prevent and cure Spiritual Pride SERMON XVI 2. COR. XII VII And least I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the Revelations there was given me a Thorn in the Flesh the Messenger of Satan to buffet me least I should be exalted above measure THE case that calls for resolution and falls under our present consideration is what we must do to prevent and cure spiritual pride Pride is said to be Spiritual in a double respect 1. In respect of its Object when that is something which is spiritual as gifts graces priviledges c. for it may be differenc't from fleshly pride which is conversant about more carnal objects as strength beauty riches honours or the like 2. In respect of its Subject which is the heart or spirit of man there is its proper Seat And so all pride whatsoever be the object of it may be said to be spiritual To prevent and cure are terms that may be thus differenc't the former respects more especially the actings of pride the latter the habit of it in the heart Pride is an evil and a sore disease some call it the tumor or timpany of the Soul it is dangerous to all it is deadly to some The scope of this discourse is to prescribe proper remedies against it Mâ—rc 1 23. and 5 2. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Is a man acted or agitated by a Diabolical Spirit These words of the Apostle Paul are the fundation upon which I shall build He speaks a little before of a man in Christ that had a wonderful Viâ—ion or revelation from God Bâ— a man in Christ he means either a man united to him or else a man that was extraordinarily acted and transported by him Some expound it by that passage in Revel 1 10. where the Apostle John says he was in the Spirit on the Lords Day That is he was extraordinarily acted and transported by the Spirit Farther by this man in Christ the Apostle means himself because he is speaking of his own priviledges and enjoyments he chuseth to speak in the person of another A good man is always backward to speak any thing in his own praise he knows it savours of pride and folly that it should come out of another mans lips and not his own therefore he never doth it but when 't is necessary for the hand of God and the vindication of his truth And as he is always backward to it for he is ever modest and self-denying in it therefore the Apostle speaks of another Person when he means himself I knew a man in Christ above 14 years ago Some think the Apostle had this rapture or revelation he here speaks of at the time of his first conversion then he lay 3 days and 3 nights in a kind of extasy and did neither eat nor drink Several at their first conversion to God have found such raptures and ravishments as they have had cause to remember all their life after and such as they have not experienc't again during the whole course of their lives Others for the good reasons to long here to insert are of opinion that the time of this revelation was after his conversion yea several Years after it During the time of this extraordinary Vision or revelation he was caught up to the third Heaven for he calls it as some think with respect to the Heavens under it The air in which we breath is the first therefore the Fowls of the air are call'd thâ— Fowls of Heaven the Starry Firmament is the second and the place of the Holy Angels and Glorify'd Spirits is the third Others don't like this distribution of the Heavens and indeed we can speak of them but conjecturally This third Heaven which the Apostle was caught up to he calls Paradice v. 4. for he doth not speak of two raptures but of one and the same only he doubles it to shew the certainty of it Heaven is elsewhere in Scripture call'd Paradice in allusion to that excellent and diligent Garden that Adam was put into before his Fall Our Saviour said to the repenting thief thou shalt be with me in Paradice The way and manner of this rapture he possesseth himself to be ignorant off Hence he says it that whether he was in the body or out of the body he could not tell That is whether he was caught up Soul and Body together or in Soul only The Soul is not so ty'd to the body but that for a season it may be separated from it and afterwards return again to it While he was in this condition he heard unspeakable words such as he neither could nor might utter it was not lawful for him possibly he was forbidden God saw not all that meet to be communicated to a world of Sinners which was allured and indulged to this one eminent Saint This divine rapture or revelation was like to be an occasion of self Exaltation to the Apostle he was in danger of being exalted above measure by means thereof This he mentions twice that it might be the better minded It is the nature of pride as it is of Fire to turn all things into fewel to feed its self The holyest Saint on Earth is not secure from spiritual pride if one should come down from the third Heaven and bring this imperfect nature with him he were still in danger of this Sin To prevent this Sin in the Apostle least he should be exalted in himself as he had been exalted by God there was given him a thorn in the Flesh this prick't the bladder of pride and kept him from being trust up through the abundance of revelations By whom was this given him By God himself it was by his wise ordination or permission The love of God to his People is wonderfully seen in his preventing mercies particularly in his preventing their falling into Sins as here by putting a thorn into Pauls Flesh he prevents the pride of his heart This is thâ—â— mercy for which David prays and for which he also prayseth God T is as great a mercy to prevent our committing of Sin as it is to pardon it when it is committed But what was this thorn in the Flesh which was given the Apostle to prevent spiritual pride and self exaltation Various are the conjectures of Interpreters about it The Greek word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is but this once used in all the New Testament it signifies a sharp stake upon which malefactors of old were fastned when executed As also a pricking thorn that runs into a mans flesh or foot as he goes through woods and thickets Some think that this thorn in the flesh was a fleshly lust some evil concupiscence that the Apostle felt to be active or stirring in him Others think that we are thereby to understand some sore temptation of Satan a blasphemous or Atheistical suggestion or injection this is a pinching thorn indeed and hath made many of the Souls of Gods People to bleed Others understand it
which brings the other to its Temper is said to Master and overcome it so when another's malice towards us cools our love to him and brings us to the like evil disposition towards him our love may be said to be overcome by his malice And great reason there is that we should take heed that we be not overcome of evil 1. If we consider what Relicks of Corruption there are in good men We live not among Angels but men compassed about with many Infirmities which will be apt to make them sometimes offensive to us When the Seer came to Asa with a Message from God because it was that which did not please him he was wroth and in a rage with him 2 Chr. 16.10 and put him in Prison a strange act of a good King yet so he was for the Scripture testifies of him 1 Kings 13.14 That Nevertheless Asa's heart was perfect with the Lord all his days Aaron the Saint of the Lord Numb 12.1 as he is called Psal 106.16 and Miriam are found chiding with Moses their brother Two of the most eminent Preachers of the Gospel of Peace Paul and Barnabas are at variance Acts 15.39 and the contention is so sharp between them that they depart asunder one from the other So true was that saying of theirs to the men of Lystra who seeing a Miracle wrought by them were about to do Sacrifice as if they had been Gods Sirs why do ye these things we also are men of like passions with you Acts 14.15 Sin is a troublesome thing and will not suffer him in whom it is to be at rest nor any that are near to it or about it One would think That if any men in the world were like to have been free from disturbing-passions the Disciples of Christ and Moses should be the men whose Masters taught and practised Meekness to that degree as no man ever did the like yet we find that such as were brought up under their wings had their infirmities and disturbing passions as well as others Joshua Moses his Servant hearing that Eldad and Medad prophesied in the Camp is disturbed himself and endeavours to disturb Moses about the matter and would have had him disturb them Numb 11.28 My Lord Moses forbid them but he checks his passion and calms his spirit by wishing there were more of them I would all the Lords people were prophets The like you find in Christs own Disciples even in John who lay in his bosom Mark 9.38 he comes to Christ saying Master we saw one casting out devils in thy name and we forbad him because he followeth not us They would have had Christ it 's like joyn with them in the prohibition but he forbids them to forbid him saying He that is not against us is on our part So that you see you may find enough from good men to exercise you so far as to try the strength of all your Graces 2. Besides this you will find in some a rooted enmity to that which is good There are two Spirits by one of which all the men in the World are led the Spirit of the World and the Spirit which is of God 1 Cor. 2.12 These two Spirits being contrary one to the other do lead two contrary ways They have striven long and will strive as long as they breathe The contrariety of these two Spirits first appeared in Cain and Abel and hath continued down along thorough all Generations unto this day and will do so hereafter It is like the War between Rehoboam and Jeroboam 1 Kings 14.30 all their days The hatred of the Philistines against Israel is called by the Prophet Ezek. 25.15 the old hatred not only because they were alway full of spite against them but because it was of the same nature as that of old to the people of God This old hatred is not like by waxing old to vanish away as the old Covenant is said to do Heb. 8.13 It was under the old Administration and appeared against the holy Prophets then Acts 7.52 Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted And it continued to shew it self against Christ who gave his Disciples warning to expect the same under the new Administration Mat. 10.25 Mat. 5.11 If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub how much more shall they call them of the houshold And he tells them Men shall revile you and persecute you and shall say all manner of evil against you falsly for my sake How this was verified the Scripture first and Ecclesiastical History afterward doth abundantly shew The Apostle tells us 1 Cor. 4.12 13. they were reviled persecuted defamed and made as the filth of the world and the off-scouring of all things And in after-times one would wonder had not John said Epist 1. Chap. 3.13 Marvel not that the world hateth you that a people so holy so good so peaceable and inoffensive as the Primitive Christians were should be so unworthily dealt with both by tongue and hand as they were Their Adversaries reported That they fed upon Man's flesh that they practised lewdness in their Assemblies Such enemies have they Christians had in all Ages and in these our days the same is practised and will be to the world's end Perkins on the Creed and that they were the Authors of all the Tumults in those days and what not all manner of evil but falsly yet by this means great persecutions were raised against them And if Christians will be Christians still they will find the World to be the World still so that unless they be the more careful they will be in danger to be overcome of evil For if they find it hard sometimes not to be overcome of the lesser evil of good men how will they not be overcome by the greater of bad men If the footmen weary them how will they contend with horses Jer. 12.5 3. There is something in every man that makes him more easie to be overcome Malice and other foolish and hurtful lusts and roots of bitterness that lye deep in the heart of every man by nature You see how early they will be putting forth even in Children themselves Revenge is a Lesson that every child hath at his fingers end The more to blame are they who being conversant about them do teach and prompt them to use their hands to avenge themselves on persons or things before they be able to use their tongues to that or any other purpose And as they grow up they live in them Tit. 3.3 in malice and envy hateful and hating one another This is found so common a thing among Men that Joseph's Brethren thought it almost impossible that he should not hate them for the evil they had done to him Therefore when their Father was dead they say Joseph will certainly requite us all the evil we did unto him Gen. 50.15 And so it 's like he might if God had not taught him another Lesson
thee Lord is the fountain of Life But if this Reward be so Exceeding Great Quest will it not overwhelm us In the other World our Faculties shall be extended Answ and through the Mediator Christ we shall be made capable of receiving this Reward Put a back of Steel to a Glass and you may see your Face in it So Christs Humane Nature being put as a back of Steel to the Divine Gods Glory will be seen and enjoyed by us There is no seeing the Sun in the Circle but in the Beams so whatever of God is made Visible to us will be through the Golden Beams of the Sun of Righteousness Wherein appears the certainty of this Reward Quest God who is the Oracle of Truth hath asserted it Answ A Charter Legally confirmed under the Broad Seal is unquestionable The Publique Faith of Heaven is engaged to make good this Reward Gods Oath is laid at Pledge d Psal 58.11 Nay God hath not only Pawned his Truth the most Orient Pearl of his Crown but he hath given the Anticipation and First-fruits of this reward to his Saints in joy and Consolation Gal. 5.22 e Vae nobis si nec juranti Deo credimus Aug. which assures them of an Harvest afterwards But when shall we be possessed of this Reward Quest The time is not long Revel 22.12 Behold I come quickly Answ and my reward is with me Sence and Reason think it a long Interval but Faith looks at the Reward as near through a Perspective Glass the Object which is at some distance seems near to the Eye So Faith looking through the Perspective Glass of a Promise the Reward seems near Faith as it doth Substantiate so it doth Anticipate things not seen it makes them present Eph. 2.6 But why is this Reward at all deferred Quest 1. God sees it not fit that we should yet receive it Answ Our work is not done we have not yet finish'd the Faith A day Labourer doth not receive his Pay till his work be done Even Christs Reward was deferred till He had Compleated his Mediatory Work and said upon the Cross It is Finished 2. God defers the Reward that we may live by Faith We are taken with the Reward but God is more taken with our Faith No Grace Honours God like Faith Rom. 4.20 God hath given himself to us by Promise Faith trusts Gods Bond and Patience waits for the Payment 3. God adjourns the Reward a while to sweeten it and make it more welcom to us when it comes f Quo longius defertur eò suavins laetatuâ— After all our Labours watchings conflicts how comfortable will the Reward be Nay the longer the Reward is deferred it will be the Greater The longest Voyages have the largest returns If still it be asked When shall the time of this Reward be I say The righteous shall receive part of their reward at Death No sooner is the Soul out of the Body but it is Present with the Lord 2. Cor. 5.8 f Piae animae à Corporibus solutae cum Deo vivunt Calv. And the full Coronation is at the Resurrection when the Soul and Body shall be re-united and perfected in Glory Christians faint not in your Voyage thô troublesome you are within a few Leagues of Heaven Your Salvation is now nearer than when you First believed Rom. 13.11 Several Corollaries follow 1Vse Infomation Hence it is Evident that it is Lawful to look to the future Reward God is our Reward is it not Lawful to look to him Moses had an Branch 1 Eye to the Recompense of reward Hebr. 11.26 What was this Reward but God himself verse 27 As seeing him who is invisible Looking to the Reward quickens us in Religion 'T is like the Rod of Myrtle in the Travellers hand which is said revives his Spirits and makes him walk without being weary who that is subject to fainting-fits will not carry Cordial-water about him Branch 2 If God be such an Exceeding Great Reward then it is not in vain to engage in his Service 'T was a slanderous Speech Mal. 3.14 Ye have said it is vain to serve God The Infinite Jehovah gives a Reward that is as far beyond our thoughts as it is above our deserts How apt are persons through Ignorance or mistake to misjudge the wayes of God! They think it will not quit the cost to be Religious They speak evil of Religion before they have tryed it as if one should condemn a Meat before he hath tasted it besides the Vails g Psal 19.11 which God gives in this life Provision Protection Peace there is a Glorious Reward shortly coming God himself is the Saints Dowry h In uno Deo omnes florent Gemmae ad salutem God hath a true Monopoly He hath those Riches which are no where else to be had the Riches of Salvation He is such a Gold-mine as no Angel can find the bottom Eph. 3.8 The unsearchable Riches of Christ Is it vain then to serve God A Christians work is soon over but not his Reward He hath such an Harvest coming as cannot be fully Inned it will be alwayes Reaping-time in Heaven How great is that Reward which Thoughts cannot measure nor Time finish Branch 3 See the egregious Folly of such as refuse God Psal 81.11 Israel would none of me Is it usual to refuse Rewards If a man should have a vast Summ of Money offered him and he should refuse it his discretion would be call'd in Question God offers an incomprehensible Reward to men yet they refuse Like the Load-stone which refuseth Gold and Pearl and drawes the rusty Iron to it Man by his fall lost his Head-piece He sees not where his Interest lies He flies from God as if he were afraid of Salvation and what doth he refuse God for the Pleasures of the World i 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Epiâ—tetus We may write upon them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 These are like Noah's Dove which brought an Olive-branch in her mouth but quickly flew out of the Ark. And to lose God for these Perishableâ— is a Prodigy of Folly worse than that of Lysimachus who for a Draught of Water lost his Kingdom We Read in Scripture of two Cups Psalm 16.8 The Lord is the Portion of my Cup. They who refuse this Cup shall have another Cup to Drink of Psalm 11.6 Vpon the wicked he shall rain Snares Fire and Brimstone this shall be the Portion of their Cup. If God be such an immense Reward then see how little cause the Branch 4 Saints have to fear Death are men afraid to receive Rewards There is no way to live but by dying i Aliae haereditates in morte deseruntur sed ad solidam hujus Possessionem per mortem immittimur River Christians would be cloathed with Glory but are loath to be uncloathed they pray Thy Kingdom come and when God is leading them thither they are afraid to go what makes us desirous
it only as the Religion of their Countrey and which was delivered to them by their forefathers And so are Christians but upon the same terms as other Nations are Mahometans or more gross Pagans as a worthy Writer some time since took notice * Pink's Trial of a Christians love to Christ How few make it their business to see things with their own eyes to believe and be sure that Jesus is the Christ the son of the living God! How far are we from the riches of the full assurance of understanding How little practical and governing is the faith of the most How little doth it import of an acknowledgment of the mystery of God viz. of the Father and of Christ How little effectual is it which it can be but in proportion to the grounds upon which it rests When the Gospel is received not as the word of man but of God it works effectually in them that so believe it 1 Thes 2.13 2. Let us endeavour the revival of these principles This is that in reference whereto we need no humane laws We need not Edicts of Princes to be our warrant for this practice loving one another and cleaving with a more grounded lively Faith to God and his Christ Here is no place for scruple of Conscience in this matter And as to this mutual love What if others will not do their parts to make it so What shall we only love them that love us and be fair to them that are fair to us salute them that salute us do not even the Publicans the same What then do we more than others as was the just expostulation of our Saviour upon this supposition Mat. 5.47 And let us endeavour the more thorough deep radication of our faith that it may be more lively and fruitful which this Apostle you see not forgetting his scope and aim further presses in the following verses testifying his joy for what he understood there was of it among these Christians Thô I be absent in the flesh yet I am with you in the Spirit joying and beholding your order and the stedfastness of your faith in Christ vers 5. And exhorting them to pursue the same course As ye have received Christ Jesus the Lord so walk ye in him rooted and built up in him stablished in the faith as ye have been taught abounding therein with thanksgiving vers 6 7. And what also must we suspend the exercise and improvement of our Faith in the great Mysteries of the Gospel till all others will agree upon the same thing Let us do our own part so as we may be able to say Per me non stetit it was not my fault but Christians had been combined and entirely one with each other but they had been more thoroughly Christian and more entirely united with God in Christ that Christianity had been a more lively powerful awful amiable thing If the Christian community moulder decay be enfeebled broken dispirited ruin'd in gteat part this ruine shall not rest under my hand We shall have abundant consolation in our own souls if we can acquit our selves that as to these two things we lamented the decay and loss and endeavoured the restitution of them and therein as much as in us was of the Christian Interest Quest How ought we to bewail the Sins of the Places where we live SERMON V. 2 PET. II. 7 8. And delivered just Lot vexed with the filthy Conversation of the wicked § 1 THE Apostle vers 6. recollects the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah as the Ensamples of the Punishment that should befall those impure Seducers against whom he wrote By occasion whereof he mentions Gods delivering care of Lot whose holy carriage being so contrary to the unholy Practices of the Sodomites God made his Condition happily different from theirs also for so saith the Text he delivered just Lot vexed c. § 2 In the words there are these two distinct parts 1. Gods happy Delivering of Lot delivered just Lot 2. Lots holy Severity to himself for he was not only vexed but he vexed himself he vexed his righteous soul with their unlawful deeds The Second part is the subject of my ensuing Discourse which presents us with this doctrinal Observation Doct. It is the disposition and duty of the righteous to be deeply afflicted with the sins of the Places where they live In the discussing of which divine and seasonable Truth I shall 1. Produce those obvious Scripture Examples that clearly agree with it 2. Principally shew after what manner the righteous ought to Mourn for the sins of others 3. Shew the Reasons why it is the Disposition and Duty of the Righteous to be so afflicted and mournful for the sins of others 4. Lastly I shall endeavour to Improve the whole by Application I. For the obvious Scripture Examples Our Lord Jesus shall be the § 3 first whose pattern herein amounts to a Precept Mark 3.5 Christ saith the Text was grieved for the hardness of their hearts viz. in opposing his holy and saving Doctrines David professeth that rivers of water ran down his eyes because men kept not Gods Law and that when he beheld the Transgressors he was grieved because they kept not his Word Psal 119.136.158 The next Example shall be Ezra's who hearing of the sins of the People in marrying with Heathens in token of bitter grief for it rent his garment and mantle and pluckt off the hair of his Beard and Head and sate down astonied Ezra 9.3 And Chap. 10.6 he did neither eat bread nor drink water for he mourned because of the transgression of them that had been carryed away To these I might add the Example of Jeremiah who Chap. 13. vers 17. tells the wicked that if they would not bear his Soul should weep in secret places for their pride and his eyes weep sore and run down with tears I shall conclude this with that expression of holy Paul Philip. 3.18 Many walk of whom I tell you weeping that they are enemies of the Cross of Christ II. The Manner how this Duty of Mourning for the Sins of others § 4 is to be performed This I shall consider in three branches 1. How we should mourn in respect of God before whom we mourn 2. How we should mourn in respect of the Wicked for whom we mourn 3. How we should mourn in respect of our selves who are the Mourners 1. For the first Branch as our Mourning respects God It is to be performed with advancing of those perfections of his that relate to those great Sins and Sinners for which and for whom we mourn And in our mourning for the Sins of others in respect of God we must advance 1. His great and unparallel'd Patience and Long-suffering extended towards those whose Sins we mourn and lament over This was evident in Nehemiah's confessing and bewailing the sins of the sinful Jewes Nehem. 9.30 At large he confesseth their sins in that Chapter but vers 30 31. he
Now let me propound a few Incentives to blow and stir up the dying embers of Divine Love in our Souls 1. No man can love God truly unless he know God truly 1 Cor. 8.3 If any man love God the same is known of him therefore examine what knowledge thou hast of God especially what practical Knowledge It is clear practical Gospel Knowledge to know God in Christ this is saving and brings Life Eternal Joh. 17.3 This is Knowledge that transforms 2 Cor. 3.18 This is a Sanctifying Knowledge Ephes 4.21 22. This is a justifying Knowledge or the Knowledge of Faith Isa 53.11 Philip. 3.8 9 10. This Light and Knowledge comes in to the Soul by the Illumination of the Spirit of God turning our darkness into light and is the teaching of God and the anointing of God teaching all things Joh. 6.46 Joh. 2.20 27. This principally teacheth us these two things 1. The Love of God in Christ to us 2. The Loveliness of Christ to inflame our love to him by his Beauty and Excellency Now when we clearly see and duely consider this our Hearts are marvellously drawn out in Love to the Lord And without this knowledge of God we can never truly love him O pray for it and attend and improve the Means of it This is that which the Apostle points at as the most transcendent of all other in the World which carnal Hearts are no wayes capable of without the work of Gods Spirit in the Soul 1 Cor. 2.9 to the end read and mind that Scripture well There are some things which we can never see in their Excellencies without the help of Telescopes and Perspective glasses by reason of the weakness and dimness of our sight In like manner we can never see the Amiableness of God in Christ without the help of Gods Spirit This sets the Soul upon the Top of a high Mountain as Moses upon the Top of Pisgah whereby he gains a prospect of the Heavenly Canaan or as Christ and his Disciples upon Tabor in the Transfiguration 2 Pet. 1.17 18. 2 Cor. 12.2 3 4. from that excellent Glory Or such a sight as Paul had in his Rapture 2. A second means and Motive to blow up the Flame of Divine Love in us is to consider That the Lord is incomparably the most lovely Object in the World Psal 119.68 Mat. 19.16 17. being the chief of all good and goodness For which reason our Saviour saith Why callest thou me good there is none good but one that is God If we Love a drop of good in the Creature how should we be ravished with an Ocean Psal 36.7 8.9 10. many Oceans in God! Happy he that enjoyes the Fountain of good for with him is the well of Life c. God is purely good without Mixture infinitely good without Measure absolutely good without Dependency communicably good without Failure eternally good without End say the Schools therefore most amiable O consider this And this good this God is ours for ever and ever may every Believer say O let this inflame our Love to this good 3. Examine thy Faith in the Truth of it and labour for the growth of it and observe the working of it for true Faith works by Love and the stronger thy Faith is the stronger thy Love is Gal. 5.8 The Apostle Peter shewing the excellency of Faith and of a tryed Faith that it is more precious than Gold he saith by it we love Jesus Christ though we never saw him with our bodily Eyes and we love him by Believing and rejoyce in it with unspeakable glorious Joy 1 Pet. 1.7 8. Aug. Tract 7. in 1 Joh. Faith is the first Principle and chief root of all Operation in the Soul and it is therefore a vain thing to talk of loving God without Believing Bern. for whatsoever is not of Faith is Sin God doth not put the Oyl of his Mercy but into the Vessel of Faith We believe therefore we speak saith the Apostle we believe therefore we love What made the Saints not value worldly Treasures and Delights What made them Love not their lives to the Death What made them so wonderful in their Active and Passive Obedience for Christ but their Faith by seeing him that is invisible for there is not such an Eye on Earth Heb. 11.24 25 26 27. that see Spiritual things in their Spirituality and notwithstanding their remotest distance such a Faith doth break forth in the flames of Love to God that thereby the Heart where it is is ravished by it the Lord saith his Heart is also ravished with that Eye Cant. 4.9 4. Consider that God best deserves thy Love All the World cannot vye with God in loving us therefore are not worthy to be Rivals with him It is a horrid and an amazing thing how the glorious God should so far be provoked by such Rivals and bear so long Of this he complained severely in his People of old Jer. 2.5 11 12 13 31 32. Read the Prophets and that one Chapter for instance And this is true of the greatest part of the World one silly Idol or other courts all of them yet they never did any man any good nor can it but hurt By loving them they cannot love us again they cannot save us in our trouble they cannot hear us when we cry Jer. 2.28 no more than Baal did his Priests 1 Kings 18.26 Our love is lost upon them they distress us but help us not Like Summer-Brooks that are dry when we most need them Job 6.15 16 17 18. What say you doth not the Lord best deserve your Love what is there that he hath not done for you you owe him not only for your Blessings but for your Being You stand indebted to him for all things pertaining to life and godliness for all in hand and hope And how many grow fat and wanton under the Mercyes of God Deut. 32. yea Jeshurun kicking at his Bowels and beating the Breasts that feed them Strange degenerate Brats Isa 1.2 3. Jer. 3.1 so far that the Lord cryes out to Heaven and Earth to be astonished at it yet for all this continues loving them still and like a good Shepheard seeks after straying Sheep that of themselves would never return without fetching Will any Creature in the world whom thou Idolizest do this for thee Is this after the manner of men No it is the peculiar kindness of God only think on it 5. Consider if thou love the Lord truly and keep thy self in his Love thy heart will cease to love any thing else in the World and be dead to Creatures and they will be dead to thee Gal. 6.14 Si cor amore Christi inardescit omnis creatura vilescit All things are contemptible to one that truly loves God Phil. 3.8 When the Sun shines the Stars vanish and when it shines upon a Fire it puts the Fire out So doth the Love of God in the Soul
Carieer to their own Destruction And therefore take heed do not indulge them in their foolish Humours but bring them up c. Having thus fixed our Corner-stones now to our Building In the CASE before us I find two Truths supposed and one question in form but really bipartite proposed 1. The two Truths and those sad ones suppos'd 1. That it hath been is and may be the Lot of gracious Parents to have unconverted wicked Children 2. That this wickedness of these unconverted Children hath been and is too too often occasion'd by their gracious Parents sinful 1. Severity 2. Indulgence 2. The Question or case of Conscience to be resolved which is Bipartite What may gracious Parents best do towards the Conversion of those their Children whose wickedness is occasion'd by their sinful 1. Severity 2. Indulgence I. Of the First Truth 1. The first Truth suppos'd viz. That it hath been is and may be the Lot of gracious Parents to have unconverted wicked Children Let me adde of the Best of Parents to be afflicted with very wicked yea the worst of Children Had not Adam an envious murtherous Cain Gen. 4.8.11 The first branch of the Universal Root wholly rotten Noah a cursed †Gen. 9.22 Cham Abraham a mocking persecuting Ishmael Gen. 22.9 Gal. 4.29 Lot a Moab and Ammon the Sons of Incest and the Fathers of an Idolatrous brood that to the death hated Gods chosen Israel Gen. 19.37 38. Isaac a profane Esau Gen. 25.25 Heb. 12.16 Eli two Sons Hophni and Phineas both Sons of Belial prodigies of Lust and Wickedness 1. Sam. 2.12 to 17. ver 22. David an ambitious Adonijah 1 King 1.5 2.13 an incestuous Amnon 2 Sam. 13.14 a murtherous traiterous rebellious Absolom 2 Sam. 13.28 29. 15.10 Jehosaphat a bloody idolatrous Jehoram 2 Chron. 21.4 6 11 13. Josiah a wicked Jehojachin and another as bad if not worse a wretched false perjur'd Covenant-breaking Zedekiah 2 Chron. 36.5 12 13. Ezek. 17.15 18. But enough of this sigh even to the breaking of your hearts when you think of many very many others in former Ages and in our Own dayes and City that might be added to fill up this Black Catalogue 2. This wickedness of these unconverted Children hath been and is too too often occasion'd yea advanced by the Sinful severity or indulgence of their unwary thô gracious Parents This Head divides it self into TWO Branches viz. Parents Sinful severity and indulgence 1. Sinful severity and of this 1. What it is not 2. What it is 1 What it is not 1. A grave wise holy strict demeanour towards our Children such a carriage as whereby we may procure Glory to God Honour to our selves and so to preserve and keep up that Authority which God hath stampt upon us is not sinful Severity To carry it so and so to keep our distance as to give our Children no occasion to undervalue or despise us 1 Tim. 4.12 * Tit. 2.15 So as that they may see and own the Wisdom of God shining in us that our Children may pay us that reverence and respect that God requires of them 1 King 3.28 This is not to be accounted sinful Severity but behaving our selves worthily in Ephratah Ruth 4.11 2. All just anger or the rising up of the Heart in an holy displeasure against Sin in our Children is not sinful severity Parents may be angry and yet not sin Eph. 4.26 Nay Parents would certainly sin if on just occasion given by their Children they should not be angry but with these proviso's 1. That the cause for which they are angry be good and warrantable Such as we can give a good Account of to God An anger like that of our Saviour who looked round about on his malicious observers with anger being griev'd for the bardness of their hearts Mark 3.5 When our anger is accompanied with grief because God is dishonour'd by our Childrens offending against Truth Piety Justice Humanity because we see them neglect their duty hurt their own or others Souls or Bodies 2. That the Object of this anger be right i. e. when that which we are angry at is not so much the persons of our Children that offend as their offence it self their Sin Fault Disobedience Not so much the Patient as the Disease 3. That the End be right viz. that the fault we are offended at may be amended by our Children and that they for the future may be warned not to offend in the like again 4. That a due decorum may be observed both as to the measure and duration of our Anger When it is neither too hot nor too long When it is a Rational Holy Temperate displeasure a moderate anger when right Reason and Scripture fit in the Box and Guide the Chariot saying as the Lord to the Sea Thus much thus long and no more no longer Thus far no sinful severity 2. Grave counselling and admonishing our Children in and to that which is truly good Eph. 6.4 All serious discountenancing of and severe frowning on them when in an evil way nay sharp reproofs and rebukes Tit. 1.13 Yea being so far a terror to them as to let them know we bear not the stamp of Gods Authority in vain Rom. 13.3 4. Nay farther smart chastising of them proportionable to their Age and offence Prov. 29.15 Provided we express fatherly love and tenderness in all out of a true desire of their Repentance and Reformation All this is not to be lookt upon as sinfull Severity but as the faithful discharge of a necessary parental duty which is by so much the more excellent because it is so much neglected and so hard to be performed in a right manner 2. What Sinful Severity is or wherein it discovers it self Sinful Severity betrayes it self in and by the irregular passions austere looks bitter words and rigid Actions of those Parents who abuse their Parental Power 2. That the wickedness of unconverted Children is oftentimes occasion'd by this Sinful severity of their Parents They are provok'd and that to Sin 1. By irregular Passions specially that of an inordinate and immoderate Anger 1. Rash anger when Parents are soon angry with their Children when they will not give leave to their Judgments to consider before they are angry The wise man tells us Jam. 1.19 Multos absolvemus si prius coeperimus judicare quam irasci Sen. de ira the discretion of a man defers his anger and that it is his Glory to pass over a Transgression Prov. 19.11 But brands rash anger with the mark of folly He that is soon angry dealeth foolishly Prov. 14.17 'T was grave advice to one not to be angry at any time till he had first repeated the Greek Alphahet To be angry without any cause or upon every trivial slight occasion for any thing that is not material in it self or in it's consequent for meer involuntary and casual offences and slips in our Children such as without great care could
Princes Laws that they may not suffer It is some sign of a regard to God and your Salvation that you are troubled about Religion and careful to know which is the right even Controversie is better than Atheistical Indifferency that will be on the upper side be it what it will If you cast Acorns or Pulse among them Swine will strive for it or if it be Carrion Dogs will fight for it but if it be Gold or Jewels Dogs and Swine will never strive for them but tread them in the dirt but cast them before men and they will be all togeâ—her by the ears for them Lawyers contend about Law and Princes about Dominion which others mind not and Religious Persons strive about Religion and what wonder is this It doth but shew that they value their Souls and Religion and that their Understandings are yet imper-But if you will follow these plain Directions Controversies need not break your Peace I. See that you be true to the Light and Law of Nature which all Mankind is obliged to observe If you had no Scripture nor Christianity Nature that is the works of God do tell you that there is a God and that he is the rewarder of them that diligently seek him it tells you that God is absolutely perfect in Power Knowledge and Goodness and that man is a reasonable free Agent made by him and therefore is his own and at his Will and Government It tells you that a mans Actions are not indifferent but some things we ought to do and some things we ought not to do and that Virtue and Vice moral Good and Evil do greatly differ and therefore that there is some universal Law which obligeth us to the Good and forbids the Evil and that this can be none but the Law of the universal Governour which is God it tells all men that they owe this God their absolute Obedience because he is their most wise and absolute Ruler and that they owe him their chiefest Love because he is not only the chief Benefactor but also most perfectly amiable in himself It tells us that he hath made us all sociable Members of one world and that we owe Love and Helps to one another It tells us that all this Obedience to God can never be in vain nor to our loss and it tells us that we must all die and that fleshly pleasures and this transitory world will quickly leave us There is no more cause to doubt of all or any of this than whether man be man Be true to this much and it will be a great help to all the rest II. And as to Gods Supernatural Revelation hold to Gods Word the Sacred Bible written by the special Inspiration of the Holy Ghost as the sufficient Records of it It is not Divine Faith if it rest not on Divine Revelation nor is it Divine Obedience which is not given to Divine Government or Command Mans word is to be believed but as it deserveth with a humane Faith and mans Law must be obeyed according to the measure of his Authority with a humane Obedience but these are far different from a Divine There is no universal Ruler of all the World or Church but God no man is capable of it nor any Council of men Gods Law is only in Nature and in the Holy Scripture and that being the Law by which he will judge us it is the Law which is the only Divine Rule of our Faith or Judgment our Hearts and Lives Though all in the Scripture is not of equal clearness or necessity but a man may be saved that understandeth not a thousand Sentences therein yet all that is necessary to Salvation is plainly there contained and Gods Law is perfect to its designed Use and needeth no Supplement of mans Hold close to Scripture-Sufficiency or you will never know what to hold to Councils and Canons are far more uncertain and there is no agreement among their Subjects which of them are obligatory and which not nor any possible way to come to an Agrement III. Yet use with thankfulness the help of Men for the understanding and obeying the Word of God Though Lawyers as such have none of the Legislative power you need their help to understand the Use of the Law aright And though no men have power to make Laws for the Church Universal yet men must be our Teachers to understand and use the Laws of God We are not born with Faith or Knowledge we know nothing but what is taught us except what Sense or Intuition perceiveth or Reason gathereth from thence If you ask Whom must we learn of I Answer of those that know and have learnt themselves No Name or Title or Relation or Habit will enable any man to teach you that which he knoweth not himself 1. Children must learn of their Parents and Tutors 2. People must learn of their able faithful Pastors and Catechizers 3. All Christians must be Teachers by Charitable Helps to one another But Teaching and Law-making are two things To Teach another is but to shew him that same Scientifical Evidence of Truth by which the Teacher knoweth it himself that the Learner may know it as he doth To say You shall believe that is true which I say is true and that this is the meaning of it is not Teaching but Law-giving and to believe such an one is not to learn or know though some humane Belief of our Teachers is necessary to Learners IV. Take nothing as necessary to the Being of Christianity and to Salvation which is not recorded in the Scripture and hath not been held as necessary by all true Christians in every Age and Place Not that we must know men first to be true Christians that by them we may know what Christian Truth is but the plain Scripture tells all men what Christianity is and by that we know whom to take for Christians But if any thing be new and risen since the Apostles writing of the Scripture that can be no Point essential to Christianity else Christianity must be a mutable thing and not the same now as it was heretofore or else there were no Christians before this Novelty in the world The Church were not the Church nor were any man a Christian if they wanted any essential part of Faith or Practice But here take heed of Sophisters deceit Though nothing is necessary to Salvation but all sound Christians have still believed yet all is not necessary or true or good which all good Christians have believed or done much less all which the tempted worser part have held For though the Essence of Christianity have been ever and every where the same yet the Opinions of Christians and their Mistakes and Faults have been none of their imitable Faith or Practice Humane Nature is essentially the same in Adam and in all men but the Diseases of Nature are another thing If all men have Sin and Error so have all Churches their Christianity is of
notitiae connotat affectum light and heat clearer views and dearer and stronger Loves must go together 3. The Persons who are to labour after a greater measure of Knowledg and those are real Christians who have attained to some degree of spiritual Understanding that Light which is as the Light of the Moon should be increased so as to equal the Light of the Sun and that which is as the Light of the Sun should be augmented so as to equal the light of seven days should grow more and more glorious 4. The Arguments to perswade and they are two Christ is their Lord Christ is their Saviour 1. Christ is their Lord a Lord most great most gracious the more this is understood the better will his Service be liked as honourable and advantageous and Obedience will be yielded with greater chearfulness and constancy 2. Christ is their Saviour a Saviour from the greatest Evils Sin and the miserable effects of it in time in eternity a Saviour to the greatest Blessedness an everlasting Kingdom and Glory a Saviour of that which is most pretious the Soul which if safe the whole man must needs be secured The Text may be considered with a double reference to what goes before to what follows after 1. To what goes before grow in Grace and Knowledg 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and hence we may observe That the way to increase in Grace is to increase in the Knowledg of Christ the means of Grace will be found inefficacious and empty will convey nothing if Christ be not with them and in them if he be not understood by those that use them All that fulness out of which the Church is replenished from the beginning of the world to the very end of it it has pleased the Father should dwell in Christ Col. 1.19 If a man know where a vast Treasure lies hid he may quickly go and enrich himself the way to have more Grace is to understand that Christ is the Fountain from whence all Grace is derived He is head over all things to his Church which is his Body and is called to shew the reality and plentifulness of Communication the fulness of him who filleth all in all Eph. 1. ult 2. The Text may be referred to what follows after To him be Glory both now and for ever Amen Hence observe thâ—t thâ— grâ—â—â—â—r Knâ—â—lâ—â—â—â—â—â— Christ we attain to the more we shall â—â—â—â—â—r and sâ—◠〈…〉 glorifie him his Godhead is the same with the Fathers his 〈…〉 Dominion equal and eternal The Church millitant muâ—◠〈…〉 begin to glorifie her Lord and Saviour and wheâ— she comes to be 〈…〉 praises will be vastly higher and to magnifie to love to aâ—â—ire and to rejoyce in him will be her everlasting business But I shall wave the Connexion and from the words themselâ—â—â— râ—â—se this Doctrine That it highly concerns all sâ—â—cere 〈◊〉 to grow and iâ—crease in the Knowledg of Christ The Gospel which revâ—â—ls Christ 〈…〉 mystery which the Angels themselves desire to 〈…〉 looking they admire the manifold wisdom of God the exceeding riches of his Grace and love and shall not the Saints search farthâ—â— into this Gospel shall they not look more unto and into Jesus what 〈…〉 him the nature of Angels but the Seed of Abraham The better Christ is understood the better will they understand how happy he has maâ—â—â— them and that Christ being theirs all is theirs The question that in this exercise I am to answer is this How 〈…〉 grow in the Knowledg of Christ and make use of and 〈…〉 Kâ—â—wledg Now that the Answer may be the more full I shall do theâ—â— four things First I shall tell you what it is to grow in the Knowledg of Christ 〈◊〉 the telling you this will tend to the advancement of this groâ—th Seâ—ondly What Properties are required in this Knowledg Thirdly The Directions are to follow that you may increase in the Knowledg of him Fourthly What Vse and Improvement you are to makâ— of tâ—is Kâ—â—wledg or of Christ known I begin with the first of these What it is to grow in the Kâ—â—wledg of Christ Here several Propositions are to be premised 1. The Knowledg of Christ is of the greatest Excellency The Apostle calls this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Phil. 3.8 Yea doubtless and I câ—â—â—t â—ll things but loss for the Excellency of the Knowledg of Christ Jesus my Lord other kind of Knowledg is like Light from the Sâ—ars this like bâ—amâ— from the Sun Christ is called the Sun of Righteousness He is called Wisdâ—m in the abstract Sapientiae omnimoda sapientia Prov. 1.20 in the Hebrew it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Wisdom in him iâ—â—he Sum the Perfection of Wisdom To know him does assimuâ—ate and make us like him and when we shall have a full view of him in glory we shall to our utmost capacity fully resemble him To know him is Life eternal and they that seek Life any other way will find death 〈◊〉 themselves mistaken in the end No wonder the Apostle glories in 〈◊〉 Knowledg and that an ancient Father said he was glâ—d he had sometâ—â—â—â— of value he meant Philâ—sophy to despise in comparison 2. This Knowledg of Christ is of absolute necessity Stat invicta haec rupe s. Ego sum Via nullus a in s quicquid ante m via haec non fuerit error lubricum te nebraesunt Luther Tom. 2. p. 507. In Scripture he is compared to those things which are so needful that we cannot be without them 〈◊〉 Mâ—â—t and Drink and Raiment Christ is the Bread of Life the fountain of Living Water we are to put on the Lord Jesus his righteousness is tâ—â— Garment which must cover and secure us To be totally ignorant â—f him must needs be death eternal for there is not Salvation in any other◠〈◊〉 4.12 3. The Knowledg of Christ is by supernatural revelation Much of God may be râ—â—d in the Book of nature his visible Works do make the wisdom pâ—wer and goodness of the Worker also visible But Christ is a mystery hâ—d from Ages and Genâ—rations and would have remained hid still if the Gospel had not revealed him Col. 1.26 Who could ever have thought of God his being manifested in the flâ—sh and redeeming the Church with his oâ—â—â— Blood if this had not been brought to Light by the Gospel Thâ—se are indeed the deep things of God which the Spirit reveals 1 Cor. 2.10 11. and power to discern them and believe them is from the same Spirit 4. The Knowledg of Christ was communicated in a degree under the old Testament The Prophets spake of him and if they had not what they had said besides had been insignificant The Law was a Schoolmaster to bring Israel to Christ Gal. 3.24 The Ceremonial Law requiring the blood of so many sacrifices 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 shewed plainly that the Sacrificers themselves deservâ—d to die and therefore is said to be against them
day you cannot indeed expect in this world but that 't is possible that your darkness may be much more dispell'd and 't is your fault if it be not So far as darkness remains the Prince of darkness has Power the world has an advantage and there is danger of being reduced to the works of darkness The want of greater light is the cause of doubts and fears disconsolateness and confusion How little do you know of Christ in comparison of what you ought or might Are you got beyond the surface of Gospel Mysteries how far from searching into the heart of them and discerning the depths of wisdom the â—eigâ—th of love in them Hence it is that your admiration and affection are no greater You are engaged in a warfare 't is dangerous fighting in the dark especially with an enemy that fights best there You are travelling in a very narrow way the less of light is in you you will find it the more difficult to keep this way For shame be not Babes in knowledge but in understanding be ye men 1 Cor. 14 20. Let it very much humble you to consider the small progress you have made in knowledge notwithstanding the great advantages you have had of improvement 2. Compare all other Knowledge and this Knowledge of Christ together and see the vast difference in point of excellency and this will stir you up to grow therein The Philosophers of old how restless were their minds how endless their inquiries the farther they went the more they were puz'led and after long study they came to understand that they fully understood nothing That Wise King of Israel after he had diligently employed his large understanding about humane knowledge he cryes out as a man exceedingly vexed and disappointed Eccles 1 18. In much Wisdom there is much grief and he that increases knowledge increases sorrow But the knowledge of Christ is of another nature He that rightly understands the Lord Jesus understands how to have his guilt removed his heart renewed his conscience calmed his Soul secured and that for ever This knowledge is not a vexation but a satisfaction to the Spirit both because of its certainty and because of the superabundant grace and fulness in Christ who is known Here it may truly be said Intellectus est in quiete the better Christ is understood the more the Soul that understands him is at rest 3. You must not lean to your own parts and understandings Men of the greatest natural capacities have been men of the greatest mistakes and the foolest errours and herein they have embraced for the truths of Christ and the reason is because their hearts being proud God thwarted them and their pride blinded them In your ordinary secular affairs 't is not safe to confide in your own wisdom but even here you are to acknowledge God Certainly then when searching into the Mysteries of the Gospel you must be sensible that the sharpest understanding has need of illumination from above You must indeed be fools that you may be wise 1 Cor. 3 18. A sight of your folly and weakness must make and keep you very humble Such the Lord has promised to guide in judgeâ—â—nt and to teach his way Psal 25 9. 4. Heedfully attend to the word of the truth of the Gospel this is the great means to infose and to increase the knowledge of Christ 'T is called the word of Christ Col. 3 16. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom Because Christ is the Author of it and the principal subject therein treated of The Gospel informs you of his Natures divine and humane of his Offices Prophetital Priestly Kingly of his benefits justification adoption regeneration strong consolation and such like Conarer in animos summâ vi inserere infigere infulcire amorem amorem autem imo vero ardorem potius literarum verè Sacrarum Conarer ad legendum illas extimulare ad perscrutandum animare ad medirandum nocturrâ versandum manu versandum diurnâ ad insenescendum aâ— immoriendum denique quanta maximâ possem vâ—â—â—mentiâ inflammare Mart. Dorpiuâ— De laud. Pauli p. 6. The Gospel informs you what he did what he suffered and how he eyed his Churches good in both It informs you where Christ is gloriously present in the highest Heavens where he is graciously present he walks in the midst of the Golden Candlesticks and accompanies his own institutions with a mighty and gracious efficacy Oh study this Gospel more take it in at your eyes by reading it at your ears by hearing it nay receive it into your very hearts the Gospel is that which brings you to the knowledge of Christ and so makes you wâ—fe unto Salvation 5. Look unto Jesus himself for in him are had all treasuries of Wisdom and Knowledge Col. 2 3. The Sun is seen by its own light the knowledge of Christ is derived from himself He is the greatest and best of Prophets who teacheth like him He not only reveals the things of peace but also gives the power of spiritual discerning 't is from Him that we have the Ey-salve to make us see Prov. 3 18 and the more of this Ey-salve we see the clearer What kind of Master would that be that were well skilled in all sorts of learning and were able also to give parts and capacities to all his Scholars that they might be all excellent Christ is such a Master as can give subtlâ—â—y to the simple and reveal those things to babes which are above the wise and prudent of the world 'T is said of Jesus that He opened the Disciples understandings thâ—t they might understand the Scriptures Luk. 24.45 There was good reason why the Apostle should wish that the Lord Jesus might be with Timothy's Spirit 2 Tim. 4 22. that he might be better instructed and that he might be a better instructer 6. Cry for more Knowledge and eye the promise of the Spirit of Wisdom and revelation The Psalmist who was wiser then his enemies that understood more then his teachers that had greater understanding then the Ancients Psal 119 98 99 100 how often and how earnestly does he cry to be taught of God v. 33 34. Teach me O Lord the way of thy Statutes and I shall keep it to the end give me undâ—rstanding and I shall keep thy Law yea I shall observe it with my whole heart He that has the greatest measure of knowledge has reason to beg for more And â—hat which is an encouragement to prayer is the readiness of the Father of lights to give Wisdom liberally without upbraiding and likewise the promise he has made of his Spirit who is styled by the Apostle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Spirit of wisdom and revelation Eph. 1 17. The Spirit searcheth all things even the deep things of God these are the truths of Christ in the Gospel and the Spirit reveals them which also could more have entred into the heart of men 1 Cor. 2
in all as that they left almost no place for second Causes Thus poor Creatures were they divided among themselves having their understandings miserably darkened But many among the Heathens yea their most learned men and of their most famous Sects Platonists Stoickes Pythagoreans did own the Divine Providence and Government and so did the Poets also and for particular Persons the learned Plato Seneca Tully with many others subscribe thereunto Hence it is that they call God the Rector and keeper of the world the Soul and Spirit of the world and do expresly compare him to the Soul in the Body and to the Master in a Ship who doth command rule direct steer and turn it what way and to what port he himself thinks good But so much may suffice for that I pass on 2. Secondly the Sacred Scriptures do abound wâ—th testimonies which may afford us full satisfaction in the point When he was about to punish the world for the wickedness of them that dwelt therein and to sweep away the inhabitants of it with a Flood he took care that all mankind should not be destroyed But Noah and his Family were preserved yea and some of all the general species of animals too that so Seed might be continued upon Earth and that in the ordinary way of Generation which was a famous and eminent instance of Divine Providence and its ordering and Governing the World Besides that attend to these passages of Scripture Job 5 9. God doth great things and unsearchable marvellous things without number He giveth rain sâ—nd water sets upon high those that be low disappoints the devices of the craftie taking them in their own craftiness and carrying the counsel of the froward head-long Isa 45. I am the Lord and there is none else I form the light and create darkness I make peace and create evil I the Lord do all these things Psal 34 16 17. The face of the Lord is against them that do evil to cut off the remembrance of them from the Earth The Righteous cry and the Lord heareth and delivereth them out of all their distresses Ephes 1 11. He worketh all things according to the counsel of his own will Not onely some things those which are momentous and stupendious such as strike men with wonder and amazement but all things all is of God and all not according to the will and pleasure of others but according to his own eternal Counsel Dan. 4 34 35. His Dominion is an everlasting Dominion and his Kingdom is from generation to generation and all the Inhabitants of the Earth are accounted as nothing and he doth according to his will in the Armies of Heaven and all the Inhabitants of the Earth who are counted as nothing and none can stay his hand or say unto him what doest thou Mat. 10 29. Are not two Sparrows sold for a Farthing and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Heavenly Father Scriptures to this purpose might be multiplied I will add but one more Psal 103 19. The Lord hath prepared his Throne in Heaven and his Kingdom ruleth over all But further consider 3. Thirdly God hath a most unquestionable right to order and Govern the world it doth properly appertain unto him The belief and acknowledgement hereof doth necessarily follow upon the owning of a God to own such a being as God and yet to deny or question his right to Govern is a gross absurditie That being which we call God is the first highest noblest and incomparably the most excellent Being of all infinite and unchangeable in all perfections and therefore he hath a right to order others that are not so Man is endued with reason and understanding and so is the most noble and excellent creature in this lower world therefore it pleased his great Creator to put the Lordship into his hand and to give him Dominion over the Fish and Fowl and every living thing that moveth upon the Earth the Psalmist tells us He hath put all things under his feet How much more then is an absolute and universal Rule due to God whose understanding is infinite and in whom are all the inexhaustible unfathomtable treasures of wisdom and knowledg Besides that consider God as the Fountain of Being the first cause and original of all Being The world and all things in it are the works of his Hands He made them and fashioned them and seeing He made all seeing by his power and for his pleasure all things are and were created it is highly reasonable that all things should be ordered directed and disposed of according to his pleasure Hath the Potter power over the clay so as to make of it a Vessel of honour or dishonour and hath not God much more power over his Creatures If a Father hath an undoubted right to rule his own Children and a Master to order his own Family it cannot rationally be questioned but God hath a right to rule all the Persons and Creatures in the world for we are all his off-spring and of him the whole Family both in Heaven and Earth is named of him it was made and by him it doth consist Who can be so impudent and brutish so much sunk below man and run so cross to the principles and dictates of right reason as to deny him a right to give Laws to them unto whom he gave life It is highly decorous every way fit that he from whom all things had their being and unto whose power and goodness they own their continuance should appoint them all their ends and direct their steps and cast their lines and cut out their works and overrule all their actions 4. For God to Govern the world is no dishonour to him it doth not unhandsomely reflect upon his divine Majesty nor cause the least Eclipse or diminution of his most excellent Glory It is true as I before hinted unto you though some men cheerfully acknowledged a Governing and overruling Providence over humane actions and affairs yet they conceived it extended not its self to more vile and contemptible creatures or to minute and inconsiderable things Jerom though a learned and holy man seemed to be of this opinion for he grants a general order and disposal how such an innumerable multitude of Fishes should breed and live in the Sea and how brutes and creeping things should gender upon the Earth and with what they should be maintained but he fancieth it a solecisme to debase and bring down the Majesty of the ever blessed God so low as to mind and order the breeding and death of gnats or to concern himself about the number of flyes and fleas that are upon the Earth or how many Fishes swim in the Sea and Rivers or which among the smaller ones should become a prey to the greater for they did fancy this to be altogether unworthy and unbecoming of God judging of him by earthly Potentates who take State upon them and trouble not themselves with any but
experience Many have come by the help of God to remember more and better than they did before and why should not you increase the number of such proficients It is not fit for a Christian to despond in any such case but to be up and doing When a Ship leaks it is not presently cast away for says the Master this Vessel may yet do me Service you have leaking Memories I but being careen'd they may be much more serviceable than ever they were Obj. O but I shall never attain any Memory Ans I tell you despondency spoils all Indeavours neither do you sit thus down in other cases If your Body or Brain be weak you will try experiments you 'l go to one Physitian after another as long as you have a penny left be not then more careless of your noblest parts The cure is possible at least in some good measure 2. It is Reasonable that your Memories which have bin sinks of Sin should become Helps to Heaven All our faculties are given us for this end and is it not highly reasonable that they should be so applyed It is apparent that our Memories have bin grievously perverted and therefore as we have yielded our members Servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity even so we should yield our members Servants to righteousness unto holiness Rom. 6 19. Seeing God hath given us a noble faculty should we neglect or abuse it can others remember the world and their lusts and shall not we remember the holy things that refer to a better world nay can we remember a thousand unprofitable hurtful and sinful matters and not those things that do most nearly and highly concern us It is intolerable 3. This is Necessary It is an unquestionable Duty That fundamental Law propounded in the Old Testament Deut. 6 5. and confirmed in the New Matt. 22 37. Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy Soul and with all thy mind doth oblige us to strain every faculty to the utmost in Gods behalf One end also of Christs coming into the world was to repair our depraved faculties and shall we suffer him to dye in vain The Text I am upon shews how necessary it is as a means of Faith and Salvation We find by experience that this faculty is miserably corrupted and therefore it is undoubtedly necessary that it be renewed Obj. We can do but what we can let it be never so necessary Ans And I pray how far have your indeavours travelled in this business have you carefully used the fore-mention'd means and continued in the use of them no no your impotency is wilful you cannot because ye mind it not or else certainly if inherent grace were weak assistent grace would be ready at your service 4. A good Memory is very helpful and useful It is not a vain thing that is thus prest upon you For 1. It is a great means of Knowledg For what signifies your Reading or Hearing if you remember nothing It is not eating or drinking but digesting your food that keeps you alive and so it is in this case Prov. 4 20 21. My son not only attend unto my words incline thine ear unto my sayings but keep them in the midst of thy heart Then are they life unto those that find them and health to all their flesh 2. It is a means of Faith as is plain in my Text unless ye have believed in vain For though Faith doth rest purely on the Word of God yet when the Word and works of God are forgotten Faith will stagger Hence our Saviour saith Matt. 16 9. O ye of little Faith do not ye understand neither Remember the five Loaves of the five thousand c. The Word of God is the Sword of the Spirit whereby Satan is foiled but if this Sword be out of the way by reason of Forgetfulness how shall we conflict with this Enemy 3. It is a means of Comfort If a poor Christian in distress could remember Gods promises they would inspire him with new life but when they are forgotten his Spirits sink Our way to Heaven lyes over Hills and Vales when we are on the Hill we think we shall never be in our dumps again and so when we are in the Valley we fear we shall never have comfort again But now a faithful Memory is a great help Psal 77 10 11. But I said This is my infirmity but I will remember the years of the right Hand of the most High I will remember the works of the Lord surely I will remember thy wonders of old So also Psal 119 52. I remembred thy Judgments of old O Lord and have comforted my self 4. It is a means of Thankfulness We are all wanting in this Duty of Thankfulness and one cause thereof is forgetfulness of the mercies of God Hence ungrateful men are said to have bad memories What abundant matter of thanksgiving would a sanctified Memory suggest to every Christian Hence holy David calls upon himself Psal 103 2. Bless the Lord O my Soul and forget not all his benefits By which forgetfulness and such other means it comes to pass that Praise and Thanksgiving hath so little which should have so much room in our daily devotions 5. It is a means of Hope For experience works Hope and the Memory is the Storehouse of experience therein we lay up all the instances of Gods goodness to us heretofore Lament 3 21. This I recal to mind therefore have I hope Hence they who do not trust in God are said in Scripture phrase to forget him And one reason of mens impatience and dejectedness in trouble is assign'd by the Apostle Heb. 12 5. And ye have forgotten the Exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto Children My Son despise not thou the chastening of the Lord nor faint when thou art rebuked of him 6. It is a means of Repentance For how can we repent or mourn for what we have quite forgotten As therefore there is a culpable remembrance of Sin when we remember it in kindness so there is a laudable remembrance of Sin when we remember it with displeasure Ezek. 16 63. That thou mayst remember and be confounded and never open thy mouth more But alas we write our Sins in the Sand and foolishly imagine that the eternal God forgets them just as soon as we though in such cases he hath said and sworn Amos 8 7. Surely I will never forget any of their works 7. It is a means of Vsefulness No man should nor indeed can be singly religious when one spark of grace is truly kindled in the heart it will quickly indeavour to heat others also so for counsel we are born we are new born to be helpful unto others Herein a good Memory is exceeding useful out of which as out of a Storehouse a wise Christian may bring forth matters both new and old Such may say Psal 44.1 Psal 48.8 We have heard with our Ears and
are given for as the rigid Dominicans do certainly make God the Cause of Sin whether culpable or not culpable is not the Question even so do the Scotists and Molinists for they both include in the matter of Sin somewhat more than what is meerly Natural even somewhat that is morally Vicious and yet assert that this Matter is the immediate effect of Gods Causality only the one says That God does as it were take man by the hand and lead him to Sin the other That man determines the Efficiency of God and the Scotist says That the first and second Cause do walk hand in hand to the Sin but whether I lead another to the Sin and help him to commit it or whether I am taken by the Sinner and determined to help him to produce what is sinful in the Act or whether I walk with him stil I am at least a Concauser of what is sinful in the Act so that neither the Scotist nor the Molinist give me any satisfaction in this Matter The Result therefore of my thoughts is as follows I am sure that no Natural Being ever has been is or can be without the Efficiency of God the first Cause and yet I am as confident that no Moral Evil is in any sense the Effect of the Physical Efficiency of God The Moral Undueness that is considered as that which is the Foundation of Sin cannot be from God but yet how satisfactorily to reconcile these things or how to comprehend the Modes of Divine Operation is above us we cannot reach unto it it transcends our Understandings 5. There are also several Doctrines which have a special Aspect on those Transactions that are about the carrying on Fall'n Mans Salvation to the Illustrating the Glory of the divine Perfections which are very profound The Doctrines of the Fall of Man the Transition of Original Sin from Adam to his Posterity the Methods taken for the Recovery of the Elect the Covenant of Reconciliation between the Father and the Son from all Eternity the Incarnation of the Son of God and the many surprizing Doctrines with reference thereunto even about his several Offices as Mediator and in special That of his Being a Priest after the Order of Melchisedek his Suretyship how our Sins were imputed to him and his Righteousness made ours beside those Doctrines about the Nature of the Mystical Vnion that is between Christ and Believers and how this is the ground of Imputation and many other momentous points might be spoken unto to evince That though there is nothing of Contradiction in these Doctrines yet there is very much that transcends the most enlarged Capacity They are points that the Angels themselves are prying into but cannot fully comprehend But these things I must wave and go on to acquaint you with some of the many Providences that do in like manner transcend our Understandings II. Among the many amuzing Providences that are before Us I will single out a few 1. That the greatest part of the World should lye in Wickedness unacquainted with the Methods of Salvation is an amuzing Providence Look we into the remotest parts of the World we find nothing but a strange Ignorance of the true God or of the true Worship of God Oh how great a part of the World is over-run with Paganism Mahometanism and Judaism Come we nearer home and take a view of the Christian World behold how small is it in comparison of those parts where the abovemention'd false Religions prevail and of the many thousands who are called Christians how many Invelop'd with the thick clouds of Ignorance and Error and how â—ew free from the Influence of Idolatry and Superstition A multitude of those who have been baptiz'd into the name of Christ have not the opportunity of looking into the sacred Oracles which reveal the true way to Life everlasting and of those who have the happy Advantages of consulting the sacred Scriptures how few can understand them The which is not without a Providence of God But can we compare these Providences with those discoveries that are made of the Infinite Compassions of Almighty God towards the Children of men and comprehend a consistency between them In the Scriptures 't is said That God would have all men be saved and to that end come to the Knowledg of the Truth even when but a very small spot of the Earth have any suitable means afforded 'em for the obtaining such knowledg In the Scriptures the Proclamation is general to all Ho every one and the Expostulation with Sinners is Turn ye Turn ye why will ye dye as I live saith the Lord I desire not the death of a Sinner of a Sinner indefinitely q. d. of any Sinner but rather That he would Turn and Live Besides did not Christ die for this end namely to shew the unexpressible greatness of Gods Love to the world God so loved so so loved the World as if it had been said the Love of God to the World is so transcendent that no words could sufficiently express it nothing would fully represent it but the Delivery of the Son the only begotten Son of God to the Death the cruel the shameful and the reproachful Death of the Cross for the salvation of the World on their Believing and this even when God left Millions of Angels to continue in everlasting Chains of Darkness notwithstanding all which it is manifest That they cannot believe in him of whom they have not heard and cannot hear unless a Preacher be sent unto them and that no such thing has been done no Preacher has been sent or if in one Age yet not in another How can we reconcile these Providences with the Discoveries that are given us of the infinite Compassions of God to Mankind when so few are made partakers of it What of Grace is there in leaving the greatest part of the World in a very little better condition than the fallen Angels I know that there are many things offered towards the satisfaction of a thoughtful Person as Who can tell but there are thousand of Worlds above us whose Inhabitants are in a better capacity to receive and improve the Instances of Divine Love and that this world is but a Spot in comparison of them and if this whole World should perish 't is but as the hanging up a few Malefactors to shew that God is just as well as merciful but how does this solve the Difficulty which is not meerly taken from the Notion we have of Gods meâ—ciful Nature in it self considered but from the Revelations made thereof unto the Children of men in the Scripture about which we cannot have any solid satisfaction but from things which are obvious before us not from what is so fully out of our view and knowledge and concerning Creatures of another kind 'T is true there are some intimations in the Sacred Scriptures which apart and by themselves considered afford Relief such as these The Gentiles which have not
made me free from the Law of sin and death v. 2. If ye through the spirit do mortifie the deeds of the body ye shall live v. 13. The spirit it self beareth witness with our spirit that we are the Children of God v. 16. Likewise the spirit also helpeth our infirmities v. 26 27. But I must confine my self to that One in the Text the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Leading Conduct Manuduction which this Blessed Spirit vouchsafes to the people of God He is the Saints Leader their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Dux viae the Guide of their Life Look as by Christ they have 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Leading Accesse Admission to God the Father in Prayer Eph. 2.18 and 3.12 So by the Spirit they have 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Leading and Guidance in their whole course of Life In the discussing of this weighty Point I will 1. Open the nature of the Act the Leading of the Spirit 2. Propound and answer some practical Enquiries about it For the better opening of it I must 1. Lay down some things more Generally concerning it 2. Then come to the closer and stricter Explication of it Under the First I shall commend the following Particulars to you Distinctions premis'd about the Spirits Leading 1. The Leading of the Spirit is either General and Common or Peculiar and Special If we consider him as God in his joint participation of the Deity with the Father and the Son and in his joint Operations with them according to their Divine Essence so there is a Leading by him which does extend to all Creatures whatsoever For all of them by his Divine Power and Influxe in their several Beings Actions Motions and Tendencies are disposed ordered governed and overrul'd to the Glory of the Creator and the good of the Universe Take them in all their Faculties and in all their Operations they are all excited directed actuated by this Spirit And so in a general Sence they all come under his Guidance and Regency This also may be said to extend to all men to the Unregenerate as well as to the Regenerate How why as they all doe act and move * Acts 17.28 in and by him as He in a Common and Providential way does order and regulate all their several Actions and Motions For this he does in all as he is the first cause and the supream Soveraign So that as there is his common Illumination common Conviction common Restraints common Gifts which even the Graceless partake of so there is too a common Leading by Him which they also have Now most certainly this is not that Leading which the Text speaks of for this cannot be the Foundation or Evidence of the Priviledge mention'd A common Act will never entitle to a special Relation Ductus spiritus quo Filij Dei aguntur non est Generalis Dei Actus quo omnia moventur sed est specialis Gratia quâ Filii Dei Sanctificantur in viâ salutis diriguntur ad Deum Pareus Observare convenit esse multiplicem Spiritus Actionem Est enim Vniversalis quâ omnes Creaturae sustinentur ac moventur sunt peculiares in Hominibus illae quidem variae sed hic sanctificationem intelligit quâ non nisi Electos suos Dominus dignatur dum eos sibi in Filios segregat Calv. in loc How many are thus led by the Spirit who yet are far from being the Sons of God! That Leading therefore must be here intended which is special and peculiar to Gods people such as will amount to the making of the Proposition here Reciprocal and Convertible thus All the Sons of God are led by the Spirit and All that are led by the Spirit are the Sons of God 2. The special Leading of the Spirit is Extraordinary or Ordinary The former was confin'd to some Persons and to some Times and was not to extend to all Saints nor to continue in all Ages Thus the Holy Prophets the Apostles were led by the Spirit as they were immediately inspir'd guided and moved by Him in the discharge of their Extraordinary Work and Office These in the penning of the Holy Scriptures and in all that they revealed of and from God were acted and †〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 moved by the Holy Ghost 2 Pet. 1.21 and hereupon they were infallible in what they reveal'd But this was extraordinary and so Limited and Temporary The latter Leading of the Spirit therefore must be that which is here spoken of that which appertains to all Gods Children and at all times Did the Apostle when he says As many as are led by the Spirit are the Sons of God mean that as many as have Extraordinary Visions Revelations Inspirations Impulses from the Spirit of God are thus related to God and none Other surely no! Should we carry it thus high we should exclude all but the foremention'd Prophets and Apostles from being Gods Children which would be both sad and also false Wherefore 't is unquestionable that the Ordinary Abiding and Permanent Leading of the Spirit and that which reaches to all Believers is here intended 3. This Act of the Spirit may be consider'd either as 't is exerted at the first Conversion or after For as we distinguish the Grace of God into Prevenient and Subsequent so we may also distinguish of the Leading of the Spirit He leads at and in order to the first Conversion as he then does irradiate the Mind incline the Will spiritualize the Affections and so lead or guide the whole Soul to God and Christ Then he leads after Conversion as this is done by him all along in the whole course of a Christians Life for it is a continued Act. The Guidance of the Sp rit to bring a man into the state of Grace that 's done but once but the Guidance of the Spirit in the state of Grace that 's done Daily and Renewedly The first imports the infusing of a Living Vital Principle into the Soul the latter supposes this Principle and makes use of it in the Conduct of a Child of God in the way of Holiness Both are here to be taken in yet I conceive the last may be most proper And Observe these two Leadings of the Spirit have a different respect to our Sonship with God For the former Constitutes it the latter only Discovers and Evidences it The Spirit as leading me to God at the first Conversion makes me a Child of God the Spirit as leading me after Conversion causes it to appear that I am a Child of God 4. There is the Having of the Spirit and there is the Leading of the Spirit We have both in this Chapter the One v. 9. if any man have not the Spirit of Christ he is none of his the other in the Text. Now although these two be conjunct and inseparable whoever have the Spirit they are led by the Spirit yet they are distinct things To have the Spirit is to
be made a Possessor of Him in his Indwelling in us To be led by the Spirit is our partaking of his Directive Influence after we are made Possessors of him The First supposes the receiving of the Agent or Principle the second imports the Operation from that Agent or Principle The Greek Expositors do much insist upon this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chrys Whom Oecumenius and Theophylact follow Ideo non dicit Qui spiritum Dei acceperunt sed qui spiritu Dei aguntur i. e. qui illius actui obtemperant Musc but with that Explication of it which I do not drive at Observe say They 't is not said as many as have received the Spirit are the Sons of God but as many as are led by the Spirit For as they glosse upon it many receive the Spirit at Baptism who yet afterwards not being led by the Spirit to and in an Holy Life their Sonship to God ceases But this stating of the Having of the Spirit I meddle not with I consider the Reception of the Spirit not only in an external Baptismal way but in that which is inward real and saving And even this I make to be distinct from his Leading For although these are never disjoyn'd and separated but do always coexist and accompany each the other all Circumstances concurring yet in themselves they differ both as to Order and Precedence and also as to Nature and Essence The Having of a Soul and then the having of the subsequent Acts of that Soul are different things so 't is in that which I am upon These things that are more general being premis'd I come to a more strict and particular Explication of this Leading of the Spirit What is it to be led by Him It notes something on the Spirits part and something on the Creatures part Both must be taken in in the opening and stating of it 1. Something on the Spirits part So it imports 1. His special Guidance 2. His powerful Inclination 3. His Cooperation and Corroboration 4. His Regency and Gubernation 1. His special Guidance To be led by the Spirit The special Acts included in the Spirits Leading 't is to live under the blessed Guidance and Conduct of the Spirit This is the Notion which does most obviously comport with Leading How is the Blind man led why as he has one to direct and guide him to and in the way wherein he is to go So here Of this act as done by God and his Spirit the Scripture often speaks And the Lord shall guide thee continually Is 58.11 I am the Lord thy God which teacheth thee to profit which leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldst go Isa 48.17 Thou shalt guide me by thy Councel and afterward receive me to Glory Psal 73.24 Teach me to do thy Will for thou art my God thy spirit is good lead me into the land of uprightness Psal 143.10 Lead me in thy truth and teach me for thou art the God of my Salvation Psal 25.5 I will direct their work in truth and I will make an everlasting Covenant with them Is 61.8 The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord. Psal 37.23 Thine ears shall hear a word behind thee saying This is the way walk ye in it when ye turn to the right hand and when ye turn to the left Isa 30.21 Here 's the Leading of the Spirit What the Cloud was to the Israelites in the directing of them in their Motions what the Guide is to the Traveller who knows not his way that the Spirit of God is to Believers their Guide and Director in this their Journeying and Wilderness state II. His powerful Inclination He leads not only by a naked Guidance or Directive Light beam'd into the Understanding whereby Believers are brought to know God's Will and what they are to do Col. 1.9 that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his Will Quid est duci spirieu Dei Est a spiritu sancto soris Verbo intus Illuminatione doceri de Dei voluntate nec non efficaciter flecti ac Regi ad volendum faciendum ea quae Deo placent Par. in all Wisdom and spiritual Vnderstanding Eph. 3.10 Proving what is acceptable to the Lord But he leads also by the Efficacious Inclining of the Heart the bowing and bending of the Will the overpowring of the Affections to close with and follow his Guidance in the doing of what is good and in the shunning of what is evil Divines bring the whole of the Spirits Leading under two words Monendo Movendo he first counsels and directs as to what is to be done and then he excites and effectually enclines to the doing thereof Psal 119.33 teach me O Lord the way of thy statutes here 's the Informing and Directing Act of the Spirit v. 35 36. make me to go in the path of thy Commandments Encline my heart unto thy testimonies and not unto Covetousness here 's the Efficacious and Powerful Act of the Spirit They who feel and experience This in themselves they are the Persons that are led by the Spirit I shall have occasion to speak more of it in what will follow III. His Cooperation and Corroboration When one leads another both the person leading and the person led have their proper Action and Motion and both unite and concurr therein And so 't is in the Saints being led by the Spirit as to what is Holy and Good He Acts and They Act too something there is done on His part something on Theirs too and there 's a mutual conjunct efficiency or Agency in Both. He acts then they act acti agunt And the Act is Theirs and His too theirs Subjectively and Formally His in respect of Excitation to it and Assistance in it They do the thing but 't is by his Influxe Is 26.12 thou hast wrought all our works in us Philip. 2.12 13. Work out your Salvation for it is God that worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure In short we move we act and the Spirit concurrs and cooperates with us therein and so we are led by him †Dicet mihi aliquis ergo agimur non agimus Respondeo imò agis ageris tunc benè agis si a bono ageris Spiritus enim Dei qui te agit agentibus adjutor est Ipse nomen adjutoris praescribit tibi quia tu ipse aliquid agis Serm. 13. de Verbis Ap. Austine when he is proving the Necessity of the latter from my Text does also prove the Reality and Verity of the Former The other Act of the Spirit Corroboration or Strengthning falls in with this in part So his Leading resembles the Mothers or Nurses leading the Child it being weak not able to go alone they take it by the hand hold it up joyn their strength with its weakness and so they enable it to go In like manner the strong and mighty Spirit of
is with the Body for these united make one person whereas the personality of the Spirit is incommunicable but that the Holy Spirit performs such Offices in a believing Soul as have some resemblance and are some way correspondent to what the Soul does in and for the Body and which the Scripture expresses in like terms and this we find frequently the Spirit is said to quicken and act those in whom he dwells they have new life and motion by his inhabitation Rom. 8.11 But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal Bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you The Apostle having signify'd in the former verses that our Union with God and Christ is by the Spirits dwelling in us he expresses what may be expected from this inhabitation Christ's Spirit dwelling in us will quicken our mortal bodies will be a principle of Life in them quickning them to a new Life a Life of Holiness The same Spirit as he quickens so he acts those in whom he dwells who are therefore said to be led by him ver 14. For as many as are led by the spirit of God they are the sons of God they are excited directed enabled to act like the Children of God by his Spirit dwelling in them so Ezek. 36.27 And I will put my spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes and ye shall keep my judgments and do them the Spirit which I will put within you shall make you active in my wayes So much for the first Proposal II. What encouragement have we from Christs Prayer that this Vnion II. Observ and the Blessings relating thereto shall be vouchsafed Answ Our encouragement in general is the full assurance given us that his Prayer is prevalent for what he desired the particular grounds of this assurance are more particular encouragements There are several things requisite to a Prayer which when they concurr the Word of God assures us that it will prevail 1. When the things desired are according to the Will of God 1 Joh. 5.14 2. When the Person praying hath a special Interest in God and duly improves it There are some whom the Scripture declares God will not hear Joh. 9.31 Psal 66.18 Prov. 28.9 3. When the persons prayed for are such as the Lord hath some particular favour or respect for There are some for whom the Lord will not hear the best of his Servants interceding on their behalf Jer. 7.16 11.14 14.11 Now in the Prayer of Christ there is a concurrence and that in a transcendent manner of all those things that render a Prayer undoubtedly prevalent 1. The things that he prayed for were consonant to the Will of God in every instance He knew what was the Fathers Will in its full extent and discerned it with the greatest clearness and certainty for as he is God he is one with the Father of one and the same Essence and Will and as he is man he had in him all the treasures of Wisdom and Knowledge a fulness of the Spirit of Revelation so that he did perfectly apprehend what was the good and perfect and acceptable Will of God He did not only know this in particular instances by general rules of Scripture as we do but had the conduct of an Infallible Spirit and that alwaies not sometimes only and in some things as holy men of God the Prophets and Apostles had it but in every Act and Word And as he perfectly and infallibly understood what was agreeable to the Will of God in all points so he gave himself up intirely to the most exact observance of it without varying without the least shadow of mistake or deviation This was the end why he came into the World Joh. 6.38 This was his constant practice Joh. 5.30 in his Sufferings and Actings and in his Prayers this was his delight Joh. 4.34 Now since he presented nothing in his Petitions but what was his Fathers own Will desired nothing but it was his Fathers Will to grant we may be as certain that his Prayer was granted as we are sure that the Lord will comply with his own Will For the Second It will be apparent by shewing who it was that prayed and how he prayed of which take an account in some particulars 1. This was the Prayer of the Man Christ Jesus who was Holy Harmless and separate from Sinners he was a Lamb without spot or blemish and so was this Offering the pure Eye of God could see no blemish in him or it His requests were not prejudiced by any antecedent guilt nor tainted with any impure mixture either apparent or secret nor chargeable with the least defect in Fervour Faith Affectionateness c. It was a sinless Prayer in all respects and so such a Prayer as was never offered to God on Earth since the Foundation of the World and Sins entring into it It was not liable to the least exception no not at the Tribunal of strict Justice and so could not but be acceptable and prevalent Nay it was not only clear from every the least speck of sin but was the product of admirable Holiness such as is not to be found in the Holyest Soul or Spirit Saint or Angel He had it in larger measures in an higher degree and in a more excellent way Some tell us that if all the Holiness that is in all the Angels and Saints were united in one subject it would fall short of that which is in Christs Humane Nature However it is taken for granted that the capacity of his Soul was wonderfully enlarged by its personal Vnion with the Godhead far beyond the capacity of any other finite-Being and all this capacity was wholly filled with Holiness it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell and God gave not the Spirit by measure unto him Joh. 3.34 Saints and Angels receive it as Vessels of small measure but in Christ it is unmeasurable Now all this Holiness was exerted in this Prayer and diffused through it Grace in him was not acted sometimes intensely sometimes more remisly for remisness seems to import some culpable effect but was put forth on proper occasions and particularly in this Prayer in its full power and vigour Upon this account this Prayer was the Holyest Offering that ever was presented to the most Holy God either on Earth or in Heaven and therefore could not but be most acceptable to him and accordingly prevalent and succesful 2. It is the Prayer of him who is God of him who is God and Man in one person As the Blood of Christ is said to be the blood of God Act. 20. by the same reason the Prayer of Christ may be said to be the Prayer of God And though it be properly the Act of Christ's Humane Nature yet this Nature being personally united with the Godhead it is upon that ground duly ascribed to
without any mixture of the contrary Quest Why is God called Light without Darkness And what is this Light I Answer 1. Wisdom is Light and Folly is Darkness 2. Knowledge is Light and Ignorance is Darkness 3. Truth is Light and Error is Darkness 4. Holiness is Light and Sin and Wickedness are Darkness So that when he saith that God is Light he means that God is Wisdom without mixture of Folly Knowledge without Ignorance or Nescience Truth without any Error or any false Conceptions in his Eternal Mind and Holiness without the least mixture of Sin so that the way to have Fellowship with God is to walk in the Light that is to say to walk in Wisdom and not as Fools to walk according to Knowledge and not in Ignorance to walk in the Truth and not in Errour to walk in the way of Holiness and not of Sin and Wickedness Now Light in men it is either Natural or Supernatural 1. Natural which is either the Light of the Body which is the Eye Matth. 6.26 Or 2. The Light of the Soul which is the Light of Reason and Natural Conscience this we are to walk in according to the utmost Sphere and extent thereof But Supernatural Light that shines from Supernatural Revelation in the Scriptures and the inlightning Spirit of God in the Souls of Men is the Light here meant in the Text and which Christians should walk in Now this is the way to have Fellowship and Communion with God as the Text saith If we walk in the Light as he is in the Light we have Fellowship one with another Now by one with another 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Some say the Apostle means the Saints to whom he writes we and ye shall have Fellowship together we Apostles and ye Believers And the Vulgar Latine carries it that way and renders it ad invicem But we must rather understand that the Apostle here speaks of the Fellowship that God hath with his People and they with him And so Beza understands it mutuam habemus cum eo communionem An Ancient Greek Manuscript hath in the Text 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with him that is God and we shall have Fellowship with one another And the rather we are to understand it in this sense for the Apostle he is not speaking here of the Communion which the Saints have with one another but of our Communion and Fellowship with God as in the sixth verse If we say we have Fellowship with him and walk in darkness we lie and do not the truth And then he adds but if we walk in the Light as he is in the Light we have Fellowship one with another I shall now proceed to speak to the Subject it self and herein shall discourse of these four Generals I. What this Communion with God is II. Give some Distinctions about it III. Shew how it is to be Attained and Maintained IV. Deduce some Consequences that follow from my whole Discourse concerning it And then conclude with some practical Application General I I. What this Communion with God is The Word in the Greek 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifies common and so it imports something that is common and mutual betwixt God and us as Communion among men imports something mutual on each side so that our Communion with God it is either Active or Passive Active in what passeth from us to God and Passive in what is Communicated from him to us 1. Active on our part which consisteth in the Divine Operations of our Souls towards God when the faculties of the Soul are tending towards him and terminated upon him when the Mind is exercised in the contemplation of him the Will in chusing and embracing him when the Affections are fixt upon him and Center in him when by our Desires we pursue after him by our Love we cleave to him and by Delight we acquiesce and solace our selves in him 2. Passive on Gods part and so our Communion with God consists in our participation of him and in his communicating himself to us and this Communication of God to us in our Communion with him is specially in these three things Light Life and Love 1. In Light I mean the Light of Spiritual Knowledge and Understanding whereby we are inabled to discern Spiritual things Spiritually This is called Gods shining into our Hearts by the Apostle 2. Cor. 4.6 and seeing Light in Gods Light by the Psalmist Psal 36. 2. In Life whereby we are made partakers of the Life of God though in a lower degree and are no longer alienated from the Life of God as the Apostle declared the Gentiles to be Eph. 4. And by this Life of God we must understand that which the Scripture calls Sanctification For Holyness is the Life of God in Man For when God Sanctifies a Man he quickens the Soul that was dead in Sin and makes it partake of the Divine Life or the Life of God and which elsewhere is called a partaking of the Divine Nature 2 Pet. 1.4 and a renewing Man into the Image of God Col. 3.10 3. In Love God communicates his Love also in the sense and tast of it to the Soul which the Apostle calls The shedding abroad the Love of God in the Heart Rom. 5. So that in this Communion with God we have not only the Theory of his Love in our minds but some taste and experience of it in our Hearts And under this is comprehended all that Peace Joy and Consolation that springs out of this to the Soul and arising from the Communication of the sence of his Love to us The Apostle James expresseth this Communion with God in both the parts of it James 4.8 when he saith Draw nigh to God and he will draw nigh to you And Christ expresseth them both also in these words John 14.23 If a man love me he will keep my words and my Father will love him and we will come unto him and make our abode with him He expresseth the active part of Communion with God by our loving him and keeping his Commandements and the passive part by his own and his Fathers coming to us to make their abode with us The Apostle John expresseth them by our dwelling in God and Gods dwelling in us 1 John 5.16 We dwell in God either by Faith in him whereby we make him the Object of our Trust Confidence and dependance or especially by our Love to him as he there expresseth it He that dwelleth in Love dwelleth in God And then Gods dwelling in us is Communion with God in the other part of it consisting in a Communication of himself to us But this Communion with God we must think soberly of it It is not a transformation of the Soul of Man into the Divine Essence and Being as if Man was made God swallowed up into him and lost his own Existence and Being in God Neither is it a mixture of Gods Being with the Being