sure to all the seed 3ly Consider the Antiquity of the Promise Tit. 1 3. That Promise Gen. 3.16 That the seed of the Woman should Trample down the head of the Serpent it was an promise of Life to the Spiritual Seed of Christ because it is said Christ should destroy the Works of the Devil and therefore he must abolish Death which followed upon Sin which was brought in by Satan 4ly Consider the Repetition and confirmation of it by Oath to Abraham For by the Covenant made with him there was a Right to the Heavenly Inheritance conveyed to him and all his Spiritual Seed Gal. 3. which Covenant God ratifyed by Oath Heb. 6. 5ly Consider the Internal Seal of this Promise to wit the presence of the Spirit Gal. 4.30 Eph. 4.30 Now for the strengthening our Hope He has placed our Eternal Life in Christ he hath given to us Eternal Life and that Life is in his Son 1 John 5. our Life is hid with Christ in God Col. 3.3 He is said to be our Life ibid. He calls himself to Mary John 11. The Resurrection and the Life and he is called Eternal Life And first He is the Meritorious cause of this Life 1 John 4.10 He sent his Son to dye that we might live through him 2ly He is the exemplary cause of this Life Rom. 6.10 1 Thess 4. It is said that if God raised up Christ from the Dead them that sleep in Jesus will God bring with him 3ly He is the dispensing cause of it he hath power to confer it Phil. 3. last And he has Commission to confer it John 17.3 4 and 6.37 I add for the strengthening of Believers Hope he has appointed the Sacrament of the Communion for the frequent renewing the Believers Right to the person of the Redeemer and therefore the eaten Bread is said to be Communion of his Body as the drinking of the Wine is said to be the Communion of his Blood because by Gods appointment it conveys a sure Right to his Humane Nature as Crucified for us and we know that he saith John 6. He that eateth his Flesh and drinketh his Blood hath Eternal Life And in the first of Johns Epistles Chap. 5. It is said he that hath the Son hath Life As also I add for the strengthening of their Hope he gives them the first Fruits the beginning of Glory in the World See the Text. The next thing that is in this waiting is Patience which imports an continuation of hope without freting or fainting under sore and continuing Crosses And this may be win to by considering what our deservings are and how short a thing Time is compared with Eternity 2 Cor. 4. last Now for the description of the Happiness of the other World It is called first Adoption to shew us that our right to it flows from Adoption Rom 8.17 Use of this is first To Exhort us to receive Christ aright that we may be Adopted Jo. 1.12 2d Use is an use of Tryal to try our Right to Heaven by trying our Adoption the best way to try that is to try if we have the Spirit of Adoption which appears in procuring access to God in a study of Imitation of him and subjection to his Corrections Heb. 12. 2ly Heaven is called Adoption because till we come to Heaven Adoption is not fully manifested 1 Jo. 3.1 2. And thefore in the preceeding verse the happiness of Heaven is called the manifestation of the Sons of God And this tells you how you may win to a due esteem of Adoption by considering it with this consequent The possession of Glory fully manifests the worth of this priviledge and withal this teaches Believers to be content with the Worlds contempt seing in this World their Adoption is not fully manifested 3ly Heaven is called Adoption Because it is an Inheritance suiteable to the dignity of the Son 's of God and therefore we should abound in the Work of the Lord knowing that our Labour will not be in vain in the Lord. Verse 24. For we are saved by hope But hope that is seen is not hope For what a man seeth why doth he yet hope for Verse 25 But if we hope for that we see not then do we with patience wait for it AS the Apostle in the other Verses had comforted the Romans by proving the excellency and certainty of the Future Glory from the Creatures desire after it and the Believers desire after it so now he Comforts them under their Cross by letting them see that their future Happiness is very consistent with their present Misery And this he does by telling them they are saved by hope which he clears by these two things 1st That the object of hope is neither presenty enjoyed nor sensibly certain Hope is not seen that is the object of Hope is not seen 2ly He clears it by describing the Affection of hope he says it is a Patient expecting of a distant good The 24 Verse holds out the Advantagiousness of it The other two Verses hold out the nature of the Object and affection of hope When it is said we are saved by hope As it supposes that our felicity is at a distance so it says that all the good that we can get of that distant felicity for the present time is obtained by hopeing for it and therefore if we cannot hope for it we loss all the Encouragement we have by it Next When the Text says we are saved by Hope it imports that if we can hope for Heaven it will save us from the Ill of the Cross for here he is labouring to comfort crossed Christians it will save for it keeps the Cross from being crushing because it expells the apprehensions of Wrath in a Cross 2ly It keeps the Cross from being ensnaring it cannot drive us from our Duty through fear for where this Hope is it lets us see that we have more gain by our duty nor loss by it Use of this is to exhort us to hope For 1st This Hope is suitable to the Revelation of the Gospel which hath brought to the Church a clearer discovery of Heaven than was brought under the Law 2ly It is suitable to Gods Name which he hath taken under the Gospel he is called the God of Hope Rom. 15.13 3ly It is suitable to Gods Works in raising Christ from the Dead and communicating the first Fruits of the Spirit to us it is an obeying of the Gospel-Precepts and imitation of Gospel Examples We should not be deterred from the Hopâ— of Heaven because we are under afflictions for ouâ— Sin 1 Pet 4. compare the 13. verse with the 17. Neither should we cast away our Hope for being guilty of upsiting in the Way of God compare Heb 5.12 with 10.35 Neither should we quite ouâ— Hope of Heaven because of our great sins before Conversion for so did not Paul Use of this is that we should labour for Hope 1st By making Grace the ground of it 2 Thess
that the Communion of his Body and Blood secures Eternal Life to the Believer according to his Doctrine John 6. The 4th Ground of Certainty is the Enjoyment of the first Fruits of the Spirit Viz. Peace and Joy which are the Beginnings of Heaven They that wait for the first Fruits they wait for the Adoption and Redemption of their Body see the Verses subsequent to this Text. The 5th Ground of Certainty is the performance of that Good to the Children of Israel that was Typical of this God possest the natural Seed of Abraham of the earthly Canaan which was a Type that he would possess the Spiritual Seed of Abraham of the Heavenly Canaan Vse This Exhorts the Godly to be content with their Lot and to make nothing their Treasure and Felicity which is upon Earth 2â—y It Exhorts the Godly to attain a subjective certainty of this Inheritance and to found that subjective certainty on the former Grounds which clear the objective certainty of the same 3ly This lets the World see that Godliness is no folly because the Godly have sufficient Grounds for the certain Possession of their Salvation Observe 2ly That the Inheritance is such as becomes God to give It is clear because it is a suitable Expression of his infinite Love 1 John 3.1 1st It is a manifestation of the reality of the Grant of Adoption when Gods People shall enjoy it there will be no room left for doubting that God did really reckon them his Children when he favoured them with Adoption the day when they possess that Inheritance is called a day of the manifestation of the Sons of God 2ly God is an all sufficient God this is an all-sufficient Inheritance God is all in all 1 Cor. 15. The Godly inherite all things Rev. 2â— 3ly God is an Eternal and Unchangeable God and therefore it is an Eternal Inheritance it cannot be wasted away It is an Inheritance incorruptible that fades not away 1 Pet. 1.3 4ly We cannot be dispossessed of this Inheritance not by Power or Violence for the Omnipotence of our God secures us against all opposition the Inhabitants of the New Jerusalem are within a City highly walled We cannot be dispossest by Law-Quirks or Cheats for we have the ultimate Decision of the great Judge Mat. 25. see the Process of Judgement our God is an holy God and therefore this Inheritance is undefiled 1 Pet. 1.3 Created Enjoyments are subject to be abused by men through their Corruption it is a piece of the vanity of the Creature to which it is subjected that it may be made Fewel to Lust but this is a Land wherein dwelleth Righteousness there is nothing enters that defiles This is to reprove those that have low and carnal Conceptions of this Inheritance 2ly It reproves such who have mean Expectations from God in this World and are content with mean Measures of Spiritual Good seing God designs to possess them of such an Excellent Inheritance Observe 3ly That the Inheritance to be possest by Gods Children for the nature of it is the same possest by the man Christ the Glory the Father gives to him he gives to them John 17. â—4 They participate of the same Spirit with him they that have not the Spirit of Christ are none of his that same Spiritual Life that he has is conferred on them because he lives they live John 14. And as the living Father sent him and he lives by the Father so they that eat him shall live by him John 6.57 The Glory of their Body is of the same kind with his Phil. 3. last That same Love that the Father hath to him vents it self in suitable Expressions towards them John 17. last They are admitted to the same glorious Place with him John 14.3 That same light of Glory whereby they see him as he is brings them to a conformity with him 1 John 3.2 The Reason of this is their Adoption which calls for this Participation of Glory if Children then Co-heirs with Christ and this Adoption is granted to give them a Title to this Inheritance 1 John 3.2 There must be conformity betwixt the Head and the Members but Christ must have the Preéminence in respect of Degrees Col. 1.18 He is the First born amongst many Brethren This speaks the great Love of the Redeemer that is content to communicate his Inheritance with us 2ly It calls on Believers to make their Right unquestionable to this excellent Inheritance 3ly It exhorts Believers to be content with their suffering Lot seing they are to share in his Glory 4ly It exhorts them to imitate him in his Obedience it was universal he did always what pleased the Father it was conscientious out of respect to the Fathers Command As the Father gave him Commandment even so he did John 15. last It was single done with respect to the Fathers Glory he glorified his Father on Earth he sought not his own Glory but the Glory of him that sent him It was a self-denying Obedience he humbled himself and became obedient to death Observe 4ly Christ behooved to suffer before he was glorified Luke 24. Christ behooved to suffer and so to enter into his Glory the Reason is because he behooved to satisfie Justice fully as the Soverty of his People before Justice could admit him into the Possession of his Glory 2ly He behooved to go through the Course of his Obedience before the possession of his Reward 3ly The Father gives a full instance of the consistence of his Love with a suffering Lot 4ly By this the Father would make a discovery what should be the course of his Providence towards his Adopted Children viz. That they should be brought through many sufferings to the possession of their Glory And this tells us 1st That we should not stumble at the sufferings of Gods People as tho that Lot signified Gods want of Love to them or the want of a purpose to Glorifie them 2ly It reproves the Discontentment of Gods Children with their suffering Lot It is an arrogant presumption in them to expect that God will use more tenderness in his dealing towards them then he hath used towards his own only begotten Son 3ly It may contribute towards the strengthening the Faith of the Saints in their Extremity of Sufferings seing Christs Sufferings did not marr his Glory they may expect that their Sufferings will not marr theirs 4ly It reproves those that are impatiently desirous of Glory and would shift a suffering Lot 5ly It bids us lay our Compt with a suffering Lot in this World And this is a 5th Observation from the Text And this is done for the Tryal of their Faith 1 Pet. 1.5 For the Exercise of their Patience Ja. 1.3 For Mortification of their Sin and their preparation for Heaven 2 Cor 4. last As also That they may have occasion for many Experiences of Gods Love for Patience in Tribulation works Experience Rom. 5. And that they may have opportunity to prove the sincerity of
would not be discouraged for although the present measure of inherent Grace that is in him be not able to do his work and overcome the opposition made to it yet there is an abundance of strength in the Spirit of Life that principally resides in the Head and is derived from him to all his Members to manadge all the Christians Work and to overcome all the opposition made to it Take notice 5ly Of the name the Spirit gets here he is called the Spirit of Life or a quickning Spirit and he is called so for Three Reasons 1st Because he raised Christ from the dead 2ly Because he raises us from the Death of Sin And 3ly Because he is to raise the Christian at the last day to immortal Glory From this we infer that those in whom the Spirit dwells must have Spiritual Life that is they must live so as to make his Will their Rule and his Glory their End and his Love their chiefest Comfort 6ly Take notice That the Spirit of Life is said to be in Jesus Christ and that 1st Because Christ did merite the Spirit of Life to his People 2ly Because the Spirit of Life did evidence principally It's quickning vertue in his raising Christ from the dead He did this that believers might have a pledge by this deed that he could raise them from the death of sin and of the grave 3. He is said to be in Christ Jesus because he is given to him principally and primarly and in a greater measure then to Believers the Father gave not the Spirit by measure to him John 3.34 And the Spirit is given to believers from Christ and for his sake and this directs Believers how to strengthen their Faith as to the expectation of the Spirits grace and influence to their Hearts Unbelief will say in their Hearts they should not expect the Spirits presence seeing they cannot deserve it The Answers is that Christ hath deserved it from them tho they have not deserved it themselves 2ly Unbelief will object the difficulty of the Spiritual and Corporal Resurrection a work so difficult how can the accomplishment thereof be expected The answer is That this Spiriâ— of life hath performed ane greater work in raising Christ from the dead then he should perform tho he should raise thee who are the Believer from the death of sin and the grave 3ly Unbelief in Believers will object against their undertaking great Spiritual work for God because they do not find such strength of the Spirits grace in them as many be proportioned to the greatness and Spirituality of that work But the Answer is They should not take their encouragement to the work from the greatness of the strength of their present inherent grace but from the greatness of the strength of that Spirit of life that primarly and principally resides in Christ and therefore Paul 1 Tim. 2.1 He bids Timothy be strong in the grace that is in Jesus and in the Philip 4. He says he can do all things through Christ that strengthneth him and in 2 Cor. 12. He says he rejoyces in his infirmity that the power of Christ may rest upon him And therefore an exercised Believer with indwelling sin if he would have the most comfortable look of Christ let him look to him as having the fullness of the Spirit of life in him for Christ is not only lovely to a Believer as his Blood has an Expiatory vertue to cleanse away our guilt but as he has an fullness of the Spirit whereby he is able to quicken the Believer and raise him from the Death of sin to a Spiritual life Observe the designation of Corruption it is called the Law of Sin to hold out its moral evil 2ly It is called the Law of Death to hold out the prejudice it doeth to us It gets the name of the Law of sin to hold out the impetuous activity of it to make us commit Actual sin notwithstanding all the restraints that God puts upon us by his prohibitions by his Threatenings by his Judgements and Crosses by his Checking and Restraining-providences by his Allureing mercies by his awakening-Smarting challenges of our conscience 2ly This Corruption is very powerful to overcome the restraints of Men made against it No humane law with it's most Vigorous execution can altogether stop its Impetuousness Indwelling sin is so impetuous that it doeth overcome the restraints the the sinner puts on himself he will break his own Vow 's purposes and promises From the Impetuousness and efficacy of this indwelling sin we may inferr the folly of them that think to get it Mortified by their own strength without the efficacy of the Spirit of life convoyed to us in the humble use of appointed means 2ly It says they are fools who look upon their resolutions to live blamelesly as a sufficient guard against Scandalous sins Indwelling sin is so impetuous in its acting that it will break out notwithstanding of that resolution if it be not mortified by the Law of the Spirit of life Next the Text holds out the prejudice we lustain by Corruption here it is called the Law of Death and that first because the strength of Corruption and it's Actings marr Spiritual Life 2ly Because although the Guilt of Corruption be Pardoned to â— Believer yet the intrinsick Demerite of Eternal Death sticks to it 3ly Because that Natural Death necessarly is Connected with it For though the Death of a Believer be not the effect of a Curseing Law as the just Punishment of Corruption yet the Totaâ— removeal of Corruption from the Believer is to be brought about by Death the Dissolution of Nature If this were well considered by Believers it would make us humble under the Sense of Indwelling sin and would make us painful for its Mortification anâ— make us exceedingly long for it's Total Abolition Observe Paul applyes this Priviledge of freedom from indwelling sin to himself and thâ— Application is worthy of Observation if yâ— look to its Qualities As 1st It 's an Application that is attended with a due Sense of sin the Moral ill and prejudice of it an Christian exercised with the exceeding sinfulness of indwelling sin and the prejudice following on it is a fit applye of this benefite 2ly This Application is an humble Application he expects freedom from indwelling sin not from any paines he can take to Mortifâ— it but from the Law and Efficacy of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus 3ly Paul's Application of this benefite is from Knowledge he know's the Guilt of indwelling sin is removed by his Justification and he knowes the presence of it is to be removed alsewell as the Dominion of it to be broken by the Efficacy of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus Paul did expect this benefite on rational Grounds which he understood Not like many ignorant Christians that expect benefites fraâ— God and yet they have not distinct Grounds to found their Expectation on 4ly This Application was
Intercession 6ly It makes him capable to exerce his mediatory Kingly Power over all the Creation for their good and safety Eph. 1. and last Psal 2. He hath by Inheritance obtained a more excellent Name than the Angels and it is of the Son it is said His Throne is for ever and ever Likeas it is by his Soneship he is capable for the comfort of Believers to be the Judge of the quick and the dead John 5.22 Observe 2ly Christs Mission He was sent of the Father 2nd this Mission imports 1st The Fathers great Love to the believing World John 3.16 1 John 4.9 2ly It imports that Christ his acting the Work of our Redemption was the Effect of a former Decree and was no casual or fortuitous Thing but was the accomplishment of a Divine Purpose Acts 4 28. and therefore that Providence is not to be stumbled at 3ly It imports that Christ had Gods Warrand for what he did Jo. 6.27 and he confirmed his Commission by Miracles Jo. 5.36 And therefore they that reject Christ contemn the Fathers Authority 4ly It secures us of Christs Fidelity that he will pursue the Accomplishment of the Fathers Designs for the infinitly Wise God would chuse none but those that would be trustie to him John 6.38 and 8.29 And from this we may gather his success Isa 44.1 4 Observe 3ly The Incarnation of the Son of God He was sent in Flesh he was not sent in the likeness of Flesh but in the likeness of sinful Flesh he was made real Flesh John 1.14 He was made of a Woman Gal. 4. He was manifest in the Flesh 1 Tim. 3.16 He was the man Christ Jesus 1 Tim. 2.5 and this was done 1st That he might communicate the Gospel Revelation to us in a way condescending to our Infirmitly Heb. 1.1 2ly That we might have one in our Nature to cast a Pattern to us for Obedience to God Phil. 2.7.8 3ly That he might be capable to bear the particular Punishment threatned by the Law viz. Death Heb. 2.14 And That his suffering being the suffering of Humane Nature might be imputable to us See the Text God punisht sin in his Flesh or in his Humane Nature that the Righteousness of the Law might be fulfilled in Believers 4ly That he might be a Sympathiseing Intercessor Heb. 2. last and 4.15 and that by vertue of the Experience of these Temptations we are subject to And 5ly That the Father might make him a Pledge to us of our Victories and Blessings he would make him in our own Nature to overcome Death and all our Spiritual Enemies that his Victory might be a Pledge to us that God can make frail man overcome death and all their Spiritual Enemies though they have a frail Nature And 6ly That we might have an easie Passage to God the Father because we go to him through his own Son dwelling in our Nature Joh. 14 6. Heb. 10.20 We go through the vail of his Flesh to the Father That is the Passage Observe 4ly Christ was not made sinful Flesh but was made like unto sinful Flesh This holds out Christ's sinlesness this behoved to be that he might be a perfect Patern for our Obedience that he might be a spotless and acceptable Sacrifice that he might be the Truth of these his Types viz. the Legal Sacrifices that were to be offered without blemish that his Sufferings might be for the behoof of others seing he knew no sin himself 2 Cor. 5. and last That he might be a prevalent Intercessor Heb. 7.26 He was free of Original Sin being conceived by the Holy Ghost in the Womb of the Virgin and so not springing from the first Adam by way of ordinary Generation And it was not consistent with Justice that he should want Original Righteousness by vertue of Adam's breach of the Covenant of Works seeing he was not a Person engaged in that Covenant either Virtually or Formally for as I said he came not of Adam by ordinary Generation Observe 5ly He was made in the likeness of sinful Flesh which imports these two 1st A subjection to the common Infirmities of Mankind such as Hunger Weariedness and Mortality And this should sweeten these Miseries to Believers because we may expect his sympathy with us under them for he had personal Experience of them Likeas this may sweeten our Lot under them that God gives us an Instance in his Person that these Infirmities are consistent with special Love and after-happiness as we see in Christ's case 2ly The Phrase being made in the likeness of sinful Flesh imports not only Christ's Subjection to the common Infirmities of our Nature that all men are subject to but it imports his lyableness to extream Sufferings for our sins As our Soverty Observe 6ly From the Word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which imports the final cause of Christs Mission Incarnation and Humiliation That the Abolition of Sin is the End why God sent his Son into the World to dye which holds out the odiousness and hurtfulness of Sin seing all this ado was made for the removal of it And therefore we should be watchful against the committing of it grieved when either we or others do commit it and restless and painful for the mortification of it Now follows God's Action by which he brought about the Justification of the Sinner consistent with Law exprest in these Words He viz. God the Father condemned that is punished upon a Judicial Sentence past against Christ as Soverty He condemned Sin in the Flesh The Text holds out Three things anent Christ's Sufferings 1st Their Quality they were Punishments for they were not Miseries sent on him by God to express his Soveraignty but the Effects of Divine Justice 2ly The Words hold out who is the Principal Author and Inflicter of them and that was God the Father 3ly They hold out the Subject of his Sufferings and that was his Flesh or Humane Nature The Text says He condemned Sin in the Flesh That is in the Flesh of his own Son Flesh being here put for frail Nature For the First of these That Christ's Suffering is a Punishment for sin Appears 1st Because he was the Truth of the Levitical Sacrifices The sacrificed Beast was substitute in the room of the guilty Sinner for the Sinner confest his Sin over the head of the Sacrifice 2ly Christ is said to bear the Curse of the Law Gal. 3.13 3ly He is said to dye in our stead Rom. 5.8 4ly He is said to be a Propitiation through his Blood Rom. 3 25. 5ly He is said to give his Life a Ransom for many 1 Tim. 2.6 6ly He is said to bear our sins in his own Body on the Tree 1 Peter 2.24 God is said to make him sin for us 2 Cor. 5. and last To lay our iniquity on him Isa◠53.6 This tells us 1st That it was not only to give us a Patern for Patience that he suffered or to give an Confirmation to the Truth of
the Conscience 3ly Corruption craves That the Christian should stand in fear and awe of it That they should be hopeless ever to get it overcome and this he is prompted to by his sinful Heart through considering the multitude of his Corruptions and the deepness of their Root and of his oft Essays against it with frustration following thereupon and his want of skill to improve Christs Mortifying Grace But the Christian is not a Debitor to give it this awe anâ— fear for this discourageing fear of the power of Corruption should be studied against 1st Because he is free of the Guilt of it 2ly Because he is no moâ— a Slave to it Rom. 6.14 3ly This Fear does hiâ— prejudice For 1st It makes him suspend his Faitâ— upon the promise of pardon 2ly It makes him doubt if God would hear his Prayers 3ly Iâ— make him â—ath to engage against it as being hopeless of the successfulness of his engagement and so he is a Prey to the meanest Temptation and then confusion of Spirit and want of peace follows 4ly We are not Debitors to the Flesh to give it Entertainment for it craves of us that we should seek External Temptations to it to feed it this should be denyed because it stops folks confidence in Praying for Mortifying Grace 2ly It obscure the sight of sincerity Psal 18 23. 3ly It provoke God to let them meet with these occasions 5ly We should not hearken to Corruption when it craves the hideing of its Nakedness from us by making us extenuate it for the yeilding to it in this will not lessen it in Gods sight 2ly It keeps away the impressions of pardoning Mercy Psal 32.3 3ly it will keep us from the Exercise of Repentance or Soul-Loathing and tenderness of Conscience against Sin and weakens the Mans esteem of Christs Blood and sets God against the Man Jer. 2.35 And 6ly Corruption craves spareing of it That we should not seek the Life of it but be content with an mean measure of Mortification And this it doth telling us that we may have peace and Communion with God and keep up our Name of Profession notwithstanding of this But we should not yeild to this because Corruption was cruel to us seeking our Death 2ly If we attempt not its Death none of our Attempts will be successful against it 3ly When we attempt its Death it makes it as it were despaired and gives us more ado whereby we are necessitate to believe on Christ for Mortifying Grace and forced to have a desire to be gone to be sure of it and withall if we do spare it it may break out to our shame Verse 13. For if ye live after the Flesh ye shall â—y But if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the Body ye shall live HEre the Apostle is proving we are Debitors not to the flesh but to the Spirit And that because of the benefite we have by the one and the prejudice we have by the other Death is by the one and Life by the other Observe 1. That those that live after the flesh shall dye after the flesh imports a mans fixed purpose not to contradict the Corruptions of his Nature Psal 36 3. 2ly When a man resolutely sets himself to bring the motions of his Corruption to External Acts Mica 2.1 Psal 36 4 3ly When he delights in sinning and is frequent in it and is fearless under it Psal 36 2. In a word it is to be a slave to Corruption and to make it our design to give it full satisfaction Eph. 2.1 2. To spend our time Wit and Parts to the gratifying of our Lusts and to place our felicity and satisfaction in them such a course of Life ends in Eternal Death as appears by the Threatning of the Law and of the Gospel and the Self-condemnation of such Folks Consciences Use of reproof to those that are secure and have their security springing from misbelief of future Wrath False-Imaginations of Divine Mercy Stupidity and souredness of Conscience Blinding Self-Love and Atheistical Thoughts of Providence as tho God would neither do Good nor Evil but such would remember to reflect on the Truth of the Scriptures the hatefulness and demerite of Sin and the Justice of God Observe 2ly That the Mortifying of the Deeds of the Body is a most advantagious thing and brings Life with it it brings with it the Life of Justification or Pardon because it 's the great Pledge of Pardon 1 John 1.8 2ly It brings with it the Life of Sanctification consisting in these Four viz. The Easy Vigorous Cheerful and Constant Exercise of Grace 1st It brings the easy Exercise of Grace with it because it makes a man quick-sighted to discern his Duty for Lust blinds the mind it frees him of these Lusts that makes him ordinarly shift the doing of his Duty 2ly Mortification makes him Vigorous in the Exercise of Grace 1 Tim 6.11 Because the whole Heart when Mortified gets liberty to be about its Duty in the Exercise of Grace 3ly It makes him cheerful in it Because the Exercise of Grace is connatural to a Mortified Heart And the mind of a Mortified Man does more clearly discern the Advantage of the Exercise of Grace than the mind of another 4ly It is useful for the constant Exercise of Grace and that because it keeps him from being easily overcome with Temptation 2ly He cannot weary of it for he finds a pleasure in it And 3ly He does not soon satisfy himself with what he has done because he sees many of his Imperfections therein But 3ly Mortification is good for the life of Comfort Because it fits a Man for discoveries of God Matth. 5.8 It qualifies him for hope 1 John 3.3 And contributes to the intrinsick pleasure that the New Man has in Duty And 4ly It brings the life of Glory with it because it tends to prepare a Man for it From all this we may see 1st The cause why many Christians wants the intimation of their Pardon it s because they study not Mortification 2ly We see that we need not lay the blame of the want of Sanctification either upon Gods sparingness to give us sanctifying Grace or upon External Temptations so much as upon our own neglect of Mortifying our Lusts 3ly This tells us why so many Professors are Strangers to Comforts Use 2d Of Exhortation if we would win hastily to Heaven we would strive to mortify Lusts and as we would have those Advantages let us go about the Duty 1st Labour for the discovery of the Evills in the Imperfections of your Services Rom. 7.21 2ly Repent of them Jam. 4.8.9 Continually groan under Corruption Rom. 7.24 make no provision for Corruption Rom. 13. last And apply the promises of the Gospel 2 Cor. 7.1 Next study to reflect on the prejudices you have sustained by them how oft they have brought on Judgements upon your Person made you Scandalous to others interrupted your Communion with God broken your peace
the Visible Church who because of their being strangers to the Operations of the Spirit in the Hearts of true Believers look upon Assurance as an unattainable thing As to the second Observation The way to win to this Assurance it is set down in the Text and it is by getting a two fold Testimony for our Sonship The one from the Spirit and the other from our Conscience The Spirit Testifies to our Sonship 1st By giving an External Revelation in the Scriptures that penitent Believers are the Sons of God John 1.12 2ly The Spirit concurrs with this Testimony by illuminating the Mind and Understanding and perswading it of the truth of this External Revelation 1 Cor. 2.12 3ly The Spirit concurrs to this Testimony by being an evidence of our Sonship by reason of his Gracious sanctifying presence in us Therefore the Scripture calls him the Earnest of our Inheritance Eph. 1 13 and Gods Seal on us Eph 4.30 4ly The Spirit testifies our Sonship by giving us this Internal Objective Revelation viz. That we are Sons and that we have these true Graces in us that are the true Marks of our Adopted state and albeit we cannot discern a true difference between a suggestion of the Spirit of God injecting this thought in us That we are â—onâ— differing I say from the Act of our Conscience concluding our Sonship from reflecting on the truth of our Graces yet there may be a difference between these Two the thought and persuasion injected by the Spirit being attended with a total expulsion of all Fears Whereas the Act of the Conscience may have some mixture of fears attending it And if we consider this Text which asserts the Spirit to be a Co-witness with Conscience testifieing Sonship it supposeth that the Spirit doth give this Internal Objective Revelation to the Mind as a distinct Testimony from that of the Conscience For to say that all that the Spirit works in this affair is to assist the Conscience concluding Sonship from the discerning of the true Marks of a renewed state To say this does not seem to be the whole of his Text for in that case the Spirit helps only the Conscience to be a Witness but he cannot properly be called a Testator himself yea also and another Testator besides the Conscience which the Text does here assert neither doeth tâ— is Assertion of the Spirits giving this Internal Objective Revelation anent the Son ship of the Saints take off Believers from the written word as a Rule of their Life and expose Believers to delusions by leading them to wait upon Internal Revelations differing from the Revelations made in Scripture And that 1st Because this Internal Revelation is agreeable to Scripture-Revelation because it is the Revelacion of Sonship to a particular Membeâ— of the Church who hath all the Scripture-marks of an Adopted state neither is this internal Revelation of Sonship to a particular Believer a new Revelation of a new Article of Faith not contained in the Scriptures added to the Creed of other Believers obliedging them to believe the same it is only the Revelation of a Truth consonant to the Scriptures made to a particular Believer to his comfort And if it be said the asserting of such an Revelation leaves men at great uncertainty because they may take Satans Suggestion for the Testimony of the Spirit It is Answered The Testimony of the Spirit is attended with the Testimony of Conscience concluding upon rational Grounds their Sonship he is said here to be a Co-witness with our Spirits 2ly Where it is it brings with it a disposition and promptitude for Prayer It is the Testimony of the Spirit of Adoption whereby we Cry Abba Father 3ly It disposes the Soul for Holiness it is the holy Spirit of Promise that gives this Testimony Eph. 1.13 There are these Three or Four Ways whereby we may win to this Spirits Testimony As. 1st By exact walking God gives it as a Reward to his Obedient Children 2ly By being of a Gospel-frame of Spirit he is the holy Spirit of Promise and we receive the Spirit as well in his comforting Testimony as in his Sanctifying Vertue by improving the Gospel We receive the Spirit by the hearing of Faith Gal. 3.2 That is by the acceptance and improving of the Object of Faith Viz. the Promise of the Gospel A 3d. Way we receive the Spirit is to be devout much given to Prayer the Spirit of Adoption prompting us to pray is attended with this Testimony as we see by thir two Verses joined together A 4th Way to win at it is Labour for the constant witnessing of our own Conscience testifying to our Son ship and this is win at by studying singleness and sincerity 2 Cor. 1.12 See Jobâ— Experience 2ly We would labour for the grouth of Grace for when Grace is growen it is better seen than when it is in a mean measure 3ly We would labour to have all the Graces of the Spirit for our shortcoming in some makes us jealous we want all 4ly When God calls us to self-denying Acts of Obedience we would readily answer Gods Call For if God take self-denying Acts of Obedience for Evidences of the Truth of Grace a mans own Conscience may safely take them for a sure Evidence of the same for God says Gen. 22. That by Abrahams offering up of Isaac he knew that he feared God Verse 17. And if Children then Heirs Heirs of God and Joint-Heirs with Christ if so be that we suffer with him that we may be also glorifyed together HERE the Apostle infers a certainty of the Children of Gods possessing the Inheritance If Children then Hears and he commends that Inheritance from these two Grounds As 1st It is an Inheritance suitable to the Giver they are Heirs of God 2d Ground is it is the same Inheritance possest by the Lord Christ they are Co-heirs with him The Apostle here also prevents an Objection that might be made against this Doctrine which might be taken from the suffering Lot of the Saints and he turns the Objection to a Confirmation of this Truth See 1 Pet. 1.14 If so be that we suffer with him that we may be also glorifyed together Observe 1st From the Text that God's Children shall certainly possess the Inheritance The 1st Ground of this Objective Certainty is the Oath and Promise of the Covenant See Heb. 6. 2d Ground is the two Priviledges of the Saints whereby they have Right to this Inheritance And these are 1st Justification Tit. 3.6 2ly Adoption See the Text. 3d. Ground are the Seals whereby God confirms the Promise of this Inheritance to his People 1st Seal is the internal Seal of the Spirit Eph. 1.13 2d Seal is the external Seal of the Sacrament of the Supper which is a Seal of the Communion of his Body and Blood the Bread which we break is the Communion of his Body and the Cup which we drink is the Communion of his Blood 2 Cor. 10. And we know