with redundancie with some thing more then a meere or bare knowing of his Attributes though he see and know every one of those and every particle of those otherwise then the world sees them so my meaning is yet he sees in part that is he knows not any of these things perfectly Therefore saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 13. 9. Wee know in part but hereafter we shall know as we are known Which words as I conceive point not out principally Spirituall things that we know the will of God in part here but we shall know his will perfectly in Heaven though that be true for it may be it is not necessarie that we should know the will of God so here For then it may be we should have more glorious Principles But the meaning is here we know little of God we know him in part but he knows us wholly But when we shall come to Heaven we shall know God as he kows us therefore that brake the Apostles heart and made him sigh Phil. 3. that he would have given all the world if he had had it that he might apprehend him that comprehended him As if he had said God sees me clearly and groundedly all the thoughts of my heart but I cannot apprehend God as he doth me Therefore because this seeing of God is but in part in this World because we see but little it is oft in Scripture called a not seeing As in 1 Joh. 3. 1. Now we are the Sons of God but it doth not yet appeare what we shall be but when he shall appeare we shall see him as he is As if he had said that sight that we have of him now it is scarce worth the calling a sight So in 1 Pet. 1. VVhom having not seene yet ye love And in Rom. 8. If we did see why doe we yet hope for it for hope is of that which is not seene There is no Saint that can love God but he must see God But the meaning of those phrases is not that Saints see not God but they see so little in comparison of what they shall see afterwards that it may well be called not seeing they love God though they have not gotten that perfect sight of God that one day they shall have Indeed they shall have a perfect sight not only in respect of the degrees of seeing but they shall have this addition also to it that then they shall see God in Christ with their bodily eyes as Job saith I know that my redeemer liveth and that I shal see God in my flesh And what Job 19. 1 Cor. 15. that shall be when Christ shall deliver up the Kingdome to his Father I know not That is one proposition to help us to understand this glorious priviledge our seeing of God in this world is but in part Secondly that seeing him in part whatsoever it is 2 unspeakable it is an unspeakable sight a sight that no man is able to utter As Paul saith he was taken up into the third Heaven and heard words that could not be spoken so doubtlesse the Saints see things that cannot be revealed Therefore saith Paul eye hath not seene nor eare heard nor hath it entred into the heart of man to conceive those things that God hath laid up for them that love him Now if they were speakable demonstrable things a man might give some notions in writing he might see or speak or heare or give some knowledge he might consider of it but the tongue eare and eye and heart of man is not able to comprehend the glorious priviledge of the seeing the glory of God in Jesus Christ it is unspeakable Therefore as the Apostle speaks of the love of God it passeth knowledge not only of a carnall worldly man but of that man that hath it it passeth his knowledge to comprehend it before God gives it but if God doe but eclipse it a little he cannot comprehend what it was when he had it though it were but yesterday and when he hath it and hath most of it he is not able to utter and expresse it That is a second proposition concerning this glorious priviledge it is imperfect and it is unutterable A third thing is this that this glorious priviledge 3. Only in Christ that the Saints have of seeing God whatsoever that is let it be more or lesse it is only in the face of Jesus Christ For take any other sight of God take the corporeall sight the seeing of the man Christ that the VVicked may doe as well as the Saints Or take the sight of God in the creatures in his providence or the like carnal men so see the things of God as the Saints doe though not altogether so well yet that is no peculiar thing But this sight of God that I speake of it is only in the face of Jesus Christ as it is in 2 Cor. 4. 4. 6. In whom the God of this world hath blinded the minds of them that believe not least the light of the glorious Gospell of Christ who is the image of God should shine unto them For God who commanded light to shine out of Christ the face of God darknesse hath shined in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God in the face of Jesus Christ Jesus Christ is the face of God and as we see nothing of a mans body but by his Face so we see nothing of God but in Jesus Christ Therefore when Philip said to Christ shew us the Father it is sufficient saith Christ he that hath seen me hath seene the Father that is all in this glorious priviledge of seeing God must be through the man Jesus Christ Therefore that is the reason that the Saints heretofore alwayes when they were at a losse and could not see God they still called for his face O shew me thy face that is Lord shew thy self to me in thy face which is Jesus Christ Therefore if any man will see God he need not goe up to Heaven or descend downe into the Deep but he must look for it in the face of Jesus Christ Fourthly all this sight of God whatsoever it is it is 4. It is by the word by the word and by the spirit For as one godly man saith the face of Christ Jesus is as the looking-glasse wherein we see God and the word of God is the looking glasse wherein we see Christ Therefore in 2 Cor. 4. God hath sent us to make known the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ And then saith he we have this treasure in earthen vessels that the excellency of power might be of God and not of us He had said before that by the preaching of the Gospel he had made known the glory of God in the face of Christ Now in this poore despicable thing a man that hath a world of infirmities and many weaknesses in him yet in these poore earthen shels as the word is in
Secondly He is not onely wearie of it and if he 2. He layes violent hands on Gods commands can he will be rid of it so but he will lay violent hands upon the commands of God There is a terrible word in Rom. 1. 18. The wrath of God is revealed from Heaven against those that hold the truth in unrighteousnesse The word in the Greek is those that Imprison the truth There was truth came to them and they held it till they were wearie till they were tyred and jaded but then they locked it up and would not suffer it to break forth in their lives but lived as if there were no light at all in them There is some kind of light in them but it is in Prison you cannot see it and you would think there were none at all like those people in â— Sam. 8. 19. When God had said they should have no King but him but say they we will have a King and so they goe violently and desperately against the command of God Thus is it with a carnall proud heart Thirdly and lastly it may be some men will 3. Proud hearts obey Gods commands but upon their owne tearmes not doe so with the commands of God but they will obey them but it shall be onely upon their owne termes they were as good doe nothing As for instance he will obey first by sits and 1. When they please when he is at leasure As it may be you have seen a proud servant that will worke well sometimes but he is so sturdie that he will doe nothing but what he pleaseth and if the humour take him he will goe to the Shop or else it may be he will Walk at his pleasure two or three dayes together you cannot build on it So carnall unhumbled hearts when they are in the humour they will obey the commands of God but it is but for a fit Now a right Christian is holy alway according to the grace God hath given him he is alway ready to obey the commands of God Secondly a proud unhumbled heart as he will obey 2. What they please but at sometimes so he will obey but in some things he will pick and choose in the commandements and service of God what he pleaseth That is the manner of proud Servants they will worke sometimes but if a man bid them doe one thing they will doe another a man were as good be without them Such a Servant will be wiser in his owne eyes then his Master It may be he will doe his Masters work and his Master cannot say but that he is a diligent servant but he will doe but what he lists and he will doe it but in his owne way and if his Master bid him doe one thing he will doe another So it is with a carnall man when God bids him doe any thing he will doe somewhat and let his Neighbours doe the rest if they will But now an honest heart whatsoever God commands without respect to this or that be it what it will be if the Lord command it he will endeavour to obey him Thirdly and lastly as they will obey God at 3. When God gives them rewards their owne leasure and obey him in those things that they please so they will doe it if God follow them with a reward As for instance You may observe many a proud hearted man Minister or others as long as God hath given them credit enough and riches enough they will doe the worke of God bravely but take away that and they will doe nothing at all Therefore if God will let credit and riches goe alwayes with Religion he shal have Servants enough and proud ones too But now a humble Christian he values the love of God more then the things themselves and let these things come or goe his eye is upon God and his love is such to God and he sees that God loves him so that he will endeavour to obey God in all things whether he be rewarded or no. Now these be the dispositions of carnall unhumbled hearts you may examine your owne hearts by these three things By your carriage towards God in respect of his justifying grace By your carriage towards God in respect of his truths revealed to you And be your carriage towards God in respect of his injunctions and commands that he layes on you If you examine and finde that your hearts are not humbled you know what to doe desire God to shew himselfe more and as you see him more so you will be humbled more for the right seeing of God in Jesus Christ is the true and ready way to humiliation SERMON 6. Isaiah 6. 5. For mine eyes have seen the King the Lord of Hosts YOu remember the last doctrine which we had from these words which we have somthing more to say to was this that A true and saving sight of God in Jesus Christ is the way to true saving humiliation The principall meanes to saving Gospell humiliation is to have a saving supernaturall sight of God in Jesus Christ Mine Eyes have seen the King the Lord of Hosts Therefore woe is me I am undone This I opened to you as farre as God revealed it to me and we had some uses and lessons thence for our soules The last use of all was of tryall as we call it that you may hence see and know whether ever you have seen God aright to wit by your humiliation If you have seen God aright then you have cried out with Isaiah Woe is me I am undone and as Job I have seene the Lord therefore I abhor my selfe in dust and ashes Now the question was how shall I know whether I be truly humbled or no I told you you might know it in generall two wayes First by your carriage and deportment towards God Secondly by your carriage towards men Concerning your carriage towards God I have spoken of three things First your carriage towards God in respect of his righteousnesse or of your justification Secondly to examine your carriage towards God in respect of his truths that he hath revealed Thirdly and there I left your carriage towards God in respect of the commands he layes upon you Now to goe forward a little The Fourth 4. A humble heart knowne by its carriage to God in affliction thing is this that you shall know how farre God hath humbled you and bestowed this Gospell grace upon you by your carriage to God when he corrects you by your carriage under Gods corrections and your afflictions whatsoever they are For I shall not name them every one can best put his finger upon his owne face whether they be on soule or bodie whatsoever they are I say thou mayest know whether thy soule be a humbled soule by thy carriage in such times as these are It hath been a common rule among the godly that as a man is in afflictions so he is indeed Truely that rule hath much truth
are perpetuall and constant in a sense Therefore it is said Joh. 14. 21. If you keep my Commandements saith Christ I will manifest my self to you Saith Judas not Iscariot Lord how is it that thou wilt manifest thy self unto us and not unto the VVorld Saith he I and my Father will come and wil dwell with you and abide with you As for the world God passeth by as a wayfairing man that tarries but for a night but I and my Father will come and dwel with you Therefore in 1. Joh. 4. Seeing of God dwelling in God are Sinonomies one and the same thing God dwelling in us or we in God or seeing of God they are the same Because wheresoever God is seen rightly and truly it brings God by his Spirit to dwell in the Soule That is one thing you may know it by by your apprehensions Secondly you may know it by the impressions 2 By the impressions these apprehensions worke that those apprehensions have upon your hearts there will be a twofold impression upon thy soule when thou dost see God aright First as I told you before when a Saint seeth 1 Suitable to that they see in God God you are to understand that he seeth al in God with redundance he sees his love his goodnesse his power his faithfulnesse his mercy his justice Now the same apprehension of these things have such impressions upon thy heart that thou mayest clearely discerne if thy sight be right that is if every one of these doe worke upon thy heart a proportionable fitnesse or suitablenesse to that that is in God As for instance when thou lookest on God and thou seest his goodnes there is a sweet impression of love Thou seest the Justice and Righteousnesse of God it works an impression not a blaze that goes out but an habituall impression of pleasing God and of fearing God And so when thou seest his faithfulnesse it works an impression of trust that thou wilt trust him though he kill thee and so all that is in God will sinck into thy heart and worke suitable to that that is in God As to give you one instance for as it will doe by one so it will doe by all In Heb. 11. 27. It is said By faith Moses forsook Aegypt not fearing the wrath of the King For he endured as seeing him who is invisible Moses had a sight of him who is invisible Therefore he forsook Aegypt and feared not the wrath of the King What is the meaning of that The meaning of it is this he saw the King of Aegypt to be a great King a powerfull King But because he had seene God who is invisible that is he had seene the Power of God and the Greatnesse of God and that put such an impression on him that he did not feare Pharaoh And God had promised to doe him good and having seene the faithfulnesse of God he forsooke Aegypt So it will be with thee if thou see the Grace of God in Christ there will be an impression of love upon thy Soule If thou see the Greatnesse of God there will be Reverence imprinted upon thy heart or if thou see the Faithfulnesse of God there will be an impression of Trust upon thy heart But now if thou see God in Christ and see his goodnesse and mercy and grace and there be no such impression no love to God no delight in God no care to please him or to attend upon him thou hast not seene God aright Beloved these impressions you shall know them by these things in three words from any thing that is like the impressions of God upon you First they are reall Secondly they are through Impressions of seeing God upon Saints are Thirdly they are universall First they are reall By reall I meane this they 1. Reall are not idle speculations of God as a bare seeing of God and no more but only a meere contemplation but they are such reall impressions upon the heart as that they can bare up the Soule in any outward reall miserie As for instance you know the miseries of the world are reall When a man comes to Prison there is reall trouble and reall losse and Miseries of this life reall reall hunger and he is a Reall man that is the Keeper of the Prison Now an Hypocrite with all his speculations when he comes to a reall night of miserie for God all his knowledge of God proves a meere speculation and vanisheth into Ayre and there is no reality in it Now the other which is a true Saint let him be put into the worst condition let it be Reall put Bolts on his heeles let there be VVounds and Sores and Hunger and Thirst that he feeles beholds with his eyes yet he hath a thing in his Soule that is as real as the things that he feeles Therefore it is said in 1. John 1. where he speaks of Fellowship with God and walking in the light and seeing of God saith he Those things that wee have seene and heard and felt He makes the apprehension of God in Christ as reall as things that are subject to sense as the things that we see and heare and smell and feele Therefore see whether these impressions of God on thy soule be reall or no Doest thou finde when thou commest to reall miserie that there is reall comfort to hold thee up and not only imagination and vaine Speculations As you may observe many brave glorious Professors in the time of Peace that out strip all their Brethren and their expressions Why many Professors shrinke in Trouble are better then others they carry it gloriously and yet you shall have some poor creatures that can hardly speake to God in Prayer and can hardly remember any thing of the VVord and yet when they come to suffer there is a reall thing that holds them up though it may be it be but a poore little Boy or a VVench when you shall see those Brave glorious Professors that because they have no Reality they flee away and turne to the World Therefore pray to the Lord that these impressions may be reall That as the miseries wee meet withall are reall so the impressions of his blessed Majesty may be be reall Saith God to the Hypocrites Mal. 1. If I be a Father where is my Honour If I be a Master where is my feare You talke that I am your Father and your Master but there is no deepe impression of it upon your Soules Secondly as they are reall So they are thorow 2 They are thorow they fall not upon the heart of a Saint as they doe upon an Hypocrite The apprehensions of God fall upon an Hypocrite just like a little shower of raine upon the sandy ground there is some little impression but in two or three houres all is gone it never soaks to the root of the grasse An Hypocrite hath a root of bitternesse in his heart and all the
Dew of Heaven never sinks so deep as to come to that root Therefore as it is said in 1. Joh. 3. A man that is borne of God cannot sinne Why Because the Seed of God abides in him he hath a root in him So on the other side an Hypocrite he can doe nothing to purpose because there is a seed of sin in him there is a root there is a Coare at the heart that the Dew of Heaven never toucheth Therefore it is a signe that thou seest God aright when the impressions of it in thy Soule goe through and through that they soak into thy very soule as I may say and fetch out thy inward lusts Thirdly and lastly and there I shall leave at 3 They are universall this time these impressions are universall An Hypocrite or a wicked man in time may have some impressions upon his soule of some one thing of God or some few things As for instance Judas had an impression upon his heart and a sad one too of the Justice of God it made him goe and hang himselfe And so Saul and Pharaoh and others but that was but of one thing But now a Saint he hath impressions of all that is in God that is there is nothing in God but he hath a heart to answer it he hath as it were to speak with reverence a Coppy of God written on his soule he hath an impression of the love of God as well as of the feare of God of delight and trust in God and the like This is the difference betweene a Saint of God and an Hypocrite Therefore in Exod. 34. When Moses was so desirous to see God O Lord saith he let me see thy glory God revealed his glory and told him his name The Lord God the Lord mercifull gracious long suffering abundant in mercy keeping mercy for thousands Forgiving iniquity transgression and sin and that wil not cleare the guilty visiting the sins of the Fathers upon the Children God tells him of visiting of wicked People What was this to Moses God would not tell him halfe his name but all Therefore he tells him what he was to the Saints The Lord gracious and mercifull long suffering abundant in goodnesse and truth keeping mercy for thousands And then he tels him what he would be to the wicked he would have the impression of the whole name of God upon Moses It is a signe thy apprehensions of God are true though they be weake and small when they be reall and thorow and universall The third thing is The Expressions or Effects of it but that I must leave till another time SERMON 3. Isaiah 6. 5. For mine eyes have seene the King the Lord of Hosts YOu remember the Lesson I doubt not that we are upon that The Saints have a peculiar priviledge above all others that they can even in this world see God They can see God in Jesus Christ I did open this and proved it and shewed you the last time how by the Word of God you might know whether ye have ever seene God in this manner whether God have ever bestowed this glorious priviledge upon any of you Three waye I tooke to shew it to you The first was by your apprehensions of God The second was by the impressions that those apprehensions of God have upon you The third thing which I am now to come to is by the Expressions of them or by their Effects If you would know whether you have seene God aright 3 By the expressions of them which are or no I say you may know it by the expressions of it How doth it set it selfe forth in thee It works something upon thee and that vents and shewes it selfe some way in thy heart and life Therefore I finde in Scripture especially in the Epistles of John where much is said of seeing God he brings the Saints usually to know the sight of God by outward expressions Because though it be cleare as I said yet it is so small that a St. cannot alway see it unlesse he consider the workings of it also upon his heart and life as well as his single apprehension Therefore saith he in one place by this you shall know that you have seene God if ye confesse Christ And in another place If yee love the Brethren c. Now there are these foure or five cleare things in Scripture that demonstrate a man to be one that hath seene God The first is this If thou hast seene God certainly the Lord hath purified thy heart the Lord hath given thee a pure 1 Purity of heart heart For saith Christ in his first Sermon Blessed are the pure in heart For they shall see God And in Heb. 12. Without holinesse it is impossible to see God Matthew 5. that is a cleare generall rule And therefore I say thou mayest then read if thou or I be a Man or a Woman to whom God hath not given a pure heart if God have not purified thy heart certainly as yet thou hast not seene God For if any man saith he hath seene God or that he walke in the light and yet live in sin he is a Lyar and there is no truth in him at all you are to give no credit to him at all al his apprehensions are but fancies Now the question will be what is the purifying of the heart Or how may I know that BELOVED according to the language of the What meant by a pure heart Scripture I find that by a pure heart is meant two things First by a pure heart is not ordinarily meant as 1 The conscience purified from guilt of sinne you take it for the killing of sinne in the soule I say not ordinarily But the chiefe meaning of the purifying of the heart is to have the conscience for the heart is taken for the conscience to have the conscience purified and washed from the guilt of sinne Therefore in Act. 15. say the Apostles and Elders Why should we doe thus and thus with them Seeing their hearts are purified by faith as well as ours That is seeing they believe in Jesus Christ and thereby have peace of conscience setled in their hearts To cleare and open this a little to you There Conscience purified What are three expressions that the holy Ghost useth in Heb. 10. that open this Heb. 10. 2. A pure heart in this sence is a man that hath no conscience of sinne that is the Scripture language one that hath no conscience of sinne Not as it is commonly in your sence one that makes no conscience of sinning one that continues in sinne But one that hath no conscience of sinne That is one whose conscience is not stained with the guilt of sinne but by the bloud of Christ there is a perfect peace setled within him Peace and joy in believing For that it is to have conscience of sinne when alway upon the least infirmitie there is guilt heaped upon the conscience of
doe saith grace you shall mourne bitterly when you have done grace is at the heeles of it and grace overtakes it some way or other And in case he fall into the sin grace calls over him and cries out of the heart and when he hath done the sinne grace mournes it followes it oppsing till it be done and when it is done grace weeps over it It is not so with a wicked man that hath an enlightned Difference between Saints and Hypocrites conscience he may have a word or two and if that be not heard then farewel and then the Devill works effectually that is the difference between sin working in a Saint and in a wicked man The Devill works effectually in a wicked man that is he finisheth his work the Devill finisheth his worke in a Sinner but he doth not in a Saint The Devill never works in a Saint but grace overthrows it one way or other either before it be done or it overthrowes it when it is done The Devill sifted poore Peter and foiled him at the first but afterwards he wept it out there is much in this This is enough to discover an impure heart if you be a Drunkard or a VVhoremonger or a Backslider or a worldly Professor thou art a man that hath never seene God for thou hast an impure heart There is one thing briefly that I desire you to thinke on 2 It changeth them to the same image Againe whosoever hath seene God a second expression of it is this he is translated into the same image with God to that which he seeth As you have it 2 Cor. 3. ult Saith the Apostle All we with open face that is al the Saints we behold as in a glasse the glory of the Lord and are changed into the same image from glory to glory even as by the Spirit of the Lord. We behold the glory of the Lord and are changed into the same image from glory to glory I was going to tell you the last time how the sight of God hath a twofold impression upon us I forgot the last and it will not be unseasonable to mind you of it now The first was I told you it works in us a disposition snitable to what we see in God if God be great it makes me little if he be just it makes me feare if he be faithfull it makes me trust if he be good it makes me love him and the like Now the Second is this Whatsoever a Saint sees in God it works some resemblance in him of what he sees not a proportionablenesse for greatnesse in God and feare in me that suits God is great and I feare him But here I say it works a resemblance in a kinde As when I see the greatnesse of God it works and raiseth my Spirit to a holy greatnesse if I see holinesse in God it makes me holy there is nothing in God that is seene but it works a Resemblance except it be humility of which I shall shew the reason after All the Attributes in God become graces in you goodnesse in God makes you good but your goodnesse is a grace and his is an Attribute But only I say humilitie the glory of God makes me humble the glory of God makes me not proud and high but low and humble But every other thing in God makes me frame my heart and life just like God Creatures resemblances of spirituall things And there is no wonder in this we see in the Creatures for the Creatures are a resemblance of spirituall things The Creatures are so cast by God as that they might be fit resemblances and expressions of spiritual things in his word Jacobs sheep only by the working of fancie by looking upon the rods it made them conceive If fancy work so as that looking upon any thing it could make such an impression much more faith looking upon such a glorious object as God that hath such fulnesse in him shall make the soule like that it sees Therefore in Joh. 1. 14. Saith the Apostle We have seene his glory as the glory of the only begotten sonne of God full of grace and truth and of his fulnesse we all receive grace for grace VVe saw his glory and of that fullnesse of glory we receive grace for grace as the VVax receives letter for letter from the Seale or as the child receives lymb for lymb from the Parent so we receive grace for grace from Christ There is never a grace that we see in Christ but the seeing it with a spirituall eye works and creates such a grace in our Soules Therefore I pray consider of this whether you Triall of a right sight of God have had such a sight of God that when you see this it hath framed your soules according to God that you are like him If you say you see God and it is only a drie speculation that leaves you proud and carnall and malicious and high minded and froward and the like without working on you what you see in God you may justly suspect it not to be right A third expression I find in 1 Joh. 4. 12. Whosoever 3 A right sight of God works love to our Brethren hath seene God loves his Brother No man hath seene God at any time if we love one another God dwelleth in us and his love is perfected in us I told you before that to see God and to dwell in God are taken for one another As he saith after verse 15. VVhosoever shall confesse that Jesus is the Sonne of God God dwelleth in him and he in God and verse 16. He that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God and God in him No man hath seen God at any time but he that loveth his brother God dwelleth in him What is that That is he hath seen God For as I said they are all one dwelling in God and seeing of God Therefore looke to that whether God have wrought in you a heart Spiritually and purely to How Saints should be loved love the Saints as Saints not to love them that they may love me or to love them because they have a great deale of credit that they may report well of me or to love them carnally but whether I frame my heart to love the Saints as Saints as elect persons chosen of God and Members of Christ and as he beares the image of Christ on his soule if I love not my Brother surely I have never seene God therefore it is said 1 Joh. 2. 11. He that hateh his Brother is in darknesse he walketh in darknesse and knoweth not whether he goeth What darknesse Compare it with the first chap. verse 6 7. that darknesse is opposite to Fellowship in light with God and Christ If a man love not his Brother let him be a wise man let him be a Scholler let him repeat Sermons c. he is in darknesse and goes he knowes not whether for a man goes he knows not whether that hath
while thou livest and to let Christ be wisedome in thee that thou wouldest be a poore infirme fraile creature and let Christ Jesus be thy righteousnesse that thou art content to walke in raggs and let Christ be thy riches This is one thing In that place Rom. 10. 3. It was the pride of the Jews that kept them from salvation by the righteousnesse of the Gospell they would not submit to the righteousnesse of God they were a proud people So that is it that keeps many a soule that hears the word it is that that keepes you weake What it is that keepes men in inward trouble and full of woe and sorrow all your dayes You thinke it is the want of this grace and the want of that grace and other things but it is nothing but your owne stubborne heart that you will not submit to the righteousnesse of Christ You would have this grace and that grace that is you would fill up every corner of your owne shop and you would amend your owne trading but you would not shut up shop and be journey-men as I may speake with reverence to Jesus Christ That is one thing Then againe the second particular I have to demonstrate 2. To take the righteousnes of Christ on his bare word that whether you be humbled or no is this whether the Lord have brought you to be content to take the righteousnesse of Jesus Christ upon his owne bare and naked word Whether now you can say there is Jesus Christ full of righteousnesse for me and my own righteousnesse is full of raggs What evidence have you for it Here is a word Jesus Christ is come to dye for sinners I find nothing in me but here is a bare word and hereupon I am content to take his righteousnesse and throw away mine owne I doe not say but that a good Christian may Christians may make use of signes make good use of signes and marks even in earthly things Christians see the love of God by temporall outward things for God useth what Pipes he pleaseth to convey his love But the question is in matter of believing whether I should not throw away my owne righteousnesse and wholly believe in Jesus Christs righteousnesse before I see any grace or any signe A humble heart can doe it and is content that marks should come after he believes after I believe God will sanctifie me and worke grace and then I shall see his love more But the first bargain betweene God and me is his bare word therefore that Rom. 10. is glorious and cleare and comfortable The Apostle lays downe the difference betweene salvation by the Law and by faith saith he the Righteousnesse of the Law speaketh on this wise The man that doth these things shall live by them but the righteousnesse which is of Faith speaketh on this wise say not in thy heart who shall ascend into Heaven or who shall descend into the Deepe but he that believeth shall be saved Marke it this is the straine and streame and language of the Gospell that is salvation by Jesus Christ and whosoever believeth on that salvation shall not be ashamed he shall be sure of it But how shall we come to believe and to be sure of this salvation Say not in thy heart who shall goe up to heaven or who shall descend into the deep but what saith it the word is nigh thee that is God hath given a word and he will give a spirit of faith with it and there are but two words to the bargaine there is the spirit in thee and the word without thee and this is the righteousnesse of God the righteousnesse of faith saith so Say not who shall goe up to heaven or downe to the earth For the eyes of a fool are scattered about the world And when men come to believe in Christ they aske who shall ascend into Heaven how shall I come to know that I am a Saint and that I am predestinated The Lord would have us believe the word that Christ Jesus came to save sinners of whom I am chiefe Here is a word if the heart now could apply this by the spirit of faith That is another thing I would have you thinke on Your ordinary Professors most of them they Why ordinary professors want assurance have not assurance of salvation why They cannot believe Why so because they finde so many corruptions in them and they finde so many graces wanting and they have ill memories and hard hearts and if it were not for these things they could believe What is the meaning of it It is as if they should say I will never trust God in the righteousnesse of the Gospell upon his bare word God will have us trust him ere he will trust us we must take God upon his word God wil bring every child of his to this to take his salvation upon a bare word and he will blesse his name for it I have but one soule and if I had a thousand I would venture them all upon his word and say there my soule lyes sinck or swim or goe to heaven or hell here is the word that Christ came to save sinners of whom I am chiefe Now if there be pride in the heart it will not come and rest on a bare word The Lord make you understand these things that they may not be lost Thirdly a humble heart will be content not only 3. With a generall word with a bare word but with the least word and the most generall word A proud heart will not be content unlesse he hath a perticular word For my part I may mistake but I will tell you my opinion that those men how Christ dyed not for all ever otherwise they be godly some of them that doe hold that Christ did dye for all men and that he came to save Judas as well as Peter If Christ came to save all and yet many shall goe to Hell how come they to be saved It is a proud thought in the heart that would teach God how to speake and how to make promises and we poore wretched damnable creatures must shew him what language he shall speake in whereas now a humble heart will take the least and most generall word and thanke God as we see in the woman of Canaan Christ gives her never a word a great while but frownes and then he gives her a terrible word and bids her goe he calls her Dogg why that was something a Dogg hath some priviledge he hath the crums that fall from the Table he looks for outward mercies and therefore in that he calls me Dogg I have so much of that word that I will follow him for the crums Saith Christ to her O Woman great is thy faith be it unto thee as thou wilt So Benhadads servants when they came with Halters about their necks saith the King Is my brother Benhadad alive that was a comfortable word they harpt upon
him First he sees the justice of God the equallnesse Of his justice of Gods dealing with his soule or with his body let the Lord doe with him what he will he will not say as the people of Israel proverbially said Ezek. 18. The wayes of the Lord are not equall A proud heart will say so it will think so at least for the Scripture speaks the language of mens hearts The heart of a proud man thinks that God deales unjustly and unequally that he layes so great an affliction on him and then another affliction upon that that first takes away one mercy and then another first one Child and then another and then a third the heart out of pride thinkes God deales unjustly but if the heart were rightly humbled it would see that all that God doth is very just and equall I not onely observe it just according to Law for so a man may doe by legall humiliation that Ahab and Judas had Judas saw that it was just with God to destroy him and so did Ahab and Saul and Pharoah it is not onely According to the Gospel so but according to the Gospell there he sees that the wayes of God are very equall and that it is a righteous thing with God to afflict him I meane thus a man I say under the Gospell that sees himselfe the son of God and that God is his Father and that he is united to Christ and that his soule is justifyed perfectly by the bloud of Jesus Christ yet when God shall lay some sore affliction upon him A man would thinke now how can God justly doe this As some proud or inconsiderate people say Will God be paid twice hath he not beene paid in his son Now a humble heart will say though God be satisfyed and the Law be fullfilled and he is my Father yet I am such a graceles wretched son such a provoking son I doe so often vex and slight and neglect my Father that even according to the law of love and according to the blessed Gospell it is equall that God should deale so with me Nay he can say at all times that God layes on me according to the Gospell it selfe lesse then I deserve as they said Lament 3. 22. It is the Lords mercie that we are not consumed Indeed it is an affliction that I am whipped but it is a great deale of mercy that I am not utterly destroyed Looke to thy heart in this thing when afflictions come upon thee canst thou justifie God and say his wayes are equall and just and right as they say in Nehem. 9. 33. Howbeit thou art just and right in all this In all what you shall see in the Verse before Lord let it not seeme little before thee the trouble that hath come upon us c. And it was not little for they suffered sore and long and yet notwithstanding all that thou art righteous and just in all this that we have suffered That is one thing Another thing that he hath reverend thoughts 2. Of his Love of God for it is his love a humble heart wil be able to see a sun through a cloud he will be able to see the heart of a Father and the love of a Father when he frownes most or shakes his rod most over him God cannot shake his rod so much over a Saint that is a humbled Saint but he will be able to espie some Smiles of love Therefore I say he hath honourable thoughts of God Why Because he thinks though this be so yet it is just and equall It is true sayth he I am a son but of my conscience God hath not such another son on the face of the Earth I vex him more in one week then all the other doe in a yeare therefore for all this I see him move his eies and yearne his heart for my good so that still he hath honourable thoughts of God Now a proud heart such a one as Judas may say it is just but here he comes short he cannot say it is love Thirdly and lastly he hath honourable and pretious 3. Of his wisedome and reverend thoughts of God because in his affliction he discerns the infinite wisdome of God Truly Beloved there are but two great wisedomes that are great indeed that are before the eye of a Christian in this World that is the wisedome Two wisedomes great in the eyes of Saints that is hid in the Gospell that the Angells desire to prie into and the wisedome of God in his carriage to his Saints in affliction Now when things seem crosse and thwart when a proud heart sayth I am undone I am broken and spoyled I shall never set up again I shall never eat my bread chearfully againe a humble heart can say though I know not what God will doe yet he hath a wise designe in it it is love whatsoever it is and it is wisedome too Therefore the Lord doth with us in afflictions as he did with Peter when he washed his feet saith Peter what doest thou meane What I meane thou shalt know hereafter So a poore Saint when God strikes him he takes away it may be two or three of his Children thinks he Lord what doest thou meane Sayth God thou shalt know hereafter I have a wise designe thou shalt see it but now I must keepe it from thee thou shalt not know it And truly ordinarily when the affliction is over God comes and takes his childe a side and opens the designe to him and tells him thou didst wonder at me many times and hadst hard thoughts of me for a great while when it was under ground come now I will read thee a lesson I will tell thee the story and so takes him by the hand and sayth doest not thou remember before I tooke thee in hand what a froward creature thou wert what a proud creature thou wert thou mightest have been damned if I had not taken thee in hand and I gave thee first such a gentle affliction and then added another God shews him the whole plot and then he sayth Lord pardon all my hard thoughts of thee glorious God I see now that all was love and wisedome And God so inures his people to shew them the designe when the affliction is over that most Saints though they understand and see nothing of God in their affliction yet they know it is a glorious designe of wisdome that God hath upon them therefore they will not censure God because they see it not it is but their owne ignorance that they doe not comprehend it As if you should see a Plow-man or a countrie man come to a Mathematician that were at his Globe and his compasses and were drawing lines from one to another the Countrie man knowes nothing of this but he would not therefore say the other is a foole and doth he knoweth not what He would rather say I warrant you he is a Scholler and hath had good breeding
but allas what simple people are we in the Countrie we know not what belongs to the Globe and compasses So a Christian when he is in affliction he doth not say God doth he knows not what and he plagueth me but sayth he God hath wisdome and love in all this only I am a simple poore creature that know not this So now there are two things I would have you to observe First if you have humbled hearts you will see God in the affliction And then you will have reverent and high thoughts of God in respect of his justice and his love and wisdome towards you In the third place a soule that is humbled I meane all this while as far as it is humbled it 3. A humble soule quietly submits in affliction doth quyetly and silently submit unto the Lord in all his afflictions that the Lord may doe with him what he will and truly he hath reason enough and it cannot be otherwise if he see God in the Instruments and see such thoughts of justice and love and wisdome in God he cannot but quyetly submit this will follow As you know in 1 Sam. 3. When God told Ely that he was comming to cut off his house and his Priesthood and his Sonnes Sayth he It is the Lord let him doe what semeeth good in his eyes It is the Lord I will not suffer my heart to grumble but it is the Lord and I will submit A man would have thought he had not offended he did chide his Sonnes and told them Ye doe not well but he should have corrected them they were wicked men and because he was too Indulgent to them God sent him word that he would cut them off both him and his Sonnes yet saith he It is the Lord let him doe what seemeth good in his eyes Nay let a man be never so stout otherwise in The stoutest heart humbled will submit to God his naturall constitution let him be of never so strong and sturdie a spirit yet iâ— he have this grace if he have the spirit of humiliation he shall notwithstanding submit like a Lambe when the Lord laies his hand on him I will give you one place to prove this Isa 29. 1. 2. Woe to Ariel to Ariel the City where David dwelt let them kill sacrifice yet I wil distresse Ariel What is that That is the Lion of God God calls Jerusalem the Lion and the Lion of God you know the Lion is a stout creature It is said of Saul and his Servants that they had hearts like Lions hearts And the Lion of God that adds somthing to it yet when the Lord coms upon this Lion of God Thou shalt sayth the Lord be brought downe mark that expression in Vers 4. Thy speech shall be low to the dust and thy voyce as one that hath a familiar spirit and thy speech shall whisper out of the dust Though thou be like a Lion that roares thou shalt goe and whisper in the dust and thy voyce shall be as one that hath a familiar spirit Thou shalt peepe or chirp as it is in the Originall The Lord will make a Lion to chirp and make a Lyon lye low in the dust and whisper And if you compare Lam. 3. 28. There is an expression that doth a little more cleare it It is good for a man to beare the yoak in his youth He shall sit alone and keep silence because he hath borne it he shall put his mouth in the dust if there may be hope When it is a man that is humbled he will put his mouth in the dust he will submit and lie downe if there may be hope though he know not whether there be or no this is plentifull in Scripture in every place the people of God though they were afflicted never so soare and did abide it never so long yea those that had humble hearts they used to submit patiently and quietly to it I held my peace and was dumb because it was thy doing sayth David Psal 39. Trie your hearts by these things how you are in afflictions doe you see God in the Instruments What kind of thoughts have you of God for as the mind is so is the man have you high reverent pretious thoughts of God And doe you submit can you stoop and quench the boylings of your hearts and the stirringe of your spirits Can you say as Eli did It is the Lord let him doe as he will He hath taken one child let him take the rest if he please he hath taken one of my Familie let him take more if he will He hath taken away some of my Trading let him take all if he will This is the frame of heart of a humble man In the Fourth place a humble soule that is savingly 4. A humble heart envies not the prosperity of others humbled in his afflictions for of such I speak all this while in the greatest afflictions that befall him he doth not use to envie the prosperity of others that frame of a humble heart I find in Jam. 4. 5. Pride and envie are as it were Synonomies they seem as it were the same thing The Scripture saith not in vaine the spirit that is in us lusteth after envy But he giveth more grace wherefore he saith God resisteth the proud but giveth grace unto the humble He makes pride and envie one and the same And indeed so it is you shall never see them severed you shall never see a proud heart but it is envious Now one that is humbled is not so as you shall see Psal 37. David indeed was tempted to it but the Lord delivered him from it And in Psal 73. He speaks of the prosperity of the ungodly they flourished in the World and increased in riches and sayth he Verily I have cleansed my heart in vaine for all the day long I am plagued and whipped and chastned every morning It is a strange thing sayth he see how yonder wicked man flourisheth and prospers and for my part I am as sure to be whipped every morning as I am of my break-fast as they say But if I should say so sayth he I should offend against the Generation of thy Children I thought so till I went into the Sanctuary of God and then he understood their end and his owne folly indeed it was Davids weaknesse and it was that which his heart was not throughly humbled for as it should Therefore you see proud people in the Prophesie of Malachi Chap. 3. He more plainly describes them Vers 13. Your words have been stout against me sayth the Lord. They had stout words and stouter hearts for alway the heart is worse then the words You have said it is in vaine to serve God and what profit is it that we have kept his Ordinances and that we have walked mournfully before the Lord of hosts Mark what doe we get by walking mournfully and by obeying the Commandements of God And now we call
is the cheife principle that the creature should desire its owne preservation It is so in all creatures Grace screws up and makes nature spirituall but grace goes not contrary to the mayne and solid principles of pure nature Now therefore I say that a man by grace should be brought to wish his owne destruction it is very harsh For besides that it is contrary to the principle of nature Ground of true submission to God it is contrary to the spirit of adoption for what is it that makes me submit to God It is because I have loving thoughts of him and I conceive of his love to me and the like if I should looke upon God as an enemie I should love him no more then the Devill himselfe doth it is ordinarily so But what may be in one soul or two or a few I know not But that which I meane is in ordinarie mercies especially in temporall mercies it is the frame of a humble heart to sit still and be quyet if God denie the mercie That is one thing Another thing is this that as a humble heart 2. He is content that God should take away any mercy will be content that God should denie him any mercie So Secondly he is contented if it please God to take away any mercie that he hath God shall pick and choose and if he will take away all yet he is contented and quiet It is just with a humble heart towards God as you read of an honest hearted man in the Book of God that was humble towards David you shall read of him in 2 Sam. 19. 24. It was one Mephibosheth David had given Mephibosheth him a great deale of land for his father Jonathans sake and being a lame man for his Nurse let him fall when he was a child he had a wicked servant one Ziba and when David came home he sadled asses and brought presents and told David Mephibosheth would not come to 2 Sam. 16. 1. meet the King which was a grosse lie saith David if he be so sturdie take thou the land At the last Mephibosheth finds a way to come to David and David asked him why he did not come to 2 Sam. 19. 24. him sayth he My Lord O King my servant deceived me for he sadled an asse and went away and hath slandered thy servant unto my Lord the King c. Sayth the King Vers 29. Thou and Ziba divide the land honest hearted Mephibosheth once I gave him all but now the more was the pitty he shall have one halfe and thou the other saith Mephibosheth yea let him take all for as much as my Lord the King is come again in peace unto his owne house I care little for the land though I be a lame man and cannot get any thing for my selfe and Ziba though he were a wicked man and deserved it not yet sayth he I am so taken with the Kings person that he is come home that let him take all So a humble heart carries himselfe thus towards God that when the Lord seems to be as it were in a holy chafe and anger that he takes away his mercies he takes away a child or a husband or a mans estate or the like if thou have a humble heart thou wilt not be in a rage and say let him take all in a desperate humour but he sayth meekly let him take this or that or all if he will so I may injoy him and his love I will blesse God I say when thou canst blesse God notwithstanding all be gone This was Jobs condition God tooke all from Job one after another in a little while as we see in Job 1. Sayth Job notwithstanding God hath taken all from me Naked came I out of my Mothers wombe and the Lord gives and the Lord takes blessed be the name of the Lord. Or as it is in some old Greek coppies As it pleaseth the Lord so commeth things to passe blessed be the name of the Lord. He blessed the Lord that had taken away his children and thrown downe his house yet he could blesse him Now looke a little upon your hearts how you finde your spirits when God hath denied you mercies when God hath taken away mercies As I could give you many instances but to name one or two it may be when thou wert a carnall man that thou wert a very honourable man in thy Countrie thou wert the onely States-man the man that did doe all the businesses but now since thou art Religious thou art despised and there are none that make use of thee thy honour is gone Thou wert accounted a wise man but now thou art accounted a mope and a sot Thou wert once accounted a fine young man or woman and now thy esteeme is gone canst thou be content that God hath rubbed off these mercies that one while he takes away thine honour another while thy wealth another while thy friends and yet thou canst blesse the name of God this a humble heart can doe Another thing in respect of the mercies of 3. A humble heart will wait for mercies God is this that a humble heart can be content to wait upon the Lord though he stay never so long for the least mercie Proud hearts unlesse you feed them in hast they will be gone A proud heart will not waite on God but a humble heart will stay Gods leasure till he give him what he pleaseth and how he pleaseth Hab. 2 3. The vision is for an appointed time but at the end it shall speak and not lie though it tarry wait for it because it will surely come it will not tarry Behold his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him but the just shall live by his faith The proud heart and the just man living by faith are put opposite one to the other the just shall live by faith that is though he desire mercies yet he shall be content to waite on God but he that hath his soul lifted up he will be gone he will not stay for God just like that wicked King that you read of in the Book of God This evill sayth he comes of the Lord what should I stay for him any longer a wretched man So an unhumbled heart sayth what should I stay for God any longer in this and so he takes base courses to helpe himselfe and will not waite upon God and goe in Gods wayes It is a thing highly commended in the Saints throughout all the Scriptures when they had a frame of heart to waite on God As Abraham the father of the faithfull we read of him in Acts 7. VVhen God brought him from his fathers house and from his whole estate and led him abroad from one place to another and had brought him at the last to the Land of Canaan where he had not one foot of land and his posterity was not to possesse it of foure hundred yeares after yet he blesseth God and rayseth Altars
brother doth good and I strive and cannot doe so much as he therfore I am discouraged and will doe none at all that is emulation Emulation is taken in a good sence sometimes to do good before another but not to be discouraged because another can doe more good A Ninth thing is there is a constant sweetnesse 9. There is a sweetnesse in his heart to all Saints in the soul towards all the Saints where there is a humble heart I cannot expresse this sweetnesse but a little by the contrary 2 Cor. 12. 20. sayth the Apostle I am afraid when I come among you I shall find this and this among the rest he names swellings Now a swelling a boile or a plague sore where a swelling or any tumour is there is continuall aches and stitches and prickings and uneasinesse and the partie cannot sleep or wag or stir but is ankward and unquiet in his body So it is in the soul where there is pride there is swellings it is puffed up and blowne as a bladder And where there are swellings in the heart so much swelling so much uneasinesse and unquyet The Lord humble thee and me for it there are in our hearts stitches and aches many times towards this and that Saint I am unquyet I find fault with this and that and the other man I wrangle with him and I think the fault is in him but the swelling is in mine owne heart for we finde by experience if the Lord prick that bladder and let downe that swelling the heart will be sweet as a nut and looke on all Saints with joy Whereas take a proud professor put him into what assemblie of Saints you will he is alway jangling and wrangling there is a swelling and plague sore and prickings in the heart in Ephes 4. It is called bitternesse The Apostle may allude to a feaver when people are in a feaver there is a bitternesse on the tongue the man can take nothing in while he is in that disposition he is angrie with every thing his wife and his children cannot speake to him VVhat is the reason Not because his wife is not a loving wife and his children good children but there is a bitter humour on his tongue and the disease puts him into that aukardnesse So where there is pride in the heart there is bitternesse to the Saints we are mooved with this Saint and displeased with that and fall out with the other and we are well no where we like no way in Gods Kingdome but the reason is there is a bitternesse on thy tongue and there is a swelling in thee Therefore a humble heart hath the gallantest life of any man in the World it is full of sweetnesse there is no bitternesse nor swelling but it is alway filled with love and joy when he sees the least Saint notwithstanding all his owne graces In the Tenth place as he is not easily offended 10. He is carefull not to offend other Saints with others for I might speake much of that so he is carefull of avoyding the least offence to others Indeed a humble heart you cannot easily provoke him A hand that is full of swellings if you touch it you provoke it and make it burne or else if it be whole you cannot easily chafe and distemper it And he is very carefull also of avoyding just offence to others and therefore he doth these two things First he will if need be abate much of his light 1 In abating of his own light in his practice for offence sake There is a lesson for these times It may be some doe thus but not the Generalitie of these times Pray Evodiach and beseech Syntiche that they be of the same mind in the Lord. A humble heart will abate of his light and knowledge Paul knew many things that he did not preach nor practise We have men that say this is my light let all the World say as they will this is my light and I must contend for the faith O this is contending for corruption when there is not respect to all the Saints and a doing of our utmost to avoid offence And Secondly when he must practice any thing 2. He is sorry that he must do that which offends them that offends them there is a kind of sorrow at his heart unspeakable sorrow that he must doe any thing that shall give them offence I mean the doing of good things and his conscience foreeth him to it but he is sorry for it that he must doe them A proud heart is glad and joyfull of any new nik or notion whereby he may provoke the Saints I know diverse such that live upon found conceits as Taylors invent new fashions and though they provoke the generalitie of other Saints yet it must out every weeke or fortnight it is not so with a humble heart he will see two steps before he will tread one as we say in VVales and when he sees it and must goe a step that crosseth the light and spirit of the Saints it makes his heart ake though he must obey God The Eleaventh is this a humble heart in his demeanour 11. He is gentle to other Saints in their infirmities to the Saints is very gentle towards the Saints in their Infirmities and falls Gall. 5. 1. If any one be fallen by infirmitie ye that are spiritual restore such a one with the spirit of meeknesse He should be like a Phisitian or Chirurgeon that gently sets a bone Considering thy selfe When a man is rough to another he doth not consider himselfe what he hath been and what he may be how God may leave him or her to that corruption that he sees his brother or sister fall into it proceeds from a proud heart if a professor fall men are ready to say I expected no other I thought he was an Hypocrite and so farewell he No thou shouldst goe to him and with pitty and love labour to heale him it may be when you fall you will fall lower and worser then he This is the nature of an humble heart Another thing breiflly is this he is heartily 12. He is glad to doe any service for the Saints glad of any service he can doe for the Saints he rejoyceth in any service he can doe for the least Saint nay as he is glad to doe the service so he earnestly desires that his service may be accepted of the Saints he will blesse God if such a Saint will accept of such a service There is the strangest word one of them in the Book of God for ought I know Rom. 15. 30. I have oft wondred at it Now I beseech you brethren for the Lord Jesus sake and for the love of the spirit you would thinke there were some great businesse that you strive together with me in prayer to God for me Why what was the matter Paul did never more earnestly desire their prayers That I may be delivered from them that doe
and are damned it is said they tasted of the heavenly gift and were enlightened for there is the very word Compare that with 2 Pet. 2. 20. In the one we read they were enlightned and after fell off In the other wee read that by the knowledge of Christ they were cleansed and after fell with the Dog to his Vomit I say there is a Gospell sight of God that hath some resemblance of this peculier priviledge but is not it Men may have a sight to know abundance of things of the Kingdome of God and so in a sort be said to know and to see God yet this is not the peculiar sight I am to speak of Fourthly there is a sight of God which is not peculiar 4. At the day of Judgement to the Saints and that is at the day of Judgment there wicked people shall see God Only they shall see him clothed with wrath they shall see the Lord coming out to judgement against them they shall see that Man that they thought to be but a man and no more whom they crucified they shall then see him God comming to judge the world they shal see him whom they have pierced And this is not that sight that is the priviledge of Saints It is not a corporeall sight as the Jews had nor it is not a common sight as the Heathens have by the creation or as Hypocrites have in the Gospell by illumination or as Reprobates shall have one day to their condemnation It is none of these sights But Fiftly and lastly there is a seeing of God in the A peculiar Gospell sight only to Saints Gospell by the Spirit of God which is peculiar only to the People of God There was no Saint that ever was in the world but had this sight more or lesse There were few Saints in the old Testament but somwhere or other it is mentioned and said of them that they saw God either directly or by consequence As In the old Testament for instance in the old Testament in the beginning of it though in a different manner you read of divers men that are said to be walkers with God As Noah Noah Henoch Abraham walked with God and Henoch walked with God and Abraham walked with God Now it is impossible in a spirituall right sence that you can conceive of men to walk with God hand in hand but it must necessarily imply that they did see God how shall two walk together unlesse they be agreed much lesse unlesse they see one another for a man will not walk with one which he sees not Therefore it is said of Abraham Joh. 8. 58. Abraham saw my day and rejoyced .. He did not only see the time for that is not all but he saw the glory of God in Jesus Christ though he were not yet manifested Moses So Moses also had this sight as we read Heb. 11. 27. It is said by faith he forsook Aegypt not fearing the wrath of the King for he endured as seeing him who is invisible Moses saw him who is invisible God is said to be invisible two wayes he is invisible in respect of any corporeall shape And God is said to be invisible in respect of all mankind besides the Saints he saw him who is invisible he saw him whom never man saw or shall see but only those that are in Christ as Moses was Of Solomon it is said Solomon God appeared twice to him God appeared often to Saul therefore Saul thought it strange when the Lord appeared not unto him But God did not appeare to Saul in all his dayes with such an apparition Isaiah and in that fashion as he did to Solomon So Isaiah in the Text he had a peculiar sight that made him cry out Woe is me I am undone for mine eyes have seene the King the Lord of Hosts It was common in the old Testament and in the new Testament it is every where spoken of you shall read of it more fully in the New Testament than in the Old In Isaiah 52. 8. it was prophesied concerning the new Testament In the new Testament Thy watchmen shall lift up their voyce for they shall see eye to eye when the Lord shall bring againe Zion as the Apostle saith 2 Cor. 3. We all behold with open face There was a kind of vaile over the best of them in the old though it were a peculiar thing to the S t s Paul then to see God yet now in the new Testament though the sight be the same yet it is a great deale clearer and brighter and nearer and more glorious As to give you a few instances as that of Paul 2 Cor. 12. He was wrapped up into the third heaven into Paradice where he heard wonders that were not to be uttered What were those glorious things that he saw that he could not utter Without controversie the same that Stephen saw Act. 7. The Heavens were opened Stephen and he saw Christ at the right hand of God the glory of God in Jesus Christ. And least you should think it was a thing peculiar to Paul or Stephen it is a thing commonly spoken of in the new testament of all the Saints and when Christ on the Mount saith And al the Saints blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God Mat. 5. without holines none shall see God Heb. 12. As if he should say any man that is holy shall see God In 1. Joh. 3. A man that lives in sin hath not seene God And he that loves not his Brother hath not seene God It is a common thing it is it hath been and it shall be the Saints and all the Saints have a peculiar sight of God that the world knowes not of To open it a little further that hearing that there is such a glorious thing you may look after it and set your minds to consider it I shall indeavour it as far as I may according to Scripture because there is nothing but the light of the word and Spirit that can discover this You will say what is this sight Or how is it Or how shall we understand it This sight of God which only Saints have is I will lay before you these 4 or 5 propositions in generall that you may have a little light of it out of the scriptures The first is this that the sight of God which the Sâ—â— 1 Imperfect have in this world it is but imperfect it is but in part it is not ful compleat until they be in heaven Not that I meane that they see some part of God in this world and they shall see him all in the other world No a Saint seeth God wholly here he sees all that is in God he sees his love he sees his power he sees his strength he sees his righteousnesse he sees his mercy he sees his all Attributes far otherwise then a carnall man can and that
the originall God hath put this treasure As we find in naturall things Pearles are in the shels of little fishes and the shell is worth nothing So though we be little worth God hath made the preaching of the Gospell by us the way to bestow these glorious priviledges He will make known himself in Christ the same that shall be for ever hereafter which only the Saints enjoy and this is by the word And it is by the Spirit as it is in 2 Cor. 3. VVhere And by the Spirit the spirit is there is liberty where it is not there is a vaile over the heart and minde that none can take a-away but the spirit of God Where the spirit is there is liliberty What is that When a man hath the Spirit he is freed from that Vaile his eyes are opened as he saith after we that are S t s we have no vaile but we behold with pen face the glory of God Through the Gospel we see Christ and through Christ the Father the glory of the Lord but how By the spirit of the Lord that is the Spirit of the Lord uncovers the face and annoints the eyes Therefore the Spirit is called Oyntment because he annoints the eyes and he is called Eye-salve Revel 3. he helps us to see So thus you have a little for it is an unspeakable thing and therefore we can only speak a little aloofe afarr off that you may know that there is such a thing but it is God himselfe that must bestow it on you and me I will add one more particular because I find it in the Scripture concerning this seeing of God I finde it is spoken of 3 wayes or as it were in 3 pathes First the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ when The Father shews us Christ we were dead in sins and when we saw nothing at all the Father shews us Christ Before we have any thing to doe with Christ actively the Father hath many things to doe on us passively as Christ saith Joh. 17. Father all that were thine thou gavest them to me Before Christ comes the Father is making the match and commending his Sonne to us when we are meerly passive in it For that is a generall rule a man never acts but by Jesus Christ therefore let men talke what they will God may doe what he will passively on me but I am not to acts at all till Jesus Christ come but I say passively the Father was woing us to his Son and no man saith Christ comes to me except the Father draw him and those that have learned and are taught of the Father come to me Joh. 6. 45. That I say is one sight that a poore sinner hath a sight of the Excellency of Jesus Christ Now it may be if thou look back and consider how God did deale with thee at the first thou canst remember when many times Jesus Christ was presented to thee in his excellencie sometimes more sometimes lesse and thou sawest him an excellent person and wouldest have given a world for him and didst account it a heaven and happinesse to enjoy him Now whence was this but that the Father was willing to make the match between his Son and thee and shewed this excellency of him Secondly I finde on the other side in Scripture Christ shews us the Father that the Son Christ gives us to see the Father for the Father is not seene all this while thou seest not who shews thee that Excellency thou seest Christ before and wouldest give a world for him but thou knowest not who opened the Window it is the Father and then Christ only shews the Father that is after thou art married to Christ and Christ will shew thee thy Friends When Christ hath married the Soule he will shew it what riches is in him what grace righteousnes and goodnesse and saith Christ I have a Father and I am willing that you should be acquainted with him and know him so Christ leads us to the Father that is that Christ speaks Joh. 14. Ye know me and ye know the Father And saith he hast thou seene me and not known the Father he that hath seene me hath seene the Father for wee see the Father through Christ that is all the knowledge we have of the Father for the Father is another person just like Christ he is invisible no eye ever saw him but through Christ that is I see what pitty and love and grace and goodnesse is in Christ and such is in the Father There are no two things in all the creation of God that are so like one another as the Father is to Jesus Christ so that as though I know one Egg I may know another yet two Eggs are not comparable or to be mentioned for likenesse as the Father is to Christ So that if a man have perfect understanding of Christ he will have also of the Father Thirdly both these though the one be passive and Both done by the Spirit the other active that now I must looke with mine owne eyes that Christ hath put in my head to see the Father though the Father shewed Christ to me when I was blind and dead I say both are done by the Spirit of God who is called sometimes the spirit of God and sometimes the spirit of Christ and Christ saith the spirit shall take of my things and shew them to you So the Spirit from the one and the other makes manifestations So you have seene a little towards the opening of this glorious priviledge that the Saints have of seeing God in this world The manner how the Saints see God There are 4 or 5. things more which the Scripture speaks of our seeing of God and which the Saints finde by experience I shall but briefly touch them I have told you that a Saint sees God but in part 1 They see but a part and yet a Saint sees but a part of God as it were at any time He sees not God fully in any thing and yet he sees but a part as it were of God almost at any time that is the Lord doth not discover al his glory to any Saint at once but somtimes the Lord reveales to his child and lets him see his glorious power in such a way as no carnall man ever shall Another while he lets him see the glory of his Justice and that it may be ravisheth him for a time Another while God sheds his love into his heart and sets that before him God might shew himselfe at once he might shew himselfe fully if he pleased but this is his manner and dealing as we see in the Scriptures and as the Saints finde generally in Experience That is one thing Then secondly in this sight of God though the 2. What they see is amiable Lord shew but part of himselfe at once sometimes it may be a greater part then at an other time yet that part be it what it
have partly heard it before therefore I will be the briefer The Question will be in case that any by Quest what hath been spoken doe see that he hath not seene God aright How shall I come to attaine it Beloved when I speak to you of meanes how Answ The order how Saints come to see God to come to any thing you must understand one thing we prescribe not meanes as Phisitians do to a sick man as Rew or Camomite or Orgaine and the like that are in his power he can goe to a Neighbours or to an Apothicaries shopp and buy them So when I speak of meanes it is not in your power to have them as a Ladder to get up and see God by but when I say the meanes I lay downe the series and order whereby God is manifested to the Soule though all bee his free grace Now that order or Series you have in Scripture If thou want this sight of God thou must first be 1 To be convinced that all meanes in the world will not make known God Simile convinced that all the meanes in the World will not make known God to thee unlesse he manifest himselfe That is one thing As the Sun when it is under a cloud all the Candles and Torches in the world cannot discover it till it come out it selfe and then you may see it if it hide it selfe you cannot So saith Christ Joh. â—4 I and my Father will manifest our selves to him As if he had said it is our prerogative we do it when and where we please all the world cannot help to it when we doe it not therefore say Lord it is thy priviledge I have not eyes to see thee it is not all that I can doe and that all the World can doe I cannot reach thee Lord manifest thy selfe to me That is the first thing A second thing that I finde in this series or order 2 A man must be borne againe that God takes to manifest himselfe is that he usually begets men againe or causeth them to be borne againe before they can see him These Phrases are oft joyned in Scripture of being borne again and seeing of God Joh. 3. Verily verily except a man be borne from above he cannot see the Kingdome of God And in the Kingdome of God God and Christ is the chiefe thing without this thou can'st not see it So in Joh. 6. 45. It is written they shall all be taught of God every man therefore that hath heard and learned of the Father commeth to me Not that any man hath seene the Father except or save he that is of God he hath seene the Father To be of God and to be borne of God are promiscuous in the Epistle of John somtimes a man is said to be of God and somtimes to be borne of God No man hath seen God but he that is of God or that is born of God compare that with 1 John 3. VVhosoever committeth sin he hath not seen God nor known him little children let no man deceive you whosoever is borne of God committeth not sin Therefore whosoever seeth God must needs be born of God What is that to be borne of God Briefly for I cannot now open it at large to To be borne of God what be borne of God is when there are other pronciples put in you by the Spirit of God that are not in flesh and bloud When there is a new creature put in you That is when there is a heavenly wisedome and knowledge heavenly faculties heavenly principles when there is a new creature in the soule of a man by which he sees and knowes and apprehends and loves and doth things utterly beyond flesh and bloud Therefore to be borne of God and to be borne of flesh and bloud are contrary one to another Therefore if thou wilt see God thou must not thinke to doe it as to finde out a controversie in Divinity or to to know a mystery in a Trade it is not thy studie and straining of thy witt thou mayest doe that if thou wilt But desire of God to frame the new creature in thee thou must not only have other things presented before these eyes but thou must have another paire of eyes to see things another understanding other principles a new creature framed in thy heart that is the force of the argument of Christ to Nicodemus Joh. 3. Except a man be borne againe he cannot see the Kingdome of God As if he had said I know thou art a great student and thou takest paines to goe to Heaven but I will deale plainly with thee thou must be borne of God thou must be a new creature or else thou mayst study all thy life thou mayst study thy heart out and it will not doe therefore beg of God to make thee a new creature He is the Sun of righteousnesse that can shine where he pleaseth the blessed Spirit is that wind that bloweth where it listeth He must make thee a new creature or else thou hast no faculty to behold him For if God should shine upon the old creature thou hast no more eyes to see him then a blind man to behold the light Thirdly in this order of seeing God which is 3 God must deliver us from Satans Kingdome all of his free grace to doe this I only shew you the author of it it is none of it in thy power get the Lord to deliver thee from the Kingdome of Satan or else thou canst never see him The Kingdome of the Devill is a Kingdome of darknesse so darke that as long as a man lives in that Kingdome Satans Kingdome darknesse he is never like to see any thing of God Therefore if thou wilt see God or spirituall things labour to come into that Kingdom where light shines There are some Nations in the North that they have halfe the yeare night it is almost a Kingdome of darknesse a man though he have eyes cannot see there So the Devils Kingdome is a Kingdome of darknesse and marke it as farre as there is darknesse in any soule so farre the Devils Kingdome is there For the Devill hath no bodily outward Kingdome of Lands and estates and revenues but darknesse is his Kingdome and so much darknesse so much inheritance the Devill hath That is the reason that where there is none of the Gospell the Devill hath a great Kingdome he hath a great Kingdome in VVales and in the north of England and in Ireland because there is a great deale of darknesse there therefore doe thou desire the Lord to translate thee out of the Kingdome of darknesse to the Kingdome of his deare Sonne See this in 2. Cor. 4. saith the Apostle If our Gospell be hid it is hid to them that are lost He speaks of unfruitfull hearing of the word there is no fault in the Gospell but it is a signe that they are a People that must perish that the Gospell can doe
Reas 2 All that is in God is of a humbling nature nature I find that God manifesting any attribute of his at any time to any of his children it doth humble them as for instance let the Lord shew his greatnesse in a spirituall way I meane as he 1 Gods greatnesse did to David Psal 8. when he saw the greatnesse of God that the Sun and Moone were the workes of Gods fingers then David cries out VVhat is man Lord that thou doest respect him It made poore David to be as nothing So also his goodnesse his love 2 Gods goodnesse as that in Samuell when David daunced before the Arke he cries I will be yet more vile Why so Because God hath chosen me saith he to Michel rather then thy Fathers House He saw the goodnesse of God therefore he would be more humble and more vile And so I might shew of all the rest There is nothing in God if it be discovered to a poore creature that is a sinner but it dasheth and abaseth and humbleth him I will not speake of the Scriptures that positively and punctually prove it for I spake something of them before to you But if you aske how can that be that the Quest looking upon God should make one humble how can the beholding of God worke such a grace in the heart Beloved I have told you a little how it doth Answ it and I can tell you no more and if this will not serve if you cannot see clearly how this can be I must referre you to the works of God in the creature and there you shall see some resemblance of Secret works in grace and nature it if you can tell me how Labans sheep conceived spotted Lambs by beholding the peeled rods or if you can tell me how the men were healed of their wounds by looking on the brazen Serpent then I will tell you how a man by seeing of God in a speciall manner in Christ is humbled We see in nature many such strange mysteries that we cannot unfold As they say the Basiliske with her eye will kill a man at a distance and as we see here in our owne home an onion will make a man weep at a distance Wee can give something that wee call reason but there are a world of things in the creature as the ebbing and flowing of the Sea and the like that we cannot give a reason of And if it be so in the creature why should it not in this that a poore sinner beholding God in Christ by faith spiritually should receive grace for grace from him And if we be posed in knowing the particular reason of the strange operations of God in the work of creation we might wel cease our disputes how God humbles the soule even by beholding him when God beholds the soule or the soule beholds God But the last thing I shall open is this why the Quest Lord hath ordered it that that shall be the way to humble our soules Answ Why the Lord will humble men bâ— the fight of him We cannot goe far in asking such questions as these Why God will work it thus but yet I will give you these two reasons instead of all The first is this that I find that it is a generall rule with God towards all creatures marke it all good is in God every good and perfect gift comes from him and I find that it is a generall rule God will have all to looke to him in giving that when God gives any thing to Man or Beast or Bird to soule or body he will make them looke up to him that is the giver As in Psal 145. 15. The eyes of all saith David wait on thee and thou givest them meat in due season thou openest thy hand and satisfiest the desire of every living thing That is the meaning is that all the creatures though you know not how it is yet God makes the Birds and Beasts in the Wildernesse he makes them to eye and to looke after him Another thing is this the Lord will doe this as God will draw our hearts to him by a fight of him Christ said in another sence that he might draw mens minds and hearts to him just as we use to do when we have a mind to bring our children to love us we will have some fine thing to give them we will give it and the child must come to us there is nothing in the childs comming to make us give it but because we will not only bestow the thing on the child for his good but win his affections and bring him to know us and love us and make a Leg and to thanke us and the like so the Lord will not give any thing to us but we must come and looke to him that we may not so much love the thing as fall in love with that blessed hand that gives Therefore our life is hid with Christ in God Why so that our affections may be above where Christ is Collos 3. 2. So the Lord will not bestow any thing upon us but he will have our eye upon him that we may love and delight in him that bestowes all upon us So much briefly for the opening of it Now I shal conclude at this time with a word or two of use leave the rest for another opportunity The Use for the present is this that you may clearely learne hence that sinners and carnall men men that are not borne againe or are not new Use 1. Unregenerate men cannot be truly humbled creatures they cannot be truly humbled they can have no true humiliation because as it is evidently proved in the doctrine before they have no true sight of God therefore they cannot be truly humbled they may keep Fasts and come to church and heare Sermons and do a great many things but they cannot be truly humbled They may have divers things like humiliation but it is not true Gospell Yet he may 1 See his sins saving humiliation As for instance a wicked carnall man he may see his sins and he may be convinced of them in a naturallway just for all the world as a man by the Statutes of England if he have broken any of them if he read the Statutes by the strength of reason he may say I have brok the Statute And so he may by reading the book of God God saith that whormongers drunkards and coveteous shal not enter into the Kingdome of God and he may say but I am such a one he may doe this in a naturall way alas this is farre enough from humiliation Nay farther the Lord may put wrath in the 2 He may be terrefied Law he may put wrath in judgements and afflictions and he may be terrified and wofully troubled because of sinne and yet not be humbled So the Devils in Hell though they have enough of that yet they are not humbled So Judas and Cain and Saul they were troubled
endeavour to helpe them Take a humble heart let him be never so excellent in grace and let him come to the least and the meanest of the people of God he thinks there is somthing in yonder Saint though he speake not three words of godlinesse yet there is something in him if I could draw it out that is able to doe me good God hath â—â—de us as the members of the body that we should depend one upon another God hath made the little toe not only for it selfe but for the whole body and the best member is beholding to it Therefore if it be a poore Saint though he be never so poore and meane yet a humble heart sees there is some treasure of God in that soul for me if I can get it though he be weake and the thing be a common thing yet if I have a humble heart I shall learne somewhat and if he come and reproove him thinks he I am the least of Saints and this man is above me therefore he dares not storme Not like many people among us that set themselves and their hearts above most of the Saints whereupon they goe on to others and tell them there is such a man he will not heare me Why Because his heart is set above most Saints and above the word of God too if we should tell Archippus that he should looke to his ministry If a poore Saint should goe to a brave Minister as he rides in his Coach and bid him take heed of the love of money and of the love of the World and that he be not proud how would he disdaine him whereas we should be more humble then any other and readier to receive reproofe or instruction from the meanest Saint then any other The Lord make us so and doe you pray to God that we may be so Sixtly you shall know the humilitie of his heart 6. He undervalues not grace in others though it be with mixture in his demeanour to the Saints by this that notwithstanding alll mixtures whatsoever in the graces of the Saints yet he dares not undervalue the grace of God in them I say notwithstanding all the mixtures for we are Gods wheat but there is a great deale of chaff in us there is a strange mixture in the Saints of flesh and spirit that is one Then there are other mixtures want of breeding it may be coursnesse it may be roughnesse of carriage it may be an untoward naturall disposition it may be want of naturall parts as some say Now a humble heart though there be any of these mixtures with it yet he will prize the grace yea even for these mixtures sake Now to proud hearts bring a clownish man though he be full of grace alas he is not for their company they know not what to doe with him he cannot tell stories as they can he is not a companion for them but take an humble heart and let it be a Barbarian or Scithian and they are strange people let it be bond or free be he what he will be so he see Jesus Christ in his soul he is company for him Beloved the very gifts and graces of God are variously dispensed to us and they have various operations As the dispensations are various to us so their works are various from us but let the dispensations and operations be what they will if it be a humble heart that sees Christ in the soul he can rejoyce in him Seaventhly in a word you shall know a humble 7. He is readier to learn then to teach heart in his carriage towards the Saints by this He is swift to hear and slow to speake as James sayth Chap. 1. 19. You will say what is that Why is that the marke of a humble heart The meaning is he is alway more ready to learne then to teach The humblest heart is alway more apt to receive then to doe it is more apt to heare then to speake to learne then to teach others Now a proud heart will be alway teaching and talking take a proud man or woman and whatsoever company they are in they look on themselves as teachers of that company all must stand still as Job sayth to heare their wisedome and they must fasten something upon them that they would have them learne But wherever a humble heart comes in company he thinks first of receiving he thinks this people are more fit to teach me and to doe me good then I can to them at least we will doe one another good mutually as Paul sayth it is the manner of some people you shall never add to them they will talke all if they be in company they will feed themselves with their owne speeches you shall never fasten any thing upon them it is the weaknesse of some women to be over forward in talking and it is the wickednesse also or pride of heart in others who else would be more willing to heare then to speake and to learne then to talke out their opportunities Eightly you shall know a humble heart by his 8. He is not discouraged by seeing greater grace in others demeanour to other Saints in this he is not discouraged in grace by the sight of greater grace in others and he is not discouraged in his endeavours to doe good though all round about him be enabled to doe more good He is not discouraged in grace by the sight of greater grace in others Indeed he is humbled that others are more watchfull and tender and live more to God but yet he is not discouraged There are some but it is the pride of their hearts when they looke one others that are greater in grace they are as a weake sight that looks on the sun then they can see nothing there is nothing but mopeing and louring whereas they should goe sweetly and humble themselves such a one hath more grace but it may be I have had as much time and as many stirrings up of the people of God and yet what a poore low creature am I Againe he is not discouraged from endeavouring to doe good in any place though others can and doe more good then he I have seen some that have gone for brave Christians heretofore that a man when he had seen them would have thought he had seen an Angel of Heaven they were such glorious Saints yet they have been struck in the head when they have come to doe good among people that they thought were more able then they Though it were their humilitie to be more apt to heare then to speake yet when I am called to doe good and doe not doe it because others are more able then I that is priae of heart because I think if I set up my little candle among so many great ones that shine brighter mine would not be seen Therefore in Galla. 6. one of the works of the flesh is emulation that is a kind of contending with others about good things when another
done with Secondly that The Law of God is perfectly fulfilled in all true believers Thirdly that True believers are they who walke not after the flesh but after the Spirit We made some entrance upon the second that The righteousnesse of the Law is fulfilled in all true believers I spake a little of this and shall adde something farther to what I said if God will The righteousnesse of the Law is fulfilled in every The righteousness of the Law fulfilled in every true believer not personally true believer Not personally as I told you for there is no Saint no not Abraham himselfe that can say the righteousnesse of the Law is fulfilled in me that is personally that I have walked so the Law is satisfied by my walking But the righteousnesse of the law is fulfilled in us not personally but in us by reason but by our union with Christ that Christ and we are one and he is made righteousnesse to us 1 Cor. 1. 30. He is made of God to in wisdome righteousnesse sanctification and redemption Then whatsoever Christ is or hath it is ours Therefore saith the Apostle The righteousnesse of the Law is fulfilled in us He doth not say it is fulfilled in Christ though that be true but he takes the boldness to say it is fulfilled in us by vertue of our union with Jesus Christ So in every true Saint or believer the righteousnesse of the law through Christ The weakest Saint in Christ hath satisfied the Law is perfectly fulfilled The weakest Saint if he be a true Saint he hath perfectly fulfilled the law of God he hath perfectly satisfied every demand that the law can make he hath perfectly paid every penny worth of debt that he oweth to the law the weakest Saint it may be a poore Saint that men can see nothing but corruption in all the day and all the weeke and all the yeare long almost yet that man if he be a true Saint though he be weak hath perfectly in Christ kept the law of God and is a just man and the law of God cannot come upon him nor the Sergeant the Devill to arrest him for one penny or farthing because he can say as Paul saith here The righteousnesse of the law is fulfilled in us Therefore that is the reason as I told you that Paul saith I am dead to the law that is I am as free from the law as a man that is dead when a man is dead the law goes no further on him So it is said we are delivered from the law and freed from the law And that is the reason also that the Apostle In Christ we are saved by Gods righteousnesse as well as mercy three times in one Chapter puts our salvation upon the righteousnesse of God he saith not by the mercie of God though that be true there is infinite mercie but saith he that God might declare his righteousnesse in Christ to save us It is a mercifull thing for God to give us Christ and to give us hearts to know that Christ and to believe in that Christ it is infinite unspeakable mercie But now that wee are in Christ and united to him as there was mercie so it is righteous and just with God to save us because we are righteous persons Mistake me not I say every poore Saint through Christ is a righteous person a just man I say in and through Christ he hath taken away all our sins and forgiven all our iniquities Coll. 2. So that when God saves believers he doth not only save them out of mercie but out of righteousness he can doe no otherwise therefore it is three times over his righteousness his righteousness his righteousness Rom. 3. And that is a blessed word in Heb. 12. Yee are come to the spirits of just men made perfect I doe not conceive that it is spoken of the spirits of men in heaven as many doe and no wonder they mistake for I did so for many yeares That place it looks so like heaven that I tooke it for heaven it self Yee are come unto mount Sion to the generall assembly and Church of the first borne and to the spirits of just men made perfect A man would think it were heaven it self it is called heaven but it is nothing in the world but the glorious estate of the Saints in Jesus Christ under the new Testament as you may see afterwards Therefore as Christ saith let this word sink into your hearts that if thou be a right believer thou art as perfectly just and righteous through Jesus Christ as if thou hadst never sinned against the law of God not by thy own righteousnesse but by the righteousnesse of Jesus Christ For what can be said more saith the Apostle The righteousness of the law is fulfilled He doth not say we have a peice of it but it is fulfilled that is to a jote or tittle the law cannot say black is thine eye because Christ hath paid and done all that it can demand Now to give you a word or two of the grounds or reasons to help you to believe this truth to shew you how it comes about It comes about three wayes I meane it will be cleare to you three wayes if you consider three things First You must consider that Jesus Christ Reas 1. Christ a publike person which is our suretie he was sent of the Father out of his love as a publike person to fulfill the law of God by doing and suffering as a publike person There is much comfort in that Beloved you can never throughly understand your justification unlesse you study the first Adam what kind of person Adam was as you may see in Rom. 5. Now the Lord Jesus he came as a publike person and he was delivered for our offences as it is said Rom. 3. ult he did die for our sinnes That is one thing Now the second thing that demonstrates this to 2. From the union between Christ and believers us is besides his dying and that as a publike person there is a union made between every poore believer and Christ as really as between Christ and his Father Indeed it is called in Scripture a marriage because as in a marriage all the wealth of the husband is the wives it becomes hers and shee hath a right to it after marriage So all that is in Christ becomes ours by this union But it is a more reall union a closer union by far then that of marriage it is compared to the union between the members and the head Now by this union that you may read of in Joh. 17. all that is ours becomes Christs and all that is Christs becomes ours There are two things Then thirdly we finde that God the father to 3. God the Father is satisfied which appeares whom the debt was owing and whose law this was that we must satisfie he acknowledgeth satisfaction And what can we have more God the father acknowledgeth
those things that now you know not nor cannot know Therfore labour to learne that lesson it is one of the greatest Mysteries in the World and that is the reason that carnall people carp at these things What greater Mysterie then for me being a just and righteous man through Christ yet to be so sinfull that I can say there is none more sinfull and yet I am as righteous as Abraham or Paul in respect of the righteousnesse of Christ I have as large a share as Abraham or Paul and yet I am full of sin A Christian knowes this and he knowes how it is so Well that is one lesson consider of it that you may know where to plant your justification upon the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ The Lord teach it to you and me Secondly if the righteousnesse of the law be Vse 2. Saints should see their condition in Christ glorious fulfilled in all that are beleivers through Jesus Christ Then all you that are Saints all you that beleive in Jesus Christ labour to see the glorious condition that you are in that you may be able to reflect upon your selves not according to what you are out of Christ but what you are considered to be as Members of Jesus Christ as unyted to Jesus Christ Therfore you shall have Paul and it doth me good to see his spirit he never reckons himselfe as in himselfe but as in Jesus Christ I can doe all things I can want and I can abound I can doe this and that and all in Christ So I To look on our selves as unyted to Christ must never conceive of God out of Christ nor of my selfe out of Christ I must never conceive of my selfe and Christ as two but I should indeavour clearly and constantly that whatsoever good there is in Christ it is myne as if it were in myne owne person And so we should have our spirits raysed above the temptations of the World and above the afflictions of the World and above corruptions It is a pittifull thing to see poore Professors Why many Christians have such low Spirits there is not one of many but they are ordinarily below temptations and they lie under burdens and are below their sins Nay there are many professors that are more sad and drooping then carnall people Surely this was not the way of those Saints that we read of in the New Testament they had glorious spirits how doe you think else they could goe to the stocks and to Prisons and from one Compter to another and have their spirits so raysed and yet sometimes they were to die the next morning for ought they knew Your spirits will never be heightened and raysed to live the life of Paul by beholding any thing that is in you personally in your posession but what you are by relation and marriage to Christ Reckon your selves dead with Christ and so conceive I am a just man I was bound once to the law of God a terrible law and there are thousands in hell paying the debt and cannot pay it and yet I have paid every farthing and the law cannot ask me more I have offered a perfect righteousnesse to God and I am now sitting at Gods right hand in Heaven by my unyon with Jesus Christ This is the life of faith that we may be able to The life of faith tryumph over all these things below from our Justification as Paul doth Rom. 8. It is God that Justifieth and who shall condemne Who shall seperate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus Shall Tribulation or distresse or Famine or nakednesse or perill or Sword Nay in all these things we are more then Conquerors through Christ that loved us Indeed Tribulation and hunger and Famine they are sad things but these are the least troubles of a Christian these outward miseries Over these we are more then Conquerers sayth Paul I can tie my right hand at my back and with my left hand beat all these back I can beat them with a finger Nay I say more Neyther death nor life that is more nor Angels nor principalities nor powers nor things present nor things to come nor height nor depth nor any other creature shall be able to seperate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. See there how he dares all the Enemies to come upon the Stage and tramples them under feet As in Malachy it is said that in the time of the Gospell they shall tread their Enemies as ashes under their feet So there is a place also in 1 Cor. 1â— Death is swallowed up in victorie As if he had sayd you that have received Christ Jesus I will tell you news Death is swallowed up in victorie O death where is thy sting O Grave where is thy Victorie He feares the grave and death and triumphs over them O death where is thy sting thou thoughtest to overcome me but where is thy sting The sting of death is sin and the strength of sin is the law but thanks be unto God who hath given us Victorie through Jesus Christ our Lord. He doth not say which will give us Victory when we are dead and then we shall be perfect in Heaven It is true then we shall be more perfect but he saith which hath given us Victorie for the present I have already overcome Hell and death and the Devill for all hangs on the law the law is Gods writ and the Devill is Gods Sergeant that executes that writ and Hell is the Prison Therefore if the law be satisfied if the righteousnesse of the law be fulfilled death and Hell and the Devill have nothing to doe with me So in Rom. 4. ult Who was delivered for our offences and was raysed for our justification And then it followes Chap. 5. 1. Beeing Justified by faith we have peace with God See where the Apostle layes justification And we glory in tribulation knowing that it worketh patience c. We rejoyce in tribulation and affliction Why Because we are Justified by Christs death and Resurection O what kind of spirits should we have How full of joy and comfort should we be in the greatest tribulation How should we tread all this World under our feet the evills of this World and the comforts of the World How should we insult and tryumph over the Devill and over death and Hell for all their power as I sayd is from the law and if the righteousnesse of the law be fulfilled then all our Enemies are subdued and all is cleare Heaven is open and God is mine and the favour of God is to me For know this that there is no naturall imbred What hinders the creature from enjoying God hatred in God to his creature there is nothing that keeps the creature from the full injoyment of God but the law not being satisfied God made a law and we made the breach of it and there falls out the distance betweene
the creatures and God whether men or Devills Now then if I can say though I be a sinfull man yet Jesus Christ hath fullfilled the law the law hath a full righteousnesse to a farthing then I know I am one with God he is wholly for me and I for him and all the enemies of my Salvation are conquered Now if the Lord would open your eyes to understand the hope of your calling the glorious condition you are brought into you would not walke so weakly and poorly and sadly and dejectedly that every thing should cast you downe but you would goe on and trample all the World under your feet we should be above men and Deviils and the World and every thing if we did but understand to what a glorious estate God hath called us in this World through Jesus Christ Therfore a man reflecting upon his justification as he may looke upon himselfe and account himselfe something so he may account death and Hell and all subdued and he may account that the law cannot demand a farthing of him That wheras the breach of the law kept us from communion with God that being taken away we are as righteous as if we had never fallen O glorious condition There Paul Ephesians 1. He prayes that they might know the riches and hope of their calling That is that they might understand what this glorious calling is that God hath called us to That is a second lesson we should learne hence First seeing the righteousnesse of the law is fulfilled in us we should learne how to buyld our Justification aright how to lay the Foundation of it And Secondly we should endeavour to get out spirits raysed like people that are freed from the law Thirdly and there I shall end for this time Vse 3. To conforme our hearts and lives to the will of God being freely and fully justified by the grace of Jesus Christ this should follow to any one that understands it that therfore we should study and learn to conform our selvs in our hearts lives out of love to the will of God There comes in holinesse and there it comes in amayne and never before all before is nothing but bungling but then it comes rightly We should I say conforme our selves to the example and to the rule of Jesus Christ in his Gospel And that you may understand that you must know that every man in this World Three rules to one of which all men are conformd hath a rule to walke by And there are but three great rules and all men doe and must conforme to one of these three For there is no man that doth an action but it is in reference to a rule Now you have one rule in 1 Pet. 1. 14. As 1. Mens lusts obedient Children not fashioning your selves according to the lusts of your former Ignorance Which shews that once they did conforme themselves they did fashion themselves unto their lusts but sayth he now God hath justified you you must not conforme your selves to your lusts Most of man kind make their lusts their rule which the Prophet calls in Scripture to doe that which is right in their owne eyes To doe what is their mind what they like in their owne mind and as that worthy Dr PRESTON sayth they think when they are in their beds what place they shall goe to and where they shall spend their time and when they are up they doe that which is right in their owne eyes what they have a lust to when they have a lust to be drunk they will be drunk when they have a lust to be filthy they will be filthy when they have a lust to be idle or a lust to be malicious against their Neighbours they will be so So that the stirrings of their lusts are their rule and their whole life is nothing but a transforming them from one lust to another Sayth Peter you must not doe so but as Obedient Children if God have justified you if Christ have fulfilled the law perfectly for you that you can dare sin and Hell and Satan and tread all under feet doth it become you to fashion your hearts and lives to your lusts Is that a good rule no you must not doe so Another rule is this World Rom. 12. 2. Be not 2. The World conformed to this World It is the coppy of many men the Looking-glasse that they dresse themselvs by every day how to square it in the World how to keep their port with their Neighbors and Gentlemen they converse with and with great men that have command of them and with their fellow Officers c. And so women how they may goe brave as their Neighbours doe and get credit in their eyes So most people their maine rule is they care not whether it please God and conforme them to his son at all so they can keep correspondensie with the World Now you must not doe so for 3. The example and rules of Christ they are yet in their sins poore wretches therefore let them conforme to their lusts and they that are of the World let them conforme to it But since God hath redeemed you from the wicked World by the blood of his son and hath brought you to this condition and bestowed glorious and unspeakable priviledges on you you should conforme your selves to the Image and example of Jesus Christ and to the rules of Jesus Christ in the New Testament in all your actions and wayes You cannot write without looking on your coppie the best Saint cannot write one line without viewing and looking on his coppie for every letter For all your actions you are to have two things in your eye that you may doe the action right and carrie your selves right Eyther eye Jesus To look on Christs example Christ and his example how would Christ have done if he had beene here What did Christ doe in the like case in the Gospell So by eying that there will be a power as in Jacobs sheep by beholding the rods the spirit of God will convey a power looking upon the picture that is before us that is Iesus Christ to transforme us into his likenesse Or secondly think of the rules of Jesus Christ To look on Christs rules the rules of the new Testament this blessed word have frequent recourse to the spirituall rules of the new Testament that should be your coppy When any case comes follow not your lusts and act not according to the wisdome of the flesh to say this or that I will doe but consider what is your rule you walke by another rule What have I to doe what such a man and such a man doth but what is my rule how must I carry my selfe As for instance when you come among people Severall Gospell rules that rejoyce for any mercie what is the rule Rejoyce with them that rejoyce and weep with them that weep It may be a man hath received great unkindnesse and
good sayth Christ and then the fruit will be good such as the tree is such will be the fruit such as the Fountaine is such will the streame be And when a mans principles the frame of his heart is nothing but flesh then of necessitie his actions must be fleshly his affections must be fleshly If he have a fleshly mind he must have a fleshly will a fleshly love fleshly hatred a fleshly life fleshly prayers fleshly Sacraments fleshly every thing for every thing must be according to its principle So on the other side where the principle is spirituall there a man will mind spirituall things he will love spirituall things he will doe spirituall things he will delight in spirituall things That is one reason of it And the second is this for I will give you but Reas 2. Carnall men know not spirituall things these two because the cheife thing that I intend at this time is the opening of it fleshly carnall men that are after the flesh they must mind fleshly things because they know not spirituall things they understand not spirituall things Or if you will and it may be that word hath something more in it 1 Cor. 2. They perceive not spirituall things they doe not ken and Perceive them Now you know that a man minds not I meane look upon it as the acting of the understanding a man cannot mind but what he knowes a man cannot think of things he knowes not That is the reason to proove that poore ignorant people speak an untruth and deceive themselves when they say we remember God we mind God wheresoever we are and yet they know not God For God is not minded but when he is knowne As in that place of the Corinthians A naturall man cannot perceive the things of the spirit he doth not know Jesus Christ therefore he cannot mind him he doth not Know the things of the spirit of God therefore he cannot set his heart upon them Without Knowledg the mind cannot be good That is till a man have a stock of knowledg of things he can never act his understanding and mind about it There are two short reasons why those that are carnall and fleshly those that are after the flesh they mind the things of the flesh and they mind nothing else nor cannot and those that are after the spirit mind the things of the spirit because they know them they understand them and understanding them they cannot choose as David saith Psal 1. But excercise themselves in them day and night They excercise their thoughts and affections and all in them Now for the opening of it unto you here are The Point opened by 3 questions three questions First what is meant by beeing after the flesh And Secondly what is meant by the things of 1. What meant by beeing after the flesh the flesh and the things of the spirit I will put them both together For the one will open the other And what is meant by minding the things of the flesh and by minding the things of the spirit First by beâ—ing after the flesh it is in effect the same that I told you before to walk as to the Flesh therefore if you have not forgotten that you will easily understand this But yet to make it clearer you must understand that a man is said to be after the flesh or carnall for so they read it in Latine Qui carnalis c. Men are said to be carnall or after the flesh three wayes The first is when a man is a true Saint but hath 1. VVhen a Saint hath little grace and much corruption but a little measure of grace and hath much corruption much flesh It pleaseth the holy Ghost many times to denominate such a man by the greatest part that is in him which is flesh and so to call him carnall As in Rom. 7. Sayth Paul speaking how spirituall the law is but sayth he I am carnall sold under sin sold to sin Not that there was no grace in Paul but that there was such abundance of corruption at least in his feeling So in 1 Cor. 3. Are yee not carnall sayth Paul have ye not need of milk are ye noâ— Babes When I heare there are such divisions that some are for Paul and some for Apollo and some for Cephas Are yee not carnall are ye not after the flesh That is is there not a World of corruption in you doth not corruption rule and beare sway over that little grace that is in you So in Gal. 6. 1. If any man be overtaken with sin ye that are spirituall restore such done That is as if he had sayd there are some carnall and they cannot keepe themselves from beeing overtaken freequently with sin and much lesse can such restore others but a spirituall man one that the spirit hath prevailed in some measure over the flesh in keeping him from the foyles and falls that weake men fall into and making him able in some measure to rayse and heale others Now so we are not to Understand it here in this place when he sayth They that are after the flesh Secondly a man may be said to be after the Flesh or to be carnall A man that is a true Saint may be 2. VVhen a Saint doth a carnall action called carnall when he doth some one action that may in a sence be wholly carnall For a Saint may doe an action that he nor none about him may perceive any thing but carnallitie in As in Mat. 16. 23. Compared with Mark 8. 32. There you shall see a godly Saint Peter by name when his Master was Preaching to him what he should suffer at Jerusalem and how he should be put to death and the like Then Peter tooke him and began to rebuke him saying be it farr from thee Lord this shall not be unto thee This was a Fleshly Speech a meere carnall Speech Christ was going to Jerusalem to die for Peter and for other poore sinners and Peter takes him aside and rebukes his Master and tells him it should not be so Farr be it from thee Christ takes him and tells him Get thee behind me Satan thou art an offence to mee for thou savourest not the things of God but the things of men Thou speakest as a carnall fleshly man thou hast no tast of spirituall things If thou diddest looke on it spiritually thou wouldest rejoyce and pray the Lord to help thee to suffer in that temptation with thy Master or to make a spirituall use of it but thou art carnall and savourest of Flesh Now when the Apostle sayth here They that are after the Flesh doe mind the things of the flesh he doth not properly meane that neither But thirdly and lastly a man is sayd to be after the Flesh when he is in his pure naturalls when he 3. VVhen men are meerly carnall is meerly carnall when he is wholly flesh when he is destitute of the spirit of God when
distinguished from another good men from bad for the Apostle doth not reason here from a known thing to a darker for he reasons from the mind and the acts of it as if he had said that is the cheifest maine way whereby to know the whole man whither he be fleshly or Spirituall In naturall things the more essentiall the difference is the more certaine and sure it is and rationality is essentiall to a man you may distinguish a man from a beast otherwise a man hath but two Legs and so may be distinguished from a Horse that hath foure but this is not so certaine a Character but when you say man is rationall that distinguisheth him from all birds and beasts So there are many things in godlinesse that you may partly know a Christian by by his works and affections and actions and by his company and carriage you may know him a little from another man but these things are outward and externall but his reason is essentiall to him you may know him above all these by his reasoning in his soule that is the most essentiall thing to a Christian as reason in it selfe considered is most essentiall to a man Consider this for this is a thing by which you may understand clearly what you are made of and what you are There is nothing in godlinesse but an hypocrite and a wicked man may come up to it unlesse it be this to be carried on by spirituall reason As for instance a wicked man may know God he may have a great deal of knowledge of godlinesse and to our eyes of the spirituall estate of godlinesse Heb. 6. He may be enlightned he may discourse well and Preach excellently and Carnall men may goe far in Religion Pray spiritually he may have much knowledge and all the Saints in the Countrey may account him constantly a cheife Professor and a most excellent Christian Nay he may love all good things in a sort or for the most part a naturall man that is but commonly wrought on by the spirit of God he may love prayer and hearing and Reading and giving to the poore and other good works he may love and delight in it as Herod did to heare John speake he may love it for some carnall circumstances about it and though he love it yet all runs upon the Wheele of carnall reason As for instance I love very much to give to the poore because the pride of my heart will be much satisfied in it I would be held an emynent Professor and I invite Saints to my House and I quarell with them if they come not but it is to hold out my vaineglory not out of spirituall Love in my soule So there is no peice of godlinesse but it may be cloathed with such circumstances that a naturall man may love it an hypocrite may doe every thing in godlinesse and be an Hypocrite when he hath done But here is the difference a Saint loves good Ground of Saints loving good things and that flowes from spirituall reason and he doth good from spirituall reason As for instance I doe not give to the poore to keepe correspondence and to be well thought of and because I would be accounted such a Professor no but I doe it from spirituall reasoning Christ loved me and therefore I will love my Brother So whatsoever a Saint doth spirituall reason drawes him and this is the most essentiall Character that distinguisheth an Hypocrite from a true Christian It is not loving or knowing or doing of good but it is the Wheele that it goes on whether it be spirituall or carnall reasoning But may not a good man do some actions from naturall or corrupt reasoning how is that then a Quest sure Character A good man may doe an action from carnall reasoning Answ How a good man may be moved with naturall or carnal reason but a carnall man can never doe good from spirituall reasoning as that speech of Peter in advising of Christ not to goe to Jerusalem it was partly naturall and partly corrupt reasoning But that you may see this clearely notwithstanding this you may discerne him hereby that In the first place a Christian is moved by spirituall reason and in the second place he may be moved by naturall reason as suppose there be a good Minister that is full of grace that desires to doe good and yet he and his Family is ready to starve The first thing that he blesseth God for is that he hath opportunity to teach Christ to the soules of poore people that is the first but next he saith and blessed be God that there is a way to support my Family naturall reason is tyed to spirituall as the little boat is to the ship Secondly though a Saint may be carryed to an 2 A Saints generall course by Spirituall reason action with corrupt reason that he pays deare for yet the whole course of the life and actions of a Christian flow from spirituall reasoning O! that the Lord would give you to examine your selves by this It is not by what thou accountest of or what thou esteemest or lovest but what mooves thee what is the Wheele that sets thee on worke Is it a spirituall mind that gives spirituall arguments that moves thee all the day to good towards God or man I desire that you would carry this with you this is the essentiall difference betweene an Hypocrite and a Christian Aske when thou dost an action not how much thou doest or what men conceive of it though it be but a small action as suppose thou art a Maid that art sweeping the house or any such meane thing aske why doe I this what moves me what is the maine spring Is it that my Master or Mistris may not chide me This is natural reasoning but thou shouldest say I do it that I may obey Christ he hath called me and hath reedeemed me to live to him and so it may be a man may do thee an ill turn and thou wouldest not doe him a mischiefe againe it is a good resolution but why doest thou not doe it it is not because thou art ashamed or afraid to doe it But if there be a little spring within to thinke Christ loved me when I was wicked and therefore I will love him O! this is excellent The next thing I should come to shew you is how it comes to passe that Christians that are right are swayed and ruled by spirituall reasonings all their life I shall not have time now but must wait on God till he give another opportunity only I shall conclude now with two short Use 1. Tryall what grace or corruption is in us Uses First hence you may see by this rule you have a Standard by you to trie how much grace and how much corruption there is yet in your soules this is the perfectest Standard that I know Take it by a day or a weeke or an houre or an action see how