Now, whether such considerations as these, of the oblation and intercession of Christ, do not fill his love in them with a more constraining efficacy, and more draw out the hearts of the saints unto faith and love, than any instruction can do informing men of the uselessness of the one or other of these eminent acts of his mediation for any of the ends and purposes mentioned, let be- lievers judge. That which men repose upon in their greatest neces- sities, and for the things of the greatest concernment, thereof they have the greatest valuation, and the thoughts of it are most fixed in their minds. What is there of so great concernment in this world unto the saints as their abiding with God unto the end? How many,
400 DOCTRINE OF THE SAINTS' PERSEVERANCE. [CHAP.
how great, urging, pressing, are the difficulties, dangers, trouhles, they meet witlial in their so doing! What, then, they have most frequent recourse unto, and what they rest most upon under their pressures, in the things of that concernment hefore mentioned, that will deserve the name of their treasure, where their hearts will and ought to be. Now, if this (setting aside, as things of no consideration in such a case, the purposes, covenant, and promises of God, the oblation and inter- cession of the Lord Christ) be men's own rational abilities to con- sider what is for their good, and what will be hurtful and destructive to them, what can hinder but that men will, yea, and that they often should, spend the flower and best of their affections upon and about themselves and their own wisdom in and for their preservation ? — that doubtless will take up their hearts and thoughts, so that there will be very little room left for the entertainment of the Lord Jesus Christ with any regard or respect on this account. If that, then, may pass which was formerly laid down, — namely, that the doctrines and things which are apt and suited to the ingenerating, quickening, in- creasing, and building up, of faith and love towards God and our Lord Jesus Christ, are the most eminent gospel motives to spiritual, acceptable obedience (as it is an unquestionable truth and certainty), — doubtless that doctrine which represents the Father and Son so rich in mercy, so loving and lovely to the soul, as that doth which we insist upon, must needs have a most effectual influence into that obedience.
(5.) The doctrine insisted on hath an effectual influence into the obedience of the saints, upon the account of giving it its proper place, and setting it aright upon its basis, carrying it on in due order. It neither puts upon it the fetters of the law, nor turns it loose from the holy and righteous rule of it. Let men be as industrious as can be imagined in the performance of all commanded duties, yet if they do it on legal motives and for legal ends, all their performances are vitiated, and all their duties rejected. This the apostle asserts against the Jews, Eom. ix. 31, 82, " They sought for righteousness, but as it were by the works of the law;" and therefore he tells them, chap. X. 3, that " being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, they did not submit to the right- eousness of God." And the Papists will one day find a fire proceed- ing out of their doctrine of merits, consuming all their good works as " hay and stubble.'' There are also many other ways and prin- ciples whereby obedience is vitiated, and rendered an abomination instead of sacrifice, wherein our doctrine is no sharer; but this I raiist not enter into, because it would lead me into other controversies, which witli this I shall not intermix,
(6.) It naturally and sweetly mixeth with all the ordinances of Christ instituted for the end under consideration; in particular, with that great ordinance, the ministry of the gospel, in reference to
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the great fruit and effect of it mentioned Eph. iv. 12, 13, "The perfecting of the saints, the edifying of the body of Christ : till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the ful- ness of Christ/' That which the Lord Jesus aimed at and intended principally in giving pastors and teachei's to his church was, that they might carry on the work of the ministry for the perfecting of the saints, and their filling up the measure allotted unto them ; and this they do by revealing the whole counsel of God unto them, keeping back nothing that is profitable for them ; as was the practice of Paul, Acts XX. 20, 27. Of this counsel or will of God, as by them man- aged, there are two parts: —
[1.] The discovery of God and his will to them, as to the state and condition whereunto he calls them, and which he requires them to come up unto; and this consists in doctrines revealing God and his will, which contain rules and precepts for men to walk by and yield obedience unto.
[2.] That which is suited to the carrying on of men in the state and condition whereunto they are called, according to the mind of God, as also to prevail with them to whom the word doth come to enter into the state of obedience and walking with God ; and this is usually branched into three general heads, of promises, exhortations, and threatenings. The management of these aright with power and efficacy, with evidence and demonstration of the Spirit, is no small part, yea, it is the greatest part, of the work of the ministry, the greatest portion of what is doctrinal in the word or book of God re- lating to these heads. And of this part of that ordinance of Christ, the " ministry of the word," the pressing of men into a state of obe- dience and to a progress in that estate, by promises, exhortations, and threatenings, I shall briefly speak, either by way of demonstra- tion and proof of what lieth before me, or in vindication of what is affirmed in the same kind from the objections and exceptions of him in particular with whom I have to do; aiming still at my former assertion, that the doctrine I have insisted on naturally and clearly closeth with those promises and exhortations, to help on their efficacy and energy for the accomplishment of the work intended.