but they either resist them or quench them and wrong and grieve the Spirit as Saint Paul saith Greive not the Spirit of God whereby you are sealed to the day of redemption Ephes. 5. Men speake or doe somewhat that grieves the Spirit of God in them their conscience being enlightned by the Spirit tels them that they have done that which is naught yet notwithstanding for this or that advantage to please this or that company they will speake or doe that which is ill and then the Spirit that was given in some measure before is grieved at this carnall and sinnefull liberty Therefore if yee would be guided by the Spirit of Christ take heed of all these and of such like courses Another meanes whereby we may come to obtaine the Spirit is Prayer to bee guided by the Spirit of Christ next to Christ himselfe our Saviour is the most excellent thing in the world therefore it is worth the begging and getting Luke 11.13 How much more shall your heavenly Father give his holy Spirit to them that aske him Insinuating that wee can aske nothing greater then the Spirit A man that hath a sanctified judgement next the forgivenesse of his sins through Christ hee begs nothing more then the Spirit to witnesse the favour of God in Christ and to fit him for other favours especially to fit us for the world to come God can give nothing greater nor we can beg nothing greater if wee have sanctified judgements then the Spirit of God therefore let us have a high esteeme of the holy Spirit of the motions of it and out of an high esteeme in our hearts beg of God the guidance of the Spirit that he would leade us by his Spirit and subdue our corruptions that wee may not bee lead by our owne lusts and so consequently by Satan that leads us by our owne lusts in the way that leads to perdition So much for that I will put my Spirit c. And he shall shew judgement to the Gentiles After Christ was fully furnished as he was furnished with the Spirit of God and with a commission from Heaven from Father Sonne and Holy Ghost having this high commission and gifts for it by the Spirit he fals upon his office presently we are never fit for any thing till wee have the Spirit and when we have the Spirit it is active and vigorous and working He shall shew judgement to the Gentiles What is meant by judgement here By judgement is meant lawes hee shall declare his lawes his truth and together with declaring the truth of the Gospell which is his Evangelicall law hee shall declare it in the soule and bow the neck of the inward man to the obedience of this his judgement Christ then by himselfe and his Apostles and Ministers shall declare his truth which is the scepter of his governement to the Gentiles and not onely declare it as Princes doe their lawes by Proclamations and Statutes c. but hee shall declare it to the heart by his Spirit Now in the hebrew language ordinarily wise governement is called judgement hee shall declare judgement that is his manner of governement he shall declare it by his Spirit and cause our Spirits to submit to it And indeed grace is called judgement in the phrase of Scripture the grace of sanctification because it is agreeable to judgement to Gods law it is agreeable to it and wrought by it in the soule and it is the best judgement for grace whereby the soule is subject to the judgement and law and rule of God it must needs be the best judgement because it is agreeable to Gods judgement grace judgeth aright of things and subdues all things the affections and inward man to it selfe But why is the word of God called judgement It is called so frequently in the Psalmes and in other places of Scripture because the truth of God shewes what God doth judge Judgement is originally in God who is the first truth and the first good the first truth judgeth best of truthes what is light and what is darkenesse what is truth and what is error what is good and what is ill what is safe and what is dangerous all will grant that God is the first light and the firâ—t truth therefore hee doth originally judge of the difference of things for even as in the creation he put an eternall difference betweene light and darkenesse and severed things that were in the confuseâ— Chaos and established an orderly world that Heaven should be above and earth below that one thing should be above another and all in judgement So in the governing of man-kinde he shewes his judgement by his word and that word shewes how God judgeth of things Lawes shew judgement what is to be done and what is not to be done The Gospell shewes Gods judgement what he will have us beleeve and hope for and how wee must carry our selves in way of thankefullnesses if we doe this then the Gospell the word of God judgeth what shall become of us wee shall be saved if we doe the contrary the word againe judgeth what our state shall be wee shall be damned so it is called judgement because it judgeth what is good and what is ill and because it determineth what shall become of us if we obey or disobey Hereupon it is that the word of God is a glasse wherein we may see our owne condition infallibly what will become of us the Word of God judgeth thus he that lives in such and such sinnes shall come to this end God will inflict these and these judgements upon him Iudgement in the first place is you shall doe this and this because it is good Iudgement in the second place is because you have not done this this shall befall you so the Evangelicall judgement of the Gospell is this He that repents and beleeves shall not perish but have everlasting life but he that armes and furnisheth his heart to rebellion he shall perish in his sinnes He that believeth not is condemned allready the wrath of God hangs over his head So from this that Gods truth is called judgement we may know how to judge of our selves even as God judgeth in his Word wee may see our owne faces and conditions there hee that is a man of death may see it in the Word and he that is appointed for happinesse may there see his condition Againe not onely the Word of God the Gospell which is out of us in the booke of God is called judgement but the worke of God in the soule Sanctification is called judgement hence we may observe what is the most judicious course in the world the most judicious frame of soule when it is framed to the judgement and truth of God being the first truth When a man is sanctified and set in a holy frame it is from a sanctified judgement the flesh is subject to the Spirit heere is all in a gratious
sinnes he quickned us but they are put in in the translation because they must be understood to make the full sence In the words consider these things First of all heere the Apostle puts them in mind of their former condition And then he sets downe in particular what it was They were dead in trespasses and sins Then he tells them wherein they were dead what was the cause of their death and the element wherein they were dead in trespasses and sins Lastly not in one trespasse and in one sin but in trespasses and sins And then to speake a little of quickning to take it out of the 5. verse You hath he quickned There is the benefit with the condition That which Jaime at is especially to shew our estate by nature and how we are raised out of that I shall touch the points briefly as I have propounded them Saint Paul here first minds them of their former condition you were dead in trespasses and sinnes For contraries give lustre one to another and it magnifies grace mervailously to consider the opposite condition Hee that never knew the height and bredth and depth of his naturall corruption will never be able to conceive the height and breadth and depth of Gods infinite love in Iesus Christ. Saint Paul had deepe thoughts of both as ever man had therefore he could never enter into the argument of abasing man and extolling the love of God in Christ that he could satisfie himselfe but his spirit carries him from one thing to another till he set it out to the full And every one of us should be skilfull in this double mystery the mystery of the corruption of nature that is unsearchable there is corruption in the heart that none knows but God only and we must plow with his heifer that carries a light into the hidden parts of the soule and discovers corruption there is a mystery of that as well as of the Gospell of our deliverance out of that cursed estate from the guilt and thraldome of it I doe but touch it onely to shew the scope of the Apostle Now besides the consideration of it for this end to magnifie the grace of God and to understand what our former estate was the better there are many other ends As to stirre up our thankefullnesse when we consider from what we are delivered to glorifie God the more There is no soule so enlarged to glorifie God as that soule that hath large thoughts of its estate by nature and that estate by nature made worse by custome our second ill nature and bondage voluntary considering Gods mercy in delivering and freeing us from all sinnes and trespasses this will make us thankefull indeed And it is a spring of love to God when we consider what great sinnes we have forgiven usâ— it will make us humble all the daies of our lives and pitifull to others but this may be handled fitter from another portion of Scripture To come therefore to the words Who were dead in trespasses and sins Their condition is they were dead the specification of their death in sinnes and trespasses and not in one but in sinnes and trespasses Here I might digresse and tell you a discourse of life and death at large every man knowes by experience what they are In a word death is a privation of life What is life and whence ariseth it Not to speake of the life of God God is life and Christ is life but of lâ—fe in us It ariseth from the soule first there is a soule and then a life from the union with that soule and then there is a secret kindled motion and operation outward wheresoever life is Life in man I say springâ— from the soule The soule hâ—th a double life a life in it selfe and a life it communicates to the body The life in it selfe it liveth when it is out of the body it hath an essentiall life of its owne but the life of the body is derived from its union with the soule and from that union comes lively motion and operation The spirituall life of the soule is by the Spirit of Christ when our soule hath union with the quickning Spirit of Christ and by Christs Spirit is joyned to Christ and by Christ to God who is life it selfe and the first fountaine of all life then we have a spirituall life The Spirit is the soule of our soules and this spiritual soule this Spirit in us is not idle wherever life is there is motion and operation inward and outward suteable and proportionable to the fountaine of life the Spirit of God himselfe So on the contrary it is with death what is death Death is nothing else but a seperation from the cause of life from that from whence life springs The body having a communicated life from the soule when the soule is departed it must needs be dead Now death take it in a spirituall sence it is either the death of law our sentence as we say of a man when he is condemned he is a dead man Or death in regard of disposition and then the execution of that death of sentence in bodily death and in eternall death afterward Now naturally we are dead in all these sences First by the sin of Adam in whose loynes we were we were all damned there was a sentence of death upon all Adams rotten race as we say damnati antequam nati we were damned before we were borne as soone as we had a being in our mothers wombe by reason of our communion with Adam in that first sinne And then there is corruption of nature as a punishment of that first sinne that is a death as we shall see afterward a death of al the powers we cannot act and moove according to that life that we had at the first we cannot thinke we cannot will we cannot affect we cannot doe any thing that savours of spirituall life Hereupon comes a death of sentence upon us being damned both in Adams loynes and in originall sinne and likewise adding actuall sinnes of our owne if we had no actuall sinne it were enough for the sentence of death to passe upon us but this aggravates the sentence We are dead in law as well as in disposition This death in law is called guilt a binding over to eternall death it breeds horrour and terrours in the soule for the present which are the flashes of Hell-fire and expectation of worse even of the second death for the time to come which is an eternall seperation from God for ever an eternall lying under the wrath and curse of God in body and soule after they are united at the resurrection because wee would sinne eternally if we did live eternally here and no satisfaction being made for man after death there must be an eternall sentence and punishment upon him a terrible condition if we were not afraid of the first death we should be afraid of the
God and when he is there he may yeeld an eare to listen and he hath common discourse and understanding to know what is said and upon what ground he can offer himselfe to the worke of the Spirit he can come to the poole though he be not thrust in this day or that day when God stirrs the waters this by common grace any man living in the Church may doe Therefore though we be all dead even the best of us by nature yet let us use the parts of nature that we have that God hath given us to offer our selves to the gracions and blessed meanes wherein the Spirit of God may worke Let us come to heare the Word of God Iohn 5.25 The time is come and now is that the dead shall heare the voice of God where the voice of God is in the Ministery and so they shall live As in the latter day the noyse of the trumpet shall raise the dead bodies So the trumpet of the Word of God sounding in the eares of men together with the Spirit shall raise the dead soules out of the grave of sin Therefore J beseech you as you would be raised up out of this death heare the noyse of Gods trumpet come within the compasse of the meanes As God is the God of life and Christ calls himselfe the life and the Spirit the Spirit of life So the Word is the Word of life because together with the Word God conveyes spirituall life The Word of God in the Ordinance is an operative working Word As it was in the creation God said Let there bee light and there was light So in the Ministery it exhorts and stirres up to duty and there is a cloathing of the ministeriall word with an almighty power it is a working word As when Christ spake to Lazarus when hee stanke in his grave he said Lazarus come foorth it was an operative working word there went an almighty power to raise Lazarus Therefore though we finde our selves dead and have no worke of grace yet let us present our selves more and more to the Ordinance of God God will be mighty in his own Ordinance the blessed time may come let us waite when the waters are stirred and take heede that we despise not the counsell of God which is to bring man to spirituall life this way And object not I am dead and rotten in sin many yeares I am an old man You know many were raised in the Gospell some that had beene dead few daies Lazarus was rotten and stanke It shewes us that though a man be dead and rotten in sinne yet he may be raised first or last the blessed time may come therefore waite never pretend long custome and long living in sinne All things are in obedience to God though they have a resistance in themselves yet God can take away that resistance and bring all to obey him All things in the world though they be never so opposite to Gods grace they are in obedience to his command Therefore though there be nothing but actuall present resistance in the soule to that that is good and a slavery to the bondage of sin yet attend meekly upon the Ordinance God can make of Lions Lambs he can take away that actual resistance As Christ when he was raised the stone that lay upon the grave was remooved So when God will quicken a man he will remoove the stone of long custome that is upon him though he have beene dead so many yeares yet God can rowle away the stone and bid him rise up Therefore let none despaire God is more mercifull to save those that belong to him then Sathan can be malicious to hinder any way The best of us all though we be not wholly dead yet there are some relicks of spirituall death hanging upon us there be corruptions which in themselves are noysome Therefore let all attend upon the meanes that the Spirit of God by little and little may worke out the remainders of death the remainders of darknesse in our understandings and of rebellion in our wills and affections For there bee usually three degrees of persons in the Church of God Some open rotten persons that are as graves open sepulchres that their stincke comes foorth and they are prophane ones There are some that have a forme of godlinesse that are meerely ghosts that act things outwardly but they have not a spirit of their owne they have an evill spirit and yet doe good workes they walke up and downe and doe things with no spirit of their owne The second are more tollerable then the first in humane society because the other stinke and smell to common society common swearers and prophane persons that stinke to any except it be to themselves But the godly have this death in part the life of sentence is perfect the life of justification but spirituall life in us is by little and little wrought in the meanes the Spirit of life joynes with the Word of life and quickens us daily more and more A word of these words And you hath he quickned Suteable to the occasion This being our estate let us know how much we are beholding to God who hath quickned us God quickens us with Christ and in Christ. It is a comfortable consideration In that God hath quickned Christ and raised him from the grave it shewes that his Fathers wrath is pacified or else he would not have quickned him he gave him to death and quickned him againe therefore we may know that he hath paid the price for us And he quickens us with Christ and in Christ whatsoever we have that is good it is in Christ first That Christ in all things might have the preheminence Christ first rose and ascended and sits in Heaven and then we rise and ascend and sit in heavenly places with Christ Therefore as St. Peter saith well in 1. Peter 1.20 God hath raised Christ that our faith might bee in God If Christ had not beene raised up our Faith and Hope could not have beene in God that he would raise us up we are quickned and raised in Christ all is in Christ first and then in us The ground of this is that Christ was a publike person in all that he did in his death therefore we are crucified and buried with him in his resurrection and ascention therefore we are quickned with him and sit in heavenly places with him He is the second Adam And if the first Adam could convey death to so many thousands so many thousand yeeres after and if the world should continue millions of yeares he would convey death to all shall not Christ the second Adam convey life to all that are in him So thinke of all things both comfortable and uncomfortable in Christ first when we thinke of sinne thinke of it in him our Surety and when we thinke of freedome from death and damnation thinke of his death when wee thinke of our resurrection thinke
goods I give to the poore c. when grace is planted in the soule when the soule hath tasted once of better things there will be a meane and base esteeme of earthly things the more the soule feeds on heavenly things the lesse respect it hath to temporall things The soule is a finite Essence and it cannot spend it selfe on all things the more it runs into severalls the more shallow it is to others as in a streame when it is cut into many channels it runs weakely in the severall whereas it runs strongly in the maine so it is with the soule when it is scattered as the poore Israelites were about the land of Aegypt to gather straw to gather these perishing earthly things it is weake to heavenly things it hath little strength to those but when the course of it is wholy bent to those there are but weake or no desires running to these earthly things when once the soule of a Christian hath had a true taste and relish of the things of Heaven it lookes with a despising eye upon whatsoever is heere below when once it hath tasted of Christ then especially it growes out of relish with poyson then away with Popery away with false doctrine away with hypocrisie and formality in religion Againe secondly wee may know that wee have tasted Christ and fed on him and on the good things that are by him when wee are strengthened by our feeding when wee are strengthened to duties strengthened against tentations and against corruptions Thou saist thou beleevest on Christ and hast made him thine own what comfort and strength feelest thou by Christ art thou able to encounter a tentation art thou able to resist a lust art thou able to performe holy services If there be no strength in thee but every tentation turnes thee over and thou yeeldest to every base lust where is Christ canst thou beleeve Christ to be thy King and yet suffer thy lusts to beare sway in thee canst thou beleeve that Christ is a Priest that died forthy sinnes and yet cherishest and lovest sinne canst thou beleeve that Christ is in Heaven and that thou art in heavenly places with Christ and yet hast no minde of heavenly things but art carried away with every earthly thing No thou hast not yet tasted how good and gracious the Lord is thou hast not yet relished the heavenly Manna the soule that feeds on Christ is strengthened from spirituall reasons and supernaturall grounds and divine principles drawne from Christ to duty so that it is enabled even with a holy violence to doe any thing for Christs sake for the soule reasons thus Christ gave himselfe to death for mee I will therefore if need be give my selfe to death for him Christ thought nothing too deare for mee I will thinke nothing too deare for him this pride this vanity that I am tempted to these were the speares that were the death of my Saviour thus the soule fetches reasons from the death of Christ to strengthen it against temptations to strengthen it to duty and so for the matter of comfort after meate hath beene received wee are refreshed if the soule be sweetly refreshed with the comforts that are to be had in Christ and in the Word of Christ it is a signe wee have tasted Christ those that have trembling and discouraging hearts and soules that cannot rest nor receive comfort it is a signe they have not rightly tasted Christ Come unto mee saith Christ all yee that are weary and heavie laden and yee shall finde rest to your soules in Christ there is rest out of Christ there is no rest and so likewise those that have corruptions bearing sway in them it is a signe they have not so much as touched Christ for if they had but touched Christ hee would stop the issue of their corruptions the poore woman in the Gospell as soon as she had touched Christ her bloudy issue was stayed so upon the least touch of Christ by faith there will be an abating of corruption Thirdly in the bodily life we know after a good meale the desire and appetite is satisfied so the soule that tastes of Christ it hath sweet satisfaction and contentment O the sweet satisfaction that a Christian soule hath above a Heathen A Christian that hath Christ need not goe out of him for any thing it hath fullnesse and satisfaction in him in all estates both in life and in death dost thou finde Christ and the priviledges and prerogatives we have by him dost thou finde the Word of Christ and the promises of the Word fully and sufficiently satisfie thee then it argues that thou hast fed on Christ for Christ being received by faith into the soule gives it fullnesse and contentment Lastly to name no more as men if they have the grace of God in their hearts will give thankes for their bodily food so it is an evidence that we have fed on Christ when our hearts and tongues are enlarged to praise God for Christ for the comforts and contentment and satisfaction that we finde in him and in religion therefore Saint Paul begins his Epistle to the Ephesians with Blessed bee God the Father of our Lord Iesus Christ who hath blessed us with all spirituall blessings in heavenly place in Christ. And Saâ—nt Peter being led by the same blessed Spirit his heart being full his mouth is full of thankes Blessed be God the Father of our Lord Iesus Christ who hath begotten us againe to an inheritance immortall that fadeth not away reserved for you in the heavens for you that are reserved by faith to salvation so undoubtedly the soule that tasts the sweet comforts of Religion in Christ will be much in sweet inlargements of heart in thanksgiving it cannot be otherwaise it is an universall reason the more beleeving a soule is the more thankefull a soul is where there is no praise there is no faith Thus you see how we may try whether we have tasted and relished whether wee have fed upon the food that endures to everlasting life or no. Taste is the most necessary sense of all saith a wise searcher of the mysteries of Nature our life is maintained by taste Every creature sees not every creature heares not but every creature hath taste you may judge of your selves by your taste and relish and if once you have tasted and relished Christ all the world cannot perswade you to fall from him if all should say there were no sweetnesse in Religion that it were better to be a worldling c. you would defie it you would never beleeve it there is no disputing against what a man tasts if all men should say sugar were sharpe if J once tasted it I would say otherwise Labour for the meate that endures to everlasting life The Arguments enforcing this act upon the object to labour for Christ are that he is food and food that endures and food that endures to everlasting life Let me from these
question What shall we say to these things It is good often to propound quaeres and demands to our owne hearts when we read or heare divine truths to aske our owne hearts you have heard these things what say you to them For whatsoever God saith in his Word will doe us no good till we speake to our owne hearts and be convinced of it and say it is so therefore wee should say to our selves here are many comforts and duties pressed but what sayest thou to it my heart dost thou not stand out against comforts and advice It is no matter what God saith unlesse he over-power the unbeleeving heart to say what shall I say to these things shall I not agree with God and his Spirit and his comforts shall they be best in regard of an unbeleeving heart oâ— no Therefore let our care be to store them in the treasury of our memory which should be like the pot of Mannah to containe heavenly comforts let us treasure up all the truths we can all will be little enough when we shall need comfort But when we have them in our memory let us aske our selves are these things so or no If they be so beleeve them if they be not so then let us give liberty to our selves and away with hearing and reading c. If they be so for shame let me yeeld to them Let us aske these questions with some fruit let us deale thus with our owne hearts often call them to account whether â—â—beleeve or no for wee have such a faculty â—nd power we can reflect upon our selves And we ought to desire of the Spirit of God to teach our hearts to reflect upon them selves to examine whether wee know and if wee know whether we beleeve and what use wee make of these things and why we should live thus doth this life and course of mine agree with these principles The best of us all are tardy this way therefore let not that part without making some use of it But I proceed to that I will more dwell on If God befor 〈◊〉 who can be against us Here is first a ground layd and then a comfort built upon it The ground that is layd is If God be with us when he saith If God be with us he doth not put the case but layes it as a ground If God be with us as indeed he is with all his in electing them in calling them in working all for their good in glorifying them after c. If God be with us as he is then this comfort is built upon this ground Who shall or can be against us For the first the ground that is laid is that God is with his children Iâ—deâ—d hee is with the whole world hee is every where but he is with â—is Châ—rch and children in 〈…〉 The soule inâ—pred in the whole body but it is in the braine â—fter another 〈…〉 it understands and 〈…〉 he is not every where comfoâ—ting and directing and sanctifying nor every where giving a sweet and blessed issue So besideâ— the generall respect that will not now stand on God is with us that 〈◊〉 his in a more pecâ—liar manner in all his sweet Attributes in his wisedome to direct us with his power to assist and strengthen us by his grade and love to comfort us and hee is with us in all our perplexities to stay our soules hee is with us by his sweet and gracious mercy to feed 〈◊〉 with hidden Mannah with secret comforts in the middest of discomforts when there is no comfort else with us then God is with us And then he is with us in the issue of all that a godly man takes in hand in his name hee is with him in all crosses to direct and tuâ—â—e them to his best good All things worke for the best to them that love God He is with them in all his sweet relations as a gracious Father in Covenant as a Husband He is with them in those sweet comparisons as a Hen as an Eagle to carry them on his wings above all dangers as hee carryed the Israelites in the wildernesse He is with them in all comfortable relations Therefore God in the Scriptures borrowes 〈◊〉 from every thing thâ—â— is comfortable He is with them as a Rocke to build on as a Shield to defend them in the time of heate and persecution he is a shaddow to keepe them from the heate hee is with them as a light Christ is our life in death our light in darkenesse our righteousnesse in sinfulnesse and guilt our holinesse in impurity our redemption in all our miseries There is somewhat of God in every creature therefore God takes names from his owne creatures because there is some strength or comfort in them God gives himselfe variety of names as there are variety of our distresses Are we in misery God is a Rock a Shield a Tower of defence a Buckler hee is all that can be said for comfort He is with us in his Attributes and sweet relations and all sweet termes that may support our faith that whatsoever wee see comfortable in the creature we may rise more comfortably to God and say God is my Rocke and Shield and my light and defence And then God is with us in every condition and in every place whatsoever hee is not onely a God of the mountaines and not of the valleyes or a God of the valleyes and not of the mountaines as those foolish people thought but he is in all places and at all times with his If they be in prison hee goes with them Act. 16. He made the prison a kind of Paradise a heaven If they be banished into other Countries he goes with them I will goe with thee oh Jacob into Egypt and bring thee backe againe If they be in death he is with us to death and in death In the valley of the shadow of death thou art with â—e at all times whatsoever and in all conditions God is with us In all our affaires whatsoever God is with us Feare not Josua Feare not Moses what was the ground of their comfort I will be with thee Hee was with Saint Paul in all conditions therefore hee bids him feare not So our blessed Saâ—iour the head of all in Act. 10.38 in the speech of Peter to Cornelius hee did all things well for God was with him you see how God is with his children What is the ground that the great and holy and pure God blessed for ever should be with such sinfull and wretched creatures as we are that hee should not onely be with us and about us and compasse us as a shield but be in us The ground of all is his free love in Christ Christ was God with us first God that hee might be with us ordained that Chrisâ— should be God with us Emmanuel that hee should take our nature into unity of person with himselfe Christ being God with us that he
to send us to heaven and make us partakers of that we desire most First wee desire that God will be with us here and secondly that we may be with God in heaven they make Gods children partakers of their desires by killing of them Let Tyrants and all persons that have a malignant disposition to the Church of God and are armed with power let them doe their worst the cause must stand impregnable Christ will have a Church and Kingdome in the world and their spirits will be impregnable against them they may kill them but they cannot hurt them they may kill them but they cannot kill their courage As we see in the Martyres there was the Spirit of God in them above all the dealings of of the persecutors there was a fire of Gods Spirit in them above all outward fire whatsoever You see it must be taken for granted that the Church of God and every particular Christian hath many enemies against them as it is Psal. 129. From my youth up saith the Church they have fought against me but they have not prevayled From my youth up from Abel to the last Saint that shall be in the world there will be alway some against Gods people yet their comfort is that none shall be against them to prevaile either over the Spirit of God in them or over the cause that they manage First of all you see then that the state of a Christian in this world is an impregnable state and a glorious condition Here is glory upon glory from this clause to the end of the Chapter If God be with us who shall be against us If God gave his Sonne for us shall hee not with him give us al things else there is another glorious speech Who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods people another glorious triumphant speech another glorious speech Who shall separate us from the love of God founded in Christ Hee loves Christ first and us in Christ as members and as he loves him eternally so he loves us eternally too Therefore you see every way the state of a Christian is a glorious condition Who can be against us You see the state of Gods people it is an impregnable and glorious condition Then by this meanes those that are strange Paradoxes to flesh and blood yet they agree in a Christian. He is never alone when hee is alone God is with him the Father Son and Holy-Ghost are with him Angels are with him God is not only with him but his guard is with him and Gods Spirit is with him and in him victoriously both in grace and comfort Christ saith to his Disciples when they thought to leave him alone saith hee you cannot leave me alone My Father is with me and Saint Paul towards his latter end that had deserved so well of the Christian world All forsooke me saith he but the Lord forsooke me not but delivered me out of the mouth of the Lion So a Christian is not alone hee is not left to the mercy of his enemies but God is with him and who shall be against him to prevayle over him Againe though a Christian be a worme a person trampled upon for so the Church is the most afflicted part of man-kind yet Feare not thou worme Jacob. The world accounts them as wormes and they account themselves so they are trodden on as wormes they are wormes upon earth yet they have a glorious head in heaven and a glorious guard about them strange things agree in a Christian therefore let us not stumble though wee see not these things presently the life of a Christian is a mysterie Againe hence we see that a Christian profession to be a sound Christian to have true faith in Christ to be one with Christ and to be taken out of the state of nature this condition and the happinesse of it it hath the strongest foundation of any life in the world Christianity is founded upon the strongest and the greatest reasons that can bee Faith stands with the greatest reason that a thing can doe Why The comfort of a Christian is that he hath no enemy that shall prevaile over him and what is the ground of that God is with him God the Father Son and Holy Ghost Faith is that that layes hold upon that presence and promise and covenant of God and is not faith well bottomed A Christian that carries himselfe valiantly and couragiously is not his course grounded on sound reason Is not God with him God the Father is his father God the Son is his Redeemer God the Holy Ghost is his Comforter There is no other men that have strong reason for their course for that choise that they make of their Religion and of their wayes they prove but fooles in the conclusion onely the sound Christian that by the Spirit of God hath his eyes open to see the cursed estate he is in by nature and what it is to be in Christ and by a Spirit of faith is made one with Christ hee is the truely wise man in his faith and affiance that the world mockes at that hee hath no common supports in the world which hee cares not for if God be on his side hee cares not what man can doe against him as it is Psal. 118. you see on what ground it is founded God is with him and none can be against him Let us labour to lay up these principles wee worke according as our principles are Principles are the foundation of all conclusions that arise from them As our grounds are so are we in our faith and working and grace and comfort every way if wee have rotten principles if the grounds of our comfort bee rotten our course will be rotten and uncomfortable in the conclusion Let us build upon the Rocke to be well bottomed and founded that our principles and grounds bee strong and that they be so to us for what if God be with his if he be not so to us Let us labour to lay up sound grounds Grounds have influence into the whole course of our lives this one Text hath influence into all the parts of our lives in doing in suffering in all conditions I know not a more pregnant fruitfull principle in the Scripture than this If God be with us who can be against us It is like a pearle little in quantity few in words but strong in sence large in the fruit that issues from it Therefore as wee may carry pearles or precious things wheresoever we go because there is a great deale of worth in them and they be small in quantity so wee may carry this principle with us let us bee sure to lay it up and make use of it There be these two That there is a God and that God is with his children and so with his children that hee will subvert and overthrow all their enemies and all their plots and endevours a principle of wonderfull comfort If
immortality there is no death in that birth A Christian as hee is a new creature hath a generation to eternitie hee never dies In regard of our being here there is generation after generation successions of men but when wee are new borne though wee cease to be here we go to heaven He that beleeves in mee saith Christ shall never die Man that is 〈◊〉 of a Woman saith Job hath but a short time to live and that short time is full of misery but man that is borne of the spirit hath an eternall time to live and that a happie life All flesh is grasse in regard of this life we lead which is supported with meat and drink and the comforts of this life all flesh is grasse and the beauty of it as the flower of the grasse but the Word of God indureth for ever and as Saint Iohn saith hee that doth the will of God indureth for ever The word of God indures for ever because it makes us having the spirit of God to indure for ever The world passeth and the lusts of it but he that doth the will of God that is new borne by the word of God and transformed to the obedience of God he abides for ever Would you abide for ever and not passe from alteration to alteration as wicked men they alter and come to nothing and worse than nothing then labor for this estate this is the way to abide for ever this life hath no date of daies no death Labour to plant our selves in Christ by faith that so in him wee may have an eternall estate Thou art our habitation from generation to generation It was a Psalme that was made upon occasion of their falling away in the Wildernesse they dropped away as leaves and few of them came to Canaan Well saith he we fall away here and wither as grasse c. But thou art our God from generation to generarion that is wee have a perpetuall subsistence in thee A Christian when hee is in God by being in Christ hath a perpetuall everlasting subsistence As we are Temples of God so he is our Temple wee dwell in him thou art our habitation c. Who would not labour to bee in such an estate for in this world there is nothing but a succession of Generations Secondly Every man hath a particular generation There is some emphasis in this David in his generation For men drop not into the world at all adventure but every man hath his own time appointed when to come into the world and when to goe out some in one time and some in another Therfore the times wherin they live are foreknown of God he hath set downe when such a man shall be borne in such an age of the world so long he shall live such work hee shall do and when he hath done his worke he shall be taken away hence and another shall come and stand up in his place So every man hath his own generation designed and appointed and ordained by God himselfe from all eternity not only his generation but all the circumstances of it the very place of his abode the time and season and country where he shall live all are set downe It is usefull for this end to observe in what times our lot is fallen to what times God hath reserved us what generation and age we live in to consider of the state of the times Are they good blesse God that hath reserved us to those times We pittie some good men that lived in ill times as our Countrie-men in Queene Maries time and other dark times they were worthy men and it was pitty they lived not in better ages certainly they would have beene excellent men then Therefore we should blesse God for reserving us to better times What makes the times better The discovery of salvation by Iesus Christ the discovery of the meanes of happinesse in another world In what age there is a cleerer discovery where there is most spirit working together with the outward meanes that is a blessed age the spirit of God was not working so much in former times of darknesse and Popery Then there were many that followed the Beast to their eternall destruction though God had mercy on many soules that followed him As it is said in Scripture they followed Absalom in the simplicity of their hearts not knowing whither they went so they followed Popery in the simplicity of their hearts not knowing the danger God had mercy on them yet certainly thousands of them were wrapped up in darknes they were miserable times then Those that know Popery wil say so those that read the story will say so the world was wrapped in wars and miseries in those times It is true our times are not so good as they should be and in many regards they are miserable times and we must not murmure at this dispensation of God if God hath so appointed that our lot shall be to live in hard and ill times I say in some respects these are bad times for the world the older it growes the worse it is As it is in a sinck the further it goes the more soyle it gathers so al the soyle of former times are met in the sinck of later times in that respect this generation is an ill generati◠but if we consider what makes times good the manifestatiō of Christs glorious Gospel that hath shined for a hundred yeere more in our Church the discovery of the means of salvation so cleerly the abundance of the spirit with the meanes making men to apprehend the means enlightning their understandings to make use of them and working their hearts to obedience look in what age these are they are happie times Witnesse our Saviour and he is the best Iudge Happie are the eyes that see the things that yee see and the eares that heare the things that you heare Oh! in former times if they had seene that that wee see and heard that that wee heare they would have accounted themselves happy Oh! those that lived two hundred yeeres ago though they were good men if they had lived to see that that we see and to heare that that we heare living in the glorious lustre and Sun-shine of the Gospell how would it have reioyced them Therefore as we have cause to consider of the ills of the time and generation that wee bee not swayed away with them so we have cause on the other side to blesse God that hath reserved us to these times of knowledge In regard of the ills we may say with Saint Austin Lord to what times are we reserved But in regard of the good things wee may say blessed be God that hath reserved us for these things that he hath cast our time thus that we should be borne in this generation in the blessed time of the Gospell in this second spring of the Gospell We should blesse God for it
subordinate rules whatsoever what is that The word of God it hath authority from it selfe not borrowed of men it is a rule that rules all is ruled of none others rule but by this rule this is a rule ruling the very rulers of the world No mans will is a law further than it is squared by this law of lawes It is an inflexible rule it cannot bee bent to mens purposes man would bring Gods will to his will but it is the measure that measures all and is measured by none for we must not judge the word the word must judge us You have some presumptuous persons that will judge and murmure at the word but the word will bee too good for them and judge them Hee that judgeth the law and gives sentence on the law shewes himself a foole the law must judge him much more the law of God therefore it is authenticall These are the maine properties of that that must be a rule to judge our lives by Now the word of God is both knowne and is not subject to errour any kind of way and it is equall to all things that may fall under it and it is authenticall of credit for it selfe let men say what they will it must rule and not be ruled Therefore David when hee ordered his course of life by this will of God he deserved this commendation that in his generation he served the will of God There bee subordinate rules in their kind as the Law of Nature and the Lawes of men direct in things of this life to doe them in that manner according to the rule a civill Law for civill actions mens Lawes for mens actions but when we doe any thing holily we must have direction from Gods Law and that must put the respect of service to God upon our actions For howsoever wee doe things civilly by the Civill Law and doe things comely by the Law of Nature Nature teacheth us to carry ourselves in a decorâ—m to give every man his due but it is not a service of God except it be directed by the rule of God a man cannot serve God without a higher rule than man can give But you will say how shall wee apply and make use of this rule in particular actions the Word is but short but actions are infinite the Word of God directs me not to this or that action and â—aith you shall doe this or that in particular but gives generall rules how shall we come to carrie our selves in particular actions here is the skill for a rule is not to hang up a measure is not to bee cast aside but to be applied a rule is a thing in relation to a thing ruled and a measure to things measured and if we doe not apply it we lose the use of it How shall we know how to serve the Will of God in every particular action Besides the generall Word of God we have some outward helpes and some inward The outward helpes are First the Ministery that is one maine outward help and what is the Ministery for but to dig up the treasure the Myne of God to lay open the Will of God in particular to branch out and lay open and anatomize the duties of such and such callings by their Ministeriall gifts which God hath given his servants in a competent measure to give particular directions They have their callings for this end to speak a word in season they have the tongue of the learned God hath not set up this calling for naught therefore as we goe to the learned in the Law in doubts in that kind so in particular doubts why doe we not make use of those that study that way if it be in such a case as perhaps we have no light in our selves It is one end of their calling because perhaps our callings are such as that we cannot studie particulars our selves therefore God hath sanctified that calling that wee might have the use of it that is one Another outward helpe for particulars it is communion with good people those that are led with the spirit of God for wee must know that God oft times laies up the practise of one man in the breast of another because he would knit man to man We are oft times at a losse the best of us all in particular directions what to doe sometimes a meaner man in some things than our selves can give better directions in particular than our selves shall we storme and swell at this no it is Gods wisdome that one man should carrie that which is for the speciall use of another that wee might take counsell and aske advise one of another A wise man ordereth his doings by Counsell saith the Wiseman and oft times he that takes advise of himselfe hath a foole to his Counsellour and he beshrewes himselfe that he would not take the benefit of another mans advice therefore besides the publique Ministerie this is one helpe our Christian friends and acquaintance and they are reserved for such a time A friend is made for adversity for ill times in perplexed and doubtfull cases this is to make use and benefit of others Againe the Lawes of men what are the Lawes if they bee good but particular determinations of the Will of God We ought to have reverent conceits of the Lawes for they doe but bring Gods generalls to particulars if they bee good Lawes if they have not their derivation from Gods Lawes they are naught but if they backe that in any thing they are nothing but a particular determining of the generall rules in Gods Word to give every man his due c. Therefore in many cases we may know what the Will of God is by the good Lawes of the kingdome which bind the Conscience to obedience There is no disobedience to mens Lawes but where there is disobedience to Gods Lawes first which hath stablished mens Lawes And then in some particulars when it doth not appeare what wee should doe the example of good people of the wisest and best in the ranke and place where wee live till wee know the contrary the best way is to rest in their judgment to follow the advice of others the direction of friends or the Lawes and customes and not to be refractary and opposite except there be reason to the contrary for mans spirit is a divine thing it must alway be led with some reason but with this reservation a man may keep to others till it appeare otherwise till hee see other light and direction to take this course This is the â—disposition that should bee in every peaceable â—man These bee some outward helpes to know the Will of God in particular actions The inward helps to know what Gods Will in particular is together with the Word of God unfolded The Spirit of God which is as a voyce behind us saying This is the way walke in it Isa. 30. Wherefore serves the blessed Spirit
made the Author a man of God perfect thorowly furnished unto all good workes and as became a faithfull Steward of the manifold grace of God he endeavoured to teach the whole counsell of God and to store men with the knowledge of Gods will in all wisedome and spirituall understanding I desire that both thou and I and all Gods people may so reade these his labours that it may farther our growing in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord Iesus Christ to whose grace I commend thee being Woodstreet November 6. 1638. Thine in him ARTHVR JACKSON A DESCRIPTION OF CHRIST In His neerenesse to GOD In His calling In His qualification In His execution of his calling In three Sermons Being the leading Sermons to that Treatise called the Bruised Reed preached upon the precedent words By the late Reverend and learned Divine RICHARD SIBS Doctor in Divinitie Master of Katherine Hall in Cambridge and sometimes Preacher at GRAYES INNE ISA. 61.1 The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me because the Lord hath annoynted me to preach good tidings unto the meeke LONDON Printed by G M. for N Bourne and R. Harford and are to be sold at the south entrance of the Royall Exchange and at the guilt Bible in Queenes-head-Alley in Pater-noster row MDCXXXIX A DESCRIPTION OF CHRIST MAT. 12.18 Behold my servant whom I have chosen my Beloved in whom my soule is well pleased I will put my Spirit upon him and he shall shew judgement to the Gentiles he shall not strive nor crie neither shall any man heare his voice in the streets c. THE words are the accomplishment of a prophesie taken out of Isaiah 42. as we may see by the former verse That it might bee fullfilled Now the occasion of bringing them in here in this verse it is a charge that Christ gives verse 16. That they should not discover and make him knowne for the miracles he did he withdrawes himselfe he was desirous to be concealed he would not live to the view overmuch for he knew the rebellious disposition of the Jewes that were willing to change their governement and to make him King therefore he laboured to conceale himselfe all kinde of wayes now upon this charge that they should tell no body hee brings in the Prophet Isaiah prophesying of him Behold my servant c. hee shall not strive nor crie neither shall any man heare his voice in the streetes Other Kings labour that their pomp and magnificence may be seene but he shall not mind ostentation he shall not be contentious nor clamarous for these 3. things are meant when he saith he shall not strive nor crie neither shall his voice be heard in the streetes he shall not yeeld to any ostentation for hee came in an abased state to worke our salvation hee shall not be contentious nor yet clamarous in matter of wrong there shall be no boasting any kinde of way as wee shall see when wee come to the words you see then the inference here The inference in the Prophet Isaiah is to comfort the people and to direct them how to come to worship the true God after he had declaimed against their Idolatry as we see in the former chapter Behold my servant c. Great Princes have their Embassadours and the great God of Heaven hath his Son his servant in whom hee delights through whom and by whom all intercourse betweene God and man is It is usuall in the Prophesies especially of Isaiah that Evangelicall Prophet when he foretells any thing comfortable to the people in the promise of temporall things he riseth to stablish their faith in better things by adding thereto a prophesie and promise of Christ the Messias to insinuate thus much I will send you the Messias that is a greater gift then this that I have promised you therefore you may be sure of the lesse as the Apostle reasons excellently Rom. 8. If hee spared not his owne sonne but delivered him to death for us all how shall hee not with him give us all things So here I have promised you deliverance out of Babylon and this and that doe you doubt of the performance alas what is that in comparison of a greater favour I intend you in Christ that shall deliver you out of another manner of Babylon Behold my servant whom I have chosen and in Isa. 7. Behold a Virgin shall conceive and bare a sonne c. I will send you the Messias God shall become man therefore I will not stand for any outward favour or deliverance whatsoever So he goes to the grand promise that they might reason from the greater to the lesse There is another end why in other promises there is mention of the promise of the Messias to uphold their faith Alas wee are unworthy of these promises wee are laden with sin and iniquity It is no matter J will send you the Messias Behold my servant in whom my soule delighteth and for his sake I will delight in you I am well pleased with you because I am well pleased in him therefore be not discouraged All the Promises are yea and Amen in Iesus Christ For all the promises that be though they bee for the things of this life they are made for Christ they are yea in him and they are performed for his sake they are Amen in him So much for the occasion of the inference in the Evangelist Saint Matthew and likewise in the Prophet Isay. To come more directly to the words Behold my servant whom I have chosen my Beloved in whom my soule is well pleased c. In the words you have a description of Christ his nearenesse to God Behold my servant whom I have chosen my Beloved in whom my soule is well pleased And then his calling and qualification I will put my Spirit upon him And the execution of that calling He shâ—ll shew judgement to the Gentiles Then the quiet and peaceable manner of the execution of his calling He shall not strive nor crie neither shall any man heare his voice in the streets c. Behold This word is as it were a Beacon lighted up to all the rest in all the Evangelists you have this word often repeated and the Prophets likewise when they speake of Christ there is no Prophesie almost but there is this word Behold Why Not to spend time in the variety of acceptions but to speake of it as may serve for the present purpose The use of it in the Prophet especially out of which these words are taken was to present Christ to the hearts of the people of God then therefore he saith Behold for Christ was present to the Beleevers then he did profit before hee was hee did good before he was exhibited because he was the Lambe of God slaine from the beginning of the world he was yesterday as well as to day and to morrow as well as to day yesterday to day and the same for ever
was a Type of Christs sacrifice Now that Christs sacrifice was so acceptable to God there is a direct place for it in Ephes. 5. Walke in love as Christ hath loved us and hath given himselfe an offering and a sacrifice to God of a sweet smell And indeed how many sweet savours were there in the sacrifice of Christ offered on the Crosse was there not the sweet savour of obedience he was obedient to the death of the Crosse there was the sweet savour of patience and of love to mankind therefore God delighted in him as God as Man as Mediator God-Man in his doings in his sufferings every way Doth God delight thus in Christ in his person or considered mystically I answer both God loves and delights in Christ mysticall that is in Christ and his members in whole Christ This is my Beloved Sonne in whom I am well pleased not onely with whom alone by himselfe but in whom in him as God in him in body and soule in him as head of the Church in him mystically in all that are under him any kind of way God delights in him and all his Is it possible that hee should delight in the head and refuse the members That he should love the husband and mislike the Spouse O no with the same love that God loves Christ he loves all his he delights in Christ and all his with the same delight there is some difference in the degree That Christ in all things may have the preheminence but it is the same love therefore our Saviour sets it downe excellently in his owne prayer he desires that the same love wherewith his Father loved him may be in them that are his that they may feele the love wherewith his Father loves him for hee loves him and his members him and his Spouse with all one love This is our comfort and our confidence that God accepts us because hee accepts his Beloved and when he shall cease to love Christ he shall cease to love the members of Christ they and Christ make one mysticall Christ. This is our comfort in dejection for sinne wee are so and so indeed but Christ is the chosen servant of God In whom he delighteth and delights in us in him it is no matter what we are in our selves but what we are in Christ when we are once in him and continue in him God loves us with that inseperable love wherewith hee loves his owne Sonne therefore Saint Paul triumphs Rom. 8. What shall seperate us from the love of God in Christ Iesus This love it is founded in Christ therefore neither things present nor things to come as he goes on there gloriously shall bee able to seperate us you see what a wondrous confidence and comfort wee have hence if we labour to be in Christ that then God loves and delights in us because he loves and delights in Christ Jesus And here is a wondrous comfort that God must needs love our salvation and redemption when he loves Christ because hee powred out his soule to death to save us doth not God delight that wee should bee saved and our sinnes should bee forgiven when hee loves Christ because hee abased himselfe for that purpose What a prop and foundation of comfort is this when the Divell shall present God to us in a terrible hideous manner as an avenging God and consuming fire c. indeed out of Christ he is so let us present to our selves thoughts of God as the Scripture sets foorth God to us and as God setâ— forth himself not only in that sweet relation as a Father to Christ buâ— our father I go to my Father and your Father to my God and your God having both one God and love and care There is none of us all but the Divell will have a saying to us either in the time of our life in some terrible temptation especially when any outward abasement comes or at the houre of death and all the cordials wee have gathered out of the Word will then be little enough to support the drooping soule especially in the houre of temptation Oh Beloved what a wondrous stay and satisfaction to a distressed conscience doth this yeeld that Christ in all that hee hath wrought for us is Gods chosen servant whom he loves and delights in and delights in him for this very worke that hee abased himselfe and gave himselfe for us that hee wrought Gods worke because he wrought reconciliation for us If we can believe in Christ wee see heere what ground of comfort wee have that God loves and delights in us as he doth in his owne Son And what a comfort is it now in our daily approach to God to minister boldnesse to us in all our suites that we goe to God in the name of one that he loves in whom his soule delights that we have a friend in Court a friend in Heaven for us that is at the right hand of God and interposeth himselfe there for us in all our suites that makes us acceptable that perfumes our prayers and makes them acceptable his intercession is still by vertue of his service dying for us he interceeds by vertue of his redemption if God love him for the worke of redemption he loves him for his intercession therefore God must needs regard the prayers made by him by vertue of his dying for us when he loves him for dying for us Bee sure therfore in al our suites to God to take along our elder Brother take our beloved Brother take Benjamin with us offer al to God in him our persons to be accepted in him our prayers our hearing our works and al that we do and we shal be sure to speed For he is one in whom the soule of God delights There must be this passage and repassage as God looks upon us lovely in him and delights in us as wee are members of him all Gods love and the fruits of it come to us as we are in Christ and are one with him then in our passage to God againe we must returne all and doe all to God in Christ be sure not to goe to a naked God for so he is a consuming fire but goe to him in the mediation of him whom he loves and in whom his soule delighteth And shall God love him and delight in him and shall not our soule delight in Christ This therefore should stirre up our affections to Christ to be faithfull in our conjugall affection as the Spouse of Christ to say My Beloved is mine and I am my Beloveds Christ calls his Church My Love and my Dove Doth Christ delight in us and God delight in Christ and shall not we delight in Christ that delights in us and in whom God delights In the 1. Cor. 16. ult the Apostle is bold to pronounce a bitter curse Anathema Maranatha upon him that loves not the Lord Christ Jesus a most bitter curse when Christ shall become a
minde of it besides the threatning of dangers by enemies abroad if we will not watch now and stand upon our guard when will we Let us be watchfull to doe all the good we can to bee fruitfull to be good stewards to have large hearts The time may come that we may be stripped of all and we know not how soone having but a little time let us doe good in it study all opportunities in these times roufe up our sluggish soules Feare it is awaking affection Iaakob when his brother Esau was ready to ceaze on him he could not sleepe that night We know not how soone the hand and arrow of God may strike us besides other judgements let us shake off Security and doe every thing we doe sincerely to God We may come to God to make our account we know not how soone let us doe every thing as in his presence and to him in our particular callings let us bee conscionable and carefull and fruitfull let us doe all in our places to God and not to the world or to our owne particular gaine but doe it as those that must give account ere long to God Now God threatneth us to come and give our account who can be secure he shall have life for a weeke or for one day Wee cannot our times are in Gods hands we came into the world in his time and we must goe out in his time but now we have lesse cause to hope for long life This is to make a right use of the judgement of God to be watchfull in this kind And withall let us be good husbands now in the interim betweene the threatning and the execution of the judgement let us store up comforts from the promises of God and store up the comforts of a good life we shall have more comfort of the meanes we have bestowed wisely then of that we shall leave behinde us Thus if we doe come what will we are prepared Many holy and heavenly men have beene visited with pestilentiall sickenesse Hezekias was a King and his was a pestilentiall sickenesse and many holy Divines of late and other Christians have beene swept away by the sickenesse Iunius and other rare men of excellent use in the Church Therefore let us labour to get into the favour of God make use of our renewing our covenant for the time to come that is one end of fasting now to renew our covenants to remake them for the time to come and then come what will and welcome life or death for there is a blessing hid in the most loathsome sickenesse and death If wee come to Heaven it is no matter by what way Though the body be sowen in dishonour we may die of a noysome disease that we cannot have our friends neare us yet the body shall rise againe in honour What matter saith Saint Paul If by any meanes I may come to the resurrection of the dead by faire death or foule death it is no matter And if so bee that God make not good his promise of particular protection of our bodies from contagion c. it is no matter wee have a generall promise that he will be our God he is the God of Abraham the God of the dead as well as of the living He is a God that is everlasting in the Covenant of grace in life and death and for ever if wee bee entered into the covenant of grace it holds for ever And when all other promises faile and all things in the world faile sticke to the maine promise of forgivenesse of sinnes and life everlasting When all things in the world will faile wee must leave them shoâ—tly wealth and whatsoever what a comfort is in that grand promise that God will forgive us our sinnes and give us life everlasting for Christ Therefore when all things else are gone let us wrap our selves in the gracious promises of Christ and then wee shall live and dye with comfort FINIS THE DEAD-MAN OR THE STATE OF EVERY Man by nature In one Sermon By the late Reverend and Learned Divine RICHARD SIBS Doctor in Divinity Master of Katherine Hall in Cambridge and sometimes Preacher at GRAYES INNE JOHN 5.25 Verily verily I say unto you the houre is comming and now is when the dead shall heare the voice of the Sonne of God and they that heare shall live LONDON Printed by G.M. for Nicholas Bourne and Rapha Harford MDCXXXIX THE DEAD-MAN EPHES. 2.1 And you hath â—ee quickned who were dead in trespasses and sinnes THE matter of this excellent Epistle is partly doctrinall and partly exhortatory as it was S. Paules course in all his Epistles to lay the foundation of practise in doctrine The heart must be mooved but the braine must be instructed first there is a simpathy betweene those two parts as in nature so in grace The doctrinall part of the Epistle sets out the riches of Christ chiefly in the first Chapter in regard of the spring of them Gods eternall election Then in this Chapter by way of comparison by comparing the state of grace to the state of nature You hath hee quickned who were dead in trespasses and sins The dependance of this Verse I take it to be from the 19. Verse of the first Chapter The Apostle there prayes that the Ephesians might have the eye of their understandings opened and enlightned that they might know among other things what the exceeding great power of God is towards us that beleeve According to the working of his mighty power that he wrought in Christ when hee raised him from the dead that they might have experience of that mighty power that raised Christ from the dead Now here in this Chapter he saith They were raised together with Christ and set together with him in heavenly places His reason is in this manner Those that are raised up and quickned with Christ to sit in heavenly places with him have experience of a mighty power But you are raised up and quickned with Christ to sit in heavenly places with him therefore you have experience of a mighty power that raised Christ for those that are raised and quickned with Christ have experience of that power that Christ had when he was raised up The second thing that he intends especially in this Chapter is to shew that being raised with Christ they are brought nearer to God both Iewes and Gentiles that of themselves were farre off Now he shewes that they were raised and quickned with Christ and brought neare to God in Christ that they might magnifie the free grace of God in Christ all is by grace and thereupon to be stirred up to a suteable comfortable and gracious life To come to the words And you hath he quickned c. They are an application of the former comfortable truths to them you hath he quickned c. These words hath he quickned are not in the originall in this place they are after in verse 5. When we were dead in
of his when he rose againe in his resurrection the acquittance from our sinnes was sealed thereby we know that the debt is paid because he rose againe let us see an acquittance of all in the resurrection And if we thinke of the glory that God hath reserved for us thinke of it in Christ see Christ glorious first and we in him See Christ at the right hand of God and wee in him carry Christ along with us in our contemplations We are quickned with Christ Christ takes away all the deaths J spake of before Christ by his resurrection tooke away the death of sentence he rose againe for our justification so that now there is no condemnation to them that are in Christ. So againe in regard of that deadly disposition that is in us Christ quickens us in regard of that by infusing grace by his Spirit for Christ is an universall principle of all life Now Christ by his death pacifying his Father obteined the Spirit and by that Spirit which he infuseth as a principle of life he more and more quickens our nature and makes it better and better till it be perfect in Heaven As Adam was a principle of death and the more we live in the state of nature the worse we are til we come to hel So when we are in Christ the Spirit sanctifies us more and more till he have brought us to perfection And as we are quickned from the death of sentence and of disposâ—tion so we are quickned in regard of that hope of glory that we have For now in Christ we are in Heaven already and though there come bodily death betweene yet notwithstanding that is but a fitting us for glory the body is but fitted and molded in the grave for glory This very consideration will quicken a man in death my head is in Heaven above water therefore the body shall not bee long under water And Faith makes that that is to come present and affects the soule comfortably Christ is in Heaven already and J am there in Christ and J shall be there as verily as he is there I am there de jure de facto I shall be there in these considerations Christ quickens us Therefore saith St. Peter Blessed be God the Father of our Lord Iesus Christ who hath begotten us againe through the resurrection of Christ from the dead to a lively hope of an inheritance immortall c. We are begotten againe to this inheritance by the resurrection of Christ who is risen againe to quicken himselfe and all his The consideration of this should affect us as it did Saint Peter to blesse God Now all this quickning power ariseth from our union with Christ we must have a beeing in Christ before we can have comfort by death with him or by rising with him Our union with Christ springs from faith faith is cherished by the Sacrament the Word and Sacrament beget faith faith unites us to Christ union with Christ makes us partake of his death and the benefits of it and of his resurrection and ascention to glory therefore the more we attend upon this ordinance of the Word and the seale of the Word the Sacrament the more our faith is increased for God invites us to communion and fellowship with Christ and all his benefits and favours and the more wee find faith assured of Christ the more union and fellowship wee have with Christ and the more wee seele that the more Christ is a quickning Spirit quickning us with the life of grace here and the hope of Glory afterward Therefore let us comfortably attend upon the ordinance of God sanctified for this purpose to strengthen this our union with Christ. FINIS THE FRVITFVLL LABOVR FOR Eternall Foode In two Sermons By the late Reverend and Learned Divine RICHARD SIDS Doctor in Divinity Master of Katherine Hall in Cambridge and sometimes Preacher at Grayes-Inne ESAY 55.2 Why doe you spend money for that which is not Bread and your labour for that which satisfieth not Hearken diligently unto mee and eate yee that which is good and let your soule delight it selfe in fatnesse JOHN 6.55 For my flesh is meate indeed and my blood is drink indeed LONDON Printed by G.M. for Nicholas Bourne and Rapha Harford 1639. THE FRVITFVLL LABOVR FOR Eternall Food IOHN 6.27 Labour not for the meate that perisheth but for the meate that indureth to everlasting life which the Sonne of man shall give you for him hath God the Father Sealed OUr blessed Saviour was mighty in word and deed witnesse what he did what he taught and both in this Chapter What he did hee fed many with a few loaves he came over the water without any helpe What he taught witnesse from this part of the Chapter to the end The words are part of an Answer of our blessed Saviour to his hypocriticall followers that followed him for the Loaves and not for any confirmation of their faith by his miracles for upon occasion of those two miracles mentioned in the former part of the Chapter they followed him and perceiving that hee was miraculously come over the water they began to aske him Rabbi how camest thou heere Our Saviour perceives that they meant to complement with him he sees with what hearts they came after him therefore as most befitting the Exigence of their state because they were hypocrites he answers not to their question but to their persons Verily verily yee seeke mee not because of the miracles but because yee eate of the loaves and were filled Labour not for the meate that perisheth c. The Verses together containe a Conviction and an Injunction or direction A Conviction and that is serious and loving Serious Verily verily I say unto you you seeke mee not because of the miracles but because yee eate of the loaves c. Hee convinceth them of their fault of their hypocrisie of their wicked and carnall aimes in holy businesse they come flattering of Christ but as hee was too holy to flatter so he was too wise to be flattered hee deales therefore directly with them thoroughly convinceth them of their hypocrisie and corrupt aimes in following after him We are all naturally prone to these carnall ends in holy actions we must take heed with what mindes with what hearts we come before God whose eyes are brighter then the Sun who regards not so much what we doe as with what mindes we doe it As his conviction is Serious so it is Loving for with the conviction or reproofe followes the injunction or direction Labour not for the meate that perisheth In the Injunction there are two things First he shewes them what they should not follow he takes them off from labouring after the meate that perisheth And then secondly hee instructs them in what they should follow what they should seeke after But labour for the meate that indureth to everlasting life c. There are Arguments in both In the first there is an Argument disswasive and
that is infolded Labour not for the meate that perisheth because it is meate that perisheth In the second there are Arguments prerswasive or inforcing to the duty and they are three The necessity The excellencie The possibility of attaining The necessity it is meate and what so necessary as meate The excellency and that is set forth first by the continuance it is meate that endures Secondly by the fruit or effect of it it is meate that endures to everlasting life it is meate to life and it is meate that tends to an everlasting to a glorious life The possibility of attaining it The Sonne of man shall give it you for him hath the Father Sealed There are three things that must concurre to make a thing attaineable and to be had A willingnesse in the giver Power and strength to give it And then Authority with power Heere are all these heere is will to bestow it he will give it what freer then a gift the Sonne of God became the Sonne of man upon purpose to give it hee will give it and he will give it freely Heere is power and strength to give it for he is the Sonne of God as well as the Sonne of man And then heere is Authority joyned with that power for the Father hath Sealed him The Father that created Heaven and Earth that hath all power in his hands that is King of Kings and Lord of Lords He hath Sealed him Hee hath given him full Commission to bee the Saviour of all that trust in him Christ came not without Authority from God the Father hee came out with Gods broad Seale as his Commission So you see the Arguments both disswasive Labour not for the meate that perisheth and perswasive But for the meate that endureth to everlasting life I shall but touch the former and principally insist upon the latter Branch To speake a little for the explication of the words What is heere meant by the meate that perisheth We must enlarge the sense according to our Saviours meaning By the meate that perisheth hee doth not intend onely outward food but all outward things whatsoever they are the meate that perisheth all earthly and outward things are the foode that the soule of a naturall man feedes upon The soule of a Covetous man feeds upon his money applauding himselfe that he is worth so much and so much The Ambitious man Camelion like feeds upon the ayre upon the ayrie applause of the people The Sensuall man feeds upon base and sensuall pleasures in a word all carnall men naturall men are condemned to that sentence of the Serpent to eate dust to feede upon outward earthly perishing things So that every thing that is not grace and glory or the meanes that leade to it is a perishing thing Nay to raise it a little higher Learning and Knowledge if it be onely of perishing things is food that perisheth for as the frame of nature and the civill frame of the world must have an end and perish so the knowledge of naturall and civill things must needs be perishing also And to say no more the very knowledge the speculative and contemplative knowledge of religious things if we have onely the knowledge of the things in us and are not turned into the things we know is a perishing thing The truthes of God indeed are the food of the soule but unlesse the goodnesse of those truths be the food of the will and affections unlesse we are molded and fashioned into the very forme of those truthes unlesse we are framed to a love and liking of that which we know that those truths be rooted and planted in us it is food that perisheth In a religious discourse in preaching all your ornaments besides that which quickneth and strengtheneth the soule to holy duties is food that perisheth And your hearing if it be only to heare wittie sentences and turnings of speech without regard to the truth it selfe is food that perisheth Thus you see what a great latitude this food that perisheth hath in Christs meaning Now our blessed Saviour takes them off from labouring for this by a strong Argument Would you have a greater argument It is food that perisheth we doe not regard the lustre of things but their continuance Why do we esteeme of Chrystall more then glasse Because it continues Flowers have a goodly glosse but wee regard them little because they are fresh in the morning and cast away at evening And so it is with all excellencies unlesse it be grace or glory All flesh is grasse and the excellentest things of nature wit and honour and learning and all though they be not as grasse so common yet they are as the flower of the grasse they are all fading and withering but the Word of God endureth for ever that is the grace and comfort that we get by the blessed truthes of God that endures for ever and it makes us endure for ever but all other things are food that perisheth and we perish in the use of them The world passeth away and the concupisence of it the world the things lusted after perish and in lusting after the world the lust perisheth and we perish to in the pursute of them nay which is worse the immoderate seeking after these things destroy us wee eternally perish for by placing our affections on earthly things we turne earthly Therefore in Divinity wee have our denomination from our affections we are called good or ill not from our knowledge but from our affections The Divell knowes good but he is not good it is loving and joying and delighting in good or ill that makes us good or ill we have our forme and being in religion from our affections Now by seeking after and placing our affections that are ordained to close with better things which shall make us happy in another world by planting them on earthly things we become like the things earthly by placing them on the world we become the world we become earthly therefore they are not onely perishing in themselves but we perish in the pursute of them It is a strong argument that is here used all earthly things are food that perisheth for alas he that is rich to day may bee poore to morrow he may be as rich as Iob in the morning and as poore as Iob at night hee may be in credit now with Haman and bee in discredit ere soone he may be in health now and sicke ere long we need not Scripture for this experience reads us this lecture enough but we are so desperately set on earthly things that neither Faith nor experience nor the strength of discourse nor reason is sufficient to take us off till God by his Spirit convince us throughly of this therefore Moses prayes that God would teach them to number their daies so though there is a sufficient argument in the discovery of these earthly things to be perishing things to inforce a disswasion yet we cannot loosen our affections to them
arguments heere in the text for J will draw no other inforce what I have said before J have shewed you what this labour is and rules how you may know whether you rightly labour for this food or no Now to inforce this act consider first the necessity of that our Saviour here injoynes us too it is food It is a strange thing that persons should perswade themselves that they are Christians and yet goe from day to day without refreshing themselves with Christ and with the meditation of the blessed estate they are in by him both in respect of this world and that which is to come without getting strength from Christ against tentations and against corruptions Christ is foode and the promises and prerogatives we have by him are food wee should labour after it every day feede on it every day If a man should aske a man in his calling why doe you take such paines Morning and Evening rising early and going to bed late Hee would answer it is to get bread it is to get food to maintaine my family So should it bee our answer to any that wonder why wee take such paines for our soules why wee labour so after Christ Oh remember we take paines for life to get and mainetaine life and what is so necessary as life And if life bee so necessary food which preserves it must be necessary we see the Patriarks for food left their country and the poore Aegyptians sold themselves and their cattell and all to get food to keepe life We famish eternally except we feed on Christ except we have so much Faith as makes us one with him except by Faith we digest him and get nourishment and streâ—gth from him it will appeare to be so when it is too late ere long nothing in the world will relish us and then if we have not Christ and the things of another life to relish us what will become of us J beseech you consider what opinion and judgement wee shall have ere long of these earthly things and of the better things of another world at the houre of death our judgements will be convinced that the things of Heaven are the best things and if it bee true that they will bee so then why is it not true that they are so now Labour to have the same judgement now With the necessity our blessed Saviour joyneth the excellency of this food It is foode that endures to everlasting life Christ and the good things we have by him are of equall extent and of equall time with our soules if wee labour for earthly things we labour after that which is of shorter continuance then our soules we may out-live our happinesse and what a miserable state is that But if we labour for the food that endures to everlasting life our happinesse is of the same continuance with our soules and that is onely true happinesse If there were such a Tree upon the Earth now as there was in Paradice a Tree of life that whosoever should taste of the fruit of it should live though but on the Earth here to enjoy his sensuall pleasures Oh what would not men give for a little fruit of that Tree though it were to redeeme a little time and to lengthen out a fading base life on earth but much more to live for ever Here is food that endures to everlasting life to such a life as is heavenly and glorious Now blessed be God that since we are cast out of the first Paradice by sinne that now in our relapsed estate God is so mercifull to us as to provide another manner of Tree of life that in Paradice was but a typicall Tree the true Tree of life is Christ and whosoever feeds on him shall not perish but have everlasting life certainely if we beleeved this it could not be but it would wondrously see us on to labour after this meate because it is not onely food that tends to the preservation of life but to life everlasting to a life that endures as long as our soules And let us know that if wee doe not labour for this meate that brings to this life looke what degree of excellency we have had in the ranke of the creatures the same degree we shall have in misery for as the Angels in the degree of excellency were the most excellent creatures but being fallen they are in the same degree of misery that they were in happinesse and are now the most accursed creatures of all others So man as he is a most excellent creature if he feed on the food that endures to everlasting life so if like Nebuchadnezar he fâ—red as a beast on earthly things and forget his soule and affections which are made to close and feede on Christ and better things he shall have the same degree of misery that he hath in happinesse even next to the Divells the most wretched creature that can be What if a man were clad as Aaron was in all his pontificality in his Priestly robes What if hee should feed deliciously every day as Dives what and if he had the wisedome of Salomon the strength of Samson what and if he had all the kingdomes of the world if he have not the food that endures to everlasting life he should bee stripped of all these ere long it is onely Christ and the good things that are to bee had in him and by him that continue everlastingly This should inforce us to labour after this food in the use of all good meanes and before J leave the point consider the reality the truth of these heavenly things of these things wee have by Christ the second Adam all things else are shadowes The food that nourisheth the body it is not food in comparison of that earthly kingdomes are not kingdomes in respect of that earthly sonneship is not sonneship to that earthly riches they are nothing they are vanity in comparison of that earthly inheritance is no inheritance in comparison of the inheritance we have by Christ all other things are but titles of things they are but empty things there is a reality in Christ a truth in the kingdome of grace Alas what is riches what are pleasures what are honours what is sonneship what are all earthly things in comparison of the soule which is an immortall a spirituall an eternall substance they are but shadowes those things that are of equall extent and continuance with the soule and not onely of equall extent but that raise the soule to have communion with God in Heaven with the Father Sonne and Holy Ghost there is the reality there is the truth if we will have the truth of things I am that bread saith Christ afterward in this Chapter and my flesh is meate indeed and my blood is drinke indeed as if other meat and other drinke refreshed not indeed but were onely shadowes of things Labour therefore for this meate and certainely if so be the Spirit of God once convince your judgements that
the immediate fore-runner of Christ was greater then all that were before him yet he saith the least in the Kingdome of Heaven is greater then be not in grace but in prerogative in regard of the revelation and manifestation of more things For Iohn Baptist died before he saw the death and resurrection and ascention of Christ accomplished before he was glorified Therefore in regard of these prerogatives the least in the Kingdome of Heaven that is in the Church of the New Testament is greater then he It is a rule that the least of the greater is greater then the greatest of the lesse Iohn was greater then the greatest of them that were before him but lesser then the least of those that were after him Then Christ commends Iohn from the efficacie of his Ministery From the daies of Iohn Baptist untill now the Kingdome of Heaven suffereth violence and the violent take it by force so you see how the words depend upon the former For the points wee are to consider in them First here you have the state of the Church in the New Testament It is a Kingdome and the Kingdome of Heaven together with the quality of the meanes whereby it comes to be a Kingdome the meanes of grace the Gospell The Gospell and the people that are wrought on by the Gospell in the New Testament they are both called the Kingdome of Heaven Then secondly here is set downe the affection of those people that seeke this Kingdome at that time and so forward to the end of the world the disposition of the persons is they are violent The third is the issue or successe of this eagernesse and violence though the manner be violent yet the successe is good the violent take it by force The fourth is the date or time when it begins and how long it continues it beares date from the preaching of Saint Iohn Baptist to the end of the world untill now that is to the end of the world as it was said till now in the Evangelists time so posterity may say untill now from the first comming of Christ till his second comming while there is a Gospell preached which is the Ministerie of the Spirit the Spirit will bee working and there are such glorious things in the Gospell that there will bee violence offered so while there is a people to bee gathered and a Gospell to be preached to gather them and a Spirit that workes by that Gospell there will be violence in the Church offered to the meanes of salvation First The state of the Church together with the meanes the Gospell preached it is called The Kingdome of Heaven Besides others there are three maine significations of these words The Kingdome of Heaven First the famous leading proper signification is the state and place where God himselfe and his people are most glorious The Kingdome of Heaven all the other significations end in that But secondly because all that shall come into that glorious Kingdome they must bee Kings here first in the state of the kingdome of grace which consists in righteousnesse peace and joy in the Holy Ghost in the graces and comforts of the Spirit therefore the state of grace comes to have the name too of The Kingdome of Heaven And thirdly because grace in this world cannot be attained without an order and meanes and dispensation from God hereupon the dispensation of the meanes whereby we come to have grace is also called The Kingdome The unfolding the mysteries of salvation in the Gospell is called the Kingdome of God As Christ saith The Kingdome of God shall bee taken from you that is the preaching of the Gospell therefore the Gospell is called the Gospell of the Kingdome and the Word of the Kingdome because by this Word wee come to have grace and by grace glory there is no glory without grace and no grace without the Word one makes way for another The preaching of the Gospell doth cause a Church which is the Kingdome of Christ wherein hee rules by the Scepter of his Word by which Word Christ and all his riches and glory and prerogatives are unfolded and thereby grace is wrought and grace leades to glory This connexion and subordination is to bee observed First for the conviction of those who doe not indeed belong to the Kingdome of Heaven every man is ready to talke of the Kingdome of Heaven and the glory there I but there is a subordination of grace and of the meanes of grace how standest thou affected to the meanes of salvation to the Word of the Kingdome the Word of life The Word of reconciliation for it hath the name from all the excellencies to which it brings us to shew that as we valew life a Kingdome reconciliation and all that is good so we must valew this Gospell or else it is a presumptuous confidence if the priviledges of grace and glory belong to us wee must come to them by these steps those that regard not the Gospell and meanes of salvation they have nothing to do with grace nor glory they are hereby convinced of arrogant folly Againe it is a ground to comfort weake Christians that regard the meanes of salvation and yet feare their falling away be of good comfort whosoever thou art God hath knit and linked these together all the power of earth and hell cannot breake one linke of this chaine conscionable attending upon the meanes and grace and glory will go together Therefore hold on attend upon the meanes of salvation and waite with comfort The Gospell of the Kingdome will bring thee to grace and grace though it be but an earnest but a little measure will bring thee to glory Where God hath begun a good worke he will finish it he will second one benefit with another diligent attending on the meanes with grace and grace with glory In Scripture works have their denomination from that they aime at as the Apostle saith Yee have crucified the old man and yee are crucified with Christ because yee are in doing it and ye shall do it perfectly so we are Saints because wee shall be so we are Kings now because we are in part so and we shall be so fully hereafter so grace is called the Kingdome of Heaven because it is the undoubted way to the Kingdome of Heaven and glory God would helpe our faith by the very title for wee are not elected to the beginnings onely of glory but to the perfection as it is excellently set downe Ephes. 1. We are elected to glory by meanes and beginnings therefore undoubtedly we may hope for the accomplishment when we see the beginnings Why is the state of grace and the meanes of grace and glory it selfe called the Kingdome of Heaven Answ. Because they are all of and from Heaven the one is in Heaven the Kingdome of glory and the other the Kingdome of the Word here and truth and grace which
of Christianity and who will not If men will goe to Heaven they must be violent they must be at the cost and charges sometimes to venture life it selfe and whatsoever is deare and pretious in the world A man must be so violent that hee must goe thorough all even death it selfe though it be a bloudie death to Christ this discards all luke-warme carnall professors who shake off this violence in all estates of the Church it is almost equally difficult to bee a sound Christian for God requires this violence even in the most peaceable times Now the truth and religion are countenanced by the lawes yet the power of it is by many much opposed Therefore hee now that in spight of reproach in spight of slander will beare the scornes cast upon the Gospell that will goe with Christ without the gate bearing his reproach such a man may be said to be thus violent it is an easie thing to have so much Christianity as will stand with our commodity or with pleasure c. but to have so much as will bring us to Heaven I say it is equally hard in all times of the Church it requires violence to carry us thorough these lesser oppositions Againe God will have us get these things with violence that we may set a greater price on them when we have them when we have things that are gotten by violence that are gotten hardly O we valew them much Heaven is Heaven then things that are hardly gotten and hardly kept are highly prized Againe the excellencie of the thing inforceth violence it is fit that excellent things should have answerable affections Now it being a Kingdome and the Kingdome of Heaven what affection is answerable but a violent strong affection Againe together with the excellencie the necessity requires it for the Kingdome of Heaven it is a place of refuge as well as a Kingdome to inrich us There were Cities of refuge among the Jewes when a man was followed by the avenger of blood he would run as fast as he could to the Citie of refuge and there he was safe so when a guilty conscience pursues us when there is a noise of feare in the heart when Gods judgements awaken us hell is open when a man apprehends his estate and is convinced what a one he is and what he deserves of necessity he will flie to the Citie of refuge and where is that but in the Kingdome of Heaven in the Church happie is he that can but get in at the gate of this Kingdome there is no doubt of his going in further but there must be a striving to enter in at the gate and then there he shall be hid in his Sanctuary as the pursued Doves get into their nests and the Connies hide them in the rock when they get that over their heads then they are safe so a Christian when he is pursued with conscience and with the temptations of Satan he flies to his Sanctuary doe you wonder that a guilty man should flee to his sanctuary and the pursued creatures to their hold and refuge In this respect the Kingdome of Heaven suffereth violence Herein it is compared to some great rich Citie that hath some great treasure and riches in it and it must be besieged and beleagured a long time and those that can enter into it they are made for ever Or it is like the entrance or gate of a Citie where there is striving and thronging and where besides enemies are that if men strive not they are cut and mangled and killed so it is in the state of this Kingdome when a mans eyes be opened he sees the divell and hell behind him and either he must enteror be damned and being entered it makes him rich and advanceth him for ever so he is strongly mooved to offer violence on both sides if he looke behind him there is the kingdome of Satan darknesse and misery and damnation for as Pharaoh pursued the Israelites when they were got out of his kingdome so the divell pursues a man when he is broken out of his dominion And then before him there is the kingdome of happinesse and glory the feare of that that followes them and the hope of that that is set before them both make them strive to enter into the gate of that Citie What should this teach us First let it be a rule of tryall to know judge of our estate whether we be entred into this gate of Heaven or no our lives are very short very uncertaine let us consider if we be in the way to Heaven what striving what strugling what violence have we ever offered There are a company that regard not the meanes of salvation at all either in private or publique Some come to the Word and heare but they doe not heare it as the Word of God to bee ruled by it but as a discourse to delight themselves for the time to have matter to speake of and to censure not with a spirit of obedience to be guided by it as the Scepter of the Kingdome What violence is this now and then to heare a Sermon now and then to reade a Chapter now and then to utter a yawning prayer betweene sleeping and waking perhaps when thou knowest not what thy selfe saist how then wouldest thou have God to regard it What violence is in the lives of most Christians what strength to enforce good actions how doe they improove the meanes of salvation many meanes are wholy neglected some perhaps they use that may stand with their convenience now and then whereas there must be an universall care of all the meanes there cannot one be neglected without the losse of grace and there must be attendance on them with violence There is none of the meanes can profit us without rouzing and stirring up our spirits we cannot heare nor pray without drawing up and raising up our soules the flesh will stop the comfortable performance of any action else and Satan will kill them in the very birth if he can To search a little deeper doe but compare your courses toward these good things of Heaven with your courses towards the world If there be hope of preferment the doores of great men are sure to suffer violence with favourites The Courts of justice suffer violence to have our right in earthly things The stages and such places are thronged and suffer violence If a man could but over-looke the courses of men abroad in the Citie he should see one violent for his pleasures running to the house of the Harlot as a foole to the stocks Another to the exchange to increase his estate Another to the place of justice to detract his neighbour or to get his owne right perhaps neglecting his title to Heaven in the meane time Another to the Court to get favour to rise to some place of preferment These places suffer violence but what violence doth the poore Gospell indure Alas it
none These are persons to be taken heed off breeding a temper opposite to Religion more then any other Christ can least brooke them there is great reason for it who can brooke any favour to be neglected and sleighted Especially for these excellent things to be under-valued and sleighted it cannoâ— be that God can indure it There will be a faction in the world while the world stands Christ and Antichrist Good and evill light and darkenesse but a man cannot be of both he must shew himselfe of one side or other in case of opposition Therefore the temper of the true pofessor is to be earnest in case of opposition of Religion and in case of opportuninity to advance his Religion in civill conversation and dealing with men that are subject to infirmities he must be gentle and meeke The Spirit of God descended in the shape of a Dove upon Christ as well as in fiery tongues upon the Apostles But in the cause of Christ in the cause of Religion he must be fiery and fervent No man more mild in his owne cause then Moses he was a meeke man but when occasion served when God was offended downe he throwes the Tables of stone he forgate himselfe though he were the meekest man in the world otherwise in his owne matters So I say the Spirit is both meeke and gentle as a Dove and earnest and zealous and hot as fire In Acts. 2 The Spirit of God comes downe as a mighty winde The winde is a powerfull thing if it be in a mans body There is no torment like to windy sicknesses as their complaints witnesse well enough that feele them and if a little winde be inclosed in the earth it shakes the whole vast body of the earth The Spirit is like winde it makes men bold it fills them with a great deale of eagernesse in the cause of God Againe the Spirit appeared to the Apostles in the likenesse of fire it inflamed their zeale and made them fervent that were cold before as we see in Peter the voice of a damsell terrified and affrighted him but when the Spirit came upon him it so fiered him that he accounted it his glory Act. 5.41 to suffer any thing for the cause of Christ. Therefore those that hope for any thing by religion let them labour to be for that Religion in good earnest they shall finde God in good earnest with them else Againe hence we see that Religion takes not away the earnestnesse of the affections it doth direct them to better things it changeth them in regard of the object It takes not away any thing in us but turnes the streame another way Violence requires the height and strength of the affections Religion taketh them not away but turnes them that way that they should goe If a streame runne violently one way if it be derived by skill and cunning another way it will runne as fast that way when it is turned as it did before So it is with the heart of man Religion takes nothing away that is good but lifts it up it elevateth and advanceth it to better objects There are riches and honours and pleasures when a man is in Christ but they are in a higher kinde therefore they draw affections and greater affections then other things but these affections are purified they runne in a better in a cleaner channell whereas before they ran amaine to earthly dirty things below the same affections of love of desire and zeale doe remaine still he that was violent before is as violent still onely the streame is turned For example take St. Paul for an instance he was as earnest when he was a Christian as before he was never more eager after the shedding of the blood of Christians and breathing out slaughter against them as he was afterwards in breathing after the Salvation of Gods people and a desire to enlarge the Gospell Zaccheus was never so covetous of the world before as he was covetous of Heaven when he became a Christian. I say Religion takes not away any thing onely it turnes the streame But it is a miracle for the streame to be turned it was God that turned Iordan so it is a greater work then man can doe to turne the streames of mans affections that runne amaine to earthly things to make them runne upward it is onely Gods worke This is the excellency of Religion it ennobles our nature that which is naturall it makes it heavenly and spirituall that a man shall be as earnest for God and good things as ever he was before after the things of this life So much for that point The third thing is the successe The violent take it by force The earnestnesse of affection and violence it is successefull they take it The good things of God they are here compared to a Fort or to a well fenced and well armed Citie strengthened with bulwarks and munition that is a long time besieged and at length is taken for this clause The violent take it by force it doth as well shew the issue of these violent ones striving for the Kingdome of Heaven to wit that they doe at length take it as the manner how it is taken namely by force The violent and onely the violent and all the violent doe at length certainely obtaine what they strive for the Kingdome of Heaven Why 1. Because it is promised to the violent Knock and it shall bee opened unto you Bee zealous and repent that is the meanes to cure all former transgressions repent and bee zealous and doe the former workes and To him that overcommeth that is he that is earnest that will never leave off till he hath overcome to him will I grant to sit with me on the throne and To him that overcommeth will I give to eate of the tree of life all the promises are to him that overcomes to him that is zealous and earnest Then againe the spirit whereby a man is earnest is a victorious spirit as Christians have the Word and promise to build on that leades them on and incourageth them so they are led by a mighty Spirit that hath the force of winde and fire that beates downe all before it that breakes thorough all oppositions and difficulties being lead with a divine Spirit what earthly thing can oppose that which is divine it brings under and subdues all therfore the violent take it the Spirit of God seizing upon and possessing the heart and carrying it with strength after these things And then onely the violent take it because God hath set it at this rate he that heareth and doth he that perseveres to the end he that sells all for the pearle for the treasure in the field there must be nothing retained all must bee parted with we must be at any cost and charge and perill and all little enough it is offered to us upon these termes of parting with all of induring any thing
will upbraid us for them we are loath to heare of them above all either by the ministery or by our friends we wish above al that the preacher would not speak of them fret it he doe and our hearts run upon them above all So let us search our false hearts which way they runne and now in the day of our abasement let us thinke what would lie heaviest on our conscience if God should take us now with sicknesse or sudden death let us thinke with our selves what is the sinne that would afflict me most that would stagger me most that would shake my Faith most whether it be filthinesse or profanenesse or swearing or injustice and whether have I made satisfaction or no Let me examine if God should strike me with his Arrow now what sinne would rob me of my comfort and make me affraid to yeeld my soule to God Now thinke of it his is the way to be humbled you may now bring your selves to consider of that that at other times you will not give your selves leasure to doe What are daies of fasting for but to give our selves leisure that we may not thinke of meate and drinke and businesse These daies should be daies of rest that we may thinke of that that concernes our soules take the advantage when thou rests from thinking of other businesse thinke with thine owne soule what will lie heaviest upon thy soule This is required to Humiliation this reall Humiliation that is outward it is a protestation of the inward and verbal Humiliation is but an expression of what we do inwardly There are two things wondrous necessary before the soule can be in the right frame it should be in First the soule must apprehend deepely what distance it hath from God what alienates it from God before it can be wise and it must be estranged from that before ever it can come to couple and joyne with God when the soule apprehends what seperates it from God and conceives as it should doe of that then it will be the readier to apprehend God and then all duties will come off easily Therfore let us first of all worke upon our owne soules to be humbled and by all the helps that can be And to helpe it consider now at this time how uncertaine our life is we know not who may be stricken next and consider what the dangerous issue is if we humble not our selves here before God humble us in our graves Let us helpe Humiliation by all that may be For where this is all will follow easily a man will goe out of himselfe to God when he is abased in himselfe and sees no comfort in Heaven or Earth but in God that there is nothing to be stucke to in the world but all is vanity and he may be stripped of life and of all these comforts ere long when a man is abased Faith and Obedience will come off easily What is the reason that Christ is not relished more and that many fall off They were never deepely humbled according to the depth of Humiliation is the growth of holinesse of life and the height of Faith All graces rise higher as the soule is more deeply humbled The more we descend deeply in digging and rending up our hearts the more the Word of God sinks into the good ground that suffers the plow to rend it up and to cut off the weeds The more deeply we are humbled the more the fruits of Gods Word appeare in our hearts and lives the more fruitfull is our conversation all comes indeed upon the truth of our Humiliation and when that is not deep and true all the rest is shallow and counterfit there we should worke it upon our owne hearts And labour to be humble and low in all the powers of our soules to have humble judgements to thinke of our selves as God thinks of us God thinks of us as sinners God and Christ thinke of us that we are such as must deny all in us before we be fit for Heaven Let us judge of our selves as he that must be our judge doth and will judge of us ere long labour to have low judgements of our selves what we are in our selves empty of all good defiled with all ill And this will breed poverty of spirit in our judgements Then let us labour for Humility in our affections to bring our selves more to God to stoope to him in feare and reverence And Humility in our obedience and conversations to God and to men every way let Humility spread it selfe over all the parts and powers of the soule and body and over our whole lives I cannot stand further upon that Now here is verball humillation that is by confession expressing our humiliation by our words as the people of God doe here by confession laying open our sinnes that God may cover them what we hide God will never cure therefore we should take heed that now we are to deale with God we lay open the bottome of our soules to him let not the Iron be in the wound You know a Chyrurgeon can heale nothing if the Iron or poisoned arrow sticke there If there be corruption in the stomacke it must up if it be ill gotten goods it will not digest up it must all to God For men except there be scruples that a man cannot free his conscience there is no necessity though great conveniency but betweene God and thy soule open all by confession and give not over till thou hast brought pardon to thy heart of that sinne thou hast confessed Every sleight confession is not enough but it must be a resolved downe right confession without guile of spirit as it is in Psal. 32. this is the course that David takes there untill he dealt roundly with his soule without guile His moisture was as the drought of Summer he was in some dangerous disease that could not be cured And doe we looke to be preserved from falling into sicknesse or if we be sicke to be cured We must beginne the cure in our soules lay open the wound to God I said I will confesse my sinne and thou forgavest me he begins with confession So all persons that either feare or are under any judgement let them beginne with laying open their soules to God when the soule is healed he will heale the body presently after for he laies sicknesse upon the body for the soule and when the wound is healed the plaister will fall off of it selfe therefore let us lay open our sinnes by confession and shame our soules all that wee can This is the way to give glory to God let us joyne both together our owne ease and glory to God When we have laid open our soules to God and laid as much against our selves as the Divell could doe that way for let us think what the Divell would lay to our charge at the houre of death and the day of judgement he would lay hard to our
of Christ we are helped and assisted against the remainders of our corruptions For the third the miseries of this life we have victori◠in Christ In him we are more they conquerours as you have it in this Chapter They can doe us no harme Nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Iesus We have 〈◊〉 singular comforts in this Chapter against all the troubles than can be fall us and this is one that triumphs over all All things shall worke for the best to them that love God What should I speake of hurt from any thing that befalls us when all shall worke for the best by the over-ruling of him that commands all Vers. 28 And for death it selfe Neither life nor death shall be able to separate us from the love of God And for damnation which accompanies death It is God that justifieth who shall condemne There is opposite comforts in Gods Booke nay in this Epistle and in this Chapter against all that may any way trouble our peace There is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Iesus saith the Apostle and then he goes on after to shew how by the helpe of the Spirit all things worke for the best c. In this very Verse likewise you have this comfort set downe of our freedome by Christ from any thing that may hurt us For the Law of the Spirit of life in Christ Iesus hath made me free from the Law of sinne and of death The words are dependant as we see in the particle for For the Law of the Spirit of Life c. They depend upon the first Verse thus as a reason why how ever there be sinne in Gods children yet there is no damnation to them There is no condemnation to those that are in Christ Iesus he prooves it thus Those that are free from the Law of sinne and of death which brings in condemnation those undoubtedly are free from damnation but those that are in Christ Jesus they are freed from the Law of sinne and of death therefore there is no condemnation to such But how shall we know that we are in Christ Jesus Those that have the Spirit and are led by the Spirit of Christ they are in Christ The Law of the Spirit of life in Christ Iesus hath freed me from the Law of sinne and of death So I say the words are especially a reason of the former There is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Iesus because by the Spirit of Christ they are freed from the Law of sinne and of death and by consequent they are freed from damnation for what brings in damnation but sinne In the words then there is an opposition there is Law against Law The Law of the Spirit of life in Christ and the Law of sinne and of death Now where there are contrarie Lawes if there be contrarie Lords as there must be New Lords will have new Lawes especially if they be Lords by conquest they will alter the very fundamentall Lawes that were before as you know the old Conquerours have done in this Kingdome Here is Law against Law and Lord against Lord Christ against sinne and death Here is a Lord by conquest over all other Lords and Lawes therefore here must needes be an alteration of Lawes upon it the very fundamentall Lawes must be altered But to come more particularly to the words For the Law of the Spirit of life in Christ Iesus hath freed me from the Law of sinne and of death The words are much vexed by Expositors I will rather speake my owne judgement of them and reconcile them then dash one mans judgement against another for that tends not to edification The Law of the Spirit of life c. The meaning of the words is plaine if we compare it with other Scriptures The Law It is nothing but a commanding power for so the word written the Law in the Apostles meaning is but a power forcing and commanding So the Law of the Spirit of life is the commanding and forcing power of the Spirit of life in Christ Iesus and so the Law of sinne it is either the tyrannicall command and forcing power of sinne or else the condemning for sinne afterwards as we shall see hereafter for we shall unfold the words better in the particulars First then here we have set downe what estate we are in by nature we are under the Law of sinne and of death And then here is our freedome and deliverance from that we are made free from the Law of sinne and of death And then the Author of it Christ Jesus The Law of the Spirit of life in Christ Iesus hath freed me from the Law of sinne and of death In the words and those that goe a little before there are these three maine fundamentall points of Religion The miserie and bondage of man The deliverance of man And his dutie Here you have his miserie he is under sinne and death Here is his deliverance he is free from this by Christ. And for his dutie you have it in the last Verse of the former Chapter speaking of his deliverance Oh wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from the bodie of this death then it followes Thankes be to God through Iesus Christ our Lord Thankfulnesse is due not verball thankfulnesse onely Indeed the whole life of a Christian after his deliverance is a reall thanksgiving but that is not in my Text. To speake therefore of our estate by nature and of our deliverance our estate is that we are under the Law of sinne and death We are under the Law of sinne We are under sinne what sinne We are under a three-fold sinne We are under the first sinne of our first father for as Levi payd Tythes in Abraham to Melchisedech so we all sinned in the Loynes of Adam our first Parent and the guilt of that first sinne lyes upon us Secondly there is another sinne that is derived and springs from that first sinne which is the deprivation of the Image of God the pravation of our nature we call it originall sinne whereby we are stripped of that good we had in our first creation and have the contrarie image the image of Satan stamped upon us so we are under the first sinne the guilt of it and we are under the sinne of nature which we call originall sinne because it is derived to us even from our birth and first originall we had in Adam And then we are under actuall sinnes which are so many bonds to tie us fast under sinne We are dead by nature but we are dead and rotten by actuall sinnes we super adde to the guilt of our sinne by our dayly conversation We are blind by nature but we are blinded indeed much more by our custome of life Every sinne doth as it were tie us faster to damnation and keepes us faster under the bondage of sinne Every new sinne takes away
and to have societie with the Devill and his Angels in hell and that forever and for ever Thou maist perhaps make â—light of the service of sinne because thou hast the present baits to delight thee but thou shouldst regard death Thou maist neglect death but then regard eternall death This word Eternall it is a heavy word Eternall separation from all good and eternall communion with the Devill and his Angels and for the wrath of God to seize on thy soule eternally world without end me thinkes men should not set light by that Therefore considering that this is our estate by nature we are all slaves to sinne and death let us labour to get out of this cursed estate by all meanes which is by The Law of the Spirit of life in Christ Iesus Now I come to speake of our freedome The Law of the Spirit of life in Christ Iesus hath freed me from the Law of sinne and death This is good news indeed to heare of freedome good newes to the Israelites to heare of freedome out of Egypt and for the Jewes to heare of Cyrus Proclamation for their freedome out of Babylon Freedome out of bondage is a sweet message Here we have such a message of spirituall freedome from other manner of enemies then those were The yeare of Jubile it was a comfortable yeare to servants that were kept in and were much vexed with their bondage when the yeare of Jubile came they were all freed therefore there was great expectation of the yeare of Jubile Here we have a spirituall Jubile a manumission and freedome from the bondage we are in by nature The Spirit of life in Christ makes us free from the Law of sinne and death There is life in Christ opposite to death in us there is a Spirit of life in Christ and a Law of the Spirit of life in Christ opposite to the law of sinne and of death in us So that this is our happinesse while we live here oh it is the blessednesse of men to make use of it while they have time and space and grace to repent and to cleave to Christ that whatsoever ill we are under by nature we may have full supply in Christ for all the breaches that came by the first Adam There came the wrath of God the corruption of our nature terrours of conscience death and damnation all these followed the sinne and breach of the first Adam all these are made up in the second He hath freed us from all the ill wee received from the first Adam and that we have added our selves for we make our selves worse then we come from Adam by our voluntary and daily transgressions but wee are freed from all by the Law of the Spirit of life in Christ Iesus How comes this freedome There can no freedome be without satisfaction to divine Justice For why are we under sinne God gives us up to sinne why are we under death God gives us up to death Why are we under Satans government he is Gods executioner Gods serjeant he gives us up to him here because we offend him Why are we under damnation and wrath because God is offended All our slavery comes originally from God however it be sinfull in regard of Satan that keepes us yet the power whereby he keepes us is good for he doth it from God His will is alwayes naught but his power is alwayes lawfull therefore the power whereby the Devill keepes us if wee looke up to God under whom the power is it is a lawfull power for God hath a hand in giving us up to finne it is a judiciall giving up and then by lusts and â—inne to Satan and death and damnation So if we speake of freedome wee must not begin with the executioner the wrath of God must be satisfied God must be one with us so as his Justice must have contentment Satisfaction must be with the glory of his Justice as well as of his Mercie his Attributes must have full content one must not be destroyed to satisfie another hee must so be mercifull in freeing us as that content must be given to his Justice that it complaine not of any losse Now reconciliation alway supposeth satisfaction it is founded upon it And satisfaction for sinne it must be in that nature that hath sinned now man of himselfe could not satisfie divine Justice being a finite person therefore God the second Person became man that in our nature hee might satisfie Gods wrath for us and so free us by giving payment to his divine Justice The death of Christ God-man is the price of our liberty and freedome But why doth the Apostle speake here of a Law of the Spirit of life in Christ which frees us but here is no mention of satisfaction by death Oh but death is the foundation of all as we shall see afterwards To unfold the point therefore because it is a speciall point and the words need unfolding Here it is said there is life in Christ. A Spirit of life in Christ. and a Law of a Spirit of life in Christ. There is life in Christ not onely as God for so indeed he is life God his life is himselfe for life is the being of a thing and the actions and moving and vigour and operations of a thing answerable to that being So the life of God is his being As I live saith the Lord that is as I am God I will not the death of a sinner Now Christ hath life in him as God as the Father hath but that is not especially here meant There is life in Christ as God-man as Mediator Now this life is that life which is originally from the God-head indeed it is but the God-heads quickening and giving life to the man-hood in Christ the Spirit quickning and sanctifying the man-hood And we have no comfort by the life of God as it is in Gods life alone severed for alas what communion have wee with God without a Mediator but our comfort is this that God who is the fountaine of life he became man and having satisfied Gods Justice he conveyes life to us he is our head hee hath life in himselfe as God to impart spirituall life to all his members so there is life in Christ as Mediator And there is a Spirit of life that life it is a working life for spirit is an emphaticall word spirit added to a thing increased the thing Againe he saith the Law of the Spirit of life Law is a commanding thing to shew that the life in Christ it is a commanding life it countermands all opposite lives whatsoever of sinne and death and this Law is a countermand to all other Lawes the Law of the Spirit of life frees us from all other Lawes So here is life the Spirit of life and the Law of the Spirit of life all words of strong signification But for the cleare understanding of this sweet and comfortable point First
consider how the Law of the Spirit of life is in Christ what it doth in him and then how it is derivatively in us First of all we must know this for a ground whatsoever is done to us is done to Christ first and whatsoever wee have Christ hath it first Therefore life is first in Christ and then in us Resurrection first in Christ and then in us Sonne-ship first in Christ and then in us Justification from our sins first in Christ he is freed from our sinnes and then in us Ascension first in Christ and then in us Glory in heaven first in Christ and then in us We have nothing in us but it is derived from Christ therefore this being layd as a ground we must consider how the Spirit of life works in Christ what it doth in Christ and then what it doth as it is in us for whatsoever Christ hath it is not onely for himselfe but for us What doth it in Christ The Spirit of life in Christ first of all it did quicken and sanctifie his humane nature that nature that Christ pleased to take upon him it stopped sinne it made a stop of originall sinne in sanctifying that blessed masse out of which his body was made for the foundation of his obedience actuall that it was so holy it was hence that his nature was purified by the Holy-Ghost in the wombe of the Virgin the foundation that his death and sufferings was satisfactory and acceptable it was that his holy nature was sanctified by the Spirit of God So the first worke of the Spirit of life in the Sonne of God it was to sanctifie and quicken that blessed masse that he tooke upon him And the Spirit of life that quickned and sanctified our nature in Christ did likewise ennoble our nature for even as a base woman is ennobled when she is taken in marriage with a great man shee hath his dignity accounted hers so our nature by the Spirit being sanctified is knit into the union of person with Christ that our nature and the second Person make one Christ so our nature by the Spirit is ennobled by this union And also inriched it with all grace that our nature is capable of for the nature of Christ had this double prerogative above ours First of all that blessed masse of flesh it was knit to be one person with God and then that nature was inriched and ennobled with all graces above ours And this the Spirit of life did to Christ himselfe to his humane nature that he tooke upon him that hee might be a publicke Person For God the second Person tooke not upon him any mans particular person of Peter or Paul or Iohn for then there should have beene distinct persons one person should have dyed and another rise but hee tooke our nature into his Person so that the same Person that did dye was God though he dyed in our nature that he might be a publicke Person So we must consider Christ sanctifying our nature that he might sit and sanctifie all our persons But did the Spirit of life doe nothing else but sanctifie and inrich the humane nature of Christ with grace Yes for the Spirit of life in Christ did sanctifie him for his Sacrifice as he saith Iohn 17. in that blessed prayer I sanctifie my selfe for them it prepared him for his death and made him a fit Sacrifice When he entred upon his calling he had more of the Spirit the Spirit of life as it were was increased For it is no heresie to thinke that the gifts of Christ for the manifestation of them were increased For in every state he was in hee was perfect and when he set upon his Office and was baptised hee was fuller of the Holy-Ghost as it were there was a fuller manifestation then before when he did not set upon his Office openly In his death what did the Spirit of life then It supported him in his very death for there was an union of the Spirit when there was a separation of his soule and body there was not a separation of the union That which gave dignity and strength and value and worth to his death it was the Spirit though there was a suspending of the comfort a while yet there was no separation of the union but I speake no more of that being not especially meant here But especially in his Resurrection which we are now to thinke of by reason of the day and it is not amisse to take all occasions especially then the Spirit of life that had sanctified Christ and quickened him and inriched his nature and supported him and done all that Spirit of life quickened the dead body of Christ And he was mightily declared to be the Sonne of God by the Spirit of sanctification Rom. 1.4 by his Resurrection from the dead The Spirit of life raised him from the dead and put an end to all that misery that he had undergone before for our sakes For untill his resurrection there was as it were some conflict with some enemies of Christ either with Satan or the world or with death it selfe he lay under death three dayes untill Christs body was raised our enemies were not overcome Gods wrath was not fully satisfied it was not declared to be satisfied at least for he being our surety till he came out of the grave we could not know that our sinnes were satisfied for But now when the Spirit of life in Christ comes and quickens that body of his in the grave and so doth justifie us as it is Ro. 4. He dyed for our sinnes and rose againe for our justification that is by the Spirit of life in Christ quickning his dead body hee declared that we are fully discharged from our sinnes because he was fully discharged from our sinnes being our surety hee shewed by his Resurrection that he was fully discharged from all that he tooke upon him When a man comes out of prison that is a surety his very comming out of prison shewes that he hath a full discharge of all the debt hee undertooke to pay so the Spirit of life raising Christs body the third day manifestly declared that the debt he tooke on him was fully discharged and so as he dyed for sinne to satisfie Gods Justice for them so hee rose againe for our justification to shew that hee had a full discharge for all Now since the Spirit of life in Christ Iesus hath quickned his body the soule may make a bold demand to God as it is in 1 Pet. 8. It may make that demand Rom. 8. Who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods Elect it is Christ that dyed nay rather that is risen againe and ascended into heaven and makes intercession for us Who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods people it is God that justifieth who shall condemne our sinnes Christ hath taken our sinnes upon him and satisfied divine
sanctified judgement and a mighty power to raise the soule to cast it selfe so upon Gods mercy in Christ. So that besides the obtaining saluation by Christ there must be a grace to apply it and this faith doth Faith is said to doe that that Christ doth because faith layes hold upon Christ what faith doth Christ doth and what Christ doth faith doth therefore it hath the same actions applyed and given to it that Christ hath Faith is said to save us you know it is Christ that saves us but faith layes hold on Christ that saves us faith purgeth the heart and overcomes the world Christ by his Spirit doth all this but because faith wrought by the Spirit is such a grace as layes hold on the power of Christ it goes out of it selfe to Christ therefore what Christ doth faith is said to doe So then the Law of the Spirit of life in Christ not onely freed Christ himselfe by his Resurrection but likewise by the same power whereby hee raysed himselfe he rayseth our hearts to beleeve what hee hath done both in his state of humiliation and exaltation and makes all that Christ did ours The Spirit of life in Christ Iesus working faith in us and by faith other graces doth free us from the Law of sinne and death Christ doth it and faith doth it and grace which issues from faith doth it subordinately Christ doth it by way of merit and by his Spirit working faith in us to lay hold upon whatsoever Christ hath done or suffered as if we had done it our selves so it frees us from the law of sinne and death because it layes hold of the freedome wrought by Christ for us But besides and next to faith there is a Spirit of sanctification by which we are free from the commanding law of sinne and death But to cleare all this consider there is a freedome in this life and in the life to come from sinne and from death A freedome in this life in calling in justification in sanctification and in the life to come a freedome of glory There is a freedome in effectuall calling by the minâ—sterie of the Gospel the Gospel being preached unfolded faith is wrought whereby wee know what Christ hath done for us and wee see a better condition in Christ then we are in by nature seeing by the Spirit of God the cursed estate wee are in we are convinced of sinne in our selves and of the good that is in Christ and hereupon wee are called out of the thraldome wee are in by nature by the Spirit of Christ and the Word of God unfolding what our condition is for man by nature having selfe-love in him and that selfe-love being turned the right way he begins to thinke I doth the Word of God say I am a slave to sinne and damnation the Word of God can judge better then my selfe and then the Spirit of God sets it on with conviction that undoubtedly this is true And together with the cursed kingdome and slavery that I am under there is discovered a better state in Christ for the Gospel tells us what we are in Christ freed from hell and death and heires of heaven oh the happy estate of a Christian to be in Christ The Gospel with the Spirit discovering this a man is called out of the cursed estate he is in by nature to the fellow-ship of Christ by faith which is wrought in this calling so that now he comes to be a member of Christ by faith so that whatsoever Christ hath or is or hath done or suffered it is mine by reason of this union with him by faith which is the grace of union that knits us to Christ and the first grace of application So there is the first degree of liberty and freedome wrought by the Spirit of God together with the Gospel in effectuall calling The second is in justification that faith and beleefe in Christ that was wrought in effectuall calling it frees me from the guilt of my sinnes For when the Gospel in effectuall calling discovers that Christ is such a one and that there is such an estate in Christ and there is faith wrought in me then that faith layes hold upon the obedience of Christ to be mine For Christ in the Gospel offers his obedience to be mine as if I had done it in mine own person whatsoever Christ did or suffered is mine for he is made of God to be Wisedome righteousnesse sanctification and redemption to be all in all the Gospell sets him forth to be so Now faith laying hold of Christ to be made of God all in all obedience righteousnesse c. whatsoever is needfull hereupon this faith justifies me hereupon I come to be free from the guilt of my sinnes because my sinnes were laid upon Christ Christs death was the death of a surety it was as if I had dyed my selfe and more firme thus I come to be free in justification for what my surety hath done I have done Againe there is a freedome in sanctification that is when a man beleeves that Christ is his and that his sufferings are his then the same Spirit that discovers this to be mine it workes a change and alteration in my nature and frees me from the dominion of sinne The obedience of Christ frees me from the condemnation of sinne and the Spirit of sanctification frees me from the dominion of sinne This is the freedome of sanctification which faith layes hold on Whosoever hath not the Spirit of Christ is none of his Christ as a head derives to me the holy Spirit to sanctifie my nature and of his fulnesse we receive grace for grace so the Spirit of sanctification in Christ frees me from the dominion of sinne and death It is said here that by Christ we have spirituall liberty and freedome not from sinne and death but from the law of sinne and of death It is one thing to be freed from sinne and death and another thing to be freed from the law of them for wee are not indeed freed from sinne and death but from the law of sinne and death that is from the condemning power of sinne that though sinne be in us yet it doth not condemne us and though we die yet the sting is pulled out death is but a passage to a better life So I say in Justification wee are freed from the condemning power of sinne and in sanctification from the commanding power of sinne When we are knit once to Christ we have the obedience of Christ ours in justification and the holinesse of Christ is derived to us as from the head to the members in sanctification and so we are freed from the law of sin To understand this a little better the same Spirit that sanctified the naturall body the humane nature of Christ wherby he became bone of our bone and flesh of our flesh the same Spirit doth sanctifie the mysticall body of Christ
any good God takes notice of it Daviâ— after hâ— had repented of that foule sinne and was sharply corrected for it as indeed he was David was a good man for all that hee served God in his Generation But to give you an item by the way however God passed by the sinne in David and accounted him after his repentance a good man yet he must be sharply corrected for it Let no man therefore presume upon this that God will iudge him by the tenour of his life and therefore hee will commit particular enormities oh no! it cost David deare for besides his heart-smart in his owne particular God made his heart bleed it cost him many a salt tear besides that it was punished in his posteritie God raysed up his own bowels to take armes against him hee made him wish a thousand times that he had not so offended God It is ill trying conclusions with God though God afterwards pardon us and turne all to good yet it shall cost us deare first Though God will bring us to heaven yet if we will venture upon sinnes against conscience and take libertie to offend God he will take sharp courses with us yet it shall not preiudice our salvation you see those sins of David after he had repented was corrected for them they were forgotten and David in regard of the course of his life served God his life was a service of God notwithstanding some particular actions These things may be usefull to the best of us all therefore I observe them in generall from Gods manner of mentioning David here with honour and passing by his infirmities To come more particularly to the words Then David after he had served in his Generation the will of God c. THe words are a short Epitome of the life and death of the blessed man David First I will speak of his life and then of his death In his life there are these two parts First the time in which he lived when this service was done In his Generation And then the manner of his carriage in that time of his generation It was a service of God He served God And this service of God is set down by the obiect of it God By the rule of his worship the will of God Hee served God but how as he had revealed his will to him not at randome God will be served according to his own will And then here is the act he served So here is the proper obiect of worship God in whom all our service is terminate whatsoever we do it must rest in him if we do good works to men it must be for Gods sake we must serve God in it Then here is the proper rule carrying us to that obiect his Will And then it must be a service it must be done in obedience to God David in his Generation served the will or counsell of God as the Word is For his death we shall speak of it after First for the time In his generation Generation in the Scripture signifies a succession of men one after another as you have it in Matth. 1. from such a one to such a one so many generations so many successions You know in the Latine tongue seculum is taken for an age or generation the space of an hundred years though Moses shut up the life of man in a shorter time Succession of one man after another is a generation Generation sometimes in a generall sense is taken for all of one kinde The generation of Noah and the generation of the righteous that is all of that kinde without restraining it to succession But most commonly it is the consideration of men from succession of them having the tearm from the way whereby we enter into the world that is by generation therefore the succession of men from one to another is called Generation Now here Generation implies both the times and the persons The persons of men are a severall generation and the time wherein they live is a generation and both are here included David in his Generation among the age of men and in the time wherin he lived â—erved God The meaning of the place is clear The points considerable here are First of all that there is a generation a succession of men one after another Secondly that every man hath his particular generation Daviâ— had his generation wherin he served the Lord. Thirdly that he served God in his Generation that is the whole time of his Generation yet with this limitation he served God only in his generation while he was here before he came to heaven In heaven there is a kinde of service but it is not by way of work but of reward We must serve God in our generation here If ever we look to reap herafter we must sow now David served God in his generation First of all There is a generation a succession of men Particular men go off the stage but the species the kinde is eternall kinds of things continue forever Man dies noâ— but Paul and Peteâ— and David die there is a succession of particular men It is with men as it is with the waves of the sea one wave goes away and another comes after It is with men as it is with trees for men are compared in Scripture to trees trees of righteousnesse and man take him in his nature is like a tree the Poet could say to that purpose it is with men as with trees some leaves fall off in Autumne and others come in their place the next spring so it is with men they have their severall Generations there is an Autumne a decay and there is a spring of them there is a succession of Generations To teach us this lesson that our time being short here every man hath his generation one Generation goeth away and another commeth as the Scripture saith wee must be laid to our Fathers and otherr must stand up in our place Rise up Iosua for Moses my servant is dead saith the Lord one servant of God dies and another rises There bee many that must act their parts in this world therefore some must go off the stage that others may come on therefore while we have time here let us be sure to do good before we be takeÌ„ away suddenly we know not how soon and there be no more generation Here there will be a succession of generations till wee all meet in heaven then there wil be no succession there shal be no more death but as the Apostle saith we shal be for ever with the Lord. And it should teach us likewise considering that in regard of our being and naturall condition in the world there are severall successions generation after generation that now we are here and presently after no more seen in the world to make sure an eternall generation to be borne anew of the immortall seed that never dies as Saint Peter saith that tends to
themselves and others God must be served according to his Counsell or Will as hee hath discovered himselfe in his word for service is nothing but an action done with an eye to the will of another for if a man doth an action that one would have him do if hee do it not with respect to his command it is no obedience nor service he that hath not some care in the act it is no obedience As the Civill Law saith infringit obedientiam c. it breaks from the nature of obedience that hath no cause for it he must know his reason at the least there is the command of the superiour must bee a reason and ground for what hee doth in all his obedience and service Therefore there is a like necessity of the word of God as of his service for what Master will bee served according to the will of his servant why doth the Scripture mislike will-worship worship that is according to our owne will because there in wee make our selves God we serve ourselves and not God Wee must not serve God as wee would bee loath to be served our selves wee would be loath to haâ—e a servant complement with cap and knee and then do as he list himselfe and so for us to come and complement with God to heare his word as if wee would be directed by him to kneele and pray to him for fashion and then all our life after to do as we list It is a delusion to say we serve God unlesse we serve him according to his Will Therefore there must be a rule of our service and that rule is the written word of God There was a time when the word of God was not written and then God discovered his Will by dreames and visions and many other wayes but when the world was enlarged and man-kind spread further traditions from hand to hand was not a fit means and way to deliver truths because it was subject to corruption God therefore would deliver his Will how he would be â—erved in writing and God sanctified this course and gave credit to it by his owne example writing his owne Law with his own finger The ten Commandements were written by God himselfe God was the first Preacher and the first writer he was the first Preacher he preached the Gospell to Adam in Paradice and the first writer the tenne Commandements being written by God himselfe Now wee have the written word of God to be our rule how God must be served an exact and perfect rule I will not speak by way of controversie I hope we are grounded well enough but by way of direction for a godly life Gods Will is a sufficient rule What is requisite in a Rule First a rule must be cleere and open that it may bee made use of by those that are to bee regulated by it therefore we say The secret will of God can be no rule because it is secret That which is a rule must bee manifest and open therefore the revealed will of God that every one may see that is our rule Wee may crosse Gods secret will and do well and wee may serve it and yet do ill A Father may pray for his childs life and may crosse the secret will of God and yet doth well God allowes bowels in Fathers A wicked man may do according to Gods secret will and yet sin therefore that was not the rule of Davids service nor cannot be of ours Secret things belong to God but revealed things to us and our children saith blessed Moses The will of God as it is discovered must be the rule of our actions A rule must be open or else it is no rule Againe the rule by which we must lead our lives it must bee infallible not subject to error for then it cannot be the rule of our service The Word of God is an infallible rule it cannot deceive because it is the Word of God men wrote it indeed but it was God that dictated it the finger writes but the head dictates holy men wrote it according as they were guided be the holy Ghost The will of any man cannot be the rule of any mans service further than it is agreeable to the first rule why because it is subject to errour and mistake That which must be the constant rule of a mans life it must not be as popish traditions and the like it must be infallible now the word of God is so it is infallible a man may erre and be a man and a good man too but God cannot erre and be God the word of God cannot bee false and bee the word of God therefore it is an infallible rule When this is applied to any creature it is a Grand lie and the foundation of misery in that Church this is the first lie in the Church of Rome That the Church consisting of a company of men cannot erre what a horrible absurdity is this to make the will of man the rule that the Church cannot erre that Popery cannot erre though they erre egregiously they account rebellion service and make traitors merit c. But are our Tenents subject to such grosse things No we make the rule of obedience the infallible word of God that cannot erre To attribute that of that which cannot erre to that which can erre it is a horrible absurditie but I will not enter into controversies Againe that which is a rule must be perfect in commensuration in measure it must be of equall extent to all things that are to bee ruled Now the things that are to be ruled is our whole carriage and conversation therefore that that is the rule for a man it must rule his thoughts his speeches and actions so the word of God it rules the whole carriage of a man There is a proportion between the rule and all things that are to bee ruled by it all things fall under the word of God to bee directed and ruled by it It gives direction to our thoughts to our speeches to our actions in our callings it gives direction to Magistrates to Ministers to Masters to Servants to all estates and conditions in life in death It is exceeding large as David saith All things come to an end but thy Commandements are exceeding large It is a rule that extends to all things that are to bee ruled whatsoever no other rule but Gods will doth so for mens lawes they have nothing to do with thoughts thought is free for them Againe a rule must bee authenticall what is that It must be credited for it selfe it must have authority of and for it selfe and not depend upon another if it bee the first rule Indeed there be subordinate rules there is a rule ruled and a rule ruling mens lawes the Magistrates will it is a rule ruled by a higher rule and as long as it so it is a good rule but there must bee a rule ruling above all
as it may displease God to balk and avoid all temptations in our callings out of Religious respects it is a service of God our whole life not only in the Church but in our particular places may bee a service of God as it is said here David served God Oh if wee could thinke of this wheresoever wee arâ— wee would take no liberty to offend God in any thingâ— wee would not thrust Religion into a corner into a narrow roome and limit it to some dayes and times and actions and places and then take liberty to defraud and dissemble to abuse our selves this way and that way is this to serve God to serve God is to carry our â—elves as the children of God wheresoever we are so that our whole life is a service of God A Christian is no Libertine no man of freedome hee is a servant Indeed wee have changed our Master wee are set at libertie from the slaverie of sinne and Sathan but it is not that wee should doe nothing to bee Belialls without voake but it is to serve God we are taken from the service of Sathan to be the Lords free-men and indeed it is to that end we are delivered that wee might serve God therefore all the actions of our life should be a service to God To make this a little clearer how can this bee will some man thinke that every common action should bee a service of God I will make it cleare by an instance the beasts and other creatures and wee have common actions such as wee doe in common as to eat and to drinke and to move the beast doth this and man doth it when a man doth them they are reasonable actions because they are guided with reason and moderated by reason but when the beast doth them they are the actions of a beast because hee hath no better faculty to guide him So common actions they are not a service of God as they come from common men that have not grace and the Spirit of God in their hearts they are meere buying and selling and going about the actions of their callings as the actions of a beast are the actions of a beast But let a Christian come to doe them he hath a higher life and a higher spirit that makes them spirituall actions that are common in themselves hee raiseth them up to a higher order and ranke Therfore a Christian serveth God in all that hee doth hee hath an eye to God that which another man doth with no eye to God but meerely in civill respects Wee say of policie it is an ancient observation which is good and very fit The knowledge of a common wealth it is a building knowledge a commanding knowledge for though a States-man doth not build hee doth not buy and sell and commerce but hee useth all other trades for the good of the State It is a knowledge commanding all other inferiour Arts and Trades in a common wealth to the last end they should all bee serviceable to the common-wealth and if they bee not away with them So Religion and the knowledge of Divine things it is a commanding knowledge it commands all other services in our callings c. It doth not teach a man what he shall doe in particular in his calling but it teacheth him how to direct that calling to serve God to bee advantageous and helpfull to his generall calling to further him to heaven to make every thing reductive to his last end which hee sets before him that is to honour and serve God in all things to whom hee desires to approve himselfe in life and death hee hath a principle the holy Ghost in him and he labours to reduce every thing to the maine end oh that wee were in this temper And as wee must labour to imitate holy David in doing so likewise in suffering We must bee carefull that nothing of Gods displease us as we are carefull for our selves that nothing of ours displease God In doing we ought to be carefull that nothing of ours displease God in suffering that nothing of Gods dealing displease us for there is rebellion in both in passive obedience as well as active There is rebellion when wee murmure and will not bee as God will have us as if we were wiser than he to appoint our owne condition whereas wee should resigne our selves as David here I am let the Lord do as it pleaseth him and as they said in the Acts The will of the Lord be done and as we pray in the Lords prayer Thy will be done insinuating not our owne We must bee content to stoup in our sufferings obediently to God because he is righteous in all his wayes and holy in all his works in all the courses he takes with us we should bee ready to justifie God in all things Now how did hee serve God for the manner of his service The manner of his service was as it should bee and so he was exemplary to us all in that amongst others his serviâ—e was First universall to God and to men every way Secondly it was uniforme hee was good in all conditions a good Sheepheard a good King he was good in his family c. So the service of the children and servants of God it must be uniforme in all estates to know how to want and how to abound c. And then his service was cheerefull wee see how oft hee rouseth up himselfe in the Psalmes awake my Harp and Lute c. And lastly his service was sincere It was to God you may know his sincerity by this he cared not for scoffings he practised duties that were scorned at That is an evidence of sincerity when in ill times the children of God stand to God and Religion When Micholl mocked him saith he I will be yet more vile for God When God may have glory and Religion defence for men to stand for God in ill times it is a signe of sincerity an hipocrite will never do so David did at all times in his Generation And then it was a signe of sincerity that he would appeale to God Trie me Lord if there be any way of wickednesse in me when a soule can go to God and say Lord if there by any way of wickednesse in me any secret lurking corruption in mee that may endanger the state of my soule that I know not of discover it to me that is a signe that a man is in league with no sin but his service is sincere A man that is not sincere hath no comfort so much sincerity so much comfort If a man do not things to God in sincerity all is lost to God a man may have commendations of the world as the Pharises had which is nothing but a kind of curse you have your reward that is you have it here and shall lose it hereafter So much concerning the life of David in those words
David in his Generation served the Counsell or Will of God Now to make a perfect discourse of it wee will speak something of his end He fell a sleep and was gathered to his Fathers and saw Corruption HE fell asleep that is he died for sleep in Scripture it is a middle phrase appliable to good and bad for wicked men in Scripture are said to sleep and good men are said to sleep Only the difference is as the persons are for the sleep of wicked men it is like the sleep of a male factor before his execution that is oft-times tripped in his sleep or like the sleep of a man in sicknesse or in a mad fit his sleep doth but concoct the malignant humour and after he wakes he rageth three times more than he did before So the sleep the death of a carnall wicked man it is but a preparation to his execution it is but the sleep of a distempered man that wakes with more horrour and terrour and rage than ever before indeed properly the death only of the godly is a sleep But to observe something first briefly in generall We see here is a time of dying as well as 〈◊〉 a time of living There is a time to serve God in living and there is a time to yeeld our soules to him as well as a time to serve God in doing the actions and functions of this life Which should teach us this not to fix our thoughts too much on life As there is a time for all things to the living so there is a time to cease to live and therfore to use the world with moderation as though wee used it not knowing that the fashion of the world passeth away It should teach us to serve God as well in living as in dying And it should teach us to do all the good wee can while wee have time David served God while hee lived and hee served God in dying because his death was in obedience but as I said before after death properly there is no service of God but a receiving of wages therefore let us serve God while we live while we have time because there is a time when night will come the night of sicknesse and of death and then no man can work if he would never so faine He fell asleep Why did he not die before hee served God a great while hee did not die when he was first a good man God will have his Children serve out their Generation They must serve out their time As soone as ever we beleeve we have right to heaven but God will have us beare the burthen of the day awhile to bring others to heavn with us to go before others in the example of a godly life to gaine as many as we can To trie the truth of our graces before wee come to heaven whether they be true or no that they may be true tried graces And he will have us perfect before we come to so holy a place hee will have us grow in grac as Ahasueros his wife 's were to bee perfumed and prepared before they came to him It is a holy place that wee hope for a holy condition therfore he will have us by little and little be fitted by the spirit of God Many such reasons there be why God in heavenly wisdome will have us go on here a time before wee come to heaven though as soone as we beleeve we are in the state of salvation as Christ said to Zacheus This day is salvation come to thine house Therefore let us not repine that God will have us live Indeed as soone as a Christian hath faith he hath life in patience and death in desire for hee is impatient to want his crowne oh but here is the time of service and when he considers the eternity of the reward hee shall have after he will bee glad to serve God and he will be ashamed that he can do it no more When hee knowes hee shall have an eternall weight of glory for a little service then hee will deny his lusts and pleasures to serve God in the place hee lives in whether hee be Magistrate or Minister whatsoever to undergo the burden of a little service Againe in that it is said here Then he fell asleep not before till he had served the counsell of God God hath alotted a man a time He hath set him a glasse that must be runne he hath given him a part to act and hee cannot be taken away till that be done hee can never fall asleep till hee have served the counsell of God As it is said in the Gospell concerning our Saviour Christ his houre was not yet come They have laid wait for him but his houre was not come so there may be many snares laid for the children of God by Sathan and his instruments but till their houre bee come all the Divells in hell nor all the Divells instruments on earth cannot shorten a mans life one minute of an houre for hee shall fall asleep when he hath served the counsell of God when he hath done all that God will have him to do Therefore it is ground of resolution let us go on in our places and callings undantedly and wisely too not to tempt God to rush into dangers but I meane without base feare and distrust for wee must serve God to day and to morrow and then wee shall be sanctified Wee must serve God the appointed time that hee will have us to live here and then wee shall fall asleep and not before no creature hath power over the life of man to shorten his dayes The next thing wee will observe from the nature of sleep is that The death of the godly is a sleep in respect of refreshing Sleep doth refresh and repaire and as it were recreate and make a man anew Sleep and rest it is the blessed ordinance of God it is an excellent thing to repaire man so after death nature shall be repaired better we shall rise fresher as it is Psal. 17. ult when I arise I shall bee satisfied with thine image wee shall rise refreshed better than wee lay downe So that as we go to bed then to sleep to cut off all cares so when wee rest in death all cares and feares and terrours all annoyances are cut off Blessed are the dead that die in the Lord they rest from their labours insinuating that there is no rest before for to a man that knowes that this world is a work-house and his life a service to God hee thinkes of no rest till he be in his grave so death it is a sleep in regard of that rest Wee rest from the labour of sinne wee rest from the wearisome labour of the body from the labour of afflictions and oppressions from the molestations of other men among whom we live every way this life is tedious and
2 67. R Reason Different conclusion of Gods Word and carnall Reason 2 135 Redemption Gods love greater in Redemption then in Creation 1 12 26. Reflect Man can Reflect upon his actions 1 100. Repentance Late Repentance seldome true 1 92. Benefit of lively Repentance 1 95. See Sinne. Reproach Reproach not to be regarded 1 â—45 Resolution Ground of Resolution 2 219. Riches To carrie our selves answerable to our Riches 1 48. Rule Properties of a Rule appliable to Gods Word 2 190. Rule how to bee applied in particular actions 2 194. See Word S Salvation Christ as man chosen to Salvation 1 19. Saints To delight in the communion of Saints 2 225. Sanctuarie Benefit of entring Gods Sanctuary 2 135. Satan When we are under Satan 2 10. Scripture How to understand the Scripture 2 164. Sealing Seâ—ling of Christ what 1 201. What use to make of Christs Sealing 1 204. How to know Christ is Sealâ—d for our good 1 205 209. Sealing threefold 1 206. Sealing of thâ— Spirit what 1 207. Servant Service Christ a Servant how 1 7. Comfort that Christ was a Servant 1 17. To offer Christ in our Service to God 1 20. Danger of deferring Gods Service 2 184. God the object of our Service 2 186. Service what 2 188 203. Common actions a Service of God how 2 â—12 Qualification of our Service of God 2 214. See Life Shaken Gods children Shaken why 2 141. Secret Secret will of God no rule 2 190. Security Security a forerunner of judgement 1 119. Sight Sin takes away the Sight of it selfe 2 21. Sinne. The hurt we have by Sin 1 90. Particular Sins foreshewing judgements 1 121. Naturally we are under Sin 2 5. Sin threefold Ibid. Justice of God to give men up to Sin 2 8. Misery to be under Sin 2 9. Fruit of thraldome to Sin 2 16 Men not given up to all Sinne alike 2 22. Wee should see death in our Sins 2 28. See Generality Death Leprosie Iudgement Sleepe The death of the godly a Sleepe 2 220. Society Society with carnall men to be avoided 1 151. Soule The Soule chiefly to bee cared for 2 228. Spirit How to know wee have the Spirit 1 30. Degrees of receiving the Spirit 1 32. The Spirit put on Christ how 1 33. Spirit given and received by Christ how 1 38. Three things wee receive by the Spirit 1 42. How Christ gives the Spirit 1 55. Spirit in Christ how 2 36. Meanes to get the Spirit 2 123. See Ascention Gospell Stirre See Hold. Strength God the Strength of a Christian 2 79. Successe Succession Christians indeavours Successefull 1 255. There is a Succession of men 2 172. Sufferings Service of God in our sufferings 2 209 214. Supply Our Supply whence it is 1 46. T Table Service of God in obeying the second Table 2 205 207. Tast. Tast a most necessary sence 1 193. Temptation Comfort in Temptation 2 53. Thankefull See Popery Thraldome See Sin Time Times Time when especially to bee improved 1 129. Why to make use of Time 2 173. How our Times both miserable and happie 2 177. To serve God our whole Time 2 183. Gods children must serve their Time 2 218. Every mans Time allotted by God 2 219. Tirannie Tirannie of sin 2 19. V Vaine-glory Vaine-glory why to bee avoided 1 72. Valew Ground whence to Valew Christians 1 30. By what God Valews his children 2 167. Violence Violent Violence offered the Kingdome of Heaven how 1 233. Christians disposition Violent how 1 235. Ground of this Violence â— 236 To judge our estate by our Violence 1 â—41 Violence after outward things 1 242. Violent onely take Heaven 1 251. Freedome of grace inforceth Violence 1 253. Holy Violence hopefull 1 254 Pretious things require Violence 1 259. Exhortation to holy Violence 1 61. Gospell in Luthers time imbraced with Violence why 1 265. How to get holy Violence 1 271. See Wisedome Vnderstandings How to use our Vnderstandings 1.102 Vnfruitfullnesse Vnfruitfullnesse a forerunner of judgement 1 126 Vs. All good in Christ before in Vs 1 40. How the Spirit takes from Christ and gives to Vs 1 41. How the Spirit is put on Christ for Vs 1 50. What Christ did was for Vs 2 41. W Washings Washings in the Law what they signified 1 295. Watchfullnesse Watchfullnesse when requisite 1 130. Will. Will of Christ to give himselfe 1 119. Will of God knowne and not done aggravates sin 2 201. Will-worship Will-worship why forbidden 2 189. Winde Wicked men blowne away as with a Winde 1 317. VVisedome What violence may stand with VVisedome 1 244. VVisedome in man corrupted 2 21. VVisedome justified by whom 2 140. VVord Spirit given in the Ministery of the VVord 1 55. Written VVord the rule of our service 2 189. VVorld Businesse of the VVorld hinders consideration 1 104. VVorldly things to be neglected why 1 171. Christians rule of life not from the VVorld 2 138. Ill courses of the VVorld settle Gods children 2 139. VVorship Prayer put for all Gods VVorship 1 304. FINIS 1 Tim. 3.15 2 Tim. 1.14 Scope of the words Christ promised in the old testament 1 To stablish faith in other promises 2 To comfort them against their owne unworthinesse 2 Cor. 1.19 The word Behold used 1 To shew Christ as present 2 To take their mindes off from their miseries 3 To raise their mindes from earthly things Christ a servant 1 By Condition 2 By Office In respect oâ— God 1 Pet. 3.18 In respect of us Gods love to us 1 In the person thus abased Phil. 2. 4. Conjunctions wonderfull Christs abasemeâ—t tâ—e greaâ—est 2 Whence Christ was so abased Gods love in Redemption greâ—ter then in Creation 3 The fruit of Christs abaâ—ement Matter of wondâ—rment in the worke of Redemption Christ a servant by way of excellencie Vse Seeing Christ was a servant wee should bee humble Vse 2. Comfort that Christ became a servant Christ chosen of God Christ chosen to his office Christ as maâ— chosen to salvation To reâ—t in Gods choice To offer Christ to God in our services Take heed of neglecting Christ. Christ beloved of God 1 As God 2 As Man 3 As Mediator 4 In regard of the execution of his office Quest. Answ. God loves Christ mysticall Comâ—ort Gods love to us grounded on Christ. God loves the worke of our redeâ—ption Comfort in our daily approach to God To stirre us up to deligâ—t in Christ. On what 〈◊〉 to valâ—w Chrâ—stians We may know we are in 〈◊〉 1 I we have his Spirit How to know we have the Spirit Degrees of Christs receiving the Spirit What is meant by putting the Spirit on Christ Three sorts of persons annointed Three maine defects in man Supplied in Christ. In what order Câ—riâ—t performes his offices Chriests priâ—stly office the principall Object Answ. How Christ both gives and receives the Spirit All 〈◊〉 in Christ then 〈◊〉 How the Spirit takes of Christ and gives to us Three things
of Gods word and carnall reason To look to the end of Gods providence Psal. 37. The sight of faith â—rawes us neere to God Why God suffers different conditions of men Gods children have a contrary course to the world Similie A Christians rule of life not from the world Phil. 3. Corrupt courses of the world settle Gods children Psalme 119. Vse Of trâ—all Doct. Wisdome justified of her children Gods câ—ildâ—en shaken why Similie Vse To go 〈◊〉 God 〈…〉 3 How God is neare us How wee are neare to God 1 In our understanding 2 In our minds 3 In our wills 4 In the affections Love Desire Ioâ— Faith Doct. Conâ—iction of the judgement the ground of prâ—ctâ—se 4. Things in conviction Vse To labour for conviction Prophanesse whence it is Tâ—e holy Ghost â—â—â—meth Iohn 16. The holy Ghost convinceth in the use of meanes Application to the Sacrament How to understand the Scriptures Gods children leave a good name Savoury language of Scripture By what God values his children Why the matter of Vriah so objected to David Rev. 2. God corrects his sharply for their sinnes The time Matth. 1. Generation whâ—â— it is Obser. Thâ—re is a succession of men Vse 1. To make use of our short time Vse 2. To make sure an eâ—â—rnall Generation To get into Christ by faith Psal. 90. Obser. Every man hath his particular generation Vse To observe in what Generation we live 1 To blesse God if they be good In what respect tâ—ese times are Miserable Simile 2 Happie August Vse 2. To be bettered by the good in the generation Sinnes under means greater Vse 3. Not to be tainted with the sinnes of our generation Psal. 12. Rom. 12. Vse 4. To set our selves against the sinnes of our generation Divers sinnes in divers ages Vse 5. To labour to make the Generation wee live in good Gal. 6. 3 Wee must serve God our whole time We must serve God in our life time Danger of deferring Gods service Doct. God the object of our service Psal. 16. God as Creator to be served Will of God Counsell why Service what Will worship why forbidden Gods written word the rule of our service Heb. 1. Properties of a Rule appliable to the word of God 1 Open manifest Secret Will of God no rule why 2 Infallible The Grand lie in the Church of Rome 3 In extent 4 Authenticall 5 Inflexible How to apply the rule in particular actions Outward helps 1 The Ministery 2 Communion with good people 3 Lawes of men 4 Example of good people 2 Inward helpes 1 The Spirit of God Isa. 30. Isa. 9.7 Luke 11. 2 Particular grace Prudence 3 Conscience 4 Experience 3 The Act he sâ—rved God Rom. 12. To know Gods will and not doe it aggravates our damnation Cause of the fall of Angels To serve whaâ— Rom. 6. Service of God 1 Inward 3 Service in obeying the second Table Difference between a formall man and a Christian Collos. 3. Ephes. 6. Ephes. 6. Application to David â—e served God 1 In the inward man Psal. 18. Psal 4. 2 Outward Psal. 1. 3 For the second table Psal. 101. As a King 1 Chron. 17. In suffering 1 Sam. 30.6 2 Sam. 15.25 Psâ—l 39. Vse To imitate David Lactantius Similie Luke 1. Quest. Answ. How common actions may be a service of God To serve God in our suâ—ferings David served God 1 Vniversall 2 Vniforme 3 Chearfull 4 Sincere Signes of cincerity 1 To practise scorned duties 2 To appeale to God 3 Comforâ— Difference in the death of godly and wicked Simiâ—e Obser. A time of dying as well as living Vse Not to thinke much of long life Obser. Gods children must serve their time 1 To gaine others 2 To trie our graces 3 To perfect us Vse Not to repine that God will â—ave us live Obser. God hath aloâ—ted a man a time Vse Ground of resolution Obser. The death of the godly refresheth as sleep Psal. 17. ult 1 Cessation from lâ—bour 2 Hope of rising 3 After â—abour Eccles. 5.12 Vse To be painâ—â—ll 2 Set all in order 1 Chron. 29.28 3 Get faitâ— in Christ. Pâ—al 16. Fathers who meant Obser. When wâ— dâ—e we are put to our fathers Take heed whom we imitate Heb. 13.7 To delâ—gt in the communion of Saints Obser. The best and greatest subject to corruption Reas. 1. Wee are dead men here 2 We cannot bee crowned else Vse To support us against corruption 2 To take most care for the soule Philip. 3. 3 Not to be ensnared with the bodies of others To imitate David in life and death Psal. 16. Psal. 16.