debt And the strength of the argument is thus If Christ had not risen again but been still in the power of the grave and kept under by the enemy of our salvation the poor believer might have been justly afraid his debt had not been paid but Christ being risen and out of hold he is out of doubt As when the debtor sees the Kings Son that was his surety at liberty and in the Kings Court he fears not but his debt is paid so when the poor believer sees Christ set free from the power of the grave c. he knows God hath accepted the payment he hath made as sufficient for him Let us therefore look upon our selves as having a part in Christ and know whatsoever he did it was for us even for every true believer so that he rising again we rise again which being so it manifests that God hath accepted Christ his payment if any thing could hinder it must be death and the grave but Christ being risen they have lost their power and so none able to condemn Rom. 6. 9. Christ rose for us never to dye again and therefore that we should never dye eternally A third reason is taken from the sitting of Christ at the right hand of God which puts all out of question that he paid our debt when he laid down his life in that he is risen and ascended up to his Father Now God would never have admitted him to sit at his right hand had the work been unfinished but now being ascended to the right hand of his Father where he is advanced to the highest pitch of honour glory and Majesty and that in our Nature sitting in full authority King of heaven earth there for ever by his spirit to gather and guide all his children and quell the power of their enemies it is apparent that our Sureties payment is accepted so that now nothing can condemn a Believer not his conscience nor any thing else can condemn him and therefore he may triumph over all accusations In the fourth place add unto all this that Christ doth not onely sit at Gods right hand but so as that he also maketh intercession for every true beleever having not onely power but even the same good will and mind that ever he had to do them good consider this well whether thou beleeving needest to fear the face of any enemy whatsoever The poor man that was indebted to the great King For whom the Kings son was pleased to undertake and satisfie when he sees him come out of prison set at liberty in his fathers Court in greater honor and not onely so but highly favoured of the King his father and continually requesting him for that poor man What needs he now care for all his enemies He need not be affraid to look all officers in the face c. Is this the secure and happy estate of every true believer out of himself in Christ. Then see the necessity of using all those means and that constantly whereby Christ our Blessed Redeemer is pleased to communicate himself and this his grace unto us Faith is a special gift and grace and comes from God in Christ and Christ he comes onely in the meanes which are channels and conduit-pipes Therefore if thou wouldest have this grace and be strengthened and increased therein even as thou wouldest have thy soul thus dignified use carefully all the means As The word which is the Scepter of Christs Kingdome submit thy soul to it If thou wilt have an excellent spirit such a one as Ioshua had pray to God for it and take heed of grieving the spirit of God by continuing in the practice of any known sin which is as water that quenches the fire but rather cherish thy faith and put fuel unto it by constant consionable hearing reading prayer meditation receiving the Sacrament holy conference and watching over thy heart For if thou put fuel to thy faith and keep away that which may quench it thou shalt clearly see this blessed truth and find the power of faith in this that hath been said Therefore as thou wouldest have this confidence and comfort in thy heart and soul use the means for it The dilligent hand becomes rich in Gods ordinary providence and so mayst thou in this grace if thou use diligence there is no way else Therefore whilst thou hast time use the means give attendance to the word and all those heavenly meanes before mentioned It s true indeed Christ hath freed himself by dying rising again and bring at the right hand of God and this I believe saith the poor soul in the midst of his fears temptations and troubles of mind but how should I bee comforted in knowing that I am freed from all that danger and condemnation which my sins do deserve Yes upon this ground every beleeving soul and so thou if thou doest believe mayest be sure to be freed as Christ himself is freed and that even because Christ undertook and did all this for the poor believing soul and he had not done it but for him Esai 9. 6. Toâ—us a child is born to us a Sonne is given All he did was for us and for our Salvation so that if Christ hath any happiness thou believing in him mayest be assured of it as Christ himself All Gods intentions towards thee are founded in love else how should that be true Iohn 3. 16. God so Loved the world c. Christ also took all upon him for our sake even to redeem and save us he needed not have done it for himself for he was God in glory c. lift up therefore thy heart by faith and beleeve this and thou shalt find it true though we miserable wretches are unworthy of any such mercies yet is God worthy to be believed Look on Christ and consider who he is and reflect it upon thy self and if thou canst believe the Lord Jesus hath done all this for thy sake To help and strengthen thee to this First Consider Christ did it for us that believe as a surety we were all bannk-rupts in the law of God for want of obedience thereunto now Christ the surety of mankind comes and undertakes for us and hath done iâ— Hebrews 7. 22. He was made surety of â—a better testament Therefore think on him alwayes as thy Surety in glory Christ there is said to be a Surety of better things then the legal Rites were even of the New Testament wherein whatsoever is contained it is for us and there it is treasured up ask and thou shalt have seek and thou shalt find All he did he did as my Surety all the evil he took away and all the good he purchased it was for me A second means or help to strengthen thee if thou art one that art humbled for sin and desirest more and more to believe is to know that God hath bound himself and sworn to it and he is true though every man
Thus Sampson by the power of the spirit had power to use his strength And in the Acts 4 32 it is said that the Apostles spake boldly That is they had power for you must know that there may be habits of grace in the heart and yet want of power but when the spirit comes then it puts strength in the inward man to do Thus it is said that the spirit came upon Saul and he prophesied That is he was able to do more then before he could do and yet know that you may have true grace and yet now and then for the present want action that is power to do yet is but then when the spirit seems to absent it self from the soul and this was that which the Apostle speaks of Heb. 12. 12. Brethren you have forgotten the Consolation That is your spiritual strength may lie hidden dead and forgotten but the spirit will return and then you shall finde good again The fourth way whereby the spirit strengthens grace in the soul is by giving efficacie and power unto the means of growth which is a special advantage for strengthening of the inward man for as he sets up the building and furnisheth the Roomes and gives power unto the soul to use them so that which makes all these effectual is this when he gives power and efficacie unto the means that are for the strengthening of the inward man Now you know that the word is the onely ordinary means to work new habits and qualities in us that is to câ—lâ—…s and beget us into Christ but if the spirit should not add this unto them namely efficacie they will never beget us into Christ Therefore this is the means to make all effectual that is it gives a blessing to the means of grace The word alone without the spirit is as I told you as a scabberd without a sword or bâ—t as a sword without a hand that will do no good though you should stand in never so great need therefore the Aâ—ostle joyns them together in the Acts 20. he cals it the word of his grace that is the spirit must work grace or else the word will nothing avail you Again prayer is a means to strengthen the inward man but it the spirit be not joyned with it it is nothing worth and therefore the scripture saith Pray in the Holy Ghoâ—t That is if you pray not by the power of the Holy Ghost you will never obtain grace or sanctification The spirit is unto the means of grace as rain is unto the plants that is as rain makes the plants to thrive and and grow so it is the spirit that makes the inward man to grow in holiness Therefore it is the promise which God makes unto his Church in Isai. 44. 3. He will pour water upon the dry ground That is the heart which was before barren in grace and holiness shall now spring up in holiness and grow strong in the inward man and this shall be when I pour out my spirit upon them Therefore you see how the spirit doth strengthen grace in the soul by setting up the building of grace in the soul and then by furnishing the Roomes with new habits and qualities of grace And then by giving power unto the soul to use those habits And then by giving a blessing unto all the means of grace The use of this stands thus If the spirit be the onely means to strengthen the inward man then it will follow that whosoever hath not the Holy Ghost hath not this strength And whatsoever strength a man may seem to have to himself if it proceed not from the spirit it is no true strength but a half and counterfeit seeming strength For a man may thus argue from the cause to the effect That that is the true cause of strength must needs bring forth strong effects And on the contrary That which is not the true cause of strength cannot bring forth the effects of strength so that no natural thing can bring forth the strength of the inward man because it wants the ground of all strength which is the spirit And therefore you may have a flash or a seeming power of strength such as the foolish virgins had in Matth. 25. which seemed to be strong in the inward man but it was but a feigned strength because they had not the spirit It is the spirit that must give you assurance of salvatiâ—n and happiness And I have chosen this point in regard of the present occasion the receiving of the Sacrament before which you are especially to examine your selves whether you have this or no which if you have not then you have neither strength in the inward man nor any right or interest unto Christ. for I may well follow the Apostles rule It is the sign of those that are Christs they have the spirit In the 1 Cor. 2. 10. The spirit searcheth the deep things of God which he hath revealed unto us by his spirit And in the Ephesians 1. You were sealed with the spirit of Promise and in the Rom. 8. That they should be raised by the spirit which dwelleth in them and again As many as are led by the spirit of God they are the sons of God Thus you see that it stands you upon to examine your sâ—lves whether you have the spirit but above all places there are 2. places which prove the necessitie of having the spirit The one is this place which is my Text That you may be strengthened by the spirit in the inward man and the other place is that which Saint Iohn hath in the 1 Iob. 3. 14. By this we know that we are translated from death unto life because we love the Brethren That is if we be united in the bond of love that is a sign that we have the spirit and having the spirit it is the cause that we are translated that is changed we must be changlings from sin to grace before we can be saved Therefore examine what effectual spiritual strength you have what spiritual love there is amongst you And so accordingly you may judge of your estates whether you have any right or interest unto Christ And that I may help you in this thing I will lay down some signs by which you may know whether you have the spirit or no. The first sign whereby you shall know whether you have the sanctifying spirit or no is this if you have the sanctifying spirit you will be full of fire That is it will fill you with spiritual heat and zeal now if you find this in you then it is the sanctifying spirit and therefore Iohn saith of Christ in Matth. 3. That he will baptize them with the spirit and with fire That is he will baptize them with that spirit whose nature is as fire that will fill you full of spiritual heat and zeal and therefore it is said in Acts 2. that they had tongues
wayes of God It is one thing to approve the wayes of God and another thing to delight in them Other men that are but civil men may approve the wayes of God but they cannot delight in them this is more then a natural man can reach unto If therefore thou find this in thee be assured the strength of grace is there So to love God we find that peculiar to the Saints that is more then any hypocrite in the world can do if any man therefore find that grace so strong in him that it makes his heart cleave to the Lord wholly and long after him that he loves him and seekes his face that he loves him not for other respects but beholding him in his person in his attributes and in all his excellencies he can love him above all things this no man by nature can attain to And so to hate sin no man by nature can hate sin but by the power of grace for all hatred ariseth from contrary and onely grace is contrary to sin it is grace that makes a man a sin hater It is possible for another man sometimes to fall out with sin and to abstain from some particular acts of sin but to hate sin no man can do it naturally For there is no man that hates any thing but he hates the whole kind thereof as the sheep hates the wolf therefore it hates every wolf And again hatred we know is implacable when a man is angry he is reconciled again sometimes but when a man hates a thing he would have it quite taken away Now no man is able to do this but by the power of grace to hate all sin every where in himself as well as in others to hate it so as to desire to have it utterly destroyed and to be implacably out with it so as never again to be reconciled to it This is the property of grace This thou hast that thou hatest the works of the Nicholaitans We are deceived in that when we think we hate sinne because we abstain from some acts of sinne if thou didst hate it thou wouldest hate it every where and every kind of sin Thou wouldest not onely fall out with it when it doth thee a shrewd turn but thou wouldest be out with it for ever When a man finds that he can hate sin that he can love God and delight in his Commandements and love the Saints c. these are things that no man can do by nature therefore if thou find these things there is more in thee then nature herein is the strength of grace seen Now it is true there are other things which a man may do which hath not this saving grace but grace hath this efficacy that it makes thee do more then any man will or can do by common nature As for example wheresoever the power of grace is it makes a man deny himself whereas another man would not it will make a man refuse gain and profit and advantage to himself when another man would not it makes a man able to forgive his enemies which before he could not do But you will say other men may do this that have no grace But they never do it in sincerity here is the difference grace makes a man do it ordinarily in his common course another man may have some fits in these things but to do it when a man is himself to do it upon deliberation this is the strength of grace therefore you may try your selves by that Am I able to do more then common nature can do if thou canst not be sure that grace is not there for is there not an efficacy and power in grace and why should we say there is a power in it if we see not the effects of that power if thou do no more then another man can do thou givest just cause to those that are Atheists to think that this power of grace is but a meer notion but a fancy Is it thinkest thou for the honour of God that thou shouldest be reckoned a man within the Covenant and to be such a one as hath grace wrought in thy heart and have no power of grace in thy life Therefore examine thy self by that canst thou do more then a man can do by the strength of natural abilities or by the accession of moral vertues or good education or humane wisdom c This is the first thing wherein the power of grace is seen I named three to you We told you one is that it heals corrupt nature and raiseth common nature above its own sphear Now secondly that whereby you may examine whether you have this property of grace whether you have this strength of grace in you or no it is this Consider what you are able to do in the acts of new obedience the power of grace is seen that it enableth you to do them when another man cannot do them In the first we had to do with the nature and then I told you that grace heals corrupt nature and puts more into you then common nature This second thing is distinct from that and is seen in the actions And the third is seen in the intententions In these three the strength of grace is seen There is scarce any man but hath some good intentions some good purposes but when they come to the birth there is no strength to bring forth men are not able to perform them Now grace wheresoever it is hath so much strength as not onely to beget good motions but it is powerful and effectuall to bring them forth into act Grace is an effectual Mid-wife to bring purposes and conceptions to performances enabling us to do them Therefore by that you may try it whether grace strengthen you to performance and practice that which you purpose and desire to do It is observed that your fennish and rotten ground suddenly shootes out a broad blade of grass but we know it is unprofitable to any man whereas good ground that brings forth good grass brings it not forth so suddenly nor so broad so those that have unsoundness of heart they may go so far as to have some sudden good purposes and desires and motions and conceptions but yâ—t they come to nothing they are but foggy purposes as it wâ—re they do not last they vanish away and what is the reason of that they want true rooting they want this grace that should strengthen them and make the soyl good There wants that depth of earth that is there wants that depth of sincerity and there wants that sound and convincing knowledge to carry them through all objections and that is the reason that men have good desires and yet so little performance Let his desires be never so good when he meets with stronger reasons and arguments from the flesh or the world or the devil he gives over because he hath no strength to answer them So that when we come to perform our desires it is grace that must give
thee and put beauty upon thee when thou wert a bondslave he made thee a King c. And not onely these standing favours but consider that every day he gives thee meat and drink and cloathes is it not he that takes the care of thee Consider what thou art that he doth this for art thou not in thy self and every man a more vile wretch then the dust thou treadest on a vile condemned person a lump and heap of sin and misery Now that the Lord should respect such a creature as this to be crucified for him to deny himself to lay aside his glory to do so much for him when he stood in such a condition Besides all this he hath done it out of love as the Apostle expresseth it he loved me and gave himself for me Love begets love as fire begets fire and makes a man ready to do any thing If a man consider that Jesus Christ abounded in love there is no creature in the world that ever loved another so much as Christ loves his Church He loved thee with all impediments he loved thee though thou didst forget him and recompence him evil for good and dishonouredst him again and again yet his love continued the same to thee Thou feest by experience he abounds in love to thee he hath all the properties of love he is not easily provoked he is long suffering he is bountiful he takes a small thing in good part Let all this work on thy heart and say Christ is worthy he deserves it And besides all this if thou stir up thy strength and put it forth with loss to thy self for his sake to his use consider he regards it and looks on all thy works and sufferings Rev. 2 I know thy works and thy sufferings that is I know every thing that thou doest for my sake I take notice of every thing thou suffrest for my sake So that every man is to take this into consideration to put him on to do this that the Lord sits in heaven and considers what cost thou art at for his sake upon any occasion what pains thou takest in matters that concerns him what solicitude is in thy heart for him what thoughts thou bestowest in any business of his to bring it to pass this he observes Remember he considers what advantages thou deprivest thy self of in thy estate or otherwise to do his work he considers what friends thou losest to keep close to him what advancement and preferment thou partest with for his service I say there shall none of these be lost not a cup of cold water that is not the least of these actions there is not one but it is upon Gods score he reckons it among his debts that he will be sure to pay All this shall further thy account all this is seed sown to the Spirit all these good works shall lie at thy door to do thee good one time or other Now add to all this the consideration of thy engagement how thou art tied I would ask any man for I speak to those that are in Covenant to those that have strength in them Our duty is now to exhort you to stir up your strength and to use it in difficult cases for Christs advantage I say consider what thou hast done thou hast given thy self to Christ and if thou hast given thy self doth it not follow that with thy self thou hast given all things As Christ when he gives himself to us he gives all with himself My well beloved is mine and I am his This is true on both sides so I say whatsoever is Christs is ours and accordingly whatsoever is ours should be his So I must think with my self is it so great a thing for me to part with my wealth and liberty for Christs sake or with life and all all this is none of mine A Wife when she is married nothing is hers all is her husbands the Lord that I bestow it upon it is all his I must not think it a great matter that is spent for his advantage There is that agreement between us so much we profess when we are baptized in his name You see that is added in that place 1 Cor. 1. Were you baptized in the name of Paul as if he should say what do you adhere to these men Christ was crucified and not Paul so you were baptized in the Name of Christ. The meaning is this That a man when he is baptized as you know it was at mens conversion then he enters a Covenant in Baptism and binds himself to him in whose Name he is baptized that is he then gives himself to him and all that is his that is to be baptized in his name As in Circumcision they were bound to keep the whole Law so when a man is baptized into Christ he is bound to seek the things of Jesus Christ and not his own any longer he is tied to it he hath made a vow to do it Consider this and see if there be not reason that thou shouldest deny thy self What if it be a difficult case what if it cost thee somewhat what if it cost thee thy own pains that thy own business lye still what if it cost thee much money that thou lose in thy Estate what if it cost thee friends what if it cost thee imprisonment or whatsoever yet consider if thou have not reason to stir up thy strength for Christs advantage to do him much service Let it not lie there and say such a thing should be done and it were well done of him that can put himself forward to it but thou must do it thy self thou art his Disciple thou art tied to it for when a man is married to Chiist he must resolve it the best way to give himself to please his Husband Is it not the best way shall not a man provide best for himself by seeking the things of Christ and not his own Lastly hath not Christ deserved it at thy hands is he not worthy Mat. 10. 33. you have that expression He that for sakes not father and mother is not worthy of me As if he should say when you come to me I require this that you forsake your selves and hate father and mother if need be that you do not love father or son or mother but let all go If you say this is a hard condition I will put you to this saith the Lord have not I done as much for you besides that which I will do will not Heaven pay for all will not I give you an hundred fold for the present have not I been crucified for you he that will not do this he is not worthy of me as if he should say I am worth more then that So if a man say it is a hard task that he should not seek his own things but stir up his strength with any loss to himself for the advantage of Christ is not the Lord worthy of more and thou art unworthy
please God in all things 1. I say it is a general good disposition or right habit because a disposition to some one particular good is not strength as for example to have present passion to good not to continue argueth not strength in the inward man or to have the understanding strong yet to have the will and affections weak is not to be strong in the inward man but they must be all fortifi'd as for example a man or a woman is not said to be perfectly beautiful except they be beau tiful in all parts for beauty is a fit composure of all parts so likewise a man is not throughly strong but imperfect except he be strong in all parts that is strong in the understanding strong in the will strong in the affections Secondly I call it a temperature or due frame of the mind because it sets the soul in order that is it sets new bits on the faculties and fit obiects for those habits the soul was before like a disordered instrument or clock that went at randome every thing was out of its place but when this strength of the inward man is communicated to the soul it frames it a new that is it puts it into a right temper again Thirdly it is a frame whereby a man is enabled to please God in all things because it sets a good hew upon all our actions for as varnish makes all colours fresh so doth the strength of the inward man it sets a deep die upon all our actions puts a grace upon them and makes them beautiful nothing without it will hold trial every thing that hath the tincture and virtue of the strength of the Inward man will hold good it sets the stamp of holiness upon them as implanted by the spirit and therefore they are acceptable unto God Now that you may know the better what this strength is you must first inquire what weakness is now by weakness we doe not mean weakness before a man be converted for that cannot so properly be called weakness as wickedness and therefore know that this weakness which the Apostle speaks of here which is proper unto Christians is of two sorts The First is weakness or a small measure of grace as in 1 Cor. 3. 1. That is those that are weak in knowledge and habes in Christ. The Second kinde of weakness is this when one that hath been strong is now fallen sick and weak that is he is fallen into a consumption of grace so that he cannot use his strength and his grace as formerly he could Now those that are weak in the first kinde they grow stronger and stronger but they that are weak in the second way they grow weaker and weaker therefore if there be any here that are such that have made profession of Christ but now are fallen unto the love of the world that were once lively and quickly to good duties but are now backward and cool my counsel to them shall be the same which Christ gives to the Church of Ephesus in the Rev. 2. 5. Remember from whence thou art fallen and repent and to doe their first workes lest their Candlestick be taken from them that is let them remember what they were in times past and what they are now and let them humble themselves and turn again into the right way and be ashamed of themselves that they have run away so far from Christ and that in time too lest their Candlestick be taken away from them that is lest those opportunities to good and the offers of grace be taken away from them Again as there are kindes of weaknesses so there are degrees of weaknesses The first degree of weakness is that which followes a relapse and this is of two sorts 1 Sensible 2 Insensible First Sensible and that is when the understanding is good in regard of the grace it knowes yet not in regard of the good it feels 2. There is a weakness Insensible and is such as cannot be felt and this is when men change their opinions of sins that is when they have thought otherwise of it then they now do As for example before they thought every sin a great sin but now they think some to be little or none at all The Second degree of weakness is that which followes the new birth and that is of two sorts 1 General 2 Particular First General weakness and this is when the judgement will and affections are all weak that is when a man is weak in all the parts of the soul and over-run with an universal feebleness The Second degree is a particular weakness and that is when a man is Generally strong and yet weak in some parts as for example a ship may be strong built or generally strong and yet having a leak in it cannot be said to be strong in all parts because it hath that in it which will at last destroy it so it is with a Christian if there be but a leak that is a weakness in one part of the soul he is not strong in the inward man therefore a man must take heed of all weakness though a man may be generally strong that he be not weak in some things Now I come to the Reasons wherefore we should be strong in the inward man and they are these The first Reason wherefore we should be strong in the inner man is this because it will fit us for many imployments that is it will make us go through much work with great ease to perform the weightiest duties in Religion in such manner as otherwise we could never be able to perform and this should perswade men the rather to pray earnestly for this because God rewards men according to their works that is it is not for beauty riches or dignity that moves God to give grace and glory unto any but according to their works a good reason it is therefore to perswade men to be strong in the Inner man that they may be able to go through great matters for God and that with great strength and this should make men to beg the spirit because he works in us effectually to the strengthening of us in the Inward man The Second reason why you should desire to be strong in the Inward man is this because it brings most comfort and chearfulnes into the soul. First because it makes us do all that we do with facility and easiness that which we do is easie unto us As for example a man that is weak in judgement and understanding any high point of Religion is weariness unto him because he wanteth a capacity to conceive now that which is not rightly conceived or understood he hath no comfort nor delight in it but it is with irksomness much weariness unto nature where as the same things unto a man of larger capacity they are easie unto him and he delights in them Secondly the more strength a man hath in the Inward
Heb. 11. That is faith in Christ made him to chuse grace before the things of this world but it was not thus with the other he chose it not out of faith as Moses did that is he saw not Gods Commandments carnal men they do many things but they do them not to this end for then and not till then is a spiritual man strong when he will let life riches honor pleasure liberty and all go for Christ which he cannot do without faith The natural man will never do this this is the only property of faith which is a supernatural work in the soul and therefore the Holy Ghost saith they suffered with joy the spoiling of their goods that is they let them willingly go life and liberty and all shall go before Christ shall go A noble Romane may do some thing for his country and for himself but there is a by end in it that is he doth it not in a right manner to a right end but the spiritual strong man doth all things in a spiritual manner to a saving end the one doth it for vain glory but the other in uprightness of heart For in faith there is a double work First it empties a man that is as a man that hath his hands full cannot take another thing till he hath let his handful fall so when faith enters into the heart of a man it empties the heart of self-self-love self-will that is it purgeth out the rubbish that is naturally in every mans heart and lets all go to get hold on Christ all shall go then life and honour profit and pleasure and he is the truely spiritual man that can thus lose the world to cleave to Christ and miserable are they that cannot and by emptying himself of himself he is filled with the power of Christ. Secondly As it empties the heart of that which may keep Christ out of the soul so in the second place he seekes all things in God and from God that is he first seekes Gods Love and Gods blessing upon what he doth enjoy and then he goes unto secondary means and useth them as helpes but a man that wanteth faith he will not let all go for Christ he will not seek first unto God in any thing but unto secondary means and then if he fails that is if he want power to supply then it may be he will seek unto God and hence it is that he will not lose his life or liberty or honour for Christ because he sees more power and good in the creature then in God Again this makes the difference between the Christian and Christian namely Faith and hence it is that some are weak and others are strong hence it is that some are more able then others for the greatest duties of Religion as for example Caleb and Ioshua can do more then the rest of the people and what is the reason but because they were stronger in the faith then others And so Paul said of himself that he could do more then they all because Paul had a stronger faith for the truth of a mans strength is known by his strength of faith that he hath it discovers whether he be naturally strong or spiritually strong for this is the first work of the spirit after Humiliation in the conversion of a sinner namely to work faith in him and no sooner faith but assoon strength and the promise followes faith He that believeth and is baptixed shall be saved but he that believeth not shall be damned Mar. 15. 15. And this is the course that we take first we preach the Law unto you and we do it to this end to humble you and to break the hard disposition of your hearts that so they may be fit to receive Christ And when we have thereby humbled you then we Preach unto you the Gospel beseeching and exhorting you to believe in Christ for the pardon of sins past present and to come and to lay down the arms of Rebellion which you have taken up against Christ and you shall be saved And yet notwithstanding how few are either humbled by the one or perswaded and provoked by the other but are as the Prophet saith having eyes and see not ears but they hear not that is seeing they do not see and hearing they do not hear as for example when a man is shewed a thing but yet he mindes it not that is the eye of the mind is upon another object that man may be said to see and not to see because he doth not regard it or a man that hath a matter pleaded before him hears it but his mind being otherwise imployed he regards it not in that respect he may be said to hear and not to hear because he mindes it not And what is the Reason that we Preach the Law and the judgements of God so much unto you and what is the Reason that we beseech and intreat you so often to come in and receive Christ and you shall be saved time after time and day by day and yet we see how little efficacie the word hath what is the reason that the word wants this effect in you as not to humble you what is the reason that you are not more affrighted with the judgements of God then you are what is the reason that you remain as ignorant and careless as ever you were but because you do not believe that is you want a true saving and applying faith for if you had the word would work other effects in you then it doth as for example if one should tell a man that such a benefit or Legacie is befaâ—n him that would raise him to great honour though before he lived but in a mean condition if this man did but believe it surely he would be affected with it and rejoyce So truly if you did but believe that Christs Grace and Salvation were so excellent and that Holiness and the strengthening of the Inward man would bring you to so happy a condition and estate as to be the heirs of Heaven you would rejoyce in Christ and grace onely Again if you did but believe that the word of God is true and that God is a just God I say if the drunkard did but believe that the drunkard shall be damned or if the Adulterer did believe that no Adulterer should inherit the Kingdom of God and of Christ or if the prophane person and the Gamester did but know that they must give an accompt for all their mispent time and idle words and vain communication they would not sport themselves in their sins as they do Again if we did but believe that God calleth whom and when he pleaseth and that many are called but few are chosen that is if a man consider that though here be a Church full of people yet it may be but a few of them shall be saved I say if a man did but believe this surely they would not defer their repentance That
the strengthning of the inward man and say with your selves we had a prize in our hands that is we had much time whereby we might have strengthned the inward man but we had no heart that is we were befooled because we did not know the excellency of the inward man But we will do so no more The time now that we have shall be how we may be strengthned in the inward man and grow in favour with God The second hinderance which must be removed that is contrary to the growth of the inward man is strong lusts that is unmortified affections There are inward hinderances which must be removed before the soul can grow strong in grace these venome the soul and keep off the stroak of the sword That is It keepes the plaster from the sore As for example if a man be wounded with an arrow so long as the arrowes head is in the wound no plaster will heal it Now as it is thus in the outward man so it is with the inward man if you retain any lust that is any beloved sin and so come unto the ordinances of God you will come without profit because the arrow head is yet in the wound that is your lusts are unmortified and so long you cannot be healed this keepes the plaster off the sore You know what pains the humors of the body will breed in a man when they gather into any part of the body and how they will hinder the augmentation in other parts so when these evil humours of the soul gather together and begin to râ—iâ—n and bear rule in the soul it is impossible that the soul should grow in holiness till they be purged away Therefore be earnest with God to purge out those humours whether they be profit or pleasure or honour or any thing and in this doing you strengthen the inward man and the stronger the inward man is the healthfuller the soul is I say it is impossible you should thrive in the inward man so long as you retain any sin and therefore our Saviour saith how can you believe seeing you seek honour one of another That is if you prefer the love of profit and reputation and credit in the world before grace how can you believe that is how can you be strong in the inward man The fift means to strengthen the inward man is this you must get spiritual courage and joy That is you must get joy in the new birth The contrary to this is Discouragement And again nothing so available to make a man strong as courage and joy This was the means that Nehemiah used in the 8 of Nehe. when he would build up the walls of Jerusalem he saith Be not discouraged nor sorrowful for the joy of the Lord is your strength Nehemiah had a great work to do and what argument useth he to make them to hold out but this to be full of comfort and joy That is if you hold your courage you will hold your strength and then the work will be easie unto you And this we see by experience That great courage where there is but little strength will do more then great means with little courage Ioshua can do more with a small army full of courage then with a great army with little courage Again I say to those that are travelling towards Heaven take heed of giving discouragements unto any for this is the property of the Divel to discourage men And therefore this is one way whereby he makes men to doubt of their salvation by affrighting them making them to question Gods love towards them in Christ that he may perswade them the way to Heaven is narrow and hard and that God is pure and just withall And thou art full of strong lusts and shall never subdue them it will be in vain for thee to set upon them hereupon a man is so discouraged that he neglects the mortifying of sin But be not discouraged for know that strength to resist the least temptations is not of your selves That is it is not your own it comes not from any power of your own but it is by the strength of another Then for your comfort know that he that gave you power over a small temptation is also able and willing and will certainly help you against a raging lust And so likewise for the performance of Holy Duties though you find your selves indisposed to pray to hear or the like you know that it is God that â—…s the heart that is he can of unfit make it fit of unwilling make it willing and remember the promise in the Luke 11 14. He will give the holy ghost to them that ask him That is he will give such a supply of grace that he shall be enabled to withstand any temptation Therfore if you would grow strong take heed of discouragement and let one Christian take heed of discouraging another by any speech action or behaviour And let Ministers take heed of discouraging their flocks for it is the propertie of false prophets to discourage the people from God And this is the sin of this Land especially of prophane people that never think themselves well but when they are casting reproachfull speeches against those that labor to strengthen the inward man But this discovers a great deal of corruption in them and it is a means to pull down the judgements of God upon them But take heed of discouragements That is be not cast down when you meet with such as will revile you and speak evil by you this will weaken the Inward man The sixt meanes to strengthen the inward man is this you must get faith That is you must labour to be strong in the Lord you must go about all things with Gods strength and not your own and therefore the Apostle saith when I am weak then I am strong in the 2 Cor. 12. I rejoyce in my infirmities that the Power of God may be seen in my weakness That is I rejoyce in those infirmities that discover my own weakness to God that I may not put any confidence thereby in my self Again I rejoyce in my infirmities and weakness That is because hereby I feel my weakness that I may go out of my self and depend wholly upon God Therefore when you go about any business or perform any holy action unto God As you must do it in faith so you must renounce all strength in your selves and then God cannot but prosper your business or whatsoever good you go about when you go about it with Gods strength as Gideon did And on the contrary the Lord hath pronounced a curse against him that shal go about any thing with his own strength in Ier. 17. Cursed is that man that maketh flesh his arm That is that goeth about any thing in confidence of his own strength without faith in God Thus you see that if you would be strong in the inward man you must get saving faith in Christ.
that is but little they may take away my life but I make no account of it saith he if other men made as little account of these things as I do they would be as bold as I. Therefore I say now it is a time for a man to stir up his strength to be willing to part with these things when actions come that have hazzard accompanying them and opposition and persecution and resistance from this temptation and from that Now be strong in the Lord Ephes. 6. When there comes temptations if any thing be to be suffered be strong to endure it If any thing be to be done be strong to go through with it if be any special duty be strong wrestle with the Lord as Iacob did in distresse there was his course stir up thy strength at that time and wrestle with all thy strength So if â—he businesse be to contend for the common truth and faith a man must be strong what though it be accompanied with hazzard this is a time for a man to stir up his strength that is one case A second is in all great changes of estate for that is a time when a man should stir up his strength because then a man is most apt to be weak That is if a man â—alâ— into great crosses and afflictions and adversities and again if he be raised to prosperity more then ordinary now 〈◊〉 him be strong that is let him look to himself and take heed now that his heart be not broken by the one nor puffed up with the other now is the time for a man to be strong upon these great changes As the body of a man when he comes into a strange Countrey to change of diet and air he is affected with it it works upon him so the soul of a man in all great changes of estate that it falls into cannot but be affected with them Therefore the Scripture calls it drunkennesse A man may be drunk with prosperity and adversity and a man is apt to be so that is when a man is drunk his brain is weak and the beer or wine is strong so when the heart of a man is weak and the operation is strong the estate that falls on him is strong it makes him drunk both wayes A man is drunk with prosperity one while another while with adversities this is a time to be strong As the Apostle expresseth it Phil. 4. I am able to want and to abound to pass through good report and evil report That is now in this great change if you talk of strength I am able to do all things through strength from Christ. A man in an even condition it is nothing for him to keep his minde in an even temper but in the unevenness of a mans condition now to keep his minde equally disposed that is the difficulty And it is not onely difficult in that which riseth from the unevenness of a mans estate but the suddenness of the change When a sudden change comes look to thy self be strong As we say of the body it is a rule of Physicians it indures not sudden changes no more can the minde but it is apt to be disquieted and put out of temper As when a man hath had a great heat and sudden cold comes when a man is in one condition and suddenly comes into another now is the time to stir up strength That is the second Thirdly and lastly there are certain seasons and opportunities wherein a man is called to exercise such and such a grace now is the time when we must be strong to put that grace in practice Sometimes there is a season of using the grace of patience sometimes of love sometimes of temperance sometimes one grace sometimes another whensoever these seasons and opportunities come now put forth these graces and let them have their perfect work every grace in his season That is the time now when a man is to stir up his strength in those opportunities and turnings of a mans life Such things fall out every day now one grace is to be used and then another now be careful to stir them up as we see 2 Pet. 1. 5. when a man hath one grace saith the Apostle let him add one to another Therefore give all diligence thereto join vertue with faith and with faith knowledge and with knowledge temperance with temperance patience with patience godliness with godliness brotherly kindness with brotherly kindness love That is suppose saith the Apostle thou hast faith perhaps there iâ— need of more then that there comes seasons when thou art to do good works to add works to thy faith therefore remember in such a case to join vertue to it for vertue is taken here for action a readiness in a man to perform to bring that faith into use But when you are set on work perhaps it may be a difficult case to know what a man in discretion should do in this ambiguous case therefore add knowledge and prudence to guide and direct you in that you do but when you have gotten prudence and know what is to be done then add to knowledge temperance It may be a man may know well enough what to do but he is drawn aside with some pleasure and lust for it is usual for a man to know but because he is byassed the wrong way with some inordinate affection he performs not that 〈◊〉 knows therefore saith the Apostle now is the season to add temperance to knowledge to abstain from those things And besides as pleasures are a means on the one side to keep him from the practise of what he knows so there are likewise some dangers and difficulties somewhat that a man is to suffer When a good action is to be done a men shall find many crosses and oppositions somewhat he must part with therefore add not temperance onely but patience that is a time for patience or else he cannot do any thing to purpose When both these are done joyn with patience godliness A man may do much and join temperance and patience but these are moral vertues a man may do them for other ends he may be a good servant but he may serve a wrong Master therefore saith he eye God in all you do join to these godliness do it out of sincerity advance him and his glory and do it not for your own ends and with godliness brotherly kindness that is that the work and business you do though it must be done to the Lord for his sake and so you must do it in a godly manner yet your business is with men for the most part therefore you must join with godliness brotherly kindness that you do it out of love to men as well as out of sincere respect to God I but there are other men in the world besides godly men and we have to do with them and there are many businesses to do for their sake and advantage therefore saith the Apostle
of any interest in Christ if thou think him not worthy of this he that hates not son and daughter that neglects not that natural love to them for me is not worthy of me GODLINESS OUR GLORY 2 Tim. 3. 5. Having a form of Godliness but denying the power thereof from such turn away THis duty which is commended to us in these words will well fall in with our general scope which we have told you was to shew you First What we are out of Christ. Secondly What we have by him and how we are ingrafted into him And thirdly What we are to do for him Now we have told you that you are to labor for faith and love and good works which we have already finished But men are apt to have a form a shew and appearance of all this whenas they have not the life and power Therefore that you may not be deceived we have thought good to add this to all the rest take heed how you content your selves in having a form of godlinesse onely without the power of it The Apostle in this place as you may see intends to describe the diseases of the latter times which are the times into which we are fallen And you may see in the former part of the Chapter how many the diseases of the soul are so that the diseases of the body as many as they are do hardly exceed the diseases of the inward man He tells them that in the latter times there should be men that should be lovers of themselves coveteous boasters proud blasphemers disobedient to parents unthankful unholy without natural affection truce breakers false accusars incontinent fierce despisers of those that are good Traytors heady high minded lovers of pleasures more then lovers of God And then he puts this as the last of all having a form of godliness but denying the power thereof There is something in that why he puts it down last for when men hear themselves accused of all those things formerly named by the Apostle perhaps they will be ready to answer We hope we are not so bad I hope we serve God I hope we are worshippers of God as well as others I hope we are not Athiests Saith the Apostle deceive not your selves in that I deny not saith he but that notwithstanding all these diseases which are all mortal diseases you may yet have a form of godlinesse but it is such a form as is disjoyned from the power of it therefore even that he puts among the rest having a form of godlinesse but denying the power thereof It is true this form is good his meaning is not to reject that for wheresoever there is the power of godliness there is also the form that you must take for granted it is impossible that they should be disjoyned Wheresoever there is true gold there will be a yellownesse there will be all the qualities of gold though many times you have counterfeit pieces that carry the colour having not the true qualities of the mettal So here the Apostles intent is not to reject the form but all the scope of the Apostle and the main matter which he drives at is that men should not have the form without the power and life having a form of godliness but have denyed the power thereof The first point that we will commend to you out of these words for you see they need not much explication they are very plain it is this before we come to that which is the main that It is Godliness which is required by God and that is onely acceptable to him You see that lieth in the front of the text and first offereth it self to our view For when the question is about the form and the power of godliness it must needs be taken for granted that godliness is a thing required by God of every man The very light of nature will teach a man so much that there must be godliness Now when we come to consider what this godliness is then there comes in a second consideration not a form of it but the power So we will begin with that first that godliness is here required of every man It is godliness which is not in the form but in the power So then here first of all we must consider that nature is not enough but there must be godliness Nature is not enough that is natural vertues for God hath caused nature to bring forth many excellent vertues which are the common gifts of the holy Ghost as they are called For there is a natural patience a natural weakness a natural temperance Some men by nature are more sober more temperate more abstenious from inordinate and loose courses but it is not this that will be accepted with God It is true indeed these are very beautiful and aimable in their kind considered in their own sphear As you know the flower that the grass beareth hath a beauty in it and all natural vertues are like the flower of the grass that is nature is but flesh and this flesh hath a flower growing upon it and that flower hath a beauty and excellency in it yea it is a flower of Gods own making but yet God doth not accept this as a thing wherein he delighteth because these natural vertues they neither come from him that is not from his sanctifying spirit neither do they look to him and therefore it must be godliness and not nature Secondly It must be godliness and not moral vertues for that goeth a step beyond nature natural vertues are bred and born with us but moral vertues are something more for they are begotten or acquired in us by practise and education and the engraving of the moral Law concurring together And these have an excellency much beyond natural vertues and they are very fair in the eyes of men but abhominable in the sight of God because these moral vertues have no respect to him therefore the Lord hath no respect to them Wherefore I say as it must be godliness and not nature so it must be godliness and not moral vertues But yet you must go one step further it must be godliness and not onely the actions of Religion and worship which may be exhibited and offered to God and yet may proceed from self-love and may tend to a mans self as making himself the utmost end of it For you must know that a man may go far in the duties of godliness and in the outward actions of Religion and yet I say all that he doth may proceed from self-self-love and he may make himself the utmost end of all That is when a man considers that God is the governor of the world that he alone hath the keyes of hell and of death the power of salvation and damnation and of all good and evil in this life which are but degrees and stairs which lead to those two ends hereafter A man when he considers this may out of the strength of natural
Apostle Paul 2 Cor. 5. he gives this reason why he sought the things of Christ with the neglect of himself The Love of Christ constraineth me saith he As if he should say though I undergoe much scorn and discredit and losse in the world yea I am content to be thought to be out of my wits to be accounted any thing for the love of Christ constraineth me that is it makes me ready to do any thing seeing it is for Christ and his advantage I am willing to be so accounted of Now how came he to this love of Christ why thus we judge saith he that if Christ died for us c. So that if you would bring your hearts not to seek your own things but the things of Jesus Christ you must labour to have your hearts enflamed with the love of Christ and that you may do so use the means that Saint Paul layeth down he died for me he is worthy of it he deserves it of me he hath done this and this for me therefore there is reason I should no longer live to my selâ— therefore there is reason I should seek his things that I should do his work Thus to stir up our hearts to love the Lord Jesus is the means â—o prepare us to seek him And so you see the business we have to do we are to seek the things of the Lord Jesus willingly diligently and faithfully And also what it is that prepares and disposeth the heart so to do First to give up our selves to Christ. Secondly to labor to have it kept in the purpose of our hearts Thirdly to have faith in the promises and providence of God Lastly to have Love to the Lord Jesus And so much for this point and for this time PRAYERS PREVALENCY 2 CHRON. 32. 24 25. And in those dayes Hezekias was sick unto the death and he prayed to the Lord who spake to him and gave him a sign but Hezekias did not render according to the mercies bestowed upon him but his heart was lifted up and wrath came upon Israel WE made some entrance into these words in the morning In those dayes Hezekiah was sick to the death Those words we have done withall And he prayed to the Lord hence we observed this That Prayer is the chief means to obtain any thing at Gods hands It was the means whereby Hezekiah obtained his recovery when he was sick to the death So it is a general rule that prayer is the chiefest means of all other to obtain any thing at Gods hands The reasons of it we gave in the morning we came to apply it And the first Use was this If it be the chiefest means of all other therefore we should learn to esteem of our prayers more then we do to set them at a higher rate to know what the efficacy of prayer is When prayers are performed in a customary negligent manner when men think it may be they will be answered and it may be they will not it may be they will do them good it may be not no marvel if they misse of the effect If men did believe that prayer were so effectual to bring their enterprizes to passe they would surely be more frequent and fervent in this duty We shewed you in the morning what the efficacy of prayer was we purpose to repeat nothing Onely there is an objection or two that we will answer and so passe from this point First This may be objected how can prayer be so effectual a means to obtain any thing at Gods hands when the Lord is purposed to do what he will do and how can the intreaty of a weak man change the purpose of God or altar his mind he knows what we have need of before-hand before we ask and God is subject to no alteration To this I answer It is true when we seek to the Lord by prayer he is not changed by any of our petitions that we make to him but the change is wrought upon us because we are made more fit to receive mercy from him then before we were As for example When a patient desires his Physician to give him a cordial to give him some restoring physick something that is pleasant to him The Physician delayes and defers he will not for the present hearken to his request at length he doth it Why is it not because the Physician is altered but because there is an alteration in the patient he is now purged and vomitted his body is cleansed and so made fit to receive the cordial therefore the Physician yields to his request there is some suitablenesse now between him and the physick which he requires there is no alteration in the Physician but in the patient So when we seek any thing at Gods hands we do not cause him to alter his mind but there is a change wrought in us so that when we think we bring God to us by our prayers we rather bring our selves to God That is when we contend with God in prayer and use arguments to perswade him those arguments perswade our selves to repentance to faith to more obedience and willingnesse to serve him and so our hearts are drawn more near to him when we think we draw God near to us in this action we draw our selves near to him and when our hearts are drawn near to him when our faith is strengthened by the arguments that we use then the Lord is moved to do that which before he was not moved to do Not because he is altered or any way changed but because the change is in us we are more fit to receive the mercy that we beg for then before Again Secondly it may be objected many obtain mercies and blessings at Gods hands without prayer therefore it seemes that prayer is not so great a means to obtain mercies because they are ours sometimes without prayer I answer it is true men may have and have usually many great mercies bestowed upon them without prayer but there is a great deal of difference because that mercy which is obtained by prayer it comes with a blessing and it comes by vertue of the promise that the Lord hath made And it is one thing to receive the same mercy in a way of blessing and another thing to receive it iâ—…n ordinary course The same comfort may come to one man with a blessing and may be conveyed to another man with a curse There is a two-fold way of Gods bestowing of mercies One is when he conveyes them to a man by vertue of a promise Another is when he bestowes them by a common providence When God dispenseth mercies by a common providence thou must not think thy self to be such a gainer in the receiving of such a mercy when thou hast not sought the Lord for it it may be thou hast more cause to judge thy self better in the want of that mercy Ahab had been better to have wanted a vineyard Ieroboam