them 3. In regard of that full possession which the world hath taken in corrupt and carnall man The Inne where Christ was borne was so full that there was no roome for Christ but in a manger The hearts of earthly men are so taken up with the world so filled with the creature that there is no roome for Christ carnall persons give every worldly businesse preheminence above the Lord Jesus The world affoords Christ a very dishonourable entertainment unholy men are in such subiection under the creature that they cannot serve Christ He that serves the creature cannot have Christ for his Lord and Master ye cannot serve God and Mammon saith our Saviour the world hath so many imployments for them that they have no leisure to come to Christ their inclination to things earthly is so strong that they cannot come at Christs invitation they are so wedded to this that they cannot come to the wedding feast which Christ makes for his friends and Spouse in the Gospell Or if they doe come they bring no wedding garment with them and therefore are unwelcome The creature is so glorious in their eyes that they see no glory nor beauty in Christ for which they should desire him Or if they have some weake and low apprehensions of Christ some slender inclinations after Christ now and then stirred up within them yet the price of enjoying Christ is so great that rather then leave the world they will goe away sorrowfull It is impossible that the soule of man can receive Christ untill it is emptied of the world Christ never appeares glorious and precious till the world appeares base in our apprehensions When the world becomes bitter to our palates then our soules relish much sweetnesse in Christ Jesus 4. In regard of the repugnancy of a carnall mans heart against Christ There is no answerablenesse no sutablenesse between Christ and an unsanctified heart the unregenerate soule is full of antipathy and opposition against Christ The house of Saul opposed the house of David the house and family all that is in a corrupt and carnall man doth oppose Christ in his Ordinances in his Offices and in his operations As darkenesse opposeth light sicknesse health and death life so doth corruption in sinfull man oppose Christ The carnall minde or wisedome of the flesh the counsell discourse reason purposes desires motions and all the actions of carnall wisedome the very Principles and beginnings of them in unregenerate man with all the lusts and afections of the will as anger wrath envy covetousnesse pride emulation c. are all enmity against God set in full and perpetuall opposition against God and Christ the very whole of a carnall man is an armed and fighting enemy against God it is not subject to the Law of God neither indeed can be loving that which Christ hateth hating that which Christ loveth practising that which Christ forbiddeth and eschewing that which Christ commandeth The carnall man like an untamed Haifer breakes Christs yoake and casts away his cords The man in the countrey of the Gadarens possessed with an uncleane spirit mentioned in the Gospell was so fierce that no man could binde him He plucked asunder the chaines which were put upon him and brake in pieces the fetters which tyed him so that no man could tame him Corrupt and carnall man is possessed with such a spirit of uncleannesse and power of prophanenesse that he breakes asunder all the chaines and fetters all the Lawes and precepts which God hath given to binde him his lusts are so rebellious and unruly that no man can tame him the Leviathan laughs at the speare and cares not for barbed irons the horse mocketh at feare and is not affrighted neither turneth backe from the sword the carnall man laughs at the judgements denounced against him he feares not the word of God though sharper then a two-edged sword No exhortation moves him no invitation affects him all instruction is but as the sounding of a trumpet to the deafe and the setting of a candle before the eyes of the blinde Nothing can worke him to subjection under Christs Scepter till God makes him a new creature Every unregenerate person is unchangeable in his opposition against Heaven Very great is the distance between Christ Jesus and carnall persons There is not a greater Antipathy between fire and water then between Christ and prophane mans corrupt nature and thus you see mans Alienation from Christ in his corrupt and sinfull estate CHAP. III. Setting open the dolefulnesse and danger of Mans estate without Christ MAns Alienation and estrangement from Christ declares and layes open the misery and wretchednesse the danger and dolefulnesse of mans estate and condition by nature a condition in which he is without Christ and to be without the Lord Jesus is the misery of all miseries It is not the man that is without the crowne of worldly dignities to honour him without the treasury of earthly abundance to enrich him without the sensuall and seeming paradise of carnall pleasures to delight him or without the presence and countenance of fleshly friends to solace him but it is the man that is without Christ who is of all men the most miserable The estate of Israel without the Arke was very uncomfortable their glory was departed the wife of Phineas tooke no comfort in the birth of a sonne the ordinary joy of Mothers The condition of man without Christ is very dolefull his glory is departed from him all that man hath not having Christ with it is but an Ichobod there is no glory in it For man that is without Christ is 1. Without Life The woman of Shunems sonne was without life untill the Prophet came and spread himselfe upon him Man is without the life of grace alienated from the life of God untill Christ comes and applyes himselfe to the soule of man For Christ is our Life Declaratively he reveales it meritoriously he hath purchased it originally and efficiently he communicates it as the head communicates life unto the members Christ Jesus is the dispencer of the life of grace and glory to all Gods faithfull servants and he that hath not the Sonne hath not life saith Saint John He that hath not the Sonne by cleare and saving knowledge as the eye hath the Sun in the Firmament enlightening and guiding by true and lively Faith as the living branch hath the Vine by incorporation into it by receiving juice and nourishment from it by fervent and unfained Love as the wife hath the husband by wedlocke with him by matrimoniall affection to him and by holy and humble subiection as the Subject hath the King by vailing and bowing to him He who thus hath not the Sonne he hath not life his soule is not spiritually quickned Christ not living in him spirituall death beares dominion over him He is dead saith S. Paul in sins and trespasses A Tree
good that riches honours pleasures are much to be desired and that the fulfilling of their owne lusts is very pleasant and therefore they bow downe the shoulders to beare the commands and injunctions of the creature and all the impositions of the flesh and become servants unto tribute To these they pay the tribute of distracting thoughts of tormenting cares of carnall confidence of inordinate love and of hard service and base servitude worshipping and serving as the Apostle saith the creature more then the Creator And for this cause Saint Paul stileth covetous self-seekers Idolaters because their self-seeking doth alienate them from God and drawes that love and confidence joy and delight which they should place in God to the creature and that service which they should imploy for God and that subjection which they should yeeld to God they bestow about and yeeld unto the creature and their owne lusts And as they are Idolaters for their prostration of themselves to the creature and their owne corrupt affections so they are Idols For the exalting of themselues above God minding intending and seeking themselves and not God they adore and serve themselves and not the Lord his s servants yee are saith Saint Paul to whom ye obey Self-seekers obey not God but themselves they conforme not themselves to the rules of Gods word but to the dictates of their owne hearts they propose not the glory of God but their owne ends and therefore they serve and adore themselves and not God Self-seeking excludes the soule of man from all communion with the true God and carries it to the world as to a false God and so proves a double abomination in the sight of God 10. Self-seeking is ever attended with self-loosing He that seekes himself and not Christ loseth both himself and Christ He that seeks himselfe takes a false rule to direct him erreth in his seeking and therefore loseth in stead of finding He builds his worke upon a false foundation and therefore sinks in stead of standing like the house built upon the sand in the Parable He puts himselfe out of Gods service and therefore misseth his great Lord and Masters wages He levels all his arrowes to a false marke and therefore like an Archer that shoots below the marke he shoots in vaine He leaves out God God is not in his thoughts he takes not God with him he takes not Gods counsell to guide him Gods power to assist him Gods blessing to make his undertaking prosperous and successefull and therefore in stead of a blessing the curse attends and waits upon him He intends not God but himselfe and therefore God leaves him to himselfe to prove the Author and workman of his owne ruine Present self-seekers and self-gainers prove in the event the greatest self-losers The last end and issue never answers the expectation of self-seekers their labour like the labour of the Ostritch is in vaine The Ostritch leaveth her egges in the dust the foot crusheth them and the wilde beast breaketh them Self-seekers lay all their labours in the dust all their care desire all their industry and endeavour is about the things which are here below they lay all their egges in the dust and all their labours at last are crusht and brought to naught Rahel had hard labour but the birth of her belly proved the death of her body Self-seekers have hard labour they labour like a woman in travell but their birth proves their death their gaine turnes to their losse their pleasure to their torment their honour to their shame Against such the Lord denounceth woe in stead of joy shame in stead of glory and desolation in stead of exaltation Woe saith the Lord to him that coveteth an evill covetousnesse to his house that he may set his nest on high that he may be delivered from the power of evill Thou hast consulted shame to thy house by cutting off many people and hast sinned against thy soule For the stone shall cry out of the wall and the beame out of the timber shall answer it Woe to him that buildeth a Towne with bloud and stablisheth a City by iniquity Behold is it not of the Lord of Hoasts that the people shall labour in the very fire and the people shall weary themselves for very vanity Very great and shamefull are the losses which wait on self-seekers their riches proves their poverty their refuge becomes their ruine and their exaltation their shamefull downfall Very great is that mans unhappinesse who in the prophane neglect of God and Christ Jesus labours to fill and furnish himselfe with earthly abilities Self-seekers build on false promises and feed themselves with deceitfull expectations The Lord turnes their imaginary calme into a tempestuous storme their devised paradise into a troublesome wildernesse and their intended crowne into reall shame The last event of their undertaking doth ever crosse their first intention that which is unlawfully sought and gotten proveth the instrument of mans great discomfort and trouble He that labours for himselfe and not for God and Christ Jesus is vaine in his labours like him that builds on the sand his house sinketh as fast as he erects it Like him that weaves a piece of cloth in or over the fire the fire burnes it as fast as he weaves it Losse vexation shame and ruine is the recompence and portion of self-seeking The estate of him that hath nothing is farre more pleasant blessed and comfortable then of him that hath a great abundance by self-seeking Of such the Lord saith by the Prophet declaring the vanity perill and perniciousnesse of their labours they have sowne the wind they have laboured in vaine as he that casteth forth an empty hand strives to sow but sowes not and they shall reape the whirlewinde their harvest the fruit of their labours shall be more troublesome then their first undertakings they that will be rich saith the Apostle they whose bent and inclination is to themselves and to the world who chiefly mind themselves and things earthly fall into temptation and a snare and into many foolish and hurtfull lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition Most wretched and uncomfortable is the gaine of self-seeking Satan hath great advantage against them they expose themselves to many temptations they lay themselves open to his arrowes to wound them the world like a snare intangles them their lusts grow strong within them and get Lordship over them and they make shipwracke of soule and body splitting the ship of their soules upon the rocke of worldly riches and what they supposed should have been a staffe to sustaine them becomes a burthen oppressing them and what they thought would have been a spring refreshing them becomes a Sea swallowing and utterly consuming them There is no other cause of self-seeking but inbondagement to Satan inthralment to the world servitude to corruption separation from God self-condemnation from mans owne conscience
fulnesse communicating to him peace and reconciliation with God and tranquillity of conscience He that receives the Lord Iesus like Joseph hath the Lord with him and is a prosperous man Mans not embracing Christ Iesus exposeth him to all plagues and curses in his soule in his body in all his services all blessing attends the holy and gracious embracement of Christ all curses follow the prophane refusall of Christ 7. Christ received in the Gospell sweetens and sanctifies all afflictions the tree sweetened the waters of Marah Christ takes away the bitternesse of affliction from the soule which beleevingly entertaines him he makes them see light in darknesse he sends them water out of the hard and stony rocke he gives them honey out of the belly of Lyons Meat out of the Eater and sweet out of the sowre he makes them sing in prison he makes them glory in tribulation he turnes the fiery furnace into a Paradise he so takes away the evill of affliction that it doth no more harme them then Nebuchadnezzars fire did the three children his affliction that enjoyes Christ in the Gospell is more pleasant and joyous then the carnall mans peace that shuts his heart against Christ peace without Christ is full of trouble trouble with Christ is full of consolation 8. Christ received in the Gospell giveth comfort holy sweet and sure comfort In the Arke was the pot of Manna in Christ is the treasure of all true comfort Christ in the Gospell makes a feast for his faithfull receivers a feast of fat things of wines on the lees of fat things full of marrow of wines on the lees well refined Of all comforts such have most fulnesse and sweetnesse as are ministred by Christ Jesus all others like Iobs friends prove miserable Comforters if Christ doth not comfort us Christ received in the Gospell comforteth the soules of his servants as a nurse her children feeding them as a Physitian his patients healing them as a mercifull King his delinquent and humbled subjects pardoning them as a teacher his schollers filling them with heavenly wisedome as a Bridegroome his Bride speaking graciously to them making them sensible of his love towards them replenishing them with strong and everlasting consolation his estate is of all mens the most joyfull who hath the most full and sweet enjoyment of Christ in the Gospell Perplexities distractions and convulsions of soule and conscience are infallible attendants of the neglect and refusall of Christ Iesus he that shuts his eyes against the Sun abides in darknesse he that shuts his heart against Christ abides in heavinesse 9. Christ received in the Gospell giveth satisfaction The Sunne satisfieth the eye with light the fountaine satisfieth the thirsty with water the pearle satisfied the Merchant in the parable with treasure Christ in the Gospell satisfieth the soule with wisedome in the understanding with holy and sweet meditations in the mind with the sence of his love in the heart with the treasure of spirituall gifts in the affections with sure and blessed peace in the conscience He that rightly possesseth Christ in the Gospell may say as Iacob did I have enough Christ in the Gospell is a living spring he that drinks of him shall thirst no more He is an al-sufficient portion to them that enjoy him he that seeks contentation with the neglect of Christ in his Gospell seekes for water to quench his thirst in a broken cesterne The soule is restlesse and never truly contented untill Christ is enjoyed the house without the husband seemes an empty place to the wife the world without Christ proves an empty thing to the soule 10. Christ received in the Gospell is an abiding substance to the soule he is an everlasting father he will never forget us he is a husband for ever he will never cease to love us he is a faithfull friend loving at all times his love is a Sunne that knowes no setting his gifts are t without repentance his grace an immortall seed that never dyes a well-spring springing up to life everlasting All that is without Christ is full of vanity and changes only Christ is a possession of everlasting continuance the meditation of all which should sweetly allure and draw us graciously dispose and frame us and mightily perswade and move us to give Christ a joyfull welcom comming to us in his Gospell 6. Fastening our frequent and most serious thoughts upon the brevity and vanity of the life of man Man hath no abiding City here he flourisheth like Ionahs gourd in an evening and is smitten and withered in the morning Death like the waters of the red sea drownes all onely Christ makes a safe passage through death for his Israel for all that receive him the Arke divided Iordan and Israel went dry and safe over to Canaan Christ makes a ready way for all that beleevingly entertaine him through the horrours of death to the heavenly kingdome death like the deluge spares none as Noah therefore betooke himselfe to the Arke and was preserved so let us betake our selves to Christ that we may be preserved from the second death all they who were out of the Arke perished in the waters all they that are out of Christ will perish in the deluge of Gods vengeance the Lord Jesus is the soules onely refuge and deliverance Behold saith the Lord by Moses in another case to morrow about this time I will cause it to raine a very grievous hayle such as hath not been in Egypt from the foundation thereof untill now Send therefore now and gather thy cattell and all that thou hast in the field for upon every man and beast that shall be found in the field and shall not be brought home the hayle shall come downe upon them and they shall dye He that feared the word of the Lord among them made his servants and his cattell flee into the houses and he that regarded not the word of the Lord left his servants and his cattell in the field and they were all smitten and died Thus in this case behold to morrow ere long very shortly the Lord will cause a mighty raine he will raine downe snares fire and brimstone and an horrible tempest send therefore now and gather your soules your selves your friends husbands wives children servants kindred and neighbours unto Christ get yee interest in Christ hide your selves by faith and love in Christ for upon every soule of man that shall not be found in Christ upon every parent and childe husband and wife master and servant young and old bond and free that shall not be brought home to Christ the haile fire and brimstone of Gods wrath shall come downe upon them and they shall dye both the first and the second death and now I know that he that feares the word of the Lord among you will flee to Christ give all diligence to receive and entertaine Christ to get a sure and
applyes himselfe to tradition like the foolish man in the parable he leaves the rocke and builds upon the sand which will sinke under him he forsakes the firme pillar and leanes upon a withered reed which will pierce him he goes from the living fountaine to the broken cisterne wherein is no water to refresh him he refuseth the wheat and feeds upon the chaffe which will choake him he rejecteth the vine the Olive and the Fig-tree and addresseth himselfe to the bramble which will nor feed nor shelter him but scratch and pricke goare and torture him Humane observations like the foolish Virgins Lamps are empty there is no light in them Like the Tree in the Gospell which had leaves and no fruit these are no trees of Gods planting no good fruit groweth on them no blessing but a curse attends them These like the sonnes of Sheva have no power to overcome Satan in stead of ministring freedome they imbondage the soule to Satan these like Jobs friends are miserable comforters and Physitians of no value in stead of healing they wound instead of nourishing they destroy in stead of gathering home the soule of man to Christ endearing man to God and bringing him to communion with God and Christ they separate man from God oblige man to Satan and associate the soule with the Devill according to that of the Apostle dissuading the Corinthians from the superstitions and inventions of the Gentiles saying I would not that ye should have fellowship with the Devils ye cannot drinke the cup of the Lord and the cup of the Devils ye cannot be partakers of the table of the Lord and of the table of Devils He that worships God by humane tradition serves not God but Satan as we cannot serve God and Mammon no more can we worship God and an Idoll The sacrifice which is not offered to God with fire from his owne Altar is an abominable oblation whatsoeuer duty act or exercise of Religion hath not Gods word for the rule of it is in Gods interpretation a service of Satan and in stead of pleasing provokes Gods indignation They have moved me to jealousie saith the Lord with that which is not god they have provoked me to anger with their vanities a fire shall be kindled in mine anger and shall burne unto the lowest hell and shall consume the earth with her increase As Christ therefore is come in Gods name furnished with all authority and dominion so let us in every thing receive our commission and direction from him The perfection of Christs authority and dominion and fulnesse of divine abilities presseth man to foure duties towards Christ 1. A duty of Subjection as to him that hath supreame authority We are charged by a voice from heaven to heare him to him is given a name above every name and to him must we make all the faculties of our soules and all the members of our bodies to vaile and stoop as all the sheaves in Josephs vision fell downe before his sheafe To him let us subject our selves 1. Spiritually The end of the commandement is love out of a pure heart arising from an inward principle of true grace Worshipping in Spirit and in truth is the worship which Christ requireth accepteth and wherein he delighteth obedience from an unsanctified heart is but filthy water from an uncleane fountaine and bad fruit of a corrupt tree Christ takes no pleasure in it the sacrifice prayer and whole way of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord. 2. To Christ let us subject our selves filially not as slaves for feare of hell but as sonnes for love having a holy affection awing us and making us loath to offend Christ our love to and delight in holinesse moving us to walke in the way of Gods precepts serving him without feare without base and servile feare in holinesse and righteousnesse before him all the dayes of our life 3. To Christ let us be subject universally Moses built the whole Tabernacle after Gods patterne man must build his whole conversation according to Christs prescription that obedience which is not universall is unsound and hypocriticall the Law is one Copulative he that allowes himselfe in the breach of one precept is guilty of the whole Law he that makes not conscience of all truly makes conscience of none It is in vaine with Herod to doe many things reserving an Herodias in our bosomes It is to no purpose with Saul to slay the refuse of the stuffe reserving to our selves the lowing Oxe and bleating Sheep his heart is not right with God that walks not in all the wayes of God he doth truly hate no sinne that labors not the mortification of all sinne As the carefull Scholler therefore writes according to the whole copy so let us have respect to the whole Law of God and as sometime Jonathans armour-bearer said to him Loe I am with thee according to thy heart turne thou which way soever thou wilt Thus let us be with Christ even after Christs owne heart let us be with him which way soever he turnes before us in his word walking with Zachary and Elizabeth in all the ordinances of God 4. To Christ let us subject our selves speedily As Abraham rose up early and put away the bond-woman and her sonne so let us rise up early and put away our sinnes betimes Let us not sleep and slumber like the foolish Virgins with empty Lamps but let us hasten our soules out of sin to Christ as the Angels hasted Lot out of Sodome Let us consider our wayes and turne to the testimonies of the Lord Let us make haste and not delay as the erring traveller hasteneth to his right path Let us remember our Creator in the dayes of our youth and seeke him while he may be found and as Ahimaaz ran as soone as Joab gave him a commission so let us labour to be as ready to obey as Christ to command speedy obedience doth much honour and commend mans service 5. To Christ let us subject our selves freely not mercinarily as hirelings but freely as friends serving Christ for Christ himselfe intending Christ and his glory above our selves in all our services moving to Christ fully and freely as the rivers to the Ocean As Rachels beauty induced Jacob to twice seven yeares service so let Christs beauties the apprehension we have of Christs perfections worke and draw us to a free and ready service of Christ in all difficulties Christ abhorres all basenesse all by and sinister respects in mens services He that serves not Christ for Christ himselfe serves not Christ but himselfe 6. To Christ let us subject stedfastly as the wise to the husband untill death keeping the commandement alwayes unto the end abiding with Christ as Ittai with David in life and in death Perseverance with Christs Jesus crownes mans service He that continueth to the end shall be saved A second duty which the fulnesse
present plentifull possession This is the constant anâ— common lot of them that seeke themselves and not the Lord Jesus to be strangers to contentment and satisfaction in the great abundance of the world A foolish sonne saith Solomon is a griefe to his father and bitternesse to her that bare him his parents have no contentment in him such a foolish birth such an unhappy possession is the worldly fulnesse of self-seekers a griefe and bitternesse to their soules they have no satisfaction with it it is a bed of thornes and a feast of gall and gravell bread of sorrowes as the Psalmist termes it Their dayes saith Solomon are sorrowes and their travell griefe their heart taketh not rest in the night they are eveâ— discontented the Lord gave Israel Manna from Heaven he fed them with Angels food yet having a self-seeking lust within them they were not contented they murmured and fell a lusting after the flesh-pots of Egypt their Manna seemed to be a light bread If God doth not crucifie mans carnall lusts and affections man meets with nothing but distraction and trouble in the choisest condition under Heaven what felicity like that of our first parents being created after Gods Image placed in Paradice and having nothing within or without them to molest them yet through self-seeking having a desire to be as Gods they undervalued and grew discontented with their present holy happy and blessed estate Surely did not the blessed vision and fruition of God abolish the lust of self-seeking man would in a short time be discontented with Heaven Like the lapsed Angels he would not long keep his station but grow weary of that glorious Kingdome CHAP. XIII SElf-seeking opens the eares of men to Satan and corrupt Counsellors makes men ready to give audience to Satans suggestions and the perswasions of his instruments prone to entertaine any ungracious counsell that may promote their owne carnall ends and further the accomplishment of their fleshly and worldly purposes This makes men hearken to corrupt teachers Satans trumpeters As the Israelites hearkened to Sheba the sonne of Bichri when he blew the trumpet of Rebellion and drew the people from David This makes men apt to receive him that comes in his owne name with a humane carnall and deceitfull doctrine when like the deafe adder they stop their eares against him that comes in Gods name preaching Christ sincerely seeking Gods glory and handling the word of God truly Self-seekers are of the world worldly minded carnally disposed and therefore they heare him that speaketh of the world that delivereth a carnall and earthly doctrine to them The world wonders after the beast all self-seekers are very ready to become Antichrists followers Ahab was a man that sold himselfe to commit wickednesse a great self-seeker and when the Devill became a lying spirit in the mouth of his Prophets he gave them full and ready audience followed their counsell though to his utter ruine contrary to the charge of the true Prophet Self-seeking makes a man a ready embracer a great admirer of corrupt perswasion a prophane despiser of wholsome admonition our first Parents inclining to self-seeking gave present entertainment to Satans counsell and eat of the forbidden Tree Self-seeking makes the heart to Satans suggestions like tinder to the fire it kindles without any resistance Judas having a worldly and self-seeking spirit his heart was open to entertaine Satan as ready to betray Christ for gaine as the Devill was to suggest the thought or the Priests to offer the money Self-seekers are of all others the fittest subject to receive Satans counsels to swallow his hookes when they are baited with something sutable to their owne lusts and tending to their owne ends there is no power nor possibility for that man to decline Satans temptations who is strongly addicted to self-seeking Satan seldome failes of accomplishing his end in such as are given to the seeking of their owne ends 8. Self-seeking doth exceedingly abase man it makes man the Lord of the creature to become the servant of the creature It fils him with base thoughts about the creature with base counsels to gaine the creature with base and servile love to the creature with base confidence in the creature with base services under the creature Self-seekers are even the most base of all persons Such are under the creature and their owne lusts as Israel under Pharaohs burthens and taskmasters Man by self-seeking spoiles himselfe both of corporall and spirituall freedome therefore these are stiled the servants of Mammon The servant is not his own but his Masters goes and comes at his Masters command cannot dispose of himselfe but is disposed by his Master works not for himselfe but for his Master Thus self-seekers are not their owne but the creatures goe and come at the command of the creature As the souldiers in the Gospell went and came at the command of the Centurion and did what he would have them They cannot dispose themselves to any good duty they cannot put themselves upon the service of Christ they cannot marry themselves unto Christ but are altogether at the disposall of the creature they are so under the power of the creature that with the invited guests in the Parable they cannot come to Christ They cannot intend Christ the honour of Christ and the everlasting welfare of their owne soules the creature and their owne lusts are the prime and ultimate objects of their intendments they can looke neither above nor beyond these And the Apostle expresseth the shamefull abasement of such men by terming their belly their God and their glory their shame their belly their God true worshippers put themselves under God study how to please God referre all to to the glory of God Self-seekers prostrate themselves under the creature study how to please their lusts and referre all to their owne corrupt and carnall ends and that wealth that honour that ease that pleasure that applause wherein they now glory proves their shame at the last The present condition of self-seekers is a wretched bondage and their latter end most shamefull and ignominious 9. Self-seeking makes a man both an Idolater and an Idoll An Idolater in serving the creature and his owne lusts and an Idoll in exalting and setting up himselfe in the roome of God Self-seekers bow downe to the creature and to their owne base and carnall affections As Gideons many thousands bowed downe to the waters Jacob prophesied of Issachar Issachar is a strong Asle couching downe between two burthens and he saw that rest was good and the land that it was pleasant and bowed his shoulder to beare and became a servant unto tribute Such base sloathfull and stupid asses are all self-seekers couching downe between the creature and their fleshly lusts as between two burthens They see it appeares to them in their carnall apprehension that the creature is
to burne within them in hearing as the hearts of the two Disciples did this fire this heavenly heate is wanting and therefore all their service is but as a sacrifice without fire of no use of no acceptance with the Lord. 4. Their services if you observe their end are arrowes levelled to a low marke A dead man cannot lift himselfe up from the earth A man without Christ and empty of spirituall life cannot looke above himselfe and his owne flesh in any thing he doth The effect ever suites with the cause the thorne cannot beare figges the fruit is answerable to the nature of the Tree He that hath nothing of God in him cannot intend God in his undertaking he that is alienated from the life of God cannot worke for God That saith our Saviour which is of the flesh is flesh fleshly disposed intending the flesh and nothing else doing all for himselfe seeking his owne things and not the things which are Christs his owne profit his owne ease his owne applause he serves not the Lord Jesus but his owne belly as Saint Paul speakes and thus the originall the nature adjunct and end of a carnall mans works demonstrate them to be dead works of no esteem with God how glorious soever in the eyes of men As Christ is the Author and worker of Spirituall life so the glory and the praise of all grace and holinesse of the whole spirituall life of Christians is to be attributed unto Christ Jesus Christ is the everlasting Father from whom we have our new birth the high and heavenly workman from whom we have our spirituall being and new Creation the life by whom we are quickened the Sun by whom we are enlightened the Physitian by whom we are healed Christ Jesus is the fountaine of all grace and goodnesse life and holinesse to true beleevers they are all members enlivened by this head Stars enlightened by this Sunne fields manured by this husbandman houses builded by this Architect and vessels filled by this fountaine the praise of all mans grace and holinesse is due to Christ Jesus Art thou awakened out of thy spirituall sleep and slumber it is Christ hath done it as the Angell awakened Peter the Lyon by his cry awakens his young Christ the Lyon of the Tribe of Judah by his mighty voice in the Gospell awakens Gods chosen Are the eyes of thy understanding enlightened Christ is the light who hath enlightened thee as he opened the eyes of him that was borne blind Art thou cleansed from thy sinne it is Christ who is the refiners fire and the fullers sope that hath purged thee as Jordan cleansed Naaman from his leprosie Art thou delivered from the prison of thy corruption and the bondage of Satan it is Christ hath brought thee forth as the Angell brought Peter out of Herods prison Hast thou liberty to come to God by faith and love it is Christ hath made thee free in thy understanding to discerne the things of God in thy will to chuse and intend God in thy imagination to thinke upon God in thy memory to remember God in thy affections to feare trust love and rejoyce in God in thy eares to attend to the word of God in thine eyes to behold God in his works in thy tongue to speake of God to the edification of others and to celebrate God for his mercies Christ is the Authour and workman of all Christian freedome Art thou filled with the gifts and graces of Gods Spirit Christ is the fountaine that hath filled thee all thy receivings are of Christs fulnesse as the branches are filled by the root and the Starres by the Sunne Hast thou reconciliation and acceptation with God it is Christ that hath brought thee nigh to God procured favour for thee with the Lord as Joseph procured favour for his brethren with the King of Egypt Christ is the beloved in whom thou art accepted Art thou able to endure temptation to undergoe the heavy burthen of affliction Christ is the rocke that sustaines thee as the rocke in the Parable sustained the house from sinking when the winds and waves did beate and blow upon it Christ is the Arke that beares thee up as Noah was borne up in the Deluge Christ is the shield and buckler and wall of fire that defends thee it is Christs power in thee it is Christs presence with thee as with the three children in the fiery furnace that strengthens and inables thee to hold out that makes thee victorious over all opposing powers In a word it is Christ that works all thy works of grace and peace faith and love hope and patience constancy and perseverance in thee he begins the life of grace within thee and continues it to the life of glory Ascribe therefore to the Lord Jesus the praise of all thy goodnesse acknowledge him to be the giver of all thy gifts the Authour of all thy holy and gracious works the Sunne that hath enlightened thy darknesse the quickning Spirit who hath enlivened and freed thee from thy deadnesse the Physitian who hath healed thy diseases the Counsellor who hath resolved thee in all thy doubtings the fiery pillar who hath gone before thee protecting and guiding thee in all thy goings the Moses rod which hath divided the waters and made a passage for thee through the red Sea of all thy afflictions the Captaine who hath overcome for thee in all thy Conquests and the King who of his owne mercy crownes thee and his owne works in thee after all thy tryals Let Christ have the glory of all from thee because he accomplisheth all for thee by his living in thee CHAP. XXI THe third thing in these words is an Act liveth Christs living in man the soule liveth in the body enlivening preserving and strengthening the body and Christ liveth in man enlivening man with the life of grace preserving man in the estate of grace strengthening him with all might according to his glorious power Christ is the soule of our soules the quickning Spirit by whom we are spiritually enlivened Christ by the supernaturall gracious and powerfull operation of his Spirit raising us to newnesse or life and living in us by this powerfull and holy worke of his Whence observe That Christ lives in Gods children by his holy and powerfull worke of Sanctification The Spirit of the living creatures in Ezekiels vision was in the wheeles and when the living creature went they went and when the living creature was lifted up they were lifted up because the Spirit of the living creature was in the wheeles Thus the Spirit of Christ is in the children of God and they live as Christ lives they move according to Christs prescription because the Spirit of Christ is in them because Christ lives in them and works effectually by his Spirit upon them putting a Principle of spirituall life into them The Prophet Elisha applyed himselfe to the woman of
Christ lives there is the ioy of liberty Christ restoring life to Lazarus set him free from the grave and from the fellowship of the dead his eyes were free to see his eares to heare his tongue to speake his hands to worke and his feet to walke Christ living in man makes man free from the death of sinne from carnall fellowship with them that are dead in sinne he makes him free in his understanding to know God in his thoughts to meditate upon God in his memory to remember God and in his affections to beleeve in God to love God and to walke in the wayes of God And this liberty ministers to the soule as great a cause of rejoycing as ever Israel conceived upon their freedome from the Egyptians 4. Where Christ lives there is the ioy of victory When David came into the Israelitish army he gave them victory over Goliah and all the Philistines they all fled when Christ comes into and lives in the soule of man he overcomes Satan he dissolves his workes he casts that strong man out he subdues all the corruptions that are in man They that are Christs saith Saint Paul have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts they have gotten a blessed and honourable victory over Satan themselves and the world a victory ministring to them greater cause of rejoycing then Israel had when they gave a shout for their victory over the Philistines 5. Where Christ lives there is the ioy of regeneration adoption and sanctification Christ makes us the sonnes and daughters of God the friends and lovers of God who were aliens and enemies to God he makes us cleane who were defiled he abolisheth the character and stamp of Satan and engraves the Image of God on our soules he like a refiners fire and fullers sope puts away the spot and drosse of our sinne purifying and purging us as gold and silver that we may offer to the Lord an offering of righteousnesse And this affords us matter of greater rejoycing then Naaman had upon his being cleansed from his leprosie in Jordan Reioyce not in this saith Christ that the spirits are made subiect unto you but rather reioyce in this that your names are written in Heaven that you have a name with God that you are by adoption the children of God that you are sanctified and cleansed from your sinnes The worke of holinesse ministers more joy to Gods servants then the gift of working miracles there is more comfort ariseth from the subiugation of our corrupt affections then from having all the world put under us 6. Where Christ lives there is the ioy of riches he cannot be poore and miserable that hath Christ living in him Christ is unsearchable riches as Gideon said of Ephraim the gleanings of Ephraim are better then the vintage of Abiezâ—r so the gleanings the smallest gatherings of Christ are better then the vintage then the greatest abundance of the world Christs spirituall gifts and graces are the choisest of all riches all the riches of the world are but straw and stubble to this pearle he that hath this hath cause of holy glorying rejoycing in his wealth as the Merchant in the Parable had joy upon the finding of the precious pearle The rich man in Saint Luke having pulled downe his barnes builded them greater and filled them with worldly store bid his soule though upon weake grounds eat drinke and be merry because he had goods enough laid up for many yeares The man that hath pulled downe his lusts new built his heart and received Christ to live and dwell there may upon better grounds bid his soule eat drink and be merry for having Christ he hath a full and an abiding substance he hath treasure enough for ever 7. Where Christ lives there is the ioy of peace reconciliation and sweet communion he brings us nigh to God as Joseph brought his brethren nigh to Pharaoh he makes God a father and friend to us he causeth the face of God to shine upon us more comfortably then Sunne and filleth us with that peace which passeth all understanding and thus he makes the life of them in whom he lives a very sweet and pleasant life a life of choisest comforts a life for delights surpassing the lives of rich men Nobles Conquerours and all pleasure-hunters as the Paradise doth surpasse the wildernesse and the glorious Sunne the rotten gloe-worme But you will say if their life in whom Christ lives be such a sweet and pleasant such a joyous and comfortable life whence is it that many of them in whom Christ lives are so sad and sorrowfull and of all others many times in outward appearance the most uncomfortable livers I answer the sorrow and sadnesse of them in whom Christ lives ariseth 1. From the corruption which yet remaines in them Diseases in the body though they doe not destroy the body yet they now and then abate and hinder the comfort of bodily life Clouds in the aire though they doe not abolish the Sunne yet they hinder the light of the Sunne and darken the aire Thus corruption in them that live the life of grace though they doe not destroy and abolish this holy life yet they many times abate the comfort of it obscure and darken Christs living in man and untill they are overcome and dispelled they minister occasion of sorrow and sadnesse to the soules of Gods children causing them with David to complaine of them as of a heavy burthen and with Paul to cry out O miserable man that I am who shall deliver me from this body of death Where Christ lives there is joy because the life of grace hath there an inchoation there is sorrow because sinne hath not yet it 's compleate dissolution and perfect buriall Israel had joy in their victory over the land of Canaan they had sorrow because some Canaanites yet remained among them The children of God have much joy from their spirituall conquest though somewhat sadded by their fleshly oppositions 2. This ariseth from some particular aberrations of Gods children of which they are sometime guilty sometimes they step aside from Gods way their hearts hang loose and cleave not close to God Satan gets an advantage against them and foiles them and as so â—e great fall takes away the sence and comfort of bodily life for the present Thus Gods children through some fall doe lose the comfort of Christ living in them and are very sorrowfull as a man whose bones are broken 3. This ariseth from some violent assault of Satan God lets him loose upon them to buffet them for their humiliation for sinne past or for excitation from security for the present or for prevention for the time to come and while this temptation lasteth the joy of their spirituall life is eclipsed as the joy of a rich man is darkened while his house is besieged the joy of a City is disturbed while the siege against
Such a man is sicke of the least sinne he complaines of it he strives against it the Law of his mind strives against the Law of his members as Jacob strove against Esau so doth the spirituall part in him strive against the carnall and fleshly part and as the living fountaine strives against and works out the mud which fals into it so doth he that hath Christ living in him worke out the vaine thoughts which fall into his mind and the carnall lusts which rise in his soule and is never at rest untill he hath cleared himselfe of them as Sarah was at no rest untill she had freed her house of the bond-woman and her sonne Nothing is so displeasing to him that lives the life of grace as that which displeaseth Christ his choisest care is to keep his heart a cleane house for Christ to dwell in and to make his soule the plenary possession of Christ that Christ may dwell and reigne alone there he allowes himselfe in no sinne as a chaste wife allowes of no strange lover in her heart his soule is entire with Christ hating what Christ hateth loving what Christ loveth expelling daily more and more whatsoever doth oppose Christs kingdome within him he is as impatient of sinne in his soule as of a moate in his eye as a loyall Subject of a traitor in his house as a King of a forraine enemy in his Kingdome If sinne doe but once beginne to shew it selfe he raiseth all his forces to drive it out and is at no peace untill he hath emptied himselfe thereof 5. By mans assuming and taking to himselfe that which is most sutable and best agreeing with Christ. Every life drawes unto it selfe that which is most sutable and most agreeable thereunto on that it feeds with that it is maintained and therein it delights Thus he that hath Christ living in him takes unto himselfe that which suites and agrees with Christ in this he delights on this his soule feeds As his life is a spirituall life so he drawes to himselfe spirituall food and exerciseth himselfe in spirituall duties he desires like a new borne babe the sincere milke of the word as his food and to dwell in the house of the Lord as in the banquetting house of his soule where the ordinances of God are unto him as a feast of marrow and of fat things and of wines well refined upon the Lees Nothing so fits and suites with the soule where Christ lives as the word and other ordinances of Christ therefore such men desire this as their appointed food pant after this as the chased Hart after the water-brooks and long for it as the dry ground doth thirst for waters This is the food which maintaines the life of grace in their soules this is that wherein their life delights it selfe as in its proper element this is sweeter then the honey or the honey-combe this is better then thousands of gold and silver he hides it in his heart as good seed in good ground he suffers it to worke upon him as fire upon the mettall purifying him and working a gracious change within him he exerciseth himselfe in duties of godlinesse he takes upon him Christs yoake applies himselfe to Christs precept walks in all the ordinances of Christ he lives not to himselfe but to the Lord he delights himselfe in the meditation of Christ the doing of Christs will is his meat and drinke and thus drawing to himselfe what is most sutable and agreeable most pleasant and delightfull unto Christ he makes it manifest that he lives by Christ living in him 6. By mans feeding nourishing and strengthening himselfe by the ordinances of Christ The living man in whom is life and health doth not onely eat but gathers strength by his eating The man in whom Christ lives doth not onely use the meanes of grace but is perfected in grace by them Many there are who are frequent in the use of Gods ordinances and yet for want of spirituall life and an inward gracious digestive faculty they are as a man in an Atrophy that eats much and yet is leane and meager as if he had eat nothing Like the leane Kine in Pharaohs dreame that eat up the fat and yet were as leane and ill-favoured as if they had not eaten at all of whom Saint Paul saith they are alwayes learning and yet never come to the knowledge of the truth but they in whom Christ lives doe thrive by use of Gods ordinances they grow in grace as a childe by the mothers milke as a field by the dew they increase in knowledge as a Scholler in learning they waxe strong in saith as a Tree in roots they grow fervent in love as a fire in heate by the multiplication of wood they abound and are full of goodnesse as a Tree planted by the waters side is greene and flourishing and full of fruit and this is a comfortable argument and evidence of Christ living in us when we thrive by the meanes of grace and are filled with all those fruits of righteousnesse which are to the praise and glory of God in the day of Christ Jesus 7. By the sweetnesse of Christ to the soule of man Life is sweet to the living Christ is more sweet to them in whom he lives honours are sweet to the ambitious pleasures to the voluptuous and wealth to the covetous but Christ surpasseth all sweetnesse to them that are true Christians As the Apple tree among the trees of the wood saith the Spouse so is my Beloved among the sonnes I sate downe under his shadow with great delight and his fruit was sweet to my tast All the fruits of Christs Prophecye Priesthood and Kingdome his death resurrection and all the benefits of them communicated to the Spouse by the Gospell on which she feedeth by faith to the revivement and refreshing of her soule are very sweet unto her Christ is all sweetnesse to true beleevers the knoweledge of Christ is sweet to their understandings as the light is sweet unto the eye the meditation of Christ is sweet to their imagination as the meditation of the husband is sweet unto the wife the love of Christ is sweet unto their soules as the wine is sweet unto the palate The word of Christ is sweet unto their eares as a joyfull sound his mouth is sweet and altogether lovely The presence of Christ is sweet unto them as the presence of the bridegroome unto the bride The Spouse affirmes of him that his cheekes are as a bed of spices as sweet flowers and his lips like Lillies dropping sweet myrrh declaring the surpassing sweetnesse which beleeving and holy soules doe find in Christs manifestation of himselfe and in the gifts and comforts which he communicates to them by the Gospell The more cleare and strong sweet and comfortable apprehensions we have of Christ the greater is our assurance of Christs living in us 8. By the spirituall
warmth and heavenly heate which man hath within him Heate is an evidence of life Christ warmes the soule where he lives they that have Christ living in them are not like David in another case having many cloathes and no heate much meanes of grace and no spirituall warmth they are not like Hoseah's Cake halfe baked nor like the Laodicean Angell neither hot nor cold but as the flesh of the Shunamites childe waxed warme when the Prophet spread himselfe upon him Thus their hearts in whom Christ liveth are heated and warmed by the labour of the Prophet by the Ministers opening and applying the word of life unto them their hearts burne within them with indignation against sinne with love to God and with zeale for God The word is like fire in their bones the whole man is set in a holy flame they are baptized with the Holy-Ghost and with fire The Holy-Ghost like fire enlightening and purging their soules and warming them with holy and fervent love making them fervent in prayer and burning in spirit serving the Lord. All the duties they performe have a sacred fire mixed with them a holy heate put into them as the sacrifice under the Law was offâ—red up with fire Thus their whole service is no dead carkasse without fire but a burnt offering unto the Lord they doe all in love to God and in zeale for God holy men like Eliah in their hearing prayer meditation are carried in a fiery chariot their religious exercises kindle a fire in them which burnes up their corruption like stubble purifies their soules like silver and puts their heart into a very sweet and gracious temper lukewarmnesse is farre from them that are enlivened by Christ Jesus Man 's deadnesse in the duties of godlinesse argues mans alienation from the life of Christ Man 's zeale for Christ is proportionable to the measure of life received from Christ he doth in vaine assume the name of a Christian who joynes not zeale to his profession For as to him that desired to know what manner of man Basill was there was presented in a dreame a pillar of fire with this Motto talis est Basilius such a one is Basill and such in deed in some measure may be the Motto of every true Christian because he that is enlivened by Christ and hath his whole dependance upon Christ and graciously filled by Christs ministrations he must of necessity have his thoughts taken up with Christ and his heart burning with zeale for Christ 9. By the price which man doth put upon Christ Life is valued at a high rate above all the residue of mans temporall possessions The Devill could say skin for skin and all that a man hath will he give for his life Christ to them in whom he lives is more deare then temporall life he is the choisest of all their possessions as the people esteemed David so they esteeme Christ better then all their thousands whether honours riches liberty life or whatsoever else he is to them in respect of all things else as the Apple Tree among the Trees of the wood as the Prince among the beggars as the Sunne among the gloe-wormes as the jewell among the drosse Man that hath Christ living in him so prizeth him that he will sell all to enjoy him as the Merchant did for the precious pearle he will leave all to keep communion with him as the bride to keep her fellowship with the bridegroome Christ is to his apprehension the fairest of ten thousand the Paradise wherein he is delighted the crowne with which he is honoured and the fountaine in whom his soule finds all satisfaction 10. By mans care to keepe Christ Man is very carefull to preserve his life he contendeth much to maintaine this he will part with any thing rather then with his life In like manner a man that hath Christ living in him is very carefull to keep Christ he will endure any hardnesse rather thâ—n be deprived of Christ he will lose his goods his credit his liberty and his life rather then lose Christ because Christ is the life of his life Christ is the rocke on whom he builds the root by whom he lives the royall Roabe with which he is cloathed the precious pearle in which lies all his riches the Paradise wherein grow all his comforts the friend in whom he chiefly delighteth and the husband with whom his soule is joyned in everlasting wedlocke and therefore his greatest care is to keep Christ he layes hold on Christ as the woman of Shunem upon the Prophet and will not be thrust away as Joah on the Hornes of the Altar and will rather dye then leave his holdfast on Christ he resolves to be with Christ as Ittai with David whether in life or in death whatsoever be his estate Nothing is sweet and deare to him as Christ is and therefore strives by prayer hearing conference meditation holy and humble walking and the use of all holy meanes to keep Christ neither losse nor gaine threatnings nor perswasions peace nor trouble life nor death can worke him to a desertion of Christ And in these particulars as in so many lively characters may we discerne the living of Christ in us CHAP. XXVII AS Christ lives in all Gods children so let all that professe Christ and call God Father see and discerne Christ living in them This is the crowne and comfort of a Christian to have Christ living in him and without this he hath but the naked and empty name of a Christian like an Idoll that hath the name of a man and is no man a name that he lives and yet is dead Feele Christ therefore living in your understanding by prizing the knowledge of Christ above all learning by determining to know nothing in comparison of knowing Christ and him crucified by learning Christ as the truth is in him being filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisedome and spirituall understanding Feele Christ living in your will in making your will free to chuse and embrace him and the things of God to intend and will him and the glory of God above every thing making his will the rule of your will and fashioning and framing you to be a willing people in and about his worke and service Feele him living in your imaginations by thinking upon him with more frequency and delight then of any other thing by having more high honourable and sweeter apprehensions of Christ then of all the creatures Feele Christ living in your affections by being rooted in Christ by a lively faith as a Tree in the Earth by fearing Christ above all earthly powers as the Subject his Soveraigne above all Civill Rulers by loving him as the Bride the Bridegroome above all other persons by rejoycing in him as the rich man in his jewell above all the residue of his Substance Feele him living in your members by circumcising and preparing your eares to heare with meeknesse
and reverence by returning to your tongues a pure language that your speech may minister grace to the hearers by restraining your eyes from beholding vanitie by disposing your hands to worke that which is good and by making your feet swift to every good duty as you discerne your soule living in your humane body moving all the members to humane services so discerne Christ living in your bodily members disposing and framing them to religious duties Feele Christ living in all your services as the chiefe worker of them and inabler of you to them doing all in his name by his assistance and for his glory Feele Christ living in the Prayer which you make praying by the Spirit of Christ in the name of Christ and for the honour of Christ Feele Christ living in the Word which you heare making it an immortall seed to regenerate you a sacred Fire to purge you a heavenly Light to guide you and a message of peace to comfort you Feele Christ living in the Sacrament which you receive making it a Coelestiall Manna feeding you a Seale of Righteousnesse assuring you of your Justification an obligation binding you to new obedience and a pledge of Gods unchangeable love towards you All holy Ordinances if Christ live not in them shew not himselfe powerfull by them are but an empty shell without kernell and a dry breast without milke ministring no nourishment All the Religious Duties wee performe if Christ live not in them are but a Sacrifice without Fire a dead Carkasse of no esteeme with God Our affections if Christ live not in us are a charet without wheeles they sinke and fall unto the earth they cannot encline nor move towards the Lord All our best abilities if Christ live not in them are as standing Waters without a living Spring they putrifie and rot and prove unprofitable If Christ live not in us our knowledge is ignorance our wisedome foolishnesse our faith presumption our love dissimulation and our obedience no better then rebellion If Christ live not in us our understandings are blinded and wee cannot savingly know God our will is inthralled and wee cannot intend God our faith like Jeroboams arme is withered and wee cannot lay hold upon the promise of God The whole sufficiencie of a Christian is from Christs living in him Christs living in man makes him wise in discerning the things of God sincere in intending the glory of God powerfull in withstanding what doth oppose him in the wayes of God fruitfull in the worke of God meeke and humble in submitting to the hand of God faithfull in keeping the Covenant of God joyfull in hearing the Word of God fervent in invocation upon the Name of God patient in waiting for the Comforts of the Lord contented with the portion God giveth constant in running the race which God hath set before him and graciously perswaded of living the life of Glory for ever in Heaven * ⎠* MANS MISERY WITHOVT CHRIST OPENING The sinfull perplexed dishonourable and Soul destroying Condition of Man without CHRIST tending to the driving and drawing of every man out of himselfe unto CHRIST By Alexander Grosse B. D. Minister of the Gospell and Pastor of Bridford near Exon in Devon-shire Whosoever transgresseth and abideth not in the Doctrine of Christ hath not God 2. Epist Ioh. ver 9. If ye beleeve not that I am he ye shall dye in your sins Ioh. 8.24 If any man abide not in me he is cast forth as a branch and is withered and men gather them and cast them into the fire and they are burned LONDON Printed by G. M. for John Bartlet at the Signe of the Gilt Cup near Saint Austins Gate 1642. MANS MISERY WITHOVT CHRIST OPENED EPHES 2.12 At that time ye were without Christ being aliens from the Common-wealth of Israel and strangers from the Covenants of promise having no hope and without God in the world CHAP. I. Shewing mans alienation from CHRIST misery without CHRIST and opening the scope of the words ADam after his eating the forbidden fruit was without the Garden of Eden disabled to come to the tree of life man feeding on the forbidden fruit of sinne is a stranger to the Paradise of all spirituall and heavenly comforts wholy excluded from the true tree of life Christ Jesus There is no sweet and gracious communion betweene the Lord Jesus and carnall persons The men of the old world were without the Arke and perished in the deluge of waters men who are in their old corrupt estate who have not put off that old man which is corrupt according to divers lusts are without Christ and shall certainly perish in the deluge of their impieties and the Lords vengeance the fruition of Christ is mans happinesse mans crowne and comfort alienation from Christ is mans misery mans shame and the soules great distraction and trouble of all estates on Earth mans naturall and corrupt condition is most wretched and miserable a condition of death without spirituall life of darknesse without divine and heavenly light of bondage without Christian freedome of uncleanenesse without sanctification of emptinesse without all celestiall fulnesse of alienation without all comfortable communion with Christ without all interest in Christ and his benefits without either claime or title to Gods Promise to Heaven or eternall happinesse an estate of exclusion from all holy and gracious society with Gods children an estate of profanenesse without God without the knowledge of God without faith in God without love to God and without zeale for God for at that time in that estate and condition We are without Christ being aliens from the Common-wealth of Israel and strangers from the Covenants of promise having no hope and without God in the world The Apostle in these words declares and amplifies the miserable and wretched estate of man the uncomfortable and dishonourable condition of the soule of man without Christ without the knowledge of Christ without faith in Christ without incorporation into Christ without participation of Christ and his benefits And this misery and wretchednesse of man the Apostle doth open set forth and amplifie by a five-fold alienation 1. An alienation from Christ at that time yee were without Christ Christ was not preached to you Christ was not knowne of you Christ was not imbraced nor beleeved in by you this is the first alienation and the ground of all the rest Hee that is an alien to the Lord Iesus is a stranger to all things appertaining to life and happinesse mans interest in Christ gives him interest in God and in all good things of God there is no way for man to come to God and eternall happinesse but only by and thorough Christ Jesus the neglect of Christ is the lesse of all 2. An alienation from the Common-wealth of Israel from that forme of Religion and divine worship which God had prescribed to the Israelitish people they alone at that time having the oracles of God among them Very miserable
no mixture or glimpse of spirituall light Very sad and sorrowfull is that soules darkenesse which is estranged from the Sunne of Righteousnesse 3. Man that is without Christ is without grace without holinesse Naaman without Jordan was overspread with a lothsome leprosie there is a very filthy leprosie of uncleannesse upon them that partake not of Christ For Christ as the Apostle saith is our Sanctification effectively as the worker of it originally as the head and spring from whence it is derived without whom our soules are as empty of grace as the cisterne of water without the fountaine as full of errour superstition pride and prophanenesse as Baals house of Idolaters as full of earthly mindednesse and covetous practises as the sluggards field of thornes and bryars as full of hypocrisie deceitfulnesse and unrighteousnesse as the Pharisees Sepulchers of dead mens bones or the Temple of money-changers before Christ whipt them out Our soules are indeed a very sinke of uncleannesse untill Christ doth possesse us 4. Man that is without Christ is without Liberty Peter without the Angell continued in Herods prison without the Lord Jesus man remaines the prisoner of Satan the world and his owne corrupt affections Every unregenerate man is a miserable bond-man led away captive at the will of Satan unable to make any resistance against him a voluntary slave refusing liberty tendred to him loving darkenesse more then light and Satans prison better then Christs Palace having no liberty in his understanding to discerne the things of God in his imagination to meditate and thinke upon them in his will to chuse them or in his affections to love prize and delight himselfe in them The Liberty of the soule estranged from Christ Jesus is nothing else but bondage He that is most free to sinne is the greatest slave to Satan where Christ is not there is no Life quickning there is no Sunne enlightening there is no Conquerour dissolving the holds of Satan there is no dew suppling and softening the hard and fallow ground of mans heart There is no fire warming the cold and frozen affections and therefore no liberty from corruption no inclination to the wayes and works of sanctification It is only Christ Jesus that ministers to the soules of Gods servants freedome from uncleannesse and liberty to true holinesse 5. Man that is without Christ is without acceptation with God Christ is Gods beloved in whom man is accepted Man that is out of Christ beares not Gods Image is not Gods gracious workmanship is estranged from Gods Covenant hath no love of God within him is the slave of Satan the servant of the world and a very sinke of corruption He is no Tree of Righteousnesse of Gods planting no childe of Gods begetting no loyall Subject of Gods Kingdome no vessell of Gods gracious filling no partaker of Christs Righteousnesse to cloath and cover him he brings forth no fruit to God but all to himselfe to the flesh and to the world and therefore can have no aceptation with God Joseph his brethren might not looke him in the face unlesse they brought their brother Benjamin with them Man cannot looke God in the face with my confidence or acceptance unlesse he bring Christ with him in the armes of his faith Mans person and service finds acceptance with God only in and through Christ Jesus without Christ man is stubble and God a consuming fire to destroy him Man is a guilty malefactor and God a severe Judge to condemne him the whole of man without Christ Jesus is a very abomination in Gods presence 6. Man that is without Christ is without Contentation In Christ the soule meets with all satisfaction and fulnesse He is a Sun in whom the beleeving soule beholds all fulnesse of light a precious Iewell in whom he finds all fulnesse of worth a rocke in whom he feeles all fulnesse of strength a fountaine from whom he drawes all fulnesse of satisfaction and a Paradise in whom he enjoyes all fulnesse of pleasures but without Christ the soule finds vanity and emptinesse in the greatest abundance the wife findeth an emptinesse in a rich and full house the husband being absent Christ wanting the soule meets with vanity in the largest possession Christ is the marrow and the fâ—tnesse the fulnesse and the sweetnesse of all our endowments separate Christ from them and they are bitter and doe not please us weake and doe not sustaine us empty and doe not fill us dumbe and doe not comfort us It is not the abundance of any thing but Christ comming with it that gives contentation whether the thing be much or little Without Christ the desire is enlarged as hell and never satisfied the Lord Jesus is the choise and onely fulnesse of all Christians 7. Man without Christ is without all spirituall splendor and beauty The Sunne is the glory of the world the eye is the glory of the head the soule of the body the jewell is the glory of the Ring the Flowers Herbs Trees and Fruit are the glory of the Garden and the Field the Arke was the glory of Israel and Christ is the glory of the Christian stiled the light of the Gentiles and the glory of Israel being both the Author and the matter of their glory Their glory in respect of instruction as the teacher is the glory of the Schoole in respect of vivification as the soule is the glory of the body in respect of Redemption as the ransomer is the glory of the captive in respect of Conquest as David was the glory of Israel overcomming the great Goliah in respect of Justification as the garment is the glory of him that weares it in respect of Sanctification as Jordan was the glory of Naaman cleansing him from his leprosie in respect of repletion as the fountaine is the glory of the cisterne and in respect of wise and powerfull gubernation gracious and plentifull ministration as the King is the glory of the Kingdome the shepheard of the flocke and as Joseph was the glory of the Land of Egypt ministring provision to it He that partakes most of Christ Jesus is the most beautifull and glorious of all others but man without Christ is without all spirituall beauty in regard of ignorance as a darke house without light even darkenesse it selfe in regard of nakednesse as a man without a garment naked miserable and wretched having no other cloathing then a menstrous clout to cover him led by Satan like Egypt by the Assyrians naked barefoot his buttockes yea the whole man uncovered in regard of spirituall contagion and foul-sicknes his soule like the body of Lazarus full of sores or like the body of Job full of sore boiles from the sole of his foot unto his crowne loathsome and incurable are the soules-maladies which hath not Christ as a Physitian to heale him in regard of the plenitude and fulnesse of all sinne like the sluggards field in Salomon full of
King Whence observe That All Prophane and carnall persons are aliens to the true Church of Christ and all the spirituall priviledges therof The Lepers under the Law were excluded the camp separated from the society of cleane persons shewing the effect of the Law in sinners which driveth them from the communion of God and his people till by repentance and faith they come unto Christ and also figuring the putting and excluding of all uncleane sinners from the Church of Christ and the priviledges thereof according to the charge of the Apostle put away from among your selves that wicked person Adam eating the forbidden fruit was debarr'd from the Tree of Life and shut out of the Garden of Eden The posterity of Adam feedâ—ng upon the forbidden fruit of sinne making a trade and practise of sinne are excluded from Christ the true Tree of Life and shut out of the Church of Christ the inclosed Garden of which Christ is the Keeper and dresser Hence prophane men living within the pale of the Church are likened to chaffe mingled among the wheate in the floore which though it be among the wheate yet it is not of the wheate To a man at the wedding feast without a wedding garment who though he was among the guests yet he was not of the number of the true and welcome guests and therefore was cast out as having of right no place there and to thornes and bryars which thouâ—h they sometime grow within the Orchard yet are not Trees of the Orchard not planted watered and manured by the Keeper of the Orchard as other Trees are And for this the Church is stiled a Garden inclosed in respect of Gods protection and preservation of her in respect of her separation from them that are prophane and carnall by grace and holy calling and for the Churches care and vigilancy that no enemies invade her that no uncleane thing or vitious persons pollute and defile her And for this cause the Church is tearmed a chaste virgin for her internall and externall purity for her holy chastity for her fidelity and fervent love to her husband Christ for her alienation from the world from all idolatry and false worship and for her separation and distinction from all that pollute and defile themselves with Idols the world or any carnall lusts And the Church is charged to preserve and keep her selfe from all intimate and familiar communion with them that are openly scandalous and uncleane I have written unto you saith Saint Paul not to keep company If any man that is called a brother be a fornicator or covetous or an idolater or a railer or a drunkard or an extortioner with such a one no not to eat not familiarly and friendly to converse He forbids not the exercise of the necessary offices of humanity and charity towards them but the having of intimate communion with them And if any man saith the Apostle to the Thessalonians obey not our Word by this Epistle but be rebellious and obstinate against the holy and wholsome Doctrine delivered note that man and have no company with him Whereby we see that the Lord denyes them that are obstinate and carnall communion with such as are truly holy and spirituall there can be no sweet and seemly fellowship between common harlots and chaste virgins What fellowship saith Paul hath righteousnesse with unrighteousnesse and what communion hath light with darknesse Wherefore come out from among them and be ye separate saith the Lord and I will be a Father unto you and ye shall be my sonnes and daughters Carnall men are not spirituall brethren to them that are Gods children they are not begotten of the same heavenly parent they are not united to the same spirituall head they are not endowed with the same gracious qualities and therefore are aliens to Gods sonnes and daughters And without saith Christ are doggs and sorcerers and whoremongers and murtherers and idolaters and whosoever loveth and maketh a lye these are without without the number of Gods holy and sanctified Church and people without the Prerogatives granted to Gods gracious children without the company of the Citizens of the new Jerusalem here and without glory and happinesse hereafter and of such S. John saith expresly however they have a place within the Church yet they are not of the Church They went out from us but they were not of us for if they had beene of us they would no doubt have continued with us but they went out that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us CHAP. XII Laying downe the grounds of carnall mans alienation from the true church of Christ THe alienation of profane men from the true Church of Christ is manifest 1. By their alienation from the Head of the Church they are strangers to Christ they hold not the Head saith the Apostle from which all the body by joynts and bands having nourishment ministred and knit together encreaseth with the encrease of God they hold not Christ but are strangers to the life of Christ as withered branches are strangers to the life of the root Christ doth not live in them they are strangers to the knowledge of Christ as blind men are strangers to the light of the Sunne the light shineth in the darknesse but the darknesse comprehendeth it not the Gospell is hidden to them they are strangers to the dominion of Christ he doth not reigne spiritually within them though they professe they know Christ yet they be reprobate and disobedient to every good worke they are strangers to the holy and gracious presence of Christ Christ doth not dwell in their hearts by Faith possessing protecting aâ—d beautifying then soules as a dweller his house directing and guiding their goings to the haven of peace as a Pilot his Ship they are strangers to the love of Christ they are not espoused to him as a chast Virgin to the operation of Christ he is not unto them as a Refiners fire and Fullers sope purifying them as gold and silver to offer unto the Lord an offering of Righteousnesse and also to the fullnesse of Christ he is a sealed well of whose waters their soules drinke not though they live within the pale of the Church and come to the ordinaâ—ces of Christ yet as Salomon spake in another case Of the way of a Ship in the Sea of an Eagle in the Ayre and of a Serpent upon a stone so â—â—â—y we say of the way of Christ in his ordinances with the soules of carnall men it leaveth no track behind it worketh no change imprints no character of holinesse they still continue strangers to Christ and having no communion with the Head they are farre from fellowship with the Members 2. By their being dâ—stitute of the Seed of the Church the Church of Christ is begotten of a holy Seed the word of God and vertue of
spirituall liberty and freedome a liberty of grace whereby the whole man is set free from the command and servitude of all sin the understanding is free from ignorance able to know God as a Father with a cleare and comfortable submissive and affective knowledge the will is free from perversenesse able readily and freely fully and sincerely to intend God and his glory the imagination is free from vanity able with much joy to meditate and thinke upon God the affections are free from base feare carnall confidence worldly love and fleshly joy able to scare God filially to trust on God soly to love God unfainedly and to rejoyce in God spiritually the whole man bent and disposed to run the way of Gods commandements as the Sun rejoyceth to run his race and as the Rivers flow towards the Sea this the Psalmist cals an inlargement of the heart to run the way of Gods Commandements and this he mentions as a fruit of the inscription of the Law in his heart Thy Law ô Lord saith he is in my heart and I delight to doe thy will Mans assurance of being within Gods Covenant is sutable to his free and ready disposition in observing Gods precept 5. A fift benefit comprised under the Covenant ministring assurance of mans interest in it is perseverance in the state of grace daily growth in the gifts of the Spirit and a stedfast striving to more perfection I will make an everlasting Covenant with them saith God and I will put my feare in their hearts that they shall not depart from me they shall not depart from the knowledge of my truth to errour from the faith of my promises to infidelity from the wayes of my Commandements to by and wandring paths from the love of me and my testimonies to the love of earthly vanities God ever preserves in the state of grace whom he receives into the Covenant of grace he that is in covenant with God abides with God as the wife with the husband he follows the Lord fully with Caleb he is with God in every estate in all changes as Ittai resolved to be with David both in life and in death the longer he is in Gods Covenant the more beauty he discernes in God the more sweetnesse he finds in the Word of God the more pleasure he takes in the service of God the more comfortable communion he gaines with God and the more plentifull and soule-ravishing receivings of grace love and peace he hath from God and therefore shines more and more like the light unto the perfect day growes stronger and stronger like the house of David He waits upon the Lord and renewes his strength he mounts up as the Eagles hee runnes and is not weary hee walkes on and doth not faint he goes from strength to strength untill he doth appeare before the Lord in Zion The carnall mans estrangement from the Covenant and his misery in being out of the Covenant ministers matter and occasion of labour and industry to every man to get into the Covenant to be partaker of it and to have assured interest in the benefits flowing from it as Noah entred into the Arke to be preserved from the deluge of waters so should wee enter into the Covenant of God that we may be preserved from the deluge of those miseries which attend and wait upon the breach of Gods precepts The men of Aegypt hearing of the fall of a grievous haile such as would destroy both man and beast Hee that feared the word of the Lord amongst them made his servants and his cattell flee into the house Men hearing of the hayle fire brimstone and horrible tempest which God will raine downe upon the wicked should hasten into this Covenant have sure interest in Gods free and gracious Promise that they may be hid from the Lords wrath And to the end we may have part in Gods Covenant 1. We must forsake our sinnes there must be warre against sin or there can be no peace with God Moses might not come nigh the burning bush untill hee had put off his shoes from his feet Because the ground where hee stood was holy ground Man cannot come nigh God enter into covenant with God unlesse the old-man his old lusts be put off because the Covenant of God is a holy Covenant a Covenant belonging onely to the godly Godlinesse having the promise of this life and of the life to come Joseph shaved himselfe and changed his raiment and then he came to Pharaoh and Pharaoh tooke him to himselfe and made many honourable Promises to him man must shave himself remove the ignorance and errour of his understanding and change his raiment Put off the old-man which is corrupt according to divers lusts and put on the new man which is renewed in holinesse and true righteousnesse according to Gods image and then come nigh tâ—ed and partake of all Gods gracious promises according to that of the Lord by the Prophet wash you make you cleane put away the evill of your wayes cease to doe evill learne to doe well and then come ye and we will reckon together and though your sinnes were as red as scarlet yet will I make you white as snow I will deale mercifully with you be reconciled to you forgive your sinnes and receive you into my Covenant of peace The more the soule is emptied of sin the more capable it is of Gods Covenant the more assured of interest in it Hee that holds fast his sinne cannot lay hold upon the Covenant of God hee that gives not a bill of divorce to his lusts is uncapable of weddlocke with Christ 2. We must forsake our selves we must deny our selves cease from our owne wisdome as from a blind guide from our owne strength as from a withered reed from our owne righteousnesse as from a rotten ragg and from our owne ends as from low and base marks Thus must wee deny our selves or we can be no Disciples of Christ no partakers of the mercies of God in him Such as entered into Covenant with David were in debt in distresse and discontent He that will enter into Covenant with God must see his debt bee sensible of his sinne feele the distresse and anguish of his soule and be very much discontented with his corrupt and carnall estate God communicates his mercies to them that are sensible of their miseries the Lord loves them that are out of love with themselves he esteemes them that loath their own wayes whom doth Christ invite and call but the heavy laden Such as are sensible and weary of their sins as of a heavy burthen to whom is Christ sent with tydings of comfort but to the broken hearted When Ephraim repented smote upon his thigh and was confounded then the Lord remembered him then he was deare and pleasant to him then hee said I will surely have mercy upon him then he proposed and set before him the Covenant of Salvation in Christ
owne heart And what doth 1. mens loose-living under the Gospell mens running into all excesse of ryot contrary to their holy calling the nature of the Gospell and such plaine and powerfull perswasion from Heaven proclaimes but the Atheisme of their soules not beleeving the truth of God reputing Gods messengers as bablers and the sacred truths which they deliver as fables 2. What doth mens sinning so freely in secret taking such pleasure in contemplative wickednesse within the closer of their owne hearts and taking such liberty to doe evill in the darke where the eye of man beholds it not what doth this argue but a secret Atheisme lurking in their soules having no apprehension of Gods presence of Gods Al-seeing eye having no remembrance that God is every where filling all places privy to all the movings and stirrings of their hearts Were not the hearts of men very Atheisticall they would not dare doe that in the sight of God which they will not doe in the eyes of men 3. What doth mens fearelesnesse of denounced judgements mens putting off the evill day farre away Mens sinning securely mens flattering themselves in an estate wherein they are ready to drop every moment into Hell hanging by the weake thread of their fraile life over the bottomlesse pit what doth this declare but Atheisme not beleeving that God is such a just and righteous God such a hater and revenger of sinne as indeed he is 4. What doth mens seldome praying cold praying irreverent praying proclaime but an Atheisticall ignorance unsensiblenesse and unapprehensivenesse of Gods greatnesse glory and presence Kings and Monarchs are served in great state because men apprehend their Majesty men addresse themselves to God as to their fellow because they are neither powerfully perswaded nor workingly apprehensive of his glorious presence 5. What doth mens sleighting of the meanes of the knowledge of God mens neglecting of the salvation which God proffers them mens undervaluing of Christ mens seeking of the applause and favour of men more then the approbation and favour of God mens exalting of their lusts above God mans seeking after and resting upon the creature mans sacrificing to an arme of flesh mans superficiall performance of the duties of Religion what doe all these and many such bewray but abundance of Atheisme in the heart for were this truth throughly rooted in the heart of man were the meditation of this principle powerfully operative upon the soule of man That God is and that he is a God so glorious so powerfull so gracious so al-sufficient and so farre surpassing all creatures as indeed he is it would move man to preferre the knowledge of God above all learning the approbation of God above all praise and the love of God above all favour it would make all the lusts of the soule fall as Dagon before the Arke were this predominant in and effectually working upon the heart of man no sinne could stand before it the creature would appeare to the eye of the soule as a thing of nought man would be ashamed of his best abilities grieved for the imperfection of his holiest services and apply himselfe to the worke of his God with seven fold more diligence O then complaine oft and pray to God against thy secret Atheisme as against the great plague and pest of thy soule as against a beame in thy eye disabling thee to see God as against a fetter about thy feet disabling thee to come to God as against a partition wall hindering thy sweet and comfortable communion with God In carnall mans estrangement from God in his being without God we may see the miserable and wretched condition of corrupt and carnall man we repute the body miserable without a soule to enliven it the world miserable without the Sun to enlighten it the besieged City miserable without a Captaine to rescue it or wall to defend it the thirsty miserable without a fountaine to refresh him the wandring traveller miserable without a guide to direct him the forsaken miserable without a friend to comfort him c. But here is the misery of all miseries to be without God to be estranged from God who is the soule enlivening the Sun guiding the great Centurion rescuing the wall of fire defending the fountaine refreshing the guide leading and the friend solacing man We see Hagar weeping when her bottle is empty and hath no water Rachel mourning for her children and will not be comforted because they are not the wife of Phinâ—as refusing to be comforted because the Arke is carried away Idolatrous Micah running and crying as a man undone because his Idoll his imaginary God is taken from him but what is the losse of these and a thousand such things as these are to losse of God surely no more then the losse of a gloe-worme to the losse of the Sun then the losse of a straw to the losse of a precious pearle Here is cause indeed of mourning crying complaining lamentation to be without God For he that is without God is 1. Full of Satan he that is empty of one is full of the other when God forsakes the house of mans soule Satan takes the possession he becomes the dweller he like an armed man keeps the Fort in mans heart he like a Prince sets up his Throne and keeps his Court in the City of mans soule when God is gone Satan enters in the lesse of God the more of Satan in the soule of man When the house in the Parable was empty then the uncleane spirit entred with seven others worse then himselfe when the soule is empty of God Satan fils it with a troop of all abominations then he blindes the understanding that they cannot see nor God nor Christ nor themselves then he gaggs their mouthes that as the man that had a dumbe Devill they can neither speake for God nor to God then he bowes them downe to the world and makes them drudges and slaves to the earth like the woman that had a spirit of infirmity that they cannot looke up to God they cannot thinke on God nor the things which are above then he casts them into the fire of rage fury and anger and into the waters of drunkennesse sensuall lusts and carnall pleasures as he cast the mans sonne in the Gospell into the fire and water then he fils them with fraud falshood hypocrisie and spirituall treason as he put it into the heart of Judas to betray Christ Vnconceavable is that mans misery that is left of God to Satan that is empty of God and full of the Devill he that is full of Satan first must looke to be full of Hell at last 2. He that is without God is full of the world he minds earthly things he bowes downe to these things as Gideons thousands to the waters these command him sway over him leade him away captive as the harlot in Salomon did the young man he commits adultery
doubtlesse that man never felt the power of Christ in his conversion that dreames of a power in himselfe to convert and change himselfe Presumption of self-goodnesse invincibly argues the absence of all saving goodnesse The diseased came either by their owne strength or by the help of others to Bethesda but when the foot was in the poole if the Angell did not move the waters there was no healing Man may come to the ministery of the word by his owne strength and by the perswasion of others but when he is come and heares the word there is no healing unlesse Christ worke mightily with the Gospell For Paul plants and Apollo waters but God giveth the increase Is Christ the Author and worker of spirituall life Then we must addresse our selves to Christ that Christ may quicken and enliven us Whiles we stand aloofe off and continue strangers to Christ we are all dead men dead spiritually while we live corporally alienated from the life of God while we enjoy the life of men continuing strangers to Christ we are all dead in sinne and as the dead know not any thing no more doe we savingly and comfortably know any thing of God of Christ of his word or of the Spirit of grace we are in darknesse like the dead we are blinde and groape at the noone day as in the midnight As the dead have no feeling of the disease which killed them of the burthen of earth cast upon them no more have we of the sinne which wounds us and hastens the second death upon us we are as Saint Paul said past feeling As the dead have no vigor no strength no motion no more have we any power disposition or inclination to any thing holy and savingly good in the sight of God As the dead are an uncomfortable spectacle and cast an evill savour so are we very unsavoury in Gods nosthrils an abomination in the eyes of God As the dead have no claime nor title to any thing their interest in what they once enjoyed is lost Thus we have no title to Christ no interest in Gods Covenant of grace and as the dead putrifie and rot more and more so we grow worse and worse as long as we continue without Christ O therefore let us come to Christ that he may enliven us as he raised Lazarus the Widowes sonne and the Rulers daughter Let us come to Christ to raise our soules as the woman of Shunem came to the Prophet to raise her dead sonne she made haste to the Prophet we must come speedily unto Christ in the dayes of our youth before we have continued long under the death and dominion of sinne the woman of Shunem came humbly to the Prophet she cast her selfe downe at the feet of the Prophet We must come to Christ in great humility humbling our selves before him having our hearts full of sorrow for our sinne earnestly petitioning the vivification of our soules The woman of Shunem laid hold upon the Prophets feet and would not let him goe untill he went with her and raised her sonne Thus must we lay hold on Christ carry him with us bring him home into the house of our hearts that Christ may quicken us to the life of grace here and to the life of glory hereafter This likewise discovers to us what all our works and services are as long as we are without Christ Christ is the Author and worker of spirituall life and while we are without Christ we are without spirituall life and where is no life there is no action no motion where is no life of grace there is no moving no stirring in the wayes of godlinesse All the workes of naturall men how specious soever in outward appearance yet they are as the Scripture termes them but dead workes their hearing praying receiving of the Sacrament and other duties of righteousnesse done by them are works without life For 1. they proceed not from an inward Principle of spirituall life all their motions in and about the duties of godlinesse like the motions of Clockes and Watches proceed not from life but from art from the feare of hell from the apprehension of death from the sence of affliction from the desire of the applause and favour of men from the hope of reaping the harvest of some worldly benefit and therefore as the clocke ceaseth his motion when the Spring is downe so doe these men usually cease their motion in the wayes of godlinesse when the outward loadstone which drew them is taken away as yron having no principle of life within it stops it's motion when the loadstone is removed then they are at a stay then they goe backe 2. Their services if we consider the nature of them they are but morall and ecclesiasticall services no spirituall services They have as the Apostle saith a forme of godlinesse but they deny the power of it As a dead man hath the forme and lineaments of a living man but not the power and vivacity of a living man their works for the matter of them may be morally and ecclesiastically good but not spiritually good their coine their service as Jeremy termes it is reprobate silver Reprobate silver may have the stamp colour and similitude of true coine and yet is base mettall A naturall mans duties of service and obedience to God may have the similitude and colour of a spirituall mans service but when they are tryed they are found to be counterfeit abominable in the sight of God how beautifull soever in the eyes of men Swines bloud is of as cleare and perfect colour to the eye as sheeps bloud yet it is of another nature and to offer Swines bloud under the Law was an abomination Thus the service of a carnall man may have the outward colour of a regenerate mans service and be as pure and perfect in the outward appearance as the service of the holiest persons and yet it is of another nature and a very abomination in the sight of God 3. Their services if you looke upon the adjunct of them are cold services coldnesse is a Symptome of death when a man is dead the whole man is cold the works of a naturall and carnall man are cold they have no spirituall life no heavenly warmth no vivacity and holy quicknesse in them It is said of David that he had many cloathes yet he got no heate Thus carnall men have all the ordinances of God all meanes to warme their soules and yet they continue cold as a dead body under many cloathes they may performe many religious duties and yet have no heate no warmth in them At the best they are but like Ephraims cake halfe baked like luke-warme meat such as is offensive to the stomacke and therefore Christ threatens to spew them out of his mouth they have nothing of the Spirit of God within them whose working is likened unto fire making men fervent in Prayer causing their hearts