to doe all he commandeth yet this shutteth not out their endeavour His promise of enabling them is upon this supposition that they doe indeavour in the use of the meanes he shall appoint them The Lord in promising doth not meane that they should be idle and look that he should doe all but his promising includeth their endeavouring and upon their endeavouring in the use of the meanes that God hath appointed he hath promised to enable them to doe what he hath commanded And this is very expresse in that same of the Prophet Ezek. 36. verse 27. and verse 37. laid together In verse 27. there is a promise to make them able to keep the Law of God I will put my spirit within you and cause you to walke in my statutes and you shall keep my judgements and doe them But in verse 37. he commeth in with this caution which I desire you to observe Thus saith the Lord I will yet for this be inquired of by the house of of Israel to doe it for them As if he should say it is true indeed I have promised to enable you to all things I have commanded you but yet know though I have promised to doe all yet I will not doe it without your indeavour you must use the meanes whereof prayer is one and upon your using the meanes I promise then to helpe you If people he still and will not up and be doing God will not be with them it was the speech of David to Solomon 1 Chron. 28. Vp saith he and be doing and the Lord shall be with thee Implying thus much that though God hath promised yet God will not be with us to enable us to any performance except we also be up and be doing This therefore is no incouragement to lazie Christians that rest themselves upon this that when God would have them doe it he will enable them to doe it and so doe not to their uttermost endeavour themselves these are such to whom God will performe none of these promises Well now this caution being added let us come briefly to the Use of the Point And the first Use it is to shew us the truth of that which the Apostle telleth us 1 John 5.3 This is the love of God that we keep his Commandements and his Commandements are not grievous Here is a Paradox what the Commandements of God not grievous this the world cannot beleeve The reason of the Apostles saying they are not grievous is because of our love to God for whom we love none of his Commandements can be grievous to us But this Doctrine sheweth you the truth of it upon another ground Are any of Gods Commandements grievous when God commandeth us nothing but what he promiseth to make us able to doe so farre as shall be needfull for acceptance so we will indeavour our selves Indeed I grant that Gods Commandements are above the power of nature to obey nothing harder to corrupt infirme nature than Gods Commands but yet seeing that God hath promised to enable us to yeeld obedience to every Commandement so we will doe our indeavours what grievousnesse or what unreasonablenesse is there in the Commandement You may conceive it by this similitude A King commeth to one of his Subjects that it may be is not worth a thousand pound and giveth him a commandement to pay ten thousand pound but withall giveth him liberty to goe to his Exchecquer and take it If you look upon the greatnesse of the sum and poverty of the man it is a grievous command but if you consider this qualification that the King hath promised to give him sufficient to pay it there is no grievousnesse in it Thus is it in all the commands of God to his children God commandeth us things above the power of flesh and blood biddeth us doe what is above the abilitie of nature but withall promiseth in the use of meanes to make us able to doe them therefore there is no grievousnesse in the Commands God in this case dealeth with his children as Joab dealt with David 2 Sam. 12.26 27 28. Joab he beseiged Rabbah and when he had in a manner taken it he sendeth a Messenger to David to bid him come and take it that he might have the glory Joab had runne thorough the difficulties he had in a manner done the work but to the end that the glory might be Davids when Joab had done the greatest he biddeth David come and doe it Even thus it is between God and his people it is the Lord that works all our workes for us it is the Lord that enableth us to obedience to all his Commandements he makes it very easie and yet notwithstanding to the end we may have the glory of our obedience and the reward thereof at the last day when the Lord hath prepared it for us he biddeth us come and doe it he putteth the honour upon us but the power that doth it is his own there is no grievousnesse in any of Gods commands Oh my brethren beleeve this that you may be incouraged to put your necks into the yoke of Christ Come unto me saith he in Mat. 11.28 and take my yoke upon you for my yoke is easie and my burthen light Is not this true that Gods yoke is easie and his burthen light when he biddeth us doe no more then he giveth us strength to doe Stand not out against the Lord Jesus Christ doe not refuse to subject your selves to his Commandements because the World the Flesh and the Devill telleth you they are a burthen too great for you to beare I tell you they are easie there is no more commanded then strength shall be given to obey Here is the first Use The Second Use of the Point is to shew us how exceeding unexcusable all the defects and disobedience of Gods people are For why There is nothing commanded them but God hath promised to make them able to doe it if therefore they doe not doe it is not the fault wholly their own God hath commanded his children great things but yet he hath promised to help them to doe it all if therefore Gods children doe not doe it is not the fault theirs and what can they say for themselves Thou art commanded to mortifie thy lusts thou art commanded to deny thy self thou art commanded to keep thy self unspotted of the world thou art commanded to have thy conversation in heaven and abundance of such commands thou doest none of these what canst thou plead for thy self What excuse hast thou to make to excuse thee from the guilt of these sins All that thou caust say is this I am flesh and these Commandements are spirituall I am full of sin and how can I obey the Commandements of God they are too great things for so sinfull a creature as I am to doe True but yet notwithstanding are they to great for God to doe Is not God able to make thee able to doe them Hath not God promised
the wrath of God due for the breaking of the Law To doe both these the Lord Christ hath given himself and if Christ have certainly done it what need men come after to add any thing to it The Church of Rome hath a Doctrine of Satisfaction and it telleth us That men must satisfie in this life and after this life All this is needlesse and derogatorie to Jesus Christ as if men should come after and adde any thing to what he hath done as if the redemption of Christ were not perfect as if Christs giving of himself were not enough to redeem us from all iniquitie Learn this therefore that so you may abhor that Doctrine and here is the first instruction The Second is to teach us the great bondage and slavery that iniquitie holdeth them in that are under it for if so be that Christ gave himself to fetch beleevers out of iniquitie then certainly it is a miserable thing to be under iniquitie It were a silly thing that Christ should be at so much cost as to give himself to free beleevers from iniquitie if it were not a miserable thing for beleevers to be under iniquitie the very Phrase teacheth us that it is a bondage to be under sin he gave himself to redeem us from iniquitie therefore to bee under iniquitie is a bondage for redemption supposeth a slaverie Oh it is a bondage indeed and a slaverie worse then that of the Turks or Moors For first the slaverie of the Turk is but of the bodie but the slaverie to sin is of the bodie and soul both The slaverie to the Turk is but to men the slaverie to sin is a slaverie to the Devill The slaverie to the Turk is but for a while at the longest but for a mans life but the slaverie to sin is for ever Again the slaverie to the Turk a man may be redeemed from it by some ordinary price by a certain sum of Gold and Silver but the slaverie to sin a man can never be freed out of that but by the precious bloud of the Lord Jesus Christ 1 Pet. 1.18 Yee were not redeemed from your vain conversation redemption from sins slaverie is not attainable by silver and gold and corruptible things but by the precious bloud of Christ as of a lamb without blemish and without spot Blood must be shed before freedome from the slaverie from sin can be attained and the bloud of one that is innocent and the blood of one that is the Son of God Oh what a slaverie is this our of which nothing can redeem but blood innocent blood even the blood of the Son of God Certainly either it is an infinite miserie to be under sins slaverie or Christ was very foolish to give such an infinite price to redeem us from it For what is it for Christ to give himself but for Christ to give an infinite price For is not Christ God whom the Angels worship who made the world Christ gave himself to redeem people therefore it is an infinite miserie under which they are or he had been infinitely unwise to give so great a price Learn then That Christ gave himself to redeem from sin therefore sin is an infinite bondage and slaverie give no reft therefore to your souls till you come out of it Thirdly and lastly Hath Christ given himself for this end Oh then let all that are beleevers know that is their duty to love the Lord Jesus Christ Now I shall speak to all of you for there is none of you but say you are beleevers there is none of you but think that Christ gave himself for you Is there any of you here present that doe not think Christ gave himself for you If you did not thinke so you would despair presently If you doe thinke so see your dutie hath Christ given himself to ransome you oh then what a love do you owe to Christ Consider but these particulars in Christs giving of himself for your ransome First he hath given a great price he hath given himself for our ransome it is the most costly ransome that ever friend gave to ransome a friend Many men have given money but Christ hath given himself to redeem you Secondly It is a perfect ransome he hath redeemed you from all iniquitie Thirdly It is a perpetuall ransome he hath for ever redeemed you Fourthly It is an undeserved ransome What did you deserve when Christ gave himself to ransome you from sin you were enemies to Christ you hated him you persecuted him you rejected him There is no nation in the world so bitter an enemie to our nation as you were to Christ when he gave himself to ransome you On then behold a costly ransome a perfect ransome a perpetuall ransome an underserved ransome What doth this deserve but wonderfull love at your hands If there were a man that were to lie in prison all his life long for debt and one should come to him that he never knew of whom hee never deserved any kindnesse if this man should set him free how would he love that man and truly there were great cause that he should Suppose a man were a slave to the Turk and there for ought he knew he was to spend all his dayes in that drudgerie and a man comes and payes an exceeding great ransome even as much every farthing as is desired would that man that is thus redeemed thinke it too much to be a servant to him that set him free No surely I remember what the men of Israel said once to Gideon Judg. 8.22 Rule thou over us both thou and thy son and thy sons son for thou hast delivered us out of the hand of Midian Because he had delivered them they give their Crown and Scepter to him and to his posteritie for divers generations and Gideon deserved it These persons shall rise up in judgement against you that will not love the Lord Jesus Christ Never did any Creditor never did any redeemer that ransomed a slave from drudgerie never did this Gide on doe half so much for them as Christ hath done for you They did not give themselves Christ hath given himself and that to redeem you from iniquitie therefore as the work is of infinite worth so your love should be abundant Oh love Christ therefore above all above your sins above the world above your friends above your liberties above your goods above your lives for he hath loved you above his life he hath given himself to redeem you from all iniquitie let it be said of you as the Apostle speaks of those beleevers in 1 Pet. 1.8 Whom though yee see not yet yee love though you see not Jesus Christ yet love him for he hath done these things for you But how shall you be assured that you are in the number of them for whom Christ gave himself to redeem from all iniquitie If you finde your souls to love the Lord Christ above all things but on the other side if
to the honour of Christ to the Gospel of Christ In a word what ever is Christs to that faith doth work a love where ever it is so that whosoever hath faith they have in them a love to Christ and to all the things of Christ You may conceive it by this similitude If a woman have with a conjugall affection taken a man to be her husband that same taking of him to be her husband makes her love him and all that is his she loves his name his honour and credit his profit his contentment his ease his safety his person his friends for that same conjugall affection which makes her to take him to be her husband works love in her in all these particulars To beleeve in the Lord Christ is nothing but to take Christ as I said before to be our husband Now if we have taken him to be our husband then we shall love him as a wife loveth her husband There is the second thing Again thirdly a third Propertie of Faith is that in the 1 Thes 5.8 The breastplate of faith and love faith is a Brest-plate there is the third property of faith What is the use of a brestplate A brestplate it doth fence and secure the heart from all danger from all stabbs from all injuries Where there is faith the soul is fenced as it were with a brestplate so that it is neither drawn away from Christ nor wounded with the fierie darts of Satan or temptations of sin My brethren I pray observe it there is no faith where the heart is not in some measure fenced from the wounds of sin and from the insnarements of the world Faith is a brest-plate there is the third Again in the fourth and last place the last propertie of faith that I will name is that in the 1 John 5.4 Whosoever is born of God overcommeth the world and this is our victorie even our faith Observe that place where there is faith there is a victorie and a victorie over the world where ever there is faith there is an overcomming of the world To overcome the world it is not to be overcome of the world it is to persist in setting our chiefest affection upon the Lord Jesus Christ notwithstanding all the devises and attempts of the world either by flattery or by frowns either by favour or by blowes this is to overcome the world Now then where ever there is faith there is a victorie over the world that soul which hath faith in it it hath overcome the world the care of the world was wont to overcome it but now it overcommeth the care of the world it is not so carefull for the world as it is for Christ The feares of the world were wont to overcome it but now it hath overcome the feares of the world it is not so afraid of all the worlds injuries and threats as it is of Christs displeasure The pleasures of the world were wont to overcome it the world runneth after nothing so much as after worldly pleasures is delighted in nothing so much as in some worldly pleasure either of contentment or profit or friends of riches or honours But now the soul that hath faith in it it delighteth in nothing so much as in the comfort of the Spirit in the communion of the Lord Jesus Christ Thus I pray consider it though I speak but briefly of these things yet consider it where ever there is faith there is a victorie over the world before there is faith there the soul is a slave to the world but if once there be faith he is more then conquerour he is not the worlds slave but the world is his the world is trampled under his feet and is a dead flower to him that hath neither beauty nor sweetness in it Thus my brethren they that have these Properties they whose hearts are purified they who work by love they whose hearts are fenced with a brestplate that they cannot bee stollen from Christ nor wounded with sin they that are conquerours over the world they are beleevers And so you see the first thing the Object of this Act of Christ The persons for whom Christ gave himself viz. for them that have a faith purifying the heart for them that have a faith working by love for them that have a faith that is as a brestplate to their soul for them that have a faith that overcometh the world for these Christ gave himself Now we come in the second place to open the second thing that is the Act of Christ the thing that Christ did he gave himself for these beleevers What is meant by giving of himself to give a thing in the generall it is to put a thing out of ones own use and power and freely to bequeath it to the use and power of another this is in the generall to give a thing But here I conceive giving is taken a little more strictly and not so largely viz. that which we call giving a ransome For if you compare with this Text that which you shall find in 1 Tim. 2.6 Who gave himself a ransome for all that is for all sorts and conditions of people so that here by giving himself is meant a giving himself as a ransome Now what it is to give a thing as a ransome you are to know it is this It is to dispose and order a thing so as that it may redeem another out of that distresse wherein he is So then the meaning of these words he gave himself for us is this That the Lord Christ did so dispose of himself that by him there may come a redemption to all beleevers from all that miserie and distresse they are in by nature This is the meaning of the words The words then thus explained this Doctrine doth arise Jesus Christ hath given himself for all that believe I need not stand to prove it it is so plain and evident in the Text onely let me give you one place which is parallel to it Eph. 5.25 Husbands love your wives as Christ loved the Church and gave himself for it By the Church is meant nothing else but the company of beleevers now he so loved the Church that is the company of beleevers that he gave himself for them to be their ransome For the opening of the point that you may see what this Action of Christ was I will shew you the particular things to which Christ gave himselfe for beleevers First Christ gave himself to incarnation to become a man for beleevers Secondly Christ gave himself to a perfect obedience of the Law to work all righteousnesse for beleevers 3. Christ gave himself to suffering to passion for beleevers These I will briefly open and so make use of the Point The First thing to which the Lord Christ bequeathed himself for the sake of beleevers it was for to be a man For the understanding of this you must know that Christ he was as he is God he was not man
bee said to doe it as the second Person is said to die and God is said to shed his bloud because that nature which obeyed the Law was the nature of God The second thing is a very great act Christ thus as God and man gave himself up to the obedience of the Law for beleevers Oh consider and admire it What a wonderful thing is this that he that was the Law-giver should put himself to be under the Law for beleevers and so become for them the Law-keeper Thirdly and lastly The last particular to which Christ gave himself for beleevers was to suffering Christ gave himself to death for beleevers Here for the understanding of this you must know That there are two kinds of sufferings to which the Lord Christ gave up himself for beleevers First sufferings in body Secondly sufferings in soul First the suffering of mans wrath Secondly the suffering of Gods wrath Christ for beleevers gave up himself to both these First Christ gave himself up to the sufferings in body to the suffering of the wrath of man for beleevers you that are acquainted with the Historie of the Gospel know the truth of this How did Christ suffer himself to bee scorned to be hated to be reviled and persecured by men Christ he gave himself up in his passion First to be arrained attached by souldiers with staves and holberts as a malefactor after that he gave himself up to be reproached his ears to be filled with blasphemies and with mocks his face to be buffeted to be spit upon his head to be all wounded with thornes his hands and his feet to be pierced with nails and his side with a spear Thus Christ gave up his body to the suffering of the wrath of man in bodily tortures for beleevers and in the last place he gave himself up to the suffering of a dissolution of soul and body that which we call death This is the first sort of suffering to which Christ gave up himself for beleevers to the suffering of bodily tortures to the suffering of the wrath of men There is no kind of suffering that man is outwardly subject to but Christ endured in every member of his body and in his name his ears with their mocking speeches and his eyes with their mocking gestures when as they clothed him with purple and gave him a reed in his hand and bowed to him and mocked him calling him the King of the Jews by derision Again in the second place Christ he gave himself up to the sufferings of soul to the sufferings of the wrath of God for beleevers and this is a great deal more Christ he did not only suffer in body but he also suffered in soul You may gather it from that in Mar. 14.32 33 34. He taketh with him Peter James and John and began to be sore amazed and to be very heavie and saith unto them my soul is exceeding sorrowfull unto death and afterward he goeth from them and prayeth three times that if it were possible the cup might be taken from him If so be that Christs suffering was only the wrath of men and bodily tortures Christ had been very pusillanimous and faint-hearted that would bee so fearfull at the apprehension of death We have many men that can expect death without any amazement or fainting of heart therefore if there had been no more then the bodily suffering Christ had been weaker then men who was thus amazed and affrighted and prayed three times that the Cup might passe from him And further that Christ suffered in soul wil appear by that in Luke 22.44 there saith the Text Being in an agonie he prayed more earnestly and his sweat was as it were great drops of bloud falling to the ground If Christ had only suffered in body how had it been possible that the fear of death could have made him sweat great drops of bloud Many through fear have sweat great drops of water but never any did sweat drops of bloud for never did any man feel such a bloodie wrath as Christ felt at this time And yet further in that Mark 14.34 our Saviour saith it himself in express termes My soul is exceeding sorrowfull unto death Here he saith plainly that his soul suffered And likewise in Luke 22.43 it is said That an Angel appeared to him from heaven strengthning him If Christ had nothing to doe but suffer the death of his bodie what need an Angel come to strengthen him Men are able to bear the apprehension of a bodily death and shall we conceive Christ could not bear it without the strengthning of an Angel These things plainly shew that Christ did not onely give himself up to the suffering of bodily wrath but to the suffering of soul the suffering of the wrath of God And it must be so for if Christ had not suffered the wrath of God as well as the wrath of man Christ had never done beleevers any good at all for the same nature that had sinned must suffer and the soul of beleevers sinned as well as the body therefore the soul of beleevers must suffer as well as the body The wrath of God is spirituall and therefore reacheth the soul as well as the body so that Christ could never have been a ransome to beleevers from the wrath of God nor a satisfaction to his justice if the soul of Christ had not suffered the wrath of God as well as his bodie the wrath of men Thus you see the second thing whereto Christ gave himself for beleevers and that was to the suffering both of man and of God the tortures both of body and soul And to the end you may a little better conceive it consider I beseech you what the tortures of soul and wrath of God is that Christ gave himself up to suffer It is in brief First a losse in regard of sense of all the apprehension of Gods love and a sensible feeling of the immortall and eternall and infinite wrath of God The suffring of Gods wrath includeth these two things A privation in regard of sense of all the of favour God and an enduring in regard of sense of all the anger of God these two things did Christ indure First he lost in regard of sense all the apprehension of Gods favour he had not the least apprehension and sense of the love and favour of God but even as the world is when the Sun is set without all light so was the soul of Christ in regard of sense without all love without all favour without all presence of God at all My God my God Why hast thou forsaken me In regard of sense he suffered the losse of God the losse of his love and favour and this was more to Christ then a thousand deaths Indeed Christ had the favour and the love of God but all sense of it was perfectly withdrawn Secondly Christ also suffered the full sense of the wrath of God the arrows of the divine displeasure were
torments of hell was there ever love like this Suppose that Christ had given himself to die ten thousand times over and over again a bodily death it had not been in the least degree so much as is one giving of himself some six hours to the enduring of the infinite wrath of God Here is the first Use remember it and admire it and be overcome with the love of Christ Oh that God would shed abroad this love in our hearts would it not constrain us as Saint Paul said of himself In the second place as it serveth to shew the love of Christ so it serveth for a great matter and ground of assurance and consolation to you that are beleevers of having all from Christ whatsoever you stand in need of for he hath given himself for you and will he not give you all things else What is it that your souls want Do you desire Christ you shall certainly have Christ he that hath given himself for thee will he not give himself to thee If we shall see a man giving of himself to death for a woman shall we question whether that man will give himself as a husband to the woman No certainly So when thou seest alreadie that Christ hath given himself for thee doest thou think Christ will not give himself to thee when he gave himself for thee he abased himself when he giveth himself to thee he exalteth himself When he gave himself for thee he was below his condition when he giveth himself to thee hee reserveth his condition for he giveth himself to be thy God and thy King to be above thee to command thee therefore he that hath done the greater will certainly doe the lesser And if Christ will give himself to thee what else is there that thou wantest that Christ will not give thee What Saint Paul saith in regard of God the Father that may I speak in regard of God the Son Rom. 8.32 He that spared not his own Son but delivered him up for us all how shall hee not with him freely give us all things So do I say to all you that are beleevers he that spared not himself but gave himself for you how much more shall hee freely with himself give you all things Do you want the Spirit of Christ He that hath given himself for you will much more give his Spirit to you It is more for Christ to give himself to you then for Christ to give his Spirit to you the Spirit is the Spirit of Christ and he that hath given himself must needs give whatsoever he hath together with himself The Spirit is but one of his Priviledges and his Jewels I mean the sanctifying operations of the Spirit If a man have given himself to a woman will he not give her his name his honour his wealth will he not give her all that he hath Even so consider it and apply it for your comfort and assurance he that hath given himself for you will he not give you all that he hath He that suffered the wrath of God to doe you good will hee not sanctifie your souls to doe you good Hee that lost his own peace for you will hee not give you that peace of conscience which passeth all understanding Thus it is a notable ground of strong assurance confidently to perswade our hearts of this that there is nothing we want that is good for us but Christ will give it us who hath given himself for us Again thirdly Let this be a motive strongly to perswade you to give up your selves to Christ he hath given himself to you will you not give up your selves to him It is that which the Scripture often speaks of Rom 6.13 Give up your selves as a reasonable sacrifice unto God And again Give up your members weapons of righteousness unto God Here now is an Argument above all Arguments why should you deny to give up your selves to him who hath not denyed to give himself to you why should you not give up your understandings your naturall parts to doe him service why should you not give up your hearts to be possest by him Why should you not give up all the members of your bodies to be instruments of doing his will of furthering his honour whereas he hath given up himself for you There is a great difference between Christs giving himself for us and between our giving up our selves to him When Christ gave himself for us he chang'd from the better to the worse when we give up our selves to Christ we change from the worse to the better for till we give up our selves to Christ we are the worlds sins and the Divels we are slaves vassals and drudges then onely come we to be Lords and to be Freemen and to be happie when we give up our selves to Christ Now then if he have changed from the better to the worser for your sakes will not you change from the worser to the better for his sake Consider this seriously there is no argument in the world stronger to perswade the soul to give up it self to Christ then to consider this that Christ hath given himself to us Become Christs altogether be not any longer the worlds nor your own but the Christs and Christs altogether give up your names for Christ be content the world should take away your name for the sake of the Gospel of Christ give up your goods for Christ suffer even with joy the spoyling of your goods for the sake of Christ and of the Gospel give up your liberties for Christ be content to be deprived of all your freedoms and contentments that you injoy for Christ give up your lives for Christ for he hath given up his life for you And if all this then much more give up your sins for Christ What doth Christ require of thee that art a profaner of his day but to abandon that sin to crucifie that sin Oh doe it Christ hath given himself for thee thou hast a sin perhaps that is neer and dear to thee Christ calleth for it Oh give it up to the sword of his word to be mortified and crucified he gave up his dearest life for thee Thus me thinks this same is a notable motive to perswade us to mortification to die to sin and to vivification to live to Christ to devote our selves in every thing to the Lord Jesus Let us not let us not I beseech you live any longer to our selves but to Christ who hath loved us so as to give himself for us And lastly to conclude this point let me perswade all such of you as are not yet beleevers that you would labour above all things to become beleevers Oh my brethren thrice happie are they of whom this may be said Christ hath given himself for us This is onely the happiness of beleevers they whose hearts are purified they that have a working love they that have a brestplate that secures their souls against all the wounds of the world
is in this case as if a man were in prison for a great deal of monie and a friend of that mans should agree with his creditor that upon condition he would discharge the man and let him out of prison he would pay him the full debt If the creditour accept of this offer and the partie perform the condition the poor man is acquitted and discharged Even thus it is God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ agreed that upon Christs paying of all that which was due to God from all those for whom he paid it they should be discharged Christ he did it and so they are set free Thus you see how it cometh to passe that Christ by giving himself hath set free all beleevers from all iniquitie Lastly for the full clearing of this point consider the reasons why Christ should thus pay this price for beleevers why Christ should give himself to redeem beleevers from all iniquitie There are two reasons of it The one in respect of God the other in respect of beleevers First In respect of God Christs love to God made him doe it Beleevers they are the elect and chosen of God chosen by him to a kingdom Now to the end they might come to the kingdom to which God hath chosen them they must be redeemed from Iniquitie they cannot redeem themselves therefore they must lie there Christ out of love to God the Father that he might bring to happines those whom God hath chosen to happines he offereth himself and undertakes the work This is that you have in Hebr. 10. 5 6 7 8. the Apostle there brings in Christ speaking to God the Father When he cometh into the world that is when Christ was Incarnate he saith Sacrifice and offering thou wouldst not but a body hast thou prepared me In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast no pleasure Then said I lo I come in the volume of thy book it is written of me to doe thy will O God God had appointed Christ to ransome beleevers Christ knowing it to be Gods will out of his love to God willingly offereth himself to doe it so that here is the first reason in obedence to God out of love to God that he might deliver his elect and bring them to that happiness to which God hath chosen them he giveth himself to redeem them from all iniquitie The second reason is From Christs love to beleevers Beleevers as they were the chosen of God so they were the chosen of Christ The Lord Christ had a speciall affection to beleevers upon three grounds First Because they were Gods chosen and Christ loving God could not chuse but love them Secondly because they were his own chosen for he hath chosen them as well as God the Father Thirdly Because by God the Father they were given to him as hee himself saith John 17.6 Thine they were and thou gavest them me Upon these three grounds Christ loveth beleevers now loving of them Christ could not but pitty them in their miserie therefore having it in his power he setteth himself to bring them out and so giveth himself a ransome to redeem them from all iniquitie so you have it Eph. 5.25 Husbands love your wives as Christ loved his Church and gave himself for it by the Church is meant the company of beleevers his love to them is said to be the cause of his giving himself for them Thus by these things you have seen the Doctrine cleared and opened That Christ gave himself for that end that he might become a ransome and set free beleevers from all iniquitie from the transgression of the Law and from the guilt of that transgression and from the punshment that belonged to that guilt To make now some Use of this Point and so to conclude This Doctrine my brethren is wonderfull sweet and usefull and therefore I have been somewhat the longer in the proving and explaining thereof It serveth both for Consolation Exhortation and Instruction First of all here is wonderfull sweet consolation to all you that are beleevers you that have a faith purifying your hearts a faith working by love a faith as a brestplate which preserveth in you a conjugall affection to Christ from all the aduldulteties of the world flesh and Devill you that have a faith overcomming the world to you I speak you are those happy ones for whom Christ gave himself to redeem you from all iniquitie to redeem you from the power of sin from the guilt of sin from the punishment of sin Be therefore of good comfort thou that art a beleever thou shalt certainly be delivered from all iniquitie Hath Christ given himself for this end and is not attainable It were folly in Christ to give himself for an end which is not attainable No my brethren hath Christ given himself for it and shall it not be done If this be the end for which Christ gave himself then either this end is made good or else Christ is disappointed of his end Is it possible thinkst thou for Christ to redeem thee from all iniquitie Oh yes Christ hath made the world he hath conquered hell the Devill and the grave therefore Christ can doe this If it be possible for Christ to doe it then Christ will doe it for it was the very end why he gave himself Doest thou think Christ hath been at so much cost and pains that he hath coveted thy redemption so strongly that he hath not spared himself but given himself for this end to redeem thee from all iniquitie and will not Christ effect it Oh consider it and be assured of it seeing it is the very end for which Christ gave himself the thing shall be done Thou that art a beleever thou art alreadie redeemed in a great measure from all iniquitie thou art redeemed from the power and dominion of sin thou art no longer a servant of sin thou art now a servant of righteousnesse thou art already redeemed from the guilt of all sin there is no sin God will ever charge upon thee to thy condemnation thou art already delivered from the punishment belonging to sin Oh take comfort in that redemption thou already hast and rejoyce under hope in that which is to come the time is coming and shall assuredly be when thou shalt be perfectly redeemed from all iniquitie Thou art now freed from the power of sin the time is coming in which thou shalt be freed from the presence of sin The Lord Christ he hath now so ordered it that God in his justice is tyed to deliver thee from all iniquitie for he hath paid the price therefore God must set thee free God covenanted with Christ that if he would pay the full price for the redemption of beleevers they should be discharged Christ hath paid the price God must be unjust or else hee must set thee free from all iniquitie Oh comfort thy self therefore with this What Moses once said to the children of Israel I may speak to
thou finde that God commandeth thee much and thou doest little but yet thou art in a condition wherein the Lord hath promised so thou wilt use the means and trust upon him to make thee able in an acceptable manner to doe all that he biddeth thee doe Doth the Law threaten doth the Law curse yet thou art in a condition wherein neither the threatning nor curse of the Law shall ever reach thee to condemnation Findest thou mighty rebellions in thy nature against the Law of God yet thou art in a condition wherein is promised a new nature which shall be made conformable and subjected to the Law of God What should make thee therefore hang down thy head Sharply are such Christians to be reproved that being in Christ lead lives as if they were out of Christ Doest not thou make the world to thinke that that is false which Christ saith That his yoke is easie and his burthen light If Christs yoke be easie and his burthen light why is it saith the world that the servants of Christ walk so disconsolately and complain of heavie burthens You shall find an exhortation of the Apostle in 2 Cor. 6.1 We beseech you that you receive not the grace of God in vain There is a double receiving of Gods grace in vain The one is when as Gods grace is offered and preached to people and out of love to the world and to their sins they slight it and will not receive it Another receiving the grace of God in vain it is when as people have entertained the grace of God and have entred into Covenant with Christ and yet notwithstanding doe not take the comforts that the grace of God affordeth them This is also a receiving the grace of God in vain This is thy case whoever thou art that art a beleever and yet notwithstanding doest not make melodie in thy heart and triumph over thy enemies What have the redeemed of the Lord to doe but to praise the Lord What have the members of Christ to doe but to rejoyce in Christ Doe you thinke when the Lord giveth that Commandement Phil 4. Rejoyce alwaies in the Lord and again I say rejoyce he doth not bid them rejoyce in riches in friends in honours in pleasures c. this is worldly this is damuable but he biddeth us rejoyce in the Lord in the priviledges we have by Christ through the New Covenant of Grace he biddeth us rejoyce and always rejoyce Do you thinke I say when God gave you that Commandment he had forgotten the state in which he left you that he had left you under the power of many sins subject to many failings unable to perfect obedience Doe you thinke I say again that God forgot the condition wherein he left you No God knew well enough what state he left you in that you are as Israel mingled with the Canaanites and yet he biddeth you to rejoyce why so There is ground enough for your rejoyceing because you are not under the Law but under grace and if under grace surely there is ground enough for your rejoycing notwithstanding all your failings Consider therefore then my brethren I beseech you doe not you receive the grace of God in vain doe not you slight as it were and not make use of the grace of God which thus administreth matter of rejoycing in all conditions to you that are in Christ when as you walke so lumpishly because of sin formerly committed or because of corruptions that for the present lie upon you Indeed I deny not but it becommeth Christians to mourn and they that doe not mourn shall never rejoyce in the day of judgement and the people of God are mourners in Zion Yet what kind of mourning There is a double sorrow A godly sorrow and a worldly sorrow A godly sorrow is this when as a soul melteth into tears upon the consideration of his sins and wants because he beleeveth that God through Christ will accept him notwithstanding them all this sorrow the more of it the better this sorrow melloweth the heart softneth the heart makes it frameable to the impressions of the word of God But now the other sorrow which is a worldly sorrow when as a soul is beaten out of heart because of sin formerly committed because of mighty corruptions that doe annoy him to mourn without hope and confidence of acceptance this is worldly sorrow and causeth death this is altogether unbeseeming Christians Receive now this sharp reprehension and be humbled for it and labour to remember your condition You are not come to mount Sinai but to mount Zion You are not under the Law but under Grace Therefore rejoyce in the Lord alwaies and be so cheerfull that the world may see that the service of Christ is a sweet service Here is the second Use The third is for Instruction to them that are not in Christ to such of you as remaine yet in your naturall estate The condition of them that are in Christ is this they are not under the Law but under Grace Thy condition who art not yet in Christ is just the contrary thou art not under grace but under the Law There are none that doe more assume to themselves the priviledges of grace then they that are not under grace You shall have your profane Wretch your painted Civillian your formall Hypocrite men that are dead in trespasses and sinnes that are servants to sinne while with full consent they obey sinne in the lusts thereof yet you shall have these challenge to themselves the priviledges of the Covenant of grace you shall have one swear an Oath and when he hath done say God forgive me you shall have another say I am a great sinner but I hope God will be mercifull to me Another I cannot keep the Commandements but I hope God will accept me thus these wretches that are in the gall of bitternesse and in the bond of iniquity they claime the priviledges of grace But I would have them know so many of you as have no evidences that you are translated out of the state of nature and ingrafted into Christ by his holy Spirit that you are not under grace but under the Law What is that You are in such a condition wherein nothing but perfect obedience shall stand you in stead If you pray as well as you can yet if you doe not pray as perfectly as God commanded in the Law you shall never be heard If you keep all the Commandements of God and faile but in one yet you shall be damned there is no accepting of imperfect obedience of you because you are not under Christ but under the Law And I tell thee this the Saints of God shall commit greater sinnes and goe to Heaven when thou lesser and goe to Hell Peter forsweareth his Master with an Oath and Curse and yet he is pardoned thou shalt not sweare and curse or deny Christ for the ordinary matter and shalt be damned Saul yeeldeth God imperfect
obedience he obeyeth the command in part he fighteth against Amalek slayeth the people and the cattell and yet notwithstanding cast out of his Kingdome and kept from Heaven for ever David committeth a greater sinne for the matter of it he committeth adultery murthereth Vriah lieth in the sinne almost a twelve-month and yet he is pardoned What is the reason Saul was under the Law therefore no acceptance without perfect obedience David indeed for the matter of his sinne did worse but David was under grace there is no sinne so great but he had a pardon for it the least obedience so in truth was accepted Oh remember this you are ready to beare out your selves with this conceit because David and Peter and other Saints sinned so and are pardoned therefore you may sinne so and be pardoned Indeed it is true you shall be pardoned if you are in Christ and are under grace but yet being unconverted thou art therefore in the state of nature and so under the Law and not under grace Here is the third Use The fourth and last is for Exhortation to exhort you all that you would indeavour and be perswaded to get an interest in Christ seeing there is so much priviledge comming to those that are in Christ Whosoever is in Christ is not under the Law but under Grace as therefore thou desirest not to be under the Law so labour thou to be found in Christ above all things study this how to get a part in him My brethren The Lord Jesus Christ is amongst you he is daily offred to you oh doe but receive him and you shall receive this priviledge to be under grace and not under the Law Indeed there are a great many hard things to be done of them that will have a part in Christ they must deny themselves they must take up the Crosse and follow him there is a great many things to be lost they must lose the love of all their carnall friends their sinfull liberties the applause and favour of the world yet notwithstanding all these difficulties be you perswaded to entertaine Christ whatsoever it cost you for if you will entertain Christ you shall come to be in this state not to be under the Law but under Grace Therefore when God calleth you inviteth you and offereth his Sonne unto you oh in brace him Open your everlasting doores and let the King of glory come in When Christ is tendered upon these conditions that you receive him to be your King your Priest and Prophet that you kisse that Son of God and give up your selves in all things unto him to let him reign over you oh doe it for by this you shall come to have this priviledge that you shall not be under the Law but under Grace And what then shall hurt you No sinne all shall be pardoned No defect all shall be covered No want of obedience the least shall be accepted What can a poor soule desire more Therefore when ever Christ is offered to you joyn your soules to him that you may be in that condition not to be under the Law but under Gree. Thus much for the ground and reason of the former promise why sinne should not have domision over them because they are not under the Law but under Grace And so much for this time and this Text. FINIS VVISDOMES ATTENDANTS OR THE Voice of Christ To be obeyed By that Reverend Divine THOMAS HOOKER Late Preacher in New England JOHN 10.27 My sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me LONDON Printed by G. D. for Francis Eglesfield and are to be sold at the Sign of the Marigold In Pauls Church-yard 1651. Wisdomes Attendants OR The Voice of Christ to be obeyed SERMON IV. PROV 8.32 Now therefore hearken unto me O ye children for blessed are they that keep my wayes AFter the Wiseman had discovered the delusions of the adulterous woman in the former Chapter In this he bringeth in Wisdome as a holy and chast matron propounding seasonable and comfortable counsell to all the sinfull sons of men And in this speech of Wisedom there are two parts or passages First the Sermon it self from the beginning of the Chapter to the words now read Secondly the application thereof from this verse to the end of the Chapter whereby wisdome laboureth to work the souls of those to whom she had delivered the former truth and commended her self by many forcible arguments to the imbracing of her blessed counsell Now therefore saith shee hearken unto me As if she should say If this be true that formerly hath been delivered to you that happiness and comfort grace and glory are propounded unto and shall be bestowed upon them that hearken and give attention to the words of wisdome What now remaineth but that forsaking all other courses both the devises and delusions of the adulterous woman and all the beguiling inticements of the world and Satan you come cheerfully and hearken attentively to the counsell that is propounded to you and you shall not doe this in vain you shall not labour for no benefit but those that so hear as to keep my Waies shall not onely be obedient to me but receive a blessedness from me for blessed are they that keep my waies In the words themselves there are two passages to be observed First the duty that Wisdome calleth for Now therefore hearken unto me O yee children Secondly the Argument whereby shee laboureth to draw the hearts of those unto whom she speaketh to give entertainment to that she requireth for blessed are they that keep my waies In the duty it self you have first the parties spoken to Children Secondly the dutie that must be performed by these children hearkning Hearken Thirdly the partie that they must hearken unto to mee to Wisdome Lastly the strength or force of reason from whence all this followeth implied in the first words Now therefore considering what counsell hath been administred to you considering all the sevarall reasons propounded to perswade you Now therefore hearken unto me Concerning the first of these The Parties to whom Wisdome speaks I shall not say any thing because I would hasten to that I most principally intend being unwilling to be tedious or hold you over long Let us come therefore to the second thing the dutie that is required and that is hearkning and we will joyn with this for the quicker dispatch the third passage in the Text the Partie to whom they must hearken unto me Hearken unto me And first let me shew you what is to be understood here by hearkning By hearkning briefly you must understand these several particulars The first is a hearing with the ear The second is a closing with the truth by the understanding of that we hear for look as the ear receiveth the sound so the mind and understanding must apprehend the sense and assent to the truth of what is delivered Thirdly the memorie must retain and hold that which the understanding hath
this is the first step of the faith of Abraham that he was content to yeeld to the call and to be under the command of God to let his good pleasure take place in his heart to leave all kindred country fathers house and never return any more And this is that first step that God lookes every faithfull man should take that he be willing that the command of God take place in his heart that God should make room there for himselfe that he should pluck away his dearest sinnes that are as neer to him as his right hand and as his right eye If the Adulterer were converted he would be contented that God should take away his lust that is as dear to him as his very soule nay he would fain and that with all his heart have God make way in his soul for his own Majesty by beating down all the holds of Satan and tumbling that Dagon to the ground which standeth before him This is the first step of faith The next step that Abraham and so every faithfull soule sets forward is this That when ever faith commeth powerfully into the heart the soule is not content barely to yeeld to the command of God but it breatheth after his mercy longeth for his grace prizeth Christ and Salvation above all things in the world is satisfied and contented with nothing but with the Lord Christ and although it partake of many things below and injoy abundance of outward comforts yet it is not quieted till it rest and pitch it selfe upon the Lord and find and feel that evidence and assurance of his love which he hath promised unto and will bestow on those who love him As for all things here below he hath but a slight and mean and base esteem of them This you shall see apparent in Abraham Gen. 15.1 2. Feare not Abraham saith God I am thy sheild and thy exceeding great reward What could a man desire more One would think that the Lord makes a promise here large enough to Abraham I will be thy Buckler and exceeding great reward Is not Abraham contented with this No mark how he pleadeth with God Lord God saith he what wilt thou give me seeing I goe childlesse His eye is upon the promise that God had made to him of a sonne of whom the Saviour of the world should come Oh Lord what wilt thou give me as if he had said What wilt thou doe for me alas nothing will doe my soule good unlesse I have a sonne and in him a Saviour What will become of me so long as I goe childlesse and so saviourlesse as I may so speak You see how Abraham's mouth was out of tast with all other things how he could relish nothing injoy nothing in comparison of the promise though he had otherwise what he would or could desire Thus must it be with every faithfull man That soule never had nor never shall have Christ that doth not prize him above all things in the world no certainly a faithfull soule breatheth after nothing so much as mercy in Christ lookes after and longeth for nothing so much as the assurance of the love of God Though all the comforts of this world were afforded a faithfull man yet still he would plead with the Lord Oh Lord what will become of me notwithstanding all this so long as my soule is comfortlesse what availeth it me to live here Oh thy Mercy Oh thy Salvation Oh the Lord Christ these are the things my soule breatheth after This my brethren is the nature of faith if it be rightly wrought in the soul as you shall fee and find by ordinary experience For take a man that is truly awakened and whose conscience is throughly touched and offer him crowns and scepters and honours and all the delights of the sons of men alas his soul will care nothing for them but as Esau said Gen. 25.32 Behold I am at the point to die and what profit shall this birthright doe to me So will the poor soul say What will it avail me to be high in the favour of men here and to be a fiend of Hell hereafter What are all these profits and pleasures to me so long as I am not in the favour of God What good can these outward contentments afford me when I am without Christ Oh Lord what wilt thou give me unlesse I have my Saviour and mercy in him and pardon in him and all in him and through him Still thus beateth the pulse of a faithfull soule and this is the nature of saving faith the faith of Gods elect As for these things here below these matters of the world they are little in the regard and esteem of a Christian man If he have them he seeth God in them If he want them he is never a whit the worse The Apostle speaking of beleevers and the faithfull people of God Heb. 11. saith That they let their hold goe of all these things below let the world take the world if they would let the dead bury their dead but as for them Having seen the promises afar off they were perswaded of them and imbraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth even in that country that God had promised them Vers 13. The third step of Abraham's faith was this He casteth himself and flingeth his soul as I may say upon the all-sufficient power and mercie of God for the attainment of what he desireth he rolleth and tumbleth himself as it were upon the all-sufficiencie of God This you shall finde Rom. 4.18 there saith the Apostle speaking of Abrahyam Who against hope beleeved in hope That is when there was no hope in the world yet he beleeved in God even above hope and so made it possible It was an object of his hope that it might be in regard of God howsoever there was no possibilitie in regard of man So the Text saith He considered not his own bodie now dead when he was about an hundred yeers old neither yet the deadness of Sarahs wombe but was strong in faith He cast himself wholly upon the precious promise and mercie of God This then is the third step of true justifying faith That when the beleever is informed touching the excellencie of the Lord Jesus and that fulness that is to be had in him though he cannot find the sweetnesse of his mercy though he cannot or dare not apprehend and apply it to himself though he find nothing in himself yet he is still resolved to rest upon the Lord and to stay himself on the God of his salvation and to wait for his mercy till he find him gracious to his poor soul Excellent and famous is that example of the woman of Canaan Matth. 15.22 27. When Christ as it were beat her off and took up arms against her was not pleased to reveal himself graciously to her for the present I am not sent saith he but to the lost sheep of the house of
of the Minister that it may go well with you and yours for ever Is not this reasonable Oh take notice what Traitors there are in your bosomes that perswade you to the contrary begin to think with thy self of thy own folly say with thy self Lord What a beast am I Is not the truth that is revealed to me a plain truth is it not the truth of God Is it not for my good to yeeld unto it Doe not I see the heart of the Minister earnest to save me what doth he say but that which is profitable for my soul What is the reason that I stoop not to this so reasonable a thing why come not I under the power of this word and submit to the government thereof Oh my corruptions say it is unreasonable what doe they say wilt thou suffer thy sin which thou hast loved and dallyed withall so long thy sin that hath been of such ancient acquaintance with thee and yeelded thee so much pleasure and profit Wilt thou suffer the Word now to pluck it away from thee My brethren labour now to lay strong hands upon the Traitor and to grapple with that bosome-corruption and work thy soul to a contentednesse to part with it And to bring thy heart to this contentedness for all the quarrell is ended if this be done you must professedly come to this Point whether it be better to lose an eie or a tooth or a limb and go to heaven lame or blind or to retain these and go to hell and lose your soule for ever Bring I say thy soul to a secrious consideration of this truth either I must lose my sin or my soul there is no third thing to be done howsoever carnall reason may suggest other matters yet it must come all to this at last Therefore thinke of it seriously and tell your souls this in secret if sin be had condemnation must be entertained by me also chuse now which you would have Every man by nature hath this principle in him to desire to sleep in a whole skin and therefore we shall observe men in times of horrour of conscience the soule is content for its own safety to fling off all for a while Bring thy heart to it now and labour to keep it close to this point either to renounce Christ or sinne Look as it is with a man that hath a gangrean in his hand or leg or some other venemous disease when a man comes to him and he asketh his counsell and he tels him that the nature of the disease is such that the part must be cut off or else all will be infected this he likes not perhaps but yet this is not enough to work in him a resolution of being dismembred and therefore he sendeth for another and another But at last one commeth and telleth him plainly either you must lose your hand or your life oh then the heart is brought to this rather take my hand than my life So it is here bring thy heart to this therefore either leave all profanenesse leave all contemning of God and love of the world or leave salvation either your life or your lust must goe your sin or your eternall happinesse Work this upon your soules every time you come to hear the Word The second thing for a man to doe that he may come to give way to the Word of God and have a teachable soule is this Take heed of admitting any carnall reasonings against the truth revealed and the plain Word of God openly manifested to you no carnall shifts and evasions for the soul will be thereby cozened In Exod. 7. you shall see there Moses commeth to work upon the heart of Pharaoh and to perswade him to let Isruel goe and to work the more effectually upon him he doth some miracles when Pharaoh saw this he sent for the Magicians to doe the like and they did t is true Moses Rod eat up their Rods but in the mean time Pharaohs heart was hardened The thing is this my brethren what Moses said to Pharaoh the Lord saith to every soule let thy soule goe that it may serve me let thy heart yeeld obedience to me that thou mayest be blessed for ever there is no remedy this must be done thou must be humbled for thy sinne and forsake it or else destruction on followeth This is the charge which God sendeth by every faithfull Minister if now a man send for some carnall reason which is as the Magitians to Pharaoh and that suggests what needeth all this adoe what needeth all this nicenesse and precisenesse is not God mercifull and shall a man look to be saved for his works why did Christ die if salvation were not for sinners Oh my brethren this will undoe you these are the delusions of Satan and meer carnall imaginations and so the soule forsakes that repentance that God requireth and gainsayes that good Word which God hath revealed Your onely course now my brethren is to admit of no carnall reasonings when the Word of God is plainly and powerfully discovered when you see a miraculous hand of God in making known your hidden and secret sinnes and laying open your estates when God discovereth your sinnes in their own fearfull and ugly shape will you yeeld to fleshly imaginations to think alas every thing is not Gospel that the Minister speakes many wise men and great Schollars and Ministers too here are that say the quite contrary This is to hinder the power and efficacy of the Word of God Admit therefore of no carnall counsell send for no Magitians when the Lords command is evident and plain heare nothing against the Word of God but yeeld and captivate your minds to the truths revealed The third Argument that will bring the heart to stoop to the Word of God it is this to consider the excellency and soveraign superiority of the Commandment of God My brethren it is in vain to dally with the Word of God you must know it is his Word the Scepter of his Kingdome that Word by which you must be judged that Word which shall stand though heaven and earth change and come to nothing that which shall be made good upon all men either to their salvation or damnation Therefore be convinced of the majesty and authority of the Word of God Doe not think that all the businesse is when you come here onely to hear a man speak an houre and so have done No that which you hear is the Word of God and that Word that is now revealed it must rule you either here to bring your soules to a subjection thereunto or else to domineer over you then when you cannot gainsay it Many are the shiftings and turnings that are in the heart of wicked men to put off the force and vertue of the Word of God alas say they these words are but wind and they break no bones and so men scoffe at the threatnings of God Oh take heed of this and know and let