is weake there is so much weaknesse and earthinesse and frailty sometimes a mans heart is right for God yet his head akes or his stomack is full of wind or he is weary and wants sleep there is some frailty or other This is all earthly Adam all this shall be gone and this kind of body and soule shall be altered and changed to the Image of the blessed second Adam we shall put off our earthynesse as well as our sinfulnesse and have his blessed compleat Image Now how glorious that shall be as you never The glory of Saints in Heaven unspeakable saw the first Adam but onely by hear-say and by reading of the Word of God so you have not seen the second Adam but you may partly know by the manifestation of his glory on earth you have heard much of his glory We saw his glory as of the onely begotten Son of God we shall then see him Phil. 3. 19. Our conversation is in Heaven from whence we look for the Saviour the Lord Jesus Christ who shall change our vile bodies He meanes vile not onely in respect of sinfulnesse but of dustinesse of earthynesse and weaknesse that they may be like his glorious body according to his mighty working whereby he is able to subdue all things to himselfe that is according to his usuall manner of working he can doe what he will in Heaven and Earth We cannot conceive what an Imnge we shall have upon our bodies and soules but according to his wisedome and mighty power whereby he is able to subdue all things he will doe it Therefore let me tell you this I finde few or Saints formerly had more lively expectations of glory by Christ none that have those live by expectations in these times of that glory that is to be revealed that the Saints of old had See how they speake of it What manner of love is this that we should be called the Sons of God But yet it doth not appeare what we shall be for we shall be like him And gird up the loynes of your minds be sober and watch for the glory that shall be revealed The Saints heretofore more then halfe their hearts were in Heaven before hand That is the meaning of that Our conversation is in Heaven Just as you see men that goe a long journey or as you see people that have been plundered that are returning to their owne homes their conversation is there halfe a yeare before their hearts and their thoughts are there and they wish they were there and think the time long and are thinking what they will doe and what they will be when they come there So our conversation is in Heaven the Saints doe so long after the glory that is to be revealed in the day of adoption and redemption of our bodies that the most part of them is there already Now we doe not consider of this because the new Jerusalem is not yet come into our hearts We have not that Gospel-temper and frame of spirit that the Saints had before That which remaines is a little to shew you what your duty is that the Lord hath brought up to walk according to the spirit And two or three words I have to shew you how you should every one endeavour to attaine to it or to attaine it more and more But I shall leave that till the after-noone SERMON V. Rom. 8. 4. Who walke not after the flesh but after the spirit IT is the Foundation of all our happinesse to have the righteousnesse The foundation of a Christians happinesse of the law fulfilled in us for thereby we are exempted from all misery freed from all our enemies and therby we are made capable to enjoy all happinesse and blessednesse For all the misery that man suffers here and hereafter is because he hath not a righteousnesse to fulfill the law And therefore whatsoever man or woman it is that the Lord hath bestowed this great priviledge upon they must needs be in a blessed condition Now that we may know whether we are of that number the Apostle tells us that they that have this priviledge they walk not according to the Flesh but according to the spirit which was the last thing I was upon I told you what was meant by walking after the flesh and what by walking after the spirit I gave the Reasons of it and made two or three Uses There are two things remaine which I shall endeavour to speake of at this time First you that have received the spirit of God Vse 4. Exhortation to those that have the spirit how to walke and in some measure doe walk according to the spirit and not according to the flesh that the new-Jerusalem from Heaven is in some measure come into your hearts I will give you a few Exhortations from the Lord how you should carry your selves That is the first thing I shall doe and that shall be in four or five short words The first is this that the Lord having called 1. Not to abuse this liberty you to this glorious free estate to this free condition that you would take heed of abusing your liberty that you would take heed of turning the grace of God into wantonnesse as many doe And by that I meane but two things That you would take heed of using your liberty as an occasion for the flesh And Secondly of using your liberty so as to give offence to your Brethren or indeed to any I say first beware of using your liberty for an occasion 1. Not to use it as an occasion to the flesh to the flesh That you shall have Gall. 5. 13. For Brethren sayth the Apostle you have been called to liberty only use not your liberty for an occasion to the flesh but by love serve one another The Apostle shewes them in that Epistle the glorious condition and estate that they were in through grace And here in this Verse there are two things that he tells them the one is implied it is worth observing yee are called to liberty That The Gospell brings liberty is there is a freedome there is a liberty in the Gospell in diverse things that did seeme to be sinfull when ye were under the law for else what sence can you make of this ye are called to liberty onely use not your liberty for an occasion to the flesh For we find that the people under the law eyther they made the law stricter or looser then it was And there is no man in the World that walks according to the law but he makes many lawes to himselfe that Christ hath not made Now when the Gospell coms in clearly all those lawes that you made of your owne head vanish Ye are called to liberty that is you see more freedome you are not bound to every thing that before you were Before you must not smile it was a sin if you seemed to laugh or smile and a hundred such things Now
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
and when peace comes there will then be a discovery of rotten hearts then much more then in these times yet in these times there are abundance of rotten hearts discovered that were not knowne before The Lord comes near the quick of our profession in these times there are abundance that have been professors that now jeere the Saints and dishonour God and imbrace the VVorld but in times of mercie there will be more the sun makes the Traveller put off his cloake when the wind cannot But to open it to you as I did the former that which I shall doe shall be to discover to you what the carriage of a humble heart is and what our carriage should be when God shewes mercie to us when the Lord deales kindly with us in the way of his mercy What is the posture of a humble heart then I answer First of all a humble heart he can be 1. A humble heart content to be denyed any mercy content that the Lord should denie him any mercie let it be never so deare or pretious to him though he prize it high and pray earnestly for it and wayt long for it yet if God come at last and say thou shalt not have it he can be content patiently and meekly to take a denyall from God and goe away contented if it must be so Indeed there is a kind of earnestnesse that should be in us and in a sence we should take no deniall from God we should not be easily put off As we see in Mat. 15. That Woman of Canaan when Christ put her off shee comes again and again and again But if God say say no more it shall not be so rhen a man should quietly submit himselfe to God though like Hannah he desire Children and pray earnestly and seek God againe and againe and seeme to be near towards it sometimes but at last if God come and say thou shalt never have a child then sayth a proud heart Give me children or I die I will give you an instance or two of this in 2 Sam 15. 25. David there was in a poore condition he was pursued by his enemy by Absalom his owne son and David David had the Arke and Zadock the Preist But sayth the King to Zadock carry back the Arke of God into the City if I shall finde favour in the eyes of the Lord he will bring me again and shew me both it and his habitation But if he thus say I have no delight in thee behold here I am let him doe to me as seemeth good unto him As if he had said I am in a miserable condition but I will not trouble thee or indanger the Arke if I have found favour in the eyes of God he will bring me again to my house and to his but sayth he if he thus say I have no delight in him Behold here I am let him doe to me as seemeth good in his eyes God will bring me back to Jerusalem if I have found favour with him but if God say David I have no delight in thee thou shalt never see my house more Loe here I am let him doe as seemeth best to him This is the posture of a humble soule that desireth this and that and the other mercy yet if God say I have no delight in thee I will doe none of these things he can say here I am doe as it seemeth good in thine eyes I will give you one instance more in Deut. 3. 24. You have Moses there praying and he desires a great request and that earnestly of God Moses O Lord thou hast begun to shew thy seruant thy greatnesse and thy mighty hand for what God is there in Heaven or in Earth that can doe according to thy might I pray thee I pray thee Lord see how familiar he is with him Let me goe over and see that good land that is beyond Jordan and that goodly Mountaine and Lebanon Moses was going towards Canaan that was a type of the Kingdome of grace under the Gospell and a type of Heaven and they had travelled forty yeares in the VVildernesse I pray thee sayth he let me goe over and see that good land and see Lebanon that goodly forrest But sayth he the Lord was wroth with me for your sakes and would not heare me and the Lord said unto me let it suffice thee speak no more unto me of this matter Let it suffice I will heare no more concerning this thing Get thee up into the top of Pisgah I will give thee leave to looke on it but thou shalt not goe over Now in the Chapter following Deut. 4. 21. Sayth he The Lord was angrie with me for your sakes It was for their sakes that God denyed him And he sware that I should not goe over Jordan and that I should not goe in unto that good land which the Lord thy God hath given thee for an inheritance but I must die in this Land It is a broken speech I must die he doth not say it in passion must I die must I lead this people forty yeares and when there is any good to be had I must be cut off he spake it not on that fashion but sayth he I must not goe over but you shall goe over and possesse it He submits to Gods will and rejoyceth that they should goe over though it was for their sakes that he was crossed And he shewes them how they should carry themselves there A proud heart would have sayd you may get you over if you will and if it had not been for you I might have gone too but I may thanke you that I must stay and die here But sayth he God hath sayd I shall speake no more of that matter it is my lot I submit So in all the mercies of God to thee if thou canst quietly as Moses and David submit in silence when he denies thee any mercy though it be never so deare it is a signe thou hast a humble heart Truely some godly men are of opinion that a Saint can come to this to be content that God should deny him everlasting Salvation for his soul I have read of one and I have spoken with another I have knowne two godly men in that posture the one was so and the other seemed to be so by his writing that if after all the meanes used he cannot come to beleive as others doe that he can have no assurance or hope of life from God but that God almost in every Ordinance doth as much as tell him thou shalt be damned yet he can be content to goe to Hell it selfe I have seen a glorious Saint that hath said that if God should tell him he should be damned yet he could submit without murmuring Such a thing may be but I think it is not ordinary neyther Grace crosseth not principles of nature doth God expect it because grace never crosseth the ground principles of nature and of all this
Isaiah wrote was Gospell he was an Evangelicall Prophet and in that description there are these things First the occasion of this great humiliation God humbleth his Ministers ere he send them of the Prophet and that was that God was now setting him forth in the Gospell to preach the will of God to the People God when he sends Ministers to his worke he doth first humble them They can never doe any thing to purpose for God till they be undone Woe is me I am undone saith the Prophet in this verse and then in the verses following God sends him to preach So that the maine cause why you have not Ministers according to God that he doth not blesse their worke according to your heart and desire it is not for want of parts or understanding or for want of Parts or degrees or the like but the generall the maine cause is because they are not humbled God hath not undone them Secondly there is the humiliation it self which consists First of an Act of the Understanding whereby the Prophet saw some thing more then he knew before and cries out I am undone he thought he was in a good condition before but now he doth not meerly say I am undone but woe is me woe is me I am undone Thirdly there is the Causes of it and the causes are twofold One is materiall as you call it that is sin woe is me I am undone Why Because I am a man saith the Septuagint Indeed a man as a man will be undone if Sin a cause of humiliation he see the glory of God if he were not a Sinner But saith he because I am a man of uncleane lips and because I dwell among a People of uncleane lips Because I see I have many sinns and because I see them now the least sin is exceeding sinfull even to dwell among wicked people a man cannot choose but be tainted with them Therefore woe is me I am undone The other cause is in these words I have seene the King the Lord of Hosts For a man may have sinenough and yet never be humbled or undone as you know wicked men now have and men and Devils The sight of God a humbling sight for ever will have hereafter in Hell and yet they will never be humbled they will never be undone in this sence but there was this thing to make it up mine eyes have seene the King the Lord of Hosts as wee see in the verse before in the Vision how he had seene the Lord. So now we come to these words For mine eyes have seene the King the Lord of Hosts From which words you are to observe two things The first is this that It is the peculiar priviledge of the Saints and ever was and ever will be to see God to see the King the Lord of Hosts Secondly that A true saving sight of the Lord of Hosts of God in Christ Jesus is that principally that undoes men or truly and savingly humbles men I shall speak more particulerly of the latter but we cannot well understand the latter without we have a little understanding in the former For if you would know how the sight of God humbleth men you must understand a little what this sight what this seeing of God is I shall speake briefly of the former Lesson which is this that Doct. 1. The peculiar priviledge of the Saints to see God It is a peculiar priviledge of a Saint and ever was and ever will he to see God to see the King of Glory the Lord of Hosts Wee doe not now speak of the sight of God that we call the beatificall Vision that sight of God we shall have in Heaven for every one of you know that wicked men shall never see God that way But I say there is a sight of God in this world that every A sight of God in this world Saint in all Ages hath had and no other Sonne or Daughter of man from the beginning to the end ever had or shal have but those that are reall S t s Concerning this sight or seeing of God we meane to speak if God will And that you may understand it you must Men are said to see God 〈◊〉 1 Corporeally know that there are divers sorts of sights of God Men are said many wayes to see God As First there is a corporeall sight a bodilie sight of God a seeing of God with bodilie eyes and so the Scripture doth often speak negatively that No man hath seene God at any time that way no man hath seene his shape that is no man in this world with bodilie eyes did ever see God as though he were a body or a corporeall substance Indeed men have seen Jesus Christ who was God and Christ Jesus saith Joh. 6 36. Yee have seene me and heard me and yet you believe not in me So that the Pharisees the proud Pharisees that never were humbled saw Jesus Christ that was God But yet that is not the sight here spoken of that peculiar sight which none but Saints have For the former no man ever had and the latter wicked men have as well as good that is wicked men saw Christ bodily as well as good men Secondly there is an other sight of God that is we 2. In works of creation or providence may be said to see God in his works of creation or providence or rather to speak more properly we see the things of God as the Apostle saith Rom. 1. they saw the invisible things of God in the things that were made that is a naturall man may see a great power in that finger which made the Moone and great Wisdome in him that contrived the Sun Moone Stars and all creatures from the beginning Now I say this may be said to be a seeing or a knowing of God for in Rom. 1. as it is said in one place they saw the invisible things of God so afterwards it is said they knew God who because they knew God and glorified him not as God God gave them up c. There was some thing some fashion that they did see God in the creation in the creatures but this sight of God is not that I meane to speak of that glorious and blessed sight of which Christ speakes Math. 5. Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God Thirdly besides the corporeall seeing and the naturall 3. By common illumination seeing there is a sight of God by the illumination of Gods spirit I say Gods spirit may raise a man up to see things which no man naturally ever did or could yet it is not this sight Now indeed that more properly as I said of the former is to see the things of God Only the former is a seeing of the things of God in the creature and this is a seeing the things of God in the Gospel So in Heb. 6. 6. where mention is made of Hypocrites that fall away
and are damned it is said they tasted of the heavenly gift and were enlightened for there is the very word Compare that with 2 Pet. 2. 20. In the one we read they were enlightned and after fell off In the other wee read that by the knowledge of Christ they were cleansed and after fell with the Dog to his Vomit I say there is a Gospell sight of God that hath some resemblance of this peculier priviledge but is not it Men may have a sight to know abundance of things of the Kingdome of God and so in a sort be said to know and to see God yet this is not the peculiar sight I am to speak of Fourthly there is a sight of God which is not peculiar 4. At the day of Judgement to the Saints and that is at the day of Judgment there wicked people shall see God Only they shall see him clothed with wrath they shall see the Lord coming out to judgement against them they shall see that Man that they thought to be but a man and no more whom they crucified they shall then see him God comming to judge the world they shal see him whom they have pierced And this is not that sight that is the priviledge of Saints It is not a corporeall sight as the Jews had nor it is not a common sight as the Heathens have by the creation or as Hypocrites have in the Gospell by illumination or as Reprobates shall have one day to their condemnation It is none of these sights But Fiftly and lastly there is a seeing of God in the A peculiar Gospell sight only to Saints Gospell by the Spirit of God which is peculiar only to the People of God There was no Saint that ever was in the world but had this sight more or lesse There were few Saints in the old Testament but somwhere or other it is mentioned and said of them that they saw God either directly or by consequence As In the old Testament for instance in the old Testament in the beginning of it though in a different manner you read of divers men that are said to be walkers with God As Noah Noah Henoch Abraham walked with God and Henoch walked with God and Abraham walked with God Now it is impossible in a spirituall right sence that you can conceive of men to walk with God hand in hand but it must necessarily imply that they did see God how shall two walk together unlesse they be agreed much lesse unlesse they see one another for a man will not walk with one which he sees not Therefore it is said of Abraham Joh. 8. 58. Abraham saw my day and rejoyced .. He did not only see the time for that is not all but he saw the glory of God in Jesus Christ though he were not yet manifested Moses So Moses also had this sight as we read Heb. 11. 27. It is said by faith he forsook Aegypt not fearing the wrath of the King for he endured as seeing him who is invisible Moses saw him who is invisible God is said to be invisible two wayes he is invisible in respect of any corporeall shape And God is said to be invisible in respect of all mankind besides the Saints he saw him who is invisible he saw him whom never man saw or shall see but only those that are in Christ as Moses was Of Solomon it is said Solomon God appeared twice to him God appeared often to Saul therefore Saul thought it strange when the Lord appeared not unto him But God did not appeare to Saul in all his dayes with such an apparition Isaiah and in that fashion as he did to Solomon So Isaiah in the Text he had a peculiar sight that made him cry out Woe is me I am undone for mine eyes have seene the King the Lord of Hosts It was common in the old Testament and in the new Testament it is every where spoken of you shall read of it more fully in the New Testament than in the Old In Isaiah 52. 8. it was prophesied concerning the new Testament In the new Testament Thy watchmen shall lift up their voyce for they shall see eye to eye when the Lord shall bring againe Zion as the Apostle saith 2 Cor. 3. We all behold with open face There was a kind of vaile over the best of them in the old though it were a peculiar thing to the S t s Paul then to see God yet now in the new Testament though the sight be the same yet it is a great deale clearer and brighter and nearer and more glorious As to give you a few instances as that of Paul 2 Cor. 12. He was wrapped up into the third heaven into Paradice where he heard wonders that were not to be uttered What were those glorious things that he saw that he could not utter Without controversie the same that Stephen saw Act. 7. The Heavens were opened Stephen and he saw Christ at the right hand of God the glory of God in Jesus Christ. And least you should think it was a thing peculiar to Paul or Stephen it is a thing commonly spoken of in the new testament of all the Saints and when Christ on the Mount saith And al the Saints blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God Mat. 5. without holines none shall see God Heb. 12. As if he should say any man that is holy shall see God In 1. Joh. 3. A man that lives in sin hath not seene God And he that loves not his Brother hath not seene God It is a common thing it is it hath been and it shall be the Saints and all the Saints have a peculiar sight of God that the world knowes not of To open it a little further that hearing that there is such a glorious thing you may look after it and set your minds to consider it I shall indeavour it as far as I may according to Scripture because there is nothing but the light of the word and Spirit that can discover this You will say what is this sight Or how is it Or how shall we understand it This sight of God which only Saints have is I will lay before you these 4 or 5 propositions in generall that you may have a little light of it out of the scriptures The first is this that the sight of God which the Sâ—â— 1 Imperfect have in this world it is but imperfect it is but in part it is not ful compleat until they be in heaven Not that I meane that they see some part of God in this world and they shall see him all in the other world No a Saint seeth God wholly here he sees all that is in God he sees his love he sees his power he sees his strength he sees his righteousnesse he sees his mercy he sees his all Attributes far otherwise then a carnall man can and that
with redundancie with some thing more then a meere or bare knowing of his Attributes though he see and know every one of those and every particle of those otherwise then the world sees them so my meaning is yet he sees in part that is he knows not any of these things perfectly Therefore saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 13. 9. Wee know in part but hereafter we shall know as we are known Which words as I conceive point not out principally Spirituall things that we know the will of God in part here but we shall know his will perfectly in Heaven though that be true for it may be it is not necessarie that we should know the will of God so here For then it may be we should have more glorious Principles But the meaning is here we know little of God we know him in part but he knows us wholly But when we shall come to Heaven we shall know God as he kows us therefore that brake the Apostles heart and made him sigh Phil. 3. that he would have given all the world if he had had it that he might apprehend him that comprehended him As if he had said God sees me clearly and groundedly all the thoughts of my heart but I cannot apprehend God as he doth me Therefore because this seeing of God is but in part in this World because we see but little it is oft in Scripture called a not seeing As in 1 Joh. 3. 1. Now we are the Sons of God but it doth not yet appeare what we shall be but when he shall appeare we shall see him as he is As if he had said that sight that we have of him now it is scarce worth the calling a sight So in 1 Pet. 1. VVhom having not seene yet ye love And in Rom. 8. If we did see why doe we yet hope for it for hope is of that which is not seene There is no Saint that can love God but he must see God But the meaning of those phrases is not that Saints see not God but they see so little in comparison of what they shall see afterwards that it may well be called not seeing they love God though they have not gotten that perfect sight of God that one day they shall have Indeed they shall have a perfect sight not only in respect of the degrees of seeing but they shall have this addition also to it that then they shall see God in Christ with their bodily eyes as Job saith I know that my redeemer liveth and that I shal see God in my flesh And what Job 19. 1 Cor. 15. that shall be when Christ shall deliver up the Kingdome to his Father I know not That is one proposition to help us to understand this glorious priviledge our seeing of God in this world is but in part Secondly that seeing him in part whatsoever it is 2 unspeakable it is an unspeakable sight a sight that no man is able to utter As Paul saith he was taken up into the third Heaven and heard words that could not be spoken so doubtlesse the Saints see things that cannot be revealed Therefore saith Paul eye hath not seene nor eare heard nor hath it entred into the heart of man to conceive those things that God hath laid up for them that love him Now if they were speakable demonstrable things a man might give some notions in writing he might see or speak or heare or give some knowledge he might consider of it but the tongue eare and eye and heart of man is not able to comprehend the glorious priviledge of the seeing the glory of God in Jesus Christ it is unspeakable Therefore as the Apostle speaks of the love of God it passeth knowledge not only of a carnall worldly man but of that man that hath it it passeth his knowledge to comprehend it before God gives it but if God doe but eclipse it a little he cannot comprehend what it was when he had it though it were but yesterday and when he hath it and hath most of it he is not able to utter and expresse it That is a second proposition concerning this glorious priviledge it is imperfect and it is unutterable A third thing is this that this glorious priviledge 3. Only in Christ that the Saints have of seeing God whatsoever that is let it be more or lesse it is only in the face of Jesus Christ For take any other sight of God take the corporeall sight the seeing of the man Christ that the VVicked may doe as well as the Saints Or take the sight of God in the creatures in his providence or the like carnal men so see the things of God as the Saints doe though not altogether so well yet that is no peculiar thing But this sight of God that I speake of it is only in the face of Jesus Christ as it is in 2 Cor. 4. 4. 6. In whom the God of this world hath blinded the minds of them that believe not least the light of the glorious Gospell of Christ who is the image of God should shine unto them For God who commanded light to shine out of Christ the face of God darknesse hath shined in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God in the face of Jesus Christ Jesus Christ is the face of God and as we see nothing of a mans body but by his Face so we see nothing of God but in Jesus Christ Therefore when Philip said to Christ shew us the Father it is sufficient saith Christ he that hath seen me hath seene the Father that is all in this glorious priviledge of seeing God must be through the man Jesus Christ Therefore that is the reason that the Saints heretofore alwayes when they were at a losse and could not see God they still called for his face O shew me thy face that is Lord shew thy self to me in thy face which is Jesus Christ Therefore if any man will see God he need not goe up to Heaven or descend downe into the Deep but he must look for it in the face of Jesus Christ Fourthly all this sight of God whatsoever it is it is 4. It is by the word by the word and by the spirit For as one godly man saith the face of Christ Jesus is as the looking-glasse wherein we see God and the word of God is the looking glasse wherein we see Christ Therefore in 2 Cor. 4. God hath sent us to make known the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ And then saith he we have this treasure in earthen vessels that the excellency of power might be of God and not of us He had said before that by the preaching of the Gospel he had made known the glory of God in the face of Christ Now in this poore despicable thing a man that hath a world of infirmities and many weaknesses in him yet in these poore earthen shels as the word is in
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
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
not seene God he goes in darknesse and must wander for ever more Looke a little on your hearts and aske the question concerning your conversation whether you love the people of God or no That is the third thing Then fourthly which depends upon this whosoever 4 Fellowship with the Saints hath seene God rightly as he loves the Saints so he hath Gospell fellowship with the Saints I say he hath Fellowship with the Saints 1 Joh. 1. 7. For there is a discourse concerning this seeing of God Truly saith John verse 3. Our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ and these things we write unto you that your joy may be full But if we say we have Fellowship with him and walk in darknesse we lye and doe not the truth If we say we have fellowship with him and walke in sinne But if wee walke in the light as he is in the light we have fellowship one with another and the bloud of Jesus Christ his Whence the Fellowship of Saints is Son cleanseth us from all sinne Understand me I meane not here by fellowship and I suppose it is not meant here fellowship of neighbourhood or fellowship of the family or fellowship of the same City no nor being of the same outward visible Church I thinke that is not meant though that be not contrary But VVe have fellowship one with another What is that That is when I have seene God and have had fellowship with God and his sonne Jesus Christ I have a spirituall fellowship with all that have seene God with me that is the ground of the fellowship and communion I have with others is in that they have seene God as well as I and the impression of God is cleare on their spirits and manifested in their lives Therefore for People to have fellowship with Fellowship on wrong grounds others in this or that respect because they jump with them in this or that opinion or in this or that way this is not the Fellowship spoken of by John and by Paul Philip. 1. 4 5. But this Fellowship is a higher thing the spiritual communion we have one with another upon spirituall grounds because of the Spirit of God dwelling in us Therefore examine your selves by this Have you any fellowship with the Saints Is not the Fellowship of divers of you why should I aske the question I know it is so with Drunkards and Malignants those that raile against godlinesse those that blaspheme God and his People this is the Fellowship of many And it may be others of you have fellowship with Professors but it is carnall that is it is grounded on carnall respects it is not because they have seene God and you have seene him also and therefore you have Fellowship together That is another thing A fifth thing I find that I will but touch That whosoever hath seene God they are very desirous 5 Desire to bring others to the light to bring all others into the same light that they have seene O! how oft doth Paul upon every occasion concerning his vision how oft doth he repeat it at large in the acts of the Apostles how he had seene God! And so here John when he had seene the glory of God he writes to them he delivers the message to them and he would bring them also to the light to walke in the light as he did Beloved a man that hath seene God once truly he looks upon all the world as People walking in Hell in a hell of darknesse the course of mankind in this world is but as a Hell to him Therefore to see People walke in such grosse darknesse and God having broken in a little Window into his soule he cannot choose but bring others to the light Therefore I never believed nor doe believe Christians should be ready to teach others when People among us it may be they are godly I leave them to the Lord that professe they see a great deale of light and they see God more then others and yet for the expression of it we see they withdraw and goe aside and they thinke it not fit to teach carnall men it may be they will teach one another three or foure or five Not as though I blamed teaching let us teach one another any how so we may edifie one another in the Lord publickly or privately but when there is a spirit in People that they will not communicate the light as much as they can that other poor sinners may see it I suspect that light that it is not from God for whosoever sees the Light rightly he will doe his utmost Endeavour to bring others into the Light 6 It enableth to suffering as in But lastly I find that whosoever hath seene God truly that sight of God will make him able to goe through any hardship any suffering any affliction whatsoever in the service of God As in Heb. 11. 27. Moses forsooke Aegypt and regarded not the wrath Moses of the King but endured saith the text Why did he Did he not know what the wrath of the King was No doubt but he saw what a Tyrant he was and he saw much cruelty living in the House but he endured as seeing him who is invisible he saw God and so he was able to goe through all And so Stephen that blessed man that was full of the Stephen holy Ghost Acts 7 When he had preached unto them saith the text they were cut to their hearts and gnashed on him with their teeth and he being full of the holy Ghost looked stedfastly to Heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus Christ standing on the right hand of God When they gnashed their teeth he looked up to heaven saw God and Christ at his right hand It may be there was somthing that was extraordinary but it is a worke that is ordinary Behold saith he I see the Heavens opened and the Sonne of man standing on the right hand of God Then they cryed out and stopped their eares and stoned him and he called on God and said Lord Jesus receive my spirit and kneeled downe and cried Lord lay not this sinne to their charge See how Stephen was calling on God and praying for his enemies and giving up his Spirit to God when they were gnashing with their teeth and stoning him as if they had been mad yet he goes through it quietly Whatsoever pretences men have this is the Why some Professors avoid suffeing reason why many Professors are so wise that they will never suffer persecution let the world turne which way it will they will not want distinctions to waue persecution the truth is they wave it because they have not seene God if they had they would carry themselves innocently and prudently and then let what would come Thus briefly I have shewed you how you may know whether you have seene God aright or no. Now lastly in a few words because you
them no good 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 upon them How came it to passe that the Gospell that Paul preached did the Soules of the People no more good Paul saith the fault was not in the Gospell the Gospell was pleasing to God however but the God of this world that is the Devill the Devill of Why the Devil is called the God of this world Hell as you call him God calls him the God of this world not because he is absolute and may doe what he will but he is under Gods power and God gives him such a stroake and power as if he were a God in the world he hath so many Subjects and such pollicie and spirits The God of this world hath blinded the minds of them that believe not that is they were blind before but he hath made them more blind O consider this thou wert blind before thou didst heare the Gospell but when a man heares the Gospell that Prince of darknesse that is the Devill the God of the world he blinds thy minde more and more he draws a new vaile over thy eyes Why so That the light of the glorious Gospell of Christ who is the image of God should not shine on them He drawes the Curtaine that the Sun may not come on them that the light of the knowledge of God in Christ may not come on them Therefore consider what a Monarch the Devill is and how great the Kingdom of the Devill is in thee And if ever thou come to the light desire God to translate thee into the Kingdome of his deare sonne that Kingdome is all light As far as there is a cleare light in my Soule so far Christ hath his Kingdome in me Then if thou wilt see God thou must labour 4 Purity of heart to be pure in heart as I told you for without holinesse no man shall see God Let a prophane man use all the meanes in the world as long as he is so he shall never see God Lastly thou must looke for the shining of this glorious Sun through the Word and by the spirit It must come through the VVord and expect the Spirit to bring it or else it will never shine upon thy Soule This in few words is the series or order in which God manifests himselfe to his people I will now conclude only with this word It may be thou wilt say I hope I have seene God and I remember the Lord did manifest himself to me but truly it is but a little I will speake but a word to you that have seene Use Those that have seen God should walke holily God I beseech you walk like People that are before God Gods eye is upon you and you have seene him walke uprightly walk not like the people of the world for ye are lyars if you doe if you say that you have seene God and walke in darknesse and walke in sinne you are lyars and there is no truth in you O! walke holily and labour more and more to see God as Paul did he forgate that which was behind and would see more of God more of his glory that is the meaning of that word in Joh. 14. saith Christ to his Disciples for he spake not to wicked People at that time He that hath my Commandements and keepeth them loveth me and he shall be loved of my Father and I will love him and manifest my selfe to him Without doubt God had manifested himselfe to these before they were Saints before but he meanes I will manifest my selfe more and more but they must love him and keepe his commandements The meaning is not that you shall finde the Commandements of God and the things of God are as a bottome of Thred that is all shufled together that you can finde no end of it you thinke to have an end and yet you cannot and you thinke to finde a place where to get all grace whereas notwithstanding if you had all the gifts in this world you cannot keepe the Commandements but the meaning is you shall finde in the things of God that God hath made one thing the condition of another if you love God you will keepe his Commandements and if you keepe his Commandements you love God I say God hath made one thing the condition of another to whet us on if you keep my Commandements you love me and if you love me I will manifest my selfe to you So I know by experience though all be by free grace yet the People of God by making one thing the condition of another it hath made their Journey that they have not been weary Though Heaven be the reward of all yet God hath made little baits for us The great reward is He that holds out to the end shall be saved but that is a great way off and we are weake and cannot see a farre off therefore God hath made little baits and little rewards He that loves me I will manifest my selfe to him A weake Saint may doe that so that is the meaning though God doth all by his free grace yet God doth use meanes to get us on Therefore that God may manifest himselfe more and more to thee labour to keepe his commandements labour to be more holy this weeke then the last Add to faith virtue to virtue patience to patience temperance c. God teacheth us as we teach our Children one letter after another add such a grace and such a grace If these things be in you and abound ye shall not be barren and unfruitfull but shall be able to see a farre off What a farre off Things that are farre off are hardly seene and of all things the glory of God in Christ is the hardest Now if you add one grace to another by the assistance of God and endeavouring to keepe his Commandements and to walke in your callings as you are Husband or VVife or Master or Servant or Tradesman c. if you endeavour to do that which is pleasing in Gods eye God will reveale himselfe more and more clearly and fully to your soules SERMON 4. Isaiah 6. 5. For mine eyes have seen the King the Lord of Hosts TWo lessons I observed from these words The first was that Every true Saint hath a peculiar sight of God even in this VVorld Secondly that A true saving sight of God is the way to true Humiliation Concerning the first I opened it and proved it to you and have already made severall uses of it The last use was to examine your selves whether God have bestowed this priviledge upon you or no. And that I shewed you is to be known By your apprehensions of it By the impressions it hath on you By the expressions of it as it shewes it selfe in your lives I have but two words of uses farther of that Doctrine and so I
that in Scripture is so called when men are said to be humble it is a grace that is never away from a Saint we should be cloathed with it as Peter saith I am to speake of it in that sence it is the gracious lowly spirituall humble frame of heart that is in a Saint and is in no wicked man nor can be as I shall shew afterwards Secondly when I am speaking that the sight of God in Christ humbleth the soule you must not 2 Other meanes of humiliation excluded mistake here and thinke that I exclude other meanes inferiour meanes For I told you before as God shews himselfe by any meanes by any creature by any providence or any way So he may so shew himself that way that he may humble you in that way Therefore you must not say that therefore we speake against meanes because I say the sight of God doth humble a Saint for I exclude not other meanes Thirdly and in a speciall manner take notice 3 Sight of God doth humble occasionally that this sight of God the seeing God of as Saints doe see him doth not properly humble the soule of a man but occasionally as it were It doth it not properly because you know that in Heaven when we shall be in Heaven we doe not read that we shall then be humbled We shall then be in a state of glory every way and yet we shall see God there more then ever we did before But beloved the sight of God humbleth us here occasionally that is by reason of the frailtie and corruption that is upon us Just as the Law made Paul to sinne more Rom. 7. Sinn taking occasion by the Law So I say because we are fraile and weake and vile and sinfull every apprehension of a glorious and great and powerfull God abaseth and humbleth us as in Luke 5. 8. when Peter saw a little of God in Christ working a myracle for I told you God many wayes by any meanes can reveale himself to the soule of a Saint saith he Lord depart from me I am a sinfull man Peters heart was taken downe and he was amazed to see the glory of God and why so because he considered he was a sinfull man that threw him downe and humbled him Now these three things being laid downe before-hand I shall briefly in a word prove this lesson Job 42. 5 6. when Job had seen God it humbled him I have heard of thee by the hearing of the eare but now mine eye seeth thee wherefore I abhorre my selfe and repent in dust and ashes So likewise Peter Luke 22. 61 62. Peter having a glance of Christ Christ looked on him and he seeing his Master looke on him he went out and wept bitterly Paul having seene the Lord he was stricken downe from his Horse and cried Lord what wilt thou have me to doe though God manifested himselfe variously and their humiliation is variously exprest and set forth in Scripture yet it is but one and the same thing so it holds true that this sight of God doth truly humble the soule I shall in the next place shew you two things First I shall give you some reasons to prove that it is so And secondly shew you somewhat why it is so Concerning the first I shall give you but these two or three reasons First of all I finde clearly in Scripture that God Reas 1. All graces wrought by seeing of God works all graces in the soules of his Saints by beholding him I say I find clearly in Scripture that every grace that is wrought in the heart of a Saint is wrought by beholding God in Christ and if every other grace be wrought thus why not this As for instance First for holines take it in a general sence 2 Cor. 3. Holinesse ult VVe all with open face behold as in a glosse the glory of the Lord in Jesus Christ We behold the glory of God as in a glasse and are changed into the same image that is we are made like unto Jesus Christ holy as he is holy we are changed from glory to glory that is by beholding the glory of God in Jesus Christ we are made holy And then you shall see for patience that comes into the soule by beholding God in Christ as Patience you shall have it Heb. 11. 27. It is said that Moses he endured and feared not the wrath of the King he endured as seeing him who is invisible How did Moses endure all the threatnings of Pharaoh The Lord revealed himselfe to his Soule and by the grace of God the Lord wrought him to a patiently bearing of all his threatnings So Stephen in Act. 7. He saw Jesus Christ sit at the right hand of glory and then he did quietly fall on his knees to pray for his enemies when they were stoning him to death So also for faith how wil you have faith see in Heb. Faith 12. 2. Looking to Jesus the author and sinisher of our faith We have not faith of our selves neither can we make a faith of our selves but by beholding of Christ the Lord works faith in our hearts to receive Wisdome him So also I might shew of wisdom and of strength as you may see Isa 45. 23 24. an observable place Strength Christ would have them to looke upon him Looke to me and be saved surely shall one say in the Lord have I righteousnes and strength Christ bids them looke to him and then they shall crie out they have strength Nay in Joh. 1. 12. you shall see that all graces are put together VVe beheld his glory as the glory of the only begotten Sonne of God and out of his fullnesse we all receive grace for grace By beholding the glory of God in Jesus Christ we receive grace for grace that Jesus Christ hath we have it as they say the Paper receives the print from the Presse Now beloved if this be the ordinary way in Scripture to beget all other graces in the soule then why not the way to humble the soule before God Only with this difference which is worth your Difference in the working of humiliation and other graces observing that every other grace is wrought in the soule by a kinde of assimilation but this is wrought in a contrary way I mean thus by beholding the strength of God in Jesus Christ my soule is made strong by beholding the wisedome of God in Christ I am made wise by beholding the holinesse of God in Jesus Christ I am made holy But now of this humiliation it is not so by beholding the holinesse and power or strength or any thing else in God humiliation does not rise by assimulation by making me like but every thing in God dasheth a man and makes him nothing in his owne eyes Thus the sight of God works it Besides I finde in Scripture that every thing that is in God if I may so speake is of a humbling
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
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
all sinners but there is some speciall time when God will make at his heart there is a time there is one day of peculiar grace that God hath reserved almost for every sinner which is called the day of his visitation Why now a poore humble hearted Saint thinks thus yonder is a man is now jeering of the people of God he is an enemie to all holinesse and sayth he yonder man his day of visitation is not yet come but then he will blesse God in that day and say O blessed be the Lord that sent me such a friend or such a neighbour he would oft come to call upon me to goe to Sermons and I did curse him when he intreated me to goe I would stay at home and drinke and sweare but now I remember his prayers and his instructions that I did then jeere at but now they are precious to my soul And therefore thinks a poore humbled Saint why is it that I am better then the worst sinner It is because God hath sent me the day of visitation before him When God shall send his day of visitation to him I have reason to think that he may be in the Kingdome of heaven before me and therefore let me be meeke and affable towards him Beloved that stir and rigour and ridgidnesse in Ridgidnesse to sinners ariseth from pride professors towards poore sinners it ariseth only from the pride of their hearts Now I say if thou have seene God in Jesus Christ thou shalt know it by thy humble carriage towards sinners There is but one thing more and so I shall have done with this text and that is how a heart that is rightly humbled by seeing of God in Jesus Christ doth carrie and behave it selfe towards other Saints But that I must leave to another opportunity SERMON 9. Isaiah 6. 5. For mine eyes have seen the King the Lord of Hosts THE last lesson that God taught us from these words you know was this that A saving sight of God in Christ is the principall meanes of the humiliation of the soule The last Use we were upon was of examination to know whether the Lord hath given us this grace or no. For the clearing of that I told you that we may know much of it by our carriage and demeanour First towards God Secondly towards man Concerning our carriage towards God I instanced in five perticulars which I shall not now repeat Secondly we may know it by our carriage towards men which is the last thing and so I shall finish what I have to say on these words I began to speake of this the last time I told you that men are of two sorts eyther Saints or sinners according to the Scripture language not according to the cursed language of these times that denominate men from every opinion and call them Seekers and Presbiterians and Anabaptists and Independents I know not what cursed languages but I say all men are eyther Saints or Sinners thou art eyther a Saint or a Sinner Christ hath but two names for men here and will have but two hands when he comes to judge his right hand and his left hand and there are but two places after judgement Heaven and Hell So by our carriage towards Saints and Sinners we may know whether we have this grace of humiliation or no. Of our carriage to sinners I spake somwhat the last time I shall now proceed to the last thing of all that is our carriage and demeanour to the Saints and therein because we are now upon examination I beseech you in a speciall manner to have an eye upon your hearts while I am speaking that God may make this as a lookinglasse to some proud souls that they may thereby see how it is with them I shall therefore endeavour to open this to you as I did the former Now I say thou mayest know if thy heart be humbled by the spirit of Christ in Quest Answ The carriage of a humble heart towards Saints the Gospell by thy carriage towards the Saints You will say how is that It will appeare these wayes First if thou be rightly humbled thou doest usually conceive thy selfe and thou art willing that 1. He thinks himselfe the least of Saints all men should so conceive of thee to be the least of Saints I pray thee remember that I say thou doest usually reflect upon thy selfe and doest conceive of thy selfe and art willing to be so conceived of and accounted of by others as the least of all Saints I will give you but a Scripture or two for it 1 Cor. 15. Paul you know was a glorious Saint and truly in many things as far as we may have leave to judg more glorious then any of the Apostles yet sayth he speaking of those that had seen our Lord meaning the Apostles He was seene of James and of Cephas c. And last of all he was seen of me as one borne out of due time for I am the least of all the Apostles and am not worthy to be called an Apostle The Greek word signifies a child that is borne dead or as it were into the World before the time We say somtimes of a child when it is borne there is the least child that ever was borne alive but yet it was borne alive and in season but an abortive is a child that is borne by miscarriage that is borne dead it is lesse then the least child and lesse esteemed Job sayth O that I had been an abortive that my mother had buried me in secret Paul could not compare himselfe to the least Saint but as it were to an abortive to a thing not worth the mentioning among the living I am an abortive sayth he not because of the time that I did come after them though it be true that Paul was made an Apostle after the rest but sayth he I am the least of all Saints this was the reason Take but one place more Ephes 3. 8. Unto me who am lesse then the least of all Saints is this grace given that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ To me that am lesse then the least The meaning of it is for in the Greek language in which the Apostles wrote they have six degrees of comparison now in English and in some other tongues there are but three as we say good better and best of all we goe no further a thing is little and lesse and least of all But they double it again and they say little and lesse and least and a thing lesse then the least and more little and lesse then the least of all Paul chose to goe to the lowest pin lesse then the least Saint Minor minimo lesse then the least As if he had sayd suppose we gather together all the tottered broken professors in the World that walke dishonourably to God the blind and the lame as it were that doe least resemble him yet let them
done with Secondly that The Law of God is perfectly fulfilled in all true believers Thirdly that True believers are they who walke not after the flesh but after the Spirit We made some entrance upon the second that The righteousnesse of the Law is fulfilled in all true believers I spake a little of this and shall adde something farther to what I said if God will The righteousnesse of the Law is fulfilled in every The righteousness of the Law fulfilled in every true believer not personally true believer Not personally as I told you for there is no Saint no not Abraham himselfe that can say the righteousnesse of the Law is fulfilled in me that is personally that I have walked so the Law is satisfied by my walking But the righteousnesse of the law is fulfilled in us not personally but in us by reason but by our union with Christ that Christ and we are one and he is made righteousnesse to us 1 Cor. 1. 30. He is made of God to in wisdome righteousnesse sanctification and redemption Then whatsoever Christ is or hath it is ours Therefore saith the Apostle The righteousnesse of the Law is fulfilled in us He doth not say it is fulfilled in Christ though that be true but he takes the boldness to say it is fulfilled in us by vertue of our union with Jesus Christ So in every true Saint or believer the righteousnesse of the law through Christ The weakest Saint in Christ hath satisfied the Law is perfectly fulfilled The weakest Saint if he be a true Saint he hath perfectly fulfilled the law of God he hath perfectly satisfied every demand that the law can make he hath perfectly paid every penny worth of debt that he oweth to the law the weakest Saint it may be a poore Saint that men can see nothing but corruption in all the day and all the weeke and all the yeare long almost yet that man if he be a true Saint though he be weak hath perfectly in Christ kept the law of God and is a just man and the law of God cannot come upon him nor the Sergeant the Devill to arrest him for one penny or farthing because he can say as Paul saith here The righteousnesse of the law is fulfilled in us Therefore that is the reason as I told you that Paul saith I am dead to the law that is I am as free from the law as a man that is dead when a man is dead the law goes no further on him So it is said we are delivered from the law and freed from the law And that is the reason also that the Apostle In Christ we are saved by Gods righteousnesse as well as mercy three times in one Chapter puts our salvation upon the righteousnesse of God he saith not by the mercie of God though that be true there is infinite mercie but saith he that God might declare his righteousnesse in Christ to save us It is a mercifull thing for God to give us Christ and to give us hearts to know that Christ and to believe in that Christ it is infinite unspeakable mercie But now that wee are in Christ and united to him as there was mercie so it is righteous and just with God to save us because we are righteous persons Mistake me not I say every poore Saint through Christ is a righteous person a just man I say in and through Christ he hath taken away all our sins and forgiven all our iniquities Coll. 2. So that when God saves believers he doth not only save them out of mercie but out of righteousness he can doe no otherwise therefore it is three times over his righteousness his righteousness his righteousness Rom. 3. And that is a blessed word in Heb. 12. Yee are come to the spirits of just men made perfect I doe not conceive that it is spoken of the spirits of men in heaven as many doe and no wonder they mistake for I did so for many yeares That place it looks so like heaven that I tooke it for heaven it self Yee are come unto mount Sion to the generall assembly and Church of the first borne and to the spirits of just men made perfect A man would think it were heaven it self it is called heaven but it is nothing in the world but the glorious estate of the Saints in Jesus Christ under the new Testament as you may see afterwards Therefore as Christ saith let this word sink into your hearts that if thou be a right believer thou art as perfectly just and righteous through Jesus Christ as if thou hadst never sinned against the law of God not by thy own righteousnesse but by the righteousnesse of Jesus Christ For what can be said more saith the Apostle The righteousness of the law is fulfilled He doth not say we have a peice of it but it is fulfilled that is to a jote or tittle the law cannot say black is thine eye because Christ hath paid and done all that it can demand Now to give you a word or two of the grounds or reasons to help you to believe this truth to shew you how it comes about It comes about three wayes I meane it will be cleare to you three wayes if you consider three things First You must consider that Jesus Christ Reas 1. Christ a publike person which is our suretie he was sent of the Father out of his love as a publike person to fulfill the law of God by doing and suffering as a publike person There is much comfort in that Beloved you can never throughly understand your justification unlesse you study the first Adam what kind of person Adam was as you may see in Rom. 5. Now the Lord Jesus he came as a publike person and he was delivered for our offences as it is said Rom. 3. ult he did die for our sinnes That is one thing Now the second thing that demonstrates this to 2. From the union between Christ and believers us is besides his dying and that as a publike person there is a union made between every poore believer and Christ as really as between Christ and his Father Indeed it is called in Scripture a marriage because as in a marriage all the wealth of the husband is the wives it becomes hers and shee hath a right to it after marriage So all that is in Christ becomes ours by this union But it is a more reall union a closer union by far then that of marriage it is compared to the union between the members and the head Now by this union that you may read of in Joh. 17. all that is ours becomes Christs and all that is Christs becomes ours There are two things Then thirdly we finde that God the father to 3. God the Father is satisfied which appeares whom the debt was owing and whose law this was that we must satisfie he acknowledgeth satisfaction And what can we have more God the father acknowledgeth
that his Son hath satisfied the law and therefore we are freed Now he doth acknowledge it three wayes First You shall have it Mat. 17. compared with 1. by Gods own testimonie 2 Pet. 1. For Peter is much in it we follow not devised fables but we come to speake of the voyce in the Mount This is my beloved Son As if he had said This is one maine peice of the Gospel we heard a voyce when we were with our Master in the mount saying This is my beloved Son in whom my soule is well pleased That for his person Then a second thing that did shew that he was 2. Christ is out of prison satisfied was by suffering Jesus Christ after he was arrested and in prison for our debt for Christ was in prison for our debt he was arrested and that according to law he was brought into prison and all our suits were clapped on his back all our executions and outlaries were layd on his shoulders and then the Father let him out of prison being our suretie If he had not payd our debt he had not come out of prison but now the Father lets him out that is the Father suffred him to rise from the dead Therefore we finde that our justification is layd more upon the resurrection of Jesus Christ then upon his death as we see in Rom. 4. 25. Who was delivered for our offences and raised againe for our justification that is he did die for our sins and was raised againe for our justification And in Rom. 8. He that spared not his own Son but delivered him up for us all how shall he not with him give us all things Who is he that condemneth it is Christ that dyed yea rather that is risen again who is even at the right hand of God who also maketh intercession for us That is his dying for us did satisfie the law but that did not justifie us untill we see that he was risen againe and then we see that all the debt was paid because our suretie is gotten out of prison Therefore justification I meane the knowledge of it at least principally ariseth from Christs resurrection Now when I see Christ is risen and is gone abroad he is gone out of the grave and gone to heaven I know that the law is fulfilled and the Father is satisfied and the Sergeant the Devill hath nothing to arrest me for all is satisfied all is cleare Thirdly and lastly I know God the Father is satisfied 3 Christ is gone into heaven for the law it is God the Fathers Writt that he had against us and now we see that all is payd not onely because our suretie is got out of prison for so a man may doe that hath not paid a debt but because when he was out of prison he ascended to his Father and the Father made him sit at the right hand of God in the glory of Majesty on high and he hath given him power and authoritie to rule the world till the day of Judgement Now in that the Father hath given the Son that honour and respect in heaven as to come and sit at his right hand wee may see it was not a breaking of prison but a reall paying of the debt and a fulfilling the law before he could come there This may give a little light how the righteousness of the law is fulfilled in us through Jesus Christ Now the use of it I named in the morning I Use 1. To learne the ground of our justification was not able to expresse it neither can I now fully utter it I beseech you consider the more of it The first use we may make of it is this that you should learne from what I have said where your justification doth lie your justification doth not lie or is not built upon any thing that is in you or that is done by you or that you may hope to doe hereafter you are not justified by your own personall good or unjustified by your own personall evills you are not one jote the more just when you have done all the good you can in the world and you are not one jote the lesse just when you have committed all the weaknesses and fallen into all the frailties that a Saint can fall into because your justification is built onely upon Christ and upon what he did and suffered My justification is built upon the death of Christ and his resurrection he hath fulfilled the law and he hath paid the debt and he is out of prison and the Father is satisfied here is my justification and I believing this I am happie Now you shall find that you lay a great part of Men build justification upon something in themselves your justification upon something in your selves therefore when you are enlarged in good you think you are more justified and when you fall into sin you think you are more unjust then you were before and you look strangely upon God Now the Lord hath put it out of our hands Adam should have been justified by that that was in him and that should have been done by him but blessed be God he would not trust us with that good any more but hath put all in the hands of Jesus Christ and there is the whole foundation of our justification Therefore it is not for a Christian to come and say O Sir I feare I am no childe of God I feare I shall prove an hypocrite why so because I finde so much sin and so many lusts in me It is very well that you find and feele sin and that you mourne for and strive against sin but that therefore you should thinke there is a flaw in your justification that you should make any good that is in you a prop to support your justification or any evill in you a thing that might crack your justification this is Popery My justification depends not on this that I am justified the more when I am strong or less justified when I am weak but whether I be weak or strong whether I doe much or little for God whether I give thanks or be humbled seeing Christ is dead and risen againe I am justified that is still intire because it is not built upon me but wholly upon the death and resurrection of Christ In the 4th of the Romans Abraham is laid down Abraham how justified as a patterne of believing Abraham had the word of faith So shall thy seed be and without hope or reason or any thing he believed that is he cast himself on that word so it is said he was justified without works What a strange thing is that for it is impossible that there should be true faith but that all good works should in some measure follow after but if wee speake properly and look to the thing as it is in it self how a man is justified he is justified wholly without works Abraham did many good things he offred his son Isaack
you are called to Libertie but use it not as an occasion for the flesh That is take not occasion from your liberty to live more sinfully to say you are made free and others are tyed by the Law and therefore you will live more carelesly and loosely and sinfully take heed and beware of that There were some it seemes I am sure there are some now that all the liberty and freedome they heare off from the Gospel or by getting off from the Law it is nothing in the World but that they may goe on more in sin and enjoy their lusts more freely this is to pervert the Gospel And what the end of these people shall be you The danger of abusing gospel-liberty may see in 2 Pet. 1. and in the Epistle of Jude They are appointed to damnation And their damnation slumbereth and sleepeth not That is they are going on amaine they are going faster towards Hell then any Drunkard or Whormonger A Malefactor never goeth so fast to death as these doe to destruction when all the knowledge of liberty that they have is onely to give occasion to provide more for their lusts then before Let us consider and take heed of that Another thing is seeing you have liberty by 2. Not to use liberty for the offence of our Brethren walking according to the spirit for where the spirit is there is freedome that is certaine use it not for the offence of your Brethren As some there are that when they heare they are free are ready to say I care not what all the World say I know this is not a sin and therefore I will doe it Beloved that is farr from walking worthy according to the Gospel I became all things saith Paul to all men that I might win some I am under the Law to them that are under the Law and without Law to them that are without Law I became all things to all men that I might gaine some So we must not please our selves but one another for edification Rom. 15. and condescend to them of low sort Rom. 12. Who is weake saith the Apostle and I am not weake If thou see a man under the Law fumbling and wallowing upon Mount Sinai without the knowledge of the Gospel despise him not and say he is a Legallist and what have we to doe with him but endeavour to frame thy heart and thy language and carriage so suitable to him that thou mayst win upon him and so with others This is the language of the Gospell and the true way of the spirit of God when a man knowes his freedome and yet he becomes all things to all men that he may doe them good There is one word that I thinke is the word and will of God and I desire that thou mayst take it so and carry it with thee A second thing that I advise you to that are 2. To walke humbly spirituall that the Lord hath revealed a little of the Gospel to it is this that you would endeavour to walk humbly O walk humbly Why so I will tell you why because a man when he is under Because of the abundance of revelations in the Gospell the law he shall be twenty yeares striving for a little knowledge or grace and shall hardly get them but as soone as ever a man comes rightly to Christ and to know him then there is such a flood of grace and such abundance of Revelations it is the Scriptures word there is such abundance of manifestations of GOD and of the Image of GOD when they begin to come in that it is a hard thing then to keepe the soule downe for spirituall things when they come in rightly when the Floud-gates are open they come in as Waves one upon the back of another For spiritull Gospell truths multiplie in the soule a thousand fold one lesson from another and one Scripture opens another and then there is no end and then it is hard to keepe the soule humble Therfore in 2 Cor. 12. When Paul was wrapt into the third Heavens because of the abundance of Revelations that he had seene for he had seen and heard things that he could not utter and speake to others he was readie to be proud to be lifted up and least he should be so God sent a Messenger of Satan to buffet him It implies it was a hard thing for Paul the Apostle when abundance of Revelations came into his soule not to be lifted up And this spoyles some honest hearts I hope they are so and that God will bring them home that having been kept bare of food as some Souldiers that went to releive Glocester when they came home to the Cittie they killed themselves with eating full and good food So when poore soules have gone upon the bare Mountaines of Sinai and then have come to the Pastures of righteousnesse they goe so greedily and are so taken that if God be not wonderfull mercifull they will be undone by being lifted up Therfore beware of this learne from Pauls example to seeke to the Lord to keep your hearts humble A third thing is this endeavour to walk simplie 3. To walk simply I meane to keepe to the simplicity of the Gospell The Gospell though there be glorious mysteries in it to feed the soule yet notwithstanding it is a plaine simple thing Now here the Devill endeavours to undoe soules as it is ordinary in this City when men come once to understand a little of the Gospell and to tast the sweetnesse of it The Devill makes men sublimate Religion into notions the Devill screws them up to sublimate all Religion into notions to cleave a haire and Religion will be all in Ideas and conceits of the nature of God and of the creature Whereas the Gospell is a plaine thing Paul desired to know the death of Christ and the power of his Resurrection And Paul teacheth Servants how to obey their Masters and Masters how to carry themselves to their Servants and VVives to their Husbands and such simple plaine things Now these things are accounted nothing that is the Reason that many among us they doe more and more loose the Word of God unlesse it be about some sublime notions If a Minister be upon such poynts some high Ideas for they feed upon such that is worth the while but if a Minister speake of things that concerne their calling or their sex and condition that is plaine it hath no tast in it no more then the white of an Egg. It is a hard thing to keepe to the simplicity of the Gsopell As the Devill tempted our first Parents God gave Adam and Eve sufficient knowledge to doe his How the Devill tempted Eve will and they had sufficient naturall knowledge for they Named all the Creatures yet notwithstanding shee musts neds goe from the simplicity of Gods will and be curious and shee must know good and evill there was the distinction good and
read one single Scripture it may be I have a book that will point out halfe a dozen Scriptures to open one Scripture by And it may be I have some books that take 3. To presse Scriptures on the soule some Scripture and presse it upon my soule as Doctor Prestons and other godly books But to take books and say Jerome thinks this and Austin that and fill our heads with notions they blind us that we cannot see the will of God Therefore in reading of Scriptures there should Difference in the learning of Christians and others be this difference from our reading of other Books I meane in respect of age When we are Children and young we use not Spectacles it may be at twenty or thirty or fourty yeares old we can read without Spectacles but when we come to fifty or sixty then we can see nothing but through Spectacles It should be just contrary with us when we are Christians When we are young we usually never read the Word of God but through the Spectacles of mens glosses but when we are older Christians and stronger Saints we should learne to read better without Spectacles wee should daily make lesse use of Mens Books and more of Gods Book That whereas before a man turned over twenty Authors upon a point Now he can goe humbly to God with his Bible and without Spectacles he can see what the will of God is Therefore lay aside Spectacles sometimes and onely take the spirit of God and compare Scipture with Scripture that you may come to know the mind of Christ Shall I name one thing more If you would 5. To be borne againe come to be spirituall Gospel-Saints you must be borne againe you must be borne from above A Gospell-profession is Jerusalem from above and there are none that can come into Jerusalem that is from above but those that are borne from above Therefore marke our Saviours reasoning John 3. Nicodemus asks Christ which was the way to Heaven And he tells him Verily thou must be borne againe or thou must be borne from above or else thou canst not see it Nichodemus wonders why hee must be borne from above saith he Shall I goe into my Mothers belly c. Saith Christ marvell not wonder not why should he not wonder at such a strange speech Here is the reason That which is borne of flesh is flesh therefore think it not strange that I say thou must be borne againe So I say whatsoever you do by the power of nature by your owne wisedome by your owne righteousnesse or your owne strength all comes but to this but to flesh and whatsoever comes of flesh is flesh Flesh cannot bring out the spirit no more then a thorne can bring out Grapes as Christ speak Therefore wonder not that thou must be borne from above that is thou must have the Lord from above to beget thee againe You have every one been borne once you must be borne once more you must have a new creation in you the Lord must create new strange properties and dispositions that no flesh and blood is able to comprehend Lastly take the councell of the Holy Ghost 6. To pray for the spirit of wisedome and revelation and that is in Ephes 1. 16 As Paul prayed for them so doe thou pray for thy selfe and there is all the reason in the World that thou shouldest I cease not sayth he to give thanks for you making mention of you in my Prayers that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ the Father of glory would give to you the spirit of wisedome and revelation in the knowledge of him Pray for the spirit of wisedome and revelation in the knowledge of Christ Sleight not these words because some wicked men abuse them and others reproach them but because Paul saith so pray that the Lord would give thee the spirit of wisedome and revelation So much concerning the directions I had to give you There is one word of Information and with Vse 6. The true ground of persecutions and divisions that I will conclude From what I have said before concerning the flesh and the spirit learne this instruction more hence to see what is the true ground of all persecution nay even of all the divisions that are among us Men may pretend what they will and deceive themselves but all the strife and persecution in the World is meerly between the flesh and the spirit between the old and the new Adam There are two Princes in this World and these are contrary the one to the other The flesh lusteth against the spirit Old Adam seeks to get up and the new Adam will have him downe Therefore you shall have these two in every Towne in one Church in one Family in one soule and wheresoever they are the flesh lusteth against the spirit and the spirit against the flesh and these two are contrary Are contrary what is that That is there is no true contrariety between any things in the World but between the old Adam and the new between the flesh and the spirit Now by Flesh I meane not onely corruption but whole flesh fleshly wisedome The wisedome of old Adam is enmity against the wisedome of the new the righteousnesse of old Adam is quite contrary to the righteousnesse of the new this is the cause of persecution Let people pretend what they will you shall see godly men persecuted you may see Christ in their soules as clearly as the Sun and people keep a coile about Independency and Presbytery but the truth is it is old Adam in those that persecute and the new Adam in the other a man with one eye may see it There are many pretences but all the strife is between the old Adam and the new For to give a little illustration take Gospell godly Saints that have the spirit of God in them they agree well enough they will not strive sometimes they may differ a little but for the generality they live well enough together nay take some Gospell Saints that are filled with the spirit of God and the knowledge of Jesus Christ in these times and in this City which is the center of all division and they cannot attest divisions they cannot make a partie and give rayling for rayling and strife for strife they cannot but love their enemies and bless them that blaspheme them As James sayth Whence come all wars You think they come from your zeale for your way and yours for your way but it is from your lusts The flesh lusteth against the spirit and the spirit against the flesh It is from old Adam And I was going to say but I will but name it Cause of Saints weakness This is the cause also of the weaknesse generally that is among you It is not wickednesse that troubles a Saint but weaknesse it is not positive ills but weaknesse And whence is this weaknesse Because he walks after the flesh The spirit is powerfull but the
ungodly and doth deale despightfully with us as Christ saith then to doe him good and blesse when he curseth and pray for him that injureth us Beloved this is Gospell goodnesse I have had many thoughts of it had I time to proove that this Gospell goodnesse is a peice of the new Creature that was not in old Adam There was goodnesse in Adam but not this as for instance there are diverse things we find among Professors that in the last day will be found to be nothing but the Old Adam but Ishmaells that are humbled to the height and ye shall see in them a great deale of diligence in Gods service but where will you finde a Professor one of 500. and I speake with the least that you may clearly reade Gospell goodnesse in him that you may say younder is a man that if you curse him he will love you and if you doe him hurt and that despitefully he will pray for you It is an easie thing to kindle a brand that hath been once lighted to doe that which Adam did but to doe this is a higher matter As man was created after the Image of God so the Creatures in a sort were created after the Image of man Now as in Creatures in a Dogg there is love and the like But where is there a Creature that if you doe him mischiefe will not endeavour to doe you the like againe or at least wise runne away But where is a piece in the Old creation that doth lâ—ve his enemies And whereas it is said Adam was created after the image of God and God loves his enmies I answer God then in that Covenant was not in a disposition to love his enemies but to hate his enemies and sinners and curse them and damne them but now in Jesus Christ he loves his Enemies and therefore according to his minde he revealed to Adam it was not so and many other reasons I had but this I present to you with submission I doe not speake curiosities but I finde and see very little of this scarcely any there was a candid goodnesse in the primitive Church which is not now to be which is not now to be found now nothing but biting and teareing and devouring one another well there is one word he doth it by a spirituall Creation 2. By spirituall illumination Then Secondly he brings the soule to this way of spirituall reasoning by spirituall illumination he created faculties before and now he casteth in light as he did in the old creation you know he made Heaven and Earth in the lumpe and then said let there be light Now that is the reason when the Gospell is Preched and there is the spirit of God going with the Word and thou are darke and canst not receive this light the new creature is not framed in thee if thou hast no eyes thou canst not see and if a man have eyes he cannot see in a darke roome Now when the new man is made then the Lord sends in light and it is not every light for there are many lights a blind man as it were hath an Hypocrite hath them but it is a powerfull light that God Saints have a powerfull light puts in for we doe finde that there is a kinde of light in Hypocrites but yet there is not power in them there is not light to bring them to such kinde of reasoning as will bring them to any good or from any evill they will talke of drunknesse and Whoredome and the like but have not power to bring them off from any of these things Indeed a Saint may be overcome of his lusts that warre in his Members but there is a law in his mindâ— that is there is a light that is like unto a Law that hath power in it that he seeth Christ doing them away I am sorry I have not time to open this unto you farther but remember it Thirdly the Lord will doe it by suggestion that is the spirit of God puts light into the soule he puts a measure of light to dwell in every new creature and that powerfully But because the way of of the Saints are so darke in this World and thorow so much difficulty the spirit of God prompts a Saint allwayes when he is at a loss As among Schollers we shall see somtimes a man is almost borne downe and then another giveth him an Argument or distinction to helpe him and then he carries it and so the flesh hath reasons and arguments as we are going along and now though there be a measure of light a stock of light dwelling in us yet we are nonplussed by the flesh and then the spirit of God suggesteth somwhat to us and we are carried thorow as you have it in Mat. 20. When you are brought before Governours it is not you that speake but the spirit of God that prompteth you Fourthly the spirit doth it by Conviction that 4. By conviction is another way we have it Joh. 16. Saith Christ when I goe I will send my spirit and my spirit shall convince the World of sin reproove you have it he shall convince the World of sin of righteousnesse judgement The word signifies when he saith the spirit will convince that is by way of Argument the meaning is that in every carnall mans heart there are arguments against faith and for his owne destruction and strong ones too And when we Preach to you ye bring reason against reason and so goe away unconvinced unconverted but the spirit will ronvince you that is he will bring such strong arguments as Doctor PRESTON saith from Heaven that will convince you As when a stronger man commeth he disarmeth the other as before we thought godlinesse nothing but Heresie and Puritansme and the like but now the spirit convinceth you you see this is the only way and out of this way I shall never see God and the like Another way I find the spirit doth it by is by 5. By commemoration commemoration by minding us of what we have heard or somthing we have knowne before it is our remembrance Therefore saith Christ I will send my spirit and he shall bring to your remembrance what you have heard not that you shall remember a whole Sermon and Repeate it every word but thus it is he will either suggest thoughts Nenever had before or bring to our remembrance a word we have heard of such a Preacher in such a place or Read in such a place or thought in such a walke or the like and so setteth on and carrieth on the worke And he doth it by consolation he is the Comforter 6. By consolation the consolation of the spirit Beloved this is certaine that ye know trouble of mind exceedingly hinders the acts of reason That 's the reason men are madd because some fumes rise up in the braine and trouble the mind that they cannot reason but are madd Beloved our troubles of mind and soule
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