Sect. 9. IV. In the definition, I call a Christian's happiness, the end of his course, thereby meaning, as Paul, (2 Tim. iv. 7,) the whole scope of his life. For as salvation may, and must be, our end, so not only the end of our faith, though that principally, but of all our actions; for as whatsoever we do, must be done to the glory of God, whether eating, drinking, &c., so must they all be done to our salvation. That we may believe for salvation, some will grant, who yet deny that we may do, or obey for it. I would it were well understood, for the clearing of many controversies, what the Scripture usually means by faith. Doubtless, the Gospel takes it not so strictly, as philosophers do; but, in a larger sense, for our accepting Christ for our King and Saviour. To believe in his name, and to receive him, are all one:" but we must receive him as King, as well as Saviour: therefore, believing doth not produce heart-subjection as a fruit, but contains it as an essential part: except we say, that faith receives Christ as a Saviour first, and so justifies before it take him for King, as some think; which is a maimed, unsound, and no Scripture faith. I doubt not but the soul more sensibly looks at salvation from Christ, than government by him, in the first work yet, whatever precedaneous act there may be, it never conceives of Christ, and receives him to justification, nor knows him with the knowledge which is eternal life, till it conceive of him, and know him, and receive him for Lord and King. Therefore there is not such a wide difference between faith and Gospel obedience, or works, as some judge. Obedience to the Gospel is put for faith; and disobedience put for unbelief, ofttimes in the New Testament. But of this I have spoken more fully elsewhere.

V. Lastly I make happiness to consist in this end obtained; for it is not the mere promise of it that immediately makes perfectly happy, nor Christ's mere purchase, nor our mere seeking, but the apprehending and obtaining, which sets the crown on the saint's head. When we can say of our work, as Christ of the price paid, "It is finished ;" and as Paul, "I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course: henceforth is laid up for The scriptures before cited, do prove both.

u John i. 12.

See more of this hereafter.

* In this point of works concurring in justification, I am wholly of Davenant's judgment, De Justicia Actuali.' I will not speak so harshly for works, nor in describing faith, as Mr. Mead's sermon doth: yet I believe he meant orthodoxly. See Diodate's notes on James ii., and abundance more cited in my 'Confession.'

me a crown of salvation." (2 Tim. iv. 7, 8.) O that we did all heartily and strongly believe, that we shall never be truly happy till then. Then should we not so dote upon a seeming happiness here.

CHAP. III.

What this Rest presupposeth.

SECT. I. For the clearer understanding yet of the nature of this rest, you must know:

1. There are some things necessarily presupposed to it.

2. Some things really contained in it.

1. All these things are presupposed to this rest.

1. A person in motion, seeking rest. This is man here in the way; angels and glorified spirits have it already: and the devils and damned are past hope.

Sect. II. 2. An end toward which he moveth for rest: which end must be sufficient for his rest; else, when it is obtained, it deceiveth him. This can be only God, the chief good. He that taketh any thing else for his happiness, is out of the way the first step. The principal damning sin, is to make any thing besides God, our end or rest. And the first true saving act, is to choose God only for our end and happiness.

Sect. III. 3. A distance is presupposed from this end; else there can be no motion towards it. This sad distance is the woful case of all mankind since the fall: it was our God that we principally lost, and were shut out of his gracious presence.y Though some talk of losing only a temporal, earthly felicity; sure I am, it was God that we fell from, and him we lost, and since are said to be without him in the world; and there would have been no death, but for sin; and to enjoy God without death, is neither an earthly, nor temporal enjoyment: nay, in all men at age, here is supposed, not only a distance from God, but also a contrary motion: for sin hath not overthrown our being, nor taken away our motion: but our well-being, and the rectitude of our motion. When Christ comes with regenerating, saving grace, he finds no man sitting still, but all posting to eternal ruin, and making haste towards hell; till, by conviction, he first brings them to a stand; and by conversion, turn first their hearts,

> The only cause of this evil is aversion from good; as a coachman, if he let the horses run headlong over banks, or which way they will, &c.-Athanas. lib. i. cont. Gent.

and then their lives, sincerely to himself. Even those that are sanctified and justified from the womb, are yet first the children of Adam, and so of wrath: at least, in order of nature, if not in time.

Sect. IV. 4. Here is presupposed knowledge of the true ultimate end, and its excellency, and a serious intending it. For so the motion of the rational creature proceedeth: an unknown end is no end; it is a contradiction. We cannot make that our end, which we know not; nor that our chief end, which we know not, or judge not to be the chief good. An unknown good moves not to desire or endeavour: therefore, where it is not truly known that God is this end, and containeth all good in him; there is no obtaining rest in an ordinary, known way, whatsoever may be in ways that by God are kept secret.a

Sect. V. 5. Here is presupposed, not only a distance from this rest, but also the true knowledge of this distance. If a man have lost his way, and know it not, he seeks not to return; if he lose his gold, and know it not, he seeks it not: therefore, they that never knew they were without God, never yet enjoyed him ; and they that never knew they were naturally and actually in the way to hell, did never yet know the way to heaven. Nay, there will not only be a knowledge of this distance, and lost estate, but also affections answerable. Can a man be brought to find himself hard by the brink of hell, and not tremble? or, to find he hath lost his God and his soul, and not cry out, "I am undone;' or can such a stupid soul be so recovered? This is the sad case of many thousands, and the reason why so few obtain this rest: they will not be convinced, or made sensible, that they are, in point of title, distant from it; and in point of practice, contrary to it. They have lost their God, their souls, their rest, and do not know it, nor will believe him that tells them so. Whoever travelled towards a place which he thought he was

* Bonum illud quod est finis hominis, operatis malum, bonum est particulare, non universale et summum. Ut Augustin. Peccare est deficere ab eo quod summum est, ad id quod minus est.) -Prolabitur et propria imbecillitate et depravatione deturbatur ac dejicitur ad bonum particulare, et inferius, frustra ibi quærens rationem summi boni.-Gibieuf. 1. 2. de Liber. c. 20. sect. 2. p. 424. Nemo fœlices dixerit, quibus non est fœlicitatis intellectus; ut Senec. De Vit. Beat.' c. 5.

a I speak all this of men of age, converted by the word, not of those sanctified in infancy.

b I mean those that were converted at years of discretion, and received not holiness insisenbly in their infancy, as I doubt not but many thousands do.

at already, or sought for that which he knew not he had lost? "The whole need not the physician, but they that are sick." (Matt. ix. 12.)

Sect.VI. 6. Here is also supposed, a superior, moving cause, and an influence therefrom, else should we all stand still, and not move a step forward towards our rest; any more than the inferior wheels in the watch would stir, if you take away the spring, or first mover. This primum movens is God. What hand God hath in evil actions, or whether he afford the like influence to their production, I will not here trouble this discourse and the reader to dispute. The case is clear in good actions. If God move us not, we cannot move: therefore, it is a most necessary part of our christian wisdom, to keep our subordination to God, and dependance on him; to be still in the path where he walks, and in that way where his Spirit doth most usually move. Take heed of being estranged or separated from God, or of slacking your daily expectations of renewed help, or of growing insensible of the necessity of the continual influence and assistance of the Spirit. When you once begin to trust your stock of habitual grace, and to depend on your own understanding or resolution for duty and holy walking, you are then in a dangerous, declining state. In every duty remember Christ's words, "Without me ye can do nothing;" (John xv. 5;) and, "not that we are sufficient of ourselves, to do any thing as of ourselves, but our sufficiency is of God.” (2 Cor. iii. 5.)

Sect. VII. 7. Here is supposed an internal principle of life in the person. God moves not man like a stone, but by enduing him first with life, not to enable him to move without God, but thereby to qualify him to move himself, in subordination to God the first Mover. What the nature of this spiritual life is, is a question exceeding difficult. Whether, as some think, (but, as I judge, erroneously,) it be Christ himself in person or essence, or the

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Qui rixas et disputationes inanes de hac re sapienter pensabit, et simul rei altitudinem et humani ingenii imbecillitatem, mirabitur procul dubio ho-, minum pervicaciam, et audacem ignorantiam, qui nec adhuc hanc litem et animorum acerbitatem deponere volunt! Qui tandem produxit inter pontificiorum doctissimos protracta hac contentio? viz. inter Jesuitas et Dominicanos, quos prædeterminantes vocant! Frustra tandem conciliante Aribal (ut ex D. Petavii et Richardi scriptis contra August. et Vincent. Lirinensem, et aliorum patet.) Quid tandem profecerunt nostrorum de hisce dissidia? et tamen nec unanimes sumus qui videmur unanimes. O quando cognoscent Theologi quam minimum de inscrutabilibus hisce norint præcipue de actibus Dei immanentibus, qui sunt ipsius essentia !

d I speak not here de gratiâ operante, but de gratiá operatá; not of the

Holy Ghost personally; or as some will distinguish, with what sense I know not, it is the person of the Holy Ghost, but not personally. Whether it be an accident or quality; or whether it be a spiritual substance, as the soul itself; whether it be only an act, or a disposition, or a habit, as it is generally taken; whether a habit infused, or acquired by frequent acts, to which the soul hath been morally persuaded; or whether it be somewhat distinct from a habit; i. e. a power; viz., potentia proxima intelligendi, credendi, volendi, &c. in spiritualibus; which some think the most probable. A multitude of such difficulties occur, which will be difficulties while the doctrine of spirits and spiritualities is so dark to us, and that will be while the dust of mortality and corruption is in our eyes. This is my comfort, that death will shortly blow out this dust, and then I shall be resolved of these and many more. In the meantime, I am a sceptic, and know little in this whole doctrine of spirits and spiritual workings, further than Scripture clearly revealeth, and think we might do well to keep closer to its language.

Sect. VIII. Here is presupposed before rest, an actual motion: rest is the end of motion: no motion, no rest. Christianity is not a sedentary profession or employment, nor doth it consist in mere negatives. It is not for feeding, or clothing, &c., that Christ condemns. Not doing good, is not the least evil: sitting still will lose you heaven, as well as if you run from it. I know when we have done all, we are unprofitable servants; and he cannot be a Christian, that relies upon the supposed merit of his works, in proper sense; but yet he that hides his talent, shall receive the wages of a slothful servant.

cause, but the effect; for I doubt not to affirm, so far as these obscure things are known to us on the ordinary grounds, that it is the very essence of God which worketh grace on the soul; for it is his velle effectivum, his will. God needs do no more to produce the creature or any quality in it, but only to will it, as Dr. Twisse saith, and Bradwardine more fully and peremptorily: and God's will is his essence. speak on the supposition of God's immediate operation; for if God work grace by angels, or any second causes, then it cannot be thus said of the act of the second cause, at least so certainly: but of God's act it is still true. So Clemens Alexandr. As God's will is his work, and that is called the world; so his will is man's salvation, and that is; called the church.-Cl. Al. Pædagog. 1. i. c. 6.

e Nos enim qui totam fidem in carne administrandum credimus, immo et per carnem cujus est, et os, ad proferendum optimum quemque sermonem, et lingua ad non blasphemandum, et cor ad non indignandum, et manus ad operandum et largiendum, tam vetustatem hominis quam novitatem ad moralem, non ad substantialem differentiam pertinere defendimus.-Tertul. 1. De Anima. c. xlv. p. (mihi) 412,