to the honour of Christ to the Gospel of Christ In a word what ever is Christs to that faith doth work a love where ever it is so that whosoever hath faith they have in them a love to Christ and to all the things of Christ You may conceive it by this similitude If a woman have with a conjugall affection taken a man to be her husband that same taking of him to be her husband makes her love him and all that is his she loves his name his honour and credit his profit his contentment his ease his safety his person his friends for that same conjugall affection which makes her to take him to be her husband works love in her in all these particulars To beleeve in the Lord Christ is nothing but to take Christ as I said before to be our husband Now if we have taken him to be our husband then we shall love him as a wife loveth her husband There is the second thing Again thirdly a third Propertie of Faith is that in the 1 Thes 5.8 The breastplate of faith and love faith is a Brest-plate there is the third property of faith What is the use of a brestplate A brestplate it doth fence and secure the heart from all danger from all stabbs from all injuries Where there is faith the soul is fenced as it were with a brestplate so that it is neither drawn away from Christ nor wounded with the fierie darts of Satan or temptations of sin My brethren I pray observe it there is no faith where the heart is not in some measure fenced from the wounds of sin and from the insnarements of the world Faith is a brest-plate there is the third Again in the fourth and last place the last propertie of faith that I will name is that in the 1 John 5.4 Whosoever is born of God overcommeth the world and this is our victorie even our faith Observe that place where there is faith there is a victorie and a victorie over the world where ever there is faith there is an overcomming of the world To overcome the world it is not to be overcome of the world it is to persist in setting our chiefest affection upon the Lord Jesus Christ notwithstanding all the devises and attempts of the world either by flattery or by frowns either by favour or by blowes this is to overcome the world Now then where ever there is faith there is a victorie over the world that soul which hath faith in it it hath overcome the world the care of the world was wont to overcome it but now it overcommeth the care of the world it is not so carefull for the world as it is for Christ The feares of the world were wont to overcome it but now it hath overcome the feares of the world it is not so afraid of all the worlds injuries and threats as it is of Christs displeasure The pleasures of the world were wont to overcome it the world runneth after nothing so much as after worldly pleasures is delighted in nothing so much as in some worldly pleasure either of contentment or profit or friends of riches or honours But now the soul that hath faith in it it delighteth in nothing so much as in the comfort of the Spirit in the communion of the Lord Jesus Christ Thus I pray consider it though I speak but briefly of these things yet consider it where ever there is faith there is a victorie over the world before there is faith there the soul is a slave to the world but if once there be faith he is more then conquerour he is not the worlds slave but the world is his the world is trampled under his feet and is a dead flower to him that hath neither beauty nor sweetness in it Thus my brethren they that have these Properties they whose hearts are purified they who work by love they whose hearts are fenced with a brestplate that they cannot bee stollen from Christ nor wounded with sin they that are conquerours over the world they are beleevers And so you see the first thing the Object of this Act of Christ The persons for whom Christ gave himself viz. for them that have a faith purifying the heart for them that have a faith working by love for them that have a faith that is as a brestplate to their soul for them that have a faith that overcometh the world for these Christ gave himself Now we come in the second place to open the second thing that is the Act of Christ the thing that Christ did he gave himself for these beleevers What is meant by giving of himself to give a thing in the generall it is to put a thing out of ones own use and power and freely to bequeath it to the use and power of another this is in the generall to give a thing But here I conceive giving is taken a little more strictly and not so largely viz. that which we call giving a ransome For if you compare with this Text that which you shall find in 1 Tim. 2.6 Who gave himself a ransome for all that is for all sorts and conditions of people so that here by giving himself is meant a giving himself as a ransome Now what it is to give a thing as a ransome you are to know it is this It is to dispose and order a thing so as that it may redeem another out of that distresse wherein he is So then the meaning of these words he gave himself for us is this That the Lord Christ did so dispose of himself that by him there may come a redemption to all beleevers from all that miserie and distresse they are in by nature This is the meaning of the words The words then thus explained this Doctrine doth arise Jesus Christ hath given himself for all that believe I need not stand to prove it it is so plain and evident in the Text onely let me give you one place which is parallel to it Eph. 5.25 Husbands love your wives as Christ loved the Church and gave himself for it By the Church is meant nothing else but the company of beleevers now he so loved the Church that is the company of beleevers that he gave himself for them to be their ransome For the opening of the point that you may see what this Action of Christ was I will shew you the particular things to which Christ gave himselfe for beleevers First Christ gave himself to incarnation to become a man for beleevers Secondly Christ gave himself to a perfect obedience of the Law to work all righteousnesse for beleevers 3. Christ gave himself to suffering to passion for beleevers These I will briefly open and so make use of the Point The First thing to which the Lord Christ bequeathed himself for the sake of beleevers it was for to be a man For the understanding of this you must know that Christ he was as he is God he was not man
is in this case as if a man were in prison for a great deal of monie and a friend of that mans should agree with his creditor that upon condition he would discharge the man and let him out of prison he would pay him the full debt If the creditour accept of this offer and the partie perform the condition the poor man is acquitted and discharged Even thus it is God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ agreed that upon Christs paying of all that which was due to God from all those for whom he paid it they should be discharged Christ he did it and so they are set free Thus you see how it cometh to passe that Christ by giving himself hath set free all beleevers from all iniquitie Lastly for the full clearing of this point consider the reasons why Christ should thus pay this price for beleevers why Christ should give himself to redeem beleevers from all iniquitie There are two reasons of it The one in respect of God the other in respect of beleevers First In respect of God Christs love to God made him doe it Beleevers they are the elect and chosen of God chosen by him to a kingdom Now to the end they might come to the kingdom to which God hath chosen them they must be redeemed from Iniquitie they cannot redeem themselves therefore they must lie there Christ out of love to God the Father that he might bring to happines those whom God hath chosen to happines he offereth himself and undertakes the work This is that you have in Hebr. 10. 5 6 7 8. the Apostle there brings in Christ speaking to God the Father When he cometh into the world that is when Christ was Incarnate he saith Sacrifice and offering thou wouldst not but a body hast thou prepared me In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast no pleasure Then said I lo I come in the volume of thy book it is written of me to doe thy will O God God had appointed Christ to ransome beleevers Christ knowing it to be Gods will out of his love to God willingly offereth himself to doe it so that here is the first reason in obedence to God out of love to God that he might deliver his elect and bring them to that happiness to which God hath chosen them he giveth himself to redeem them from all iniquitie The second reason is From Christs love to beleevers Beleevers as they were the chosen of God so they were the chosen of Christ The Lord Christ had a speciall affection to beleevers upon three grounds First Because they were Gods chosen and Christ loving God could not chuse but love them Secondly because they were his own chosen for he hath chosen them as well as God the Father Thirdly Because by God the Father they were given to him as hee himself saith John 17.6 Thine they were and thou gavest them me Upon these three grounds Christ loveth beleevers now loving of them Christ could not but pitty them in their miserie therefore having it in his power he setteth himself to bring them out and so giveth himself a ransome to redeem them from all iniquitie so you have it Eph. 5.25 Husbands love your wives as Christ loved his Church and gave himself for it by the Church is meant the company of beleevers his love to them is said to be the cause of his giving himself for them Thus by these things you have seen the Doctrine cleared and opened That Christ gave himself for that end that he might become a ransome and set free beleevers from all iniquitie from the transgression of the Law and from the guilt of that transgression and from the punshment that belonged to that guilt To make now some Use of this Point and so to conclude This Doctrine my brethren is wonderfull sweet and usefull and therefore I have been somewhat the longer in the proving and explaining thereof It serveth both for Consolation Exhortation and Instruction First of all here is wonderfull sweet consolation to all you that are beleevers you that have a faith purifying your hearts a faith working by love a faith as a brestplate which preserveth in you a conjugall affection to Christ from all the aduldulteties of the world flesh and Devill you that have a faith overcomming the world to you I speak you are those happy ones for whom Christ gave himself to redeem you from all iniquitie to redeem you from the power of sin from the guilt of sin from the punishment of sin Be therefore of good comfort thou that art a beleever thou shalt certainly be delivered from all iniquitie Hath Christ given himself for this end and is not attainable It were folly in Christ to give himself for an end which is not attainable No my brethren hath Christ given himself for it and shall it not be done If this be the end for which Christ gave himself then either this end is made good or else Christ is disappointed of his end Is it possible thinkst thou for Christ to redeem thee from all iniquitie Oh yes Christ hath made the world he hath conquered hell the Devill and the grave therefore Christ can doe this If it be possible for Christ to doe it then Christ will doe it for it was the very end why he gave himself Doest thou think Christ hath been at so much cost and pains that he hath coveted thy redemption so strongly that he hath not spared himself but given himself for this end to redeem thee from all iniquitie and will not Christ effect it Oh consider it and be assured of it seeing it is the very end for which Christ gave himself the thing shall be done Thou that art a beleever thou art alreadie redeemed in a great measure from all iniquitie thou art redeemed from the power and dominion of sin thou art no longer a servant of sin thou art now a servant of righteousnesse thou art already redeemed from the guilt of all sin there is no sin God will ever charge upon thee to thy condemnation thou art already delivered from the punishment belonging to sin Oh take comfort in that redemption thou already hast and rejoyce under hope in that which is to come the time is coming and shall assuredly be when thou shalt be perfectly redeemed from all iniquitie Thou art now freed from the power of sin the time is coming in which thou shalt be freed from the presence of sin The Lord Christ he hath now so ordered it that God in his justice is tyed to deliver thee from all iniquitie for he hath paid the price therefore God must set thee free God covenanted with Christ that if he would pay the full price for the redemption of beleevers they should be discharged Christ hath paid the price God must be unjust or else hee must set thee free from all iniquitie Oh comfort thy self therefore with this What Moses once said to the children of Israel I may speak to
4.10 he is there said to be the Saviour of all men especially of those that beleeve You see in the Verse before my Text he is called our Saviour how he gave himself for them to whom he is a Saviour but saith the Apostle he is the Saviour of all men specially of those that beleive The meaning of the place is this Christ he saveth all men with a common temporall salvation he saveth them from many dangers from many miseries he is a generall Saviour to all men but a speciall Saviour to save from Hell from the wrath of God from the guilt and power of sin thus specially the Lord Christ is a Saviour only to them that beleeve So that by the Object of this Act included in the word Vs he gave himself for us is meant beleevers them that doe beleeve in him What this belief is I think I shall not need now to declare unto you I will but onely touch it in a few words To beleeve in Christ then it is nothing else but for a man to goe out of himself and to receive the Lord Christ in all his Offices to be to us in particular a King to govern us a Prophet to teach us and a Priest to save us and to make intercession for us Thus Faith is described John 1.12 To as many as received him that is as the latter part of the Verse hath it to as many as beleeved in him He gave power to be the sons of God So that to beleeve in Christ is to receive Christ Now there is no receiving of Christ but you must receive whole Christ the coat of Christ was never divided much lesse is the person of Christ if Christs coat and person was not divided much lesse the Offices of Christ So that if to beleeve be to receive Christ then to beleeve is to receive whole Christ in all his Offices You see then what this faith is it is to goe out of ones self and to entertain Christ to be in particular for us our onely King and Priest and Prophet and therefore to give up our selves to Christ as subjects to be guided by him as by our Soveraign and as Schollers in all things to be taught by him as by our Master and for to give up our selves to him alone to expect attonement and to expect favour from God through his Priesthood This is to believe The Properties of this Faith the signs of it by which you may know that you are them for whom Christ gave himself you shall find in Scripture to be these First of all Faith it is said to purifie the heart Acts 15.9 There saith the Apostle he put no difference between us and them purifying of their hearts by faith There is one propertie of faith It is a purifier of the heart that is where there is faith there is a principle in that heart whereby it commeth to be purified and cleansed from the power and dominion of all originall corruption Where ever there is faith there is a pure principle in that soul which endeavoureth nothing but the cleansing of the soul from all corruption that is inbred by nature Faith it doth not purifie the heart perfectly but onely in part It doth not purge out all corruption but onely some but yet this it doth it establisheth in the soul a pure principle whereby the soul is purged from the dominion of all sin from the love of all sin from the habituall delighting in any sin and whereby the soul is made to be continually purging of it self from the remainders of corruption Whence is that speech you have in 1 Pet. 1. 22. Seeing you have purified your souls by obeying the truth faith it purifieth the heart by planting in it a principle which makes the heart purifie it self Thereupon is that you have in 1 John 3 3. Every man that hath this hope purifieth himself as he is pure Hope it is the daughter of faith where there is faith there is hope brought forth where there is hope this hope makes a man purifie himself even as God is pure I pray observe it Hope with faith works in the soul it looks upon God and it doth make a man strive to purifie himself that he may come to be pure as God is What ever impurity is discerned in the soul there is not that hope which is the daughter of faith faith and hope is continually labouring and striving to work out that impuritie that is the meaning of it he purifieth himself even as God is pure that even as a Scholer that is willing to learne hee looks upon the Copie of his master and upon his own writing and where ever he findeth any default he is continually striving to mend that and still labouring every time more and more to be more conformable to his masters copie even thus where ever there is faith it doth produce hope which hope makes the soul continually aim to conform it self to the puritie of God whom it hopeth fully to enjoy And that you may not be mistaken consider thus much that there will bee impuritie in the heart wherein there is faith but yet where there is faith there is a continuall purging out of impuritie as it manifesteth it selfe You may conceive it by a similitude if a pot be boyling upon the fire there will a scum arise but yet they that are good house wives and cleanly and neat they watch it and as the scum riseth up they take it off and throw it away happily more scum will arise but still as it riseth they scum it off Thus it is with the soul impuritie will be in the heart wherein there is faith and it manifesteth it self and riseth up when the soul is in action but yet the heart that hath faith in it eyeth the soul and as it discovereth any impuritie though it be never so secret or never so small though it be never so agreeing to his naturall disposition it scummeth it off and it is his continuall work and desire to make riddance of any corruption which doth appear Here is the first Propertie whereby you may know them that are the Persons for whom Christ gave himself they are beleevers and faith purifieth the heart A second Propertie of faith is that you have in Gal. 5.6 Faith which works by love Where ever there is faith it is working Faith it is not an idle grace it is not a fancie or an opinion that Christ hath died for us and there is an end but it is a working grace where ever there is faith there is work and what work is it it is a work of love There is a working of love and a working by love where ever there is faith First there is a working of love faith that beleeveth in Christ works a love to Christ Faith that beleeveth the pardon of sin it works a hatred of that sin for whose pardon Christ bloud was shed faith it works a love to the Image of Christ
had and what he received by faith they that beleeve as he did may expect the selfe same mercy that he had Now the faithfull of God and sonnes of Abraham are here described two wayes I say every faithfull man that is the sonne of Abraham that imitateth the faith of Abraham is discovered two wayes First Negatively What will not suffice to make a man the sonne of Abraham Secondly Affirmatively What God specially looks for at the hands of those that are to be the children of Abraham First Negatively thus Abraham is the father of circumcision not onely to them who are of the circumcision that is not onely theirs who have the priviledges of the Jewes the Word and the Oracles of God Circumcision and the Passeover T is true Abraham is their father but not onely theirs that have no more but those priviledges but also theirs that walk in the footsteps of the faith of Abraham So that by Circumcision you must here understand all these prerogatives and priviledges which the Jewes had above any other Nation and consequently that none of all those priviledges then could that none of ours as to be in the Church to be baptized c. now can make a man to be the sonne of Abraham Abraham is the father of the circumcision not to them who are of the circumcision onely but he is the father of the circumcision if they have faith They that have bare circumcision onely may indeed applaud themselves therein but they shall never receive thereby those things God hath promised This is the Negative Secondly The Affirmative part sheweth who they be indeed that shall truly be partakers of the comforts and graces of Abraham namely those that walk in the footsteps of that faith of Abraham If a man beleeve as he did work as he did walk as he did so onely he may come to have title unto and interest in the promises God hath vouchsafed in his Word Thus much for the opening of the words Come we now in the first place to speak of the negative part in which the Spirit of God is pleased to exclude all outward priviledges and prerogatives and to say thus Abraham is the father of circumcision to them who are not of the circumcision onely that is if they injoy onely outward priviledges they are not the children of Abraham The point we learn hence is thus much That all outward priviledges as the hearing of the Word the partaking of the Sacraments and the like are not able to make a man a sound Saint of God The point is clear in the Text That if a man had circumcision that is if he had all those preferments that God vouchsafeth to a people in the face and bosome of his Church this would not doe him any good at all he hath no title to the promises because of these if he rest in them Abraham is not the father of those that are circumcised onely So that I say again all outward priviledges are not able to make a man a true Saint of God Our Saviour Christ speaking of Capernaum saith And thou Capernaum which art exalted unto heaven shalt be brought down to hell for if the mighty works which have been done in thee had been done in Sodome c. Mat. 11.23 Capernaum was lifted up to Heaven how In all those spirituall helpes and excellent meanes that God vouchsafed them above many others they were highly advanced in the enjoyment of heavenly priviledges they heard the Word of God and they saw the Miracles of Christ and yet Thou Capernaum shalt be deep in punishment thou wert lifted up to Heaven in regard of excellent priviledges but thou shalt be cast down to Hell in regard of thy impenitency and stubbornesse under them The Apostle Paul disputeth the point and makes the case clear Rom. 2.28 29. where he plucks away all these hopes and vain props which men raise to themselves from the having of outward priviledges He is not a Jew saith he that is one outwardly that is he is not therefore a true child of God and a faithfull man he hath not therefore saving faith because he is circumcised because he enjoyeth the liberties and priviledges of the people of God and liveth in the bosome of the Church but he is a Jew which is one inwardly and Circumciston is that of the heart in the Spirit and not in the Letter whose praise is not of men but of God You know that it was an ancient Proverb in Israel Is Saul also amongst the Prophets 1 Sam. 10.12 and 19.24 Yes Saul was amongst the Prophets and he that was once amongst the Prophets is now amongst the Devils in Hell Judas was highly promoted he lived as an Apostle amongst the Disciples heard out Saviour continually sate at table with him and yet for all this is now damned in hell for ever These were high priviledges and if these would have done the deed Judas had never perished Ishamel was circumcised and yet he was excommunicated out of Abrahams family the then Church of God and was a cast-away Instances are many in the Scriptures to this purpose but I list not to dwell longer upon the proofe of the point you see it is evident enough that bare priviledges be they never so high and excellent are not able to make one indeed a faithfull man before the Lord nor the sonne of Abraham I should have shewed the Reasons Alas outward matter 's never work upon the heart That which makes a man a Saint must work upon the soul Now the Word and the Sacraments barely considered cannot work upon the spirit unlesse the Lord work a new frame inwardly by the infusion of Grace Gal. 5.6 Circumcision and uncircumcision profiteth nothing but faith that worketh by love These outward things are too shallow to reach the inward man too weak to work so powerfully upon the soule of a Christian man as to bring the heart to God But I leave the strengthning of the point by Reasons and because I would not be prevented I come to the Uses The first Use I will hence raise is an Use of reproof This Doctrine confoundeth the carnall confidence of those Professors that living in the bosome of the Church place all their hopes and assurance of being saved upon this bottome because they have been baptized and come to Church and hear the Word and receive the Sacrament therefore of necessity they presume they must be accepted of God This was the old plea of the Jewes in Jeremies time When the Prophet came to them to reprove them for their sinnes and presse them to repentance they began to quarrell with him and to take up Bucklers against him and cried out The Temple of the Lord the Temple of the Lord are these These are the Fig-leaves wherewith poor and ignorant Christians think to hide themselves at this day Tell them of their saults bid them walk humbly and holily before God reprove them for their strange practises against God
are God respecteth no mans person if you would arrive at the same haven you must saile thorough the same sea you must walk the same way of grace if you would come to the same kingdome of glory It is a conceit that harboureth in the hearts of many men nay of most men in generall specially your great wise men and your great rich men that have better places and estates in the world then ordinary What think they may not a man be saved without all this adoe what needs all this is there not another way besides this Surely my brethren you must teach our Saviour Christ and the Apostle Paul another way I am sure they never knew other and he that dreameth of another way must be content to goe beside There is no such matter as the Devill would perswade you it is but his delusion to keep you under infidelity and to shut you up to destruction under false and vain conceits The truth is here is the way and the onely way and you must walk here if ever you come to life and happinesse therefore be not deceived suffer not your eyes to be blinded but know what Abraham did you must doe the same if not in action yet in affection If God say forsake all thou must doe it at least in affection thou must still wait upon his power and providence yeeld obedience to him in all things be content to submit thy selfe to his will This is the way you must walk in if you ever come to heaven The last Use shall be a Use of Comfort to all the Saints and people of God whose consciences can witnesse that they have laboured to walk in the uprightnesse of their heart as Abraham did I have two or three words to speak to these Be perswaded out of the Word of God that your course is good and goe on with comfort and the God of Heaven be with you and be sure of it that you that walk with Abraham shall be at rest with Abraham and it shall never repent you of all the paines that you have taken Happily it may seem painfull and tedious to you yet what Abigail said to David let me say to you Oh saith she let not my Lord doe this when the Lord shall have done to my Lord according to all the good that he hath spoken concerning thee and shall have appointed thee Ruler over Israel this shall be no greife unto thee nor offence of heart that thou hast shed blood causelesse or that my Lord hath avenged himselfe 1 Sam. 25.30 31. My brethren let me say so to you You will finde trouble and inconveniencies and hard measure at the hands of the wicked in this world many Nabals and Chins will set themselves against you but goe on and beat it patiently know it is a troublesome way but a true way it is grievous but yet good and the end will be happy it will never repent you when the Lord hath performed all the good that he hath spoken concerning you Oh! to see a man drawing his breath low and short after he hath spent many houres and dayes in prayer to the Lord grapling with his corruptions and striving to pull down his base lusts after he hath waited upon the Lord in a constant course of obedience take but such a man and ask him now his conscience is opened whether the wayes of holinesse and sincerity be not irksome to him whether he be not grieved with himselfe for undergoing so much needlesse trouble as the world thinks it and his soul will then clear this matter it is true he hath had a tedious course of it but now his death will be blessed he hath striven for a Crown and now behold a Crown now he is beyond the waves all the contempts and imprisonments and outrages of wicked men are now too short to reach him he is so farre from repenting that he rejoyceth and triumpheth in reflecting back upon all the pains and care and labour of love whereby he hath loved the Lord Jesus in submitting his heart unto him Take me another man that hath lived here in pompe and jollity hath had many livings great preferments much honour abundance of pleasure yet hath been ever carelesse of God and of his Word profane in his course loose in his conversation and ask him upon his death-bed how it standeth with him Oh! woe the time that ever he spent it as he hath done now the soule begins to hate the man and the very sight of him that hath been the instrument with it in the committing of sinne now nothing but gall and wormwood remaineth now the sweetnesse of the Adulterers lust is gone and nothing but the sting of conscience remaineth now the covetous man must part with his goods and the gall of Aspes must stick behinde now the soul sinks within and the heart is overwhelmed with sorrow Take but these two men I say and judge by their ends whether ever it will repent you that you have done well that you have walked in the steps of the faith of Abraham My brethren howsoever you have had many miseries yet the Lord hath many mercies for you God dealeth with his servants as a father doth with his son after he hath sent him on a great journey to doe some busines the weather falleth foul and the way proveth dangerous and many a storm and great difficulties are to be gone through oh how the heart of that father pittieth his son how doth he resolve to requite him if he ever live to come home again what preparation doth he make to entertain and welcome him and how doth he study to doe good unto him My brethren so it is here I beseech you think of it you that are the Saints and people of God You must finde in your way many troubles and greifes and we ought to find them but be not discouraged the more misery the greater mercy God the father seeth his servants and if they suffer and indure for a good conscience as his eye seeth them so his soul pittieth them his heart bleeds within him for them that is he hath a tender compassion of them and he saith within himselfe Well I will requite them if ever they come into my Kingdome all their patience and care and conscience in walking in my wayes I will requite and they shall receive a double reward from me even a Crown of eternall glory Think of those things that are not seen they are eternall the things that are seen are temporall and they will deceive us let our hearts be carried after the other and rest in them for ever FINIS CULPABLE IGNORANCE OR THE Danger of Ignorance UNDER MEANES By that Reverend Divine THOMAS HOOKER Late Preacher in New England 2 THES 1.7 8. The Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty Angels In flaming fire taking vengeance of them that know not God and which obey not the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ
the wrath of God due for the breaking of the Law To doe both these the Lord Christ hath given himself and if Christ have certainly done it what need men come after to add any thing to it The Church of Rome hath a Doctrine of Satisfaction and it telleth us That men must satisfie in this life and after this life All this is needlesse and derogatorie to Jesus Christ as if men should come after and adde any thing to what he hath done as if the redemption of Christ were not perfect as if Christs giving of himself were not enough to redeem us from all iniquitie Learn this therefore that so you may abhor that Doctrine and here is the first instruction The Second is to teach us the great bondage and slavery that iniquitie holdeth them in that are under it for if so be that Christ gave himself to fetch beleevers out of iniquitie then certainly it is a miserable thing to be under iniquitie It were a silly thing that Christ should be at so much cost as to give himself to free beleevers from iniquitie if it were not a miserable thing for beleevers to be under iniquitie the very Phrase teacheth us that it is a bondage to be under sin he gave himself to redeem us from iniquitie therefore to bee under iniquitie is a bondage for redemption supposeth a slaverie Oh it is a bondage indeed and a slaverie worse then that of the Turks or Moors For first the slaverie of the Turk is but of the bodie but the slaverie to sin is of the bodie and soul both The slaverie to the Turk is but to men the slaverie to sin is a slaverie to the Devill The slaverie to the Turk is but for a while at the longest but for a mans life but the slaverie to sin is for ever Again the slaverie to the Turk a man may be redeemed from it by some ordinary price by a certain sum of Gold and Silver but the slaverie to sin a man can never be freed out of that but by the precious bloud of the Lord Jesus Christ 1 Pet. 1.18 Yee were not redeemed from your vain conversation redemption from sins slaverie is not attainable by silver and gold and corruptible things but by the precious bloud of Christ as of a lamb without blemish and without spot Blood must be shed before freedome from the slaverie from sin can be attained and the bloud of one that is innocent and the blood of one that is the Son of God Oh what a slaverie is this our of which nothing can redeem but blood innocent blood even the blood of the Son of God Certainly either it is an infinite miserie to be under sins slaverie or Christ was very foolish to give such an infinite price to redeem us from it For what is it for Christ to give himself but for Christ to give an infinite price For is not Christ God whom the Angels worship who made the world Christ gave himself to redeem people therefore it is an infinite miserie under which they are or he had been infinitely unwise to give so great a price Learn then That Christ gave himself to redeem from sin therefore sin is an infinite bondage and slaverie give no reft therefore to your souls till you come out of it Thirdly and lastly Hath Christ given himself for this end Oh then let all that are beleevers know that is their duty to love the Lord Jesus Christ Now I shall speak to all of you for there is none of you but say you are beleevers there is none of you but think that Christ gave himself for you Is there any of you here present that doe not think Christ gave himself for you If you did not thinke so you would despair presently If you doe thinke so see your dutie hath Christ given himself to ransome you oh then what a love do you owe to Christ Consider but these particulars in Christs giving of himself for your ransome First he hath given a great price he hath given himself for our ransome it is the most costly ransome that ever friend gave to ransome a friend Many men have given money but Christ hath given himself to redeem you Secondly It is a perfect ransome he hath redeemed you from all iniquitie Thirdly It is a perpetuall ransome he hath for ever redeemed you Fourthly It is an undeserved ransome What did you deserve when Christ gave himself to ransome you from sin you were enemies to Christ you hated him you persecuted him you rejected him There is no nation in the world so bitter an enemie to our nation as you were to Christ when he gave himself to ransome you On then behold a costly ransome a perfect ransome a perpetuall ransome an underserved ransome What doth this deserve but wonderfull love at your hands If there were a man that were to lie in prison all his life long for debt and one should come to him that he never knew of whom hee never deserved any kindnesse if this man should set him free how would he love that man and truly there were great cause that he should Suppose a man were a slave to the Turk and there for ought he knew he was to spend all his dayes in that drudgerie and a man comes and payes an exceeding great ransome even as much every farthing as is desired would that man that is thus redeemed thinke it too much to be a servant to him that set him free No surely I remember what the men of Israel said once to Gideon Judg. 8.22 Rule thou over us both thou and thy son and thy sons son for thou hast delivered us out of the hand of Midian Because he had delivered them they give their Crown and Scepter to him and to his posteritie for divers generations and Gideon deserved it These persons shall rise up in judgement against you that will not love the Lord Jesus Christ Never did any Creditor never did any redeemer that ransomed a slave from drudgerie never did this Gide on doe half so much for them as Christ hath done for you They did not give themselves Christ hath given himself and that to redeem you from iniquitie therefore as the work is of infinite worth so your love should be abundant Oh love Christ therefore above all above your sins above the world above your friends above your liberties above your goods above your lives for he hath loved you above his life he hath given himself to redeem you from all iniquitie let it be said of you as the Apostle speaks of those beleevers in 1 Pet. 1.8 Whom though yee see not yet yee love though you see not Jesus Christ yet love him for he hath done these things for you But how shall you be assured that you are in the number of them for whom Christ gave himself to redeem from all iniquitie If you finde your souls to love the Lord Christ above all things but on the other side if
hearts openly and plainly and particularly judge them by the Scriptures and observe their hearts in the course of Gods dealing with them and their dealing with God and accordingly apply the touchstone of the Scriptures I am confident by the signes and evidences of grace that are in the Scriptures people may come to discerne their own hearts not by any vertue or skill of their own but by the vertue and skill of God whose power goeth along with his Word It is true a Hypocrite may deceive the quickest-eyed Minister in the world if he will not openly lay his heart before him and therefore good Ministers oftentimes speake peace to them to whom no peace belongeth yet they speak the truth according to those evidences that are expressed to them Were not the wise virgins deceived in the foolish Was not David deceived in Achitophell Were not the Disciples deceived in Judas Yet notwithstanding as I said if people will sincerely deal with their fellow brethren and with their Minister and when God calleth upon them to try themselves if they will turne their inside outward if they will nakedly lay open the state of their own hearts so clearly as they can discerne I doubt not but the Minister of God from the word of God may speak assured peace and give them certaine evidences of the truth of grace Were not these things thus it were not possible we should ever come to assurance it were in vain that the Lord hath given us so many signes and tokens if by observing and trying we might not come to discerne the estate of our hearts Therefore for such of you as in truth find from time to time by these and the like evidences the truth of grace in you know you that there is ground of comfort for your soules And as this is ground of comfort to you that have these things so it is ground of terror to those that want them I know you are almost all frequenters of the Word speakers well of the practise of religion happily you have some reformation in you happily you have some Ministers that speak peace to you happily there is no disturbance in your consciences happily there is some kind of joy and rejoycing in you in hearing the Word c. But my brethren whatever there is that can be in you if this be not in you if there be not a death of sin and a life of righteousnesse be it known unto you that Christ is not in you neither are you in the state of grace You may go on and please your selves with dreams of a happy estate because of such and such appearances of grace yet this I assure you if the death of sin be not in you and the life of righteousnesse Christ is not in you nor never will be for you Again therefore be amazed and tremble and fear and cast away your vain hopes all you that have not found the death of sin and life of righteousnesse Be assured of what the Lord Christ speaks in John 12. The words that I speak shall judge you at the last day Be assured of this that the Lord Jesus Christ will judge your estates by these and such like tryals as these are at the last day and if you cannot be found meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the Saints in light by the Ministers and Ministry of the Word faithfully dispensed from the Scriptures you shall never be found meet to bee partakers of it in the judgement of God at the last day for so as the Word judgeth God judgeth and as the Minister judgeth while he keepeth to the Scriptures the Lord Christ will judge at the last day So that you see here is Comfort for some and Terror for others Comfort for such as have a death of sin and a life of righteousness though there bee much corruption though there be much weakness of grace in you yet here is comfort for you and terror for all others whatever their morall vertues and common graces or their restraining gifts or outward profession is Well then what now remains but that in the last place we be all exhorted from the Lord to labour to increase the death of sin and life of righteousness in us They are but imperfect in the best of us let us labour to make them both more perfect to perfect the death of sin and the life of righteousness Why so Because that the death of sin and life of righteousness they are the Evidences of Christs being in us the evidences of the goodness of our estates therefore the more these are the more are our Evidences of our part in Christ and the greater will our comfort be and we shall make more sure our calling and election This is that which the Apostle Peter meaneth 2 Pet. 1. 5. Give all diligence saith he to make your valling and election sure But how is that done by making sure those things in your selves that are the tokens and signs and evidences of Gods Election How shall this be done saith the Text there adde one grace to another to your faith vertue to your vertue knowledge and to knowledge temperance and to temperance patience and to patience brotherly kindnes and to brotherly kindness love perfect your grace increase the life of righteousnesse perfect in you the death of sin increase the ruine of the old man the more you increase these things the more you increase your Evidences of your part in Christ What can you desire that is able to administer to you so much comfort to provide so good a help for you against those fears we have so long justly feared what can prepare you for those ensuing calamities that are approaching as your Evidences of a part in Christ But nothing can give you so much evidence of a part in Christ as the death of sin and life of righteousnesse Therefore I beseech you studie above all things what ever else you neglect to increase and perfect in you the death of sin and life of righteousness that so the Evidences of Christ being in you may be certain And so much for this time and Text. FINIS GRACE MAGNIFIED OR THE PRIVILEDGES OF THOSE That are under Grace By that Reverend Divine THOMAS HOOKER Late Preacher in New England TIT. 2. 11. For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men c. LONDON Printed by G. D. for Francis Eglesfield and are to be sold at the Sign of the Marigold in Pauls Church-yard 1651. GRACE Magnified OR The PRIVILED GES of those that are under Grace SERMON III. Rom. 6. 14. For sin shall not have dominion over you for you are not under the Law but under Grace THe blessed Apostle Saint Paul having in the two former Verses exhorted the Romans to whom he wrote this Epistle that they should not let sin reign in their mortall bodie nor yeeld their members as instruments of unrighteousnesse unto sin He cometh in this Verse to prevent a
to doe all he commandeth yet this shutteth not out their endeavour His promise of enabling them is upon this supposition that they doe indeavour in the use of the meanes he shall appoint them The Lord in promising doth not meane that they should be idle and look that he should doe all but his promising includeth their endeavouring and upon their endeavouring in the use of the meanes that God hath appointed he hath promised to enable them to doe what he hath commanded And this is very expresse in that same of the Prophet Ezek. 36. verse 27. and verse 37. laid together In verse 27. there is a promise to make them able to keep the Law of God I will put my spirit within you and cause you to walke in my statutes and you shall keep my judgements and doe them But in verse 37. he commeth in with this caution which I desire you to observe Thus saith the Lord I will yet for this be inquired of by the house of of Israel to doe it for them As if he should say it is true indeed I have promised to enable you to all things I have commanded you but yet know though I have promised to doe all yet I will not doe it without your indeavour you must use the meanes whereof prayer is one and upon your using the meanes I promise then to helpe you If people he still and will not up and be doing God will not be with them it was the speech of David to Solomon 1 Chron. 28. Vp saith he and be doing and the Lord shall be with thee Implying thus much that though God hath promised yet God will not be with us to enable us to any performance except we also be up and be doing This therefore is no incouragement to lazie Christians that rest themselves upon this that when God would have them doe it he will enable them to doe it and so doe not to their uttermost endeavour themselves these are such to whom God will performe none of these promises Well now this caution being added let us come briefly to the Use of the Point And the first Use it is to shew us the truth of that which the Apostle telleth us 1 John 5.3 This is the love of God that we keep his Commandements and his Commandements are not grievous Here is a Paradox what the Commandements of God not grievous this the world cannot beleeve The reason of the Apostles saying they are not grievous is because of our love to God for whom we love none of his Commandements can be grievous to us But this Doctrine sheweth you the truth of it upon another ground Are any of Gods Commandements grievous when God commandeth us nothing but what he promiseth to make us able to doe so farre as shall be needfull for acceptance so we will indeavour our selves Indeed I grant that Gods Commandements are above the power of nature to obey nothing harder to corrupt infirme nature than Gods Commands but yet seeing that God hath promised to enable us to yeeld obedience to every Commandement so we will doe our indeavours what grievousnesse or what unreasonablenesse is there in the Commandement You may conceive it by this similitude A King commeth to one of his Subjects that it may be is not worth a thousand pound and giveth him a commandement to pay ten thousand pound but withall giveth him liberty to goe to his Exchecquer and take it If you look upon the greatnesse of the sum and poverty of the man it is a grievous command but if you consider this qualification that the King hath promised to give him sufficient to pay it there is no grievousnesse in it Thus is it in all the commands of God to his children God commandeth us things above the power of flesh and blood biddeth us doe what is above the abilitie of nature but withall promiseth in the use of meanes to make us able to doe them therefore there is no grievousnesse in the Commands God in this case dealeth with his children as Joab dealt with David 2 Sam. 12.26 27 28. Joab he beseiged Rabbah and when he had in a manner taken it he sendeth a Messenger to David to bid him come and take it that he might have the glory Joab had runne thorough the difficulties he had in a manner done the work but to the end that the glory might be Davids when Joab had done the greatest he biddeth David come and doe it Even thus it is between God and his people it is the Lord that works all our workes for us it is the Lord that enableth us to obedience to all his Commandements he makes it very easie and yet notwithstanding to the end we may have the glory of our obedience and the reward thereof at the last day when the Lord hath prepared it for us he biddeth us come and doe it he putteth the honour upon us but the power that doth it is his own there is no grievousnesse in any of Gods commands Oh my brethren beleeve this that you may be incouraged to put your necks into the yoke of Christ Come unto me saith he in Mat. 11.28 and take my yoke upon you for my yoke is easie and my burthen light Is not this true that Gods yoke is easie and his burthen light when he biddeth us doe no more then he giveth us strength to doe Stand not out against the Lord Jesus Christ doe not refuse to subject your selves to his Commandements because the World the Flesh and the Devill telleth you they are a burthen too great for you to beare I tell you they are easie there is no more commanded then strength shall be given to obey Here is the first Use The Second Use of the Point is to shew us how exceeding unexcusable all the defects and disobedience of Gods people are For why There is nothing commanded them but God hath promised to make them able to doe it if therefore they doe not doe it is not the fault wholly their own God hath commanded his children great things but yet he hath promised to help them to doe it all if therefore Gods children doe not doe it is not the fault theirs and what can they say for themselves Thou art commanded to mortifie thy lusts thou art commanded to deny thy self thou art commanded to keep thy self unspotted of the world thou art commanded to have thy conversation in heaven and abundance of such commands thou doest none of these what canst thou plead for thy self What excuse hast thou to make to excuse thee from the guilt of these sins All that thou caust say is this I am flesh and these Commandements are spirituall I am full of sin and how can I obey the Commandements of God they are too great things for so sinfull a creature as I am to doe True but yet notwithstanding are they to great for God to doe Is not God able to make thee able to doe them Hath not God promised
Abraham That man that not onely enjoyeth the Priviledges of the Church but yeeldeth the obedience of faith according to the Word of God revealed and walketh in obedience that man alone shall be blessed with faithfull Abraham Two points may be hence raised but I shall hardly handle them both therefore I will passe over the first onely with a touch and that lieth closely couched in the Text That Faith causeth fruitfulness in the hearts and lives of those in whom it is Mark what I say A faithfull man is a fruitfull man Faith inableth a man to be doing Ask the Question By what power was it whereby Abraham was inabled to yeeld obedience to the Lord The Text answereth you They that walke in the footsteps not of Abraham but in the footsteps of the faith of Abraham A man would have thought the Text should have run thus They that walk in the footsteps of Abraham that is true too but the Apostle had another end therefore he saith They that walk in the footsteps of the faith of Abraham implying that it was the grace of faith that God bestowed on Abraham that quickned and inabled him to every duty that God required of him and called him to the performance of So that I say the Question being Whence came it that Abraham was so fruitfull a Christian what inabled him to do and to suffer what he did Surely it was faith that was the cause that produced such Effects that helped him to perform such actions The Point then you see is evident Faith is it that causoth fruit Hence it is that of almost all the actions that a Christian haah to doe faith is still said to be the worker If a man pray as he should it is the prayer of faith Jam. 5.15 If a man obey as he should it is the obedience of faith Rom. 16.26 If a man war in the Church militant it is the fight of faith 1 Tim. 6.12 2 Tim. 4.7 If a man live as a Christian and holy man he liveth by fasth Gal. 2.20 Nay shall I say yet more if he die as he ought he dieth by faith Heb. 11.13 These all died in faith What is that by the power of faith that directed and ordered them in the course of their death furnished them with grounds and principles of aflurance of the love of God made them carry themselves patiently in death I can say no more but with the Apostle 2 Cor. 13.5 Examine your selves whether yee bee in the faith Why doth not the Apostle say Examine whether faith be in you but whether yee bee in the faith His meaning is that as a man is said to be in drinke or to be in love or to bee in passion that is under the command of drinke or love or passion so the whole man must be under the command of faith as you shall see more afterwards If he pray faith must indite his prayer If he obey faith must work If hee live it is faith that must quicken him and if he die it is faith that must order him in death And wheresoever faith is it will doe wonders in the soul of that man where it is it cannot be idle it will have footsteps it sets the whole man on work it moveth feet and hands and cies and all parts of the bodie Mark how the Apostle disputeth 2 Cor 4.13 We having the same spirit of faith according as it is written I beleeved and therefore have I spoken we also believe and therefore speak The faith of the Apostle which he had in his heart set his tongue a going If a man have faith within it will break forth at his mouth This shall suffice for the proof of the point I thought to have pressed it further but if I should I see the time would prevent me The Use therefore in a word is this If this be so then it falleth soul and is a heavie Bill of Indictment against many that live in the bosome of the Church Go thy wayes home and read but this Text and consider seriously but this one thing in it That whosoever is the son of Abraham hath faith and whosoever hath faith is a walker is a worker by the footsteps of faith you may see where faith hath been Will not this then I say fall marvellous heavie upon many souls that live in the bosome of the Church who are confident and put it out of all Question that they are true beleevers and make no doubt but that they have faith But look to it wheresoever faith is it is fruitfull If thou art fruitlesse say what thou wilt thou hast no faith at all Alas these idle Drones these idle Christians the Church is too too full of them Men are continually hearing and yet remain fruitless and unprofitable whereas if there were more faith in the world we should have more work done in the world faith would set feet and hands and eies and all on work Men go under the name of professors but alas they are but Pictures they stir not a whit Mark Where you found them in the beginning of the yeer there you shall find them in the end of the yeer as profane as worldly as loose in their conversations as formall in dutie as ever And is this faith Oh faith would work other matters and provoke a soul to other passages then these But you wil say May not a man have faith and not that fruit you speak of May not a man have a good heart to God-ward although he cannot find that abilitie in matter of fruitfulnesse My brethren be not deceived Such an opinion is a meer delusion of Satan whereever faith is it bringeth Christ into the soul Mark that Whosoever beleeveth Christ dwelleth in his heart by faith Eph. 3.17 And If Christ be in you saith the Apostle the body is dead because of sin but the spirit is life because of righteousness Rom. 8.10 If Christ be in you that is Whosoever beleeveth in the Lord Jesus Christ dwels in such a man by faith now if Christ be in the soul the bodie cannot be dead but a man is alive and quick and active to holy duties ready and willing and cheerfull in the performance of whatsoever God requireth Christ is not a dead Saviour nor the Spirit a dead Spirit The second Adam is made a quickning spirit 1 Cor. 15.45 And wherever the Spirit is it works Effects suteable to it The Spirit is a Spirit of puritie a spirit of zeal c. and where it is it maketh pure and zealous c. When a man will say he hath faith and in the mean time can be content to be idle and unfruitfull in the work of the Lord can bee content to be a dead Christian let him know that his case is marvellously fearfull For if faith were in him indeed it would appear yee cannot keep your good hearts to your selves where ever fire is it will burn and where ever faith is it cannot be
this is the first step of the faith of Abraham that he was content to yeeld to the call and to be under the command of God to let his good pleasure take place in his heart to leave all kindred country fathers house and never return any more And this is that first step that God lookes every faithfull man should take that he be willing that the command of God take place in his heart that God should make room there for himselfe that he should pluck away his dearest sinnes that are as neer to him as his right hand and as his right eye If the Adulterer were converted he would be contented that God should take away his lust that is as dear to him as his very soule nay he would fain and that with all his heart have God make way in his soul for his own Majesty by beating down all the holds of Satan and tumbling that Dagon to the ground which standeth before him This is the first step of faith The next step that Abraham and so every faithfull soule sets forward is this That when ever faith commeth powerfully into the heart the soule is not content barely to yeeld to the command of God but it breatheth after his mercy longeth for his grace prizeth Christ and Salvation above all things in the world is satisfied and contented with nothing but with the Lord Christ and although it partake of many things below and injoy abundance of outward comforts yet it is not quieted till it rest and pitch it selfe upon the Lord and find and feel that evidence and assurance of his love which he hath promised unto and will bestow on those who love him As for all things here below he hath but a slight and mean and base esteem of them This you shall see apparent in Abraham Gen. 15.1 2. Feare not Abraham saith God I am thy sheild and thy exceeding great reward What could a man desire more One would think that the Lord makes a promise here large enough to Abraham I will be thy Buckler and exceeding great reward Is not Abraham contented with this No mark how he pleadeth with God Lord God saith he what wilt thou give me seeing I goe childlesse His eye is upon the promise that God had made to him of a sonne of whom the Saviour of the world should come Oh Lord what wilt thou give me as if he had said What wilt thou doe for me alas nothing will doe my soule good unlesse I have a sonne and in him a Saviour What will become of me so long as I goe childlesse and so saviourlesse as I may so speak You see how Abraham's mouth was out of tast with all other things how he could relish nothing injoy nothing in comparison of the promise though he had otherwise what he would or could desire Thus must it be with every faithfull man That soule never had nor never shall have Christ that doth not prize him above all things in the world no certainly a faithfull soule breatheth after nothing so much as mercy in Christ lookes after and longeth for nothing so much as the assurance of the love of God Though all the comforts of this world were afforded a faithfull man yet still he would plead with the Lord Oh Lord what will become of me notwithstanding all this so long as my soule is comfortlesse what availeth it me to live here Oh thy Mercy Oh thy Salvation Oh the Lord Christ these are the things my soule breatheth after This my brethren is the nature of faith if it be rightly wrought in the soul as you shall fee and find by ordinary experience For take a man that is truly awakened and whose conscience is throughly touched and offer him crowns and scepters and honours and all the delights of the sons of men alas his soul will care nothing for them but as Esau said Gen. 25.32 Behold I am at the point to die and what profit shall this birthright doe to me So will the poor soul say What will it avail me to be high in the favour of men here and to be a fiend of Hell hereafter What are all these profits and pleasures to me so long as I am not in the favour of God What good can these outward contentments afford me when I am without Christ Oh Lord what wilt thou give me unlesse I have my Saviour and mercy in him and pardon in him and all in him and through him Still thus beateth the pulse of a faithfull soule and this is the nature of saving faith the faith of Gods elect As for these things here below these matters of the world they are little in the regard and esteem of a Christian man If he have them he seeth God in them If he want them he is never a whit the worse The Apostle speaking of beleevers and the faithfull people of God Heb. 11. saith That they let their hold goe of all these things below let the world take the world if they would let the dead bury their dead but as for them Having seen the promises afar off they were perswaded of them and imbraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth even in that country that God had promised them Vers 13. The third step of Abraham's faith was this He casteth himself and flingeth his soul as I may say upon the all-sufficient power and mercie of God for the attainment of what he desireth he rolleth and tumbleth himself as it were upon the all-sufficiencie of God This you shall finde Rom. 4.18 there saith the Apostle speaking of Abrahyam Who against hope beleeved in hope That is when there was no hope in the world yet he beleeved in God even above hope and so made it possible It was an object of his hope that it might be in regard of God howsoever there was no possibilitie in regard of man So the Text saith He considered not his own bodie now dead when he was about an hundred yeers old neither yet the deadness of Sarahs wombe but was strong in faith He cast himself wholly upon the precious promise and mercie of God This then is the third step of true justifying faith That when the beleever is informed touching the excellencie of the Lord Jesus and that fulness that is to be had in him though he cannot find the sweetnesse of his mercy though he cannot or dare not apprehend and apply it to himself though he find nothing in himself yet he is still resolved to rest upon the Lord and to stay himself on the God of his salvation and to wait for his mercy till he find him gracious to his poor soul Excellent and famous is that example of the woman of Canaan Matth. 15.22 27. When Christ as it were beat her off and took up arms against her was not pleased to reveal himself graciously to her for the present I am not sent saith he but to the lost sheep of the house of
reconciled to him Now when the soul findeth this and the like and withall hath an inward work which though happily he cannot discover the manner and order thereof nor expresse it to others yet he knows more thereof then any man under heaven Ask a child How doe you know such a man is your father Alas he cannot tell you yet he hath a strong affection toward him above all others and feels in himself such a leaning in his affection towards him as another feels not So the mother of the child that was brought before Solomon had no Argument in the world to prove the child to be hers but the yerning of her bowels and relenting of her spirit toward the child proved it sufficiently So there is in a Saint of God an inward tenderness of affection a leaning of his soul towards God which no man knowes but he that hath it If a curious workman after he hath made a clock or a watch shew the frame thereof to a man ignorant of that Art and declare to him the manner of making it happily he will conceive his words and his reasons and perceive that he saith truth but he cannot make such another because he hath not the Art it self of clock-making My brethren so it is here There is a curious frame in the soule of a Christian of grace of faith of repentance of holinesse of love patience and the like a blessed disposition of heart whereby the soul runneth right toward God and every holy dutie and strikes right as I may say in all holy obedience to God this is a frame reared up by the hand of the Spirit of God alone in the heart of a Christian Now the Apostle Paul who had such a work as this wrought in him can tell the nature of hope and of faith and of repentance but I that read what he hath written of these things being a naturall man though happily I understand the sence and apprehend the meaning of the words yet the true knowledge of the nature of repentance or faith or hope I cannot possibly attain to so long as I remain a meer naturall man Even as an ignorant man cannot conceive the Art of Watch-making in that manner as the Artist himself understands it so cannot I discern the nature of this spiritual frame in the heart further then God is pleased to teach me this skill by the work of his Spirit within my self When I finde my own heart wrought upon then I can best discover it to another then doe I know that which before I never understood though happily I could discourse something concerning such things and understand the outside as it were yet that was all I never knew the bottom as I doe now You see then the difference between the knowledge of Hypocrites that live in the bosome of the Church and the knowledge of Gods Elect or saving knowledge Now for the Use of all in a word or two If this be so that men may live in the Church of God and enjoy the means of grace and yet be a people of no understanding have no saving knowledge then my brethren here is a word of reproof to check all those conceits and pull down all those silly imaginations of poor ignorant carnall creatures that live here among us in the bosome of the Church who because the Lord hath been pleased to put them into a place where the truth is plainly taught and preached presently perswade their own souls that they have wise dome and knowledge enough to bring them to life and salvation If happily you come to any of these men and tell them that they ought to be inlarged in those duties God requireth of his children that they should be able to catechise their families to pray with them to instruct them that they should be skilfull in the art of humbling their souls before God in private conversing and spirituall communion with him Alas they will answer you that for the present they are too weak and unable for such things as these Well but prove them again afterwards when they have continued a longer time under the means and demand of them how they have bettered themselves what strength of grace they have attained unto By no means you must meddle with them What they have not lived so long in a good Parish under a panfull Minister and gone so often to Church but surely they have sufficient to bring them to heaven and although they cannot doe so and so though they cannot give you a reason of the hope that is in them yet they make no question but to speed as well as the best Men think it enough to be good Church-men to have and injoy the helpes God vouchsafeth and bestoweth upon his people to be often hearers of the Word read and preached and so rest themselves contented and there set up their staffe though in the mean time they remain as blind and ignorant and as carnall as ever My brethren be not deceived the Lord will not be mocked It is not sufficient to salvation for a man to be an often hearer to have his heart now and then inlarged to give assent to the truths delivered to conceive the grounds of them or to be able happily to discourse of some points of religion Oh look further he that hath saving knowledge indeed goes farre beyond all this You that are tradesmen or you that have children will any man say my child is a good Schollar for he hath gone so long to schoole or my Apprentise hath good skill in his trade because he hath served me so many yeares It is true he ought to be so but it doth not follow that because he hath had such and such helps and lived so long under them that therefore he is so So it is here there is no reason for any man to ground his assurance of salvation on his injoyment of the meanes or to imagine that God hath wrought mercifully for him in the matter of knowledge which accompanieth life and happiness because of his long living under a good ministry no it is not enough to have the preaching of the word among us and to have the meanes and helps of saving knowledge you may have all these and yet remain ignorant and blind and be a people of no understanding Secondly this is a word of instruction to us We are hence given to understand the sinfulnesse of our nature and the blindnesse of our mindes seeing a man may have all the means under heaven and yet all prove unprofitable to him may injoy all the helpes that God hath set up in his Church for the good of peoples soules and yet receive no good by them What a strange heart is ours Yet so it is even amongst many of us in this place and I wish it were not so with most that live in the Church at this day I fear me that if a man should goe from heart to heart and observe every ones particular
corruption comein the way and let any one judge which of these is generally more highly prized and esteemed you shall find a man in such a case cast the Law of God behinde his back break through all the bars of restraint that the command of God hath laid upon men and he wil have his corruption he will injoy this lust though God and his Word never so much oppose it What thinke you doth this man esteem of most but his own corruption The Point is evident therefore It is also clear by the example of the young man in the Gospel When Christ propounded this to him That hee must sell all that he had and give it to the poor and come and follow him and expect riches and treasure in heaven The Text saith He went away sorrowfull The covetous heart of this young man did so cling to the world and to the things thereof that he made the world his God and he was contented to part with eternall life and salvation and Christ and all rather then with those outward comforts that the world afforded him The case is Evident then A naturall man makes his sin his God and upon that he bestowes the greatest of his love and affection and this appeareth because he will part with heaven and happiness and all rather then with it Mark now what follows This being a certain rule then this follows necessarily that which a man loveth most and setteth highest price upon when that seemeth to be taken from him as it were to be withdrawn from his possession and enjoyment he is then the most eager after it and labours most to detain it and to keep it so much the faster What a man loveth most he will have the greatest care of especially then when it seemeth to be gone away or when any other shall attempt to deprive him of it A man hath a care of his money above all things at all times but if he see a cheater come to put his hand in his pocket he will be sure then to hold it with so much the more violence he will not suffer the cheater to take it away or any thief to deprive him of it So it is here the soul of a man sets a high price and putteth a great esteem upon every corruption at all times loves it continually makes much of it hides it under his tongue but when the Minister of God cometh to pluck away a mans corruptions to pluck away the world from the covetous the strumpet from the adulterer the cup from the drunkard sensuall delights from the voluptuous then he holdeth it fast then he is carried with so much the more violence against the Lord and his truth and his messengers then he hugs his sin in both his armes as it were because the word would pluck it away from him It is in this case between a naturall man and his sinne as it was between Demetrius and his goddesse Diana Acts 19. you shall see here when Saint Paul began to preach against the gods that were made with hands he said nothing against Diana in particular but layes down this for a generall ground and position that they were no gods that were made with hands Demetrius soon saw the consequence of this doctrine that then Diana would be no goddesse at all see now how Demetrius pleadeth the case to his fellow crafts-men The truth is saith he we all know that by this craft we get our livings and we are all maintained by Diana now if she fall to the ground as one Paul preacheth and laboureth earnestly to have her down as being no goddesse if she prove to be no deity certainly we are all undone all our trade will come to nothing therefore let us joyn hands together to defend her honour upon this all the City was in an uproar and there ariseth a great cry amongst them for the space of two houres Great is Diana of the Ephesians What is the reason Paul would pull down Diana therefore it is high time to maintain her honour Paul would throw down the gods made with silver and gold therefore it was high time for him to stand for those gods that he might also maintain those profits that came to him by them So it is my brethren with all the sinfull courses of wicked men in the world All the while the Word of God is so taught that men observe no kind of crossnesse in it to their own corruptions men will bear it with much quietnesse but if a man have a Diana in his heart a sinne that he loves a sinne that brings him in pleasure or profit a sinne that by no means hee will lose as the worldling he must have his gold and the adulterer must have his queans and the drunkard his cups let the Word of God offer but to pluck these away and you shall have an uproar presently and they will all cry out our trading will faile our delights will be gone and we shall never see any more good dayes My brethren I know not how it is here but this we find by wofull experience in the country too often Let us but thwrat young men in their sports we shall see them so much the more violently bent upon them even because the will of God is manifested to the contrary And why The truth is say they if we give way to the Minister and be ruled by him and hearken to what he preacheth then adue to all delights and comforts and pleasures then adue to all good fellowship and farewell our company and therefore they are so much the more violent to practise those sinnes that are cryed down in the ministry of the Word that they may maintain their own carnall liberties and sinfull pleasures and they will be sure when the Minister speakes against their sports and pastimes and revellings to be the more eager in the pursuit of them And so likewise the elder sort if happily a Minister preach as occasion offereth it selfe against ill orders in their families it may be against their tradings their buyings and sellings on the Sabbath-day they will lay all their heads together how to crosse the Minister and if it be possible to remove him out of his place because they love those courses and have their gain by them This is therefore the first ground because they love their corruptions and what a man loveth he will be the more eager in the keeping and holding of it We will now adde the second reason And that is taken from the pride of mens hearts from the haughtinesse that harboureth in the heart of wicked men that they are not able to bear the Commandement of the Lord and therefore when the Word of God in the ministry thereof seemeth any way to over-power them and to goe beyond them to master their hearts in any way oh they think it a matter of disgrace and a great disparagement for them to be so base and such silly simplicians as to stoop
shot in the spirit and soul of Christ To be brief this you must know whatsoever beleevers should have suffered for their sins whether it be in the losse of the sense of Gods love or in the sensible feeling of the wrath and divine displeasure of Almightie God all that Christ suffered so far as can be suffered without sin and without the guilt of a defiled conscience Now to all this did Christ give up himself for beleevers to the end that beleevers who have lost the love of God might have it Christ gave up himself in regard of sense for a while to lose all sense of Gods love to the end that beleevers might not feel the insupportable burthen of the infinite wrath of God Christ took it upon him and endured it and all this Christ did willingly and freely and of his own accord therefore the Phrase in the Text is Emphaticall Who gave himself and Christ saith of himself I lay down my life Beleevers did with full consent sin Christ must with full consent suffer or else Christ could not deliver beleevers from the wrath of God This appeareth because that Christ when hee knew that Judas should betray him he goeth to that place where he was wont and knew that Judas would come there After that Judas and the Souldiers come out of seek Christ Christ cometh and offereth himself Whom is it that you seek saith he We seek Jesus of Nazareth I am he saith he he offereth and declareth himself to them putteth himself into their hands and whereas he makes them to let all his Disciples scape yet he suffereth them to take himself Could Christ make them let the Disciples go and could hee not have made them let himself go Again our Saviour did but speak and they went backward and fell to the ground he that could throw them down backward could be not have killed them with his word if he pleased Again when Peter drew out his sword and went about to defend him Peter saith he put up thy sword I can pray to my Father and hee shall presently give me more then twelve Legions of Angels One Angel in one night slew in the camp of the Assyrians an hundred fourscore and five thousand men and what then could twelve Legions of Angels have done This Christ could have had for a word speaking to his Father but he did freely and willingly give up himself to all these torments for beleevers and he did not onely suffer them as a man but as a God For as I told you in his obedience so I tell you in his passion you must not sever the Divinitie of Christ from his humanitie For howsoever the Godhead could not suffer yet notwithstanding the Godhead did these things it was the nature of Christ that suffered Whatsoever a man doth with any part of himself though it be with his bodie the whole man is said to doe it because all actions are attributed to the person it was that nature that subsisted in the Divine Person that endured all these things therefore it is said that God shed his bloud Again the Godhead did withdraw it self and so had a hand in the passion of Christ the Godhead did withdraw it self from the revelation and manifestation of it self to Christ Again the Godhead did suffer it self to be eclipsed to be vail'd to be obscured and so may have a hand in suffering Again the Godhead of Christ did support the humane nature to bear the other wayes insupportable wrath of God But in all these respects the Lord Christ as God as well as man gave up himself to this for beleevers Hence is that Emphaticall speech Zach. 13.7 Awake O sword against my Shepherd and against the man that is my fellow Observe that speech Awake O sword here God speaks to his wrath to his divine vengeance to fall upon the man that is his fellow Christ as Gods fellow did suffer the wrath of God now Christ is not Gods fellow but as Christ is God Christ as Gods fellow suffered the wrath of God therefore Christ as God gave himself up even to suffer for beleevers And observe the Phrase Awake O sword against the man that is my fellow the very justice of God could not tel how to lay stroaks upon this Son of God til God bid it it stood as it were in amazement for to strike the man that was Gods own fellow What for God to strike his fellow that man that was God how could justice doe this Nay justice could not till God bad it Awake O sword Thus you have seen the Doctrine opened to you what the things are to which the Lord Christ freely disposeth and bequeatheth himself for beleevers To Incarnation he that was God became man To the obedience of the Law he that was the Law-giver became the Law-keeper To suffering both in body and in soul both the wrath of man and the wrath of God This is the meaning of these words Hee gave himself for us Now as briefly as I can to make some Use of the Point and so to passe on to somewhat else First of all this Doctrine serveth to shew us the wonderfull love of Christ to beleevers Can there be greater love then for a man to give himself to one We count it the greatest love that can be between creatures that of the man to the wife and the wife to the man and why so because there is a giving themselves one to another which no creature else doth This Christ hath done he hath given himself to beleevers and he cannot shew greater love because he cannot do a greater thing and yet behold a greater than this he hath not only given himself to them but for them and that is a little more You may conceive it by a similitude If a man give himself to a woman to become her husband there is a great-matter in that but if the man shall give himself for the woman when shee is to die to die for her that is more he that giveth himself to her doth yet injoy himself but he that giveth himself for her doth lose himself he that giveth himself to men hath himself but hee that giveth himself for men hath given away himself Oh this this is the love of Christ to all beleevers He hath given himself for us he that was God made himself of no reputation made himself nothing for so the word is in the Originall he that was above the Law he hath put himself under the Law he that was a Soveraign is become a Subject he that was the God of life is become a man under the power of death he that was the Judge standeth as the person guiltie and suffereth the judgement Here is his love you that are beleevers to the end that you might enjoy Gods favour he hath given himself to lose Gods favour for the sense of it to the end that you might never go to hell he hath suffered himself to endure the uttermost
torments of hell was there ever love like this Suppose that Christ had given himself to die ten thousand times over and over again a bodily death it had not been in the least degree so much as is one giving of himself some six hours to the enduring of the infinite wrath of God Here is the first Use remember it and admire it and be overcome with the love of Christ Oh that God would shed abroad this love in our hearts would it not constrain us as Saint Paul said of himself In the second place as it serveth to shew the love of Christ so it serveth for a great matter and ground of assurance and consolation to you that are beleevers of having all from Christ whatsoever you stand in need of for he hath given himself for you and will he not give you all things else What is it that your souls want Do you desire Christ you shall certainly have Christ he that hath given himself for thee will he not give himself to thee If we shall see a man giving of himself to death for a woman shall we question whether that man will give himself as a husband to the woman No certainly So when thou seest alreadie that Christ hath given himself for thee doest thou think Christ will not give himself to thee when he gave himself for thee he abased himself when he giveth himself to thee he exalteth himself When he gave himself for thee he was below his condition when he giveth himself to thee hee reserveth his condition for he giveth himself to be thy God and thy King to be above thee to command thee therefore he that hath done the greater will certainly doe the lesser And if Christ will give himself to thee what else is there that thou wantest that Christ will not give thee What Saint Paul saith in regard of God the Father that may I speak in regard of God the Son Rom. 8.32 He that spared not his own Son but delivered him up for us all how shall hee not with him freely give us all things So do I say to all you that are beleevers he that spared not himself but gave himself for you how much more shall hee freely with himself give you all things Do you want the Spirit of Christ He that hath given himself for you will much more give his Spirit to you It is more for Christ to give himself to you then for Christ to give his Spirit to you the Spirit is the Spirit of Christ and he that hath given himself must needs give whatsoever he hath together with himself The Spirit is but one of his Priviledges and his Jewels I mean the sanctifying operations of the Spirit If a man have given himself to a woman will he not give her his name his honour his wealth will he not give her all that he hath Even so consider it and apply it for your comfort and assurance he that hath given himself for you will he not give you all that he hath He that suffered the wrath of God to doe you good will hee not sanctifie your souls to doe you good Hee that lost his own peace for you will hee not give you that peace of conscience which passeth all understanding Thus it is a notable ground of strong assurance confidently to perswade our hearts of this that there is nothing we want that is good for us but Christ will give it us who hath given himself for us Again thirdly Let this be a motive strongly to perswade you to give up your selves to Christ he hath given himself to you will you not give up your selves to him It is that which the Scripture often speaks of Rom 6.13 Give up your selves as a reasonable sacrifice unto God And again Give up your members weapons of righteousness unto God Here now is an Argument above all Arguments why should you deny to give up your selves to him who hath not denyed to give himself to you why should you not give up your understandings your naturall parts to doe him service why should you not give up your hearts to be possest by him Why should you not give up all the members of your bodies to be instruments of doing his will of furthering his honour whereas he hath given up himself for you There is a great difference between Christs giving himself for us and between our giving up our selves to him When Christ gave himself for us he chang'd from the better to the worse when we give up our selves to Christ we change from the worse to the better for till we give up our selves to Christ we are the worlds sins and the Divels we are slaves vassals and drudges then onely come we to be Lords and to be Freemen and to be happie when we give up our selves to Christ Now then if he have changed from the better to the worser for your sakes will not you change from the worser to the better for his sake Consider this seriously there is no argument in the world stronger to perswade the soul to give up it self to Christ then to consider this that Christ hath given himself to us Become Christs altogether be not any longer the worlds nor your own but the Christs and Christs altogether give up your names for Christ be content the world should take away your name for the sake of the Gospel of Christ give up your goods for Christ suffer even with joy the spoyling of your goods for the sake of Christ and of the Gospel give up your liberties for Christ be content to be deprived of all your freedoms and contentments that you injoy for Christ give up your lives for Christ for he hath given up his life for you And if all this then much more give up your sins for Christ What doth Christ require of thee that art a profaner of his day but to abandon that sin to crucifie that sin Oh doe it Christ hath given himself for thee thou hast a sin perhaps that is neer and dear to thee Christ calleth for it Oh give it up to the sword of his word to be mortified and crucified he gave up his dearest life for thee Thus me thinks this same is a notable motive to perswade us to mortification to die to sin and to vivification to live to Christ to devote our selves in every thing to the Lord Jesus Let us not let us not I beseech you live any longer to our selves but to Christ who hath loved us so as to give himself for us And lastly to conclude this point let me perswade all such of you as are not yet beleevers that you would labour above all things to become beleevers Oh my brethren thrice happie are they of whom this may be said Christ hath given himself for us This is onely the happiness of beleevers they whose hearts are purified they that have a working love they that have a brestplate that secures their souls against all the wounds of the world