COURTEOUS READER,

In this little book thou art presented with a discourse of the GRACE
of God, and of salvation by that grace. In which discourse, thou shalt
find how each Person in the Godhead doth his part in the salvation of
the sinner. I. The Father putteth forth his grace, thus. II. The Son
putteth forth his grace, thus. III. And the Spirit putteth forth his grace,
thus. Which things thou shalt find here particularly handled.

Thou shalt also find, in this small treatise, the way of God with the
sinner, as to his CONVERSATION, 1 and the way of the sinner with
God in the same; where[in] the grace of God, and the wickedness of
the sinner, do greatly show themselves.

If thou findest me short in things, impute that [to] my love to brevity.
If thou findest me besides the truth in aught, impute that to mine
infirmity. But if thou findest anything here that serveth to thy
furtherance and joy of faith, impute that to the mercy of God
bestowed on thee and me.

Thine to serve thee with that little I have,

J.B.
 
 

SAVED BY GRACE.

"BY GRACE YE ARE SAVED."—EPHESIANS 2:5.

In the first chapter, from the fourth to the twelfth verse, the apostle is
treating of the doctrine of election, both with respect to the act itself,
the end, and means conducing thereto. The act, he tells us, was God's
free choice of some (verse 4,5,11). The end was God's glory in their
salvation (verse 6,14). The means conducing to that end was Jesus
Christ himself—"In whom we have redemption through his blood, the
forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace" (verse 7).
This done, he treateth of the subjection of the Ephesians to the faith,
as it was held forth to them in the Word of the truth of the gospel, as
also of their being sealed by the Holy Spirit of God unto the day of
redemption (verse 12-14). Moreover, he telleth them how he gave
thanks to God for them, making mention of them in his prayers, even
that he would make them see "what is the hope of his calling, and
what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, and what is
the exceeding greatness of his power to usward who believe,
according to the working of his mighty power, which he wrought in
Christ, when he raised him from the dead," &c. (verse 15-20).

And lest the Ephesians, at the hearing of these their so many
privileges, should forget how little they deserved them, he tells them
that in time past they were dead in trespasses and sins, and that then
they walked in them "according to the course of this world, according
to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the
children of disobedience" (Eph 2:2,3).

Having thus called them back to the remembrance of themselves—to
wit, what they were in their state of unregeneracy, he proceedeth to
show them that their first quickening was by the resurrection of Christ
their Head, in whom they before were chosen, and that by him they
were already set down in heavenly places, (verse 5,6); inserting, by
the way, the true cause of all this blessedness, with what else should
be by us enjoyed in another world; and that is, the love and grace of
God: "But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he
loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together
with Christ [by grace ye are saved]." These last words seen to be the
apostle's conclusion rightly drawn from the premises; as who should
say, If you Ephesians were indeed dead in trespasses and sins; if
indeed you were by nature the children of wrath, even as others, then
you deserve no more than others. 2

Again, if God hath chosen you, if God hath justified and saved you by
his Christ, and left others as good as you by nature to perish in their
sins, then the true cause of this your blessed condition is, the free
grace of God. But just thus it is, therefore by grace ye are saved;
therefore all the good which you enjoy more than others, it is of mere
goodwill.

"BY GRACE YE ARE SAVED."

The method that I shall choose to discourse upon these words shall be
this—I will propound certain questions upon the words, and direct
particular answers to them; in which answers I hope I shall answer
also, somewhat at least, the expectation of the godly and conscientious
reader, and so shall draw towards a conclusion.

THE QUESTIONS ARE—

I. What is it to be saved? II. What is it to be saved by grace? III. Who
are they that are saved by grace? IV. How it appears that they that
are saved, are saved by grace? V. What might be the reasons which
prevailed with God to save us by grace, rather than by any other
means?

Now the reason why I propound these five questions upon the words,
it is, because the words themselves admit them; the first three are
grounded upon the several phrases in the text, and the two last are to
make way for demonstration of the whole.

QUEST. I.—WHAT IS IT TO BE SAVED?

This question supposeth that there is such a thing as damnation due to
man for sin; for to save supposeth the person to be saved to be at
present in a sad condition; saving, to him that is not lost, signifies
nothing, neither is it anything in itself. "To save, to redeem, to
deliver," are in the general terms equivalent, and they do all of them
suppose us to be in a state of thraldom and misery; therefore this word
"saved," in the sense that the apostle here doth use it, is a word of
great worth, forasmuch as the miseries from which we are saved is the
misery of all most dreadful.

The miseries from which they that shall be saved shall by their
salvation be delivered, are dreadful; they are no less than sin, the curse
of God, and flames of hell for ever. What more abominable than sin?
What more insupportable than the dreadful wrath of an angry God?
And what more fearful than the bottomless pit of hell? I say, what
more fearful than to be tormented there for ever with the devil and his
angels? Now, to "save," according to my text, is to deliver the sinner
from these, with all things else that attend them. And although sinners
may think that it is no hard matter to answer this question, yet I must
tell you there is no man, that can feelingly know what it is to be saved,
that knoweth not experimentally something of the dread of these three
things, as is evident, because all others do even by their practice count
it a thing of no great concern, when yet it is of all other of the highest
concern among men; "For what is a man profited if he shall gain the
whole world, and lose his own soul?" (Matt 16:26).

But, I say, if this word "saved" concludeth our deliverance from sin,
how can he tell what it is to be saved that hath not in his conscience
groaned under the burden of sin? yea, it is impossible else that he
should ever cry out with all his heart, "Men and brethren, what shall
we do?"—that is, do to be saved (Acts 2:37). The man that hath no
sores or aches cannot know the virtue of the salve; I mean, not know it
from his own experience, and therefore cannot prize, nor have that
esteem of it, as he that hath received cure thereby. Clap a plaster to a
well place, and that maketh not its virtue to appear; neither can he to
whose flesh it is so applied, by that application understand its worth.
Sinners, you, I mean, that are not wounded with guilt, and oppressed
with the burden of sin, you cannot—I will say it again—you cannot
know, in this senseless condition of yours, what it is to be saved.

Again; this word "saved," as I said, concludeth deliverance from the
wrath of God. How, then, can he tell what it is to be saved that hath
not felt the burden of the wrath of God? He—he that is astonished
with, and that trembleth at, the wrath of God—he knows best what it
is to be saved (Acts 16:29).

Further, this word "saved," it concludeth deliverance from death and
hell. How, then, can he tell what it is to be saved that never was
sensible of the sorrows of the one, nor distressed with the pains of the
other? The Psalmist says, "The sorrows of death compassed me, and
the pains of hell gat hold upon me: I found trouble and sorrow. Then
called I upon the name of the Lord"—(mark, then), "then called I
upon the name of the Lord; O Lord, I beseech thee, deliver my
soul,"—then, in my distress. When he knew what it was to be saved,
then he called, because, I say, then he knew what it was to be saved
(Psa 18:4,5; 116:3,4). I say, this is the man, and this only, that knows
what it is to be saved. And this is evident, as is manifest by the little
regard that the rest have to saving, or the little dread they have of
damnation. Where is he that seeks and groans for salvation? I say,
where is he that hath taken his flight for salvation, because of the
dread of the wrath to come? "O generation of vipers, who hath warned
you to flee from the wrath to come?" (Matt 3:7). Alas! do not the most
set light by salvation?—as for sin, how do they love it, embrace it,
please themselves with it, hide it still within their mouth, and keep it
close under their tongue. Besides, for the wrath of God, they feel it
not, they fly not from it; and for hell, it is become a doubt to many if
there be any, and a mock to those whose doubt is resolved by atheism.

But to come to the question—What is it to be saved? To be saved may
either respect salvation in the whole of it, or salvation in the parts of
it, or both. I think this text respecteth both—to wit, salvation
completing, and salvation completed; for "to save" is a work of many
steps; or, to be as plain as possible, "to save" is a work that hath its
beginning before the world began, and shall not be completed before
it is ended.

First, then, we may be said to be saved in the purpose of God before
the world began. The apostle saith that "he saved us, and called us
with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his
own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the
world began" (2 Tim 1:9). This is the beginning of salvation, and
according to this beginning all things concur and fall out in
conclusion—"He hath saved us according to his eternal purpose,
which he purposed in Christ Jesus." God in thus saving may be said to
save us by determining to make those means effectual for the blessed
completing of our salvation; and hence we are said "to be chosen in
Christ to salvation." And again, that he hath in that choice given us
that grace that shall complete our salvation. Yea, the text is very full,
"He hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in
Christ, according as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of
the world" (Eph 1:3,4).

Second. As we may be said to be saved in the purpose of God before
the foundation of the world, so we may be said to be saved before we
are converted, or called to Christ. And hence "saved" is put before
"called"; "he hath saved us, and called us"; he saith not, he hath called
us, and saved us; but he puts saving before calling (2 Tim 1:9). So
again, we are said to be "preserved in Christ and called"; he saith not,
called and preserved (Jude 1). And therefore God saith again, "I will
pardon them whom I reserve"—that is, as Paul expounds it, those
whom I have "elected and kept," and this part of salvation is
accomplished through the forbearance of God (Jer 50:20; Rom
11:4,5). God beareth with is own elect, for Christ's sake, all the time
of their unregeneracy, until the time comes which he hath appointed
for their conversion. The sins that we stood guilty of before
conversion, had the judgment due to them been executed upon us, we
had not now been in the world to partake of a heavenly calling. But
the judgment due to them hath been by the patience of God prevented,
and we saved all the time of our ungodly and unconverted state, from
that death, and those many hells, that for our sins we deserved at the
hands of God.

And here lies the reason that long life is granted to the elect before
conversion, and that all the sins they commit and all the judgments
they deserve, cannot drive them out of the world before conversion.
Manasseh, you know, was a great sinner, and for the trespass which
he committed he was driven from his own land, and carried to
Babylon; but kill him they could not, though his sins had deserved
death ten thousand times. But what was the reason? Why, he was not
yet called; God had chosen him in Christ, and laid up in him a stock of
grace, which must be given to Manasseh before he dies; therefore
Manasseh must be convinced, converted, and saved. That legion of
devils that was in the possessed, with all the sins which he had
committed in the time of his unregeneracy, could not take away his
life before his conversion (Mark 5). How many times was that poor
creature, as we may easily conjecture, assaulted for his life by the
devils that were in him, yet could they not kill him, yea, though his
dwelling was near the sea-side, and the devils had power to drive him
too, yet could they not drive him further than the mountains that were
by the sea- side; yea, they could help him often to break his chains
and fetters, and could also make him as mad as a bedlam, 3 they could
also prevail with him to separate from men, and cut himself with
stones, but kill him they could not, drown him they could not; he was
saved to be called; he was, notwithstanding all this, preserved in
Christ, and called. As it is said of the young lad in the gospel, he was
by the devil cast oft into the fire, and oft into the water, to destroy
him, but it could not be; even so hath he served others, but they must
be "saved to be called" (Mark 9:22). How many deaths have some
been delivered from and saved out of before conversion! Some have
fallen into rivers, some into wells, some into the sea, some into the
hands of men; yea, they have been justly arraigned and condemned, as
the thief upon the cross, but must not die before they have been
converted. They were preserved in Christ, and called.

Called Christian, how many times have thy sins laid thee upon a sick-
bed, and, to thine and others' thinking, at the very mouth of the grave?
yet God said concerning thee, Let him live, for he is not yet converted.
Behold, therefore, that the elect are saved before they are called. 4
"God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,
even when we were dead in sins," hath preserved us in Christ, and
called us (Eph 2:4,5).

Now this "saving" of us arises from six causes. 1. God hath chosen us
unto salvation, and therefore will not frustrate his own purposes (1
Thess 5:9). 2. God hath given us to Christ; and his gift, as well as his
calling, is without repentance (Rom 11:29; John 6:37). 3. Christ hath
purchased us with his blood (Rom 5:8,9). 4. They are, by God,
counted in Christ before they are converted (Eph 1:3,4). 5. They are
ordained before conversion to eternal life; yea, to be called, to be
justified, to be glorified, and therefore all this must come upon them
(Rom 8:29,30). 6. For all this, he hath also appointed them their
portion and measure of grace, and that before the world began;
therefore, that they may partake of all these privileges, they are saved
and called, preserved in Christ, and called.

Third. To be saved is to be brought to, and helped to lay hold on,
Jesus Christ by faith. And this is called saving by grace through faith.
"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it
is the gift of God" (Eph 2:8).

1. They must be brought unto Christ, yea, drawn unto him; for "no
man," saith Christ, "can come to me, except the Father which hath
sent me draw him" (John 6:44). Men, even the elect, have too many
infirmities to come to Christ without help from heaven; inviting will
not do. "As they called them, so they went from them," therefore he
"drew them with cords" (Hosea 11:2,4).

2. As they must be brought to, so they must be helped to lay hold on
Christ by faith; for as coming to Christ, so faith, is not in our own
power; therefore we are said to be raised up with him "through the
faith of the operation of God." And again, we are said to believe,
"according to the working of his mighty power, which he wrought in
Christ, when he raised him from the dead" (Col 2:12; Eph 1:19,20).
Now we are said to be saved by faith, because by faith we lay hold of,
venture upon, and put on Jesus Christ for life. For life, I say, because
God having made him the Saviour, hath given him life to
communicate to sinners, and the life that he communicates to them is
the merit of his flesh and blood, which whoso eateth and drinketh by
faith, hath eternal life, because that flesh and blood hath merit in it
sufficient to obtain the favour of God. Yea, it hath done so [since] that
day it was offered through the eternal Spirit a sacrifice of a sweet-
smelling savour to him; wherefore God imputeth the righteousness of
Christ to him that believeth in him, by which righteousness he is
personally justified, and saved from that just judgment of the law that
was due unto him (John 5:26, 6:53-58; Eph 4:32; 5:2; Rom 4:23-25).

"Saved by faith." For although salvation beginneth in God's purpose,
and comes to us through Christ's righteousness, yet is not faith
exempted from having a hand in saving of us. Not that it meriteth
aught, but is given by God to those which he saveth, that thereby they
may embrace and put on that Christ by whose righteousness they must
be saved. Wherefore this faith is that which here distinguisheth them
that shall be saved from them that shall be damned. Hence it is said,
"He that believeth not, shall be damned"; and hence again it is that the
believers are called "the children, the heirs, and the blessed with
faithful Abraham;" that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be
given to them that believe (Gal 3:6-9,26; Rom 4:13,14).

And here let Christians warily distinguish betwixt the meritorious and
the instrumental cause of their justification. Christ, with what he hath
done and suffered, is the meritorious cause of our justification;
therefore he is said to be made to us of God, "wisdom and
righteousness;" and we are said to be "justified by his blood, and
saved from wrath through him," for it was his life and blood that were
the price of our redemption (1 Cor 1:30; Rom 5:9,10). "Redeemed,"
says Peter, "not with corruptible things, as silver and gold," alluding
to the redemption of money under the law, "but with the precious
blood of Christ." Thou art, therefore, as I have said, to make Christ
Jesus the object of thy faith for justification; for by his righteousness
thy sins must be covered from the sight of the justice of the law.
"Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved." "For he
shall save his people from their sins" (Acts 16:31; Matt 1:21).

Fourth. To be saved is to be preserved in the faith to the end. "He that
shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved" (Matt 24:13). Not
that perseverance is an accident in Christianity, or a thing performed
by human industry; they that are saved "are kept by the power of God,
through faith unto salvation" (1 Peter 1:3-6).

But perseverance is absolutely necessary to the complete saving of the
soul, because he that falleth short of the state that they that are saved
are possessed of, as saved, cannot arrive to that saved state. He that
goeth to sea with a purpose to arrive at Spain, cannot arrive there if he
be drowned by the way; wherefore perseverance is absolutely
necessary to the saving of the soul, and therefore it is included in the
complete saving of us—"Israel shall be saved in the Lord with an
everlasting salvation: ye shall not be ashamed nor confounded world
without end" (Isa 45:17). Perseverance is here made absolutely
necessary to the complete saving of the soul.

But, as I said, this part of salvation dependeth not upon human power,
but upon him that hath begun a good work in us (Phil 1:6). This part,
therefore, of our salvation is great, and calleth for no less than the
power of God for our help to perform it, as will be easily granted by
all those that consider—

1. That all the power and policy, malice and rage, of the devils and
hell itself are against us. Any man that understandeth this will
conclude that to be saved is no small thing. The devil is called a god, a
prince, a lion, a roaring lion; it is said that he hath death and the power
of it, &c. But what can a poor creature, whose habitation is in flesh,
do against a god, a prince, a roaring lion, and the power of death
itself? Our perseverance, therefore, lieth in the power of God; "the
gates of hell shall not prevail against it."

2. All the world is against him that shall be saved. But what is one
poor creature to all the world, especially if you consider that with the
world is terror, fear, power, majesty, laws, jails, gibbets, hangings,
burnings, drownings, starvings, banishments, and a thousand kinds of
deaths? (1 John 5:4,5; John 16:33).

3. Add to this, that all the corruptions that dwell in our flesh are
against us, and that not only in their nature and being, but they lust
against us, and war against us, to "bring us into captivity to the law of
sin and death" (Gal 5:17; 1 Peter 2:11; Rom 7:23).

4. All the delusions in the world are against them that shall be saved,
many of which are so cunningly woven, so plausibly handled, so
rarely5 polished with Scripture and reason, that it is ten thousand
wonders that the elect are not swallowed up with them; and
swallowed up they would be, were they not elect, and was not God
himself engaged, either by power to keep them from falling, or by
grace to pardon if they fall, and to lift them up again (Matt 24:24; Eph
4:14; Rom 3:12).

5. Every fall of the saved is against the salvation of his soul; but a
Christian once fallen riseth not but as helped by Omnipotent power—
"O Israel, thou hast fallen by thine iniquity," "but in me is thy help,"
says God (Hosea 13:9; 14:1; Psa 37:23).

Christians, were you awake, here would be matter of wonder to you,
to see a man assaulted with all the power of hell, and yet to come off a
conqueror! Is it not a wonder to see a poor creature, who in himself is
weaker than the moth, to stand against and overcome all devils, all the
world, all his lusts and corruptions? (Job 4:19). Or if he fall, is it not a
wonder to see him, when devils and guilt are upon him, to rise again,
stand upon his feet again, walk with God again, and persevere after all
this in the faith and holiness of the gospel? He that knows himself,
wonders; he that knows temptation, wonders; he that knows what falls
and guilt mean, wonders; indeed, perseverance is a wonderful thing,
and is managed by the power of God; for he only "is able to keep you
from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his
glory with exceeding joy" (Jude 24). Those of the children of Israel
that went from Egypt, and entered the land of Canaan, how came they
thither? Why, the text says, that "as an eagle spreadeth abroad her
wings, so the Lord alone did lead them." And again, "he bore them,
and carried them all the days of old" (Deu 32:11,12; Isa 63:9). David
also tells us that mercy and goodness should follow him all the days
of his life, and so he should dwell in the house of the Lord for ever
(Psa 23:6).

Fifth. To be saved calls for more than all this; he that is saved, must,
when this world can hold him no longer, have a safe- conduct to
heaven, for that is the place where they that are saved must to the full
enjoy their salvation. This heaven is called "the end of our faith,"
because it is that which faith looks at; as Peter says, "Receiving the
end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls." And again, "But
we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that
believe to the saving of the soul" (1 Peter 1:9; Heb 10:39). For, as I
said, heaven is the place for the saved to enjoy their salvation in, with
that perfect gladness that is not attainable here. Here we are saved by
faith and hope of glory; but there, we that are saved shall enjoy the
end of our faith and hope, even the salvation of our souls. There is
"Mount Zion, the heavenly Jerusalem, the general assembly and
church of the firstborn;" there is the "innumerable company of angels,
and the spirits of just men made perfect;" there is "God the judge of
all, and Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant;" there shall our soul
have as much of heaven as it is capable of enjoying, and that without
intermission; wherefore, when we come there we shall be saved
indeed! But now for a poor creature to be brought hither, this is the
life of the point. But how shall I come hither? there are heights and
depths to hinder (Rom 8:38,39).

Suppose the poor Christian is now upon a sick-bed, beset with a
thousand fears, and ten thousand at the end of that; sick-bed fears! and
they are sometimes dreadful ones; fears that are begotten by the
review of the sin, perhaps, of forty years' profession; fears that are
begotten by dreadful and fearful suggestions of the devil, the sight of
death, and the grave, and it may be of hell itself; fears that are
begotten by the withdrawing and silence of God and Christ, and by, it
may be, the appearance of the devil himself; some of these made
David cry, "O spare me" a little, "that I may recover strength before I
go hence, and be no more" (Psa 39:13). "The sorrows of death," said
he, "compassed me, and the pains of hell gat hold upon me; I found
trouble and sorrow" (Psa 116:3). These things, in another place, he
calls the bands that the godly have in their death, and the plagues that
others are not aware of. "They are not in trouble as other men; neither
are they plagued like other men" (Psa 73:9). But now, out of all these,
the Lord will save his people; not one sin, nor fear, nor devil shall
hinder; nor the grave nor hell disappoint thee. But how must this be?
Why, thou must have a safe-conduct to heaven? 6 What conduct? A
conduct of angels: "Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to
minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?" (Heb 1:14).

These angels, therefore, are not to fail them that are the saved; but
must, as commissioned of God, come down from heaven to do this
office for them; they must come, I say, and take the care and charge of
our soul, to conduct it safely into Abraham's bosom. It is not our
meanness in the world, nor our weakness of faith, that shall hinder
this; nor shall the loathsomeness of our diseases make these delicate
spirits shy of taking this charge upon them. Lazarus the beggar found
this a truth; a beggar so despised of the rich glutton that he was not
suffered to come within his gate; a beggar full of sores and noisome
putrefaction; yet, behold, when he dies, the angels come from heaven
to fetch him thither: "And it came to pass that the beggar died, and
was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom" (Luke 16:22). True,
sick-bed temptations are ofttimes the most violent, because then the
devil plays his last game with us, he is never to assault us more;
besides, perhaps God suffereth it thus to be, that the entering into
heaven may be the sweeter, and ring of this salvation the louder! O it
is a blessed thing for God to be our God and our guide even unto
death, and then for his angels to conduct us safely to glory; this is
saving indeed. And he shall save Israel "out of all his troubles;" out of
sick-bed troubles as well as others (Psa 25:22; 34:6; 48:14).

Sixth. To be saved, to be perfectly saved, calls for more than all this;
the godly are not perfectly saved when their soul is possessed of
heaven. True, their spirit is made perfect, and hath as much of heaven
as at present it can hold, but man, consisting of body and soul, cannot
be said to be perfectly saved so long as but part of him is in the
heavens; his body is the price of the blood of Christ as well as his
spirit; his body is the temple of God, and a member of the body, and
of the flesh, and of the bones of Christ; he cannot, then, be completely
saved until the time of the resurrection of the dead (1 Cor 6:13-19;
Eph 5:30). Wherefore, when Christ shall come the second time, then
will he save the body from all those things that at present make it
incapable of the heavens. "For our conversation is in heaven; from
whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ; who shall
change" this "our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his
glorious body" (Phil 3:20,21). O what a great deal of good God hath
put into this little word "saved"! We shall not see all the good that
God hath put into this word "saved" until the Lord Jesus comes to
raise the dead. "It doth not yet appear what we shall be" (1 John 3:2).
But till it appears what we shall be, we cannot see the bottom of this
word "saved." True, we have the earnest of what we shall be, we have
the Spirit of God, "which is the earnest of our inheritance until the
redemption of the purchased possession" (Eph 1:14). The possession
is our body—it is called "a purchased possession," because it is the
price of blood; now the redemption of this purchased possession is the
raising of it out of the grave, which raising is called the redemption of
our body (Rom 8:23). And when this vile body is made like unto his
glorious body, and this body and soul together possessed of the
heavens, then shall we be every way saved.

There are three things from which this body must be saved—1. There
is that sinful filth and vileness that yet dwells in it, under which we
groan earnestly all our days (2 Cor 5:1-3). 2. There is mortality, that
subjecteth us to age, sickness, aches, pains, diseases, and death. 3.
And there is the grave and death itself, for death is the last enemy that
is to be destroyed. "So when this corruptible shall have put on
incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall
be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in
victory" (1 Cor 15:54). So then, when this comes to pass, then we
shall be saved; then will salvation, in all the parts of it, meet together
in our glory; then we shall be every way saved—saved in God's
decree, saved in Christ's undertakings, saved by faith, saved in
perseverance, saved in soul, and in body and soul together in the
heavens, saved perfectly, everlastingly, gloriously.

[Of the state of our body and soul in heaven.]

Before I conclude my answer to the first question, I would discourse a
little of the state of our body and soul in heaven, when we shall enjoy
this blessed state of salvation.

First. Of the soul; it will then be filled in all the faculties of it with as
much bliss and glory as ever it can hold.

1. The understanding shall then be perfect in knowledge—"Now we
know but in part;" we know God, Christ, heaven, and glory, but in
part; "but when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in
part shall be done away" (1 Cor 13:10). Then shall we have perfect
and everlasting visions of God, and that blessed one his Son Jesus
Christ, a good thought of whom doth sometimes so fill us while in this
world, that it causeth "joy unspeakable and full of glory." 2. Then
shall our will and affections be ever in a burning flame of love to God
and his Son Jesus Christ; our love here hath ups and downs, but there
it shall be always perfect with that perfection which is not possible in
this world to be enjoyed. 3. Then will our conscience have that peace
and joy that neither tongue nor pen of men or angels can express. 4.
Then will our memory be so enlarged to retain all things that
happened to us in this world, so that with unspeakable aptness we
shall call to mind all God's providences, all Satan's malice, all our
own weaknesses, all the rage of men, and how God made all work
together for his glory and our good, to the everlasting ravishing of our
hearts.

Second. For our body; it shall be raised in power, in incorruption, a
spiritual body and glorious (1 Cor 15:44). The glory of which is set
forth by several things—1. It is compared to "the brightness of the
firmament," and to the shining of the stars "for ever and ever" (Dan
12:3; 1 Cor 15:41,42). 2. It is compared to the shining of the sun—
"Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their
Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear" (Matt 13:43). 3. Their
state is then to be equally glorious with angels; "But they which shall
be counted worthy to obtain that world, and the resurrection from the
dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage; neither can they die
any more, for they are equal unto the angels" (Luke 20:35,36). 4. It is
said that then this our vile body shall be like the glorious body of
Jesus Christ (Phil 3:20,21; 1 John 3:2,3). 5. And now, when body and
soul are thus united, who can imagine what glory they both possess?
They will now be both in capacity, without jarring, to serve the Lord
with shouting thanksgivings, and with a crown of everlasting joy upon
their head. 8

In this world there cannot be that harmony and oneness of body and
soul as there will be in heaven. Here the body sometimes sins against
the soul, and the soul again vexes and perplexes the body with
dreadful apprehensions of the wrath and judgment of God. While we
be in this world, the body oft hangs this way, and the soul the quite
contrary; but there, in heaven, they shall have that perfect union as
never to jar more; but now the glory of the body shall so suit with the
glory of the soul, and both so perfectly suit with the heavenly state,
that it passeth words and thoughts.

Third. Shall I now speak of the place that this saved body and soul
shall dwell in?

Why, 1. It is a city (Heb 11:16; Eph 2:19,22). 2. It is called heaven
(Heb 10:34). 3. It is called God's house (John 14:1-3). 4. It is called a
kingdom (Luke 12:32). 5. It is called glory (Col 3:4; Heb 2:10). 6. It is
called paradise (Rev 2:7). 7. It is called everlasting habitations (Luke
16:9).

Fourth. Shall I speak of their company?

Why, 1. They shall stand and live in the presence of the glorious God,
the Judge of all (Heb 12:23). 2. They shall be with the Lamb, the Lord
Jesus. 3. They shall be with an innumerable company of holy angels
(Heb 12:22). 4. They shall be with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and all
the prophets, in the kingdom of heaven (Luke 13:28).

Fifth. Shall I speak of their heavenly raiment?

1. It is salvation; they shall be clothed with the garment of salvation
(Psa 132:16; 149:4; Isa 61:10). 2. This raiment is called white raiment,
signifying their clean and innocent state in heaven. "And they," says
Christ, "shall walk with me in white, for they are worthy" (Rev 3:4;
19:8; Isa 57:2). 3. It is called glory—"When he shall appear, we shall
appear with him in glory" (Col 3:4). 4. They shall also have crowns of
righteousness, everlasting joy and glory (Isa 35:10; 2 Tim 4:8; 1 Peter
5:4).

Sixth. Shall I speak of their continuance in this condition?

1. It is for ever and ever. "And they shall see his face, and his name
shall be in their foreheads; and they shall reign for ever and ever"
(Rev 22:4,5). 2. It is everlasting. "And this is the will of him that sent
me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may
have everlasting life" (John 6:40,47). 3. It is life eternal. "My sheep
hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me; and I give unto
them eternal life" (John 10:27,28). 4. It is world without end. "But
Israel shall be saved in the Lord with an everlasting salvation; ye shall
not be ashamed nor confounded world without end" (Isa 45:17; Eph
3:20,21).

O sinner! what sayest thou? How dost thou like being saved? Doth not
thy mouth water? Doth not thy heart twitter at being saved? Why,
come then: "The Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that
heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever
will, let him take the water of life freely" (Rev 22:17).

QUEST. II.—WHAT IS IT TO BE SAVED BY GRACE?

Now I come to the second question—to wit, What is it to be saved by
grace? For so are the words of the text, "By grace ye are saved." But,

First. I must touch a little upon the word GRACE, and show you how
diversely it is taken. Sometimes it is taken for the goodwill and favour
of men (Esth 2:17: Ruth 2:2: 1 Sam 1:18: 2 Sam 16:4). Sometimes it
is taken for those sweet ornaments that a life according to the Word of
God putteth about the neck 9 (Prov 1:9; 3:22). Sometimes it is taken
for the charity of the saints, as 2 Corinthians 9:6-8.

But "grace" in the text is taken for God's goodwill, "the goodwill of
him that dwelt in the bush;" and is expressed variously. Sometimes it
is called "his good pleasure." Sometimes, "the good pleasure of his
will," which is all one with "the riches of his grace" (Eph 1:7).
Sometimes it is expressed by goodness, pity, love, mercy, kindness,
and the like (Rom 2:4; Isa 63:9; Titus 3:4,5). Yea, he styles himself,
"The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and
abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands,
forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means
clear the guilty" (Exo 34:6,7).

Second. As the word "grace" signifieth all these, so it intimates to us
that all these are free acts of God, free love, free mercy, free kindness;
hence we have other hints in the Word about the nature of grace, as, 1.
It is an act of God's will, which must needs be free; an act of his own
will, of the good pleasure of his will; by each of these expressions is
intimated that grace is a free act of God's goodness towards the sons
of men. 2. Therefore it is expressly said—"Being justified freely by
his grace" (Rom 3:24). 3. "And when they had nothing to pay, he
frankly forgave them both" (Luke 7:42). 4. And again, "Not for your
sakes do I this, saith the Lord God, be it known unto you" (Eze 36:32;
Deu 9:5). 5. And therefore "grace," and the deservings of the creature,
are set in flat opposition one to another—"And if by grace, then is it
no more of works; otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of
works, then is it no more grace; otherwise work is no more work"
(Rom 11:6).

The word "grace," therefore, being understood, doth most properly set
forth the true cause of man's happiness with God, not but that those
expressions, love, mercy, goodness, pity, kindness, &c., and the like,
have their proper place in our happiness also. Had not God loved us,
grace had not acted freely in our salvation; had not God been
merciful, good, pitiful, kind, he would have turned away from us
when he saw us in our blood (Eze 16).

So then, when he saith, "By grace ye are saved," it is all one as if he
had said, By the goodwill, free mercy, and loving-kindness of God ye
are saved; as the words conjoined with the text do also further
manifest: "But God," saith Paul, "who is rich in mercy, for his great
love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath
quickened us together with Christ [by grace ye are saved]."

[Third.] The words thus understood admit us these few conclusions—
1. That God, in saving of the sinner, hath no respect to the sinner's
goodness; hence it is said he is frankly forgiven, and freely justified
(Luke 7:42; Rom 3:24). 2. That God doth this to whom and when he
pleases, because it is an act of his own good pleasure (Gal 1:15,16). 3.
This is the cause why great sinners are saved, for God pardoneth
"according to the riches of his grace" (Eph 1:7). 4. This is the true
cause that some sinners are so amazed and confounded at the
apprehension of their own salvation; his grace is unsearchable; and by
unsearchable grace God oft puzzles and confounds our reason (Eze
16:62,63; Acts 9:6). 5. This is the cause that sinners are so often
recovered from their backslidings, healed of their wounds that they
get by their falls, and helped again to rejoice in God's mercy. Why, he
will be gracious to whom he will be gracious, and he will have
compassion on whom he will have compassion (Rom 9:15).

[Fourth.] But I must not here conclude this point. We are here
discoursing of the grace of God, and that by it we are saved; saved, I
say, by the grace of God.

Now, God is set forth in the Word unto us under a double
consideration—1. He is set forth in his own eternal power and
Godhead; and as thus set forth, we are to conceive of him by his
attributes of power, justice, goodness, holiness, everlastingness, &c. 2.
But then, we have him set forth in the Word of truth as consisting of
Father, Son, and Spirit; and although this second consideration
containeth in it the nature of the Godhead, yet the first doth not
demonstrate the persons in the Godhead. We are saved by the grace of
God—that is, by the grace of the Father, who is God; by the grace of
the Son, who is God; and by the grace of the Spirit, who is God.

Now, since we are said to be 'saved by grace," and that the grace of
God; and since also we find in the Word that in the Godhead there are
Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, we must conclude that it is by the grace
of the Father, Son, and Spirit that we are saved; wherefore grace is
attributed to the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost distinctly. 1. Grace is
attributed to the Father, as these scriptures testify; Romans 7:25, 1
Corinthians 1:3, 2 Corinthians 1:2, Galatians 1:3, Ephesians 1:2,
Philippians 1:2, Colossians 1:2, 1 Thessalonians 1:1, 2 Thessalonians
1:2, 1 Timothy 1:2, 2 Timothy 1:2, Titus 1:4, Philemon 3. 2. Grace is
also attributed to the Son, and I first manifest it by all those texts
above-mentioned, as also by these that follow: 2 Corinthians 8:9,
13:14, Galatians 6:18, Philippians 4:23, 1 Thessalonians 5:28, 2
Thessalonians 3:18, Philemon 25, Revelation 22:21. 3. It is also
attributed to the Holy Ghost. Now, he is here called the Spirit of
grace, because he is the author of grace as the Father, and the Son
(Zech 12:10; Heb 10:29).

So then, it remaineth that I show you, FIRST, How we are saved by
the grace of the Father. SECOND, How we are saved by the grace of
the Son. And, THIRD, How we are saved by the grace of the Spirit.

Of the Father's grace.

FIRST. How we are saved by the grace of the Father. Now this will I
open unto you thus—

1. The Father by his grace hath bound up them that shall go to heaven
in an eternal decree of election; and here, indeed, as was showed at
first, is the beginning of our salvation (2 Tim 1:9). And election is
reckoned not the Son's act, but the Father's—"Blessed be the God and
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual
blessings in heavenly places in Christ, according as he hath chosen us
in him before the foundation of the world" (Eph 1:3,4). Now this
election is counted an act of grace—"So then, at this present time also,
there is a remnant according to the election of grace" (Rom 11:5).

2. The Father's grace ordaineth and giveth the Son to undertake for us
our redemption. The Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the
world—"In whom we have redemption through his blood, the
forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; that in the
ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace, in his
kindness toward us through Christ Jesus" (Eph 1:7; 2:7; 1 John 4:14;
John 3:16; 6:32,33; 12:49).

3. The Father's grace giveth us to Christ to be justified by his
righteousness, washed in his blood, and saved by his life. This Christ
mentioneth, and tells us it is his Father's will that they should be safe-
coming at the last day, and that he had kept them all the days of his
life, and they shall never perish (John 6:37-39; 17:2,12).

4. The Father's grace giveth the kingdom of heaven to those that he
hath given to Jesus Christ—"Fear not, little flock, for it is your
Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom" (Luke 12:32).

5. The Father's grace provideth and layeth up in Christ, for those that
he hath chosen, a sufficiency of all spiritual blessings, to be
communicated to them at their need, for their preservation in the faith,
and faithful perseverance through this life; "not according to our
works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given
us in Christ Jesus before the world began" (2 Tim 1:9; Eph 1:3,4).

6. The Father's grace saveth us by the blessed and effectual call that he
giveth us to the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ (1 Col 1:9; Gal
1:15).

7. The Father's grace saveth us by multiplying pardons to us, for
Christ's sake, day by day—"In whom we have redemption through his
blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace"
(Eph 1:7).

8. The Father's grace saves us by exercising patience and forbearance
towards us all the time of our unregeneracy (Rom 3:24).

9. The Father's grace saveth us by holding of us fast in his hand, and
by keeping of us from all the power of the enemy—"My Father," said
Christ, "that gave them me, is greater than all, and no man is able to
pluck them out of my Father's hand" (John 10:29).

10. What shall I say? The Father's grace saveth us by accepting of our
persons and services, by lifting up the light of his countenance upon
us, by manifesting of his love unto us, and by sending of his angels to
fetch us to himself, when we have finished our pilgrimage in this
world.

Of the grace of the Son.

SECOND. I come now to speak of the grace of the Son; for as the
Father putteth forth his grace in the saving of the sinner, so doth the
Son put forth his—"For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,
that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye
through his poverty might be rich" (2 Cor 8:9).

Here you see also that the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ is brought in
as a partner with the grace of his Father in the salvation of our souls.
Now this is the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ; he was rich, but for our
sakes he became poor, that we through his poverty might be made
rich.

To inquire, then, into this grace, this condescending grace of Christ,
and that by searching out how rich Jesus Christ was, and then how
poor he made himself, that we through his poverty might have the
riches of salvation.

First. How rich was Jesus Christ? To which I answer—1. Generally;
2. Particularly.

1. Generally. He was rich as the Father—"All things that the Father
hath," saith he, "are mine." Jesus Christ is the Lord of all, God over
all, blessed for ever. "He thought it not robbery to be equal with God,"
being naturally and eternally God, as the Father, but of his Godhead
he could not strip himself (John 10:30; 16:15; Acts 10:36; Phil 2:6;
Rom 9:4,5).

2. Particularly. Jesus Christ had glory with the Father; yea, a manifold
glory with him, which he stripped himself of.

(1.) He had the glory of dominion, he was Lord of all the creatures;
they were under him upon a double account—(a) as he was their
Creator (Col 1:16); (b) as he was made the heir of God (Heb 1:2).

(2.) Therefore the glory of worship, reverence, and fear from all
creatures, was due unto him; the worship, obedience, subjection, and
service of angels were due unto him; the fear, honour, and glory of
kings, and princes, and judges of the earth were due unto him; the
obedience of the sun, moon, stars, clouds, and all vapours, were due
unto him; all dragons, deeps, fire, hail, snow, mountains and hills,
beasts, cattle, creeping things, and flying fowls, the service of them
all, and their worship, were due unto him (Psa 148).

(3.) The glory of the heavens themselves was due unto him; in a word,
heaven and earth were his.

(4.) But above all, the glory of communion with his Father was his; I
say, the glory of that unspeakable communion that he had with the
Father before his incarnation, which alone was worth ten thousand
worlds, that was ever his.

(5.) But again; as Jesus Christ was possessed with this, so, besides, he
was Lord of life; this glory also was Jesus Christ's: "In him was life,"
therefore he is called the Prince of it; because it was in him originally
as in the Father (Acts 3:15). He gave to all life and breath, and all
things; angels, men, beasts, they had all their life from him.

(6.) Again, as he was Lord of glory, and Prince of life, so he was also
Prince of peace, (Isa 9:6); and by him was maintained that harmony
and goodly order which were among things in heaven and things on
earth.

Take things briefly in these few particulars—(a.) The heavens were
his, and he made them. (b.) Angels were his, and he made them. (c.)
The earth was his, and he made it. (d.) Man was his, and he made him.

[Second. How poor he made himself.] Now this heaven he forsook for
our sakes—"He came into the world to save sinners" (1 Tim 1:15).

[1.] He was made lower than the angels, for the suffering of death
(Heb 2:9). When he was born, he made himself, as he saith, a worm,
or one of no reputation; he became the reproach and byword of the
people; he was born in a stable, laid in a manger, earned his bread
with his labour, being by trade a carpenter (Psa 22:6; Phil 2:7; Luke
2:7; Mark 6:3). When he betook himself to his ministry, he lived upon
the charity of the people; when other men went to their own houses,
Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. Hark what himself saith for the
clearing of this—"Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests,
but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head." He denied himself
of this world's good (Luke 8:2,3; 9:58; John 7:35; 8:1).

[2.] Again, as he was Prince of life, so he for our sakes laid down that
also; for so stood the matter, that he or we must die; but the grace that
was in his heart wrought with him to lay down his life: "He gave his
life a ransom for many." He laid down his life that we might have life;
he gave his flesh and blood for the life of the world; he laid down his
life for his sheep.

[3.] Again; he was Prince of peace, but he forsook his peace also. (1.)
He laid aside peace with the world, and chose upon that account to be
a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief, and therefore was
persecuted from his cradle to his cross, by kings, rulers, &c. (2.) He
laid aside his peace with his Father, and made himself the object of his
Father's curse, insomuch that the Lord smote, struck, and afflicted
him; and, in conclusion, hid his face from him (as he expressed, with
great crying) at the hour of his death.

[Object.] But perhaps some may say, What need was there that Jesus
Christ should do all this? Could not the grace of the Father save us
without this condescension of the Son?

Answ. As there is grace, so there is justice in God; and man having
sinned, God concluded to save him in a way of righteousness;
therefore it was absolutely necessary that Jesus Christ should put
himself into our very condition, sin only excepted. 1. Now by sin we
had lost the glory of God, therefore Jesus Christ lays aside the glory
that he had with the Father (Rom 3:23; John 17:5). 2. Man by sin had
shut himself out of an earthly paradise, and Jesus Christ will leave his
heavenly paradise to save him (Gen 3:24; 1 Tim 1:15; John 6:38,39).
3. Man by sin had made himself lighter than vanity, and this Lord
God, Jesus Christ, made himself lower than the angels to redeem him
(Isa 40:17; Heb 2:7). 4. Man by sin lost his right to the creatures, and
Jesus Christ will deny himself of a whole world to save him (Luke
9:58). 5. Man by sin had made himself subject to death; but Jesus
Christ will lose his life to save him (Rom 6:23). 6. Man by sin had
procured to himself the curse of God; but Jesus Christ will bear that
curse in his own body to save him (Gal 3:13). 7. Man by sin had lost
peace with God; but this would Jesus Christ lose also, to the end man
might be saved. 8. Man should have been mocked of God, therefore
Christ was mocked of men. 9. Man should have been scourged in hell;
but, to hinder that, Jesus was scourged on earth. 10. Man should have
been crowned with ignominy and shame; but, to prevent that, Jesus
was crowned with thorns. 11. Man should have been pierced with the
spear of God's wrath; but, to prevent that, Jesus was pierced both by
God and men. 12. Man should have been rejected of God and angels;
but, to prevent that, Jesus was forsaken of God, and denied, hated, and
rejected of men (Isa 48:22; Prov 1:24-26; Matt 27:26,39,46; Psa 9:17;
11:6; 22:7; Dan 12:2; John 19:2-5,37; Num 24:8; Zech 12:10; Luke
9:22).

I might thus enlarge, and that by authority from this text—"He
became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich." All the
riches he stripped himself of, it was for our sakes; all the sorrows he
underwent, it was for our sakes; to the least circumstance of the
sufferings of Christ there was necessity that so it should be, all was for
our sakes: "For our sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty
might be rich."

And you see the argument that prevailed with Christ to do this great
service for man, the grace that was in his heart; as also the prophet
saith, "In his love and in his pity he redeemed them." According to
this in the Corinthians, "Ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ";
both which agree with the text, "By grace ye are saved."

I say, this was the grace of the Son, and the exercise thereof. The
Father therefore shows his grace one way, and the Son his another. It
was not the Father, but the Son, that left his heaven for sinners; it was
not the Father, but the Son, that spilt his blood for sinners. The Father
indeed gave the Son, and blessed be the Father for that; and the Son
gave his life and blood for us, and blessed be the Son for that.

But methinks we should not yet have done with this grace of the Son.
Thou Son of the Blessed, what grace was manifest in thy
condescension! Grace brought thee down from heaven, grace stripped
thee of thy glory, grace made thee poor and despicable, grace made
thee bear such burdens of sin, such burdens of sorrow, such burdens
of God's curse as are unspeakable. O Son of God! grace was in all thy
tears, grace came bubbling out of thy side with thy blood, grace came
forth with every word of thy sweet mouth (Psa 45:2; Luke 4:22).
Grace came out where the whip smote thee, where the thorns pricked
thee, where the nails and spear pierced thee. O blessed Son of God!
Here is grace indeed! Unsearchable riches of grace! Unthought-of
riches of grace! Grace to make angels wonder, grace to make sinners
happy, grace to astonish devils. And what will become of them that
trample under foot this Son of God?

Of the grace of the Spirit. THIRD. I come now to speak of the grace
of the Spirit; for he also saveth us by his grace. The Spirit, I told you,
is God, as the Father and the Son, and is therefore also the author of
grace; yea, and it is absolutely necessary that he put forth his grace
also, or else no flesh can be saved. The Spirit of God hath his hand in
saving of us many ways; for they that go to heaven, as they must be
beholding to the Father and the Son, so also to the Spirit of God. The
Father chooseth us, giveth us to Christ, and heaven to us, and the like.
The Son fulfills the law for us, takes the curse of the law from us,
bears in his own body our sorrows, and sets us justified in the sight of
God. The Father's grace is showed in heaven and earth; the Son's
grace is showed on the earth, and on the cross; and the Spirit's grace
must be showed in our souls and bodies, before we come to heaven.

Quest. But some may say, Wherein doth the saving grace of the Spirit
appear?

Answ. In many things.

In taking possession of us for his own, in his making of us his house
and habitation, so that though the Father and the Son have both
gloriously put forth gracious acts in order to our salvation, yet the
Spirit is the first that makes seizure of us (1 Cor 3:16; 6:19; Eph
2:21,22). Christ, therefore, when he went away, said not that he would
send the Father, but the Spirit, and that he should be in us for ever—
"If I depart," said Christ, "I will send him, the Spirit of truth, the
Comforter" (John 14:16; 16:7,13).

The Holy Spirit coming into us, and dwelling in us, worketh out many
salvations for us now, and each of them in order also to our being
saved for ever.

1. He saveth us from our darkness by illuminating of us; hence he is
called "the Spirit of revelation," because he openeth the blind eyes,
and so consequently delivereth us from that darkness which else
would drown us in the deeps of hell (Eph 1:17,19).

2. He it is that convinceth us of the evil of our unbelief, and that
shows us the necessity of our believing in Christ; without the
conviction of this we should perish (John 16:9).

3. This is that finger of God by which the devil is made to give place
unto grace, by whose power else we should be carried headlong to
hell (Luke 11:20-22).

4. This is he that worketh faith in our hearts, without which neither the
grace of the Father nor the grace of the Son can save us, "For he that
believeth not, shall be damned" (Mark 16:16; Rom 15:13).

5. This is he by whom we are born again; and he that is not so born
can neither see nor inherit the kingdom of heaven (John 3:3-7).

6. This is he that setteth up his kingdom in the heart, and by that
means keepeth out the devil after he is cast out, which kingdom of the
Spirit, whoever wanteth, they lie liable to a worse possession of the
devil than ever (Matt 12:43-45; Luke 11:24,25).

7. By this Spirit we come to see the beauty of Christ, without a sight
of which we should never desire him, but should certainly live in the
neglect of him, and perish (John 16:14; 1 Cor 2:9-13; Isa 53:1,2).

8. By this Spirit we are helped to praise God acceptably, but without
it, it is impossible to be heard unto salvation (Rom 8:26; Eph 6:18; 1
Cor 14:15).

9. By this blessed Spirit the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts,
and our hearts are directed into the love of God (Rom 5:5; 2 Thess
2:13).

10. By this blessed Spirit we are led from the ways of the flesh into
the ways of life, and by it our mortal body, as well as our immortal
soul, is quickened in the service of God (Gal 5:18,25; Rom 8:11).

11. By this good Spirit we keep that good thing, even the seed of God,
that at the first by the Word of God was infused into us, and without
which we are liable to the worst damnation (1 John 3:9; 1 Peter 1:23;
2 Tim 1:14).

12. By this good Spirit we have help and light against all the wisdom
and cunning of the world, which putteth forth itself in its most cursed
sophistications to overthrow the simplicity that is in Christ (Matt
10:19,20; Mark 13:11; Luke 12:11,12).

13. By this good Spirit our graces are maintained in life and vigour, as
faith, hope, love, a spirit of prayer, and every grace (2 Cor 4:13; Rom
15:13; 2 Tim 1:7; Eph 6:18; Titus 3:5).

14. By this good Spirit we are sealed to the day of redemption (Eph
1:14).

15. And by this good Spirit we are made to wait with patience until
the redemption of the purchased possession comes (Gal 5:5).

Now all these things are so necessary to our salvation, that I know not
which of them can be wanting; neither can any of them be by any
means attained but by this blessed Spirit.

And thus have I in few words showed you the grace of the Spirit, and
how it putteth forth itself towards the saving of the soul. And verily,
Sirs, it is necessary that you know these things distinctly—to wit, the
grace of the Father, the grace of the Son, and the grace of the Holy
Ghost; for it is not the grace of one, but of all these three, that saveth
him that shall be saved indeed.

The Father's grace saveth no man without the grace of the Son; neither
doth the Father and the Son save any without the grace of the Spirit;
for as the Father loves, the Son must die, and the Spirit must sanctify,
or no soul must be saved.

Some think that the love of the Father, without the blood of the Son,
will save them, but they are deceived; for "without shedding of blood
is no remission" (Heb 9:22).

Some think that the love of the Father and blood of the Son will do,
without the holiness of the Spirit of God; but they are deceived also;
for "if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his"; and
again, "without holiness no man shall see the Lord" (Rom 8:9; Heb
12:14).

There is a third sort, that think the holiness of the Spirit is sufficient of
itself; but they (if they had it) are deceived also; for it must be the
grace of the Father, the grace of the Son, and the grace of the Spirit,
jointly, that must save them.

But yet, as these three do put forth grace jointly and truly in the
salvation of a sinner, so they put it forth, as I also have showed you
before, after a diverse manner. The Father designs us for heaven, the
Son redeems from sin and death, and the Spirit makes us meet for
heaven; not by electing, that is the work of the Father; not by dying,
that is the work of the Son; but by his revealing Christ, and applying
Christ to our souls, by shedding the love of God abroad in our hearts,
by sanctifying of our souls, and taking possession of us as an earnest
of our possession of heaven.

QUEST. III.—WHO ARE THEY THAT ARE TO BE SAVED BY
GRACE?

I come now to the third particular—namely, to show you who they are
that are to be saved by grace.

[Who are not saved.]

First. Not the self-righteous, not they that have no need of the
physician. "The whole have no need of the physician," saith Christ. "I
came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance" (Mark 2:17).
And again, "He hath filled the hungry with good things, and the rich
he hath sent empty away" (Luke 1:53). Now when I say not the self-
righteous nor the rich, I mean not that they are utterly excluded; for
Paul was such an one; but he saveth not such without he first awaken
them to see they have need to be saved by grace.

Second. The grace of God saveth not him that hath sinned the
unpardonable sin. There is nothing left for him "but a certain fearful
looking for of judgment, - which shall devour the adversaries" (Heb
10:26,27).

Third. That sinner that persevereth in final impenitency and unbelief
shall be damned (Luke 13:3,5; Rom 2:2-5; Mark 16:15,16).

Fourth. That sinner whose mind the god of this world hath blinded,
that the glorious light of the gospel of Christ, who is the image of
God, can never shine into him, is lost, and must be damned (2 Cor
4:3,4).

Fifth. The sinner that maketh religion his cloak for wickedness, he is a
hypocrite, and, continuing so, must certainly be damned (Psa 125:5;
Isa 33:14; Matt 24:50,51).

Sixth. In a word, every sinner that persevereth in his wickedness, shall
not inherit the kingdom of heaven—"Know ye not that the
unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived:
neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor
abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor
drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of
God." "Let no man deceive you with vain words; for because of these
things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience" (1
Cor 6:9-12; Eph 5:5,6).

[Who are saved.] Question. But what kind of sinners shall then be
saved?

Answ. Those of all these kinds that the Spirit of God shall bring [to]
the Father by Jesus Christ; these, I say, and none but these, can be
saved, because else the sinners might be saved without the Father, or
without the Son, or without the Spirit.

Now, in all that I have said, I have not in the least suggested that any
sinner is rejected because his sins, in the nature of them, are great;
Christ Jesus came into the world to save the chief of sinners. It is not,
therefore, the greatness of, but the continuance in, sins that indeed
damneth the sinner. But I always exclude him that hath sinned against
the Holy Ghost. That it is not the greatness of sin that excludeth the
sinner is evident—

1. From the words before the text, which doth give an account of what
kind of sinners were here saved by grace, as namely, they that were
dead in trespasses and sins, those that walked in these sins, "according
to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the
air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: among
whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our
flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by
nature the children of wrath, even as others" (Eph 2:2,3).

2. It is evident also from the many sinners that we find to be saved, by
the revealed will of God. For in the Word we have mention made of
the salvation of great sinners, where their names and their sins stand
recorded for our encouragement; as, (1.) You read of Manasseh, who
was an idolater, a witch, a persecutor, yea, a rebel against the word of
God, sent unto him by the prophets; and yet this man was saved (2
Chron 33:2-13; 2 Kings 21:16). (2.) You read of Mary Magdalene, in
whom were seven devils; her condition was dreadful, yet she was
saved (Luke 8:2; John 20). (3.) You read of the man that had a legion
of devils in him. O how dreadful was his condition! and yet by grace
he was saved (Mark 5:1-10). (4.) You read of them that murdered the
Lord Jesus, and how they were converted and saved (Acts 2:23). (5.)
You read of the exorcists, how they closed with Christ, and were
saved by grace (Acts 19:13). (6.) You read of Saul the persecutor, and
how he was saved by grace (Acts 9:15).

Object. But, thou sayest, I am a backslider.

Answ. So was Noah, and yet he found grace in the eyes of the Lord
(Gen 9:21,22). So was Lot, and yet God saved him by grace (Gen
19:35; 2 Peter 2:7-9). So was David, yet by grace he was forgiven his
iniquities (2 Sam 12:7-13). So was Solomon, and a great one too; yet
by grace his soul was saved (Psa 89:28-34). So was Peter, and that a
dreadful one; yet by grace he was saved (Matt 26:69-74; Mark 16:7;
Acts 15:7-11). Besides, for further encouragement, read Jeremiah 3,
33:25,26, 51:5, Ezekiel 36:25, Hosea 14:1-4; and stay thyself, and
wonder at the riches of the grace of God.

Quest. But how should we find out what sinners shall be saved? All, it
seems, shall not. Besides, for aught can be gathered by what you have
said, there is as bad saved as damned, set him that hath sinned the
unpardonable sin aside.

Answ. True, there are as bad saved as damned; but to this question:
They that are effectually called, are saved. They that believe on the
Son of God shall be saved. They that are sanctified and preserved in
Christ shall be saved. They that take up their cross daily, and follow
Christ, shall be saved.

Take a catalogue of them thus: "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and
thou shalt be saved” (Mark 16:16; Acts 16:31). "If thou shalt confess
with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that
God hath raised him from the dead thou shalt be saved" (Rom 10:9).
Be justified by the blood of Christ, and thou shalt be saved (Rom 5:9).
Be reconciled to God by the death of his Son, and thou shalt be saved
by his life (Rom 5:10). "And it shall come to pass, that whosoever
shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved" (Acts 2:21).

See some other scriptures. "He shall save the humble person" (Job
22:29). "Thou wilt save the afflicted people" (Psa 18:27). "He shall
save the children of the needy" (Psa 72:4). "He shall save the souls of
the needy" (Psa 72:13). "O thou, my God, save thy servant that
trusteth in thee" (Psa 86:2). "He will fulfill the desire of them that fear
him, he also will hear their cry, and will save them" (Psa 145:19).

[Caution.] But, sinner, if thou wouldst indeed be saved, beware of
these four things—

1. Beware of delaying repentance; delays are dangerous and
damnable; they are dangerous, because they harden the heart; they are
damnable, because their tendency is to make thee outstand the time of
grace (Psa 95:7; Heb 3-12).

2. Beware of resting in the word of the kingdom, without the spirit
and power of the kingdom of the gospel; for the gospel coming in
word only saves nobody, for the kingdom of God or the gospel, where
it comes to salvation, is not in word but in power (1 Thess 1:4-6; 1
Cor 4:19).

3. Take heed of living in a profession, a life that is provoking to God;
for that is the way to make him cast thee away in his anger.

4. Take heed that thy inside and outside be alike;, and both
conformable to the Word of his grace; labour to be like the living
creatures which thou mayest read of in the book of the prophet
Ezekiel, whose appearance and themselves were one 10 (Eze 10:22).

In all this, I have advertised you not to be content without the power
and Spirit of God in your hearts, for without him you partake of none
of the grace of the Father or Son, but will certainly miss of the
salvation of the soul.

QUEST. IV.—HOW IT APPEARS THAT THEY THAT ARE
SAVED, ARE SAVED BY GRACE?

This fourth question requireth that some demonstration be given of the
truth of this doctrine—to wit, that they that are saved are saved by
grace.

What hath been said before hath given some demonstration of the
truth; wherefore, first repeating in few words the sum of what hath
been said already, I shall come to further proof. 1. That this is true, the
Scriptures testify, because God chose them to salvation before they
had done good (Rom 9:11). 2. Christ was ordained to be their Saviour
before the foundation of the world (Eph 1:4; 1 Peter 1:19-21). 3. All
things that concur and go to our salvation were also in the same laid
up in Christ, to be communicated in the dispensation of the fullness of
times, to them that shall be saved (Eph 1:3,4; 2 Tim 1:9; Eph 1:10;
3:8-11; Rom 8:30).

[That salvation is by grace appears in its contrivance.] Again, as their
salvation was contrived by God, so, as was said, this salvation was
undertaken by one of the three; to wit, the Son of the Father (John
1:29; Isa 48:16).

Had there been a contrivance in heaven about the salvation of sinners
on earth, yet if the result of that contrivance had been that we should
be saved by our own good deeds, it would not have been proper for an
apostle, or an angel, to say, "By grace ye are saved." But now, when a
council is held in eternity about the salvation of sinners in time, and
when the result of that council shall be, that the Father, the Son, and
the Holy Ghost will themselves accomplish the work of this salvation,
this is grace, this is naturally grace, grace that is rich and free; yea,
this is unthought-of grace. I will say it again, this is unthought-of
grace; for who could have thought that a Saviour had been in the
bosom of the Father, or that the Father would have given him to be the
Saviour of men, since he refused to give him to be the Saviour of
angels? (Heb 2:16,17).

[Grace appears in the Son's undertaking this work.] Again; could it
have been thought that the Father would have sent his Son to be the
Saviour, we should, in reason, have thought also that he would never
have taken the work wholly upon himself, especially that fearful,
dreadful, soul-astonishing, and amazing part thereof! Who could once
have imagined that the Lord Jesus would have made himself so poor
as to stand before God in the nauseous rags of our sins, and subject
himself to the curse and death that were due to our sin? but thus he did
to save us by grace.

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath
blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:
according as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the
world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:
having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ
to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of
the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the
Beloved; in whom we have redemption through his blood, the
forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace" (Eph 1:3-7).

[Grace appears in the terms and conditions on which salvation is
made over.] Again; if we consider the terms and conditions upon
which this salvation is made over to them that are saved, it will further
appear we are saved by grace.

1. The things that immediately concern our justification and salvation,
they are offered, yea, given to us freely, and we are commanded to
receive them by faith. Sinner, hold up thy lap. God so loved the world,
that he giveth his Son, that he giveth his righteousness, that he giveth
his Spirit, and the kingdom of heaven (John 3:16; Rom 5:17; 2 Cor
1:21,22; Luke 12:32).

2. He also giveth repentance, he giveth faith, and giveth everlasting
consolation, and good hope through grace (Acts 5:30,31; Phil 1:29; 2
Thess 2:16).

3. He giveth pardon, and giveth more grace, to keep us from sinking
into hell, than we have sin to sink us in thither (Acts 5:31; Prov 3:34;
John 4:6; 1 Peter 5:5).

4. He hath made all these things over to us in a covenant of grace. We
call it a covenant of grace, because it is set in opposition to the
covenant of works, and because it is established to us in the doings of
Christ, founded in his blood, established upon the best promises made
to him, and to us by him. "For all the promises of God in him are yea,
and in him amen, to the glory of God by us" (2 Cor 1:20).

But to pass these, and to come to some other demonstrations for the
clearing of this—

Let us a little consider,

What man is, upon whom the Father, the Son, and the Spirit bestows
this grace.

1. [An enemy to God.] By nature he is an enemy to God, an enemy in
his mind. "The carnal mind is enmity against God, for it is not subject
to the law of God, neither indeed can be" (Rom 8:7; Col 1:21).

2. [A slave to sin.] So that the state of man was this—he was not only
over persuaded on a sudden to sin against God, but he drank this sin,
like water, into his very nature, mingled it with every faculty of his
soul and member of his body; by the means of which he became
alienated from God, and an enemy to him in his very heart; and wilt
thou, O Lord, as the Scripture hath it, "And dost thou open thine eyes
upon such an one?" (Job 14:3). Yea, open thy heart, and take this man,
not into judgment, but into mercy with thee?

3. [In covenant with death and hell.] Further, man by his sin had not
only given himself to be a captive slave to the devil, but, continuing in
his sin, he made head against his God, struck up a covenant with
death, and made an agreement with hell; but for God to open his eyes
upon such an one, and to take hold of him by riches of grace, this is
amazing (Isa 28:16-18).

See where God found the Jew when he came to look upon him to save
him—"As for thy nativity," says God, "in the day thou wast born thy
navel was not cut, neither wast thou washed in water to supple thee;
thou wast not salted at all, nor swaddled at all. None eye pitied thee,
to do any of these unto thee, to have compassion upon thee; but thou
wast cast out in the open field, to the loathing of thy person, in the day
that thou wast born. And when I passed by thee, and saw thee polluted
in thine own blood, I said unto thee, when thou wast in thy blood,
Live; yea, I said unto thee, when thou wast in thy blood, Live. - Now
when I passed by thee, and looked upon thee, behold, thy time was the
time of love; and I spread my skirt over thee, and covered thy
nakedness; yea, I sware unto thee, and entered into a covenant with
thee, saith the Lord God, and thou becamest mine." Sinner, see further
into the chapter, Ezekiel 16. All this is the grace of God; every word
in this text smells of grace.

But before I pass this, let us a little take notice of

The carriage of God to man, and again of man to God, in his
conversion.

FIRST. OF GOD'S CARRIAGE TO MAN. He comes to him while he
is in his sins, in his blood; he comes to him now, not in the heat and
fire of his jealousy, but "in the cool of the day," in unspeakable
gentleness, mercy, pity, and bowels of love; not in clothing himself
with vengeance, but in a way of entreaty, and meekly beseecheth the
sinner to be reconciled unto him (2 Cor 5:19,20).

It is expected among men that he which giveth the offence should be
the first in seeking peace; but, sinner, betwixt God and man it is not
so; not that we loved God, not that we chose God; but "God was in
Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their
trespasses unto them." God is the first that seeketh peace; and, as I
said, in a way of entreaty he bids his ministers pray you in Christ's
stead; "as though God did beseech you by us, we pray you, in Christ's
stead, be ye reconciled to God." O sinner, wilt thou not open? Behold,
God the Father and his Son Jesus Christ stand both at the door of thy
heart, beseeching there for favour from thee, that thou wilt be
reconciled to them, with promise, if thou wilt comply, to forgive thee
all thy sins. O grace! O amazing grace! To see a prince entreat a
beggar to receive an alms would be a strange sight; to see a king
entreat the traitor to accept of mercy would be a stranger sight than
that; but to see God entreat a sinner, to hear Christ say, "I stand at the
door and knock," with a heart full and a heaven full of grace to bestow
upon him that opens, this is such a sight as dazzles the eyes of angels.
What sayest thou now, sinner? Is not this God rich in mercy? Hath not
this God great love for sinners? Nay, further, that thou mayest not
have any ground to doubt that all this is but complementing, thou hast
also here declared that God hath made his Christ "to be sin for us, who
knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him."
If God would have stuck at anything, he would have stuck at the death
of his Son; but he "delivered him up for us" freely; "how shall he not
with him also freely give us all things?" (Rom 8:32). 11

But this is not all. God doth not only beseech thee to be reconciled to
him, but further, for thy encouragement, he hath pronounced, in thy
hearing, exceeding great and precious promises; "and hath confirmed
it by an oath, that by two immutable things, in which it was
impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who
have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us" (Heb
6:18,19; Isa 1:18; 55:6,7; Jer 51:5).

SECOND. OF MAN'S CARRIAGE TO GOD. Let us come now to
the carriage of these sinners to God, and that from the first day he
beginneth to deal with their souls, even to the time that they are to be
taken up into heaven. And,

First. To begin with God's ordinary dealing with sinners, when at first
he ministereth conviction to them by his Word, how strangely do they
behave themselves! They love not to have their consciences touched;
they like not to ponder upon what they have been, what they are, or
what is like to become of them hereafter; such thoughts they count
unmanly, hurtful, disadvantageous; therefore "they refused to hearken,
and pulled away the shoulder, and stopped their ears, that they should
not hear" (Zech 7,11). And now they are for anything rather than the
Word; an alehouse, a whorehouse, a playhouse, sports, pleasures,
sleep, the world, and what not so they may stave12 off the power of the
word of God.

Second. If God now comes up closer to them, and begins to fasten
conviction upon the conscience, though such conviction be the first
step to faith and repentance, yea, and to life eternal, yet what shifts
will they have to forget them, and wear them off! Yea, although they
now begin to see that they must either turn or burn, 13 yet oftentimes
even then they will study to wave a present conversion: they object,
they are too young to turn yet; seven years hence time enough, when
they are old, or come upon a sick-bed. O what an enemy is man to his
own salvation! I am persuaded that God hath visited some of you
often with his Word, even twice and thrice, and you have thrown
water as fast as he hath by the Word cast fire upon your conscience. 14

Christian, what had become of thee if God had taken thy denial for an
answer, and said, Then will I carry the word of salvation to another,
and he will hear it? Sinner, turn, says God. Lord, I cannot tend15 it,
says the sinner. Turn or burn, says God. I will venture that, says the
sinner. Turn, and be saved, says God. I cannot leave my pleasures,
says the sinner: sweet sins, sweet pleasures, sweet delights, says the
sinner. But what grace is it in God thus to parley with the sinner! O
the patience of God to a poor sinner! What if God should now say,
Then get thee to thy sins, get thee to thy delights, get thee to thy
pleasures, take them for thy portion, they shall be all thy heaven, all
thy happiness, and all thy portion?

Third. But God comes again, and shows the sinner the necessity of
turning now; now or not at all; yea, and giveth the sinner this
conviction so strongly, that he cannot put it off. But behold, the sinner
has one spark of enmity still. If he must needs turn now, he will either
turn from one sin to another, from great ones to little ones, from many
to few, or from all to one, and there stop. But perhaps convictions will
not thus leave him. Why, then, he will turn from profaneness to the
law of Moses, and will dwell as long as God will let him upon his own
seeming goodness. And now observe him, he is a great stickler for
legal performance; now he will be a good neighbour, he will pay
every man his own, will leave off his swearing, the alehouse, his
sports, and carnal delights; he will read, pray, talk of Scripture, and be
a very busy one in religion, such as it is; now he will please God, and
make him amends for all the wrong he hath done him, and will feed
him with chapters, and prayers, and promises, and vows, and a great
many more such dainty dishes as these, persuading himself that now
he must needs be fair for heaven, and thinks besides that he serveth
God as well as any man in England can. 16

But all this while he is as ignorant of Christ as the stool he sits on, and
no nearer heaven than was the blind Pharisee; only he has got in a
cleaner way to hell than the rest of his neighbours are in—"There is a
generation that are pure in their own eyes, and yet is not washed from
their filthiness" (Prov 30:12).

Might not God now cut off this sinner, and cast him out of his sight;
might he not leave him here to his own choice, to be deluded by, and
to fall in his own righteousness, because he "trusteth to it, and
commits iniquity"? (Eze 33:13). But grace, preventing grace,
preserves him. It is true, this turn of the sinner, as I said, is a turning
short of Christ; but,

Fourth. God in this way of the sinner will mercifully follow him, and
show him the shortness of his performances, the emptiness of his
duties, and the uncleanness of his righteousness (Isa 28:20; 64:6).
Thus I speak of the sinner, the salvation of whose soul is graciously
intended and contrived of God; for he shall by gospel light be wearied
out of all; he shall be made to see the vanity of all, and that the
personal righteousness of Jesus Christ, and that only, is it which of
God is ordained to save the sinner from the due reward of his sins. But
behold, the sinner now, at the sight and sense of his own nothingness,
falleth into a kind of despair; for although he hath it in him to presume
of salvation, through the delusiveness of his own good opinion of
himself, yet he hath it not in himself to have a good opinion of the
grace of God in the righteousness of Christ; wherefore he concludeth,
that if salvation be alone of the grace of God, through the
righteousness of Christ, and that all of a man's own is utterly rejected,
as to the justification of his person with God, then he is cast away.
Now the reason of this sinking of heart is the sight that God hath
given him, a sight of the uncleanness of his best performance; the
former sight of his immoralities did somewhat distress him, and make
him betake himself to his own good deeds to ease his conscience,
wherefore this was his prop, his stay; but behold, now God hath taken
this from under him, and now he falls; wherefore his best doth also
now forsake him, and flies away like the morning dew, or a bird, or as
the chaff that is driven with the whirlwind, and the smoke out of a
chimney (Hosea 9:11; 13:3). Besides, this revelation of the emptiness
of his own righteousness, brings also with it a further discovery of the
naughtiness of his heart, in its hypocrisies, pride, unbelief, hardness of
heart, deadness, and backwardness to all gospel and new-covenant
obedience, which sight of himself lies like millstones upon his
shoulders, and sinks him yet further into doubts and fears of
damnation. For, bid him now receive Christ, he answers he cannot, he
dares not. Ask him why he cannot, he will answer he has no faith, nor
hope in his heart. Tell him that grace is offered him freely, he says,
but I have no heart to receive it; besides, he finds not, as he thinks,
any gracious disposition in his soul, and therefore concludes he doth
not belong to God's mercy, nor hath an interest in the blood of Christ,
and therefore dares not presume to believe; wherefore, as I said, he
sinks in his heart, he dies in his thoughts, he doubts, he despairs, and
concludes he shall never be saved.

Fifth. But behold, the God of all grace leaveth him not in this distress,
but comes up now to him closer than ever; he sends the Spirit of
adoption, the blessed Comforter, to him, to tell him, "God is love,"
and therefore not willing to reject the broken in heart; bids him cry
and pray for an evidence of mercy to his soul, and says, "Peradventure
you may be hid in the day of the Lord's anger." At this the sinner takes
some encouragement, yet he can get no more than that which will
hang upon a mere probability, which by the next doubt that ariseth in
the heart is blown quite away, and the soul left again in his first plight,
or worse, where he lamentably bewails his miserable state, and is
tormented with a thousand fears of perishing, for he hears not a word
from heaven, perhaps for several weeks together. Wherefore unbelief
begins to get the mastery of him, and takes off the very edge and spirit
of prayer, and inclination to hear the Word any longer; yea, the devil
also claps in with these thoughts, saying that all your prayers, and
hearing, and reading, and godly company which you frequent, will
rise up in judgment against you at last; therefore better it is, if you
must be damned, to choose as easy a place in hell as you can. The soul
at this, being quite discouraged, thinks to do as it hath been taught,
and with dying thoughts it begins to faint when it goeth to prayer or to
hear the word; but behold, when all hope seems to be quite gone, and
the soul concludes, I DIE, I PERISH, in comes, on a sudden, the Spirit
of God again, with some good word of God, which the soul never
thought of before, which word of God commands a calm in the soul,
makes unbelief give place, encourageth to hope and wait upon God
again; perhaps it gives some little sight of Christ to the soul, and of his
blessed undertaking for sinners. But behold, so soon as the power of
things does again begin to wear off the heart, the sinner gives place to
unbelief, questions God's mercy, and fears damning again; he also
entertains hard thoughts of God and Christ, and thinks former
encouragements were fancies, delusions, or mere think-so's. And why
doth not God now cast the sinner to hell for his thus abusing his mercy
and grace. O no! "He will have mercy on whom he will have mercy,
and he will have compassion on whom he will have compassion";
wherefore "goodness and mercy shall follow him all the days of his
life, that he may dwell in the house of the Lord for ever" (Psa 23:6).

Sixth. God, therefore, after all these provocations, comes by his Spirit
to the soul again, and brings sealing grace and pardon to the
conscience, testifying to it that its sins are forgiven, and that freely,
for the sake of the blood of Christ; and now has the sinner such a sight
of the grace of God in Christ as kindly breaks his heart with joy and
comfort; now the soul knows what it is to eat promises; it also knows
what it is to eat and drink the flesh and blood of Jesus Christ by faith;
now it is driven by the power of his grace to its knees, to thank God
for forgiveness of sins and for hopes of an inheritance amongst them
that are sanctified by faith which is in Christ; now it hath a calm and
sunshine; now "he washeth his steps with butter, and the rock pours
him out rivers of oil" (Job 29:6).

Seventh. But after this, perhaps the soul grows cold again, it also
forgets this grace received, and waxeth carnal, begins again to itch
after the world, loseth the life and savour of heavenly things, grieves
the Spirit of God, woefully backslides, casteth off closet duties quite,
or else retains only the formality of them, is a reproach to religion,
grieves the hearts of them that are awake, and tender of God's name,
&c. But what will God do now? Will he take this advantage to destroy
the sinner? No. Will he let him alone in his apostasy? No. Will he
leave him to recover himself by the strength of his now languishing
graces? No. What then? Why, he will seek this man out till he finds
him, and bring him home to himself again: "For thus saith the Lord
God, Behold, I, even I, will both search my sheep, and seek them out.
As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among the
sheep that are scattered; so will I seek out my sheep, and will deliver
them out of all places where they have been scattered. - I will seek
that which was lost, and bring again that which was driven away, and
will bind up that which was broken, and will strengthen that which
was sick" (Eze 34:11,16).

Thus he dealt with the man that went down from Jerusalem to Jericho,
and fell among thieves; and thus he dealt with the prodigal you read of
also (Luke 10:30-35; 15:20).

Of God's ordinary way of fetching the backslider home I will not now
discourse—namely, whether he always breaketh his bones for his sins,
as he broke David's; or whether he will all the days of their life, for
this, leave them under guilt and darkness; or whether he will kill them
now, that they may not be damned in the day of judgment, as he dealt
with them at Corinth (1 Cor 11:30-32). He is wise, and can tell how to
embitter backsliding to them he loveth. He can break their bones, and
save them; he can lay them in the lowest pit, in darkness, in the deep,
and save them; he can slay them as to this life, and save them. And
herein again appears wonderful grace, that "Israel is not forsaken, nor
Judah of his God, though their land was filled with sin against the
Holy One of Israel" (Jer 51:5).

Eighth. But suppose God deals not either of these ways with the
backslider, but shines upon him again, and seals up to him the
remission of his sins a second time, saying, "I will heal their
backslidings, and love them freely," what will the soul do now?
Surely it will walk humbly now, and holily all its days. It will never
backslide again, will it? It may happen it will not, it may happen it
will; it is just as his God keeps him; for although his sins are of
himself, his standing is of God; I say, his standing, while he stands,
and his recovery, if he falls, are both of God; wherefore, if God leaves
him a little, the next gap he finds, away he is gone again. "My
people," says God, "are bent to backsliding from me." How many
times did David backslide; yea, Jehoshaphat and Peter! (2 Sam 11,24;
2 Chron 19:1-3; 20:1-5; Matt 26:69-71; Gal 2:11-13). As also in the
third of Jeremiah it is said, "But thou hast played the harlot with many
lovers, yet return unto me, saith the Lord" (verse 1). Here is grace! So
many time as the soul backslides, so many times God brings him
again—I mean, the soul that must be saved by grace—he renews his
pardons, and multiplies them. "Lo, all these things worketh God
oftentimes with man" (Job 33:29).

Ninth. But see yet more grace. I will speak here of heart- wanderings,
and of daily miscarriages—I mean, of these common infirmities that
are incident to the best of saints, and that attend them in their best
performances; not that I intend, for I cannot, mention them
particularly, that would be a task impossible; but such there are,
worldly thoughts, unclean thoughts, too low thoughts of God, of
Christ, of the Spirit, words, ways, and ordinances of God, by which a
Christian transgresses many times; may I not say, sometimes many
hundred times a day; yea, for aught I know, there are some saints, and
them not long-lived either, that must receive, before they enter into
life, millions of pardons from God for these; and every pardon is an
act of grace, through the redemption that is in Christ's blood. 17

Seventy times seven times a day we sometimes sin against our
brother; but how many times, in that day, do we sin against God?
Lord, "who can understand his errors? cleanse thou me from secret
faults" [sins], said David. And again, "If thou, Lord, shouldest mark
iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand? But there is forgiveness with thee
that thou mayest be feared" (Matt 18:21,22; Psa 19:12; 130:3,4).

But to mention some of them. Sometimes they question the very being
of God, or foolishly ask how he came to be at first; sometimes they
question the truth of his Word, and suspect the harmony thereof,
because their blind hearts and dull heads cannot reconcile it; yea, all
fundamental truths lie open sometimes to the censure of their unbelief
and atheism; as, namely, whether there be such an one as Christ, such
a thing as the day of judgment, or whether there will be a heaven or
hell hereafter, and God pardons all these by his grace. When they
believe these things, even then they sin, by not having such reverent,
high, and holy thoughts of them as they ought; they sin also by having
too, too good thoughts of themselves, of sin, and the world;
sometimes, let me say, often, they wink too much at known sin, they
bewail not, as they should, the infirmities of the flesh; the itching
inclinations which they find in their hearts after vanity go too often
from them unrepented of. I do not say but they repent them in the
general. But all these things, O how often doth God forgive, through
the riches of his grace!

They sin by not walking answerably to mercies received; yea, they
come short in their thanks to God for them, even then when they most
heartily acknowledge how unworthy they are of them; also, how little
of the strength of them is spent to his praise, who freely poureth them
into their bosoms; but from all these sins are they saved by grace.
They sin in their most exact and spiritual performance of duties; they
pray not, they hear not, they read not, they give not alms, they come
not to the Lord's table, or other holy appointments of God, but in and
with much coldness, deadness, wanderings of heart, ignorance,
misapprehensions, &c. They forget God while they pray unto him;
they forget Christ while they are at his table; they forget his Word
even while they are reading of it.

How often do they make promises to God, and afterwards break them!
Yea, or if they keep promise in show, how much doth their heart even
grudge the performing of them; how do they shuck18 at the cross; and
how unwilling are they to lose that little they have for God, though all
they have was given them to glorify him withal! 19

All these things, and a thousand times as many more, dwell in the
flesh of man; and they may as soon go away from themselves as from
these corruptions; yea, they may sooner cut the flesh from their bones
than these motions of sin from their flesh; these will be with them in
every duty—I mean, some or other of them; yea, as often as they look,
or think, or hear, or speak. These are with them, especially when the
man intends good in so doing: "When I would do good," says Paul,
"evil is present with me." And God himself complains that "every
imagination of the thoughts of the heart of man is only evil," and that
"continually" (Rom 7:21; Gen 6:5).

By these things, therefore, we continually defile ourselves, and every
one of our performances—I mean, in the judgment of the law—even
mixing iniquity with those things which we hallow unto the Lord.
"For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts,
adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness,
deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness; all
these evil things come from within, and defile the man" (Mark 7:21-
23). Now what can deliver the soul from these but grace? "By grace
ye are saved." QUEST. V.—WHAT MIGHT BE THE REASON
MOVED GOD TO ORDAIN AND CHOOSE TO SAVE THOSE
THAT HE SAVETH BY HIS GRACE, RATHER THAN BY ANY
OTHER MEANS?

I come now to answer the fifth question; namely, to show why God
saveth those that he saveth by grace, rather than by any other means.

First. God saveth us by grace, because since sin is in the world, he can
save us no other way; sin and transgression cannot be removed but by
the grace of God through Christ; sin is the transgression of the law of
God, who is perfectly just. Infinite justice cannot be satisfied with the
recompence that man can make; for if it could, Christ Jesus himself
needed not to have died; besides, man having sinned, and defiled
himself thereby, all his acts are the acts of a defiled man; nay, further,
the best of his performances are also defiled by his hands; these
performances, therefore, cannot be a recompence for sin. Besides, to
affirm that God saveth defiled man for the sake of his defiled duties—
for so, I say, is every work of his hand—what is it but to say, God
accepteth of one sinful act as a recompence and satisfaction for
another? (Hag 2:14). But God, even of old, hath declared how he
abominates imperfect sacrifices, therefore we can by no means be
saved from sin but by grace (Rom 3:24).

Second. To assert that we may be saved any other way than by the
grace of God, what is it but to object against the wisdom and prudence
of God, wherein he aboundeth towards them whom he hath saved by
grace? (Eph 1:5-8). His wisdom and prudence found out no other way,
therefore he chooseth to save us by grace.

Third. We must be saved by grace, because else it follows that God is
mutable in his decrees, for so hath he determined before the
foundation of the world; therefore he saveth us not, nor chooseth to
save us by any other way, than by grace (Eph 1:3,4; 3:8-11; Rom
9:23).

Fourth. If man should be saved any other way than by grace, God
would be disappointed in his design to cut off boasting from his
creature; but God's design to cut off boasting from his creature cannot
be frustrated or disappointed; therefore he will save man by no other
means than by grace; he, I say, hath designed that no flesh should
glory in his presence, and therefore he refuseth their works; "Not of
works, lest any man should boast." "Where is boasting then? It is
excluded. By what law? of works? Nay; but by the law of faith" (Eph
2:8,9; Rom 3:24-28).

Fifth. God hath ordained that we should be saved by grace, that he
might have the praise and glory of our salvation; that we should be "to
the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted
in the Beloved" (Eph 1:6). Now God will not lose his praise, and his
glory he will not give to another; therefore God doth choose to save
sinners but by his grace.

Sixth. God hath ordained, and doth choose to save us by grace,
because, were there another way apparent, yet this is the way that is
safest, and best secureth the soul. "Therefore it is of faith, that it might
be by grace; to the end the promise [the promise of eternal
inheritance, (Heb 9:14-16)] might be sure to all the seed" (Rom 4:16).
No other way could have been sure. This is evident in Adam, the
Jews, and, I will add, the fallen angels, who being turned over to
another way than grace, you see in short time what became of them.

To be saved by grace supposeth that God hath taken the salvation of
our souls into his own hand; and to be sure it is safer in God's hand
than ours. Hence it is called the salvation of the Lord, the salvation of
God, and salvation, and that of God.

When our salvation is in God's hand, himself is engaged to
accomplish it for us. 1. Here is the mercy of God engaged for us (Rom
9:15). 2. Here is the wisdom of God engaged for us (Eph 1:7,8). 3.
Here is the power of God engaged for us (1 Peter 1:3-5). 4. Here is the
justice of God engaged for us (Rom 3:24,25). 5. Here is the holiness
of God engaged for us (Psa 89:30-35). 6. Here is the care of God
engaged for us, and his watchful eye is always over us for our good (1
Peter 5:7; Isa 27:1-3).

What shall I say? Grace can take us into favour with God, and that
when we are in our blood (Eze 16:7,8). Grace can make children of
us, though by nature we have been enemies to God (Rom 9:25,26).
Grace can make them God's people which were not God's people (1
Peter 2:9,10). Grace will not trust our own salvation in our own
hands—"He putteth no trust in his saints" (Job 15:15). Grace can
pardon our ungodliness, justify us with Christ's righteousness; it can
put the spirit of Jesus Christ within us, it can help us up when we are
down, it can heal us when we are wounded, it can multiply pardons, as
we, through frailty, multiply transgressions.

What shall I say? Grace and mercy are everlasting. They are built up
for ever. They are the delight of God. They rejoice against judgment.
And therefore it is the most safe and secure way of salvation, and
therefore hath God chosen to save us by his grace and mercy rather
than any other way (Isa 43:25; Rom 3:24,25; Isa 44:2,4; Psa 37:23;
Luke 10:33,34; Isa 55:7,8; Psa 136; 89:2; Mal 3:18; James 2:13).

Seventh. We must be saved by the grace of God, or else God will not
have his will. They that are saved are "predestinated unto the adoption
of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure
of his will, to the praise of the glory of his grace" (Eph 1:5,6).

1. But if it be his will that men should be saved by grace, then to think
of another way is against the will of God. Hence they that seek to
establish their own righteousness are such as are accounted to stand
out in defiance against, and that do not submit to, the righteousness of
God—that is, to the righteousness that he hath willed to be that
through which alone we are saved by grace (Rom 10:3).

2. If it be his will that men should be saved through grace, then it is
his will that men should be saved by faith in that Christ who is the
contrivance of grace; therefore they that have sought to be justified
another way have come short of, and perished notwithstanding, that
salvation that is provided of God for men by grace (Rom 9:31-33).

3. God is not willing that faith should be made void, and the promise
of none effect; therefore they of the righteousness of the law are
excluded: "for if the inheritance be of the law, it is no more of
promise, but God gave it to Abraham by promise" (Rom 4:14 Gal
3:18).

4. God is not willing that men should be saved by their own natural
abilities; but all the works of the law which men do to be saved by,
they are the works of men's natural abilities, and are therefore called
the work of the flesh, but God is not willing that men should be saved
by these, therefore no way but by his grace (Rom 4:1; Gal 3:1-3; Phil
3:3).

Eighth. We must be saved by grace, or else the main pillars and
foundations of salvation are not only shaken, but overthrown—to wit,
election, the new covenant, Christ, and the glory of God; but these
must not be overthrown; therefore we must be saved by grace.

1. Election, which layeth hold of men by the grace of God, God hath
purposed that that shall stand—the election of God standeth sure;
therefore men must be saved by virtue of the election of grace (Rom
9:11; 2 Tim 2:19).

2. The covenant of grace, that must stand—"Brethren, I speak after
the manner of men. Though it be but a man's covenant, yet if it be
confirmed [as this is, by the death of the testator, (Heb 9:16,17)] no
man disannulleth, or addeth thereto"; therefore man must be saved by
virtue of a covenant of grace (Gal 3:15).

3. Christ, who is the gift of the grace of God to the world, he must
stand, because he is a sure foundation, "the same yesterday, to-day,
and for ever"; therefore men must be saved by grace, through the
redemption that is in Christ (Isa 28:16; Heb 13:8).

4. God's glory, that also must stand; to wit, the glory of his grace; for
that he will not give to another; therefore men must so be saved from
the wrath to come, that in their salvation praise may redound to the
glory of his grace.

Ninth. There can be but one will the master in our salvation; but that
shall never be the will of man, but of God; therefore man must be
saved by grace (John 1:13; Rom 9:16).

Tenth. There can be but one righteousness that shall save a sinner; but
that shall never be the righteousness of men, but of Christ (therefore
men must be saved by grace), that imputeth this righteousness to
whom he will.

Eleventh. There can be but one covenant by which men must be
saved; but that shall never be the covenant of the law, for the
weakness and unprofitableness thereof; therefore men must be saved
by the covenant of grace, by which God will be merciful to our
unrighteousnesses, and our sins and iniquities will remember no more
(Heb 8:6-13).

POSTSCRIPT.

A few words by way of use, and so I shall conclude.

THE FIRST USE.

First. Is the salvation of the sinner by the grace of God? Then here
you see the reason why God hath not respect to the personal virtues of
men in the bringing of them to glory. Did I say, personal virtues? How
can they have any to Godward that are enemies to him in their minds
by wicked works? Indeed, men one to another seem to be, some
better, some worse, by nature, but to God they are all alike, dead in
trespasses and sins. 20

We will, therefore, state it again—Are men saved by grace? Then here
you may see the reason why conversion runs at that rate among the
sons of men, that none are converted for their good deeds, nor rejected
for their bad, but even so many of both, and only so many, are brought
home to God as grace is pleased to bring home to him.

1. None are received for their good deeds; for then they would not be
saved by grace, but by works. Works and grace, as I have showed, are
in this matter opposite each to other; if he be saved by works, then not
by grace; if by grace, then not by works (Rom 11). That none are
received of God for their good deeds is evident, not only because he
declares his abhorrence of the supposition of such a thing, but hath
also rejected the persons that have at any time attempted to present
themselves to God in their own good deeds for justification. This I
have showed you before.

2. Men are not rejected for their bad deeds. This is evident by
Manasseh, by the murderers of our Lord Jesus Christ, by the men that
you read of in the nineteenth of the Acts, with many others, whose
sins were of as deep a dye as the sins of the worst of men (2 Chron
33:2,13; Acts 2:23,41; 19:19).

Grace respecteth, in the salvation of a sinner, chiefly the purpose of
God; wherefore those that it findeth under that purpose, those it
justifies freely, through the redemption that is in Jesus Christ. At
Saul's conversion, Ananias of Damascus brought in a most dreadful
charge against him to the Lord Jesus Christ, saying, "Lord, I have
heard by many of this man, how much evil he hath done to thy saints
at Jerusalem; and here he hath authority from the chief priests to bind
all that call on thy name." But what said the Lord unto him? "Go thy
way, for he is a chosen vessel unto me" (Acts 9:13-15). This man's
cruelty and outrage must not hinder his conversion, because he was a
chosen vessel. Men's good deeds are no argument with God to convert
them; men's bad deeds are no argument with him to reject them. I
mean, those that come to Christ, by the drawings of the Father;
besides, Christ also saith, "I will in no wise cast" such "out." (John
6:37-44).

Second. Is the salvation of the sinner by the grace of God? Then here
you see the reason why some sinners, that were wonderfully averse to
conversion by nature, are yet made to stoop to the God of their
salvation. Grace takes them to do, because grace hath designed them
to this very thing. Hence some of the Gentiles were taken from among
the rest; God granted them repentance unto life, because he had taken
them from among the rest, both by election and calling, for his name
(Acts 11:18; 15:14). These men that were not a people, are thus
become the people of God; these men that were not beloved for their
works, were yet beloved by the grace of God. "I will call them my
people which were not my people; and her beloved which was not
beloved." But their minds are averse. But are they the people on
whom God doth magnify the riches of his grace? Why, then, they
shall be, in the day of his power, made willing, and be able to believe
through grace (Psa 110:3; Rom 9:25; Acts 18:27). But doth the guilt
and burden of sin so keep them down that they can by no means lift
up themselves? Why, God will, by the exceeding greatness of that
power by which he raised Christ from the dead, work in their souls
also by the Spirit of grace, to cause them to believe and to walk in his
ways (Eph 1:18-20).

Paul tells us, in that epistle of his to the Corinthians, that it was by
grace he was what he was—"By the grace of God I am what I am,"
says he, "and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain"
(1 Cor 15:10). This man kept always in his mind a warm
remembrance of what he was formerly by nature, and also how he had
added to his vileness by practice; yea, moreover, he truly concluded in
his own soul, that had not God, by unspeakable grace, put a stop to his
wicked proceedings, he had perished in his wickedness; hence he lays
his call and conversion at the door of the grace of God—"When it
pleased God," says he, "who separated me from my mother's womb,
and called me by his grace, to reveal his Son in me" (Gal 1:15,16). and
hence it is, again, that he saith, "He obtained grace and apostleship";
grace to convert his soul, and the gifts and authority of an apostle, to
preach the gospel of the grace of God.

This blessed man ascribes all to the grace of God. 1. His call he
ascribes to the grace of God. 2. His apostleship he ascribes to the
grace of God. 3. And all his labour in that charge he also ascribes to
the grace of God.

This grace of God it was that which saved from the beginning. 1.
Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord, and was therefore converted
and preserved from the flood (Gen 6:8). 2. Abraham found grace in
the sight of the Lord, and therefore he was called out of his country
(Gen 12:1,2). 3. Moses found grace in the eyes of the Lord, and
therefore he must not be blotted out of God's book (Exo 33:12,17).

Neither may it be imagined that these men were, before grace laid
hold on them, better than other men; for then they would not have
been saved by grace; grace should not have had the dominion and
glory of their salvation. But, as Paul says of himself, and of those that
were saved by grace in his day, "What then? are we better than they?
No, in no wise; for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles that
they are all under sin" (Rom 3:9). So it may be said of these blessed
ones; for indeed this conclusion is general, and reacheth all the
children of men, Christ Jesus alone only excepted. But,

Third. Is the salvation of the sinner by the grace of God? Then here
you may see the reason why one backslider is recovered, and another
left to perish in his backsliding.

There was grace for Lot, but none for his wife; therefore she was left
in her transgression, but Lot was saved notwithstanding. There was
grace for Jacob, but none for Esau; therefore Esau was left in his
backsliding, but Jacob found mercy notwithstanding. There was grace
for David, but none for Saul; therefore David obtained mercy, and
Saul perished in his backsliding. There was grace for Peter, but none
for Judas; therefore Judas is left to perish in his backsliding, and Peter
is saved from his sin. That text stands good to none but those that are
elect by grace—"Sin shall not have dominion over you; for ye are not
under the law, but under grace" (Rom 6:14).

It will be said, repentance was found in one, but not in the other. Well,
but who granted and gave the one repentance; The Lord turned, and
looked upon Peter; he did not turn and look upon Judas; yea, the Lord
told Peter before he fell that he should follow him to the kingdom of
heaven, but told him that he should deny him first; but withal told him
also he should not let his heart be troubled, that is, utterly dejected, for
he would go and prepare a place for him, and come again and receive
him to himself (John 13:36-38; 14:1-3). That is a blessed word of
God, "The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and he
delighteth in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast
down; for the Lord upholdeth him with his hand" (Psa 37:23,24).

THE SECOND USE.

My second use shall be to them that are dejected in their souls at the
sight and sense of their sins.

First. Are they that are saved, saved by grace? Then they that would
have their guilty consciences quieted, they must study the doctrine of
grace.

It is Satan's great design either to keep the sinner senseless of his sins,
or if God makes him sensible of them, then to hide and keep from his
thoughts the sweet doctrine of the grace of God, by which alone the
conscience getteth health and cure; "for everlasting consolation, and
good hope" is given "through grace" (1 Thess 2:16). How then shall
the conscience of the burdened sinner by rightly quieted, if he
perceiveth not the grace of God?

Study, therefore, this doctrine of the grace of God. Suppose thou hast
a disease upon thee which is not to be cured but by such or such
medicines, the first step to thy cure is to know the medicines. I am
sure this is true as to the case in hand; the first step to the cure of a
wounded conscience is for thee to know the grace of God, especially
the grace of God as to justification from the curse in his sight.

A man under a wounded conscience naturally leaneth to the works of
the law, and thinks God must be pacified by something that he should
do, whereas the Word says, "I will have mercy and not sacrifice: for I
am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance" (Matt
9:13).

Wherefore thou must study the grace of God. "It is a good thing,"
saith the apostle, "that the heart be established with grace"; thereby
insinuating that there is no establishment in the soul that is right but
by the knowledge of the grace of God (Heb 13:9).

I said, that when a man is wounded in his conscience, he naturally
leaneth to the works of the law; wherefore thou must therefore be so
much the more heedful to study the grace of God; yea, so to study it as
rightly, not only in notion, but in thy practices, to distinguish it from
the law. "The law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by
Jesus Christ" (John 1:17). Study it, I say, so as to distinguish it, and
that, not only from the law, but from all those things that men
blasphemously call this grace of God.

There are many things which men call the grace of God, that are not.

1. The light and knowledge that are in every man. 2. That natural
willingness that is in man to be saved. 3. That power that is in man by
nature to do something, as he thinketh, towards his own salvation.

I name these three; there are also many other which some will have
entitled the grace of God. But do thou remember that the grace of God
is his goodwill and great love to sinners in his Son Jesus Christ; "by
the which" good "will we are sanctified, through the offering of the
body of Jesus Christ once for all" (Heb 10:10).

Again; when thou hast smelt out this grace of God, and canst
distinguish it from that which is not, then labour to strengthen thy soul
with the blessed knowledge of it. "Thou therefore, my son," said Paul,
"be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus" (2 Tim 2:1). Fortify thy
judgment and understanding; but especially labour to get down all into
thy conscience, that that may be "purged from dead works, to serve
the living God."

[Second.] And to enforce this use upon thee yet further, consider, a
man gets yet more advantage by the knowledge of, and by growing
strong in, this grace of God.

1. It ministereth to him matter of joy; for he that knows this grace
aright, he knows God is at peace with him, because he believeth in
Jesus Christ, who by grace tasted death for every man; "by whom also
we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice
in hope of the glory of God" (Rom 5:2). And indeed what joy or what
rejoicing is like rejoicing here? To rejoice in hope of the glory of God,
it is to rejoice in hope to enjoy him for ever, with that eternal glory
that is in him.

2. As it manifesteth matter of joy and rejoicing, so it causeth much
fruitfulness in all holiness and godliness. "For the grace of God that
bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying
ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously,
and godly in this present world" (Titus 2:11,12). Yea, it so naturally
tendeth this way, that it can no sooner appear to the soul, but it
causeth this blessed fruit in the heart and life. "We ourselves also were
sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and
pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another.
But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour appeared"—
what then? Why then, he that believeth, being justified by his grace,
and expecting to be an heir according to the hope of eternal life, is
"careful to maintain good works" (Titus 3:3- 8). See also that in Paul's
epistle to the Colossians—"We give thanks," says he, "to God and the
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, since we
heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love which ye have to all
the saints, for the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye
heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel; which is come unto
you, as it is in all the world; and bringeth forth fruit, as it doth also in
you, since the day ye heard of it, and knew the grace of God in truth"
(Col 1:3-6).

3. The knowledge of, and strength that comes by, the grace of God is
a sovereign antidote against all, and all manner of delusions that are or
may come into the world. Wherefore Peter, exhorting the believers to
take heed that they were not carried away with the errors of the
wicked, and so fall from their own steadfastness, adds, as their only
help, this exhortation—"But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of
our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ" (2 Peter 3:18).

(1.) Suppose it should be urged, that man's own righteousness saveth
the sinner; why, then, we have this at hand—God "hath saved us, and
called us, not according to our works, but according to his own
purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ" &c. (2 Tim 1:9).

(2.) Suppose it should be urged, that by the doctrine of free grace we
must not understand God's extending free forgiveness as far as we
have or do sin; the answer is—"But where sin abounded, grace did
much more abound: that as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might
grace reign through righteousness," through the justice of God being
satisfied by his Son, "unto eternal life" (Rom 5:20,21).

(3.) Suppose it should be urged, that this is a doctrine tending to
looseness and lasciviousness; the answer is ready—"What shall we
say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God
forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?"
for the doctrine of free grace believed is the most sin-killing doctrine
in the world (Rom 6:1,2).

(4.) Suppose men should attempt to burden the church of God with
unnecessary ceremonies, and impose them, even as the false apostles21
urged circumcision of old, saying, Unless you do these things, ye
cannot be saved; why, the answer is ready—"Why tempt ye God, to
put a yoke upon the necks of the disciples, which neither our fathers
nor we were able to bear? But we believe that through the grace of the
Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they" (Acts 15:1,10,11).
But not to enlarge, 22

[Third.] This doctrine, "By grace ye are saved," it is the only remedy
against despairing thoughts at the apprehension of our own
unworthiness; as,

1. Thou criest out, O cursed man that I am! my sins will sink me into
hell.

Answ. Hold, man; there is a God in heaven that is "the God of all
grace" (1 Peter 5:10). Yet thou art not the man of all sin. If God be the
God of all grace, then if all the sins in the world were thine, yet the
God of all grace can pardon, or else it should seem that sin is stronger
in a man penitent, to damn, than the grace of God can be to save.

2. But my sins are of the worst sort—blasphemy, adultery,
covetousness, murder, &c.

Answ. "All manner of sins and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men,
wherewithsoever they shall blaspheme.—Let the wicked forsake his
way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; and let him return unto
the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he
will abundantly pardon" (Matt 12:31; Mark 3:28; Isa 55:7,8).

3. But I have a stout and rebellious heart, a heart that is far from good.

Answ. "Hearken unto me," saith God, "ye stout-hearted, that are far
from righteousness: I bring near my righteousness"; that is, the
righteousness of Christ, by which stout-hearted sinners are justified,
though ungodly (Isa 46:12,13; Phil 3:7,8; Rev 4:5).

4. But I have a heart as hard as any stone.

Answ. "A new heart also will I give you," says God, "and a new spirit
will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your
flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh" (Eze 36:26).

5. But I am as blind as a beetle; I cannot understand anything of the
gospel.

Answ. "I will bring the blind by a way that they know not; I will lead
them in paths that they have not known: I will make darkness light
before them, and crooked things straight. These things will I do unto
them, and not forsake them" (Isa 42:16).

6. But my heart will not be affected with the sufferings and blood of
Christ.

Answ. "I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants
of Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall
look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him,
as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as
one that is in bitterness for his first-born" (Zech 12:10).

7. But though I see what is like to become of me if I find not Christ,
yet my spirit, while I am thus, will be running after vanity,
foolishness, uncleanness, wickedness.

Answ. "Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be
clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols will I cleanse
you" (Eze 36:25).

8. But I cannot believe in Christ.

Answ. But God hath promised to make thee believe. "I will also leave
in the midst of thee an afflicted and poor people, and they shall trust
in the name of the Lord." And again, "There shall be a root of Jesse,
and he that shall rise to reign over the Gentiles, in him shall the
Gentiles trust" (Zeph 3:12; Rom 15:12).

9. But I cannot pray to God for mercy.

Answ. But God hath graciously promised a spirit of prayer—"Yea,
many people and strong nations shall come to seek the Lord of hosts
in Jerusalem, and to pray before the Lord.—They shall call on my
name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people; and they shall
say, The Lord is my God" (Zech 8:22; 12:10; 13:9).

10. But I cannot repent. Answ. "The God of our fathers raised up
Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree. Him hath God exalted
with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance
to Israel, and forgiveness of sins" (Acts 5:30,31).

Thus might I enlarge, for the holy Bible is full of this exceeding grace
of God. O these words, "I will" and "you shall"! they are the language
of a gracious God; they are promises by which our God has engaged
himself to do that for poor sinners which would else be left undone for
ever.

THE THIRD USE.

Are they that are saved, saved by grace? Then let Christians labour to
advance God's grace. FIRST. In heart. SECOND. In life.

FIRST. In heart; and that in this manner—

First. Believe in God's mercy through Jesus Christ, and so advance
the grace of God; I mean, venture heartily, venture confidently, for
there is a sufficiency in the grace of God. Abraham magnified the
grace of God when "he considered not his own body now dead, -
neither yet the deadness of Sarah's womb: he staggered not at the
promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory
to God" (Rom 4:19,20).

Second. Advance it by heightening of it in thy thoughts. Have always
good and great thoughts of the grace of God; narrow and slender
thoughts of it are a great disparagement to it.

And to help thee in this matter, consider—1. This grace is compared
to a sea—"And thou will cast all their sins into the depths of the sea"
(Micah 7:19). Now a sea can never be filled by casting into it. 23

2. This grace is compared to a fountain, to an open fountain—"In that
day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David, and to the
inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin and for uncleanness." Now a fountain
can never be drawn dry (Zech 12:1). 3. The Psalmist cries out
concerning the grace and mercy of God, "It endureth for ever"; he
says so twenty-six times in one psalm. Surely he saw a great deal in it,
surely he was taken a great deal with it (Psa 136). 4. Paul says the
God of all grace can do more than "we ask or think" (Eph 3:20). 5.
Therefore as God's Word says, so thou shouldst conclude of the grace
of God.

Third. Come boldly to the throne of grace by hearty prayer; for this is
the way also to magnify the grace of God. This is the apostle's
exhortation, "Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace,
that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need"
(Heb 4:16). See here a little, and wonder.

We have been all this while discoursing of the grace of God; and now
we are come to his throne, as Job says, "even to his seat"; and behold,
"that is a throne of grace." O, when a God of grace is upon a throne of
grace, and a poor sinner stands by and begs for grace, and that in the
name of a gracious Christ, in and by the help of the Spirit of grace,
can it be otherwise but such a sinner must obtain mercy and grace to
help in time of need? But not to forget the exhortation, "Come
boldly." Indeed, we are apt to forget this exhortation; we think, seeing
we are such abominable sinners, we should not presume to come
boldly to the throne of grace; but yet so we are bidden to do; and to
break a commandment here is as bad as to break it in another place.

You may ask me, What is it to come boldly? [I] answer—

1. It is to come confidently—"Let us draw near with a true heart, in
full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil
conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water" (Heb 10:22).

2. To come boldly, it is to come frequently—"At morning, at noon,
and at night, will I pray." We use to count them bold beggars that
come often to our door.

3. To come boldly, it is to ask for great things when we come. That is
the bold beggar that will not only ask, but also choose the thing that
he asketh.

4. To come boldly, it is to ask for others as well as ourselves, to beg
mercy and grace for all the saints of God under heaven as well as for
ourselves—"Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the
Spirit - for all saints" (Eph 6:18).

5. To come boldly, it is to come and take no nay; thus Jacob came to
the throne of grace—"I will not let thee go except thou bless me" (Gen
32:26).

6. To come boldly, it is to plead God's promises with him both in a
way of justice and mercy, and to take it for granted God will give
us—because he hath said it—whatever we ask in the name of his Son.

Fourth. Labour to advance God's grace in thy heart, by often
admiring, praising, and blessing God in secret for it; God expects it—
"Whoso offereth praise glorifieth me," says he. "By Jesus Christ
therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually; that is,
the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to his name" (Psa 50:23; Heb
13:15).

SECOND. [In life.] But again; as we should advance this grace in our
hearts, so we should do it in our life. We should in our conversation
adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things. It is a great word
of the apostle, "Only let your conversation be as it becometh the
gospel of Christ," which is the gospel of the grace of God (Phil 1:27).
God expecteth that there should in our whole life be a blessed tang24
of the gospel, or that in our life among men there should be preached
to them the grace of the gospel of God.

The gospel shows us that God did wonderfully stoop and condescend
for our good; and to do accordingly, it is to stoop and condescend to
others.

The gospel shows us that there was abundance of pity, love, bowels,
and compassion in God towards us; and accordingly we should be full
of bowels, pity, love, and compassion to others.

The gospel shows us that in God there is a great deal of willingness to
do good to others.

The gospel shows us that God acteth towards us according to his truth
and faithfulness, and so should we be in all our actions one to another.

By the gospel, God declares that he forgiveth us ten thousand talents,
and we ought likewise to forgive our brother the hundred pence.

And now, before I conclude this use, let me give you a few heart-
endearing considerations to this so good and so happy a work.

[Heart-endearing Considerations.]

First. Consider, God hath saved thee by his grace. Christian, God hath
saved thee, thou hast escaped the lion's mouth, thou art delivered from
wrath to come; advance the grace that saves thee, in thy heart and life.

Second. Consider, God left millions in their sins that day he saved
thee by his grace; he left millions out, and pitched upon thee; it may
be hundreds also, yea, thousands, were in the day of thy conversion
lying before him under the preaching of the word as thou wert, yet he
took thee. 25 Considerations of this nature affected David much; and
God would have them affect thee, to the advancing of his grace in thy
life and conversation (Psa 78:67-72; Deu 7:7).

Third. Consider, perhaps the most part of those that God refused that
day that he called thee by his grace were, as to conversation, far better
than ever thou wert—I was a blasphemer, I was a persecutor, I was an
injurious person, but I obtained mercy! O this should affect thy heart,
this should engage thy heart to study to advance this grace of God (1
Tim 1:14,15).

Fourth. Perhaps in the day of thy conversion thou wast more unruly
than many. Like a bullock unaccustomed to the yoke, hardly tamed,
thou wast brought home by strong hands; thou wouldst not drive, the
Lord Jesus must take thee up, lay thee upon his shoulder, and carry
thee home to his Father's house. This should engage thy heart to study
to advance the grace of God (Luke 15:1-6).

Fifth. It may be many did take even offence at God in his converting
and saving of thee by his grace, even as the elder son was offended
with his father for killing the fatted calf for his brother, and yet that
did not hinder the grace of God, nor make God abate his love to thy
soul. This should make thee study to advance the grace of God in thy
heart and life (Luke 15:21-32).

Sixth. Consider again, that God hath allowed thee but a little time for
this good work, even the few days that thou hast now to live—I mean,
for this good work among sinful men, and then thou shalt go to
receive that wages that grace also will give thee for thy work to thy
eternal joy.

Seventh. Let this also have some place upon thy heart—every man
shows subjection to the god that he serveth; yea, though that god be
none other but the devil and his lusts; and wilt not thou, O man! saved
of the Lord, be much more subject "to the Father of spirits, and
live"?26

Alas! they are pursuing their own damnation, yet they sport it, and
dance all the way they go. They serve that "god" (Satan) with
cheerfulness and delight, who at last will plunge them into the
everlasting gulf of death, and torment them in the fiery flames of hell;
but thy God is the God of salvation, and to God thy Lord belong the
issues from death. Wilt not thou serve him with joyfulness in the
enjoyment of all good things, even him by whom thou art to be made
blessed for ever?

Object. This is that which kills me—honour God I cannot; my heart is
so wretched, so spiritless, and desperately wicked, I cannot.

Answ. What dost thou mean by cannot? 1. If thou meanest thou hast
no strength to do it, thou hast said an untruth, for "greater is he that is
in you, than he that is in the world" (1 John 4:4). 2. If thou meanest
thou hast no will, then thou art out also; for every Christian, in his
right mind, is a willing man, and the day of God's power hath made
him so (Psa 110:3). 3. If thou meanest that thou wantest wisdom, that
is thine own fault—"If any man lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that
giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not" (James 1:5).

Object. I cannot do things as I would.

Answ. No more could the best of the saints of old—"To will is present
with me," said Paul; "but how to perform that which is good I find
not." And again, "The flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit
against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other, so that ye
cannot do the things that ye would" (Rom 7:18; Gal 5:17).

And here indeed lies a great discovery of this truth, "ye are saved by
grace"; for the children of God whilst here, notwithstanding their
conversion to God, and salvation by Christ through grace, are so
infirm and weak by reason of a body of death that yet remaineth in
them, that should even the sin that is in the best of their performances
be laid to their charge, according to the tenor of a covenant of works,
they would find it impossible ever to get into glory. But why do I talk
thus? It is impossible that those that are saved by grace should have
their infirmities laid to their charge as afore, "for they are not under
the law"; they are included by the grace of God in the death and blood
of the Son of God, who ever liveth to make intercession for them at
the right hand of God; whose intercession is so prevalent with the
Father as to take away the iniquity of our holy things from his sight,
and to present us holy, and unreprovable, and unblamable in his sight.
To him, by Christ Jesus, through the help of the blessed Spirit of
grace, be given praise, and thanks, and glory, and dominion, by all his
saints, now and for ever. Amen.

FOOTNOTES:

1 General course of manners, behaviour, deportment, especially as it
regards morals (see Phil 1:27, 1 Peter 1:15).

2 Their conduct proved to the living that they were dead, they
themselves having no feeling or sense of spiritual life; but, when
quickened, their penitence and good works were brought into
existence by Divine power; they feel the joys of salvation, but feel
also their total unworthiness of this new creating power, and sing, "O
to grace how great a debtor!"—Ed.

3 The hospital of St. Mary Bethlem, vulgarly called "Bedlam,"
bestowed, in 1545, upon the citizens of London, who appropriated it
to the reception of lunatics. It being the only public hospital for that
class of the afflicted in England, it gave the name of "bedlam" to all
whose conduct could only be accounted for on the score of
madness.—Ed.

4 The person who writes this, was a singular instance of the truth of
our author's remark; having been twice providentially preserved from
drowning, and once from the fatal effects of a violent fever, before
effectual saving grace had reached his soul. The same rich and
abundant mercy follows all the elect, quickens them when dead, saves
them when lost, and restores them when ruined. God hath chosen us
unto salvation, and enables us to live holily on earth, in order to a life
of happiness in heaven. The Father's good will and pleasure is the
only fountain from whence the salvation of believers flows; and such
as are given to Christ by the Father he considers as his charge, and
stands engaged for their preservation; and the death of Christ for
sinners, is an evident demonstration of the love of God the Father, and
the Lord Jesus Christ, towards them; this love manifested in time was
in and upon the heart of God before the world began.—Mason. What
a multitude of unseen dangers, both spiritual and temporal, the
Christian escapes before he is called!—Ed.

5 "Rarely," finely, nicely.

6 A safe-conduct is a military term, either a convoy or guard for
protection in an enemy's land, or a passport, by the sovereign of a
country, to enable a subject to travel with safety.—Imperial Dict.—
Ed.

7 What amazing love! Christ visited this poor beggar, yea, was formed
in him the hope of glory; his body, so miserable in the sight of man,
was a temple of the Holy Ghost, and the angels carry his soul to
heaven. O the riches of grace!—Ed.

8 What heart can conceive the glorious worship of heaven? The new
song shall be as the voice of many waters, and a great thunder, when
the "ten thousand times ten thousand and thousand of thousands" shall
sing, "Worthy is the Lamb that was slain, to receive power, and
riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and blessing." O that
my poor voice may join that celestial choir!—Ed.

9 The fear of the Lord—an ornament of grace unto thy head, and
chains about thy neck, and life unto thy soul.—Solomon.

10 "Their appearance and themselves"; this beautiful illustration might
escape the reader's notice, unless specially directed to it. The living
creatures were always the same, although seen under different
circumstances, and in diverse places. Inside and out they were the
same; without deviation or turning, they went straight forward. It is
well said that Bunyan has here snatched a grace beyond the reach of
art, and has applied it to exalt and beautify consistency of Christian
character.—Ed.

11 This is one of Bunyan's peculiarly affecting representations, which
in preaching went to the heart, producing intense interest, and tears of
contrition over the stubbornness of human nature. Reader, Bunyan,
being dead, yet speaketh; can you feel unaffected under such an
appeal?—Ed.

12 "To stave," to thrust, to push, to delay.—Ed.

13 These terms are taken from Foxe's Martyrology. It was frequently
the brutal remark of the Judges, You must turn or burn. Bunyan here
applies it to turning from sin or burning in hell.—Ed.

14 This treatise having been written some years after the Pilgrim's
Progress, Bunyan very naturally refers to the well- known scene in
the Interpreter's House, where the fire is kept burning by oil from
behind the wall, in spite of all the water thrown upon its flames.—Ed.

15 "To tend," to watch, to guard, to attend.—Ed.

16 How pointedly, how admirably, does this illustrate the fond
absurdities, the extreme follies of the human heart! "To serve God
with such dainty dishes," the cleanest being befouled with sin. "A
cleaner way to hell than our neighbours!"—Ed.

17 O how humbling a consideration! Our sins are numberless, of
omission, of commission, openly and secretly; nay, in a thousand
cases they escape the sinner's observation. "Cleanse thou me from
secret faults."—Ed.

18 "Shuck," to shake or start back.—Ed.

19 In Bunyan's time, the saints of God were sorely tormented by
penalties, fines, and imprisonments. It required great faith in a
mother, who saw all her goods seized, for not going to church, the
incarnate devils throwing the milk that was warming for her infant on
the dunghill, and the skillet in which it was contained into the cart,
answering her prayers for mercy on her babe. Let the brat of a heretic
starve.—Ed.

20 How abasing and humbling to human pride is it thus to conceive,
that all have sinned, and, in the sight of God, are hell- deserving.
What! says the honourable man, must I take mercy upon no higher
consideration than the thief on the cross? Or the highly virtuous dame,
Must I sue for mercy upon the same terms as the Magdalene? The
faithful answer to both is, YES, or you must perish.—Ed.

21 "False apostles," mentioned in Acts 15, who would have blended
Jewish observances with Christianity, and have brought the converts
into misery and thraldom. They are specially referred to in 2
Corinthians 11:13, "false apostles," deceitful workers, that devour you
and take from you (verse 20). In contradistinction to Paul, who was
"chargeable to no man" (verse 9).—Ed.

22 We must not for a moment imagine that Bunyan was afraid of
temporal consequences, which prevents his enlarging upon this part of
his subject. His contemptuous answer to Fowler for attacking the
doctrine of justification, although a great man with the state, and soon
afterwards made a bishop, is a proof that he was a stranger to the fear
of man. He had said enough, and therefore there was no need to
enlarge.—Ed.

23 How does Bunyan here exhibit the perfection as well as the freeness
of the pardon that Micah celebrates! That which is sunk in the depths
of the sea is lost for ever.—Ed.

24 "Tang," taste, touch, savour, flavour, relish, tone, sound. A word of
extensive meaning, but now nearly obsolete. "No tang of
prepossession or fancy appears in the morality of our Saviour or his
apostles."—Locke.—Ed.

25 What can I render unto thee, my God, for such unspeakable
blessedness? The cattle upon a thousand hills, yea, all creation, all that
I have and am, is thine: all that I can do is "to take the cup of salvation
and call upon the name of the Lord." Not unto us, but unto thy name,
be all the praise and honour of salvation!—Ed.

26 In the edition of 1692, this sentence is "subject to the Father of spirits and
love." It is a very singular mode of expression to call God "the Father of
love." God is love, and that author and source of all holy love. Bunyan was
at all times governed by Scripture phrases, with which his mind was so
richly imbued as to cause him, if we may so speak, to live in a scriptural
atmosphere; and this sentence bears a great affinity to Hebrews 12:9, "Shall
we not much rather be in subjection to the Father of spirits, and live." I have
been, for these reasons, induced to consider the letter o in "love" a
typographical error, and have altered the word to "live," but could not take
such a liberty without a public notice.—Ed.