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what say their rchellious hearts ? Shall I stoop to leave such and such courses that arc pleasurable and gainful ? Hereupon they resist the work of the Holy Ghost in the ministry, when their hearts tell them thero is a readiness in the Holy Ghost, and that ho is sent from Christ and tho Father to work more effectually in them than they arc willing to be wrought upon, and therefore it is they arc damned. ' Thy perdition,' saith tho prophet, ' is of thyself, 0 Israel !' Hosea xiii. 9. Their own consciencca will tell them thus much. So it is no matter what cavils they raise of Christ's intention and God's election. Look thou, man, to thine own heart. Doth not til}' own heart tell thee thou art a rebel, and livest in profano wicked courses, in neglect of holy duties ? Thou earnest thine own sentence and cause of damnation in thy breast, I appeal to the worst, who live in sins against conscience. Here is the ground of thy damnation. There be many ascents and degrees to saving faith. Thou withstandest the beginnings and the motions of the Spirit. If they come in and work upon thy heart any estrangement from sin, thy proud heart begins to rebel, and will not yield. It is the only true obedience which lays itself at tho foot of Christ, and is willing to be led and persuaded in anything so far as frailty will permit, and allows itself in no evil course. This is that which brings sound comfort, which they not doing, therefore are without all excuse.
Obj. If this were not so, they might object another day, Christ did not die for mo, therefore why should I be damned for not believing ?
Aus. Their consciences therefore will tell them, that they used not all means to believe, neither took the degrees of faith ; for God's Spirit doth work after a kind in wicked men, as in the three bad grounds, the word was effectual in divers degrees ; but when it comes to the upshot, they hated not their sins, were worldly minded ; or, the plough had not made fuiTOws deep enough to humble them, to value mercy and Christ above all things, and to hate sin above all. This is enough to justify their condem- nation. Howsoever Christ is offered, and thero is a command to believe, yet their hearts tell them they do not all they might. They must know that God's secret purpose in electing some, and redeeming some, and leaving others, it is hid from the world, as his secx'et will, that is not the rule of our obedience, but God's revealed will and commandment. Therefore men must look unto what God commands. If their conscience tell them that they yield not that obedience which they ought and might, but rather resist the motions of God's Spirit, hereupon comes their damnation to be just. They are commanded to believe. What ! Not to believe remission of their sins ; for know,
1, There is the act of faith ; and 2. The fruit of faith.
Now a wicked man is not fii'st commanded to believe tho forgiveness of his sin, but in this order, in obedience to subordinate duty before. He is commanded to believe that he shall have benefit by Christ, by yielding obe- dience of faith to Christ. The act is one thing, and the fruit is another. Every one is bound to believe and cast himself upon Christ for salvation, but not bound to believe the fruit, unless they have the act.
Obj. But it will be objected, we are not bound to have tho first act of faith to believe ; if we should, it were in vain, we should believe a lie.
Ans. I say no. The gospel runs, whosoever believes in Christ shall have the fruits of the death of Christ, shall have everlasting life. Thus whosoever believes and casts himself upon Christ, doth the act, shall have the fruit. Away with idle questions; What ? Doth the fruit of Christ's death
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belong to me ? Did he die for me ? Go thou to the act ; if thou hast grace to cast thyself upon Christ, and to assent when he offers and invites thee, it is well. Yield the act of faith, and leave questioning of that, which is then put out of question. Reason not this, whether God hath elected, or Christ hath died for thee. This is the secret will of God. But the commandment is, to believe in Christ. This binds. Therefore, yield to Christ when thou art called and bidden to cast thyself upon him ; then thou shalt find, to thy soul's comfort, the fruit of his death.
Caution. Let no man excuse himself by quarrelling against Christ, for not giving himself for all. There is no man condemned, but for not 3'ield- ing obedience in the act of faith, and doing all that his heart tells him he might, but is unwilling to do. It is for rebellion he perishes : as when a malefactor is condemned, who hath a book given him to read, which he refuses to do. His not reading is the cause of his execution and death, as well as his ill deeds which he hath done : his refusing pardon, that he will not read, with the other. Both are causes of his death, because he doth not read, and because he is a malefactor [a). So in this case, when a man will not yield the act of faith, though his other sins will damn him, yet, if he would believe and take the mercy offered, his other sins would not damn him. If men would or could believe, no other sins would hurt them ; but because they do not, their other sins shall be laid to their charge, and their rebellion, that they will not believe, and take the benefit of God's offer. They refuse mercy, because mercy cannot be had without conditions of obedience ; as Christ reproves the Jews, John iii. 19, ' And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.' This is the condemnation, with a witness, the great and main cause of condemnation : they would have heaven, if they might have it with their lusts ; but they will not yield to the act of faith, to take Christ as he is offered unto them, upon his own terms, to be ruled by him, for better and for worse. This they will none of, which is that which damns them. They would single out of Christ what they list.