Sanctified in a large sence but where do ye find in al the Bible of any Hypocrite that Christ is said to be in him really united unto an Hypocrite No this is the great Priviledge of a beleever only Col. 1.27 Christ in you the hope of Glory Fourthly If Jesus Christ be really united unto each beleever by his Spirit Then a beleever shal never die again spiritually die again I have read of a Woman that when her Husband was dead she would eat and drink the ashes of her Husband have his bodie burnt to ashes and so eat and drink the ashes of her husband and being asked the reason because saies she I mean to part with him no more I have parted with him once already when we were one but now I will be made one with him in another way and I will part no more with him So if Christ be in a Beleever really in a Beleever Christ really united unto each Beleever by his Spirit Then Christ and that Beleever shal never part again that Beleever shal die no more for the same Spirit that raised up Christ from the dead dwelling in a Beleever shal also raise up a poor beleever yea though he fal into the grave of sin he shal never die spiritually again upon this account Fiftly If Christ be really united unto al beleevers by his Spirit Then they may come with boldness unto the throne of grace and with unlimitted expectations of mercie from God the Father and from Christ Jesus The nearer ye are unto any Person the more boldness ye have towards him and the larger will your expectations be from him If a man marry his Servant whilst she was his maid she was not so bold nor could expect so much from him when she becomes the Wife then she is more bold and can expect more because now she is nearer A Child may have more boldnes and expect more from the Father than the servant and the servant that is within doors more than the servant that works in the field but the Wife that is nearest she is most bold comes with most boldness into the presence of the man and hath the largest expectations from him because she is nearest to him So the nearer that the soul of a beleever does get unto God the more boldness he may have when he comes to God and the largen expectations of mercy from him Now if Christ were in a beleever only by the Habit of grace and Christ in the soul were nothing else but the Habit of grace here were yet a great distance from Christ but now if Jesus Christ be really United unto each Beleever by his Spirit here is a close Union indeed And therefore upon this account every beleever may come with boldness now and with Unlimitted expectations of mercy from God the Father being brought thus neer that Christ Himself is really in the beleevers soul And what a Glorious and Blessed Condition is every beleever in now upon this account Applyca First Here I would stand admire and call upon you all to admire the Condescending Glorious and Unspeakable love of Christ It was infinite love in Christ to condescend so far as to come down into our Nature when he was incarnate but as if he were not neer enough to us then he comes down into the heart of a beleever by his Spirit When Christ was upon the Earth we were in him as in a common Person Now Christ is in Heaven he is in us by his Spirit What Glorious Condescending love is here If a Father Portion a Child set him up in a good Trade and the child decay through his own folly the Father will not Portion him again possibly he may help him but he will not give him ordinarily parents do not give so great a Portion to help him up again somewhat the parent will do but not so much as at the first The Lord of Heaven he put a great Portion into our hands at first and we decayed and broke and behold the Lord does not only give us as good a Portion as we had at the first but infinitely better for now the Lord Christ is United unto each Beleever now he comes and dwels in the soul of a beleever by his Spirit The Psalmist wondered and admired at the love of God to Man Psal 8.1 4. O LOrd saies the Psalmist how excellent is thy Name Lord what is man Why Lord what is man that thou visitest him He wondred at the love of God that would visit man But behold a greater love than so to visit poor man for Christ is come down into the soul of a beleever he is come into him by his Spirit not only come to visit him but Christ really United unto each beleever by his Spirit What Glorious and Condescending love is here Secondly Upon this account no Wicked man should dare to oppose any of the children of God Why because Christ is in them Christ not only in his Graces but Christ really in all beleevers by his Spirit And will a man dare to speak evil of him that is one with Christ or to defile the Temple of the Lord and the dwelling place of the Lord 1 Cor. 3.17 He that defiles the Temple of the Lord him will God destroy Take heed what you do if there be any opposers here Thirdly What abundance of Comfort is here unto all beleevers Christ is in you of a truth not only by the infusion of his Grace but Christ really in you by his Spirit It is some comfort to a sickly man that he hath a Physitian alwaies in the house with him and to a woman that is neer her time of travail that the Mid-wife is in the house with her What comfort is it then unto a poor soul that Christ is alwaies in him really in him by his Spirit You that are beleevers will not this content you He is too Covetous whom God cannot suffice He hath all things that hath him that hath all things Now every beleever hath Christ Christ really in a beleever by his Spirit not Notionally not by the Habit of grace only but Christ is really United unto each beleever by the Spirit Here is Comfort Comfort Comfort unto all those that are beleevers Object But I fear that Christ is not in me I do not find or perceive that Christ is in me and therefore I can have none of the comfort of this Doctrine were Christ really in me by the Spirit Christ would be working in me but I do not find these workings of Jesus Christ in me and were the Spirit in me it is quick lively and powerful I should do great things for God but alas I do nothing for him and therefore I fear that the Lord Christ is not in me of a truth Answ 1 First I grant That where Christ comes into the soul he does cause the soul to do great things for God greater than it could do before So it was with
the great Mysterie Take a Christian a Beleever I pray do but observe a little What a great Mysterie there is in all his Humilitie and Self-denial wrought by the Gospel As thus He ever cries out What shall I do to be saved what shall I do to be saved And yet he professes That he does not expect to be saved by Doing Here 's a Mysterie Again He counts himself lesse than the least of all Gods mercies And yet he thinks God hath done more for him than if he had given him all the world Here 's a Mysterie Again He prizes every Duties and every Gift and every Grace although it be never so small prizes it above all the world And yet he counts al but dung and dross in regard of Christ Here 's a Mysterie Again He looks upon himself as the greatest sinner and thinks of every one better than himself And yet when he looks upon a Drunkard or a Swearer or the like professes that he would not change his condition with him for al the world He looks upon himself as the greatest sinner and thinks of every one better than himself and yet he saies concerning such and such he would not change his condition with them for al the world What a Mysterie is this Again He mourns under Reproaches and the Despisings of men And yet he triumphs over them and is above them Here 's a Mysterie Again He counts himself nothing and all that ever he does nothing And yet he praises the Lord for every little and thinks that God hath done more for him in giving him Christ than if he had given him all the world Here 's a Mysterie Now as for the seeming Humility and Self-denial that is in Heathen or Moral Civil men there is none of this Mystery but there is a Spiritual Mysterie that runs along in the veins of all this Gospel-Humility and Self-denial But I speak of Self-Denial in Spiritual things and what Moral Civil man does deny himself in Spiritual things Dies Lusitanus I remember one makes mention of a certain godly man that was sorely tempted by Satan in his time the man was much in Duty and Satan comes unto him and saies Why doest thou take thus much pains thou doest Fast and Watch but O man what is there that thou doest more than I do Art thou no Drunkard or no Adulterer Saies Satan I never was Drunk nor I never committed Adultery What doest thou Watch Saies Satan I never slept Doest thou Fast Saies Satan I never ate any Meat or drank any Beer or Wine What therefore O man saies Satan doest thou do more than I do Yes saies he Satan I will tell thee what I do I Pray and I Serve the Lord and walk Humbly and Deny my self True indeed then saies Satan I confesse herein thou doest go beyond me for I am Proud and I have Exalted my self and therefore that thou doest Deny thy self and walk Humbly with thy God herein indeed thou goest beyond me And know a Christian does not only go beyond Satan but he goes beyond Moral Civil Legal men and where ever the Gospel comes in power it works this disposition and frame of heart there it is wrought indeed Quest 4 You will say What is there in the Gospel or the way of the Gospel which lies in Justification by faith alone that can work a mans heart unto this frame and disposition Answ I shall name Three or Four things of many First The more a man does see the Glory of God the more Humble he will be and Deny himself even in Spiritual things Ye may reade how it was with Job in the 9. chapter of Job ye do not reade in all that book that Job does any where in one chapter so much Deny himself as concerning his own Righteousness which he stood much upon to his friends as in this 9th chapter verse the 15. Whom speaking of God though I were righteous yet I would not answer but I would make supplication to my judge Verse the 16. If I had called and he had answered me yet would I not beleeve that he had hearkened unto my voice Then at the 20. verse If I Justifie my self mine own mouth shall condemn me if I say I am perfect it shall also prove me perverse Verse the 21. Though I were perfect yet would I not know my soul I would dispise my life Then at the 30. verse If I wash my self with snow water and make my hands never so clean yet shalt thou plunge me in the ditch and mine own clothes shall abhor me But whence did all this Self-Denial in Spiritual things proceed now If you look into the former part of the chapter ye shall see that Job had a great prospect of the glory of God I know it is so of a truth but how should man be just with God verse the 2. If he will contend with him he cannot answer him God is wise in heart and mighty in strength verse the 4. Then verse the 5. Which removeth the mountains and they know not which overturneth them in his anger Which shaketh the earth out of her place and the pillars thereof tremble Which commandeth the Sun and it riseth not and sealeth up the Stars Which alone spreadeth out the heavens and treadeth upon the waves of the Sea Which maketh Arcturus Orion and Plejades and the chambers of the South Which doth great things past finding out yea and wonders without number And now having this prospect of the Greatness and Glory of the Lord he Denies his own Righteousness Denies himself in Spiritual things And ye know how it was with the Prophet Isaiah in the 6. chapter and the 5. verse Then said I Wo is me for I am undone because I am a man of unclean lips and I dwel in the midst of a people of unclean lips Wo is me I am undone a man of unclean lips But stay O thou blessed Prophet thou art a great and hast been a great Preacher a Gospel Preacher yea thou art a Prophet Well saies he yet Wo is me for I am undone I am a man of unclean lips Why what 's the matter At the latter end of the verse for mine eyes have seen the King the Lord of hosts And if ye look into the former verses of that chapter ye shall find That it was a sight of Christ in his glory as will more fully appear by comparing of that and the 4. chapter of the Revelation together at your leisure But where can a man see the Glory of God but in the Gospel The Gospel is called The Glorious Gospel there the Glory of God is to be seen With open face there as in a glass we behold the Glory of the Lord. Secondly The more I see Christ as an Eminent Transcendent Example of Humility and Self-Denial the more I learn to Deny my self even in Spiritual things Now the Gospel holds forth Christ as the most Eminent Example of Humility and
by al these to fetch in your Acceptance with God the Father Do you not bring your Duty into the room of Christ and into the place of Christ and do ye think that the Lord Jesus Christ will ever present such a Duty unto God the Father as steps into his room and place What a sad thing is it for a man to draw his own Works or his own Doings into his Acceptance or Justification for a man to turn aside to the Covenant of Works Object You will say But when may a man be said for to draw his own Works or Duties into his Acceptance with God the Father Or when may a man be said To turn aside to the Covenant of Works Answ Even godly men do it too much Abraham though the father of the faithful went into Hagar the type of the Law And so now the children of Abraham Beleevers do too much go into Hagar still and to the Law still When a man cannot dares not relye upon Jesus Christ till he first sees his own Duty and his own Prayer and Inlargment in Duty then he does this too much When a man does measure all his Acceptance with God the Father by his own Performance if I be Enlarged then I am Accepted if I am straightened now I am not Accepted then he does this too much When a man will not come to Christ till his heart be first quickened and warmed by some particular word then he does this too much But Oh! you you that are godly labour I beseech ye in Christ to stand clear from your own Duties and Doings The more distinct knowledge ye have in this Truth and the more ye walk in the sence of it the more Spiritual and Holy ye will be Object 1 But will some say that I may take off some scruples and answer some Cases of Conscience If these things be so then do I fear that my Obedience was never right for truly I have even turned aside to a Covenant of Works the Lord knows I have I remember the time when I had Legal-breakings and all my Obedience hath flowed from thence Is Free-remission and Justification by faith alone the fountain and spring-head of all our Obedience and Holiness then seeing that Legal-breakings have been the spring-head of all my Obedience then do I fear my Obedience was never right Oh! I fear that I have been wrong all this while that I have been but an Hypocrite all this while and have deceived my self and been under the Law all this while Answ Stay a little You read in Scripture concerning Jacob and Esau 't is said That the Elder shall serve the Younger Gen. 25.23 That is saies Luther in a spiritual way the Elder the Law shall serve the Younger the Gospel and the Elder Sin shall serve the Younger Grace Now have your former Legal-breakings made you more for to prize Grace and to prize Christ and to prize Free-remission and Justification by faith alone Here then the Elder does serve the Younger And what though Legal-breakings were first and were the Elder in your heart yet so long as the Elder does serve the Younger thou hast no reason to be discouraged in this respect Object 2 I fear that my Obedience and my Holiness is not right because it is so little and so scant Free-remission the fountain of all our Holiness that is a full Fountain and if my Holiness were a stream from that Fountain it would be more full and more abundant The Jews they knew little of this Truth Justification by faith alone and yet they were Holy David holy and Moses holy and Josiah holy is this the fountain of all our Grace and of all our Holiness Free-remission and Justification by faith alone Then the more discovery there is of this the more Holy we should be but alas I find my Holiness and my Obedience so scant and little that I am afraid it can never come from so full a fountain as this is Answ Beloved There is nothing little between God and a gracious soul There is nothing smal that comes from God to you because it comes from an infinite God There is nothing smal that goes from a gracious soul unto God again because it comes from an infinite desire of pleasing God It is one thing to be more in the Shell and another thing to be more in the Kernel Luther professes that when he was a Monke as it seems by his writings he was fifteen years in a Cloyster Saies he When I was a Monke I was a great deal more Holy then according to the outward appearance than I am now then I Prayed and then I Fasted and then I Macerated my body and then I went meanly but now I Eat and I Drink and I Cloath my self as others do and yet now one little Prayer is more accepted with God than all my fifteen years Prayers before why because saies he then I prayed in a way of Works and sought Justification in a way of Works but now I have had a taste of this Justification by faith alone and a little from thence is more pleasing unto the Lord then all the fifteen years before But who ever you are that make this Objection Give me leave to propound these Two Questions to you First Whereas you say It is little and therefore you fear it cannot come from so full a fountain Doest thou stint or limit thy self in thy Obedience or in thy Holiness A man that seeks to be justified and saved by his working he does stint and limit himself I have enough saies he for to bring me to heaven and what need I more a great many are very precise and strict but I praise the Lord I have enough for to bring me to heaven and what need I more So he stints and limits himself And I have been Weeping and Mourning enough for to get forgivenesse and the Lord now hath forgiven me and what need I more Thus he stints and limits himself because he is under the Law and under a Covenant of Works Again Though your Obedience as you think is very little and very small Do you oppose those that have much do you oppose those that have the power of godliness and those that have more than your self A man that seeks Justification by Works he does oppose those men that have more Holiness than himself See I pray how it was with the Jews in that 9. of the Romans and the 31. vers But Israel which followed after the Law of righteousness hath not attained to the Law of righteousnesse Wherefore Because they sought it not by faith but as it were by the works of the Law for they stumbled at that stumbling stone They stumbled at Christ they stumbled at Christianity they stumbled at the corner stone And so now Moral and Civil men that seek acceptance though they do not understand themselves in a way of working they oppose those that are more godly that have the power of
Self-Denial such an Example as the Sun never saw before Phil. 2.6 7. Luke 22.42 from first to last At the first He thought it no robbery saies the Apostle to be equal with God and yet he humbled himself and took upon him the form of a servant And at the last Saies he unto his father Yet not my will but thy will be done And if ye look into the 13. chapter of John ye shall find there that our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ takes a towel and water and fals down at the feet of his Disciples and washes their feet verse the 4. He riseth from supper and laid aside his garments and took a towel and girded himself and after he had powred water into a besin he began to wash his Disciples feet and to wipe them with a towel When the Pharisee saw the woman come unto Christ and wash his feet and wipe them with the hair of her head he wondred and said Surely if this had been a Prophet he would not have suffered a sinner to come so neer to him Did the Pharisee wonder at this condescention That Christ should humble himself so far as to suffer a poor woman to come so neer him as to wash his feet with her tears Oh! what condescention is here for ever to be wondred at That the Lord Christ himself should down upon his knees and wash the Disciples feet that the great God of heaven and earth the second person incarnate should now come fall down at the feet of sinners Judas among them too and wash his Disciples feet When all power in heaven and earth was in his hands that with those hands he should wash the feet of sinners But stay a little It may be all power in heaven and earth was not then given into his hands Yes reade for that purpose the 3. verse that goes before this story Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands and that he was come from God and went to God he riseth from supper and laid aside his garments But though all power in heaven and earth was given into his hands it may be he did not know it Yes saies the text Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands and that he was come from God and went to God He riseth from supper and laid aside his garments and took a towel and girded himself After that he powred water into a basin and began to wash the Disciples feet Oh! what Self-Denial is here was there ever such Self-denial as here And this this does the Gospel hold forth unto ye and only to be learned in the Gospel Thirdly The more I see my self a debter unto Jesus Christ for all my Gifts and for all my Graces the more Humble I shall be and the more I shall deny my self in spiritual things Ye know how it is with a man that ows for his Cloaths Possibly a man may wear brave and fine Cloaths but he ows for them at such a shop While he is abroad he swaggers and is proud of his Cloaths but when he comes into the shop where he ows for them and looks upon the book and what he hath to pay he strikes sail then and is more modest ashamed and blushes The Gospel is the great Shop from whence we have al our gifts and al our graces and when I come into the Gospel there I see how infinitly I am a debter to Free-grace for al I have and though I may be proud in spirit at another time yet if I come into the Gospel and see what an infinite debter to Free-grace I am for all that ever I wear upon the back of my soul then I think Oh! what cause have I to be humble Shall I be proud shall not I deny my self in Spiritual things I say this Gospel is the Shop of all our Gifts and all our Graces Fourthly True saving justifying faith is an Emptying grace it brings Christ into the soul and when Christ comes into the soul all other things must out As when a King or Prince comes into a House the Master of the house goes out of his own lodging and all must out to make room for the Prince So when Christ comes into ones soul then all goes out all other things go out 'T is in our beleeving on Jesus Christ as in our beleeving on God the Father Joh. 14.1 Ye beleeve in God saies Christ beleeve also in me Look how ye beleeve in God the Father so do ye beleeve in me Now as when a man does beleeve in God the Father for Provision for outward Provision as seeing an Al-sufficiencie in God to Provide then he sees an In-sufficiencie in all the creatures to help and never before So when a man comes to beleeve in Christ when he sees that Al-sufficiency that is in Christ to Redeem and satisfie for him then he sees an In-sufficiency in all his own Duties and Righteousness and never till then The truth is A man cannot come to Christ unless he do forsake all As ye cannot come to this side of the water or river unlesse you come from that side of the river Now faith it is nothing else but a Coming to Jesus Christ and therefore where ever there is true saving justifying faith a man does Deny himself in Spiritual things he cannot write an I upon his own Performance upon his own Duties Applyca If so if al these things be true How hard a thing is it for a man to Beleeve how few are there in the world that do Beleeve indeed True saving justifying faith it makes a man Abundant in the work of the Lord it makes a man live a spiritual life but then it takes away that I from him he cannot write an I upon what he does as formerly he hath done It makes a man live a Spiritual life but it makes him also to Deny that Spiritual life There are Four streams that this Spiritual life is divided into The stream of Performance The stream of Obedience The stream of our Sufferings The stream of Enjoyment True saving faith and the Gospel makes a man to Deny himself in all these As for our Performance and Obedience ye know what the Apostle saies concerning himself Thus and thus I was and thus and thus I have lived but now I count all things as dung and drosse in regard of Christ As for our Sufferings I have read of some Martyrs in the Primitive times that being in prison and ready to suffer divers came to comfort them and called them Blessed Martyrs No say they we are not worthy of the Name of Martyrs by no means they would not bear it that they should call them Martyrs Denied themselves in their Sufferings As for our Enjoyment Ye know what the Apostle saies I desire to be dissolved and to be with Christ which is best of all Phil. 1.23 Nevertheless for your sakes saies he c. I am in a
strait And in another place I knew a man saies he that was taken up into the third heaven whether in the body 2 Cor. 12.2 or out of the body I cannot say That was himself but he would not own himself in it And in another place he saies Rom. 9.3 That he could wish himself accursed for his brethren according to the flesh that they might receive the Gospel Oh! what a Self-Denying frame of heart is here But where is this Self-Denying frame of heart now to be found amongst us How does this I this same Self creep into all our Speeches and into all our Doings If it please the Lord to use a Minister in his service what I-ing is there I converted such a man and I comforted such a man and it was My Ministry that did it Oh! what Self is here what I-ing is here So if it please God to use a Physitian for the curing of the outward man It was My Prescription and it was My Receipt and I did it And if a Christian do but Pray or perform any Duty Thus and thus I said and these words I spake Did not I tell ye so I told ye what would come to pass Oh! what I-ing is there among people how does Self this I and Self creep into all our Speeches and into all our Doings But is this our Faith and is this the fruit of our Faith Every true Beleever that seeks Justification by faith alone is an Humble Self-Denying person that denies himself in Spiritual things Then how few are there that have true saving faith Certainly this saving justifying faith is another manner of thing than the world takes it to be Reply But will some say Upon this account we hope we have all Faith for we can all say concerning our Duties and our Performances that they are nothing my Prayer is nothing and my Hearing is nothing but Christ is all in all Yea and we can say severally all of us as Paul does here I live yet not I and therefore we all now hope that we have Faith indeed for we are able thus to Deny our selves in Spiritual things Answ I wish it were so that al were indeed able to Deny themselves in Spiritual things But give me leave a little to speak something to ye by way of Convincement Are there not some here that cannot deny themselves in Outward things Some here that cannot Deny themselves in their Appetite their Eating and their Drinking for Jesus Christ Some here that cannot Deny themselves of their wicked Company Some here that cannot Deny themselves of a Frothy Vain Jest or Jeer at the people of God for Christs sake Are there not some here that cannot Deny themselves in Cloaths in their Words in an Oath for Christ Are there not some here that cannot deny themselves in their Passions for Christ froward and they live frowardly in their Families Our Saviour saies Learn of me for I am meek and lowly Meekness and Humility go together Matth. 11.29 Frowardness and Pride therefore go together Now when you cannot deny your selves in your Passions in your Cloaths in your Company in a foolish Word for Christ Doest thou think that thou canst deny thy self or doest deny thy self in thy Duties or in thy Righteousness or in thy Spiritual things for Christ Be not deceived Again Are there not some here that do Seek themselves in Spiritual things Self-Seeking and Self-Advancing as I have said do differ but the one is a sign of the other A man can never Deny himself that Seeks himself I say He cannot Deny himself in Spiritual things that Seeks himself in Spiritual things Now I pray consider it When ye meet with any Spiritual losse Whose Accompt and Head do ye set it down upon Ye know how it is in Trade and Merchandizing Some men trade for themselves and some trade for others If I trade for my Self when I meet with a losse I set it down upon mine own Accompt and upon mine own Head If I trade for Another when I meet with a losse I set it down upon his Accompt and upon his Head Now when you meet with spiritual losses whose Accompt do you set down your spiritual losses upon upon whose Head Are there not many here that set down their spiritual losses upon their own Accompt Indeed I have lost such an Opportunity and I have sinned so and therefore shame will come unto me vexation and trouble What a dishonor is this unto Jesus Christ Some indeed when they meet with a Spiritual losse they set it down upon Christs Accompt and they break their hearts with the Sence of this Others they set down all their spiritual losses upon their own heads and their own Accompts what does this argue but that they trade for themselves and not for Christ they Seek themselves and therefore they don't Deny themselves Are there not some that do stint and limit themselves in the service of God O my soul thou hast enough for to bring thee to heaven already and what needest thou more Is not this for to Seek ones self in spiritual things is not here abundance of Self Again Are there not some that dare prescribe the Lord If a General give out an Order to have a thing done so and a common Souldier comes and saies No not so but thus does not this common Souldier advance himself in prescribing the General The Lord Christ hath said that we may come unto him and the first thing of all is for to come unto him But man saies No unless I find my heart Humbled first and Broken first I will not go to Christ I have no rule for it This is to prescribe Christ and this is to advance ones self Again Are there not some among us that when they have been at Duty in the company of others have strange repetitions passe upon their hearts When you pray all alone you have no such repetitions but when you have prayed or been Exercising in a Company doth not your heart run back sometimes and say Thus and thus I said and this and this I did and this Expression I had Hath there not been strange kind of repetitions after you have performed Duty in Company Is not here Self is not here the I Again Are there not some that never to this day were sensible of their Pride in spiritual things Now I dare boldly say unto thee from the Lord Thou hast not yet learned this lesson of Self-Denyal in spiritual things that wert never Humbled for thy Pride in spiritual things I repeat it again I say If thou wert never humbled for thy Pride in spiritual things to this day the Lord knows thou hast not learned this great lesson of Self-Denial in spiritual things I say no more by way of Convincement Only this There is nothing that a Professor is more apt to be proud of than spiritual things Before a man takes up a Profession possibly then he is proud of his
you by instances thus If the Lord Jesus Christ have a greater hand and stroke in our Conversion in our Performance of Duties in our Obedience in the grace of our Sufferings in our Assurance than we or Beleevers have themselves then certainly this part of the Doctrine must stand cleer and firm First As for our Conversion Ye know what our Savior saies None comes unto the Son but whom the Father draws Mat. 10.22 and none knows the Father but he unto whom the Son reveals him Convert me saith the turning soul and I shall be converted As for our Performances or Duties Prayer or whatever it is Look into the 8. Chapter to the Romans and the 26. vers Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities But how doth this prove that the Spirit hath a greater hand and stroke in our Prayers than our selves have Mark what follows For we know not what we should pray for as we ought but the Spirit it self maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered As for the matter of our Obedience You know what the Apostle saith both unto the Romans and unto the Galatians That we are led by the Spirit Beleevers are led by the Spirit Plus est agi quam regi He doth not say We are ruled by the Spirit but he saith a Beleever is led by the Spirit not ruled but led It is more to be led than to be ruled for when a man is ruled by another he acts himself and his own actions are seen but when a man is led and carried away by another though he may act himself the others action is more seen than his We saith he are led by the Spirit As for our grace in Suffering the deportment and demeanour of a gracious soul in the time of Suffering See what our Savior Christ saies for that in the 10. of Matthew the 19. and 20. verses But when they deliver you up take no thought how or what you shall speak for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak For it is not ye that speak but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you So that he hath a greater stroke in the grace and carriage of a soul under his sufferings than himself hath As for the matter of our Assurance You know also what the Apostle Paul saith in that same 8. of the Romans Ye have not received the spirit of bondage again unto fear but ye have received the Spirit of adoption whereby we cry Abba Father the Spirit it self bearing witness with our spirits that we are the children of God So that now all these Five things are clear And if the Spirit and Christ in a Beleever the Spirit of Christ have a greater stroke in a mans Conversion in his Performance in his Obedience in the grace of his Suffering and in his Assurance than himself hath then surely the Lord Jesus Christ hath a greater hand and stroke in the spiritual actions of Beleevers than themselves have now that is proved Reas To give you one Reason for it If a Beleever had a greater hand and stroke in his Spiritual actions then the Spirit of Christ then had he wherein to boast for he might say thus I have now been at Duty I confess I have had some help from Christ and from the Spirit but I had the greatest hand and stroke therein my self and therefore why should I not boast I have been now at Prayer and though I have had some help from the Spirit in Prayer yet I had the greatest hand and stroke therein my self therefore why should I not boast But saith the Apostle boasting is excluded Surely therefore the Lord Jesus Christ doth so live in a Christian as that he hath a greater hand and stroke in all the actions of his spiritual life than a Christian or a Beleever hath himself so that he may say truly I live yet not I but Christ liveth in me Object If this be true surely there are few Beleevers in the world how few are there in whom Christ lives thus I fear upon this account will some poor soul say that I have no faith in jesus Christ I thought once that I had faith in Christ and that I was a Beleever but I do not find Christ living in me thus that the Lord Jesus hath a greater hand and stroke in all my Duties than my self and therefore I fear that I never yet had faith are there not few Beleevers in the world upon this account Answ I grant it there are few Beleevers in the world few that have faith few in whom Christ lives thus But that this Doctrine may not be a stone of stumbling to any weak Christian First You must know this That it is with Christ in us living in us as it was with Christ without us living without us When the Lord Christ came into the world and lived here on earth lived without us he lived a conflicting life a life under Temptations and freedom from those Temptations Desertions and freedom from those Desertions his life here on earth was a hidden life a vailed life He came unto his own and his own received him not Joh. 1.11 and knew him not his own would not say Now our Lord Christ is among us So when Christ comes into the soul by his Spirit when he lives there he lives a conflicting life he hath his Temptations there and his freedom from those Temptations he hath his Desertions there and his freedom from those Desertions he liveth a hidden life there a vailed life there he comes to his own and many times the soul that is his own doth not receive him in a way of comfort is not able to say Christ liveth in me But who ever you are that make this Objection or lie under this Fear give me leave to propound Four or Five Questions to you First What is that in you that doth ordinarily sway the great actions of your lives When the Lord Christ comes into the soul he comes as a King presently ascendeth the Throne and takes hold of the Scepter interests himself in all that that doth sway the soul and swaies the actions of the soul now what is it that doth sway a mans actions Finis action is domin us et reginae est The end swaies the action And look what that is that doth sway your End that is it which liveth in you if Self swaieth your End Self liveth in you if Christ sway your End Christ liveth in you Now soul take all the actions of thy life since thou hast set thy face towards heaven and as for the great turnings of your life and the great actions Hath not Christ been at the end of them Secondly Do not you find a secret kind of disposition unto all the Commandements of the Gospel Where the Spirit is there Christ liveth When the Lord makes a Covenant of grace you shall observe he promiseth that he will give his Spirit and
Sidon And in the 7. Mark 24. He arose and went into the borders of Tyre and Sidon He went unto some place of Judea he did not go into the way of the Gentiles but he went unto some Town and place in Judea which was upon the coasts of Tyre and Sidon And here now he being A woman comes unto him Who is described at the 22. verse From her Country and from the Action which she did Behold a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts and cried unto him saying c. A Woman a woman of Canaan and Behold a woman of Canaan As if that the holy Ghost would have us take special notice of it Behold a woman of Canaan came unto him The Canaanites were of all others the most Wicked the Jews were for to cast them out of their Nation and not to converse with them in the Jews account they were Dogs And therefore our Savior saies afterward It is not lawful to cast childrens bread unto Dogs She was a Canaanite But now this Woman this Canaanite she Beleeves comes unto Christ and Beleeves greatly O woman great is thy faith Observ Pray let us observe the wonderful dispensation of God here The Jews that Christ was sent unto they rejected Christ a Canaanite that is called a Dog receives Christ Oh! the wonderful dispensation of Gods grace Mercy takes those in and Free-grace takes in those into Christ that are most unlikely The Jews they were called the Children of the Kingdom the children they turn Dogs Beware of the Concision Phil. 3.2 beware of Dogs Children turn Dogs and Dogs turn Children the Canaanite a Dog becomes a Child and beleeves and the Jews that were the Children of the Kingdom they turn Dogs and rend Christ Oh! what Free-grace and Love is here Who would rest upon any outward Priviledge though it be never so great Who would be discouraged in regard of any unworthinesse though it be never so much But what saies this woman Saies she Have mercy upon me O Lord thou Son of David my daughter is grievously vexed with a Devil Have mercy upon me O Lord thou son of David Why does she call him the son of David and not rather the son of Abraham and not rather the son of Adam and not rather the son of Man as Christ was often called why does she here call him the son of David We find in Scripture that Christ and David did often exchange Names And David your King shall reign over you Jer. 30.9 A Promise made to the Jews yet to be converted that is Christ David your King and not Abraham shall reign over you but David your King David was the King of the people of God and was to feed them and so Jesus Christ is King of the Church and feeds the people of God Abraham was not a King David a King and therefore thou son of David and not thou son of Abraham And then the Messiah ordinarily among the Jewes was called David And therefore this woman here saies O Lord thou son of David She does first of all acknowledge his Deity and therefore she cals him Lord O Lord Shee does acknowledge his Humanity and Incarnation and therefore she saies Thou son of David Her Faith was rightly planted here now ye have her Faith in the Musterd-seed look but down a few verses and you find it grown up into a great tree that the birds of the air and the Saints may come and build their nests in the branches of her Faith But here it is planted She had in her own countrey some that by Exorsisme did undertake for to cast out Devils she does not go to them she had her own gods in her own countrey she leaves them and she singles out Christ and she singles out that Name Title and Attribute of Christ wherein was most of the Covenant and most of the Promise and her faith now being thus rightly planted it rises up unto great perfection she comes on with boldness But stay O woman a little Thou art a great sinner thou art a Canaanite and so a Dog and what doest thou comming unto Jesus Christ I know what I do might she say I do not come to Peter I do not come to James I do not come to John but I come to Christ and I come to Mercy to Mercy it self I do not plead mine own Righteousness or mine own Patience or my Humility or Prayer or Perseverance in prayer but I plead Mercy Have mercy on me O Lord. Behold a Miracle in the midst of a Miracle saies Chrysostom The Angels in heaven cover their faces in beholding the glory of Jesus Christ and a poor Woman here on earth comes with boldness the Cherubims and Seraphims in heaven saies he fear before Christ fear above and faith below fear in Angels faith and boldness in a poor woman she comes with boldness Observ If faith be true and right it laies aside all one 's own righteousness and comes unto naked mercy passes by all other helps and means singles out Christ that Name and Title of Christ that hath most of the Covenant and of Gods love in it She does not only come with Boldness but she comes with Prayer Have mercy upon me c. She comes Praying for she came Beleeving Faith and Prayer well go together Prayer is the issue of Faith Faith is Prayer in the Coale and Prayer is Faith in the Flame she comes Praying And mark also She comes with Love and such Love as makes another bodies infirmity and weakness ones own For she does not say thus My Daughter is grievously vexed with a Devil have mercy on my Daughter but have mercy on Me her daughters vexation is her own her infirmity is her own Faith wrought the Love here Oh! that Parents would imitate this woman and go unto Jesus Christ for their Children that are vexed with Devils If a child be sick in body a parent wil run to God and cry for help but childrens souls may be vexed with Devils every Lust and Sin is a Devil and they do not run to Christ and say Oh! Lord have mercy on me for my Daughter or my Son or my Child is vexed with an unclean Devil or a prophane Devil But this woman having planted her faith rightly her faith here it does work by Prayer and it works by Love and she saies thus Have mercy upon me O Lord thou son of David my daughter is grievously vexed with a Devil But what now is Christs answer to her He answered her not a word Now comes the Temptations the Three great Temptations Do not wonder that I call these Temptations It is true God tempteth no man and Christ tempteth no man but take Temptation for Tryal so Christ tempts so God tempteth Satan he tempts a man for to draw out his Sin but Christ tempts for to draw out our Faith Satans temptations are black within white and sweet without but Christs temptations are black
Faith laies aside all its own Righteousness Page 202 As temptations encrease so also shall faith encrease Page 206 Faith riseth above nature Page 209 Faith commends Christ above all other graces Page 210 The strength of faith doth not lie in the assurance of our salvation Page 212 See Justification Fall see Perfection Froward Froward spirits do little good in a common wealth Page L. 30 G Grace Growth in grace how it is known Page 17 Gracious The reason why men are no more gracious Page 39 The Saints should live gracious lives Page 114 See Quality God Gods willingnesse to hide his people in time of his anger Page L. 11 See Faith promise anger Godly Every godly man is a living man Page 3 Godly men reflect upon their own actions Page 8 Difference between wicked and godly men Page 112 Godly see Preachers Gospel How the Gospel causeth Self-denial Page 58 Gospel see Learned Growth see Grace H Heaven see Kingdom Hide Whom the Lord will hide in times of danger Page L. 14 Holy The reason why men are no more holy Page 39 Holiness see Original Justification House God hath 3. houses 1. A house of instruction Page L. 7 2. A house of Correction Page L. 7 3. A house of destruction Page L. 7 Humble see Beleever Humility Christ is an example of humility Page 60 Hypocrite What a Beleever hath more than an Hypocrite Page 85 Hypocrisie It is an evil thing to call Duties by the name of Hypocrisie Page 113 I In-Being What the In-being of Christ in a beleever is Page 76 The In-being of Christ in a beleever is hard to be understood Page 77 Limitations concerning the In-being of Christ in a beleever Page 78 In-being see Benefit Christ Incertainty Gods people must trust in him in incertainties Page L. 18 Injustice see Oppression Infinite The infinite love of Christ manifested Page 114 Justification The cause of our Justification Page 26 Justification by faith is a friend to Holiness Page 28 Justification by the works of the Law is an enemy to Holiness Page 29 How Justification by faith advanceth our holiness Page 36 Our Justification may be hidden from our sence Page 43 Visible Characters of Justification laid down Page 44 How a man may stand cleer to himself in Justification by faith alone Page 46 K Kingdom How the Kingdom of Heaven is taken in Scripture Page C. 1 L Law see Faith Justification Law how taken in Scripture Page 34 The preaching of the Law cannot make a man deny himself Page 52 Learned Learned men are most opposite to the Gospel Page 199 Living see Duty Life Life is the greatest good Page 4 How vegetative life is in Sants Page 5 How sensitive life is in Saints Page 6 How rational life is in Saints Page 7 Life see Spiritual Wicked Motion Little There is nothing little between God and man Page 41 Love The infinite love of Christ to man Page 87 Love see Infinite M Man see Godly Meditations Practical Meditations for beleevers Page 112 Meek Meek men do much good in the earth and why Page L. 30 Mercy Difference between Gods Mercy and his anger Page L. 5 Mercy see Temptation Mystery Mysteries that are in self-denial Page 57 Monument Monuments of praise erected and why Page C. 13 Morral Difference in self-denial between morral men and Christians Page 55 Mortification Whence mortification comes Page 33 Motion All motion comes from life Page 9 N Nation see Wrath Nature see Faith Natural see Perfection Notion Vnder what Notion the Lord looks vpon the sins of the Saints Page 13 O Obedience Obedience whence it comes Page 24 Objections against the smalness of obedience answered Page 42 Observations Waking observations for sleeping people Page C. 20 Oppression Oppression and injustice reign still in this kingdom Page L. 22 Ordinances How Ordinances are needful Page 100 Original What the Original of all our holiness is Page 28 P Papists How Papists deny themselves Page 55 People Why godly people are exposed to danger Page L. 12 Gods people are often left at great incertainties Page L. 16 Why Gods people are so often left at incertainties Page L. 18 Perfection There is some natural perfection still left in man from the fall Page 9 Pleasant The pleasant lives of the Saints Page 12 Prayers The Saints may have no present answer of their prayrs Page 204 The Saints duties when they have no present answer to their prayers Page 205 Prayer see Temptation Preachers Godly Preachers ought to be sent out and why Page L. 9 Preservation see Angel Present see Prayer Profession see Saints Promise Gods dealing sometimes seems to run cross to his promise Page 206 True faith finds out a promise in the refusal Page 208 Q Quallity The quallity of a gracious man Page 54 R Rational see Life Religion Men lose Religion by seeking after Religion Page L. 29 Repentance Repentance whenee it comes Page 33 Righteousness How Righteousness must be sought Page L. 24 Righteousness see Faith S Saints It is a desperate thing to oppose the Saints and why Page 112 Wherein Saints and carnal professors agree Page C. 2 Wherein Saints and carnal professors disagree Page C. 3 A shelter for Saints in the midst of a storm Page L. 13 Saints see Conversion Comfort Life Pleasure Self How self creeps into all actions Page 63 How self acts in man Page 10 Self-denial Self-denial what it is Page 50 Every beleever is a self-denying person Page 49 Tryal of self-denial Page 64 Self-denial is a hard duty Page 70 How self-denial may be attained Page 71 Self-denial see Beleever Law Moral Mystery Gospel Security A caution against Security Page C. 11 Sence see Justification Sensitive see Life Sleep see Desperate Sleepers Two sorts of sleepers their difference and events Page C. 21 Spirit The Spirit of Christ is in every beleever Page 98 The Spirit is the free gift of God Page 104 Spiritual What spiritual life is Page 3 Duties flowing from spiritual life Page 20 How to get spiritual life Page 23 Strength see faith Sudden see Christ T Temptations Temptations may rise higher after prayer Page 206 Temptations sometime come about Election Page 206 When Temptations come about Election the best way is to lay aside dispute and fly to prayer Page 206 Temptation see Faith Thankfulness An exhortation to thankfulness Page C. 16 Truth No truth to be dispised Page L. 27 U Vegitative see life Union Union of Christ with beleevers Page 75 Uncertainties What to do in uncertainties Page L. 24 W Wicked Wicked men are not in the state of life proved Page 8 Wicked see Godly Witness Three that bear witness in Heaven opened Page 85 Wonderful see Dispensation World The danger of the world Page 19 Wrath Gods wrath is not yet pacified towards this Nation Page L. 20 FINIS