truly these are but shadows and that is the body or substance and because an union that is mutual is nearest it is often so expressed as it imports an interchangeable relation a reciprocal conjunction with Christ. The knot is cast on both sides to make it strong Christ in us and we in him God dwelling in us and we in Him and both by this one Spirit 1 Joh. 4.13 Hereby we know that God dwelleth in us and we in him by his Spirit which he hath given us You find it often in Iohn who being most possessed with the love of Christ and most sensible of his love could best expresse it I in them and they in me He that keepeth his commands dwelleth in Him and he in Him as the names of married persons are spelled through other so doth he spell out this in-dwelling it s not cohabitation but inhabitation neither that alone singlely but mutual inhabitation which amounts to a kind of Penetration the most intimat and immediat presence imaginable Christ â—welleth in our hearts by faith and we dwell in Christ by love Eph. 17. and 1 John 4. Death bringeth him into the heart for it is the very â—pplication of a Saviour to a sinfull soul. It is the very applying of his blood and sufferings to the wound that sin hath made in the conscience the laying of that sacrifice propitiatory to the wounded conscience is that which heals it pacifies it and calms it A Christian by receiving the offer of the Gospel cordially and affectionatly brings in Christ offered into his house and then salvation comes with him Therefore believing is receiving John 1. the very opening of the heart to let in an offered Saviour and then Christ thus possessing the heart by faith He works by love and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God and God in him Love hath this special vertue in it that it transports the soul in a manner out of it self to the beloved Cant. 1.9 anima est ubi amat non ubi animat the fixing and establishing of the heart on God is a dwelling in Him for the constant and most continued residence of the most serious thoughts and aâ—fections will be their dwelling in the all fulness and riches of grace in Jesus Christ as the spirit dwelleth where he worketh so the soul dwelleth where it delighteth its complacency in God maketh a frequent issue or outgoing to Him in desires and breathings after Him And by means of this same God dwelleth in the heart for love is the opening up of the inmost chamber of the heart to Him it brings in the beloved in to the very secrets of the soul to lye all night betwixt His breasts as a bundle of myrrhe Cant. 1.13 And indeed all the sweet odours of holy duties and all the performing of good works and edifying speeches spring out only and are sent forth from this bundle of myrrhe that lyes betwixt the breasts of a Christian in the inmost of his heart from Christ dwelling in the affections of the soul. Now this being the bond of union betwixt Christ and us it follows necessarily that whoever hath not the Spirit of Christ he is none of His and this is subjoyned for prevention or removal of the misapprehensions and delusions of men in their self-judgings Because self-love blinds our eyes and maketh our hearts deceive themselves we are given to this self-flattery to pretend and claim to an interest in Jesus Christ even though there be no more evidence for it then the external relation that we have to Christ as members of his visible body or partakers of a common influence of his Spirit There are some external bonds and tyes to Christ which are like a knot that may easily be loosed if any thing get hold of the end of it as by our relations to Christ by baptisme hearing the word your outward covenanting to be his people all these are loose unsure knots It is as easie to untie them as to tie them yea and more easie and yet many have no other relation to Christ then what these make But it is only the Spirit of Christ given to us that intitles and interesseth us in Him and Him in us it s the Spirit working in your souls mightily and continually making your hearts temples for the offering of the sacrifice of prayer and praises casting out all idols out of these temples that He alone may be adored and worshipped by the affectionate service of the heart purging them from all filthinesse of flesh and spirit It is the Spirit I say thus dwelling in men that maketh them living members of the true body of Christ lively joyned to the head Christ this maketh him yours and you his by vertue of this He may command you as His own and you may use and imploy Him as your own Now for want of this in most part of men they also want this living saving-interest in Christ they have no real but an imaginary and notional propriety and right to the Lord Jesus for Christ must first take possession of us by His Spirit before we have any true right to Him or can willingly resign our selves to Him and give Him right over us What shall it profite us my beloved to be called Christians and to esteem our selves so if really we be none of Christs shall it not highten our condemnation so much the more that we desire to passe for such and give out our selves so and yet have no inward aquaintance and interest in Him whose name we love to bear Are not the most part shadows and pictures of true Christians bodies without the soul of Christianity that is the Spirit of Christ whose hearts are treasures of wickednesse and deceit and storâ—-houses of iniquity and ignorance It may be known what treasure fills the heart by that which is the constant and common vent of it as our Saviour speakes Matth 15.19 and 12.34 35. Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks the feet walks and the hand works Consider then if the Spirit of God dwelleth in such unclean habitations and dark dungeons certainly no uncleanness or darkness of the house can hinder him to come in but â—t is a sure argument and evidence That he is not as yet come in becausâ— the Prince of darkness is not yet cast out of many souls nor yet the unclean spirits that lodge within these haunt your hearts and are as familiar now as ever Sure I am many souls have never yet changed their guests and it is as sure that the fiâ—st guest that taketh up the soul iâ— darkness and desperat wickedness with imparalelled deceitfulness there is an accurâ—ed trinity in stead of that blessed Tâ—inity the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit and when this holy Tâ—inity cometh in to dwell that other of Hell must go out Now my beloved do you think this a light matter To be disowned by Jesus Christ Truly the word of Christ which is the
The love of Christ would be an inward principle of motion and would make our spiritual actings as easie and pleasant as natural motions are Fear is but a violent principle that is like the impulse of a stone thrown upward as long as that external impression remains it moves but still slower and slower and at length evanisheth But if ye believed in him and your hearts were engaged to love him O! how would it be a pleasant and native thing to walk in his way as a stone goeth downward Consider your principles that acts you to matters and duties of Religion Many men there be in whom appears no difference of their work to beholders but O! how wide a difference doth God discern in them Ingines and artifice may make dead and lifeless things move and walk as orderly as things that have life But the principle of this motion makes a huge difference the one is moved from without the other from it self The most part of us act as irrational and bruit beasts in Religion nay we walk as inanimat and senseless creatures It s some one or other consideration without us moves us Custome censure education and such like Ah! these are the principles of our Religion How many would have no Religion no form of it if they were not among such company and therefore we see many change it according to companies as the fish doth its skin according to the colour of that which is nearest it How many would do many things they dare not for punishment and censure and for that same daâ— not leaveâ— other things undone In a word the most part of us are such as would walk in no path of godliness if it were not the custome of the time and â—ear of men that constrained us But my brethren let it not be so among you you who are in Christ Iesus let this be the predominant in your hearts to constrain you not to live to your selves but unto God even this that ye believe Christ hath died for sinners that they might live from sin and from this let your hearts be inflamed with his love that it may carry you on in a sweet and blessed necessity to walk in all well pleasing Let the consideration of his love lay on a constraint but a constraint of willingness to live to him who hath thus loved you But as the principle is spiritual so must the end be and I think these two compleat the mystery of the practice of Christianity to act from another principle unto another end even as these two make up the mystery oâ— iniquity in our hearts to act from our selves unto our selves every man naturally makes a god of himself is his own Alpha and Omega the beginning of his actionâ— and the end of them which is proper to God As the fall hath cut off the subordination of the soul to God in its actions that it cannot now derive all from that blessed fountain of all-being and well-being so is this channel of reference of all our actions to God stopped that they do not tend unto him as they are not derived from him and thus they return unto a mans self again There is one point of self and making it our aim and design which possibly many doth not take heed unto It is ordinary for us to act and walk in Christian duties for our salvation for obtaining of life eternal as our chief and only end which is but an inferiour end because we ought not to walk mainly for life but to life we should not walk after the command only for Heaven but in the way of it unto Heaven Our spiritual walking can never purchase us right unto the leaâ—t of his mercies when we have done all this should be our souls language we are unprofitable servants our righteousness extends not to thee What gain is it to the Almighty that thou art righteous Yet for the most part we make our walking as a hire for the reward The Covenant of Works doing for life is some way naturally imprinted in our hearts and we cannot do but we would live in doing we cannot walk unto all well-pleasing but we would also walk unto pacifying of God Self-righteousness is mens great idol which when all other baser and grosser idols are down they do still seek to establish But Christians observe this evil in your selves and suffer this mystery of godliness to be wrought in you the abasing of your selves the denyal of your selves I would have you in respect of diligence and earnestness doing walking and running as if ye were to be saved by it only But again you must deny all that and no more consider it or lean weight upon it then if ye ought to do nothing or did nothing But your ends should be more divine and high as your nature is to glorifie God in your mortal bodies since ye are hiâ— and bought with a price O how ought ye not to be your own The great purpose of your obedience should be a declaration of your sense of his love and of your obligation to him Ye ought to walk in his way because ye are escaped condemnation and saved by him and not that ye may be saved only It is the glory of our Heavenly Father and the honour of the Redeemer for Christians to walk even as he walked and follow his footsteps it commends the grace of Jesus Christ exceedingly Therefore this cannot but be the choise and delight of a believing soul to walk unto all well-pleasing to have the glory of him as their great design to aim at who for our salvation laid aside his glory and embraced shame and reproach We use to walk in obedience to God that we may pacifie God for our disobedience but let a Christian abhor such a thought Christs blood must pacifie but the walking of his child pleaseth him in his welbeloved Son When he is once pacified for sin when he once accepts your persons your performances are his delight Now this should be the great scope of a soul that all its powers should be fixed on to please him and live to him Now these three being established we must conceive that the chief agent and party in this walking must be spiritual therefore mens bodies are not capable of this walk after the Spirit principally Outward Ordinances are but the shell wherein the kirnel must be inclosed all our walkings that is visible to men is but like a painted or engraven Image and Statue that hath no breath or life in it unless the Spirit actuat and quicken the same I say not only the Spirit of God but the spirit and soul in man for the Spirits immediat and divine operations are upon such a suitable subject as the immortal soul. Verily there is a spirit in man and the inspiration of the Almighty gives him understanding We must not abolish the outward â—oâ—m because it hath some divinity in it even the stamp of Gods authority and therefore these who
Christians puddle themselves in the mire of their own darknesse and discouragement because they cannot find any thing in themselves that can give but the least probable conjecture that he will admit and welcome them to come to him or that such precious promises and sweet invitations can belong to such sinners as they conceive themselves to be Truly my beloved I think while we exercise our selves thus we are seeking the Sun with a candle making that which is in it self as bright as the light to be more dark The evidence of Gods reality in offering life to you in Christ and his willingness to receive you it is not without the compasse of his invitation and yet you seek it where it is least to be found that is in your selves But indeed his invitations in the Gospel carry the evidence in their bosome that which is above all other signs and evidences that he did ever send his own Son in the flesh for this purpose is there any thing besides this either greater or clearer I think we are like these who when they had seen many signs and wonders done by Christ which did bear testimony to all the world of his Divine Nature yet they would not be satisfied but sought out another sign tempting him Mat. 16.1 And truly he might return this answer to us O wicked and adulterous generation that seeketh after a sign there shall no sign be given to thee but the sign of the Prophet Ionas the greatest testimony that can be imagined is given already that the Father should send his only begotten and well beloved Son into the state of a servant for man If this do not satisfie I know not what will I see not how any work of his Spirit in us can make so much evidence of his reality and faithfulnesse in the Gospel and of his willingness to welcome sinners All the works of Creation all the works of Grace are nothing to this to manifest his love to men and therefore there is a singular note upon it God so loved the world that he sent his Son Joh. 3.16 And in this was love manifested that he gave his Son 1 Joh. 4.9 If men and Angels had set themselves to devise and find out a pledge or confirmation of the love of God they would have fallen upon some revelation unto or some operation upon their spirits but alace this is infinitly above that his own express image and the brightness of his glory is come down to bear witnesse of his love nay he who is equal with himself in glory is given as a gift to men and is not he infinitly more then created gifts or graces who is the very spring and fountain of them all God so loved the world that truly he gave no such gift besides to testifie such a love Therefore when all that he hath done in this kind cannot satisfie thy sâ—rupulous mind but thou wilt still go on to seek more confirmation of his readinesse to receive thee I think it is a tempting of the Holy One which may draw such an answer from him O wicked and adulterous person there shall no sign be given thee but that which is darker then the former that which thou shalt understand lesse thou may get what thou seeks perhaps some more satisfaction in thy own condition but it shall plung thee more in the issue thou shall alwayes be unsetled and unconstant as water thou shalt not excell I confesse indeed if we speak of the manifestation of ones particular interest in these promises and of an evidence of the love of God to thee in particular then there must needs be something wrought by the Holy Spirit on thy soul to draw down the general testimony of Gods love to mankind into a particular application to thy self But that I do not speak of now because that is the sealing of the Spirit after believing and because you are alwayes unsetled in the first and main point of flying unto the Son and waiting on him for life therefore have you so much inevidence and weakness in that which follows That which I now speak of is that if this were cordially believed and seriously considered that God sent his own Son in the flesh to save sinners you could not readily have any doubt but that you coming to him for salvation would be welcome you could not say that such precious invitations could not belong to sinners or that he could not love the like of you Truly I think if the general were laid to heart that God hath so loved mankind that he gave such a gift unto them there is none could make any more question of his reality when that gift is tendered to any in particular Nay I think it is the inconsideration of this general evidence and manifestation of love to the world that makes you so perplexed in particulars Could you have so much difficulty to believe his love to you if you indeed believe that he hath loved the world that is so many thousands like you Is there so much distance I pray you between you and another as between him and all If then he loves so many miserable sinners is there any impossibility in it but he may love you for what is in them that might conciliat his love I tell you why I think the right apprehension of the general truths of the Gospel would be able like the Sun in its strength to scatter all the clouds and mists of our particular interest-debates because I find that these very grounds upon which you call in question your own particular interest if you did consider them you would find they go a further length to conclude against all others and either they have no strength in your case or they will be of equal force to batter down the confidence of all the Saints and the certainty of all the promises What is it that troubles you but that you are sinners and such sinners so vile and loathsome from whence you do conclude not only that you have no present assurance of his love but that he cannot love such a one as you are Now I say if this hold good in reference to you take heed that you condemn not your selves in that which you approve that is that you do not diâ—pute against the interest of all the Saints who were such as you are and the truth of these fundamentall positions of the Gospel God so loved the world c. And so you do not only wrong your selves but all others and not only so but you offer the greatest indignity to him that out oâ— love sent his Son and to him who out of love came and laid down his life O consider how you indignifie and set at nought that great manifestation of Gods love God manifested in the flesh how you despise his love-pledge to sinners a greater then which he could not give you because as great as himself O that you could see the consequence of your anxious and
subordination to God and sowen a perpetual discord and enmity between them this hath conquered all mankind and among the rest even the elect and chosen of God these whom God had in his eternal Council predesâ—inated to life and salvation sin brings all in bondage and exerciseth the most perfect tyranny over them that can be imagined makes men to serve all its imperious lusts and then all the wages is death it binds them over to Judgment Now this sedition and rebellion being arisen in the world and one of the most noble creatures carried away in this revolt from allegiance to the Divine Majesty the most holy and wise Council of Heaven concludes to send the Kings Son to compesce this rebellion to reduce men again unto obedience and to destroy that arch traitor sin which his nature most abhoâ—s And for this end the Son of the great King Jesus Christ came down into the world to deliver captive man and to condemn conquering sin There is no object that God hath so pure and perfect displeasure at as sin therefore he sent to condemn that which he hates most and perfectly he hates it to condemn sin and this is expressed as the errand of his coming 1 Ioh. 3.5 8. to destroy the works of the devil all his wicked and hellish plots and contrivances against man all that poyson of enmity and sin that out of envy and malice he spued out upon man and instilled into his nature all these works of that Prince of Darkness in enticing man from obedience to rebellion and tyrannizing over him since by the imperious laws of his own lusts in a word all that work that was contrived in hell to bring poor man down to that same misery with devils all that Christ the only begotten Son of the great King came for this noble businesse to destroy it That Tower which Satan was building up against Heaven and had laid the foundation of it as low as hell this was Christs business down among men to destroy that Babylon that Tower of darkness and confusion and to build up a Tower of light and life to which Tower sinners might come and be safe and by which they might really ascend into Heaven Some do by these words for sin understand the occasion and reason of Christs coming that it was because sin had conquered the world and subjected man to condemnation therefore Jesus Christ came into the world to conquer sin and condemn it that we might be free from condemnation by sin And this was the special cause of his taking on flesh if sin had not entered in the world Christ had not come into it and if sin had not erected a Throne in mans flesh Christ had not taken on flesh he had not come in the likenesse of sinful flesh So that this may administer unto us abundant consolation If this was the very cause of his coming that which drew him down from that delightful and blessed bosome of the Father then he will certainly do that which he came for he cannot fail of his purpose he cannot misse his end he must condemn sin and save sinners And truly this is wonderful love that he took sin only for his party and came only for sin or against sin and not against poor sinners He had no commission of the Father but this as himself declares Ioh. 3.17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world but that the world through him might be saved As one observes well Christ would never have hinted at such a jealousie or suggested such a thought to mens minds had it not been in them before but this we are naturally inclined unto to think hard of God and can hardly be perswaded of his love when once we are perswaded of our enmity Indeed the most part of the world fancy a perswasion of Gods love and have not many jealousies of it because they know not their own enmity against God but let a man see himself indeed Gods enemy and it is very hard to make him believe any other thing of God but that he carries a hostile mind against him and therefore Christ to take off this perswades and assures us that neither the Father nor he had any design upon poor sinners nor any ambushmâ—nt agâ—inst them but mainly if not only this was his purpose in sending and Christs in coming not against man but against sin not to condemn sinners but to condemn sin and save sinners O blessed and unparallel'd love that made such a real distinction between sin and sinners who were so really one Shall not we be content to have that wofull and accursed union with sin dissolved Shall not we be willing to let sin be condemned in us and to have our own souls saved I beseech you beloved in the Lord do not think to maintain alwayes Christs enemy that great traitor against which he came from Heaven Wonder that he doth not prosecute both as enemies but iâ— he will destroy the one and save the other O let it be destroyed not you and so much the more for that it will destroy you Look to him so iniquity shall not be your ruine but he shall be the ruine of iniquity but if you will not admit of such a division between you and your sins take heed that you be not eteâ—nally undivided that you have not one common lot for ever that is condemnation Many would be saved but they would be saved with sin too Alace that will condemn thee as for sin he hath proclaimed irreconciliable enmity against it he hath no quarter to give it he will never come in terms of composition with it and all because it is his mortal enemy therefore let sin be condemned that thou may be saved It cannot be saved with thee but thou may be condemned with it The word for sin may be taken in another sense as fitly a sacrifice for sin so that the meaning is Jesus Christ came to condemn and overthrow sin in its plea against us by a sacrifice for sin that iâ— by offering up his own body or flesh And thuâ— you have the way and means how Christ conquered sin and accomplished the business he was sent for It was by offering a sacâ—â—fice for sin to expiat wrath and to satiâ—fie justice The sting and strength of death is sin and the strength of sin is the Law as the Apostle speaks it 1 Cor. 15.55 we had two great enemies against us two great tyrants over us sin and death Death had past upon all mankind not only the miseries of this life and temporal death had subjected â—ll men but the fear of an eternal death of an everlasting separation from the blessed face of God might have seized upon all and subjected them to bondage Heb. 2.15 But the strength and sting of that is sin it is sin that arms death and hell against us take away sin and you take away the sting the strength of death it
not deceive your selves the true quarrel is because they run not to the same excesse of riot with you if they will lie cozen defraud swear and blaspheme as other men you could indure to make them companions as you do others and the principle of that is the enmity that was placed in the beginning that mortal irreconciliable feud betwixt the two families are two seeds of Christ and Satan But as I told you this enmity acts in a more subtile and invisible way in some and is painted over with some fair colours to hide the deformity of it not only the grosser corruptions of men carry this stamp but take even the most refined piece or part in man take his mind take the excellency of his mind even the wisdom of it yet that hath enmity incorporated into it and mixed with it throughout all for the wisdom of the flesh is enmity with God as it may be read 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the very prudence and reason of a natural man which carries him to a distance from and opposition with the common defilements in the courses of men yet that hath in its bosome a more exquisite and refined enmity against God and so the more spiritual and purified it be from grosser corruptions it is the more active and powerful against God because it is as it were the very spirit and quintessence of enmity You see it 1 Cor. 1. how the wisdom of God is foolishness to the wisdom of the world and then again that the wisdom of the world is the greatest folly to the only wise God Men that have many natural advantages beyond others are at this great disadvantage They are more ready to despise godliness as too base and simple a thing to adorn their natures As Christ said of rich men it may be said of wise men of learned men of civil and blameless persons who have a smooth carriage before the world how hard is it for such to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven hard indeed for they must be stript naked of that ere they can enter through this narrow gate I mean the opinion and conceit of any worth or excellency and so diminished in their own eyes that they may go through this needles eye without crushing The stream of enmity runs under-ground often and so hides it self under some other notion till at length it burst forth openly I find it commonly run in the secret channel of amity or friendship to some other thing opposite to God So Iames 4.4 the amity of â—he world is enmity with God and 1 Joh. 2.15 He that loveth the world the love of the Father is not in him There are two dark and under-ground conduits to convey this enmity against God Amity to the world and Amity to our selves self-self-love and creature-creature-love We cannot denounce war openly against Heaven but this is the next course To joyn to or associat with any party that is contrary to God and thus under the covert of friendship to our selves and love to the world we war against God and destroys our own souls I say first Amity to the world carries enmity to God in the bosome of it and if you believe not this hear the Apostles sharp and pungent question you adulterers and adulteresses know you not that the Amity of the world is Enmity with God He doth not speak only to persons guilty of that crime but to all natural men who are guilty of an adultery or whoredome of a more spiritual nature but as abominable and more dangerous There is a bond and special tye betwixt all men and God their Maker which oblidgeth them to consecrate and devout themselves their affections and endeavours to his honour especially when the Covenant of the Gospel is superadded unto that in which Jesus Christ our Lord reveals himself as having only right to us and our affections as willing to bestow himself upon us and notwithstanding of all the distance between him and wretched sinners yet filling it up with his infinit love and wonderful condescency dimitting himself to the form of a servant out of love that so he might take us up to be his chast Spouse and adorn us with his beauty This he challengeth of us whoever hear and profess the Gospel This is youâ— profession if you understood it That Iesus Christ shall be your well-beloved and ye his that you shall separate your self to him and admit no stranger in his place that the choice and marrow of your joy love and delight shall be bestowed on him Now this bond and tye of a professed relation to that glorious Husband is foully broken by the most part by espousing their affections to this base world Your hearts are turned off him unto strangers that is present perishing things whereas the intendment of the Gospel is To present you to Christ as pure Virgins 2 Cor. 11.2 Truly your hearts are gone a-whoring after other things the love of the world hath withdrawn you or kept you in chains these present things are as snares nets and bands as an harlots hands and heart Eccles. 7.26 they are powerful inchantments over you which bewitch you to a base love from an honourable and glorious love O that you would consider it my beloved what opposition there is betwixt the love of the world and the love of the Father betwixt amity to that which hath nothing in it but some present bait to your deceitful lusts and amity to God your only lawful Husband Affection is a transforming and conforming thing Si terram amas terra es the love of God would purify thy heart and lift it up to more similitude to him whom thou loves but the love of the world assimulats it unto the world makes it such a base and ignoble piece as the earth is Do you think marriage-affection can be parted My wel-beloved is mine therefore the Church is the Turtle the Dove to Christ of wonderful chastity it never joyns but to one and after the death of its marrow it sighs and mourns ever after and sits solitarily You must retire my beloved and disingage from the love of other things or you cannot love Christ and if you love not Christ you cannot have peace with the Father and if you have not that peace you cannot have life this is the chain of life the first link begins at the divorcement of all foâ—mer loves and beloved idols once the soul must be loosed in desire and delight and that link must be fastned upon the most lovely and desireable object Christ the desire of the Nations and this draws alongs another link of peace and life with it Do not mistake it Religion would not hinder or prejudge your lawful business in this world O it were the most compendious way to advance it with more ease to your souls But certainly it will teach you to exchange the love of these things for a better and more heart-contenting love Then Amity to our selves is Enmity to
comprehensive of all that can be imagined to be the perfective good of man It is no wonder then that the Apostle reckon this Doctrine of the Resurrection amongst the foundations of Christianity Heb. 6.1 2 for truly these tâ—o the immortality of the soul and the resurrection of the mortal body are the two ground-stones or pillars of true Religion which if they be not well settled in the hearts of men all Religion is tottering and ruinous and unable to support it self That the soul cannot taste death or see corruption and that the body shall but taste it and as it were salute it and cannot alwayes abide under the power of it these are the prime foundations upon which all Christian perswasion is built for without these be laid down in the lowest and deepest part of the heart all exhortations to an holy and righteous life are weak and ineffectual all consolations are empty and vain in a word Religion is but an airy speculation that hath no consistence but in the imaginations of men it is an house upon sand that can abide no blast of temptation no wave of misery but must straight way fall to the ground From whence is it I pray you that the perswasions of the Gospel hath so little power upon men that the plain and plentiful publication of a Saviour is of so small vertue to stir up the hearts of men to take hold on him How comes it to passe that the preeepts and prohibitions of the most high God coming forth under his authority lays so little restraint on mens corruptions that so few will be perswaded to stop their course and come off the wayes they are accustomed that men pull away the shoulder and stop the ear and make their hearts as adamant incapable of being affected with either the authority or love of the Gospel that when He pipes unto us so few dance and when he mourns so few laments Is it not because these two foundations are not laid and mens hearts not digged deep by earnest consideration to receive these ground-stones of Christianity the belief of their souls eternal survivance after the dust and of the revivance and resurrection of the body after it hath slept a while in the dust I remember Heathens have had some noble and rare conceptions about vertue and some have laboured to enamour men with the native beauty of it and to perswade them that it was a sufficient reward to it self and truly it would far more become a Christian who knoweth the high and divine pattern of holinesse to be God himself and so must needs behold a far surpassing beauty and excellency in the Image of God than in all earthly things I say it would become him to accustome himself to a dutiful observance of Religion even without all respect to the reward of it he would train his heart to do homage to God out of a loyal affection and respect to His Majesty and from the love of the very intrinsick beauty of obedience without borrowing alwayes from such selfie considerations of our own happinesse or misery Notwithstanding such is the posture of mans spirit now that he cannot at all be engaged to the love of Religion except some Seen advantage concilat it and therefore the Lord makes use of such selfie principles in drawing men to Himself and keeping them still with Him and truly considering mans infirmity this is the spiâ—it and life of all Religion Immortality and Resurrection that which gives a lustre to all and quickens all that which makâ—s all to sink deep and that which makes a Christian stedfast and immovable 2 Cor. 5.8 It is certainly Hope that is the key of the heart that opens and shuts it to any thing These the Apostle Peter 1 Epist. 1. blesseth God heartily for the new birth and in the expressing of it makes hope the very term of that generation and so it must be a substantial thing Blessed be God who hath begotten us again to a lively hope Hope hath a quickning power in it it makes all new where it comes and is full of spirit it is the Helmet and Anchor of a Christian that which bears the dint of temptation and makes him steady in Religion No man will put in his plough in this ground or sow unto the Spirit but in hope for he that soweth must sow in hope else his Plough will not go deep 1 Cor. 9.10 This then is the very spirit and life of Religion the resurrection of the dead without which our faith were in vain and men would continue still in their sins Certainly it is the deep inconsideration of this never-ending endurance of our souls and restitution of our bodies to the same immortality that makes the most part of men so slight and superficial in Religion else it were not possible if that were laid to heart but men would make Religion their business and chief business We have here the two genuine causes of the resurection of the bodies of Christians the resurrection of Christ and the inhabitation of his Spirit The influence that the resurrection of Christ hath on ours is lively and fully holden out by this Apostle 1 Cor. 15. against them who deny the resurrection from the dead If Christ be not raised your faith is in vain ye are yet in your sins and they that are asleep are perished Religion were nothing but a number of empty words of show Preaching were a vanity and imposture Faith were a meer â—ancy if this be not laid down as the ground-stone Christ raised not as a natural person but as a common politick person as the first fruits of them that sleep vers 17 18 19 20. where he alludes to the ceremony of offering the first fruits of their harvest Lev. 23.10 for under the Law they might not eat of the fruits of the land till they were sanctified all was counted prophane till they were someway conâ—ecrated to the Lord. Now for this end the Lord appointed them to bring one sheaf for all and that was the representative oâ— all the rest of the heap and this was waved before the Lord and lifted up from the earth now according to the Apostles argument Rom. 11 16. If the first fruits be hâ—ly so is the lump for it represents all the lump and therefore Iesus Christ the chief of all his brethren was made the first fruits from the dead and lifted up from the grave as the representer of all the lump of his elect and so it must needs follow That they shall not continue in the grave but must in due time partake of that benefite which he was first entred in possession of in their name and for them for if this fiâ—st fruits be holy so the whole lump must be holy and if the first fruits be risen so must the lump You see then the force of the present reason If the Spirit that raised Christ dwell in you He shall also raise you namely because he
disposal who hath the sole soveraign right to them and therefore you may take up the hainousnesse of sin how monstruous and misshappen a thing it is that breaks this inviolable Law of creation and withdraws the creature from subjection to Him in whom alone it can subsist O how disordered are the courses and lives of men men living to themselves their own lusts after their own will as if they had made themselves men using their members as weapons of unrighteousnesse against God as if their tongues and hands and feet were there own or the devils and not Gods Call to mind this obligation Remember thy Creator that memento would be a strong engagement to another course then most take how absurd would you think it To please your selves in displeasing Him if you but minded the bond of creation But when there are other two superadded what we owe to the Son for coming down in the likenesse of sinfull flesh for us and what we owe to the Holy Ghost for quickening our spirits and afterward for the resurection of our bodies whose hearts would not these overcome and lead captive to his love and obedience SERMON XXXIII Rom. 8.12 Therefore brethren we are debters not to the flesh to live after the flesh Vers. 13. For if ye live after the flesh ye shall die c. WAS it not enough to contain men in obedience to God the very essential bond of dependence upon God as the original and fountain of his beeing and yet man hath cast away this cord from him and withdrew from that alledgiance he did owe to his Maker by transgressing his holy commandments But God not willing that all should peâ—ish he hath confirmed and stâ—engthned that primitive obligation by two other as strong if not more if the Father did most eminently appear in the first the Son is manifested in the second and that is the work of the redemption of man no lesse glorious then his first creation He made him first and then He sent his own Son in the likenesse of sinfull fleâ—h to make him again by his Spirit and now a threefold cord is not easily broken It seems this should bind invincibly and constrain us not to be our own but the Lords and now truly they who are in Jesus Christ aâ—e thrice indebted wholly to God But the two last obligations are the most special and most wonderful that God sent His Son for us to redeem us from sin and misery and to restore man to happinesse took on a miserable and accursed habit that so glorious a person gave Himself for so base that so excellent a Lord became a servant for the rebell that He whose the earth is and the â—ulness thereof did â—mpty Himself of all to supâ—ly Vs and in a word the most wonderful exchange â—e made that ever the Sun saw God for men His life a ransome for their life all the rare inventions and â—ancied stories of men come infinitly short of this The light never saw Majestty so abased and love so expressed as in this matter and all to this purpose that we who had undone ourselves might be made up again and the righteouâ—nesse of the Law fulfilled in us At first He made us but it cost Him nothing but a word but now to buy that whicâ— was taken captive by sin and aâ— so dear a rate ye are bought with a price and this price more precious than the sum of Heaven and Earth could amount to suppose by some raâ—e Alâ—bymie the earth were all converted into Gold and the Heavens into Precious Stones yeâ— these corruptible and material things come as far short of this â—ansome as an heap of dung is unproportioned to a masse of Gold or heap of Jewels Now you that are thus bought may ye not conclude therefore we are debtters and whereof of our selves for we our persons estates and all were sold and all are bought with this price therefoâ—â— we are not our own but the Lords and therefore we ought to glorifie God in our bodies and spirits which are his 1 Cor 6.20 Should we henceforth claim an interest and propriety in our selves Should we have a will of our own Should we serve our selves with our members O how monstruous and absurd were that Ceâ—tainly a believing heart cannot but look upon that as the greatest indignity and vilest impiety that ever the Sun shined upon Ingratituâ—e hath a note of ignominy even among Heathens put upon it they eâ—â—eemed the reproach of it the compend of all reproaches Ingrâ—tum si dixeris omnia dixeris And truly it hath the most abominable visage of any vice yea it is all sâ—ns drawn through other in one Table Certainly a godly heart cannot but account this execrable and detestable henceforth to have any proper and peculiar will and pleasure and cannot but devout it self wholly to His will and pleasuâ—e for whose pleasure all were first created and who then redeemed us by the blood of His Son I wish we could have this image of ingratitude alwayes observant to our eyes and minds when we are inticed with our lusts to study our own satisfaction But theâ—e is another bond superadded to this which mightily aggravats the debt He â—ath given us his Spirit to dwell within as well as his Son for us And O the marvellous and strange effects that this Spirit hath in the â—avouâ—s of men He truly repairs that image of God which sin broke down He furnisheth the soul and supplies it in all its necessities He is a light and life to it a spring of everlasting life and consolâ—tion so that to the Spirit we owe that we are made agâ—in after his Image and the precious purchase of Christ applyed unto our souls For Him hath our Saviour left to execute his latter-will in behalf of his children And these things are but the first fruits of the Spirit any peace or joy or love or obedience are but an earnest of that which is coming we shall be yet more beholden to Him when the walls of flesh are taken down he will carry forth the soul into that glorious liberty of the sons of God and not long after he shall quicken our very dust and raise it up in glory to the fellowship of that happinesse Now my beloved consider what all this tends to mark the inference you should make from it Therefore we are debters debters indeed under infinit obligations for infinit meâ—cies But what is the debt we owe truly it might be conceived to be some rare thing equivalent to such unconceivable benefits But mark what it is to live after the spirit and not after the flesh to conform our affections and actions and the tenor of our way and course to the direction of the Spirit to have our spirits led and enlightned by the Holy Spirit and not to follow the indictment of our flesh and carnal minds Now truly it is a wonder that it is noâ— other thing then this for this
of Adoption I conceive to be threefold beside that of Intercession expressed in the vers The first work of the Spirit of Adoption that wherein a Fathers affection seems to break first from under ground is â—he revealing to the heart the love and mercy of God to sinners I do not say to such a soul in particular for that application is neither first nor universal But herein the Spirit of Adoption first appears from under the cloud of â—ear and this is the first opening oâ— the prison of bondage wherein a soul was shut when the plain way of reconciliation to God in Christ and delivery from the bondage of sin and wrath is holden out when such a word as this comes into the soul and is received with some gladnesse God so loved the world that he gave his Son c. This is a true and faithful saying c. Come ye that labour and weary and I will give rest to your souls When a soul is made to hear the gâ—ad tidings of liberty preached to captives of lighâ— to the blind of joy to the heavy in spirit of life to the dead though he cannot come that length as to see his own pâ—â—ticular interest yet the very receiving affectionatly and greedily such a general report as good and true gives some ease and relaxation to the heart To see delivery possible is some door of hope to a desperat sinner but to see it and espy more then a possibility even great probability though he cannot reach a certainty â—hat will be as the breaking open of a window of light in a dark dungeon it will be as the taking off oâ— some of the hardest fetters and the worst chains which makes a man almost to think himself at liberty Now this is the great office of the Spirit of the Father to beget in us good thoughts of Him to incline us to charitable and favourable construction of Him and make us ready to think well of Him to beget a good understanding between us and Him and correct our jealous misapprehensions of Him for certainly we are naturally suspitious of God that he deals not in sad earnest with us when ever we see the hight of our provocation and weight of deserved indignation we think him like our selves and can hardly receive without suspition the Gospel that layes open his love in Christ to the world Now this is the Spirits woâ—k to make us entertain that hoâ—ourable thought of God that he is most inclinable to pardon sinners and that his mercy is infinitly above mans sin and that it is no prejudice to His Holiness or Justice and to apprehend seriously a constant reality and solid truth in the promises of the Gospel and so to convince a soul of righteousnesse Joh. 18. that there is a way of justifying a sinner and ungodly person without wrong to Gods righteousnesse and this being well pondered in the heart and received in love the great businesse is done after that particular application is more easie of which I shall not speak now because occasion will be given in the next vers about the Spirits witnessing with our spirits which is another of the Spirits workings only I say this that which makes this so difficult is a defect in the fiâ—st but the common principles of the Gospel are not really and so seriously apprehended because many souls do not put to their seal to witnesse to the promises and truth oâ— it therefore the Lord often denies this seal anâ— witnesse to our comfort It is certainly a preposterous way Sâ—tan puts souls upon first to get such a testimony from the Spirit before they labour to get such a testimony to Christ and eccho or answer in their hearts to his word this way it seems shortest for it would leap into the greater liberty at the first hand but certainly its farthest about because its impossible for souls to leap immediatly out of bondage to assurance without some middle step they cannot passe thus from extreams to extreams without going through the middle stâ—te of receiving Christ and laying his word up in the heart and therefore it proves the way furthest about because when souls have long wearied themselves they must at length turn in hither But there is another working of the Spirit I wish you were acquaint with as the first work is to beget a suitable apprehension of Gods mind and heart towards sinners so the next is to beget a suitable disposition in our hearts towards God as a Father The first apprehends his love the next reflects it back again with the heart of a sinner to Him The Spirit first brings the report of the love and grace of God to us and then he carries the love and respect of the heart up to God You know how God complains in Mâ—lachi If I be a Father where is my fear and honour â—or these are the only fitting qualifications of Children such a reverent respective observance of our Heavenly Father such affectionat and humble carriage towards him as becometh both His Majesty and His Love as these are tempered one with another in Him his Love not abasing his Majesty and his Majesty not diminishing his Love So we ought to carry as reverence and confidence fear and love may be contempered one with another so as we may neither forget his infinit greatnesse nor doubt of his unspeakable love and this inward disposition ingraven on the heart will be the principle of willing and ready obedience it will in some measure be our meat and drink to do our Fathers will for Christ gave us an example how we should carry towards him How humble and obedient was he though his only begotten Son SERMON XXXIX Rom. 8.15 Whereby we cry Abba Father AS there is a light of grace in bestowing such incomparably high dignities and excellent gifts on poor sinneâ—s such as to make them the sons of God who were the children of the Devil and heirs of a kingdom who were heirs of wrath so there is a depth of wisdom in the Lords allowance and manner of dispensing his love and grace in this life for though the love be wonderful that we should be called the sons of God yet as that Apostle speaks It doth not yet so clearly appear what we shall be by what we are 1 Joh. 3.1 Our present condition is so unlike such a state and dignity and our enjoyments so unsuitable to our rights and pâ—iviledges that it would not appear by the mean low and indigent state we are now into that we have so great and glorious a Father How many infiâ—mities are we compassed about with How many wants are we pressed withall our necessitiâ—s aâ—e infinit and our enjoyments no wayes proportioned to our necessities Notwithstanding even in this the love and wisdom oâ— our Heavenly Father shews it self and oftentimes more gloriously in the theatre of mens weaknesse infirmities and wants then they could appear in the absolute and total exemption
satisfied in our Cautioner and considers us as righteous in that account before God And this likewise I speak for your use that ye may loath and abhor your selves as much in your selves who are made clean by the blood of Jesus Christ as if ye were not washen Nay so much the more ye ought to remember your own sins which he doth not remember as debt any more and to be ashamed and confounded because they are pardoned It is ordinary for souls to look on themselves with an eye of more complacency in themselves when they apprehend that God lookes favourably on them I do not think that any soul can duely consider the gracious aspect of God in Jesus Christ to them but they will the more loath themselves but I find it ordinary that slight and inconsiderate thoughts of pardon begets jolly conceits in mens hearts of themselves and this is even the sin of Gods children something is abated of our self abhorring when we have peace and favour spoken in to us but I beseech every one that believes there is no condemnation for them to consider there is all things worthy of it in them yea nothing but what deserves it and therefore let that aspect of God beget self-loathing and self-detestation in you the more you apprehend he is pleased with you be ye the more displeased with your selves because it is not your selves he is pleased with but his own well-beloved Son The day of redemption is coming when there shall be no condemnation and nothing condemnable either In Heaven you shall be so but while ye are here this is the most important duty ye are called to to loath your selves because of all your abominations and because he is pacified towards you Ezek. 16. at the close and Chap. 36.31 and 20 43 44. There is a new and strange mortification now pleadde â—or by many whose highest advancement consisteth in not feeling or knowing or confessing sin but in being dead to the sense and convictâ—â—n of the same Alace whither are these reforming timeâ— gone Is not this the spirit of Antichrist I confess it is a mortification of Godliness a crucifying of Repentance and Holiness a crucifying of the new man but it is a quickning of the old man in the lusts thereof a living to sin this is a part of that new but â—aâ—sly so called Gospel that is preached by some which if an Angel would bâ—ing from Heaven we ought not to believe it Other foundation can no man lay then which is laid already upon which the Prophets and Apostles are builded even Christ Jesus Lord give the spirit to understand these mysteries already revealed but save us from these new discoveries and lights That which we have received is able to make us perefâ—ct to salvation Every one pretends a claim and right to this priviledge of Christians to be pardoned and absolved from condemnation who doth not put it out of question though in the mean time their iniquities testifie against them and their transgressions say in the heart of a godly man that there is no fear of God before their eyes Therefore the Apostle describes the man that is in Jesus Christ to be such an one That walks not after the flesh but after the Spirit Not only to guard against the presumptuous fancy of those that live in their sins that pretend to hope for Heaven but to stir up every justified soul to a new manner of conversation since they are in Jesus Christ. We would speak a word of two things from this First that the Scripture gives marks and characters of justified and reconciled persons that they may be known by both to themselves and others Next that the Christian escaped condemnation hath a new manner of walking and is a new creature in Christ. It might seem a strange thing that this fiâ—st were questioned in this generation if any the most clear and important truth could pass without scanning the very tenor of the whole Scripture holds out so much of it I wonder that any man that reads this Chapter or the Epistles of Iames and Iohn should have any more doubt of it Hereby we know that we know him if we keep his commands Is not this a conclusion of our state and condition from the conformity of our walking to the will of God What divine truth can we be sure of if this be uncertain When the beloved Disciple who knew how to preach Christ asserts it in express terms 1 Ioh. 5.13 These things have I written to you that believe that ye may know ye have eternal life and that ye may believe on the Name of the Son of God this very thing was the great scope and purpose of that Evangelick and Divine Epistle I find that Antinomians confound this question that they may have the more advantage in their darkness The question is not concerning the grounds of a mans believing in Christ but concerning our assurance or knowledge of our believing There is a great mistake in Christians practice in confounding these two it makes Christians very unreasonable in their doubtings and exercises therefore let us have this before our eyes Faith in its first and pure acting is rather an adherence and cleaving of a lost soul to Christ than an evidence of its interest in him or of his everlasting love You know all that it is one thing to know a thing or love a thing and another thing to reflect upon it and know that I know and love Iohn did write to believers that they might know they did believe and believe yet more These things then are both separable and the one is posterior to the other After ye believed ye were sealed The perswasion of Gods love and our interest in Christ is the Spirits seal set upon the soul there is a mutual sealing here the soul by believing and trusting in Jesus Christ sets to its seal that God is true as Iohn speaks 3.33 When God speaks in his Law the soul receives that testimony of his Justice and Holiness subscribes to the equity and righteousness of the sentence by condemning it self And when Christ speaks in the Gospel the soul seals that doctrine of free Salvation by approving and consenting with all its heart to the offer subscribes to the way of Salvation in Christ and truth of his promises and thus is the truth of God and Christ sealed by the souls believing Then the Spirit of Jesus Christ afterward when he pleaseth irradiats and shines upon the soul and discovers these things that are freely given and witnesseth to the conscience of the believer that he is a son of God thus the Spirit seals the believer and gives his testimony to his truth Now if we speak of the ground of the first viz. Of believing in Christ to salvation I know none but that which is common to sinners and holden out in the Gospel generally to all Our sin and misery and absolute necessity and Christs invitation of all to
come and receive his full and perfect salvation I think a man should seek nothing in himself whereupon to build his coming to Christ though it be true no man can come to a Saviour till he be convinced of sin and misery yet no man should seek convictions as a warrand to come to Christ for salvation he that is in earnest about this question how shall I be saved I think he should not spend the time in reflecting on and examination of himself till he find something promising in himself but from discovered sin and misery pass straight way over to the grace and mercy of Christ without any interveening search of something in himself to warrand him to come there should be nothing before the eye of the soul but sin and misery and absolute necessity compared with superabounding grace and righteousness in Christ And thus it singly devolves it self over upon Christ and receives him as offered freely without money and without price I know it is not possible that a soul can receive Christ till there be some preparatory convincing work of the Law to discover sin and misery But I hold that to look to any such preparation and fetch an incouragement or motive therefrom to believe in Christ is really to give him a price for his free waters and wine it is to mix in together Christ and the Law in the point of our acceptation and for souls to go about to seek preparations for a time resolving not at all to consider the promise of the Gospel till they have found them and satisfaction in them is nothing else but to go about to establish their own righteousness being ignorant of the righteousness of Christ. And therefore many do corrupt the simplicity of the Gospel by rigid exactions of preparations and measures of them and by making them conditions or restrictions of Gospel-commands and promises As in this Come ye that are wearied And from thence they seem to exclude persons not so qualified from having a warrand to believe Alas it is a great mistake of these and such words certainly these are not set down of purpose to exclude any who will come for whoever will let them come and take freely but rather to encourage such wearied and broken souls as conceives themselves to be the only peâ—sons excluded and to declare unto us in some measure the nature of true faith that a soul must be beaten out of it self ere it can come to Christ. Therefore I conclude that not only it is â— ridiculous and foolish conceit of many Christians that uses to object against believing Iâ— I were as such or such a person if I did love God if I had these fruits of the Spirit if I walked according to the Spirit then I might believe Alace how directly opposite is this to the tearms of the Gospeâ— I say If thou place satisfaction in these and from that ground come to Jesus Christ then thou dost not come really thou dost indeed establish thine own righteousness Doth any Saint though never so holy consider himself under such notions of grace when he comes to be justified No indeed but as an ungodly man rather he must deny all that though he had it And besides it is most unreasonable and incongruous to seek the fruits before the tree be planted and to refuse to plant the tree till you can behold the fruits of it But also it is contrary to the â—ree and comfortable Doctrine of the Gospel for a soul to seek the discovery of any thing in it self but sin before it apply to Jesus Christ. I say there must be some sense oâ— sin otherwise it hath not rightly discovered sin but a soul should not be at the pains to discover that sense of sin and find it out so as to make it a motive of believing in Christ He ought to go straight foreward and not return as he goes he must indeed examine himself not to find himself a sensible humbled sinner that so he may have ground of believing but that he may find himself a lost perishing sinner void of all grace and goodness that he may find the more necessity of Jesus Christ. And thus I think the many contentions about preparations or conditions preparatory to believing may be reconciled Now if the question be as it is indeed about the grounds of our assurance and knowledge of our own faith certainly it is clear as the noon-day that as the good tree is known by the fruits thereof and the fire by the heat thereof so the in-dwelling of faith in the heart is known by its purifying of the heart and working by love it makes a man a new creature so that he and others may see the difference Neither is this any derogation to the free grace of Christ or any establishing of our own righteousness except men be so afraid to establish their own righteousness that they will have no holiness at all but abandon it quite for fear of trusting in it which is a remedy worse than the disease because I make it not a ground of my acceptation before God but only a naked evidence of my believing in Christ and being accepted of God it being known that these have a necessary connexion together in the Scriptures and it being also known that the one is more obvious and easie to be discerned then the other Sure I am the Lambs Book of Life is a great mystery and unless this be granted I see not but every mans regeneration and change shall be as dark and hidden as the hidden and secret decrees of Gods Election for the Spirit may immediatly reveal both the one and the other Is it any derogation to the grace of Christ to know what is freely given us Doth it not rather commend his grace When a soul looks upon it self beautified with hiâ— comeliness and adorned with his graces and loaths it self in it self and ascribes all the honour and praise to him Is it not more injury to the fountain and fulness of grace in Christ not to see the streams of it at all nor to consider them then to behold the streams of grace that flowes out of this fountain as coming out of it I think Christians may be ready to idolize their graces and make them Mediators when they are known but is this a good remedy of that evil to abandone all sight and knowledge of the things freely given us of God Shall we not speak of the freeness of grace because mens corruptions turn grace into carnal liberty and wantonness If these graces be in us sure I am 't is no vertue to be ignorant of them but rather a weakness and darkness It must then be the light and grace of God to know them and from thence to conclude that assurance of faith which is not a forced ungrounded perswasion and strong fancy without any discovered reason of it Sure I am the Apostles counsel is to make our election sure by making our calling sure
How shall any venture to look in to these secrets of the Lambs book of life and read their name there undoubtedly they belong not to us they are a light inaccessible that will but conâ—ound anâ— darken us more Therefore whoever would know their election according to the Scriptures must read the transcript and copy of the Book of Life which is written in the hearts and souls of the elect the thoughts of God are written in his works upon the spirits of men his election hath a seal upon it The Lord knoweth who are his and who can break up this seal Who hath understood the mind of the Lord None can untill the Lord write over his thoughts in some characters of his Spirit and of the new creature in some lineaments and draughts of his own Image that it may be known they are the Epistle of Christ not written with ink and paper but with the Spirit of the living God not in tables of stone but in the fleshly tables of the heart 2 Cor. 3.3 Christ writes his everlasting thoughts oâ— love and good-will to us in this Epistle and that we may not think this doth extol the creature and abase Christ it is added vers 5. Not that we are sufficient of our selves but our suffiâ—iency is of Goâ— The seeing of grace in our selves doth not prejudge the gâ—ace oâ— God unless we see it independent of the fountain and behold not the true rise of it that we may have no matter to glory of It is not a safe way of beholding the Sun to look straight on it it is too dazling to our weak eyes you shall not well take it up so but the best way is to look on it in water then we shall more stedfastly behold it Gods everlasting love and the redemption of Jesus Christ is too glorious an object to behold with the eyes of flesh such objects certainly must astonish and strike the spirits of men with their transcendent brightness therefore we must look on the beams of this Sun as they are reflected in our hearts and so behold the conformity of our souls wrought by his Spirit unto his will and then we shall know the thoughts of his soul to us If men shall at the first â—â—ight climb so high as to be perswaded of Gods eternal love and Christs purchase for them in particular they can do no more but scorch their wings and melt the wax off them till they fall down from that heaven of their ungrounded perswasion into a pit of desperation The Scripture-way is to go downward once that ye may go up first go down in your selves and make your calling sure and then you may rise up to God and make your election sure You must come by this circle there is no passing by a direct line and straight thorow unless by the immediat revelation of the Spirit which is not ordinary and constant and so not to pretended unto I confess that sometimes the Spirit may intimate to the Soul Gods thoughts towards it and its own state and condition by an immediat overpowering testimony that puts to silence all doubts and obejctions that needs no other work or mark to evidence the sincerity and reality of it that light of the Spirit shall be seen in its own light and needs not that any witness of it The Spirit of God sometimes may speak to a Soul Son be of good comfort thy sins are forgiven thee This may break into the Soul as a beam darted from heaven without reference to any work of the Spirit upon the heart or word of Scripture as a mids and mean to apply it But this is more extraordinary the ordinary testimony of the Spirit is certainly conjoined with the testimony of our own consciences Rom. 8.16 and our consciences beares witness of the work of the Sâ—irit in us which the Spirit discovers to be according to the Woâ—d The spirit makes known to us things that are freely given but by comparing things Spiritual with Spiritual 1 Cor. 2.10.13 The fruit and special work of the Holy Ghost in us is the medium and the Spirits light irradiats and shines upon it and makes the heart see the same clearly For though we be the children of light yet our light hath so much darkness as there must be a supervenient and accessory light of the Spirit to discover that light unto us Now what is all this to us I fear that there be many ungrounded perswasions amongst us that many build on a sandy foundation even a strong opinion that it is well with them without any examination of their Souls and conversations according to the Word and this certainly when the tempest blows cannot stand Some teach that no man should question whether he believe or not but presently believe I think none can believe too suddenly it s alwise in season nunquam sera est fides nec paenitentia its never late in respect of the promise and its never too early in respect of a mans case But I cannot think any man can â—elieve till the Spirit have convinced him of his unbelief And tâ—erefore I would think the most part of men nearer faith in Jesus Christ if they knew they wanted faith Nay it s a part of faith and believing God in his word and setting to our Seal that God is true for a man to â—ake with his unbelief and his natural inability yea aveâ—sness to it I would think that these who could not believe in Christ because they â—ought honouâ— one of another and went about to kill him they had done well to have taken with that challenge of Christs and if men ought to take with their sin they ought to search and try their sin that they may find it out to take with it I wonder since Antinomians make unbebelief the only sin in the world that they cannot endure the discovery and confession of it it seems they do not think it so heinous a sin I confesse no man should of purpose abstain from believing in Christ till he find out whether he hath believed or not but what ever have been he is bound presently to act saith in Jesus Christ to flee unto him as a lost sinner to a saving Mediator But that every man is bound to perswade himself at the first that God hath loved him and Christ redeemed him is the hope of the Hypocrite like a spiders web which when leaned to it shall not stand that mans expectation shall perish he hath kindled sparks of his own a wilde fire and walketh not in the true light of the Word and so must ly down in sorrow Many of you deceive your selves and none can perswade you that ye do deceive your selves such is the strength of that delusion and dream It s the great part of the hearts deceitfulness to flatter it self in its own eyes to make a man conceive well of himself and his heart I beseech you do not venture your souls salvation to such
its impossible that he should do nothing else but pray in an express formal way but the souls walking with God between times of Prayer should compense that and thus Prayer is continued though not in it self yet in meditation on God which hath in it the seed of all worship and is virtually Prayer and Thanksgiving and all duties Let us then consider If our bodies be not more exercised in Religion then our souls yea if they be not the chief agents how many impertinencies and roveries and wandrings are throughout the day the most part of our conversation if it be not profane yet it is vain that is unprofitable in the World it neither advantageth us spiritually nor glorifies God it is almost to no purpose and this is enough to make it all flesh And for our thoughts how do they go unlimited and unrestrained like a wilde Ass traversing her wayes and gadding about fixed on nothing at least not on God nay fixed on any thing but God If it be spiritual service should it not carry the seal of our spirit and affection on it We are as so many shadows walking as pictures and statues of Christians without the soul and life which consists in the temper and disposition of the spirit and soul towards God SERMON V. Vers. 1. That walk not after the flesh but after the spirit IT is no wonder that we cannot speak any thing to purpose of this Subject and that ye do not hear with fruit because it is indeed a mystery to our judgements and a great stranger to our practice There is so litle of the Spirit both in Teachers and those that come to be taught that we can but speak of it as an unknown thing and cannot make you to conceive it in the living notion of it as it is Only we may say in general It is certainly a divine thing and another thing then our common or religious walk is It is little experience so we can know the less of it but this much we should know it is another thing then we have attained it s above us and yet such a thing as we are called to aspire unto How should it stir up in our spirits a holy fire of ambition to be at such a thing when we hear it is a thing attainable nay when Christ calls us unto himself that we may thus walk with him I would have Christians men of great and big projects and resolutions of high and illimited desires not satisfied with their attainments but still aspiring unto more of God more conformity to his will more walking after the Spirit more separation from the course of the World and this is indeed to be of a divine spirit The divine Nature is here as it were in a state of violence out of its own element Now it s known by this iâ— it be still moving upwards taking no rest in this place and these measures and degrees but upon a continual motion towards the proper center of it God his holiness and Spirit We desire to speak a word of these three 1. The nature of this spiritual walking Next Its connexion and union with that blessed state of non-condemnation And then of the order of this how it flows from a mans being implanted in Christ Jesus Which three are considerable in the words This spiritual walking is according to a spiritual rule from spiritual principles for spiritual ends These three being established aright the walk is even the motion of a Christian within the compass of these it is according to the word as the holy rule it s from the faith love of Jesus Christ as the predominant principleâ— Nay from the Spirit of Jesus living in the heart by faith and dwelling in it by love as the first wheel of this motion the Primum Mobile and as it begins in the Spirit so it ends there in the glory of Jesus Christ and our heavenly Father Consider this then it is not a lawless walking and irregular walk it is according to the rule and the rule is perfect and it is a motion to perfection not a rest in what is now attained to The course of this world is the way and rule of the children of disobedience Eph. 2.2 There is a spirit indeed that works in them and a rule it works by the spirit is that evil spirit contrary to the holy Spirit of God you may know what spirit it is that works by the way it leads men unto a broad way path'd and troden in by many travellers it s the Kings high street the common way that most part walkes into according as their neighbours do as the most do But â—hat King is the Prince of this World satan who blinds the eyes of many that they may not see that pit of misery before them which their way leads them to A Christian must have a kind of singularity not in opinion but in practice rather to be more holy and walk more abstracted from the dregs of the worlds pollution this were a divine singularity Indeed men may suspect themselves that separats from the godly in opinion they have reason to be more jealous of themselves when they offend against the generation of the just but if this were the contention and design of men to be very unlike the multitude of men nay to be very unlike the multitude of Professors in the affection and practice of holiness humility and spiritual walking I think this were an allowed way though a singular way Men may aspire to as great a difference as may be from the conversations and practice of others if there be a tending to more conformity to the Word the rule of all practice The Law is spiritual and holy saith Paul but I am carnal this therefore were spiritual walking to set that excellent spiritual rule before our eyes that we who are carnal may be transformed and changed into more likeness to that holy and spiritual Law If a man had not an imperfect rule of his own fancy and imagination before his eyes he could not be satisfied with his attainments but with Paul would forget them in a manner not know them but reach forward still to what is before because so much length would be before us as would swallow up all our progress this would keep the motion on foot and make it constant A man should never say Master let us make tabernacles its good to be here no indeed the dwelling place and resting would be seen to be above As long as a man had so much of his journey to accomplish he would not sit down on in his advancement he would not compare with others and exalt himself above others Why because there is still a far greater distance between him and his rule then between the slowest walker and him This made Paul more sensible of a body of death Rom. 7 then readily lower Christians are Reflections on our attainments and comparisons with others which are so often the
God unbelief and disobedience Now what became of all this work you may know the generality of all ranks have rebelled against that Lord and Prince and withdrawn from his allegiance and revolted unto the same lusts and wayes these same courses against which we had both by our profession of Christianity and solemn oaths engaged our selves and so men have voluntarily and heartily subjected themselves unto the laws of sin and desires of the flesh Hence is the beginning of our ruine because we would not serve our own God and Lord in our own land therefore are so many led away captive to serve strangers in another land therefore we are like to be captives in our own land because we refused homage to our God and obeyed strange lords within therefore are we given up to the lust of strangers without I would have you thinking and that seriously that there are worse masters you serve then these you most hate and that there is a worse bondage whereof you are insensiâ—le then that you fear most you fear strangers but your greatest evil is within you you might retire within and behold worâ—e masters and moâ—e pernicious and mortal enemies to your well-being Tâ—is is the case of all men by nature and of all men as far as in nature sin ruling commanding in them and lording it over them and they willingly following after the commandment and so oppressed and broken in judgement If you could but rightly look upon other men you might see that they who are servants oâ— diverse lusts are not their own men so to speak they have not the command of themselves Look upon a man given to drunkenness and what a slave is he whither doth not his lust drive him let him bind himself with resolutions with vows yet he cannot be holden by them shame before men losse of estate decay of health temporal punishment nay eternal all set together cannot keep him from fulfilling the desires of that lust when he hath opportunity A man given to covetousness how doth he serve that idol how doth he forget himself to be a man or to have a reasonable â—oul within him he is so devoted to it and thus it is with every man by nature there may be many petty little gods that he worships upon occasion but every unrenewed man hath some one thing predominant in him unto which he hath sworn obedience and devotion The man most civilized most abstract from the grosser outward pollutions yet certainly his heart within is but a temple full of idols to the love and service of which he is devoted There is some of the fundamental laws of satans kingdom that rules in every natural man either the lust of the eyes or the lust of the flesh or the pride of life every man sacrificeth to one of these his credit and honour or his pleasure or his profite Self whatever way refined and subtillized in some yet at best it is but an enemy to God and without that sphear of self cannot a man act upon natural principles till a higher spirit come in which is here spoken of Oh! that you would take this for bondage to be under this woful necessity of satisfying and fulfilling the desires of your flesh and mind Eph. 2.2 many account it only liberty and freedom therefore they look upon the laws of the spirit of life as cords and bonds and consult to cast them off and cut them asunder but consider what a wretched life you have with your imperious lusts The truth is sin is for the most part its own punishment I am sure you have more labour and toyl in fulfilling the lusts of sin then you might have in serving God mens lusts are never at quiet they are continually putting you on service they are still driving and dragging men headlong hurrying them to and fro and they cannot get rest what is the cause of all the disquiet disorder confusion trouble and wars in the world from whence do contentions arise come they not hence saith Iames 4.1 even of the lusts that war in our members It is these that trouble the world and these are the troublers of Israels peace these take away both inward peace domestick peace and national peace These lusts Covetousness Ambition Pride Passion Self-love and such like do set nation against nation men and men people and people by the ears These multiply businesses beyond necessity these multiply cares without profit and so bring forth vexation and torment If a man had his lusts subdued and his affections composed unto moderation and sobriety O what a multitude of noysom and hurtful cares should he then be freed from what a sweet calmness should possess that spirit Will you be perswaded of it Beloved in the Lord that it were easier to serve the Lord then to serve your lusts that they cost you more labour disquiet perplexity and sorrow than the Lords service will that so you may weary of such masters and groan to be from under such a law of sin But if that will not suffice to perswade you then consider in the next room if you will needs serve a law of sin you must needs be subject to a law of death if you will not be perswaded to quite the service of sin then tell me what think you of your wages The wages of sin is death that you may certainly expect and can you look and long for such wages God hath joyned these together by a perpetual ordinance they come in the world together sin entered and death by sin and they have gone hand in hand together since and think you to dissolve what God hath joyned Before you go further and obey sin more think I pray you what it can give you what doth it give you for the present but much pain and toyl and vexation in stead of promised pleasure and satisfaction Sin doth with all men as the devil doth with some of his sworn vassals and servants they have a poor wretched life with him they are wearied and troubled to satisfie all his unreasonable and imperious commands he loadens them with base service and they are still kept in expectation of some great reward but for the present they have nothing but misery and trouble and at length he becomes the executioneâ— and perpetual tormenter of them whom he made to serve him such a master is sin and such wages you may expect Consider then what your expectation is before you go on or engage further death We are under a law of bodily death therefore we are mortal our house is like a ruinous lodge that drops through and one day or other it must fall sin hath brought in the seeds of corruption in mens nature which dissolves it else it had been immortal But there is a worse deâ—th after this a living death in respect of which simple death would be chosen rather men will rather live very miserably then die nature hath an aversation of it skin for skin
and by his power obtain this supream authoâ—y of life and death Now having his authority established in hiâ— person the next work is to apply this purchase actâ—ally to conâ—er this liâ—e and therefore he hath almighty power to raise up dead sinners to creat us again to good works to redeem us from the tyâ—anny oâ— sin and satan whose slaves we are He hath a spirit of liâ—e which he communicats to his seed he breaths it into these souls that he died for and dispossesseth that powerful corruption that dwells in us Hence it comes to passe that they walk after the Spirit though they be in the flesh because the powerful Spirit of Christ hath entered and taken possession of their spirits Isa. 59.20 21. Let us not be discouraged in our apprehensions of Christ when we look on our ruinous and desperatâ— estate let us not conclude it is past hope and past his help too We do proclaim in the name of Jesus Christ that there is no sinner howsoever justly under a sentence of death and damnation but they may in him find a relaxation from that sentence and that without the impairing of Gods justice and this is a marvelous ground of comfort that may establish our souls 1 Iohn 1.9 even this that law and justice is upon Christs side and nothing to accuse or plead against a sinner that imploys him for his Advocat But know this also that you are not delivered from death that you may live under sin nay you are redeemed from death that you may be freed from the law of sin but that must be done by his almighty Spirit and cannot be otherwayes done I know not whether of these is matter of greatest comfort that there is in Christ a redemption from the wrath of God and from hell and that there is a redemption too from sin and corruption which dwells within us but sure I am both of them will be most sweet and comfortable to a believer and without both Christ were not a compleat Redeemer nor we compleatly redeemed Nâ—itheâ— would a believing soul in which there is any measure of this new law and divine life be satisfied without both these Many are miserably deluded in their apprehensions of the Gospel they take it up thus as if it were nothing but a proclamation of freedom from misery from death and damnation and so the most part catch at nothing else in it and from thence takes liberty to walk after their former lusts and courses this is the woful practical uâ—e that the generality of hearers make of the free intimation of pardon and forgiveness of sin and delivery from wrath they admit some general notion of that and stops there and examines not what further is in the Gospel and so you will see the slaves of sin professing a kind of hope of freedom from death the servants and vassals of corruption who walk after the course of this world and fulfill the lusts and desires of their mind and flesh yet fancying a freedom and immunity from condemnation men living in sin yet thinking of escaping wrath which dreams could not be entertained in men if they did drink in all the truth and open both their ears to the Gospel if our spirits were not narrow and limited and so excluded the one half of the Gospel that is our redemption from sin There is too much of this even among the children of God a strange narrowness of spirit which admits not whole and intire truth it falls out often that when we think of delivery from death and wrath we forget in the mean time the end and purpose of that which is that we may be freed from sin and serve the living God without fear And if at any time we consider and busie our thoughts about freedom from the law of sin and victory over corruption such is the scantness of room and capacity in our spirits that we loss the remembrance of delivery from death and condemnation in Christ Jesus thus we are tossed between two extreams the quick-sands of presumption and wantonness and the rocks of unbelief and despair or discouragement both of which do kill the Christians life and make all to fade and wither But this were the way and only way to preserve the soul in good case even to keep these two continually in our â—ight that we are redeemed from death and misery in Christ and that not to serve our selves or to continue in our sins but that we may be redeemed from that sin that dwells in us and that both these are purchased by Jesus Christ and done by his power the one in his own person the other by his Spirit within us I would have you correcting your misapprehensions of the Gospel do not so much look on victory and freedom from sin as a duty and task though we be infinitly bound to it but rather as a priviledge and dignity conferred upon us by Christ Look not upon it I say only as your duty as many do and by this means are discouraged from the sight of their own infirmity and weakness as being too weak for such a strong party but look upon it as the one half and greater half of the benefite conferred by Christs death as the greater hall of the redemptiâ—n which the Redeemer by his office is bound to accomplish He will redeem Israel from all his iniquities with him is plenteous redâ—mpâ—ion Pâ—al 130.7 8. This is the plenty this is the sufficiency of iâ— that he redeems not only from misery but from iniquity and that all iniquities I would not desire a believers soul to be in a better posture here-away then this to be looking upon sin inâ—dwelling aâ— his bondage and redemption â—rom it as freedom to account â—imâ—elf in so far free as tâ—e free Spirit of Christ enters and wâ—ites that â—â—ee Law of love and obedience in his heart and blots out these base characters of the law of sin It were a good temper to be groaning for the redemption of the soul and why doth a believer groan for the redemption of the body but because he shall then be freed wholly from the law oâ— sin and from the presence of sin I know not a greater argument to a gracious heart to subdue his corruption and strive for freedom from the law of sin then the freedom obtained from the law of death nor is there any clearer aâ—gument and evidence of a soul delivered from death then to strive for the freedom of the Spirit from the law of sin there jointly help one another freedom from death will raise up a Christians heart to aspire to a freedom and liberty from sin And again freedom from sin will wiâ—ness and evidence that such a one is delivered from death When freedom from death is an inducement to seek after freedom from sin and freedom from sin a declaration of freedom from death then all is well and indeed thus it will be in some meaâ—uâ—e with every soul
that is quickned by this new Law of the Spirit of Life for its the entry of this that expells its contrary the Law oâ— sin And indeed the Law must enter the command and the pâ—omise must enter into the soul and the affections of the soul be enlivened thereby or rather the soul changed into the similitude of that mould or else the having of it in a book or in ones memory and understanding will never make him the richer or freer A Châ—istian looks to the patern of the Law and the word of the Goâ—pel without but he must be changed into the image of it by beholding it and so he becomes a living Law to himself The Spirit writes these precepts and practices oâ— Christs in which he commands imitation upon the fleshly tables of the heart And now the Law is not a rod above his head as above a slave but it s turned into a Law oâ— love within his heart and hath something like a natural instinct in it all that men can do either to themselves or others will not purchase the least measure of â—â—eedom from predominant corruptions cannot deliver you from your sins till this free Spirit that blows where he pleases come It s our part to hoise up sails and wait for the wind to â—â—e means and wait on him in his way and oâ—der but all will be in vain till this stronger one come and cast out the strong man till this arbitrary and free wind blow from heaven and fill the sails SERMON X. Rom. 8.3 For what the Law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh God sending his own Son c. THE greatest design that ever God had in the world is certainly the sending of his own Son into the world and it must needs be some great busines that drew so excellent and glorious a person out of Heaven the plot and contrivance of the world was a profound piâ—ce of wisdom and goodness the making of men after Gods image waâ— done by a high and glorious counsel Let us make man after our image there was some thing special in this expression importing â—ome peculiar excellency in the work it self or some special depth of design about it But what think you of this consultation let one of us be made man after mans image and likeness that must be a strange piece of wisdom and grace Great is the mystery of godliness God manifested in the flesh No wonder though Paul cryed out as one swallowed up with this mystery for indeed it must be some odd matter beyond all that is in the creation wherein thâ—â—e are many mysteries able to swallow up any understanding but that in which they were first formed This must be the chief of the works of God the rarest piece of them all God to become man the Creator of all to come in the likeness of a creature he by whom all things were created and do yet consist to come in the likeness of the most wretched of all Strange that we do not dwell more in our thoughts and affections on this subject either we do not believe it or if we did we could not but be ravished with admiration at it Iohn the beloved Disciple who was often nearest unto Christ dwelt most upon this and made it the subject of his preaching that which was from the beginning which we have heard and seen and handled c. Ioh. 1.1 He speaks of that mystery as if he were imbracing Jesus Christ in his arms and holding him out to others saying Come and see This divine mystery is the subject of these words read but the mystery is somewhat unfolded and opened up to you in them yet so as it will not diminish but increase the wonder of a believing soul. It is ignorance that magnifies other mysteries which viâ—ifie through knowledge but it is the true knowledge of this mystery that makes it the more wonderful whereas ignorance only makes it common and despicable There are three things then of special consideration in the words which may declare and open unto you something of this mystery Fiâ—st what was the ground and reason or occasion of the Sons sending into the world next what the Son being sent did in the world And the third for what end and use it was What fruit we have by it The ground and reason of Gods sending his Son is because there was an impossibility upon the Law to save man which impossibility was not the Laws fault but mans defect by reason of the weakness and impotency of our flesh to fulfill the Law Now God having chosen come to life and man having put this obstruction and impediment in his own way which made it impossible for the Law to give him life though it was first given out as the way of life therefore that God should not fail in this glorious design of saving his chosen he choosed to send his own Son in the likeness of flesh as the only remedy of the Laws impossibility That which Christ being sent into the likeness of flesh did is the condemning of sin in the flesh by a sacrifice offered for sin even the sacrifice of his own body upon the crosse He came in the likeness not of flesh simply for he was really a man but in the likeness of sinful flesh though without sin yet like a sinner as to the outward appearance a sinner because subject to all these infirmities and miseries which sin did first open a door for Sin was the in-let of afflictions of bodily infirmities and necessities of death it self and when the floods of these did overflow Christs Humane Nature it was a great presumption to the world who look and judge according to the outward appeaâ—ance tâ—at â—in was the â—lâ—ce opened to let in such an inundation of calamity Now he being thus in the likeness of a sinner though not a sinner he for sin that is because of sin that had entered upon man and made life impossible to him by the Law by occasion of that great enemy of God which had conquered mankind he condemned sin in his flesh he overthrew it in its plea and power against us he condemned that which condemned us overcame it in judgment and made us free by sustaining the curse of it in his flesh he cut off all its plea against us This is the great work and business which was worthy of so noble a Messenger his own Son sent to conquer his greatest enemy that he hates most And then in the third place you see what benefite or fruit redounds to us by it What was the end and purpose of it vers 4. That the righteousness of the Law might be fulfilled in us that seing it was impossible for us to fulfill the righteousness of the Law and so became impossible to the Law to fulfill our reward of life it might be fulfilled by him in our name and so the righteousness of the Law being fulfilled in us by
fulfill all righteousness that is accounted ours because we were represented in him and judicially one with him And therefore we were condemned when he was condemned we were dead when he died and so the righteousness of the Law in exâ—cting a due punishment for sin was fulfilled for us in him and it is all one as if it had been personally in us And this is laid down as the foundation of that blessed embassie or message of reconciliation to sinners as that upon which God is in Christ reconciling and beseeching us to be reconciled 2 Cor. 5.19 20 21. Him who knew no sin hath he made sin for us that we might be made the righteousness of God in him You see the blessed exchange that he hath made with us he hath laid our sins on sinless Christ and laid Christs righteousness on sinful us Christ took our sins on him that he might give us his righteousness and by vertue of this transaction and communication as it was righteous with God to condemn sin in Christs flesh because our sin was upon him so it is as just with him to impute righteousness to us because we were in him And as the Law made him a curse and exacted the punishment off him it is as righteous with the Lord to give us life and salvation and to forgive sin as Iohn speaks 1 Epist. 1.19 If we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive our sins Now consider this my Beloved for it is propounded unto you as the greatest perswasive to move you to come to Jesus Christ there is such a clear and plain way in him to Salvation If this do not move your hearts I know not what will I do not expect that your troubles in this world the frequent lashes of judgement the impoverishing and exhausting of you the plucking away of these things ye loved the disquieting your peace so often that any of those things that have the image of wrath upon them can drive you to him and make you forsake your way when such a motive as this doth not prevail with you O what heart could stand against the power of this perswasion if it were but righty apprehended who would not willingly flee in to this City of refuge if they did but know aright the avenger of blood that pursues them and what safety is within You are alwayes imagining vain satisfactions to the Law of God how great weight doth your fancy impose upon your tears your confessions your reformations If you can attain any thing of this kind that is it which you give to satisfie justice it is that wherewith you pretend to fulfill the Law But if it could be so wherefore should God have sent his Son to condemn sin and purchase righteousness by him I beseech you once know and consider your estate that you may open your hearts to this Redeemer that you may be willing to be stript naked of all your imaginary righteousness to put on this which will satisfie the Law fully Will you die in your sins because you will not come to him to have life Will you rather be condemned with sin then saved with Christs righteousness And truly there is no other Altar that will preserve you but this Now if any apprehending their own misery be hardly pursued in their consciences by the Law of God I beseech you come hither and behold it satisfied and fulâ—â—lled I beseech you in Christs stead to be reconciled unto God to lay down all hostile affections and come to him because God is in Christ reconciling the world and not imputing their sins because he hath imputed them already to Christ him who knew no sin c. and he is in Christ imputing his righteousness to sinners SERMON XV. Rom. 8.4 That the righteousness of the Law might be fulfilled in us c. THink not saith our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ that I am come to destroy the Law I am come to fulfill it Mat. 5.17 It was a needful Caveat and a very timous Adâ—ertisment because of the natural mis-apprehensions in mens mindâ— of the Gospel When free forgiveness of sins and life â—verlasting iâ— preached in Jesus Christ without our works when the mercy of God is proclaimed in its freedom and fulness the heart of man is subject to a wofull mis-conceit of Christ as if by these a latitude were given and a liberty proclaimed to men to live in sin That which is propounded as the incouragement of poor sinners to come to God and forsake their own wicked way it is miserably wrested upon a mistake to be an incouragement to revolt more and more Righteousness and life by faith in a Saviour without the works of the Law is holden out as the grand perswasion of the Gospel to study obedience to the Law and yet such is the perversness of many hearts that either in opinion or practice they so carry themselves as if there were an inconsistence between Christ and the Law between free Justification and Sanctification as if Christ had come to redeem us not from sin but to sin Now to prevent this think not saith he that I am come to destroy the Law do not fancie to your selves a liberty to live in sin and an immunity from the obligation of a commandment because I have purchased an immunity â—nd freedom from the curse no I am come to fulfill it rather not only in mine own person but in yours also And to this purpose Paul Rom. 3.31 Do we then make void the Law by faith It is so natural to our rebellious hearts to desire to be free from the yoke of obedience and theâ—efore we fancy such a notion of faith as may not give it self to working in love as is active in nothing but imagination The Apostle abominats this God forbid he detests it as impious and sacrilegious yea we establish it So then all returns to this one of the great ends of Christs coming in the flesh and one main intendment of the Gospel published in his Name is not meerly to deliver us from wrath and redeem us from the curse Gal. 3.13 1 Thâ—ss 1.10 But also and that especially to redeem us from all iniquity that we might be a people zealous of â—ood works Tiâ— 2.14 And to take away sin and destroy the works of the devil 2 Joh. 3.5 8. We spoke something before noon how Chrâ—â—t hath fâ—lâ—â—lled the Law and established it in his own person by obedience and suffering neither of which wayes it could be so well contented by any other but there is yet a third way that he fulfills and establisheth it and that is in our persons That the righteousness of the Law might be fulfilled in us who walk not aftâ—r the â—â—esh but after the Spirit He hath oblidged himself to fulfill it not only for believers but in believers therefore the promises run thus I will write my Law in their hearts and cause them to walk in my Satutes Ezâ—k 36.27 Jer.
the flesh all your time never once seriously to rise up in the consideration of eternity or lift up your heads above temporal and earthly things and yet in the close to ascend unto Heaven No no do not deceive your selves you must go forward this life and eternity makes one straight line either of ascent or descent of happinesâ— or misery and since you have bowed down alwayes while in the body there is no rising up after it forward you must go and that is downward to that element which you transformed your spirits into that is the earth or below the earth to hell your spirits hath most affinity with these and down they must go â—s â— stoâ—e to the earth But if you would desire to have your spirits ascending up to heaven when they are let out of this prison the body take heed which way they turn bend and strive while here in the body If your struglings be to be upward at God if you have discovered that blessedness is in him and if this be the predominant of your spirit that carries it upward in desires and endeavours and turns it off the base study of satisfying the flesh and the base love of the world if thy soul be mounting alost on these wings of holy desires of a better life then can be found in any thing below certainly the motion of thy spirit will be in â— straight line upward when thou leaves thy dust to the earth Anâ—els waits to carry that spirit to that bosomâ— of Christ where it longed and liked most to be but devils do attend the souls of most part of men to thrust them down below the earth because they did still bend down to the earth SERMON XVII Rom. 8.5 For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh c. THough sin hath taken up the principal and inmost Cabinet of the heart of man though it hath fixed its Imperial Throne in the spirit of man and makes use of all the powers and faculties in the soul to accomplish its accursed desires and fulfill its boâ—ndless lusts yet it is not without good reason expressed in Scripture ordinarily under the name of flesh and a body of death and men dead in sins are said to be yet in the â—lesh The reason is partly because this was the rise of mans first ruine or the chiefest ingredient in his first sin his hearkning to the suggestions of his flesh against the clear light and knowledge of his spirit The Apple was beautiful to look on and sweet to the taste and this engâ—ged man thus the voluntary debasement and subjection of the spirit which was breathed in of God unto the service of that dust which God had appointed to serve it hath turned into a necessary slavery so that the flesh being put in the Throne cannot be cast out and this is the righteous judgment of God upon man that he that would not serve so good and so high a Lord should be made a drudge and slave to the very dregs of the Creation Partly again because the flesh hath in it the seeds of the most part of these evil fruits which abound in the world the most part of our corruptions have either their rise or their increase from the flesh the most part of the evils of men are either conceived in the flesh or brought forth by it by the ministry and help of our degenerat spirits And truly this is it that makes our returning to God so hard and difficult a work because we are in the flesh which is like stubble disposed to conceive flame upon any sparkle of a temptation there are so many dispositions and inclinations in the body since our fall that are as powerful to carry us to excess and inordinatness in affection or conversation as the natural instincts of beasts do dâ—ive them on to their own proper operations You know the flesh is oftâ—n times the greatest impediment that the spirit hath because of its lumpishness and earthly qâ—ality how willing would the spirit be how nimble and active in the wayes of obedience if it were not â—etarded dulled and clogged with the heavy lump of our flesh The spirit indeed is willing but the flesh is weak saith Christ Matth. 26.41 Truly I think the great reâ—issness negligence weaknesâ— fainting of Christians in their race of Christianity ariseth ordinarily from this weight that is carried about with them that is must be some extraordinary impulse of a higher spirit to drive us on without wearying And because of this indisposition of the flesh we are not able to bear much of Gods presence in this life it would certainly confound mortality if so much were let out of it as is in Heaven no more then a weak eâ—e can endure to behold the Sun in its brightness Anâ— then the flesh as it is the greatest retardment in good it is the greatest incitement to evil it is a bosome-enemy that betrays us to Satan it is near us and connatural to us and this is the great advantage Satan hath of a Christian he hath a fâ—iend within every Christian that betrays him often You know the most part of temptationâ— from without could have no such force or strength against us if there were not some predisposition in the flesh some seeds of that evill within if they were not presented with some suitableness to our senses and they being once engaged on Satans side they easily draw the whole man with them under a false colour and pretence of friendship therefore they are said to war against the soul 1 Pet. 2.11 And they are said easily to beset us Heb. 12.1 Truly it is no wonder that the enemy storm our City when the out-works yea the very Ports of the City are possessed by traitors no wonder Satan approach near the walls with hiâ— temptations when our senses our fleshly part is so apt to receive him and ready to entertain all objects without difference that aâ—e suitable to affect them You see then how much power the flesh hath in man so that it is no wonder that every â—atural man hath this denomination one after the flesh one carnal from the predomining part though the worst part Every man by nature till a higher birth come may be called all flesh all fashioned and composed of the flesh and after the flesh even his spirit and mind fleshly and earthly sunk into the flesh and transformed into a bruitish quality or nature Now the great purpose of the Gospel is to bring alongs a deliverer unto your spirits for the releasing and unsettering of them from the chains of fleshly lusts This is the very work of Christianity to give liberty to the captive souls of men and the opening of the prison to them that are bound Isai. 63.1 The souls oâ— men are chained with their own fleshly â—usts and if at any time they can break these grosser chains aâ—â—ome â—iner spirits have escaped out of the vilest
of these hath the preheminency that he is If the spirit be indeed elevated above all sensual and earthly things to the life of Angels that is to communion with God then a man is one after the Spirit an Angel incarnat an Angel dwelling in flesh but if his spirit throw it self down to the service of the fâ—esh minding and favouring only things sensual and visible then indeed a man puts off humanity and hath associated himself to beasts to be as one of them And indeed a man made thus like a beast is worse then a beast because he ought to be far better it is no disparagement to a beast to mind only the flesh but it is greatest abasement of a man that which draws him down from that higher station God had set him into to the lowest station that of beasts and truly a Nebuâ—hadnezzar among beasts is the greatest beast of all far more bruitish then any beast Now such is every man by nature that which is born of the flesh is flesh even man as he comes out of the womb is degenerated and fallen down into this bruitish estate to mind to savour to relish nothing but what relates to this fleshly or temporal being The utmost sphear and comprehension of man is now of no larger extent then this visible world and this present life He is blind and seeth not far off 2 Pet. 1.9 Truly such is every man by nature whereas the proper native sphear of the spirits motion and comprehension is as large as its endurance that is as long as eternity and as broad as to reach the infinitness of God the God of all spirits now through the slavery and bondage of mens spirits to their flesh it s contracted into as narrow bounds as this poor life in the flesh he that ought to look beyond time as far as eternity and hath an immortal spiâ—it given â—or that end he is now half blind the eye of the mind is so over-clouded with lusts and passions that it cannot see far off not so far as to the morrow after death not so far as to the entry of eternity And truly if you compare the context you will find that whosoever doth not give all diligence to add to faith vertue to vertue knowledge to knowledge temperance to temperance patience and to patience godliness c. He that is not exercised and imployed about this study how to adorn his spirit with these graces how to have a victory over himself and the world and in respect of these accounts all things beside indifferent such a man is blind and seeth not far off he hath not gotten the sight of eternity he hath not taken up that everlasting endurance else he could not spend his time upon the provision for the lusts of the flesh but he behoved to lay such a good foundation for the time to come as is here mentioned If he saw afar off he could not but make acquaintance with those courtiers of Heaven which will minister an entrance into that everlasting Kingdom But truly while this is not your study you have no purpose for Heaven you see nothing but what is just before your eye and almost toucheth it and so you savour and mind only what you see Is not this then a wide difference between the children of this world and the children of God Is it not very substantial all others are circumstantial in respect of this this only puts a real difference in that which is best in men viz. their spirits The excellency of nature is known by their affections and motions so are these here the spiritual man savours spiritual things the carnal man carnal things every thing symphathizes with that which is like it self and is ready to incorporat into it things are nouâ—ished and preserved by things like themselves You see the Swine embraces the dung-hill that stink is only savoury smell to them because its suitable to their nature but a man hath a more excellent taste and smell and he savours finer and sweeter things Truly it cannot choose but that it must be a nature more swinish or bruitish then â— swine that can relish and savour such filthy abominable works of the flesh as abound amongst some of you The works of the flesh are manifest Gal. 5.19 and indeed they are manifest upon you acted in the very day time out-facing the very light of the Gospel you may read them and see if they be not too manifest in you Now what a base nature what abominable and bruitish spirits must possesse men that they apprehend a sweetnesse and fragrancy in theâ—e corrupt and stinking works of the old man O how base a scent is it to smell and savour nothing but this present world and satisfaction to your senses Truly your scent and smell your relish and taste argues your base degenerat and bruitish natures that you are on the worst side of this division after the flesh But alace it is not possible to perswade you that there is no sweeâ—nessâ— no fragrancy nothing but corruption and rottennesse such as comes out of Sepulchres opened in all these woâ—ks of the flesh till once a new spirit be put in you and your natures changed no more then you can by eloquence perswade a sick man whoâ—e pallat is possessed with a vitiated bitter humour that such things as are suitable to his vitiated taste are indeed bitter or make a swine to believe that the dunghill is stinking and unpleasant Truly it is as impossible to make the multitude of men to apprehend to relish or savour any bitterness or loathsomnesse in the wayes and courses they â—ollow or any sweetness and fragrancy in the wayes of Godlinesse till once your tastes be rectified your spirits be transformed and renewed And indeed when once the spirit is renewed and dispossessed of that malignant humour of corruption and fleshly affection that did present all things contrary to what they are then it is like a healthful and wholsome pallat that tastes all things as they are and finds bitter bitter and sweet sweet or like a sound eye that beholds things just as they are both in colour quantity and distance Then the soul savours the sweet smell of the fruits of the Spirit vers 22. Love joy peace long-suffering meekness temperance c. these are fragrant and sweet to the soul and as a sweet perfume both to the person that hath them and to others round about him and to God also these cast a savour that allures a soul to seek them and being possessed of them they cast a sweet smell abroad to all that are round about and even as high as Heaven a soul that hath these planted in it and growing out of it is as a garden inclosed to God These fruits are both pleasant and sweet to the soul that eats them and as the pleasantness of the apple allured man to taste it and sin so the beauty and sweetnesse of these fruits of the Spirit
the proper owner acknowledging his absolute dependence on him and claiming interest and propriety in nothing not in himself and then on the other hand the love and good-will of infinit God placed on man and from that fountain all the streams of happiness issuing forth towards man the fulness of God opening up it self to him and laying out it self towards him God so far descending as in a manner to become the creatures to expose and dispose Himself and all in him for poor mans use and comfort How joyful was that amity but the breaking of this bond of peace is as sad and grievous There was a woful interposal between God and us which hath separated these chief friends ever since the beginning and that is sin the seeds of all enmity and discord this hath rent asunder the bond of amity this hath made such a total aversion of the soul from God and imprinted such an irreconciliable eâ—mity in the heart against the holy will of God that there is no possibility to reunite again and restore the old friendship as long as the soul is not quite changed and transformed that first creation is so marred and defaced that there is no mending of it till a second creation come The carnal mind is not simply an enemy but enmity it self an enemy may reconcile again and accept terms of peace but enmity cannot reconcile to amity without the very destruction of it self the opposition of the heart is so perfect that as soon may enmity unite with amity and become one with it as a carnal natural-mind can submit to Gods holy will That which was at the beginning voluntary is become necessary and turned into the nature of an in-bred antipathy that no art can cure The fall was such a disjoynting of the soul from God that no skill but infinit wisdom no strength but Almighty power can set it right and put it in the first posture again It is true there are not many who will openly and expresly denounce war against Heaven it is not so incident that any man should have explicit plain thoughts of hatred against God there are some common principles engraven by God in all mens minds which serve as his witnesses against men that God should be loved served adored and worshipped that there is nothing so worthy of the desires of the soul. Now this general acknowledgment deludes the most part for they take it for granted that they do love God with their heart because their consciences bears witness that they ought to love him as if it were all one to know our duty and to do it Who is there but he intertains himself with this good opinion of himself that his heart is good and true to God for say you Whâ—m should I love if I love not God I were not worthy to live if I love not Him It is true indeed that you say but if you did know your hearts you would find their faces turned backward and averted from God and â—ould no more please your selves in such a confession of the truth then the Devil hath reason to think himself a believer because he is convinced that Christ is the Son of God and confessed it too no more then the son that promised to go to the Garden to work and went not had ground to think himself an obedient son Mat. 21.30 Such a confession of duty may be extorted from damned spirits and therefore you would not draw this vail over the wretched wickedness of your natures to the end that you may conceive well of yourselves It is so far from extenuating or excusing that the very conviction of the great obligation to love and obey God is the greatest aggravation of the enmity it is this which makes it the purest malice and perâ—â—ctest hatred that knowing the goodness of God convinced of our bound duty to love and serve him yet in the very light of such a shining truth to turn our hearts away from him and exercise all acts of hostility against him That you may know then wherein the enmity of your hearts consists I shall instance it in three branches or evidences There is an enmity in the understanding that it cannot stoop to believing of the truth there is an enmity in the will that it cannot subject to obedience of Gods holy cammands and this is extended also to a stubborn rebellion against the will of God manifested in the dispensations of his providence In a word the natural and carnal mind is incapable of faith of obedience and of submission There are many truths revealed in the Scripture that the natural man cannot receive or know for they are foolishness to him 1 Cor. 2.14 Some spirits there are lifted up above others either by nature or education in which this rebellion doth more evidently appear reason in them contends with Religion and they will believe no more then they can give a reason for There is a wisdom in some men that despiseth the simplicity or the inevidence of the Gospel and accounts it foolishness The carnal mind will needs start out â—rom implicit trusting of God when once it s possessed with some imagination of wisdom therefore how many are the insurrections of of mens spirits against Gods absolute power over the creatures against the mysteries of the holy Trinity and Incarnation against the resurrection of our bodies In these and such like the pretended wisdom of men hath taken liberty to act enmity and to dispute against God But truly the rebellion and insubjection against the truth of God is more generally practised even by the multitude of men though in an unfree hidden way How few do believe their own desperat wickedness though God hath testified it of man Doth not every one apprehend some good to remain in his nature and some power to good what an impossibility is it to perswade you that all mankind are under the sentence of eternal condemnatioâ— that children who have not done good or evil are involved in it also Your hearts riseth against such doctrines as if they were bloody and cruel inventions To tell you that many are called and few chosen that the most part of them who prosesse the truth are walking in the way to Hell and shall undoubtedly fall into it you may hear such things but you blesse your selves from them and cannot be perswaded to admit them into your mindâ— The hearts of men will be giving the very lie to the God of truth when he speaks these things in his word God forbid that all that be true If we should expound the Law unto you and shew you that the least idle word the lightest thought the smallest inward motion of the heart deserves eternal misery that anger is murder in Gods sight that lusting is fornication that covetousness and love of the world is idolatry these things you cannot know them or receive them therâ— are so many high imaginations in your minds that exalts themselves against the knowledge
God and truly this is the last strong hold that holds out longest against God when others may be beaten down or surrendered possibly a man may attain to this To despise these lower things as below his natural dignity and the excellency of his spirit some may renounce much of that friendship with worldly and temporal things as being fordid and base but the enmity gets in to this strong and invisible tower of darkness self-love and pride and therefore the Apostle Iohn makes this the last and chiefest the pride of life 1 Joh. 2.16 When the lusts of the eyes and flesh are in some measure abated this is but growing and what decreaseth of these seems to accresce unto this as if self-love and pride did feed and nourish it self upon the ashes or consumption of other vices Yea it draws sap from graces and vertues and grows thereby till at length it kill that which nourished it and indeed the Apostle Iames seems to proceed to this vers 5 6. when he minds us that God resisteth the proud and giveth grace to the humble Doth the Scripture say this in vain saith he Is not self amity as well enmity as the amity of the world and therefore God opposes himself unto it as the very grand enmity self is the great lord the arch-rebel the head of all the opposition that in which they do all center and when all the inferiour Souldiers are captives or killed this is last in the fields it lives first in opposition and dies last prunum vivens ultimum moriens When a man is separated from many things yet he may be but more conjoyned to himself and so the further disjoyned from God Of all the vile raggs of the old man this is nearest the skin and last put off Of all the members self is the heart first alive and last alive When enmity is constrained to render up the outward members of the body to yeeld them to a more smooth and fair carriage to a civil behaviour when the mind it self is forced to yeeld unto some light of truth and knowledge of the Gospel yet the enmity retires into the heart and fortifies it the stronger by self-self-love and self-estimation as in winter the encompassing cold makes the heat to combine it self together in the bowels of the earth and by this means the springs are hotter then in summer so the surrounding light of the Gospel or education or natural honesty drives the heat and strength of enmity inward where it fortifies it self more This is that accursed Antiperistasis that is made by the concurrence of some advantages of knowledge and civility and such like The blood of enmity against God gets in about the heart when it is chased for fear out of the outward man Therefore the very first and fundamental principle of Christianity is Let a man deny himself and so he shall be my Disciple he must become a fool in his own eyes though he be wise that he may be wise 1 Cor. 3.18 he must become as ungodly though godly that he may be justified by faith Rom. 4.5 he must forsake himself that he may indeed find himself or get a better self in another he must not eat much honey that is not good it would swell him though it be pleasant he must not search his own glory or reflect much upon it if he would be a follower and friend of Christ. Look how much soever you engage to your selves to esteem or desire to be esteemed of others to reflect with complacency on your selves to mind your own satisfaction and estimation in what you do so much you disingage from Jesus Christ for these are contrary points It s a direct motion towards Christ it s an inverse and backward motion towards our selves and so much as we move that way we promove not but loses of our way and are further from the true end Ezekiels living creatures may be an emblem of a Christian motion he returns not as he goes he makes a straight line to God whithersoever he turn him but nature makes all crooked lines they seem to go forth in obedience to God but they have a secret unseen reflection into its own bosom And this is the greatest act of enmity To idolize God and Deifie our selves we make him a cypher and sacrifice to our selves his peculiar incommunicable property of Alpha and Omega that we do sacrilegiously attribute to our selves the beginning of our motions and end of them too This is the crooked line that nature cannot possibly move out of till a higher spirit come And restore her that halted and make plain her paths That which is added as a reason explains this enmity more clearly Because it cannot be subject c. Truly these two forementioned amities of the world and of our selves do withdraw men wholly from the orderly subjection that they owe to the Law of God Order is the beauty of every thing of nature of art of the whole universe and of the several parts kingdoms and republicks of it This indeed is the very beauty of the world all things subordinat to him that made them only miserable man hath broken this order and marred this beauty and he cannot be subject 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 cannot come again into that orderly station and subordination he was once into This is the only gap or breach of the creation And it is some other engagements that draws him thus far out of course The base love of the world and the inordinat love of himself O these make his neck stiff that it cannot bow to the yoke of obedience these have opposite and contrary commands and no man can serve two masters when the commands of the great Lord self comes in opposition with the commands of God then he cannot be subject to the Law of God For a time in some things he may resemble a subjection when the will of self and the will of God commands in one point as sometimes they do by accident but that is neither frequent nor constant Not only he is not subject but there is worse in it he cannot be subject to the Law of God This is certainly to throw down the natural pride of man that alwayes apprehends some remnant ability in himself you think still to make your selves better and when convinced or challenged for sins to make a mends and reform your lives You use to promise these things as lightly and easily as if they were wholly in your power and as if you did only delay them for advantage and truly it seems this principle of self-sufficiency is engraven on mens hearts when they procrastinat and delay repentance and earnest minding of Religion to some other fitter season as if it were in their liberty to apply to it when they please and when you are urged and perswaded to some reformation you take in hand even as that people Ier. 42.6 20. Who said all that the Lord hath said we will do You
Having the understanding darkned being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them because of the blindnesse of their hearts You have both in that word dâ—rknesse and deadnesse want of that shining light of God in the mind â—o that it cannot discern spiritual things that makes to our eternal peace all the plainnesse and evidence of the Gospel though it did shine as a Sun about you cannot make you see or apprehend either your own misery or the way to help it because your dungeon is within the most part cannot form any â—ensible notion of spiritual things that are daily sounding unto them in the Word The eye of the mind is put ouâ— and if it be darknesse how great is that darknesse Certainly the whole man is without light and your way and walk must be in the dark and indeed it appears that it is dark night with many souls because if it were not dark they could not run out all their speed among pits and snares in the way to destruction And from this woful defect flows the alienation of the whole soul from the life of God that primitive light being eclipsed the soul is separated from the influence of Heaven and as Nebuchadnezzars soul acted only in a bruital way when driven out amongst beasts so the soul of man being driven out from the presence of the Lord may act in a way common to beasts or in some rational way in things that concern this life but it is wholly spoiled of that divine life of communion with God it cannot taste smell or savour such things O if it were visible unto us the state of the ruinous soul we would raise a more bitter lamentation over it then the Iews did over Ierusalem or the Kings and Merchants have reason to do over fallen Babylon Truly we might bemoan it thus how is the faithful city become a harlot righteousnesse lodged in it but now murderers Isa. 1.21 Man was once the dwelling place of princely and divine graces and veâ—tues the Lord himself was there and then how comely and beautiful was the soul But now it is like the desolate cities in which the beasts of the desertly and there houses are full of doleful creatures where Owls dwell and Satyrs dance where wilde beasts cry and Dragons in the pleasant Palaces Isa. 13.21 22 and Ier. 50.39 So mighty is the fall of the soul of man as of Babylon that it may be cryed It is fallen and become the habitation of devils and the hold of every foul spirit and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird Rev. 18.2 All the beasts flock now to it all the birds of darknesse take their lodging in it since this noble guest left it and took away the light from it for the Sun hath not shined on it since that day All unclean affections all beastly lusts all earthly desires all vain cogitations get lodging in this house the Bethel is become a Bethaven the house of God become a house of vanity by the continual repair of vain thoughts the house of prayer is turned in a den of theeves and robbers that which was at first created for the pure service and worship of God is now a receptacle of all the rebellious and idolatrous thoughts and affections the heart of every man is become a Temple full of Idols This is the state of it and worse then can be told you Now judge if there be not need of a better guest then these O what absolute necessity is there of such a Spirit as this to repair and reform the ruinous spirit of man to quicken and enlighten the darkned mind of man even that Spirit that made it at first a glorious Palace for God that Spirit that breathed the soul into the formed clay must repair these breaches and creat all again Now when the Spirit of Christ enters into this vile and ruinous cottage he repairs it and reforms it he strikes out lights in the heart and by a wonderful eye-salve makes the eyes open to see He creats a new light within which makes him behold the light shining in the Gospel and behold all things are new himself new because now most loath-some and vile the world new because now appears nothing but vanity in the very perfection of it and God new because another Majesty glory excellency and beauty shines into the soul then ever it apprehended And as the Spirit enlightens so He enlivens this Tabernacle or Temple He kindles a holy fire in his affections which must never go out it is such as cannot be kindled iâ— it go out but by the beams of the Sun as the Poets fancied the Vestalfire The spirit within the soul is a fire to consume his corruption to burn up his drosse and vanity Christ comes in like a refiner with the fire of the Spirit and purges away earthly lusts and makes the love of the heart pure and clean to burn upward toward Heaven This Spirit makes a christian-Christian-soul move willingly toward God in the wayes that seemed most unpleasant It is an active principle within him that cannot rest till it rest in its place of eternal rest and delight in God And then the Spirit reforms this house by casting out all these wild beasts that lodged in it these savage and unruly affections that domineered in man this strong man entering in casts them out there is much rubbish in old waste Palaces Neb. 4.2 O how much pains is it to cleanse them â— our house is like the house of these Nobles Ier. 5.27 Full of deceit as a cage is full of birds and our heart full of wickednesse and vanity Jer. 4.14 Certainly it will be much labour to get your unclean spirits cast out that is the grosser and more palpable lusts that reign in you but when these are gone forth yet there is much wickednesse and uncleannesse in the heart of a more subtile nature and by long in dwelling almost incorporated and mingled with the soul and this will not be gotten out with gentle sweeping as was done Luk. 11.25 that takes away only the uppermost filth that lyes loosest but this must be gotten out by much washing and cleansing and therefore the Spirit enters by blood and water There are idols in the heart to which the soul is much engaged it unites and closes with them Ezek. 36. and these must be cleansed and washed out There is much deceit in the heart and this lyes clossest to it and is engrossed into it and indeed this will take the help of fire to separate it for that is of the most active nature to separate things of a diverse nature the Spirit must by these take out your drosse and all this the Spirit will not do alone but honours you with the fellowship of this work and therefore you must lay your account that the operation and reformation of this house for so glorious a Guest will be laborious in the mean time But
and in his own person he submitted to be tempted to sin though it had been evil for us he had been overcome by it yet this brings him a step lower and nearer us and maketh the union more hopeful But since he can come no lower and can be made no liker us in the case we are in then certainly if the match hold We must become liker him and raised up out of our miserable estate to some suitableness to his holy Nature and therefore the love and wisdom of God to fill up the distance compleatly and effectuat this happy conjunction that the creation seemeth to groan for for vers 22. the whole creation is pained till it be accomplished he hath sent his blessed Spirit to dwell in Vs and to transform our natures and make them partakers of the divine nature 2 Pet. 1.4 as Christ was partaker of humane nature and thus the distance shall be removed when a blessed Spirit is made flesh and a fleshly man made spirit then they are near the day of espousals and this indwelling of the spirit is the last link of the chain that fastens us to Christ and maketh our flesh in some measure like His holy flesh By taking on our flesh Christ became bone of our bone and flesh of our flesh But the union becometh mutual when we receive the spirit we become bone of His bone and flesh of His flesh as it is expressed Eph. 5.30 In allusion to the creation of Eve and her marriage to Adam the ground of the marriage is That near bond of union because she was taken out of man and therefore because of his flesh and bone she was made one flesh with him even â—o the sinner must be partaker of the Spirit of Christ as Christ is partaker of the flesh of sinners and these two concurring these two knots interchanging and woven thorow other we become one flâ—sh with him And this is a great mystery indeed to bring two who were so far assunder so near other Yea it is nearer then that too for we are said not only to be one flesh with Christ but one spirit 1 Cor. 6.17 He that is joyned to the Lord is one spirit because he is animated and quickned by one Spirit that same Spirit of Christ and indeed spirits are more capable of union and more fit to embosome one with another then bodies therefore the nearest union conceivable is the union of spirits by affection this maketh two souls one for it transports their spirit out of the body where it lives and setleth it there where it loveth Now my beloved you see what way this great marriage that heaven and earth are in a longing expectation after shall be brought about Christ he did forsake his Fathers house when he lest that holy habitation his Fathers bosome a place of marvellous delight Prov. 8.30 And descended into the lowest parts of the earth Eph. 4.9 And He came out from the Father into the world John 16.28 This was a great journey to meet with poor sinners But that there may be a full and intire meeting you must leave and forsake your fathers house too and forget your own people Psal. 45.10 You must give an intire renounce to all former lovers if you would be His all former bonds and engagments must be broken that this may be tyed the faster And to hold to the subject in hand you must forsake and forget the flesh and be possessed of his holy Spirit as he came down to our flesh you must rise up to meet him in the Spirit the Spirit of Christ must indeed prevent you and take you out of that natural posture you are born into and bring you a great journey from your selves that you may be joyned unto Him This Spirit of Christ is his messenger and ambassadour sent before-hand to fit you and suit you for the day of Espousals and therefore he must have a dwelling and constant abode in you This indwelling imports A special familiar operation and the perpetuity or continuance of it The Spirit is every where in his being and he worketh every where too but here he hath a special and peculiar work in commission To reveal the love of God in Christ to engage the soul to love him again to prepare all within for the great day of Espousals to purifie and purge the heart from all that is displeasing to Christ to correspond between Christ and his Spouse between Heaven and Earth by making intercession for her when she cannot pray for her self as you find here vers 26. and so sending up the news of the souls panting and breathing after Christ sending up her love groans and sighs to her beloved giving intelligence of all her necessities to Him who is above in the place of an Advocat and Interceeder and then bringing back from Heaven light and life direction from her Head for the Spirit must lead in all truth and consolation for Christ hath appointed the spirit to supply his absence and to comfort the soul in the mean time till he come again you have this mutual and reciprocal knot in 1 Ioh. 4.13 Hereby we know that we dwell in him and he in us by the spirit that he hath given It is much nearness to dwell one with another but much greater to dwell one in another and its reciprocal such a wonderful interchange in it we in him and he in us for the Spirit carries the soul to Heaven and brings Christ as it were down to the earth He is the Messenger that carries Letters between both our prayers to Him and His prayers for us and love-tokens to us the anointing that teacheth us all things from our husband 1 Ioh. 2.27 and revealing to us the things of God 1 Cor. 2.12 giving us the fiâ—st fruits of that happy and glorious communion we must have with Christ in Heaven as you see ver 23. of this chap. and sealing us to the day of redemption Eph 1.13 and 4.30 Supplying us with divine power against our spiritual enemies fetching alongs from Heaven that strength whereby our Lord and Saviour overcame all Eph. 3.16 Gal. 5.17 This is a presence that few have such a familiar and love-abode But certainly all that are Christs must have it in some measure Now whosoever hath it its perpetual the Spirit dwells in them It s not a sojourning for a season not a lodging for a night as some have fits and starts of seeking God and some transient motions of conviction or joy but return again to the puddle these go through them as lightning and do nâ—t warm them or change them but this is a constant residence where the Spirit takes up house he will dwell he dwelleth with you and shall be in you and abide for ever Joh. 14.16 17. If the Son abide in the house for ever Joh. 8.35 much more the master of the house must abide Now the Spirit where he dwells hath gotten the command of that house all
the power is put in his hand and resigned to him for where he dwells he must rule as good reason is He is about the greatest work that is now to do in the world the repairing and renewing of the ruines and breaches of mans spirit which was the fiâ—st breach in the Creation and the cause of all the rest He is about the cleansing and washing this Temple and we may be perswaded that he who hath begun this good work will perform it untill the day of Christ till we be presented blameless and without spot to our husband Phil. 1.5 6. and this is the grand conâ—olation of believers that they have this presence assured to them by promise that the Spirit is fixed here by an irreovcable and unchangeable Covenant or donation and will not wholly depart from them though he may withdraw and leave you comfortless â—or a season Isa. 59.21 Therefore I would shut up all in a word of exhortation to you that since we have the promise of so noble and happy a guest you would apply your selves to seek him and then keep him to receive him and then retain him It is true that he must first prevent uâ— for as no man can say that Iesus is the Christ but by thâ— Spirit of God so no man can indeed pâ—ay for the Spirit but by the Spirits own intercession within him Where God hath bestowed any thing of this Spirit it is known by the kindly and fervent desires after more of it Now since we have such a laâ—ge and ample promise Ezek. 36.27 Ioel 2.28 of the pouring out of the Spirit and that in as absolute and free a manner as can be imagined and this renewed by Christ and confirmed by his Prayer to the Father for the performance of it Ioh. 14.16 17. and then we have a sweet and affectionat promise propounded in the most moving and loving manner that can be Luk. 11.13 where he encourageth us to pray for the Spirit and that from this ground that our Heavenly Father who placed that natural affection in other fathers towards their children whereby they cannot refuse them bread when they cry for it He who was the Author of all natural affection must certainly transcend them infinitly in his love to his childâ—en as the Psalmist argues Shall not he that planted the ear hear and he that formed the eye see So may a poor soul reason it self to some confidence Shall not He who is the â—ountain of all natural love in men and beasts have much more Himself and if my â—ather will not give me a stone when I seek bread certainly he will far lesse do it Therefore if we being evil know how to give good things to our chilren how much more shall our Heavenly Father give his Spirit to them that ask him Alas that we should want such a gift for not asking it my beloved let us enlarge our desires for this Spirit and seek more earnestly and no doubt affection and importunity will not be sent away empty Is it any wonder we receive not because we ask not or we ask so coldly that we teach him in a manner to deny us qui tiâ—ide rogat I may say frigide docet negare ask frequently and ask confidently and His heart cannot deny O that we could lay this ingâ—gement on our own hearts to be more in Prayer Let 〈◊〉 presse our selves to this and we need not presse Him albeit the first grace be wholly a surprisal yet certainly he keeps this suitable method in the enlargements of grace that when he gives more He enlargeth the heart more after it He openeth the mouth wider to ask and receive and according to that capacity so is His hand opened to fill the heart O why are our hearts shut when his hand is open Again I would exhort you in Jesus Christ to intertain the Spirit suitably and this shall keep Him To this purpose are these exhortations Grieve not the Spirit Eph. 4.30 and quench not the Spirit 1 Thes. 5.19 There is nothing can grieve Him but sin and if you intertain that you cannot retain Him He is a Spiâ—it of holinesse and He is about the making you holy then do not marr him in his work labour to advance this and you do him a pleasure If you make his holy Temple an unclean cage for hateful birds or a Temple for Idols how can it but grieve him and if you grieve the Spirit certainly the Spirit will grieve you will make you repent it at the heart Please him by heaâ—kning to his motions and following his direction and he shall comfort you His office is to be a spring of consolation to you but if you grieve him by walking in the imagination of your hearts and following the suggestions of the Flesh His enemy no doubt that spring will turn its channel another way and dry up for a season toward you It is not every sin or infirmity that grieves Him thus if so be that it grieve thee but the intertaining of any sin and mâ—king peace with any of his enemies that cannot but displease Him and O what losse you have by it You displease your greatest friend to please your greatest enemy you blot and bludder that seal of the Spirit that you shall not be able to read it till it be cleansed and washed again Now if any man have not this Spirit of Christ he is none of his he is not a Christian take this alongs with you who aim at nothing but the external and outward shew or visible standing in the Church if you have not this Spirit and the seal of this Spirit found on you Christ will not know you for his in that day of his appearing SERMON XXVI Rom. 8.10 And if Christ be in you the body is dead because of sin c. GODS presence is his working his presence in a soul by his Spirit is his working in such a soul in some special manner not common to all men but peculiar to them whom he hath chosen Now his dwelling is nothing else but a continued familiar and endlesse working in a soul till he have conformed all within to the Image of His Son The soul is the office-house or work-house that the Spirit hath taken up to â—rame in it the most curious piece of the whole Creation even to restore and repair that Master-piece which came last from Gods hand ab ultima manu and so was the chiefest I mean the Image of God in righteousness and holinesse Now this is the bond of union between God and us Christ is the bond of union with God but the Spirit is the bond of union with Christ. Christ is the peace between God and us that makes of two one but the Spirit is the link between Christ and us whereby he hath immediat and actual interest in us and we in Him I find the union between Christ and a soul shadowed out in Scripture by the nearest relations among creatures for
indeed in the first word of this vers there is something of the excellent nature of Christianity holden out If Christ be in you which is the true description of a Christian one in whom Christ is which imports The divine principle and the spiritual subject of Chriâ—tianity The principle is Christ in a man Christ by His Spirit dwelling in him This great Apostâ—e knew thiâ— well in his own experience and therefore he can speak best in this style I live yet not I buâ— Christ in me Gal. 2.20 Importing that Christ and His Spirit is to the soul what the soul is to the body that there is a living influence from Heaven that acts and moves the soul of a Christian as powerfully yet as sweetly and pleasantly as if it were the natural motion of the soul and truly it is the natural motion of the soul it s that primitive life which was most connatural to the soul of man which sin did deprive us of all the powerful constraint and violence that Christ uses in drawing the souls of men to him and after him is as kindly unto them and perfects them as much as that impulse by which the soul moves and turns the body a sweet compuâ—â—ion and blessed violence Now this should make Christians often to reflect upon another principle of their life then themselves that by looking on Him who is the resurrection and the life who is the true Vine and abiding in Him by faith their life may be continued and incâ—eased It is certainly much reflection on Him who is all in all and lesse upon our selvâ—s that maintains this life and therefore the most part of men being wholly strangers to this whether in their purposes or practices or judgings of both unacquainted with any higher look in Religion then they use in their natural and civil actings it doth give ground to assure us that they are strangers alienated from the life of God without God and without Christ in the world But then the spiritual subject of Christianity is here Christ in you not Christ without you in ordinances in profession in some civil â—arriage but Christ within the heart of a man thâ—t as a Christian It is the receiving of Châ—ist into the soul and putting Him on upon the inner man and renewing it that makes a Christian not being externally cloathed with him or compassed about with him in the administration of the Ordinances It fears me most part of us who bear that name of Christianity have no character of it within if we were looked and searched Many are like the sepulchres Christ speaks of without painted and fair within nothing but rottennesse and dead bones What have many of you more oâ— Christ then what a blind man hath of light it is round about him but not within him The light hath shined in darknesse but your darknesse cannot comprehend it You are environed with the outward appearances of Christ in his Word and Ordinances and that is all but neither within you nor upon many of you is there any thing either of his light or life not so much as any outward profession or behaviour suitable to the revelation of Christ about you as if you were ashamed to be Christians you maintain grosse ignorance and practise manifest â—ebellion against his known will in the very light of the Gospel How few have so much tincture of Christ so much as to colour the external man or to cloath it with any blamelessness of walking or form of Religion How few so much as Christians in the Letter for you are not acquainted either with Letter or Spirit either with knowledge or affection or practice But suppose that some have put on Christ on their outward man and colour over themselves with some performances of religious duties and smooth themselves with civility in carriage yet alas How few are they who are renewed in the spirit of â—heir mind and have put Christ on their inward man who have opened the secrets of their hearts and received him to ly all night between their breasts How â—ew are busied about their hearts to have any new impression and dye upon their affections to mould them after a new manner to kill the love of this world and the lusts of it and cast out the rottenness and superfluity of naughtiness which â—bides within But some there are who are peâ—swaded thus to do to give up their spirits to Religion and all their business and care is To have Christ within as well as without Now if the â—est of you will not be perswaded to be of this number consider what you pre-judge your selves of of all the comfort of Religion and then Religion is no Religion and to no purpose if you have no benefit by it And certainly except Christ be in you as a King to rule you and a Prophet to teach you to subdue your lusts and to dispel your darknesse when he appears he cannot appear to your comfort and salvation You are deprived of this great cordial against death death must seise upon all that is within you soul and body since Christ the Spirit of life is not within you Happiness without you will not make you happy salvation round about you will not save you If you would be saved there must be a near and immediat union with happinesse Christ in the heart and salvation cometh with him A Christian is not only Christ without not imputing his sins to him clothing him with His righteousnesse but Christ within too cleansing the heart from the love of sin perfecting holinesse in the fear of God Do not think you have any share in Christ without you except you receive Christ within you because Christ is one within and without and His gifts are undivided Therefore true â—aith receives whole Christ as a compleat Saviour even as He is intirely offered so He is undividedly received as He is without saving us and within sanctifying us Christ without delivering from wrath and Christ within redeeming from all iniquity these cannot be parted more then His coat that had no seam It is a heavy and weighty word of this Apostles 2 Cor. 13.5 examine your selves whether ye be in the faith know ye not your selves that Christ is in you except you be reprobates I wish ye would lay it to heart who have never yet returned to your hearts If Christ be not formed in you as Gal. 4.19 You are as yet among the refuse drâ—sse and that which must be burnt with fire you cannot but be cast away in the day when he makes up his jewels Where Christ is He is the hope of glory he is an immortal seed of glory How can you hope for Christ who have nothing of Him within you Now the other touch-stone of true Religion is the great comfort it furnishes to the soul And of all comforts the greatest is that which is a cordial to the heart against the greatest fears and evils Now certainly the matter of
then the paâ—ting of soul and body for affection to temporal peâ—ishing things unites the soul so unto them that there is no parting without pain no dissolution of that continuity without much vexation and yet the soul must suffer many such tortures in one day because the things are perishing in their own nature and uncertain What is sleep which devours the most part of our time but the very image and picture of death a visible and daily representation of the long cessation of the sensitive life in the grave and yet truly it is the best and most innocent part of our time though we accuse it often there is both lesse sin and lesse misery in it for it is almost the only leniment and refreshment we get in all our miseries Iobâ—ought â—ought it to asswage his grief and ease his body but it was the extremity of his misery that he could not find it Now my beloved when you find that which is called life subject to so much misery that you are constrained often to desire you had never been born you find it a valley of tears a house of mourning from whence all true delight and solid happiness is banished seing the very Officers and Serjeants of death are continually surrounding us and walk alongs with us though unpleasant company in our greatest contentments and are putting marks upon your doors as in the time of the Plague upon houses infected Lord have mercy upon us and are continually bearing this motto to our view and â—ounding this direction to our earâ— cito procul diu to get soon out of Sodom that is appointed for destruction to fly quickly out of our selves to the refuge appointed of God even one that was dead and is alive and hath redeemed us by his blood and to get far off from our selves and take up dwelling in the blessed Son oâ— God through whose flesh there is accesse to the Father seing all these I say are so why do not we awake our selves upon the sound of the promise of immortality and life brought to our ears in the Gospel Mortality hath already seized upon our bodies but why do ye not catch hold of this opportunity of releasing your souls from the chains and setters of eternal dâ—ath Truly my beloved all that can be spoken of torments and miseries in this life I suppose we could imagine all the exquisite torments invented by the most cruel tyrants since the beginning to be combined in some one kind of torture and would tâ—â—n stâ—etch our imagination beyond that as far as that which is compoâ—ed of all torments surpasseth the simplest death yet we do not conceive nor expresse unto you that death to come Believe it when the soul is out of the body it is a most pure activity all sense all knowledge and seing where it is dulled and dampished in the body it is capable of so much grief or joy pleasure or pain we may conclude That being loosed from these stupifying earthly chains that it is capable of infinit more vexation or contentation in a higher anâ— purer strain Therefore we may conclude with the Apostle that all men by nature are miserable in life but infinitly more miserable in death only the man who is in Jesus Christ in whose spirit Christ dwells and hath made a temple of his body for offering up reasonable service in it that man only is happy in life but far happier in death happy that he was born but infinitly more happy that he was born mortal born to die for if the body be dead because of sin the spirit is life because of righteousnesse Men commonly make their accompts and calculat their time so as if death were the end of it truly it were happinesse in the generality of men that that computation were true either that it had never begâ—n or that it might end here for that which is the greatest dignity and glory of a man his immortal soul it is truly the greatest misery of sinful men because it capacitats them for eternal misery But if we make our accompts right and take the right period truly death is but the beginning of our Time of endlesse and unchangeable endurance either in happinesse or misery and this life in the body which is only in the view of the short-sighted sons of men is but a strait and narrow passage into the infinit ocean of eternity but so inconsiderable it is that according as the spirit in this passage is fashioned and formed so it must continue for ever for where the tree falleth there it lyeth There may be hope that a tree will sprout again but truly there is no hope that ever the damned soul shall see a spring of joy and no fear that ever the blessed spirits shall find a winter of grief such is the evennesse of eternity that there is no shadow of change in it O then how happy are they in whose souls this life is already begun which shal then come to its Meridian when the glory of the flesh falls down like withered hay into the dust the life as well as the light of the righteouâ— is progressive its shining more and more till that day come the day of Death onâ—y worthy to be called the present day becâ—â—se it brings perfection it mounts the soul in the highest point of the Orb and there is no declining from that again The spirit is now alive in some holy affâ—ctions and motions breathing upwards wrestling towards that point the soul is now in paâ—t united to the fountain of life by loving attendance and obedience and it iâ— longing to be more clâ—â—ly united the inward senses are exercisâ—â— about spiritual thingâ— but the burden of this clayie mansion dotâ— much dull and damp them and proves a great Remora to the spiriâ— the body indispoâ—es and weakens the soul much its life as in an Infant though a reasonable soul be there yet overwhelmed with the incapacity of the organs this body is truly a prison of restraint and confinement to the â—oul and often loathsome and ugly through the filthinesse of sin But when the spirit is delivered from this necessary burden and impediment O how lively is that life it then lives then the life peace joy love and delight of the soul surmounts all that is possible here further then the highest exercise of the soul of the wisest men surpasses the bruitish-like apprehensions of an infant and indeed then the Christian comes to his full stature and is a perfect man when he ceaseth to be a man How will you not be perswaded beloved in the Lord to long after this life to have Christ foâ—med in your hearts foâ— truly the generality have not so much as Christ fashioned in their outward habit but aâ—e within daâ—knâ—sse and eaâ—thinesse and wickednesse and without impiety and prâ—fanity will you not long for this life for now you are dead while you live as the Apostle speaks of widows that live in pleasure
refreshment of it and yet this may not be had they shall seek death and it shall flee from them Now my beloved I would desire this discourse might open way for the hearty and cordial intertainment of the Gospel and that you might be perswaded to awake unto righteousness and sin no more 1 Cor. 15.34 Be not deceived my brethren flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God Certainly if you have no other image then what you came in the world withall you cannot have this hope to be conformed one day to the glorious Body of Christ What will become of you in that day who declare now by the continued vent of your hearts that this holy Spirit dwells not in you and alas how many are such Oh pity your selves your souls and bodies both If for love to your bodies ye will follow its present lusts and care only for the things of the body you act the greatest enmity and hostility against your own bodies Consider I beseech you the eternal state of both and your care and study will run in another channel And for you who have any working of the Spirit in you whether convicing you of sin and misery and of righteousness in Christ or sometimes comforting you by the word applyed to your heart or teaching you another way then the world walks into I recommend unto you that of the Apostles 1 Cor. 15.58 Wherefore my brethren be stedfast c. alwayes abounding in the work of the Lord knowing your Labour is not in vain SERMON XXXII Rom. 8.12 Therefore brethren we are debters not to the flesh to live after the flesh c. ALL things in Christianity have a near and strait conjunction it is so intire and absolute a piece that if one link be loosed all the chain falls to the ground and if one be well fastned upon the heart it brings all alongs with it some speak of all truths even in nature that they are knit so together that any truth may be concluded out of every truth at least by a long circuit of deduction and reasoning but whatsoever be of that certainly Religion is a more intire thing and all the parts of it more nearly conjoyned together that they may mutually enforce one another Precepts and promises are thus linked together that if any soul lay hold indeed upon any promise of grace he draws alongs with it the obligation of some precept to walk suitable to such precious promises There is no encouragement you can indeed fasten upon but it will joyn you as nearly to the commandment and no consolation in the Gospel that doth not carry within its bosome an exhortation to holy walking Again on the other hand there is no precept but it should lead you straight way to a promise no exhortation but it is invironed before and behind with a strong consolation to make it pierce the deeper and go down the sweeter Therefore you see how easily the Apostle digresseth from the one to the other how sweetly and pertinently these are interwoven in his discourse The first word of the Chapter is a word of strong consolation there is no condemnation to them that are in Christ and this like a flood carries all down with it all precepts and exhortations and the soul of a believer with them and therefore he subjoyns an exhortation to holy and spiritual walking upon that very ground and because commandments of this nature will not float so to speak unlesse they have much water of that kind and cannot have such a swift course except the tide of such encouragements flow fast therefore he openeth that spring again in the preceeding words and letteth the rivers of consolation flow forth even the hope of immortality and eternal life and this certainâ—y will raise up a soul that was on ground and carry him above in motion of obedience and therefore he may well in the next place stir them up to their duty and mind them of their obligation Therefore brethren we are debters not to the flâ—sh To make this the more effectual he drops it in with affection in a sweet compellâ—â—ion of love and equality Brethren There is nothing so powerful in perswation as love it will sweeten a bitter and unpleasant reproof and make it go down more easily though it maketh lesse noise than threatnings and severity and authority yet it is more forcible for it insinuats it self and in a manner surpriseth the soul and so preventeth all resistance as when the Sun maâ—e the traveller part with his cloak whereas the wind and rain made him hold it faster so affection will prevail where authority and terrour cannot it will melt that which a stronger power cannot break the story of Elijah 1 King 19. may give some representation of this the Lord was not in the strong wind nor in terrible earth-quake nor yet in the fire but in the calm still voice The Lord hath chosen this way of publishing his grace in the Gospel because the sum of it is love to sinners and good-will towards men he holds it forth in the calm voice of love and these who are his ambassadors should be cloathed with such an affection iâ— they intend to prevail with men to engage their affections O that we were possessed with that brotherly love one towards anotâ—er for the salvation one of another especially that the Preachers of the Gospel might be thus kindly affectioned towards others and that ye would take it thus the calling you off the wayes of sin as the act of the greatest love But then consider the equality oâ— this obligation for there is nothing pressed upon you but what lyeth as heavily upon them that presseth it this debt binds all O that the Ministers of the Gospel could carry the impression of this on their hearts that when they perswade others they may withall perswade themselves and when they speak to others they may sit down among the hearers If an Apostle of so eminent dignity levelleth himself in this consideration Therefore brethren we are debters how much more ought Pastors and Teachers come in the same rank and degree of debt and obligation with others Truly this is the great obstruction of the successe of the Gospel that these who bind on burdens on others do not themselves touch them with one of their fingers and while they seem serious in perswading others yet withall declare by their carriage that they do not believe themselves what they bear upon others so that preaching seemeth to be an imposture and affections in perswading â—f otheâ—â— to be borrowed as it were in a scene to be laid down again out of it But then again there is a misconceit among people that this holy and spiritual walking is not of common obligation but peculiar to the preachers of the Gospel Many make their reckoning so as if they were not called to such high aims and great endeavours but truly my beloved this is a thing of common concernment
are debters indeed but you owe nothing to the flesh but stripes and mortification SERMON XXXIV Rom. 8.13 For if ye live after the flesh ye shall die but if ye through the Spirit c. THough the Lord out of his absolute Soveraignty might deal with man in such a way as nothing should appear but his supream Will and Almighty Power he might simply command obedience and without any more perswasions either leave men to the frowardnesse of their own natures or else powerfully constrain them to their duty yet he hath chosen that way that is most suitable to his own wisdom and most connatural to mans nature To lay out before him the advantages and disadvantages and to use these as motives and perswasives of his Spirit for since He hath by his first creation implanted in mans soul such a principle as moveth it self upon the presentation of good or evil that this might not be in vain he administers all the dispensation of the Law and Gospel in a way suitable to that by propounding such powerful motives as may incline and perswade the heart of man It is true there is a secret drawing withall necessary the pull of the Fathers arm and power of the Holy Ghost yet that which is visible or sensible to the soul is the framing of all things so as to engage it upon rational terms it is set between two contraries death and life death which it naturally abhoâ—reth and life which it naturally loveth an even ballance is holden up before the light of the conscience in which obedience and sin are weighed and it is found even to the convincing of the spirit of man that there are as many disadvantages in the one as advantages in the other This was the way that God used fiâ—st with man in Paradise you remember the terms â—un to what day thou eats thou shalt die he hedged him in on the one side by a promisâ— of life on the other by a threatning of death and these two are very rational restraintâ— â—uited to â—he â—oul of man and in the inward principles of it which are a kind of instinct to that which is appâ—ehenâ—ed good or gainfull Now this vers â—uns even so in the form of words If ye live after the flesh ye shall die you see thiâ— method is not changed under the Gospel for indeed it is natuâ—al to the spiâ—it of man and he hath now much more need of all such peâ—swasions because there is a great change of mans inclination to the woâ—st side all within is so disordered and perverse that a thousand hedges of perswasive grounds cannot do that which one might have done at fiâ—st then they were added out of superabundance but now out of necessity then they were set about man to preserve him in his natural â—â—ame and inâ—linations but now they are needfull to change and alter them quite which is a kind of creation therefore sayeth David creat in me a new spirit and therefore the Gospel abounds in vaâ—ieâ—y of motives and inducementâ— in greater variety oâ— far moâ—e powerâ—ul inducements then the Law Heâ—e is that grâ—aâ— peâ—swasiâ—n tâ—kâ—n fâ—om the infinit gain or lâ—sse of â—â—e â—â—ul of man which is any thing be able to prevail this must do seing it is seconded wiâ—h some natural inclination in the soul of man to seek its own gain Yet there is a diâ—â—erence between the nature of such like promises and threatningâ— in the fiâ—st covenant and in the second In the fiâ—st covenant though life was freely promised â—et it was immediatly annexed to perâ—ect obedience as a consequent â—eward oâ— it it was fiâ—stly pâ—omised unto compleat â—ighteousnesse of mens persons But in the second covenant firstly and principally liâ—e eteâ—nal grace and glory is promised to Jesus Christ and his â—eed antecedent to any condition or qualification upon their part and then again all the promises that run in way of condition as he that believeth shâ—ll not perish c. If ye walk after the Spirit ye shall live these aâ—e all the consequent fruits of that absolute gracious disposition and resignation of grace and life to them whom Christ hath chosen and so their believing and walking and obeying cometh in principally as parts of the grace promised and as witnesses and evidences and confirmations of that life which is already begun and will not see an end Besides that by vertue of these absolute promises made to the seed of Christ and Christs compleat performance of all conditions in their name the promises of life are made to faith principally which hath this peculiar vertue To cary forth the soul to anothers righteousnesse and sufficiency and to bottom it upon another and in the next place to holy walking though mixed with many infirmities which promise in the first covenant was only annexed to perfect and absolute obedience You heard in the preceeding vers a strong inducement taken from the bond debt and duty we owe to the Spirit to walk after it and the want of all obligation to the flesh Now if honesty and duty will not suffiâ—e to perswade you as you know in other things it would do with any honest man plain equity is a sufficient bond to him yet consider what the Apostle subjoynes from the dammage and from the advantage which may of it self be the Topickes of perswasion and serves to drive in the nail of debt and duty to the head if ye will not take with this debt ye owe to the Spirit but still conceive there is some greater obligation lying on you to care for your bodies and satisfie them then I say behold the end of it what fruit you must one day reap of the flesh and service of sin If ye live after the flesh ye shall die but then consider the fruit you â—hall reap of the Spirit and holy walking ye shall live It is true the flesh may flatter you more for the present but the end of it will be bitter as death amplâ—ctitur ut strangulet the flesh imbraces you that it may strangle you and so if you knew all well you would not think you owed it any thing but enmity and hatred and mortification If your duty will not move you let the love of your selves and your souls perswade you for it is an irrepealable statute The wages of sin is death Every way you choose to fulfill the lusts of your flesh and to make provision for it neglecting the eternal welfare of your souls certainly it shall prove to you the tree of the knowledge of good and evil it shall be as the forbidden fruit which in stead of performing that was promised will bring forth death the eternal separation of the soul from God Adam's sin was an Breviary or Epitome of the multiplied and enâ—arged sins of mankind you may see in this tragedy all your fortuns so to speak you may behold in it the flattering insinuations and deceitful promises of sin and Satan who is a liar
foolish senslesse draughts in the mind that it cannot recâ—â—â—e the true image of wisdom This then when a soul finds that it hath misled it self being misguided by the wild-fire of its lusts and hath hardly escaped perishing and falling head-long in the Pit this disposes the soul to â— willing resignation of it self to one wiser and powerfuller the Spirit of God and so he giveth the Spirit the string of his affections and judgment to lead him by and he walketh willingly in that way to eternal life since his heart was enlarged with so much knowledge and love and now having given up your selves thus you would carefully eye your leader and attend all his motions that you may conform your self to them whensoever the Spirit pulleth you by the heart draweth at your conscience to drive you to prayer or any such duty do not resist that pull do not quench the Spirit leâ—t He let you alone and do not call you nor speak to you If you fall out thus with your leader then you must guide your selves and truly you will guide it into the pit if left to yourselves therefore make much of all the impulses of your conscience of all the touches and inward motions of light and affection to entertain these and draw them forth in meditation and action for these are nothing else but the Spirit your leâ—â—â—r plucking at you to follow Him and if you sit when he â—eâ—h â—o walk if you neglect such warnings then you may gâ—ieve him and this cannot but in the end be bitteâ—nesse to you Certainly many Christians are guilty in this and prejudge themselves of the present comâ—ort and benefite of this inward anointing that teacheth all thingâ— and of this bosomeguide that leadeâ—h in all truth because they are so heavy and lumpish to be led aâ—ter Him they drive slowly and takes very much pressure and perswasion to any duty whereas we should accustom our selves to willing and ready obedience upon the least signification of his mind yea and which is worse we often â—esist the Holy Ghost he draweth and we hold beloved sins he pulleth and we pull back from the most spiritual duties there is so much perversnesse and frowardnesse yet in our natures that there needs the Almighty draught of his arm to make it straight as theâ—e is need of infinite grace to pardon it Now my beloved if you have in your desires and affections resigned your selves over to the guidance of this Spirit â—nd this be your real and sincere endeavour to follow it and in as far as you are carried back or contrary by temptation and corruption or retarded in your motion it is your lamentation before the Lord I say unto you cheat your hearts and lift them up in the belief of this priviledge confeâ—â—ed upon you you are the sons of God for he giveth this Tutor and Pedagogue to none but to his own children as many as are led by the Spirit of God are the Sons of God Suppose you cannot exactâ—y follow his motion but are often driven out or turned back yet hath not the Spirit the hold of your heaâ—t are you not detained by the cord of your judgment and the law of your mind and is theâ—e not some chain fastened about your heart which maketh it out-strip the practice by desires and affections you are the Sons of God that is truly the greatest dignity and highest priviledge in respect of which all relation may â—lush and hide their faces what aâ—e all the splendid and glistering titles among men but empty sâ—owes and evanishing soundâ— in respect of this to be called the Son oâ— a Gentle-man of a Noble-â—an of a Kâ—ng how much do the sonâ—â—f â—â—en pride thâ—mselves in it But truly thâ—t putteth no intrinsick dignity in the persons themselves it is a miserable poverty to borrow praise froâ— another and truly he that boasts of his parentage aliena laudat non sua he praiseth that which is anothers not his own But this dignity is truly a dignity it puts intrinsick worth in the person and puts a more excellent spirit in them then that which is in the world as is said of â—aleb and besides it intitles to the greatest happinesse imaginable SERMON XXXVI Rom. 8.14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God they are the Sons of God Vers. 15. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear c. CHildren do commonly resemble their parents not only in the outward proportion and feature of their countenances but also in the disposition and temper of their spirits and generally they are inclined to imitate the customs and carriage of their parents so that they sometimes may be accounted the very living images of such persons and in them men are thought to out-live themselves Now indeed they that are the sons of God are known by this Character that they are led by the Spirit of God and there is the more necessity and the more reason too of this resemblance of God and imitation of him in his children because that very divine birth that they have from Heaven consists in the renovation of their natures and assimilation to the divine nature and therefore they are possessed with an inward principle that carries them powerfully towards a conformity with their heavenly Fatheâ— and it becometh their great study and endeavour to observe all the dispositions and carriage of their Heavenly Father which are so honourable and high and suitable to Himself that they at least may breath and halt after the imitation of Him Therefore our Lord â—xhorts us and taketh a domestick example and familiar patern to perswade us the more by Be ye perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect Matth. 5.48 And there is one perfection he especially recommends for our imitation mercifulnesse and compassion towards men opposed to the violence fury and implacablenâ—sse to the oppression and revenge and hatred that abounds among men Luk. 6.36 And generally in all his wayes of holinesse and purity of goodnesse and mercy we ought to be followers of Him as dear children who are not only oblidged by the common Law of Sympathy between Parents and Children but moreover engaged by the tender affection that he carrieth to us Eph. 5.1 Now because God is high as Heaven and his way and thoughts and dispositions are infinitly above us the pattern seems to be so far out of sight that it is given over as desperat by many to attempt any conformity to it therefore it hath pleased the Lord to put his own Spirit within his own Children to be a bosom-pattern and example and this is our duty to resign our selves to his leading and direction the Spirit brings the copy near hand us and though we cannot attain yet we should follow after though we cannot make out the lesson yet we should be scribling at it and the more we exercise our selves this way setting the Spirits direction before our eyes the more perfect
up and down with every wind its double-minded Now one way then another now in one mind and shortly changed and indeed the soul is like the Sea capable of the least or greatest commotion Iam. 1.6 7 8. I know not any thing that will either fix your hearts from wandring in Prayer or establish your hearts from trouble and disquiet after it nothing that will so exonor and ease your spirits of care as this To lay hold on God as All-sufficient and lay that constraint on your hearts to wait on him and his pleasurâ— to cast your souls on his promises that are so full and so free and abide there as at your Anchor-hold in all the vicissiâ—udes and changes of outward or inward things In spiritual things that concerns your salvation that which is absolutely necessary you may take the boldnesses to be absolute in it and as Iob though he should slay me yet will I trust in thee and as Iacob I will not let thee go till thou blesse me But either in outward things that have some usefulness in them but are not alwayes fittest for our chiefest good or in the degrees of spiritual gifts and measures of graces the Lord calls us without anxiety to pour out our hearts in them unto him but withall we would do it with submission to his pleasure because he knows best what is best for us In these we are not bound to be confident to receive the particular we ask but rather our confidence should pitch upon his good-will and favour that he will certainly deny nothing that himself knows is good for us And so in these we should absolutely cast our self without caâ—efulnesse upon his loving and fatherly providence and resign our selveâ— to him to be disposed 〈◊〉 in them as he sees convenient There is sometimes too much limitation of God and peremptoriness used with him in such things in which his wisdom craves a latitude both in publick and privat matters even as mens affections and interests are ingaged but ordinarily it s attended and followed with shame and disappointment in the end and there is on the other hand intollerable remisseness and slacknesse in many in pressing even the weightiest petitions of salvation mortification c. which certainly ariseth from the diffidence and unbelief of the heart and the want of that rooted perswasion both of the incomparable necessity and worth of the things themselves and of his willingnesse and engagement to bestow them The word is doubled here Abba Father the Syriack and Greek word signifying one thing expressing the tender affection and love of God towards them that come to him He that cometh to God must believe that he is and that he is a rewarder of them that seek him deligently so he that cometh to God must believe that he hath the bowels and compassion of a Father and will be more easily inclined with our importunat cryes then the fathers of our flesh he may suffer his children to cry long but it is not because he will not hear but because he would hear them longer and delights to hear their crâ— oftener If he delay it s his wisdom to appretiat and endear his mercies to us and to teach us to presse our petitions and sue for an answer Besides this is much for our comfort that from whomsoever and whatsoever corner in the world prayers come up to him they cannot want acceptance All Languages all Countreys all Places are sanctified by Jesus Christ that whosoever calls upon the Name of the Lord from the ends of the earth shall be saved And truly it is sweet meditation to think that from the ends of the earth the cryes of souls are heard and that the ends is as near Heaven as the middle and a Wildernesse as near as a Paradise that though we understand not one another yet we have one loving and living Father that understands all our meanings and so the different Languages and Dialects of the members of this body make no confusion in Heaven but meet together in his heart and affection and are one perfume one incense sent up from the whole Catholick Church which here is scattered on the earth O that the Lord would perswade us to cry this way to our Father in all our necessities FINIS
perplexing doubts that they do not only an injury to your own souls but they are of a more bloody nature if they hold good they would cut off the life and salvation of all believers and which is worse they will by an unavoidable consequence conclude an Ante-chriâ—tian point that Christ is not come in the flesh I beseech you unbowel your evils that you may abhor them This may strengthen our faith and minister much consolation in another consideration too that which is laid down Heb. 2.17 and 4.15 that he was partaker of our nature and in all things like unto his brethren that so he might be a merciful High Priest able to succour us and touched with the feeling of our infirmities What strong consolation may be suckt out of these breasts when it was impossible that man could rise up to God because of his infinit highness and holiness behold God hath come down to man in his lowness and baâ—eness he hath sent down this ladder from heaven to the earth that poor wretched sinner may ascend upon it it is come down as low as our infirm weak and frail nature that we may have easie coming up to it and going up upon it to heaven Therefore his flesh is called a new and living way because a poor sinner may be assured of welcome and acceptation with one of his own kind his Brother he was not ashamed to call us brethren flesh of his flesh and bone of his bone this may make boldness of accesse that we have not God to speak to or come to immediatly as he is cloathed with glory and majesty and as the Jews heard him on Mount Sinai and desired a Mediator between him and them but that that great Prophet promised to them hath come and we have him between us and God as low as we that we may speak to him riding upon an ass a low ass that every one may whisper their desires in his ear and yet as high as God that he may speak to God and have power with him Truly this is a sweet trysting place to meet God in that no sinner may have any fear to come to it to this treaty of peace and reconciliation How may it perswade us of that great priviledge that we may become the sons of God when the Son of God is become the Son of man John 1.11 12. Truly though it be hard to be believed that such as we should become the Sons of the great King yet it is nothing so strange as this that the eternal and only begotten Son of the great God should become the Son of wretched man that highness will be easily believed if we consider this lowness It will not be so hard to perswade a soul that there is a way of union and reconciliation to God of being yet at peace with him if this be pondered that God hath married his own nature with ours in one person to be a pledge of that union and peace And then how much quickening and comfort may it yeild us that he was not only a man but a miserable man and that not through any necessity but only the necessity of love and compassion he had enough of mercy to save us as God he had enough of love and compassion as man but he would take on misery too in his own person that he might be experimentally merciful to us Certainly the experience of misery and infiâ—mity must superadd some tenderness to the heart of our High Priest But though it did not help him to be more pitiful yet it was done for us to help us to have more confidence in him and boldness to come unto him What an encouragement is it for a poor man to come unto once poor Jesus Christ who had not where to lay his head He knows the evil of poverty and he choosed to know it that he might have compassion on thee With what boldness may poor afflicted and despised believers come to him why because he himself had experience of all that and he was familiarly acquainted with grief and sorrow therefore he can sympathize best with thee Let us speak even of sinful infirmities thou art subject to that there might be a suitableness in him to help thee he came as nigh as might be he was willing to be tempted to sin and so he knows the power that temptations must have over weak and frail natures but sin he could not for that had been evil for us Let this then give us boldness to come to him I would desire to perswade you to humility from this according to the lesson Christ gives us Matth. 11.29 Learn of me I am meek and lowly and the Apostle makes singular use of this mystery of the abasement of Majesty to abate from our high esteem of our selves Phil. 2.3 4 5 6. O should not the same mind be in us that was in Christ. God abased and man exalted how unsuitable are these think you God lowly in condition and disposition and man though base in condition yet high in his disposition and in his own estimation What more mysterious then God humbled And what more monstrous then man proud Truly pride it is the most deformed thing in a man but in a Christian it is monstrous and prodigious If he did humble himself out of charity and love who was so high and glorious how should we humble our selves out of necessity who are so low and base and out of charity and love too to be conformed and like unto him Nature may perswade the one but Christianity teacheth the other to be lowly in mind and esteem every one better then our selves to be meek patient long-suffering reason may perswade it upon the consideration of our own baseness emptiness frailty and nothingness But this lesson is taught in Christs School not from that motive only the force of necessity but from a higher motive the constraint of love to Jesus Christ Learn of me Suppose there were no necessity of reason in it yet affection might be a stronger necessity to perswade conformity to him and following his example who became so low and humbled himself to the death even for us SERMON XIII Rom. 8.3 And for sin condemned sin in the flesh THE great and wonderful actions of great and excellent persons must needs have â—ome great ends answerable to them wisdome will teach them not to do strange things but for some rare purposes for it were a folly and madness to do great things to compass some small and petty end as unsuitable as that a Mountain should travel to bring forth a Mouse Truly we must conceive that it must needs be some honourable and high business that brought down so high and honourable a person from Heaven as the Son of God it must be something proportioned to his Majesty and his wisdom and indeed so it is There is a great Capital enemy against God in the world that is sin this arch rebel hath drawn man from his