Answ. We would not willingly make the way to heaven longer then Christ hath made it: Paul speaketh, Rom. 10.6, 7, 8. of a Law-way that is long, wearisome, unpassible, as who would strive to climb up to heaven, or to go down to the grave to fetch Christ from either heaven or hell. The Gospel-way sure is a sweet, easy, passible way, Believe, and be saved. Yet must we not fancy that the way is shorter then Christ hath made it,1 and that it is not a puzzling work to flesh and blood. Saltmarsh with his Antinomians maketh it but one step, at the very next door. I rather believe Christ, who saith, it is a way of many miles, strait, narrow, and thorny. The meritorious way to us is easy, believe by the grace of Christ, but the way of a Christian conversation, whether Antinomians will or no, lieth through duties, doing the will of fGod, its not words, Lord, Lord, but working, gsweating, hrunning, ⟨p. 150⟩iwrestling, kfighting, 7bleeding, 8suffering nabounding in the work, oSowing, pSelling all the sweetest delights, qmany tribulations, 13night-watching: which yet all are honeyed and sugared with the love of Christ, so as his yoke sis easy, and his tCommandments not grievous; yet not so easy, as that the only naked bare act of believing, should be the only Gospel-work, and ye might lye in an ivory bed, and sleep and be carried into an Antinomian fancied Paradise, being under no Law, no obligation of doing, no danger of sinning, and incurring the rod of men, and the fatherly and sad displeasure of God for sins; no broken bones, no terrors, no sense of our sorrow for sin, no progress in personal repentance and mortification, no care of watchful walking to perfect holiness in the fear of God, no abstaining from worldly lusts, no strictness of blamelessness of conversation, for fear of sin, only believe, that as Christ hath suffered for all sin, and so you are as clean as Christ from all sin, original and actual, and Christ hath done all these for you, and believe he hath repented for you, mortified lusts for you, walked strictly and holily for you;u this is an easy work, and no puzzling business, and there is an end.
Answ. We would not willingly make the way to heaven longer then Christ hath made it: Paul speaketh, Rom. 10.6, 7, 8. of a Law-way that is long, wearisome, unpassible, as who would strive to climbe up to heaven, or to goe downe to the grave to fetch Christ from either heaven or hell. The Gospel-way sure is a sweet, easie, passible way, Beleeve, and be saved. Yet must we not fancie that the way is shorter then Christ hath made it,1 and that it is not a puzling worke to flesh and bloud. Saltmarsh with his Antinomians maketh it but one step, at the very next doore. I rather beleeve Christ, who saith, it is a way of many miles, strait, narrow, and thorny. The meritorious way to us is easie, beleeve by the grace of Christ, but the way of a Christian conversation, whether Antinomians will or no, lyeth through duties, doing the will of fGod, its not words, Lord, Lord, but working, gsweating, hrunning, ⟨p. 150⟩iwrestling, kfighting, 7bleeding, 8suffering nabounding in the worke, oSowing, pSelling all the sweetest delights, qmany tribulations, 13night-watching: which yet all are honyed and sugared with the love of Christ, so as his yoake s
- 1How the way to heaven is sweet and easy, yet not so short as antinomians say.How the way to heaven is sweet and easie, yet not so short as •ntinomians say.
- fMath 7.21. Ma•h. 12 50.
- gPhil. 3 12, 13.
- h1 Cor. 9.23 24, 25, 26.
- iL•k 13.24. [Greek or Hebrew].L•k 13.24. 〈non-Latin alphabet〉.
- k2 Tim. 4 7.
- 7Rev. 2.7.17.26.
- 8Rev. 2 12.21. Rev. •.9.
- nHebr. 12.4•
- oM•t. 16.24, 25. I•m. 1.12.
- p1 Cor 15.58.
- q
