of his children from necessities strength perfected in weaknesse grace sufficient in infirmities hath some greater glory then strength and grace alone Thereâ—ore he hath chosen this way as most fit for the advancing his glory and moâ—t suitable for our comfort and edification to give us but little in hand and environ us with a crowd of continued necessities and wants within and without that we may learn to cry to him as our Father and seek our supplies â—rom him and withall he hath not been sparing but liberal in promises of hearing our cryes and supplying our wants â—o that this way of narrow and hard dispensation that at first seems contrary to the love and bounty and riches of our Father in the perfect view of it appears to be the only way to perpetuat our communion with Him and often to renew the sense of His love and grace that would grow slack in our hearts if our needs did not every day stir-up fresh longings and his returns by this means are so much the more refreshing There is a time of childrens minority when they stand in need of continual supplies from their Parents or Tutors because they are not entered in possession of their inheritance and while they are in this state there is nothing more beseeming them then in all their wants to addresse to their Father and represent them to Him and it is fit they should be from hand to mouth as you say that they may know and acknowledge their dependance on their Father Tâ—uly this is our minority our presence in the body which because of sin that dwells in it and its own natural weaknesse and incapacity keeps us at much distance with the Lord that we cannot be intimatly present with him Now in this condition the most natural the most comely and becoming exercise of children is to cry to our Father to present all our grievances and thus to intertain some holy correspondence with our absent Father by the messenger of prayer and supplication which cannot return empty if it be not sent away too full of self-conceit This is the most natural breathing of a child of God in this world it is the most proper acting of his new life and the most suitable exspiration of that Spirit of Adoption that is inspired into him since there is so much life as to know what we want and our wants are infinite therefore that life cannot but beat this way in holy desires after God whose fulnesse can supplie all wants this is the Pulse of a Christian that goeth continually and there is much advantage to the continuity and interruptednesse of the motion from the infinitenesse and inexhaustednesse of our needs in this life and the continual assaults that are made by necessity and temptation on the heart But ye have received the Spirit of Adoption whereby we cry c. He puts in his own Name in the latter parr though theirs was in the former part When he speaks of a donation or priviledge he applies to the meanest to shew that the lowest and most despised creature is not in any incapacity to receive the greatest gifts of God and then when he mentions the working of that Spirit in way of intercession because it imports necessity and want he cares not to commit some incongruity in the Language by changing the Person that he may teach us that weaknesse infirmities and wants are common to thebest and chiefest among Christians That the most eminent have continual need to cry and the lowest and obscurest believers have as good ground to believe the hearing and acceptance of their cryes that the highest are not above the weakest and lowest ordinanceâ— and that the lowest are not below the comfort of help and acceptation in him Nay the growth and increase of grace is so far from exempting men from or setting them above this duty of constant supplication that by the contrary this is the just measure of their growth and altitude in grace as the degrees of the hight of the Water of Nilus in its overflowing are a sure sign of the fertility or barrennesse of that year so the overflowings of the spirit of Prayer in one gives a present account how the heart is whether barren and unfruitful in the knowledge of Jesus Christ or fruitful and lively and vigorous in it It is certain that contraries do discover one another and the more the one be increased that is not only the more incompatible and inconsistent with the other but gives the most perfect discerning of it When grace is but as twi-light in the soul and as the dawning of the day only grosse darknesse and uncleanesse is seen but the more it grow to the perfect day the more sin is sin and the more its hated wants are discovered that did not appear and therefore it exerciseth its self the more in opposition to sin and supplication to God To speak the truth our growth here is but an advancement in the knowledge and sense of our own indigencey It s but a further entry into the idolatrous Temple of the heart which makes a man see daily new abominations worse then the former and therefore you may easily know that such repeated sights and discoveries will but presse out more earnest and frequent cryes from the heart and such a growth in humility and faith in Gods fulnesse will be but as oyl to feed the flame of supplication For what is Prayer indeed but the ardency of the affection after God flaming up to him in cryes and requests To speak of this exercise of an holy heart it would require more of the spirit of it then we have but truly this is to be lamented that though there be nothing more common among Christians in the outward practice of it yet that there is nothing more extraordinary and rare even among many that use it then to be acquainted with the inward nature of it Truly the most ordinary things in Religion are the greatest mysteries as to the true life of them we are strangers to the soul and life of these things which consists in the holy behavior and deportment of our Spirits before the Father of Spirits These words give some ground to speak of some special qualifications of prayer and the chief principle of it The chief principle and original of prayer is the Spirit of adoption received into the heart It is a businesse of a higher nature then can be taught by precepts or learned by custome and educationâ— there is a general mistake among men that the gift of prayer is attained by learning and that it consists in the freedom and plenty of expression But O! how many Doctors and disputers of the world that can defend all the articles of faith against the opposers of them Yet how unaquainted are they with this exercise that the poor and unlearned and nothings in the world who cannot dispute for Religion yet they send up a more â—avory and acceptable sacrifice and sweet
hath no force or power to hurt man but death being the wages due for sin Rom. 6.23 all the certainty and efficacy in the wages flowes from this work of darkness sin But Now the strength of sin is the Law this puts a poysonable and destructive vertue in the sting of sin for it is the sentence of Gods Law and the justice and righteousness of God that hath made so inseparable a connexion between sin and death this gives sin a destroying and killing vertue Justice arms it with power and authority to condemn man so that there can be no freedom no releasment from that condemnation no eschewing that fatal sting of death unless the sentence of Gods Law which hath pronounced thou shalt die be repealed and the justice of God be satisfied by a ransome And this being done the strength of sin is quite gone and so the sting of death removed Now this had been impossible for man to do these parties were too strong for any created power the strength of sin to condemn may be called someway infinit because it flows from the unchangeable law of the infinit justice of God now what power could encounter that strength except that which hath infinite sterngth too Therefore it behoved the Son of God to come for this business to condemn sin and save the sinner And being come he yokes first with the very strength of sin for he knew where its strangth did ly and so did encounter first of all with that even the justice of his Father the hand writing of ordinances that was against us for if once he can set them aside as either vanquished or satisfied he hath little else to do Now he doth not take a violent way in this either he doth it not with the strong hand but deals wisely and to speak so with reverence cunningly in it he came under the Law that he might redeem them who were under the Law Gal. 4.4 force will not do it the Law cannot be violented justice cannot be compelled to forgo its right therefore our Lord Jesus chooseth as it were to compound with the Law to submit unto it he was made under the Law he who was above the Law being Law-giver in mount Sinai Acts 7.38 Gal. 3.19 he cometh under the bond and tye of it to fulfil it I came not to destroy the Law but to fulfil it Mat. 5.17 he would not offer violence to the Law to deliver sinners contrary to the commination of it or without satisfaction given unto it for that would reflect upon the wisdom and righteousness of the Father who gave the Law But he doth it better in an amicable way by submission and obedience to all its demands whatsoever it craved of the sinner he fulfils that debt he satisfies the bond in his own person by suffering and fulfils all the Commandments by obedience And thus by subjection to the Law he gets power over the Law because his subjection takes away all its claim and right over us therefore it is said that he blotted out the hand-writing of ordinances which was against us by nailing it to his cross and so took it out of the way Col. 2.14 having fulfilled the bond he cancell'd it and so it stands in no force either against him or us thus the strength of sin which is the Law is removed and by this means sin is condemned in the flesh by the suffering of his flesh it is fallen from all it's plea against sinners for that upon which it did hang viz. the sentence of the Law is taken out of the way so that it hath no apparent ground to fasten any accusation upon a poor sinner that flees in to Jesus Christ and no ground at all to condemn him it is wholly disabled in that point for as the Philistines found where Sampsons strength lay and cutted his hair so Christ hath in his wisdom found where the strength of sins plea against man lay and hath cutted off the hair of it that is the hand-writing of ordinances which was against us This is that which hath been shadowed out from the beginning of the world by the types of Sacrifices and Ceremonies All these offerings of Beasts of Fowls and such like under the Law held â—orth this one sacrifice that was offered in the fulness of time to be a propitiation for the sins of the world and something of this was used among the Gentils before Christs coming certainly by tradition from the Fathers who have looked afar off to this day when this sweet smelling sacrifice should be offered up to appease Heaven And it is not without a spâ—cial Providence and worthy the remarking that since the plenary and substantial One was offered the custom of sacrificing hath ceased throughout the world God as it were proclaiming to all men by this cessation of Sacrifices as well as silence of Oracles thâ—t the true atonement and propitiation is come already and the true Prophet is come from Heaven to reveal Gods mind unto the world There were many ceremonies in sacrificing observed to hold out unto us the perfection of our atonement and propitiation They laid their hands on the beast who brought it to signifie the imputation of our sins to Christ that he who knew no sin was made sin for us that we might be made the righteousness of God in him And truly it is worth the observation that even those sacrifices for sin were called sin and so the word is used promiscuously in Leviticus to point out unto us that Jesus Christ should make his soul sin Isa. 53.10 that is a sacrifice for sin and he made sin for us that is a sacrifice for sin When the blood was poured out because without shedding of blood no reconciliation Heb. 10. the Priest sprinkled it seven times before the Lord to shadow out the perfection of that expiation for our sins in the vertue and perpetuity thereof Heb. 9.26 that he should appear to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself to put it away as if it had never been by taking it on him and bearing it And then the High Priest was to bring in of the blood into the holy place and within the vail and sprinkle the Mercy Seat â—o shew unto us that the merit and efficacy of Christs blood should enter into the highest Heavens to appease the wrath of God Our High Priest by his own blood hath entered into the holy place having obtained eternal redemption for us Heb. 9.12 And truly this is that sacrifice which being offered without spot to God pacifies all ver 14. Sin hath a cry cryeth aloud for vengeance this blood silenceth it and composeth all to savour and mercy It hath so sweet and fragrant a smell in Gods account that it fills Heaven with the perfume of it He is that true scape-goat who notwithstanding that he did bear all the sins of his people yet he did escape alive albeit he behoved to make his soul a sacrifice for
can strike hands and engage to serve the Lord as easily as that people in Ioshua 24.18 19. But we may say Oh that there were such a heart in you but alas such a heart is not in you you cannot serve the Lord for He is holy and jealous and ye are not only weak but wicked I beseech you then believe this one testimony that God hath given of man even the choisest thing in man the very wisdom of a natural man It is not subject to Gods Law and it cannot be better neither can it be subject resolution industry vowes and covenants will not effect this till the most High break and bow the heart And not only is this enmity against the old law of commandments an antipathy at them as crossing our lusts but even against the new and living Law of the spirit of life in Christ. Here is your misery you can neither be subject to the Law as commanding to obey it or threatning for disobedience to it nor to the Gospel as promising to believe and receive it The Law commands but your law countermands within The Law threatens and sentences you with condemnation but you have some self-pleasing delusion and dream in your heads and blesses your selves in your own hearts even though ye walk in the imagination of your hearts contrary to the Law Deut. 29. It is strange that you do not sore-apprehend and fear hell but it s this delusion possesses the heart you shall not die It was the first act of enmity not only the transgression of the command but unbelief of the truth of the curse and that which fiâ—st encouraged man to sin encourages you all to ly into it and continue in it a fancy of escaping wrath This noise fills the heart Satan whispers it in the ear go on you shall not die Thus it appears that the natural mind cannot be subject to the Law of God no perswasion no instruction can inforce this belief of your damnable condition upon you But then when the enmity is beaten out of this sort and a soul is really convinced of its desperat and lost estate when the heart is brought down to subjection to take with that dreadful sentence yet there is another tower of enmity in the heart that can keep out against the weapons of the Gospel such as Paul mentions Rom. 10.2 Being ignorant of the righteousnesse of God they went about to establish their own and could not submit to the righteousness of God There is a natural pride and stiffness of heart that we cannot endure but to have something in our selves to rest on and take pleasure into and when a soul sees nothing it rather vexes and torments it self as grieving because it hath no ornament or covering of its own nor rejoiceth and delighteth in that righteousness of God revealed in Christ. O the difficulty to bow down so low as to put on anothers righteousness over our nakedness and should it be called submission is it not rather the elevating and exâ—lting of a soul yet in respect of our natural posture of spirit it is a matter of great difficulty to make a self condemned sinner submit to thiâ— To be saved freely without money or price by anothers ransome What empty vain and frivolous expiation and satisfactions will souls invent rather then trust all to this How long will poor souls wander abroad from hill to mountain seeking some inherent qualification to commend them and leave this Garden and Paradise of delights which is opened up in Christ souls look every where for help till all hands fail and then necessity constrains them to come hither but indeed when necessity bâ—ought in charity and amity keeps in when once he knows what entertainment is in Christ. As for you who as yet have not stooped to the sentence of wrath how will you submit to the righteousness of God but I wonder how you imagine this to be so easie a thing To believe You say You did alwayes believe in Christ and that your hearts are still on him and that you do it night and day Now there needs no other argument to perswade that you do not at all believe in the Gospel who have not apprehended no more difficulty in it no more contrariety to your rebellious natures in it let this one word go home with you and convince you of your unbelief The natural minâ— is not subject to the Law of God neither indeed can it be How then do you come so easily by it certainly it must be fained and counterfit SERMON XXII Rom 8.8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God IT is a kind of happiness to men to please them upon whom they depend and upon whose favour their well-being hangs It is the Servants happiness to please his Master the Courtiours to please his Prince and so generally whosoever they be that are joyned in mutual relations and depend one upon another that which makes all pleasant is this To please one another Now certainly all the dependencies of creatures one upon another are but shaddows unto the absolute dependance of creatures upon the Creator for in him we live and move and have our being the dependance of the ray upon the Sun of the stream upon the fountain is one of the greatest in nature but all creatures have a more necessary connexion with this fountain-being both in their being and well being they are nothing but a flux and emanation of his power and pleasure and as the Psalmist expresseth it he hides his face and they are troubled he takes away their breath and they die and return to their dust he sends forth his spirit and they are created and he renews the face of the earth Psal. 104.29 30. You may extend this to the being and well-being happiness and misery of creatures our souls which animat our bodies are but his breath which he breathed into the dust and can retract it when he pleaseth the life of our souls the peace and tranquility and satisfaction is another breathing of his spirit and another look of his countenance and as he pleases to withdraw it or interpose between his face and us so we live or die are blessed or miserable Our being or well-being hath a more indispensible dependance on him then the image in the glasse hath upon the living face If it be so then certainly of all things in the world it concerns us nearest how to please him and be at peace with him If we be in good terms with him in whose hand our breath is and whose are all our wayes Dan. 5.23 Upon whose countenance our misery or felicity hangs then certainly we are happy if we please him it matters not whom we displease for he alone hath absolute uncontrolled and universal power over us as our Saviour speaks over both soul and body We may expect that his good pleasure towards us will not be â—aiâ—fied but in communicating his fulness and manifesting his
man lying under a sentence of death Cursed is he that abides not in all things c. How then can hâ— escape condemnation Again you speak of walking after the Spirit as proper to the Christian but whose walk is not carnal Who is it that doth not often step aside out of the way and follow the conduct and counsel of flesh and blood Is not sin dwelling here in our mortal bodies Who can say my heart or way is clean Therefore both that priviledge and this property of a Christian seems to be but big words no real thing And indeed I confess the multitude of men hath no other opinion of them but as fancied imaginary thingâ— few believes the report of the Gospel concerning the salvation of elect ones and few understands what this spiritual walking is many conceive it is not a thing that belongs to men who are led about with passions and affections but rather to Angels or Spirits perfected However we have in these words an answer to satisfie both objections He grants something implicitely and it is this it is true indeed Christians are under a twoâ—old Law captives and bondmen to these A law of sin in their members bringing them in subjection to the lusts of the flesh Sin hath a powerful dominion and tyranny over every man by nature it hath a sort of right and power over him and likewise every one was under a law of death the Law of God cuâ—sing him and sentencing him to condemnation because of sin these two were joynt conquerours of all mankind But saith he there is a delivery from this bondage freedom is obtained to believers by Jesus Christ and so there is no condemnation to them that are in Christ and so they walk not after the leading and direction of that law of sin within them but after the guiding of our blessed Tutor the Spirit of God If you ask how this comes to pass by what authority or law or power is this releasement and freedom obtained Here it is by the Law of the Spirit of life which is in Christ. Christ is not an invader or unjust conquerour he hath fair Law for what he doth even against these Laws which detains unbelievers in bondage There is a higher and later Law on his side and he hath power and strength to accomplish his design He opposes Law unto Law and life unto death and spirit unto flesh a Law of Spirit unto a Law of sin and flesh a Law of life unto a Law of death In a word the Gospel or Covenant of Grace unto the Law or Covenant of Woâ—ks the powerful and living Spirit of grace that wrought mightily in him is set â—â—re-against the power of sin and Satan in us and against us the one gives him right and title to conquer the other accomplisheth him for the work and by these two are believers in Jesus Christ made free-men who were bond-men That then which we would speak from these words is the common lot of all men by nature viz. to be under the power of sin and sentence of death the special exemption of believers in Christ and immunity from this or delivery from it and then the true ground and cause of this delivery from that bondage which three are contained in the words It is a purpose indeed of a high nature and of high conceâ—nment to us all our life and death is wrapt up in this you may hear maâ—y things more gladly but if ye knew it none so profitable Therefore let us gather our spirits to the consideration of these particulars As the first all men are under the bondage of a twofold Law the law of sin within them and the law of death without them Man was created righteous but saith the wise man he found out many inventions a sad invention indeed he found but misery and slavery to himself who was made free and happy His freedom and happiness was to be in subjection to his Maker under the just and holy commands of his Lord who had given him breath and being it was no captivity or restraint to be compassed about with the hedges of the Lords holy Law no more then it is a restraint on a mans liberty to have his way hedged in where he may safely walk that he may keep himself within it from pits and snares on every hand But alace if we may say alace when we have such a redemption in Jesus Christ. Adam was not content with that happiness but seeking after more liberty he sold himself into the hands of strange lords first sin and then death Other lords besides thee O Lord have dominion over us Isa. 26.13 This is too true in this sense Adam seeking to be as the Lord himself lost his own lordship and dominion over all the works of Gods hands and became a servant to the basest and most abominable of all even that which is most hateful to the Lord to sin and death And this is the condition we are now born into Consider it I pray you we are born captives and slaves the most noble the most ingenuous and the most free of us all Paul speaks of it as a priviledge to be born free to be free in mans Common-wealth It is counted a dignity to be a free Citizen or Burgess of a Town Liberty is the great claim of people now a dayes and indeed it is the great advantage of a people to enjoy that mother and womb-priviledge and right But alace what is all this to be free-born in a civil society it is but the state of a man among men it reaches no further then the outward man his life or estate But here is a matter of greater moment know ye what state your souls are in your souls are incomparably more worth than your bodies as much as eternity surpasseth this inch of time or immortality exceeds mortality your souls are your selves indeed your bodies are but your house or tabernacle ye lodge into for a season Now then I beseech you ask whether ye be born free or not if your souls be slaves ye are slaves indeed for so the Evangelist changeth these Matthew saith in ch 16. â—6 What hath a man gained if he lose his soul And Luke 9.25 saith What hath he gained if he lose himself Therefore you are not free indeed except your souls be fâ—ee What is it I pray you to enjoy freedom among men I aâ—k you what are ye before God whether bond or free this is the business inâ—eed The Phariâ—ees pleaded a claim to the liberty and priviledge of being Abrahams sons and children and thought they might hence conclude they were Gods children But our Lord Jeâ—us discovers this misâ—ake when he tells them of a freedom and libeâ—ty that he came to proclaim to men to purchase to them and bestow on them they stumbled at this Doctrine What say they talkest thou to us of making us free we were never in bondage for we be Abrahams chilâ—ren This is
even the language of our hearts when we tell you that ye are born heirs of wrath and slaves of sin and satan heâ—e is the secret whispering of hearts we be Abrahams seed we were never in bondage to any We be baptized Christians we have a Church State have the priviledges and liberties not only of Subjectâ— in the State but of Members in the Church why sayest thou we are bond-men I would wish ye were all free indeed but that cannot be till ye know your bondage Consider then I beseech you that you may be free subjects in a State and free members in a Church and yet in bondage under the law of sin and death This was the mistake that was a ground of presumption in the Jews and occasioned their stumbling at this Stone of salvation laid in Sion you think you have Church-priviledges and what needs more Be not deceived you are servants of sin and therefore not free There are two sorts or rather two ranks of persons in Gods house Sons and slaves the son abides in the house for ever the slave but for a time when the time expires he must go out or be cast out The Church is Gods house but many are in it that will not dwell in it many have the outward liberties of this house that have no interest in the special mercies and loving kindnesse proper to children The time will come that the most part of the visible Church who are baptized and have eaten with him at his Table and had a kind of frienâ—ship to him here shall be cast out as bondmen and Isaac only shall be kept within the child of the promise The house that is here hath some inward Sanctuary and some utter Porches many have accesse to these that never enters within the secret of the Lord and so shall not dwell in the house above It is not so much the business who shall enter into the holy hill but who shall stand and dwell in it The day of Judgement wâ—ll be a great day of excommunication O how many thousands will be then cut off from the Church of the living God and delivered over â—o satan because they were â—eally â—nder his poweâ— while they were Church-mebers and Abrahams sons Let me tell you then that all of us were once in this state of bondage which Christ speaks of He that committeth sin is the servant of sin John 8.34 and the servant abids not in the house for ever So that I am aâ—raid many of us who are in the visible Church and stand in this Congregation shall not have liberty to stand in the assembly of the fiâ—st-born when all the Sons are gathered in one to the new Ierusalem sin hath a right over us and it hath a power over us and theâ—efore it is called a law of sin theâ—e is a kind of authority that it hath over uâ— by vertue of Gods Justice and our own voluntary consent The Lord in his righteouâ—nesse hath given over all the posterity of Adam for his sin which he sinned as â— common person representing us he hath given us all over to the power of a body of death within us Since man did choose to depaâ—t from his Lord he hath justly delivered him into the hands of a strange Lord to have dominion over him The transmitting of such an original pollution to all men is an act of glorious justice As he in jusâ—iâ—e gives men over to the lusts of their own hearts now for following of these lusts Contrary to his will so was it at first by one mans disobedience mâ—ny were mâ—de sinners and that in Gods holy righteousnesse sin entred into the World and had permission of God to subdue and conquer the World to it self because man would not be subject to God But as there is the justice of God in it so there is a voluntary choice and election which gives sin a power over us we choose a strange lord and he lords it over us We say to our lusts Come ye and rule over us we submit our reason our conscience and all to the guidance and leading of our blind affections and passions we choose our bondage for liberty and thus sin hâ—th a kind of law over us by our own consent it exerciseth a jurisdiction and when once it is installed in power and clothed with it it is not so easie again to put it out of that throne there is a conspiring so to speak of these two to make out the jurisdiction and authority of sin over us God gives us over to iniquity and unrighteousnesse and we yield our selves over to it Rom. 6.16.19 we yield our members servants to iniquitie a little pleasure or commodity is the bait that ensnares us to this we give up our selves and joyn to our idols and God ratifies it in a manner and passeth such a sentence Let them alone he sayes go ye every one and serve your idols Ezek. 23. since ye would not serve me be doing go serve your lusts look if they be better masters then I look what wages they will give you Now let us again consider what power sin hath being thus cloathed with a sort of authority O! but it is mighty and works mightily in men It reigns in our mortal bodies Rom. 6.12 here is the throne of sin established in the lusts and affections of the body and from hence it emits laws and statutes and sends out commands to the soul and whole man Man choose at first to hearken to the counsel of his senses that said it was pleasant and good to eat of the forbidden fruit but that counsel is now turned into a command sin hath gotten a scepter there to rule over the spirit which was born a free Prince sin hath conquered all our strength or we have given up unto it all our strength any truth that is in the conscience any knowledge of God or Religion all this is incarcerated detained in a prison of unrighteous affections sin hath many strong holds and bulwarks in our flesh and by these commands the whole spirit and soul in man and leads captive every thought to the obedience of the flesh You know how strong it was in holy Paul Rom. 7. what a mighty battel and wrestling he had and how near he was to fainting and giving over How then must it have an absolute and soveraign full dominion over men in nature there being no contrary principle within by nature to debate with it it rules without much controlment there may be many convictions of conscience and sparkles of light against sin but these are quickly extinguised and buried Nay all these principles of light and knowledge in the conscience do oftentimes strengthen sin as some things are confirmed not weakned by opposition unequal and saint opposition strengthens the adversary as cold compassing springs makes them hotter So it is here sin takes occasion by the command to work all manner of concupiscence Rom. 7.8 Without the Law sin is
God and truly this is the last strong hold that holds out longest against God when others may be beaten down or surrendered possibly a man may attain to this To despise these lower things as below his natural dignity and the excellency of his spirit some may renounce much of that friendship with worldly and temporal things as being fordid and base but the enmity gets in to this strong and invisible tower of darkness self-love and pride and therefore the Apostle Iohn makes this the last and chiefest the pride of life 1 Joh. 2.16 When the lusts of the eyes and flesh are in some measure abated this is but growing and what decreaseth of these seems to accresce unto this as if self-love and pride did feed and nourish it self upon the ashes or consumption of other vices Yea it draws sap from graces and vertues and grows thereby till at length it kill that which nourished it and indeed the Apostle Iames seems to proceed to this vers 5 6. when he minds us that God resisteth the proud and giveth grace to the humble Doth the Scripture say this in vain saith he Is not self amity as well enmity as the amity of the world and therefore God opposes himself unto it as the very grand enmity self is the great lord the arch-rebel the head of all the opposition that in which they do all center and when all the inferiour Souldiers are captives or killed this is last in the fields it lives first in opposition and dies last prunum vivens ultimum moriens When a man is separated from many things yet he may be but more conjoyned to himself and so the further disjoyned from God Of all the vile raggs of the old man this is nearest the skin and last put off Of all the members self is the heart first alive and last alive When enmity is constrained to render up the outward members of the body to yeeld them to a more smooth and fair carriage to a civil behaviour when the mind it self is forced to yeeld unto some light of truth and knowledge of the Gospel yet the enmity retires into the heart and fortifies it the stronger by self-love and self-estimation as in winter the encompassing cold makes the heat to combine it self together in the bowels of the earth and by this means the springs are hotter then in summer so the surrounding light of the Gospel or education or natural honesty drives the heat and strength of enmity inward where it fortifies it self more This is that accursed Antiperistasis that is made by the concurrence of some advantages of knowledge and civility and such like The blood of enmity against God gets in about the heart when it is chased for fear out of the outward man Therefore the very first and fundamental principle of Christianity is Let a man deny himself and so he shall be my Disciple he must become a fool in his own eyes though he be wise that he may be wise 1 Cor. 3.18 he must become as ungodly though godly that he may be justified by faith Rom. 4.5 he must forsake himself that he may indeed find himself or get a better self in another he must not eat much honey that is not good it would swell him though it be pleasant he must not search his own glory or reflect much upon it if he would be a follower and friend of Christ. Look how much soever you engage to your selves to esteem or desire to be esteemed of others to reflect with complacency on your selves to mind your own satisfaction and estimation in what you do so much you disingage from Jesus Christ for these are contrary points It s a direct motion towards Christ it s an inverse and backward motion towards our selves and so much as we move that way we promove not but loses of our way and are further from the true end Ezekiels living creatures may be an emblem of a Christian motion he returns not as he goes he makes a straight line to God whithersoever he turn him but nature makes all crooked lines they seem to go forth in obedience to God but they have a secret unseen reflection into its own bosom And this is the greatest act of enmity To idolize God and Deifie our selves we make him a cypher and sacrifice to our selves his peculiar incommunicable property of Alpha and Omega that we do sacrilegiously attribute to our selves the beginning of our motions and end of them too This is the crooked line that nature cannot possibly move out of till a higher spirit come And restore her that halted and make plain her paths That which is added as a reason explains this enmity more clearly Because it cannot be subject c. Truly these two forementioned amities of the world and of our selves do withdraw men wholly from the orderly subjection that they owe to the Law of God Order is the beauty of every thing of nature of art of the whole universe and of the several parts kingdoms and republicks of it This indeed is the very beauty of the world all things subordinat to him that made them only miserable man hath broken this order and marred this beauty and he cannot be subject 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 cannot come again into that orderly station and subordination he was once into This is the only gap or breach of the creation And it is some other engagements that draws him thus far out of course The base love of the world and the inordinat love of himself O these make his neck stiff that it cannot bow to the yoke of obedience these have opposite and contrary commands and no man can serve two masters when the commands of the great Lord self comes in opposition with the commands of God then he cannot be subject to the Law of God For a time in some things he may resemble a subjection when the will of self and the will of God commands in one point as sometimes they do by accident but that is neither frequent nor constant Not only he is not subject but there is worse in it he cannot be subject to the Law of God This is certainly to throw down the natural pride of man that alwayes apprehends some remnant ability in himself you think still to make your selves better and when convinced or challenged for sins to make a mends and reform your lives You use to promise these things as lightly and easily as if they were wholly in your power and as if you did only delay them for advantage and truly it seems this principle of self-sufficiency is engraven on mens hearts when they procrastinat and delay repentance and earnest minding of Religion to some other fitter season as if it were in their liberty to apply to it when they please and when you are urged and perswaded to some reformation you take in hand even as that people Ier. 42.6 20. Who said all that the Lord hath said we will do You
and in his own person he submitted to be tempted to sin though it had been evil for us he had been overcome by it yet this brings him a step lower and nearer us and maketh the union more hopeful But since he can come no lower and can be made no liker us in the case we are in then certainly if the match hold We must become liker him and raised up out of our miserable estate to some suitableness to his holy Nature and therefore the love and wisdom of God to fill up the distance compleatly and effectuat this happy conjunction that the creation seemeth to groan for for vers 22. the whole creation is pained till it be accomplished he hath sent his blessed Spirit to dwell in Vs and to transform our natures and make them partakers of the divine nature 2 Pet. 1.4 as Christ was partaker of humane nature and thus the distance shall be removed when a blessed Spirit is made flesh and a fleshly man made spirit then they are near the day of espousals and this indwelling of the spirit is the last link of the chain that fastens us to Christ and maketh our flesh in some measure like His holy flesh By taking on our flesh Christ became bone of our bone and flesh of our flesh But the union becometh mutual when we receive the spirit we become bone of His bone and flesh of His flesh as it is expressed Eph. 5.30 In allusion to the creation of Eve and her marriage to Adam the ground of the marriage is That near bond of union because she was taken out of man and therefore because of his flesh and bone she was made one flesh with him even â—o the sinner must be partaker of the Spirit of Christ as Christ is partaker of the flesh of sinners and these two concurring these two knots interchanging and woven thorow other we become one flâ—sh with him And this is a great mystery indeed to bring two who were so far assunder so near other Yea it is nearer then that too for we are said not only to be one flesh with Christ but one spirit 1 Cor. 6.17 He that is joyned to the Lord is one spirit because he is animated and quickned by one Spirit that same Spirit of Christ and indeed spirits are more capable of union and more fit to embosome one with another then bodies therefore the nearest union conceivable is the union of spirits by affection this maketh two souls one for it transports their spirit out of the body where it lives and setleth it there where it loveth Now my beloved you see what way this great marriage that heaven and earth are in a longing expectation after shall be brought about Christ he did forsake his Fathers house when he lest that holy habitation his Fathers bosome a place of marvellous delight Prov. 8.30 And descended into the lowest parts of the earth Eph. 4.9 And He came out from the Father into the world John 16.28 This was a great journey to meet with poor sinners But that there may be a full and intire meeting you must leave and forsake your fathers house too and forget your own people Psal. 45.10 You must give an intire renounce to all former lovers if you would be His all former bonds and engagments must be broken that this may be tyed the faster And to hold to the subject in hand you must forsake and forget the flesh and be possessed of his holy Spirit as he came down to our flesh you must rise up to meet him in the Spirit the Spirit of Christ must indeed prevent you and take you out of that natural posture you are born into and bring you a great journey from your selves that you may be joyned unto Him This Spirit of Christ is his messenger and ambassadour sent before-hand to fit you and suit you for the day of Espousals and therefore he must have a dwelling and constant abode in you This indwelling imports A special familiar operation and the perpetuity or continuance of it The Spirit is every where in his being and he worketh every where too but here he hath a special and peculiar work in commission To reveal the love of God in Christ to engage the soul to love him again to prepare all within for the great day of Espousals to purifie and purge the heart from all that is displeasing to Christ to correspond between Christ and his Spouse between Heaven and Earth by making intercession for her when she cannot pray for her self as you find here vers 26. and so sending up the news of the souls panting and breathing after Christ sending up her love groans and sighs to her beloved giving intelligence of all her necessities to Him who is above in the place of an Advocat and Interceeder and then bringing back from Heaven light and life direction from her Head for the Spirit must lead in all truth and consolation for Christ hath appointed the spirit to supply his absence and to comfort the soul in the mean time till he come again you have this mutual and reciprocal knot in 1 Ioh. 4.13 Hereby we know that we dwell in him and he in us by the spirit that he hath given It is much nearness to dwell one with another but much greater to dwell one in another and its reciprocal such a wonderful interchange in it we in him and he in us for the Spirit carries the soul to Heaven and brings Christ as it were down to the earth He is the Messenger that carries Letters between both our prayers to Him and His prayers for us and love-tokens to us the anointing that teacheth us all things from our husband 1 Ioh. 2.27 and revealing to us the things of God 1 Cor. 2.12 giving us the fiâ—st fruits of that happy and glorious communion we must have with Christ in Heaven as you see ver 23. of this chap. and sealing us to the day of redemption Eph 1.13 and 4.30 Supplying us with divine power against our spiritual enemies fetching alongs from Heaven that strength whereby our Lord and Saviour overcame all Eph. 3.16 Gal. 5.17 This is a presence that few have such a familiar and love-abode But certainly all that are Christs must have it in some measure Now whosoever hath it its perpetual the Spirit dwells in them It s not a sojourning for a season not a lodging for a night as some have fits and starts of seeking God and some transient motions of conviction or joy but return again to the puddle these go through them as lightning and do nâ—t warm them or change them but this is a constant residence where the Spirit takes up house he will dwell he dwelleth with you and shall be in you and abide for ever Joh. 14.16 17. If the Son abide in the house for ever Joh. 8.35 much more the master of the house must abide Now the Spirit where he dwells hath gotten the command of that house all
the Holy Ghost hath levelled us all in this point of duty as he hath equally exalted all in the most substantial dignities and priviledges of the Gospel this bond is upon the highest and upon the lowest greatnesse doth not exempt from it and meanness doth not exclude from it though commonly great persons fancy an â—â—munity from the stricknesse of a holy conversation because of their greatnesse and often mean anâ— low persons pretend a freedom from such a high obligation because of their lownesse yet certainly all are debt-bound this way and must one day give accompt You that are poor and unlearned and have not received great things of that nature from God do not think your selves free do not absolve your selves for there is infinit debt besids that you will have no place for that excuse that you had not great parts were not learned and so forth for as the obligation reaches you all so there is as patent a way to the exercise of Religion in the poorest cottage as in the highest Palace you may serve God as acceptably in little as others may do in much there is no condition so low and abject that layeth any restraint on this noble service and imployment this jewel loses not its beauty and vertue when it lyeth in a dung-hill more then when it is set in gold But let us inquire further into this debt we are debters saith he and he instanceth what is not the creditor by which he giveth us to understand Who is the true creditor not the flesh and therefore to make out the just opposition it must be the Spirit we are debters then to the Spirit And what is the debt we owe to Him we may know it that same way we owe not to the flesh so much as to make us live after its guidance and direction and fulfill its lusts then by due consequence we owe so much to the Spirit as that we should live after the Spirit and resign our selves wholly to Him his guidance and direction There is a twofold kind of debt upon the creature one remissible and pardonable another irremissible and unpardonable so to speak the debt of sin and that is the guilt of it which is nothing else then the obligation of the sinner over to eternal condemnation by vertue of the curse of God every sinner cometh under this debt to Divine Iustice the desert of eternal wrath and the actual ordination by a divine sentence to that wrath Now indeed this debt was insoluble to us and utterly unpayable untill God sent His Son to be our Cautioner and he hath payed the debt in his own person by bearing our curse and so made it pardonable to sinners obtained a relaxation from that woful obligation to death and this debt you see is wholly discharged to them that are in Christ by another sentence repealing the former curse vers 1. there is no condemnation to them that are in Christ. But there is another debt which I may call a debt of duty and obedience which as it was antecedent to sin even binding innocent Adam so the obligation of the debt of sin hath been so â—â—r from taking it away that it is rather increased exceedingly and this debt is unpardonable and indispensible the more of the debt of sin be paâ—doned and the more the curse be dispensed with the more the sinner owes of love and obedience to God she loved much because much was forgiven and the more was forgiven of â—in the more she owed of love and the more debt was discharged the more she was indebted to Him and therefore after this general acquitance of all believers vers 1. he presseth this obligation the more strongly therefore brethren we are debters It is like that debt spoken of Rom. 12. Owe no man any thing but to love one another which is not meant that it is unlawful to be debters to men but rather what ye owe or all things else pay it and ye are free your debt ceases and your bond is cancelled but as for the debt of love and benevolence you must so owe that to all men as never to be discharged of it never to be freed from of it when you have done all this hath no limitation of time or action Even so it is here other debts when payed men cease to be debters then they are free but here the more he pay the more he is bound to pay he oweth and he oweth eternally his bond is never cancelled as long as he continues a creature subsisting in God and abides a redeemed on in Christ for these continuing his obligation is eternally recent and fresh as the first day and this doth not at all obscure the infinit gâ—ace of God or diminish the happinesse of Saints that they are not freed from this debt of love and obedience but rather illustrats the one and increases the other for it cannot be supposed to consist with the wisdom and holinesse of God to loose his creature from that obligation of loving obedience and subjection which is essential to it and it is no lesse repugnant to the happinesse of the creature to be â—â—ee from righteousnesse unto sin Now this debt of duty and obedience hath a threefold bond which because they stand in vigor unâ—ancelled for all eternity therefore the obligation arising from them is eternal too The bond of Creation the bond of Redemption and the bond of Sanctification these are distinguished according to the Persons of the Trinity who appear most eminently in them We owe our beeing to the Father in whom we live and move and have our being for He made us and not we our selves and we are all the works of his hands Now the debt accruing from this is infinit if men conceive themselves so much oblidged to others for â— petty courtesie as to be their Servants if they owe more to their Parents the instruments of their bringing forth into the world O how infinitly more owe we to God of whom we are and have all Doth the Clay owe so much to the Potter who doth not make it but fashion it only and what owe we to Him that made us of nothing and fashioned us while we were yet without form Truly all relations all obligations evanish when this cometh forth because all that a man hath it lesse then Himself then his immortal spirit and that he oweth alone to God and besides whatsoever debt there is to other fellow-creatures in any thing God is the principal creditor in that bond all the creatures are but the Servants of this King which at his sole appointment bring alongs his gifts unto us and therefore we owe no more to them then to the hands of the messenger that is sent Now by this accompt nothing is our own not our selves not our members not our goods but all are His and to be used and bestowed not at the will and arbitrement of creatures but to be absolutly and solely at his
and never cease looking because they never see the bottom oâ— it It was not out of indigency he did it not for any need he had of us or comfort expected â—rom us but absolutely â—or our necessity and consolation that he might have upon whom to pour the riches of his grace SERMON XXXVIII Rom. 8.15 But ye have received the Spirit of adoption whereby we cry Abba Father BEhold what manner of love the Father hath shewed unto us that we should be called the Sons of God 1 Joh. 3.1 It is a wonderful expression of love to advance his own creatures not only infinitly below himself but far below other creatures to such a dignity Lord what is man that thou so magnifiest him but it surpasses wonder that rebellious creatures his enemies should have not only their rebellions â—reely pardoned but this pâ—iviledge of Son-ship bestowed upon them that he should take enemies and make Sons of them and not only Sons but Heirs Co-heirs with his own only begotten Son And then how he makes them sons is â—s wonderâ—ul as the thing it self that he should make his own Son our Brother bone of our bone and flesh of our flesh and make him spring out as a branch or rod out of the dry stemm of Iesse who himself was the root oâ— all mankind This is the way God sent his Son made of a woman under the Law that we might reâ—eive the adoption of sons Gal. 4.5 The House of Heaven marries with the Earth with them who have their foundation in the dust the chief Heir of that heavenly Family joyneth in kindred with our base and obscure family and by this mâ—ans we are made of kin to God But of him are ye in Christ Iesus 1 Cor. 1.30 It behoved Christ in a manner to lose his own Son-ship as to men to have it so vailed and darkned by the superadded interest in us and his nearnesse to us he was so properly a Son of man subject to all humane infirmities except sin that without eyes of â—aith men could not perceive that he was the Son of God and by this wonderful exchange are we made the sons of God whoever in the apprehension of their own enmity and distance â—rom God receive Christ Jesus offered as the peace the bond of union between the two Families of Heaven and earth that were at an infinit odds and distance whoever I say believes thus in him and flies to him desiring to lay down the weapons of their warfare their peace is not only made by that marriage which Christ made with our nature but they are blessed with this power and priviledge to be the sons and daughters of the Most Hig hand from thence you may conclude that if God be your Father you can want nothing that is good but the determination of what is good for you whether in spiritual enlargments or in the things of this life you must refer to his wisdom for his love indeed is strong as deâ—th nothing can quench it in the point of reality and constancy there is nothing to shadow it out among men the love oâ— women is eaâ—nest and vehement but that is nothing to it Isa. 49.15 For they may forget but he cannot Yet his love is not a â—oolish dotage like men that is often miscarried with fancy and lust but it is a rational and wise affection administred and expressed with infinit reason and wisdom and therefore he chooses rather to profit us then to please us in his dealings and we who are not so fit to judge and discern our own good should commit all to his Fatherly and wise providence Therefore iâ— you be tempted to anxiety and carefulnesse oâ— mind either through the earthlinesse of your dispositions or the present straits of the time you who have resigned your self to Jesus Christ would call to mind that your heavenly Father careth â—or you and and what need you care too why not use your lawful Callings be diligent in them this is not to prejudge that but if you believe in God then you are oblidged by that prosession to abate â—rom the supeâ—fluous tormenting thoughtfulnesse that is good â—or nothing but to make you more miserable then your troubles can make you and to make you miserable before you be miserable to anticipat your sorrows If you say God is your Father you are tyed to devolve your selves over on him and trust in his good will and faithâ—ulnesse and to sit down quietly as children that have parents to provide for them Now the other gift is great too the Spirit of adoptiâ—n and because ye are sons therefore hath he given you the Spirit of his Son saith this Apostle Gal. 4.6 And â—o it is a kind of conâ—ectaâ—y of the great priviledge and blessed estate of adoption They who adopt children use to give them some kind of token to expresse their love to them But as the Lord is higher then all and this priviledge to be His son or child is the greatest dignity imaginable â—o this giâ—t of his Spirit suits the greatnesse and glory and love of our Father It is a Fathers gift indeed a gift suitable to our heavenly Father If a father that is â—ender of the education of his child and would desire nothing so much as that he might be of a vertuous and gracious disposition and good ingine I think if he were to expresse his love in one wish it would be this that he might have such a spirit in him and this he would account better then all that he could leave him But if it were possible to transmit a gracious and well-disposed and understanding spirit from one to another and if men could leave it as they do their inheritance to their children certainly a wise and religious parent would first make over â— disposition of that to his children as Elisha sought a double measure of Elijahs spirit so a â—ather would wish such a measure to his children and if it were possible give it But that may not be all that can be done is to wish well to them and leave them a good example for imitation But in this our heavenly Father transcends all that He can import his own Spirit to his adopted children and this Spirit is in a manner the very essential principle that maketh them children of the Father their natures their dispositions are under his power he can as well reform them as you can change your childrens gâ—rments he can make of us what he will our hearts are in his hand as the water capable oâ— any impression he pleaseth to put on it and this is the impression he putteth on his children he putteth his Spirit in their hearts and writeth his Law in their inward parts a more divine and higher work then all humane perswasion can reach This Spirit they receive as earnest of the inheritance and withall to make them fit for the inheritance oâ— the Saints in light Now the working oâ— this Spirit
Mal. 1.6 While we call him Father or Lord we proclaim this much that we ought to know our distance from him and his superiority to us and if worship in prayer carry not this character and expresse not this honourable and glorious Lord whom we serve it wantes that congruity and suitableness to him that is the beauty of it Is there any thing more uncomly then for children to behave themselves irreverently and irrespectively towards their Fathers to whom they owe themselves It is a monstruous thing even innature and to natures light O how much more abominable must it be to draw near to the Father of spirits who made us and not we our selves in whose hand our breath is and whose are all our wayes in a word to whom we owe not only this dust but the living spirit that animats it that was breathed from Heaven and finally in whom we live and move and have our being and well-being to worship such an one and yet to behave our selves so unseemly and irreverently in his presence our hearts not stricken with the apprehension of his glory but lying flatt and dead before him having scarcely him in our thoughts whom we speak to and finally our deportments in his sight are such as could not be admitted in the presence of any person a little above our selves to be about to speak to them and yet to turn aside continually to every one that cometh by and entertain communication with every base creature this I say in the presence of a King or Nobleman would be accounted such an absurd incivility as could be committed and yet we behave our selves just so with the Father of spirits O the wandrings of the hearts of men in divine worship while we are in communication with our Father and Loâ—d in prayer whose heart is fixed to a constant attendance and presence by the impression of his glorious holinesse whose spirit doth not continually gadd abroad and take a word of every thing that occurrs and so marrs that soul-coâ—â—espondance O that this word Psal. 89.7 were written with great letters on our hearts God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the Saints and to be had in reverence of all them that are about him that one word God speaketh all Either we must convert Him in an idol which is nothing or if we apprehend Him to be God we must apprehend our infinit distance from Him and his unspeakable inaccessible glory above us He is greatly feaâ—ed and reverenced in the Assemblies that are above in the upper Courts of Angels those glorious Spiâ—its who must cover the feet from us because we cannot see their gloâ—y they must cover their faces from Him because they cannot behold his glory Isa. 6. what a glorious train hath he and yet how reverend are they they wait round about the Throne above and about it as Courtierâ— upon their King for they are all ministâ—ing spirits and they rest not day and night to adore and admire that holy one crying holy holy holy the whole earth is full of his glory Now how much more then should he be greatly feared and had in reverence in the assembly of his Saints of poor mortal men whose foundation is in the dust and dwell in clay and besides drink in iniquity like water there is two points of difference and distance from us He is nearer Angels for Angels are pure spirits but we have flesh which is furthest removed from his nature And then Angels are holy and clean yet that is but spotted to his unspotted holinesse but we are defiled with sin which putteth us farthest off from him and which his holinesse hath greatest antipathy at Let us consider this my beloved that we may carry the impression of the glorious holinesse and Majesty of God on our hearts when ever we appear before him that so we may serve and rejoice with trembling and pray with reverence and godly fear if we apprehend indeed our own quality and condition how low how base it is how we cannot endure the very clear aspect of our own consciences we cannot look on our selves stedfastly without shame and confusion of face at the deâ—ormed spectacle we behold much lesse would we endure to have our souls opened and presented to the view of other men even the basest of men we would be overwhelmed with shame if they could see into our hearts Now then apprehend seriously what He is how glorious in holinesse how infinit in wisdom how the secrets of your souls are plain and open in his sight and I am perswaded you will be composed to a reverend humble and trembling behaviour in his sight But withall I must add this that because he is your Father you may intermingle confidence nay you are commanded so to do and this honours him as much as reverence for confidence in God as our Father is the best acknowledgment of the greatnesse and goodnesse of God it declareth how able he is to save us and how willing and so ratifieth all the promises of God made to us and setteth to a seal to his â—aithâ—ulness there is nothing he accounts himself more honoured by then a souls full resigning it self to him and relying upon his power and good-will in all necessities casting its care upon Him as a loving Father who careth for us And truly there is much beauty and harmony in the juncture of these two reioycing with trembling confidence with reverence to ask nothing doubting and yet sensible of our infinit distance from him and the disproportion of our requests to his Highnesse A child-like disposition is composed thus as also the temper and carriage of a Courtier hath these ingredients in it The love of his Father and the â—avour of his Prince maketh him take liberty and assume boldnesse and withall he is not unmindful of his own distance from his Father or Master Let us draw near with full assurance of faith Heb. 10.22 There is much in the Scripture both exhorted commanded and commended of that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that liberty and boldnesse of pouring out our requests to God as one that certainly will hear us and grant that which is good Vnbelief spoileth all it s a wretched and base-spirited thing that can conceive no honourable thoughts of God but only like it self but faith which is the well-pleasing ingredient of prayer the lower thoughts a man have of himself it maketh him conceive the higher and more honourable of God My wayes are not as your wayes nor my thoughts as your thoughts but as far above as the Heaven above the Earth Isa. 55.8 This is the rule of a believing souls conceiving of God and expecting from him and when a soul is thus placed on God by trusting and believing in him it is fixed My heart is fixed trusting in the Lord Psal. 112.7 O how wavering and inconstant is a soul till it fix at this Anchor upon the ground of his immutable promises It is tossed