651. ONE GOD. Unity of the Godhead. It appears that there is but one Creatour and Governour of the world by considering how the world is created & governed The world is evidently so created & governed as to answer but one design in all the different parts of it & in all ages and therefore we may justly argue that tis but one design that orders the world. This appears 1st by the mutual subserviency of all the various parts of the T This great body is as much one, and all the members of it mutually dependent & subservient as in the body of man. one part is so and acts so & is in every respect ordered so as constantly to promote the design that others are made for all the parts help one another & mutually forward each others ends. In all the immense variety of things that there are in the T world every one has such a nature and is so ordered in every respect and circumstance, as to comply with the rest of the universe, and to fall in with & subserve to the purposes of the other parts This argues that tis the same design and contrivance, or the same designing contriving being that makes & orders one part as doth the other. It appears also 2. by this that the same laws of nature obtain throughout the universe Every part of matter every where is governed by exactly the same law which laws are only the appointmt of the governours this argues therefore that they are all governed by one appointment or will. 3. The same laws obtain in all ages without any alteration. There is no alteration seen in any one instance, in all those numberless & infinitely various effects that are the result of those laws in different circumstances This argues that tis not several that have the governmt by turns but that tis one being that has the management of the same things in all ages of the T one design & contrivance. Not only the identity of laws in inanimate beings but in the same sort of animals [-s?] Especially in the nature of man in all men in all ages of the world shows that all men in all ages are in the hands of the same being.

¶Another thing that argues that the world has but one Creatour & governour is the great analogy there is in the works of creation & providence the analogy there is in the bodies of all animals, & in all plants & in the different parts of the inanimate creation & the analogy there is even between the corporeal & spiritual parts of the creation & the analogy in the constitution & governmt of different orders of being this argues that the whole is the fruit of but one wisdom & design. [finis]

 

¶ 652. XTIAN Religion MYSTERIES in Religion. I once told a boy of about 13 years of age that a piece of any matter of two inches square was 8 times so big as one of but one inch square. he seemed at first to think me not in earnest and to suspect that I only went to make a game of him. but when I had taken considerable pains to convince him that I was in earnest & that I knew that I said to be true he seemed to be astonished at my positiveness & cried out of the impossibility & absurdity of it and would argue how was it possible for two inches to be 8 inches and all that I could say did <not> at all prevail upon him to make him believe it. I suppose it seemed to him as great and evident a contradiction as that twice one makes 8 or any other absurdity whatsoever that that <which>[c] was but just twice so long & twice so broad & twice so thick, but just so big every way should yet be 8 times so big<; as that twice one makes 8, or any other absurdity whatsoever. [c]> & when I afterwards shew'd him the truth of it by cutting out two cubes one an inch square [xo E] and another two inches square & let him examine the measures & see that the measures were exact & that there was no deceit & took & cut the two inch cube into 8 equal parts & he counted the parts over & over & took the parts one by one & compared them with the 1 inch cube & spent some time in counting & comparing he seemed to <be [c]> astonished as tho there were some witchcraft in the case and hardly to believe it after all. for he did not yet at all see the reason of it. I believe it was a much more difficult mystery to him that <than [c]> the Trinity ordinarily is to men. & there seemed to him more evidently to be a contradiction in it than ever there did in any mystery of religion, to a Socinian or Deist.

¶& why should we not suppose that there may be some things that are true that may be as much above our understandings & as difficult to them as this truth was to this boy Doubtless there is a vastly greater distance between our understanding & Gods than between this boys & than of the greatest philosopher or mathematician.

 

¶653. WISDOM of God in the W. of REDEMption. CIRCumstances of Xs DEATH. vid No. 621. There are two things that render Xs sufferings wonderfull viz 1. that he should voluntarily endure so great sufferings 2 That he should endure 'em to make attonemt for so great wickedness [E's underlinings] or for those that were so unworthy. but in order to its being properly said that X of his own act & choice, endured so great sufferings to attone for those who were so wicked & hatefull two things were necessary viz that he should be sensible how great those sufferings were to be this was given in his agony. & 2. that he should be sensible, when he offer'd /p. [158]/ himself to suffer or when he suffered How great & hatefull that sin & wickedness of man was that he suffered to attone for or how unworthy those were that he died for the sake of. & in order to this it[ck. MS] was seen fit that his sufferings should be immediately caused by that wickedness. It was the wickedness or[and ?] was seen fit that his sufferings should be immediately caused by that wickedness. It was the wickedness or[and ?] corruption that is in man that X suffered to attone and X had enough to impress upon him a sense of the vileness unreasonableness & hatefullness of mans corruption & wickedness in the time of his suffering For it was the wickedness of man[ck MS] that contrived & effected his sufferings it was the wickedness of men[ck MS] that agreed with Judas It was the wickedness of men that betrayed him & that apprehended & bound him & led him away like a malefactour. It was by mens wickedness that he was deserted & denied by his disciples. It was by mans[ck MS] wickedness that he was arraigned & falsely accused & unjustly judged. It was by mens wickedness he was reproached mocked buffeted & spit upon. It was by mens wickedness that Barabbas was prefer'd before him that he was condemned [and (om E.)] scourged it was mens wickedness that laid the cross on him to bear that nailed him to the cross & put him to so cruel & ignominious a death. This tended to give X an extraordinary sense of the greatness & hatefullness of the sin & depravity, at the time of his suffering to attone for mans sin. [space on line] 1. Because hereby he had in the time of his suffering the corruption & wickedness of men set before him as it is without disguise. It appeared in its proper colours in those that had a hand in his sufferings. here he saw it here he saw its true unreasonableness, injuriousness, falseness baseness & ingratitude (more especially in Judas his sin) in its maliciousness & contempt & devilish nature. Here he saw sin in its true nature which is the utmost hatred & contempt of God here he saw it in its ultimate tendency or aim which is to kill God. X herein saw the sin of men[ck. MS] in its greatest aggravations & highest act. 2. This had a tendency to give him a more lively & strong sense, of the greatness & hatefullness of the sin & corruption of man because he then in those extreme sufferings felt the ill effects of mans[ck. MS] wickedness. it was then directly levelled against him It exerted it self against him to work his reproach & torment & death. which tended to impress a stronger sense of mens hatefull wickedness upon his human nature. The wonderfullness of X dying love appears 1. in that he died for those that were so wicked, & in that & unworthy in themselves. 2. in that he died for those who were not only so wicked but whose wickedness consists in being enemies to him So that [Christ (om. E.)] did not only die for the wicked but for his own enemies. 3. in that [he (om. E.)] was willing to die for his enemies at the same time that he was subject to the utmost exertions & efforts of their enmity in the greatest possible contempt & cruelty towards him & at the same time that he was feeling the utmost effects of it in his own greatest ignominy torment & death. 4. In that he was willing to attone for their being his enemies in those[ck. MS] very sufferings by that very ignominy torment & death that was the fruit of it.

¶The wickedness that caused the sufferings of X tended to give X a sense of the same sin & wickedness that he suffered for. 1. Because this wickedness was but a sample of that corruption & depravity of mankind the sin & corruption of all mankind is of the same nature, Tis the very same corruption that all are born with, the wickedness that is in one mans heart is of the same nature and tendency as that in anothers as in water face answers to face, so the heart of man to man. This therefore was but a sample of that sin of the elect that [Christ (om. E.)] suffered to attone for. 2. Christ sufferd to attone for that individividual [sic] actual wickedness that wrought his sufferings that reproached mocked & buffeted <him> & crucified [him (om. E.)] with respect to some of his crucifiers . that he prayed might be forgiven while they were in the very act of crucifying [mg] of crucifying him & who were afterwards in answer to his prayer converted & forgiven as we have an account in the 2d chap. of Acts. 3 X had in the time of his sufferings set before him the sin of those who were already actually entitled to the benefits of his sufferings which also had a hand in his sufferings as the disciples dullness & unaffectedness in the garden in the time of his agony their basely flying & forsaking him & being afraid & ashamed to own him in the time of his afflictions Peters repeated denying him and at last with oaths & curses when he should have stood up for him & pleaded his cause while others were trampling upon him. [finis]

 

¶654. MYSTERIES of Religion. Absolute DECREES. ORIGINAL SIN &c--. I can concieve, how it should be agreable to divine wisdom & how it should be for [c] <serve> [c] excellent ends <that it should be so ordered> [xo c] that there should be some doctrines taught us in God's words that should be [xo c] <are> [c] very mysterious, & much above our comprehension [xo E] that should [xo c] have difficulties in them, inexplicable by us & particularly that there should be some doctrines very difficult to reconcile with the justice of God. For the time is coming when these mysteries will all be unfolded & then [xo E] the perplexing difficulties that have attended them will all be [xo c] <have> [c] perfectly vanished away as the shades of the night before the sun in a serene [xo c] <clear> [c] hemisphere. & when this time comes the former [xo E?] there <ir> [c changed there to their] having formerly <been> [c] so mysterious & difficult to us will be the occasion of a greater & stronger sense of the truth & knowledge of God now they are unfolded It will heighten in us /p. [159]/ & greatly fix upon our minds a sense of his truth in that he now so clearly appears to be true, altogether [xo E] perfectly true in those things that have had the greatest appearance of falsehood & wherein we have been most liable to temptation to question Gods truth & that have been matter of difficulty to the world for so many ages. & the difficulty & perplexity that has attended those doctrines that have been most difficult to reconcile to Gods justice & goodness will serve to give us a stronger & fuller perswasion & a higher sense of those perfections of God when we see him to be perfectly just & holy in those things that have occasiond the blasphemies of multitudes against those perfections of God & that the whole world & we our selves have been so much perplexed about. when these[ck MS] things shall be fully & perfectly cleared up without any remaining darkness the former darkness & difficulty will add abundantly to the exultation of our hearts & will exceedingly exalt our praises of those divine attributes It will cause us with the more life & joy & greater accent to sing as Rev. 15. 3. Great & marvellous are thy works Lord God Almighty Just & true are thy ways thou King of saints & 16. 7. Even so Lord God Almighty true & righteous are thy judgments. Preceding darkness does wonderfully prepare the mind for a sense of the glory of succeeding light. We should not be sensible of the glory of the light of the morning if no night preceded We should not know how glorious light is if we had no darkness to compare it with I have found something of this effect in my self after I have been [xo c?] by study arrived at a great measure of satisfaction in some doctrines that <have> [E] before were [xo E?] <been> [c] very [xo c] difficult to me It hant [xo c] <has not> [c] only confirmed me in the belief of that doctrine & raised my thoughts of those attributes of God that they seemd most difficult to reconcile <it> [c] with but has confirmed me, in a perswasion of the perfections of God in generally [xo E] and has enliven'd my mind with respect to the whole of religion.

¶The unfolding of these difficult doctrines may wisely be reserved of [xo c] <by> [c] God for <the> [c (om. E.)] future appointed time of joy & glory to the church. God may have designed the full explication of some of them for the glorious times of the church here on earth that we are expecting & there may be that light bestowed with respect to others as may give great satisfaction concerning them but I believe that the perfect & full explication of these mysteries <is a> [c] is [as? xo c] part of the glory of the last & eternal state of the church to heighten the joy & praises of the wedding day of X & his church. [finis] [in mg.: ""Written out under the head Original Sin" Worked over by JE Jr. but not used.]

 

¶655. HABIT OF GRACE. NEW Nature. in what sense man is said to have them See the latter part of my discourse in Answ. to that question <that was proposed to the association,> What is the work of the Spirit in a sinners conversion. [finis]

 

¶656. MISERY of the DAMNED. Tis not properly said that the damned are made strong to bear misery. Such an expression seems to hold forth as tho they were made strong to bear up & keep from sinking under misery whereas this is utterly wrong For the damned in this sense cant bear the misery the misery of hell, it is greater than they can bear Isai 33. 14. Who among us can dwell with the devouring fire who among us can dwell with everlasting burnings Ezek. 22. 14. Can thine heart endure or can thine hands be strong in the day that I shall deal with thee. There is none that in this sense can bear the torments of hell, nor do they in this sense bear them but sink & are crushed under them. God enlarges their capableness of recieving misery or being made miserable, but he dont make em strong to bear misery a giving a man a greater strength to support himself under what oppresses him dont make him more capable of misery But on the contrary it renders him a subject less susceptive of misery & a weakening & disheartening the mind renders it the less able to support it self, & therefore the more liable to the force of what oppresses it or which is the same thing more capable of suffering misery from it. a weaking [sic; A: weakening] the mind or depriving of it of its firmness or fortitude, does in no respect render it capable of a less mis [sic] it dont make it more liable to be destroyed or annihilated I can think of no reason why misery should be supposed to have any tendency to annihilate the soul. The bodies of the damned will be in one sense made stronger so as to last & not be consumed or dissolved with torment, yet they may in another sense be made weaker & more tender as they may be more sensible of torment. [finis]

 

¶657. FREE WILL. To place human liberty in a contingency of the will or the wills having nothing to determine it but its being left to happen this way or that without any determining cause /p. [160]/ is contrary to all use & custom of language, it is as far from the original <all> meaning of the words freedom or liberty, [E's lines] in the original & common acceptation as the East is from the West. the original & proper meaning of a mans being free or at liberty is that he is in such a state, that he may act his pleasure & do what he will, & there never was any other meaning thought of till philosophers & metaphysicians took it in hand to fix a new meaning to the words

¶& besides when liberty in use[?] understood not for this but for that contingency or sovereignty of the will as some call it it not only has not its original true meaning but no meaning at all. the word liberty used in this [a word om?] is without any sense it is a word without any notion or distinct consistent meaning to answer it For for [sic] the will to be determined without any determining cause is what no body has any notion of any more than they have of a things coming out of nothing without any cause. And to suppose that the will does firstly determine it self or determine it self in its first volition or choice is a contradiction for it supposes that there [is (om E.)] a volition or act of the will before the first act which is the determining cause of the first act. [finis] [The line in mg. copyists? prob is.]

 

¶658. vid 597. & 649. XTIANS THE TRUE ISRAEL Indeed it must be confessed that in this affair respect is had to natural generation. For the greater & more visible their relation is to the Fathers unto whom the promises are fulfilled the more evidently is Gods respect to those fathers testified in the fulfillment of those promises & if there be a relation to Abraham & the other fathers otherwise, yet if there be also a relation by natural generation this adds to the relation & renders it more visible. Natural generation is in some measure concern'd, in the relation that all the seed bear to the fathers all are directly or indirectly related to the fathers by natural generation the Gentile Xtians are spiritually from X & the apostles and they were related to the fathers by natural generation <so that natural generation is one thing that intervenes between them & the fathers by which the relation is connected between the extremes> And tho a being directly descended from the fathers by natural generation bent essential to the being the children of Abraham, there are other ways of being related to him far more considerable, yet the more there is of a relation by natural generation the stronger & more visible in some respects is the relation. & therefore, tho the promises are fulfill'd now in the blessings bestowed on the Gentile church yet tis the will of God to fulfill them in such a manner as still in a further degree to shew his respect to the fathers in calling of the nation of the Jew's For when they shall return to the true religion their relation to Abraham Isaac & Jacob will be more visible, & the fulfillment of the promises more conspicuous & remarkeable. See that prophecy Ezek. 47. 22, 23 See Bp. Kidders Dem. Part. 2. p 85. d. e. [finis; refs at end prob. added later.]

 

¶659. JUSTIFICATION. GRACE. TESTAMENTS. DISPENSATIONS. Faith's being the condition of Justification dont express the sense of that phrase in SS of being justified by faith There is a difference between being justified by a thing and that things being the condition of justification we are said to be justified by a thing as that thing has influence in the affair of our justification so that there should be some way a dependence of that effect on its influence so we are said to be justified by faith as God upon the account of faith looks upon it meet that we should be looked upon as having righteousness in the manner as has been elsewhere explain'd. but for any thing to be the condition of justification is to be that with which justification shall be, & without which it shall not be. & God may be said chiefly to give us that as the condition of our justification which is the condition that he most plainly & fully reveals as the sign & evidence of our justification by which we can recieve Gods justification in our consciences. the people of God were alwaies justified by the same thing viz by faith (tho not alwaies in like exercises of it) but this declared condition of justification or that condition which God most fully reveals may be different under different dispensations. thus universal & persevering obedience was the condition chiefly insisted and most fully reveald in the law of Moses, Deut 6. 25. & it shall be our righteousness, if we observe to do all these commandments before the Lord our God as he hath commanded us. So that the saints of old had not that advantage for comfort & assurance as they have now under the gospel of Jesus wherein tis most clearly revealed that every one that believes is already accepted of God to be everlastingly the object of his favour. [finis] [any meaning of diag. line at end?]

 

¶660. CONVERSION. Tis probable that most of the first Xtians that were turn'd to Xtianity from Judaism or heathenism by the preaching of the apostles were savingly converted when they were turn'd & much more commonly than those that are by long reasoning & perswasion turn'd from false religions now For we are to consider that [that (om. E.)] effect of turning them to Xtianity was not done ordinarily by any natural influence of mans[ck MS] but by an extraordinary effusion of the Spirit of God & a supernatural influence upon the minds of those that were turn'd. as is manifest from the extraordinary success [of (om. E.)] the gospel & the swift progress it had against the greatest opposition & disadvantages. if there had been no other than a natural influence of means used tis probable there would not have been one /p. [161]/ proselite where there was a thousand <& commonly when the effect was wrought by so much of the supernatural power of the Sp. the Spirit did not do his work to the halves> & then besides it was a much greater thing then to turn Xtians from other religions than it is now for then Xtianity was a new thing never any thing like it had been heard of before exceeding contrary to the prejudices of the Jews & all notions of the heathen. & it was a religion professed only by a few poor people all the powers of the T were against it. the case is exceeding different now when the greatest powers of the earth & the mightiest nations profess it, & have professed it many ages. Xtianity came first abroad in the world under vast disadvantages, with the news of a crucified man as the founder & head of it. it therefore made a contemptible appearance, in the eyes of carnal man.[ck MS] the crucifixion of X was then a new difficulty there had not been time for solving the difficulty in the eye of the T & to remove the stumbling block by reason & to possess the T with an advantageous notion of it. & in many other respects the difficulties were far greater So that it cant be thought that very many would openly embrace this relig [sic] separating themselves from all the T without a mighty power of the Spirit of God on their hearts changing their very natures. [finis]

 

¶661. CREATION OF THE WORLD why God effected it by Jesus Christ vid Notes on Ephes. 3. 9. [finis]

 

¶662. END OF THE CREATION. GLORY OF GOD. It may be enquired why God would have the exercises of his perfections & expressions of his glory known & published abroad. Ans. It was meet that his attributes & perfections should be expressed. it was the well of God that they should be expressed & should shine forth but if the expressions of his attributes bent known they are not, the very being of the expression depends on the perception of created understandings . & so much the more as the expression is known so much the more it is. [finis]

 

¶ 663. FAITH JUSTIFICATION. If faith justifies or gives us a right to divine benefits, only as tis the act uniting to Christ as a Saviour then it may be enquired why we have so many instances of the Old Testament saints obtaining these & those benefits & blessings by their believing of [xo c] Gods promises & trusting in God that are doubtless recorded as instances of the success of faith & show us that it is by faith that we come to have the [xo c] <his> [c] [of God (om. E.)] & to obtain his blessing and <which> [c] are sometimes mention'd in the New Testament as proofs [xo c?] confirming the doctrines of salvation by faith when yet it does not appear [xo c or E?] they had no distinct respect to X in those acts of faith that are mentioned. they believed in God, & trusted in him without any distinct notion of or respect to a distinction of persons & offices in the Deity. how then can those instances be examples of the success & validity of faith and [xo c?] in the notion of an act by which we are united to X as our Saviour?

¶I answer it was the Lord Jesus Christ the second Person in the Trinity that was wont to appear & to reveal himself to the people of God of old & that manifested himself as the Husband of the church & as the author of all that good & salvation to the saints, that they stood in need of. & by those instances of faith before mentioned they closed with & cleaved to this their God Husband & Saviour in a way agreable to the dispensation they were under & the manner in which X revealed himself to them & according to the manifestations X made of himself as their Saviour & the Author of their good & happiness in those days X manifested himself then to his people more clearly as the author of temporal salvation & benefits & [c] they cleaved to him by faith in his promises as such & were united to him as their Saviour as their spiritual Husband that cared for their welfare & obtained such benefits as X then revealed himself the author of & they trusted in him for. It was notwithstanding only as faith was that whereby they closed with X as a Saviour or author of their good that they by faith obtained the promises they had. Their trusting in God as their helper & the author of their good was their souls cleaving to him & active uniting to him in that character. [finis]

[Not used in MO or MR? punct. & changes by C. Note the problem for Puritan Christology in the placing of Old & New Testaments on same dead level. Breaks down into Justin's doct (as here) or unitarianism]

 

¶664.a.[prob added later] THE GREATNESS OF THE SIN OF UNBELIEF. The sin of unbelief is exceedingly provoking to God because thereby his only begotten Son is contemned & ill treated. & how incensing that must be to the wrath [sic] we may judge, by considering how soon & who greatly Gods wrath was wont to be stir'd up by an ill treatment of the saints they who were but Xs disciples were so dear to God & God set so high a value upon them that he that touched the touched the apple of Gods eye & his wrath was effectually roused by it <despising of them was a great crime Math 18 10. Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones &c--> but how much dearer to God is his only begotten Son, & how much higher a value doth he set upon him. John 3. 18. because he hath not believed on the only begotten Son of G.

¶ Especially if any of the saints came from God with a gracious message to men if they were then treated with indignity, did G. highly resent it. Thus how highly did God resent it when Corah & his company envied Moses & treated him ill & rejected him how terribly were they destroyed But if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth much more shall not we escape if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven. [finis] [No ""out" and apparently no copy. The entry numbered 664 in A is not a copy of this but probably a cross reference. An editorial probl. here in the long insert.]

 

¶664.b. WISDOM of God in the WORK OF REDEMPTION. FALL OF ANGELS FALL OF MAN. CONFIRMATION of the ANGELS Xs. RIGHTEOUSNESS or OBEDIENCE. DEATH & sufferings of X. DAY OF JUDGMENT. CONSUMMATION of all things. SEPARATE Spirits

[§ nos in mg. added later ?]

¶§1) Tis the will of God that eternal happiness should be bestowed on the creature in reward of obedience, that obedience should first be performed before eternal happiness be bestowed. Tis fit therefore that every creature, before he recieves the eternal reward of his obedience, should have some considerable trial of his obedience, for to what end is any obedience at all required in order to a confirmation in happiness but as the exercise and manifestation of the creatures respect to God & his authority or which is the same thing the exercise & manifestation of a spirit of obedience. but a respect to Gods authority & a spirit of obedience dont appear is not exercised unless the creature meets with some trial i.e some opposition to obedience, something which if it were not for a spirit of obedience would tend to influence to disobedience, something that if the principle of respect to God did not prevent would by working upon other principles influence to the contrary, respect to Gods authority is not shewn in doing those things that other principles would influence to or not at all oppose if there were no respect to Gods authority. The influence power or causality of respect to God dont appear in a creatures doing, which he would do or would have nothing influence him not to do if it [wwxo] he was destitute of respect to Gods authority.

¶§2) Hence God might justly suffer Satan to tempt man for it was fit as has been shewn that man should have a considerable trial that he should meet with opposition to his obedience. & the angels also doubtless had some remarkeable trial of their obedience. I have already shewn what a trial they probably had by a revelation that God made to them & command that he gave them which tried them as it affected their principle of regard to their own honour.

¶§3) & it would have been no way proper that God should give his creatures any law or any law with promises & threatnings annexed <or to bring any trial> if at the same time God was bound not to permit any creature to break that law & to suffer him to fail in the trial. & it was fit that some should be suffered to fall in the trial otherwise the rest would not have been duly sensible of the possibility of failing in a trail, & so would not be sensible of the trial, nor of the need of care & watchfullness nor sensible of the goodness of God in their preservation as well as could not be sensible of the evil they had escaped & could not be sensible of the dreadfullness of divine displeasure, wherein Gods majesty & the sacredness of his authority appears.

¶§4. It is fit that he that is the most excellent of all creatures that is nearest & that is to be set highest by him in eternal honour & happiness should be the greatest instance of obedience upon several accounts. For 1st as has been already observed it is the will of God that all his creatures should recieve their eternal happiness as a reward of obedience, & therefore that creature that is advanced highest in eternal honour & happiness must perform the greatest obedience. 2. It was meet that it should be so that the other creatures might see him that was the highest creature the first born of every creature, the head of all creatures to be a transcendent instance of obedience to God & respect to his authority. Both for Gods honour & for an example to the rest. that when they see a person of so great dignity so great an instance of submission to God & exceeding respect to his majesty & authority it might make a strong impression on their minds of the majesty honourableness & infinite dignity of the divine Being & the sacredness of his authority 3. Tis fit that that creature that is nearest & dearest to God should perform the greatest obedience, if we consider his obedience as an honour to the person that performs it. the elect holy & blessed creatures they do esteem it their great honour to do the will of God & so to pay honour to Gods authority & to give the glory of his majesty & dominion. Love makes them all desirous of <opportunity> [of (om. E.)] expressing & manifesting their /p. [163]/ love. but he that has performed the greatest & most remarkeable obedience he has given the highest manifestation of love & therefore hath the highest honour & happiness vid infra

¶Coroll. Hence it was meet that this highest creature should have the greatest trial of his obedience. For the greatness of obedience is that which is performed under the greatest trial. For as has been observed already. §.1. a respect to Gods authority or a spirit of obedience is not exercised & manifested by obedience but only as he meets with trial or opposition in his obedience. <It was fit therefore that the highest & most beloved creature should have the greatest trial that he might manifest the greatest respect to Gods authority & majesty.> It was meet therefore that this first born of the creature[-s? A read -s] should obey under the trial of great humiliation & suffering.[A: -s; s is xo] When persons by obeying must suffer that is the greatest trial of obedience, it was meet therefore that he should have that trial, & not only that the trial of suffering but of the greatest suffering

¶ Thus we read of the Apostles who tho they were but saints in their imperfect state yet rejoiced when they had opportunity of expressing their love by obedience under great trials Acts 5. 41. and they departed from the presence of the council rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name. They accounted it their honour & happiness

[Jr's tinkering w text begins here. At this point, in JE Jr.'s hand: ""(Begin here to transcribe)"]

¶§5. Christ had immensely the greatest trial of obedience that ever was upon several accounts

¶1. The sufferings that he underwent in obedience to the Father were by far the greatest that ever any elect creature endured we may doubtless conclude that they were so by the extraordinary effect that the idea of them had upon him when he had them in view & expectation when it caused his soul to be exceeding sorrowfull even unto death & occasioned that strong crying & tears and his sweat to be as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground We have reason also to conclude the same from many expressions used to signify them in <the> [c] prophecies & <from> [c] the types used to represent them

¶2. in [c read word as ""on"] <account of> [c] the dignity & honourableness of the person that suffered. The trial is not great in the simple proportion of the greatness of the sufferings; but to this proportion there is to be added the proportion of the greatness & dignity of the sufferer. for it was a greater thing for a person of so great dignity to be brought so low than for others in proportion as he is greater: For the stoop or humiliation is so much the greater. & so it was proportionably a greater trial . For X when he undertook to suffer & when he actually suffered knew how great & honourable <, holy & amiable,> [c] a person he was. The sufferings of X were a trial not only as what affected a [xo c] <the> [c] principle of his love of his own ease & his [prob. shd. be xo w. other his. See MS] aversion to pain but also as an humiliation or as they affected a principle of regard to his own honour & [xo c] dignity. [c adds: & moral excellency.]

¶3. On the account of the happiness which he was originally in the possession of It was a greater thing for him that was so happy to be willing to suffer so much than for another, that was not so happy. The degree of trial is not to be measured by the degree of distance of that suffering state from an indifferent state or such a state of ease [xo E] as men are in when at ease but by the distance from that state of happiness that he originally is [xo c] <was> [c] in, or at least from that state of happiness that the human nature would have been <in> [c] in such a participation of the happiness of the eternal Logos as would have been answerable to its capacity & state as being the same person with that eternal Logos the least degree of diminuition [sic] of that happiness or falling below it would have been some degree of trial For the loss or privation of happiness is equivalent to suffering & therefore so much as X in suffering descended below that state of happiness so much the greater was the trial

¶4. On the account of his great love to God & his remembrance of Gods love to him. This rendred his sufferings as from God the great trial The sufferings of X in great part were from God from his withdrawing from him & hiding his face yea the bitterest & heaviest part as seems evident by his complaining most of this when he was in the greatest extremity of his bodily sufferings That God should hide his face from him & thus treat him as an enemy was bitter & grievous to him in proportion as he loved God & delighted in the manifestations of his favour <. T> [c] the loss or deprivation of those[ck MS] manifestations of his love were <on this account> [c] so much the more bitter. He remembered how he used to be in the enjoyment of his love as appears by what he said to the Father in his prayer a little before his crucifixion. Joh 17. 5 & now O Father glorify thou me with /p. [164]/ thine own self with the glory I had with thee before the T was.

¶5. add to these that he was put to death by that sin & corruption of mankind that [xo c] <for which> [c] he died to attone & so had even in his very suffering that which tended to give him the greatest sense of the vileness & hatefullness of that which he suffered for for [xo c] in suffering he saw & felt the malignity of it yea it was not only the same corruption of man[ck MS] that was so cruel towards him that he endured [prob xo E] <was commanded to [xo E] that cruelty for but it was the same actual sin that put him to death that he was commanded to attone for by that suffering For he died for some of his crucifiers add to this the ill treatment of his disciples that had already recieved saving benefit by his death . they were never so unkind to him as when he was in the greatest act of his kindness to them viz in offering up himself a sacrifice for them. See 265. 516. & 1005. B. 5. p. 4 of that N. near the bottom

¶N.B. These things that have been mention'd, that were trials of Xs obedience & render his obedience great & wonderfull, were also trials of his love to man. For these <are the> [c] two things [xo E] principles <on which he acted> [c] in what he undertook & did and suffered viz a principle of obedience to God and a principle of love to man.

¶(transcribe no further) [by JE Jr.; xo by whom?]

¶§6. It is an honour that the holy angels have never had, to obey God in and by suffering Herein the people of Jesus X as well as X himself, have an higher honour in some respect than the angels. the obedience of the angels in other respects is greater & more honourable than theirs For <1 The angels obedience is perfect mens exceeding imperfect; 2> the angels tho they hant had the trial of suffering yet they have obeyed through great trials of another sort. Trials of obedience are chiefly of two sorts according to the principles that they affect the one sort are those that affect a principle of love of ease & pleasure or aversion to pain. the other are those that affect the creatures principle of affectation of its own dignity & honour. The latter of these, the angels have had, to a great degree. But X hath had both sorts to the greatest degree immensely beyond any meer creature. there may be a great trial of this latter sort without any suffering, & that notwithstanding to be degraded in dignity or to be deprived of honour <simply considered> is suffering. Because, 1. God may give the angels a command which obedience to would really be no degradation to them that yet might be of such a nature that nothing but a great & transcendent regard to God & [xo?] honour to him <& high exercise of it at that time> would make 'em think it not a degradation. without this they would unavoidably look upon as [sic] a degradation. & therefore, there [sic] obedience to such a command might be a great manifestation of their respect & honour to Gods authority as for instance supposing the case to be as I have shewn it probably was No. 320 [ref. in mg. at this point] that God commanded them to attend upon & minister to a race of beings by nature far inferior <to them . & & &> in nature to them & that God revealed that one of that race should be their King & Head that they should sumit [sic] to & serve & worship. Perhaps without particularly revealing the constitution & circumstances of his person <No 320 & 702, Coroll 3. 1 vol in quarto p. 89. 90. 91. 92. 93. 94. 95. 96.> Now an high & extraordinary respect to God might cause the angels to think this no degradation . for such an esteem of God might make them think that in as much as God of his sovereign pleasure had been pleased so to set his love on this inferiour race, & on that person of that inferiour race, & to set such an [sic] very high value upon him above them, that upon this account alone they ought to look upon him as so much above them as that such submission in them might be suitable. they might thing think that Gods sovereign distinguishing love & value alone without any thing else gave a sufficient superiority. But if they had not an high honour of God & love to him they would not think thus.

¶2. If they did think it a degradation yet their love to God might make it no suffering to be degraded they might cast off their own honour, from respect to Gods honour & love to him & in compliance with his will with delight, & it might be a pleasure to them so to do. Objec. The apostles counted it all joy to suffer for the sake of X, & yet it was suffering notwithstanding. answ. 1 love to G. dont hinder a things being a suffering to the body, or suffering of sense, but the angels have no bodies . 2. if the apostles suffered nothing by their outward senses, shame & reproach would have been no suffering at all [wwxo] to them, if their love was perfect & the /p. [165]/ exercises of it & the views of the superiour good attaind by it <full> perpetual & uninterrupted.

¶§ 7. Tis probable that of the angels that fell, some one or a few of the chief first entertain'd the design of rebellion they being some of the highest of the angels could not bear that which they looked upon so great a degradation and they influenced & tempted others. & the elect angels obeyed through this trial of their temptation besides the trial that they all had by the commands being of a trying nature. vid No. 320

¶§.8. if it was as I have already declared that I think probable, No. 515, 570. <591.> The elect angels were not confirmed till the trial of their obed [sic] with respect to that revelation & command wherein their great trial consisted was perfected, not till their patience if I may so call it or their steadfastness in enduring trial had its perfect work, till they had actually seen that person in that inferiour nature, that was to be their Lord & whose servants & worshippers they were to be. till they had seen him not only in that inferiour nature, that God told them of, but seen him in that nature in a state wherein that nature was depressed vastly below what it was when God first made the revelation & the fallen angels were overthrown by it they saw him in a state, as much lower than that first state of man as mans nature in his first state was below theirs or probably much more . they saw him in the human nature its [sic] mean defaced broken infirm ruin'd state, in the form of sinfull flesh & not only so but they saw in [sic] not only in this nature in its broken state, but they saw him in much lower & meaner circumstances than the generality of those in that nature, in beggarly circumstances of mean birth, born in a stable, living in a mean family and afterwards [A: -s] a poor despised rejected person. & not only so but they saw under his last & greatest humiliation, standing as a malefactour mocked & scourged & spit upon & at last, put to a most ignominious & accursed death & continuing under the power of death for a time [No caret but interlined mat. following must belong here (so A)] <They had seen his own disciples forsaking him yea & God himself deserting him and in some respects acting towards him as an enemy in the midst of this disgrace which gave seeming warrant to them to desert him.> Now the trial was thorough now their steadfastness & perseverence had its perfect work, & their obedience was perfect & entire lacking nothing. [¶?] They acquitted themselves well through this trial. When they saw him born of a mean virgin in a stable in the place where cattle were wont to bring forth their young, it did not overthrow them but they sang joyfull upon that occasion . When they saw him subjected to the power of the devil to be carried about by him to be tempted by him which was a great part of his humiliation that did not overset them, but they then came & ministred unto him. & when they saw in his agony & distress in the beginning of his last sufferings & greatest humiliation we read that they ministred unto him. & [xo?] after his last sufferings were finished & they had seen the utmost of him humiliation after he had been crucified & he remain'd still under the power of death they came to minister to his resurrection to roll back the stone from the sepulcre &c--

¶§. 9. Tho the angels were judged and rewarded at Xs ascension as has been already observed No 515. [: ?] Yet they dont enter upon their full reward till after the day of judgment, as the devils dont on their full punishment, and as the saints dont recieve their compleat reward on their first being with their ascended Saviour & with the angels. All that are with the ascended Jesus God man are in a confirmed state of holiness & happiness when they first begin to be with this ascended Jesus . it is meet that it should be so, for the ascended Jesus is in a state of reward & God sees it meet that all that are with him should be so too & none in a state of probation. The saints, when they first go to be with X in glory are then judged, & their reward is adjudged to them & bestowed upon them in degree as it was with the angels at Xs ascension. But yet they shall be judged again & more fully rewarded at the day of judgment, & so it shall be also with the angels. The day of judgment will be an universal judgment of men angels & devils all shall be present & all shall be judged. The saints shall be judged /p. [166]/ again not because their state is not already determined but to make Gods righteousness in their justification manifest before the whole universe convened & for their more publick honour & there will be the same reason for judging the angels again.

¶That great day will be a dolefull day to both wicked men & devils because it will be the day of their condemnation, and entrance on their utmost misery. But it will be a joyfull day to both saints and angels because it will be the day of their open justification & of Xs publick acknowledgmt & approbation of them & manifestation of his great esteam of them & love to them . & the day of the bestowment of their consummate happiness & their entrance on their last & most perfect & glorious state. It will be the wedding day of the church then will be the marriage of the Lamb, & it will be the great day of the reward of both saints and angels It will be the day of the consummation of all things pertaining to all rational creatures men angels & devils. It will be the wedding day of the church. then will be the marriage of the Lamb. It will be the great day of the reward of both saints & angels. & indeed of all elect persons even of Jesus X God man mediator himself. It will be the day of his highest exaltation, or greatest manifestation of his exaltation which exaltation is the reward of his righteousness. It will be the day when X himself will be most openly & publickly & remarkeably justified . he is said to be justified when God raised him from the dead. God the F then gave an open testimony of his approbation of what he had done. but how much more will Gods setting of him to be the universal Judge of heaven earth & hell be a testimony of his approbation & an open justification of him. Then did God put great honour on his Son when he ascended into heaven . but he will put much greater honour on him when he shall descend from heaven in the glory of his Father with all the holy angels with him. This will be an higher step of his exalta [sic] & a greater manifesta [sic] of his glory & of the Fathers approbation, than ever was before. X will be justified on that day as well as the other elect person, but in a different manner. others in being judged by X but X himself in being the Judge. the saints and angels will have been justified before but not till then in so open a manner. & so X will have been justified and approved as mediatour before but not till then publickly before all heaven, earth & hell conven'd. tis probably that X himself will enter upon a state of higher & more glorious blessedness after the end of the T than he enjoys before; & will then first recieve his consummate reward For then he will have done the whole work that the Father [sic] [mg] for [For?] his glory he will have vanquished all his enemies & perfected every thing . Then will he deliver up the kingdom to the Father & then will be recieve his reward from the Father. he in delivering up the kingdom wont deliver up any part of his honour or happiness. Tis true his mediatorial kingdom was given him by way of reward but it was as a means to an end that is better than the means & wherein Xs honour & happiness doth more consist , X will deliver up the kingdom as having attain'd this end . he will then have put down all his enemies & will have gathered in & perfected all that the Father hath given him he will have recieved that crown that he has <was?> [been (om. E.)] <fighting with his enemies> warring with his enemies for. that great day will be the day of his triumph & it will be the day wherein he will recieve his crown Then the success of his labours & sufferings in the work of redemption will be compleated then he will fully attain the joy that was set before him in the perfecting his mystical body in every member of it, in the perfect salvation & full glory of all that the Father hath given him. These will be his joy & crown if the saints are the joy & crown <in the day of X> of faithfull ministers that have been the means of their salvation how much more will they in that day be the joy & crown of X the great author of their salvation & who has purchased them with his own blood

¶So many ways will the day of judgment be the day when X himself will be justified & recieve his greatest joy & highest honour & consummate reward. this day will be a day wherein X & his saints & angels will rejoice together in a most glorious [manner (om. E.)] & from henceforth will they rejoice together in their most consummate joy before the Father forever. No. 371. See a part of Num. 736 1 vol quto [sic] p. 127.

¶Coroll. It need not seem strange to us that departed souls of the wicked should be in very miserable circumstances tho they are but in prison in order to their punishment . Nor that the souls of the godly should be in an happy state, tho they have not recieved their compleat reward . as the /p. [167]/ angels are in an happy state before their last judgment & compleat reward & the devils are very miserable, tho but prisoners against the day of judgment. [finis]

 

¶665. FREE GRACE JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH. It may be objected against what I have supposed viz

 

¶665. IRRESISTABLE GRACE.1 Grace is said to be irresistable only with respect to the resistance of corruption not with respect to the resistance of the man or of the will because to call it irresistable with respect to the man supposes that there may be such a thing as the mans endeavouring & willing to resist it & that those endeavours [or?] attempts & his strength in them is overcome by the power of grace . when the case is otherwise . for the effect that is wrought by grace is one the will it self to incline & bring it to a compliance. the very first effect of saving grace that touches the will is to abolish its resistence & to incline the will & not to stir it up first to opposition & then to overcome that opposition. Tho there be opposition from corruption yet the will never opposes . there was indeed an opposition of the will to Gods commands before . this opposition of the will is overcome by divine grace or rather abolished . for it never subsists after divine grace enters to fight or struggle with it. as soon as ever divine grace enters the man is willing Ps. 110. Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power & therefore [wwxo] & therefore grace is not properly called irresistable by the man for there never can be any thing as a trial whether the man can resist it or no. there never can be any endeavour. because such an endeavour & saving grace deny the being of each other. an endeavour or willingness in the man to oppose holiness, supposes that there is no holiness & grace or holiness supposes that [wwxo] that the will dont oppose it. So that these two viz grace & an opposing will never can meet together to have any struggle or combat because one denies the being of the other. & therefore tis not proper to say that one is either resistable or not resistable by the other . unless it be proper to say that the two opposite parts of a contradiction may be supposed to meet & fight with each other [finis]

 

¶666. SEPARATE STATE. Texts made use of by Dr Watts in his Essay on a to prove a separate state. Ps. 73. 24. 26. Eccles. 12. 7. Isai. 57. 2. Luke 9. 30. 31. Acts 7. 59. 2 Cor 5. 1. 2. 2 Cor. 12. 2. 3. It shews that St Paul thought that a soul might exist think know & act in paradise in a state of separation. [vid my notes on that [? D; the] <text>]. [E's brackets] Philip. 1. 21. 1 Thess. 4. 14. 1 Pet 3. 18. 19. 20. spirits in prison Jude 7. Rev. 6. 9. Heb. 11. 14. The Jews generally supposed separate spirits & X did not correct 'em Math 14 26 Luke 24. 36 &c-- Acts 23. 8. 9.

¶More evident proofs Math 10. 28 Luke 16. 22 &c-- Luke 20. 37. 38. Luke 23. 42. 43. 2 Cor 5. 6. 8. Philip. 1. 23. 24. Heb. 12. 23. 2 Pet. 1. 13. 14.

¶To which may be added Acts 1. 25.

¶See my Note on Heb. 12. 1. blank Bible p. 766.

[Finis; last two items are later adds of JE, sep by lines fr. rest and from each other.]

 

¶667. HADES Acts. 7. 59. And they stoned Stephen calling upon God and saying Lord Jesus Recieve my spirit. without [doubt (om E.)] Stephen meant Recieve my spirit to thy self, where thou art. he then at that time or just before, looking up steadfastly to heaven saw the heavens opened & Jesus standing on the right hand of God. & when he called to him to recieve his spirit, his meaning was to recieve him up there into that glorious place where he was at the right hand of God. [finis]

 

¶668. JUSTIFICATION. FREE GRACE. It may perhaps more adequately express the freedom of grace, in justifying us by faith only & not by the works of the law . that justification or a right to eternal life is not given in testimony of Gods pleasedness with any thing that we do than to say that tis not given as a testimony of his respect to the loveliness of any thing that we do. For the freedom of gospel grace consists in that that God dont give us a right to life, for any thing that we do as a testimony of his pleasedness with it either for the sake of the loveliness of it in it self, or from the relation it bears to him as profiting him or being done from love to him or from honour to him or obedience to him; or any respect to him . these are really diverse considerations under which our righteousness may be view'd . as men are pleased with others behaviour either because it appears lovely in it self without any consideration of any concern they have in it or they may be pleased with it because of its relation to them, because respect is shewn to them in it. and so they will /p. [168]/ be pleased with others behaviour out of love to themselves oftentimes when otherwise they would see no loveliness in the behaviour considerd absolutely in it self So God may be concieved to have respect to what we do upon either of those[ck MS] ways. Indeed the freedom of grace may be adequately expressed by that that God dont give us a title to life in testimony of his respect to the loveliness of what we do if we understand loveliness in the largest sense in which it may be understood viz either for the loveliness of the thing it it self or its loveliness to him from the particular concern he has in it. [finis]

 

¶669. JUSTIFICATION. Whether FAITH & REPENtance are two distinct things that in like manner are the CONDITIONS of Justification. The condition of justification or that in us that we are justified by is but one & that is faith. there is nothing else that has a like concern in the affair of justification as that hath. Repentance[ck MS] & faith are not two distinct things that both together make one condition of justification. But faith comprehends the whole of that by which we are justified or by which we come to have an interest in X & there is nothing else that has a parallel concern with it in the affair of our salvation.

¶It may be objected that repentance is often in SS. mentioned as the condition of pardon & sometimes is put with faith as tho it had a parallel concern in that affair. to this I answ. two things. I. That where repentance is mentioned in SS. as the condition of pardon, commonly thereby is not intended any particular grace or act properly distinct from faith that has a special influence in the affair of our pardon or justification in like manner with faith but by repentance is intended nothing distinct from active conversion i.e conversion actively considered. So it is to be understood when John the Baptist preached that men should repent because the kingdom of heaven was at hand So it means when X says Except ye repent ye shall all likewise perish. So it is to be understood when Dives in the parable says Luke 16. 30. Nay Father Abraham but if one went to them from the dead they would repent. So it is to be understood Acts 17. 30. but now commandeth all men every where to repent. & elsewhere. <vid next p this mark> & tho it may be thought that repentance seems to be distinguished from conversion in Acts 3. 18.[9 ?] Repent & be converted, I answ it is the same conversion but only differently denominated in the first word from the term from which & the latter the term to which as [? blot] [added in left mg]2 as Acts. 26. 20. Repent & turn to God it dont express two distinct things one repenting & the other turning to God. They both express the same turning but only with respect to the different terms the one from which & the other to which the one the turning from sin & the other turning to God. Now tis true that conversion is the condition of justification & salvation, but if it be so how absurd is it to say that conversion is one condition of justification & faith another as tho they were two distributively distinct & parallel conditions. Conversion is the condition of justification because it is that great change by which we are brought from sin to X & by which we become believers in him, agreable to Math 21. 32. And ye when ye had seen it repented not afterwards that ye might believe him. When we are directed to repent that our sins may be blotted out, tis as much as to say Let your minds & hearts be changed that your sins may be blotted out . but because it is said Let your minds be changed that you [wwxo] you may be justified & also said believe that you may be justified, it dont therefore follow that the minds being changed is one condition of justification and believing another . but our minds must be changed that we may believe that so we may be justified our minds being changed is necessary (in order to) [Parenth. copyist?] faith. & indeed active conversion is not really distinct from faith it self, and so repentance is not really distinct from faith

¶Tis the same active conversion or motion of the soul that there is in justifying faith which as it respects the term from which is called repentance.3 Active conversion is a motion or exercise of the mind that respects two terms viz sin & God Now when conversion is spoken of under the appellation of repentance the exercise of mind about the term from which or about sin is especially respected, as Acts 26. 20. Whereupon O King Agrippa I showed[ck MS] first unto them of Damascus & at Jerusalem & throughout all the coasts of Judea & then to the Gentiles that they should REPENT & TURN TO GOD. [E's lg. caps & line.] both these respect the same turning but only with respect to the different terms in the former is expressed the exercise of the mind that there is about sin in this turning & in the other the exercise of mind towards God. But then that exercise of the mind about sin that there is in active conversion that is an evangelical & saving repentance as [? A: of] that is spoken of in SS. as the condition of remission, is not distinct from justifying faith it self that in faith that does directly & immediately respect sin is called repentance & is that very principle or operation of the mind it self that is called faith so far as it is conversant about sin. vid next p. /p. [169]/

¶ Justifying faith is conversant about two things. it is conversant about sin to be rejected & to be delivered from and about positive good to be accepted & obtain'd. That in justifying faith that directly respects sin is as follows viz a sense of our own sinfullness & the hatefullness of it & an hearty acknowledgement of its desert of wrath looking to the free mercy of God in a Redeemer for deliverance from it, & the punishment of it. [E's underlining] Here three things may be noted. 1. That this that has been described is all of it of the essence of justifying faith & is not different from faith it self so far as conversant about sin. 2. That tis all of it of the essence of repentance & is the very same with that evangelical repentance to which remission is promised in SS. 3. That this is indeed the proper & peculiar condition of remission of sins

¶1. It is all of it of the essense of justifying faith, & not different from faith itself so far as conversant about sin. For tis doubtless of the essense of justifying faith to embrace X as a Saviour from sin & its punishmt, and all that is implied & contain'd in that act is implied & containd in the nature of faith it self . but in the act of embracing of X as a Saviour from sin & its punishment i.e from our own sins is implied a sense of our sinfullness and a hatred of our sins or a rejecting of them with abhorrence & a sense of our desert of the punishmt of it. An embracing X as a Saviour from sin implies the contrary act towards sin viz rejecting of sin if we flee to the light to be delivered from darkness the same act is contrary towards darkness viz a rejecting it. in proportion to the (earnestness) [Parenth in pencil?] or appetite, with which we embrace X as a Saviour from sin in the same proportion is the abhorrence with which we reject sin the same act. Embracing X & rejecting sin is the same motion of the soul as the same motion of body may be flee[ing (om E.)] to one thing & fleeing from another. Yea if we suppose there to be in the nature of faith as conversant about sin no more than the embracing X as a Saviour from the punishment of sin; this act will imply in it the whole of the above mentioned description of repentance. It implies a sense [of (om E.); mg.] our own sinfullness Certainly in embracing a saviour from the punishment of our sinfullness . we cant embrace him as a Saviour from the punishment of that which we bent sensible we are guilty of there is also in the same act, a sense of our desert of the punishment we cant heartily embrace X as a saviour from a punishment that we bent sensible that we have deserved for if we thought we had not deserved the punishment we should not think that we had any need of a saviour . or at least <must think> that the God that offers us a Saviour unjustly makes him needfull, & we cant heartily embrace such an offer & there is implied in embracing X as a Saviour from punishment, not only a conviction [of (om. E.)] <the conscience> or our having deserved the punishm't, such as the devils & damned have, but there is an hearty acknowledgment of it with the submission of the soul so as heartily & with the accord of the soul to own that God might be just & [wwxo] & worthy in the punishmt. if the heart rises against the act or judgment of God in holding us obliged to the punishment when he offers us his Son as a Saviour from the punishmt, we cant with the accord & consent of the soul recieve him in that character. See after Num 680. this mark.

¶ Repentance is conversion so it is evidently to be understood Math 9. 13. I am not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance & Luke 15. 7. 10. There is joy in heaven over one sinner that repenteth &c-- & Acts 11 18. Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life. This is said by the Xtians of the circumcision at Jerusalem upon Peters giving an account of the conversion of Cornelius & his family & their embracing the gospel tho Peter had said nothing expressly about their sorrow for sin. So 2 Pet. 3. 9. The Lord is not slack concerning him promises as some men count slackness but is longsuffering to us ward not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

¶ That justifying repentance has the nature of faith seems evident by Acts 19. 4. Then said Paul John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance saying unto the people that they should believe on him which should come after him that is on X Jesus. the latter words saying unto the people that they should believe on him which should come after him that is on X Jesus. the latter words saying unto the people that they should believe on him &c-- are evidently exegetical of the former & explains [sic] how he preached repentance for the remission of sins. when it is said he preached repentance for the remission of sins saying that they should believe on X. it cant be supposed but that tis intended that his saying they should believe on X was as directing them what to do that they might obtain remission of sins & also that forementioned place, Math 21, 32. & ye when ye [mg.] when ye had seen it repented not afterwards that ye might believe him. & so 2 Tim 2. 25. in meekness instructing those that oppose /p. [170]/ themselves if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth. that acknowledging of the truth which [is (? om. E.)] in believing is here spoken of as what is attained in repentance.

¶2. That the above description is all of it is [sic] essential to evangelical repentance and [that?] it is [sic] indeed the very thing meant by that repentance to which remission is promised in the gospel as to the former part of it no body will doubt but that it belongs to the proper nature of repentance, viz a sense of our own sinfullness & the hatefullness of it, & an hearty acknowledgment of its desert of wrath. [E's lines] but this dont comprehend the whole essense of evangelical repentance, but what follows does also properly & essentially belong to its nature, viz looking to the free mercy of God in a Redeemer for deliverance from it & the punishment of it. [E's lines] That repentance to which remission is promised not only alwaies has this with it, but it is containd in it as what is of the proper nature & essence of it & respect is ever had to this in the nature of repentance whenever remission is promised & tis especially from respect to this in the nature of repentance that repentance has that promise made to it. if this latter part be missing it fails of the nature of that evangelical repentance to which remission is promised. if repentance remains in sorrow for sin & dont reach to a looking to the sovereign mercy of God for pardon tis not that which is the condition of pardon neither shall pardon be obtain'd by it. Evangelical repentance is an humiliation for sin before God but the sinner never comes & humbles himself before God on any other repentance but that which includes an hoping in his mercy for remission if his sorrow be'n't accompanied with that there will be no coming to God in it, but a flying further from him. There is some worship of God in justifying repentance but that there is not in any other repentance but that which as a sense of & faith in the divine mercy to forgive sin. Ps 130. 4. There is forgiveness with thee that thou mayst be feared. The promise of mercy to a true penitent is in Prov. 28. 13. expressed in these terms Whoso confesseth & forsaketh his sins, shall have mercy but there is faith in Gods mercy in that confessing the Psalmist says in the 32. Ps. that while he kept silence his bones waxed old but then he acknowledged his sin unto God his iniquity he did not hide, he said he would confess his transgressions to the Lord . the manner of expression plainly holds forth, that then he began to encourage himself in the mercy of God when before his bones had waxed old while he kept silence. When sin is aright confessed to God there is alwaies faith in that act. That confessing of sin that is join'd with despair such as was in Judas is not the confession to which the promise is made. in the 2d of Acts. 38, the direction that is given to those that were pricked in their heart was to [mg] to repent & to baptized in the name of Jesus X. a being baptized in the name of X implies [?] faith in X for cleansing from sin. Repentance for remission of sins was typified of old by the priests confession the sins of the people over the scape goat laying his hands on him. Levit 16. 21. denoting that tis that repentance & confession of sin only that obtains remission that is made over the scape goat over X the great sacrifice & with dependence in him that obtains remission. The repentance that Peter directed Simon Magus to for the obtaining pardon was that which was with looking to God for mercy. Repent therefore of this thy wickedness & pray God if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee. There is in true repentance a seeking Gods face Hosea 5. 15 I will go and return to my place, till they acknowledge their offence and seek my face. Such was the repentance of the prodigal son, Luke 15. [sic] I will arise and go to my Father, & I will say unto him Father I have sinned against heaven & before thee, & am no more worthy to be called thy son make me as one of thy hired servants. Such was also the womans repentance, that we have account of Luke 7. 37. &c-- And behold a woman in the city which was a sinner when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the pharisees house, brought an alabaster box of ointment & stood at his feet behind him weeping & began to wash his feet with tears & did wipe them with the hairs of her head & anointed them with the ointment This was repentance such as is the condition of remission of sins for [short w before it?] X upon it declares that her sins which are many are forgiven her & tells her thy sins are forgiven thee . but there was faith in [it (om. E.)] & it was by vertue of the faith that was in it that it had this avail as appears by the 50 verse, Thy faith hath saved thee Go in peace. /p. [171]/ not that I suppose that the word repentance as used in Scripture is a word of precisely the same signification with the word faith I dont suppose that the words are used as perfectly synonymous in Mark 1. 15. where it is said Repent ye and believe the gospel & yet cant imagine that they are mention'd as two distinct parallel conditions of justification. But here I desire that it may be observed that repentance is sometimes taken more generally and abstractedly and that repentance in its general & abstract nature dont imply so much in it as repentance for the remission of sins it contains no more than the former part of the forementioned description viz. a sense of our own sinfullness & a turning of the heart from it but repentance for the remission of sins contains that something more viz a looking to the free mercy of God in a Redeemer for deliverance from it & the punishment of it. In like manner as the word faith in the general & abstract nature of it, dont imply all in it as that special faith that we call justifying faith in Christ. Tho it be the abstract nature of faith that is contain'd in that act that is the condition of justification which is that from whence it is called faith & so it is from the abstract & general nature of repentance that is contain'd in repentance for remission of sins whence it has its denomination of repentance. Take repentance only in its general abstract nature and faith only in the abstract & general nature of that & so they are entirely & fully distinguished one from the other but take that special faith that is called justifying faith & that special repentance that is called repentance for the remission of sins & they contain & imply one another. Justifying faith contains the whole nature of repentance for the remission of sins in it, & repentance for the remission of sins contains the whole nature of justifying faith in it. Repentance in its abstract nature is a constituent part of both justifying faith & also of repentance for the remission of sins and the abstract general nature faith [sic] is also a constituent part of each. and justifying faith & repentance for the remission of sins they are the very same act & motion of the soul but only <that motion is denominated repentance only> as respecting, & exercised towards one of the opposite terms <& faith about both.> so that justifying faith is something more comprehensive than the <word> repentance for the remission of sins. For evangelical repentance contains only the exercise of faith as it is conversant about sin, or the evil to be deliverd from and the word faith when it is used seems commonly to respect that principle or operation of mind as exercised both about the evil to be deliver'd from & the good to be obtain'd. Evangelical repentance contains the whole nature of faith as to the kind of the act, tho not as to the object <or rather terms because the same kind of act is exercised towards two objects or terms> viz evil to be delivered from & good to be obtain'd. This principle or operation is called faith as exercised towards either of these but it is called repentance only as exercised with respect to one of them viz the evil to be delivered from. so that there are these three ways that repentance may be distinguished from faith.

¶1. The general abstract nature of faith and the abstract nature of repentance which are both contained in justifying faith & in repentance for the remission of sins, are entirely & fully distinguished one from another as two distinct parts of an whole are distinguished one from another

¶2. Repentance in its general abstract nature is distinguished from justifying faith as a part is distinguished from a whole, & no otherwise

¶3. Repentance for the remission of sins, differs from justifying faith not at all in the principle or nature of the operation <nor as a part from a whole> but only as the same principle & operation may be differently denominated by different terms that it is related to & exercised towards. & they are not distinguished thus as one being related only to one of the terms & the other to the other but as one being related to the one only, & the other to both

¶& therefore when it is said, Mark 1. 15. Repent ye and believe the gospel there is no need of understanding these as two distinct conditions of salvation, but the words are exegetical one of another it is to teach us after what manner we must repent viz believing the gospel & after what manner we must believe the gospel viz as repenting.

¶3. That repentance that has been described is especially the condition of the pardon of sin. Tho it be true that faith is that only by which we are justified yet evangelical repentance, is is a peculiar & special manner that by which persons obtain a being justified or cleared from the guilt of sin. that it is so is evident by the Scripture, as particularly Mark 1. 4. John /p. [172]/ did baptize in the wilderness & preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. So Luke 3. 3. And he came into all the country about Jordan preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins & Luke 24. 47. And that repentance & remission of sins should be preach'd in his name among all nations -------& Acts 5. 31. Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a prince and a saviour, for to give repentance unto Israel & forgiveness of sins, & Act 2. 38. Repent & be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus X for the remission of sins & 3. 19. Repent ye therefore & be converted that your sins may be blotted out ------ <vid this mark after Num 680 > And the reason may be plain from what has been said. We need not wonder that that in faith that especially respects sin should be especially the condition of remission of sin. That this motion or operation of the soul as it rejects & flies from evil and embraces X as a Saviour from it should especially be the condition of being free from that evil in like manner as the same principle or motion as it seeks good & cleaves to X as the procurer of that good should be the condition of obtaining that good. Faith with respect to good is accepting & with respect to evil it is rejecting & free grace appears in like manner in that we may have good for accepting & may be free from evil for rejecting. Yea this rejecting evil is an act of aceptance it is acepting freedom or separation from that evil, & this freedom or separation is the very benefit bestowed in remission No wonder that <that in faith which immediately respects this benefit or> our acceptance of this benefit should be the especial condition of our having it. Tis so with respect to all the benefits that X has purchased the trusting in X for eternal life is the especial condition of our having eternal life the looking to Christ for protection & defence from enemies is the especial condition of protection those acts of faith that respects [sic] supplies. Seek & ye shall find says X having respect to seeking by faith or in the name of X as the condition of finding. but the directest way to find a particular blessing is to seek that blessing . As X says how much more shall God give his holy spirit to them that ask him & whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name ye shall recieve. Hence the inward sense that God is wont to give his people of his mercy whether in the pardon of their sins or their adoption or right to eternal life, is wont to be much according to [the (om E.)] manner of the exercises of faith. When there have been special actings of faith with respect to sin there is wont to follow a special sense of pardon. When a special acts [sic] of faith with respect to a right to glory they are wont to be attended with a joyfull sense of a title to glory & so of other benefits of Xs purchase vid No. 712. 1 vol quarto p. 102. [finis]4

 

¶670. FREE GRACE. JUSTIFICATION By Faith OBEDIENCE. When it is said Forgive & ye shall be forgiven, Blessed are the mercifull for they shall obtain mercy, 1. There is not necessity of supposing that tis out of respect to the moral fitness there is between one that forgives & a being forgiven or between one that shews mercy & recieving mercy. For there is a natural fitness & suitableness between these things. Tis acknowledged that God has a respect to a natural suitableness between the subject & the gift. In a persons forgiving of injuries there is a special manifestation of a natural suitableness and concord, between his soul & the benefit of forgiveness so in a person shewing mercy there is peculiar manifestation of the agreableness there is between him & the benefit of recieving mercy. By those things that accord & consent of the soul that there is in faith to those particular benefits is especially exercised & manifested . A forgiving disposition is fundamentally implied in a principle of faith in X for forgiveness Repentance & faith in X for forgiveness is the foundation of a forgiving spirit & practice. it lies in repentance or a sense of our own utter [&c--] our injuries towards God & unworthiness on that account, & closing with X for forgiveness. & so a mercifull disposition & practice has its foundation in a sense of our misery & unworthiness & closing with X for mercy. So far as forgiveness or shewing mercy is an expression of the suiting according & closing of the soul with these benefits so far God bestows these benefits from respect to them & so it may be said of evangelical obedience in general so far as it is an expression of the souls according & closing with X & his salvation so far it is an expression & manifestation of a principle of faith & so far doth God bestow salvation on men out of respect to their obedience. Men are saved only by faith but yet they are saved by evangelical obedience so far as it is an expression of faith, and as that in faith /p. [173]/ which especially respects a particular benefit is especially the condition of that benefit as was shewn No. 669. So is any benefit especially promised to that part of obedience or holy practice: that especially expresses & manifests the accord and consent of the soul to that benefit or (which is the same thing) which especially manifests faith as related to that benefit hence that part of Xtian obedience which consists in forgiveness is especially a condition of forgiveness So that part of evangelical obedience which consists in shewing mercy is especially a condition of recieving mercy. 2. tho Gods forgiving us & shewing us mercy is not for any worthiness in our forgiving or shewing mercy or any moral fitness therein for those benefits yet Gods denying forgiveness & mercy may properly be for the unworthiness & ill deserving or our refusing to forgive & to shew mercy or the moral fitness there is between such sin & such a judgment. vid No 672. add to this Num 714. 1 vol quart. p. 107. [finis]

 

¶671. FREE GRACE. JUSTIFICATION. OBEDIENCE. REWARDS. <vid No. 627. & 688> Tis most agreable to the Scriptures to suppose not only that certain additions to the happiness & glory of the saints are given as a reward of their inherent holiness & good works but heaven it self with all its glory & happiness. The same heaven [?] the same happiness that is purchased by X righteousness is in some respect the rewards of the saints own holiness & obedience. Indeed there is not so much that is the reward of their holiness as there is of Xs righteousness because X by his righteousness has purchased their holiness & obedience it self as well as all that happiness that is consequent on it. But the whole of mans[ck MS] salvation it self so far as consequent on the saints holiness is given as a reward of their holiness & good works mens[ck MS] holiness and as there is a natural consequence so by Gods grace & Xs merit there is a moral consequence of his happiness from his all the same life & happiness that is the natural consequence of it.

¶But here it may be objected, How can the same happiness be wholly the reward of Xs righteousness & yet the reward of their own holiness too. I answ. that altho eternal life be the reward of both, yet Xs righteousness and the saints inherent holiness are far from having a parallel concern in the affair it is not the reward of both in the same manner and that on several accounts

¶1. The bringing man[ck MS] into a state of salvation & justification & favour with God & right to eternal life is the reward of Xs righteousness alone. 2. The reward of Xs righteousness includes both the holiness of the saints & the reward of it <& it includes their justification which makes way for [xo?] that their good words <being> rewardeable & also the reward itself> Salvation in the sum of it is only the reward of Xs righteousness the sum of salvation includes the saints conversion & justification & holiness & good works & also their consequent happiness <X has purchased holiness & happiness both, but only he has purchased on[e] as consequent on the other.> but if we speak of salvation as the reward of the holiness of the saints it must be taken in a more restrain'd sense viz for that happiness that is consequent of their holiness. 3. That the holiness & good works of the saints are rewardeable is what is merited and purchased by the righteousness of X his righteousness not only purchased the holiness it self but also purchased that it should be rewardeable. Tis from X righteousness that their holiness derives the value that it has in the eyes of God. so that eternal life & blessedness is primarily only the reward of Xs righteousness & is the reward of the holiness of the saints secondarily & derivatively. man[ck MS] holiness is so far from having a parallel concern in this affair with Xs righteousness that the rewardeableness it self of men[ck MS] holiness is included in the reward of [mg] of X righteousness tis part of the reward of his righteousness that the saints holiness should be rewarded.

¶But here another objection may be raised viz. how can the same things be given as a reward of both Xs righteousness & mans own inherent holiness. [xo ?] But if the matter be duely considered there will appear no inconsistency in it in order to any benefits being a reward of any goodness two things are requisite viz. 1. That the bestowmt of the benefit should be from respect to that goodness /p. [174]/ & 2. that the bestowment of it should be in testimony of that respect.

¶as to the first of these things tis no way impossible that God may bestow blessedness on men out of respect to Xs righteousness & mens holiness in different ways he may have respect to Xs righteousness for its own sake, as worthy in it self, and he may have respect to the saints own holiness for Xs sake as being dependently & derivatively worthy or as deriving value from Xs merit or righteousness. They being looked on as in X and members of him there is a great value hereby set on their obedience, tis valued in some respect as if it were the righteousness of Christ himself the righteousness of his members is looked on by the Father as in some respect his So that for his sake heaven is looked upon as no more than a meet reward for it. as the sufferings of believers by reason of the respect that God has to them as members of X, are by him looked upon in some respect as the sufferings of X himself hence the apostle speaking of his [xo? A om] sufferings says Colos. 1. 24. who now rejoice in my sufferings for you & fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of X in my flesh to the same purpose is Math 25. 35 &c-- I was an hungred naked sick & in prison &c-- & so that in Rev. 11. 8. & their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city which spiritually is called Sodom & Egypt where also our Lord was crucified

¶By the merit & righteousness of X such favour of God towards the believer may be obtain'd as that God may hereby be already as it were disposed to make them perfectly & eternally happy But yet that dont hinder but that God in his wisdom may choose to bestow this perfect & eternal happiness in this way viz. as a reward of their holiness & obedience. Tis not impossible that the blessedness may be bestowed as a reward for that which is done after that that [sic] favour is already obtain'd which (to speak after the manner of men) disposes God to bestow the blessedness This may in some measure illustrated by this. a father may already have that favour for a child whereby it may be thoroughly disposed to give the child an inheritance because it is his child & yet that dont hinder but that it should be possible that the father may choose to bestow the inheritance on the child in a way of reward for his dutifullness & behaving [sic] becoming a child. Thus believers for the sake of Xs righteousness are admitted into favour with God & into great favour as towards his children which favour that God has towards them as it were influences God to make them to make them [sic] exceeding happy & give them a glorious inheritance, but yet that dont hinder but that he may choose to do it in a way of reward for their childlike obedience, & so great and exceeding a reward is not judged to be more than a meet reward for their dutifullness & yet that so great a reward is judged meet dont arise from the excellency of the obedience, but from their standing in so near & dear & honourable a relation to God as that of children which is obtain'd only by the righteousness of X & thus the reward & the greatness of it arises properly from the righteousness of X tho it be indeed the reward of their obedience. as a father might justly esteem the inheritance no more than a meet reward for the obedience of his child & yet esteem more than a meet reward for the obedience of a servant. as tis in this case of a child with regard to a parent the inheritance is not given it so meerly as a reward as that the favour that disposes the father to bestow it does properly arise from the meer worth of the obedience simply considered but from the relation that he that obeys stands in to him & the favour he has founded on that relation & yet it may properly be called a reward of the childs obedience. So it is in this case of the believer with regard to his heavenly Father the favour that disposes him to bestow so great a reward is purchased by X & is founded on that relation of a child which X by his righteousness has obtain'd for him.

¶2. another thing needfull in order to the blessedness of the saints being properly in reward for their holiness & good works is that the bestowmt of that happiness should be in testimony of his respect to <& complacence in> their holiness & good works, that that respect should be testified in the bestowment But this respect is thus testified in the bestowment. 1. in that the bestowment of the happiness is in some respect suspended on their holiness & good works as a condition as has been elsewhere shewn.[ck MS] 2. in that when the Judge comes to bestow the reward it will be declared to be in respect to their holiness & good works /p. [175]/ as Math 25 34. 35. Come ye blessed of my Father of my Father [sic] inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world for I was an hungred and ye gave me meat, &c-- The Judge in pronouncing this sentence, shews first that that love & good will of God that the bestowment of this glorious kingdom is the fruit [of (om. E.)] dont arise from any thing in them but is absolutely free because God had this love and a design of bestowing this reward on them long before they had a being in that this kingd was prepared of God for them from the foundation of the world and yet nextly here is manifested & testified that this kingdom is bestowed on them in reward for their good works in these words For I was an hungred & ye gave me meat &c--

¶3. Gods respect to their holiness & good works shall be testified in the particular manner & degree of the reward Tho the happiness of all the saints be in general of the same nature as also their holiness is in general the same, yet the reward will differ in different saints as to the particular mode of it, and there will be a peculiar answerableness in it to the particular holy disposition & practice that they were chiefly remarkeable for. & then the degree of their happiness will be according to the degree of their holiness & good works

¶That the reward is infinitely more than in proportion to the degree of goodness is no evidence that it cant be all given as a reward of the goodness of the saints. The reward that sometimes men bestow on their fellow creatures for what they have done or for kindness reciev'd is vastly greater than the kindness recieved & yet it dont thence follow that it cant be a reward men from peculiar favour & love that they bear to others may reward them exceeding richly & abundantly & far beyond the proportion of the goodness of what is rewarded & yet that dont hinder but that it may be given as a reward nevertheless. Tho the householder that we read of in the 20 chap of Math gave the laborers that had wrought in the vineyard but one hour much more than their labour was worth & made them equal with them that had born the burden & heat of the day yet it dont follow that what he gave them was not in reward for their hours work. men from peculiar favour & love, that they bear to others may reward them exceeding richly and abundantly and far beyond the proportion of the goodness of what is rewarded and yet that dont hinder but that it may be given as a reward nevertheless Thus God has such a peculiar favour to his saints that he rewards them infinitely above the proportion of the goodness of what they do and that he has such a favour for them is owing [to (om. E.)] the merits of Jesus X. transf

¶By the following texts it seems plain that the sum of the happiness of the saints, & not only certain additaments, are given in reward for the saints inherent holiness and their good works. Math 19. 27. 28. 29. Behold we have forsaken all & followed thee what shall we have therefore & Jesus said unto them----every one that hath forsaken houses &c-- shall recieve an hundred fold & shall inherit everlasting life Mark 10. 30. he [shall (om E.)] recieve an hundred fold now in this time --- and in the world to come eternal life. Colos 3. 22. 23. 24. Whatsoever ye do do it heartily as to the Lord & not to men knowing that of the Lord ye shall recieve the reward of the inheritance Math 25. 34. 35. Come ye blessed of my Father ----For I was an hungred & ye gave me meat, thirsty & ye gave me drink, &c-- Math 10. 41 he that recieveth a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall recieve a righteous mans reward Heb 10. 34. 35. 36. Ye took joyfully the spoiling of your goods----knowing that ye have in heaven a better and an enduring substance. [E's underlining here and following] Cast not away therefore your confidence which hath great recompence of reward, for ye have need of patience after ye have done the will of God that ye might recieve the promise. & the like expression in may other places Math 25. 21. His lord said unto him well done good and faithfull servant, thou hast been faithfull over a few things I will make thee ruler over many things Enter thou into the joy of thy lord. Rom. 2. 6. 7. 10. Who will render to every man according to his deeds To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory, honour & immortality, eternal life. -----glory, honour & peace to every man that worketh good. Rev. 22. 12. Behold I come quickly & my reward is with me to give every man according as his work shall be. Math 16. 27 For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels & then shall he REWARD every man according to his works Rev. 7 14. 15. 16. 17. These are they which came out of great tribulation --- Therefore are they before the throne of God and serve him day & night in his temple, and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them. They shall hunger no more &c-- ----For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them & shall lead them unto living fountains of waters and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes vid top of next p.

¶ vid supra. God has promised that he will give to those that charitable give to others good measure pressed down shaken together & running over, but it dont follow that all this is not in reward for their charity So X promised to his disciples that had forsaken all to follow him that they should recieve an hundred fold in this life but it wont hence follow that but an hundredth part of that could be a proper reward for their forsaking all. The reward the Xtian obtains by his good works is compared to the crop that a man has from his seed that he has sown 2. Cor. 9. 6. but in the crop the seed is abundantly multiplied. /p. [176]/

¶ vid last p.] [E's bracket] Rev. 2. 10. be thou faithfull unto death & I will give thee a crown of life Rev 14. 13. Write Blessed are the dead that die in the Lord, from henceforth Yea saith the Spirit, for they rest from their labours & their works follow them. here the sum of their blessedness is [wwxo] is spoken of as consisting in these two things viz in resting from their labours & recieving the reward of their works. [finis]

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¶ 672. FREE GRACE JUSTIFICATION OBEDIENCE REWARDS This in addition to Numb. 670. 3. As I have observed in number 671 the blessedness that God bestows on the saints and their salvation so far as consequent to their holiness & good works may be & is in reward for their holiness & good works tho' their salvation is wholly the reward of Xs righteousness & so recieving mercy is the reward of shewing mercy & God in X shews mercy to us out of respect to the goodness of our mercy to our fellow-creatures. & so God will exercise forgiving mercy towards us in reward for our forgiving our fellow creatures. For tho a sinner is forgiven & justified once for all at his first closing with X and there is no occasion for forgiveness in that sense any more, yet God exercises forgiving mercy towards his people often times after their conversion as the forgiveness of a father after he is become a father & has adopted an enemy to be a son is not of the same nature with that which he exercised at first recieving of him as his child yet a father may be angry with his child that yet he is far from casting off from being his child & may exercise forgiveness often without such a casting off previous to it. This kind of forgiveness God bestows as a reward of our forgiveness & not only so but also grants tho not justification it self & that forgiveness there is in it, yet the confortable sense and manifestation of this forgiveness & applying of it inwardly by the Spirit to the conscience & also Gods manifesting of it in providence <& Gods dispensations towards us> may be & often is in reward, for our forgiving one another. [finis]

 

¶ 673. SAVING GRACE differs not only in degree but in nature & kind from COMMON GRACE. or any thing that is ever found in natural men.[ck MS] may [xo E] <This> [c] seems evident by the following things. CONVERSION not a GRADUAL work but wrought at once [xo prob c]

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¶1. Because conversion is a work that is done at once and not gradually if saving grace differed only in degree, from what went before then the making a man a good man would be a gradual word it would be the increasing <of> [c] the grace that he has till it comes to such a degree as to be saving <at least it would be frequently so.> but that the conversion of the heart is not a work that is thus gradually wrought but that it is wrought at once appears by Xs converting the soul being represented by his calling of it Rom 8. 28. 29. 30 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God to them who are the called [c's line] according to his purpose For whom he did foreknow he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son that he might be the first born among many brethren Moreover whom he did predestinate them he also called [c's line] and whom he called [c's] them he also justified and whom he justified them he also glorified. Acts 2. 37. 38. 39. men & brethren what shall we do then Peter said unto them Repent & be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus X for the remission of sins & ye shall recieve the gift of the Holy Ghost for the promise is unto you & to your children & to all that are afar off even as many as the Lord our God shall call [c's] Heb. 9. 15. That they which are called [c's] might recieve the promise of the eternal inheritance 1 Thes. 5. 23. 24. And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly & I pray God your whole spirit soul & body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ Faithfull is he that calleth [c's] you who also will do it Tis [xo E] nothing else can be meant in these places, by calling [c's] but saving conversion [xo c?] but what X does in a sinner's saving conversion . by which it seems evident that this is done at once and not gradually hereby X shews his great power he does but speak the powerfull word and it is done he does but call & the heart of the sinner immediately comes as was represented by his calling his disciples & their immediately following him So when he called Peter & Andrew James & John they were minding other things, & had no thought of following X but at his call <, they> [c] immediately followed <him.> [c] Math. 4. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22 Peter & Andrew were casting a net into the sea & [xo c] X says to them, as he passed by follow me & it is said they straitway left their nets & followed him . So James & John were in the ship with Zebedee their Father, mending their nets & he called them & immediately then /p. [177]/ left the ship & their father & followed him. So when Mathew was called Math 9. 9. And as Jesus passed forth from thence he saw a man named Mathew sitting at the receit [sic] of custom and he saith unto him follow me and he arose and followed him the same circumstances are observed by other evangelists . which doubtless is to represent the manner in which X effectually called his disciples in all ages There is something immediately put into their hearts at that call that is new that there was nothing of there before that [xo c] <which> [c] makes them so immediately act in a manner so altogether new & so aliene from what they were about before.

¶& [xo c] that the work of conversion is wrought at once is further evident by its being compared to a work of creation When God created the world he did what he did immediately he spake & it was done he commanded & it stood fast he said Let there be light & there was light & [xo c] <Also> [c] by its being compared to a raising from the dead . Raising from the dead is not a gradual work but tis done at once God calls & the dead come forth immediately. the change in conversion is in the twinkling of an eye as that 1 Cor 15. 51. 52. we shall be changed in a moment in the twinkling of an eye at the last trump for the trumpet shall sound and the dead shall be raised incorruptible and we shall be changed

¶& [xo c] It appears by the manner in which X wrought all those works that he wrought when on earth that were types of his great work of converting sinners Thus when he healed the leper he put forth his hand and touched him, and said I will be thou clean & immediately his leprosy was cleansed. & [xo c?] Math 8. 3. Mark 1. 42. Luke 5. 13. & so in opening the eyes of the blind men Math 20. 30 &c-- he touched their eyes & immediately their eyes recieved sight & they followed him & so Mark 10. 52. Luke 18. 43. So when he healed the sick particularly Simon's wifes mother he took her by the hand & lifts [lifted -corr. possibly made by E] her up & immediately the fever left her & she ministred unto them. so when the woman that had the issue of blood touched the hem of Xs garment immediately her issue of blood stanched. Luke 8. 44. so the woman that was bowed together with the spirit of infirmity when X laid his hands on her immediately she was made strait & glorified God. Luke 13. 12. 13. So the man at the pool of Bethesda when X bid him rise & take up his bed & walk he [xo c] was immediately made whole Joh 5. 8. 9. after the same manner X raised the dead & cast out devils & stilled the winds & seas.

¶2. There appears to be a specifick difference between saving grace or vertue from [xo c] <&> [c] all that was in the heart before by the things that conversion is represented by in Scripture Particularly by its being represented as a work of creation When God creates he dont meerly establish & perfect the things that were made before but makes <them> [c] wholly & immediately. the things that are seed are not made of things that do appear. Saving grace in the heart is said to be the new man or new creature and corruption the old man by which it appears that it is all new at conversion for conversion is its creation . if there bent a specifick difference & there was the same before but only not perfected then God sometimes fails in the work of creation he begins to create & his work is never perfect but comes to nothing again if that vertue that is in the heart of a godly man bent different in its nature & kind then the man might possibly have had the same 70 years before & from time to time from the beginning of his life and has it no otherwise now but only in a greater degree & how then is it a new creature

¶Again it is evident also by its being compared to a resurrection Natural men are said to be dead but when they are converted they are by God's mighty & effectual power raised from the dead Now there is no medium between being dead and alive he that is dead has no degree of life he that has the least degree of life in him is alive When a man is raised from the dead life is not only in a greater degree but tis all new & tis further evident by that representation that is made of Xs converting sinners in the [sic] John 5. 25. Verily verily I say unto you the hour is coming & now is when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God & they that hear shall live This shews conversion to be an immediate & instantaneous work as [xo E] like to the change made in Lazarus when X called him from the grave there went life with the call & Lazarus was immediately alive it shews that [xo c] <That>[c; xo c] Immediately before the call they are dead & therefore wholly destitute of any life as is evident by that expression the dead shall hear the voice & immediately after the call they are alive yea there goes life with the voice as is evident not only because it is said they shall live but also because tis said they shall hear his voice Tis evident that the first moment they have any life is the moment when X calls & when X calls or as soon as they are called they are converted as is evident from what is said in the first argument wherein it is shewn that to be called and converted are the same thing. /p. [178]/

¶3. Those that go furthest in religion that are in a natural condition have no charity as is plainly implied in the beginning of the 13 chap. of the 1 of Cor. by which we must understand that they have none of that kind of grace or disposition or affection that is so called. so X elsewhere reproves the pharisees those high pretenders to religion among the Jews that they had not the love of God in them.

¶4. In conversion stones are raised up to be children unto Abraham While stones they are wholly destitute of all those qualities that afterwards render them the living children of Abraham & not only had them not in so great a degree . agreably to this conversion is represented by the taking away the heart of stone and givine and [sic] heart of flesh. the man while unconverted has a heart of stone which has no degree of that life or sense in it that the heart of the flesh <has;> [c over a w of E xo?] because it yet remains a stone, than which no thing is further from life and sense

¶5. A wicked man has none of that principle of nature that a godly man has as is evident by 1 John 3. 9. Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin for his seed remaineth in him and he cannot sin because he is born of God the natural import of the metaphor shews that by a seed is meant a principle of nature it may be small as a grain of mustard seed. a seed is a small thing it may be buried up & lie hid as a seed sown in the earth it may be buried up & lie hid as a seed sown in the earth it may seem to be dead as seeds for a while do till quickend by the sun & rain but any degree of such a principle of nature or a principle of such a nature is what is called the seed it need not be to such a degree or have such a prevalency in order to be called a seed And tis further evident that this seed or this inward principle of nature is peculiar to the saints For he that has that seed cannot sin and therefore he that sins or a wicked man has it not.

¶6. Natural men or those that are not savingly converted have no degree of that principle from whence all gracious actings flow viz the Spirit of God or of X as is evident because tis asserted both ways in Scripture that those that have not the Spirit of X are not his Rom 8. 9. and also that those that have the Spirit of X are his 1. Joh. 3. 24. hereby we know that he abideth in us by the spirit which he hath given us and the Spirit of God is called the earnest of the future inheritance 2. Cor. 1. 22. & 5. 5. Eph. 1. 14. Yea that a natural man has nothing of the Spirit in him no part nor portion of it is still more evident because <the> [c] having of the Spirit [lines prob E's] is given as a sure sign of being in X 1 Joh 4. 13 Hereby know we that we dwell in him because he hath given us of his Spirit. hereby tis evident that they have none of that holy principle that the godly have & if they have nothing of the Spirit they have nothing of those things that are the fruits of the Spirit such as those mentioned in Gal. 5. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love joy peace longsuffering gentleness goodness faith meekness temperance These fruits are here mentioned with that very design that we may know whether we have the Spirit or no In the 18 v. the apostle tells the Galatians that if they are led by the Spirit they are not under the law & then directly proceeds first to mention what are the fruits or works of the flesh & then nextly what are the fruits of the Spirit that we may judge whether we are led by the Spirit or no.

¶7. That natural men <or those that are not born again> have nothing of that grace that is in godly men is evident by John 3. 6. where X speaking of regeneration says that which is born of the flesh is flesh & that which is born of the Spirit is spirit by flesh is here meant nature & by spirit is meant grace as is evident by Gal 5. 16. 17. &c-- Gal. 6. 8. 1 Cor. 3. 1. Rom. 8. 7. & that natural men hant the Spirit is evident because by this text with the context it is most evident that those that have the spirit tis by regeneration it is born in them it comes into them no otherwise than by birth & that birth is in regeneration as is most evident by the preceeding & following verses. in godly men there are two opposite principles the flesh lusteth against the spirit & the spirit against the flesh as Gal. 5. 17. but tis not so with natural men Rebekah on [in? Rem.] having Esau & Jacob struggle together in her womb was a type only of the true church. see No. 683.5 [xo E]

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¶ That is Xs very argument by this it is that X in these[ck MS] words would shew Nicodemos the necessity of regeneration because [xo c] <that> [c] by the first birth <we> [c] have nothing but nature & can have nothing else without being born again by which it is exceeding evident that they that are not born again have nothing else vid No 683 674 [finis; not clear whether last No. is a ref. or catch for next p. is it end of sheet?]

 

¶674 CONVICTION. HUMILIATION. The king before he forgives the servant that owed him ten thousand talents he terrifies & humbles with threatnings commanding him to be sold & his wife & children & all that he had & payment to be made by this means he brought the servant to fall down before his lord & then forgave the debt.

¶Jer 23. 29. is not my word like a fire and like an hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces as the founder first breaks the bar in pieces with the hard & mighty blows of the hammer & then melts it in the fire, the law it with hard blows does as it were break the heart in a legal repentance & then the Holy Spirit (which is called fire), by the gospel (which is called the dispensation of the Spirit) melts the heart in gracious & evangelical repentance <When X was casting out devils (which is a type of conversion) we have two instances of the devils first taring the possessed as they came out of them one in Mark 1. 26. & the other Mark 9. 26. Which is it not probable that Christ would have suffered had there not been a mystery in it.> [added in 3 11. in space at end of ¶]

¶Tis natural to suppose that persons in the work of conversion should be made conformable to X that as he underwent such humiliation & sufferings such terrours in a sense of imputed guilt & wrath & was killed by the law before his resurrection & comfort so that the soul that is to be one of Xs members should be first distressed and abased & killed by the law & a sense of wrath before its spiritual resurrection & comfort.

¶2. Cor 1. 8. 9. 10. For we would not brethren have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia that we were pressed out of measure above strength in somuch that we despaired even of life But we had the sentence of death in our selves that we should not trust in our selves but in God which raiseth the dead, who delivered us from so great a death & doth deliver: In whom we trust that we will yet deliver us. Hence we may observe that tis Gods manner often times and doubtless in spiritual cases as well as others, to bring persons into such exceeding great difficulty that they seem to themselves even past hope when Gods end in it is only to convince them not to depend on themselves but alone on God. <see notes on Mark 10. 50. & on Deut 34. 5. see note on Gen 3. 7. 8 See Isai 57. 15 taken with the following verses, & also 61 [prob.] of Isai with following verses. & also Ps. 34. 18 with the context

¶See my notes concerning the golden calf, Exod 32. vid after the next this mark Isai 59. 16. & 63. 5 & 41. 27. 28. 29 together with 42. 1. Jer. 23. 29. 2 Sam. 23. 4. with Ps. 72. 6. see notes on last place. [finis]

[Notes beginning at ¶ prob. begun first, then others added at various times. Check sittings on MS.]

 

¶675. SPIRITS OPERATION in CONVICTION. The proper work of the Spirit of God is to sanctify this is the work wherein he acts his own nature. But yet the spirit of God does other things besides this; he also works those works that have a relation to it & are in order to it, as particularly he indited the Scriptures & he ingenerated the human nature of Christ which is a work to which conversion is compared, which is an ingenerating X in the heart as that was an ingenerating X in the virgins womb. so the Holy Ghost works miracles casting out devils healing the sick, &c-- if I by the Spirit of God, cast out devils So the gifts of healing & miracles are gifts of the Holy Ghost these works are images of the work of the Spirit of God in sanctifying the soul. So the Spirit of G. in the first creation, brought things into their order & beauty, & gave them their excellency & perfection Gen 1. 2. & the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. So the Spirit of God causes conviction of sin in natural persons that is in order to sanctification & tends to prepare for it yea there are many common gifts & endowmts of mind that seem to be spoken of as being from the Spirit of God such as extraordinary skill in any affair a spirit of judgmt & discerning a spirit of extraordinary courage, or spirit of governmt &c-- [finis]

 

¶ vid before the last. Job. 5. 17. 18. Behold happy is the man whom God correcteth Therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty, for he maketh sore & bindeth up he woundeth & his hands make whole. it shews that tis Gods manner first to make sore & wound to make way for his giving true health & soundness. See 28. Chap. of Isai from the 23v. to the end with my notes upon it. John 9. 6. 7. Jesus spit [sic] on the ground. X did at first as it were spit in his face before he open'd his eyes he first defiled him made him sensible [sic] defiled before he sent him to the Pool of Siloam to wash he first blinded covered his eyes with clay to make him as it were sensibly or to appearance further from seeing before he open'd his eyes. See Acts 8. 7. [finis]

[This is an insertion in No. 674. N.B. Dwight xo the John 9 ref and JE's comments on it!]

 

¶676. ALL that a NATURAL MAN doth is SIN. vid Shepherds Sincere Convert p. 40. Let a woman seek to give all the content to her husband that may be not out of any love to him but only out of love to another man he abhors all that she doth.6 [finis]

 

¶677 SABBATH. LORDS DAY. Tis evident that the 4th commandment as well as the rest of the ten is of perpetual obligation by Math 5. 18. 19. for verily I say unto you till heaven & earth pass one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law till all be fulfilled. Tis implied here that no command of the law shall pass as to its obligation even in gospel times or in the Xtian church as is evident by the following verse Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments and shall teach men so he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven But whosoever shall do & teach them the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. by the kingdom of heaven here is meant that gospel kingdom that X was about to set up that state of the church that he was about to establish & by the commandments seem to be meant the ten commandments. For these are what X especially treats of in the following part of the chapter & these were what were then called the commandments by way of specialty as they are not Mark 10. 19. Thou knowest the commandments Math 19. 17. if thou wilt enter into life keep the commandments. But if hereby is meant all the commandments of the Mosaic law ceremonial & all then hereby must be understood that the obligation will remain in force till they be fulfilled; & those laws that were typical of X are fulfilled in X & so cease. but the fourth commandment cant be shewn to be typical of X [finis] [End MS p. [179]

 

¶678 BEATIFICAL VISION. Whether there be any visible appearance or glory that is the symbol of the divine presence in which God manifests himself in heaven besides the glorified body of X See of the beatifical vision in my serm from these[ck MS] words, Rom 2. 10. But glory, honour & peace to every one that worketh good [finis]

 

¶679. <680> GOODNESS of God LOVE of God HAPPINESS of Heaven. God stands in no need of creatures & is not profited by them neither can his happiness be said to be added to by the creature. But yet God has a real & proper delight in the excellency & happiness of his creatures. he hath a real delight in the excellency & loveliness of the creature in his own image in the creature, as that is a manifestation, or expression or shining forth of his own loveliness. God has a real delight in his own loveliness & he also has a real delight in the shining forth or glorifying of it; as it is a fit & condecent thing that Gods glory should shine forth so God delights in its shining forth So that God has a real delight in the spiritual loveliness of the saints which delight is not a delight distinct from what he has in himself, but is to be resolved into the delight he has in himself; for he delights in his image in the creature, as he delights in his own being glorified or as he delights in it that his own glory shines forth . & so he hath real proper delight in the happiness of his creatures, which also is not distinct from the delight that he has in himself, for tis to be resolved into the delight that he has in his own goodness for as he delights in his own goodness so he delights in the exercise of his goodness, & therefore he delights to make the creature happy & delights to see him made happy as he delights in exercising goodness or communicating happiness. This is no proper addition to the happiness of G. because tis that which he eternally & unalterably had. God when he beholds his own glory shining forth in his image in the creature and when he beholds the creature made happy from the exercises of his goodness because these things are a all things are from eternity equally present with God. This delight in God cant properly be said to be recieved from the creature because it consists only in a delight in giving to the creature neither will it hence follow that God is dependent on the creature for any of his joy because tis his own act only that this delight is dependent on & the creature is absolutely dependent on God for that excellency & happiness that God delights in God cant be said to be the more happy for the creature, because he is infinitely happy in himself, & he is not dependent on the creature for any thing nor does he recieve any addition from the creature. But yet in one sense it can be truly said that God has the more delight, for the loveliness & happiness of the creature, viz. as G would be less happy if he were less good or if it were possible for him to be hindered in exercising his own goodness, or to be hindered from glorifying himself. God has no addition to his happiness when he exercises any act of holiness towards his creatures & yet God has a real delight in the exercises of his own holiness & would be less happy if he were less holy or were capable of being hindered from any act of holiness.

¶Corol. 1. Hence when the saints get to heaven they will [have (om. E)] this to rejoice them & add to their blessedness that God hath a real delight & joy in them in their holiness & happiness.

¶Corol. 2. Hence Gods love to the saints is real & proper love. so that those have been to blame who have represented <much to the prejudice of religion> the love of God to creatures as if it were meerly a purpose in God of acting as the creature does that has love.

¶Corol. 3. Hence we learn how all Gods love may be resolved into his love to himself & delight in himself, as asserted in my Discourse on the Trinity His love to the creature is only his inclination to glorify himself & communicate him [self (om. E)] & his delight in himself glorified & in himself communicated. there is his delight in the act & in the fruit. the act <is> [xo E by mistake] the exercise of his own perfection & the fruit is himself expressed & communicated.7 [finis]

 

¶680. TRINITY. how OIL that was the great type of the Holy Ghost represented LOVE See Bedfords Scrip. chronology. p. 152. Col. 1. And as the olive branch was a sign of peace between God & Noah; so from hence so from hence [sic] so universal a custom arose that an olive branch was a sign of peace betwen man & man Virgil saith of Eneas that he brought the bough of a peace making olive tree in his hand. Polybius saith that when Hannibal passed the Alps the people brought him such boughs as a sign of peace & subjection. Livy saith that the ten ambassadours from Locri [?] when the consuls were in the senate house stretched out their hands with the olive branches according to the custom of the Greeks, and fell before the throne on the ground with a lamentable cry, desiring peace. And Columbus tells us the same of the Americans upon the first discovery of that country,[ck MS] when they had no other way to express their inclinations. [E's ?]

[The Andover copyist left a space for this word and left a large X on the copy at that place; there is also a large X in the mg. beside the word in the MS. Smyth appears to have supplied the word on the A copy. This makes clear the purpose of the large X. Meaning of the mark at end not clear.]

 

[First addendum occurs after 680]

¶ [E's?] vid No. 669. There can be no dispute but only about the former part of this description of evangelical repentance, whether it be properly of the essence of justifying faith. But it not only is evident that it is by what has been already said but the Scripture from time to time seems to hold it forth as particularly Luke 15. 26. 27. Truth Lord yet the dogs eat of the crumbs that fall from their masters table. Then Jesus answered & said unto her O woman great is thy faith. & also Luke 7. 6. 7. 8. 9. Then Jesus went with them & when he was now not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to him saying unto him Lord trouble not thy self, for I am not worthy that thou shouldest enter under my roof Wherefore neither thought I my self worthy to come unto thee, but /p. [181/] say in a word & my servant shall be healed. For I am a man set under authority &c-- When Jesus heard these things he marvelled at him and turned him about & said unto the people that followed him I say unto you, I have not found so great faith no not in Israel . & also v. 37. 38 & behold a woman in the city which was a sinner when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisees house brought an alabaster box of ointment & stood at his feet behind him weeping & began to wash his feet with tears & did wipe them with the hairs of her head & kissed his feet and anointed them with the ointment, together with v. 50. he said to the woman thy faith hath saved thee Go in peace, & Luke 23. 41. 42. 43. and we indeed justly for we recieve the due reward of our deeds but this man hath done nothing amiss And he said unto Jesus Lord Remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom & Jesus said unto him Verily I say unto thee to day shalt thou be with me in paradise. See also about the prodigal son in the 15. chap of Luke. [finis]

 

[Second addendum to No. 669.]

¶ vid No 669. Levit 26. 40. 41. 42. If they shall confess there [sic] iniquity---If then there [sic] uncircumcised hearts be humbled and they accept the punishment of their iniquity then will I remember my covenant with Jacob &c-- Job 33. 27. 28. If any say I have sinned & perverted that which was right & it profited me not he will deliver his soul from going into the pit & his life shall see the light Ps. 32. 5. I acknowledged my sin unto thee & mine iniquity have I not hid I said I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin Prov. 28. 13. he that confesseth & forsaketh his sin shall have mercy Jer. 3. 13. only acknowledge thine iniq [sic] that thou hast transgressed against the Lord thy God. 1. Joh. 1. 9. if we confess our sins he is faithfull & just to forgive our sins & cleanse us from all unrighteousness. [finis]