DEATH AND LIFE OR Sins Life the Sinners Death Sins Death the Saints Life BEING The Sum of Eight SERMONS on Romans 8.13 By Samuel Malbon Preacher of the Word of life in Amsterdam Deut. 32.29 O that they were wise that they understood this that they would consider their latter end London Printed for John Allen living in Wentworth-street near Bell-Lane 1669. Christian Reader THe Author of these Sermons having for several years been absent from this his Native Country being Pastor to a Church of Christ at Amsterdam may be under some disadvantage as to his esteem in the hearts of those that fear the Lord by reason that neither his person nor his name is well known unto them And so through ignorance or misapprehension they may omit the purchase of this Book which may through grace be of much use and benefit to their souls Therefore we have thought it meet and a duty for thy good to prefix a few words in a way of recommendation of the person to thee that as his name is sweet and precious amongst those Saints and people to whom he Preaches so both himself and this his work may be readily and cheerfully received by Thee and others of God's life-breathing ones here in England He is a man ready in the Scriptures and much acquainted with the mind of God therein painful spiritual and powerful in his Preaching to the conviction conversion and edification of many souls Having large experiences of God's goings in and dealings with his own soul in a way of grace by his Spirit And one who lives in the Spirit and walks up exemplarily to that light and life which is communicated freely and richly to him by Jesus Christ the Mediator who is the soul fountain of both And as for this his work it carries its own praise with it and needs not our Testimony only give us leave to say thus much that it is plain sound spiritual lively and practical well suited to every capacity You will find the Text with many other Scriptures truely and clearly opened The Doctrines genuinely deduced rightly stated fully proved and Illustrated doubts assoiled Mistakes rectified Errors enervated Objections answered and the Application faithful home searching pathetical full of perswasion and life In sum the Design and Endeavour of this sweet Preacher in these Sermons is very glorious viz. To discover lurking soul beguiling and destroying Hypocrisie To lay open the false bottoms that many stand upon for eternity To bring souls to a full and entire close with Jesus Christ by faith the only foundation of eternal salvation and to entertain and cherish the Holy Spirit in its workings To eradicate soul-polluring corruption and further the true mortification of internal bosom lusts By shewing whence and how it is effected what is the power that produces carries on and perfects it And to work up Saints to a living unto God in the life of God that they may escape death and attain at last everlasting life in the vision of God The footsteps of which design are manifestly apparent in these Sermons And the fruits of his faithful and laborious Endeavours are to be seen and read in the hearts and lives of many of his hearers which through the blessing of God upon thy diligent and serious perusal thereof may be experienced by Thee also so as Thou mayest in Christ's strength come in as a Conquerour over all thy spiritual enemies and joyn with those mentioned in the close of this Book who have the Palms of victory and Harps of joy in their hands to sing praises to the Lord and say Glory Honour and Dominion be unto our God Father Son and Holy Ghost Father who hath sealed and freely sent his only begotten and dearly beloved Son into the world that by his death I might have life Son who hath finished the work the Father gave him to do who hath dyed is risen again and ascended and as a fruit of all hath received and sent the Holy Ghost to apply and produce that spiritual life And Holy Ghost who as the Comforter is come and hath sweetly graciously wisely faithfully and all-prevailingly accomplish'd that living work in my soul Therefore buy and read this Book Reading meditate Meditating pray and Praying remember Thy real Friends and Soul's Welwishers William Greenehill Joseph Caryl Thomas Malery Richard Lawrence To the Reader YOur greatest good is aimed at in this little Book Let me ask you a plain but serious question how fareth your Soul that pretious that immortal Soul within you As by natural sense you could soon answer a like question concerning your Body so by a quick spirituall sense may this be answered Christ our Saviour speaks Luke 16.11 of the true riches outward riches are not the true riches so there is a true health bodily health is not the true health 3 Ep. John v 2. Beloved saith that beloved Disciple I wish above all things thou majest prosper and be in health even as thy soul prospereth but to the generality there is cause to wish that they may prosper and be in health as their body prospereth for the most have far more prosperity health in their outward than in their inward man Either you are under the foot of your natural Lusts or they are in a good degree under your foot either you are overcome by them or you overcome them If the former either you are so and yet senselesse and secure which is the miserable condition of the greater part of men then here 's a word of conviction continuing as you are the word of truth saith you shall dy or being sensible and awake you do strive and strugle against your corruptions without victory which is the sad case of many then here 's a rule of direction all your endeavours against your sin must be through the spirit If the latter if you are victorious over your lusts which war against your souls which is the happinesse but of a comparative few then here 's a Cup of consolation for you he who cannot ly saith you shall live Take thine own portion learn thine own Lesson In that great day when the Books shall be opened then shall this Book with all other have a far more open publication and how it came to be printed and what my end in it is and what the fruit of it shall be will be revealed men's writings are called their works we say the works of such a one and not without reason according to these works shall it be rendred by that just that wise Judge in that day to every one who worketh in this kind I had much rather therefore write that which is profitable though not honourable than that which is honourable and not profitable or that which is good meanly than any thing that is evill eligantly Seeing the Scriptures themselves are so dislik't and found fault with by so many no wonder if this piece meet with hard censures Rom. 14.4 Who art thou that judgest
save his sin But when the spirit comes then it makes the soul willing to have its lusts slain Psal 1â—0 2 3. Rule thou in the mid'st of thine enemies thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power willing to what willing to this that Christ should rule in the midst of his enemies in their souls so as to beat them down and destroy them as he pleaseth Naturally men defend their lusts as the Benjamits those filthy persons who ravished the Levit's Concubine but when the spirit comes and deals with the soul as that woman with the men of Abel 2 Sam. 20.22 who by her wisdom perswaded them to cut off the head of Sheba the Son of Bichri who rebelled against David and to cast it out to Joab so then is the soul willing yea it desires and by all means seeks to have the head of every lust cut off it being an enemy to Christ the Son of David Thirdly The spirit doth help our infirmities in prayer by sighs and groans which cannot be uttered as the Apostle saith some verses after my Text it causeth us to sigh because sin is in us and so works in us and to groan to the Lord to be delivered from the bondage of this and that corruption till the spirit comes a man rather sighs when his sin is discovered and reproved he groans when he is stopt in the fulfilling of his lusts but if the spirit once begin to work thorowly then the man sighs to be rid of his sin and groaneth because he is so led captive by it it was by the spirit that the Apostle said O wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from this body of death None can say so as he did but by the spirit and when any are enabled so to say sighingly and groaningly as he then doth the Lord hear and help as he did the Israelites against the Egyptians Exod. 2.23 24. the children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage and they cryed and their cry came up unto God by reason of the bondage and God heard their groaning and God remembred his Covenant and God looked upon the Children of Israel and God had respect unto them so God hears much more groanings because of spiritual bondage and the cry of souls wrestling against their lusts comes up to him and God looks with an eye of pity on such and hath respect to them and so comes their deliverance by the death of the Egyptians their corruptions through the hand of Christ tipyfied by Moses and their sins not only in the guilt but also in the power of them are destroyed in the red sea by the virtue of the bloud of Christ Fourthly The spirit causeth and enables the soul to hearken and listen to the Word of God when it reads or hears or thinks thereof and it makes a suitable application of truths to the soul according as it knows is best and most proper for it so that a man looks upon and takes this or that word as belonging to him as spoken to him with respect to his sin we are very subject to pass over the truths of God slightly and to put them off as not appertaining or spoken to us but the spirit opens the heart as we read it did Lydia's it causeth the soul to hear and to hear diligently for it self and to apply such and such words to it 's own case and its own corruptions such a threatning belongs to me and will surely be executed upon me if such a sin still live in me and have dominion over me such a promise is to me and will be fulfilled to me if I repent these and these sins crucified Christ he bare them they lay as a heavy weight upon him they joyned with other to squeeze to press out the very heart bloud of Christ and the like thus saith the soul by the spirit when the spirit helps it in mortifying its sins the soul doth Preach to it self argue and plead with it self in order to the slaying leaving and casting away its sins And because we are very apt to forget things especially then when the remembrance of them is most needful when sin is stirring in us therefore the spirit strengthens our memory or helps it by bringing things formerly read and heard to our remembrance seasonably when we most need them when Iust prevails in us Joh. 14.26 the Holy Ghost whom the Father will send in my name he shall teach you all things and bring all things to your remembrance whatsoever I have said unto you Fifthly For as much as believing is very necessary to the subduing our sins this is our victory saith the Apostle John even our faith therefore the spirit helps us in overcoming our sins by working in us a spirit of faith by stirring up faith in us and causing us to act faith on the sufferings of Christ by whose stripes as we read we are healed as our bodies are healed by the destroying our diseases so our souls by the mortifying our sins which is by the vertue of Christ's stripes but not without faith acted thereon therefore the spirit helps in this and also in acting faith on the several truths of Scripture to believe what the Scripture speaks concerning our sins themselves and the fruit of them what will follow if they dye not to believe the threatnings and the promises which is a special means to destroy sin especially faith acted on the promises for by the promises we escape the corruption that is in the world through lust 2 Pet. 1.4 and hence that exhortation 2 Cor. 7.1 having these promises let us cleanse our selves from all filthiness c. but the promises unless mixt with faith profit not Sixthly the spirit doth in a secret way powerfully by the Word smite and wound our sins as with a sword for the word is the sword of the spirit Eph. 6.17 as a man in fight takes up his sword puts to his strength and layes on upon his enemies therewith so the spirit takes the word or accompanyeth it and puts to its own power smiting our lusts thereby hence we read Heb. 4.12 the word of God is quick and powerful sharper than any two edged sword not that the bare word written or spoken is so in it self alone it hath no life nor power nor edge without the spirit or it can do no execution without it but the spirit makes it effectual Psa 110.4 5. the Lord at thy right hand shall strike through Kings so the Spirit when it pleaseth strikes through our King-like lusts that have had dominion over us and thus it doth by it's own sword the word the Spirit is to our sins a Spirit of judgment and a Spirit of burning as it 's called Isa 4.4 as a Judg to a malefactor yea and as Executioner too as fire to fuell so is the Spirit in it's working with the Word to our Lusts As it 's said in another sense I have slain them by my
under your feet every sin that is in you God is able saith the Apostle to cause all grace to abound towards you so the Spirit of God is able to cause all sin to decay wither and dye in you Judg. 15.14 When Samson came to Lehi the Philistines shouted against him and the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him and the cords that were upon his arms became as flax that was burnt with fire and his hands loosed from off his hands Thus when the Spirit comes into any soul and works mightily in it all its lusts are as nothing of no strength Wherefore whoever yet hath not the Spirit let such a one be perswaded to look out for it with all earnestness and diligence to seek it should you not having the Spirit set your selves to mortifie your sins this as so would not be obedience to God nor pleasing to him because he requires you to do this work through the Spirit and consequently to get the Spirit that you may do it therefore they who have not and seek not the Spirit do not obey nor please God by the things they do against their sins yea they disobey God and highly offend him in that they take not his Counsel that holds true in this case Isa 30.1 Wo to the rebellious children saith the Lord that take counsel but not of me and that cover with a covering but not of my spirit that they may add sin to sin It is rebellion against God it is adding sin to sin when men think to help and save themselves outwardly much more when any think to save themselves spiritually from their sins without the spirit such do bring a heavy wo upon themselves Q. What then should one do that hath not the spirit that he may attain A. 1. It is a good step for one that hath not the spirit to 〈◊〉 convinc't that he is without it and that he stands in a most absolute necessity of it so that he is utterly and eternally undone if he have it not Many void empty of the spirit dream and strongly fansie that they have it yea many times when men are filled and acted by the evill lying spirit they are very big with a vain conceit that they have much an eminent measure of the holy spirit of truth 1 Kings 22.24 Zedekiah a man filled with the lying spirit went to the good Prophet and smote him on the cheek saying Which way went the spirit of the Lord from me to speak unto thee he verily supposed himself to have and to be moved by the good spirit of God and he seems to speak as if he only had it so that none could have it but from him or at least that he had it first Which way saith he went the spirit of the Lord from me to speak unto thee Which he spake scoffingly deriding the holy Prophet even thus are men oft most wofully deluded a strong perswasion have they that Gods spirit is in them whereas the truth is the evill spirit not the good rules and works in them Others they have no sense feeling or conviction of their need of the spirit so they have no desire after it hence they continue without and while it is so with any they are not like to become partakers of it labour then to know your want and to feell your need of the spirit in order to your seeking and attaining it Secondly The great thing of all to be done for the gaining of the spirit is believing Gal. 3.14 the promise of the spirit is received through faith there must be a heart receiving the Gospel and Jesus Christ held forth thereby there must be a soul setled perswasion of the undoubted certainty of the doctrin of Christ and a soul trust and rest on him to the receiving the promise of the spirit a right to that great promise and the fulfilling thereof That is a famous promise divers times repeated 1 Pet. 2.6 Behold I lay in Zion a chief corner-stone elect precious i. e. Jesus Christ and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded by what shall he not be confounded Not by any thing not by Satan not by sin in it's guilt or power not by any lust But how so For as he that believeth in Christ is cloathed with his righteousnesse so he is made partaker of his spirit Put then thy trust in Christ Jesus fasten upon him by faith and that for this end that thou mayest through and from him receive the spirit For these two things Christ is to be believed in for his righteousnesse to justifie us in the sight of God before the justice of God and for his spirit to mortifie our sins so to sanctifie our souls whoever beileved in Christ in good earnest and in truth for these things but they received them their persons are clothed with his most perfect righteousnesse their souls are endowed with his most holy blessed spirit Rev 4.1 2. I looked and behold a dore was opened in heaven and the first voice that I heard was as the voice of a trumpet talking with me which said come up hither and immediately I was in the spirit So when a soul doth hear the voice of God in the Gospel powerfully and effectually saying come up hither in thy heart come to Christ in Heaven by hearty faith then the soul obeying this voice immediately hath the spirit from Christ communicated to it There should be also a believing in particular the promises which God hath made of giving the spirit who ever embraceth by true faith any promise of the spirit as made in Christ he receiveth the accomplishment of that promise by Christ Christ graciously bestoweth the spirit upon him Thirdly None receive the spirit to dwell in them without turning from their evill wayes for there is no true faith without a heart turn from known sin and while any give up or yeild themselves to sin they do vex the spirit Isa 63.10 They rebelled and vexed his holy spirit But who is like to receive the spirit to dwell in him while he rebells and vexeth it Wherefore that word is to be remembred Prov. 1.23 Turn ye at my reproof Behold I will pour out my spirit unto you Then I 'le pour out my spirit unto you when you have a heart to turn till this be a man is a down right enemy to the spirit his heart is lock't and barr'd up against it who will go and dwell in the house of an enemy while he continues in open hostility against him A man must lay down arms and not maintain fight against him whom he needs and desires to come and dwell with him and if his desire be right he will do so A man cannot truly will to receive the spirit unlesse he will to leave his sin Fourthly That sweet word of Christ should be thought on Luke 11 13. How much more shall your heavenly Father give the holy spirit to them that ask him If asking follow or
we are double-minded and double-hearted in our approaching the Presence of God Secondly If we do not mortifie our corruptions they will yea they 'l cause us to mortifie whatever good motions or purposes are in us one of these two must be either we must destroy our sins or through them we shall destroy that which is contrary thereto for good and evil cannot both be together in the soul with allowance if we so allow that which is evil as not to seek the destruction of it we shall so disallow all good that 's contrary to it as not to suffer it to live in us And so we shall joyn hands with Satan for that 's it he seeketh Rev. 12.4 The Dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered for to devour her Child as soon as it was born so he stands ready to devour the child of every good motion purpose conviction or working that is at any time in us Take heed therefore that you do not put that good that is in you as it were into Satan's mouth Thirdly Have you not listed your selves under Christs Banner have you not taken Christ's Name upon you therefore you ought to war against and seek the death of all sin in you Christ Jesus the Captain of our Salvation expects this of all who enroll their Names as Souldiers under him Col. 3.9 Lie not one to another seeing ye have put off the old man with his deeds Ye who make a profession of Christ have done this at least by profession professing Christ ye do profess to have put off your former corrupt nature with the deeds thereof if then you mortifie them not you contradict your profession And if you are as you would seem Christians indeed then are you members of Christ therefore are you obliged to mortifie your members that are on the earth you are of the Mystical Body of Christ therefore should withal industry seek to destroy the deeds of the body of sin and that the more because this was one end of Christs death Rom. 6.6 Knowing this that our old man is crucified with him that the body of sin might be destroyed that henceforth we should not serve sin and consequently that we should morrifie it for either we are shall and must be the enemies of sin or we are and shall be the Servants of it 1 Pet. 2.24 Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the Tree that we being dead to sin should live unto righteousness but we are not dead to sin nor can we live unto righteousness if we subdue not the evil deeds of the Flesh Fourthly This is acceptable service to God because our corruptions are enemies to him as well as to us and he calls us forth to war against them therefore when we endeavour their ruine we serve God and God takes it as service to himself and he will graciously therefore reward it at last with his blessings Heb. 7.1 Melchizedeck King of Salem Priest of the most High God met with Abraham returning from the slaughter of the Kings and blessed him Melchizedeck was a type of Christ who is said to be a Priest after the order of Melchizedeck In the foregoing words chap. 6. last verse Abraham the Father of the faithful signifieth all Believers his seed his children The Kings may signifie our lusts which naturally reign as Kings in us Lot whom the Kings took captive notes our souls captivated by our lusts Abraham's destroying those Kings imports our destroying our corruptions as Believers through faith Melchizedech his blessing Abraham thereupon speaks and gives assurance of a blessing to us from Christ we so doing Would you that when you have finish'd your course and fought the good fight of Faith Christ Jesus should so come forth and meet you and bless you then up and be doing up and be fighting smite kill and slay all your iniquities This is fighting the Lords battel therefore as it is said of Meroz Curse them because they came not forth to the help of the Lord against the mighty so cursed is every one that goes not forth with all his might against his mighty sins But blessed he that takes Babilon 's children yea her little ones as the Psalmist speaks and dasheth them against the stones In a word though to wound your natural visible body or any member thereof be an unnatural thing causing grief and pain to destroy the body of sin and its deeds is a gracious work from whence flow peace and joy Great peace have they who love thy Law saith the Scripture but the more any fight against their sins and destroy them the more they do and the more they thereby will love the Law of God Therefore awake to this good work Use last Be ye constant in this work Never give over in any case any place at any time for you carry the body of sin about you wherever you go and there are allurements every where and baits to draw it forth in evil lustings It is too common a thing and one of the greatest faults amongst Christians that they are no more constant in this blessed work sometimes they bestir themselves herein but at other times how negligent are they they sit down and fall asleep at this great and necessary duty Which how dangerous is it to stand still though but one hour one quarter of an hour in a hot close fight hand to hand is it not full of danger ten to one the man that doth so is knockt down dead But if by negligence in this work you should get no deadly wound you would not escape some wound which perhaps you shall not have cured a long while it may be not while you live and you 'l find the work harder when you begin again then you left it when you left off Some they grow weary and faint in this spiritual combate but let them remember if they stop they must renew the fight again and then however difficult it be now it will be more hard to them for sin gains ground when we sit still But hold on and thus shall you find the work easier and thus shall you have constant peace without any considerable or long continued breach thereof though sin stir strongly yea though it prevail much yet while you keep diligent and constant in resisting and opposing and beating it down your peace will abide There is no inward true peace but where there is inward war against sin and while this war is maintained and carried on heartily and vigorously there is inward peace for this is exceeding pleasing to conscience that sits as it were looking on and is greatly pleased delighted to see the soul lustily wrestling with contending against and pursuing to death its lusts and sinful lustings Yea the Lord the Captain of our salvation is highly pleased to behold this and therefore will speak peace to those thus employed and daily exercised Go over your experience and say when have you
too much to acknowledge this cause thereof Secondly Remember to seek not only the spirit 's powerful but also its counselling and directing assistance we greatly need both we are weak therefore need the Spirit 's strength we are unwise and foolish therefore need its counsel As we have not power to do so neither understanding to discern what we should do against our sins what is the best way and course to mortifie them It is not unusual for men to take such a course for the destroying their sin as rather strengthneth than weakneth it Enemies are overcome as oft if not oftner by policy than by main force so our sins are to be conquered by wisdom as well as if not more than by strength Therefore look for the spirit to help you both as a spirit of power and also as a spirit of wisdom Thirdly Beg that the spirit would not only help you against your sins but that it would cause you to make use of and trust in it self for its help that it would shew you more and more your need of it convince you of your own weakness and foolishness that you may have no confidence in your selves but wholly depend on it Fourthly Set your selves against every sin through the spirit it may be you look for and desire the spirit's assistance against some special strong corruption but you must seek its help against all or you 'l hardly have it against any you must not think any sin so small that it needs not to be mortified nor any so weak that you can kill it of your selves it offends the spirit if you so think It 's much what a like evil to think any sin too strong to be subdued by the spirit and to think any so small that it need not or so weak that without the spirit it may be mortified Fifthly Make sure of this that you are in Christ and have received the spirit from him and then stedfastly expect its conduct powerful assistance and counsel for the destruction of your sins Look upon it as your helper and have a raised firm expectation without wavering of its help as the Apostle saith 2 Tim. 4.18 the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work and will preserve me unto his heavenly Kingdom so you may and should say the spirit of the Lord shall deliver me from every lust and will preserve me from the dominion of every corruption yea and destroy all my sins it will never leave me nor forsake me till it have brought me off victorious it will help me it will give me a full compleat victory overall mine iniquities But let this your confident expectation be rightly grounded How is that I answer you should confidently expect the spirits full help upon these and such like grounds First As it is the spirit of the Father that which the Father hath promised and given you the promise of the spirit is called the promise of the Father Acts. 1.4 and Christ saith it proceedeth from the Father therefore look for it as so think not it will help you only or so much because you need it or will to be help'd by it or for any other reason with respect to your selves as because the Father willeth it should help you and hath promised and given it for that purpose and so it 's the Father's work to do in you and with you Secondly Expect it's help as the spirit of Christ as that which proceeds from the Son which Christ hath obtained and sent to you from the Father Christ dyed and ascended to interceed that you might have it he shed his blood also that your sins might be destroyed through it he hath sent it into your hearts therefore look for it 's help upon Christ's account and as you belong to Christ as you are in him his members so that what the spirit doth for you it doth for Christ as they who shew kindnesse to any of Christ's members feeding visiting clothing them he saith shew kindnesse to himself so the spirit helping you helps Christ as you are of his mysticall body Thirdly Expect the spirit's help also for it's own sake because you are it's Temple 1 Cor. 6.19 It hath freely come to you it doth dwell in you and it is to abide with you for ever John 14.16 therefore the spirit is concern'd in your welfare it helping you to mortifie your sins honoureth itself destroying your sins he destroyeth his own enemies the enemies of his own habitation his own temple Fourthly Expect it's assistance upon the account of the everlastingnesse and freenesse of the Covenant wherein God hath said he will give us his spirit and cause us to walk in his statutes which is to be understood for all our life long the Covenant gives assurance of the constant assistance of the spirit to the end upon such accounts as these stedfastly look for strongly expect the spirits help so certainly you shall not misse of it you may upon the grounds mentioned say of your sins as David to Goliah 1 Sam. 17.46 47. The Lord will deliver thee into mine hand and I will smite thee and take thine head from thee and all shall know that the Lord saveth not with sword spear for the battell is the Lords he will give you into mine hands Our trust in the spirit is not right if we expect not it's help the greater our expectation is the greater our trust and the greater engagement upon our friend to help us Fifthly If after all you at any time find sin prevailing yet be not out of heart if you are that 's the way to have it prevail again and more but stir up your selves to your duty in your spirituall warfare renew your trust in the spirit be more earnest in calling for it's help As Israel when they fled before the men of Ai they went and humbled themselves fasted and prayed so when you as flee before your sin when beaten by your spiritual enemies go to God be more importunate and urgent for help say with the Psalmist Psal 35.1 2. Plead my cause O Lord with them that strive with me fight against them which fight against me take hold of shield buckler and stand up for my help draw out the spear and stop the way against them say unto my soul speak it feelingly to my sense I am thy salvation let them be confounded that seek after my soul c. And as it is in the Prophet Awake O arm of the Lord put on strength c. By no means give way to discouragement for that is unbelief and a dishonour to the spirit as also to your selves what is it but cowardise when a man is worsted and he falls down under discouragement in this he is more conquered than in the other A right souldier will stir up himself when foiled and prepare for a new assault with the more eagernesse That you may not at any time sinck under discouragement because of the prevalency of
go along with believing and turning it 's then sure to prevail receiving will be the fruit of such asking So then the Scripture is full and plain in declaring how you may attain the spirit what you should do that you may gain it Which things though it 's granted they cannot be done without the spirit yet are they not spoken in vain To all whom God intends to save he vouchsafeth a heart to hearken to these counsels and so affords them the indwelling and constant assistance of his spirit while they live though it work not always alike in them Therefore my advice is to any one sensible of his need of the spirit and desirous of it that he would take those Scriptures mentioned and spread them before the Lord and hold on so doing till he feel the power of his spirit and be made sensible of the influence of his grace in his heart O Lord gracious God who delightest in mercy who art a God hearing prayer thy word saith the promise of the spirit is received through faith be pleased I pray thee to give me faith for it is thy gift Thy word saith turn at my reproof and I will pour my spirit out unto you I beseech thee turn me and I shall be turned for turning is thy work thy word saith to them that ask thou wilt give thy holy spirit O cause me to ask as I ought open my mouth and my heart that I may so ask as to receive according to thy word for none call upon thee in truth unlesse thou beest pleased to quicken them thereunto Did ever any soul think you do thus and continue so to do in uprightnesse who was denied No verily the Lord our God is a God full of compassion he will not let any one that sincerely waits at the dore of his mercy perish for want of living water his holy spirit Is not God more mercifull than you are would you let any one though an enemy ly and starve and perish at your dore if he should throwing down his arms come and lay himself at your threshhold crying for a draught of water or put case a man through distemper phrensy or madness should have done you much hurt if he at a time coming to himself a little should entreat with earnestness that of you which would cure him and therefore desire it that he might no more do you wrong would you not give it him we read when the Prodigal came to himself he went to his Father and his Father with all readiness pity and love received him when any go to God for his Spirit in Christ then begin they to come to themselves God saith to us if thine enemy thirst give him drink sure then if any soul though it have been a great enemy to God do thirst for his Spirit and lye at the door of his mercy crying for it through Christ There is mercy enough in the heart of God to look out upon it as it were to come forth to it and bestow his spirit upon it Prov. 8.32 33 34. Now therefore hearken unto me O ye Children for blessed are they saith wisdom that keep my wayes hear instruction and be wise and refuse it not Blessed is the man that heareth me watching daily at my Gates waiting at the posts of my doors Why is such a one blessed 〈◊〉 for who so findeth me findeth life intimating they that so seek shall find Doth not Christ commend the good Samaritan who had compassion on the wounded man who could not help himself and poured in oyl into his wounds Luk. 10.33 34. surely the Lord is as good himself I and much more compassionate towards poor sinners who are far more miserable and helpless If then thou wounded soul by thy sins and no way able to heal thy wounds to subdue thy sins shalt indeed look to him cry unto him will he not pour the Spirit which is called the oyl of gladness into thy heart Yes no doubt he will I dare say this to thee O soul if thou hast a heart to go sensibly and sincerely to Christ and to tell him of that himself hath spoken concerning the good Samaritan and humbly to ask him whether he have not a more loving tender heart not doubting whether he hath or no but being perswaded that he hath and to plead what the Samaritan did with Christ entreating that he would do the like for thee spiritually Christ will not take it amiss no his bowels will be troubled for thee as the Lord saith his were for Ephraim and he 'l surely have mercy on thee so as to vouchsafe the spirit to thee even to thee as it is Hos 11.8 How shall I give thee up Ephraim How shall I deliver thee Israel How shall I make thee as Admah How shall I set thee as Zeboim Mine heart is turned within me my repentings are kindled together So will the Lord say concerning thee how shall I give thee up to thy lusts wounded soul how shall I deliver thee to the rage of thy deadly corruptions crying heart how shall I make how shall I set thee as the reprobates as those who are drowned in perdition and destruction by their foolish and hurtful lusts mine heart is turned within me my repentings are kindled together they are as all up and on a flame together all my bowels yern towards thee here 's my spirit for thee take it receive thou the holy Ghost is not that Christ's own word Rev. 21.6 I will give unto him that is a thirst of the fountain of the water of life freely Use 10. Seeing it is through the spirit that our sins are to be mortified take the spirit's time for the mortifying of them What time is that it is the present time The spirit loveth no delayes in a matter of so great consequence it hates our sins therefore would that we should seek to destroy them immediately without any putting off O! Alas how many have been ruined by their sins because they have deferred to seek the ruine of them They have never had the Spirit 's help because they would not take the Spirit 's time Beware that be not true of any of you Rom. 10. last But to Israel observe that to Israel a people enjoying the word and living under ordinances he saith all day long I have stretched forth my hands unto a disobedient and gain saying people I have tendred mercy offered help and assistance to a people who have all day long from morning to evening of the day of grace slighted my mercy and refused my help the teaching and leading of my Spirit No delay past shall be charged upon you if now you have a heart to yield your selves to the Spirit for the subduing your iniquities but take heed of delaying still Now even now the blessed Spirit offereth you its help now in the Gospel now in the Word Preached my Spirit saith God shall not alway strive with man believe it now the Spirit striveth
with you and makes a tender of its assistance But more especially doth the spirit offer its help when it begins to move and breath and work in any soul Give ear I pray have you no movings no workings no stirrings or convictions of the Spirit do you barely hear a sound of words do you feel â—â—thing within doth not the Spirit many times convince you doth it not frequently stir you up against your sins and against this or that sin in particular have you not now some stirrings of the Spirit Remember this whenever the Spirit moveth in you it offereth you its assistance therefore if you have any hatred of your sins any love of your souls any desire to be helpt by the Spirit against your corruption accept its offer now accept it and set upon this good and necessary work forthwith take up arms and use them against your sin giving up yourself to the Spirit that it may enable you to do that for which you are utterly impotent and insufficient in your selves Go along with the Spirit that way it moves you that way go what it putteth you on to that do It is a most dangerous thing to neglect the offer of the holy good Spirit of God to slight or let slip any of its counsels or motions as Christ said to Jerusalem so may the Spirit now say to many a one Mat. 23.37 38. how oft would I have helped you and you would not behold your soul is left unto you desolate Use 11. Take heed all you who have the Spirit that you do no way provoke it no way grieve it because the great war you are still while you live to carry on against corrupt nature and its lustings can only be effectually managed by the help thereof Why is it that the Spirit of grace doth assist us no more in this warfare whence is it that the enemies of our Spirits so oft prevail and get us under Is it because the Spirit in us is not able to help us that cannot be it hath given our souls life when quite dead therefore it can lay our sins quite dead at its pleasure and give our souls life more abundantly Is it because the spirit is not willing or ready to afford us its assistance neither can that be it being given to us to help us to think it unwilling is to think it unfaithful but the holy spirit cannot be unfaithful and to think it unwilling is to think it unloving unkind uncompassionate but that spirit that works all kindness love and compassion that is gracious in every soul must needs be exceeding loving kind and full of compassion it self What 's the reason then that this that and the other sin so oft gets the mastery in us who have the spirit in us Whence is it that spiritual slothfulness so much prevails in some worldliness in others lukewarmness pride envy c. in others whence are some so unstable in the truth so unconstant in that which is good whence such dead heartedness such carnality such vain-glory such discontent and uncircumspect walking among us Sure the Spirit is not kindly entertained by us as it ought to be we grieve it we offend and displease it As Israel was never beaten by their enemies but still prevailed against them unless God were some way greatly provoked by them and so left them in a great degree to themselves to their own strength and counsels which ever proved too weak short and foolish to hold them up when the Lord was withdrawn from them So it is when our foul enemies prevail the Spirit of God is displeased by us Therefore be more kind to be more tender towards it Let us ever be careful as for our lives that we never grieve our great and only helper There are many wayes that the Spirit is offended one is that even now mentioned neglecting its motions not working when it calls upon and puts us on to work not fighting when it moves us or not as it moveth us to fight against our lusts Besides which there are five or six wayes I shall now mention of grieving the Spirit First Running upon temptation when you do so you tempt the Spirit which tempting it is grieving it when you needlessely run upon an occasion of sin and venter upon any foreseen temptation having no call hoping the Spirit will help you against it Secondly Willing or careless neglect of any duty Believe O that you would believe me when I speak truth you never willingly or carelessely neglect a duty but you grieve the Spirit You may pretend one and another thing but the Spirit cannot be deceived it searcheth all things and as for you in whom it dwells know you it doth more especially observe your whole conversation and all the workings of your spirits Thirdly Yielding to any thing at any time against your conscience when you offend conscience you grieve the spirit if conscience be displeased the spirit is displeased though not alway in the same respect thy conscience saith doing such a thing thou dost not do well yet wilt thou do it now dost thou provoke the spirit Fourthly Not trying those motions that are in you by the word what they are or whence they come For hereupon you oftner then you are aware of give entertainment to Satan's motions and yield to them as if they were from the spirit of holiness especially then when Salan transforms himself notably into an Angel of light and what a grieving the spirit this is it 's easie to conceive for you through negligence rashness or inconsiderateness and not trying things as you ought to follow the wicked one instead of the Holy one Fifthly Despising the counsel of such who have the spirit which is too ordinary a case I suppose it will be confess'd this is a grieving the spirit and it must be granted it is too too common Either the counsel of such is despised by not seeking it when it is needful the law should be sought at their mouth who have the teaching of the spirit Mal. 2.7 Hagg. 2.11 or when good counsel is given and is not followed but is neglected be it through flightiness obstinacy conceit of your own understanding or a being bent to your own mind 1. Cor. 7. last it is so after my judgment and I think I have the spirit of God he means as to that his Advice and therefore as if he should have said beware that you despise not my counsel lest you grieve the spirit whose counsel it is by me Sixthly Giving way to unbelieving thoughts the suffering to lodg in you any evil thought grieves the spirit particularly and especially a thought of unbelief when you entertain it nourish it or strive not to turn it out Now let the consideration of your need of the spirit and the great work you have to do by it which can by no means be done without it make you heedful that the spirit be not grieved by you these or any