2. In that he gave notice and did especially direct and send him to them Hath sent his Son 3. Why he came among them in his Word It was to bless them 1. In designing the Person who should do them good God hath raised up his Son Iesus It may seem to be meant of his Resurrection from the dead but I think rather to raise up is to exalt to call to authorize to appoint to some notable Work and it is used for installing consecrating as in this very Chapter v. 22. He shall raise up a Prophet from among you Acts 13. 23. Of this Man's Seed hath God raised up to Israel a Saviour that is hath put Authority upon him given him Commission to save Sinners raised up designed him to this Work But then 2. The special Direction of his Providenc God having raised up his Son IESUS hath sent him to bless you Sometimes the Word is said to be sent to us Acts 13. 26. To you is this Word of Salvation sent He doth not say we have brought this Salvation to you but to you it is sent God hath a great Hand in directing the Course of the Gospel And sometimes Christ is said to be sent as here in the Text for where the Gospel is preached to a People Christ is sent to them as a Token from Heaven if he be neglected you despise the Riches and Bounty of God and the best and choicest Gift that ever could be bestowed upon the Sons of Men. Therefore he saith God having raised his Son hath sent him Where the Gospel goes there Christ is sent there he comes that he may have work to do 3. Here is the End and Purport of his Coming not to take vengeance of the Affronts and Contumelies they had put upon him but he comes to bless For the opening of this Word you must look to the preceding Verse He speaks of the Covenant made with Abraham In thy Seed shall all the Nations of the Earth be blessed Now Jesus was sent unto them to assure this Blessing The Blessing is any Good that accrues and results to us from the Covenant of Grace but chiefly those special Blessings we have by Christ Reconciliation with God and Life Eternal those things which he minded to purchase for us and hath dispensed to us by his gracious Covenant This is the Blessing intended All Nations are to be blessed in the Seed of Abraham now God having raised Christ of this Man's Seed hath sent him to bless you III. Here is the Blessing interpreted and restrained and that is Conversion from Sin In turning every one of you from his Sins They expected a pompous Messiah that should make them an opulent and potent Nation But Christ came upon another Errand to convert Souls unto God Only mark when the Apostle speaks this he speaks it not of the Intention of God but the Offer of his Grace otherwise every particular Iew must be converted or God missed his End God may send him to bless and yet some may contemn the Offer others God prevents by the special efficacy of his Grace or else all would contemn it They that do contemn it are justly passed by and they that receive it own it to his Grace and not to themselves It was the secret Purpose of his Grace to bring in many and this brought in three thousand Men there were others refused this Blessing offered from the Mediatour and they justly perish for their Unbelief The Point though there be many that I shall insist on is Doct. That a main Blessing we have by Christ is to be turned from our Iniquities 1. Here I shall enquire What it is to be turned from Sin 2. I shall shew you That certainly this is a very blessed thing 3. That this is the great Blessing of the Mediator that we have by Christ in the Gospel 4. In what manner Christ turneth us from our Iniquities I. What it is to be turned from Sin Take these Considerations 1. Man fallen lay under the power and guilt of Sin He was dead in Trespasses and Sins and liable to the Wrath of God Eph. 2. 1 2 3. So Man was both unholy and guilty 2. Christ came to free us from both these The Guilt Eph. 1. 7. In whom we have Redemption through his Blood the Remission of Sins And the Power Tit. 3. 5. He hath saved us by the washing of Regeneration and renewing of the Holy-Ghost To be freed from Guilt and delivered from Hell and Wrath to come is a Blessing for which we can never be sufficiently thankfull But to be freed from Sin that is the greater Mercy and therefore he hath sent his Son to bless you in turning every one of you from your Sins 3. To be turned from Sin implies our whole Conversion Though one part only be mentioned the term from which yet the term to which is implied that we are turned to God as well as turned from Sin To God as our Happiness and our Supreme Lord that we may love him and be happy in being beloved by him Act. 26. 18. 4. That Remission of Sins is included in our Conversion to God the meaning is that he may turn you from your unbelief and impenitency and so make you capable of his Pardon and Mercy for so it is explained v. 19. Repent and be converted that your Sins may be blotted out c. Without sound Repentance the Mediatour's Blessing will not be had and when Christ came to save us from Wrath his way was to turn us from Sin These two must not be severed God hath exalted him to be a Prince and Saviour to give Repentance and Remission of Sins Acts 5. 31. You see then what is meant by the Blessing the Mediatour offers To be turned from our Sins II. It is a blessed thing to be made Partakers of this Benefit Blessedness imports two things Negatively a Removal of Evil and Positively a Fruition or Enjoyment of some great Good When we are turned from our Sins there is both 1. An Immunity from or a Removal of the great Evil and that is Sin 1. The great Cause of Offence between God and us is taken out of the way Isa. 59. 2. Your Iniquities have separated between you and your God and have hidden his Face from you Sin makes the Distance between you and God that you cannot delight in God nor God in you You cannot delight in God for your Hearts are alienated from him You are become Enemies in your Mind by wicked Works Where Sin reigns Man is an Enemy to God Partly through Carnal Prepossession there is something takes up his Heart and diverts it from God 1 Iohn 2. 15. If any Man love the World how dwelleth the Love of the Father in him His Heart is taken up with another Love And partly through Carnal Liberty we cannot enjoy our Lusts with that freedom and security by reason of the Restraints of his Law that would curb us and cut us short
Love is our Breast-plate that guards the vitals of Christianity and Hope is our Helmet that covers our Head that we may hold up our Head in the midst of all the troubles and sorrows of the present Life 1 Thess. 5. 8. Both Graces are necessary therefore it will not be unprofitable to insist upon them I begin now with the former The Lord direct your Hearts to the love of God Where note 1. The Grace prayed for the Love of God 2. The Efficiency which is necessary to produce it the Lord direct your Hearts The word direct notes sometimes conduct and guidance and sometimes bending or setting streight the thing that is crooked Conduct and Guidance as we guide Men that they may not go wrong Psal. 119. 5. Oh that my ways were directed to keep thy Statutes Ships that are best rigged need a Pilot and they that love God most need to have their love ordered and directed to the best advantage of his Glory and Service This for the first signification guidance and direction But at other times it signifies the bending inclining or making streight what is crooked and what bends and tends another way in this Sence I take it here Our Hearts are distorted and writhed and averse from God and all good naturally yea and after Grace received are apt to wander and return to their old bent and byas again therefore the Apostle prays that God would form and set their Hearts streight that they may be more indeclinably fixt towards God And this Prayer he makes for the Thessalonions whose work of Faith and labour of Love and patience of Hope he had so much commended before and of whose sincerity he had such great confidence for those he prays that their Love might be directed and their Hearts more fixedly set towards God The Note then will be plain and easy Doct. That we cannot have or keep up any true Love to God unless the Lord set our Hearts streight and keep them bent towards himself I shall inquire here 1. What is Love to God Love is the complacency of the Soul in what is good Love to God is the complacency and well-pleasedness of the Soul in God as our all-sufficient Portion To open it to you I shall describe it I. By its Radical and Internal Acts. II. By its External Effects III. A little touch upon the Properties of it and then you will see what the Love of God is 1. The Radical and Internal Acts are two Desire and Delight Desire after him and Delight in him 1. Desire after him Love affects union with the thing Beloved and so love to God implies an earnest seeking after him in the highest way of enjoyment that we are capable of in this World This appears partly by the kind of Mercies that we affect and partly by the fervency of our endeavours after him 1. By the kind of Mercies that we affect There are some Mercies vouchsafed to the Creature that lie nearer to God than others do and do least detain us from him as his Image and Favour or his renewing and reconciling Grace When we love God these are sought in the first place As you shall see how the temper of the Saints is described and distinguished from the temper of the brutish Multitude Psal. 4. 6 7. The Many say Who will shew us any good but Lord lift thou up the light of thy Countenance upon us and this will put gladness into our Hearts The Many the brutish Multitude seek an uncertain good and they seek it from an uncertain Author Who will shew us They do not acknowledg God in these common Mercies but the Children of God must have his Favour Lord lift thou up the light of thy Countenance upon us As the Beams of the Sun do chear and refresh the Earth this is that that doth revive their Souls So Mat. 5. 6. Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after Righteousness Well then they that desire to be like God in Purity and Holiness and to recover his Favour lost by Sin do certainly more love him than those that only seek temporal Mercies from him God's sanctifying Spirit witnessing his love to us is the greatest gift can be bestowed in this Life and will more witness his love than any thing else can be given us This the Saints seek after that they may be like God that they may be accepted and well-pleasing unto God this is all their Ambition 2 Cor. 5. 9. Wherefore we labour that whether present or absent we may be accepted of the Lord. Other things may please the Flesh but that is not their design those things that bring them nearer to God take up their Mind and Heart Now as it appears by the Mercies we affect so it appears 2. By the fervency of our endeavours after these things For if the Image of God and Favour of God be sought superficially or as things that we may be well without and the Wealth Honours and Pleasures of the World be most earnestly sought after surely we do not love God Psal. 63. 8. My Soul followeth hard after thee The whole Spiritual Life is but a pursuit of the Soul towards God and the more constantly and earnestly we seek him to enjoy more of his saving Graces and Benefits the more we have of the love of God in us Therefore David expresseth this desire as exceeding all other desires Psal. 27. 4. One thing have I desired of the Lord that will I seek after that I might dwell in the House of the Lord all the days of my Life to behold the beauty of the Lord and to enquire in his Temple He sought not the glory of the Kingdom Success in battel Victory over his Enemies in the first place or not so much as Converse with God and Attendance on his Worship in the Tabernacle all was nothing to this that he might have Communion with God Therefore this is the radical Act of Love this fervent burning desire that carries the Soul thorow all Duties Ordinances Services they are still making their way to a nearer access to God and larger participation of his Grace till they come eternally to enjoy him in Glory 2. There is another Internal Radical Act of Love that is a Delight in him Our full joy is reserved for the other World but delighting our selves in God is a great Duty now for Love being the complacence of the Soul in God as a apprehended to be good or a delightful adhesion to God as our all-sufficient Portion and Happiness it cannot be imagined Love can be without any delight in God even now Now in this Valley of Tears the hope of enjoying him hereafter is our Comfort and Solace in the midst of our Weaknesses and Afflictions that there is a time coming when we shall more perfectly see kim as he is and be like him 1 Ioh. 3. 2. the Apostle tells us We rejoyce now in the hope of the Glory of God that we have this in
expectation that we shall have an Estate of compleat Felicity and excellent Holiness that we shall behold our Nature united to the Godhead in the glorified Redeemer and our Persons admitted into the nearest intuition and fruition of God we are capable of and live in the exercise of a constant uninterrupted Love and be perfectly capable of receiving his highest Benefits Surely this Joy we have in our Pilgrimage But there is not only our hope but our partial enjoyment of it is matter of Happiness to us his Favour is as Life and his Frown as Death to the Soul that loves him The Saints look on God reconciled as the best Friend God displeased as the most dreadful Adversary therefore if they have any taste of his Love their Souls are filled as with Marrow and Fatness Psal. 63. 3 4 5. Because thy loving-kindness is letter than Life my Lips shall praise thee I will bless thee while I live my Soul shall be satisfied as with Marrow and Fatness and my Mouth shall praise thee with joyful Lips But if God hide his Face if God be altogether a stranger then they are troubled indeed Psal. 30. 7. But yet we are not gone to the bottom of the matter of delighting in God Those whose Souls are possessed with the Love of God are so well pleased with him that every thing is sweet to them by the relation it hath to God It is a delight to them to think of God Psal. 104. 34. I will be glad and rejoyce in him my meditation of him shall be sweet It is a delight to them to speak of God Eph. 5. 4. Not foolish jesting but giving of Thanks The Delight of God's Children or that which serves instead of jesting to Christians is the grateful remembrance of the Lord's Mercies especially of our Redemption by Christ. To draw nigh to him in Ordinances there this delight is exercised again There is Prayer A gracious Soul cannot be a Stranger to it because it cannot have a greater refreshing than to be alone with God and unbosome himself with God The Hypocrite is rejected from being capable of this Character Job 27. 10. Will he delight himself in the Almighty will he always call upon God Sometimes he will call upon God he is frighted into a little Religiousness it may be when Death is at his Back in great Afflictions or time of great Judgments but he hath no constant delight in God The constant delight in God is that that brings the Saints into his presence So for all other Christian duties Psal. 122. 1. I was glad when they said unto me Come let us go into the House of the Lord there they entertained Traffick and Commerce with God about matters of the highest concernment to their precious and immortal Souls nay all their work the whole course of their Obedience is sweetned to them because it is commanded by God and tends to the enjoyment of God as Psal. 112. 1 Blessed is the Man that feareth the Lord that delighteth greatly in his Commandments they not only keep the Commandments but delight and that greatly to keep the Commandments And Psal. 119. 14. I have rejoyced in the way of thy Testimonies as much as in all riches Delight in God is a great act of Love to which we should not be Strangers even in the house of our Pilgrimage though we have no assurance or sensible enjoyment of his Favour For it is a Duty of the first Commandment that results from the owning of God as our God II. For the External Effects of Love they are Doing and Suffering his Will when we are contented to do what God will have us do and be what God will have us be 1. For Doing If we love God we shall be loth to offend him we shall be desirous to please him Faith I do confess is a marvellous Grace it can apprehend things strange to Nature but it can do no worthy thing for God till it be accompanied with Love Gal. 5. 6. When the Apostle tells us of that Faith that carries away the prize of Justification he describes it to be a Faith working by Love Faith itself serves as the Bellows to blow up this Flame in our Hearts as the next and immediate principle of Action In short Love is the overruling bent of our Souls the weight and poize upon us that inclines us to God And look as all noble Qualities when restrained cannot produce their consummate Act so Love suffers a kind of imperfection till it can thus break forth into some Act of Thankfulness to God but then it is perfected 1 Joh. 2. 5. Whoso keepeth his Word in him the Loue of God is perfect that is hath attained its consummate Act that which it aims at No Man certainly can be owned as a perfect sincere lover of God but he that makes conscience of doing what he commands none but they have a deep sence of his Majesty none but they have an esteem of his Favour therefore they dare not hazard it by a breach or neglect of their Duty 2. For Suffering his Will For when the Apostle prays here God would direct their Hearts to love him he means that they should endure any thing rather than deny the Faith and confess Christ whatever it cost them As Obedience is virtually contained in Love so also Courage and Resolution Solomon represents Love as a powerful thing as an Affection that will not be bribed nor quenched Cant. 8. 7. Many Waters cannot quench Love nor can the Flouds drown it if a Man would give the whole substance of his House for it it would be utterly contemned It is true of Love in general much more of Love to God In carnal matters Love is a venemous Poison when it hath invaded the Heart nothing will reclaim us but in Divine matters it is a sovereign Antidote against Temptations both on the right hand and on the left For right-hand Temptations all the Riches Pleasures Honours are contemned they cannot bribe them over from Christ that really love him All the Flouds of Persecution cannot quench this holy Desire This is the Genius and Disposition of Love when once the bent of the Heart is set towards God and Heaven they are vehemently set against any thing that would turn them out of the way and divert them from their purpose III. To speak of the Properties if it be sincere 1. It is not a speculative but Practical Love not consisting in lofty airy strains of devotion too high for the common rate of us poor Mortals no it is put upon a surer and infallible Test our Obedience to God Again it consists not in a bold familiarity but in an humble subjection and compliance with his Will He that hath my Commandments and keeps them he it is that loves me God's love is a love of Bounty but ours a love of Duty therefore we are properly said to love God when we are careful to please him and fearful to offend him
and drawing to get a serious Christian into his Snare Therefore we are bidden to be sober and watchful for your Adversary the Devil like a roaring Lion goes about seeking whom he may devour Sobriety is a sparing Use of worldly Delights and Vigilance is a serious Diligence in the use of all those holy Means whereby Temptations may be vanquished And as the Devil so the Flesh Iam. 1. 14. A Man is tempted when he is drawn away by his Lusts being enticed that is by seeking to please his fleshly Mind and Appetite And then the World would pervert us and offers many Baits to that End and Purpose 1 Joh. 2. 15 16. Love not the World nor the things of the World for if any Man love the World the Love of the Father is not in him For whatsoever is in the World is either the Lust of the Eyes the Lust of the Flesh or the Pride of Life that is Pleasures Riches and Honours These seem sweet Baits but there is a dangerous Hook in them and your Love to God may soon be lessened Well then this Directing is opposed to Wavering by reason of any of these Temptations on the one or the other side that the Holiest may keep in us that ardent Love of God which of duty we owe to him 4. Directing notes the Orderliness of the new Creature There is not a more beautiful thing in the World when the Motions thereof are directed by the Spirit for then we are in a due posture both to God our Neighbour and our selves To God for then the Creature is kept in a due subjection to Him and all our Motions and Actions are subordinated to his Glory When we sin we are in rebellion against God and set up the Creature against Him as if it were more amiable and fitter to content and delight the Soul than God and so disturb the Order and Harmony of the World abusing both our selves and all things within our grasp to a wrong End Look as in the Motions of a Watch there is such a Proportion in every part that if one Wheel be wrong the whole is put out of Frame So the World that was made for us and we for God is all disordered when we use the World for our selves and not for God So as to our Neighbour Self-lovers and Self-pleasers will never heartily do good to others The most sincere Commerce in the World is among those that love God So for our selves Till the Love of God rule in our Hearts all is out of order Look as in the Body if the Feet were there where the Head should be the Disorder and Deformity would be great so it is in the Soul when the Beast rides the Man and Conscience and Reason are made Slaves to Lust and Appetite But when once a Man is gained to love God every thing is in frame again Self-government is restored due Obedience to God is well provided for 3. To give you some Reasons to shew you the Necessity of this both as to Persons Regenerate and Unregenerate 1. The Necessity of God's Direction to Persons unregenerate They cannot love God till the Lord direct and set their Hearts streight It is a hard thing to say but we must not mince the matter that in the carnal State we were all Haters of God Rom. 1. 13. And it were well if this Enmity and Hatred were throughly got out of our Hearts How can this be Nature tells us that he from whom we have received Being and Life and all Things deserves our Love I answer Though Men may see some Reason of Love to God as he is our Creator and Preserver but as he is a Law-giver and a Judge so we all hate him Three Reasons there are of that natural Enmity that is in the Hearts of Men against God I would have you consider them seriously that we may feelingly bewail our own Aversion from God 1. Our Inclination to carnal things which prepossesseth our Hearts and then there is no Room for any Inclination to God Naturally Men are addicted to vain and sensual Delights for that which is born of the Flesh is Flesh 2 Joh. 16. Having no Principle to incline them to God they wholly seek to please the Flesh. When Men once lost Original Righteousness they took up with what came next to hand and so became Lovers of Pleasures more than Lovers of God 2 Tim. 3. 4. And this Inclination we cannot devest our selves of till it be cured by Grace Therefore the Lord promiseth this Cure Deut. 30. 6. The Lord thy God will circumcise thine Heart and the Heart of thy Seed to love the Lord thy God with all thine Heart and with all thy Soul The Heart must be circumcised before it can love God Till God pare away the Foreskin and till this carnal Love be mortified there is no place for Divine Love to be raised and quickned in our Hearts We are intangled in the Love of worldly things and shall so remain till God bend the crooked Stick the other way and God set our Hearts right to himself 2. The second Reason is Carnal Liberty and so we hate God as a Law-giver who would bridle our Lusts. There is in the Law the Precept and the Sanction The Precept is to our purpose the Sanction will come to be considered in the next Because of God's Restraint we cannot enjoy our Lusts with that freedom and security we desire his Law is in the way therefore the Heart riseth up against God because he hath made a Law to forbid those things that we affect Rom. 8. 7. The natural Mind is Enmity to God for it is not subject to the Law of God neither can be Col. 1. 21. Enemies in your Mind by evil Works We love Sin therefore we hate God who forbids it and makes it so penal and damnable to us 3. Slavish Fear is the Cause of this Enmity This relates to the Sanction and Penalty of the Law Thus we hate God because we fear he will call us to account for our Sins and punish us For a condemning God barely apprehended under that Notion can never be loved by a guilty Creature Thus Adam when he had sinned ran away from God and hid himself in the Bushes Now it is in vain to come and tell them of the Goodness of God and his Perfections till he change their Hearts As you do in vain induce a guilty Prisoner to love his Judge to tell him he is a discreet Person a Man of solid Judgment one well skill'd and verst in the Law this sticks he is one that will condemn him Therefore the Gospel as a Means to induce us to love God sets him forth as a Sin-pardoning God There is Forgiveness with thee that thou mayest be feared 2. Come we to the Regenerate The Thessalonians did excell in all Graces and yet the Apostle prays that the Lord would direct their Hearts to the Love of God Why 1. Because there are many
Defects of Love in the best To give some Instances First Love signifies a strong Inclination or an earnest Bent of Heart towards God as our chief Good and last End Well then our End is our Measure by which we judge of all Means of the Aptness and Fitness of what is to be avoided and imbraced The Seasonableness of all Means must be determined by the End that all Means that are inconsistent with and impertinent to our great End may be cut off Now all Sins are inconsistent with making God our great End and all vain and foolish Actions are impertinent thereunto Judge you by this if we have such a perfect Love to God if this be love as questionless it is But now with how many impertinent and extravagant Actions do we fill up our Lives How many Purposes Desires Words and Actions have we that have no respect to our great End at all How much do we live to our selves and how little to God How great a Passion have we for earthly things so that they can occupy and intercept the far greatest part of our Lives and then judg whether we had not need have the bent kept up and the tendency towards God as our End and Happiness Psal. 86. 11. Unite my Heart to the fear of thy Name It is the natural disease of Man's Heart to be loosed from God and to be distracted in variety of worldly Objects which obtrude themselves upon our Sences offer themselves to us daily therefore it is not enough for a Man once to resign over his Heart to God as we do in Conversion when this Love was first wrought in us but we need often to beg that God would reclaim us from this ranging after carnal Vanities that he would direct and keep us streight and true to our end that we may love him more and at a better rate So if you consider the nature of Love the thing is obvious and plain unless the Lord maintain this Love in us and keep it up what will become of us The 2d Evidence is those slavish fears which do oppress us and hinder our delight in God and comfortable Communion with him in the means of Grace Certainly the more we are under slavish fear the less love we have to God and thankfulness for his Grace The Apostle tells you 1 Joh. 4. 18. There is no fear in Love but perfect Love casteth out fear because fear hath Torment he that feareth is not made perfect in Love Surely we should seek after such a Spirit of Love that all we do for God may be done with great delight that we may not serve him by compulsion but by inclination not as injoined only but as inclined not as putting a force upon our selves but as delighting in our work And then 3dly Another Instance is our frequent preferring the Profits and Pleasures of the World before the Service of God and if it doth not go so far as to forfeit our right yet how often do we expose and put our spiritual Comforts to hazard for every trifle As Esau that sold his Birthright for a Morsel of Meat Heb. 12. 15 16. The best of us shew too much lothness to cut off the right Hand and to pluck out the right Eye or to do that which is signified by it This shews a weakness of Love for where Love is strong there is a thorow inclination to God we dare Love nothing above him or against him or without him 4thly Our backwardness to Obedience and the tediousness we find in it shews a great Imperfection in our Love All goes on easily sweetly acceptably where Love is at the bottom Gen. 29. 20. Seven years to Iacob seemed as a few days for the Love that he had to Rachel and so Love sweetens our Obedience His Commandments are not grievous But when we are wedded to worldly things and will not be reclaimed from them then every heavenly business is an interruption to what we would be at what we delight in 5thly The many conflicts we have with Carnal Self-Love or our own foolish and hurtful Lusts shew our Love is not perfect as the weakness of Faith is seen and felt by the remainders of unbelief and our frequent conflicts with doubts and fears Lord I believe help thou mine unbelief Mark 9. 24. So the weakness of our Love is known by the opposition of carnal and inordinate Self-love The Flesh will say sometimes Favour thy self or what a weariness is it Mal. 1. 13. and grudg every thing that is done for God It doth excuse us in our straglings and deviations from our great End and applaud us in our negligent course of living as the sluggard is wiser in his own conceit than seven Men that can render a reason Prov. 26. 16. Nay sometimes it will urge us to please our selves to the grief of the Spirit and to take our fill of carnal delights All this belongs to the first Reason 2. There needs much to be done about our Love after it is planted in the Soul we need to get it rooted to get it increased to get it continually excited and kept in act and exercise 1. We need to get it rooted Our first Affection to God and Heavenly things may hastily put forth it self as the early Blossoms of the Spring do but they are soon nipt and those high Tides of Affections which we find in our first acquaintance with Religion afterwards sink low enough Love is more passionately exprest at first partly by reason of the novelty of the things represented to us and partly because of our great necessity as Men that are in a violent thirst take large draughts with pleasure and because our Love is not as yet dispersed into the several Channels of Obedience but wholly taken up with admirations of Grace but yet this may vanish and decay Our business is to be rooted and grounded in Love as the Apostle saith Eph. 3. 7. to get a more solid durable affection to God 2. After it is Planted it needs to be more Increased Phil. 1. 9. I pray God your Love may abound yet more and more At first Love is but weak there is Fire but it is not blown up into a Flame afterwards God gets a greater interest in our Hearts and then the constitutions of our Souls become more Holy and Heavenly Love being the Heart of the new Creature he that hath most Love hath most Grace and is the best and strongest Christian. 3. After it is planted in the Soul it needs to be excited and kept in Act and Exercise This is mainly intended here For 1. All Religion is in Effect but Love Faith is a thankful acceptance of Christ and thankfulness is an expression of Love Repentance is but Mourning Love as she wept much to whom much was forgiven Luke 7. 47. Diligence in the Holy Life is but seeking Love Obedience is pleasing Love Self-denial is the Mortification of inordinate Self-Love Sobriety is a retrenching of
God 1. The consciousness of God's displeasure and the fear of his Wrath should make offers of Pardon acceptable to us When Sin entred into the World Fear entred with Sin The grand scruple which haunteth the guilty Creature is how God shall be appeased and the Controversy taken up between us and his Justice Micah 6. 6 7. Wherewith shall he be appeased and what shall I give for the Sin of my Soul We fear Death and Punishment from a Holy and Just God and this is the bottom cause of all our Troubles Therefore till the forgiveness of Sin be procured for us and represented to us upon commodious Terms we know not how to get rid of this Bondage the Justice of the Supream Governour of the World will be ever dreadful to us These fears may be for a while stifled in Men but they will ever and anon return upon us Now let us admire the Wisdom of God who hath provided such a suitable remedy to our Disease as reconciliation and remission of Sins by Jesus Christ. And that God shewed himself so ready to pardon us who are so obnoxious to his Wrath and vindictive Justice 2. The other great Priviledg offered in the Covenant is Eternal Life which suiteth with those desires of Happiness which are so natural to us Corrupt Nature is not against the offers of Felicity We would have Immunity Peace Comfort Glory none would be against his own Benefit but every one would be willing to be freed from the curse of the Law and the Flames of Hell and enjoy Happiness for evermore Though we be unwilling to deny the Flesh and renounce the Credit Pleasure and Profit of Sin and grow dead to the World and worldly things yet never was there a Creature heard of that would not be happy for there was never a Creature but loved himself Now the Lord in his Covenant hath brought Life and Immortality to light setled our Happiness and the way to it he promises that which we desire to induce us to that which we are against As we sweeten Pills to Children that they may swallow them down the better they love the Sugar though they loath the Aloes God would invite us to our duty by our Interest He hath told us of an Happiness full sure and near that he may draw us off from the false Happiness wherewith we are inchanted and bring us into the way of Holiness that we may look after this blessed Hope 2dly The Terms he hath required of us The Terms are either for Entrance or making Covenant with God or Continuance or keeping Covenant with God For Entrance Faith and Repentance are required 1. Faith in Christ. The World thinks Faith quits Reason and introduceth fond Credulity No there is much of the Wisdom of God to be seen in it For Faith hath a special aptitude and fitness for this Work 1. Partly in respect of God For He having design'd to glorify his Mercy and free Grace and to make our Salvation from first to last a meer Gift and the Fruit of his Love to us hath appointed Faith for the acceptance of this Gift Rom. 4. 16. It is of Faith that it might be by Grace Faith and Grace go always together and it is put in opposition to the Merit of Works or the Strictness of the old Covenant 2. As it is fittest to own Christ the Redeemer the Fountain of Life and Happiness and our Head and Husband whom we receive and to whom we are united and married by Faith 3. With respect to the Promises of the Gospel which offer to us an Happiness and Blessedness spiritual and for the most part future Unseen things are properly Objects of Faith Heb. 11. 1. Faith is the Substance of things hoped for the Evidence of things not seen 4. It is fittest as to our future Obedience that it may be comfortable and willing Now we owning Christ in a way of Subjection and Dependance and consenting to become his Disciples and Subjects other Duties come on the more easily 2 Cor. 8. 5. 2. For Repentance This is the most lively and powerful Means of bringing Men to new Life and Blessedness 1. It is most for the Honour of God that we should not be pardoned without submission without confession of past Sin and Resolution of future Obedience Common Reason will tell us that our Case is not compassionable while we are impenitent and hold it out against God Who will pity those in Misery who are unwilling to come out of it Besides it would infringe the Honour of God's Law and Government that one continuing in his Sins and despising both the Curse of the Law and the Grace of the Gospel should be pardoned and saved Repentance is often called a giving Glory to God Mal. 2. 2. Ye will not lay it to Heart and give Glory to my Name Josh. 7. 19. My Son give Glory to God and make Confession to him Rev. 16. 9. They repented not to give Glory to God Repentance restoreth God's Honour to Him as it acknowledges the Justice of his Laws The self-condemning Sinner acknowledges that God may destroy him and if he save him it is meer Mercy 2. The Duty of the Creature is best secured and the penitent Person more bound to future Obedience partly by the Vow it self or the Bond of the holy Oath into which he is entred and the Circumstances accompanying it which surely induce a Hatred of Sin and a Love of Holiness There will be a hearty Consent to live in the Love Obedience and Service of our Creator with a detestation of our former Ways When we feel the smart of Sin such a Sense of it will ever stick by us and when we are in the deepest and freshest Sense of his pardoning Mercy when we see at how dear rates he is pleased to have us and upon what free terms to pardon all our Wrongs we shall love much Luk. 7. 47. Surely they that are brought back from the Gibbet and the very Gates of Hell by such an Act of pardoning Mercy are most likely to remember the Vows of their Distress and are more ingaged to love God and please Him than others are 3. It is most for the Comfort of the Creature that a stated Course of recovering our selves into the Peace and Hope of the Gospel should be appointed to us which may leave the greatest Sense upon our Consciences Now what is likely to do so much as this apparent Change whereby we renounce and utterly bewail our former Folly and solemnly devote and give up our selves to God by Christ. Those things that are serious and advised leave a Notice and Impression upon the Soul This is the most important Action of our Lives the Setling of our Pardon and Eternal Interest The Heart is hardly brought to this to renounce what we dearly love therefore it is usually rewarded with some notable Tasts of God's Love Isa. 57. 15. God delights to revive the Hearts of his contrite Ones 2.
to stain the Reputation of others 2. It is a wrong to Man because it robbeth him of his good Name which is so deservedly esteemed by all that would do any thing for God in the World Prov. 22. 1. A good Name is rather to be chosen than great Riches and loving Favour rather than Silver and Gold The meaning is in order to Service and as it more nearly respects both Life and Livelyhood So Eccles. 7. 1. A good Name is better than precious Oyntment Their Oyntments were reckoned by those Oriental People amongst their most precious Riches and Treasures yet a good name is preferred before them which inferreth this Conclusion that the Man himself should prize it so for he that is lavish of his Fame is not usually over-tender of his Conscience Therefore as he himself should not prostitute his good Name so others should not blast it and blemish it for it is a greater Sin than to steal the best Goods which he hath and it is such an evil as scarce admits any sound Restitution for the imputation even of unjust Crimes leaveth a Scar though the Wound be healed 3. The causes it proceedeth from They are these 1. Malice and Ill-will which prompteth us to speak falsly of others so to make them odious or do them wrong or hurt Now to hate our Brother in our Heart is no way consistent with that Goodness and Charity which the impression of the Love of Christ should beget in us The Apostle saith 1 Pet. 4. 8. Above all things have fervent Charity among your selves for Charity shall cover a multitude of Sins If nothing but Love and servent Love will restrain us surely where hatred is allowed Men care not what they think or speak or do against others Now as there is a Brotherly Love due to our Fellow Saints so there is a Love due to all Men. 2 Pet. 1. 7. I am to hate no Man but to seek their good There is a twofold Hatred the Hatred of Offence and Abomination and the Hatred of Enmity The Hatred of Offence which is opposite to the Love of Complacency may be justified as to the Wicked Prov. 29. 27. An unjust Man is an Abomination to the Iust and he that is upright in the way is an Abomination to the Wicked But then we should first and most abominate our selves for Sin this very hatred and abhorrence should begin at Home and we should be most odious to our selves for Sin for we know more Sin by our selves than we can do by an other But for the other Hatred the Hatred of Enmity which is opposite to the Love of Benevolences that should be quite banished out of the Heart of a Christian. And it is not enough for God's People to keep themselves free from Hatred and Malice against one another but against all Men. Tit. 3. 2. Put them in mind to speak evil of no Man to be no Brawlers but gentle shewing all Meekness to all Men For we our selves were sometimes disobedient c. If this old Hatred were gone a multitude of Offences would be covered 2. It comes from uncharitable Credulity whereby Men easily believe a false report and so propagate and convey it to others Jer. 26. 10. I have heard the defaming of many report say they and we will report it All my Familiars watched for my halting c. The Prophet complaineth Many and those no mean ones have I heard reproaching and taunting me so that he was a Terrour to himself and to all his-Friends Many had combined by false suggestions and malicious informations against him to work his ruine If any will raise a report tending to the discredit of another some will foster it and it loseth nothing in the carriage till by additions and misconstructions it groweth to a downright and dangerous Infamy 3. It comes through rashness and unruliness of Tongue some Men never learned to bridle their Tongues and the Apostle Iames telleth us that therefore their Religion is vain Jam. 1. 26. Till we make Conscience of these evils as well as others we content our selves with a partial Obedience and therefore cannot be Sincere But many never set themselves to learn this part of their Duty and therefore divulge a Report before they try it or receive any just proof of it Possibly it may not come from downright Malice but their Tongues hang too loose without the coercion and just restraint of Grace and so they either report false things or speak Truth to an evil end Prov. 11. 13. A Tale-bearer revealeth secrets but he that is of a faithful Spirit concealeth the matter Whisperers must be talking and be it true or false out it comes Certainly it is a Sin as long as you knew it not to be true or if you do when you have no warrantable call to mention it To reveal Secrets which you may conceal without wrong to God or your own Consciences or the common Good or the Good of your Neighbour is Loquacity or the Sin of Idle and impertitent Talkativeness the Disease of a Whisperer and Tale-Bearer 4. It comes from carnal Zeal which is nothing else but Passion for our different Interests and Opinions The bitter Envying which the Apostle speaketh off Iam. 3. 14. hath made mad work in the World as to Strifes and Confusions and Quarrels and Bloodsheds and Persecutions But usually it venteth it self in evil speaking for the Apostle maketh Backbitings and Whisperings the fruits of Swellings and Tumults 2 Cor. 12. 20. Oh what false and lying Tales are there carried to and fro that a Man knoweth not what or whom to belive So many Lies walk under the disguise of Religion that not to credit them or countenance the Report seemeth a decay of Affection but surely not to Religion but only the Interest of a Faction But a Question ariseth Is all speaking evil of another unlawful Answ. I cannot say so but yet it is hard to keep it from Sin 1. He that doth it without just cause is plainly a Detractor and so a grievous Sinner before God You may impose and impute false Crimes upon others which is properly called Slander and God thereby convinceth the Professor of the true Religion to be an Hypocrite Psal. 50. 20. Thou fittest and speakest against thy Brother and slanderest thy own Mothers Son God doth not only reject the Liars for Hypocrites but also the Backbiters and Slanderers Those that allow themselves in the frequent practice of this Sin what hopes can they have of acceptance with God since he hath entred his plea against them For the Act to be sure is sinful there can be no other end in it but the wronging of our Brothers Fame and Reputation to his loss and hurt The Nature of the thing sheweth it 2. He that doth but speak what he hath heard from others without any Assertion or Asseveration of his own as not knowing the Truth of the report can hardly be excused from Sin For if without just
do not you to them The one the Negative conduceth to restrain Injury but the other the Affirmative urgeth us to do Good The Negative enforceth Iustice and Equity in us to others the Affirmative Love and Charity Heathens by the Light of Nature were more sensible of Negatives that they should not hurt others in their Body Goods or good Name as we would not in either of these things be wronged our selves therefore Christ passing that layeth down the Affirmative of which Nature is less sensible of doing good to them as we desire they should do to us in our Extremities But because one cannot well be handled without the other I shall begin with the Negative Consideration which concerns Right and Justice to the Persons Names Goods and Possessions of others We are earnest to have fair dealing from others we should be as earnest to yeild the same again There is no Man but hath a quick sence of Injuries done to himself When we are wronged by Lying Slandering Oppression or by fraudulent Bargains how will we discourse of Equity and plead for Right upon these occasions Why the like tender respect the like Sense should we have in our dealing with others as you would not others should defame oppress or over-reach you so should not you do to them In other Mens dealings with us we are Masters acute Discerners of Right in our own Case able to teach what Men ought to do but in our dealing with others we are scarce Scholars We would be reverenced commended fairly used have others tender of our Credit and if we be abused in Person disgraced in Speech endammaged in Goods or good Name we complain of the Wrong Therefore it was well said of Calvin That it would be much better for Mankind if we were as faithful Learners of active Duties as we are acute Doctors concerning Passives that is That we would not offer such Usage to others as we would not be well pleased with our selves but give as we would receive To impress the Rule upon you I shall give four Considerations in the Negative Sence 1. That in the Duties of the second Table we have more Light than we have in the first for when Christ sets forth the Sum of both the Tables Mat. 22. 36 37. He tells us that we must love God with all our Hearts our Souls our Strength and Mind but when he comes to the Love of our Neighbour he gives a Measure more easily discernable we are to love our Neighbour as our selves Love will tell us what is good for our selves The Love of God must be preferred both to our selves and to our Neighbours And in guiding and expressing our Love to God we need many Rules Our Desires of Good to our selves are a compleat Measure and Rule of that Respect we owe to our Neighbours This Principle of Self-love would shew us what we owe to one another But though Nature discovers a God and Reason that this God should be worshipped yet Nature could never carve out such a Worship as is proper to God and as God likes there needs a larger Explication Let a Man be free from Passion and from inordinate Self-love consider what he would have done to himself this will direct him plainly what should be done to others that agree with us in the same common Nature and who have an original Right with us in things that belong to Justice and Equity and should be as fairly respected by us as we expect to be treated by them 2. The Breach of this Rule is more evil in him which hath experimented the Bitterness of Wrongs or Misery than in another because Experience giveth us a truer knowledg of things than a naked Idea and Conception of them He that knoweth things by meer Contemplation doth but know them at a distance and as it were afar off but he that knoweth things by Experience knows them at hand and feels the smart of them Therefore Conscience should work more in them by way of Restraint because they know what it is to be oppressed and disgraced and remember how grievous it was when they did lie under any Wrong Look as it is made an Argument of Confidence in Christ's pity because his Heart was made tender by experience He was tempted he was despitefully used he experimented all our Sorrows therefore he is able that is has a greater fitness to succour those which are tempted Heb. 2. 18. And in another place we read That he learned Obedience by the things which he suffered Heb. 5. 8. Did Christ learn any thing better or improve his Knowledge which had the Spirit without measure Yes he might have an experimental Learning and Feeling Thus when he suffered things so regretful and contrary to that Life he had assumed he knew what it was to over-rule the natural Inclinations of Life and subordinate them to the Will of God and learn Obedience by the things which he suffered and will more compassionate when poor Creatures are put upon Duties against Flesh and Blood And it is used as an Argument why we should come to the Throne of Grace with boldness Heb. 4. 15. Because we have not an High-Priest which cannot be touched with our Infirmities c. He hath experimented them in his own Person he knows these things himself And so Exod. 22. 21. Thou shalt not vex a Stranger nor oppress him for ye were Strangers in the Land of Egypt The People of Israel knew what it was to be exposed to the Envy of the Natives where they had few Friends and many Enemies But especiallly observe that Levit. 19. 33 34. for there you have this great Law repeated And if a Stranger sojourn with thee in your Land ye shall not vex him but the Stranger that dwelleth with you shall be as one born amongst you and thou shalt love him as thy self Mark what thou wouldest have done to thy self do to the Stranger Why For ye were Strangers in the Land of Egypt They knew how burdensom it was to their Souls to be under the Yoke how grievous a thing Oppression was Now sutably it concerneth all those which have lain under Defamation Slander and Oppression they should be mighty tender and careful how they speak of others and what they do to others They which have been Servants themselves and have felt the Burden of heavy Tasks and short Allowance hard and unmerciful Usage from their Masters they should not exact all their Labours nor deal cruelly unto Servants when they are Masters themselves for not only the Law of God but their own Experience will rise up in Judgment against them and increase the Sting of their Conscience So the Drift of that Parable would do well to be considered in these times Mat. 18. 33. That Servant which had his own Debt for given him yet he plucked his Fellow-Servant by the Throat Shouldst thou not have had Compassion on thy Fellow-Servant as I had Compassion on thee When we are under
Jesus Christ required and so much spoken of in Scripture I will content my self but with two Reasons at this time 1. Faith in Christ is most fitted for the acceptance of God's free Gift Faith and Grace do always go together and are put as opposite to Law and Works Rom. 4. 16. It is of Faith that it may be of Grace Eph. 2. 8. For by Grace ye are saved through Faith and not of your selves it is the Gift of God not of Works left any Man should boast Faith establishes and keeps up the Interest and Honour of Grace for it is the free Grace and Favour of God to condescend to the Rebel World so far as he hath done in the new Covenant We present our selves before him as those that stand wholly to his Mercy have nothing to plead for our selves but the Righteousness and Merit of our Redeemer by virtue of which we humbly beg Pardon and Life to be begun in us by his Spirit and perfected in Glory 2. Why Faith in Christ Because the way of our Recovery is so strange and wonderful It can only be received by Faith Sense cannot convey it to us Reason will not and nothing is reserved for the entertainment of this glorious Mystery Pardon and Salvation by our Redeemer but Faith alone If I should deduce this Argument at large I would shew you nothing but Faith or the Belief of God's Testimony concerning his Son can support us in these Transactions with God The Comfort of the Promise is so rich and glorious Sense and Reason cannot inform us of it Eye hath not seen nor Ear heard nor can it enter into the Heart of Man to conceive 1 Cor. 2. 9. the things God hath prepared for them that love him It is not meant only of Heaven but of the whole Preparations and rich Provisions God hath made for us in the Gospel It is not a thing can come to us by Eye or Ear or the conceiving of Man's heart we only believe and entertain it by Faith And then the Persons upon whom it is bestowed are so unworthy that certainly it cannot enter into the Heart of Man that God will be so good and do so much good to such Adam when he had sinned grew shy of God and ran away from him Besides the way God hath taken for our deliverance is so supernatural God so loved the World that he sent his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth on him should not perish but have everlasting Life That God should become Man that he should submit to such an accursed Death for our Sakes is so high and glorious it can only be entertain'd by Faith Besides our chief Blessedness lies in another World He that lacketh Faith is blind and cannot see afar off Here in this lower World where our God is unseen and our great Hopes are to come where the Flesh is so importunate to be pleased where our Temptations and Trials are so many and Difficulties so great we are apt to question all and we can never keep waiting upon God were it not for Faith and a steady Belief in the Lord Jesus Christ. For these Reasons if you look into the Scriptures it is why Faith is so much insisted upon that we may keep up the honour of God's Grace and because this Grace of the Redeemer is so mysterious and wonderful 4. The Use of these two Graces discover their Nature What is Faith and Repeatance Repentance towards God is a Turning from Sin to God The Terminus à quo of Repentance is our begun Recovery from Sin and therefore called Repentance from dead Works Heb. 6. 1. The Terminus ad quem to which we return is God and our being devoted to God in Obedience and Love God never hath our Hearts till he hath our Love and Delight till we return to a Love of his blessed Majesty and delight in his Ways This is called in Scripture sometimes a turning to God in many other places a seeking after God a giving up our selves to God 2 Cor. 8. 5. They gave up themselves to the Lord. This is the Repentance by which we enter into the Gospel-State Now what is Faith Besides an Assent to the Gospel which is at the bottom of it It is a serious thankful broken-hearted Acceptance of the Lord Jesus Christ that he may be to every one of us what God hath appointed him to be and do forevery one of us what God hath appointed him to do for poor Sinners It is serious and broken-hearted done by a Creature in misery and thankful for such a wonderful Benefit a trusting to this Redeemer that he may do the Work of a Redeemer in our Hearts to save us from the evil of and after Sin And thus I have briefly opened this necessary Doctrine as clearly laid down in the Scripture And this is your Entrance in the Evangelick State II. For our Continuance therein For we must not only mind our Entrance but our Continuance Our Lord Jesus tells us of a Gate and a Way the Gate signifies the Entrance and the Way our Continuance And we read of making and keeping Covenant with God we read of Union with Christ that is our first Entrance for this Faith is the closing Act and exprest sometimes by a being married to Christ. But there is not only an Union with Christ but an Abiding in him Abide in me and I will abide in you Now as for our Continuance I would shew you that the first Works are gone over and over again Faith and Repentance are still necessary For the Righteousness of God is revealed frm Faith to Faith And Repentance is still necessary But I shall only press two things First New Obedience Secondly Daily Prayer 1. New Obedience is required 1 Ioh. 1. 7. If we walk in the Light as he is in the Light we have fellowship one with another and the Blood of Iesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all Sin Holy Walking is necessary to the continuance of our being cleansed from Sin and therefore Mercy is promised to the forsaking of our Sins Prov. 18. 13. He that confesseth and forsaketh his Sins shall find Mercy Isa. 55. 7. Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous Man his thoughts and let him return unto the Lord and he will have Mercy upon him and to our God for he will abundantly pardon Our Hearts were not sound with God in the first Covenanting if we undo what was done If we build again the things we have destroyed then we are found Transgressours Gal. 1. 18. Well then a Man that seeks after Pardon seeks after it with the ruine and destruction of Sin Sin was the greatest Burden that lay upon his Conscience the Greivance from whence he sought ease the Wound pain'd him at Heart the Disease his Soul was sick of And was all this Anguish real and shall a Man come to delight in his Sores again and take up the Burden he groaned under and tear open
the Conscience and the Conscience against all But where the Heart is framed to the obedience of God's Will there is Peace Pax est tranquillitas ordinis when all things keep their place as in an accurate orderly Life they do Gal. 6. As many as walk according to this Rule Peace and Mercy be upon them and the whole Israel of God There is Peace for there is an harmonious Accord between God and them and between them and themselves Psal. 119. 165. Great Peace have they that love thy Law not only Peace but great Peace a Peace that passeth all understanding Whilst we are in our Sins there is ever a fear of the War which is between God and us and there is a War in our selves Conscience disallowing our practices and our practices disliking the conduct of Conscience so that there is no peace to the Wicked But when the Lord Jesus hath taken us in hand and begun to cure us and frame us aright and shew us his wonderful Grace in turning us from our Sins here is matter provided for Serenity and Peace 2. It is the pledg of our eternal Felicity hereafter For Heaven is the perfection of Holiness or the full fruition of God in glory Now when the Mediator begins to take away Sin he blesses you for the Life is then begun which shall be perfected in Heaven Unless it be begun here it will never be perfected there For without Holiness no Man shall see God Heb. 12. 14. But if it be begun it will surely be perfected there for blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God The vision and fruition of God is begun here the Spirit of Holiness is the earnest of our Inheritance Eph. 1. 13 14. O what Blessedness is it then to have the new heart planted into us by Christ and to live the new Life It is the Beast about you that delights in the momentany base dreggy Pleasures of Sin But when Christ hath turned you from your Sins you are blessed indeed you are in the way to Blessedness and you shall be blessed for ever he gives Peace as a Pledge of Happiness and Eternal Glory III. I shall prove that this is the Mediator's Blessing 1. Let me lay down this that those Blessings that are most proper to the Mediator are spiritual Blessings We forfeited all by Sin but especially the Grace of the Spirit whereby we might be made serviceable to God Other Mercies run in the Channel of common Providence but spiritual Blessings are the discriminating Graces and Favours that are given us by the Mediator Eph. 1. 3. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Iesus Christ who hath blessed us with all spiritual Blessings in heavenly Places Christ came not to distribute Honours and Greatness and worldly Riches to his Followers but to turn away every one of us from our Sins to reduce us to God that we may love him and be beloved of him He came as a spiritual Saviour to give us Grace rather than temporal Happiness Most Men have a Carnal Iewish Notion of Christ they would have a temporal Safety and Happiness they would have Deliverance from Affliction rather than Deliverance from Sin To be delivered from every evil Work is more than to be delivered from the Mouth of the Lion This is most proper to the Mediator 2 Tim. 4. 18. A sanctified Use of Troubles is more than an Exemption from them a carnal Man may have Exemption from them but not a sanctified Use of them Poverty Lameness Blindness are not as bad as Ignorance unruly Lusts and Want of Grace Moral Evils are worse than Natural Daniel was cast into a Lion's Den you would think that was a Misery but it was a greater Misery when Nebuchadnezzar was thrust out among the Beasts being given up to a brutish Heart Exemption from Trouble may be hurtful to us but Deliverance from Sin is never hurtful to us Among the spiritual Blessings we have by the Mediator Conversion from Sin to God is the chiefest we have on this side Heaven That it was the main Part of Christ's Undertaking I shall prove by Scripture and Reason For Scripture the Text is clear for it for thus the Apostle interprets the Covenant-Blessing In thy Seed shall all Nations of the Earth be blessed viz. God hath sent him to bless you wherein in turning every one of you from your Sins He shall be called Iesus Mat. 1. 21. for he shall save his People from their sins not only from the Guilt but the Power of Sin not only from the Evil after Sin but the Evil of Sin it self Denominatio est à majori the Name is taken from what is chiefest And so when he is promised to the Iews The Redcemer shall come out of Sion and he shall turn away Ungodliness from Iacob There is his principal Work 1 John 3. 5. Christ came to take away Sin and in him is no Sin He means not only the condemning Power but the Power of it in the Heart for he is pleading Arguments for Holiness why Believers should not run into Sin which is a Transgression of the Law One is from the Undertaking of Christ he came to take away Sin and from the Example of Christ In him is no Sin he plainly means the Power of Sin 2. Now to give you some Reasons why this is the chief Benefit most eyed by Christ and should be most regarded by us 1. Christ's Undertaking was principally for the Glory of God All the Promises are in him Yea and Amen to the Glory of God And it should not be a Question which should have the precedence the Glory of God or our Good Christ came to promote God's Glory and that must have the precedence of our Benefit Now then the abolishing the Guilt of Sin doth more directly respect our Interest and Good but the abolishing the Power of Sin or the turning and cleansing the Heart from it doth more immediately respect the Glory of God and our Subjection to God Therefore Christ would not only pacify the Wrath of God but his chief Work that doth mostly concern the Glory of God was to heal our evil Natures and prevent Sin for the time to come 2. To be turned from Sin is to be freed from the greatest Evil. For Pardon gives us an Exemption from Punishment which is a natural Evil but Conversion gives us freedom from our naughty Hearts which is a moral Evil and certainly Vice is worse than Pain and Sin than Misery Besides Sin is the Cause of all Evil and the taking away the Cause is more than ceasing the Effect 3. This hath nearer Connection with the Life of Glory Pardon only removes the Impediment but the sanctifying and healing of our Natures is the beginning of the Life of Glory and Introduction into it Pardon removes our Guilt which hinders our Happiness therefore Divines say Justification is Gratia removens prohibens that that removes the Impediment but the sanctifying
the Heart is an Introduction into our glorious State and the more sanctified the more meet to be Partakers thereof Col. 1. 12. Now that which doth positively make us capable of Glory and Happiness is a greater Priviledge than that which only removes the Impediment 4. That is the greatest Benefit which makes us more amiable in the Sight of God and is the Object of his Delight now he delights in us as sanctified rather than pardoned We love him indeed for pardoning and forgiving so great a Debt she loved much because much was forgiven her But God delighteth in Holiness and the Reflection and Impress of his own Image upon us Prov. 11. 20. The Upright in the Way are his Delight When the Spirit hath renewed us according to the Image and Nature of God that makes us amiable in his Sight and an Object of Divine Complacency Therefore surely this is the great Priviledge and Blessing we have by the Mediator here in this World I come to the fourth Thing IV. In what way doth Christ turn us from our Iniquities 1. He doth purchase this Grace for us And 2. He works it in us 1. He purchaseth this Grace for us that we may be turned 1 Pet. 1. 24. He bore our Sins in his own Body upon the Tree that we being dead unto Sin should live unto Righteousness That was his end not only to lay the Obligation upon us but to procure the Grace whereby we may be enabled to do so This Sacrifice was a truly propitiatory Sacrifice whereby God was appeased and forfeited Blessings restored The Loss of God's Image was a great part of our Punishment and it is a part of our Deliverance that Christ hath purchased this Grace as well as Pardon He hath given himself for us that he might cleanse us and sanctify us and make us a pure and holy People unto God Eph. 5. 25 26. 2. As he hath purchased it for us so he works it in us partly by the power of his Internal Grace and partly by blessing and sanctifying External Means and Helps for such an End and Purpose First I say by the Power of his Internal Grace changing our Hearts and Minds Tit. 3. 9. He saved us by the washing of Regeneration and renewing of the Holy-Ghost which he shed on us abundantly through Iesus Christ our Saviour And he acteth in us as Christ's Spirit and as we are Members of Christ. It is the Spirit enlightens the Mind so that we begin to see the Evil that is in Sin the Necessity to get rid of it After I was instructed I smote upon the Thigh and also to overcome the obstinate Heart of Man and turn it to God and to fix the Inclination of the Soul against Sin In short by his preventing Grace he doth convert us by his exciting Grace sanctify us by his assisting Grace he makes us persevere in turning us more and more from Sin to Holiness Secondly He sanctifies and blesses External Helps and Means I shall instance in two Ordinances and Providences 1. Ordinances such as the Word and Sacraments Ioh. 17. 19. I sanctified my self that they might be sanctified by the Truth that is the preaching of the Word He gave himself for his Church that he might sanctify and cleanse it by the washing of Water through the Word Mark these and other places of Scripture and you will find the Merit of Christ doth reach the Ordinances that by them Grace may be conveyed and Sin might be mortified and subdued in us The Word calls us to excite our Resolutions against Sin and strengthen them to avoid Occasions to cut off the Provisions of the Flesh to make it our daily Task to war and strive against it And none conscienciously wait upon the Word but something by every attendance is given out for the weakning of Sin and setting them afresh against it And then the Sacrament that represents the Death of Christ as the Price of our dying to Sin and it represents him as the Pattern according to which we must be conformed that we may know that our old Man is crucified and that we may renew our Covenant with God and our Resolutions and bind our selves to more serious Endeavours against Sin The Lord Jesus after he had procured the Spirit and this wonderful Grace to turn us from our Sins hath appointed congruous and and fit Ordinances whereby he may dispense this Grace to us more and more And as he sanctifies Ordinances so 2. Providences for we are thresh'd that our Husks may fly off Wherefore doth he chasten us sometimes and very sorely but to make us out of love with Sin The Fruit of all shall be to take away Sin Isa. 27. 9. And he chastens us verily for our Profit that we may be made Partakers of his Holiness Heb. 12. 10. By all these means we are sanctified by Ordinances and Providences and by the all-powerful Grace of his holy Spirit Thus I have opened the fourth Thing how the Lord Jesus doth turn us from our Sins The Uses we may make of this Point are 1. Of Information It informs us 1. Of the vain Hopes of the Carnal and such as yet live in their Sins for at present they have no Interest in him and so living and dying will find him rather a Judge than a Saviour for the greatest part of their Work is undone We must be saved from the Guilt and Power of Sin and the latter is the proper Sign of our Recovery We are justified in the Name of the Lord Iesus and sanctified also in the Spirit of our God Christ did not purchase our Salvation by piece-meal nor can we receive it by piece-meal a whole Saviour we must have or no Saviour She was the true Mother that pleaded against the dividing of the Infant They are true Christians I am sure who would have Christ undivided who would have him Wisdom and Righteousness and Sanctification and Redemption for if you take him in one respect and neglect him in another especially the chief thing you should make use of him for you do not take him at all Therefore the Carnal that live in their Sins are at present excluded from all Claim to Christ. 2. It shews us what we should mainly seek in our Prayers Leave not the Redeemer till he hath blessed you with his principal Blessing Our Prayers for temporal Happiness are not so welcom to Christ as our Prayers for sanctifying Grace and Power against Sin Natural Sense will put us upon asking Corn and Wine and Oil but the new Creature saith Lord take away Iniquity Every Man hath a sence of outward Evils and would fain be at ease but every Man hath not a sence of Sin and an hunger and thirst after Righteousness Self-love will prompt us to beg exemption from Trouble but Sin is the worst Burden to a tender Heart When your Children ask you for Apples and Plums and such things as are pleasing to their childish Appetite they do
Now wilt thou wait diligently till it be accomplished The Physician cures the Disease but the Patient must take the appointed Medicine you must not expect he should cure it and thou feel it not as it were by Spells and Charms without thee without putting thee to the Trouble of Physick Take up a Resolution to look after the Cure of thy Soul and observe the whole Progress of the Work and what a Wound is given to Sin in every Ordinance what in the Word what in the Lord's Supper how thy Resolution is strengthened against it how the carnal Nature wears off every day the Work is not perfect in an instant but he is still turning therefore when thou beginnest to be dead to Sin die more Ye are dead therefore mortify Christ hath perfectly bought off all Sin in every kind and degree should not we strive to have all that he hath purchased At least do not strengthen thy Bonds the Sin thou canst not avoid hate it and keep up the lively resistance still hear diligently pray earnestly watch narrowly and keep thy self from thy Sin do not only pare the Nails of it but cut off thy very right Hand and mortify and subdue it yet more and more that Christ may have his Conquest in thy Soul SERMON IV. 2 PET. 1. 4. Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious Promises that by these you might be Partakers of the Divine Nature having escaped the Corruption that is in the World through Lust. IN these Words the Apostle extolleth the Grace of God towards us in the Gospel In them take notice of First The Means 2dly The End and Use of them 3dly The Method and Order in which this Effect is wrought in us First The Means whereby God conveys his Grace to us viz. The Promises of the Gospel which are set forth 1. By their Excellency Exceeding great and precious Promises 2. Their Freeness Are given to us 1. Their Excellency is set forth by two Adjuncts They are exceeding great and precious 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The one noteth their Intrinsick Worth and Value they are exceeding great The other our Esteem of them they deserve to be precious to us 1. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 so called from the Matter of them which are great and precious Gifts such as Pardon and Life begun in Sanctification and perfected in Glory 2. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 precious deserving and challenging our Esteem being so suitable to our Necessities and Desires Our Necessity ariseth from the fears of Misery so justly deserved Our Desires are after a proper Happiness which is only offered to us in the Promises of God not only as probable but as certain to be ours if duly qualified Now these Promises being so great and precious should attract us to all Purity and Holiness for what is greater and deserveth to be more esteemed by us than Remission of Sins and an Inheritance among the Sanctified 2. Their Freeness given made freely made good freely 2dly The End and Use of them That by these ye might be Partakers of the Divine Nature By the Divine Nature is not meant here the Essence of God but his communicable Excellencies or such Divine Properties as can be imparted to the Creature and these not considered in their absolute Perfection but as as they are agreeable to our present State and Capacity These are sometimes called the Image of God Col. 3. 10. The new Man which is renewed in Holiness after the Image of him that created him because they imply a Likeness to him And sometimes the Life of God Eph. 4. 18. Being alienated from the Life of God because it is a vital Principle And here the Divine Nature and that for two Reasons 1. Because these are communicated to us by God they are created in us by his Divine Power and therefore the Word Created is so often used on this Occcasion Eph. 2. 10. We are his Workmanship created in Christ Iesus 2 Cor. 5. 17. If any Man be in Christ he is a new Creature Creation is proper to God We have them by virtue of our Communion with him They flow from God as the Light doth from the Sun 2. Because by these Perfections we somewhat resemble God Therefore it is said 1 Pet. 2. 9. We shew forth his Praises 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 his Vertues or Divine Attributes his Wisdom Goodness Bounty Holiness for in these we most resemble him If you take in his Power there is some resemblance of that too as to the moral Exercise in taming our own Flesh mastering our Inordinate Lusts and Passions and vanquishing all Temptations This is a Spiritual Power and so spoken of Prov. 16. 32. He that is slow to Anger is better than the mighty and he that ruleth his Spirit than he that taketh a City And 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I can do all things through Christ that strengthens me Phil. 4. 13. To live above the Hopes and Fears of the World is a great Ability and Power And vanquishing the World is made the Fruit of the new Birth 1 Ioh. 5. 4. That which is born of God overcometh the World And in that place where the Spirit of a Christian is described 't is said to be a Spirit 2 Tim. 1. 7. of Love Power and of a sound Mind We conceive God to be a Spiritual Being of infinite Wisdom Goodness and Power To his Wisdom answereth the Spirit of a sound Mind to his Goodness a Spirit of Love and what is the Original and Pattern of the Spirit of Power the very Name discovereth namely God's own Power So all his Attributes leave their Impress upon us 3dly The Way Method and Order how we receive this Benefit of the Divine Nature Having first escaped the Corruption that is in the World through Lust. As we dye to Sin the Divine Nature increaseth in us There is a putting off before there can be a putting on Eph. 4. 22 23 24. We put off the old Man which is corrupt by its deceitful Lusts. We begin the Work of Sanctification with Mortification in the first place and then proceed to the positive Duties of a new Life for the Plants of Righteousness will not thrive in an impenitent and unmortified Heart As the Corruption of Sin is driven out and expelled so the Divine Nature succeedeth Intus existens prohibet alienum these things are not consistent cannot be joyned together The Corruption that is in the World and the Divine Nature can no more agree than Darkness and Light Rom. 13. 12. But let us see how this Mortification is expressed 1. What is to be avoided 2. The Manner of shunning it 1. What is to be avoided The Corruption that is in the World through Lust. Observe Sin is called Corruption as often in Scripture because it is a blasting of our primitive Excellency and Purity Gen. 6. 12. All Flesh had corrupted his Way upon the Earth Psal. 14. 1. They are all corrupt and abominable that is degenerated
is the worst for this is not only against Truth but Right even though that Right entirely accrueth from your own free Promise 2. The Promises of the New Covenant are of a most glorious and valuable Nature They are not about small things or things of little moment but about worthy and dear-bought Blessings They contain Spiritual and Eternal Riches such as the healing of our Nature the pardon of our Sins a safe conduct unto Eternal Happiness The glorifying of our Souls the resurrection of our Bodies and then Life everlasting or an unchangeable state of happiness These are the greatest things indeed in comparison of which all the things of the World are but as a Maygame vain and empty or the smallest Matters as the Apostle calleth them 1 Cor. 6. 2. Reconciliation with God is our Priviledge here And is it a light thing to be at peace with the Living God to enjoy his Amity and Love to study and fit our selves to do his Will to live in constant Communion with him now to have access to him at all times to obtain from him whatever in Reason and Righteousness we can ask A Christian is never upbraided with the perpetuity of Addresses never denyed Audience never has cause to doubt of Success has more familiarity with God and a surer Interest in his Love than the greatest Favourites have in any Prince or Potentate upon Earth But then the Eternal Enjoyment of God hereafter Phil. 3. 14. I press towards the Mark for the Price of the High Calling in God in Christ Iesus It is an high Price that is set before us then we shall have a larger Capacity to know God and enjoy him and receive his Benefits Psal. 17. 15. As for me I will behold thy Face in Righteousness I shall be satisfied when I awake with thy Likeness Oh! cry out 1 Cor. 2. 9. Eye hath not seen nor Ear heard neither have entred into the Heart of Man the things which God hath prepared for them that love him 3. They are precious Promises worthy of our Esteem For they are not about things that we have nothing to do with but such wherein we are deeply and intimately concern'd In God's Promises there is due Provision made for the Desires Necessities and Wants of Mankind Let me instance in Pardon and Life the first inviting Benefits Acts 26. 18. Pardon answereth the Fears and Life those Desires of Happiness which are so natural to us 1. The Consciousness of Sin and the Fear of God's Wrath and Displeasure should make Offers of Pardon acceptable to us The great Scruple of the guilty Creature is how Sin shall be expiated and God appeased Mic. 6. 6 7. We fear Punishment from an holy and just God and cannot get rid of Bondage till Sin be forgiven The Justice of the Supreme Governour of the World will be ever dreadful to us The Gospel serveth for this use to give us the knowledge of Salvation by the Remission of Sins Luk. 1. 77. 2. The other great Priviledge is Eternal Life Corrupt Nature is not against the Offers of Felicity There was never a Creature heard of that would not be happy for there was never a Creature but loved himself Therefore what more powerful Inducement to bring us into the way of Holiness than this blessed Hope set before us that we may see God and live for ever Tit. 2. 12 13. It is true we are greatly inchanted with false Happiness but shall not such an Offer be precious to us Ioh. 6. 34. Then said they unto him Lord evermore give us this Bread 4. All this is given to us wretched Men without any desert of ours nay we had deserved the contrary Without our asking or thinking the Covenant was framed and modelled to our Hands and in the Frame and Contexture of it we may see a constant Strain of Covenant-Grace in the Richness of the Benefits the Graciousness of the Donor the Seasonableness of the Offer the Readiness of the Help when once we set our selves to seek after God and please and serve him and lastly in the Sureness of the Reward notwithstanding Frailties and Imperfections III. The Influence of the one upon the other or How do these Promises promote the Divine Nature 1. From their Drift which is to draw us from the Creature to God and the World to Heaven to mortify the Esteem of the false Happiness which tainteth and corrupteth our Natures and to raise us to those noble Objects and Ends which dignify and adorn the Soul and make it in a sort Divine It breedeth an excellent Spirit in us which is carried above the World and the Hopes and Fears of it 1 Cor. 2. 12. Alas what a mean Spirit have they that drive no higher Trade than providing for the Flesh or accommodating a Life which must shortly expire Like foolish Birds who with great art and contrivance feather a Nest which within a little while they leave But how Divine and God-like are they who look to higher things to please God enjoy Communion with him and live with him for ever 2. The Matter of the Promises Many of which concern the Change of our Hearts the Cleansing or Healing of our Natures Heb. 8. 10. I will put my Laws in their Minds and write them in their Hearts and I will be to them a God and they shall be to me a People Ezek. 36. 25 26. Then will I sprinkle clean Water upon you and ye shall be clean from all your Filthiness and from all your Idols will I cleanse you A new Heart also will I give you and a new Spirit will I put within you and I will take away the stony Heart out of your Flesh and I will give you a Heart of Flesh. Jer. 33. 8. And I will cleanse them from all their Iniquity All which are Encouragements of Prayer to God for this Benefit If God doth not exclude us we should not exclude our selves 3. The Conditions or Terms on which our Right is suspended Not Pardon without Repentance Acts 3. 19. Repent ye therefore and be converted that your Sins might be blotted out when the times of refreshing shall come from the Presence of the Lord. Acts 2. 38 39. Repent and be baptized every one of you in the Name of Iesus Christ for the Remission of Sins and ye shall receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost c. Not Heaven or Eternal Life without Holiness Heb. 12. 14. Follow Peace with all Men and Holiness without which no Man shall see the Lord. Blessed are the pure in Heart for they shall see God Mat. 5. 8. 4. The Power with which it is accompanied 2 Pet. 1. 3. According as his Divine Power hath given us all things that pertain unto Life and Godliness through the knowledge of him that hath called us to Glory and Vertue He gives us Life temporal and spiritual and that immutable Life of Felicity hereafter The Divine Nature is communicated to us by virtue of the Promises
The Scripture declares both the first This is love to keep his Commandments and his Commandments are not grievous The second Psal. 97 10. Ye that love the Lord hate evil When we are fearful of committing or omitting any thing may be a violation of his Law a grief to his Spirit or a dishonour to his Name then we are said to love God What ever lofty and luscious strains of devotion we may otherwise please our selves with here will our Trial rest He doth not love God that can most accurately discourse of his Attributes or soar aloft in the nice speculations of contemplative Divinity or pretences of Secrecy with God but he that is most awful serious and consciencious in his Duty 2. It is a Transcendental Love we owe to God we must love him above all other things For he must be loved as our Felicity and End He must have the chiefest place in our Hearts and our principal design must be to please serve and glorify him If we seek God in order to other things we do not love him but our own Lusts nay if all other things be not sought after in order to God we do not set him up as our chief good or last end He that loves Father and Mother more than me is not worthy of me Luke 14. 26. If any Man come to me and hate not his Father and Mother and Wife and Children and Brethren and Sisters yea and his own Life also he cannot be my Disciple Many have a partial half-love to God but a greater love to other things then God's interest will be least minded For there is something nearer and dearer to us than God which will be soon preferred before the Conscience of our Duty to him No all must be subordinated to our supream Happiness and last end or else God is not loved as God But now the second thing propounded is the nature of that influence upon Love which is exprest here by the Apostle in the word direct The Lord direct your Hearts in the Love of God What doth this Imply 1. It implies that God works upon us as Rational Creatures He changeth the Heart indeed but he doth it by Direction he draws us to himself but it is with the Cords of a Man he teacheth while he draws Joh. 6. 44 45. None can come unto me but those whom the Father draws and he proves it by this because they shall be all taught of God God's drawing is teaching it is both by the attractive force of the Object and the internal Efficacy of his Grace the Spirits conduct is sweet yet powerfull accomplisheth the Effect but without offering violence to the liberty of Man We are not forced but directed There is not a violent compulsion but an inclination sweetly raised in us by victorious Grace or the overpouring sweetness of his Love For we love him because he loved us first 1 Joh. 4. 19. And this love is shed abroad in our Hearts by the Holy Ghost who by giving us an esteem and serious remembrance of his Benefits blows up this holy flame in our Hearts We do not love God we know not why or wherefore An account can be given of all the Spirits operations Look as in an impression there must be a Seal and Wax to the Seal and the hand that stamps it so all concurr here The Word doth its part that is the Seal and the Heart of Man receives the Impression but to make it effectual and durable the hand of God concurs or the power of his Spirit The Object is the Gospel wherein God commends his Love to us by the Incarnation Death and Intercession of the Lord Jesus Christ as also by the new Covenant because he will work upon Man after the nature of Man by Love he will work upon Love Beside all this there is an internal powerful Agent the holy Spirit The external objective means cannot do it without the inward cause Though God's Love doth so gloriously and resplendently shine forth in the Gospel yet the Heart of Man is not affected with it till it be shed abroad by the illuminating sanctifying Spirit The Heart of Man is dark and dead to these things till changed by Grace and when that is once done that Impression is according to the Stamp 2. The Inclination to God as our Felicity and End which is the Fruit of this Grace is the inclination of a reasonable Creature so the Inclination is necessary but the Acts are voluntary therefore you must keep them up still There is an Inclination put by God into inanimate things as in light and airy Bodies to move upwards and in heavy Bodies to move downwards as a Stone falls to the Earth but Fire and Smoak ascend they cannot do otherwise because they have no choice But now in Man there is an Inclination to God and Heaven which is the Fruit of Grace The Inclination is necessary why because all those whom the Spirit sanctifies he sanctifies them not in vain he certainly begets this Tendency in them towards God therefore so often they are said in Scripture to be converted or turned to God Their Hearts were averse before but then they tend and bend towards him but the Acts are voluntary There is a Duty lying upon us to stir up the Gift of Grace that is in us the Word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2 Tim. 1. 6. When this holy Fire is kindled in our Bosoms we must blow it up and keep it burning We must not be negligent and secure for we cannot reasonably imagine the idle and diligent should fare alike that the Holy Ghost will direct our Hearts into the Love of God whether we will or not therefore not only as we are rational Agents but as we are new Creatures we are obliged to use the Means and then expect his Help and Blessing What is a Prayer in the Text the Lord direct your Hearts into the Love of God to the patient waiting for Christ is an Exhortation Iud. 21. Keep your selves in the Love of God looking for the Mercy of our Lord Iesus Christ unto everlasting life There is both again you must look to your Love that your Hearts be kept streight and bent towards God and not distracted with worldly Vanities The Blessing is from God but you must use the Means this Direction is not to encourage Slothfulness but Industry We must charge it upon our selves as our main Work and Duty the Spirit stirs and quickens we must rouse up our selves 3. It implies there are many things would writhe and crook and turn our Hearts another way the Devil the World and the Flesh. The Devil seeks to draw us off from God to abate the Fervor of our Love towards him therefore we are bidden to flee youthful Lusts 2 Tim. 2. 22. that we may not be taken captive by him at his will and pleasure Some tamely yeeld to his Temptations and he doth unto them as he listeth but there is more tugging
the God of all Comfort 2 Cor. 1. 3. And yet Christ's Soul was troubled and heavy unto Death The Godhead suspending its Virtue and Operation both might well consist for though the Presence of the Divinity be necessary with the Humanity of Christ yet the Effects are voluntary God worketh not out of necessity no not in the Human Nature of Christ all kind of Communications are given out according to his own pleasure The Divinity remained united to the Flesh and yet the Flesh might die so it remained united to the Soul and yet the Soul might want Comfort The Bond by which the two Natures were united in one Person remained firm and indissoluble but the Influx of Sweetness and Comfort was suspended Some Effect there is of the Union but not that which affords Comfort and Felicity and this was suspended but for a time There is a Desertion indeed which agreeth not with the dignity of Christ. There is a total and Eternal Desertion by which God so deserteth a Man both as to Grace and Glory that he is wholly cast out of God's Presence and adjudged to Eternal Torments which is the Case of the Reprobate in the last Judgment this is not compatible to Christ nor agreeing with the dignity of his Person There is a partial temporal Desertion when God for a moment hideth his Face from his People Isa. 54. 7. This is so far from being contrary to the dignity of Christ's Nature that it is necessary to his Office for many Reasons 2. That it is very grievous This was an incomparable Loss to Christ. 1. Partly because it was more natural to him to enjoy that Comfort and Solace than it can be to any Creature To put out a Candle is no great matter but to have the Sun eclipsed which is the Fountain of Light that sets the World a wondering For poor Creatures to lose their Comforts is no great wonder who though they live in God are so many degrees distant from him but for Christ who was God-Man in one Person that is a difficulty to our Thoughts and a wonder indeed for by this means he was so far deprived of some part of Himself 2. Partly because he had more to lose than we have The greater the Enjoyment the greater is the Loss or Want It was more for David to be driven from his Palace than a poor Israelite to be driven from his Cottage We lose Drops he an Ocean A poor Christian that hath some Heaven upon Earth in the fore-enjoyment of God and the first-fruits and earnest of the Spirit hath more to lose than another that hath had only some vanishing Tast in the Offer of Eternal Life and receiving the Word with Ioy. Proportionably judge of Christ who was Comprehensor while he was Viator had the beatifical Vision whiles on Earth 3. Partly because he knew how to value the Comfort of the Union having a pure Understanding and heavenly Affections God's Children count one Day in his Presence better than a thousand Psal. 84. 10. One Glimpse of his Love more than all the World Psal. 4. 7. If they have any thing of the Love of God shed abroad in their Hearts they would not part with it for all the sensual Enjoyments which others prize and value so much and if they lose it they are touched to the quick they lose that which is the Life of their Lives which they account their chief Happiness Now Christ was best able to apprehend the Worth and Value of Communion with God having such a clear Understanding and tender Affections and therefore it must needs be grievous to him to have his wonted Conversations suspended 4. Partly because he had so near an Interest and Relation to God Prov. 8. 30. One bred up with him and daily his Delight Col. 1. 13. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Look among the Children of God if they have any Interest in him how mournfully do they brook his Absence Mary Magdalen Woman why weepest thou They have taken away my Lord and I know not where they have laid him Luk. 24. 14. She sought a Christ and found a Grave Christ's words my God do not only express his Confidence but Affection when his God and Father hideth his Face from him 5. Partly from the Nature of Christ's Desertion It was Penal All Desertions may be reduced to these three Sorts for Trial for Correction or Punishment For Trial so God left Hezekiah to prove what was in his Heart 2 Chron. 32. 31. For fatherly Correction so God leaveth his People for a while to teach them Repentance Humility Hatred of Sin more entire Dependance on Himself Isa. 54. 7. I have left thee for a small moment but with everlasting Mercies will I love thee For Punishment so he left Saul 1 Sam. 28. 6. When he answered him neither by Dreams nor by Urim nor by Prophets So he leaveth the wicked to a reprobate Mind Now Christ's Desertion was not for a Trial. Fallible Creatures may be put upon Trial but the Son of God needs it not It would not agree with the Goodness and Wisdom of God to put his beloved Son on such a Trial. He was neither unknown to his Father nor did he vainly presume of his own Strength as to need to be confuted by Trial. Nor can it properly be called Fatherly Correction for there was no Sin in Christ that needed to be corrected Indeed the Chastisement of our Peace was upon his Shoulders Isa. 53. 5. Therefore it remains that this Desertion was penal and satisfactory such as came from the vindictive and revenging hand of God Our Sins met in him and he was forsaken in our stead There was no Cause in Christ himself wherefore he deserved to be forsaken of God but we had done the wrong and he maketh the amends There was nothing in Christ's Person to occasion a Desertion but much in his Office so he was to give Body for Body and Soul for Soul And this was a part of the Satisfaction He was beloved as a Son forsaken as our Mediator and Surety II. Why was Christ forsaken Answ. With respect to the Office which he had taken upon him to expiate our Sins and to recover us from the deserved Wrath and Punishment into the Love and Favour of God This Desertion of Christ carrieth a suitableness and respect to our Sin our Punishment and our Blessedness 1. Our Sin Christ is forsaken to satisfy and make amends for our wilful desertion of God When Adam sinned we all turned the back upon God who made us Yea all actual Sins are nothing but a forsaking of God for very trifles an Aversion from God and a Conversion to the Creature Ier. 2. 13. They have forsaken me the Fountain of living Waters and have hewen out unto themselves broken Cisterns that will hold no Water Now we that forsook God deserved to be forsaken by God therefore what we had merited by our Sin Christ endured as our Mediator He himself
Principle Eph. 4. 24. It is created after God in Righteousness and true Holiness as suiting us to these things So the Spirit is promised to enable us to walk in God's ways Ezek. 36. 27. And I will put my Spirit within you and cause you to walk in my Statutes and ye shall keep my Iudgments and do them It helps us to avoid Sin 1 Joh. 3. 9. Whosoever is born of God doth not commit Sin for his Seed remaineth in him and he cannot sin because he is born of God They that give back cannot yeild to those Sins with which others are surprized and captivated 2. It prepares us for Heaven Thither is the tendency of the new Nature 2 Pet. 1. 4. 1 Joh. 5. 4. Whatsoever is born of God overcometh the World it moveth us to mind love and seek after Heavenly things This Grace came from Heaven and there it is perfected 2. There is an other Principle of corrupted Nature remaining in us which is sometimes called Flesh as before sometimes the old Man Eph. 4. 22. Sin that dwelleth in us Rom. 8. 17. The Body of Sin Rom. 6. 6. The Law of the Members warring against the Law of the Mind Rom. 7. 23. By this Principle they are inclined to that which is evil This Principle also may be known 1. By the manner how it was derived to us 2. By its Tendency and Operations 1. The manner how it was derived to us from Adam in his Apostacy and as faln from his chief Good and last End Ioh. 3. 6. When Man fell from God he fell to himself The Temptation was Ye shall be as Gods Gen. 3. 5. He would set up Self as a God And what was that Self which Man sought to idolize but himself rather considered as a Body than as a Soul And therefore when God sought to reduce Man where lay the difficulty that Text will inform you Gen. 6. 3. My Spirit shall not always strive with Man for that he is also Flesh that is sunk or lost in Flesh altogether wedded to the Interests of the bodily Life 2. By its Tendency and Influence it prompts us to do those things which are most acceptable to Sense or agreeable to our worldly and carnal Ends. The Flesh operateth several ways according to Mens callings occasions or constitutions Isa. 53. 6. 1 Ioh. 2. 16. As every Soil beareth such Weeds as are most suitable to the Nature and Quality of the Ground so some are enslaved by this some by that particular Sin yet all of them alike opposite to God Differences there are as to the choice of their way wherein they please the Flesh some in a more gross some in a more cleanly manner yet they all walk in the Lust of the Flesh following inbred Corruption as their Guide or obey it either in a way of Worldliness Ambition or Sensuality Some ways are more blameless before the World because they less deserve a Worldly Interest some are so prodigiously wicked that they cause a Horror even in Mankind though degenerated Now after Conversion some of our former Sins cripple us and we halt of the old Maim still and it is not enough to stop one gap while corruption runneth out at many more but we must make Conscience of not fulfilling the Lusts of the Flesh in any kind Well now I have shewed you the two Principles which are in a Christian That we may have a Sence of our imbecillity and that we are but regenerated in part II. I will prove to you that there is a Liberty in a Christian of walking according to each Principle either the Spirit or Flesh. 1. That the Christian hath Liberty of walking according to the Spirit is out of question for where the Spirit of the Lord is there is Liberty 2 Cor. 3. 17. Surely the Spirit of Christ can free us and doth free us from the bondage of Corruption Rom. 8. 2. The Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ hath freed me from the Law of Sin and Death otherwise there would be no distinction between Nature and Grace If we should be still shackled and manacled by our Lusts and be as unable to pursue our last End as we were before if there were no inclination to God and Heavenly things what have they gotten by Grace and therefore though we are still weak yet we have the gift of the Spirit to free us from Sin The Force and Efficacy of the new Nature appeareth in three things Scire Velle Posse in knowing our Duty and willing and purposing and doing our Duty suitable to the three Faculties of Man his Understanding Will and vital Power So the Spirit received from Christ 2 Tim. 1. 7. is a Spirit of Power Love and a sound Mind 1. For Scire The new Nature partly consists in the internal Light of the Mind by which we understand the things of God revealed in the Scriptures concerning our Duties and Priviledges and so the Unction is said to teach us all things 1 Joh. 2. 20. That is all things which belong to our necessary Duty and Happiness God's Children in necessary things have a good Understanding or as it is said Isa. 11. 3. They are quick of Understanding in the fear of the Lord. By this it doth warn us of our danger mind us of ourduty upon all occasions 2. For Velle To be willing The force of the new Creature lieth in the love of God for we are never converted to God till he hath our Hearts till we love him with all our Soul with all our Might and Strength and hate what is contrary to him Psal. 17. 10. Ye that love the Lord hate evil Now surely they that love God and hate evil are at liberty more than others to serve and please God and avoid Sin Hate Sin once and it hath little Power over you 3. For Posse or the active Power The wonder is rather how he can sin deliberately voluntarily than how he cannot sin 1 Ioh. 3. 9. and for doing good 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Phil. 2. 13. I can do all things Eph. 2. 10. A Spiritual Man is prepared for every good work 2. The Assistant Power which accompanieth the new Creature in all his Actions doth certainly give him a great advantage of Liberty to know will and do things pleasing unto God As he doth first convert us unto God and quicken us when we are dead in Trespasses and Sins so after Conversion when the Principles of a new Life are put into us he still helpeth us and as all Creatures depend upon God in esse conservari operari Acts 17. 28. So doth the new Creature depend on the Spirit he leadeth and guideth all the Children of God to their Everlasting Estate Rom. 8. 14. He assists the Will and the vital Power Phil. 2. 13. Otherwise we may complain with Paul Rom. 7. 18. For to Will is present with me but how to perform that which is good I find not There may be a Will or an
the Law as a Rule of Obedience is impossible for a Creature To challenge such an Exemption in point of Right is to make our selves Gods To usurp it in point of Fact is to make our selves Devils It must be meant therefore either of the irritating or condemning Power of the Law If of the former as the Law by the rigid exacting of Obedience doth increase Sin rather than subdue it and maketh corrupt Nature spurn and rebel against it so it is the same with the former Motives but that is a more limited Sence Not under the Law may be expounded to be not under the condemning Power of it and so to be under the Law is opposed to be under Grace Rom. 8. 1. There is no Condemnation to them that are in Christ Iesus There is a great Priviledge but what is the Qualification Who walk not after the Flesh but after the Spirit That is obey the new Nature 2. A Periculo the Danger of not obeying the new Nature or walking after the Spirit 1. They lose their Advantage and receive one of God's Gifts in vain To receive objective Grace in vain aggravateth our Guilt Ioh. 3. 19. But to receive subjective Grace in vain doth more provoke God Objective Grace is that which is discovered in the Gospel subjective Grace is that which is found in the Heart of a Believer the internal Grace of the holy Spirit renewing the Heart Now to sin away this Advantage after we are made Partakers of it doth increase our Guilt surely therefore if we live in the Spirit we should walk in the Spirit Gal 5. 25. We should improve God's best Gifts or else the work of his Spirit is lost He loseth nothing but Corn Wine and Oil bestowed upon others but he hath bestowed the Sanctification of the Spirit upon you shall he lose the Glory of that also 2. The new Nature is exceedingly weakned and suffers loss if it be not cherished and obeyed The Church of Sardis is warned to prevent the dying of gracious Habits David speaketh as if the Work were to begin anew and his Restoring were a second Conversion Psal. 51. 10. Create in me a clean Heart O Lord and renew a right Spirit within me The Principle of Grace being not adher'd to loseth much of Vigor and Power 3. When these Motions are not obeyed and this Power is not exercised God is provoked to withdraw the quickning Grace Though the Spirit here spoken of is the new Nature yet the Holy-Ghost is the Super-intendent of it and doth move guide direct and quicken by it The new Nature inclineth but he giveth Strength to its Motions Now the Spirit withdraweth when this Work is slighted and we wilfully run into Sin Psal. 51. 11. Take not thy holy Spirit from me 4. There is another Mischief his sanctifying Work is not only obstructed but his certifying and sealing Work is obscured and so our Day is turned into Night Eph. 4. 30. Grieve not the holy Spirit of God whereby ye are sealed to the Day of Redemption Use 1. It sheweth what Necessity there is that we should look after Conversion to God or a Work of Grace wrought in us by the holy Spirit for the Apostle supposeth they had the Spirit There is no walking without living for otherwise our Motions are but the Motions of Puppets not proceeding from internal Life but acted from Springs and Engines no subduing the Flesh without setting up an opposite Principle Therefore we must give up our selves to the Holy Spirit first to be sanctified then governed by him first renewed then guided ordered and directed by him in all our Actions and the Flesh dieth away insensibly 2dly Being renewed by the Holy-Ghost that is having our Minds enlightned and Hearts inclined we must obey this Inclination for Life is not given us that we may have it but that we may act by it and do things sutable to that Life which we have Grace is not a sluggish idle Quality but is always working and warring on the opposite Principle 3dly Though at first we are pester'd and encountred with the Lusts of the Flesh which divert us from God and Heavenly Things yet we should not be discouraged by every difficulty For Difficulties do but inflame a resolved Spirit as Stirring doth the Fire And besides though we do not wholly subdue the Lusts of the Flesh yet we shall not accomplish them and live in subjection to them but by degrees get power against them 4thly The carnal Life is not of one Sort. Some wallow in sensual Pleasures others have Head and Heart altogether taken up with the World and worldly things Now if God hath put a new Biass upon our Wills and Affections we must shew it forth by an Heavenly Conversation For they that mind earthly Things are carnal and the great Inclination of the new Nature is to carry us unto God and the Things of another World 2 Cor. 5. 5. 5thly They are much to blame that complain of Sin and will not take the Course to get rid of it by obeying the Instincts of the Holy-Ghost or the Motions of the new Nature The Lord's Spirit is a free Spirit Psal. 51. 12. And his Truth maketh us free John 8. 32. And we are interessed in this Liberty when born of the Spirit Let us be true to our Duty and we shall bless God for our Liberty rather than complain of our Bondage It is Laziness and Cowardise not to improve Grace which was given us for this use 6thly How much we are concerned in all Conflicts especially in those which allow Deliberation to take part with the Spirit and obey his Motions rather than to fulfill the Lusts of the Flesh otherwise by Consent and upon Deliberation you are unfaithful to Christ and your own Souls Your Business is not to gratify the Flesh but to crucify it to over-rule Sense and Appetite and cherish the Life of Grace Galat. 5. 24. And surely when Conscience hath help to deliberate it is a greater Evil to resist it than when hurried by our own Passions 7thly It is of great Use and Profit to us to observe which Principle decayeth the Flesh or the Spirit for thereby we judge of our Condition both in order to Mortification and Comfort The Increase of the Flesh may be known 1. By your Backwardness to God Grace is clogged when you cannot serve Him with Sweetness and Delight Rom. 7. 18. 2. When the Heart groweth careless of Heaven and your Life and Love is more taken up about things present than to come Phil. 3. 18 19. The contrary is found when Grace is in vigor 2 Cor. 4. 18. Col. 3. 1 2. Secondly The Prevalency and Increase of the Spirit is known 1. By an humble Contentedness and Indifferency to Plenty Pleasures and Honours Phil. 4. 12. I know both how to be abased and I know how to abound every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry both to
dealt with as the Lord pleases Prescribing to God always comes from Ascribing to our selves We think we have deserved more than he gives us we that are worthy of the heaviest Judgment surely should be thankful for the smallest Mercy Eccl. 7. 8. The patient in Spirit is better than the proud in Spirit Patience is rooted in Humility but Discontent in Pride 3. It comes from weanedness from the World They that do not seek great things for themselves will stand to God's allowance It may be God may bestow great things upon them as he did upon Abraham and David but they do not seek them especially in times when it is a Mercy they have Life and Liberty That is forbidden Ier. 44. 5. In short Grace doth all both as to Poverty and Riches and makes Rich and Poor stand on the same Level Now this is a high point in Religion to grow dead to the World to behaâ—â— our selves in a manner as unconcerned in Poverty or Riches for the World is the great impediment to the Heavenly Life as being the bait of the Flesh the snare of Satan by which he detaineth Souls from God If once we grow indifferent to these things we would not feel any great power in Temptations to Pleasure Wealth and Honour and would soon be thorow Christians the Spiritual Life would be more easy and even easy for where Men seek no great things for themselves in the World and a little matter contenteth their Desires and checketh their Murmurings the resistance of the carnal Nature to the Empire of Grace is without much difficulty overcome they can enjoy plenty or want renounce their aspiring thoughts meddle sparingly with fleshly Delights they are seeking a better Estate More evenly there is no notable blemish on them who are Crucified to the World they do not stain their Profession wound their Consciences their choices are govern'd by Religion not by Carnal Interest They are kept unspotted from the World Jam. 1. 27. 2. The Fruits it produces I shall name but two of many 1. They are not distracted with great worldly Business they esteem that to be the best way that brings them nearest to their great End which is not to enjoy Happiness in this Life but in the World to come Those whose Hearts are all for the present they must have the World to the full or they are not contented they never think of laying up Treasure in Heaven Mat. 6. 19 20. that is not their End and Scope but to live commodiously here that they and their Posterity may flourish in the World Psal. 17. 14. They which have their Portion in this Life and whose Belly thou fillest with thy hid Treasures they are full of Children and leave the rest of their Substance to their Babes But a good Man that eyes another Happiness is not much troubled how it is with him here so he and his may be accepted with God hereafter Therefore their Business is not to lay up Treasure to themselves on Earth but to be rich towards God Luke 12. 21. 2. They that can be contented with a little are most likely to be true to God and Conscience They can better suffer Hunger Thirst Nakedness and other troubles for the Gospel Acts 20. 24. None of these things move me that is made no great opposition and perturbation in his Mind It is no strange thing to them when Trials come They can part with all things under the Sun rather than quit their Duty to Christ for Temptations have lost their force when worldly Desires and Lusts are mortified They withered in Persecution that received the good Seed for a time Mar. 4. 17. When Religion carries one way and the World another then farewel Religion for the Worlds sake When Christ had spoken so much of the Cross then Iudas turneth Apostate When Demas saw the World went on otherways he forsook Paul 2 Tim. 4. 10. When Christ told the young Man of parting with all he went away sad Mar. 10. 22. If Heaven cost so dear it is no Penny-worth for him So Men will come into no danger or trouble for Christ because they are not contented with a little Use. 1. If the Godly ought to be content with Food and Raiment it shews the vanity of Mens vast desires they have much above Food and Raiment yet they are not satisfied A true Christian is contented with Necessaries but Worldy Men inlarge their desires as Hell Hab. 2. 5. They are so far from acquieseing in their Portion assigned to them by God though it be competent and enough to satisfie their wants yea and far beyond so that many are glad of their leavings yet they are always hunting after more like Death and the Grave which are never satisfied They are restless still adding if they be Princes Kingdom to Kingdom if they be Church-men Preferment upon Preferment and if ordinary Men Estate upon Estate House to House Field to Field These desires are pettishly solicited eagerly followed and many times finally disappointed 2. It checks our impatiency under disappointment If we have not our will in worldly things we are troubled our desires are too ardent We must needs have them cannot be without them trouble our selves about them and so murmur and repine against God and this breedeth fearful Tempests in the Soul As Ionah bitterly contended with God about his Gourd Jonah 4. and Rachel Give me Children or else I die Gen. 30. 1. If we cannot have what we would all is nothing Ahab is sick for one poor Vineyard Haman counteth his Honour nothing as long as Mordecai sits at the King's Gate As in a Carriage if one Pin be wanting all is at a stop 3. It shews the evil of our distrust notwithstanding we have God's Fatherly Providence and Promises to rely upon and so large a Covenant-Interest 1 Cor. 3. 21 22 23. All things are yours and ye are Christ's and Christ is God's All things are yours Ordinances Providences this World the next Life Death Would you have more All are instrumental for our good if we resolve to be faithful to Christ. SERMON XIV ECCL 9. 11. I returned and saw under the Sun that the Race is not to the Swift nor the Battel to the Strong neither yet Bread to the Wise nor yet Riches to Men of Understanding nor yet Favour to Men of Skill but Time and Chance happeneth to them all THe whole Book is a search after true Happiness The particular Paragraph whereof the Text is a Branch proveth that it cannot be obtained in this World because of the various Events of God's powerful and unsearchable Providence The Discourse beginneth Chap. 8. 16 17. When I applied my Heart to know Wisdom and to see the business which is done upon the Earth then I beheld all the works of God that a Man cannot find out the work which is done under the Sun because though a Man labour to seek it out yet he shall not find it yea further though
think all their business is to get a Victory over their Consciences and though they do not deny their Lusts yet if they can be strongly perswaded that God will be merciful to them in Christ they shall not perish but obtain everlasting Life No we must obey we must deny our selves or else we do not trust Christ to bring us to Heaven in his own ways and methods but trust to some vain conceits of our own II. How this is to be understood That whosoever believeth since many other things are required of us as Repentance Mortification of Sin Self-denial new Obedience or Holiness Luk. 13. 5. Except ye repent ye shall all likewise perish Mortification Rom. 8. 13. If ye live after the Flesh ye shall die but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the Body ye shall live Self-Denial Luke 14. 16. If any Man come to me and hate not his Father and Mother yea and his own Life also he cannot be my Disciple New Obedience or Holiness Heb. 12. 14. Follow Peace with all Men and Holiness without which no Man shall see the Lord. I answer all Truths are not delivered in one place and therefore a solitary Faith will not bring us to Heaven but that which is seconded with other things But more distinctly I. Faith is not required to exclude other things that are connexed with it by the Ordination of God For every one that believeth Christ believeth the whole Gospel to be true Except against one part and you may except against all the rest Now it is evident in the Gospel that without Regeneration Repentance and Holiness no Man can be saved and see God therefore every one that believeth in Christ must trust him to obtain it in the way that he hath appointed and promised to give it 2. Faith is not required to exclude other things that are included in the nature of it or flow as genuine Effects from such a cause A purpose of Obedience is included in the Nature of Faith and actual Obedience is the fruit of it Every one that believeth Christ receiveth him in all his Offices therefore a purpose of Obedience is included in the nature of it and if Faith be sincere universal Obedience in Self-denial Mortification and our duty to God and Men will naturally be derived from it Therefore as he that is to entertain a King makes reckoning of his Train and that he will not come alone so every one of whom Faith in Jesus Christ is required must reckon that his Faith must be evidenced to be sincere by the Fruits of it III. Why is Faith required that we may receive Benefit by Christ For these Reasons 1. In respect of God 2. In respect of Christ. 3. In respect of the Creature 4. In respect of our Comforts 1. In respect of God that our Hearts may be possessed with a full apprehension of his Grace who in the new Covenant appeareth not as a revenging and condemning God but as a pardoning God This reason is rendred by the Apostle Rom. 4. 16. It is of Faith that it might be of Grace The Law brought in the Terror of God by being the Instrument of revealing Sin and the punishment due thereunto ver 15. The Law worketh Wrath for where there is no Law there is no Transgression no such stinging sense of it but the Gospel brought in Grace The Law stated the Breach but the Gospel shewed the way of our Recovery And therefore Faith doth more agree with Grace as it makes God more amiable and lovely to us and beloved by us by the discovery of his Goodness and Grace The saving of Man by Christ that is by his Incarnation Life Sufferings Death Resurrection and Ascension do all tend to possess our Hearts with his abundant Grace To the same tend also his merciful Covenant gracious Promises and all the Benefits given to us his Spirit Pardon and Communion with God in Glory all is to sill our Hearts with a Sense of the Love of God And all this is no more than necessary for a guilty Conscience is not easily setled and brought to look for all kind of Happiness from one whom we have so much wronged Adam when once a Sinner was shy of God Gen. 3. 10. and Sin still makes us hang off from him Guilt is suspicious and if we have not one to lead us by the Hand and bring us to God we cannot abide his Presence For this End serveth Faith That Sinners being possest of the Goodness and Grace of God may be recovered and return to him by a fit Means In the new Covenant Repentance more distinctly respects God and Faith respecteth Christ Acts 20. 21. Repentance towards God and Faith in our Lord Iesus Christ. Repentance respects God because from God we fell and to God we must return We fell from him as we withdrew our Allegiance and sought our Happiness elsewhere to him we return as our rightful and proper Happiness but Faith respects the Mediator who is the only Remedy of our Misery and the Means of our Eternal Blessedness He opened the way to God by his Merit and Satisfaction and actually bringeth us into this way by his renewing and reconciling Grace that we may be in a capacity both to please and enjoy God and that is the reason why Faith in Christ is so much insisted on as our Title and Claim to the Blessedness of the new Covenant It hath a special aptitude and fitness for our recovery from Sin to God because it peculiarly respects the Mediator by whom we come to him 2. With respect to Christ. 1. Because the whole Dispensation of Grace by Christ cannot well be apprehended by any thing but Faith partly because the Way of our Recovery is so supernatural strange and wonderful that unless we believe God's Testimony how can we be perswaded of it That the Carpenter's Son should be the Son of that great Architect and Builder who framed Heaven and Earth that Life should come to us by the Death of another that God should be made Man and the Judge a Party and he that knew no Sin be condemned as a Criminal Person that one crucified should procure the Salvation of the whole World and be Lord of Life and Death and have such Power over all Flesh as to give Eternal Life to whom he will Reason is puzsed at these things Faith can only unravel them Partly because the Comfort of the Promises is so rich and glorious and the Persons upon whom it is bestowed so unworthy that it cannot easily enter into the Heart of a Man that God will be so good and gracious to us 1 Cor. 2. 9. Eye hath not seen Ear hath not heard neither hath it entred into the Heart of Man to conceive the Things God hath prepared for them that love him Therefore Sense and Reason could look for no such thing Faith is necessary and a strong Faith that it may work upon us These are things
Birth they have the happiness to be born there where Christ is the God of the Country that which makes others Turks and Infidels makes them Christians but though they stand upon the higher Ground they are not the taller Men. 3. They are very willing to be forgiven by Christ and to obtain Eternal Life but this is what meer Necessity requires them They will not suffer him to do his whole Work to sanctify them and fit them to live to God nor part with their nearest and dearest Lusts and come into the obedience of the Gospel or at least if Christ will do it for them without their improving this Grace or using his holy Means they are contented But having such precious Promises and such a blessed Redeemer we are to cleanse our selves 2 Cor. 7. 11. The Work is ours though the Grace be from him So Gal. 5. 14. They that are Christ's have crucified the Flesh with the Affections and Lusts. 4. Some have a strong Conceit that they shall be saved and have Benefit by Christ. This which they call their Faith may be the greatest Unbelief in the World that Men living in their Sins shall yet do well enough is to believe the flat contrary of what God hath spoken in his Word 1 Cor. 6. 9. Know ye not that the Unrighteous shall not inherit the Kingdom of God Be not deceived neither Fornicators nor Idolaters nor Drunkards nor effeminate Persons c. shall inherit the Kingdom of God It is not Strength of Conceit but the sure Foundation of our Hope that will support us nor are they the most happy who have the least Trouble but who have the least Cause Use 2. Do we believe in the Son of God Here will be the great Case of Conscience for setling our Eternal Interest 1. If we believe Christ will be precious to us 1 Pet. 2. 7. Unto them which believe he is precious Christ cannot be accepted where he is not valued when other Things come in competition with him and God will not be prodigal of his Grace 2. Where there is true Faith the Heart will be purified Acts 15. 9. Purifying their Hearts by Faith 3. If you do believe in Christ the Heart will be weaned from the World 1 Ioh. 5. 4. For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the World and this is the Victory that overcometh the World even our Faith 4. If you have the true Faith it works by Love Gal. 5. 6. For in Iesus Christ neither Circumcision availeth any thing nor Uncircumcision but Faith which worketh by Love By these things will the Case be determined Then the Comfort and Sweetness of this Truth falls upon your Hearts that God so loved the World that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting Life SERMON XVII DEUT. 30. 15. See I have set before thee this day Life and Good Death and Evil. MOses the Man of God having acquainted the People with the Tenour of God's Commandments both concerning Worship and civil Conversation doth inforce all by a pregnant Exhortation laying before their Eyes the Blessings of Obedience and the Plagues and Curses that should overtake them in case they should decline from the Ways of the Lord thus recommended to them In all which he sheweth himself not only as an ordinary Preacher speaking by way of Exhortation and Doctrinal Threatning but as a special Prophet speaking by way of Prediction and that with such clearness and certainty that these few Chapters may be looked upon as an exact Kalender and Prognostication wherein the good or bad days of this People are expresly calculated and foretold yea comparing Events with the Prediction you would rather conceive Moses his Speech to be an Authentick Register and Chronicle of what is past than an infallible Prophecy of what was to come nothing good or bad hath befallen this People from the beginning to this Day but what is here foretold What is more largely declared upon in this Exhortation is contracted into a narrow room and summary here in the Text See I have set before thee this day Life and Good Death and Evil. In the Words observe 1. The Matter propounded in two Pairs that have a mutual Connection one with another Life and Good Death and Evil. 2. The Manner of Proposal I have set before thee 3. A Duty inferred or Attention excited See 1. The Matter propounded a double Pair or Conjugation Life and Good Death and Evil. Life as the End Good as the Means leading to Life Or else Life that is the enjoyment of God and Good the Felicity following it The Septuagint changeth the Order 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2. The Manner of Proposing I have set before thee The Septuagint 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is in a lively manner laid forth and offered for choice We have a saying 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that contraries put together do mutually illustrate each other Here is Good and Evil Life and Death put together that we may embrace the one and eschew the other As the Poets feign of Hercules when he was young Vertue and Vice came to woo and make court to him Vertue like a sober chast Virgin offering him Labours with Praise and Renown Vice like a painted Harlot wooing him with the Blandishment of Pleasures So in the 5th of Proverbs Wisdom and Folly are represented both pleading to draw in the Hearts of Men to them ver 4. compared with the 16th Whoso is simple let him turn in hither as for him that wanteth Understanding she saith Come eat of my Bread and drink of the Wine that I have mingled The one hath her Pleasures and the other hath her Pleasures only the Pleasures of Folly are stolen Waters and Bread eaten in secret Comforts we get by Stealth Jollity and Mirth when Conscience is asleep So here Moses layeth before them the fruit of Obedience and Disobedience Life and Death 3. The Word exciting Attention 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 See I have done this in order to Choice for so it is ver 19. Choose Life that both Thou and thy Seed may live Doct. It is the Duty of the Faithful Servants of the Lord in a lively manner to set before the People Life and Death as the fruit of Good and Evil. Moses was God's Minister to instruct this People and what doth he propose and confirm in his Doctrine but Life and Death Good and Evil and this was a part of his Faithfulness Witness that vehement Obtestation used ver 19. He calls Heaven and Earth to record that he had faithfully discharged his Duty herein This was the course that God himself took with Adam in Innocency he set before him Life and Death a Blessing and a Curse the Tree of Life and the Tree of Knowledg Gen. 2. 9. That he might live by the one and not perish by the other God had respect to the Mutability of his Nature and therefore restrained him by the threatning of
Restraint and groan for our Liberty we would fain have an opportunity of glorifying God if God should hear us in these kinds should not we be like affected to our Fellow-Servants and not seek to hunt every one that do a little dissent from us as Vermine to Death and as unworthy to be allowed among us A Man which is in Debt how grievous is it when others deal rigorously with him Now for him to deal so with others is a double Crime as being a Sin against a Law and against Experience You complain to God in the bitterness of your Soul when ye are under these Oppressions so will they complain against you therefore it is more evil in you The 3. Observation is this That this Rule is Spiritual and concerneth the inward Man as well as the outward not only Actions Words and Practises though it be said whatsoever Men do unto you but the Thoughts The whole Law of God is Spiritual Psal. 19. 7. The Law of God is perfect converting the Soul not only guides the Motions of the outward Man but reacheth to the workings of the Heart As is the first Table so is the second for we are told Mat. 22. 39. The second is like unto it Thou shalt love thy Neighbour as thy self How like to it 'T is as Spiritual as the first and therefore not only what I do but what I would think and purpose to do to others is comprehended in it Christ therefore speaks of Adultery committed in the Heart by impure and wanton thoughts and desires This Rule which concerns the whole second Table not only concerns the Actions but your Dispositions and Inclinations and not only provides against hard Speeches and outward Behaviour but the secret grudgings in your Hearts against others that your Affections may not be alienated from them For mark what is here What ye would Men should do to you do the same to them In other places it is Love thy Neighbour as thy self Gal. 5. 14. So that all the Duties and Practices which concern the good of our Neighbour must proceed from a Principle of Love The Justice of the second Table as required of Christians is a Justice tempred and excited by Love Though our outward Acts be never so pleasant yet if Love be not at the bottom of it it is not right As 1 Cor. 13. 3. If I give all my Goods to the Poor and have not Charity it signifieth nothing You will think that 's excessive Charity to give all my Goods Yea but if it be not done with Love it 's nothing worth not accepted nor rewarded by God And so we must refer these Words not only to the outward Man but the Principle of Love which is in the Heart 4. Proposition That all which is done by virtue of this Rule must be done not only out of Love to Man but out of Love to God and as an act of Obedience For when Christ gives us this Direction Whatsoever ye would c. he doth not give it as a Politick Course to establish Peace in the World but as a Compendious Rule to guide us in the Duties of the second Table Self-Love is the Measure but 't is not the Reason Ground or Principle of our Actions a Measure it is for we will certainly do right to our selves but to make it an act of Obedience so it is accepted of God It is a common Rule All Moral Duties must be done as in and to the Lord out of the Love of God Fear of God and Obedience to his Blessed Majesty Therefore it is said Eph. 5. 21. Submitting your selves one to another in the fear of God That must be the great Principle which swayeth us not Policy or respect to our own Interest but Conscience there must be a right Principle of Motion as well as a just Action if we will do exactly and according to the Law of Christ. Therefore here is the great difference between a Christian and an other Man in the Duties of the second Table in his Moralities he turns second-Table-Duties into first-Table-Duties it is a thing carried on throughout the whole Scripture Thus if he gives Alms his Alms is a Sacrifice Sacrifice is a Duty of the first Table but Alms is clearly a Duty of the second Table So all his Commerce I do but instance in one for all what he doth to Men must be done in and to the Lord. So here in this very Case Love to Man it is but a Stream which comes from a higher Fountain and that is Love to God A Christian loves God first and indeed he loves nothing but God for he loves God in all his Creatures In Men we love his Natural Image but in the Saints his Spiritual Image 1 Joh. 4. 21. This Commandment have we from him that he who loveth God love his Brother also Our Love to our ordinary Brother must be excited and measured by our Love to God and our Love to our Christian Brother our Fellow-Saints must be from the Love of God 1 Joh. 5. 1. Every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him So much for the Negative part Secondly Now let us come to the Affirmative part which establisheth Charity For it is not enough if we do not hurt others but we must do them good Now Charity is seen in two things both in Giving and Forgiving First in Giving What you would Men should do to you do you the same to them Be as ready to do good as to receive good A Man is never in a right frame of Spirit untill he takes as much delight in doing others good as he would take in having good done to himself nay more for our Lord tells us That it is a more blessed thing to give than to receive Acts. 20. 30. Why a more blessed thing because this comes nearest to the Nature of God who gives all and takes of none And therefore as we would imitate God in other things we should in this also for all God's Works should leave an Impression upon us his Election should make us choose him and his ways his Love to love him his Giving should make us to give As a Child hath Part for Part Limb for Limb answerable to his Father so should a Child of God answer God in all his moral Perfections especially in his Goodness As you come behind saith the Apostle in no Gift so do not come behind in this also 2 Cor. 8. 2. And the Rule of Christ here is that which doth inforce this As ye would c. do you afford to others that Comfort that Succour that Relief in all their Distresses which you would desire they should afford to you if you were in the same Case and in the same distress Alas you will say Pity should be shewed to a Man by his Friend and will you be Merciless and shut up your Bowels and not shew this pity to others If you were pined with Hunger and your
qualified for these Priviledges or he that thankfully and humbly accepts of the offered Saviour and consents to the Covenant made with God the Father Son and Holy Spirit he is washed from his Sins in the Blood of Christ reconciled adopted into God's Family and made an Heir according to the hope of Eternal Life Tit. 3. 7. This first Faith by which we believe and consent to the Covenant implieth both a dependance on God's Mercy and Christ's Merits and also a consent of Obedience or hearty Subjection to God 4. When we have consented to accept Christ and his Benefits and do give our selves to him then Works or new Obedience follow as necessary to continue our right to Pardon and Life For none have benefit by God's Covenant but those that keep his Covenant as well as make it and without this we cannot have Communion with God 1 John 1. 7. If we walk in the Light as he is in the Light we have fellowship one with another Nor evidence the reality of our Faith and Repentance St. Paul was sent to Preach to the Gentiles That they should repent and turn to God and do works meet for Repentance Acts 26. 20. Besides we cannot preserve our claim and right if we do not still go on to do good 1 Tim. 6. 18. Ezek. 18. 24. When the Righteous turneth away from his Righteousness and committeth Iniquity shall he live all his Righteousness shall not be mentioned in his Trespasses that he hath trespassed and in his Sin that he hath sinned in them shall he die It is true of the Hypocrite without Scruple and of the real righteous Man if you suppose the one you may suppose the other Well these things must not be confounded nor opposed not confounded but we must distinctly consider what is proper to the Grace of God proper to the Merit of Christ proper to Faith proper to Works not opposed so as to make the one exclude the other As the Grace of God to exclude the Merit of Christ or serve instead of it nor the Merit of Christ his Blood and Righteousness to exclude Faith and Repentance nor be instead of them nor Faith to exclude good Works 5. All the applying Grace is from first to last wrought in us by the Spirit He doth renew and heal our Natures as coming to us from the Grace of God and Merits of Christ. Tit. 3. 5 6. According to his Mercy he saveth us by the washing of Regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost which he shed on us abundantly through Iesus Christ our Saviour By the Holy Spirit working in us habitual Grace and exciting it we believe repent obey do whatever is necessary to be done to obtain Eternal Life Therefore this must not be omitted but acknowledged as a great part of this Grace III. Use. To exhort us if we would shew our selves to be new Creatures indeed to be full of good Works The Arguments to move us are 1. It is a necessary fruit of inward Grace and so doth plainly shew that you are partakers of Heavenly Wisdom Iames 3. 17. The Wisdom which is from above is first pure then peaceable gentle and easy to be intreated full of Mercy and good fruits The carnal Worldling all his Wisdom is to grow rich to himself which indeed is but Folly Luke 12. 21. His business is to live to the Flesh Gal. 6. 8. He layeth out all his Strength Time and Care and Wealth for the feeding his own carnal Desires but the other soweth to the Spirit layeth out himself in works of Piety and Charity 2. External Acts which flow from an Internal Principle increase the Habit the more you do good the more you are inabled to do good as bodily Strength is increased by Exercise Why is the right Hand more agil stronger and bigger than the left it is oftner exercised and so fuller of Blood and Spirits So in Grace the more you act Faith the more is Faith increased Love groweth more fervent being kept in a constant Exercise and Hope more lively and affective Always Actions increase the Principles which did produce them partly of their own Nature 1 Iohn 2. 5. Whoso keepeth his Word in him verily is the Love of God perfected The more acts of Love he puts forth towards God the more doth his Love increase in him partly by Divine Reward Heb. 6. 10. He is not unrighteous to forget your labour of Love which ye have shewed towards his Name in that ye have ministred to the Saints and do minister God rewards them temporally 2 Cor. 9. 12. God is able to make all Grace abound towards you that you always having all sufficiency in all things may aboud to every good Work That is to give you to be liberal at all times And when he saith God is able it not only implieth that God is the Fountain of all Plenty and Sovereign Disposer of it and so hath power to make you the richer rather than the poorer by your Liberality to make every Alms you give like the Oil in the Cruse to multiply as you pour it out that there shall be enough for every Object and every Occasion but also he is sure to make it good for he quotes it again in the next Verse as it is written He hath dispersed abroad he hath given to the Poor his Righteousness remaineth for ever It is taken out of Psalm 112. where there are signal Promises of Wealth and Riches in the House of the liberal Alms-giver God rewards them eternally 2 Cor. 9. 6. He which soweth sparingly shall reap sparingly and he which soweth bountifully shall reap bountifully Now is the Seed-time hereafter is our Harvest and Crop we shall have a liberal reward from God in the general Resurrection God also rewards his obedient Servants Spiritually Internally and that not only with more Comfort and Peace but by increasing the Grace it self for God that punishes Sin with Sin doth reward Grace with Grace Wells are sweeter for draining on the other side a Key that is seldom turned rusts in the Lock An intermission of good Works makes us more unable and unready for them 3. It is a greater Honour to God John 15. 8. Herein is my Father glorified that you bear much Fruit. Phil. 1. 11. Being filled with the Fruits of Righteousness which are by Iesus Christ unto the Glory and praise of God 2 Thess. 1. 11 12. Wherefore we pray for you that our God would count you worthy of this Calling and fulfil all the good Pleasure of his Goodness and the work of Faith with Power that the Name of our Lord Iesus Christ may be glorified in you and you in him Christ's Religion is not a barren Religion but full of good Works It is a mighty credit to Religion in you that profess it when Goodness is the Constitution of your Hearts to do good the business of your Lives 4. It edifieth others and provoketh an holy Emulation Heb. 10. 24. Let us consider one another to provoke unto Love and to good Works We provoke them most by our Example when they are cold negligent and backward to Works of Piety and Mercy In all things we should be an Instance of Divine Vertues 5. This is the fruit which God expecteth from us that the Trees of Righteousness should bear the Fruits of Righteousness If we frustrate his expectation he will hew us down and cast us into the Fire Mat. 3. 10. Therefore good Works are not needless things The means to enable us are 1. Be sure that you are renewed The Dead cannot do the works of the Living Neither do Men gather Grapes of Thorns nor Figgs of Thistles Mat. 7. 16. Our first business is to look to our Conversion to God All outward Duties begin in the Heart they are valued no further than they come from it sanctified 2. Keep your Hearts under a Sence of God's Authority that you may feel something in your own Bosoms that may tell you you are bound to obey him and may plead God's right with you This is done by a frequent Meditation upon your Creation and Redemption Your Creation giveth God a full right to you and Redemption maketh it comfortable by both you see you are his Acts 27. 23. There stood by me this Night the Angel of God whose I am and whom I serve 3. You are intrusted with his Talents and of their improvement you must give an account Mat. 25. 14. A Lord called his Servants and delivered to them his Goods in order to Improvement 4. What encouragement we have from a gracious God and Covenant which takes not advantage of involuntary Weaknesses but accepteth their endeavours who sincerely do their best Mal. 3. 17. I will spare him as a Man spareth his Son that serveth him 5. Remember often your great obligation to God you can never do so much for him as he deserveth of you Psal. 116. 12. What shall I render to the Lord for all his Benefits towards me 6. Do all as in God's Eye and with a constant dependance upon him Psal. 16. 8. I have set the Lord always before me Make him your Pay-master Governour and Judg and it will not only keep you sincere but diligent in good Works The work is not sincerely done when you look to Man nor throughly done Such have their reward only here Mat. 6. 7. Love your Work A little thing will stop him that doth it unwillingly Psal. 119. 47 48. I will delight my self in thy Commandments which I have loved And I will lift up my Hands to thy Commandments which I have loved 8. Account your selves much beholden to God that he will employ you in any Service for his Glory FINIS ERRATA PAge 5. line 3. for Condemned read Contemned P. 41. l. 18. f. Love r. Fear P. 79. l. 31. f. it r. the Promises P. 92. l. 24. f. that r. if P. 104. l. 8. f. Hearty r. Heart P. 125. l. 3. f. External r. Eternal P. 128. l. 26. after they were r. not P. 150. l. 17. after Obedience dele partly P. 168. l. 17. f. Conversations r. Consolations P. 181. l. 23. f. of Cognisance r. of our Cognisance P. 212. l. 33. after ever-blessed add Life P. 113. l. 17. f. overaweth r. outlaweth P. 252. l. 20. f. them r. him P. 167. l. 11. dele partly P. 289. l. 9. f. to evince r. towards its ruine Gal. 5. 24. Gen. 3. 7 10.
For Continuance in the new Covenant and delightful Obedience unto God The Remedy is not only suted to the Disease but the Duty to the Reward Our Duty is to know God and to love Him and our Reward is to see Him and be like Him 1 Ioh. 3. 2. There is a marvellous Sutableness between the End and Means Holiness and Happiness Conformity to God and our Communion with Him the Holiness required of us now and the Happiness we expect hereafter perfect Conformity and uninterrupted Communion And they differ only but as the Bud and the Flower the River and the Ocean Here it is begun hereafter perfected III. In the Application of his Grace to particular Believers he hath abounded towards us in all Wisdom and Prudence 1. In the Way God taketh to convert Souls to Himself there is a sweet Contemperation and Mixture of Wisdom and Power There is a Proposal of Truth and Good to the Understanding and the Will and by the secret Power of his Grace it is made effectual We are taught and drawn Ioh. 6. 44 45. No Man can come unto me except the Father which hath sent me draw him In the 45th vers And they shall be all taught of God Every Man therefore that hath heard and learned of the Father cometh unto me There is opening of blind Eyes and the turning of an hard Heart Acts 26. 18. To open their Eyes and to turn them from Darkness to Light c. Eph. 1. 18. The Eyes of the Understanding being opened c. Col. 3. 10. Renewed in Knowledg Turning the Heart Acts 16. 29. God opened the Heart of Lydia Acts 11. 21. The Hand of the Lord was with him and a great Number believed and turned to the Lord. His Hand implieth his Power Thus God worketh strongly like Himself sweetly with respect to us that he may not oppress the Liberty of our Faculties Christ comes into the Heart not by Force but by Consent We are transformed but so as we prove what the Will of God is Rom. 12. 2. He draweth we run Cant. 1. 4. The Power of God and Liberty of Man do sweetly consist together As God is said to create in us a new Heart he is also said to give us a free Spirit Psal. 51. 10 12. Eph. 2. 10. We are said to be his Workmanship created in Christ Iesus unto good Works which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them So he puts a new Heart and we are said to walk in his Ways Ezek. 36. 26 27. A new Heart will I also give you and a new Spirit will I put within you and I will take away the stony Heart out of your Flesh and I will give you an Heart of Flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you and cause you to walk in my Statutes and ye shall keep my Iudgments and do them Thus God sheweth forth the powerful Efficacy of his Grace and doth also win the Consent and good Liking of the Sinner he obtaineth his Effect and yet doth preserve the Liberty of Man's Nature and the Principles thereof It is not only Voluntas mota but mutata the Nature is changed and renewed 2 Cor. 3. 18. But we all with open Face beholding as in a Glass the Glory of the Lord are changed into the same Image from Glory to Glory even as by the Spirit of the Lord. 2. In the perswasive and moral Way the Wisdom of God is seen as taking the most likely Course to gain the Heart of Man discovering Himself to us as a God of Love Kindness and Mercy Guilty Creatures stand aloof from a condemning God our Fear of his Justice maketh us run from him Gen. 3. 7 10. Adam hid himself from the presence of the Lord. So all his Posterity forsake God and hate him But God though the Superior though the wronged Party maketh Offers of Peace and sheweth how willing he is to be reconciled to us Having first laid the Foundation in the highest Demonstration of Goodness that ever could come to the Ears of Man to hear of or enter into the Heart of Man to conceive namely in giving his Son to die for a sinful World 2 Cor. 5. 19 20. What more apt to make Man relent And then because Man had fallen from the Love of God to the Creature Ier. 2. 3. What Wisdom doth God shew not only in the Offers of Pardon but Eternal Life and Blessedness infinitely beyond the false Happiness which carnal Self-Love inclineth us to that it is a Shame and Disgrace to our Reason to think these things are worthy to be compared together What are all the Pleasures Profits and Honours we dote upon to the Pleasures at God's right-Hand the Riches of the Inheritance of the Saints and the Glory which cometh from God And therefore what more powerful Motive can be produced than this Blessed Immortality Indeed God is invisible and the Glory is to come and sensual Pleasures are at hand ready to be enjoyed But Faith checketh Sense Heb. 11. 1. Faith is the Evidence of Things not seen O the Wisdom of God in the Frame of the Gospel 2. In the Effect it self the new Creature which is the wisest Creature on this side Heaven To evidence this to you I shall shew you that all Wisdom and Prudence consisteth in three things 1. In fixing a right End 2. In the choice of apt and proper Means 3. In a dextrous effectual Prosecution of the End by those Means 1. In fixing and propounding to ourselves a right End A wise Man doth not mind Trifles but is conversant about Things of the greatest Reality Necessity and Excellency such are God and Heaven All other Wisdom will prove but Folly in the end Others disquiet themselves about a vain Show Psal. 59. 6. Poor silly Creatures cark and labour and turmoil to get together a few poor transitory Enjoyments where there is neither durable possession nor solid Satisfaction The Honours Pleasures and Riches of the World are but Pictures and Shadows of the true Honours the true Riches and Fulness of Joy at God's right Hand Surely he is a wise Man that chooseth God for his Portion and Heaven for his Home Prov. 15. 24. The Way of Life is above to the Wise to avoid Hell beneath He is wise and hath chosen the true Sort of living which mindeth the Salvation of his Soul and looketh after Eternal Life Surely this is above and beyond any Wisdom Man can pretend unto to be happy not for a while but for ever 2. In the Choice of apt and proper Means A Man is wise enough if he knows his Duty and the Way to Happiness God hath appointed us the Way wherein to walk to fear him and love him and keep his Commandments Deut. 4. 6. Keep these Statutes for this is your Wisdom Job 28. 28. The Fear of God that is Wisdom and to depart from Evil that is Understanding There is an Excellency in this sort of Life Prov. 12.
Children cry for Bread and you have none to give them would you not complain of the hardness of their Hearts which have this Worlds Goods and shut up their Bowels against them and not dispense any thing to their Necessities Why if you know the Heart of an indigent Person it cannot but move you to observe this Rule And the rather because usually with what measure we meet to others it is recompensed into our Bosoms by God's Providence for what ever need others have of us we have infinitely more of God and there will a time come when we shall be as destitute before God as they are before you For Instance In a time of Sickness when all outward helps fail Psal. 41. 1. Blessed is he that considereth the Poor the Lord will consider him in time of Trouble Why he that is affected with an others Condition as his own when it is a time of trouble and distress with him and it may be his Brother cannot help him then the Lord will help him either in Sickness or Trouble of Conscience when all outward Comforts are as the white of an Egg when the poor perplexed Sinner cries Mercy Mercy the Lord will shew him Mercy as he did to others Mat. 5. 7. Blessed are the Merciful for they shall obtain Mercy Those that only seek to enrich themselves and solace themselves with Mirth and Pleasure in the good things they have must not expect the like Promises But those which have been Merciful Bountiful and ready to help others God delights to shew them Mercy and when they are most destitute they shall find that God takes notice of this that they were ready to relieve others Secondly In Forgiving the same Rule holds A necessary Duty For while we are here in the World there will be Weaknesses and Offences and we need mutually to forgive and to take Pardon It is said Col. 3. 13. Forbearing one another and forgiving one another if any Man have a quarrel against any Even as Christ forgave you so also do ye See the same Eph. 4. 32. Forgiving one another as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you Mark he proceeds upon this Principle that Christ layeth down Whatsoever ye would c. We are in the World and in the Flesh and therefore should not rigidly exact upon the failings of others lest they or others deal so with us when our turn comes We need Pardon in this kind for we give Offence Eccl. 7. 21 22. Take no heed unto all Words that are spoken lest thou hear thy Servant curse thee for oftentimes also thine Heart knoweth that thou thy self likewise hast cursed others The meaning is we should not be over-affected with others speaking ill of us because we know we have spoken ill of others and should pass it by with meekness and neglect therefore the consideration of our Passions and of our Infirmities should move us to Pardon We have been or may be as bad as they We have been once Tit. 3. 3. Foolish and Disobedient led by our unruly Appetites and Desires therefore we should shew Meekness to them I and we may be surprised again James 3. 1. My Brethren be not many Masters for in many things we offend all Be not many Masters that is severe masterly or supercilious if another be fallen and hath offended us for we shall receive the greater Condemnation The Apostle argueth from another Argument Col. 3. 13. And Eph. 4. 32. Forgive others as God hath for Christ's sake forgiven us There is no Man can wrong us as much as we trespass against God and though we are but as the Drop of the Bucket and the small Dust of the Ballance yet our great and many Sins are freely forgiven to us therefore it should prevail with us freely and easily to Pardon one another The Scripture urgeth this O when we consider Christ's Example how Christ hath forgiven us when we consider the greatness of the Wrongs which he pardons Sins that are of a Scarlet and Crimson die Isa. 1. 18. when we consider our own baseness in comparison of him Isa. 40. 22. Who sitteth upon the Circle of the Earth and the Inhabitants thereof are as Grass-hoppers and when we consider his Omnipotency to right himself of the wrongs done to him How he can cast Body and Soul into Hell Fire Surely this should move us to forgive others Yea and it is not only a Motive but a Rule Forgive others as God forgives us what 's that Sincerely not hypocritically freely not unwillingly fully not by halfs irrevocably not for a time only but as God forgives and casts all our Sins into the depth of the Sea so should we forgive and pass by the Sins of others Christians shall I urge another Argument in this Case what need there is of Forgiveness Hereby a Man overcometh himself hereby he shames the Party that did him wrong and hereby he takes God's course to get the Victory over the Person which hath done him the wrong Hereby he overcometh himself his own Nature which thirsteth after Revenge Prov. 16. 32. He that is slow to Anger is better than the Mighty and he that ruleth his Spirit than he that taketh a City He is able to rule himself so 't is his Glory he doth overcome that revengeful and froward Disposition which is in his own Nature And hereby he overcomes and shames the Party that did him wrong there is no such way to do this as by Forgiveness Thus David did overcome Saul 1 Sam. 24. 17. When David had him at an advantage and spared him Saul said to David Thou art more Righteous than I. O what a Victory was this to overcome that fierce Man's Heart and reconcile him And you keep God's way in overcoming him it is God's prescribed course that you should thus overcome him by Kindness and Meekness Rom. 12. 21. Be not overcome of Evil but overcome Evil with Good But wherein must we express this Forgiveness towards others as to the wrong to be forgiven we must consider it either as an offence against God or sometimes against publick Laws or as it is an offence against us So far as it is an offence against God or the publick Laws here we have not power to Forgive and Punishment is due to the common Good Poena debitur The Lord himself that forgives us and forgives for Christ's sake hath secured the Honour of his governing Justice by Satisfaction and if the Law requires it we cannot intermedle there only we must pray to God earnestly for them that 's our Duty Iam. 4. 15. and in some Cases we may interceed with the Magistrate to take off the Penalty and are so bound This Forgiveness implieth two things a removal of an inward Grudg and a readiness to do all Duties of Love and Kindness to them 1. A removal of an inward Grudg and endeavours after private Revenge Lev. 19. 17 18. Thou shalt not hate thy Brother in thine Heart thou shalt in any
wise rebuke thy Neighbour and not suffer Sin upon him thou shalt not avenge nor bear any grudg against the Children of thy People but thou shalt love thy Neighbour as thy self Thou shalt not bear a Grudg against him for then you hate him in your Heart 2. There must be a readiness to do all Duties of Love and Kindness to him who hath done the wrong as God ministreth Occasion and Ability There are many Laws for this Exod. 23. 4 5. If thou meet thine Enemies Ox or Ass going astray thou shalt surely bring it back to him again If thou see the Ass of him that hateth thee lye under his Burthen and wouldst forbear to help him thou shalt surely help with him Luk. 6. 27. Love your Enemies do good to them that hate you Bless them that Curse you Now so far are we bound to remit the private grudg because of the offence done to us and also to take all occasions to do them good Object But whether may not we have recourse to the Magistrate for the recovery of our Right and reparation of our Wrongs Answ. Certainly we may provided we go not to Law for Trifles for when we go to Law for small Matters and that before Infidels the Apostle reproves it 1 Cor. 6. 2. And when after all lawful Means and Courses are used before for taking away the occasion as ver 5. Is there not a wise Man among you to take up the difference And when it is not with a Spirit of Revenge and Rigour for a Christian should shew his Moderation in all things Phil. 4. 5. and his Lenity Gentleness and Readiness to Forgive But if it be out of a Spirit of Revenge not the Conscience of Justice we abuse God's Ordinance to our private Passions Rom. 13. 3. Having thus explained the Law let me vindicate this Rule 1. It seems not to be so perfect a Rule because many desire and wish much evil to themselves should they desire evil to others As he that would be Drunk should he make another Drunk And he that commits Filthiness should he intice others Answ. The meaning is not what we do in a Passion which works not the Righteousness of God but it is meant of a regular Will not that we do with evil Desires as that we do in right Reason that which you do well informed well advised free from discomposed Passion what is according to the Law of Nature engraven upon your Hearts which is most legible in our own Case what the Law of Nature would judge to be the Duty of other Men to do It is not meant of inordinate sinful Desires 2. But doth not this Rule make all Men equal and destroy all Order and Superiority if every Man must do as he would be done unto What shall a Master require of a Servant no more than he will do to him Would a poor Man have a rich Man give him Relief Should he give him no more than he expects back again from this poor Man No The meaning is that for that time we should suppose our selves in the Condition of Servants and of that poor Man you should put your selves in their stead and suppose if I were a Servant if I were Poor we should put our selves in the same equality with them and by the Law of Proportion the same things that would seem reasonable to you if you were in their Condition you should chearfully do to them For Instance If I were a Servant and did obey would not I judg such exaction Burthensome and Unreasonable If I were Poor and driven to seek Relief would not I judg a denial harsh If I were a Master should not I judg such an Offence injurious to my Authority 3. Doth not this establish Revenge and Retaliation of Injuries to do to him as he hath done to me Answ. No rather much the contrary for it is not what they have done to us Christ doth not say so but what we would have to be done to us that do to them See Prov. 24. 29. Say not I will do so to him as he hath done to me I will render to the Man according to his Work That 's an ill reasoning within our selves and takes God's work out of his Hands whose Prerogative it is to give to every Man according to his Work The Rule is not look backward but forward It doth not look to what they have done to us but what we should do to them To think to do the same would certainly break this Rule of Christ and make us be burthensom to others by such Actions and burthensom to our selves and so sin not only against our own Conscience but against Sense and Feeling of the thing committed Injury and Revenge differ only in Order He that returns Injury for Injury doth but imitate the Adversary and he that imitates that which is evil in another sins twice both against the Law and his own Conscience 4. If all the World were contented to observe this Rule then we should have a quiet World but others are very oppressive unjust and very hard to me this is to live by the Loss and to bring a restraint upon my self from which others are free Answ. Do your Duty to them though they do not theirs to you Others Sins will not exempt you from the Law of God which is your Rule and not their Actions Whatever they do to you yet carry it Christianly and Meekly towards them You are accountable to God for your own Actions not for the Actions of another Man Therefore if you be able to guide your own Spirit to them how perverse soever they be to you you will have the Comfort that you have endeavoured to do your Duty Having vindicated the Rule let me shew you the Grounds and the Equity of it What are the intrinsick Grounds and Reasons why Christ hath given such a Rule to us No Question it is founded not in his bare Authority but in great Equity There are two Grounds 1. The Actual Equality of all Men by Nature 2. The Possible Equality of all Men as to their Condition and State of Life 1. The Actual Equality of all Men by Nature Mal. 2. 10. Have we not all one Father Hath not one God created us Were we not all created by the same God I and mark the Equality goes further We were all made of one Blood Acts 17. 26. all descended from Adam Unequal diversity of Rank doth not take away Identity of Nature There is a diversity of Rank indeed Some are High some Low some Rich some Poor some Governors some Governed some Teachers and some obey But we are all made of one Blood So Neh. 5. 5. Our Flesh is as the Flesh of our Brethren our Children as their Children Some are highly advanced above others yet the poorest Creature and you is one Flesh and by Nature hath an equal right with you Therefore it is said Isa. 58. 9. Thou shalt not hide thy self from thine owe