a little to shew the guise of the world and the difference of it from the actions of Gods children for these words imploy a restraint to Gods people as well as an extension The Christians whole life is onely to Christ but what is the life of a man out of Christ His first aimes being corrupt God is not in all his thoughts as the Psalmist speakes neither to have communion with him here in grace nor in glory hereafter Therefore whatsoever good hee doth a false end poysoneth it If a man misunderstanding of a thing be from a false principle he misunderstands it grosly As if an house be built upon a weake foundation such is all the fabrickâ— though otherwise never so costly if the principles be naught the conclusions drawn from thence must needs be naught also As in Physick if the first concoction be naught the second can never be good So if a mans ends are nought if hee seek himself or doth things onely from forreigne motives out of terrour of conscience or for vain glory or to be seen of men his corrupt ayme spoyleth all his actions yea hee reduceth Religion to himselfe because he will enjoy his pleasures the better hee wil act some part of Religion lest conscience should bark and clamour against him This self will moderate Religion and restrain it to such a measure as may stand with his lusts and sinfull customes If he loveth others it is in order to himselfe because he hath use of them as they comply with him in wicked courses and so help to bear him out the better And if any man stands in the wayes of his ends of honour or riches he removeth them by disgrace though it amounteth to slandering as undermyning and rising by others ruines because selfe his Idoll and mayn end must not be crossed He desireth to be some body in the flesh all things must be measured by that yea Religion and acquaintaince and all and whatsoever stands in the way it cryeth downe with them but however it killeth them in the esteeme of others that they themselves might be thought something and thus all is turned cleane contrary upside down But a gracious mans end and ayme is to get out of himselfe and his corrupt nature and to order all his actions in reference to that and all his acquaintance and communion with others as may help his communion with God And whatsoever is an impediment to that he laboureth to remove But to give you some directions how to live not to our selves but to live and die to the Lord. First we must have a spirituall life from him for life is but the issue of life We must live by faith from union with Christ by faith and then live to Christ. And againe wee must do it constantly and uniformly no part of our lives must be alienated from Christ all must be done in order to him even our recreations must have some good aymes in them Now do but consider wee are his wee are not our own but his and therfore wee ought to live to him bringing in all our strength all our advantages our callings that we may do service to him in our places wee are redeemed even from our selves A world of people thinke they be redeemed to live as they list But because God is mercifull and Christ a Saviour may you therfore live like libertines No you are redeemed from your selves not to your selves And to former rules delivered let me adde that this living to Christ though naturally we count it bondage because it is the acknowledging of a superiour is the most perfect liberty Deo servire est regnare For he that serveth that which is better and larger then himselfe that hath more goodnesse and ability then himselfe hee doth advance himselfe by his service and freeth himselfe from the service of all inferiours For the more dependant any man is on CHRIST in his service and in expectation of reward from him the more independant is hee upon the VVorld And indeed who is free in his thoughts and desires from base ingagements to the creature but hee that sets up Christ highest in his soule And suffers him to prescribe rules to him in his life which is freer in the world then they that have hearts freed from overmuch love of earthly things overmuch feare of earthly things overmuch delight in earthly things Hee useth them as helps to the mayne but is not ingaged or inthralled to any Quanto subjectior tanto liberior The more subject the more free is Saint Augustines rule And it is undoubtedly so you shal finde by experience that the soul is never at a more gracious liberty then when Christ is all in all Wee see it in the example of Zacheus when once he believed in Christ presently Halfe my goods I give to the poore Saint Paul that was all for the world and vain glory can say now My life is not deare to me so I may finish my course with joy In comparison of Christ all is dounge VVhen Moses had seen God that was invisible hee was freed from all base dependance on the favour of Pharaob nay he esteemed the reproches of Christ better then all the riches of Egypt And that makes mens stomacks inwardly to rise against Christians because they be not men to serve times and turns they will not prostitute their consciences and Religion for any mans pleasure wheras other men though naturally never so stout and strong in parts yet having base aymes and hearts fastned to the world will debase their very natures And when their end commeth in competition with honesty they love it more then goodnes As Christ telleth the Pharisies You cannot believe that seek honour one of another This is it that maketh a Christian better then his neighbour because he hath a better ayme All other men have narrow spirits whose hearts are not filled with the inlarging spirit of grace and of Christ. But the course of the Children of God is a course contrary to the streame of the VVorld Let others take what course they will it matters not they will looke to themselves It is good for them to draw neer to God and to be guided by his spirit A Christian seeks communion with him that is all in all with an infinite good with God in Christ and Christ God Man and happinesse Another man is straightned in his affections to some particular good that is meaner then himselfe which mamaketh him a base spirited man Hee that inlargeth his heart to seek out a condition that is larger and better then himselfe is both wise and happy One would require no more to Christianity but to have sanctified judgements that God is God and Christ is Christ and the Word is the Word â—nd rules that cannot be denyed are true unlesse hee will be an atheisticall beast below himselfe And therefore Lactantius saith well Religion is the true wisdome Let a man be judicious
and he must needs be a Christian the necessity and excellency of it standing upon such undenyable grounds O but I shall â—ose my reputation saith the doubtfull heart of man and be counted a foole I shall lose my friends and contentment if I come to be religious and serious indeed These be idle objections as if there were not in this kinde better in Religion then in the world as if God did bid us to our losse as if Christ should bid us follow him to our disadvantage surely no Hee is Lord of Heaven and earth and can recompence us in this world But what is all pleâ—sure here to the pleasure of a good conscience What is friendship here to communion with God and friendship with Christ and the protection of Angels VVhat are riches to him that is the fountain of all riches Did not Moses know what hee did when he forsook Pharoahs Court or Paul when he said to be with Christ is best of all Did not Abraham know what hee did when hee left his fathers house and followed God though to the giving up of Isaak whom he knew God could raise up again he being alsufficient Perhaps I loâ—e a friend or pettypleasure or contentment but that was but a particular good serving for a particular turne onely but in stead therof I have God that is alsufficient for all turnes that is neer to mee and never neerer then when I deny any thing for his sake A man hath never more of GOD then when hee denyeth himself most for God for in what measure we empty our selves of love to any creature in that measure God fils the soul with contentments of an higher kinde VVe have within that particular good which wee parted with and wee have peace and grace which is incomparably above it Think of that and it wil be an infinite incouragement to live to Christ. And therfore take these rules Seek the end in the meanes I can have Christ my end in riches pleasures friends it is well But if I cannot have my end with these things away with them When they be gone the end will remayne Christ will continue though they leave us VVe may enjoy any thing here if the mayn end can be enjoyed with them if not let us be willingly stript of all for we shall be stript of them by death God hath enough he hath all things at command and hath wisdome enough a thousand ways to provide that we shall not be losers by him no not in this life Consider then what it is to give our selves to the Lord. VVhen we give our selves wee give all things else with our selves They gave themselves to the Lord and then they would easily part with their goods as the Apostle saith But wee will never give our selves to the Lord till we consider what he hath done for us He hath given himself wholly for us left heaven for us denyed himself for us made himself of no reputation for us became a worme and no man a curse for us And in way of requitall wee should answer him with giving our selves and all wee have to him this is to be a Christian to purpose Christ hath given himselfe to mee and therfore I will give my goods my self my life to Christ that is in affection and preparation of spirit though not in action And in action too when he calleth for them I am not mine own he hath my selfe And fructus sequâ—tur fundum Hee shall have whatsoever is mine If he call me to suffer losses crosses disgrace or death it selfe welcome all I am his and therfore whatsoever is mine is his And it is no more then he hath done for mee Hee went so low that hee could not be lower and be God He hath advanced my nature as high as my nature could be advanced by union with his person and he will advance my person to heaven And therfore the Martyrs were willing to part with their lives They loved not their lives to death as Christs phrase is Hee that loveth his life shall lose his life My life is not deare to me saith Saint Paul so ready was hee to resigne all for Christ. The reason is which I desire may not he forgotten wee have a better being in God then in our selves If wee lose our naturall life we have in him a better life If wee lose our riches wee have them in heavenly treasures The water is not lost that runneth into the Sea it is in the Ocean still it s better receptacle It was Saint Pauls desire to be dissolved and to be with Christ which is best of all But if hee will have mee to serve the Church here and enjoy my life longer his will be done So hee liveth to the Lord and dieth to the Lord and whatsoever commeth Hee is in 〈◊〉 paratus VVhether he liveth and dieth hee is the Lords THE FOVRTH SERMON ROM 14. 7. 8. 7 For none of us liveth to himselfe and no man dieth to himselfe 8 For whether we live we live unto the Lord and whether we dye we dye unto the Lord whether we live therefore or dye we are the Lords IN these words the Apostle taketh us off from our selves and assigneth us to a true end As the first thing that grace doth is to set God and Christ in his owne place the Heart so in the second place it begets a regard of our selves such as may stand with the love of Christ. For till Christ hath a place in the heart by our comming to some degrees of selfe-deniall selfe hindereth us in all our whole course both of believing and doing For wee have naturally contrary principles to all articles of faith and contrary motions to all the commands of God It hinders us in the duties to God to others to our selves And therefore to what I formerly sayd I may adde this consideration That it is no easie thing to bee a Christian. If wee were required to renounce any thing else we might obtaine it of our selves sooner than deny our selves for what is nearer to our selves than our selves Thousand Rivers of Oyle the first fruits of the body would be given for the sin of the soule That outward mortification so much magnified in Popery is nothing to the renouncing of a lust But if we would be Christians to purpose wee must bee stript of our selves as they say of the serpent he must part with the old Slough we must have an higher principle than our selves before we can doe it A Christian is above himselfe and better than himselfe and stronger than himselfe because hee hath a better selfe than himselfe And by vertue of that better selfe which is grace in his heart hee is able to bring under all his other selfe not onely his sinfull selfe but his naturall selfe neither his life nor any thing is deare unto him in comparison of Christ. Therefore we must not have conceits of religion as easie indeed if
it is a phrase imporâ—ing a direction to a duty And likewise to confirme and comfort us in this that we do our duty VVee doe not serve a dead Master but one that taketh notice of us living and dying So to die to the Lord is to acknowledge Christ to be the Lord of life and the Lord of death of death as well as of life Hee hath the keyes of Hell and of Death and the disposing of both Therefore wee must resigne up our selves to him in death And then study to honour him by death in any kinde yea by Martyrdome if he shal cal us to seale the truth of Religion with bloud And then to acknowledge him to be owner of us and one that wil receive us dying As he took notice of us living And so the words are a privilege as well as a duty As it is sealed up in the last words Whether wee live or die wee are the Lords Thus I have unfolded the text Hee first promiseth the general negative No man liveth to himself no man dieth to himselfe You must apply this to Christians onely that are true Professors and members of Christ. For other men that are not in Christ have not the spirit of Christ they live to themselves and die to themselves and ayme at themselves in all things and therefore they are not the Lords Therfore it is a fearful condition to live and die to our selves Yet you have some kinde of men not onely in their particular persons but in their callings are all for themselves but why should I call it calling for there is no calling but it is for publike good As an Vsurer for whose good is he Let all sink or swim what careth hee so times hold and moneths and yeeres continue hee wil have his returns And such are they that live in a coursâ— of oppression that live by the ruine and spoyle of others But there is a more subtile living to a mans selfe as all men doe that have not the spirit of Christ they live within that circle selfe the Devil keepeth them that they goe not out of it so that sâ—lfe doth run through all their actions their civill a ions yea their religious actions which are all tainted with self-respects Ever since the fall it is so Man withdraweth himself from Gods government and setteth up himselfe instead of God thought to have a secured happines from God in eating the forbidden fruit and therfore would not depend upon God to be happy He saw another way to be like God God hath highest place in our heart by order of Creation and according to the degrees of excellency in things should our esteeme of them be every thing being beautifull in his place But where God is put down as he is in all men till they be in Christ something self-self-love sets up in the heart above God Hence commeth the necessity of this method of taking us off from our selves before wee can live to Christ because self-self-love is an impediment and blocke in the way betweene us and Christ heaven end happines And therfore Christ begins the Gospel with self-denial Whosoever will be my Disciple let him take up his Crosse and follow mee Now there be foure degrees of selfe There is 1. Naturall 2. Civill 3. Sinfull 4. Religious Selfe First naturall selfe is the state wee are in as men Secondly Civill as we are poor or rich or honourable according to our severall places in the Common-wealth Thirdly sinfull selfe is as we are carried to sinfull lusts and the Crâ—ature Fourthly Religious self is our Condition in Christ when we are ingreaffed into him and made new Creatures Now we must not live to our selves First not to our naturall selfe VVe must not live onely to live For as all other Creatures are to serve us so wee are to serve something else that is better For that that is not of it selfe cannot be for it self Now we have not beings from our selves but from God he giveth us beings and a being in that ranke of Creatures wherin we are Therfore our naturall self must be to a higher end A man is not the end of things there is another end then he and that is God who is of himselfe hath made all other things for himselfe And therfore riches and honours and the like wee should not live to our civill selfe Nature teacheth us that having spirits we are not for any thing meaner then our selves We do not live here to be rich to be great to command others for these things do not answer the soule of man First Nothing that hath an end can be a chief end That that hath â—inem consummatum cannot be finis consummans That that hath an end consuming it self caÌ„not be an end perfecting it self We have a journy beyond all things and that cannot be our end that leaveth us in the way Riches and honour are determined in death Let our preferments be never so great thogh to the Monarchy of the whole World yet we have a being beyond them They have consumptions in themselves And then they be inferiour No truth in them can fill up the understanding no good in them can fill up the will But the understanding can pierce through them And the will in rellishing and tasting the good of them can looke on them as cast commodities It can quickly suck out all the sweet that is in them Therfore they cannot be a mans end because hee hath larger parts then they can fill That that must be mans end must be larger then the soule and that wherin hee can rest it must be some universall good fit for all turns and purposes Now there is nothing in the VVorld that hath more then a particular service for mens particular service for mens particular ends Honour can doe something but not all things Riches cannot command health they cannot cure a fit of an ague they be for a particular good onely They can command many things but not al things Men consider what they can do therfore desire them But they consider not what they cannot do and therefore they rest in them That which is a mans last end must be a satisfying general universal good an immortal good of equal coâ—tinuâ—ance with hiâ— as nothing in the world is It must be such a good as hee cannot offend or be defiled with all Such as hee cannot misuse And what is there in the World but Christ and the best things but a man is prone to defile himselfe in Knowledge is the best thing but that worketh like leaven it swels as the Apostle saith Knowledge puffeth up Therfore wee must live to no worldly thing And much lesse must we live to sinfull selfe Some things are to be denied in way of competition and in opposition but somthings are to be denied absolutly Absolutely a man must not owne or live to a base lust pride or sensuality Hee owâ—th nothing to these
one thing more though it must be our chief aime to looke to Christ yet God allows us to look also to our own salvation how to be saved and happy in another world God hath joined these two together as one chief end and good The one that he might be glorified the other that wee might be happy and both these are attained by honouring and serving him And this is no self-love for wee cannot seek our salvation but in honouring God and yielding the means that he hath sanctified for us which is to cast our selves on him for our salvation in his way Thus our happinesse and Gods chiefe end agree together As when there be two lines aâ—bout a Centre one drawne within the other a third Line cannot be drawne from the utmost Line to the Centre without cutting the Line within because it is included within the other So our salvation and happines is within the glory of God and we live to Christ not onely in serving him but in seeking our owne soules and what a sweetnesse is this in God that in seeking our own good wee should glorifie him This likewise teacheth us to live to Christ in a way of humility and self-deniall God will not deny to teach the humble and lowly soule his ways And thus a gracious man is fit for all the counselâ— of God as a carnal heart is fit for al the services of the Devil Therfore leâ—us dedicate our selves services to God for happy are they that can lose themselves in God and be swallowed up in the love of Christ. Certainly there is never better finding of our selves then when wee are thus lost And therfore I beseech you whatsoever our corruptions have been heretofore let us now know it is heavenly wisdome to seeke Christs glory in the use of the blessed means fanctified for that end Surely we have all been baptized and what is our baptisme but the renouncing of the world the flesh and the Devit Our life is for nothing but to live unto God And having entred into covenant in Baptisme in the name of the Father Sonne and holy Ghost that wee intend seriously to lead a new life Wee must not trifle with God he wil not be dallied with It is not onely sufficient that we have spent our precious time amisse but more then sufficient For time wil come if we belong to Christ in which wee shal lament for spending our time in the pursuite of our owne vanities For if wee live according to our owne lusts we are but Rebels under Gods livery Wee are but traitors fighting under his Banner And how can wee give account at the day of judgment of our lives that have been nothing else but a constant service for Christs enemies under the colour of Religion This would seriously be thought upon Therfore as wee know a great deale and are beholding to God for living in times and places where there is abundance of the truth revealed so wee ought to make it our life and course to honour him to be vigorous in his service and to stirre up the grace of God in us to awaken our selves and to live to Christ and to put this quaere to our soules whom doe I serve my self or Christ him or his enemies Out of the Text you may see that a Christian will learne how to carry himselfe not onely to himselfe but to Christ. His carriage to himselfe is to live as a Christian exercised in his duty and calling His carriage to Christ is to live to him and die to him And for this end he taketh this course to search out himselfe what is unsound and corrupt in him and when hee hath found himself then he abhorreth himselfe and judgeth himselfe And having found out corruption in his heart he not onely loatheth it but crucifieth it and this is the course that a Christian taketh with himself in the searching and â—iscovery of his sins And this being done hee setteth up Christ in the place of selfe which ruleth in all men till they be Christians indeed eyther by way of admission or covenant But when Grace hath once taken place in the heart then the soule begins to live to Christ and that conscionably intyrely and uniformly consulting with all things how to helpe and further that life Other men consult how they may keepe their honours and reputations in the VVorld But a Christian having other aymes deviseth not onely ways to live to Christ but how to be better more and more how to get into Christ and how to grow up in him knowing that by living to Christ here he shall live with him for ever hereafter This is the course of a true Christian that looketh to have benefit by Christ. THE THIRD SERMON ROM 14. 7 8. None of us liveth to himself and none of us dyeth to himself for whether we live we live unto the Lord and whether we die we die unto the Lord Whether we live therefore or die we are the Lords WE have heard from the Apostles generall negative that selfe must be removed out of the way before we can live or die to Christ. Selfe indeed will come in every thing till the spirit of Christ be all in all in us It is lke Esau that came first out of the wombe it will appeare first in all consultations And therfore it is the method of our blessed Saviour Whosoever will be my Disciple let him deny himselfe and take up my crosse And it wil be easie so to doe when we have denyed our selves From the Apostles general affirmative wee have shewed that to live to the Lord is to acknowledge our selves to be his him to be ours and answerably to doe him service to resigne up our selves to him to seeke his glory and honour and credit in all things and to be wel perswaded that hee wil stick to us So that it is a comfort as wel as a duty To die to the Lord is to be willing to give up our selves to him when the time commethâ— and to submit to him for the manner of our death whether hee will call us home to himselfe by a quiet or troublesome death by a bloudy or dry death with confidence that he wil receive our soules That we may be directed to pitch upon a right end VVe may know by the principles of nature A man is not for himself and from the order that God hath placed him in all things below are for him but he is for somthing above himself he is not of himselfe and therfore not to himselfe God onely is of himself by himself and to himselfe Every thing under God is of God and by God and therfore to God As Saint Augustine saith Thou hast made us for thee and our hearts rest not till wee come to thee As the Rivers never râ—st till they discharge themselves into the Ocean And being not his owne end it is his wisdome and understanding to
Christ and Scripture no further than the Church discovers 〈◊〉 And so they overturne all For they believe God because men say so It is a dangerous errour that runneth into practise If the Church say treason must bee done wee must bee traytors It is no matter what the Scripture sayth the Pope hee is the head of the Church and hee can dispense with what he pleaseth But my sheep saith Christ heare my voyce And it is our duty to heare what the Lord of our â—aith saith which is onely Christ. If he be our Lord then let our wils bee brought into subjection to his will nothing is more out of order than this will of ours if that were once subiect to Christ all controversie betweene God and us were taken away All the stâ—ife is whether we shall have our wills or he his will The Spouse hath no will of her owne but it is resigned to her Husband So must wee submit our wills to Christs desire And then againe wee ought not in any thing to regard the humours of men Christ is Lord of our affections we must hate what hee will have us hate and love what hee loveth our whole soules must be conformable to Christ. And our bodies are wholly his too and therefore wee must be content that our bodies should bee used as they used his body He gave his body for us he tooke our nature and in that nature went about doing good suffering hardship hee was hungry and thirsty hee was crucified in our nature suffered in our nature and so should we be content our natures should be used as he would have them to take much pains in doing good to suffer hunger thirst restraint yea death it selfe for Christ because wee are Christs it is no more than hee did for us hee being our Lord was abased for us in his blessed body and flesh and therefore shall not wee suffer for him So our conditions are his suffer him therfore to cut us out a portion to allot us any condition The word implyeth more particularly an application to our selves wee are the Lords and the Lord is ours And likewise a renunciation and severing from all others we are the Lords and none else the Lords and none but the Lords if we are any bodies else it is in the Lord and for the Lord. Here is likewise a resignation wee are the Lords and therefore wee will give up our selves to him with a resting in him and high estimation of him and glorying in our condition through him And then heere is an improvement of this implyed wee are the Lords therefore we ought to improve it on our parts by serving him and on his part by believing that he will have care of us We are the Lords first by particular application which is wrought by degrees First God by his Spirit revealeth himselfe to be ours not fully but by letting in so much light into the soule as may carry the soule to him and makes us yeeld to him trust in him and cast our selves upon him and by doing so wee grow into farther acquaintance with him and hee honours our faith with a farther sence assurance that he is ours and we are his There is a great deale of distance and bredth betweene the first act of faith by which we cast our selves on Christ and a confident perswasion that Christ is ours and wee are his that is a fruit of faith and there needeth a great deale of growth before we come to that And therefore if you aske what doth the soule first to make Christ his owne It is this In the use of meanes wherewith God pleaseth to be effectuall a light is by the Spirit let into the soule wherby the heart is perswaded that hee hath a good meaning towards it that he is a gracious Lord and wil forgive the sinnes of all that relye upon him And with the acknowledging of these truths together with the offer of mercie in Christ there is so much sweetnesse let into the soule as carrieth the soule backe againe to Christ to rest upon him For unlesse Christ begin in some degree to make love to the soule and giveth a taste of his sweetnesse wee cannot relye upon him nor love him not onely because we are creatures and hee is first and must begin to us but because it is the nature of a guilty soul when it is under terrour and awakened to forecast such doubts that till Christ letteth in some glimpse of his love the soule dare not looke Christ in the face Now in the unfolding of these divine truths of the Gospell some intimations are given That Christ is mine and I am Christs which afterward becommeth the claime of an experienced Christian. This therefore directeth what course they shall take to get Christ that want him They must attend upon the blessed meanes of salvation and then consider how farre forth they may lay claime to Christ. For first all that live in the Church are Christs in some degree God hath prevented men with his love in admitting them to the visible Church and there is an obâ—igation on them to thinke well of Christ for that because hee had care of them before they had care of themselves by vouchsafing them the seale of Baptisme and making them members of the visible Church Secondly unlesse they labour being come to yeares of discretion to feele a farther assurance that Christ is theirs they disanull and deny their baptisme and therefore it is good for such soules as are touched with sight of sinne to gather upon Christ and to winde about all helps they can to worke on Christ as the vine gathereth on the tree it windeth about I am born in the Church I have been baptised lived in times of the Gospell have opportunities to heare the blessed truths and therefore I wil have good conceits oâ— Christ that he meaneth well to my soule Indeed a company of wretches that rest in their baptisme being prophane swearers vile persons abusers of their calling or any thing can say are not wee baptized and doe not wee come to Church but they forget that this is an obligation on them to be good no excuse for them to be evil It tieth thee to renounce that thou livest in else thou deniest thy baptisme We must know beloved that Christ loved us not as we love a goodly Pillar or other curious piece of Art that cannot love us againe but the intercourse between God and man is mutuall If he say he is ours wee say againe I am thine Lord and give my selfe to thee and the claime is mutuall He claimeth us for his and we claime him for ours for he deales with reasonable creatures that can enter into covenant with him as friends Wee must therefore give up all to God If God bee God let us owne him And as wee cannot serve Christ and sinne Wee cannot serve Christ and Antichrist we cannot comply with Christ
his enemies Those that have the mark of the beast absolutely cannot bee Christs nor have communion with him but are enemies to Christ though under pretence of religion But where a man is truly Christs hee is none but Christs Satan is content with any part but Christ must have the whol heart Gods children have something in them that usurpeth some corruption in them which is not absolutely removed but it is but a rebell and they have an enemies minde to it all that is contrary to Christ is renounced whereas in them that bee carnall sin is as a Lord but in Gods children it is as a thiefe hee is there yet they owne him not but get strength against him he ruleth not there but as a Tyrant there is a renunciation of Lordship and dominion of sin though they have inclinations to this and that sin yet they have no liking to that liking no inclinations as spiritual to that inclination as carnall but make it an object of mortification They renounce all other Lords when all other men that have not the spirit of Christ are under the dominion of some reigning lusts And as it implyeth a possession so likewise an estimation as God esteemeth us so we esteem him above all And therfore God calleth his Church his Portion his Iewel and we call Christ our portion our treasure our pearle our all S. Paul counts all dung and drosse in comparison of the excellent knowledge of Christ. And all that belongeth to Christ he esteemeth And therefore the Church glorieth that God is their God and makes claime to him as S. Paul I live by the faith of the Sonne of God who loved mee and gave himselfe for mee And as Thomas My Lord my God This is the best evidence of a true Christian whose estate is no way knowne better than by his estimation Whom have I in heaven but thee or in â—arth in comparison of thee sayth David It implieth likewise a duty of resignation to Christ in life and death because we are not our owne and therefore are in all things to bee at his disposing to bee led what way hee pleaseth and to pursue his directions though to the crossing of our corrupt nature to be content to goe to heaven as he will lead us by faire wayes or foule wayes by faire death or bloudy death if by any meanes wee may attain to the resurrection of the dead as S. Paul sayth it Besides this wee must have a care to implead this and to improve it as the Apostle doth here Whether wee live or dye we are the Lords He will have care of us and therefore we ought to serve him It is a speciall after-part to bee able to make it good to God in all troubles and conditions whatsoever I am thine Lord save me I am thine Lord teach mee I am thine Lord protect me Avouch and make it good against the temptations of Satan urging thee to distrust I am not my owne I am Gods and Christs and therefore if thou hast any thing to say to mee goe to him that hath paid my debt Thus plead the goodnesse and graciousnesse of God Plead it against temptation to sin I am not mine owne I am bought with a price My body is not for uncleannesse but for the Lord. Plead it against our own Consciences in times of desertion search narrowly whaâ— we have of Christs in us and doe not cavill against our selves too much in times of temptation If wee have but desires of the soule to God lose not any thing that is good if I renounce my interest in Christ I am where the Divell would have me then hee can doe any thing with us And therefore plead it against our owne distastfull hearts in times of darknesse I give my selfe to him and my desires are to him my faith is little but yet something my love is litle but yet I love the Lord I believe help my unbeliâ—f We must take notice of any thing Christ hath wrought in our spirits that we may implead our interest on all occasions for if wee yeeld to despairing hearts in times of temptations we are gone Therefore say with Ioh If thou kill me I wil trust thee Lye at Christs feet if thou wilt damne me so it is I will lye here and wait here For if I have not present audience I shall have it God waiâ—eth to doe them good that wait for him Hee will try our spirits whether wee will take a seeming repulse therfore we must as the woman of Samaria grow on Christ and catch at his words And as the servants of Benhadad who retorted on Ahab presently Thy servant Benhadad And as we must implead our interest so we must improve it in the whole course of our life and in all conditions what soever if we have any losse or crosses yet the soul can say Christ is mine and I am Christs Though a man taking a journey lose things of lesse value yet if he hath a pearl left him he is content for hee hath that that will make him a man And therefore be not much disconsolate for any crosses They cannot take away my Christ my promises the comforts of the Spirit I have a Christ and in him all that shall be for my good Improve it in all opposition of flesh and bloud hell and the instruments of hell Satan and wicked men they are mine eâ—nemies but it Christ be my friend it matters not Christ can make our enemies our friends And all things are ours if we be Christs we have a general charter things to come are ours life ours death ours and therefore if wee be Christs make use of him As it is basenesse of spirit to rest in any thing in the world but Christ so it is basenesse of spirit for us that are Christs to bee dejected for any thing in the world wee have the treasure wee have the Mine wee have the Sunne what if we lose a beame we have a spring what if the streame bee dried up It Christ giveth us himselfe it is no matter what we lose But we are sure of him For in life and death wee are the Lords And therefore let us hence answere all objections Oh that we should have such grounds of comfort and stabilitie and yet make no more use of them Iâ— these things were fresh in our thoughts nothing would â—iscourage us If you askâ— how shal we know in particular that it is so indeed that wee are Châ—â—stâ— I answer if we have given our selves to him by a contract of our owne if wee bee married to him you know mariage must have consent of both parties Those that give not themselves up to Christ to bee his they are not his They that live under the power of any sin against conscience as their Lord that love any thing better than Christ and will not part with it for Christs sake Christ is not theirs