A41355:488
The Marrow of Modern Divinity
The marrow of modern divinity touching both the covenant of works, and the covenant of grace, with their use and end, both in the time of the Old Testament, and in the time of the New : wherein every one may clearly see how far forth he bringeth the law into the case of justification, and so deserveth the name of legalist : and how far forth he rejecteth the law, in the case of sanctification, and so deserveth the name of Antinomist : with the middle path between them both, which by Jesus Christ leadeth to eternal life : in a dialogue, betwixt Evangelista, a minister of the Gospel, Nomista, a legalist, Antinomista, an Antinomian, and Neophytus, a young Christian / by the author, E.F. ; before the which there is prefixed the commendatory epistles of divers divines of great esteem in the city of London ; whereunto is also added, the substance of aThe marrow of modern divinity touching both the covenant of works, and the covenant of grace, with their use and end, both in the time of the Old Testament, and in the time of the New : wherein every one may cleerly see how far forth he bringeth the law into the case of justification, and so deserverh the name of legalist : and how far forth he rejecteth the law, in the case of sanctification, and so deserveth the name of Antinomist : with the middle path between them both, which by Iesus Christ leadeth to eternall life : in a dialogue, betwixt Evangelista, a minister of the Gospel, Nomista, a legalist, Antinomista, an Antinomian, and Neophytus, a young Christian / by the author, E.F. ; before the which there is prefixed the commendatory epistles of divers divines of great esteem in the citie of London ; whereunto is also added, the substance of a
London: printed by R. Leybourn for Giles Calvert, 1646
THE MARROW OF Modern Divinity.THE MARROVV OF Modern Divinity.
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
But when a man once comes to believe that all his sins, both past, present, and to come, are freely and fully pardoned, and God in Christ graciously reconciled unto him: the ⟨p. 235⟩Lord doth hereupon so reveal his fatherly face unto him in Christ, and so make known that incredible union betwixt him and the believing soul; that his heart becomes quietly contented in God, who is the proper element of its being: for hereupon there come• into the soul such peace flowing from the God of peace; that it fills the emptiness of the soul with true fullness, in the fullness of God; so that now the heart ceaseth to molest the understanding and reason, in seeking either variety of objects, or augmentation of degrees, in any comprehensible thing: And that because the restless longing of the mind which did before cause unquietness, and disorder, both in the variety of mental projects, and also in the sensual and beastly exercises of the corporal and external members, is satisfied and truly quieted, for when a mans heart is at peace in God, and is become truly full in that peace and joy, passing understanding, then the Devil hath not that hope to prevail against our souls, as he had before, he knows right well that it is in vain to beat his hook, with profits, pleasures, honour, or any other such like seeming good, to catch such a soul that is thus at quiet in God, for he hath all fullness in God, and what can be added to fullness, but it runneth over, indeed empty ⟨p. 236⟩hearts like empty hogsheads, are fit to receive any matter which shall be put into them, but the heart of the believer being filled with joy and peace in believing, doth abhor all such base allurements, for that it hath no room in it self to receive any such seeming contentments, so that to speak as the truth is, there is nothing that doth truly and unfeignedly root wickedness out of the heart of man, but only the true tranquility of the mind, or the rest of the soul in God, and to say as the thing is, this is such a peace and such a rest to the creature in the Creator, that according to the measure of its establishment by faith, no created comprehensible thing, can either add to it or detract from it, the increase of a Kingdom cannot augment it, the greatest losses and crosses in worldly things cannot diminish it, a believers good works do all flow from it, and ought not to return to it: