is the nature of this Tyrant sinne it hath such possession of a man till he be got out of it and be in Christ that it takes away the sight of it selfe it hinders the knowledge of it selfe it puts out a mans eyes For that whereby a man should judge of corruption it is corrupt it selfe The wisedome of a man is death it is enmitie to God The wit that he hath that should discerne of his base courses it tangles him more and more to his owne lusts so that wit and wisedome the highest part of the soule it is imprisoned by base affections and that power that should discerne corruption it is set on worke to satisfie corruption What is the wit of a man that is not in Christ occupied about all his life time it is nothing but a drudge and a slave to devise meanes to satisfie his base lusts Take a worldly man hee is exceeding witty to contrive wordly plots and businesse though he be a dunce and a sot in matters that are spirituall in his owne tract and course hee hath a shrewd wit why because his lusts to the world they whet his wit So we see the best thing in man now is inthralled to sinne his very wisedome it selfe therefore it is enmity to God Every man hath some Herodias some sinne or other that hee is in bondage to till he be in Christ. He cannot in a like measure be given and inthralled to all sinnes it is unnecessary because one sinne serveth another many sinnes serve one great one Corruption doth not runne in all streames in one equality but it runnes amaine one way unchecked and uncontrolled and unmortified in all men that are not in Christ and subdues the soule to it selfe that it can devise and plot for nothing but to satisfie that base lust This is the state of man by nature But some will say it is not our state and condition wee are baptized and receive the Sacrament and heare Sermons and read good bookes and therefore we are not under sinne But saith the Apostle His servants ye are to whom ye obey you may know the state of your service and subjection by the course of your life And as Christ saith to the Iewes Iohn 8. they bragged that they were free alas proud people they were neither free for soule nor state for they were under the Romanes They thought they were free because they were Abrahams children were they not in captivity to the Egyptians and under the Babylonians and in present captivity under the Romanes yet they forget themselves out of pride If the Sonne make you free ye are free indeed but because they were in a sinfull course they were slaves of sinne So it is no matter what priviledges men are under that they receive the Sacrament and are baptized and live in the Church c. His servants yeare whom yee obey If there be prevayling lusts that sit up their throne and tyrannize in our hearts and set our wits on worke to devise how to satisfie them more then to please God it is no matter what priviledges we have it is no matter whose livery we weare but whom we serve We may weare Gods Livery that shall be pulled over our heads afterwards and we be uncased that it shall appeare that we are the Devils servants under the profession of Christ. There is no man that is not in Christ that denies his corrupt nature any thing if revenge bid him take revenge he will if he can if he doe not it is no thankes to him but to the Lawes If any sinne rise in the heart all the parts of the body and powers of the soule are ready weapons to this tyrant to keepe a man in slavery As if anger and wrath keepe a man in bondage you shall have it in his countenance his hand will be ready to execute it his feet will be ready to carry him to revenge If it be a proud heart that a man is kept under you shall have it in his lookes and expressions outward If it be the base affection of lust you shall have adultery in the eye an unchast and uncircumcised eare and filthy rotten language Men you see upon all occasions are ready to execute the commands of these tyrannicall lusts in some kinde or other Therefore never talke of thy freedome when lusts are raised up within thee either ascending from thine owne corruption or cast in by Satan and so joyning with thy heart presently thy tongue will speake wickedly and thine eyes and lookes and countenance shew that there is a naughty heart within and the whole man is ready to execute it further then a man is curbed by Law or respect to his reputation or the like which is no thankes to him Yet a man cannot act the part of a civill man so well but the corruption of his vile heart will betray it selfe in his lookes or language one time or other this tyrant will breake forth Therefore let us looke to our hearts and courses for if we be not in Christ we are under the Law of sin And of Death We are not onely under the law of sinne but also of death Now there is a death in this world the separation of the soule from the body but that is not so much meant here for when we are in Christ we are not free from this death But there a is worse death which is a separation of the soule from the favour and love of God and from the sanctifying and comforting Spirit of God when the Spirit of God doth not comfort and sanctifie the soule it is a death For as the soule is the life of the body the body hath but a communicated life from the union it hath with the soule The soule hath a life of its owne when it is out of the body but the body hath its life from the soule so it is with the soule when there is an estrangement of the soule from the Spirit of God Christ sanctifying and comforting and chearing it then there is a death of the soule the soule can no more act any thing that is savingly and holily good then the body can be without the soule And as the body without the soule is a noysome odious carcasse offensive in the eyes of its dearest friends so the soule without the Spirit of Christ quickening and seasoning it and putting a comelinesse and beautie upon it it is odious All the cloathes and flowers you put upon a dead body cannot make it but a stinking carkasse so all the morall vertues and all the honours in this world put upon a man out of Christ it makes him not a spirituall living soule he is but a loathsome carrion a dead carkasse in the sight of God and of all that have the Spirit of God for hee is under death he is starke and stiffe unable to stirre or moove to any duty whatsoever he hath no sense
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
of red well coloured earth to a lump of flesh it is a wondrous conjunction But there is a more supernaturall conjunction of man when all of us sinners as we are are knit to Christ our head and head and members make one Christ here is a wondrous conjunction Saint Paul calls it a mystery Ephes. 5. these conjunctions in us are wonderfull But now to goe higher in Christ there are more wonderfull conjunctions for the greatest and the meanest to joyne together for God and man to come together the Lord of all and a servant and such a servant as should be under a curse for the highest of all to come to the deepest abasement for there was no abasement ever so deepe as Christs was in a double regard First none ever went so low as he for hee suffered the wrath of God and bore upon him the sins of us all none ever was so low And then in another respect his abasement was greatest because hee descended from the highest top of glory and for him to be man to be a servant to be a curse to suffer the wrath of God to be the lowest of all Lord whether dost thou descend here is a wonder in these conjunctions Next to Christs abasement was Adams because he was the most excellent being in the state of innocencie and carrying the image of God and being familiar with God for him presently to come into that fearefull condition it was the greatest abasement because it was from the greatest dignity that made the abasement of Christ so great for Lordship to submit to service for God to be man the blessed God to become a curse heere is matter of wonder indeed In Christ againe there was a conjunction of perfect body perfect soule and perfect God and all make one Christ In the Trinity there is a conjunction of three persons in one nature that is a wondrous conjunction but it belongs not to our present purpose here you see there is matter of wonder in the person that Christ should be a servant There is matter of wonder likewise in that from whence he is a servant whence comes it that Christ is a servant It is from the wondrous love of God and the wondrous love of Christ to be so abased it was wondrous love in God to give him to us to be so abased and the wondrous misery we were in that we could not otherwise be freed from for such was the pride of man that he being man would exalt himselfe to bee like God God became man he became a servant to expiate our pride in Adam so that it is wondrous in the spring of it There was no such love as Christs to become a servant there was no such misery as we were in out of which we were delivered by this abasement of Christ becomming a servant so it is wondrous in that regard springing from the infinite love and mercy of God which is greater in the worke of Redemption and Reconciliation then in the Creation of the world for the distance betweene nothing and something was lesse then the distance betweene sin and happinesse For nothing adds no opposition but to be in a sinfull state there is opposition therefore it was greater love and mercy for God when wee were sinfull and so obnoxious to eternall destruction to make us of sinners not onely men but to make us happie to make us heires of heaven out of a sinfull and cursed estate then to make us of nothing something to make us men in Adam for there God prevailed over nothing but here his mercy triumphed over that which is opposite to God over sinfullnesse and cursednesse To shew that the creature cannot be so low but there is somewhat in God above the misery of the creature his mercy shall triumph over the basest estate where hee will shew mercy therefore there is mercy above all mercy and love above all love in that Christ was a servant Thirdly it is wondrous in regard of the fruit we have by this service of Christ the worke of our Redemption to be translated from the kingdome of Satan to the glorious liberty of the sonnes of God to be brought out of darkenesse into marveilous light it is marveilous matter of wonder the good wee have by this abasement of Christ Behold what love the Father hath shewed us that wee should be called the sonnes of God Now all this comes from Christs being a servant our liberty comes from his service and slavery our life from his death our adoption and sonship and all comes from his abasement therefore it is a matter of wonderment for the great things we have by it O the depth O the depth saith Saint Paul here are all dimensions in this excellent worke that Christ hath wrought by his abasement by his incarnation and taking upon him the forme of a servant and dying for us here is the height and breadth and length and depth of the love of God in Christ O the riches of Gods mercie the Apostles they stand in a wonder and admiration of this and indeed if any thing be to be admired it is Christ that wondrous conjunction the wondrous love that wrought it and the wondrous fruit we have by it It is the basenesse of our nature we can wonder at shallow things there cannot be a foolery but there will be many about it presently and stand admiring every emptie idle thing that the nature of man is carried away with whereas indeed there is nothing worthy of admiration but the wonderfull love of God O how wonderfull are thy workes saith David of the works of Creation Psal. 8. the worke of Creation and of providence whereby God guides the world are wonderfull and the Psalmist cries out of the folly of men that do not regard the worke of the Lord Psal. 107. Fooles regard not this The workes of the Lord are worthy to bee considered they are knowne of all that delight in them Psal. 111. but if these things bee so wonderfull and to bee regarded and delighted in alas what is all the worke of redemption Great is the mysterie of godlinesse God manifested in the flesh c. there are mysteries matters of admiration but carnall men thinke these triviall matters they can heare matters of more rarity and when they speake of these things alas they are too wise to wonder tush they know the Gospell well enough whereas indeed as wee see here they are things that deserve the admiration of Angels and as they deserve it so the Angels prie into these excellent secrets in Jesus Christ. Christ was a servant by office and by condition we must not rest in this base condition for he took upon him the forme of a servant that he might be an excellent servant there is both basenesse and excellencie in the word servant for his humiliation was a degree of his exaltation and a part of his advancement if wee regard his
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
order the baser part doth not rule the higher but the higher part of the soule a sanctified judgement rules all because the whole is in right judgement therefore sanctification is called judgement and other courses though they be never so fashionable are but madnesse and folly and disorder in the censure of the Scripture nothing is judgement and true wisedome but sanctification and obedience flowing from sanctification Therefore saith Moses in Deuteronomie Then shall you be knowne to bee a wise people when you obey the Lawes that I have given you onely that shewes a wise judicious man to be obedient to Gods truth by the Spirit sanctifying him Without the truth of God and the Spirit in us framing our soules answerable to the truth we are out of all good order For then the affections that should bee ruled rule us then the body and the lusts of the body rule the soule and the Divell rules by both what a shamefull disorder is this when a man shall be ruled by the Divell and his owne lusts that he should treade under feete and trample upon and this is the state of all that have not this judgement in them that have not the word of God written in their hearts bowing and bending them by the Spirit of God to spirituall obedience to proove this J will name but one place among many Titus 3. â— hee shewes the state of all men that are not brought into subjection by this judgement by the Word and Spirit of truth We our selves saith he were sometimes foolish and disobedient till this judgement is set up in us wee are foolish in our understandings and disobedient in our wills and affections deceived and misled by the Divell and our owne lusts for that followes upon folly those that are foolish and disobedient are deceived and led away to eternall destruction There is a way that seemes good in a mans owne eyes but the issues of it are death saith Salomon this is the state of all men that are not led with the judgement of Gods truth and Spirit sanctifying and framing their soules to obedience they are foolish and disobedient and deceived and so it will proove with them in the end Serving diverse lusts and pleasures living in malice and envy hating one another Now when God by his blessed Truth and Spirit sets up his rule in the heart it brings all into captivity as Saint Paul saith it brings all the inner man into subjection The Word of God is the weapon of God these judgements are mighty in operation together with the Spirit to beate downe all strong holds and to set up another judgement there it brings all into captivity to the truth and command of God and to the motions of the Spirit the Word and Spirit beate downe all the strong holds that are raised up in the heart by Satan and our corruptions so wee see here what is meant by this phrase Hee shall declare judgement to the Gentiles It is a militant word therefore J have stood somewhat the longer in unfolding of it Now this is wrought by the preaching of the Gospell Hee shall declare judgement to the Gentiles all grace comes by declaring The Gospell is the power of God to salvation Let but the Gospell which is Gods judgement how men shall be saved and how they shall walke in obedience by way of thankefullnesse to God be declared and all that belong to God shall come in and yeeld homage to it and bee brought in subjection The Divell in the Antichristian state knowes this well enough therefore he labours to hinder the declaration of judgement by all meanes he will not have Gods judgements but mens traditions declared he knowes the declaring of Gods judgements will breed an alteration quickly in mens dispositions For when hee saith Hee shall declare judgement to the Gentiles he meanes the consequent as well as the thing he shall so declare judgement that they shall yeeld spirituall obedience and come in and be saved Let the Divell doe his worst let all seducers of soules doe their worst if they would but give way to the preaching of the Gospell let but judgement be declared let Gods arme be stretched forth in delivering the truth hee would soone gaine soules out of the captivity and bondage of Satan they know it well enough therfore by all the wayes they can they stop the preaching of the Gospell and disgrace and hinder it and set up mens traditions instead of the Gospell but I will not inlarge my selfe farther upon these wordes but goe on to the next Hee shall not strive nor cry neither shall any man heare his voice in the streetes These wordes set downe the mild and sweete and amiable manner of Christs carriage upon earth here in his first comming to worke the great worke of our redemption he did not carry the matter in an outward glorious manner in pompe but he would have his miracles concealed oft times and himselfe hidden his God-head was hid under the vaile of his Manhood he could not have wrought our salvation else if the divell and the world had knowne Christ to be as he was they would never have made those attempts against him therefore considering he had such a dispensation to work our salvation as a King Priest and Prophet he would not cry and contend and strive hee would not come with any great noise Now here is an opposition to the giving of the law and likewise to the comming and carriage of civill Princes You know when the Law was given all the mount was on fire and the earth thereabout quaked and trembled and the people fled they could not indure to heare the voice of God speaking in the mount there was such a terrible smoake and fire they were all affraid thus came Moses now did Christ come as Moses was the Gospell delivered by Christ as the law was in terrors and feares Oh no Christ came not in such a terrible manner in thunder and lightning but the Gospell it came sweetly A Dove a mild creature lit upon the head of Christ when he was Baptised to shew his mild manner of carriage and he came with blessing in his mouth in his first Sermon of all Blessed are the poore in spirit blessed are they that mourne blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousnesse The Law came with curses Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things written in the law to doe them Christ came in another manner the Gospell was delivered in a mild sweete manner Christ as an Ambassador came sweetly to intreat and beseech there is a crying indeed but it is a crying out of love and intreaty not a shouting in a terrible manner as was at the giving of the law no nor as at the comming of other civill Princes into a citie with shouting and noise of trumpets with pompe and state and great attendants Christ came not into the world to execute his kingdome and
comes I say from selfe-love and not from any change of heart As in the the humility of wretched persons a little before the judge comes though they haue carried themselves as rebels before yet then they will humble themselves not out of any hatred to their courses but out of feare of the judge So it may be now thou art arraigned by Gods judgements thou forsakest thy sinnefull courses not out of the hatred of thy sinnes for if thou couldest thou wouldest sinne eternally and that is the reason sinners are punished eternally Because they would sinne everlastingly but thou seest thou art in danger to be pulled away by Gods judgements It is not out of love to grace it is not from any change of nature that thou desirest to be a new creature that thou admirest grace to be the best state but it is to avoid danger not that thou carest for the face of God to be reconciled to him but to avoid the present judgement And what a staggering will this be to conscience when a man shall deferre his repentance till Gods judgements seaze upon him We see it is false for the most part Because such persons that are then humbled when they recover they are as bad or worse then ever they were Therfore an Ancient saith well He that is good onely under the crosse it never good it comes not from any change that God works but meerely from selfe-love Therefore presently let us repent of those waies that God convinceth our conscience to be evill wayes God may strike us suddenly Those that forget God and care not for him now it may be just with God to make them forget themselves to strike them with frenzy to take away the use of their memories then and when sickenesse comes wee shall have enough to doe to conflict with sicknesse we shall have enough to doe to answer the doubts of conscience Oh it would upbraid then We shall thinke it a hard matter then to have favour from God whose worship we have despised the motions of whose Spirit we have neglected and resisted Conscience after long hardening in sinne will hardly admit of comfort it is a harder matter then it is taken for Therefore even to day presently you that are young now in the daies of your youth now in the spring of your yeares repent you of your sinnes before old-age comes which indeed as Salomon describes it is an ill time to repent in Alas then a man can hardly performe civill duties as we see in Barzillai he complaines that in his old-age he could not take the comfort of the creatures Therefore put not off this duty till then And all both young and old now when the judgements of God are abroad in the world take the advantage returne to God renew your covenants make your peace now now this danger doth warme our hearts a little let us strike the Iron now while it is hot let us take the advantage of the Spirit now avvakening us vvith this danger Our hearts are so false and so dull we have need to take all advantages of withdrawing our selves from our sinful courses And to incourage us to doe it let us consider if we doe this and doe it in time wee shall have the sweetnesse of the love of God shed abroad in our hearts You will say wee shall loose the sweetnesse of sin I but you shall have a most sweet communion with God One day of a repentant sinner that is reconciled to God is more comfortable then a thousand yeares of an other man that is in continuall feare of death and judgement Oh the sweete life of a Christian that hath made his peace with God! he is fit for all conditions for life for death for every thing now by this wee shall have this grace and favour of God the Lord will say unto us by his Spirit I am your salvation And besides you shall have his grace renewing and altering and changing you framing you to a better course of life And he will be so farre from misliking any for their former sinnes that hee will give them cause to love him the more as wee see Luk. 7. Shee loved much because shee had much forgiven her Christ we see upbraided not any of his followers with their former sinnes hee regarded nor what they had beene formerly Zaccheus the extortioner Mary Magdalen Matthew the Publican Peter that denied him wee never heare that he upbraided any of them hee doth not onely vouchsafe mercy to Peter repenting but advanceth him to his former office Apostolicall so sweete a God have we to deale with let this incourage us Againe it is the way to prevent Gods judgements as wee see in Nineveh and others Put case we repent not we cannot goe fafe in the citie nor any where but God may meete with us and strike us with his arrow The onely way to prevent his judgements is to meete him speedily by repentance This is the way not onely to turne away the wrath of God concerning eternall damnation but outward judgements as wee see Ioel. 2 and many other places Then againe should we be stricken if we have made our peace with God if we have repented all shall be welcome all shall be turned to our good wee know the sting is pulled out If the sting of death be pulled out if the malignity and poison of any sicknesse be it the plague or whatsoever be pulled out why should we feare it Jt comes in love and shall be turned to our good and in the meane time God sweetens it Here is a grand difference betweene the children of God and others If the judgement of God light upon a repentant person it comes from favour and love to correct him for his former sinnes it is turned to good and in the meane time it is sweetned with love and mixed with comfort and moderated as it is Isa. 27.7 hath hee afflicted thee as I afflicted others No hee moderates his judgements to his children and not onely moderates them but sweetens them with comfort Jf God doe correct a repentant person hee is no looser by it nay he is a gainer It is good for mee that I have been afflicted Oh the blessed estate of that person that repents and turnes from his evill wayes But if a man doe not repent but live still in sinne what a state is hee in God cares not for his prayers If I regard iniquity in my heart God will not heare my prayers and what a state is a man in when his prayers that should beg for blessings and avoid judgements and procure deliverance are not heard but shall be turned into sinne When God that is a God hearing prayer shall not regard his prayer What a case is this Yet if we regard iniquity in our hearts if we repent not of our sinnes God will not regard our prayers Then besides that there is a noise of feare in the
more then any thing in the world they are then an effectuall part of divine worship But else they are flat and dead and dull if we waken them not with consideration The heart followes the judgement the braine and the heart simpathize when we see cause and reason to love and feare and worship God we must love God with all our mind that is with our best understanding we must see reason why we doe so Therefore let us labour to use our understanding more this way Is our understanding and judgement given us to plot for the world to be judicious for the things of this life onely No but to be wise for the maine end to glorifie God to save our soules to get out of the corruption of nature to maintaine our communion with God every day more and more The end of our living in the world is to beginne Heaven upon earth So to live here as that we may live for ever in Heaven whatsoever is done in order to this end is good but nothing can be done to this end but upon due consideration Let us improove our judgements for that end they are principally given us not for particular ends to get this or that mans favour to get wealth c. but to use all as they may serve the maine we know not how short a time we shall enjoy these things and further then they serve for the maine wee shall have no comfort of them ere long Our projects should be to gaine glory to God and to bring our selves and others to Heaven there is excellent use of this consideration this way it is one maine way to repentance we see here No man repented because no man said What have I done Now if we would practise this duty we must labour to avoid the hinderances The maine hindrances of this consideration are 1. The raâ—e of lusts that will not give the judgement leave to consider of a mans wayes but they are impetuous commanding and tyranous carrying men as we shall see in the next clause As the horse rusheth into the battell We see many carried to Hell that never enjoyed themselves but are alway under some base pleasure when the Divell hath filled them with one pleasure then they project for another and never take time to say What have I done Oh the tyranâ—y of originall corruption Jf wee had in our eye the vile picture of out nature that carries us to things present to profits and pleasures and gives us not liberty and leisure to bethinke our selves would wee doe as wee doe Alas wee see some men so haunted with their lusts that they cannot be alone they cannot sleepe and when they are awake they must have musicke as that King when hee had massacred a world of men hee could not be quiet a whit conscience raged so When men follow their pleasures they rob them of themselves Therefore they are said in Scripture to be mad men and fooles without wit they are so taken up with the rage of their lusts that they have not liberty to enjoy themselves they have no time for consideration And then another hinderance is too much businesse when men are distracted with the things of this life they are overloaded with cares with Martha's part and so neglect Maries part this makes men toile and droile for the vvorld and never consider vvhere they are nor whether they goe hovv it shall be with them vvhen they goe hence hovv the case stands vvith them before God whether they be gotten out of the cursed state of nature that vve are all borne in they never thinke of this but all the marrovv and strength of their soules is eaten out with the world Those that in their youth followed their lusts when they come to yeares are taken up with the world and slight religion their mindes are imployed how to get the favour of this man and that and so have not leasure to consider what will become of their soules Therefore too much distraction with the things of the world is joyned with drunkennesse Bee not overcome with the cares of this life with surfetting and drunkennesse saith Christ. Then it is a secret and hard action because it is to worke upon a mans selfe It is an easie matter to talke of others to consider other mens waies You shall have mens tongues ready to speake of other men they doe so and so and thus they feede themselves with talking of other men and in the meane time neglect the consideration of their owne state And againe it is a plausible thing hee that talkes of other mens faults gives an intimation that he is innocent and he had neede be so It is easie and plausible men glory in it it feeds corrupt nature to talke of other mens faults But to come home to a mans selfe that is a hard thing it is without ostentation or applause the world doth not applaud a man for speaking of his owne faults Men are not given to retired actions they care not for them unlesse they have sound hearts and this being a retired action that hath no glory nor credit with it men are loath to come to it Then againe it is not onely hard and secret but this returning upon a mans selfe it presents to a man a spectacle that is unwelcome If a man consider his owne waies it vvill present to him a terrible object Therefore as the Elephant troubles the vvaters that he may not see his owne visage so men trouble their soules that they may not see vvhat they are they shall see such a deale of malice and self-selfe-love and feare and distrust that they would not have others in the vvorld to see for any thing but it is good to see it For repentance and consideration it is physicke it is sharpe but vvholesome It is better to have the physicke a day then to have the sicknesse and disease all the yeare so this consideration and repentance though it be sharpe yet take it downe for it will prevent Gods eternall judgement as the Apostle saith If wee would judge and condemne our selves we should not be condemned with the world What an excellent thing is this that vve may keepe sessions in our owne soules and so need not be called to Gods assises Men are called to that because they slubber over and neglect this Men will not keepe this sessions in their owne hearts vvhich they might doe not onely quarterly but daily and thereby they make vvorke for God is it not better now to unrip our consciences by consideration and repentance then to have all ripped up then vvhen the Divell shal stand by to accuse us who will say this vvas done by my instigation and it is so and our owne consciences shall take part with the Divell and accuse us also It will be little for our ease to make God our judge we might save the labour by putting conscience to its office now to
nor know the uncertainty of them till God teach us To make some use of this in a word and so to goe on to that which J more intend If all things here below be grasse and as the flower of the grasse perishing and fading things why then we should take heede that we doe not redeeme any perishing thing with the losse of that which doth not perish with the losse of this soule of ours which is an eternall spirituall substance breathed in by God in the creation and redeemed by Christ which is capable of immortality capable of happinesse capable of the blessed impression of the Image of God What if one should gaine the whole world saith Christ that knowes the price of a soule best and should loose his owne soule It is an argument sufficient even to a man that is led but with the strength of naturall reason not to labour for that which will perish when he hath a soule that will not perish to labour after that thing as his maine chiefe good that is of shorter continuance then himselfe is extreamity of folly therefore no carnall man that seeks after these perishing things can ever be a wise man because he hath an end inferiour to himselfe hee may be wise for particular ends to be rich to have great places to get his pleasure this is to be wise for particular ends but he cannot be wise for the chiefe and last and best end for his soule for eternity hee cannot direct his course that way that labours for the food that perisheth And againe we should not passe to neglect any earthly thing to gaine advantage to our soules because they are perishing things wee should force our selves to contentment in the losse of earthly things for the gaine of spirituall the losse of things perishing is an easie matter we loose things that will perish whether we loose them or no All earthly things perish either in our time or after us we should not therefore be over eager in getting of these earthly things let us leave things that perish to men that perish you see therefore how strong a reason our Saviour Christ alleadgeth here Labour not for the meate that perishâ—th because it perisheth And learne heere from our blessed Saviour a point of heavenly wisedome you see when hee would take us off and disswade us from the pursuit of earthly things he takes an argument from the nature of them they are perishing things and therefore when wee looke upon the outward luster of earthly things wee should withall consider the perishing nature of them when we are tempted to too much delight in the creature we should present to our selves the perishing and fading nature of outward things when wee are tempted to sinne either to commit or to leave that which is good for any thing that is outward we should consider what doe I now I staine my soule I crack my conscience I contract guilt and grounds of terror for the time to come for that which is perishing it is alwaies good to have present to our soules and to our fancies the nature of earthly things that they may be as present as the temptation that Satan from them urgeth and forceth upon the soule it is good alwaies to remember that they are perishing things and that as they are perishing in themselves so they will destroy us cause us to perish in the pursuite of them But my meaning is not to dwell long upon this Labour not for the meate that perisheth What doth Christ meane that wee should not labour at all for earthly things doth hee reade a Lecture of ill husbandry and unthriftinesse and negligence No he doth as we doe when we would set a crooked thing straight we bend it as much the contrary way our Saviour saw that they were desperately addicted to earthly things that they followed him for their bellies sought him for the loaves therefore hee bends the sticke the contrary way Labour not for the meate that perisheth that is labour not for it in comparison of better things labour not so inordinately so immoderately labour not so unseasonably It is said of the Israelites that they brought Aegypt into the Wildernesse because they brought the love of the Garlicke and Onyons of Aegypt with them wee have many come to the Church to these holy exercises to this holy place but they bring the world with them they come with carnall affections labour not so unseasonably it should be our heavenly wisdome to lay aside importunate earthly thoughts of earthly things to drive them away as Abraham did the Birds from the Sacrifice we should leave them as he did the Beasts and his Servants at the bottome of the Mount when hee went up to sacrifice unto God thus labour not labour not immoderately labour not inordinately labour not unseasonably But how shall wee know when our labour is immoderate unseasonable and inordinate after earthly things I answer in a word when they either hinder us from or hinder us in holy things when they keepe us from holy duties as from the santifying of the Lords day or from any other service of God or when they hinder us in them when they fill us full of distractions when they turne the soule from the businesse in hand c. thus when they doe either hinder us from or hinder us in better things we may know wee offend against this disswasion of Christ Labour not for the meate that perisheth But why doth our Saviour begin first with his disswasion Labour not for the meate that perisheth and then injoyne what they should seeke after but for the meate that endureth to everlasting life Because he saw that their soules were corrupted and desperately set upon the seeking after earthly things and when the soule is invested to any thing there must first be a remoovall of that as in ground the thornes must first bee rooted out before there bee any sowing of seeds and in bodily distempers there must first bee a purge of the malignant humour before there be any Cordialls given so Christ he first takes them off from an immoderate and inordinate seeking after the world and earthly things and then he directs them what they should do what they should seeke after seeke the foode that endures to everlasting life Heere is the prerogative of Christianity a Heathen man out of the strength of morrall discourse and outward experience can teach the negative part can tell you that all earthly things are vaine and perishing A Stoick will declaime wittily and gravely from morrall principels and daily experience upon these things that these earthly things of themselves are all vaine and fading and that it is our conceit of them onely that bewitcheth us to them it is that onely that renders them to us greene and fresh But now for the affirmative part what we should seeke after heere Paganisme is blinde that is onely to bee learned in the Church of Christ it is proper to Christianity
to direct us heere as I shall discover better to you when I come to speake of the duty injoyned which is that I especially aime at But before I come to inforce the act or duty which our Saviour heere exhorts unto I must unfold the object of that act what is meant heere by the meate that endures to everlasting life The meate that endures to everlasting life is our blessed Saviour Christ Jesus as he is contained and wrapped up in the meanes of salvation with all the blessed liberties priviledges and prerogatives graces and comforts that we have by him and in him for our blessed Saviour never goes alone hee is never imbraced naked but with him goes his graces comforts prerogatives and liberties wee have him not now as we shall see him face to face hereafter in Heaven but he is to be considered as wrapped up in the Word and Sacraments so is Christ the foode that lasts to everlasting life and in this latitude we must take it or else wee mistake and straiten the Holy Ghost But why is our blessed Saviour so considered and the comforts and prerogatives and good things we have by him termed food In divers respects To instance in a few but first you must know that as the soule hath a life as well as the body so it hath a taste as well as the body and as God least the body should pine away hath planted in it an appetite which is the bodies longing after that which refresheth it for if it were not for appetite if it were not for hunger and thirst who would care for meate and drinke so God hath planted in the soule least it should pine away a spirituall appetite an earnest longing and desiring after that which is the most necessary good of the soule for the soule hath that which the body hath taste and smell c. though in a more sublime and divine sense but as really and truly as we shall see afterwards Now our blessed Saviour is this spirituall food of the soule He is the bread of life that came downe from Heaven He is the true Manna He is the true Tree of life in Paradice in the Church of God the true Paradice He is the true Shewbread He is the true Lambe of God He considered with all the blessed prerogatives and priviledges and comforts we have by him is called meate or food for divers respects First whatsoever sweetnesse or comfort or strength there is in meate it is for the comfort and strength and good of the body so whatsoever is comfortable and cherishing in Christ as indeed all comfort and cherishing is in him it is for our good to us He is given for us Hee was borne to us a Childe is borne to us a Sonne is given all is for us for us men for us sinners there is nothing in his natures in his state and condition both of abasement and exaltation nothing in his Offices but it is all for our good Consider him in his humane nature and joyne with his nature his abasement that hee was man that he tooke upon him our nature that he was abased in it that he humbled himselfe to death even to the death of the Crosse to bee a sacrifice for our sinnes how doth the soule feed on this on the wonderfull love of God in giving Christ to be incarnate and then to die for us how doth the soule feed upon the death of Christ because by that Gods wrath is appeased and he reconciled where the dead body is there the Eagles resort so doth the soule prey and feed upon the dead body of Christ Christ crucified is the speciall food of the soule Consider him in his Exaltation in his glorious Resurrection and Ascension into Heaven how doth the soule feed upon that Christ our Surety is risen againe therfore our debt is discharged the justice of God is satisfied to the full so for his Ascension when the soule is basely minded on earthly things it ascends to Christ who is taken up to Heaven for us so his sitting at the right hand of God the soule feedes on that because he sits there till hee have triumphed over all his enemies till he have trod them all under foot Consider him in his Offices In ignorance the soule feeds on him as a Prophet to instruct it in the sense of wrath and anger the soule feeds on him as a Priest to make peace and reconciliation in want of righteousnesse the soule feeds on his righteousnesse he is our righteousnesse In the sense of corruption the soule feeds on him as a King that by his Spirit will ere long worke out all corruption that as hee will tread downe all our enemies without so he will tread downe all corruption within he will never leave the soule till he have made it a glorious house fit for himselfe So the prerogatives wee have by him the soule feeds on them feeds on his Redemption that by his Redemption wee are freed from our enemies and all that hate us and all that we feared that wee are set at liberty from the Law from sinne and from death and notwithstanding all the debasements of this world wee are the sons of God and heires of Heaven In a word whatsoever is in Christ is for our good Hee is all mine his Life is mine his Death is mine his Resurrection is mine his Ascension is mine all is mine he is expended and laid open for my good that 's the first Againe as in the bodily life there is a stomack a power to worke out of the meate that which is for strength and nourishment so in the soule there is faith the spirituall mouth and stomack of the soule to worke and draw out of Christ whatsoever is for the comfort and nourishment of it as there is comfort in Christ so the Spirit of God gives a man a hand a mouth as it were gives a man faith to worke out of Christ somewhat for comfort what were food if there were not a stomack to digest it to make it a mans owne so what were Christ if wee had not faith to lay hold on him Againe thirdly as our life is nourished and maintained with that which is dead with dead things so the chiefe dish that maintaineth and nourisheth the life of the soule as I said before is Christ crucified God forbid saith the Apostle that I should rejoyce in any thing but in Christ crucified when the soule of a poore sinner is pursued with accusations from Satan and his owne conscience when they take part with God against him whether runs it to the city of refuge it runs to Christ to Christ crucified thither the soule flies being pursued with the guilt of sinne to the hornes of the Altar as Ioab did when hee was pursued but with better successe for hee was pulled from thence but the soule that flies to Christ crucified to the death of Christ to Christ abased to his satisfying the wrath of
have a false uncleane nature whereby I am ready to commit a thousand such if God should let mee alone I have the spawne of all sinne as farre as the Spirit hath not subdued it It is a defect of judgement to be more humbled for particular sinnes nature is more tainted then any action that sowing breeding sinne as the Apostle saith it is worse then the action it breeds the rest So much for that they confesse here Wee are all as an uncleane thing in our selves But what comes from us That that aggravates to the utmost a sinnefull state All our righteousnesse is as filthy rags He doth not say we have filthy actions but our best actions are stained and not one but all Marke how strong the place is We all the people of God he includes all as Daniel saith I confesse my sinnes and the sinnes of my people and there is no man in the Church but he might have this confession in his mouth We the people of God and all We in all our actions All our righteousnesse c. so all the actions of all the righteous the best actions of the best men and all the best actions of the best men are defiled and stained it is as great an aggravation as may bee Some would have it to intend the Legall righteousnesse yet notwithstanding it is true of all and when we now humble our selves it is good to thinke of all so we may say all our righteousnesse whatsoever comes from us it is stained and defiled As for their Legall performances there is no question of them for alas they trusted too much to them in Isaiah 1. and Isaiah last they thought God was beholding to them for them Away with them away with your new Moones c. they were abhominable to God as the cutting off a dogs neck as it is Isaiah the last so all their righteousnesse their ceremoniall performances were abhominable But I say we may raise it high â—â— it is not onely true of them but in greater matters in our best morrall performances they are all as tainted rags How can this be It is strange it should be so the Papists crie out here that we discourage men from good works if all our righteousnesse be as filthy rags why should we performe good workes Put case a man be sick all the meate he eates it strengthens his sicknesse shall he therefore not eate at all Yes he must eate somewhat there is nature in him to strengthen as well as his disease Thy best performances are stained wilt thou doe none therefore yes though they be stained yet there is some goodnesse in them thou maist honour God and doe good to others besides the ill there is good there is gold in the Ore there is some good in every good action nay there is so much good as that God pardons the ill and accepts the good So though our good actions be ill yet for their kinde and matter and stuffe they are good they are commanded of God For their originall and spring they are wrought by the Spirit of God for the person the worke-man it is one in the state of grace and for acceptance God rewards them But it is another thing when we come before God to humble our selves then we must see what staines and sinnes are in them There is no good action so good but there are wants and weakenesses and staines and blemishes in it as it comes from us The Spirit of God indeed is effectuall to stirre us up to good actions but we hinder the worke of the Holy Ghost and doe not doe them so throughly as we should therefore besides our wants and weakenesses there is a tainture of them either we have false aimes they are not so direct or our resolutions are not so strong false aimes creepe in for a while though we doe not allow them and then there are some coolers of our devotion our love is cold our hatred of sinne is not so strong our prayers are not so fervent our actions are not so carried without interruption but are hindred with many bie thoughts who cannot complaine of these things Who is not brought upon his knees for the weakenesse of his best actions Nay I say more a Christian is more humbled for the imperfections and staines of his best actions then a civill carnall person is for his outward enormities for he turnes over all his outward delinquences and makes the matter but a tricke of youth when a poore Christian is abased for his dullnesse and deadnesse and coldnesse for false aimes that creepe into his actions for interruptions in his duties that his thoughts will not suffer him to serve God with that intention that he would but puts him off with motions and suggestions and temptations in his best performances this abaseth him more then outward grosse sinnes doth a carnall person When wee deale with God Our righteousnesse it is as menstruous cloathes Know this for a ground that there is a double principle in a Christian in all things that he doth there is flesh and Spirit and these two issue out in whatsoever comes from him In his good words there is flesh as well as Spirit in his thoughts and desires in his prayer his prayer it selfe stands in contraries So every thing that comes from him it is tainted with that that is contrary the flesh opposeth and hinders the worke of the Spirit and so it staines our good works Therefore contraries are true of a Christian which seeme strange to another man A Christian at the same time is deformed and well-favoured He is blacke and comely I am blacke but yet well-favoured saith the Spouse blacke in regard of sinne but well-favoured in regard of the Spirit of God and the acceptation of Christ. He is a Saint and a Sinner a Sinner in respect that sinne hath spread over all parts and a Saint in respect of Christs acceptance My Love and my Dove Christ makes love to his Church as if she had no defilement but he looks on her better part he lookes on her as she is in his love and as he meanes to bring her after But the Church looking upon her selfe as she is in her selfe she is much abased the ground of it is the imperfection of sanctification in this world The best of our works are as menstruous cloathes when we thinke of the corruption of the best things as they come from us when we come to humble our selves before God we must downe with proud stiles and Pharisaicall thoughts although there be somewhat that is good yet let us thinke of all the ill that may abase us There is a season for every thing when we are tempted to be overcome by Satan then thinke of the good as Iob when he was tempted I have done this and this you cannot take away mine innocency In false temptations from the world and Satan then stand upon our innocency But when
reason â—aith No he must think what Christ thinks and submit his judgement to him And he must have no will of his ownâ— he must give it up to his contracted Husband Christ and be content to be ruled by him in all things be must forget his fathers house and his former condition and not to make this marriage as carnall professors doe a cover for their adulterous unfaithfulnesse What is the course of many Christians They make the profession of Religion a cover for their ill dealing for their unfaithfull courses what a shame is this It is abhominable What makes the faults of wives worse then the fault of single persons because they are contrary to covenants besides many other inconveniences the confusion of ofspring and the like but this is one grand difference to make the exageration of the fault it is contrary to former covenant Those that are swearers and filthy persons that disgrace Religion and yet notwithstanding cover themselves under pâ—etence that they are contracted to Christ they are baptised and come to the Sacrament c. such wretched persons shall know ere long what it is to dally with Religion what is the aggravation of the faults of such persons They deale as filâ—hy adultresses doe they make Religion a cover for their wreched courses God is mercifull Christ dyed we are Christians we are baptised c This is an obligation to a stricteâ— life it gives men no libertie but is a stricter bond toâ— holy life the renewing of the new covenant againe and againe Therefore there is no comfort for any such wretched persons that countenance themselves under the profession of Religion in adde a greater degree to their offence Oh ye adultererâ— and adulteresses saith S. Iames know ye â—ot that the love of the world is unity with God When we let 〈…〉 loose to vaine things and 〈…〉 are câ—ntracted to Christ we are adulteresâ— adulteresses I beseech you there for 〈…〉 name of Christ for it is our office that are 〈…〉 Christ and his 〈◊〉 together 〈…〉 phi friends of the Bridegroome 〈…〉 new Testament Let me 〈◊〉 you in 〈…〉 〈◊〉 those 〈◊〉 not 〈◊〉 given up their names to Christ 〈…〉 〈◊〉 with 〈…〉 all to him in 〈…〉 man in 〈◊〉 judgements and wil be and affectionsâ— and than you shall find 〈…〉 condition in this world Indeed 〈…〉 for t of this condition to be indeedâ— and not in outward profession 〈…〉 covenant with Christ to be 〈◊〉 to him 〈◊〉 if you will take liberty 〈◊〉 the profession of Religion to live loosely to be wearers c filâ—hy persons to use your tongues as you lift as if you had made no promise to Christ as indeed we all have what will be the confusion of your soules ere long oh that we dallyed with Religion that we were intreated to be as wee should be by all sweet bonds and yet we preferred our owne lusts and base affections This will be the aggravation of hell and damnation it selfe this intreaty of Christ and the excellent prerogatives and priviledges that we have in Christ and in the meane time we stand more upon our own base courses and will not leave any thing to give up our selves to Christ but I meane not to dwell on this point This is the person The Bride she is called the Bride and not the wife because she is onely contracted here on earth and she is called the Bride in opposition to the whore of Babylon in this Book that is the filthy adulteresse the false Church The true Church of Christ is a Bride and a virgin in heaven shee shall be a wife the false Church is a whore she defiles her selfe with Idolatry and abhominations so partly for distinction from it selfe in heaven where it shall be a wife and partly in opposition to the false Church she is here called a Bride To come in the next place to the desire of the Church How should the Church know she is a Bride This is one way The desire of the marriage where there is a true contract there is a desire of the marriage of the consummation of it a desire of the comming of Christ. In this there are two things considerable First that Christ will come And then the Church hath a deâ—ire of this comming That Christ will come I need spend no time to proove it for it is an Article of faith He shall come to judge the quicke and the dead And he will come to make an end of what he hath begun here He came to redeeme our soules hee must and he will come to redeeme our bodies from corruption Hee came to be judged and to die for us he must come to be judge of the quick and dead he came to contract us he will come againe to marry us and to take us where he is He loved us so that he came from heaven to earth where we are to take our nature that he might be a fit Husband but hee will come to take us to himselfe we shall enter into his Chamber to the Palace of the great King Psal. 45. Hee will come there is no question of that The uneven carriage of things in this world to the eyes of men evinceth so much You see how it is here with mighty persons that shake off Christs yoke how they beare sway how Satan playes reaks in opposing Christ he rules in the children of pride this must not alway be so there must and will be a time when Christ will be glorious in his Saints Now the life of Christ in the Saints is a hidden life there must be a day of revelation And even as it was in Christs first comming there was all kind of arguments and witnesses to prove that he should come in the flesh a Quire of Angels from Heaven to witnesse it and on earth the wise men among the Gentiles and among the Jewes old Simeon there was men and women all kind of witnesses So in his second comming there is all kind of witnesses in this Chapter here is Christ and the Angell and Iohn and the Spirit and the Spouse the Church in generall and every particular soule their desire of his comming shewes that hee will come for the desires stirred up in the heart by the holy Ghost they will not be in vain The desires of his comming shew that he will come for spirituall desires must have their accomplishment there will bee a comming of Christ there is no question of that And the Church here desires it it is the disposition of the Church to bee carried in her desires to it wherein we will shew the ground of this desire And then the use that wee are to make of it The grounds why the Church desires the comming of Christ are manifold First of all look but to the present condition of things in this world the state of things the scandals that are in the Church there will be a desire in the Church
pretend we desire Christ to Come and yet notwith standing we are carelesse of getting knowledge and of purging our soules of growing in grace carelesse of being such as Christ may delight to come unto This carelessenesse of fitting and preparing our selves shewes that wee doe but in hypocrisie speake the words when we have no such thing in our hearts Those that desire the Kingdome of Christ and the happy condition of Christians in another world they desire the way of it here that is by fitting and preparing themselves for that estate and indeed it will worke those effects as it is Tit. 2. and other places what is the motive there to live a holy and righteous and sober life Looking and waiting for the glorious appearing of our Lord and Saviour Iesus Christ. There he inserts a holy life betweene the two commings of Christ shewing that the beleeving the end of both will worke this effect in the change of our lives To be sober to our selves and just to others and holy to God The grace of God hath appeared that is in the first comming of Christ teaching us to deny all ungodlinesse and worldly lusts c. and then looking forward still for the second comming of Christ. So that he beleeves that the grace of God hath appeared in saving our soules by the death of Christ in his first comming and hee that beleeves that hee will come to be glorious after in his second comming certainely he will live justly and soberly and righteously in this present world he will fit himselfe for that estate that hee professeth to desire Let us trie our selves by these evidences in some measure and not thinke our state good till wee can say from our hearts Come But are Christians alwayes in this state of soule that they can say Come I answere they are alway in some degree fitting themselves for Christ but notwithstanding they are not alway so exact and watchfull that they could wish that he should come at this time Take the comparison from a wife a spouse she heartily desires the comming home of her husband yet perhaps sometimes things may not be in so good order as to wish that he were here now nay I have not yet prepared This is the state of careles Christians that have soundnesse of grace and yet are carelesse they desire the comming of Christ and they love the glory of the life to come and indeavour weakely for it yet they are so carelesse some corruption hanges on them that they have not so mortified and subdued as they should doe they are not yet so fitted as they should be Therefore God often rouseth such by afflictions and other courses in this world to weane them more from the love of the world and to prepare us because we are sloathfull and carelesse to prepare our selves So I say that somtimes the best Christians sometimes may be more indisposed then at others by reason of security growing on our soules so weake are we and beset with temptations therefore let none be over-much discouraged with that but let us strive as the Church here to be in such an estate as we may alway say Come Well upon tryall if wee find our selves not so disposed as we should how shall wee carry our selves that we may say Come Let us labour to purge our selves by mortification more more he that hath this hope purgeth himselfe And let us endure Gods purging of us and justifie Gods purging of us by afflictions and thinke that God hath this ayme certainely this is to make me more heavenly minded to rayse my affections up I will therefore beare the anger of God I have deserved it and he hath holy ends in it to make me partaker of his righteousnesse Let us purge our selves by grace and endure the course that God takes to purge us by daily crosses for God aymes by it to weane us more and more from the world And let us labour daily more and more to unloose our hearts from the things below Those that would remoove a Tree they loosen it from the roote of it so our affections are rooted to earthly things therefore wee should labour to loose them daily more and more by the consideration of the uncertainety and vanity of all things they are not that that will sticke to us and give us content when wee shall stand in most need of them here we must leave the things of the world as wee find them here we must part with them Therefore wee should labour to unloose our hearts and to plant and set and pitch them where they may be safe and swallowed up in better things And to this end often meditate of the excellency that shall be in the second comming of Christ oh the glorious time then See the meanes how the Church comes to be stirred up here to say Come Christ saith before that he was the Roote of David the bright morning Starre he sets out himselfe gloriously and the gloriousnesse of that time then the Church hearing what the excellency of that state will â—e then and the excellency of Christ the Church hath desires sutable to those manifestations Therefore let us meditate of the state of the Church what it will be and of the excellâ—â—cy and glory of Christ when heâ— shall comâ— to be glorious in his Saints what a happy condition it will be and to feed our meditations let us be oft in hearing and reading of these things If wee hope for any thing to come in this world as if a young heirâ— that shall have great possessions the more he growes towards yeeres the more hee thinks I shall have this mannor and that hee thinkes of the possessions hee hath so a Christian the nearer hee growes to heaven the more hee thinkes upon and talkes and is willing to heare of that condition that hee shall have The more we are in meditation and to helpe meditation the more we are in thinking and speaking and conferring of these things what will befall us ere long if we be Gods the more our affections will be raised up as we see in the Spouse here upon the manifestation of thâ— excellency of Christ comes this desire after the comming of Christ. This is one reason of the deadnesse of our hearts wee doe not awaken them with such holy thoughts as we should and wee are not under those meanes as wee might oft times There cannot be any thing more â—weet and powerfull to drawe up our soules then meditation in this kind Againe that we may be able to say come let us labour to be more and more spirituall that the holy Spirit may rule our spirits then the spirit is alwayes for Come Nature saith not come because it is above nature I meane nature not corrupt â—aith not Come It is a hidden secret to nature nature saith slay still it hath no desire to it the flesh is contrary altogether but the
Spirit in the Spouse saith Come The Spirit doth all as the soule doth all in the body it acts it and leads it and comforts it and gives beauty to it so the Spirit first knits Christ and us together there is the same Spirit in Christ the head and in the Church there is one common Spirit in head and members And when it hath done so it acts and leads and sanctifies and purifies the Church it acquaints the Church with the good things that God hath given her acquaints her with the deepe meaning of God the love of God in Christ it acquaints God with our desires hee knowes our meaning in our prayers and we know his meaning it acquaints us with the state we shall have after and assures us of it It is the earnest of the Inheritance the Spirit and the graces of it are not onely the earnest but a part of that Inheritance a part of heaven where our bodies shall be spirituall not that they shall turne to be spirits but they shall be ruled wholy by the Spirit as the soule rules the body As it is in a river it is impossible that the streame should run higher then the spring-head from whence it comes so it is impossible that our desires should rise higher then the spring from whence they come the desires of nature cannot goe higher then nature the desires of the flesh are fleshly but spirituall desires as they spring from heaven they have a noble originall and head so they carry to heaven againe Therefore as the Spirit comes from God the Father and the Sonne so it carries us backe againe to the Father and the Sonne as it comes from heaven so it carries to heaven back againe That is one way to know whether our desires be spirituall or no our desire of death and of the comming of Christ if it be from wearisomnesse of life and from afflictions in the world so nature may desire I were better be dead then to be thus as Ionas wished death and the children of Israel and Elias in a passion oh that I were dead c. but if those desires spring from the Spirit then they come from heaven from the consideration of the excellency of the state wee shall have there that it shall be better with us and that death is but a darke passage to a glorious condition We may know our desires are spirituall from the rise of them if they come from spirituall and holy and heavenly considerations the Spirit doth all in the Spouse that is holy and Spirituall Therefore let us give entertainment to the Spirit of God and be where we may have further and further communion with the Spirit in spirituall Ordinances The preaching of Gods holy Word though it be meanely esteemed by the world it is the Ministerie of the Spirit in the hearing of it the Spirit is given if we would have the Spirit let us attend upon the Ministerie of the Spirit And let us study Christ and make him all in all Saint Paul questions with the Galathians saith hee I would know of you how came ye by the Spirit by hearing of Christs Gospel or of the Law preached No it was by the Gospel so that not onely the Ministerie in generall but the Evangelicall Ministerie that unfolds Christ and the infinite love of God in Christ the excellent condition we have in this world and look for in the world to come the Spirit is effectuall with these thoughts to make us holy and heavenly The Law beats downe but the Gospel especially these Evangelicall truths make us spirituall Therefore wee should be willing to heare spirituall points There are a company of men that love to heare curious and nice points and if a Minister be quaint anâ— satyricall and unfold points sutable to their apprehension they can digest this but come to speake of things above nature of Christ and the benefits by him they are spirituall they are remote and transcendent above their nature that they cannot relish them But he that hath the Spirit of Christ of all points there are none to those that unfold Christ and the benefits by him the glory that wee hope for by him in another world And let us not grieve the Spirit but give way to his motions The Spirit is now among us in his Ordinance knocking at our hearts and desiring entertainement let us give way and not quench the good motions that hee stirres up and the Spirit shall be given more and more to us The Holy-Ghost is given to them that ebey him And let us beg the Spirit God will give his holy Spirit to them that aske him Luk. 11. As if hee should say the Spirit is the best thing that God can give you that are evill can give good things to your children but your heavenly Father hath one good thing instead of all he will give his Spirit Therefore when wee find our hearts dead and dâ—ll and earthly and base-minded thinke thus Alas I am a lump of flesh now where is the Spirit of God certainely if I had the Spirit in me I could not be as I am If we love our soules we will take this course wee trifle with Religion else God doth all by the Spirit the Spirit is Christs Vicar here is no need of a Ministeriall head betweene the Spouse and Christ the Spirit and the Spouse are so neere together there is such a conjunction betweene Christ and his Church that where the Spirit is hee stirres up desires of his comming Onely let us attend upon the meanes and Ordinances that hee hath left in his Church And let us consider wee are not for this life we are not to live here alway the child in the wombe is not for that life and when it is in the world it is not for this life there is a third life that we are for An imperfect state rests not till it come to perfection our best is behind let those that are naught feare the second comming of Christ. Let Herod and Iudas and the beast of Rome feare that shall be cast into the burning lake Let Felix tremble the corrupt Judge and all that live in corrupt courses But wee that professe our selves to be Christians and hope for better things in another world let us labour to banish base feares and to this end let us labour to be spirituall and not to be lead by the flesh Whosoever is Christs hath the Spirit of Christ or else he is none of his as it is sweetly and largely and heavenly prooved Rom. 8. We have nothing to doe with Christ unlesse we have his Spirit to stirre up motions and desires of better things then this world can afford FINIS DAVIDS CONCLVSION OR THE SAINTS RESOLVTION In one Sermon By the late learned and reverend Divine RICHARD SIBBS Doctor in Divinitie Master of Katherine-Hall in Cambridge and sometimes Preacher at Grays-Inne Ieremy 30.21 Who is this that ingageth his heart to approach