Dew of Heaven never sinks so deep as to come to that root Therefore as it is said in 1. Joh. 3. A man that is borne of God cannot sinne Why Because the Seed of God abides in him he hath a root in him So on the other side an Hypocrite he can doe nothing to purpose because there is a seed of sin in him there is a root there is a Coare at the heart that the Dew of Heaven never toucheth Therefore it is a signe that thou seest God aright when the impressions of it in thy Soule goe through and through that they soak into thy very soule as I may say and fetch out thy inward lusts Thirdly and lastly and there I shall leave at 3 They are universall this time these impressions are universall An Hypocrite or a wicked man in time may have some impressions upon his soule of some one thing of God or some few things As for instance Judas had an impression upon his heart and a sad one too of the Justice of God it made him goe and hang himselfe And so Saul and Pharaoh and others but that was but of one thing But now a Saint he hath impressions of all that is in God that is there is nothing in God but he hath a heart to answer it he hath as it were to speak with reverence a Coppy of God written on his soule he hath an impression of the love of God as well as of the feare of God of delight and trust in God and the like This is the difference betweene a Saint of God and an Hypocrite Therefore in Exod. 34. When Moses was so desirous to see God O Lord saith he let me see thy glory God revealed his glory and told him his name The Lord God the Lord mercifull gracious long suffering abundant in mercy keeping mercy for thousands Forgiving iniquity transgression and sin and that wil not cleare the guilty visiting the sins of the Fathers upon the Children God tells him of visiting of wicked People What was this to Moses God would not tell him halfe his name but all Therefore he tells him what he was to the Saints The Lord gracious and mercifull long suffering abundant in goodnesse and truth keeping mercy for thousands And then he tels him what he would be to the wicked he would have the impression of the whole name of God upon Moses It is a signe thy apprehensions of God are true though they be weake and small when they be reall and thorow and universall The third thing is The Expressions or Effects of it but that I must leave till another time SERMON 3. Isaiah 6. 5. For mine eyes have seene the King the Lord of Hosts YOu remember the Lesson I doubt not that we are upon that The Saints have a peculiar priviledge above all others that they can even in this world see God They can see God in Jesus Christ I did open this and proved it and shewed you the last time how by the Word of God you might know whether ye have ever seene God in this manner whether God have ever bestowed this glorious priviledge upon any of you Three waye I tooke to shew it to you The first was by your apprehensions of God The second was by the impressions that those apprehensions of God have upon you The third thing which I am now to come to is by the Expressions of them or by their Effects If you would know whether you have seene God aright 3 By the expressions of them which are or no I say you may know it by the expressions of it How doth it set it selfe forth in thee It works something upon thee and that vents and shewes it selfe some way in thy heart and life Therefore I finde in Scripture especially in the Epistles of John where much is said of seeing God he brings the Saints usually to know the sight of God by outward expressions Because though it be cleare as I said yet it is so small that a St. cannot alway see it unlesse he consider the workings of it also upon his heart and life as well as his single apprehension Therefore saith he in one place by this you shall know that you have seene God if ye confesse Christ And in another place If yee love the Brethren c. Now there are these foure or five cleare things in Scripture that demonstrate a man to be one that hath seene God The first is this If thou hast seene God certainly the Lord hath purified thy heart the Lord hath given thee a pure 1 Purity of heart heart For saith Christ in his first Sermon Blessed are the pure in heart For they shall see God And in Heb. 12. Without holinesse it is impossible to see God Matthew 5. that is a cleare generall rule And therefore I say thou mayest then read if thou or I be a Man or a Woman to whom God hath not given a pure heart if God have not purified thy heart certainly as yet thou hast not seene God For if any man saith he hath seene God or that he walke in the light and yet live in sin he is a Lyar and there is no truth in him at all you are to give no credit to him at all al his apprehensions are but fancies Now the question will be what is the purifying of the heart Or how may I know that BELOVED according to the language of the What meant by a pure heart Scripture I find that by a pure heart is meant two things First by a pure heart is not ordinarily meant as 1 The conscience purified from guilt of sinne you take it for the killing of sinne in the soule I say not ordinarily But the chiefe meaning of the purifying of the heart is to have the conscience for the heart is taken for the conscience to have the conscience purified and washed from the guilt of sinne Therefore in Act. 15. say the Apostles and Elders Why should we doe thus and thus with them Seeing their hearts are purified by faith as well as ours That is seeing they believe in Jesus Christ and thereby have peace of conscience setled in their hearts To cleare and open this a little to you There Conscience purified What are three expressions that the holy Ghost useth in Heb. 10. that open this Heb. 10. 2. A pure heart in this sence is a man that hath no conscience of sinne that is the Scripture language one that hath no conscience of sinne Not as it is commonly in your sence one that makes no conscience of sinning one that continues in sinne But one that hath no conscience of sinne That is one whose conscience is not stained with the guilt of sinne but by the bloud of Christ there is a perfect peace setled within him Peace and joy in believing For that it is to have conscience of sinne when alway upon the least infirmitie there is guilt heaped upon the conscience of
notwithstanding God did all this Examine your hearts by this Againe as a humble heart can be content that 4. A humble heart content with the least mercies God should denie him any mercy and secondly be content that God should take away any mercy and thirdly be content to waite upon God for mercies So in the fourth place after all his waiting he can be content with the least pittance of mercie A proud heart will not doe so take a proud beggar and make him waite an houre or two and then after give him but a farthing and he will grumble that he should stay so long and loose other customers others that might have releeved and helped him but a humble heart is content to waite long and after all is content with a little I will give you but one instance Mat. 15. 26. There was a blessed woman that followed Christ for a mercie Christ was silent a while and said nothing and though shee cried out yet he sayth nothing At last he calls her dog sayth shee am I a dog I take it well but the dogs sayth shee eat the crums that fall from their Masters table What is the meaning of that You know the dog stayes till his Master have dined and when his Master hath dined he is content with a bone or with the least crust that falls The dog is not served presently as soone as his Master sits downe but he stayes till all have dined and if a bone or a bit fall he is content with that A humble heart is like a dog in that he will stay his masters time as that woman shee could stay Jesus Christs leasure and see him carve mercies upon other mens trenchers and she have but a bone or a crust or a bit of bread when all was done and yet be well content The Fifth thing is this that a humble heart in 5. He is thankfor a heart to receive mercies respect of Gods mercies he will be content and thankfull to God to give him a hand and a heart to receive mercies That is a great measure of this grace of Gospell humiliation when God gives a man a little mercie after all his waiting he sees his owne weaknesse though the Lord be rich in mercie yet he cannot take it though it be layd downe upon the naile yet he cannot take it up without God give him a heart It is not so with the poore beggers of the World if you give them money they have a purse to lay it up in if you give them meat they have a budget to put it in but the soul is not able to receive any mercie I mean not any spirituall mercie temporall mercies it may but not spirituall unlesse God give a hand and a heart to receive it I have seen poore women in the Mountaines of VVales and I have oft thought of it they have been so poor that when they have come to a house to beg a little whey or butter-milke they have been fain to beg the loane of a pot or a dish to put it in So we when we come to beg mercie of God we must desire the Lord when we have done our best to give us eyes to see it and a heart to lay it up and a hand to receive it for the naturall man receives not the things of God And beleiving is called receiving and it is the gift of God to beleive We cannot believe that is we cannot receive the least mercie of God unlesse he give us hands and hearts This is the disposition of a humble heart when I pray for mercie of God I see God is full of mercie and Christ is a Fountaine full of grace but I have not eyes to behold it I have not a hand to receive it We cannot carrie one graine of grace home unlesse God give us spirituall buckets As that woman said John 4. Here is water but where is the bucket to draw So God may say thou wantest grace but where is thy bucket sayth the humble soul Lord I have none thou must both give the water and lend the bucket to carry it home And then Sixtly a humble heart is discovered by this that when the Lord shall give him any 6. He is content that God give lawes how to use his mercies mercie he will be content that God shall give him as many laws as he will to use these mercies a humble heart will doe so A proud begger if you give him a couple of shillings and say be sure you buy you some cloaths with this or get some good thing for your wife and children he will be ready to say you need not tell me how I shall use it I know what to doe with it Now give a humble begger foure or five shillings and say carrie one to your wife and with two shillings buy you a paire of shooes and doe this and this he will be content to doe all you tell him make as many lawes as you will if you give him any thing It is just so with the soul of a humbled Christian when the Lord gives a mercy to a proud heart he is ready to say I know what to doe with it well enough but when he gives any thing to a humble Saint he is content that the Lord should teach him And thence it is that when the Lord offers mercie and Salvation and offers Christ to a proud heart he is content to take the mercie but he would goe on in his sins still but hold sayth Christ now thou receivest Salvation and grace thou must not live in thy old wayes thou must shake off thy old companie and be a new man No the proud heart will have none of all those he would take the mercie but he will goe on in his owne way But a humble man is as Abraham we see he stayed long for a child and then God gave him a son and when he had his son Isaac God gave him a law for Isaac Abraham sayth he there is a son and a great mercie and all Nations shall be blessed in him but thou must take thy son and carry him to such a place and with thine owne hands upon such a hill thou must cut his throat and some of the old Rabbins say that he was to take a pole and to stir his bowells in the fire and according as the Lord so Abraham handled his mercie Thus it is with an humble heart But lastly and so I shall conclude a humble heart towards God in the way of his mercie is New mercies added add to his thankfulnesse discovered by this that every addition of mercie that God bestowes upon him obligeth his heart more and more to a holy thankfullnesse and obedience And truely as I have sayd we oft break our communion with God by our unthankfullnesse and our unthankfulnesse ariseth from the pride of our hearts A proud heart thinks that Proud hearts unthankfull he hath alwayes too little
talke but little and though I sweare and be drunke somtimes yet I have a good mind to God I say that cannot be for if the Tree be naught the fruit cannot be good If I see a few sparks at the topp of the Chimny I am sure there is a greater fire within if wickednesse be in thy Tongue there is a treasure of wickednesse in thy heart If a man hath nothing but basenesse and wickednesse and sinfulnesse in his life and conversation I will never beleive that that man hath a good heart for if the heart were holie it would make the whole man holy and if the mind be naught it is impossible but that the man should be so too Another word you may learne from hence Use 4. Christ dyed not for all alike if you will give me leave to shew my judgement For I speake against no man but shew what God by his grace hath shewed to me as I conceive that it is not the will of God that we should conceive that Jesus Christ did equally dye for all men and redeeme all men To say nothing of other Scriptures for it is a great controversie and diverse godly men doe doubt of it from this Scripture If we say that Christ did die for all men equally or alike for those that shall be damned and those that shall be saved Then it may be asked who makes the difference how comes it to passe that he died for all seeing there are but some saved You will answer that some beleive and some doe not Then how is it that some doe beleive and some doe not Surely if Christ died for all men alike then it must follow that surely some men have power to beleive and some have not But this Scripture saith plainlie that the mind of a carnall man minds carnall things nay the mind of a carnall man his best part is open enmity to God it is contrary to God And the Scripture sayth that we are dead in sins therefore a carnall man cannot doe any thing that is spirituall a man that is dead is altogether fleshly he cannot beleive or receive Jesus Christ Therefore I say the Lord Christ he gives faith it is he that gives repentance unto Israelâ— and Christ Jesus he hath Purchased it consider of that as Christ Jesus hath Purchas'd Salvation for the soule so he hath Purchased faith for us to lay hold upon that Salvation And therefore besides all other inconveniences in that doctrine as I have told you before in my apprehension there is abundance of pride in it that we cannot be content to take Salvation on Gods tearmes so that it sets up a power in man that if Christ died for all alike then this makes the difference that one man beleives and another doth not and then a man hath power in himselfe to beleive whereas this Scripture saith that naturally we have fleshly minds and can mind nothing but fleshly things Therefore let us extoll God and goe to him and desire him to worke on us and acknowledge that naturally we are blind and dead and can doe nothing Then lastly let me shut up this point for I Use 5. Consider whether you be fleshly minded or no. shall omitt somewhat more that I had to say of it every one of you consider your owne soules whither you be fleshly minded people or no whither you mind the things of the flesh If you be I have a word a cold word from the Lord to you I say if you doe mind fleshly things consider of it the Lord saith you must die They that walk after the flesh must die whither you be prophane people as that is the ordinary distinction people that live in gross sins or whether you be Professors of godlinesse that mind earthly things as many Professors doe you are in a terrible condition For you shall find in Philip. 2. Even in Pauls time saith he I have no man like minded who will naturaly care for your estate for all seeke their owne All what all is this He doth not speake to carnall men for he wrote to the Phillippians that were good people but he saw among them abundance of Professors that did seeke their owne as where will you have a Professor that doth naturally care for the things of Jesus Christ that is as you see a loving Mother cares for her child naturally that you need not force her to it so where is there a man that naturally doth seek the good of the people of God and how he may advance the Name of God and releive the poore Saints and the like to doe it naturally and freely For all seeke their owne saith Paul that is we can shew you Professors enough in every Parish in every Congregation in every Regiment in every Companie that seeke themselves there are but few that are otherwise there are but few that naturally seeke the things of God And that you may see what a fearfull thing it is that you may looke to it you shall see in Chap. 3. 18. For many walke of whome I have told you often and now tell you weeping And so in 2 Cor. 12. Beloved I doe not read that Paul did write weeping to the Church about any thing but about this and what was it he wept for They are enemies to the Cross of Christ They were not prophane men but Professors Whose end is destruction who mind earthly things whose Belly is their God Who are they who mind earthly things whose Belly is their God They did not fall downe on their knees and worship their Belly but they were such as did take more care and paines for their Belly and did rise earlier to looke after the things of this life then after the glory of God and their end is destruction notwithstanding all their Profession and you shall know them by this they mind earthly things But our conversation is in Heaven from whence we looke for the Saviour c. Therefore to conclude this is my meaning that all that are Professors in this self-seeking age wherein one may goe with a Candle as the Prophet saith through Jerusalem a man may goe with a Candle from VVestminster to the Tower to looke for a man that naturally minds the things of God and the people of God and the honour of God and the like And if they be so scarce I beseech you consider what a fearfull thing it is and how the holy Ghost sets it out here that their end is destruction and Paule speaks of it weeping Therefore let it be thy worke now to looke to thy mind though thou profess to be a Saint whither it be naturall to thee to care for thy selfe but to doe for God but now and then and it may be after many perswasions thou mayest be brought to doe somthing for God and for the people of God but it is naturall to thee to look to thy selfe and to thine owne honour and thy owne place and preferment
doe the worke of tame beasts So Adam's righteousnesse commends not to God we are only accepted in the beloved 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or ingratiated through that beloved The divine treasures of righteousnesse are first in Christ and by our union with him wee come to enjoy them by way of participation Fourthly Substantiall and reall holinesse set out to be farre more excellent then all empty formes or mere professions Holinesse is God stamped and printed upon the soule 't is Christ formed in the heart 't is the very image frame and disposition of the holy spirit within us The Philosopher could say 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that God was but an empty name without vertue so are all our professions of Christ without holinesse that being the very marrow and quintessence of all religion Holinesse is something of God in us it proceed from him it lives in him God can no more be separated from it then the beames from the Sunne Holinesse is happinesse and the more of it we have the more wee have of the life and image of God upon us Holinesse is nothing but our conformity to God and our being like him to be as he is Holinesse is the new frame the new creation the workmanship of the Lord in our hearts it is the Lord building and setting up his owne Temple Tabernacle and new Jerusalem within us filling of us with his owne glory writing his name in our fore heads by imprinting his owne divine image upon us Oh what happinesse what sweet delight and harmony of heart what soule-musicke and spirituall joy is there in having our soule wrapt up in the divine life light and beauty of the Lords holinesse Fifthly Thou hast a discovery of the inability of mans carnall principles or reason to judge of spirituall things or the things of God every truth is discovered by principles of light suitable to it selfe Hence it is that the Apostle tels us of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an animate sensual or natural man and of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a spirituall man one enlightned by the spirit of God Now the naturall man is not able to judge of things above the principles of nature The Apostle tells us no man knowes the things of a man but the spirit of man which is in him 1 Cor. 2. 11. The things of man are all created things man is therefore said to be as it were 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a little world or an Epitome or Compendium wherein all created things are described as in a mappe or short abridgement Now the principle of reason in mans heart is able to search out the hidden things of nature But this large principle of man is too narrow to search into the things of the spirit so saith the Apostle The things of God knoweth 1 Cor. 2. 11. 12. 14 15. no man but the spirit of God The spirit searches the deepe things of God And againe he saith The wisdome of the spirit is but foolishnesse to the naturall man And why so because saith hee spirituall things are spiritually discerned That is they are to be understood in a spirituall sense to which mans carnall reason cannot reach But now saith hee the spirituall man discerneth all things so that divine things are only known by the spirit 't is the spirit of all truth that leads into all truth Then 't is not all Maximes and rules 't is not syllogisticall reasonings and disputes 't is not Bookes and Treatises 't is not all Systems and Bodies of Divinity that can reveal the secret mysteries of truth but it is the work of the spirit for the mystery of Christ is not meerly letter and forme without us but a quickning spirit within us Yet Sixthly Wee are taught that there is a most profound spirituall reasoning in godlinesse and that it is the highest act of the minde which is the highest faculty of the soule The mind of a Saint is Gods Throne and the motions of the mind or the reasonings thereof is nothing but Christ swaying the soule according to his good pleasure It 's true that reason as t is in man is a most imperfect and weak light and fals short of the light of God being depraved and mixt with much darknesse and so is unsuitable to judge divine things but reason considered in it's height and excellency is no other then Jesus Christ and the spirit then so much as reason hath of the light of God so much it hath of Jesus Christ Then the most excellent the most supreame and the sublimest reason is in godlinesse because in it is the greatest clearenesse certainety and light The Apostle calls it demonstration now divine reason is demonstration which is an evidencing of things by the clearest surest and most irresistible light that can be Now Christ is this spirituall reason for saith the Apostle that which manifests is light Eph. 5. 13. And what is that light but Christ and his Spirit Thus I have given thee a tast of things to set an edge to thy appetite that thou mayest make a fuller meal of Divine Dainties by reading the ensuing Treatise where thou hast a Table richly spread Now if thou art one of CHRISTS Friends then come and eate of this honey and drinke of this wine yea eate and drinke abundantly O beloved Here thou maist eate and not surfet here thou maist drinke and not be drunken the more thou eatest the stronger will thy appetite be and the more thou drinkest the more thou wilt thirst and yet with the greatest saturation and consent To conclude Thou mayest find much of CHRIST in this Booke but see also whether thou canst finde much of him also in thine owne heart Now that these things which are here written with Paper and Inke may bee written upon the Table of thy soule by the finger of the Spirit is the prayer of him who is Thine in the service of Christ John Robotham Octob. 24. 1650. THE CONTENTS OF THE Former Nine SERMONS Serm. I. Doct. 1. THE peculiar priviledge of the Saints to see God page 3 Severall wayes of seeing God 4 Peculiar sight of God what 8 The manner of the Saints seeing God 15 Use I. To shew the happy estate of saints in this World 17 Use 2. The sight of God should humble Saints 21 Use 3. Highly to prize the Preaching of the Gospell 24 Serm. II. Saving sight of God known first by the apprehensions of God which are First cleare 31 Secondly precious 34 Thirdly joyfull 38 Fourthly perpetuall 40 Secondly the sight of God known by the impressions 41 First they are reall 43 Secondly through 44 Thirdly universall 45 Serm. III. Thirdly the saving sight of God known by the expressions of it 47 First purity of heart 48 Secondly changing us into Gods image 54 Thirdly love to the Brethren 56 Fourthly Fellowshipp with Saints 57 Fifthly desire to bring others to the light 59 Sixthly it enableth to suffering 60 In what order Saints come to see
and are damned it is said they tasted of the heavenly gift and were enlightened for there is the very word Compare that with 2 Pet. 2. 20. In the one we read they were enlightned and after fell off In the other wee read that by the knowledge of Christ they were cleansed and after fell with the Dog to his Vomit I say there is a Gospell sight of God that hath some resemblance of this peculier priviledge but is not it Men may have a sight to know abundance of things of the Kingdome of God and so in a sort be said to know and to see God yet this is not the peculiar sight I am to speak of Fourthly there is a sight of God which is not peculiar 4. At the day of Judgement to the Saints and that is at the day of Judgment there wicked people shall see God Only they shall see him clothed with wrath they shall see the Lord coming out to judgement against them they shall see that Man that they thought to be but a man and no more whom they crucified they shall then see him God comming to judge the world they shal see him whom they have pierced And this is not that sight that is the priviledge of Saints It is not a corporeall sight as the Jews had nor it is not a common sight as the Heathens have by the creation or as Hypocrites have in the Gospell by illumination or as Reprobates shall have one day to their condemnation It is none of these sights But Fiftly and lastly there is a seeing of God in the A peculiar Gospell sight only to Saints Gospell by the Spirit of God which is peculiar only to the People of God There was no Saint that ever was in the world but had this sight more or lesse There were few Saints in the old Testament but somwhere or other it is mentioned and said of them that they saw God either directly or by consequence As In the old Testament for instance in the old Testament in the beginning of it though in a different manner you read of divers men that are said to be walkers with God As Noah Noah Henoch Abraham walked with God and Henoch walked with God and Abraham walked with God Now it is impossible in a spirituall right sence that you can conceive of men to walk with God hand in hand but it must necessarily imply that they did see God how shall two walk together unlesse they be agreed much lesse unlesse they see one another for a man will not walk with one which he sees not Therefore it is said of Abraham Joh. 8. 58. Abraham saw my day and rejoyced .. He did not only see the time for that is not all but he saw the glory of God in Jesus Christ though he were not yet manifested Moses So Moses also had this sight as we read Heb. 11. 27. It is said by faith he forsook Aegypt not fearing the wrath of the King for he endured as seeing him who is invisible Moses saw him who is invisible God is said to be invisible two wayes he is invisible in respect of any corporeall shape And God is said to be invisible in respect of all mankind besides the Saints he saw him who is invisible he saw him whom never man saw or shall see but only those that are in Christ as Moses was Of Solomon it is said Solomon God appeared twice to him God appeared often to Saul therefore Saul thought it strange when the Lord appeared not unto him But God did not appeare to Saul in all his dayes with such an apparition Isaiah and in that fashion as he did to Solomon So Isaiah in the Text he had a peculiar sight that made him cry out Woe is me I am undone for mine eyes have seene the King the Lord of Hosts It was common in the old Testament and in the new Testament it is every where spoken of you shall read of it more fully in the New Testament than in the Old In Isaiah 52. 8. it was prophesied concerning the new Testament In the new Testament Thy watchmen shall lift up their voyce for they shall see eye to eye when the Lord shall bring againe Zion as the Apostle saith 2 Cor. 3. We all behold with open face There was a kind of vaile over the best of them in the old though it were a peculiar thing to the S t s Paul then to see God yet now in the new Testament though the sight be the same yet it is a great deale clearer and brighter and nearer and more glorious As to give you a few instances as that of Paul 2 Cor. 12. He was wrapped up into the third heaven into Paradice where he heard wonders that were not to be uttered What were those glorious things that he saw that he could not utter Without controversie the same that Stephen saw Act. 7. The Heavens were opened Stephen and he saw Christ at the right hand of God the glory of God in Jesus Christ. And least you should think it was a thing peculiar to Paul or Stephen it is a thing commonly spoken of in the new testament of all the Saints and when Christ on the Mount saith And al the Saints blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God Mat. 5. without holines none shall see God Heb. 12. As if he should say any man that is holy shall see God In 1. Joh. 3. A man that lives in sin hath not seene God And he that loves not his Brother hath not seene God It is a common thing it is it hath been and it shall be the Saints and all the Saints have a peculiar sight of God that the world knowes not of To open it a little further that hearing that there is such a glorious thing you may look after it and set your minds to consider it I shall indeavour it as far as I may according to Scripture because there is nothing but the light of the word and Spirit that can discover this You will say what is this sight Or how is it Or how shall we understand it This sight of God which only Saints have is I will lay before you these 4 or 5 propositions in generall that you may have a little light of it out of the scriptures The first is this that the sight of God which the Sâ—â— 1 Imperfect have in this world it is but imperfect it is but in part it is not ful compleat until they be in heaven Not that I meane that they see some part of God in this world and they shall see him all in the other world No a Saint seeth God wholly here he sees all that is in God he sees his love he sees his power he sees his strength he sees his righteousnesse he sees his mercy he sees his all Attributes far otherwise then a carnall man can and that
with redundancie with some thing more then a meere or bare knowing of his Attributes though he see and know every one of those and every particle of those otherwise then the world sees them so my meaning is yet he sees in part that is he knows not any of these things perfectly Therefore saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 13. 9. Wee know in part but hereafter we shall know as we are known Which words as I conceive point not out principally Spirituall things that we know the will of God in part here but we shall know his will perfectly in Heaven though that be true for it may be it is not necessarie that we should know the will of God so here For then it may be we should have more glorious Principles But the meaning is here we know little of God we know him in part but he knows us wholly But when we shall come to Heaven we shall know God as he kows us therefore that brake the Apostles heart and made him sigh Phil. 3. that he would have given all the world if he had had it that he might apprehend him that comprehended him As if he had said God sees me clearly and groundedly all the thoughts of my heart but I cannot apprehend God as he doth me Therefore because this seeing of God is but in part in this World because we see but little it is oft in Scripture called a not seeing As in 1 Joh. 3. 1. Now we are the Sons of God but it doth not yet appeare what we shall be but when he shall appeare we shall see him as he is As if he had said that sight that we have of him now it is scarce worth the calling a sight So in 1 Pet. 1. VVhom having not seene yet ye love And in Rom. 8. If we did see why doe we yet hope for it for hope is of that which is not seene There is no Saint that can love God but he must see God But the meaning of those phrases is not that Saints see not God but they see so little in comparison of what they shall see afterwards that it may well be called not seeing they love God though they have not gotten that perfect sight of God that one day they shall have Indeed they shall have a perfect sight not only in respect of the degrees of seeing but they shall have this addition also to it that then they shall see God in Christ with their bodily eyes as Job saith I know that my redeemer liveth and that I shal see God in my flesh And what Job 19. 1 Cor. 15. that shall be when Christ shall deliver up the Kingdome to his Father I know not That is one proposition to help us to understand this glorious priviledge our seeing of God in this world is but in part Secondly that seeing him in part whatsoever it is 2 unspeakable it is an unspeakable sight a sight that no man is able to utter As Paul saith he was taken up into the third Heaven and heard words that could not be spoken so doubtlesse the Saints see things that cannot be revealed Therefore saith Paul eye hath not seene nor eare heard nor hath it entred into the heart of man to conceive those things that God hath laid up for them that love him Now if they were speakable demonstrable things a man might give some notions in writing he might see or speak or heare or give some knowledge he might consider of it but the tongue eare and eye and heart of man is not able to comprehend the glorious priviledge of the seeing the glory of God in Jesus Christ it is unspeakable Therefore as the Apostle speaks of the love of God it passeth knowledge not only of a carnall worldly man but of that man that hath it it passeth his knowledge to comprehend it before God gives it but if God doe but eclipse it a little he cannot comprehend what it was when he had it though it were but yesterday and when he hath it and hath most of it he is not able to utter and expresse it That is a second proposition concerning this glorious priviledge it is imperfect and it is unutterable A third thing is this that this glorious priviledge 3. Only in Christ that the Saints have of seeing God whatsoever that is let it be more or lesse it is only in the face of Jesus Christ For take any other sight of God take the corporeall sight the seeing of the man Christ that the VVicked may doe as well as the Saints Or take the sight of God in the creatures in his providence or the like carnal men so see the things of God as the Saints doe though not altogether so well yet that is no peculiar thing But this sight of God that I speake of it is only in the face of Jesus Christ as it is in 2 Cor. 4. 4. 6. In whom the God of this world hath blinded the minds of them that believe not least the light of the glorious Gospell of Christ who is the image of God should shine unto them For God who commanded light to shine out of Christ the face of God darknesse hath shined in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God in the face of Jesus Christ Jesus Christ is the face of God and as we see nothing of a mans body but by his Face so we see nothing of God but in Jesus Christ Therefore when Philip said to Christ shew us the Father it is sufficient saith Christ he that hath seen me hath seene the Father that is all in this glorious priviledge of seeing God must be through the man Jesus Christ Therefore that is the reason that the Saints heretofore alwayes when they were at a losse and could not see God they still called for his face O shew me thy face that is Lord shew thy self to me in thy face which is Jesus Christ Therefore if any man will see God he need not goe up to Heaven or descend downe into the Deep but he must look for it in the face of Jesus Christ Fourthly all this sight of God whatsoever it is it is 4. It is by the word by the word and by the spirit For as one godly man saith the face of Christ Jesus is as the looking-glasse wherein we see God and the word of God is the looking glasse wherein we see Christ Therefore in 2 Cor. 4. God hath sent us to make known the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ And then saith he we have this treasure in earthen vessels that the excellency of power might be of God and not of us He had said before that by the preaching of the Gospel he had made known the glory of God in the face of Christ Now in this poore despicable thing a man that hath a world of infirmities and many weaknesses in him yet in these poore earthen shels as the word is in
a man Now this is an impure heart an impure conscience And to the pure every thing is pure but to the impure every thing is defiled That is when a man hath an impure conscience that is not washed effectually by the bloud of Christ through the power of the holy Ghost then his meat and his drinke and his bed and his recreations every thing defiles him every lawfull thing defiles him as well as unlawfull Now then thou mayst reason thus if I have seene God I have a pure heart What is that I have no more conscience of sinne That is I finde an exceeding great power of the Spirit that makes my conscience cleane that notwithstanding my frailties there is no guilt lying or soaking in my Conscence That is one thing The second expression there you shall see afterwards verse 10. that they are said to be sanctified sanctification in this place is not meant as you usually take sanctification that is for mortification and vivification as we say the killing of sin and the quickning of grace though that may be called sanctification too But sanctification in this place is in the same sense as I said before when the conscience is washed and cleansed from the guilt of sin as it is interpreted in the third expression in verse 2â— Let us draw neare with a true heart in the full assurance of faith having our hearts sprinkled that is our consciences sprinkled having our hearts sprinkled from an evill conscience and our bodies washed with pure water An evill Conscience is an unbelieving Conscience for evill in the New Testament is ordinarily taken for unbeliefe Take heed saith the Apostle least there be in any of you an evill heart of unbeliefe to draw back from the living God That evill conscience Judas had and Saul had For sin did lye on their consciences and was not washed Now saith he Let us draw neare with full assurance Full assurance is opposed to an evill Conscience and that cannot be if you take sanctification in that sense that you use to take it Now that is one thing wherever God manifests himselfe and reveals his glory in his Son to the Soule he gives that man a pure heart a good conscience he washeth that mans conscience by the bloud of his Son that is his Spirit applies the vertue of the bloud of his Sonne to our Soules and Consciences to make them pure and peaceable 2ly a pure heart for there are but two ways in 2 Aheart cleansed from the power of sin generall that it is taken in Scripture a pure heart is a heart cleansed also from the power of sinne that is a pure heart And indeed both are comprehended here in one word because wheresoever the one is the other is also For it is impossible for a man to have his Conscience made truly peaceable by the bloud of Christ but it will be made pure and holy also Therefore in that place in Heb. 12. VVithout holinesse it is impossible to see God I suppose it is meant of Personall holinesse of Reformation and amendment of life and not of the imputed holinesse of Christ and the washing of the conscience as I said before But you will say if it be so then no man can see Object God till he go to Heaven for no man is free from sinne in this World There are many Answers that godly men give to this Objection that I cannot stand on It is ture there is sinne and corruption left in the Answ Saints yet they are said to be a pure People People Saints pure notwithstanding the remainder of corruptions 1 They grow purer every day Simile of a pure language to have pure hearts Why Because they are growing every day purer and purer that is the reason they are purified As a godly man compares them to a Well when you throw dirt or any thing into a standing poole it makes it fouler and fouler but throw it into a Well and it workes it out it bubbles and is never quiet till all be out So the Saints have pure hearts because however foule things are working and stirring in them yet they are still stirring against them and get ground of them though they be not pure that is quite free from sinne yet they are purer every day then other Then some say and they say truly that a man 2 The streame of the heart is pure hath a pure heart though there be corruption there when the streame of the heart the very streame of the heart is pure and holy Some conceive and those godly men as I told you before that there is a coare in the heart of a godly man that is pure and holy without sinne Which godly men take to be that that is meant by Spirit so frequently in Scripture saith the Apostle I serve God in my Spirit Rom. 1. And I pray God to preserve your soule and body and spirit 1 Thess 5. And that Spirit they take to be the quintessence of the soule somthing more inward then the Soule There is somthing in a pure heart that opposeth sinne and opposeth temptation there is some non ultra in the heart of a godly man Sinne gets the advantage over his eyes and over his hand and over his tongue but there is a baracado in his heart that it can goe no farther As you see betweene two Women chiding and striving who shall have the last word and one replyes and the other replyes and at last one hath the last word So there is somthing in the heart of a godly man that will have the last word As in a naturall man sinne hath the last word saith an Hypocrite I have a mind to over reach my Neighbour in such a bargaine thou wert not best to doe it saith enlightned conscience thou hearest the Preacher and hearest the Scripture say the contrary But I am resolved to doe it saith the Hypocrite then I will trouble thee saith the conscience Now there is no sinne that a Saint doth fall into but there is a coare in him that goes beyond As you see in an Onion you may pull off one scale and then another and another and at last you may come to the coare and can goe no farther Such a thing there is in a Saint this is that that is called the spirit the streame and quintessence of the Soule is holy and though there be corruption there yet there is something that is pure and holy and that coare will eat out the rest in time As to give you but one instance more looke upon your hearts as I speak and see how they agree with it take any corruption that a Saint falls into throughout the yeare there are many chidings and brawlings betweene grace and corruption I will have my will sayth corruption I will be vaine and fine and finer then my Neighbours saith grace I will not have it so But I will saith corruption I will have my will but if you
not seene God he goes in darknesse and must wander for ever more Looke a little on your hearts and aske the question concerning your conversation whether you love the people of God or no That is the third thing Then fourthly which depends upon this whosoever 4 Fellowship with the Saints hath seene God rightly as he loves the Saints so he hath Gospell fellowship with the Saints I say he hath Fellowship with the Saints 1 Joh. 1. 7. For there is a discourse concerning this seeing of God Truly saith John verse 3. Our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ and these things we write unto you that your joy may be full But if we say we have Fellowship with him and walk in darknesse we lye and doe not the truth If we say we have fellowship with him and walke in sinne But if wee walke in the light as he is in the light we have fellowship one with another and the bloud of Jesus Christ his Whence the Fellowship of Saints is Son cleanseth us from all sinne Understand me I meane not here by fellowship and I suppose it is not meant here fellowship of neighbourhood or fellowship of the family or fellowship of the same City no nor being of the same outward visible Church I thinke that is not meant though that be not contrary But VVe have fellowship one with another What is that That is when I have seene God and have had fellowship with God and his sonne Jesus Christ I have a spirituall fellowship with all that have seene God with me that is the ground of the fellowship and communion I have with others is in that they have seene God as well as I and the impression of God is cleare on their spirits and manifested in their lives Therefore for People to have fellowship with Fellowship on wrong grounds others in this or that respect because they jump with them in this or that opinion or in this or that way this is not the Fellowship spoken of by John and by Paul Philip. 1. 4 5. But this Fellowship is a higher thing the spiritual communion we have one with another upon spirituall grounds because of the Spirit of God dwelling in us Therefore examine your selves by this Have you any fellowship with the Saints Is not the Fellowship of divers of you why should I aske the question I know it is so with Drunkards and Malignants those that raile against godlinesse those that blaspheme God and his People this is the Fellowship of many And it may be others of you have fellowship with Professors but it is carnall that is it is grounded on carnall respects it is not because they have seene God and you have seene him also and therefore you have Fellowship together That is another thing A fifth thing I find that I will but touch That whosoever hath seene God they are very desirous 5 Desire to bring others to the light to bring all others into the same light that they have seene O! how oft doth Paul upon every occasion concerning his vision how oft doth he repeat it at large in the acts of the Apostles how he had seene God! And so here John when he had seene the glory of God he writes to them he delivers the message to them and he would bring them also to the light to walke in the light as he did Beloved a man that hath seene God once truly he looks upon all the world as People walking in Hell in a hell of darknesse the course of mankind in this world is but as a Hell to him Therefore to see People walke in such grosse darknesse and God having broken in a little Window into his soule he cannot choose but bring others to the light Therefore I never believed nor doe believe Christians should be ready to teach others when People among us it may be they are godly I leave them to the Lord that professe they see a great deale of light and they see God more then others and yet for the expression of it we see they withdraw and goe aside and they thinke it not fit to teach carnall men it may be they will teach one another three or foure or five Not as though I blamed teaching let us teach one another any how so we may edifie one another in the Lord publickly or privately but when there is a spirit in People that they will not communicate the light as much as they can that other poor sinners may see it I suspect that light that it is not from God for whosoever sees the Light rightly he will doe his utmost Endeavour to bring others into the Light 6 It enableth to suffering as in But lastly I find that whosoever hath seene God truly that sight of God will make him able to goe through any hardship any suffering any affliction whatsoever in the service of God As in Heb. 11. 27. Moses forsooke Aegypt and regarded not the wrath Moses of the King but endured saith the text Why did he Did he not know what the wrath of the King was No doubt but he saw what a Tyrant he was and he saw much cruelty living in the House but he endured as seeing him who is invisible he saw God and so he was able to goe through all And so Stephen that blessed man that was full of the Stephen holy Ghost Acts 7 When he had preached unto them saith the text they were cut to their hearts and gnashed on him with their teeth and he being full of the holy Ghost looked stedfastly to Heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus Christ standing on the right hand of God When they gnashed their teeth he looked up to heaven saw God and Christ at his right hand It may be there was somthing that was extraordinary but it is a worke that is ordinary Behold saith he I see the Heavens opened and the Sonne of man standing on the right hand of God Then they cryed out and stopped their eares and stoned him and he called on God and said Lord Jesus receive my spirit and kneeled downe and cried Lord lay not this sinne to their charge See how Stephen was calling on God and praying for his enemies and giving up his Spirit to God when they were gnashing with their teeth and stoning him as if they had been mad yet he goes through it quietly Whatsoever pretences men have this is the Why some Professors avoid suffeing reason why many Professors are so wise that they will never suffer persecution let the world turne which way it will they will not want distinctions to waue persecution the truth is they wave it because they have not seene God if they had they would carry themselves innocently and prudently and then let what would come Thus briefly I have shewed you how you may know whether you have seene God aright or no. Now lastly in a few words because you
in this manner and yet this was not the saving grace that the Saints have and that the Saints only have Nay farther he may have many acts of humiliation 3 He may doe acts of humiliation or as it were that that is like it he may expresse humiliation he may hang downe his head as a bulrush for a day he may keepe monethly Fasts as constantly as any and be sorrowfull and heavy and yet he hath not true humiliation But as the Prophet saith of the Hypocrites they hang downe their heads for a day as a bulrush but the Lord abhors them and their Service But the likest thing that I know to true humiliation is that that wicked men shall have at the day judgement Then I finde that there will be somwhat like it I find then that the wicked man his mouth shall be stopped he shall be so farre humbled that he shall have no argument to plead for himselfe he shall have no cloake for his sinne then the pride of wicked men will be pulled downe in a great measure in a sort notwithstanding it is not true humiliation for even then and for ever in Hell the wicked will be grumbling against God and a man is not said to be humbled truly till he submit to God in any thing Therefore it is said in Mat. 22. in hell there shall be weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth There is gnashing of teeth for vexation and anguish There is no true humiliation or shall be in Hell world without end Nor there is no carnall man upon earth that is truly humbled Therfore to conclude do not wonder I say cease Not to wonder that the wicked grow worse wondring for indeed a man cannot choose but wonder but endeavour to cease wondring when you see carnall men and Hypocrites notwithstanding all those meanes wherein you see God comes clearly in the eyes of them yet notwithstanding they grow worse and worse prowder prowder and more hardened and more coveteous and more carnall wonder not at it because in all these though you see God and are bettered and more humbled as now in the carriage of things in these times every honest heart makes a holy use of it and God will discover himself to many of his people through that they shal be better for it But wonder not at worldly people that they are worse they never had a sight of God wonder not that sinners and wicked men under the meanes of grace are nothing better as I feare there are many in this and in other congregations that notwithstanding all the meanes of grace notwithstanding all the teaching and preaching and beseeching and exhorting yet they sometimes in secret can laugh and jeere at religion and persecute those that embrace it A man would wonder at this how men should be so sottish as to learne nothing how men should be so prophane under such meanes and ministerie and amend nothing I say a man would wonder but only that it comes from this God hath not shewed himselfe to them if they had but one sight of God as thou that art a Saint hast it were a wonderfull Carnall men see not God in Ordinances thing indeed but it is because the Lord never revealed himselfe to them they only see a poore weake creature weaker then themselves and they heare the Word read in the Bible or they read a Chapter but there is not one jot of the sight of God in it So the other Nor in mercies day we had abundance of Victories and strangely God came into the hearts of his Saints by it how gloriously did the Lord appeare in them and ravish their soules that their hearts are yet nearer to God and they walke more humbly and closely and thankfully But we see the gang of the world Magistrates and Ministers and all carnal people are more proud and wicked and carnall and ready to beat their Fellow Servants they are worse and worse and no wonder because God hath not discovered himself in these mercies they will not learne And then for corrections a man would think that Nor in corrections God did deale with us more palpably then he did with Aegypt they had ten plagues we had twenty or thirty God hath punished us and then God stops his hand and then we break out into mischeif and cruelty and oppression And then God turnes the scale another way and then we begin to amend a little The other day the Lord did begin very fairly the Lord turned the Scales divers wayes you know how it was with Scotland and with the King One would thinke that there were no Magistrate nor Minister nor no man that hath the name of a Professor but he would learne somewhat by all this yet how many are bettered nothing in the World Wonder not because God hath never shewed himselfe in mercy in any ordinance in any correction or affliction or judgement to any carnall man I conclude with this word carnall wicked men wicked men shall one day be humbled are never humbled in this world that is certaine unlesse the Lord change them and reveale himself to them but there is no wicked man in the world but he shall have a Humiliation such as it will be There will be a day when the worst man in the world shall in some part be humbled you shall read in Luke 2â— how men shall be at their wits ends for feare of what shall come upon them And in Revel 6 when the Lord Jesus shall come to judgement they shall runne to the Rocks and to the Caves and to the Mountains to hide them from the presence of God their pride shall be pulled downe there shall be a kinde of Humiliation but no true humiliation but even in hell they shall be there grumbling against God for evermore Be pleased to learn from these few broken words that it is the will and way of God that you get your soules humbled which is the thing that I and you principally it may be want you see it is by seeing of God in Jesus Christ therfore labour to see him and study this blessed skill of seeing him and though we know not how it is yet you shall finde that that grace and every other grace will come more and more into your Soules SERMON 5. Isaiah 6. 5. For mine eyes have seen the King the Lord of Hosts THe last lesson or doctrine that we were upon from these words was this that A saving sight of God in Christ is the right and ready way to true Gospell humiliation Woe is me for I am undone because I have seene the King the Lord of Hosts First I shewed you that Every true Saint hath a peculiar sight of God That was necessary to make way for this that every such peculiar sight is the meanes or way to true Gospell humiliation I proved it and gave you the Reasons and made some short Use of it The next Use that
while thou livest and to let Christ be wisedome in thee that thou wouldest be a poore infirme fraile creature and let Christ Jesus be thy righteousnesse that thou art content to walke in raggs and let Christ be thy riches This is one thing In that place Rom. 10. 3. It was the pride of the Jews that kept them from salvation by the righteousnesse of the Gospell they would not submit to the righteousnesse of God they were a proud people So that is it that keeps many a soule that hears the word it is that that keepes you weake What it is that keepes men in inward trouble and full of woe and sorrow all your dayes You thinke it is the want of this grace and the want of that grace and other things but it is nothing but your owne stubborne heart that you will not submit to the righteousnesse of Christ You would have this grace and that grace that is you would fill up every corner of your owne shop and you would amend your owne trading but you would not shut up shop and be journey-men as I may speake with reverence to Jesus Christ That is one thing Then againe the second particular I have to demonstrate 2. To take the righteousnes of Christ on his bare word that whether you be humbled or no is this whether the Lord have brought you to be content to take the righteousnesse of Jesus Christ upon his owne bare and naked word Whether now you can say there is Jesus Christ full of righteousnesse for me and my own righteousnesse is full of raggs What evidence have you for it Here is a word Jesus Christ is come to dye for sinners I find nothing in me but here is a bare word and hereupon I am content to take his righteousnesse and throw away mine owne I doe not say but that a good Christian may Christians may make use of signes make good use of signes and marks even in earthly things Christians see the love of God by temporall outward things for God useth what Pipes he pleaseth to convey his love But the question is in matter of believing whether I should not throw away my owne righteousnesse and wholly believe in Jesus Christs righteousnesse before I see any grace or any signe A humble heart can doe it and is content that marks should come after he believes after I believe God will sanctifie me and worke grace and then I shall see his love more But the first bargain betweene God and me is his bare word therefore that Rom. 10. is glorious and cleare and comfortable The Apostle lays downe the difference betweene salvation by the Law and by faith saith he the Righteousnesse of the Law speaketh on this wise The man that doth these things shall live by them but the righteousnesse which is of Faith speaketh on this wise say not in thy heart who shall ascend into Heaven or who shall descend into the Deepe but he that believeth shall be saved Marke it this is the straine and streame and language of the Gospell that is salvation by Jesus Christ and whosoever believeth on that salvation shall not be ashamed he shall be sure of it But how shall we come to believe and to be sure of this salvation Say not in thy heart who shall goe up to heaven or who shall descend into the deep but what saith it the word is nigh thee that is God hath given a word and he will give a spirit of faith with it and there are but two words to the bargaine there is the spirit in thee and the word without thee and this is the righteousnesse of God the righteousnesse of faith saith so Say not who shall goe up to heaven or downe to the earth For the eyes of a fool are scattered about the world And when men come to believe in Christ they aske who shall ascend into Heaven how shall I come to know that I am a Saint and that I am predestinated The Lord would have us believe the word that Christ Jesus came to save sinners of whom I am chiefe Here is a word if the heart now could apply this by the spirit of faith That is another thing I would have you thinke on Your ordinary Professors most of them they Why ordinary professors want assurance have not assurance of salvation why They cannot believe Why so because they finde so many corruptions in them and they finde so many graces wanting and they have ill memories and hard hearts and if it were not for these things they could believe What is the meaning of it It is as if they should say I will never trust God in the righteousnesse of the Gospell upon his bare word God will have us trust him ere he will trust us we must take God upon his word God wil bring every child of his to this to take his salvation upon a bare word and he will blesse his name for it I have but one soule and if I had a thousand I would venture them all upon his word and say there my soule lyes sinck or swim or goe to heaven or hell here is the word that Christ came to save sinners of whom I am chiefe Now if there be pride in the heart it will not come and rest on a bare word The Lord make you understand these things that they may not be lost Thirdly a humble heart will be content not only 3. With a generall word with a bare word but with the least word and the most generall word A proud heart will not be content unlesse he hath a perticular word For my part I may mistake but I will tell you my opinion that those men how Christ dyed not for all ever otherwise they be godly some of them that doe hold that Christ did dye for all men and that he came to save Judas as well as Peter If Christ came to save all and yet many shall goe to Hell how come they to be saved It is a proud thought in the heart that would teach God how to speake and how to make promises and we poore wretched damnable creatures must shew him what language he shall speake in whereas now a humble heart will take the least and most generall word and thanke God as we see in the woman of Canaan Christ gives her never a word a great while but frownes and then he gives her a terrible word and bids her goe he calls her Dogg why that was something a Dogg hath some priviledge he hath the crums that fall from the Table he looks for outward mercies and therefore in that he calls me Dogg I have so much of that word that I will follow him for the crums Saith Christ to her O Woman great is thy faith be it unto thee as thou wilt So Benhadads servants when they came with Halters about their necks saith the King Is my brother Benhadad alive that was a comfortable word they harpt upon
and catcht at that Thy brother Benhadad is alive So we come with Ropes about our necks poore damned creatures and God comes in infinite wisedome and makes promises and a humble heart will take them and blesse God for any promise be it never so generall and not stand so nicely as proud people doe This shews a humble heart therefore examine if this be so with thee Fourthlie a humble heart in matter of justification it appeares by this that as it is content to have a righteousnesse in another 4. To renounce our owne righteousnes And secondly to hold it upon a bare word If God give more he will take it if not he will hold it upon his bare word And thirdly he will take the most generall word So fourthly he will wholly renounce and throw away his owne righteousnesse and as Paul did call it duâ—g and dogs meat So I may be found saith he in Jesus Christ Now a proud heare would have Jesus Christ only to sâ—der his owne righteousnesse and Jesus Christs together he would have Christ only to make up a little what is lacking in him to make out what is wanting There are many men that goe a great way in the pofession of religion but being pretty honest civil men before they will never be brought to renounce their owne righteousnesse Now Jesus Christ will never mend the heart by patching it but either he will make it wholly new or the Devill shall have all he will have the heart to have his righteousnesse wholly or none at all now a man must throw away all there must be nothing kept as in the practise of Saul there must be no buts for men to say but we have some good things and it is great pitty to throw away all What all my prayers and all my humiliations and all my fastings all good for nothing to make dung and dogs meat I Paul speaks as if his righteousnesse had been a chaine and a burthen Lastly a humble heart a humble man or woman 5. Notwithstanding our sins and want of preparation will do all this and he will doe it let his sinfulnesse be never so great or let his preparations be never so little There is a great deale of pride in mens hearts they will not receive grace and salvation of God because of the greatnesse of their sins There is no man that talks of the greatnesse of his sinns with a spirit of unbeliefe but it proceeds from pride When a man talks of his great sinns and therefore he is afraid to believe that is from pride for the greater a mans sins are the sooner he would believe if he had a humble heart Depart from me Lord saith Peter for I am a sinfull man He had more need to have said come to me Lord for I am a sinfull man And then if his preparations be never so little Men thinke that they could believe if they were qualified and had such preparations It is as if they should say I will get so much and then I should be but a little beholding to Christ halfe the worke is done There must be no stay for want of preparation when the Lord calls when the Lord offers Christ well that is one thing that you may trye your humiliation by your carriage towards God in respect of his justifying grace or the righteousnesse of Christ that justifies or Gods righteousnes which is the object of justification and that you see in those five things The second thing is this you may trie if your 2 By our carriage to God in his truths revealed hearts be humbled if you consider your carriage towards God in respect of his will or in respect of his truths that he manifests to you from time to time For here is the difference a humble heart will submit to every truth of Christ as farre as it is revealed Therefore it is said Rom. 8. 6. The carnall minde is enmity against God for it is not subject to the law of God nor can be A carnall mind is enmity against God It is not only an enemy but enmity it selfe And he doth not only say it will not but it cannot be subject to the Law that is to the will of God Beloved a proud heart or a heart that is not Proud carnall men humbled it will not submit to the Truth of God but it will alway doe one of these three things The first is this he is not willing to know all the 1. Are not willing to know all the truths of God truths of God he is not willing to know them for hee knowes if hee doe know them hee must doe them Hee thinkes it safer to bee ignorant of the truth then obey the truth and some have been ready to say if I know the will of God I must doe it But here is the question whether thou be willing to know the will of God A man that is not truly humbled alwayes when he heares spirituall truths that come to rule him he wisheth as a godly man saith that either the minister were dumb or that he were deafe for it is a burthen to him He is like those People in Isay 30. 10. The rebellious People that Isaiah was troubled with This is a rebellious people lying children children that will not heare the Law of the Lord. Which say to the seers see not and to the Prophets prophesie not unto us right things speak unto us smooth things prophesie deceits This was and is the language of the hearts of carnall Christians they say to the seers see not They wish that the Preachers could not finde out those truths that are so contrarie to nature and that crosse their corruptions they wish that Preachers would take other texts and handle other Doctrines that were more pleasing and smooth as Job sayth Job 21. They prosper and their children dance and there is the timbrell and the harpe and they say to God depart from us for we desire not the knowledge of thy wayes We are not enemies to it we doe not fight against it we allow Preachers to be there but truely we desire not the knowledge of thy wayes this is the language of a proud heart Now is there in you such a heart that though Saints willing to know all Gods truths you know that you shall be saved and goe to Heaeven as an honest man once said yet have you a desire to know every truth though you suffer never so much persecution for it There is a humble heart It is so and it will be so as we see in that blessed man Eli 1 Sam. 3. 17. you know what a blessed humble man he was and when there was a Vision that Samuell saw that was for his ruine and the ruin of his House and the Lord had called Samuell and shewed him the Vision Eli calls him and said VVhat is the thing the Lord hath said I pray thee hide it not from me Samuell was
Secondly He is not onely wearie of it and if he 2. He layes violent hands on Gods commands can he will be rid of it so but he will lay violent hands upon the commands of God There is a terrible word in Rom. 1. 18. The wrath of God is revealed from Heaven against those that hold the truth in unrighteousnesse The word in the Greek is those that Imprison the truth There was truth came to them and they held it till they were wearie till they were tyred and jaded but then they locked it up and would not suffer it to break forth in their lives but lived as if there were no light at all in them There is some kind of light in them but it is in Prison you cannot see it and you would think there were none at all like those people in â— Sam. 8. 19. When God had said they should have no King but him but say they we will have a King and so they goe violently and desperately against the command of God Thus is it with a carnall proud heart Thirdly and lastly it may be some men will 3. Proud hearts obey Gods commands but upon their owne tearmes not doe so with the commands of God but they will obey them but it shall be onely upon their owne termes they were as good doe nothing As for instance he will obey first by sits and 1. When they please when he is at leasure As it may be you have seen a proud servant that will worke well sometimes but he is so sturdie that he will doe nothing but what he pleaseth and if the humour take him he will goe to the Shop or else it may be he will Walk at his pleasure two or three dayes together you cannot build on it So carnall unhumbled hearts when they are in the humour they will obey the commands of God but it is but for a fit Now a right Christian is holy alway according to the grace God hath given him he is alway ready to obey the commands of God Secondly a proud unhumbled heart as he will obey 2. What they please but at sometimes so he will obey but in some things he will pick and choose in the commandements and service of God what he pleaseth That is the manner of proud Servants they will worke sometimes but if a man bid them doe one thing they will doe another a man were as good be without them Such a Servant will be wiser in his owne eyes then his Master It may be he will doe his Masters work and his Master cannot say but that he is a diligent servant but he will doe but what he lists and he will doe it but in his owne way and if his Master bid him doe one thing he will doe another So it is with a carnall man when God bids him doe any thing he will doe somewhat and let his Neighbours doe the rest if they will But now an honest heart whatsoever God commands without respect to this or that be it what it will be if the Lord command it he will endeavour to obey him Thirdly and lastly as they will obey God at 3. When God gives them rewards their owne leasure and obey him in those things that they please so they will doe it if God follow them with a reward As for instance You may observe many a proud hearted man Minister or others as long as God hath given them credit enough and riches enough they will doe the worke of God bravely but take away that and they will doe nothing at all Therefore if God will let credit and riches goe alwayes with Religion he shal have Servants enough and proud ones too But now a humble Christian he values the love of God more then the things themselves and let these things come or goe his eye is upon God and his love is such to God and he sees that God loves him so that he will endeavour to obey God in all things whether he be rewarded or no. Now these be the dispositions of carnall unhumbled hearts you may examine your owne hearts by these three things By your carriage towards God in respect of his justifying grace By your carriage towards God in respect of his truths revealed to you And be your carriage towards God in respect of his injunctions and commands that he layes on you If you examine and finde that your hearts are not humbled you know what to doe desire God to shew himselfe more and as you see him more so you will be humbled more for the right seeing of God in Jesus Christ is the true and ready way to humiliation SERMON 6. Isaiah 6. 5. For mine eyes have seen the King the Lord of Hosts YOu remember the last doctrine which we had from these words which we have somthing more to say to was this that A true and saving sight of God in Jesus Christ is the way to true saving humiliation The principall meanes to saving Gospell humiliation is to have a saving supernaturall sight of God in Jesus Christ Mine Eyes have seen the King the Lord of Hosts Therefore woe is me I am undone This I opened to you as farre as God revealed it to me and we had some uses and lessons thence for our soules The last use of all was of tryall as we call it that you may hence see and know whether ever you have seen God aright to wit by your humiliation If you have seen God aright then you have cried out with Isaiah Woe is me I am undone and as Job I have seene the Lord therefore I abhor my selfe in dust and ashes Now the question was how shall I know whether I be truly humbled or no I told you you might know it in generall two wayes First by your carriage and deportment towards God Secondly by your carriage towards men Concerning your carriage towards God I have spoken of three things First your carriage towards God in respect of his righteousnesse or of your justification Secondly to examine your carriage towards God in respect of his truths that he hath revealed Thirdly and there I left your carriage towards God in respect of the commands he layes upon you Now to goe forward a little The Fourth 4. A humble heart knowne by its carriage to God in affliction thing is this that you shall know how farre God hath humbled you and bestowed this Gospell grace upon you by your carriage to God when he corrects you by your carriage under Gods corrections and your afflictions whatsoever they are For I shall not name them every one can best put his finger upon his owne face whether they be on soule or bodie whatsoever they are I say thou mayest know whether thy soule be a humbled soule by thy carriage in such times as these are It hath been a common rule among the godly that as a man is in afflictions so he is indeed Truely that rule hath much truth
you and I have asked had we been in their condition O that God would deliver us that he would shew us an Iland where we might never be troubled more many of us would have done this out of weaknesse but what doe they doe Vers 29. And now Lord behold their threatnings And what then They doe not say Lord deliver us from their threatnings But grant unto thy servants that with all boldnesse they may speak thy word By stretching forth thine hand to heale and that signes and wonders may be done by the name of the holy child Jesus Lord say they thou hearest their threatnings and we feare that our base hearts will be fearfull and so we shall be loath to Preach the Gospell of Christ and to doe signes and wonders as thou hast commanded therefore good Lord give us boldnesse This is the carriage of an honest holy heart So you have it of Paul ordinarily in Phil. 1. 13. There he was in bonds And in Vers 19. He doth implicitly desire the Prayers of the People for him VVhat to doe For I know sayth he that this shall turne to my Salvation through your prayers and the supply of the spirit of Jesus Christ according to my earnest expectation and my hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed but that with all holdnesse as alwayes so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body whether it be by life or by death I doe not pray you Phillippians that you would pray that God would bind the hands of Nero that he may not put me to death or that he would open the Prison gates to let me out but I pray that in nothing I may be ashamed but that with all boldnesse as alway so now Christ may be magnified in my body I care not whether it be by life or by death so God may be glorified that if I live I may doe good there and if I die I may die as a Saint and a Christian So in Ephes 6. 18. I beseech you sayth he give your selves much to prayer above all things and pray for me VVhat to doe That utterance may be given me that I may open my mouth boldly to make knowne the Mysteries of the Gospell for which I am an Ambassador in bonds that therein I may speak boldly as I ought to speak He was in bonds and he desires them not once to pray that God would break his bonds O but pray that I may open my mouth boldly I find feare comes upon me many times feare of Cesar and feare of the Sword and feare of putting me to death therefore Pray that I may open my mouth boldly This is the carriage of a heart that is truly humbled Another a Seaventh thing is this a humble 7. A humble heart more carefull of benefit then comfort in afflictions heart he is alway more carefull to reape benefit from afflictions then to fetch comfort to himselfe in afflictions A proud heart is altogether for comfort he will doe any thing for comfort As Saul he will goe to the VVitch if need be for to fetch comfort but he studies not how to pertake of Gods holinesse by his afflictions Eightly to draw to a conclusion a humble 8. He neglects not Gods commands in afflictions heart doth not remit one jot of his obedience to the commands of God notwithstanding all his afflictions Proud dogged spirits I have oft observed it in my selfe and others there are some hearts that will not serve God and take paines for him otherwise then when the Lord dandleth them and cockers them and feeds them with white bread and if he doe not they will give over their callings and sit mopeing in their Closets there are diverse VVomen and other Professors that will sit mopeing in their Chambers a whole week together and why Because God hath laid such afflictions upon their spirits they will doe nothing for God all the businesse of their generall and particular callings must lie at six and seavens they will doe nothing for God when his hand is on them Now a humble heart as Job said in another case Though he kill me yet will I trust in him So sayth a humble heart let him kill me yet I will obey him I believe that he loves me there is a designe of a great reach in it there is the glory of God and the wisdome of God and the greatnesse of God in it Let him doe his work let him doe what he will and by Gods helpe I will doe my work in my generall and particular calling notwithstanding all the task that he layes on me I will not abate any thing of the obedience I am to bring in Another thing is this a humble heart alway 9. Hee sticks close to the Covenant in afflictions sticks closer to the Covenant of God in affliction then otherwise and the more the Lord will afflict him the more he will stir up his soul as Isaiah sayth to lay hold upon the Covenant As a loving child the more you whipp him the more he will endeavour in love to close with you and cling to you and catch the rod in a reverent manner in a loving way so a humble heart will get to God in affliction and lay hold upon him And this was the fault as Isay sayth of that people Isa 64. VVhen the Lord had layd his hand on them and suffered others to be Lords over them Sayth he V. 7. There is none that calleth upon thy name that stirreth up himselfe to take hold of thee for thou hast hid thy face from us and hast consumed us because of our iniquities Here was a great affliction on them they were consumed and God had hid his face yet there was none that did stir up himselfe to lay hold on God out of the pride of their owne hearts A proud heart alwayes goes from God in affliction As we see Judas he went not to God but to the halter and Caine he went to the Land of Nod when God was angrie he went to buyld Townes he did not goe to God and lay hold upon the Covenant so Saul he goes to Endor to the VVitch in stead of going to God and laying better hold of the Covenant So a proud heart departs from God and growes further off and looser from God whereas alway in afflictions a humble heart sticks closer to God and gets better hold of his blessed covenant Another thing is this that in afflictions a humble 10. A humble heart apt to pray in afflictions heart desires in nothing to be troubled but in every thing to make his requests knowne with thanksgiving and that implies two things First he doth not restrayne prayer as Jobâ— 1. To make requests friends sayd to him Thou art a wicked man for thou restraynest prayer before God in thy afflictions And indeed if they had sayd true of Job he had been so he had been proud at the least proud people they will not
is the cheife principle that the creature should desire its owne preservation It is so in all creatures Grace screws up and makes nature spirituall but grace goes not contrary to the mayne and solid principles of pure nature Now therefore I say that a man by grace should be brought to wish his owne destruction it is very harsh For besides that it is contrary to the principle of nature Ground of true submission to God it is contrary to the spirit of adoption for what is it that makes me submit to God It is because I have loving thoughts of him and I conceive of his love to me and the like if I should looke upon God as an enemie I should love him no more then the Devill himselfe doth it is ordinarily so But what may be in one soul or two or a few I know not But that which I meane is in ordinarie mercies especially in temporall mercies it is the frame of a humble heart to sit still and be quyet if God denie the mercie That is one thing Another thing is this that as a humble heart 2. He is content that God should take away any mercy will be content that God should denie him any mercie So Secondly he is contented if it please God to take away any mercie that he hath God shall pick and choose and if he will take away all yet he is contented and quiet It is just with a humble heart towards God as you read of an honest hearted man in the Book of God that was humble towards David you shall read of him in 2 Sam. 19. 24. It was one Mephibosheth David had given Mephibosheth him a great deale of land for his father Jonathans sake and being a lame man for his Nurse let him fall when he was a child he had a wicked servant one Ziba and when David came home he sadled asses and brought presents and told David Mephibosheth would not come to 2 Sam. 16. 1. meet the King which was a grosse lie saith David if he be so sturdie take thou the land At the last Mephibosheth finds a way to come to David and David asked him why he did not come to 2 Sam. 19. 24. him sayth he My Lord O King my servant deceived me for he sadled an asse and went away and hath slandered thy servant unto my Lord the King c. Sayth the King Vers 29. Thou and Ziba divide the land honest hearted Mephibosheth once I gave him all but now the more was the pitty he shall have one halfe and thou the other saith Mephibosheth yea let him take all for as much as my Lord the King is come again in peace unto his owne house I care little for the land though I be a lame man and cannot get any thing for my selfe and Ziba though he were a wicked man and deserved it not yet sayth he I am so taken with the Kings person that he is come home that let him take all So a humble heart carries himselfe thus towards God that when the Lord seems to be as it were in a holy chafe and anger that he takes away his mercies he takes away a child or a husband or a mans estate or the like if thou have a humble heart thou wilt not be in a rage and say let him take all in a desperate humour but he sayth meekly let him take this or that or all if he will so I may injoy him and his love I will blesse God I say when thou canst blesse God notwithstanding all be gone This was Jobs condition God tooke all from Job one after another in a little while as we see in Job 1. Sayth Job notwithstanding God hath taken all from me Naked came I out of my Mothers wombe and the Lord gives and the Lord takes blessed be the name of the Lord. Or as it is in some old Greek coppies As it pleaseth the Lord so commeth things to passe blessed be the name of the Lord. He blessed the Lord that had taken away his children and thrown downe his house yet he could blesse him Now looke a little upon your hearts how you finde your spirits when God hath denied you mercies when God hath taken away mercies As I could give you many instances but to name one or two it may be when thou wert a carnall man that thou wert a very honourable man in thy Countrie thou wert the onely States-man the man that did doe all the businesses but now since thou art Religious thou art despised and there are none that make use of thee thy honour is gone Thou wert accounted a wise man but now thou art accounted a mope and a sot Thou wert once accounted a fine young man or woman and now thy esteeme is gone canst thou be content that God hath rubbed off these mercies that one while he takes away thine honour another while thy wealth another while thy friends and yet thou canst blesse the name of God this a humble heart can doe Another thing in respect of the mercies of 3. A humble heart will wait for mercies God is this that a humble heart can be content to wait upon the Lord though he stay never so long for the least mercie Proud hearts unlesse you feed them in hast they will be gone A proud heart will not waite on God but a humble heart will stay Gods leasure till he give him what he pleaseth and how he pleaseth Hab. 2 3. The vision is for an appointed time but at the end it shall speak and not lie though it tarry wait for it because it will surely come it will not tarry Behold his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him but the just shall live by his faith The proud heart and the just man living by faith are put opposite one to the other the just shall live by faith that is though he desire mercies yet he shall be content to waite on God but he that hath his soul lifted up he will be gone he will not stay for God just like that wicked King that you read of in the Book of God This evill sayth he comes of the Lord what should I stay for him any longer a wretched man So an unhumbled heart sayth what should I stay for God any longer in this and so he takes base courses to helpe himselfe and will not waite upon God and goe in Gods wayes It is a thing highly commended in the Saints throughout all the Scriptures when they had a frame of heart to waite on God As Abraham the father of the faithfull we read of him in Acts 7. VVhen God brought him from his fathers house and from his whole estate and led him abroad from one place to another and had brought him at the last to the Land of Canaan where he had not one foot of land and his posterity was not to possesse it of foure hundred yeares after yet he blesseth God and rayseth Altars
therefore he is praying for more but he forgets to pray with thanksgiving to make his requests known with thanksgiving Now let a humble heart be in never so much distresse and misery the man can see abundance of cause to prayse God if he have but water that the beasts drink and if he have but strength to dig he can say Lord I owne this as a mercie and whatsoever is on this side Hell is mercie So in Rom. 12. 1. I beseech you by the mercies of God that you give up your selves a living and holy and acceptable sacrifice to God He would have the mercies of God to bring them to obedience to give up themselves to obey God So in Rom. 2. Sayth he Doest thou despise his riches and goodnesse and forbearance and long suffering not knowing that the goodnesse of God should lead thee to repentance The goodnesse of God and the patience of God and the mercie of God should lead all humble hearts to a holy thankfullnesse and obedience and so it doth And the more the Lord doth multiplie mercies upon him the more obedient and thankfull he is Now in all this that I have said I would desire you to examine your soules and if you find that in any of these or in any of the rest that I am yet to speake of you are faultie and come short yet I would not have you conclude therefore I am not the humbled soul that the Minister spake off there is none of this grace in me for though it be not so with thee in every poynt though thou come short of perfect humiliation that should be in thee it followes not that therefore there is none at all The end why I put these things before you is not so much to trie your selves as that you might labour with the Lord to bring up your hearts to these things And I have the rather chosen to speake of this at this time because me thinks the Lord is preparing to come towards us in a way of mercie and that I would have you to think of and pray for that the Lord may still come in a way of mercie that he may turne from the evill he hath intended or else he may easily bring us againe to the red sea if we provoke him as we have done But so much for this time SERMON 8. Isaiah 6. 5. For mine eyes have seen the King the Lord of Hosts I Hope you are not wearie of this subject though I have been somthing long upon it you may remember the last doctrine was that A saving sight of God in Christ is the principall means of true humiliation It is the principall meanes to humble the heart of any man whether he be a Saint or a sinner I have spoken much to you concerning that sight At the last we came to this to examyne whether we have seen God or no. John puts much stresse upon that word If any man love not his brother he hath not seen God I say if you have seen God in Christ as Moses had seen him and as all the Saints see him with open face it will appeare by this it will make your hearts humble it will worke a holy frame of humiliation No proud man hath ever seen God no man hath ever seen God but his heart was thorowly humbled But that begat another question How shall I know whether I have an humble heart or no I told you you might know it First by the carriage of your souls towards God In poynt of justification In regard of his commands In regard of his truths In regard of his corrections In regard of his mercies And this last was the thing I did endeavour to open to you the last day Secondly you may know whether your hearts 2. True humiliation known by our carriage towards men be truly humbled by your carriage towards men When ever men are converted to God there the hearts of the children are turned to their fathers Now among men there are two sorts in generall They are eyther Sinners or Saints I shall leave to speake of our carriage towards Saints for the last because it will require a little more time and because I shall speake but a few words of this of the carriage of a humble heart towards sinners and that I shall endeavour to shew you at this time Therefore breifly whosoever hath this humble frame of heart his carriage towards sinners is according to the rule that we 1. To sinners with meeknesse read of Titus 3. 2. To speake evill of no man to be gentle shewing all meeknesse unto all men His carriage I say is meek and affable and courteous and gentle towards all men Indeed there is no heart in the World so proud you shall observe it but it hath in it some meeknesse and especially to some men The proudest Tyrants in the World have had some favourites that they did fawne on and in some sort might be termed meek men but the Apostle sayth that we must shew all meeknesse and that unto all men to all sorts of men to whoremongers to drunkards to those that deprive us of our goods and of our good name which is hard to doe but I will give you a Scripture that will open it Collos 1. 9. I pray for you sayth Paul that you may be filled with the knowledg of his will in all wisdome and spirituall understanding c. If the Lord hath revealed himselfe that thou hast had a saving sight of him then the Lord humbleth thy heart How will that appeare By thy carriage to all men there will be all meeknesse to all men It will appeare by thy affabilitie for meeknesse and humblenesse have the same name in the Originall Moses was a humble man and Moses was a very meeke man VVhere ever there is a humble heart it is a meeke heart there will be meeknesse shewed even to sinners That you may see this I will give you but one solid instance instead of many You know that of all proud men there were none that had the name so much as the Pharisees therefore they are called the proud Pharisees And of all that have Christs meeknesse to sinners been humbled there was not such a patterne of humilitie as our Lord Jesus Christ Now you shall see how the pride of the Pharisees was expressed and how the humilitie of our Saviour is set forth by his carriage to sinners As he sayth Mat. 11. 28. Come and learne of me for I am meeke and lowly of heart It is because of the pride of our hearts that we are not meeke you shall see this meeknesse of Christ by paralell places in Luke 7. 34. You shall finde there that our Lord Christ was at a feast when he sat at meat in a Pharises house there comes in a woman and shee was washing his feet and wyping them with the haire of her head as he sate at the table The Pharisees fall a reasoning with themselves
lifted up to thinke he is something more then his brethren but then even with a haire you may pull him downe to the lowest forme with the least and lowest of Saints This you have Rom. 12. Mind not high things but condescend to them of low estate A humble heart can rank himselfe with the meanest sort of Christians Proud hearts especially in this Cittie tread poore Saints under feet you have many that are only for disputing professors if he can hold an argument bravely and sophistically or be a controversiall Christian that can discourse upon this or that controversie such your spirits are carried after But a poore Saint that can hardly pray in his familie or speake a little broken fragments of godlinesse you despise him But a humble heart knows how to suite to the poorest Saint let him be weak in any thing he can be weak also As the Apostle sayth 2 Cor. 11. 9. Who is weak and I am not weak who is offended and I burne not If any one be weake I will come downe and be weak with him if any be offended I burne that is I suit my selfe to all men that I may win some as he speaks of sinners so it is with Saints when they can be weake with the weake and ignorant with the ignorant and suite themselves with the meanest So you have two words The Third is this breifly observe it that a 3. He is jealous of those truths he knowes humble heart you shall see it by his carriage towards his brethren towards Saints by this that out of the high and honourable opinion that he hath of all other Saints he alway hath a kind of jealousie even of those truths which he is most assured of I say meerly out of the very honour and esteeme and respect that he hath of all Saints he sees them all over and above him and from thence even those truths that he is most assured off he is jealous of O the pride and the wretchednesse of some that are ready to say what doe I care what all the World thinks all the World now or they that were before and it may be it is but a conceit of yesterday or it may be it is a truth but it argueth a vile proud heart Shall I say what doe I care what others think why should I be perswaded that I am so sainted that I should not care what the Generation of the Saints that are otherwise minded say There are many things in our preaching that we may have full assurance of but there may be full assurance of understanding concerning truths that a man may preach with boldnesse and suffer and die for it with fearlesnesse and yet there may be a kind of jealousie in the soul concerning it when the Generation of the Saints that he looks on as above him are of another mind This is a mysterie and a riddle that is only knowne to humble men Acts 2â— 9. Say they let us not be too violent against Paul Who knoweth but that an Angel hath revealed this to him So a humble heart thinks this is the will of God and I dare die for it but this is the time of pouring out of the spirit and such men as are above me they are of another mind and how doe I know but God may be in it So there is a holy suspicion that yet hinders not full assurance that riseth meerly out of reverence and respect of all the Saints that he sees and thinks are above him Therefore we have proud spirits a devillsh spirit of pride among us when a man shall conceit that he only is in the right and slight others We have every good gift from above and I must not be angrie with yonder man because he doth not beleive as I say for he hath received of God what he hath But when a man shall say this thing I think to be so and all the rest of the World are Schismaticks and factious people it is an argument of a devillish spirit of a proud spirit at the best Fourthly from this for they depend one upon another you may know a humble heart in his demeanour to the Saints he is very meek 4. He is meek to Saints of another mind and patient and long-suffering towards other Saints that are otherwise minded and hence it is from his humilitie that hee is meeke and patient For he thinks eyther be is in the truth or I he thinks one thing and I another if he be in the truth and I be not God will reveale it in due time to me and if I be in the truth and he be not God will reveale it to him in due time Therefore he sayth that is a golden rule Rom. 14. 5. Let every man be perswaded in his owne mind whatsoever is not of faith is sin Therefore he will not doe as many men doe in our times if men differ a tittle from them they crie out we shall have the Common-wealth and the Kingdome undone and such and such are Hereticks and schismaticks and one will have them â—â—â—â—shed and another will have them imprisoned and there must be fire and fagot and it may be some of Gods people may be carried with the rous of blaspheming creatures that raile at the people of God who have various dispensations various graces in a various measure and manner But these are not humble persons for I never heard a humble Saint use that language And I dare say it is for want of grace eyther men have no grace at all or else it is because they have not this grace of humility in their soules Fiftly the demeanour of a humble heart toward 5. He yeelds to the reproofe or instruction of others the Saints will appeare also in this marke it a humble heart he dares not resist or slight reproofe or instruction from the meanest Saint because he sees him above him that is the reason you know the Scripture is full of it how David was a man after Gods owne heart therefore he had a humble and good heart when Ahigal a woman comes to give him instruction that he should not shed innocent bloud blessed be the Lord sayth he and blessed be thy councel it is good councel And Job sayth If I have not hearkened to my maid servant it were a wickednesse to be punished by the Judg he would hearken to her if shee reprooved him and admonished him and instructed him in any thing How was Apollo an eloquent man taken and instructed by a crafts-man and his Wife and the wife did teach him for ought I know as much if not more then her husband the holy-Ghost puts her first he learned the Gospell of God and Christ from them David did learne from his enemies he did take a reproofe from one of the worst of his enemies And sayth Paul Rom. 2. 12. When I come we shall be edified by our mutuall faith Paul thought they would doe him good and he would
and he relieved his kinsman when he was in misery and did teach his familie and relieved the King of Sodome he did many good works Though these good works did justifie his faith to the world that they knew he was a believer by it and he himselfe did know it by it yet never a one of these were an ingredient into the justification of his person that was by the righteousnesse of God without works Wee must get good works after This is the Good works to be done after we believe rule of the word Charge them that believe to maintain good works that is after they believe charge them to avoy'd the evill and to doe the good and to abound But for the poynt of justification which is the maine thing for your soule and mine to feed on that is built on another foundation upon the grave of Christ and upon the death of Christ Therefore you shall find those speeches of the Apostle Paul when he speaks of this glorious condition he speaks alway of his union with Christ I am crucified with Christ and I am buried with Christ and I am dead but Christ lives in me Learne this lesson that you may come to this Ground of humilitie for if you had learned it spiritually when you had done the most for God if you could doe ten times more then Abraham or Paul and yet Paul preached from Jerusalem to Illyricum yet then thou wouldest say I am an unprofitable servant there is not one graine that I have done that is an ingredient into the death and resurrection of Christ to help to make me a just man or to procure the favour and love of God And when you had done evill and it may be failed in carelesnesse and committed sin O what a glorious thing were it to goe home and fall upon thy knees and say Lord I have sinned grievously but yet I am not one jote the lesse just before thee because my justice and my righteousnesse is not depending upon my sinning or my unsinning upon my holinesse or my unholinesse but upon Jesus Christ Then you would find by experience your hearts The right way to mourn for sinne melt in pieces you would be able to look upon sin in the vastness and unkindness of it against a deare Father then you would see your selves the vilest objects you would not so thinke or speake of any man in the world as of your selves even for the least frailtie For then the love of God as oyle working with iron would press your hearts Then you shall know and not before what it is to be truly humbled and then you shall have power to reforme Then you would be able to say my soule is truly humbled I can mourne for sin till I am weary of weeping Then you will be able though you make not those covenants and resolutions there will be such an impression upon the soule that you cannot choose but mourne and loath your selves and avoyd the occasions of sinne seeing your selves just men in Jesus Christ For when a man sees himself unjust he can never mourne kindly for sin if he see God on Sinai as a Judge there will be but untoward mourning for sin But when a man sees the coast cleare then he can say I have been the greatest sinner in London there is never a childe of God that hath walked more barrenly then I have done and yet through Christ I am as just in Gods sight as any man in London I am Gods childe but I am an unhappie graceless childe then a man can call himselfe foole and be angry with himselfe and weep bitterly Now usually when you mourne for sinne you Men usually think justification is cracked by sin thinke there is a crack in your justification and so many sins as you have committed there are so many flawes in your justification and so many faintings of faith in the favour of God and therefore when you pray to God and are humbled for sin it is your manner and it was mine most of my dayes onely to dawb up the flawes of justification and you pray the Lord to pardon such a sin and now you see God is wrath with you and you are like to be cast off and your hearts begin to be hard and you have sad thoughts of God arising in you and unquiet and horror in your soules and you are far enough from true sorrow all this while It is impossible there should be true sorrow when you keep a coile and confess your sinnes and wrangle it out with God and you will confess your sins to day and think to make God amends to morrow and so as a man stops chincks in a wall wee think to dawb up the flawes and cracks of justification this way Whereas wee should look on justification as a thing entire in the hands of Christ that wee have nothing to doe in but it is in Christ altogether founded on his death and resurrection and all the title that wee have in it is onely by saith As Rom. 10. sheweth The righteousnesse of faith saith on this wise c. The word is nigh thee There is our title and tenure I have nothing to doe for my justification but Christ hath fulfilled the law and he did die and rise and sitteth on the right hand of God and I endeavour to believe it that is to consent that it is so and praise his name and live to him all the dayes of my life O here is the life of Christianitie I have seene people quarrell with themselves Hindrance of reforming our wayes and complaine O I have a hard heart and I desire the preachers to pray for me and when you have fallen into weaknesse you will goe and confess your sins and strive to breake your hearts and mourne for your worldlinesse and your pride and frowardnesse and yet it will not doe but your hearts grow harder then they were before and whereas when you have committed a sin to day you think to goe and reforme to morrow and to turne over a new leafe to morrow you will be worse then to day because you think to make God amends he leaves you to your selves and you grow worse The reason is this because in some sort even to this day you mix sanctification with justification Now I know it I speak what I know could you leave your justification alone in the hands of Jesus Christ and look on it as I said as cash in the cupboord not to be touched and as long as Christ is righteous say I am righteous behold your selves alway as just men and women that in Jesus Christ have fulfilled the law of God and then you will find your hearts inclined to any good thing then would your hearts break and shatter to peices when you have done the least evill against God then you would know what true sorrow and what true repentance is and not before then you would know
is wrong'd by him that he hath been most kind to of all the men in the World and yet he proves most ungratefull if a man should goe to flesh and blood he would hate and abhorr him and not indure him man in his best naturalls would not beare it he would not beare ungratefullnesse and wrong but labour to requite it But what is the rule The Lord is good to the wicked and unthankfull Therefore Lend freely looking for nothing againe Presently God will bring a spirituall rule to your mind and God will give you power to doe it And so suppose a man should charge and challenge you with a debt and would have you pay such a debt you perhaps know no such thing and are perswaded of the contrary What now You know what most men think I will never pay him I were a foole if I should give away my estate and be a Beggar when I have done but what is the rule If thine enemy sue thee at the law and take away thy cloake give him thy coat also A Christian comes to this law he consults not with flesh and blood when a case comes but he thinks what is the rule in this case But all the misery is you will be fingering with justification which you should leave alone upon Christs death and Resurrection and you should be working out your holynesse every day that should be your way God will bring it in So when a woman is putting on her cloathes and making her fine cloaths and thinks to be as fine as her Neighbours shee should think but what is my rule Not to conforme my selfe to others in embroydred haire and fine apparrell and gold but with the Ornament of a meek spirit So you have the New Testament full for every case there is some thing that wil direct and lead you that thereby you may conforme to Jesus Christ I give you but generall instances if God open your eyes to see your glorious condition in the New Testament you must resolve on this to walk according to the coppy and the rules of it that in any case you may aske what is my rule as I am a Christian as I am a free man one with God that I may walke by it Now I exhort you to this because if a thousand The best motive to holinesse Devills should preach instead of men and tell you what the Torments of Hell are all would not be so great a motive by half to walke holily as to tell you that the righteousnesse of the law is fulfilled by Christ that you are righteous and just all your sins are done away by Christ Therefore O love him and live to him conforme to your coppy Let your Neighbours conforme to their coppy to the World and others conforme to their lusts as too many doe but doe you conforme to Jesus Christ think what would Christ doe if he had my opportunitie what would he have taken in hand And what ever occasion you have with God or man aske what is my rule in the New Testament and conforme to it Blessed is the man or woman to whome God gives a heart so to doe There remaines one word more of this and the third lesson which is the principall thing the description of those persons that have this priviledge They walk not according to the flesh but according to the spirit But because the time is gone and my strength also I shall leave that till God give another opportunitie SERMON III. Rom. 8. 4. That the righteousnesse of the law might be fullfilled in us who walke not after the flesh but after the spirit THERE were three Lessons that we may learne from these words The first is implied namely that The righteousnesse of the law must be fulfilled by every man OR Every man is bound to fulfill the law of God And Secondly that The law of God is perfectly fulfilled in all true Beleivers And Thirdly that True Beleivers are they who walke not after the flesh but after the spirit We were the last time upon the second we have prooved it and opened the poynt and have made some Use of it First that from hence we may learne where our justification lieth and wheron it is buylt not upon any thing in us or done by us but only upon the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ Secondly hence all that are Saints all that beleive in Jesus Christ should labour to see the glorious condition they are in by Christ Thirdly we should learne being justified freely and fully by the grace of Jesus Christ to conforme our selves in our hearts and lives to the example of Jesus Christ and to his rules in the Gospell I shall add but one word more from this Lesson Use 4. True beleivers no Antinomians that is that seeing the righteousnesse of the law is fulfilled in them that beleive you may hence see that none are further from Antinomianisme then those that are true beleivers those that are godly Saints You have a great stir concerning Antinomians what they should be It Antinomians who is one that is against the law that is the signification of the Greeke word Now the question is who is most against the law of God I doe not denie but that there are some and they may be called Antinomians though we should not miscall people yet they deserve it But now a Saint that is in Christ he is not an Antinomian he is not against the law because he hath satisfyed the law Every man must pay the law and they that would fulfill the law with their owne righteousnesse they doe the law wrong they that doe most here and they that suffer most in Hell they can never satisfie the law But a Christian hath satisfied the law because he hath given it a perfect righteousnes Now if a man should owe ten thousand pounds and he had but fifty shillings a yeare comming in and it may be one yeare he payes ten shillings another yeare he payes a Noble and another yeare three pence yet he payes as well as he can But now suppose there come a Suretie and he payes the whole ten thousand pound and he sayth to the Creditor you shall be paid no more by three pences but you shall receive the whole summe what doe you think is not that better None satisfie the law but beleivers So there are none that satisfie the law so roundly and fulfill it so perfectly as he that relinquisheth all that is in him and layes hold on Jesus Christ and in him payes God to a farthing Therfore when Paul is prooving strongly that we are justified by Christ and not by the law sayth he We take not away the law but we establish the law This is a better way of fulfilling the law then any other All the damned men in Hell and all the Pharisees on Earth cannot satisfie the law so well as one poore sinner that beleives in Jesus Christ And so for
to keep the Garden that he should come in no more Just so now since Adams fall the Lord hath set a Sword as it were to keep men from all the principles of Adam that those things shall never please God any more Or I may say of it as Josuah speakes of Jericho when hee had pulled down and destroyed it Cursed be the man that buildeth this Citty any more So when God pulled downe Adam for sin the Lord layd that curse upon him that he should never be a blessing that way any more God would never looke on him or any thing that should come from him any more God would bethink himselfe of another way but that way he would not meddle with But now this is our fault wee are still going to build Jericho againe We are every man more apt to righteousnesse then to sin such a righteousnesse as it is we are apt to goe and build up the ruines of old Adam when we goe about the service of God and to doe any thing for him or as the people of Israel Deut. 1. God bids them arise and goe into Canaan and then they would not but by and by they would goe and then God tells them they should never goe So the time was that we might have gone the way of old Adam when God made him righteous if we had continued so it had been well and the more we had endeavoured to be righteous that way the more blessed we had been But now we are fallen and God hath cursed Adam to dye now any one that goes that way is cursed that goes about to repaire those old ruines no saith God doe not now anger me in seeking to be holy in that way as old Adam was We must labour now to goe a new way and get the new Adam Jesus Christ into our soules This is the reason why as it is cleare in 1 Cor. Why godly men dye as well as other 15. men must dye why godly men must dye as well as the wicked It is appointed to all men to dye Why so The reason is this because God in Paradise condemned old Adam wholly to dye therefore Flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdome of God no peice of old Adam therefore he being a publike person and we being in him that curse must be fulfilled and wee must dye All that belongs to old Adam must dye one time or other Nolens volens Therefore as we beare the Image of old Adam though we have some beginnings of new Adam yet because we have the disposition of old Adam I speake not of sin but of naturall Adam wee are earthly as Adam was therefore we must lay downe this flesh and body because of that great curse in Paradise that Adam should dye and all that are of him But you will say why then doth not corruption Quest that is a part of old Adam dye in the wicked in Hell You say whole Adam corrupt Adam and naturall Adam must dye Now the wicked in Hell they have sin and corruption World without end for Caine is a murderer and Judas is a Traytor to this time It is true that corrupt Adam in the Saints must Answ Sin remaining in the wicked in Hell it is a curse dye but that comes not by the curse but it is by Christ and is a blessing and that corrupt Adam sinfull Adam lives for ever in them in Hell it is a part of the curse for to live in sin is to dye properly Now in that wee shall have this flesh and blood dissolved and shall have naturall wisedome and the like all dashed out therein wee are common with them that is of the curse though God after by an after game as we may speake with reverence turned it to a blessing But for the dying of corruption in us that is the blessing of Jesus Christ and no curse It is a curse to live in sin therefore though Adam be wholly to dye yet the wicked continue in sin World without end even in Hell I meane there are the sins of the heart at the least And in those places of the New Testament I conceive the holy Ghost alludes to this as that in Rom. 8. They that walke after the flesh shall dye Why doth he not say the plague of God shall come on them but they shal dye It is as if he had said doe you not remember that God threatned a curse in Paradise to flesh and he that walkes after that shall dye for God hath sayd Flesh and Adam shall dye And so Rom. 7. Who shall deliver mee from this body of death that is from this body that God hath condemned to dye Therefore I say whatsoever springs in us and comes from us from old Adam it is a dead thing that God cursed even in Paradice and therfore cannot be acceptable to him Take the best piece of old Adam and offer it to God and it is as that strange fire that Nadab and Abihu offered it cannot please God Let me give you one chiefe instance that makes Divinity mistaken my heart bleed when I think of it That thing that you call Divinity or those that you call Divines they are good words of themselves for John is called the Divine But that which you call Divinity which is the great Idoll of the World it is nothing but old Adam a kind of godlinesse learned in a naturall way a man learned after the old Adam as we learne Logick or other things in the Universities and such a one comes and scatters this among people and this you call Divinity and he is a Divine and yet this is abominable to God And that is the reason why there are many Divines that Preach excellently and yet God curseth it Why It is old Adams wisedome and invention and brave parts but God curseth the soule he curseth that Fig tree that it shall bring forth no more O Beloved that we would not suffer our selves as children I had almost sayd as fooles to be carried on wheeling in a profession of Religion and to think it enough to carry it plausibly in duties in observing fast dayes and dayes of humiliation c. But that thou and I may be content to let all the Professors in the Towne to goe before us that way let them be more gallant Professors in outward performances in all they doe let it be thy care and mine to gleane the spirit of God after them let people say there is such a man made such a brave peice of worke and such a man prayed excellent well and prayed so long let us passe by these things and if I can doe a little from the spirit of Jesus Christ and if God will frame my heart from the Lord Christ and his spirit to speake a few words to my Father this is all I care for And so for other things Therfore I beseech you let this sinck into you VVhy men are proud of their duties That makes you
proud that you cannot rule your hearts but you are lifted up with pride when you have done duties it is because every fine thing you doe from old Adam makes you proud you take all in the bulke and consider not whence you doe things you consider not how much of the old Adam or of the new there is in your Prayers and Duties Therfore let this be an universall eternall rule to know the worth of all your services and actions by whatsoever is of the flesh is flesh and whatsoever of my Preaching and of your praying and lending and giving and of your publike actions if it be not from a spirituall principle from Jesus Christ according to the Gospell planted in you it is of old Adam and it is condemned labour to leave that I shall conclude with one Word more and Vse 4. To expect the fulfilling of Prophesies and promises that is this that this beeing so that this is to walk according to the spirit Then we should long very much for the fulfilling of those Prophesies and Promises that God hath made unto us concerning the latter times There is no Saint almost now that I know but expects glorious times only one Saint thinks that the glory of the Saints shall be in this thing and another in that thing but every Saint expects continually the fulfilling of those Prophesies and promises set downe in the latter end of the Revelations and they are glorious ones whatsoever the meaning of them is and I think the cheife thing there promised which shall be the height of our happinesse that the new Jerusalem shall come downe from Heaven mistake me not though it be a consequent yet it is not cheifly and properly such a way of government this or that or the other way though it be true that Government will follow upon it yet if the meaning of it were only to reforme our Churches though that were a blessing or that Christ should come and reigne here temporally and give us Inheritances and riches and the like truly a Saint would not long much for these things But the New Jerusalem shall come downe from Heaven and abundance of blessings that shall goe along with it What is that The meaning of New Jerusalem comming downe from Heaven what it is we shall have the light of the Gospell clearly revealed unto us and we shall have Gospell principles fully put into our soules which by Antichrist by Babilon we have been seduced of these thirteene or fourteene hundred yeares For that was the mischeife of Antichrist he hath kept us all his reigne under the old Testament with Altars and Sacrifices and Preists and I know not what every thing just as they used under Moses and we are not wholly gone out of Antichrist yet But the Lord will send a light into our hearts to know the truth in the power and spirit and to square our hearts to it For that is new Jerusalem if you compare it with Heb. 12. where the holy Jerusalem the heavenly Jerusalem is clearly opposite to Mount Sinai So compare it with Gal. 4. he tells us that Jerusalem which is above us is Mother of us all that is the Covenant of grace and the principles thereof in the soules of men Therefore I wish that the Lord would set your hearts and mine a longing after that that we may have more of the spirit of the Gospel and of the Principles of the New Testament in us and then for matter of Government of Churches those things would follow For to set up Government and Discipline before this comes into the soule truely it is to build Castles in the ayre for let a man take us and frame us in the Independent or Presbyterian way in what way he will unlesse the Principles of Jesus Christ in the Gospel be spiritually planted it will be a fleshly Independent and a fleshly Presbyterian service Therefore labour chiefly for that and pray the Lord to fulfill that and then your Government whatsoever it shall be God will reveale it more fully People are now generally going to build and order Churches and I know not what unlesse the spirit of the New Testament governe in the New Testament it is a vaine thing thing for if wee have our former fleshly hearts that walke according to the Law and according to the flesh all the Government in the World will never doe us good because God hath cursed Flesh and it will never be regulated and brought to good And this also should move us exceedingly to Upon what ground to long for the comming of Christ long for the comming of Jesus Christ to glory for his comming to us or our comming to him and the reason of that you shall have in 1 Cor. 15. 49. a glorious word that hath dwelt much in my thoughts I told you the reason why every man must dye a naturall death because of that absolute grand curse that Adam did fall in as a publick person and we being from him we must dye Now here is the comfort of it a blessed word it is As we have borne the Image of the earthly so we shall beare also the Image of the heavenly that is when the redemption of our bodies comes at the day of Christ then as we have borne the Image of the earthly so we shall beare the Image of the heavenly We have borne hitherto and doe beare the Image of naturall Adam we are all his Sons and Daughters just like him in our wisedome and understandings and bodies and soules poore earthly creatures naturall fraile creatures we are and by that curse that was layd upon him we must all dye and lay downe these earthly Tabernacles these earthly creatures must be dissolved As we have borne the Image of the earthly not onely as we have borne the Image of old Adam sin and wickednesse and pride and frowardnesse so now we shall beare the Image of the new not onely in respect of grace and holinesse and righteousnesse that if I be in him all those corruptions of nature shall out and I shall have a new nature That is true but that is not all but as I wholly beare the Image and shape of old Adam his body and soule and senses and all those must dye so when these bodies shall be raised we shall as absolutely and largely beare the Image of the new Adam the Lord Jesus in our body and senses and all our whole man soule and body in respect of substance as well as quality we shall beare the Image of the second dam as lively and in as large an extent as ever wee bore the Image of the earthly Adam Therefore that is a Not onely sinfulnesse but earthynesse troubles a Christian great comfort I will tell you why because it is not onely the sinfulnesse of a Christian that troubles him but his earthinesse so many distempers and troubles that it is a misery the spirit is willing but the flesh
flesh is weake As the Scripture saith Their horses are flesh and not spirit so I may say your Prayers are flesh and not spirit and it may be my Preaching and it may be our endeavours to resist sin But as farr as they are flesh they are weak enough But where the spirit is there is power I can doe all things sayth Paul I can preach the Gospell from Jerusalem to Illyricum and I shall come to you in the fulnesse of Christ A man would think he had been mad but it was the strength of his spirit A poore weake Christian he doth nothing but wish and would and confesseth his sins to day and falls into it againe to morrow and then confesseth againe and when will it once be O Jerusalem But the Gospel is the power of God to Salvation and all the principles of it are powerfull and all the precepts of it have a power through the Knowledg of Christ no ground of licentiousnes spirit for a man to keepe and observe them Men talk that the learning of Christ and the knowledg of the Gospell is to make men loose and lycencious It is true carnall vayne hearts the better any thing is the worse they be but assure your selves concerning true Saints it is false for the only way to be lively and lustie and fruitfull in good is to know Christ more according to the Gospell Let men please themselves and say so as long as they will they shall be but poore old barren creatures You will be wishing but you shall never overcome your sins I have knowne some Saints that by the knowledge of Jesus Christ have had power to subdue those sins and to bring them under that before they never so much as hoped to bring under in this World yet the power of Christ hath brought them under when all their fastings and humiliations would never doe it when they were in that way without the cleare knowledg of Christ but when they have come to Christ they have found it done In 2 Pet. 3. You shall find there men that were carnall men that were as Doggs that returned to their Vomit yet the common knowledg of Jesus Christ did make them cleane from the pollutions of the World and did give them power against their sins what then will the spirituall effectuall knowledge of Christ doe Therefore never entertaine any prejudice against Christ or against his Gospell or against his spirit and his wayes for if there be any power in this World it is there All the rest is but a flourish but a shew of mortification when the heart is as full of lusts as a Toad is of Poyson There is no true mortification or holinesse but what comes from Christ and his holy spirit SERMON VI. Rom. 8. 5. For they that are after the flesh doe minde the things of the flesh but they that are after the spirit the things of the spirit IN the former Verse you remember how I shewed you that there was a great priviledge to Scope of the words all true Beleevers which indeed is the cheife of all Priviledge for it is the inlet of all mercies and the principall deliverance from all evills It is conteined in the beginning of Verse 4. That the righteousnesse of the Law might be fulfilled in us In the latter end of the Verse I shewed the persons more largely described to whom this priviledge doth belong that is Not those that walke after the flesh but those that walke after the spirit And I have as God enabled me opened the meaning of that to you what it was to walk after the Flesh and what to walke after the spirit Now the Apostle in this fifth Verse goes forward a little more particularly to discover those that have a right to this priviledge by drawing one thing from another The maine was They walke not after the flesh but after the spirit I but that is a generall word and how shall we know that Saith he you shall know that also by this They that are after the flesh doe minde fleshly things and they that are after the spirit doe mind spirituall things You shall know whether you have the righteousnesse of the Law fulfilled in you if you walke not after the flesh but after the spirit And you shall know that also by your minding by the frame of your mindes if you walke after the flesh you will minde fleshly things if you walke after the spirit you will minde spirituall things And then he goes on to prove that also as we see oft in Scripture as in 1 John 5. where one thing is made the marke of another by a gradation there are five or six things and one thing proves another We know that we are the children of God if we keep his Commandements and we know we keepe his Commandements by another thing and wee know that by another thing So that I say the scope of the Apostle is to cleare unto the Saints their right and title to this great priviledge and also withall to convince those that are carnall that they are without it and to shew them their great miserie in being so for you shall see after how as he discovers them so also he shews their misery he saith they are enmity to God and they that walke after the flesh must dye c. Now that we may goe on breifly to handle this a little to you you may take the Doctrine as it lyes here in the words for I will not nor need not frame it otherwise That Those that are after the flesh doe minde the Doct. They that are after the flesh doe mind the things of the flesh things of the flesh Onely remember what I said before for it is of great concernment for that great priviledge depends upon this If you have the righteousnes of the Law fulfilled in you you must be those that walke according to the spirit and not according to the flesh And then would you know that Saith the Apostle Those that are after the Flesh doe minde the things of the Flesh and those that are after the spirit the things of the spirit so let that be the Doctrine or Lesson I will give you but two short words to prove this to you and then to open it as God shall helpe us The first thing to prove it is this that it must Reas 1. Every thing works according to its principle be so because that every thing in the World in all the creation of God doth act according to the nature of its principle from whence it flowes As Saint James saith Jam. 3. 11 12. Doth a Fountaine send forth from the same place sweet water and bitter Can a Fig-tree my Brethren beare Olive-berries or can a Vine beare Figs You know that a Fig-tree beares Figs and a Vine-tree beares Grapes an Apple-tree beares Apples and a Peare-tree Peares and every Tree and every thing will work according to its principle Make the tree
So the reasonings of the soule are the chiefest weapons of the minde because I told you that these they doe come immediately from it The third thing was that the reasoning is the chief character of a man as reason in a man considered in a naturall way is the most proper way of distinguishing of him from other things because it is most essentiall to him for you cannot distinguish a man so properly from a horse because he hath two leggs and that a horse hath foure but by his essence he is a rationall creature and therefore I told you a man may know good excellently a man may love good and godlines and a man may do good and suffer for good and yet be an hypocrite yet be a carnall man Why Because he may doe good and love good and suffer for good and all out of carnall reasoning he may love the good because of some fine circumstantiall things And therefore I concluded last day with two words of use but I must endeavor to make good my promise Now the last thing is how it comes to passe for I have as in reference to the Doctrine you heard That spirituall men are swayed 3. How it comes that Saints are guided by spirituall reason with spirituall reasons How comes it to passe that they are enabled so to reason and to be so guided by such Reasons Beloved in generall certainly it is only by the same spirit of God for I must advance the spirit still Not in opposition to the Scriptures mistake me not for the spirit takes of the things of By the spirit Christ and in the Scriptures sheweth you them but it is the Spirits teaching you And therefore it is said they are after the spirit that doe mind spirituall things because it is the spirit that doth worke them to mind spirituall things yee would never mind spirituall things else All the Learning in the World and all the wit in the World will never teach a man to make one sincere argument to doe good or draw him from evill But you will say how doth the Spirit doe this Beloved I told you heretofore that I doe not approove of those that doe endeavour to shew you too particularly and disbiastly how the spirit of God works in the soule as many men have done and many a godly man but they have lost much time and have puzelled the soules of poore people for thou knowest not how a Child is formed in the VVombe how his eye is made and how his Nose is made And how are we able to discover how the Spirit of God works grace in the soule which ordinarily is done that he doth this first and then that and will not doe this untill he hath done that which hath brought forth a deale of curiositie and needlesse distinctions troubling the People of God But I will give you some particulars how he doth it The wayes whereby he doth it without curiositie not saying he doth this first or that first He doth it by a Creation by spirituall Creation 1. By a creation he doth make a Caeation in the soule which is called the new man Thou that art there now sitting in the Pew that creature that old creature cannot reach the spirit of God It cannot be mended for we have hearts of stone that will not be cobled nor mended but taken out wholly our natures are so naught that they cannot be mended but God comes and by his Holy spirit makes a new Creature in the soule As man is said to be a man and hath not his denomination from the grosser part as his Legs or the like but from the more noble part his soule and his mind for where as in one place it is said What will it availe a man to get the World and loose his soule in another it is loose himselfe So as my soule is my selfe So there is an old man not according to outward age but according to the inward Now he makes thee a new creature not New legs and hands but new mind new affections and new powers in thy soule Now most people say that the Lord doth infuse new qualities into the soule that whereas thou hast an under standing and it is rotten and all is full of bad qualities thou shalt have new qualities thou shalt have an under standing that will mind More then new qualities in Saints Heavenly things Beloved that is true but I very much doubt whiter there be not something more because the Lord calls it a man and we never Reade in the Scripture where he will worke new qualities but a new man We are created a new Creature Now that is the way and therefore if ever thou wilt be a spirituall man thou must have the Lord to make thee a new creature Now the Saints heretofore pray understand me did not looke upon things as we doe we have had so many false distinctions and subdistinctions we have not the same notions and distinctions they had They alwayes looked upon rhe inward man or the new craature Now we looke without saith Paul my inward man gaineth dayly If any man be in Christ he is a new Creature Beloved that ye may understand this beare with me a little I doe find in the Scripture that a man is made a Saint made spirituall and holy two wayes One is by renewing a man to that which he was in Old Adam Secondly by creating things in him that were never there before And we have these two expressions A Saint made spirituall how in Scripture Be renewed in the spirit of your mind and created unto good works So that a Saint he is made up unto that condition two wayes Either God hath renewed in him those things he had in Adam Or else God hath created in him that which was never there before As for instance God revealeth in him Sobrietie and continuance and the like These things were in Adam and now when a man is made a Saint they are renewed only upon a new Foundation And withall the Lord creates some things that were never in Adam as for instance he creates faith there that is the the faith of the Gospell There was a faith in Adam without doubt but that faith of the Gospell to beleive in another to renounce his owne righteousnesse this was not in Adam because it was point-blanke contrary to his owne condition for he was to have righteousnesse in himselfe and to renounce it was contrary to his condition Now God Creates such a faith in us And Beloved there is another thing and it may be there are many things more I have had many thoughts of it with submission to the godly and wise I thinke that Gospell-goodnesse is a peice of the new man which was not in Adam Some thing in Saints that was not in Adam as to doe good to Enemies to love them that hate us to give drinke to a thirstie Enemy When one is wicked and
319 To be after the flesh what 321 see works weaknesse spirit corruptions actions carnall righteousnesse Fire Afflictions as fire 125 G Garrison The Devills strongest Garrison 389 Gentlenesse Ground of gentlenesse in the godly 373 Giving To looke to God in his giving 92 Glory glorious Saints condition glorious 235 Glory in Heaven unspeakable 294 Expectation of glory in former Saints 295 Glosses Scripture to be studied without mens glosses 310 God The Devill God of this world how 65 True humiliation known by our carriage to God 100 What hinders from enjoying of God 239 Godlinesse See Reason Good We are not more justified for the good we doe 220 Naturall men in great place do little good 385 The fountaine of all good in the soule 411 Gospell Preaching of the Gospell to be highly prized 24 Excellency of the Gospell why not seene 25 See rules liberty fall Grace Saints rejoyce at grace in others 198 See nature undervalue greater Greater Saints not discouraged by greater grace in others 193 Grow Growth A pure heart labours to grow in purity 52 See grace Guilt Saints dead to sin in regard of guilt 275 See conscience H. Happie happinesse Foundation of a Christians happinesse 297 See World Heart Saints thankfull for a heart to receive mercy 159 See pure Heaven Christs ascending to Heaven shews God is satisfied 228 See joy High A humble heart hath High thoughts of God in affliction 128 Hypocrite Difference betweene saints and Hypocrites 54 See satisfie dye Holy holinesse Those that have seen God should be holy 67 Holinesse wrought by seeing of God 87 Best motive to holinesse 244 Saints more holy then others 277 Hope Hope of glory in saints 281 Humble humiliation Causes of humiliation 2 Sight of God in Christ the true way to humiliation 75 Difference in working humiliation and other graces 79 Unregenerate Men not truely humbled 93 Wicked men may doe acts of humiliation 94 Wicked Men shall one day be humbled 96 True humiliation how known 100 Ground of humilitie 232 Saints to walke humbly 301 See Ministers afflictions Revelations I Jealous see Truth Jerusalem Jerusalem from above 291 Illumination Sight of God by common illumination 5 Saints illumination by the spirit 407 Impression True sight of God known by the impressions of it â—1 Imperfect Sight of God in this world imperfect 8 Infirmities Saints gentle to others infirmities 197 Instruct Saints willing to be instructed by others 189 Intellectuals Godlinesse hath that that will excercise the intellectuals 382 Job Why Satan desired to tempt Job 125 Joy Saints apprehensions of God full of joy 38 Joy of Heaven what 39 Judge Judgement Sight of God at the day of judgment 5 How godly men judge of things 337 A spirituall man judgeth all things 385 Justice Justice of God how thought of by Saints in affliction 129 Justification A humble Saints carriage to God in Justification 101 Justification upon what it is built 219 See good faith K. Kingdome He that will see God must be delivered from Satans Kingdome 64 Know Knowledge A misery in the knowledge of Saints 33 Of such as thinke they know more then others 185 Carnall men know not spirituall things 320 See Saving Licentiousnesse L. Lasting Comfort of spirituall duties lasting 375 Law Saints content that God make Lawes for his mercies 160 Law fulfilled three wayes 210 Vanity of such as think to fulfill the Law 211 See Righteousnesse Beleevers Spirit Learne Humble Saints readier to learne then teach 192 Learning Learning too much extolled by some 306 Learning of what use it is 307 Learning of Christians and others different 311 Led see Spirit Least A humble heart thankfull for the least mercy 158 A humble Saint thinks himselfe the least 181 How a Saint judgeth himselfe the least 183 Liberty Liberty not to be abused 298 Liberty brought by the Gospell 299 Danger of abusing Liberty ibid. Life The minde not good if the life be naught 352 A Saint can look with comfort on his past life 374 Spirituall reasonings bring life 413 See Vision earthly face faith Light Those that have seene God desire to bring others to the light 59 A humble Saint will abate of his owne light 196 A new light in the soules of godly men 376 Saints have a powerfull light 407 Licentiousnesse Knowledge of Christ no ground of licentiousnesse 315 Love Love to our Brethren how wrought 56 How Saints should bee loved 57 Love of God how esteemed by Saints in affliction 130 True Saints can love though not loved 199 Ground of Saints loving good things 392 Low Why Christians spirits are so low 236 Lust Worldly mens lust their rule 240 To fulfill sinfull lusts called flesh 332 Lusts may drive men to duty 395 M. Man True humiliation known by our carriage to Man 166 Things of the flesh called the things of a Man 324 Meanes Saints humbled in regard of the meanes they have had 183 Meeke Meeknesse Humble hearts are meeke to sinners 166 Christs meeknesse to sinners 167 Cautions in meeknesse to sinners 169 Ground of meeknesse to sinners 173 see mind Mercies Mercies abused humble saints 21 Carnall men cannot see God in his mercies 95 Carriage of humble Saints to God for mercies 148 See least denyed waite heart Minde minding Saints meek to those of another minde 188 Minding the things of the flesh what 334 Best thing in a carnall man his minde 344 Misery of a carnall man in his minde 345 God inflicts the greatest punishment on the minde 347 Greatest happinesse of a Chrstian in his minde 348 Misery of a carnall minde in six particulars ibid. Minde of three sorts 360 Spirituall minde what 378 See Throne Life Ministers God humbles his Ministers before he sends them 1 Mistery see Knowledge More Those that see God desire to see him more 37 Saints what humbles them more 182 Motions Motions of the spirit neglected humbles Saints 148 Mourne The right way to mourne for sin 232 N. Nature naturall Grace crosseth not principles of nature 153 Sinners may be conversed with in naturall things 170 And in naturall duties ibid. Prayer a naturall duty 171 Naturall minde 360 Naturall reasonings 362 O Offend A humble Saint will not offend others 106 Liberty Not to be used to offend others 300 Old How Saints of old spake of the spirit 308 Things of the flesh old things 327 Old man what 378 Ordinances Carnall men see not God in Ordinances 95 In what Ordinances wee may converse with sinners 170 Why people care not for Gods Ordinances 340 Others Saints humbled to see more good and lesse evill in othes Outward A Christian may provide and care for outward things 334 P. Patience Patience wrought by seeing God 87 Why Saints beare injuries with patience 341 Part. Saints see God but in part 15 Perpetuall Sight of God to his Children perpetuall 40 Persecution Ground of persecution 313 Please Nothing from naturall Adam can please God 284 Power Pure hearts cleansed from the power of sin 51 Sin dead in