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
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
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
will and be it little or much yet it is all amiable in the eye of a Saint and operative in his soule my meaning is this you are not to conceive as though it were the glorious priviledge of a Saint to see one side of God as it were and not another but that that is most terrible in God to wicked men that is also I say amiable and lovely in the eye of a Saint As the power of God the greatnesse of God the Justice of God Even these things that the wicked abhorre and hate the Lord useth to reveale them to his Saints in Excellent Glory That is an other thing 3. God sheweth himself variously Then thirdly God doth shew himselfe to his children by various manifestations My meaning is this God doth not alway shew himselfe in the same manner and fashion to his child God as it were comes in a new dresse every day to the Soule of his Child all the dayes of his life in this world and for ought he knowes for ever in the world to come As it is unspeakable to say how God appeares to the soule of a Saint so the manifestations are innumerable the strange ways that God comes to the soule he shews himself to day this way to morrow after another and the third day after another The Lord manifests himself variously That is another thing Then fourthly it is by various means also that God 4 By various meanes comes in by You must understand he comes alwayes through Jesus Christ but then for other lower meanes he chooseth what meanes he pleaseth he comes in somtimes by afflictions and corrections somtimes by common providence sometimes in the word preached sometimes in meditation sometimes in prayer some times one way sometimes another The Lord can take any way any creature any providence any thing to convey himselfe by to the Soule of his Child in a saving way 5 It is not constant Then lastly this sight of God which is the priviledge of the Saints it is not constant for ought I know to any Saint no not under the New Testament much lesse under the Old but the Saints have their desertions in the new Testament God hides his face though not as oft as he did in the old Now let me desire you to lay up these things because they will be necessary when we come to speak of the other doctrine So much concerning the manner how God reveales himself to his children I shall now come to the Uses of this and then way will be made for the other point to shew how this sight of God doth truly kindly and savingly humble us For the Use of this First this shews the happy estate Use 1. The happy estate of a Saint in this world of a Saint in this world that he hath as it were a heaven upon earth because he sees God If thou wouldest consider seriously that there is such a glorious priviledge as this thou wouldest say blessed is the man that hath it and cursed and unhappy is the man that hath it not it is our Saviours word in the beginning of his Sermon Math. 5. Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God Now purity of heart is not the blessing properly but the seeing of God He that is pure in heart is a blessed man saith Christ for he shall see God So that if thou wilt believe Christ Jesus If thou be a Saint and see God and canst say the Lord hath revealed his glory to my soule in Jesus Christ then oppose that to any miserie that can be in this world Put any miserie that makes a man unhappy in this world in the one scale and that priviledge of seeing God in Christ in the other scale and surely thou wilt see that thou art a blessed and happy man As suppose thou art a poore man a plundred man a persecuted man or a sick man or woman be it what it will if thou canst see God in the face of Jesus Christ if thou wilt believe Christ who is the truth thou art a blessed man a blessed woman Suppose a man were sick and should never see health suppose he were weake and should never see strength suppose he were poore and should never see wealth suppose he were banished and should never see his Countrey or his Friends Nay suppose a man were starke blind and should never see the naturall Sun yet if he have a pure heart he shall see God and if thou wilt believe Christ Jesus thou art a blessed man or woman All the blessednesse in this world put together all that mankind ever enjoyed from the creation is not worthy to be compared with one glance of that sight that a Saint hath thousands of in his life of the glory of God in Jesus Christ We are wont to say that there is this difference The beatifical vision in this life and only this difference betweene heaven and earth that glory differs from grace but only in degrees that glory and grace are the same and that glory is the perfection of grace That is very true I deny it not for we shall be clothed upon with glorie But some conceive that the beatificall vision that blessed sight is not in this world we shall not have it till we come to Heaven It is true we shall not fully and perfectly but it is not true any otherwise then as the part differs from the whole For here even in this world a Saint in some measure hath it he sees God as truly and rightly as ever he shall hereafter in Heaven therefore you may see what it is to be a Saint If God should take a poor Drunkard or Swearer and but shew his Soule as it were through his fingers or through a gold ring one glance of this sight he would never be a Drunkard or Swearer he would never be a Railer and live as a Sott againe all the dayes of his life No it is a glorious condition that a Saint is in Therefore meet God and labour to know his glory in Christ And for shame be not discouraged for every trifle in the world When you heare that wicked men prosper that they have wealth and they see their children before their eyes and their Bull gendereth and their Cow calveth as it is in Job envy not their quality one glance of this blessed sight is worth more then all that ever they had or shall have therefore pitty them Nay if thou wert in prison to night and shouldest dye to morrow the most cruell death that ever was yet if the face of God shine on thee thou art a blessed man it is a glorious condition thou mayest say with David My lot is fallen in a good ground I have a goodly heritage The Lord hath denyed me worldly things wit and wealth and honour and credit but God hath been pleased to bestow this the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ Therefore
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
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
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
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
infallible if they be truly and clearly drawne So then the meaning of it is that all the principles of the Gospell they are cleare and plain they are demonstrations infallible to a spirituall mind a carnall man may doubt of them but wee speak wisedome to them that are perfect Thirdly and lastly the facultie of the soule whereby we do apprehend this light and in which we retain these principles it is a great deal more exlent I say the facultie that is the spirituall minde for I told you before there were three minds This spirituall minde is nothing else but the new Spirituall mind what Creature there is in a Christian the old Creature and the new Creature and the Scripture ordinarily calls it the old man and the new man What is the new man Nothing in the world but God puts as it were a new understanding in him that is he puts a new light in his understanding and frames his understanding to be capable of that new light For the minde we have naturally cannot receive spirituall things Therefore it is not only a new quality there is somthing more or else God would not call it the new man but the new quality which he doth no where in Scripture the Lord frames in the soule a capabillity a faculty to apprehend and reason upon Spirituall things and this is called the new man and this comes from Jesus Christ and his holy Spirit and is upon the growing hand more and more Now the other facultie the naturall facultie is corrupt with lusts The old man is corrupt And when I say the old man you must take the naturall Old man what man as well as the sinfull man The old man is corrupt what is that he is corrupt that is he is rotten How comes he to be rotten He is corrupt by reason of the lusts of it As it is with Timber it would continue a long time if it have not rayne come upon it but if rayne fall on it it makes it decay so the naturall mind the naturall Sin corrupts the naturall faculties facultie in Adam before he sinned was great deale more cleare and therefore Adam was a better naturalist then any man then all the men in the world Adam was a better Navigator a better Phisitian a better any thing But as sinne raised the Law of God out of mans heart so sinne begun to rot and corrupt the naturall excellencies of man as his mind c. and that right reason that Adam had before his fall you see how he did name all the creatures and what wisedome he had but after his fall sinne had not been long in him but he was more corrupt As you see in a house where there is a hole in the thatch if the raine come in but two or three dayes the Timber will not be much rotted but in time it will spoyle it So wee see after when sinne came to increase more in the dayes of Cain man was more tainted and yet surely then naturall knowledge was more excellent then now it is for you see what inventions they had Gen. 4. of musick and building and Tents and many things that they invented in Arts. But you will say it is an easie thing to make Tents and Organs It is an easie thing to perfect a thing that hath been 5000. yeares finding out but were you now to find out the thing it were not easie Now I say that sinne doth rott and rust the nature of man more and more and as sinne gets head more so more and more it will rot the faculties of man but the facultie we have in the new man it is new it was never tainted never any drop came into it to corrupt it for when God creates the new Creature he makes it a more excellent peice then he did the old and this growes more and more therefore seeing there is clearer light excellenter principles a profounder facultie there must needs be a more blessed and glorious way of reasoning in a spirituall way then in a naturall way I had thought to have gone over the other two things premised but the time is past and therefore I will only now conclude this with one or two short words of use And first of all I will here in love admonish Use 1. Not to reject all reason in godlinesse you that are the people of God to take heed of that devise of Satan whereby he would perswade the Saints that there is no reason in godlinesse Reason is a word that is much prejudiced among Professors and if a man speake of reason they are ready to slight it and say shew me Scripture as if sound spirituall reason and the Scripture were contrary one to another they are readie to say what doe you talk to me of reason shew me a Text for it It is true we must not talk of carnall corrupt reason that is abhominable nor of naturall reason that is too short but we may and must in any thing belonging to godlinesse take in spirituall reason and if it hold not with spirituall reason doe not admit of it let it be what Opinion it will Most of your wandrings and mistakes doe arise from want of observing spirituall reason we reject reason and goe and take a place of Scripture and so hand over head goe along and not deduct things as Paul and Abraham did But beware of this for there is nothing in godlinesse but thon mayest find sound reason in it there is no absurdity in godlinesse absurdity belongs to wicked men that have not faith Take heed of rejecting all kind of reason in godlinesse reject carnall reason and expect godlinesse to be above naturall reason but if there be not spirituall reason in what thou doest it is not of God Secondly it is a word of exhortation or invitation Use 2. Invitation to come to Christ to you that are carnall that you would come in and receive Jesus Christ that you would imbrace Christ and godlinesse by him Why so Because there is nothing in nature that may take with man but there is that and that in a more excellent way in grace if men had grace to heed it You know what takes with men in nature ordinarily most of mankind are weake and come not up so high as to action and contempldtion but you know what takes with them Riches and Honour c. Now the Scripture tells us in Christ we shall in herite all these things some affect Liberty here is that also If the Son make you free you shall be free indeed And whatsoever men can fancie saith Christ Come and buy of me gold and Rayment and milk and honey and Kingdomes and Crownes and whatsoever the nature of man is capable of But there are some that feed not upon sensuall things and to tell them of pleasures and Honour and Riches by Christ doth not so much take them but thou art it may be an intellectuall man
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
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
never look dejected or sad more envie others no more but pitty them and weep for them thou hast infinitly a greater treasure as the Apostle saith we have this treasure in earthen Vessels What is that treasure Nothing in the world but the manifestation of God in Christ therefore bring thy soule to the resolution of that Disciple Lord shew us the Father and we are satisfied So say to God Lord shew me thy glory in Jesus Christ and I have enough though I have not wealth nor glory nor money nor any thing let the world have all I have a good bargaine I will blesse and praise thee world without end And if this be the priviledge and blessednes of a St. The miserie of wicked men to see God Then see also what a miserable condition thou art in that art a poore carnall man that though it may be thou seest thy wealth increase and thy Children playing in the streets yet thou never sawest God thou never hadst one glimpse of this glorious priviledge that I now speak of Therefore as it is the chiefe thing in Heaven to see God so doubtlesse it must be the chief thing in Hell to be throwne away from Gods presence not to see God Therefore in 2 Thess 1. it is said that wicked people shall be punished from his presence that is the maine thing in Hell to be thrown from the presence of God never to see his face more so a carnall man hath a Hell upon Earth thou that art not a new creature thou art in Hel as it were already because the main thing to be had in this world and in the world to come thou dost wholly want That is the first thing Secondly if this be so that there is such a glorious Use 2. The fight of God should humble Saints prerogative of the Saints to see God then this above al things in the world should most humble thy soule for thy sins as hereafter I shall shew more fully this should move thee to mourne for thy sins Why so You all know it is not properly at least not meerly the knowing of sin and of the wrath and curse that will melt the heart that of it self hardens the heart but you know by your owne experience that when you come to the veine where those sweet teares of repentance lye it is the seeing of the kindnesse of God of the goodnesse of God of the mercy of God and then to think that I should be such a wretch as to abuse his goodnes to grieve and provoke him that is my Father and to crucifie him again and again that is my Saviour Mercies even common mercies Common mercies abused humble a Saint melt the heart when a man considers I was the other day sick and God restored me and that I should be such a wretch since this grates upon the heart as in 2 Sam. 12. 7 8. Where God by the Prophet tels David of his sin and as a motive to humble him saith he I made thee King of Israel and Judah and if that were too little I gave thee wealth I gave thee thy Masters house and thy Masters wives into thy bosome I tooke thee when thou wert a little lad following the sheep and I made thee King of Israel and if this had been too little I would have given thee more but that thou shouldest play the villaine that thou shouldest goe and take an honest mans wife he that had but one sheep and play the Beast and doe folly in Israel this was that that wounded the heart of Dauid and thereupon he went and penned 7. penitentiall Psalmes and goes and cries have mercy upon me O God according to the multitude of thy mercies These mercies that are ordinary when we walke unworthily they grate the heart But if a man can come and say God hath bestowed Spirituall mercies abused cause greatest humbling that on me that he hath not upon any reprobate the knowing or the enjoyment of the knowledge of his glory in the face of Jesus Christ O as it is a mercy unutterable and invaluable that the soule is not able to expresse it when it hath it Indeed the soule can say it never found the creature but it left the Soule unsatisfied or worse then it was but saith the soule if Gods face shine but a quarter of an houre if it be but in a bush or in a Garret I am satisfied I desire no more if this might but continue As a man prizeth this more then any thing in this world so if a man doe but consider that I should be so base as to anger that God that bestowed this as I doe when I sin and have knowledge enough to know it to be sin when I look through the doore and know it is a Thiefe and might keep him out yet that I should be so proud and so vaine and so idle that I should let goe so many glorious opportunities in such and such places and times O this is that that troubles a Saint Therefore we see in 1 King 11. When the Lord would humble Solomon the Son of David for his sins and bring him to repentance It is said there he went not fully after the Lord as David his Father did the more too blame he he built high places for Chemosh and Molech Solomon built Altars and offered sacrifice to Idols and likewise he did it for all his strange wives And the Lord was angrie with Solomon because his heart was turned from the Lord God of Israel which had appeared to him twice which had appeared twice to him there is the motive to aggravate it The Lord was angry not so much because he had so many sins and had built so many Altars but this was the aggravation because the Lord had appeared twice to Solomon so as he had never done to any other from the beginning of the world the Lord appeared savingly and spiritually to him and yet he sinned against him Now if God appeared to Solomon but twice and his sin is aggravated by that how great is my sin in the Gospel where things are more clearly presented then ever they were in those times and God hath appeared two hundred times two thousand times to my soule I have seene him one while in the Sacrament I have seen him among the Saints I have seene him in such a country in such a condition in such a place in such a medow in such a wood when I read his word and called upon his name and yet that I should be such a Villaine that I should be thus proud and thus froward and love the world so much and so easily provoke God and lie so sottishly in it when I have done it is one of the greatest motives in the World to move a spirituall heart to be abased and humbled for sins past And likewise to preserve it from sin for the time Sight of God a preservation from sinne to come I have
doe saith grace you shall mourne bitterly when you have done grace is at the heeles of it and grace overtakes it some way or other And in case he fall into the sin grace calls over him and cries out of the heart and when he hath done the sinne grace mournes it followes it oppsing till it be done and when it is done grace weeps over it It is not so with a wicked man that hath an enlightned Difference between Saints and Hypocrites conscience he may have a word or two and if that be not heard then farewel and then the Devill works effectually that is the difference between sin working in a Saint and in a wicked man The Devill works effectually in a wicked man that is he finisheth his work the Devill finisheth his worke in a Sinner but he doth not in a Saint The Devill never works in a Saint but grace overthrows it one way or other either before it be done or it overthrowes it when it is done The Devill sifted poore Peter and foiled him at the first but afterwards he wept it out there is much in this This is enough to discover an impure heart if you be a Drunkard or a VVhoremonger or a Backslider or a worldly Professor thou art a man that hath never seene God for thou hast an impure heart There is one thing briefly that I desire you to thinke on 2 It changeth them to the same image Againe whosoever hath seene God a second expression of it is this he is translated into the same image with God to that which he seeth As you have it 2 Cor. 3. ult Saith the Apostle All we with open face that is al the Saints we behold as in a glasse the glory of the Lord and are changed into the same image from glory to glory even as by the Spirit of the Lord. We behold the glory of the Lord and are changed into the same image from glory to glory I was going to tell you the last time how the sight of God hath a twofold impression upon us I forgot the last and it will not be unseasonable to mind you of it now The first was I told you it works in us a disposition snitable to what we see in God if God be great it makes me little if he be just it makes me feare if he be faithfull it makes me trust if he be good it makes me love him and the like Now the Second is this Whatsoever a Saint sees in God it works some resemblance in him of what he sees not a proportionablenesse for greatnesse in God and feare in me that suits God is great and I feare him But here I say it works a resemblance in a kinde As when I see the greatnesse of God it works and raiseth my Spirit to a holy greatnesse if I see holinesse in God it makes me holy there is nothing in God that is seene but it works a Resemblance except it be humility of which I shall shew the reason after All the Attributes in God become graces in you goodnesse in God makes you good but your goodnesse is a grace and his is an Attribute But only I say humilitie the glory of God makes me humble the glory of God makes me not proud and high but low and humble But every other thing in God makes me frame my heart and life just like God Creatures resemblances of spirituall things And there is no wonder in this we see in the Creatures for the Creatures are a resemblance of spirituall things The Creatures are so cast by God as that they might be fit resemblances and expressions of spiritual things in his word Jacobs sheep only by the working of fancie by looking upon the rods it made them conceive If fancy work so as that looking upon any thing it could make such an impression much more faith looking upon such a glorious object as God that hath such fulnesse in him shall make the soule like that it sees Therefore in Joh. 1. 14. Saith the Apostle We have seene his glory as the glory of the only begotten sonne of God full of grace and truth and of his fulnesse we all receive grace for grace VVe saw his glory and of that fullnesse of glory we receive grace for grace as the VVax receives letter for letter from the Seale or as the child receives lymb for lymb from the Parent so we receive grace for grace from Christ There is never a grace that we see in Christ but the seeing it with a spirituall eye works and creates such a grace in our Soules Therefore I pray consider of this whether you Triall of a right sight of God have had such a sight of God that when you see this it hath framed your soules according to God that you are like him If you say you see God and it is only a drie speculation that leaves you proud and carnall and malicious and high minded and froward and the like without working on you what you see in God you may justly suspect it not to be right A third expression I find in 1 Joh. 4. 12. Whosoever 3 A right sight of God works love to our Brethren hath seene God loves his Brother No man hath seene God at any time if we love one another God dwelleth in us and his love is perfected in us I told you before that to see God and to dwell in God are taken for one another As he saith after verse 15. VVhosoever shall confesse that Jesus is the Sonne of God God dwelleth in him and he in God and verse 16. He that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God and God in him No man hath seen God at any time but he that loveth his brother God dwelleth in him What is that That is he hath seen God For as I said they are all one dwelling in God and seeing of God Therefore looke to that whether God have wrought in you a heart Spiritually and purely to How Saints should be loved love the Saints as Saints not to love them that they may love me or to love them because they have a great deale of credit that they may report well of me or to love them carnally but whether I frame my heart to love the Saints as Saints as elect persons chosen of God and Members of Christ and as he beares the image of Christ on his soule if I love not my Brother surely I have never seene God therefore it is said 1 Joh. 2. 11. He that hateh his Brother is in darknesse he walketh in darknesse and knoweth not whether he goeth What darknesse Compare it with the first chap. verse 6 7. that darknesse is opposite to Fellowship in light with God and Christ If a man love not his Brother let him be a wise man let him be a Scholler let him repeat Sermons c. he is in darknesse and goes he knowes not whether for a man goes he knows not whether that hath
I shall open to you which is Vse 2. Tryall if we have seen God aâ—ight the maine shall be to shew you a way how you may know whether ever you have thus seene God it is an ordinary phrase in John his Epistles such a man hath not seene God He that hates his Brother hath not seene God And the seeing of God even in this world is the glorious priviledge that the Saints have Men usually say that the Saints have every thing here that they shall have in Heaven but only the beatificall vision but truly they have here the beatificall vision they doe see God as truly though not so fully as they shall in Heaven Therefore you may know whether you be of those that have this great priviledge that you have seen God if you have you are truly humbled that will follow for the right sight of God makes a man By our humiliation cry out VVoe is me for I am undone Now the question will be whether this grace be wrought in our hearts in yours and mine whether we be rightly humbled And that you may know by two ways in generall The one by your carriage towards God True humiliation may be knowne The other by your carriage to your Brethren You may know it by your carriage to God in these five things First in respect of Gods justifying grace Secondly in respect of his truths that are made By our carriage to God knowne to you Thirdly in respect of his commandements that are laid upon you Fourthly in respect of his corrections Fifthly In respect of his mercies Now to open these to you I say that every Saint that is truly humbled By humiliation I told you I meane not a preparatorie humiliation as some In our Justification of our Divines say or an after humiliation but the grace of humiliation that is alway in every Saint and that grows more and more as other graces as meeknesse and joy and love and goodnesse and the like now to know whether you be thus humbled The first question will be whether ever God hath brought thee to submit to the righteousnesse of 1. By submitting to the righteousnes of Christ Christ for justification That is the first and the chiefest thing as it is in Rom. 10. 3. They being ignorant of Gods righteousnes and going about to establish their own righteousnes they have not submitted to the righteousnesse of God Now whether hath the Lord ever brought thee to a full despaire of ever being justified in the sight of God or of getting any favor from him or of salvation by any good that is in thee or hath been done by thee or any hope that thou shalt have any good or doe any good I say that if thou be truly humbled thou art brought to that And I say this is the first and chiefest thing Because that a man is more prone to his own righteousnesse such as it is then to his sin a man sticks closer to his owne righteousnes then to his sin for it is an easier thing to bring twenty men from their sins then one man from his righteousnesse Why man is naturally prone to cleave to his owne righteousnesse Simile The ground is this because it is that liquor that was first put into us the liquor that is put into a vessell first that sticks longer and hath a deeper impression and keeps the tast longer if it be Vinegar or VVine or any thing that is put in a new barrell Now God made us first righteous afterwards we sought out many inventions after we fell therefore it is more naturall to us to be righteous in some fashion with some fashioned righteousnesse such as it is then to be sinfull And a man sticks closer to his righteousnesse and is more troubled with it and more endangered by it a thousand fold then by his sinns For truly sinne is nothing but a feaverish distemper in a man he is many times Sin what drawn to drunkennesse and to whoredome but take a carnall man when he is best his owne man he approoves righteousnesse better then sinne so that we may see it is righteousnesse he aimes at and he will commend a Preacher that would have him leave sinne rather then one that will help him on in it so that its a principle more rooted in mans heart to be righteous then to be sinfull but it is not the righteousnesse of Christ remember that it is but that a man would get up he would repaire that shattered and torne righteousnesse that once was in him by Adam that a man is more prone to though by sinne by a feaverish distemper he is oft carried from that but none are so farre carried but he followes it in some measure and in a great measure Now the question is whether the Lord hath wholly brought thee from that righteousnesse to submit To be content with the righteousnes of another wholly to the righteousnesse of another That is the first expression whereby I shall demonstrate it Whether a man be brought wholly from his owne righteousnesse to submit wholly to the righteousnesse of another that is to the righteousnesse of Jesus Christ now in Heaven If thou art come to this then thou art an humbled man For it is a great point of humilitie for at man to stoop to another ro be beholding to another for a thing when he thinks that he hath one that is good of his owne Now for me to leave my owne righteousnesse and to goe and seeke a righteousnesse only in Jesus Christ and to walke in that all the dayes of my life and to live upon that righteousnesse this shews that a man hath a humble heart let the world say what it will here is the maine point of humiliation in this world It is not whining and crying and howling wicked men and proud men may doe this and be roaring and damning themselves and the like the Devill may doe so that hath no true humiliation But here is true humiliation for a man to deny his owne righteousnesse and to embrace humbly the righteousnesse that is in Jesus Christ I say to be content wholly and fully with it That as one godlie man saith God at the first put a great stock of righteousnesse in Adams hand to Simile trade with he made him a righteous man and when Adam fell God tooke away his stock and God said he should never trade and set up shop more God had a way indeed to doe him good but he should never set up shop againe We would set up shop and trade as Adam did there is no man in the world though his righteousnesse be never so little but he would rather goe with that portion of a righteousnesse of his owne then submit to the glorious righteousnesse of the Lord Jesus Therefore I say this is it whether the Lord hath brought thy Spirit to be humble that thou art content to be a foole
I doe repent with all my heart and with all my soule But if God say if you did repent then you would leave all your sins He will say good Lord is there any man in the world without sinne and so it is endlesse the shifts and tricks and quillets whereby a man when he is Arrested by the truth all his life would avoyd the edge and power of the truth Now let us come to our owne soules you and I and see how it is with us in respect of all the blessed truths of God that are in this booke Are you willing and desirous to know them though they bring persecution And when a truth hath come that hath been crosse to you have you not taken Armes against it or contended with it as the Scripture speaks of those that obey not the truth but strive against it It is not said those that contend with their Neighbours but those that contend with the truth And so have you not used shifts What a world of endlesse shifts have men against plaine truthes There is no Drunkard nor Swearer but he knows that if he live in that sinne he shall be damned and he cannot deny but that he is a Drunkard or a Swearer or it may be a Whoremonger and yet you may talke with him two or three houres and he will goe from this to that and he hopes this and that and you shall never have him let the edge of truth come to him Thirdly and lastly and so I have done I have shewed you how you may know you are humbled by your carriage and deportment of your soules in respect of Gods justifying grace And secondly how to consider of your constant temper and carriage of your soules to the truths of God to the will of God revealed to you 3. By our carriage to Gods commands Now thirdly consider the carriage of your souls in respect of the injunctions or commands of God that are layd upon you the nature and property of a heart truly humbled by seeing of God in Jesus Christ is this to be willing to obey God in any thing that God layes upon him just as we see it was with Paul Acts 9. When he was humbled by seeing of God he cryes out saith he Lord what wilt thou have me to doe As if he had sayd I could have indented with thee formerly whether I should doe this or that and I would doe what I please and when I pleased but now Lord What wilt thou have me to doe Whatsoever it is it shall be all one only shew me what it is and I will obey it And then he bids him goe and have his eyes opened and then he must Preach and then he must be Persecuted and then he must goe into a Ship and be carried a Prisoner a great way by sea and there Souldiers were like to kill him and then the ship must be split and yet Paul was content Lord what wilt thou have me to doe he followed God in every thing so in Luke 3. 10. 11. When John Baptist did come and teach the will of God the people they cried What shall we doe and the Publicans VVhat shall we doe and the Souldiers and what shall we doe This is the disposition of a heart that is humbled he desires to know what the will and what the command of God is and he yeilds obedience to it Now on the other side it is not so with carnall Proud hearts disobey Gods commands proud people they are like those in Psal 12. 4. Our tongues are our owne we ought to speake what Lord shall controll us We will speake what we list and doe what we please we will goe our owne wayes and doe that which is right in our owne eyes As they say in Jer. 2 31. We are Lords and we will come no more unto thee We are Lords and we will goe our owne wayes Beloved every carnall man in the World though he think there is a God yet he thinks he was borne and brought into the World to doe his owne will and to please himselfe therefore as far as the will of God suits to that he will doe it but otherwise that is the maine streame of his life to doe his owne will Now as I told you in the former so in this there are three tempers in the heart of a carnall man concerning Gods commands that are contrary to the temper and posture of a gratious heart that is truely humbled The first thing that we finde in the word and by 1. A proud heart soone weary of Gods commands experience is That when the Lord lays a command upon a man that is not truely humbled it may be he doth not resist presently but he will be soon wearie and tyred and that is a base thing he will be jaded under it It may be at the first he will not fight against it as some do but he wil soon be jaded he will soon be tired There is many a man and many a woman that have taken pleasure in the will of God and in the commands of God in former time and have gloryed and rejoyced in it but now they begin to be wearie and to be jaded like tyred horses they are past their best they have no heart to it I feare it is so with too many of you Like the people in Mal. 1. 13. The Lord bids them to offer sacrifice and they say Behold what a wearinesse it is and they snuffed at it and they brought that which was torne and lame and sick So you need not wonder that God hath a quarrell with you when you say what a wearinesse is it to serve him what a wearinesse and tedious thing it is to hear the Preacher thus all day long and to be praying and hearing all the week what an endlesse thing it is to begin again to morrow and next day and every day and you snuffe at it and you are ready to loath it This is the disposition of a heart that God hath not truely humbled that hath never seen the face of God in Jesus Christ Looke in Rom. 1. The people that God layd those spirituall judgements upon to give them up to all uncleannesse to commit filthinesse man with man what was the reason of all this One was because when they knew God they did not glorifie him as God they had some knowledge but they did not improve it Another was they did resist the truth they did levie forces against it and they liked not to retaine the knowledge of God They had a little knowledge of God and that galled them because their practice was contrary therefore they liked not to retaine that knowledge they had no liking to keep that little knowledge of God they wished as Calvin sayth every wicked man in the World wisheth that he were wholly Ignorant of God for his knowledge doth but onely imhitter him and trouble him in his way That is the first thing
Surely if he were a Prophet say they he would have knowne what manner of woman this is for shee is a sinner VVe did hope he had been a Prophet and a good man but sure hee is no Prophet for then hee would know what this woman is for this woman is a Harlot shee is a Whore and if he were a Prophet he would be as we are he would have nothing to doe with her Then Christ asks a question concerning a Creditor that had two Debtors and thereby sets forth himselfe as a patterne of meeknesse in conversing with and forgiving the greatest sinners he was at a feast and he doth not with violence reproove the Pharisee and fall upon him calling him hypocrite c. But secretly whips the Pharisee upon anothers back as it were So in John 8. There they brought a woman that was taken in adulterie and set her before him and sayd Master this woman was taken in adulterie in the very act now Moses in the law commanded us that such should be stoned but what sayest thou Their end was to tempt Christ but when they were thus accusing her Christ stoopes downe and writes in the sand Not as if our blessed Lord were wont to be idle but he had rather doe any thing then heare malicious people be condemning poore sinners Well at last they make him heare and then he makes them an answer He that is without sin let him cast the first stone at her He was loath to heare and when he did heare he was loath to condemne her though shee was taken in the act and though he hated the sin for this is not to plead for sin though it be for sinners He that is without sin let him cast the first stone at her Now see the Pharisees in the next Chapter There was a blind man whose eyes Christ had opened and the Pharisees began to question the man and he begins to set forth Christ and his power and sayth he if this man were a sinner he could not have done this For God heareth not sinners and so they cast the man out as a great sinner Beloved people thinke it is their holinesse to be churlish and austere and bitter to poore sinners But I say it is the pride of their hearts the loftinesse of their spirits If ever they had seen the face of God in Christ Jesus their hearts would be meeke they would shew all meeknesse even to the worst of sinners In Luke â—5 The beginning You shall read that Christ was a companion to poore sinners they came about him he left the Pharisees at the other Cautions in meeknesse to sinners end of the table and he speaks Parables in three long Chapters to shew the necessitie of 1. Not to have communion with them in instituted worship the care of poore sinners I shall say no more of it Examine and try your selves by that Only let me give you these cautions concerning that First of all in your meeknesse and courteousnesse and affablenesse to poore sinners take heed least it draw you into companie or communion with them in any instituted worship Take that caveat for though it be a glorious Gospell-truth yet you must take a few caveats I say beware of communion with them in any instituted worship Indeed you 1. Sinners may be conversed with in naturall things may have communion with them in naturall things you may in eating and drinking and buying and selling or else as Christ saith you must goe out of the World And I speak it out of experience those ties and restrictions that you put upon your selves to keepe you off and to distinguish you from sinners it doth but harden them The Apostle calls it a develish thing to forbid meats and drinks and Marriage So for you to distinguish your selves from sinners by naturall things to my knowledge and experience and woe it doth but harden them Therefore you may in naturall things converse and be affable with them Secondly you may be affable and converse 2. In winning Ordinances with them in winning Ordinances that is in Ordinances appointed by Christ to win sinners to be Saints that is the Preaching of the Gospell an I deot came into the Church of Corinth among the Saints and truely Beloved in my eye it is not commendable to sever sinners and Saints in this Ordinance in hearing the word of God preached Thirdly we may joyne with them in naturall 3. In naturall duties duties that is as I have formerly told you my opinion in praying and singing for singing is nothing else but praysing God whether it be with a tune or without a tune These were written in the hearts of men at the first and when a naturall man doth these things he doth but his dutie every man should call upon the name of God Therefore when a naturall man joynes with me in prayer I doe not sin for it is a naturall thing Prayer a naturall duty it is his dutie to pray but if he pray without faith it is his sin Therefore if you aske shall a naturall man pray or not pray I answer if he pray he sinneth but if he pray not he sinneth twice he sinneth both in the matter and manner But now in instituted worship in things that are meerly so if there be a mixture of Saints and sinners it is defiling for that Ordinance is not to win but to buyld up Secondly you must not have unnecessarie conversation 2. Unnecessary converse with sinners forbidden with them I doe not teach you to delight in the company of sinners for sinners will delight in sinners as we say birds of a feather will be together but we should shew our meeknesse to win them and to edifie them If I see one that is a drunkard I will get within him to win him to Christ if I can If I cannot I doe not say that you should leave the company of the Saints and forbeare to come at them and take pleasure in the other for David tells you how he was affected when he was forced to be in evill company Psal 120. 5. VVoe is me that I sojourne in Mesech that I dwell in the Tents of Kedar And so in the text VVoe is me I am undone for I am a man of polluted lips and I dwell in the midst of a people of polluted lips There is a great greife and trouble in the heart of a Christian to be among sinners but yet there is an abundance of joy so far as he hath any hope to doe any good but take heed of unnecessary conversation notwithstanding Thirdly take heed of too neare an union with 3. Too near union with sinners forbidden sinners you must keepe them at a distance as in marriage that is a very neare union for the Scripture sayth They two are one flesh Those that are Saints after they are called they must be carefull that they marrie in the Lord they must have fellowship
7. Youâ— know how by the comparison of a man and his wife we are said to be dead to the law of God The meaning is not as though the substance and matter of the law were not eternall and a rule for all Saints doubtlesse it is in the New Testament as well as in the Old but the law as it is a contract a bond a bargaine as it is a Covenant of works betweene God and us it is perfectly fullfilled by Christ and we are dead to it we are free from it or delivered from it And that is the reason that in Heb. 12. It is sayd in Mount Sion we are come to the spirits of just men made perfect That is not of just men personally just in their dealings though that follow in a sort but the meaning is that every Saint that is in Jesus Christ is perfectly a just man or a just woman by reason of their morrtage with Jesus Christ who hath obtained a perfect righteousnesse or justice for them So in Rom. 3. You have there also a blessed place where the Apostle sayth we are saved not only by the mercie of God but by his righteousnesse Therfore it is three times repeated we are saved by the righteousnesse of God and againe by the righteousnesse and againe in Vers 2 c. the third time to declare I say at this time his righteousnesse What is the righteousnesse of God That is sayth he that he is just and a justifier of them that beleive in Jesus Christ It is just and righteous with God to save people that beleive in Jesus Christ VVhy so Because Jesus Christ hath fulfilled to a tittle all the law of God for them I shall give you but one word of Use and leave Vse 1. Upon what our Justification is built the reasons and the further inlarging of it till the afternoone And the word that I desire to make knowne to you from the Lord is this to instruct and helpe you a little to understand where your righteousnesse doth lie or upon what your Justification is buylt For this is the misery the generall misery of most Christians that they mislay their justification they doe lay it partly upon faith and partly upon their sanctification and holynesse And that is the reason that when a poore soul it may be is tempted to some sin and hath some strong lust he looseth his faith and his assurance and his peace of conscience because he grounds his Saint-ship and his justification upon his holinesse Now Beloved this is it that I would desire the Lord to bring you and me to to know that I am a just man only by the righteousnesse that is in Christ that the law is perfectly fulfilled for me by Jesus Christ and not partly by him and partly by me but only and perfectly by him and I am called just but only as or because I am unyted to him that hath gotten a perfect righteousnesse for me Then let me buyld my Justification upon that only and not upon what I am not upon my temper or upon my graces or my gifts or the like Take heed of that but let it be buylt wholly upon Jesus Christ his death and resurrection He was delivered for our offences and raysed againe for our Justification Let us buyld upon that that we may come to this temper once to have our justification We are not more or lesse justified by the good or evill we doe in a stock clearely in Jesus Christs hands that when we doe good we may not imagine that we are a jot the more justified or when we fall or faile in good we may not conceive that we are a jot more justified then before that though one day we have our hearts inlarged to doe good and to do more good in one day then it may be we did in a moneth before yet this goes not to the stock of my justification I am not one jot the more justified and sometimes God leaves the flesh and the remnants of sin that foile us I will mourne for it and be humbled for it as a transgression against my father but I am not a jot more unjustified then I was before in the sight of God in regard of the Covenant of works that Christ hath fulfilled So thus I would have you doe as your Merchants and Trades-men in your Cittie you have a certaine stock that you lock it may be in an iron chest and that stock is the quick as you call it and you have besides so many pounds or so many hundreds that you turne and wind about through all the year as you have occasion but from the stock the quick you will not lay any thing out of that you will not touch that but lay out in expences and wind and turne the rest Just so I would have it with you that seeing justification is only buylded on Christ and I have the word of faith to certifie me of it and the spirit of faith to shew it me within I would not have my good or evill to be an ingredient into that but leave that as a stock clearly in the hands of Jesus Christ Or as we see a maid or woman that spins shee holds one hand steddie and turnes about the wheele with the other so our justification we should hold it steddie for it is not buylt at all upon any thing that is in us but let us turne and wind the rest that is sanctification we must strive against sin and mourne for it but leave justification wholly to Christ for it is not buylt on me but is only by the death and resurrection of Christ Therfore as Christ sayth Luke 17. When we have done all the good we can say we are unprofitable servants I have not gotten one farthing to day nor in all my life to helpe to fulfill the law of God or to helpe to my justification that is only in the hands of Christ that is my quick my cash my stock and when thou failest and seest lusts and pride and wantonnesse arise in thee say this hath no influence to hinder my justification it is no ingredient into that that is buylt upon another thing it is wholly in Christ and his righteousnesse he hath fulfilled the law and I am just by marriage and by unyon with him Therefore I will goe and take my sins and mourne for them and desire God to cleanse me from them but I must hold the quick still hold justification untouched and unshaken and unmovable in the hands of Jesus Christ I shall leave the inlargment of this and other things till the afternoone SERMON II. 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 are three Lessons that wee should learne from these words The first is implied that The righteousnesse of the Law must be fulfilled Or Every man is bound to fulfill the Law of God That we have already
us that it may be are emynent in the eye of the World before men yet when all coms to all their fasting and praying and preaching and repeating c. will be found to be nothing in the World but a walking according to the Flesh that is according to the refined well educated principles of old Adam But I shall goe on a little further Therfore in the next place the Question will be how shall I know whether I walk according Use 2. How to know whether we walk according to the spirit to the flesh or according to the spirit How shall I know whether I be one of those that walk according to the spirit I will only give you a few expressions of it I will not say signes for it may be you could not all beare that word and these expressions are most of them layd downe in this Chapter and hereabout whereby you may have a guess of it whether you be men that walk according to the spirit or no. First you shall find in Rom. 6. that those that 1. Such are dead to sin are under grace or that walk according to the spirit sin is destroyed in them they are dead to sin and alive to righteousnesse And there are many expressions of the same thing in diverse phrases As in Vers 6. Knowing this that our old man is crucified that the bodie of sin might be destroyed that henceforth we should not serve sin If thou be a man that walkest according to the spirit thou canst say the body of sin is destroyed and thou doest not serve sin Then it is sayd in Vers 11. That those that are under grace they are dead indeed to sin and alive to God that is another expression And in Vers 12. Sin shall not raigne in their Mortall bodies that they should obey it in the lusts thereof And in Vers 13. Yeild not your members as instruments of unrighteousnesse And in Vers 14. Sin shall not have dominion over them So there are diverse expressions of one and the same thing Now from all for I cannot open them particularly how much is held forth in each of these expressions but to help thee to see a little the State of thy soule I would gather these three things from all these expressions there is I say meant by them these three things The first thing is this that those that walk according 1. Sin is dead in respect of guilt to grace and according to the spirit sin is dead in them That is they are dead in respect of the guilt of sin they doe see and understand in some measure that Jesus Christ by his death hath abolished and destroyed and done away all their sins in respect of the guilt of them they are not under the law in that respect They see that there is a full righteousnesse in Jesus Christ that hath satisfied the law and so their sins are done away that they shall never condemne them This is one thing Now a man that walks according to the flesh he sees not that neyther can see it for these things are spirituall Now take a man that walks according to the flesh that is according to the most refined principles of old Adam and he alway carries guilt upon his Conscience he will alway be as a man that is rouling of a Snow-ball the more he goes on in his Service the more guilt and horrour But a man that walks according to the spirit let him be weake or strong he sees this in some measure and probably for the most part that his sins are done away and that there is no condemnation to him because he is in Christ and beleives in him therfore as it is Rom. 5. 7. He that is dead is freed from sin or justified from sin That is one thing Secondly in all these phrases this is held forth 2. Sin is dead in respect of the power to us as I understand that a beleiver being planted into Christ for so he looks upon himselfe and ingrafted and united to Christ in respect of the power of sin he accounts it as dead that is when he sees any sin stirring in him he considers I am one with Christ I am planted with him in his death and resurrection and this sin was condemned when Christ was condemned and as sure as Christ did die this sin must die therfore he looks upon all his sins and lusts as things that are gasping for life as things that are ready to die and that will surely die as surely as Christ did die Another man that walks according to the law when he sees sin in him and finds lusts to rise in his soul he sayth as David in another case Surely I shall one day fall by the hands of Saul Surely I shall prove an Hypocrite one time or other this sin will break my neck and so he is discouraged and his heart is hardened But a man that is under grace that walks according to the Gospell let sin be never so strong and prevalent he looks on it as a condemned thing he can triumph over it when it is strongest and can say I know thou must be layd in the Grave with Jesus Christ he reckons himselfe dead to sin That is another thing Thirdly and lastly from all these expressions 3. They are more holy then others here in Rom. 6. We gather this that surely all those that are under grace or that walk according to the spirit in some eminent way are more holy and more freed from sin then once they were and then all those are that walk under the law in some eminent way I say they are more holy though I doe not say there is no sin in them for then we should lye as John sayth but certainly there is a power in their soules against sin that is exceedingly transcendent in respect of the best morall men in respect of the exactest men in the World that walk according to the law what else is the meaning of all this Yee are dead to sin and sin shall not reigne and have dominion over you and you shall not yeild your members as instruments to sin Shall we turne all this into speculation No certainly there is some eminent reall holynesse and power against sin that they had not before Therfore saith he VVhat pleasure had you in those things whereof ye are now ashamed those sins that you committed before you are now ashamed of them And let me looke a little upon my owne soule or appeale to you take any man or woman that understands what it is to be under the law what it is to walke according to the Covenant of works and according to the flesh and what covenants and resolutions and promises and fastings he had and let him looke upon himselfe what he is now since he hath knowen a little of Christ and hath knowen that he is a justified Person and that he is dead to the law and the like I appeale
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
eat and drinke and feed our lusts c. Here was a reasoning but it was corrupt And so in Mat. 21. When they had killed the Servants that came to gather the rents Now say they the Heire is come come let us kill him and then the Land will be ours Here was reasoning but it was corrupt reasoning So in Luke 9. 44. there the disciples did reason Who should be the greatest in the kingdom of God There are such reasonings in our hearts for man is called a rationall man and though some men be called unreasonable men as I shall shew by and by yet there is no man but hath reasonings in him either corrupt or naturall or spirituall There is no act that a man doth but there is such a nimblenesse in the understanding that it presently drawes some argument and reason for it a man never doth any thing but he hath some kind of reason for it be it what it will be Secondly there is a naturall reasoning and 2 Naturall that we oft find in the Scriptures as in Mark. 3. 6. Christ had there told a Leper that he had forgiven him his sins the Scribes sitting there reason in their hearts Why doth this man speake blasphemy who can forgive sins but God This was not properly corrupt reasoning it was true reasoning Who can forgive sins but God This man forgives sins therefore it is blasphemie they reasoned right and true as farr as naturall light could goe but here is the difference betweene naturall and spirituall light naturall light comes too short they did not see that he was God None can forgive sins but God but they saw him not to be God This was naturall reasoning Why because it was true according to their principle had he been but a meere man they had reasoned very well but it was naturall because it was lame and low and did not rise up so high as to see that that man was God and could forgive sins So Peters reasoning was rather naturall then corrupt Master spare thy selfe it was naturall and not corrupt reasoning because it is good for a Servant to give good counsell to his Master But this was but naturall because though it were honest in a naturall way yet it was lame it wanted a principle that was spirituall to see that it was needfull and necessary that Christ should die according to the counsell of God rather then that all the elect should perish Thirdly there are spirituall reasonings As 3. Spirituall there is a spirituall mind so I say there are spirituall reasonings in all godlinesse For all godlinesse and every peice of it as I shall shew is carried upon reason only it is spirituall reason Looke upon the whole bulk of godlinesse you may divide it into three parts It consists Either in beleiving and doing Or in obedience and doing Or in suffering and doing All a Christians life is spent either in beleiving or in doing or in suffering Now in all these three you shall see in Scripture that a Saint doth not all these hand over head as being led by a fancie of them but clearly upon reason and the best reason in the World as I shall shew you anon First for beleiving looke to Abraham who is 1. Spirituall reasoning in beleiving our patterne our coppie In Heb. 11. 19. By faith Abraham when he was tried offered up Isaak and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son of whome it was said that in Isaak shall thy seed be called accounting that God was able to rayse him up from the dead c. Accounting or as the Greeke word is reasoning that God was able to rayse him from the dead from whence he received him in a figure It is said that by faith Abraham offered Isaac his onely son he that had received the promise God had made the promise to Isaac In Isaac shall thy seed he called Isaac was his son and a son that he had in a strong way by an ancyent Woman and his onely son and a son of whome the Messias should come Now there must be a great deale of reason to perswade such a godly Father to kill such a hopefull Child to put him to death to whome God had given the promise of all blessings to all Nations Surely there must be a great deale of reasoning before he could be perswaded to doe this and yet he did reason that God was able to raise him from the dead The word reasoning in the Greeke is a word taken from Arithmetitians that take two or three Sums and put them together and tell you this is the result of them so he did reason this is my son and all my hopes lie in him and I received him when I was as a dead man and for me to goe and kill him will dash all the hopes of my salvation But on the other side spirituall reason comes in and saith that God that gave him me in a figure from the dead that is as it were from a dead woman and when I was an old man that God is able of his ashes when I have killed him and burned him to raise him up againe and therefore I will goe and Sacrifice him and thence it is that the holy Ghost saith that God raised him fron the dead Beloved there is nothing that seems to be more without reason then Faith and in faith there is nothing seemes to be more without reason then for a man to go and kill his Son his only Son and yet he reasoned is said it And so in Rom. 4. he looked not upon flesh and bloud but reasoned from that promise So shall thy seed be What was that God called him out in a cleare night and shewed him the Stars in the firmament and said so shall thy seed be and he reasoned and staggered not but looked upon God as one that was able to bring it to passe and therefore it is said in hope above hope he believed What shall I speake of Moses you have it in that Chapter they say old men are twice children but Moses being 40. yeares old refused to be called the Sonne of Pharaohs daughter some might thinke what a madnesse this was the text gives the reason he reasoned or he Esteemed the reproach of Christ greater riches then the Treasures in Egypt that is he reasoned thus here I am in great honour I may be called the Sonne of the Kings Daughter and here I have hunting and hawking and riches c and yonder are the poore people of God making brick and there they have burdens laid upon them every day and are sighing and groaning and making spirituall prayers and saith he the blessing of God is there and these riches are but for a time and there are the riches that are abiding and blessed and therefore saith the text He chose rather to suffer affliction with the People of God then to enjoy the pleasures of sinne for a season Thus you
the godly in respect of power 276 Pray A humble heart apt to pray in afflictions 144 See naturall Precious Saints apprehensions of God precious 34 Preparation Christs righteousnesse to be taken notwithstanding want of preparation 109 Principle Two principles whence all men worke 253 Professors to be judged by their principles 270 Every thing workes according to its principle 319 See Darke Prison Christ being out of prison shews God is satisfied 227 Priviledge Jewish priviledges how taken 258 Outward priviledge boasted of by the Jewes 259 To get the comfort of our priviledges 303 Carnall Priviledges called flesh 331 Prize The spirit to be prized 306 Prosperity Prosperity of others not envied by Saints 135 See Envy Proud Carnall minde proud 351 See commands ridgednesse truths unthankfull Publike Christ a publike person 226 Two publike persons 25â— Adam to dye as a publike person 285 Who to be imployed in publike affaires 385 Pure Purity Purity of heart an effect of seeing God 48. 66 Pure heart what 49 See conscience corrupt grow Q. Qualities More then new qualities in Saints 404 R. Rationall The most rationall man without grace the worst 389 Reall Impressions of God upon Saints reall 43 Miseries of this life reall ibid. Reason reasoning Reasoning of three sorts 361 Godlinesse hath the best reason 368 Not to reject all reason in godlinesse 380 Reasoning the highest act of the minde 388 Men mad with reason 389 Reasoning of the minde a distinguishing character 390 How a good man may be moved with naturall and carnall reasoning 393 How Saints come to be led by spirituall reason 402 To labour to be swayed by spirituall reasoning 412 See beleeving doing suffering Reforming Hindrances of reforming our wayes 234 Religion Carnall men may goe farre in Religion 392 Repeale The Law of God not repealed 209 Repent see Christ Reprobate Carnall minde reprobate 350 Revelation Saints to walke humbly for abundance of Revelations 301 Spirit of revelation to be prayd for 313 Reward Proud men obey GOD onely for reward 121 Ridgednesse Ridgednesse to sinners from pride 176 Righteousnesse True humiliation knowne by submitting to Christs righteousnesse 101 Men naturally cleave to their owne righteousnesse ibid. Righteousnesse of our owne to be renounced 108 Righteousnesse perfect required by the Law 208 Righteousnesse of the Law fulfilled in beleevers 217 We are saved by Gods righteousnesse 225 Fleshly men stablish their owne righteousnesse 330 Rotten Minde of a Carnall man rotten 349 Rules Three rules that all men conforme to 240 Rules of Christ to be looked to 242 Severall Gospell rules 243 S. Saint Carriage of a humble heart towards Saints 180 How to judge who are Saints 271. 274 Saints and others how distinguisht 358 See sight old Sanctification How the Spirit works by Sanctification 410 Satan See Kingdome Darknesse Satisfie Saints apprehensions of GOD satisfie them 25 Apprehensions of Hypocrites satisfie not 36 God the Father satisfied in Christ 227 See Spirit Saving Saving knowledge 185 Savour Fleshly men savor fleshly things 335 Scripture see Glosse Secret Secret works in nature and grace 91 See seen seeing The priviledge of Saints to see God 3 Severall wayes of seeing God 4 Order how Saints come to see God 61 All graces wrought by seeing God 87 Why God will humble men by seeing him 91 A wicked man may see his sins 93 Carnall men cannot see God 95 Tryall of seeing God aright 100 A humble heart seeth God in afflictions 126 Things of the flesh are things that are seene 325 Service Saints humble though they doe God more service 183 Humble Saints glad to doe service for others 197 Shift see truths Shrink see trouble Sight Saints have a peculiar sight of God 6 True sight of God how known 30 Signes Christians may make use of signes 103 Simplicity Saints to walke in simplicity 302 Sin Sight of God should preserve from sin 23 Sin what 102 Not to comply with others in sin 172 Justification not broken by sin 233 Who are dead to sin 275 See Guilt Sinners Carriage of a humble heart to sinners 166 Son of Man Two sorts of dayes of the Son of man 26 Soveraignty Soveraignty of God to make a Law 208 Spirit Spirituall Saving sight of God by the spirit 12 The Spirit shewes Christ and the Father 15 The priviledge of those that walk after the spirit 250 To walke according to the Spirit what 255 How to know we walke according to the spirit 274 Fruit of walking according to the spirit 279 How those are to walk that have the spirit 298 How men may come to walk spiritually 305 To labour to be lead by the spirit 309 Things of the spirit what 333 Minde spirituall 361 Reasoning spirituall 363 A Saint made spirituall how 404 Streame Streame of a Saints heart pure 52 Submit Submission A humble heart submits in affliction 133 Ground of true submission to God 154 Suffering True sight of God enables to suffering 60 Law fulfilled by suffering 210 Law cannot be fulfilled by suffering 213 Spirituall reasoning in suffering 366 Sweetnesse Sweetnesse in humble Saints to others 194 T. Take A humble heart content that God should take mercies 154 Teach Christians should be ready to teach others 59 Temptations Godly Men not taken with temptations why 375 See Job Eve Termes Proud men obey God upon their owne termes 120 Terrified Wicked men may be terrified 93 Testaments Difference between the two Testaments to be studyed 305 Thankfull A humble heart thankfull for mercies 161 Themselves Why Saints sometimes differ from themselves 73 Saints measure not themselves by themselves 199 Who build Justification upon themselves 230 Things What meant by things of the flesh 324 Throne The minde the throne of Christ or Satan 346 Through Right impressions of God through 44 Troubles Why professors shrink in troubles 44. 61 What keeps men in inward troubles 104 Truth Saints carriage to Gods truths 110 Proud hearts cavill at Gods truths 113 Proud men shift off Gods truths 114 Saints jealous of the truths they know 187 Time Saints humbled in regard of the time they have had 184 V. Vaine Carnall minde vaine 349 Various God shewes himselfe to his Children variously 16 Violence see Command Vision Beatificall vision in this life 18 Visitation Day of visitation what 176 Understand Why most people understand not spirituall things 338 Christ onely can satisfie the understanding 383 Undervalue A humble Saint undervalues not grace in others 153 Union Too neere union with sinners forbidden 172 The Law fulfilled by our union with Christ 224. 227 To look on our selves as united to Christ 236 Unregenerate Unregenerate men how farre they may goe towards humiliation 93 Unspeakable Saints sight of God unspeakable 10 Unthankfull Proud hearts unthankfull 161 Universall Impressions from the sight of God universall 45 W. Waiting A humble heart not weary of waiting in affliction 145 Waiting for mercies 156 Walke To walke what 251 Way Godly men see their way in confusion 374 Weak Weak Saints in Christ satisfie the Law 224 Flesh put for weaknesse 267 Weaknesse of Saints the cause of it 215 Weary see Commands Wicked Misery of wicked men 20 Winning see Ordinances Wise Wisedome Saints in affliction have high thoughts of Gods wisedome 131 Two wisedomes great in the eyes of Saints ibid. Godly men the wisest 384 Will. Our hearts and lives to conform to Gods will 240 Will of God when knowne 307 Why good men misse Gods will 395 Word Saving sight of God by the word 12 Christs righteousnesse to be taken on his bare word 104 Works Many besides Papists seeke Justification by Workes 213 VVe are dead to the Law as a Covenant of works 218 Good workes by whom to be done 231 Flesh taken for the Covenant of works 260 World Saints see God in this world 3 Happy estate of Saints in this world 17 The rule of most men in the world 241 FINIS