a woman in true conjugall affection looke at no more but at the very bare man True love to Christ wherein it is if there be true love in her towards him she is content to have him though she have nothing else but his person so if our hearts be truly set upon Christ we are content to have him though wee should never see good day with him though wee should never see peace of conscience with him though no comfort of grace in him yet would the soule say that is truely affected to Christ give me Christ and I have enough who or what is there besides Christ What is there Why there is variety of excellent graces But whom have I in earth but thee As if ye should put all other things in comparison against or with Christ they are nothing to him then surely you have Christ But how much will this discord from the fellowship of Christ the Sonnes and Daughters of men who when they see the costlinesse of the wayes of Christ they will neither seeke after Christ nor his benefits But as for pardon of sin as it passeth all understanding so it passeth their desires And for peace of conscience they hope they have a good conscience or if not they doe not search to know it and as for the graces of the spirit and subduing of lusts they have a good hope and beleive as well as the best And for the Kingdome of glory they hope if God grant them mercy they shall come to heaven at the last These men are far from having the Lord Jesus and life in him they are so far off from seeking the Sonne as that they do not so much as seek those mercies and benefits which in Christ are conveyed to their soules they neither have him nor none of his They say to the Almighty depart from us for we desire not the knowledg of thy law Job 21.14 of such God saith They would have none of me Psal 81.11 not only have him but none of him that is nothing that was his not any saving benefit of his the world we would have but none of those choyce and heavenly blessings of Christ no pardon of sin no peace of conscience no care of Christianity or faithfull Ministery no feare of God nor keeping of his Commandements deare hearts for us how shall we ever conceive that ever we should have life in Christ when we doe not so much as desire the very benefits of Christ which yet a man may desire and loose all too and when a man hath not so much as an affection to the things of Christ it is very dangerous But secondly when a man is in this case that there is a desire in a man after the benefits of Christ more then after Christ himselfe all this while you want that sincerity upon which Christ wil give us a comfortable meeting and speake peace to our soules we are not yet come to that condition as in which he wil say My wel-beloved thou art all faire and there is no spot in thee he yet sees not a true conjugall affection in us towards him so as that though we should never finde grace nor glory by him yet he is the chiefe desire of our soules Suppose a woman should see a man that hath a desire after her but he chiefly aimes at her estate to provide for himselfe and looks no further wonder not if she should say to him You seek not me but mine she may wel rid her hands of him in such a case and truly so is the case here between us the Lord Jesus so long as he findes that we come to him and seek and pray and wrastle and what would we have Oh pardon of sinne and peace of conscience and power of grace to be but as other Christians are that we could pray and beleeve as they doe and finde such comfort as they have and this is the thing that the soule is chiefly set upon now all this while that we come thus to Christ we must not think that Christ is to blame if he tarry a little longer then we expect for we may seek him and not finde him because we seeke not so much him as his benefits and the rich treasures of grace and mercy and peace that are layed up in him without measure the greatest part of the world doe not love their soules nor the Lord Jesus so wel as to love him for his grace and goodnesse sake but yet among better men there is a world of selfe love many a man would have his sinne pardoned because he would have his conscience at quiet we may thanke our selves for such affections as these not but that such affections may spring from the grace of God for men by nature never dreame of such things as these be but yet though such affections may spring from the grace of God yet you shall ever finde such soules to detaine the grace of God in unrighteousnesse and out of selfe love use them all to their owne ends and looke not that God may be glorified in and by them nor that his wil be done but oh that the soule might have peace and that sinne might be pardoned and there it rests When our desires is chiefly set upon spirituall gifts if wee loose much comfort and fellowship with Christ that else we might have had we must not marvell at it for our desires are set not chiefly upon Christ but upon the things of Christ our desire is not after the person but after the goods and benefits of Christ Observe the Apostles expression Rom. 8.32 He hath given us his owne Sonne he doth not say he that hath given us peace and pardon of sinne will not he give all other things also Or wil not he give us Christ He reasons not from Christs benefits to Christ but thus he reasons He that hath given us his owne Sonne will with his Sonne and after his Sonne give us all other things At the second hand comes in all these benefits of pardon of sinne and strength of grace and power against our lusts c. these things come in as attendants upon the former and therefore if God give us first to looke at Christ that in him we have life of justification and sanctification and consolation eternall glory peace and grace and all then we have him and life in him else we may have the outward comforts but stand long enough at Christs Bed-chamber doore before he let us in Let it therefore be a word of direction and exhortation to every soul that desires to have that truth of life and peace and grace wrought in his heart that wil never dye have you respect chiefly to the Lord Jesus Christ and long and seeke more after him then after all Spirituall blessings and much more above all worldly blessings If you shall therefore refuse Christ because you thinke he is but a melancholly person you wil never have him if you stand upon
of earthly blessings what will they advantage you but chiefly labour to get Christ and then He that hath the Son hath life and he that hath not the Son hath not life SERMON XII 1 John 5.13 These things have I written unto you that beleeve on the name of the Son of God that ye may know that ye have eternall life and that ye may beleeve on the name of the Son of God WEE are now come to enter upon the beginning of the conclusion of this whole Epistle wherein the Apostle rehearseth the intention and scope of the whole fore-past Epistle the persons and subjects to whom he writes and the end and scope of his writing These things have I written unto you To whom To you that beleeve on the name of the Sonne of God And he intends a double end First That you may know that you have eternall life Secondly That you may beleeve on the Name of the Sonne of God Now to encourage to this latter end that John aimes at beleeving on the name of the Sonne of God he propounds three motives in the 15 16 17. verses amongst which the last of them is a promise of prevailing with God for pardon and a prevention of falling into the great sinne and so propoundeth certaine incouragements to the end of the Chapter Now at this time we shall treat of the first part of this conclusion which is an expression that John here makes or a description of the persons here spoken to to them that beleeve on the name of the Son of God from the persons to whom John dedicates this Epistle to them that beleeve on the name of the Son of God observe Doct. This Epistle of John was written or directed to beleevers on the name of Iesus Christ This is evident in the text which may be gathered from the beginning of the Epistle in Chapter 1.4 he writes to such who by reading this Epistle might attaine to fulnesse of joy and those are only beleevers who are capable of that mercy and blessing you may gather the same from the three sorts of Christians to whom he writes in particular vers 12. in chap. 2. I write unto you little children because your sins are forgiven you and these little children are divided into three sorts vers 13. Fathers young men and babes so that looke at all that Iohn writes to they are such as make a faithfull acknowledgement of God the Father as chap. 4. vers 4. And looke at his second Epistle and that is to the Elect Lady and looke at his third Epistle and that is first to the beloved Gaius and he shewes you what a notable Christian he was he wishes no further prosperity to his body and outward estate then his soule had attained unto his soule was in great prosperity only his body and estate was weake for he was the Host of the whole Church of God so that looke at all Iohns writings and they are all written to them that beleeve on the name of the Son of God And in very deed looke at all the Epistles of all the rest of the Apostles and they are all written to Beleevers if you summe them all up from first to last looke at the Prothesis of every Epistle in the first second and third verses of every Epistle and they are written sometimes to Saints by calling sometimes to faithfull brethren sometimes to the Churches of Christ naturall Sons partakers of the common salvation in a word only to those that were faithfull beleevers in Christ Iesus And when our blessed Saviour himselfe writes he writes to the seven Churches of Asia all of them such as sometime had been eminent and glorious and gracious and amongst the weakest he had a few names even in Sardis that had not defiled their garments chap. 4.3 Now when a man shall consider that all the Apostles doe dedicate all their writings to beleevers and Saints it gives us just occasion of inquiry Quest Wherefore hee writes to these and to these only Answ Now for Answer to which To these he writes in regardof the speciall benefit and helpe that these writings might yeeld to beleevers both to those that then lived What help Johns Epistle yeilds to beleevers and to all other beleevers that should succeed them to the end of the world And those benefits are many and divers As first Teaching Teaching that is one benefit the Churches receive by these Epistles 2 Thes 2.15 brethren stand fast and hold the traditions which ye have been taught whither by Word or by our Epistle This was one end of the Apostles writing their Epistles to the intent they might teach the Church of God sundry things which else they had not known Admonition 2 Another benefit the Churches received from these Epistles was Admonition and putting them in remembrance of the things they had heard things which they did know before and which happily they had forgotten 2 Pet. 1.12 13. I thought it necessary to put you in remembrance Practise 3 And in verse 13. there is a third benefit of them To stir them up to do such things which though they wel knew should be done yet they were dul and slow of heart and stood in need to be stirred up to them 4 Another end of their writings was this Humiliation That sometimes they might Humble and bring low the spirits of those that wer puffed up had not repented of the sin which they had committed 2 Cor. 7.8 I was sorry at the first that I made you sorry but now I am not sorry for it was a godly sorrow so that it seemes the writings of the Apostles did much prevaile with the faithfull people of God and wrought in them such godly sorrow that it was a comfort to the Apostle that he had sometimes grieved them Confirmation in the faith 5 Another end was that so by this meanes they might be strengthened in the faith according to what you read in the words of the Text to them that did beleeve he wrote that they might beleeve meaning that they might be confirmed and established in beleeving Consolation 6 Also to the intent that they might fil the hearts of Gods people with joy in beleeving 1 Iohn 4. according to what you read was effected Act. 15.31 So that see how much help the Church of God hath had by these writings so that they have found much comfort in them And these writings have been the foundation of the faith of Gods people from that time to the worlds end they have ever yeelded matter to the Ministers of the Gospel to preach and expound to the people that by preaching they might bring on men to salvation so that the holy ghost would not have Ministers nor any other to be wise above what is written 2 Tim. 4 16 17. That when these are put into the hand of a faithful Scribe taught unto the Kingdome of God he may be able to
of the Son of God and to know eternall life only now to speake of it so farre as it is pertinent to this place Doct. 2. Such as doe beleeve on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ by these Epistles of John may know that they have everlasting life Reason 1 So it is in the text Why by these Epistles First because John in this Epistle doth set before you where eternall life is to be had as the verse before the text he in sundry places sets forth the Lord Jesus Christ as the life which we are to receive from the Father he shewes where it is to be had and where forgivenesse of sinne is to be had and by whom we have propitiation chap. 2.7 Reason 2 Secondly These Epistles sets before us and gives us certaine meanes whereby we may obtaine eternall life as first If we confesse our sins he is faithfull and just to forgive us our sins 1 Joh. 1.9 that is one means and secondly he cals upon us to looke unto him as our Advocate and propitiation Reas 3 Thirdly He doth likewise give you certaine signes by observing of which you may know Signes of grace whether you have the Lord Jesus Christ or not This for one sign If we say we have no sin we make God a lyar and vers last If we keep his Commandements we know that we know him If God give us a conscionable care to keep his Commandements we know that we know him And some other signes as Chap. 3.3 if God give us hearts to purge and cleanse our selves from all such sins as hang about us and if God give us hearts to love the brethren c. these and many more such signes of grace he gives us in this Epistle Vse 1. If God having thus written and given us these Epistles then first it will be a just refutation of that Popish Doctrine that thinke it impossible for a man to know that he is in an estate of grace If John did write these Epistles for this end that we might know we have eternall life then sure we may know it else Iohn failes of his end and for Iohn to be disappointed were lesse matter but the Holy Ghost himself for Iohn being the Pen-man of the Holy Ghost the holy end he aymes at not being attainable is to put a defiance upon the Almighty and therefore the knowledge that we have eternall life may be attained and whereas they tell us we may have a conjecturall knowledge but no certaine knowledge but to say we have a knowledge and yet but conjecturall is as much as to eate up a mans words he had formerly said for a conjecturall knowledge is no knowledge at all Knowledge what Knowledge is the judgement or discerning a man hath of a certaine thing If a man aske you whether he know if such a man have possession of such a place and he say first yes and afterwards saith he conjectures so his knowledge is no knowledge it is a false intelligence If you aske a man if he knowes whether such a man have such a portion of such a value and he say he hath he conjectures so it is no knowledge but if he know it then he speakes of a certainty And therefore if the holy Ghost say We may know it then surely we may have more then a conjecturall knowledge even a certaine knowledge of our happy estates and were there no more Arguments in the world to discourage a man from Popery this were sufficient even this very doctrine of doubting and conjecturall assurance of a mans eternall estate which leaves a mans Conscience destitute of any peace Consider therefore Rome an Harlot that the Church of Rome is an Harlot and brings up strange children when she doth not teach her children to know God to be their Father it argues she is no lawfull spouse of Christ but doe but hope such an one is your Father but count it presumption to say you know it That Church that traines not up her Children to know God to be their Father is a false Church and a signe that the Church of Rome hath mixed her selfe with so many Idols and abominations that shee cannot teach the children of her Church to know that they are the sons and children of God but condemnes them to the death if they dare presume to say that God is their Father Vse 2. May refute that opinion of the Papists that will not suffer the common people to heare this Scripture take notice here how injurious they are to the faith of Gods people and to the knowledge of their chiefest comfort to debar them of the knowledge and meanes of their salvation take away these Scriptures and take away the principall meanes of the knowledge of our salvation Vse 3. To teach such as are in any doubtfull temptation at any time about their first estate and condition who are not able to apply with comfort assuredly their grounded knowledge that Christ and eternall life is theirs It may teach them among other Scriptures to be diligent in inquiring into this Epistle the Holy Ghost saith it was the maine scope of his writing unto all those that trust upon the name of Christ that they might know their blessednesse to lye upon him and those that did not certainely know they had found him he writes to them to look after Christ to long for him and to desire after him Doest thou then desire not only to beleeve eternall salvation belongs to thee but to know it for to know is something more then to beleeve A man may beleeve a thing and upon good ground he may looke for salvation there and waite for it and desire that he may be more assured of it but to know that thou hast eternall life and the certainty of it that God hath sealed it up to thy soule and conscience of which thou needest doubt no more this is a far more greater blessing then to beleeve in Christ though by beleeving we have eternall life and therefore if thou so beleeve in him as to looke for salvation in him and not elsewhere though as yet thou beest doubtfull of thy estate yet thou mayest learne much by reading these Scriptures read them againe and againe and leave not reading and searching into them till thou finde even from this Epistle ground of assurance Vse 4. May serve to teach the Children of God to know when you have made a good use of reading these Scriptures you read much and often and you thinke when you have done you have done God good service An usuall vanity among Christians if they have prayed in the morning and read a peece of a Chapter they thinke they are better blest all the day after for it and wee are unquiet all that day when we have not had time to read and pray but if that be done we thinke we have quit our selves well but a man may read and never consider what he hath gotten by it
upon them day and night and taken times to chew and digest them If thou hadst done thus then thou wouldest have beleeved more assuredly but if we be negligent in any of these kinds then wonder not if we take away bodily food we take away bodily heat take away the fuell that nourishes faith and then it must needs grow weake and infirme And therefore as you desire to grow in beleeving be diligent in these duties that you may beleeve on the name of Christ and in beleeving may beleeve much more And for you that doe not beleeve savingly whose faith will not put you in possession of eternall life though this Scripture was not so much written for your use and benefit Note this as for them that already beleeve yet since there is no meanes to come to faith but by the Word be not you wanting as ever you desire to come to that faith which accompanies salvation be not wanting diligently to heare the Word of God and conferre about it with those that beleeve already Faith comes by hearing Rom. 10.17 and it is the mighty power of God to salvation Be glad of any opportunity to heare the Word and waite at the posts of wisdomes gates Prov. 8.34 35. He that findeth me findeth life the promise is very plaine waiting daily at my gates Implying that in hearing we shall finde him and in finding Christ we shall finde life be diligent therefore to heare and when you have heard it goe home and search whether it be true or no and if you have liberty be doing this often be conferring about it as you can have any opportunity God hath sanctified these Ordinances to this end Be diligent in inquiring after wisdome after Christ in the Scripture there is a treasure lyes digge for it and you shall have it especially if with all these you joyne humble and hearty prayer to God for a blessing upon all these Ordinances for 1 Tim. 4.5 they are all sanctified by the Word and Prayer and Prov. 2.2 3. God would have you to use Prayer intreat him to open your eyes and hearts that you may beleeve and obey and that no Ordinance might be in vaine to you but might profit by them all and might grow up in beleeving SERMON XIV 1 JOHN 5.14 15. And this is the Confidence that we have in him that if we aske any thing according to his will he heareth us And if we know that he heareth us whatsoever we aske we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him IN the former Verse the Apostle described to us the maine scope of his writing this Epistle which was partly that Beleevers might know that they did beleeve and partly that they might beleeve on the name of the Sonne of God Now in this latter end Iohn aymes at in writing this Epistle he exhorts Beleevers to imbrace it by three severall Motives in the verses following the 14 15 16. verses Motive 1 The first Motive is taken from the confidence of such as beleeve on him for salvation for the obtaining of their Petitions This is the confidence that we have in him meaning we that beleeve on his name that if we aske any thing according to his will he heareth us Motive 2 Secondly Another motive or benefit that flowes from this is this That if we know he heareth us we know we have the things that we asked of him Motive 3 Thirdly here is likewise added another motive taken from the prevalency of his Prayers with God in such a point as wherein of all others we may finde this comfort and that is look as by beleeving on the name of Christ we shall finde comfort in respect of our everlasting estate so we shall finde this further benefit that if we see any Brother which hath sinned a sinne that is not unto death not a deadly sin that is not the sin against the Holy Ghost so mighty and prevalent shall our prayers be with God that in case we beleeve on the name of Christ and aske pardon of sinne for our brothers offence God will give him life so that if we beleeve on his name our prayers shall be heard and they have a prevailing power with God to obtaine at his hands the pardon of all our brothers sinnes that have not sinned unto death The Doctrines hence are these Doct. 1. First That a prayer that is made well never speeds ill Or thus A prayer that is made according to Gods will is ever granted according to our will or as the Apostle saith according to our desire vers 15. Doct. 2. Secondly Such as beleeve on the name of Christ for salvation may be confident and certaine of the hearing and granting their petitions Doct. 1. A prayer made according to Gods will shall be granted according to our will For so saith the words of the Text If we aske any thing according to his will he heareth us We praying according to Gods will shall finde acceptance according to our will Notable is that speech of encouragement and acceptance of our Saviour to the woman of Syrophenitia Matth. 15.28 O woman great is thy faith be it unto thee even as thou wilt She had prayed as Christ would according to Gods will and shee received answer according to her desire As if a man that did beleeve and had a spirit of Prayer and had learning to pray according to Gods will he might be able to carve for himselfe in the treasures of Gods goodnesse as if God would let him into the chamber of his presence of his grace and favour and bid him take what he will take for himselfe and his friends and for his brethren as he will For opening of this point observe thus much First let us see what it is to pray according to Gods will and then secondly what is the ground of the point For the first to pray according to Gods will To pray according to Gods will in two things are contained in that Phrase and yet divers things besides those are comprehended in it First when he saith according to his wil it implyes first That we pray for such things as God wills such things as are not according to his secret will for so we cannot guide our actions for secret things belong to the Lord our God but of things revealed it is according to his revealed will and it implyes that we should aske him nothing but what hee gives us Commandement to aske all that he commands us to doe as to aske that we may aske and for that we are to pray for expresly As for the glory of his Name the comming of his Kingdome and the building up of his grace in any the doing of Gods will for our daily bread c. These are the things he hath given us warrant to pray for Secondly According to Gods will this is evident That whatsoever we aske we should aske it with submission to the will of God so our Saviour
see that we doe not pray for them when we forget to remember them before the Lord this is ill taken God is displeased when there is none to stand in the gap in such a case as this Esa 59.15 16. God doth not afflict willingly and yet if he be stirred up he must destroy them if there be none to stand in the gap you then provoke the wrath of the Lord and this displeaseth him much and God may justly leave us to the like sinne for which we are not humbled in others Reas 5. Takâ—â—â—â—om the blessing that befalls Gods Servants when we doe so as was upon Job in chap. 42.8 9. when Iob begins to pray for his friends then God turned the captivity of Iob he had long time laine under many vexations wofull calamities but when he begins to pray for his friends that had sinned then the Lord turned his captivity and so it is expresly said Esa 57.18 19. I will restore comfort unto him and to his mourners To shew you that God will restore comfort to us if we lament the falls of others and mourne over them in that condition We shall have comfort in their comfort because we did mourne in their griefe If Gods people can mourne with their brethren in sinne and misery God will restore comfort to them and to their mourners Before we make use of this point come we to the next Doct. 3. A faithfull Christian praying for his brethren faln into any sin shall obtaine peace and pardon and grace for him It is said so in the text If any man that is any man that beleeves in Jesus Christ he shall aske and he shall give him life So that you see here is the promise made to such the promise is that upon asking he shall give life to his sinfull brother Who shall give him life Interpreters take it both wayes and both agreeable to the text and the Analogie of faith for whether he that prayes be as an Instrument or God it is all one for it must be God that doth it and he that prayes is an Instrument he procures to his sinning brother great favour from God Life that is the life of Iustification and of Sanctification consolation and comfort to his soule notwithstanding his sinne the promise is evident he shall prevaile with God to bestow life upon his brother This you shall see evident from Scripture Deut. 9.25 26. I fell downe before the Lord forty dayes and forty nights c. and thereupon the Lord did shew mercy and pardoned their sin Iob prayed for his friends and the Lord said he would accept him Job 42.8 9. And so our Saviour he prayed for his crucifiers And it is generally thought that the powerfull prevalency of Peters Sermon in converting three thousand soules at once did especially spring from our Saviours prayer and the efficacy of it Act. 2.37 And Stephen he prayed for his persecutors and Paul was one of them that had an hand in his death Act. 7.6 And yet ere long God answered Stephens prayer in converting Saul so that let a man a beleeving Christian pray for his sinning brother and he shall give him life Reas 1. It is taken from the pleasure that God takes to knit the Members of the Body of his Son together and no better means to joyne us together and so fitly to make us useful Members one to another then this those members of the body that are most weak should be most helped this way 1 Cor. 12 21 22. Every member should be of some use one to another and it doth better compact the body together God did not say to Iobs friends Goe you and pray for your selves but Goe to my servant Job and he shall pray for you He would have them beholden to Iob of whom they had spoken the thing that was not right else God would not accept them Reas 2. It is taken from the Intercession of Christ who performes that office for every member of his body This honour have all his Saints though they doe not merit this by their prayers yet there is this efficacy in their prayers not of merit but of grace to prevaile with the Father in their brethrens behalfe Rom. 8.34 Intercession is such a part and kinde of prayer as a man makes for other men to procure favour from God to them to be Mediators for them to pray for others in the name and mediation of Jesus Christ and that for his sake they may be accepted God will then heare us for Christs sake in the behalfe of our brethren Vse 1. It may be a ground of much encouragement to every Christian man to wrastle earnestly with God in the behalfe of his brethren when you see them sinne a sinne that is not unto death be it a mans wicked covetousnesse and such as a man is froward in it and wil by no meanes be admonished and goe on resolutely in it yet in this case God expects and requires we should mourne for him Esay 57.17 18. and therefore neglect not to pray for your brethren in this case First it will displease God if you pray not for them is it nothing to you to passe by and to see such a man lye in sinne assure your self of this Gods heart will fit loose towards you if your hearts sit loose to your brethren and therefore neglect not to pray for them Secondly if you pray for them you shall have comfort restored to them and to your selves with them and though for the present you might seeme to procure hurt to your selves and no good to them yet pray and pray heartily and use the best meanes you can and you will surely finde the comfort and benefit of it may not this be a notable encouragement to you this way that God should be pleased to make thee an Instrument of life to thy brother when he is a dead man in Gods sight a dead man will be stiffe and cold and putrifie and yet even such a man if thou prayest for him thou shalt give him life to his soule Object You say But doth not many a man pray for his brethren and yet is not heard and accepted did not Abraham pray for Ishmael And what think you of Samuels prayer for Saul and yet saith God How long wilt thou mourn for Saul 1 Sam. 17.6 I have cast him off mourne no more for him so that sometimes a man may pray for his brethren and that earnestly and yet his prayers fall to the ground in vaine Answ First it would be considered whether a man be a brother or no Abraham did not pray for one that was already gracious that did belong to the election of grace and the text doth not reach to such a brother but I understand it of such as are either called or belong to the election Secondly Suppose you doe not know whether he belong to the election of grace or no it may be you pray for them whom you have not used other means to heal them I doubt not but David prayed for Absalom and Adonijah but not using other meanes his prayers are rejected these are not prayers of faith when other good means are not used Thirdly It s possible that a man may pray without faith and without fervency Jam. 5.15 and such requests should be faithfull and fervent and God requires you should come before him and submit your selves to him and acknowledge your owne unworthinesse to aske such a blessing and yet in the name of Christ you presse God with it and you must walke close with God in a course of Christianity else your prayers are to no purpose and to waite on God through Christ for a gracious acceptance and God will recompence your prayers and labour of love in due time FINIS
Phil. 1.23 Though the other be a lawfull desire but chiefly his desire is that he might see Christ whom from his first conversion he hath most loved and in whom he hath lived all his life and now to be wholly possessed of him and wholly acted and swayed by him not that he might have his heart filled with joy but that he might be with Christ not only as chiefest of ten thousand persons but as the chiefest of ten thousands benefits of God that should God give us pardon of sinne his Word and Sacrament and victory over all our lusts strength of every grace of God and everlasting life and therewith fellowship with all the blessed Saints and Angels yet to us Christ is the chiefest of them all none greater then the gift of Christ and this is the sincerity of a Christians soule he desires more any benefit for Christs sake then Christ for any of his benefits sake for he whose heart is set upon Christ more then upon the pardon of sinne or salvation that soule hath Christ and life in him he that hath Christ in his eye and heart above all blessings he indeed is a true Christian and hath Christ Reas Christ must so be had and we must so receive him as God gives him now God gives us first Christ in all his Ordinances and then in Christ all other things all benefits in and through Christ Act. 8.35 We preach to you Jesus we offer you him all lusts layed aside all sinfull corruptions put away whatever separates between God and us that being done away We now offer you Christ and in Christ plentious redemption but if we be without Christ we are without true life As in the Sacrament first you have the body and blood of Christ set before you Matth. 26.26 and then sealed up and confirmed to you in the Sacrament and together with that justification and further degrees of the sanctifying spirit and further pledges of everlasting life and glory No benefit but it s conveyed through him Christ first and then the benefit It is true Herod received joy but Foelix trembling and Jehu zeale but none of these received Christ they received the huske but wanted Christ they had the shell but not the marrow and kernell within they received the benefit but Christ they did not receive and for want of him they had no life at all Simon Magus hee beleeved Acts 8.13 but he had no lively faith because he would receive the benefit but Christ he minded not to receive Unlesse the heart be knit to Christ and the soule more seek Christ then pardon of sinne or subduing of lusts he hath no life in truth he that hath the Son he hath life not so he that hath the gifts and benefits of the son But Christ first and in having Christ we have all Christ must be received as God gives him we must acknowledge there is no life in any grace but in Christ Hos 14.8 On me is your fruit found and without me can you do nothing John 15.5 Now then carry this truth home with you and gather from hence a true estimate of your own estates whether you may judge of your selves as living or dead Christians Upon our having or not having of Christ depends our having or not having of life How will you know whether you have life or no you say you have Christ how know you that Whether is your hearts more set upon Christ then the gifts of Christ Whether do you labour more for gifts or for Christ himselfe And if you finde this that in the truth of your hearts you come not to the Ordinances but to find your beloved there not out of unclean and wanton spirits but to seeke him whom your soule most desires whose favour and countenance you would rather behold then to hear the voyce of a pleasant singer and you are not satisfied with any thing unlesse you find him then shal you find life in so coming to the Ordinances Can. 3.1 2 3. By night in my bed I sought him whom my soule loved c. The bed was the Temple wherein God did reveale himselfe in his Ordinances and disperse himselfe to his people in the bed of his love Shee came to the Temple not to seek any of the Preists and Levites there She goes indeed to the Watch-men and makes her moane and complaint to them that she could not finde Christ in his Ordinances and she durst not rest upon their opinions but saith have you not seen him whom my soul loveth can you tel me any newes or give me any intelligence of my beloved Saviour Thus she inquires of the Watch-men And from them she goes to the Daughters of Jerusalem to her Christian friends and chargeth them to tell him that she is sick of love Now if thus to desire him is to find Christ then there is no more to be doubted of in such a case as this But the heart thus seeking him in his Ordinances and the affections gon after him there more then after any of his benefits then in truth we have the Sonne he could not have our hearts if we first had not him And therefore it is a strong evidence we have him because our hearts are set upon him We search for nothing so much as for him This is part of the meaning of that place in Psal 73.25 Whom have I in heaven but thee or in earth in comparison of thee he desires nothing more then him neither peace of conscience nor joy in the Holy ghost nor any thing so cheifly and principally as God but if wee have a longing affection after pardon of sinne and peace of conscience and assurance of salvation after subduing of lusts and growth in grace these be blessed desires and usually upright and sincere but there may be hypocrisie even in these very desires and in using the meanes to attaine these for sometimes by this meanes we seek Christ and him in his Ordinances not so much for himself as for the benefits we have by him which is a spirit of harlotry As in a woman that it may bee hath a strong affection to match with such a man but it is but that hee might pay her debts and that she might be well provided for for the world and that he might be availe and a protector to her these be lawfull ends to aime at but if it be only and cheifly for these ends it is not true conjugal affection for if another man could do this for her as well as he she could make choyce of another as well as of him and she desires him not for his but for her own ends And just so it is alike in this case If a man desire the Lord Jesus Christ to this end that he may have his sinne pardoned and be furnished with grace though these be spirituall ends yet so much as wee prize the benefit above Christ so much are we halting in the truth of our affection to him If
though at the first it may be weake yet it growes to that temper by which it may propagate and the life of grace is most strong in this regard it no sooner moves and feeds or growes in any measure or begins to expell any ill matter but it will have a minde to be fruitfull begetting its kinde and that is above naturall life a Christian is most apt and ready to draw on others to be like himselfe As soone as ever the woman of Samaria saw that Jesus was indeed the Messiah and found true sweetnesse in him the very same houre she runs into the Towne and tells her neighbours Come see a man that hath told me all that ever I did Joh. 4.29 Is not he the Christ and when they came and saw it they said We beleeve not because of thy Word but because we have heard him our selves and we know that this is indeed the Christ This is the proper nature of true life as soone as they are truly begotten they beget others of their owne kinde not but that sometimes a Christian soule hides himselfe long before he be well setled but when he truly discernes that he lives and is conscious to himselfe that God will be gracious to his soule then he desires to propagate the like grace unto others Joh. 1.41 to 46. when one had found Christ they call others to come and see Psal 51.10 Then shall I teach transgressors thy wayes and sinners shall be converted to thee to shew you that if God will but worke a cleane heart in David and renew a right spirit within him and his broken bones may be recovered and if God shall be pleased to establish him with his free spirit and he may be once againe assured of the pardon his sins then will he teach others the wayes of God if he be once converted himselfe he will draw on as many others as he can Thus you have five signes of spirituall life SERMON X. 1 JOHN 5.12 He that hath the Son hath life and he that hath not the Son hath not life WE are now in the next place to see how we may discerne life by the properties and adjuncts of it you heard before of the effects of life now of the properties and qualities of this life by discerning of which we may know that we have life There be three properties or qualities of life Three properties of life 1. Warmth First where ever there is life there is some warmth 2 King 9.34 when the Prophet had laine upon the childe and had done so seven times at length the breath of the childe began to wax warme a signe that life was a restoring and thereby the Prophet discerned that life began to returne into the body of the childe because warmth returned and so is the presence of the Spirit of grace and the union of it with the soule and body of a man it makes a man fervent and warme Fervent in spirit Rom. 12.11 and therefore it is that it is resembled unto fire Matth. 3.11 The Holy Ghost shall come downe upon you as it were with fiery tongues and shall warme and heate you with whatever duties God shall call you to 1 Thes 5.19 Quench not the Spirit now quenching belongs to fire a signe therefore that the spirit is of a fervent nature so farre forth as it is capable of any quenching and destroying by the Sons of men and 2 Tim. 1.6 Stirre up the gifts of grace in you as if yee stirred up the embers of the fire so stirre up and kindle the gifts of God which is in you blow them up into a kindling flame so that all these things expresse thus much That since the Spirit of life which is in Christ Jesus and from him communicated to his Members is a spirit of heat therefore wheresoever there is warmth there is life if no warmth nor heat there is no life and as our spirits begin to wax warme so we grow to life in Christianity Notable is that expression in Luke 24.22 Did not our hearts burne within us while he talked with us of the Scriptures to shew you that there is a power in the Word to convey such a measure of the Spirit of grace to the Hearers as that their hearts begin to glow within them and to convey some heat and warmth into them when the Word is powerfully applyed to the soule For the further opening of this point you shall see it in some things principally which are ever found in some measure in the spirits of Christian men that have any life in Christ First that which is wonderfull and is indeed no where found but in them their very knowledge is warme Knowledge warme which in all other men is cold knowledge is but an empty speculation brings forth no great matter of heat but in a Christian his knowledge is full of heat Zeale must be according to knowledge knowledge is no knowledge without zeal and zeale is but a wilde-fire without knowledge Rom. 10.2 So if Christians have a knowledge of God but no zeale there is no saving life in that knowledge it is not the knowledge of Gods people Notable is that speech of our Saviour Joh. 5.35 speaking of John He was a burning and a shining light not only a shining light to give cleare instruction in the knowledge of the Messiah and the true meaning of the Law but withall a burning light Joh. 5.3 expoundeâ— so as that he had a notable power when Hypocrites came before him to burne them up Mat. 3.12 And so where ever he came he did not only shew them what they should doe what shall we Publicans doe and what shal we Souldiers doe Luk. 3.3 to 15. but he did burne up not only those who were professed enemies to the wayes of grace but all those that he found in Hypocrisie he burnt them all up where ever he came and if he did not finde out their lusts he would kindle a fire in them he warmed Herod in such sort as that he was constrained to doe many things according to Johns Ministery Mark 6. and so shall you finde it in all the Servants of God that according to their life if there be true life there is true burning though sometimes their burning is not so strong as their life yet there is heat and fervency of spirit mixed with their knowledge that if they know the Will of God they are inflamed and their knowledge of Christ will not suffer them to be barren and unfruitfull 2 Pet. 3.18 So that the knowledge which a Christian man hath is such as by which he will doe what he ought to doe if he see sinne in his brother he will not suffer it to lye there Levit. 19.17 If he see any thing amisse in his brother that he sees not in himselfe he will be helpfull to him where the Spirit of grace is lively they will not suffer their brethren to rest in sinne much lesse
a man may pray and never observe what answer God makes to his prayers all the day long but God requires that you should get knowledge by reading and that not of small matters but of your possession of everlasting life and therefore you read to purpose when you thereby come to know that you have eternall life and your joy is increased and you are brought on to beleeve and trust in the name of Christ more and more and unlesse you so read you have taken this blessed Ordinance of God in vaine and therefore be diligent and conversant in reading these Epistles and as you would search for treasure so be diligent and laborious herein that you may know you have eternall life SERMON XIII 1 JOHN 5.13 That you may beleeve on the Name of the Son of God NOw we come to speak of the other end of the Apostles writing of these Epistles and that is that you may beleeve on the name of the Son of God Doct. It is an holy end of the holy scriptures that beleevers may beleeve John when he writes the Gospel he speakes as wel to beleevers as to others but cheifly to beleevers John 20.31 These things are written that you may beleeve Say not what is this but to make the worke that is already wrought for though faith and beleeving bee wrought in the hearts of Gods people yet such as doe beleeve had need to be helped to beleeve more and better Rom. 1.17 It is not onely the power of God to worke faith in such as beleeve but to lead them on from faith to faith from one measure of faith to another and the Gospel is revealed from heaven for that end that such as beleeve not might be brought on to beleeve And such as do beleeve may be carried an end in beleeving such as are faithful had need be yet more faithful you read also Phil. 1.25 I shall abide with you for your furtherance and joy of faith such a furtherance as is for the increasing and augmentation of your faith so that there is not only faith but increase and growth of faith too as furthered by the Gospel 1 Thess 3.10 That I might supply the defects of your faith to supply what is wanting in your faith there is not any of the servants of God no not those that receive the word with much joy in the holy ghost in much affliction and tribulation no not those that give good pledges and evidences of their grace as 1 Thess 1.4 5 6 7. yet there is something wanting or lacking in your faith not any no not the most exemplary Christians v. 7. but there is something wanting in their faith and therefore to this end he desires to come to them Note this as vers 10. he is pressed exceedingly night and day stirred up unto that duty with much vehemency and in earnestnesse of spirit desires exceedingly to see your faith and to perfect what is wanting in it A marvellous thing that the best Christians should yet have something wanting in their faith so that this is not a needlesse work he undertakes in writing to them that beleeve on Christ that yet they may beleeve better Quest Now what is that which they had need grow unto Answ First they had need to grow unto the beleife of some further principles of Gods truth some further Articles of faith which yet they know not Some have need to grow in the object of their faith to beleeve more then they yet doe beleeve Some of the Apostles did not beleeve the resurrection of Christ Thomas said he would not beleeve unlesse he might see and feele John 20.25 he was wanting in the beleefe of one Article of faith the resurrection of the dead and 1. Cor. 15. the whole Church was wanting in this and in many other Articles of their Christian faith they doubted not but that their bodies should rise but they wanted that before And the Thessalonians they wanted this in their faith they could not tell what to make of the long delay of the second comming of Christ they did expect a suddaine comming and therefore many of them were troubled in their minds so as that they neglected their callings and minded not their outward businesse in the world expecting a suddaine dissolution of all And therefore the Apostle supplies what was wanting in their faith by acquainting them further of the councel of God That Christ must not come to Judgement till Antichrist have first come with all deceiveablenesse and lying wonders and till the Church have made an Apostacy and the Galathians they were ignorant of the Doctrine of Justification for supply of which and satisfying them therein that whole Epistle is spent so in all other Churches the Apostles labours to supply what was wanting in the object of their faith Secondly there is something wanting in their approvednesse of the habit of faith something wanting in the gift and grace of faith The Apostle prayes for the Colossians That as they have received Christ they would so walke and that they might be rooted and established in him Many of them were not so rooted and established in Christ as they stood in need to be not able to exclude and banish those doubts and feares and cares of spirit that sometimes accompany beleevers even those that beleeve already on the name of Christ yet there is something wanting in the root of their faith for looke as you see it is with a Plant that is grafted into a Stock it doth not forthwith take root but a little matter will soone unsettle it so is it in this case a man may in some measure be implanted into Christ and yet for a time be marvellously unsetled and farre off from that rootednesse which God lookes our faith should grow unto and so in a building it at the first framing may be so greene as that yet it is not setled upon the foundation but it would have a time to be dryed and withered that it may stand the firmer on the foundation without shrinking and be more fit for a mans dwelling so is it sometimes with the faith of a Christian man he may be knit to Christ and may have a place in Christ but his morter may yet be green and may be easily shaken with wind and weather of temptation and not be yet rooted and established there may want such holy confidence and assured perswasion of fellowship with the Lord Jesus Christ as we had need to be lifted up unto a further increase of faith which this Epistle and such other Doctrines as these be are wont to work in them Thirdly It may be increased in the comfort of it in the sence and feeling of it for it may so fall out that many a good soule may come to a large measure of a lively faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as that they may cleave to him and seeke him early and doe and suffer any thing for the name of Christ and yet
propounds a third motive in these words taken from the benefit which by beleeving on Christ we shall in some measure be enabled and made capable of bestowing the like blessing upon our brethren and that by our prayers If such a man should see his Brother sin a sinne which is not unto death he shall aske and he shall give him life As an instrument God at his request shall give him life God will make him an instrument of conveying speciall favour to such a man First the words containe three parts First a promise of obtaining life for such of our brethren as we shall see sinne not unto death and shall aske life for him Secondly an acception from this generall promise he would have it understood of some speciall transgression of them that sinne not unto death he would be so understood and would not inlarge this promise so farre as that a faithful man by his prayers shal obtaine pardon of sinne for such as sin unto death but not for that that is the onely caution that he gives least this promise be taken to extend too far Thirdly A prevention of an objection or doubt that might hence arise For might some man say All unrighteousnesse is sinne and every sinne is a sinne to death and the wages of every sinne is death Rom. 6. ult And therefore if the promise extend only thus farre to procure peace and pardon for such as sinne not unto death then either you must grant some veniall sins or else this promise is of none effect for if every sin be mortall and you onely promise pardon of sin to such as is not unto death and no man sins but it is unto death this promise is of none effect Iohn Answers to this Objection vers 17. and saith though all unrighteousnosse be sin yet there is a sin that is not unto death It is true the deserved wages of al unrighteousnes is unto death but there is a sin that is not unto death not that there is any sin which doth not deserve death but not that which doth undoubtedly cut off a man from all hopes of life but notwithstanding that sin he may be converted As sometimes our Saviour said of the sicknesse of Lazarus he is sick but not irrecoverable Iohn 11.4 So that the meaning of the Holy ghost is that there is a finne unto death which doth not onely kil the soule but irrecoverably out of which there is no hope of recovery or salvation and that sin they must forbear to pray for This promise thus opened will afford us three notes First That a faithfull Christian or which is all one a beleever on the name of Christ is not to hide his eyes from observing and discerning the sinnes and slips of their brethren If any man see his brother sinne a sin which is not unto death which he cannot see if he neglect to observe them Secondly A faithfull Christian discerning the sinne of his brother is to pray for him Let him aske when he sees him sin not unto death Thirdly A faithfull man praying unto Christ for the sinne of his brother shall obtaine life at Gods hand for him pardon and peace and grace for him For the first of these Doct. A faithfull beleever is not to hide his eyes from observing the sinnes and failings of his brethren If any man see his brother sinne a sinne he must observe him else he cannot see him Gal. 2.14 When I saw that they walked not uprightly according to the truth of the Gospel c. he observed them and discerned their course hee turned not his eyes from beholding it but he did take notice of it Heb. 3.12 13. Take heed least there be in any of you an evill heart of unbeleefe in departing from the living God take heed hee doth not speak of himselfe onely though that principally but least there be in any of you an evil heart of unbeleefe that is not only for every man to take heed to himselfe but to his brethren also as appears by the following verse implying that a man should not only take heed to himself but as much as in him lyes take heed to his brethren And if you should aske how should I prevent another man from having an evill heart of unbeleefe he tells you how By exhorting one another daily while it is called to day looke to your selves and also to your brethren and shew your care of them by stirring them up daily And this is that the Apostle speakes of in Hebr. 10.24 Let us consider one another and provoke one another to love and good workes see therefore and observe one another and see where any thing is amisse and stir up one another to every holy performance Reas 1. It is first taken from the love we owe them Secondly from the love we owe our selves First The love we owe to our brethren God requires our love to our brethren yea towards our enemies Oxe or Asse we should not see one of them fall under their burden or goe astray and hide our face from them Deut. 22.24 If you should see the beast of your enemy to sink down you shall not passe by him and let him alone but you shall raise him up from under his burthen Now if God require so much love to our beasts and that to the beasts of our enemy how much more doth God require this love to our brethren that if we see them going out of the way we should call them back againe if we see them to sinke under the burthen of sinne not there to let them lye but though we could finde in our hearts there to let them lye yet we ought not so to satisfie our selves but to looke unto our brethren in such a case and doe the best we can to recover them from going astray And in respect of our selves this benefit we our selves shall have we shall learne a more holy feare of the Lord and have a more just jealousie over our selves we shall keep the better watch over our selves when we see our brethren fall before us Rom. 11.12 Be not high minded but feare to shew you that when we see other men through unbeleefe and corruption fall into any sinne we ought to benefit our selves thereby not to be high minded upon this occasion to blesse our selves and we thanke God it is not with us as it is with other men we are not such and such as these Publicans are wont to be but feare we in such a case the faylings of others should be the feares of Gods people the more they see others fall the more should they suspect their owne aptnesse to faile in the like kinde If such things doe befall the greene tree such as are full of the Oyntment of the Holy one how easily may the dry stubble kindle so that what out of respect to learne the more to watch our selves and out of compassion to our Brethren to restore them what by seasonable admonition Levit.
of knowledge Was there ever any soul so desperately ignorant think you as to take the place of a Minister and not have skil to read no but these had no knowledge to teach the people the meaning of the Law of God whose lips should preserve knowledge and at whose mouth the people should seek the Law Mal. 2.7 8. Vse 3. To teach all that beleeve on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ diligently to be conversant in the Writings of Iohn and of the Apostles Shall the Holy Ghost have a Pen to write unto us and shall not we have a hand to receive these Writings and by faith to behold and beleeve them Shall he take care to write us Letters from Heaven from the Lord Jesus Christ indicted by the blessed Spirit and written by the hands of faithfull Scribes who were carried to all truth and shall they write them to us to continue to the end of the world and shall not we attend to them These be written to every soule that beleeves in Christ for if written to them that beleeve in Christ then every beleever may say These writings are written to me to thee and to me and therefore let us carefully read and attend to them And therefore doe not neglect a Letter written by such precious Scribes and from the hand of a gracious God that directed them to us but if written to us and for our instruction and learning let us heare and read and obey and looke at them as the chiefest blessings and ornaments of God vouchsafed to us Among all the meanes of grace put up these writings as the Oracles of God for our instruction Rom. 15.4 Whatever was written aforetime was written for our instruction and edification as well as for them that lived in ancient times how much are the Church of Rome to blame that lock up these Epistles from the common people in strange Languages and if they understand not Latine they must not read unlesse with license or in a strange Tongue heavie will the curse of God fall upon them they may as well read a Fable to them as the Scripture yea many times the Priests themselves understood not the Latine that they read it was given to them as a clasped booke they were not able to expound it but say that ignorance in the people is the Mother of Devotion and therefore both fall into the ditch together Quest Vse 4. Serves to be some direction to every carnall man you say if these Scriptures be written but to beleevers will you not allow ignorant carnall men to read this part of the Word of God Ans Even they have thus much benefit by the Word first Carnall men have benefit by the Word whatever is expounded to them from this Word may be effectuall to bring them on to salvation but faith comes by hearing Secondly These Scriptures when they are read they are a profitable and helpfull meanes to get knowledge though that knowledge I beleeve reach not to salvation Thirdly it is a meanes to put people in remembrance of what they know though it be not to salvation And lastly it kindles in them some desires to know these things that they might understand them though that be rare I dare not reckon the Eunuch among the ignorant and unbeleevers Act. 8.30 31. and that were a blessed use if men shall read the Scripture and complaine for that they cannot understand them and shall be stirred up to desire a Guide to help them to see and understand what they before understood not and so be brought on to some knowledge it were a blessed use of the Scriptures And besides they are of this use they are of singular benefit to discover to people what sinne is and open to men what morall and common vertues be and so are a meanes to preserve people in a forme of godlinesse whereby they know that Magistrates are to be obeyed Ministers reverenced Parents honoured Murder not to be committed the Sabbath not to be prophained God only to be worshipped the body of these things they see are to be done and these evils eschewed they are a meanes to keep people in good order and to prepare them to a better understanding of the Ministery of the Gospell that shall at any time be blessed to them so that some profit there is hence to them that want faith but the principall thing the Apostle aymes at is this I write unto you that beleeve on the name of the Son of God But further I say to you that are not yet brought on to beleeve let this be your instruction diligently to attend to what you heare from these words for you may say and truly you may read every day a Chapter or two and read them over againe and againe and spend many houres about them and in prayer too and yet no nearer salvation then at the first I say not not nearer salvation for you are stirred up to many duties but when you see you have read much and prayed much and yet get little hold of the saving grace of Christ how should this provoke all that live without meanes of grace to give diligent heed to that Ordinance of God in which faith to salvation is wont to be conveyed and that is an use that may be of notable efficacy to stirre them up to heare diligently those who are destitute of the knowledge of God let them be the more diligent to seeke after more meanes in the Ordinances of God Vse last It is an use to all those that do indeed beleeve on the name of the Lord Jesus to be not only carefull to read but to read these Scriptures in hope of finding those very blessings for which these Scriptures were written and sent us Were they written that you might be taught truly you make an il use of reading if you know no more at last then at the first you may wel say you are unprofitable if you doe not observe something from your reading and if they were written to stir us up to be doing good you make an il use of reading if it bring not forth some profitable fruits yea if by reading these Epistles you might beleeve and be humbled comforted and your joy might be full in reading then truly you should not rest till by reading you finde some measure of faith strengthened in you to an holy feare of God in whose presence you stand and whose word you take in hand and finde your hearts take comfort from what you doe read since they were writen for your sakes that beleeve and for your sakes onely if you shall be negligent to read them shall you not take this blessed Ordinance of God in vaine and therefore read them and read them diligently and profitably for the blessed ends for which God hath written them that you may finde the blessed fruites of them Now we come to speake of the end for which he wrote them that you might beleeve on the name