But we had not rather draw our peace from walking with, nor from believing in God through Christ: nor did we ever mean that faith, far less holy walking should be the cause of that fundamental peace, of peace between God and the sinner, as kTown supposeth, works are not fellow-mediators with Christ, works had no blood to interpose, as Christ the peace-maker had, (for he is our peace;) works, faith, nor any thing in us, were not actors, nor commissioners in the treaty of pacification: and the truth is, the peace we have in our conscience, and apprehension, even from faith is the result, the bloom that groweth on the stalk, the flour or rose of Jesse, rather then peace, and it hath the right hew and resplendency of peace, because there is so much of Christ in either our faith or holy performances: the rosy, pleasant, and beautiful morning sky is not the Sun, but the result and daughter of the Sun, and the fair sky, together; and faith that acteth much upon the promises, as upon the report of credential letters, doth, and must apprehend more pardon then peace can bear witness to; sin hath a bloody tongue, and crieth fury and vengeance aloud, faith must lye on the atonement of the blood of Jesus, which our sense cannot reach: Faith is a star of a greater magnitude, and higher elevation then our poor low-creeping feeling. So we think we had more of Christ, and the acting of the Spirit at our first conversion, then long after, because when our spiritual apprehension is young and tender, the acts of apprehension are more wanton, and fiery; but when experience and growth of grace cometh, the motions ⟨p. 79⟩of sense are more stayed, and solid, and as spirity and active and more, but to green sense, little seemeth much. But that which Antinomians aim at, is to blow away all peace that cometh from personal sanctification, because they are enemies to personal mortification, and make this to be our peace of repenting, and mortifying sin, abstaining from fleshly lu••s; that Christ repented, mortified sin and lusts on the Cross for us; and we believe this, and there is an end. Hence they condemn a•l experience of the acting of God in, and on the soul, to comfort the lsoul, or help faith in times of desertion.
But wee had not rather draw our peace from walking with, nor from beleeving in God thorow Christ: nor did wee ever meane that faith, farre lesse holy walking should bee the cause of that fundamentall peace, of peace betweene God and the sinner, as kTowne supposeth, works are not fellow-mediators with Christ, works had no bloud to interpose, as Christ the peace-maker had, (for he is our peace;) works, faith, nor any thing in us, were not actors, nor commissioners in the treaty of pacification: and the truth is, the peace we have in our conscience, and apprehension, even from faith is the result, the bloome that groweth on the stalke, the floure or rose of Jesse, rather then peace, and it hath the right hew and resplendencie of peace, because there is so much of Christ in either our faith or holy performances: the rosie, pleasant, and beautifull morning skie is not the Sunne, but the result and daughter of the Sunne, and the faire skie, together; and faith that acteth much upon the promises, as upon the report of credentiall letters, doth, and must apprehend more pardon then peace can beare witnesse to; sinne hath a bloudy tongue, and cryeth fury and vengeance aloud, faith must lye on the attonement of the bloud of Jesus, which our sense cannot reach: Faith is a starre of a greater magnitude, and higher el•vation then our poore low-creeping feeling. So wee thinke we had more of Christ, and the acting of the Spirit at our first conversion, then long after, because when our spirituall apprehension is young and tender, the acts of apprehension are more wanton, and fiery; but when experience and growth of grace commeth, the motions ⟨p. 79⟩of sense are more stayed, and solid, and as spiritie and active and more, but to greene sense, little seemeth much. But that which Antinomians ayme at, is to blow away all peace that commeth from personall sanctification, because they are enemies to personall mortification, and make this to be our peace of repenting, and mortifying sinne, abstaining from fleshly lu••s; that Christ repented, mortified sinne and lusts on the Crosse for us; and we beleeve this, and there is an end. Hence they condemne a•l experience of the acting of God in, and on the soule, to comfort the lsoule, or helpe faith in times of desertion.
- kTown […] pag. •••.Towne 〈…〉 pag. •••.
- lR•se, reign, er. 5•.R•se, raigne, er. 5•.
