Heb. 11. That is faith in Christ made him to chuse grace before the things of this world but it was not thus with the other he chose it not out of faith as Moses did that is he saw not Gods Commandments carnal men they do many things but they do them not to this end for then and not till then is a spiritual man strong when he will let life riches honor pleasure liberty and all go for Christ which he cannot do without faith The natural man will never do this this is the only property of faith which is a supernatural work in the soul and therefore the Holy Ghost saith they suffered with joy the spoiling of their goods that is they let them willingly go life and liberty and all shall go before Christ shall go A noble Romane may do some thing for his country and for himself but there is a by end in it that is he doth it not in a right manner to a right end but the spiritual strong man doth all things in a spiritual manner to a saving end the one doth it for vain glory but the other in uprightness of heart For in faith there is a double work First it empties a man that is as a man that hath his hands full cannot take another thing till he hath let his handful fall so when faith enters into the heart of a man it empties the heart of self-love self-will that is it purgeth out the rubbish that is naturally in every mans heart and lets all go to get hold on Christ all shall go then life and honour profit and pleasure and he is the truely spiritual man that can thus lose the world to cleave to Christ and miserable are they that cannot and by emptying himself of himself he is filled with the power of Christ. Secondly As it empties the heart of that which may keep Christ out of the soul so in the second place he seekes all things in God and from God that is he first seekes Gods Love and Gods blessing upon what he doth enjoy and then he goes unto secondary means and useth them as helpes but a man that wanteth faith he will not let all go for Christ he will not seek first unto God in any thing but unto secondary means and then if he fails that is if he want power to supply then it may be he will seek unto God and hence it is that he will not lose his life or liberty or honour for Christ because he sees more power and good in the creature then in God Again this makes the difference between the Christian and Christian namely Faith and hence it is that some are weak and others are strong hence it is that some are more able then others for the greatest duties of Religion as for example Caleb and Ioshua can do more then the rest of the people and what is the reason but because they were stronger in the faith then others And so Paul said of himself that he could do more then they all because Paul had a stronger faith for the truth of a mans strength is known by his strength of faith that he hath it discovers whether he be naturally strong or spiritually strong for this is the first work of the spirit after Humiliation in the conversion of a sinner namely to work faith in him and no sooner faith but assoon strength and the promise followes faith He that believeth and is baptixed shall be saved but he that believeth not shall be damned Mar. 15. 15. And this is the course that we take first we preach the Law unto you and we do it to this end to humble you and to break the hard disposition of your hearts that so they may be fit to receive Christ And when we have thereby humbled you then we Preach unto you the Gospel beseeching and exhorting you to believe in Christ for the pardon of sins past present and to come and to lay down the arms of Rebellion which you have taken up against Christ and you shall be saved And yet notwithstanding how few are either humbled by the one or perswaded and provoked by the other but are as the Prophet saith having eyes and see not ears but they hear not that is seeing they do not see and hearing they do not hear as for example when a man is shewed a thing but yet he mindes it not that is the eye of the mind is upon another object that man may be said to see and not to see because he doth not regard it or a man that hath a matter pleaded before him hears it but his mind being otherwise imployed he regards it not in that respect he may be said to hear and not to hear because he mindes it not And what is the Reason that we Preach the Law and the judgements of God so much unto you and what is the Reason that we beseech and intreat you so often to come in and receive Christ and you shall be saved time after time and day by day and yet we see how little efficacie the word hath what is the reason that the word wants this effect in you as not to humble you what is the reason that you are not more affrighted with the judgements of God then you are what is the reason that you remain as ignorant and careless as ever you were but because you do not believe that is you want a true saving and applying faith for if you had the word would work other effects in you then it doth as for example if one should tell a man that such a benefit or Legacie is befaâ—n him that would raise him to great honour though before he lived but in a mean condition if this man did but believe it surely he would be affected with it and rejoyce So truly if you did but believe that Christs Grace and Salvation were so excellent and that Holiness and the strengthening of the Inward man would bring you to so happy a condition and estate as to be the heirs of Heaven you would rejoyce in Christ and grace onely Again if you did but believe that the word of God is true and that God is a just God I say if the drunkard did but believe that the drunkard shall be damned or if the Adulterer did believe that no Adulterer should inherit the Kingdom of God and of Christ or if the prophane person and the Gamester did but know that they must give an accompt for all their mispent time and idle words and vain communication they would not sport themselves in their sins as they do Again if we did but believe that God calleth whom and when he pleaseth and that many are called but few are chosen that is if a man consider that though here be a Church full of people yet it may be but a few of them shall be saved I say if a man did but believe this surely they would not defer their repentance That
assumed body and shew of grace That is a common spirit without the life of grace The third propertie of assumed bodies they are unconstant That is assumed bodies walk for a time but they walk not alwayes even so if you have but a common spirit you will not be constant in good but off and on from the Rule A man that is living in Christ you shall find him living and moving and doing the Actions of the new man A man that hath a common spirit may do some things that are good he may keep and press down sin for a while but not alwayes nor then neither as it is sin but because it crosseth his profit or pleasure or some such thing Again he may have some taste or relish o spiritual things But he is not cleansed or purged by them Again they may walk as a living man walks That is perform holy duties but they are not constant in holy duties neither do they perform them in obedience but out of self love That is they are still ebbing and seldom flowing They omit ostner then they perform Therefore let me exhort you all You that are alive and have been dead be you careful to prize your life And you that have been alive and now are dead That is you that have faln from your holiness and zeal and have lost your first love and strength labour now to renew it again But you that are alive and yet are falling let me exhort you to strengthen the things that are ready to die If there be any here such let them now humble themselves and seek the spirit with earnestness That they may be renewed That they may be strengthned and quickned to good and received to favour again But if you will not but continue in this condition still you have but a name that you are alive but indeed you are dead In Rom. 6. it is said That they that die in Christ shall live in him That is if you once live the life of grace and have received the sanctifying spirit you shall never die but live for ever in Christ. This was the promise that Christ made unto his Disciples and in them unto every Christian. That he would send the spirit and he should abide with them for ever Therefore examine if the Spirit do remain in you and make you constant in good if not it is not the sanfying spirit The fifth sign whereby you shall know whether you have the sanctifying Spirit is this examine whether it be the Spirit of adoption That is if it make you to call God Father Then it is the sanctifying Spirit in Galat. 4. 6. We have received the spirit of adoption whereby we cry Abba Father That is this is the property of the holy man no wicked man can call God Father because he hath not any such relation unto God he neither loves God nor God loves him The Apostle saith unto the Church I do this to prove or know the naturalness of your â—â—ve That is they that have the spirit they have as it were a natural inclination wrought in them to love God again to delight in God and in the Communion of Saints And therefore our Saviour saith in Iohn 4. It is my meat and drink to do the will of my Father That is he that hath God for his Father will serve him willingly without constraint as willingly as a man will eat and drink without wages that is he needs not to have wages to do that so he that hath the spirit he will delight in doing Gods will he will serve God though he should give him nothing And in this that God is our Father it will raise some like affections in us to love God again so likewise in prayer to have God to be our Father it likewise raiseth Son-like affections in us whereby we do not only believe that the things we pray for we shall have but we have also boldness to come unto him as unto a Father which no man can do till he have this spirit of adoption Therefore examine with what confidence and boldness you pray with what reverence you hear with what affection you love That is examine whether you have the spirit that doth make you to call God Father The sixt sign whereby you shall know whether you have the spirit or no is this you shall know it by the manner of working That is if it change you and lie combating in you as in Galat. 5. The flesh lusteth against the spirit and the spirit against the flesh That is if you have the Spirit you will have continual fighting and striving in the soul and this will not be onely against some or more particular lusts but against all that it knowes to be a sin I say not onely that there is a striving or a suppressing but it is by way of lusting Because a natural man that hath not the sanctifying spirit may keep down a lust for â—â—me by-respects but it is not from a 〈◊〉 That is it is not because his heart hates it oâ—â—…sses it by another power then a natuâ—… 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 love of sin still But the opposing and resisting of sin in the godly is by way of lusting because they hate the sin and they fight against it with courage Therefore examine what lusting there is in you that is what hating of sin and then see with what courage and power you go about the subduing of it It is said that Iohn Baptist came in the spirit of Elias that is he came with that spirit that is full of power I say you will fight faintly against sin except you have the Spirit when the Disciples had received the Spirit in Acts 4. They spake with great boldness That is they had greater power to speak then before Therefore the Lord exhorts all men in Isai. 30. 3. Trust not in them they are men and not Gods As if the very name of men were weakness That is they are men that have no power it is God that hath power and therefore trust not in them but in every thing labour to see the power of God in it and seek for all spiritual power to good by God and examine your selves what power you have when you pray what power have you to go through to the end when you hear what power have you to edification when you see evil what power have you to avoid it when you are offered the pleasures and profits of the world what power have you to forsake them if they may prove hurtful unto the inward man if you have strong lusts in you what power have you to suppresse and lust against them Therefore you shall know by this whether you have the sanctifying spirit or no by the working of it The seventh sign whereby you shall know whether you have the sanctifying spirit or no is this you shall know it by your carriage in your words and actions and by your
have Christ govern in us for he is not as those governours that govern for themselves but he hath the propertie of a good governour that spendeth his sweetness for the good of those over whom he is a governour And this you will see if you consider what a government it is For it freeth you from the government of other Lords from the goverment that your lusts have over you Again he governeth not as a Tyrant by force but as the soul governeth the members without difficultie Now as it is said of the Members that while they serve and obey the soul That very labour is a rest and that obedience is a liberty even so the soul when it obeyeth Christ that is indeed a libertie and that service is rest the reason is because Christ guideth them sweetly in whom he dwelleth all the members are guided by the soul with a willing resigation so that from an inward propensness not from constraint they do what they will it is therefore an easie government Again when any thing is made obedient to what is the proper rule of it it is the better for it for therein the perfection of every creature lieth when the Creature hath a Law given it according to which if it work it is in the best condition Now God himself the law is the rule to which every man should conform therefore the creature is best when it is in obedience to him even as is the body of man when it is best governed and kept closest to the rule it is best in health so it is in the soul of a man the better it is governed the more obedient it is to Christ the better it is in health for every rebellion is a sickness and disturbance to the foul Therefore you have a great benefit when Christ dwelleth in your hearts as a King If it were not for that my Brethren whether would your unruly affections carry you how would those rebels wound you how would they rob you of all that that is good those foolish and hurtfullusts that are in you how would they drown you in perdition Now when Christ dwelleth in the heart he keepeth down these lusts keepeth the soul in good temper guideth our feet into the way of peace our feet of themselves would be running into miseries and dangers his goverment keepeth us out of these This is his goverment and this is the second benefit that we have by Christ his dwelling in us The third benefit is this where Christ dwelleth there he comforteth and refresheth the heart This I take out of Esai 57. 15. Thus saith the Lord the high and loftic one that inhabiteth eternitie I dwell in the high and holy place with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit to revive the spirit of the humble and to revive the heart of the contrite ones In that place you have Two benefits exprest one is that Christ refresheth the heart of the humble in whom he dwelleth And secondly he giveth life to them we will speak of both and begin with the first which is the third in order When a man is drooping when his spirit is dejected in him when he meditateth of nothing but of fear and danger Now when Christ cometh into the heart he setteth all at rest he bringeth a tranquilitie to the soul. In a word he filleth the heart with joy wheresoever he cometh For as the Sun bringeth light into the world so Christ bringeth joy into the heart and you can no more have him in your heart without some joy then the Sun can be in the world without light And it must needes be so because where Christ cometh he bringeth matter of joy with him for where ever he cometh he bringeth salvation as he said to Zaccheus this day is salvation come unto thine house Now when Christ shall say unto a man That salvation is come unto him he bringeth matter of joy so he is said to come as a Bridegroom Now a Bridegroom is alwayes bringing of joy so it is compared to the joy in harvest and to the joy of those that divide the spoil Again Christ bringeth his spirit and his spirit is a spirit of joy therefore he is called the comforter this made God break forth into this speech seemeth the consolations of God a small thing to you Again he bringeth a Kindom and that Kingdom consisteth of joy in Rom. 14. 17. The Kingdom of God is not meat and drink but Righteousness and Peace and joy in the holy Ghost Again where Christ dwelleth you cannot have him but you must have much joy with him because joy followeth him naturally at his right hand are pleasures for evermore Therefore in whomsoever he dwelleth that partie must needs have joy Look through the world and what joy some ever a man hath it is accordding to the measure of his participation with God Therefore those that have him fully as in heaven they have a fulness of joy Those that have him not at all as in hell there is a fulness of grief Indeed in heaven it is mid-day and in hell it is midnight The one hath the sun alwayes with them the other darkness it self Now those that are in the way to both as the Saints which are in the spring of the day They have some measure of joy even as much as they participate of God and the reprobate that shall be damned and here dwell in the twi-light they have some flashes of joy according as God communicateth himself in common gifts and graces unto them But in a word so much of God so much of joy a man hath Now when God himself dwelleth in a mans heart and if joy thus naturally follow him it must needs refresh the hearts of those in whom he dwelleth so much for the third Benefit A Fourth Benefit is this That he giveth life to those in whom he dwelleth that is he maketh them living men he liveth in every man in whom he dwelleth as the vine in the branches That is all the actions and properties of life we draw from him all the sense we have is from him in him we live move and have our being and this is a great Benefit For the worst living thing is better then the best dead thing and amongst lifes the life of grace which Christ giveth is the best life because it cometh nearest to the life of God and Angels And they have onely this life in whom Christ dwellerh for the most living men are but ghosts whilest they are alive now when Christ cometh into their hearts he putteth life into them he makes them living men Again those that are in Christ though they have some root of life continually in them yet they are often dead and dull and indisposed to do any holy duty It is Christ now that quickneth them and maketh them ready to every good work All the motions all the fruites of life in your selves are but
the budding and putting forth of the spirit therefore all such blossomes are precious and they should be nourished in you you should not let them wither for want of sap and that you may have from Christ for it is he that quickeneth every man by his Spirit That look as the old Adam maketh sin active in every one that is born of him so the second Adam communicateth grace and life to those that are ingrafted into him by faith Therefore he is called a quickening spirit even as a man liveth when the soul is conjoyned to the body so the soul liveth when Christ is conjoyned to it Look upon all the living Saints the reason why they live among such a multitude of dead men is because Christ is in them if you see one more holy then another more active more nimble in the wayes of Gods commandments then another it is because Christ dwelleth more in him then in another if you find your selves more ready and more strong to perform any duty it is because Christ helpeth and quickeneth you for he is your life In a word all the life you have is derived from his inhabitation and dwelling in you And this is the fourth Benefit that we receive from Christ he makes us living men The fifth benefit we have and receive from Christ his dwelling in us is that he consecrateth us and maketh us holy Know ye not saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 3. 17. That ye are the Temple of God and that the spirit dwelleth in you That is Christs act no man is holy but he whom Christ consecrateth and he consecrateth the soul That is he sanctifieth it sets it apart maketh a temple peculiar to himself for holiness is nothing but an appropriating something to Gods use and sequestring it from common uses Now when Christ works such a work in the spirit of a man he is said to consecrate a man to sanctifie him And that he doth when he revealeth to us the vanitie of earthly things on one side And the excellencie of heavenly things on the other side By this means the heart is weaned from those and is knit and married to these in a conjugal love so that it loveth him and nothing besides and this I say Christ doth by revealing the truth making earthly things to appear vain as they are and God to appear beautiful and excellent as he is For when he appeareth as he is we cannot but love him and that is the reason it is said Sanctifie them with thy truth that is when any man hath the truth revealed unto him he seeth things as they are then his spirit cleaveth unto God loveth God marrieth it self unto God keepeth it self proper unto him weaneth itself and estrangeth it self from all other things That which is called sanctifying in that place you shall find in two places of Scripture exprest in such tearms as express this double act of Christ which I named unto you as in the 2 Tit. verse penult He hath purified to himself a peculiar people that is he hath emptied them of whatsoever may draw them from God and hath sanctified them by his spirit And so again in the 30. Deut. 6. And the Lord God will circumcise the heart that thou mayest love the Lord thy God with all thy heart c. That is I will draw you to me your hearts shall cleave to me Now then when these two acts are done the heart circumcised and love put into it that it cleaveth to God without separation This is the sanctifying of the heart this Christ works wheresoever he cometh And my Brethren this is not an easie thing to do and indeed no man can do it but Christ for this holiness of spirit is not onely an abstaining from the things common and unclean from pollution of flesh and spirit it is not an abstaining from them out of judgement onely but then a mans spirit it is holy when he hath an inward propence inclination to that which is good and an aversness to that which is evil When the spirit hath a new quality put into it Abhor that which is evil and cleave to that which is good this is holiness not to abstain from the evil onely but to abhor it not onely to do the good but his spirit cleaveth to the good loveth the good So it is said Lot had his righteous soul vexed with the unclean conversation of the Sodomites that is he had a holy soul and in this his holiness was seen that he vexed c. So Moses his holiness appeared when he wept when he saw the people commit idolatry so Paul his spirit was stirred within him when he saw the idolatry of the people of Athens So when a mans spirit stiâ—reth it self after this manner when from that new quality that is put into it it works out the uncleanness that is in it this is the holiness of the spirit and no man hath it but from Christ. As the needle unless it have it from the Loadstone could not have that property of looking to the North so it is with the spirit of a man before Christ dwelleth in him before he hath put a new quality of holiness he never looks towards God but when it is done once it cannot do otherwise therefore those in whom Christ dwelleth cannot sin that is cannot delight in sin this is a great benefit therefore and this holiness of spirit they have in whom Christ dwelleth To be holy in all manner of conversation to be holy at all times in all places in all that he doth to have a holiness of spirit acting and appearing therein It is a hard thing and therefore the benefit is the greater so now how much unholiness we may find in the spirits of men when the spirit of a man steppeth out and doth what it doth to its own ends and looks not to Christ but to other ends this is unholiness and adultery of the spirit therefore those the trade of whose life is not to look at God in their actions but to themselves to pass from pleasure to pleasure and from sport to sport and all for themselves those also that are so much occupied in worldly businesses that God is forgotten this is exactly contrary to holiness for here the spirit turneth it self from God whereas we should be holy in all manner of conversation holy in every thing holy in eating holy in drinking holy in recreation holy in all our business holy in mirth c. But you will ask how shall that be When you do all these as to God as fitâ—ing you for his service when you put God as the end unto all that you do then is your spirit holy you know that place Whether you eat or drink or whatsoever you do do all to the glory of God That is respect God in it make not your selves the utmost end of it for then your heart is unholy for holiness is to keep the
small moats inward failings it is grace therefore that makes the inside clean And not onely so but it makes us perform duties in a holy and lively manner it enableth us to do them to purpose To perform them in a holy manner for this is to perform duties in a holy manner when the heart is apprehensive of the presence of God in the businesse onely for holinesse is to sequester a thing and to appropriate it for the use of God onely so when thou comest to perform a good duty if thy heart be altogether looking upon the Lord so that nothing without have to do with it if nothing else come in and take up thy heart not the sight of men or the opinion of the creature or the by-respects of any thing none of these come and take a part of thy heart and use it â—s it were that is to perform a duty in a holy manner Otherwise whatsoever takes away the heart or sets it on work abates this holinesse for then the heart is not made peculiar to God in the performance of a duty for it meddles with common things Grace I say enableth to do this because grace sanctifieth that is it makes a man really and in good earnest appropriate and sequester his heart and minde to the Lord so that he onely looks to him to serve him holily in all duties so is it when we pray or preach or do any publique or private duty this is the holinesse of the heart when it is done onely to the Lord. Again I say it makes us perform duties not onely in a holy but in a lively manner for grace is the life of the soul. Where this life is not we may do duties but they are but dead works Vital actions are onely proper to grace because onely grace works life a man never comes to perform a work that is a living work but so far as it comes from grace grace is the fire of the holy Ghost Grace is to the soul as the lively and natural heat is in the body which onely acts it and makes it to do the works thereof So grace in the soul is that onely which begets livelinesse in duties wherewith they are to be performed Lastly I add it makes us perform them in a holy lively and substantial manner that is to do them to some purpose Take another man he doth these duties but to what purpose are they when we come to pray and to do these duties they are then done as they should be when the end is obtained then every businesse is done when the end of it is effected otherwise it is not done we do not say a thing is done because a man hath been about it but because he hath obtained that end for which he took the businesse in hand Consider now what is the end of the duties you do what is the end of your praying what is the end of your hearing is the end of your hearing edification is the end of your praying to be strengthened in grace prayer is a lost prayer except the heart be strengthened by prayer except the heart be made better and more composed into communion with God you pray not in the holy Ghost Now then examine your selves by this grace onely enableth a man so to pray that he shall grow more heavenly in every prayer whensoever any other prayer is made without this power of grace it is lip-labour it doth the heart no good And so for keeping of the Sabaoth The Sabaoth is made for man that is it is made for mans use for mans benefit for mans advantage What is the advantage we get by a Sabaoth That wee may be built up and grow in grace and in knowledge and the like Now a man without saving grace may abstain from all bodily labour and servile work on the Sabaoth day and be occupied in holy duties but to keep it so as to get advantage by it so as to get growth in knowledge and in grace so that he shall have a greater stock of grace laid up in his soul by the use of the ordinances upon that day this grace enableth a man to do So when a man comes to hear to purpose to hear so as to please God in his hearing to hear so as to get something into his heart by hearing this onely grace enableth to You know what our Saviour saith Luke 18. Take heed how you hear for to him that hath shall be given intimating that when you hear aright you have more given in then you had before Grace now enableth a man so to do the duty that there is not onely the task the businesse the work done and passed over but it is done to purpose So when you come to receive the Sacrament what is the end of your receiving onely to come or to come with some outward reverence or shews of devotion c No the utmost end of receiving the Sacrament is to get more strength of grace to get more assurance of Faith to get more perswasion of the love of God towards you that your sinfull corruptions may be more healed that the grace that is in you may be more enlivened I say grace enableth to do this and herein the power of it is seen for without the power of grace you may do all these things but not to purpose I cannot enlarge these thing but to finish this point I beseech you in a word consider whether you have the strength of grace in you or no otherwise you receive the Sacrament in vain And let no man think I will make up this with my absence and fit my self against another time that is not the way Not to sacrifice as well as to sacrifice amiss was a sin he that came not up to the passeover as well as he that came uncircumcised was to be cut off he that would not come to the feast as well as he that came not with the wedding garment they were both lyable to judgement therefore I say take heed And if there were no other argument to move men not to defer their conversion this were enough that if a man come without grace to the Sacrament he eats and drinks his own damnation if he defer to come he provokes the Lord to anger and if he come unworthily without grace he provokes him to anger likewise 2 TIM 2. 1. Thou therefore my son be strong in the grace which is in Christ Iesus THe next point that we are to handle out of these words is this That All grace is recived from Iesus Christ. We can receive no grace but from him and in him there is enough to be had There is none but from him we know nothing but what we are taught by him as a Prophet whatsoever we do is lost labour except it be made acceptable through him as a Priest we are able to overcome no lust to do no duty but through the power we have from him as a King Besides I