The measures of Christian obedience, or, A discourse shewing what obedience is indispensably necessary to a regenerate state, and what defects are consistent with it, for the promotion of piety, and the peace of troubled consciences by John Kettlewell ...

THE INTRODUCTION.

ROM. viij.1.

There is no Condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the Flesh, but after the Spirit.

The Contents.

Religious men inquisitive after their future State. Three Articles of Christian belief cause such inquisitiveness. The Articles of Eternal Life, and the Resurrection, make men desire satisfaction. The Article of the last Judgment encourages the search, and points out a way towards it. A proposal of the present design and the matters treated of in the ensuing Discourse.

AMong all those things which employ the minds of Religious and Considerate men, there is none that is so much a matter of their thought∣ful care and solicitous enquiries, as their Eter∣nal happiness or Misery in the next World.

For in Christs Religion there are three great Articles, which being believed, and seriously considered by a nature restlessly desirous of its own happiness (and such ours is) must needs render it very inquisitive after some

security of its future good estate, and they are these; The Immortality of the Soul, the Resurrection of the Body, and the great Day of Doom or last Judgment. Whoso∣ever is firmly perswaded of these three, as every man is, or at least pretends to be, who professes himself a Christian, he assuredly believes that when this Life is over, both his Body and Soul shall live again, and be endlessly Delighted or Tormented, Comforted or Distressed in the next world, according as their con∣dition is when they leave this. For by the Doctrine of Eternal Life he is assured that his Soul shall live, and be adjudged to an Eternal bliss or misery. By the Ar∣ticle of the Resurrection he is perswaded that his Body, with all its powers, shall spring out of the dust, and be again enlivened with its ancient Soul, to be a sharer of its state, and joyntly to undergo an endless train of most exquisite woes or pleasures. And since it is the very frame and fundamental principle of our Natures studiously to pursue Pleasure, and to fly as fast from Pain, to seek good and to avoid evil: These states of future Happiness and Misery, are such as no man, who sees and believes them, can possibly be unaffect∣ed with, or unconcern'd in. But whosoever in his own thoughts views and beholds them, must needs find all his faculties awake, and through an innate care, and natural instinct, solicitously inquisitive after that lot which shall fall to their own share.

Now if this endless happiness and misery both of Soul and Body in the next world were only casual and con∣tingent, the gift of blind chance, or partial and arbitrary favour; then would the belief of it perplex us indeed with fears and misgiving thoughts, but never encou∣rage us on to any exact care or diligent enquiry. It would be in vain for us to seek what we could never

find, and downright folly to endeavour after satisfacti∣on and certainty in things which are utterly casual and Arbitrary. For what comes by chance is neither fore∣seen by us, nor subject to us. And what is given ar∣bitrarily, without all rule or reason, is as fickle and un∣constant as Arbitrary will it self is. It cannot be pre∣vented by any endeavours, because it doth not regard them; Neither can it be collected beforehand from any fixt rule or reason, seeing it observes none. And what neither our greatest wisdom can foretel, nor our exactest care prevent, it is wholly to no purpose to make a matter of our study and enquiry.

But as for the Everlasting happiness or misery of our Souls and Bodies in the other Life, and at the Resur∣rection, they are not left at random, nor fall out by accident; but are dispensed by a wise hand, and accor∣ding to a fixt and established rule. For it is God who distributes them, and this distribution is in Judgment; and the procedure in that is by Laws, and those laws are unalterably fixt for us, and most plainly declared and published to us in the Gospel. So that now it is no impossible, no nor extream difficult thing for us to un∣derstand which shall be our own state in the next world. For the laws are well known, proclaimed daily to eve∣ry ear, by a whole order of men set apart for that pur∣pose; their sence and meaning is obvious to any com∣mon understanding; and the Judgment according to them at that day will be true and faithful. God will Absolve all those whom his Gospel acquits, but Con∣demn every man whom it accuses. There will be no perverting of Justice through fear or favour, no Sen∣tence passed through partiality or ill will; but a Tryal every way unbyassed and uncorrupt, where Every one shall receive according to the things done in the body,

2 Cor. 5.10. And Judgment shall pass upon all men ac∣cording to their works, Rom. 2.6.

And thus as the belief of the two former Articles, the immortal state either of Bliss or Misery for our Souls, and the Resurrection of our Bodies, will inflame us with rest∣less desires: so if we seriously believe it, will this third Article of the great and general Judgment possess us with sure hopes of being satisfyed in this great enquiry, which of the two States will fall to our own share.

And as this belief of the last Judgment will be the most effectual means to encourage, so will it be withal the surest to guide our Enquiries after it. It chalks us out a method for our search, and directs us to the readiest course for satisfaction. For if the happiness and misery of the next world is to be dispensed to eve∣ry man for a reward or punishment, according to the direction of those Laws which promise or threaten them: then have we nothing more to do in this enqui∣ry, but to examine well what those laws are, what o∣bedience they require, what allowances and mitigati∣ons they will bear, and what lot and condition they assign us. For in that day we shall be look'd upon to be what they declare us; and be doom'd to that state which they pronounce for us. What they speak to us all now, that the Judge of all the world will pronounce upon us all then: their sentence shall be his, and what they de∣nounce he will execute. He will judge us by no other measure but his own Laws; those very Laws which he has taken so much care to proclaim to us, and continu∣ally to press upon us; which he has put into every one of our hands, and made to be sounding daily in our ears; the laws and sanctions of the Gospel. Our blessed Savi∣our Christ the Judge himself has told us this long ago, The word that I have spoken, the same shall judge men at

the last day, Joh. 12.48. And his great Apostle Paul has again confirmed it, Rom. 2. God shall judge the world at that day according to my Gospel, vers. 16. If we perform what those Laws peremptorily require, they now already declare us blessed, and such at the last day will Christ pronounce us. But if by sinning a∣gainst them we fall short of it, they denounce nothing but everlasting woes and miseries, and those he will execute: For he tells us plainly, that when he shall come to judgment in the Glory of his Father with his holy Angels, he will reward every man according to his works, Mat. 16.27. To them who, by patient continuance in well-doing, seek for glory and immortality, he will give eternal life, Rom. 2.7. But to them who obey not the Truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation, and wrath, tribulation and anguish, and that upon every man, whe∣ther he be Jew or Gentile, vers. 8, 9. For all this shall be acted in the greatest integrity, without preferring one before an other. It is only the difference in mens works, which shall difference their conditions; but they who have been equal in their sins, shall be equal also in their sufferings. For at the appearance of Jesus Christ, God, as S^t Peter tells us, without any respect of per∣sons judges according to every mans work, 1 Pet. 1.7.17.

The way then whereby to satisfie our selves in this great matter, is this, To look well into the Gospel, there to learn what we should be; and into our own hearts and lives, there to see what indeed we are; and thence to conclude what in the next world, whether in a state of Life or Death, we shall be.

And to shew this to every man, and to let him see now beforehand how he stands prepared for the next world, and whether, if he should be called away pre∣sently to the Bar of that Judgment, he would be ever∣lastingly

acquitted or condemned in it, is my present business and design. It is to let us see our Eternal Con∣dition before we enter on it, and to make it evident to every man, who is both capable and willing to be in∣structed, what shall be his endless doom of Life or Death before the Judge pronounce it.

And since the Rule of that Court whereby we must all be tryed, and which must measure out to us either Life or Death, is, as we have seen, none other than the Gospel of our Judge and Saviour Jesus Christ: that I may manage this enquiry with the greater light and clearness, I will proceed in this method.

First, I will enquire, What is that condition of our happiness or misery, which the Gospel indispensably exacts.

Secondly, What are its mitigations and allowances, those defects which it pardons and bears with.

And when at any time we fall short of this conditi∣on, and thereby forfeit all right and title to that hap∣piness and pardon which is promised to us upon it: Then

Thirdly, What are those remedies and means of reco∣very, which it points us out for restoring our selves again unto a state of Grace and Favour, and whereupon we shall be reconciled.

And having by this means discovered what in the great and general judgment shall really and truly de∣termine our last estate, what shall be connived at in it; and, when once 'tis lost, what shall restore to it: I shall in the

Fourth and last place Remove those groundless doubts and scruples, which perplex the minds of good and safe, but yet erring and misguided people concerni•••• it.

And having in this manner cleared up all th••se things relating to our last doom, and shew•••• ••oth what in

the Judgment shall be indispensably required to our salvation; what Defects do not overthrow, but consist with it; what Remedies when 'tis wounded or lost, can heal and restore us to it; and what, and of how great consideration those things really are, which being wrong understood, do often create causless fears and jealousies in good peoples minds about it: Having, I say, clearly accounted for all these, I suppose I may think I have said enough to shew men their Future State, and fairly take leave of this Argument.