or who would cavil at a revealed religion , that has no other beginning or end, but to reveal an univerfal re- demption ? Or who can enough call
upon
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upon the creation, heaven and I earth, angels and men, and every thing that hath breath, to praile ' the Lord, for fuch falvation ? This declaration of God to Adam, of his pardon, and redempt ion by the feed of the woman, is not to be confi- 1 dered, as we confider the declara- tion of a pardon made by fome great prince to an offendingyw^’e^, which is only a declaration of words, that are heard only with our outward ears, and of a perfon that is en- tirely diftinft from us.
God’s pardoning a finner, or , redeeming fallen man, has nothing, like this in it. This declaration to Adam, and in him to all mankind, ! is not the declaration of a being that is out t)f, or feparate from us, but of a God in whom we live and j; move, and have our being ; who is, the life of our life, the fpirit of our 1 fpirit : his declaration therefore
. mud
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muft fignify fome inward change , or new Jiate of our exiftence in him, or that he is to us, and in us, that which he was not before he pardon- ed us.
When therefore God faid to Adam and Eve , The feed of the wo- man Jhall bruife the head of the Ser- pent, it had the fame effect, as if he had faid, Be ye henceforth in a fate of falvation , and let the redeeming con - quenng feed of the woman , from this time, begin to have power in you, and be in you, a frength againfi the Ser- pent. This declaration was not folely a promife of fomething to come, but of fomething then in- wardly done and given, by a God inwardly prefent in him, and. fig- nified no lefs than God’s feeking and manifefing himfelf again to a creature, that had lof him as his God and only good. And was the real communication of fomething to R Adam ,
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Adam, which made him capable of enjoying God as his good . Had not God a t that time, done inward- ly in the depth of his foul, fomething like that which he did to the dark- j nefs of the deep, when he fpoke light into it, Adam and Eve , and j all their pofterity, had been inward- i ly meer devils , and outwardly mere beafis. — For had not God thus in j the beginning of the fall, before any man was born into the world j of Adam and Eve, fpoke pardon i and redemption unto Adam and Eve ; neither they, nor any of their i pofterity had been capable of any defire of God, but had lived as i much without all conjcience, or in- Jtindl of goodnefs, as the beafts of the earth and devils do.
Therefore God at that time, communicated to man, a defire, a capacity to enjoy him as his only good, by fowing into him a feed of the wo- man
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man, a [park of life, an infdnB of goodnefs, a tafte of heaven, a. prin- ciple ofholinefs, a touch of love, the pearl of the gofpel, the pledge, of immortality, the hidden kingdom of God. — All which expreffions, are infufficient to exprefs that inward treafure of the foul, which God in the beginning of the redemption, or as his aft of redemption, com- municated to man.
And in this degree of redemp- tion is every creature that is born of Adam ; he has this kingdom of God in his foul, as a grain of muf- tard feed, a J park of life, a pledge , of immortality, and attraction to God ! If he tramples this pearl un- der his feet ; then his deftruftion is from himfelf ; but if he will co- operate with that inward Redeemer which God has put into his foul, if he will fuffer his fpark to kindle, his inJtinCl of goodnefs to fpread itfelf, R 2 the
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the light of life to arife in him, the voice of God to be heard in him ; then will the divine life, be brought forth in him ; and when his body dies, he will fall into all the ful- nefs of God.
And now, my dear reader, how fhall I touch your heart? Or how j can your heart be untouched with this affecting view of the mercies of God in Chrift Jefus, and of the riches and treafures which lie hid in your own foul, wanting nothing but your own content and good wi flies to be manifefted in you ?
If you rejeCt the Saviour offer’d to you in the gofpel, you rejeCt all that which makes you differ i| from a devil ; for that offered Sa^ viour, is that very fame inward light of your mind , which makes you now differ from a devil.
To refufe him therefore that fpeaketh to you in the gofpel, is
rejecting
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reje&ing all that God has ever tranfafted with man; it is renounc- ing all that is divine and good with- in you ; it is faying that you will have no benefit from the good work- ings or motions in your own heart ; for Jefus Chrift that calls you to repentance in the gofpel, is the very fame bleffed Saviour, that warns, reproves and preaches repentance in the inmoft elfence of your fpirit.
But, my friend, be wife in time, for this goodnef's will continue but for a time ; and if you die rejeft- ing the benefits of Chrift, you will be without Chrift, and you will find that ail is gone with him, and that you will have nothing left, but that nature which is the tor- ment of hell. If therefore vou re- jefft Chrift in the utmoft efforts of his goodnefs to fave you, you will find that the renouncing of Chrift, is renouncing all that you R 3 have
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have from him, and that nothing is left in that foul, where he is not, but mere darknefs.
But, to return to my fubjeft; what 1 have faid above of God’s covenant with Adam, is God’s co- venant with all mankind, and there- fore thus far all mankind are the redeemed of Jefus. There is no partiality in God. As all fell and died in Adam, fo all were rejlored in his reftoration. Thus fays the apoftle, As by the offence of one, judg- ment came upon all to condemnation ; EVEN SO BY the righteoufnefs of one, the free gift came upon all men UNTO JUSTIFICATION OF LIFE. Rom. v. 18. And the gof- pel exprefsly faith, that Jefus Chrift is the. true light which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. Therefore Jefus Chrift is in every man that cometh into the world, and every fon of Adam has receiv- ed
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ed that fame from Jefus Chrift , which Adam received from him , viz. An inward light of life, a leginning of his falvation, an aftual power to refill the ferpent ; and Je- fus Chrift is, and ever was, the free gift of God unto all men.
H eathens, Jews, and Chris- tians, differ only in this, that one and the fame Saviour is differently made known to them. — The Hea- thens knew him not as he was ma- nifefted to the Jew’s, nor as he is glorioufly manifefted in the gofpel; but they knew him as he was the God of their hearts, manifefting himfelf by a light of the mind, by a fenfibility of guilt, by awakenings and warnings of confcience ; and this was their gofpel, which they re- ceived as really in and by Jefus Chrift, as the law and gofpel were received fhro’ him. Therefore it is a great and glorious truth, enough