flesh is against the Spirit and the Spirit against the flesh and then I call it an irreconcileable contrariety because though enemies may be reconciled yet contraries never In the handling of which point I shall onely demonstrate the truth of it and then conclude with a practical application Demonst 1 And first this contrariety appears by the contrary names given both to the flesh and Spirit in Scripture as here in the Text corruption it is called flesh and grace is called the Spirit corruption is called darknesse but grace is called light Rom. 13.12 Rom. 13 12. It is called a law of death Rom. 8.2 2 Cor. 7.1 1 Tim. 4.12 but grace is called the law of the Spirit of life Rom. 8.2 Corruption is called filthinesse of the flesh 2 Cor. 7.1 but grace is called purity of spirit 1 Tim. 4.12 So that by the these contrary names given both to the flesh and the Spirit the contrariety of both is set out 2. They are both contrary principled and origined for First corruption it is called the work of the devill and For this purpose was the Son of God manifested that he might destroy the works of the devil John 3.8 1 John 3.8 but grace is called the work of God Phil. 1.6 Phil. 1.6 Again corruption it is called the lust of the devil John 8.44 John 8.44 but grace is called the fruit of the Spirit Gal. 5.22 Gal. 5.22 so that these proceed from a contrary original That which is born of the flesh is flesh and that which is born of the Spirit is Spirit John 3.6 3. They have contrary acts and contrary uses the flesh is said to lust against the Spirit and the Spirit against the flesh they are contrary in their works and hence in Scripture sin it is called a work contrary to God Levit. 26. sin makes a man walk contrary to God but the Spirit drawes a man to walk in the wayes of God sinne is the Dalilah that will never let a man alone but presse him with importunity to yield to the temptations thereof 4. They are contrary in their ends and issues the end of the flesh is to damne the soul but the Spirit its motions and workings are to save the soule We are commanded to abstain from fleshly lusts which warre against the soule and the Apostle tells us That if we live after the flesh we shall die but if we through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body we shall live Rom. 8.13 The tendency of sin is unto death but of grace unto eternal life And therefore saith the same Apostle The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death Rom. 8.2 Upon these demonstrations it appears the flesh and the Spirit are contrary the one to the other Vse 1 Of instruction If so be these are contrary the one to the other first let us consider the contrariety of the flesh against the Spirit and thence learn these three inclinations 1. Learn to admire the free grace and mercy of God that notwithstanding this contrariety of the flesh against the Spirit in thee yet that this should not stirre up anger and fury in God but rather pity and mercy herein is Gods great love shewed to his people God doth to us as we would do to a man that hath taken poyson we pity such a man but poison in a tode that we hate when God sees sinne in his people tormenting them as poison in the body though they have such sinful natures and so contrary to grace yet this stirres not up fury but favour and pity in God It is a note worth your observation by comparing two Scriptures together Gen. 6.5,6 Compared with Gen. 8.21 Gen. 6.5,6 with Gen. 8.21 In the sixth of Genesis it is said there that the Lord saw that the imaginations of mans heart were evill and only evill and that continually and therefore saith God I will destroy man from the earth there their corrupt nature and the issues and acts of it provoked God to fury but compare that place with Chapt. 8.21 and there you read that God will not any more curse the ground for mans sake because the imagination of his heart is evill from his youth this is a strange reason one would think it should be on the contrary but God doth not bring a curse but annexeth a promise as if he should say though I might destroy man as I did in the flood yet I will not do it though the imagination of his heart be evill and that continually no though his heart be so bad this should teach us to admire the grace of God that notwithstanding the contrariety of our natures unto holinesse yet that this should not stirre up fury but rather pity and mercy in God to us 2. Learn to admire the grace and mercy of God that notwithstanding the contrariety that is in our natures against the Spirit that yet there is an irresistiblenesse in the Spirits working converting grace that the Spirit should conquer a man and break down the strong holds of nature 2 Cor. 10.4 that the Spirit of God should out of these contraries bring other contraries for so the Lord doth commanding light to shine out of darknesse Oh admire the omnipotency of Gods grace 2 Cor. 4.6 that notwithstanding the contrariety of thy nature yet it hath not been able to resist converting grace 3. Admire the grace of God that notwithstanding the contrariety of thy nature yet that there should be in the regenerate either activity or perpetuity of grace that thou doest act grace seeing thou hast a principle of sin in thee Gratia in nobis est flamma in extingui bilis in med â—o mari and that thou hast a perpetuity in the state of grace that this contrariety should never be able either totally or finally to conquer grace admire that this spark of fire should not be drowned by this flood of corruption that this contrariety in thy heart against grace should not destroy grace if thou art once in the state of grace thou art ever so and therefore let this heighten your admiration Adam had perfect grace and yet not perpetuity in it but thou hast imperfect grace and yet thou art established therein that thou shalt not fall Vse 2 Of humiliation and indeed these doctrines about corruption of nature they tend chiefly to debase this proud heart of man that is degenerated and fallen from so glorious an estate Be humble oh man though thou hast a principle of grace yet thou hast something in thee that carries a contrariety to grace thou hast a contrary principle to a gracious principle The flesh lusteth against the Spirit and the Spirit against the flesh and these are contrary the one to the other now here I shall speak not onely to unregenerate men but to the regenerate also and there are these seven
Spirit when thou continuest in the use of duty not so spiritual as in former time This appears in two regards 1. When there is lesse grace exercised 2. When there are more sins committed in the performance of duty 1. When there is lesse grace exercised in duty as if there be lesse affection lesse zeal lesse delight lesse love lesse joy and lesse heavenly mindedness then there was found in thee in years past it is an argument of a gradual departure of the Spirit 2. If thou committest more sinnes in the doing of duty as if there be more spiritual pride more carnal dependance more selfe-ends more wandring thoughts more irreverence of God more hardnesse of heart and wearinesse of spirit in holy exercises this shews the abundance of sinne in thee and is an argument of the Spirits withdrawing I appeale to your own consciences judge your selves whether some or all of these symptoms may not be found in you and whether this in particular that thou doest duty less spiritually then formerly thou hast more sinnes and lesse grace exercised in it I may illustrate this by a Simile You never see a crow pitch upon a living man but if the man be dead and lie in a ditch then how will every bird of prey fasten on him You never see wormes creep upon a living man but let him be once dead and his soul once departed how soone will wormes and vermine devoure his carcase I only accomodate this Simile to this end That what the soul is to the body that is the Spirit of God to the soul while the soul is with the body a crow or a bird of prey will not fasten on it whilest the Spirit of God quickens thee vermine-lusts will not seize upon thee but if once the Spirit of God which is the life of thy soul be withdrawn then what swarmes of vermine-lusts will fasten on thy heart in all the dnties thou performest to God what a cage of unclean birds what a receptacle of devils will thy heart be if the Spirit of God be but once with-drawn from thee 9. Thou mayest know if the Spirit be withdrawn by this if thou settest not upon duty so carefully and diligently as thou hast done in former time thou dost with more negligence set upon the performance of duties rush hand over head as we say upon it When the Spirit of God is withdrawn from a soul it wiâ—… grow carelesse in holy duties in two respects 1. thou wilt be careless of the manner how thou dost it and never take care how to make thy Spirit meet for its performance And then secondly thou wilt never take care for the end of duty that thy soul may be bettered by it and thou made more meet for the enjoyment of God 10. If the Spirit be withdrawn thou mayest know it by this that thou continuest not in the use of duty so practically and influencially as in former time the meaning of this is in such a case Good duties done have not such an influence to the bettering of our conversation God never ordained duties for themselves that you might rest in them but for other ends Gal. 5.25 in order to your lives and conversations therefore sayes the Apostle If we live in the Spirit let us also walk in the Spirit Those duties wherein the Spirit assists us should have an influence upon our lives thou therefore which art constant in holy duties and those duties have no influence upon thy heart thou art a great hearer but not a godly liver a great professor but thy practice doth not hold-level with thy profession this is an argument that thy duties do not carry a saving influence unto thy life thou canst pray well but thou doest not live well thou art a good man upon thy knee but a bad man in thy trade this is an argument that the Spirit of God is withdrawn from thee Now look over your hearts and examine them in all these particulars and see whether the Spirit of God be not departed from thee yea or no I now come to the Application hereof Vse 1 Shall be of comfort lest any thing which I have said should be a discouragement to any perplexed conscience and there are four words of comfort I shall lay down for such 1. Consider that though the quickenings of the Spirit may be withdrawn from a godly man yet the presence of the Spirit can never be withdrawn and therefore oh beleever lie not down in despaire and despondence The Spirit to thee is but as the Sun under a cloud it is in the firmament still so is the Spirit in thy heart and though it be under a cloud as to the influence of it yet it is constantly with thee as to its presence A Believer may have the truth and being of grace in him though not the comfort of it 2. Consider then Oh childe of God who sayest that these symptoms discover the departure of the Spirit from thee Why remember that God did never continue the Spirit in its motions and workings alwayes alike in any godly man It is with thy soul in this case as with natural things in the water of the sea there is an Ebbing and Flowing in the seasons of the year there is the Winter as well as the Summer and the Autum as well as the Spring as it is thus with the times and seasons in natural things so also is it in Spiritual things the Spirit of God was never continued to all men alike but there are Ebbings and Flowings of it As it is in the Aire so it is in the heart sometimes it is clear and sometimes cloudy The Sunne in the firmament it is alwaies there yet it doth not always give the same warmth and heat and influence upon the earth What is true of the Sunne in this respect is also of the Spirit of God in the hearts of his it hath not always the same influence upon the heart The time may be that thou mayest be in thy winter wherein thy graces may not have a verdure and greennesse and yet still the Spirit is in thee and will in the spring-time cause thee to flourish The tree may have life in the root when during the Winter-season it may have neither leaves nor blosoms nor fruit A childe of God may have his life hid in Christ the root of all spiritual life though it may be winter-season sometimes with him both in respect of the growth exercise and comfort of grace 3. Jesus Christ is not onely a faithful but a merciful High-Priest Heb. 2.17 Remember that Jesus Christ doth know that thou canst not all thy life-time performe duâ—… without infirmity and therefore he had his perfect righteousnesse to cover thy imperfect duties and this should greatly establish the hearts of poor Christians It is a good note which one hath upon Cant. 3.6 It is said there Cant. 3.6 Who is this that cometh out of the wildernesse like pillars of
withdrawing it is but in some things not in all in some motions and in some asistance not in other some The Spirit is never totally witdrawn from godly men the presence of the Spirit is not withdrawn though the comfort and assurance of it may be Vse 2 It is with a soul in this case as it is with the herbs and trees in winter the whole sap is not gone but retired into the root Let this be thy comfort that the departures of the Spirit they are temporary not eternal the Spirit is onely gone for a season Isaiah 54.8 In a little wrath I hid my face from thâ—e for a moment It is but in a little wrath and for a little while That which Christ said of his person to his Disciples I will go away but I will come again the same may be said of the Spirit though he may be withdrawn yet after a while he will returne again Vse 3 Thou sayest the Spirit is withdrawn but it may be it is a sensible not a real withdrawing My meaning is this it may be thou apprehendest it to be so when in relity it is not so for of all men the godly they are most apt to have suspitions of their own hearts and of their own estates Gen. 44.2 Thou mayest have as Benjamin a golden cup in thy sacks mouth a pledge of Joseph's love and thou mayest not know it Out of thy belly may flow a fountain of living water and yet thou mayest not know it even as Hagar when she was ready to die for thirst had a well of water by her and yet knew it not therefore it may be it is but a sensible not a real withdrawing It is with the soul in respect of the Spirit of Christ as it was with Mary Magdalen who when she was speaking with Christ knew it not but asked Christ whither they had carried him John 20.15 Vse 4 Consider that Jesus Christ may depart from you not out of hatred but out of trial to see whether thou wilt follow him As a Mother will sometimes run into a corner and hide her self from her childe but it is not to leave her child shiftless but to see its love whether it will seek after her or not So Jesus Christ he may sometimes leave you and withdraw his Spirit to see whether you will follow hard after him account the motions of his Spirit worth seeking after And thus I have briefly given you an account of the withdrawings of the Spirit of Christ from ordinances and from our souls I have shewed you both the cause and the cure of this miserable estate The Lord give you understanding in all things SERM. VIII At Lawrence Jury London Decemb. 1. 1650. GAL. 5. verse 16. This I say then Walk in the Spirit and ye shall not fulfil the lusts of the flesh HAving lately treated of the misery of those from whom the motions of Gods Spirit were withdrawn I am now to treat of the happinesse of others who walk after the motions and guidance of the Spirit which I shall do out of these words Walk in the Spirit and yee shall not fulfil the lusts of the flesh Which words are an Apostical direction or caution being intire in themselves and therefore I shall handle them without reference to what goes before or what follows after The method I observe shall be this First I shall explaine the words Secondly divide them then deduce some observations and lastly make application of all 1. In the explanatory part there are four things to be unfolded 1. What is here to be meant by the Spirit 2. What is meant by walking in the Spirit 3. What by not fulfilling the lusts of the flesh 4. How can it be said that men shall not fulfil the lusts of the flesh Quest 1 What is meant by the Spirit Answ 1 In general it doth denote the whole divine essence distinguished into three persons God is a Spirit John 4.24 i. e. a spiritual Essence 2 Cor. 3.17 Answ 2 More particularly it notes the third person in the blessed Trinity 1 John 5.6 Answ 3 By Spirit is understood the gifts of the Spirit Luk. 1.15 Quest 2 What is meant here by walking in the Spirit Answ 1 For answer hereunto there is something must be paraphrased upon as conducible to the explaining of it As first Gal. 3.2 Verse 25. Gal. 5.18 there is mention made in Gal. 3.2 of receiving the Spirit Secondly of living in the Spirit Gal. 5.25 Thirdly of being led by the Spirit Gal. 5.18 And fourthly of walking in the Spirit and that in the words of my text Now by receiving and living in the Spirit is set out to us the first implantation or work of Gods Spirit on us in our regeneration And by the other two phrases of being led by the Spirit and walking in the Spirit these two are one and the same and set out to us the progressive work of the Spirit upon the soul in the work of sanctification so that he that would walk in the Spirit must follow the motions and instructions of it Therefore if you would walk in the Spirit you must not follow the impulses of your own spirits Quicquid somniant Fanatici volunt esse Spiritum sanctum Melanchton they follow the instinct of their own spirits Of such Melanchton speaks that they think their own dreams as Canonical as Gods Word and thereby are so far from abolishing the lusts of the flesh that they gratifie the lusts of the flesh The genuine sense therefore of these words of walking in the Spirit is to walk after the Spirit and so it is an expression of the same importance with those words in Rom. 8.1 Rom. 8.1 There is therefore no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit That is if we follow the motions and instructions of Gods Spirit then may we be said to walk in it Quest 3 But what benefit will accrue hereupon Ye shall not fulfill the lusts of the flesh Answ Now before I answer this particular I must give you caution The Apostle doth not say you shall not have the lusts of the flesh for you know that he which doth most follow the motions and directions of the Spirit in his practice he finds in himselfe the workings of corrupt nature whilest you have this natural body you will have these lusts of the flesh in you But saith the Apostle Ye shall not fulfill the lusts of the flesh Now by the lusts of the flesh you must not understand it in a limited sense of the sinne of incontinency or uncleannesse which elsewhere is truly called the lust of the flesh but you are to take it in a comprehensive sense for all those corrupt and irregular inclinations to sinne which are in the nature of man Now when the Apostle saith you shall not fulfil these lusts his meaning is not that you shall not
You have cause to blesse God because otherwise you would commit more sinnes then you do and those which you do commit after a worse manner more willingly more eagerly more wilfully blesse God therefore in this regard for his holy Spirit Vse 2 You may learne the happinesse of a godly man and the misery of a wicked man The happinesse of a godly man that thou hast the Spirit to keep thee from sinning so as other men sinne 1 John 3.9 Non homines sed monstra Hominum sunt Pelagiani Cathari Caelestiani Donatistae A nabaptistae Libertini qui ex hoc loco perfectionem illam somniant à qua absunt ipsi emnium hon inum longissimi Beza Chap. 2.1 Job 1.22 Job 5.24 and the Scripture speaks of a godly man in this regard as if he had no sinne at all Whosoever is borne of God sayes the Apostle doth not commit sinne for his seed remaineth in him and he cannot sinne because he is borne of God It is not to be taken absolutely as if we had no sinne but comparatively he cannot sinne so as wicked men These things write I unto you that ye sinne not saith the Apostle And as it is said of Job that in all this he sinned not These expressions are not to be taken absolutely but comparatively not that godly men sinne not at all but that they sinne not after that manâ—er wicked men do Thou shalt visit thy habitation and shalt not sinne saith Job What an honour then is this put upon the godly that because they sinne not as the wicked therefore the Scripture makes mention of them as if they did not sin at all But farther see the misery of the wicked what a case are they in who have not the Spirit of God to lay a controule upon their sinful natures what servants to sin are they what vassals to their own lusts when the devil tempts from without and their own lusts from within they have no Spirit of God to withhold them Wicked men they sin so as no godly men can and therefore saith the Lord Deut. 32.5 They have corrupted themselves and their spot is not the spot of my children It is true I confesse there may be a spice of those particulars I mentioned in thy practice there may be something of the will in sin some delectation some deliberation yet do not be discouraged if thy heart yield not fully if there be not such a strong bent of will to sin as is found in wicked men SERMON XII At Lawrence Jury London Decemb. 15. 1650. GAL. 5. verse 17. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit and the Spirit against the flesh and these are contrary the one to the other so that ye cannot do the things that ye would HAving treated in several Sermons upon the Verse foregoing concerning walking in the Spirit I come now to handle this Verse which containes in it the combate between the flesh and the Spirit I shall only open the first clause of the Text at this time and dispatch the other in order The first onset given in this spiritual combate is by the flesh The flesh lusts against the Spirit to open which two things must be unfolded Quest 1 1. What is meant by flesh 2. What is meant by the Spirit and then what by the lusting of the flesh against the Spirit Answ By flesh is to be understood the corruption of mans nature by original sinne which corruption may be understood either as an habâ—t or as an act If you consider the flesh as an habit then it notes that primitive radical and original indisposition in mans nature to good But if it be taken as an act then it notes our corrupt motions against grace and so I take it in this place The flesh lusteth against the Spirit that is when the Spirit of God doth by divine pulsations beat upon the heart in holy motions then there is a contrariety in the flesh against these motions suppressing them and carrying the heart to evill The corruption of nature may be called flesh for these reasons 1. Because the soul was defiled with corruption immediately upon its union and conjunction with the body It is true there is a contest among Divines when the soul comes to be corrupted seeing it is infused by creation and is therefore pure But the generality of Authors conclude upon this that immediately upon the conjunction of the soul with the body the creature is said to have natural corruption and for this reason some think that corrupt nature is called flesh because man is naturally corrupted assoon as soule and body joyne together 2. Corrupt nature is called flesh because this corruption of nature remaines as long as we carry flesh and blood about with us as long as you have flesh you shall have sin The body of death is not destroyed but by the death of the body and therefore corruption may be called flesh 3. Because the motions of corrupt nature are naturally as deare to a man Ephes 5.29 as his own flesh No man yet ever hated his own flesh and this is the reason why the Scripture calls it a right hand Math. 5.29,30 and a right eye corruption of nature it is closely joyned to a man Quest 2 What is meant by the spirit Answ By spirit some understand the soul of a regenerate man but this seems to be incoherent the scope of the place carrying it to something else though this also may be included Therefore by spirit is to be understood the holy motions and workings of Gods Spirit and there the flesh is said to lust against Gal. 3.2,14 Gal 4.6,29 Gal. 5.5,16,17 18,22,25 and it is apparent that it is thus to be understood because spirit is so taken in the foregoing Verse and also in the Verse following my Text so that by spirit I understand the motions and workings of Gods Spirit in the soule And in this sense is the word spirit taken in most places of this Epistle Quest 3 What is meant here by lust Answ When it is said to lust against the Spirit you may observe that it is not said to work against the Spirit nor act against the Spirit though sin be of an active nature yet it is not alwayes in the act but though it be not alwayes acting yet it is alwayes lusting there is an opposite disposition in nature to the work of Gods Spirit upon the heart In the words you may observe three parts 1. A double conflict The flesh lusteth against the Spirit and the Spirit against the flesh 2. A double cause These are contrary the one to the other the flesh contrary to the Spirit and the Spirit contrary to the flesh 3. Here is a double consequent So that ye cannot do the things ye would the flesh lusts against the Spirit so that ye cannot do the good ye would and the Spirit against the flesh so that ye cannot do the evil ye would Before I raise the
the Scripture which forbids that we should do evil Rom. 3.8 Job 13.7 that good may come thereon Will ye talk wickedly for God and deal deceitfully for him and if upon pretence of good we may commit evil by the same rule Judas his treason may be excused because of the great good coming by Christs death But let me tell you farther that if you sin that good may come thereby it is the way to lose the good you aime at It is very remarkable concerning Saul being to pursue the Philistines he gave out a very cruell and harsh command 1 Sam. 14.24 he commanded the people and bound them under an oath that they should not eat a bit of meat untill evening that he might be avenged of his enemies Sauls pretence was good but using an unlawful means the people became feeble and faint for food who otherwise might have obtained afar more glorious victory When men therefore shall use sinfull means for the obtaining of good it is just with God to disappoint them of the good they aime at 7. And lastly thy corrupt heart will tell thee though thou may'st not boldly act sin yet thou may'st safely venture on the occasion of sinne and yet be preserved Thus Peters heart deceived him he would go into the high Priests Hall venture upon the occasion of sin thinking that he should not be taken in it And thus the Israelites they would marry strange wives and this was an occasion whereby at last they fell to worship strange gods keep off therefore from the occasion of sin Solomon hath a good saying Can a man tread upon fire and not be burned his meaning is that a man cannot keep company with a harlot and be chast running upon the occasions of sinne brings to the acting of sin you will not venture upon ice or slippery places because of the occasion of falling and if you desire to be freed of the one be not bold to venter upon the other Vse 1 You that carry flesh and blood about with you and sinfull natures and do perceive the conflicts of the flesh against the Spirit weigh with your selves what it is the flesh conflicts with you for it is no lesse then for your immortall soules as the Apostle Peter tells you 1 Peter 2.11 I beseech you sayes he as strangers and pilgrims abstaine from fleshly lusts which warre against the soul The flesh aimes to damne the soul It is in this conflict as Cesar said in the battel he had once in Africa with the children and partakers of Pompey that in other battels he was wont to fight for glory but there and then he was faine to fight for his life remember thy precious soul lyes at stake in this combate therefore I beseech you take part with Gods Spirit against the flesh and not with the flesh against the Spirit Vse 2 When thou art overtaken with sinne blame none but thy own heart blame neither God nor the Devil 1. Not God for he made man upright Eccles 7.29 he gave a pure and unspotted soul to man but they have sought out many inventions therefore blame thy own self James 1.13,14 Let no man say when he is tempted that he is tempted of God for every man is tempted when he is drawn away of his owne lust and inticed 2. Blame not the Devil it is naturall to men to take off the blame from their own vicious natures when they fall into sin and to lay all upon the Devill but if you observe the Scripture you shall never finde that a godly man did ever lay the blame upon the Devil after he fell into sin It is true Adam and Eve did but there was some reason for that because they had no sinful nature to tempt them but after being fallen their sinful nature did tempt them not the Devil It is said of David that Satan stood up and provoked him to number the people 1 Chron. 21.1 but David he doth not say so himself Vers 8. but sayes he I have sinned greatly and I have done very foolishly David he charges his own heart and the reason is because the heart of man hath a greater stroak in provoking a man to sin then the Devil hath alas what could the Devil do if we had not a sinful inclination within The Devil when he came to tempt Christ he found no matter in him to fasten upon him and therefore he could not prevaile The Prince of this world cometh and findeth nothing in me said Christ But 't is otherwise with us temptations meet with corruptions that do suit them The Devil when he comes to thee thy heart it is as flax among fire or as gunpowder which having a spark of fire in it is suddenly blown up therefore blame not the Devil but thine own heart neither the Devil nor the world could hate thee were it not for thine own heart which like a false Trayter lodgeth within thy breast and betrayes the soul to the snares and temptations of the Devil Sermon XIII At Lawrence Jury London Decemb. 22. 1650. GAL. 5. verse 17. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit and the Spirit against the flesh and these are contrary the one to the other so that ye cannot do the things that ye would I Come now to give you the properties of this enmity and of this conflict and there are nine or ten qualities of this enemy corrupt nature 1. The flesh it is a potent enemy against the Spirit it is no weak enemy but it 's strong and therefore sayes the Apostle Rom. 6.12 Let not sin reigne in your mortal bodies In the unregenerate the flesh is as a mighty Monarch which rules without controule the flesh the power or a Law over them And in the regenerate sin is an usurping tyrant which gets a great deal of the Beleevers soul into his hands Rom. 7.14 Paul complaines that he was sold under sin though after his regeneration he did not sell himself to work wickednesse yet he was taken captive by the flesh as by a powerful and prevailing adversary and as conquerors sell their prisoners so was Paul Divines do usually compare corrupt nature to great Goliah and grace to little David Goliah had more strength yet David gets the victory though corruption be potent yet grace in the end will get the victory The potency of the flesh may appear by these demonstrations 1. By the names which in Scripture are attributed to corrupt nature 2 Cor 10.4 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it is called a strong hold a man may easily win an ordinary dwelling house but it is hard taking a strong hold Rom. 7.23 It is called a Law The Law of sin it hath that power over the soul as the Law hath over the subjects of a Kingdome it is said to reigne having the power that a Prince hath over his people 2. It appeares to be potent by that mighty power which must be
set on work to suppresse this enemy no lesse then the power of an Almighty God can suppresse these corrupt motions and therefore sayes the Apostle The weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds 2 Cor. 10.4 It is a weapon edged with the power of a Deity which must pull down these strong holds 3. Corrupt nature is strong because it is set on by a powerful spirit the Devil he provokes thee to sin and that makes the corruption of thy heart so potent The Sea will move of it self being a fleeting body but when a tempestuous storme arises then it rages and roares So is it with thy corrupt nature if there were no Devil yet thou wouldst be a Devil to thy self and wouldst commit sin but when the Devil shall set on this Sea of thy corrupt nature then how doth it rage and swell He is that Prince of the power of the Aire the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience Ephes 2.2 4. It argues the flesh is potent because it often prevailes over the Spirit The Apostle tells you that not only in wicked men but even in the regenerate the flesh doth many times carry a prevalence over the Spirit The Law is spiritual Rom. 7.14 sayes he but I am carnal sold under sin He speaks of himself as a regenerate man he doth not say he sold himself that was the property of wicked Ahab but it is meant that corrupt nature did carry him away captive to sinne just as a conquerour carries away his prisoner 5. The flesh is a potent enemy because there is a greater measure of the flesh in regenerate men then there is of the Spirit thou hast more sin in thee then grace more of a corrupted nature then of a renewed nature In the best of Gods children there is more ignorance then knowledge more pride then humility and generally more sin then obedience and this may be hinted from the catalogue here enumerated of the works of the flesh and of the fruits of the Spirit Gal. 5.19,20 There are seventeen sins as the fruit of the flesh and but seven graces as the fruit of the Spirit to note that there is more of the old nature in thy heart then of the new more of the old leaven then of the new lump more drosse then gold and this God suffers in his children to keep them humble and in a continual dependance upon him the spirits of just men are never made perfect till they come to heaven Heb. 12.21 and in the mean time it is the admirable power of Christ to keep alive a sparke of grace in the midst of a sea of corruption 2. As the flesh is a potent enemy so it is a malicious enemy against the Spirit Rom. 8.7 The carnal minde is enmity against God and its maliciousnesse against the Spirit appeares two wayes 1. It suffers no good to be left in it I know in me that is in my flesh dwells no good thing saith the Apostle Rom. 7.18 Caâ—o à carendo though there may be good in the man yet there is no good in the flesh that is in his sinful nature 2. It is content with nothing but with the death of the creature in whom it is and this is a very pernicious enemie it not only kills the Spirits motions but is malicious against the man Rom. 7.11 Chap. 8,13 and therefore sayes the Apostle Paul Sin taking occasion by the Commandment deceived me and by it slâ—w me And again If ye live after the flesh ye shall die nothing lesse then death and eternal damnation of the soul will content it this argues the maliciousnesse of the flesh â—o be great indeed 3. Corrupt nature it is an universal enemy against the Spirit and its universality appeares in three regards 1. The flesh it is seated in the whole man in all the parts of thy body and in all the powers of thy soul The flesh is in the soul just as the soul is in the body And Philosophers say that the soul is in the body the whole soul is in the whole body Anima est tota â—n toto corpâ—re tota in qualibet parte and the whole soul in every part of the body just so is corruption and sin in thy soul the whole corruption of nature is in the whole soul and in every part of it in thy body eyes eares hands in all the parts of it not only in the concupiscible and irrascible part but also in the more noble parts as in the will understanding reason it is universal in every part of man 2. It containes in it virtually all sin Nothing doth virtually containe all evil but corrupt nature As we may say of the first man Primus homo fuit omnis homo Rom. 7.8 Primum peccatum fwt omne peccatum that he was every man So we may say of sin the first sinne had every sin that is every sin virtually Sinne taking occasion by the Commandment wrought in me saies the Apostle all manner of concupiscence Corrupt nature it is an inclination to all actual evil in the world I may illustrate this by an egge An egge hath in it potentially and seminally all the parts of the bird only it wants the warmth of the hen to hatch and produce it So our corrupt flesh hath in it all sin the seed and spawne of all sin and as the hen produceth the chicken so doth the devil hatch sin 3. It opposes all the graces of Gods Spirit other sins take what sin you will it opposes but the contrary grace particular sins do carry but a particular opposition as for instance the sin of pride opposes humility lust opposeth charity drunkennesse sobriety in justice opposes righteousnesse wrath opposes meeknesse hatred opposes love and so of all other sins they carry but a particular opposition to particular graces but thy flesh it carries an universal opposition to all grace 4. The flesh it is an insatiable enemy insatiable in two regards 1. In regard of sin because if we yield to the motions of sinne to day corrupt nature will not be satisfied if thou yieldest to sin to day thou must to morrow yea all thy dayes Prov. 30.16 Corrupt nature is like those four things which Solomon speaks of which are never satisfied and as he elsewhere speaks Hell and destruction are never full so the eyes of man are never satisfied Prov. 27.20 that is corrupt nature in the eye sinful concupiscence in the heart causes an adulterous eye never to be satisfied 2. In regard of punishment as well as sin Suppose sin doth bring diseases upon thy body or poverty on thy estate yet thou wilt not leave it it aimes at no lesse then the damnation of thy soul 5. Corrupt nature it is an indefatigable enemy against the Spirit Suppose the flesh to have all the foregoing properties yet
watchfulnesse hereby he kept under the sinful workings of corrupt nature and a little care will not serve the turn but we must be as vigilant as wrestlers or fencers who are very ready to beat down their adversaries before them 6. And lastly be skilful in the Word of righteousnesse and this will be a great means to keep the flesh from prevailing over the Spirit As Christ did to the devil so must thou do to the devil of thy flesh It is written sayes he do thou come with a written Word against the devil and thy own heart be so skilful in the Word of God that there may no temptation offer it selfe to thee but thou mayest draw arguments out of the Word against it we ought to be very careful to use the sword of the Spirit the Word of God and sheath it in the bowels of sinful flesh And if this course were taken in this particular you would be lesse pester'd with a tempting devil and corrupt heart then you are Vse Vse he use which I shall make from what you have heard shall be of comfort to dejected consciences me thinks I hear many a godly man say Wo is me I have a sensible experience in my own soul that my evil heart hath all those evil properties you named and my soul bears me witnesse I use those means you prescribed I do keep off from occasions of sin I watch and pray against sin and yet God knowes I cannot keep under a naughty heart To any man that in the sincerity of his heart and sense of his sinnes doth make this complaint I have four words of comfort 1. Thou must never expect a total extirpation of the corruption of thy nature whilest thou livest here only a partial suppression Corrupt nature will be in thee That as those beasts mentioned by Daniel their dominion was taken aâ—cay yet their lives were prolonged for a season and time Dan. 7.12 so the dominion of sin is taken away sin shall not reign over you but yet the life of sin remaines the body of death will live in us as long as we live in the body Corrupt nature it will live in thee though it shall not reign like unto that tree mentioned by Daniel whose branches were cut off Dan. 4.15 yet the stump remained in the earth thou mayest lop off actual evils yet remember the root will remain that as it is with Ivie which growes on a wall it cannot be rooted up untill the wall be pulled down so untill thy body be pulled down sin in thy nature which is as Ivie gotten into the wall cannot be gotten out We have a promise made to Gods children that sin shall not have dominion in them but no where it is said that sin shall have no being in them while they are in being here 2. There is great difference between yeelding to the corrupt motions of thy nature to sin and between fulfiling the lusts of the flesh I know there is none of us all but do in some things yeeld to the motions of the flesh but yet all do not fulfill the lusts of the flesh thou mayest imbrace the motion thy sinful heart stirres thee up unto yet thou mayest not fulfill the motions of sin the Scripture gives you this difference Rom. 13.14 Make not provision for the flesh to fulfill the lusts thereof godly men may commit the lusts of the flesh but they do not make provision for them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 thou doest not provide for sin as a man for his family because he would have them live thou art not a Caterer for sin therefore bear up thy heart with comfort though sin be in thee yet thou shalt not perish for it Thou who hast used all means and yet findest the flesh prevailing against the Spirit consider that strong and potent motions to sin do not alwayes argue sinnes strength but sins weaknesse rather that sin is decaying then in its full strength It is observed that dying things they strive and struggle with most strength a bird a weak creature yet if you pull off its head with what strength will it flutter this doth not argue that the bird is gathering strength but that its strength is departing it may be thus with thee thou hast strong motions to sin and thou discernest it it may be sinne is now playing its last game Lusts in the Scriptures are said to be crucified now it is with sin crucified as it was with the wicked and impenitent thief he was bound and nailed hand and foot and yet he raved and raged so it is when lust is dying yet it may be raging and as we see in the taking of Physick when it is first taken it will make a man more sick then the disease made him not that a man is indeed worse but only from the Physick searching his body thus it may be with thee sins struglings is Gods giving of thee Physick and though it be strong yet in the end God will make it tend to the purging out of evil humours out of thy soule 4. If corrupt motions be strong in thy soule then bend the strength of thy heart in prayer to God for the subduing of these corruptions If a Virgin that was ravished did not cry out by the law she was accounted guilty and consenting the more the devil and thy corruptions do attempt thee the more earnestly must thou pray and cry to God for help Complain upon those frequent incursions which corrupt nature and the devil makes upon thee and flying unto God for help and succour thy soul shall never perish for thy iniquity Sermon XV. At Lawrence Jury London Decemb. 29. 1650. GAL. 5. verse 17. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit and the Spirit against the flesh and these are contrary the one to the other so that ye cannot do the things that ye would I Proceed now to the last Question and that is How you may know when motions to sin do arise from the flesh or when they come meerly from the devil and so are purely diabolical Before I answer the Question I shall first shew of what use it is Secondly premise some positions about it and then give you the resolution to this Question There is a threefold use of this Question 1. It is needful to know it because unregenerate men when they are tempted to sin they lay all the fault upon the devil and none upon their own hearts These men when they put all their sins upon the score of Satan they do not give the devil his due Thus Eve she laid all the fault upon the Serpent Gen. 3.13 The Serpent beguiled me and I did eat Though David was of another mind for he when he was tempted and stirred up to sin in his numbering of the people and that by Satan yet he doth acknowledge 2 Sam. 24.17 I have sinned and I have done wickedly It is natural to men when they are tempted to
cast his goods over board in a storme because he cannot help it 5. Restraining grace though it keep a man from the act yet it stirres up a more vehement eagernesse to commit that sinne when the restraint is over though the act be suspended yet the desire is increased Just as it is with a river the more it is dammed up with the force and violence it will returne greater to its former course so restrained corruption when the restraint is over will returne upon a man with the greater eagernesse And as it is with a Smiths forge if ye cast much water upon it it will quench the fire but if you do but sprinkle some water it causes the fire to burne the hotter so it is with restraining grace it lets the lust out with greater violence renuing grace it suppresseth not only the act but takes away the impetuous and eager desire of committing sinne 6. Restraining grace it is but partial whether you respect the subject or the object 1. In respect of the subject restraining grace it bindes but one part of a man and leaves the other loose it bindes the tongue but not the hand it bindes the hand but not the ear and eye it bindes only one part of a man and not another But now renuing grace it is universal 1 Thes 5.23 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2 Cor. 5.17 Ezek. 36.26 and reaches to th whole man it is a throughout work as the Apostle speaks The very God of peace sanctifie you throughout both in body soul and spirit the work of Regeneration is not a new tongue or a new eare but all is become new in a new heart 2. Restraining grace it is partial in that it reaches but to part of the object as thus it reaches but to some sins not to all it keeps a man from one sin and gives him scope to another But renuing grace it is universal as it keeps under one sinne so it will labour to keep under all sins Psal 119.3 this is the particular and proper work of renuing grace that a man is thereby inabled to have respect unto all Gods commandments 7. Restraining and renuing grace they differ in their ends and that two wayes 1. In regard of Gods end 2. In regard of mans end 1. In regard of Gods end Gods end in giving restraining grace is to maintaine humane societies for the good of others but Gods end in giving renuing grace is that mans nature might be sanctified and that man may be saved 2. They differ in regard of mans end As first the end of men that have restraining grace is that they may preserve their souls in safety but a godly mans end in keeping under sinne is that he may keep the peace of his soul and this was Jabez his end you finde it mentioned in 1 Chron. 4.10 He called upon the God of Israel saying Oh that thou wouldst blesse me indeed and inlarge my coast and that thy hand might be with me and that thou wouldst keep me from evil that it may not grieve me 1 Chron. 4.10 A godly man aimes at the peace and purity of his soul but a wicked mans end is only that he might have his soul not disturbed by the present trouble for sin and condemned for the desert of sin Vse For the Use of this point I shall first give you some general Positions about the Spirits keeping of men from sin and then shall give you some particular Instructions Seeing that the Spirit of God doth often keep regenerate men that they cannot do the evill they would Then 1. You may gather hence that a man is not able to keep himself Hence Christ prayes to his Father for his people not that he would take them out of the world but keep them from the evil John 17.15 We are not able to keep our selves and this the Prophet Jeremiah acknowledgeth saying O Lord I know that the way of man is not in himselfe it is not in man that walkech to direct his steps Jer. 10.23 We cannot keep our selves from do committing evil 2. The Spirits keeping of us from evil doth not exclude our care and endeavour to keep our selves The Lord he makes a gracious Promise 1 Sam. 2.9 that he will keep the feet of his servants and yet the Scripture tells you that it is their care and their duty also to make streight paths for their feet and to ponder the path of our feet Prov. 4.23 as Solomon expresseth it Hence you finde in Scripture Promises not only of what God will do and of Christs Prayer that you may be delivered from evil but of the practice of the godly and their care in keeping themselves 1 John 5.18 and this is their duty He that is begotten of God keepeth himself and as the same Apostle saith Little children keep your selves We must not trust so in Gods keeping of us as to be idle but we must labour to keep our selves as the Psalmist did who kept himself from his iniquity Psalm 18.23 3. It is a great evidence of integrity and sincerity of heart when men labour to keep themselves from inward and constitution-sins as well as from grosse sins and this David did He kept himself from his iniquity that is from those sins which by constitution he was inclined to and this was an argument of his great sincerity 4 Consider that though the Spirit of God doth keep regenerate men from doing the evil they would yet the inclination and will to do any evil doth make us guilty in the sight of God as if we had actually done it That in Scripture sense is said to be done that is either purposed or intended to be done A notable passage to this purpose you have in Josh 24.9 Ihshua 24.9 where it is said that Balack King of Moab waged warre against Israel and yet if you read the History Numb 2.23 and 24. chap. in the 22.23 and 24. chapters of Numbers you shall not read one word of any such war Now the reconciliation of these two places are easie Balack did not actually wage warre against Israel but he did intend so to do and therefore he hired Balaam to curse the people and then saith he I shall prevaile I mention this to this purpose that you may not think your selves guiltlesse so ye keep out of the act of sin but if so be you have a will and an inclination to those evils you will be found guilty before God and hereupon it is that Christ tells us that He that is angry with his brother without a cause is guilty of murther and he that looks after a woman to lust on her hath committed adultery already in his heart Mat. 5.22 Ver. 28. This Position may greatly humble us we are guilty of many actual sins which we have committed and we are guilty of many sins which though we have not acted yet have they been in our purposes and
THE COMBATE BETWEEN THE FLESH and SPIRIT AS ALSO The wofull with-drawing of the Spirit of God with the Causes thereof And walking in and after the Spirit together with the blessednesse thereof Being the summe and substance of XXVII SERMONS Preached a little before his death by that faithfull servant of CHRIST Mr. CHRISTOPHER LOVE Late Minister of the Gospel at Lawrence Jury LONDON To which is added The CHRISTIANS DIRECTORY Tending to direct him in the various conditions that God may cast him into In XV. Sermons Ephes 4.30 Grieve not the holy Spirit of God whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption Res delicatula est Spiritu Dei ità nos tractat sicut tractatur Tertull. London Printed by T R. E. M. for John Rothwell at the Fountain and Bear in Goldsmiths-row in Cheapside 1654. To the RIGHT WORSHIPFUL My Worthy Friends Mr. EDWARD BRADSHAW Major of the City of CHESTER AND Mrs. MARY BRADSHAW his wife Right Worshipful and Honoured Friends I Shall crave your favour to give you a short account why I put this Treatise into your hands in this publick way It is not that the works of this worthy Authour need any Patrociny the gratefull acceptation which many of his books already published have found with sober and experienced Christians bears abundant testimony to the profitablenesse and usefulnesse of his labours and that his precious name shall be had in everlasting remembrance and is still unto those that feare the Lord a sweet and precious oyntment But indeed the reason of this Dedication besides the publick expression of my respects to you both is the consideration of that special interest you both have to any thing of Master Loves Your interest Sir is undoubted to this Treatise as having married his widow whereby God hath made the solitary to dwell and rest in the house of her husband and hath caused a mournful widow to forget her sorrows And your right deare Mistresse Bradshaw is very great to the works of this worthy man as having had the honour for several yeeres to be the wife of this eminent servant and Ambassadour of Iesus Christ And my hope is that as your coming together in this dear relation was the answer of many prayers so you will in the strength of prayers still comfortably live together 1 Pet. 3.7 as heirs of the grace of life To help you forward in the wayes and practices of real godlinesse I commend unto your most serious perusal this and other useful and practical Treatises of this reverend Authour which though it cannot be expected that they should come forth with that exactness and accomplishment as they would have done had the Authour lived to publish them himself yet I do assure you that these Sermons have been diligently compared with his own papers and notes taken from his own mouth by the pen of a ready and intelligent writer The world â— confesse is now filled even to satiety and surfet with unprofitable Pamphlets 2 Tim. 2.13 whereby many foolish questions and disputes have arisen which do ingender strifes 2 Tim. 2.16 many opinions have been vented which do increase unto more ungodlinesse but this book now presented unto you is plaine practical and spiritual and will I hope be of great use unto Christians to help them to a right understanding of their spiritual estate These Sermons as the date of them will shew were preached by Mr. LOVE but a few moneths before his imprisonment and death his gracious heart it seemes being to the last much upon that great work of advancing the power of Godlinesse in the souls of his hearers and therefore I hope will be the more acceptable as being some of the last and ripest fruit of his growing and improving Ministery These are the Sermons which he gave his consent should be published and besides all these considerations they are the rather printed because so long expected and earnestly desired by many whose souls have cause to blesse God for Mr. LOVE'S faithful Ministery to all eternity Here you will meet with antidotes against that cursed opinion which under pretence of advancing the Spirit undervalueth both the Scripture and Ordinances of Christ fathering their most blasphemous and Atheistical Tenets upon the holy Spirit of truth God blessed for ever Here you will finde what a woful thing it is when Gods Spirit withdrawes his presence and influence from the Ordinances Oh that Professors may be hereby warned not to grieve the Spirit nor quench the Spirit lest he withdraw from the soul and so leave it without life grace and comfort Here you may also learne how precious and powerfull the influence of the holy Ghost is when he is pleased by his presence to make Ordinances effectual Cant. 4.16 let this therefore be your prayer Awake O north-winde and come thou south blow upon my garden that the spices thereof may flow out let my beloved come into his garden and eat his pleasant fruits Here you will finde comfortable directions to walk in the Spirit â—nd how to follow the guidance of the holy Ghost who is able to lead you into all truth Lastly here you will see notably described that contrariety which is between Flesh and Spirit Every Christians heart like Rebecca's womb having two contrary parties strugling in it but our comfort is The elder shall serve the younger corruption like the house of Saul shall by degrees grow weaker and grace like that of David's stronger and stronger I will conclude with hearty prayers to God for you both that by the consciencious reading of this book you may gain much soul-advantage and be built up in your most holy faith and live many happy dayes together walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the holy Ghost Act. 9.31 This is the unfeigned desire of Your affectionate Friend and servant in the Lord William Taylor London Jan. 25. 1653. To THE Reader THe Reverend Author of this ensuing Treatise our worthy good friend committed unto us the care of such his Works as might be judged fit for publick use And although our occasions have not allowed us leasure to peruse the several pieces which have been already published upon the perusal of some of our Brethren yet with humble thankfulnesse unto God we heartily rejoyce in that acceptance with successe which they have found in the hearts of sober savoury Christians This Treatise which was the matter of some of his last Sermons had more of the Authors heart and approbation as he testified unto two of us not many days before his death then any other of his Works And truly the effects of this discourse the happie issue of his spiritual combate were admirably evident upon his own heart in the sparkling influences of Gods holy Spirit whereby he was extraordinarily elevated above all sublunary comforts or crosses loves or sorrows hopes or feares when his known death drew very nigh for though he was a man
very full of affections and of singular tendernesse towards his dearly-beloved wife and children yet he had not onely conquered such sinful distempers as too frequently prevaile wofully amongst common Professors of Religion but had also in such measure got above natural exorbitances that having by Faith and Prayer put his nearest Relations into the bosome of his God and father he went to the Block without any expression of perplexity Oh that his experience might encourage both the endeavours and hopes of other Christians to attaine the like gracious frame of heart which would tend much to the credit of the Gospel for this end we commend thee in the use of this Book and all other holy helps unto the blessing of the Almighty desiring thy prayers Thy Friends and Servants in Christ EDM. CALAMY SIM ASHE JER WHITAKER January 26. 1653. ERRATA In the Christian Directory in p. 56. l. 28. â—â—ot out one grace hindered and interrupted another in p. 57 l. 12. after sinfull read one grace doeh not justle out another therefore SERMON I. At Lawrence Jury London October 27. 1650. GEN. 6. verse 3. And the Lord said My Spirit shall not alwayes strive with man for that he also is flesh yet his dayes shall be an hundred and twenty yeers THis chapter containes in it two parts 1. Gods determination to destroy the world by a deluge 2. Gods provision that he made in this general judgement to save Noah and his family by preparing an Arke The text is under the first head Gods determination to destroy the world by a flood Touching which judgement the procuring cause is here laid down When men begun to increase in number by reason of Polygamy first practised by Lamech they increased in sinne and therefore God will decrease the number of the world that he may decrease the sinnes of the world The particular sinne here specified why God would destroy the world is laid down in the second vers where it is said that the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were faire and they took them wives of all which they chose By the sonnes of God here spoken of Job 1.7 Job 38.7 cannot be meant the Angels as Tertullian and some other of the Ancients thought though it is true elsewhere they are called by this name Christ speaking of Angels saies of them Matth. 25.30 the Angels of God neither marry nor are given in marriage Quest 1 Quest But whom shall we understand by the Sonnes of God in this place Answ Answ Good interpreters conceive that hereby was meant the posterity of godly Seth who because they had the true worship of God amongst them are called the sonnes of God and these sonnes of God saw the daughters of men that is the posterity of godly Seth did joyne in marriage with the posterity of wicked Cain and so by these marriages and mixtures between the wicked Cainites and those that professed to worship the true God Religion began to decay and wickednesse to abound in the world for which God is resolved to destroy the world In the whole verse you have three parts 1. A general judgement and grievous punishment threatned And the Lord said My Spirit shall not alwayes strive with man 2. The reason of this assigned For he also is flesh 3. A mitigation and respiting of this punishment Yet his dayes shall be an hundred and twenty yeers There are these difficulties in the text to be explain'd as 1. What is meant by this My Spirit shall not alwayes strive with man 2. What is meant by the reason assigned for he also is flesh one would think it should be a reason on the contrary to this asserted that therfore God should indulge man yet here it is a reason of the punishment though in other places it is a reason of a mercy 3. What is meant by this yet his dayes shall be an hundred and twenty yeares Quest 1 1. Qu. What is meant by this My Spirit shall not c. Answ Answ That by Spirit some understand the soul of man and so the vulgar Latine renders this phrase understanding it of mans soul and it is called my Spirit say they because God did infuse the soul into man and they would have the sense to be my Spirit i.e. the soul of man shall not alwayes abide in man but he shall die But our best interpreters do reject this interpretation Not to trouble you with other opinions about this text the current of the best interpreters as Mercer Musculus Rivet c. go this way My Spirit shall not alwayes strive with man By Spirit is not meant mans spirit but Gods Spirit the third person in the blessed Trinity and when he saies his Spirit shall not strive with man it is to be meant in its operations and workings that it shal not attend the Ministery of Noah who was a preacher of righteousnesse and the Patriarchs as if he should say I will now take away my Spirit from my Ordinances it shall not alwayes strive with man As if God should have more at large expressed himselfe I see that though my servant Noah protest and preach against the increasing wickednesse of the world yet all is but in vaine I am now weary of their rebellious obstinacy and therefore I am now come to a final resolution for their utter destruction I will bear and forbear them no longer 1 Pet. 3.19,20 My Spirit shall no longer strive c. Quest 2. Quest. 2. What force is there in this reason for he also is flesh one would think this should not be a reason of so grievous a judgement God remembers we are but flesh and why should he be so severe Answ Answ For answer to this we must know that by flesh here spoken of is not to be understood the natural substance of mans body but corrupt nature I will withdraw my Spirit why because you are wholly given up to the lusts and dictates of the flesh you are fleshly and carnal and given up to the concupiscence of the flesh and therefore my Spirit shall not strive with you Quest. 3. 3. Quest What is the meaning of these words yet his dayes shall be an hundred and twenty years what is to be understood by this Answ Answ 1. For answer hereto it cannot be meant as Tostatus and others of the age of mans life as if man should now because of their wickednesse have shorter lives because after the flood men did live longer then the terme of an hundred and twenty yeares Sem lived 600 yeares Arphaxad 425 yeares and Serug 230. Abraham 175. Isaac 180. The meaning then is this although I will remove my Spirit from my Ordinances yet his dayes shall be an hundred and twenty years that is it shall be an hundred and twenty yeares before the flood come upon them But now there is an objection lies in this how it should be an hundred and twenty years before the flood
should come when these words were spoken when Noah was five hundred years old and the flood came when he was six hundred yeares old therefore here is twenty yeares shorter then Gods promise This is an intricate knot and interpreters are forced to take much paines to untie it and to vindicate the faithfulnesse of God herein let God be true and every man a lier Jerome he gives this answer saies he It is true God did promise an hundred and twenty years between the making of the promise and the accomplishment the wickednesse of men grew so great and did so provoke God that he did contract the promise to twenty years lesse and thus Musculus also who farther saies God making promise reserves the condition in his own breast for as God may not bring a judgement threatened upon a people upon their speedy repentance as in the case of the Ninevites so neither is he bound to give them a mercy promised in case of wilful and obstinate and incorrigible wickednesse as in the case of Elies family I said saith God to Eli that thy house and the house of thy father should walk before me for ever But now the Lord saith â—e it farre from me c. But the best and genuine answer given hereto is this that this promise was made to Noah not when he was five hundred yeares old but when he was four hundred and fourscore for though it be said in the fifth chapter and the last verse that Noah was five hundred yeares old yet that text doth not say he was so old when this promise was made Thus Rivet Mercer and others There is one difficulty in this answer It may be objected that this promise was made after Noah was said to be five hundred years old 1 Sam. 2.30 To which I answer that in Scripture it is usual in the relating of Histories not to observe an exact order Gen. 1.21 so that some things may be placed before which may be done after and some things after which may be done before as for instance you may read of the womans creation after the seventh day Moses would not observe a direct order but did put those things after which were done before And so likewise another instance you have of a thing put before done afterwards In the case of Terah you reade that he was two hundred and five years old and he died Gen. 11.32 and yet you finde that Isaac's birth is not mentioned until some ten chapters afterwards whereas Terah lived some thirty five years after the birth of Isaac I only mention this to shew the consistency of this answer with other places of Scripture to which may be added what judicious Calvin hath to solve this doubt that though it be said that Noah was six hundred years old when he was but five hundred and eighty yet because he was going in the six hundreth year and so near it as twenty yeares therefore the Holy Ghost saith Noah was six hundred years expressing his age by a whole number Thus you have the difficulties explained My Spirit shall not alwayes strive with man c. It may be observed from the whole that when God threatened the judgement of a flood he threatened a worse judgement before it to note that Gods withdrawing his ordinances or withdrawing the efficacy of his Spirit from his ordinances was a worse punishment then any bodily punishment I mention this in the prologue to the point that so when you hear me handle the grievousnesse of this judgement you may look upon it as a most sad and heavy one And yet before I raise the doctrine I must distinguish to you about a double withdrawing of Gods Spirit when the Scripture saies My Spirit shall not alwayes strive with man it includes two things 1. My Spirit shall not alwayes strive in the Ministery of the word by effectual working 2. My Spirit shall not alwayes strive by inward motions and checks upon the conscience I shall handle the point both wayes And the first point is this Doctr. 1. That it is a very grievous and deplorable judgement for God to withhold or withdraw the workings of his Spirit from the outward Ministery of the word I might note collaterally from the word strive That the work of conversion it is a hard work it is not an easie work to convince a man But I shall follow the doctrine I have propounded and in the opening thereof shall dispatch two things 1. Shew you that it is a grievous judgement to have the Spirit withdrawn or withheld from the Ministery of the word 2. The reasons why God sends this judgement upon any part of the world 1. To demonstrate the truth of the first I shall lay down but this one evidence It appears to be so great a judgement because when the Spirit is withheld from the ordinances there can be no efficacy in them to convert a soul A sword in a living mans hand may pierce and wound but a painted sword in a painted mans hand upon the wall can do nothing at all so the word preached without the Spirit of God can do no more then a sword in the hand of a George on horseback it may please the phansie and tickle the eare but never pierce the heart it must be the Spirit of God which works upon the heart Ye are the epistle of Christ â—aies the Apostle written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God 2 Cor. 3.3 And as the same Apostle speaks My preaching was not with inticing words of mans wisdome but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power 1 Cor. 2.4 It must be the mighty power of God which works upon the heart The Ministery of the word it is like that poole of Bethesda John 5.4 there was no native vertue in the water to heale but the text saies when the Angel did move the water he that first stept in was healed of whatsoever disease he had Ordinances they are like this poole there is no native vertue in bare preaching and bare hearing but it must be the Spirit of God which must move upon these waters otherwise they become not effectual 2 Cor. 3.6 The letter kills but the Spirit gives life which words are not to be understood in Origens sense the letter that is the literal sense and the Spirit that is the allegorical sense neither the meaning is the letter that is the Old Testament and the Spirit that is the New Testament as the Antinomians say but the meaning of the word the letter that is the word of God abstractively considered from the Spirit of God that kills it leaves a man in a dead estate but it is the Spirit which gives life that is the Spirit backing the Ministery of the word makes it effectual to give Spiritual life Thus it appeares to be a grievous judgement when the Spirit is withheld from the Ordinances of God because without the Spirit
the Ministery of the Word for the good of your souls This is the first use to to those who have found the Ministery of the Word accompanied with the efficacy of the Spirit Vse 2 To those who have the efficacy and operation of the Spirit withheld from the Ministery they attend upon there are seven things I would have such to take notice of 1. That Gods Spirit is a free agent and is not to be tied to an outward Ministery but to be left at liberty to work how when and in what manner he pleases The winde bloweth where it listeth even so is every man which is born of the Spirit John 3.8 By the wind is meant the Spirit There is a Sovereignty and free agency in the Spirit of God to work when he pleases or to withhold working from whom he pleases And therefore the Spirit of God is called a free Spirit Psal 51.12 Vphold me with thy free Spirit and James 1.18 Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth 2. Consider that God doth not withhold his Spirit from the outward Ministery meerly as an act of his Sovereignty but as an act of his Justice because of your sins whereby you have provoked him You provoke him to withhold the efficacy of his Spirit from his Ordinances by your sins and therefore are you hardened and receive not benefit by them you do some of those injuries to the Spirit as quenching grieving resisting vexing tempting and despising the Spirit which I mentioned before therefore do not think hardly of God but judge your selves Sinne was the cause which made the Lord withdraw his Spirit that it should not strive with the men of the old world it was their disobedience as you finde the Apostle Peter speaking Christ by his Spirit went and preached unto the spirits in prison which sometimes were disobedient when once the long-suffering of God waited in the dayes of Noah 1 Pet 3.19.20 their disobedience made God withdraw the efficacy of his Spirit if therefore the Spirit do not work on you think not hardly on God but thank your selves he is provoked unto it Thus God departed from the Israelites because of their sinfull provocations Psalm 81.11,12 But my people would not hearken to my voice and Israel would none of me So I gave them up unto their own hearts lusts and they walked in their own wayes The Spirit in Scripture is compared to a Dove now a Dove will alwayes keep in the house where it is bred unlesse the Dove-house be nastily kept The Spirit of God in this may fitly be resembled by a Dove keep your hearts clean and the Spirit will abide with you keep them nasty and the Spirit will soone leave you sin is the cause why the Spirit withdraws it self from the Ordinances and why men are left unto themselves and God doth it as an act of his justice punishing of sin 3. If God do withhold his Spirit from the Ministery of the Word the fault is rather to be imputed to thy self then unto the Word Many like the woman in Seneca complaine the roome is dark when they themselves are blinde and the place wants no light but they want eyes Or to him that preaches the Word usually if men do not profit by the hearing of the word the blame is cast upon the Minister and truly we Ministers have our faults as well as others if we preach not plainly methodically and duly there is a fault in us but yet I say you are rather to blame your selves then either the Word or the Minister thereof If the seed grow not the fault is neither in the hand of the husbandman nor in the influence of the heavens but in the badnesse of the soile That you may know where the fault lies consider 1. If a Minister preaches plainly and impartially and yet thou gettest no good by him the fault is thy own not his It was the Herodians fault not Christs that those persons profited not by Christs preaching for they themselves give this testimony of Christ Matth. 22.16 Master we know that thou art true and teachest the way of God in truth 2. If other men get good by his Ministery and not thou the fault is thine not his If at a feast others are fed thou famisht the fault is in thy stomach not meat 3. In case you have formerly got good by a Minister but now you get none formerly your affections were stirred up your desires were increased your love inflamed but now no such effect the fault is thine own It was the fault of the hearers of John Baptist the fault was not in John's Doctrine that they rejoyced onely for a season this also was the fault of the Galatians that they profited not by Pauls Ministery as before Gal. 4.16 Gal. 4.16 This cometh not from the seed it self but from the badnesse of the ground into which it is cast If thou profitest not by the Word thou hearest thou art to blame thine own naughty heart not the Word or the dispenser thereof 4. Though there is much dignity and excellency to be ascribed to the Word of God nakedly considered yet there is no efficacy in it to convert a soul without the Spirits ' concurrence As it was in the Pool of Bethesda not the water nor stepping into it healed but the Angels moving therein John 5.4 So also not the Word alone nor hearing of it 2 Cor. 3.6 but the Spirit healeth The letter kills but the Spirit gives life saies the Apostle that is the Word without the Spirit it is only the Spirit which can give life The Spirit without the Word will not ordinarily convert and the Word without the Spirit cannot I create the fruit of the lips peace peace Isa 57.19 by the fruit of the lips the Prophet understands a Gospel-Ministery but sayes God I must not create peace by the fruit of the lips it is the working of the Spirit with the Word which makes the Word to become effectual and therefore the Gospel is called the Ministery of the Spirit 2 Cor. 3.8,9 5. It is a worse judgement to have the Spirit withheld from the Word then to be without the Word and the reason is this because the Spirit can convert a man without the Word but the Word can never convert a man without the Spirit and therefore it is a worse judgement for thee to hear Sermons every day and to have the Spirits concurrent efficacy withheld from those Sermons then if thou shouldest never learn a Sermon in all thy life-time therefore pray unto God that his own Spirit may accompany his own Word and Ordinances to make them effectuall for the good of thy soul 6. The Spirit of God may be for a time withheld from Gods own people that it shall not attend an outward Ministery and this is a very sad judgement it may be withheld from Gods elect in a converting way As the man lay 38. yeers at
down against the streame so is it with the gales of the Spirit they help a man to overcome the streame both of temptation and corruption too but when the Spirit is withdrawn then how venturous will a man be to commit sinne If thou art left of the Spirit thou wilt not only be apt and ready to yeeld unto sinful temptations but thou wilt suddenly and eagerly commit sinne We read of that young man being seduced by the flattering and faire speech of a Harlot that straight way he followed her Prov. 7.22 When the temptation is once given and the Spirit doth not disswade how suddenly will a man be surprized As Gun-powder to fire so is temptation to a corrupt heart if the disswasions of Gods Spirit do not fence and keep it But this is not all a man will not onely be apt to fall and fall suddenly but here is a farther mischief thou wilt commit a sinne eagerly thou wilt be mad upon thy lust thou wilt burne in the sinne thou wilt be poysoned with the evill and this the holy Ghost hints to us speaking of the Gentiles who were without the Spirit of God saies he They were past feeling that is Ephes 4.19 they had no motions of Gods Spirit they were without the operations of the quickening Spirit but then what followes saies he They have given themselves over unto lasciviousnesse to work all uncleannesse with greedines 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is they sinne and think they can never sin enough As a covetous man that is greedy of gaine thinks he can never have enough so these think they shall never have their fill of their lusts Observe a fivefold gradation in this sin 1. They were past feeling now what followes this it is not said they were carried away inconsiderately to sinne but they gave themselves to sinne when the Spirit is in a man and it doth disswade him from sinne he is never carried to it but he goes in a hurry he is carried with reluctancy but let the Spirits motions once be withdrawn and then he shall give himself to the Devill 2. When the Spirit is withdrawn they not onely give themselves but they give themselves over to lasciviousnesse that is they give themselves not partially but totally unto the wayes of sinne 3. It is said they give themselves and this was worse then Ahabs fact 1 King 21.25 for he sold himself to work wickednesse now for a man to sell himself to the Devill it is a great evill but when a man shall give himself and give himself over this is a farre greater wickednesse 4. Here was not only a giving themselves over to sin in thought but the text saith they gave themselves over to work uncleannesse they contented not themselves with contemplative wickednesse but they were workers of iniquity such as made a trade of sinne 5. It is said they gave themselves over to all uncleannesse not only to some sinnes but to all sinnes and that with greedinesse which is to my purpose Whither will that man runne whom the evill spirit drives if the Spirit of God doth not come in with contrary motions to the Devils motions with what a vehement eagernesse will a poor man damn his own soul such a man will never stay till he comes to Hell if the Spirit of God do not stop him in his careere and say to him this is the way walk in it but when the Spirit withdrawes every man turnes to his course as the horse into the battle Jer. 8.6 and how violently will a horse runne into the battle that is not restrained with bit and bridle Psalm 32.9 so is the man that hath neither checks of conscience nor the disswasions of the Spirit Thirdly A man being left of the Spirit of God when he is tempted unto sinne will not onely fall into it aptly suddenly and eagerly but also with complacency and this is worst of all so we reade of those that received not the truth in the love of it that they took pleasure in unrighteousnesse 2 Thes 2 12. they not only acted sin but acted it with delight Thus I have cleared the first particular that it is a grievous judgement to have the Spirit withheld before the commission of sinne Quest 2 How it appears to be so great and grievous a judgement to have the Spirit of God withheld from a man after the commission of sinne which may be thus evidenced 1. Because otherwise thou wilt never be convinced of the evill thou hast done John 16.8 it is the Spirit which convinceth the world of sin without the Spirits conviction there is no conviction 2. Thou canst never repent of sinne if the Spirit do not after its commission rebuke and convince thee for the Spirits conviction precedes repentance therefore saies the Prophet no man repents him of his wickednesse saying what have I done Jer. 8.6 a man must be convinced that what he hath done is evill before he repents of that evill We have a proverb amongst us that what the eye sees not the heart grieves not for so if the eye of the soul sees not sinne the heart will never be troubled for sinne 3. Thou canst never have thy nature sanctified from the filth of sin unlesse the Spirit work on thee after thy falling into sin sanctification it is by the Spirit of God And therfore the Apostle Paul to the Corinthians speaking of wicked and unregenerate men saies 1 Cor. 6.11 such were some of you but ye are washed but ye are sanctified but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God Ephes 2.22 So believers they are said to be an habitation of God through the Spirit Whence you may observe the different works of the Trinity in the heart of a believer God the Father he chuseth this house God the Sonne he buyes it and God the holy Ghost he cleanseth and furnisheth this house else it would be a nasty and dark dungeon thou canst never have thy Spirit to be a house for God to dwell in unlesse the Spirit of God sweeps thee with the bosome of sanctifying grace 4. Thou canst never subdue the power of sin without the Spirit Rom. 8.13 Therefore saies the Apostle If ye live after the flesh ye shall die but if ye through the Spirit do mortifie the deeds of the body ye shall live It is by the Spirit that we mortifie sinne thus you see what a misery it is to want the Spirit in its disswasions and convictions both before and after the commission of sin Quest But why doth God withhold his Spirit that it shall not disswade men from sinne when they are tempted to it nor convince them for sin after they have committed it Answ In the general you are to know that God doth it not as an act of Sovereignty but as an act of Justice you wrong the Spirit and therefore God withholds the Spirit
upon mens consciences Inference 4 Labour and pray the lesse the Spirit of God hath striven with you before the commission of sin that it may the more strive with you by convincing you after you have fallen into it It may be you have sinned ignorantly aptly eagerly or deliberately the more the Spirit hath bin withheld from thee before the commission of sinne pray to have it strive the more with thee afterwards and that in these three wayes 1. By working in thee a more clear conviction of sinne to shew thee not sin in the lump but thy particular sinne clothed with all its haynous and agravating circumstances to convince thee savingly that there may be as it were some compensation made of the Spirits being before whithheld from thee 2. In a more deep humiliation the more the Spirit hath been withheld from you before the commission of sinne desire that the more the Spirit may cast thee down after its commission This was typed out under the Law that man which did but touch an unclean thing was to be unclean till evening but if a man had carried an unclean thing about him then he was to cast off all his clothes So if you have but touched a sinne you are to be humbled but if you have fallen into a sinne which the Spirit hath not convinced you of then you are to labour for a greater measure of conviction and humiliation afterwards 3. Learn that the Spirit may work in thee a more dear affection to Jesus Christ It is observed of Peter the Spirit did more leave him to fall into sinne then he did all the other Apostles except Judas Now when Christ comes to aske Peter whether he loved himor not saies he Simon Peter doest thou love me more then these He doth not say onely doest thou love me Peter but lovest thou me more then these as if he should say Peter thou hast sinned against me more then all the other Apostles have and therefore thou shouldest love me more then they So Mary Magdalene she was a great sinner having seven Devils cast out of her but what is said of her Luke 7.47 Her sinnes which are many are forgiven her for she loved much that is the lesse love she had to Jesus Christ before the commission of sinne the more she had afterwards Many sinnes were forgiven her and therefore she loved much therefore in that place must not be understood as if her love was a cause of her being forgiven but a demonstration and an evidence of it SERMON V. At Lawrence Jury London Novemb. 17. 1650. GEN. 6. verse 3. And the Lord said My Spirit shall not alwayes strive with man c. I Proceed now to handle to you the with-holdings of the Spirit in reference to good that it shall not stirre up holy motions in the heart unto duty But before I come particularly to speak of this I shall lay down a fourfold distinction about the Spirits motions to good 1. There are exciting acts of the Spirit in stirring up holy affections in the heart in blowing up those coales of affection and grace within them John 14.26 and this is that which was promised by Christ that the holy Ghost shall bring all things to rememberance 2. There is an assisting act of the Spirit Rom. 8.26 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Spirit in Scripture is said to help our infirmities You reade not onely of an intercession of the Spirit in a way of acceptance but of an intercession of the Spirit by way of assistance As in a tree though there be a seminal vertue in the tree yet without the helping influence of heaven it beares no fruit So the Spirit of God helps us to work Col. 1.18 Psal 12.13 and Ephes 1.19 3. There is a corroborating act of the Spirit not onely bare assistance but strength and increase of grace by the Spirit of God to the souls of men and therefore you read of the supplies of the Spirit Phil. 1.19 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 farther degrees and measures of the Spirit 4. There is a comforting and a testifying act of the Spirit when the Spirit of God shall back the testimony of thy conscience to evidence the sincerity of thy heart and thus you read of Paul that his conscience did beare him witnesse in the holy Ghost the Spirit of God did witnesse with his spirit the truth and sincerity of his heart Rom. 9.1 2 Cor. 1.12 Now though I might handle all these particulars and shew what a grievous judgement it is to have the Spirit withheld in these regards Yet I shall onely speak of the Spirit and shew what a sad judgement it is to have the Spirit withheld in its exciting acts that it shall not stir up holy motions in the heart to good in the handling of which I shall proceed after this method 1. Shew you wherein it appears to be a judgement to have the Spirit withheld in regard of holy motions to good 2. When the Spirit doth vouchsafe such motions how you may know them and difference them from those motions to good which the Devil may stir a man up unto 1. That man from whom the Spirit is withheld in its motions unto good there are these three miseries which will attend him 1. There will be a vacuity or emptinesse of holy thoughts in thy heart The Spirit of God is like unto the spring in the Clock if that lie still all lies still so if the Spirit of God lies still within thee Phil. 2.13 all thy affections which are the motions of thy soul they cannot stirre It is God which worketh in us both to will and to do of his good pleasure If the Spirit of God be withheld there cannot be so much as a will in thee to that which is truly good Mans heart it is like that house in the Parable Matth. 12.44 when the Spirit is withheld from him when the Devil came to possesse it it is said that he found it empty swept and garnished empty that is void of any holy thoughts and gracious motions and garnished that is not with the graces of Gods Spirit but with the Devils furniture and if you will see what that furniture is read Matth. 15.19,20 There will be an emptinesse in thy heart of good motions when God withdrawes his Spirit 2. Thy heart will he filled and pestered with evill motions from the Devill Mans heart it cannot lie long idle or empty if it be not filled withe the Spirits motions it will be by the Devils instigations The heart if it be not Christs garden it will be the Devils Seminary if not Christs store-house it will be the Devils work-house if it be not the Temple of the holy Ghost it will be the Devils Chappel Now this is that which makes the misery the greater when evill motions do pester and fill the heart the Sripture expresses it by the Devils filling of the heart If the gales
their preparations rob themselves of much time which they ought to imploy in the maine duties themselves but the Spirit of God doth so gird up the loyns of our mind 1 Per. 1.13 that it makes us succinct in the dispatch of his duties 12. Motions to good come from the Divel in case thou art moved to it that so it may be a cloak to thee to do wickedly with the less suspition and with the more boldness Thus it was with Absolom it was a good thing in him that he would do justice to all the people and when they came for justice to his father he would speak friendly to them and kiss them 2 Sam. 15.3,4 but all this was meerly in a pretence that so they might not entertain the suspition of his usurping his fathers Kingdome And so also the Scribes and Pharisees they devoured widows houses and for a pretence made long prayers Mat. 23.14 It was good to make long prayers but to do it for so wicked an end was most abominable So that if a mans motions to good be for this end that he may sin with more freedome and less suspition they come from the Divel not from God The Devil cares not how good you seem so you may but be really evil and sinful vse 1 Oh then do not conclude that you are in the state of grace because sometimes good motions come into your mindes thou mayest have good motions and yet thou mayest be a bad man all fire is not the fire of the Sanctuary Remember therefore that you may have a thousand good motions and yet you may go to hell It was a good motion in Balaam O that I might die the death of the righteous and yet he was one who loved the wages of unrighteousness 2 Pet. 2.15 Though I would not discourage good motions yet I say such you may have and they may come rather from the Devil then the Spirit of God therefore survey your wayes and your motions to good and see whether they come from the strivings of the Spirit of God in you or from the excitations of the evil Spirit which is against you SERMON VI. At Lawrence Jury London Novemb. 24. 1650. GEN. 6. verse 3. And the Lord said My Spirit shall not alwayes strive with man c. Quest 3 I Proceed now to a third Question and that is Why or for what reason it is that God doth withdraw or withhold the strivings of his Spirit from the souls of men I shall say down four reasons as the cause of this judgement Answ 1 Because you quench the motions of Gods Spirit therefore he withdraws the Spirit in its motions from you Res delicatula est Spiritus Dei it à nos tractat sicut tractatur Tertullian Psal 81.11,12 The Spirit of God is a delicate thing it must not be injured no◠abused if it be it wil deal with us as we deal with him Your act is a sinful act and Gods act is in a way of justice Because Israel would not hear therfore God gave them up to their hearts lusts Thus it was with the Spouse in the Cantieles Cant. 5.2,3,6 Christ he came knocking at the door saying Open to me my sister my love my dove my undefiled for my head is filled with dew and my looks with the drops of the nigh But sayes she I have put off my coat how shall I put it on I have washed my feet how shall I defile them Thus she puts off Christ and hereupon Christ withdrawes himself and then she seeks him in bitterness but cannot finde him I opened sayes she to my beloved but he had withdrawn himself and was gone my soul failed when he spake I sought him but I could not finde him I called him but he gave me no answer Because we refuse Christ and quench the motions of his blessed Spirit therefore he in an act of his justice departs from us There are three sorts of spiritual desertions 1. Cautional for preventing of sin so was Paul buffeted by Satan lest he should be exalted above measure 2 Cor. 12.7 2. Probational for trial and exercise of grace and thus it was with holy Job 3. Penal and castigatory for chastisement of spiritual sloth and so in the example of the Spouse before mentioned 2. Because men are more ready to entertaine evil motions to sin then the Spirits motions to good This is another reason When a friend shall see that an old acquaintance will rather hearken to the solicitations of an enemy then himself this will provoke him to break off intimacy with him thus the Spirit of God which hath been thy old friend thy best friend when he shall see thee hearken to the suggestions of the evil spirit rather then to his motions this provokes him to a departure I may accommodate the History of Rehoboam to this purpose When the grave sage Ancients of the children of Israel saw that that inconsiderate King had forsaken their advice and did adhere to the raw and rash advice of a company of green-headed young men they left him and ten parts of twelve fell from him even so doth the holy Spirit leave them that do slight his motions and saving counsels 3. Because men have abused the motions and workings of the Spirit to base and sinful ends as for popular applause vaine glory secret advantage for a cloak to hide some secret lust when the Spirit of God in its workings is made so ill an use of as to be made an excuse for a mans lusts this provokes the Spirit of God to leave a man to prostitute spiritual gifts to base imployments What is this but for a man to light his Lanthorne at the Lamp of the Sanctuary that he may see to steal by it And this was the sin of Simon Magus Acts 8.19 he would faine with money have bought the gift of the Spirit that so he might have prostituted it to an ill use This is a high provocation to the Spirit of God 4. Because men have fathered and fastned those sinful affections which proceed from the flesh upon the Spirit when men shall accompt their own wrath kindled from hell to be the zeal of the Spirit coming from heaven Satans delusions the Spirits motions licentious living a Christians Spiritual liberty erroneous opinions the Spirits teaching when men shall intitle a presumptuous peace the Spirits testimony this is as if an adulterous begger should lay his brat at the Kings door this is such a high provocation that the Spirit of God cannot but withdraw from such I now come to lay down the Symptom's or signes of the Spirits withdrawings and when I mention a withdrawing of the Spirit I do not mean a total but a gradual with-drawing and there are ten symptomes I shall lay down any of which if you sinde you may be able to pass a righteous sentence upon your selves 1. If the Spirit be with-drawn thou settest
not upon the doing of good so voluntarily as thou hast done in former time Thy soul in former time did run swiftly and freely in away of goodnes but now the wheels of the chariot of thy soul are taken oaff nd thou drivest on heavily it is not the Chariot of Amminadab Cant. 6.12 It is a description of Gods people in Gospel-times that they shall be a willing people Thy people shal be willing in the day of thy power Psal 110.3 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Pepulus devotionum sive devotus populus spontaneitatum sive spontanâ—us a people of willingnesses as it is in the original but a man from whom the Spirit of God is withdrawn he is carried to do good not so much out of content as by a compulsory act he comes to duty as a Bear to the stake or a childe goes to schoole which doth nothing but what is commanded with much regreet and much backwardness with little willingness he is rather drawn then led to duty Nilnisi jussus agit Ovid. coâ—…strained to do good out of a dreadful awe of hell and some hope of heaven or to still the clamouring of a craving natural conscience when the Spirit is with drawn thou comest not to duty so willingly as in former time 2. Neither so preparedly as thon wast wont to do In former time you could do as Abraham did leave his cattel and his servants in the valley Gen. 22.5 shake off clogges which might hinder and divert you when you prayed you would use consideration when you heard preparation and when you received the Sacrament examination but now the Spirit of God being with-drawn thou layest aside those preparitory duties which are so helpful to us in those duties wherein we have communion with God The soul was wont to trimme her self as a bride when she went into the King to injoy communion with the great God but now is grown carelesse in this preparation it is a signe the Spirit is withdrawn 3. Thou hast not so much complacency of heart in holy duties as formerly Those duties which heretofore have been done as a delight are now as a task formerly they were as sweet as honey to thy taste but now thou findest no more relish in them then in the white of an egge time was when thou couldest say with the Psalmist I was glad when they said Come and let us go up unto the house of the Lord Psal 122.1 and thy esteeme of the worship of God such that thou couldest say with David That one day in the house of the Lord was better then a thousand else-where Psal 84.10 But alas where is this delight now now duty is as a burden not as a preasure 4. It is an argument of a gradual with-drawing of the Spirit This grieves the Spirit when we stifle and quench its most holy motions unto holy duties when thou dost not do duty so frequently as formerly Heretofore thou couldest pray seven times a day with David or three times a day with Daniel but now not three times a week how are the frequency of thy â—uties abated to such I would say Consider 1. Thou hast not fewer enemies now then formerly and therefore why shouldest thou be lesse in duty the watchfulnesse of the enemy is an taged by our sloth and security 2. Neither have you lesse temptations then you had and therefore why should you not be frequent in prayer to be delivered out of them Watch and pray that you fall not into temptation said our Saviour Mat. 26.41 3. Neither fewer sinnes then formerly it may be more and therefore why shouldest thou be lesse in prayer for pardon He that doth often offend he had need often to ask forgivenesse 4. You have not lesse need of grace then formerly it may be more and therefore why art thon lesse in duty to God for supply of grace If thou art lesse frequent in holy duties then formerly it is an argument that the Spirit is gradually with-drawn from thee 5. If thou hast not that fervency in holy duties as formerly it is a shrewd signe that thou art very much decayed in grace Revel 2.4 This is made a note of the decay of the Church of Ephesus Neverthelesse I have somewhat against thee because thou hast left thy first love He doth not say thou hast lost but thou hast left thy first love grace may be left but not lost that first affection which thou haddest in the ways of God thou hast left that thou art decayed in these affections Hierom chides the slothful in prayer What said he do you think that Jonas prayed so in the sea or Daniel amongst the lions or the Thief on the Crosse as you do Siccine put as Jonam in profundo Danielem inter leones siccine latronem in cruce or âsse putas Hieron Many men they are so left of the Spirit that they are come into that state which Austine complaines of in his time Plurimi novitate conversionis ferventer orant posted srigidè posteà languidè posteà negligenter Aug. Many men at the beginning of their conversion they will pray feelingly buâ— in tract of time they will pray coldly negligently and languidly they lose those affectionâ— which once they had They had need stir up the fire that lies hid in the ashes Ferventior esse solet qui rem primùm aggreditur 2 Tim. 1.16 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 6. It is an argument of the Spirits with-drawing when a man performes duty lesse composedly then formerly Distractions break in and wandring thoughts go out holy motions they are declining and transient when they have not such a fixed abiding on the heart as formerly this is a signe of a gradual departure of the Spirit For where the Spirit of God is there it doth establish and fix the heart in holy duties and therefore David prayes Establish me by thy free Spirit but when there is much unconstancy and inconsistency in the heart it is a signe that the Spirit in part departed from that soul 7. If thou art under the use of duty not so fruitful as in former time Duties formerly took an impression on thy heart as a signet on soft wax but now they make no more impression then a seal upon a marble formerly the ordinances came upon thy soul as raine upon the valleys now they are as water poured out upon a wrock Many men they lie under ordinances without profit and like unto the Cypress-tree of which it is said that it is a tree that is very good for sent and for sight but yet unfruitful Many Christians are like unto this tree they grow in Gods garden and they are good in the sight of others but yet they bring not forth fruit If thou art not a fruitful tree in the garden of grace it is an argument that the Spirit of grace is withheld from thee 8. It is an argument of a gradual departure of the
by day because of thy daily indisposition From hence see the need thou hast of the Spirit of God Posit 2 It is not enough you be convinced of the need you have of the Spirits motions but also you should be convinced what a great gulfe of misery you are plunged into if the Spirits motions be restrained which will appear upon this threefold account 1. It is recorded in Scripture as a great misery if but the common workings and gifts of Gods Spirit be withdrawn 1 Sam. 28. and therefore you read what a lamentable complaint Saul made because the Spirit was departed from him which was but in its common gifts And so also of Sampson it is said he wist not that the Spirit was departed from him that is the Spirit of fortitude Judg. 16.20 and is this a lamentation when the Spirit in its common gifts shall be withdrawn and shall it not be looked upon as a sad misery when the Spirit in its saving comforting and sanctifying operation shall be withheld 2. Be convinced hereof because whilest the Spirit is withdrawn thou art under a constant losse I may exemplifie it by this comparison Suppose a great Merchant that had a ship at sea richly laden and this ship should be neer the harbour but being becalmed or having crosse windes it should not be able to come to its haven Now all the while the ship is out the Merchant is at a daily losse Make it your case in a spiritual sense this ship is thy soul the lading is grace and the haven is heaven the gales of winde are the motions of the Spirit cross gales that arise are temptations now if the motions of the Spirit help thee not thou wilt not be able to come to the haven from hence see your misery without the motions of Gods Spirit 3. Be convinced of thy misery because if good motions do not possesse thy heart multitudes of evil motions will if the house of thy heart be empty of good motions the devil will enter by evil motions and dwell there Mat. 12.44,45 Either thy heart is an habitation for the Spirit of God or else it is a receptacle for the evil spirit with all its sinful motions The soul is a restlesse active thing and when the good Spirit doth not act it the evil spirit will the devil will slippe no oportunity that may advantage he will not let any house long stand empty Posit 3 What cause have we to be humbled for that receptivenesse that is in our natures to entertaine evil motions from the wicked spirit and for that backwardnesse in our hearts to entertaine holy motions from the good Spirit Our natures are as gunpowder to fire if a spark of temptation fall upon us how soon are we all on a fire but to good motions out hearts are as green wood to the fire what opposition is there in us and backwardnesse to entertaine them Evil thoughts in the soul are natural but good thoughts are supernatural Mans heart by nature is a slaughter-house to holy motions many good motions hast thou stifled and strangled in thy heart but that nature which is a slaughter-house to good motions it is a store-house to wicked motions An evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil Luke 6 45. saith our Saviour what a natural receptivenesse is there in thy heart for the intertaining of that which is evil Posit 4 When the Spirits motions are withdrawn labour to search and finde out the cause and then bewaile it what injuries or unkindnesse hast thou done to the Spirit that it is gone To grieve the Spirit Eph. 4.30 is more unkindnesse then to resist the Spirit a man is more troubled for the unkindnesse of a friend then for all the hatred and opposition of his enemy Surely something is the matter hast thou not kept thy conscience nasty it is nastinesse in the dove-house that causes the dove to leave the house Is there not an indulgence of some allowed provoking sinne that the Spirit of God sees in thee hast thou not quenched the Spirits motions hast thou not grieved the Spirit vexed resisted or tempted the Spirit Search out the cause and when thou hast found it then bewaile it and cry Wo is me the Spirit would have taken up his residence in my heart and I would not give him entertainment And so whom I have begg'd with teares and enjoyed with comfort I have lost through the folly of my sinful doings If thou hast not yet found out the cause I would have thee to consult with thy own conscience which is Gods officer in thee and it will give thee a true account if thou wilt hearken to it ask it these three question Have not I fallen from my first love as the Ephesians did Revel 2.4,5 Have I not stifled checks of conscience and the Spirits motions Have I not prostituted the Spirits motions to servile and base imployments as Simon Magus for secular advantage and worldly interest hast thou not addicted thy self to contrary motions hast thou not been more ready to hearken to the solicitations of the evil spirit then to the incitations of the good Spirit Aske thy conscience it may be it will give in this answer Hath not the Spirit departed because of thy pride and idlenesse and self-conceitednesse by such like proposals as these to conscience thou mayest come to know the cause wherefore the Spirit is withdrawn from thee Posit 5 Consider that the withdrawings of the Spirits motions is not alwayes for sinne but some other higher and greater ends which God hath 1. It is true that God doth usually withdraw the motions of his Spirit because of sinne and therefore sayes the Prophet Isaiah Your iniquities have separated between you and your God Isai 59.2 and so also the Prophet Micah They shall cry unto the Lord but he will not hear them he will even hide his face from them at that time as they have behaved themselve ill in their doings Micah 3.4 Usually sinne is the cause for which the Spirit of God withdraws 2. This is most true that if there were not sinne in us Gods Spirit should never be withdrawn from us we should be uncapable of desertion of the Spirit were it not for sinne in general and therefore though sinne in general be the causa sine qua non yet it is not alwayes the cause immediate for which the Spirit withdraws 3. Though there be sinne in us as a cause to us why Gods Spirit departs yet God doth not alwayes make sinne a cause to himselfe but it is for some other higher ends Divines that handle this subject touching the desertion of the soul and the withdrawings of Gods Spirit they distinguish a threefold desertion upon a threefold cause and we have touched upon that already 1. There may be a desertion which is cautional not for sinne 2 Cor. 12.7 but to prevent sin And
thus it was with Paul There was given to him a thorne in the flesh a messenger of Satan to buffet him lest he should be exalted above measure And so Peter when he fell in denying Christ his desertion was cautional Matth. 26.70 that he might not depend upon his own strength as he had most foolishly done for after-time 2. There may be a desertion which is probational that is to try some grace which God would have exercised and thus Job he was not afflicted for sinne but God did thereby prove him and try him in his faith and patience 3. There is a desertion which is penal and that is for sinne when God leaves a man to himself and thus it was with the Spouse Cant. 5.3,4,5,6 because she hearkened not and opened not to Christ therefore he withdrew himself Art thou therefore deserted by the Spirit of God why remember that desertions are not alwayes penal though I confesse they are most often so and it is most suitable to that humble and penitent frame of heart that should be in a deserted soul to judge himself smitten and forsaken of God for his sin but sometimes they are cautional and sometimes probational Posit 6 Be rather industrious how to procure the Spirits returne when he is withdrawn then to pore upon thy misery in the Spirits absence It is the fault of many Christians they rest contented in fruitlesse and doleful complaints of their losse but do not put forth industrious indeavours to recover what they have lost It was not enough for Joshua to lie upon his face at the defeat at Ai Joshua 7.10.11 but he must stand upon his feet and finde out the cause and endeavour to make up the breach There are some professors who by whining and complaining think to excuse their idlenesse and spiritual sloth Thou hast lost the Spirit do not so much pore upon thy losse as to think what thou must do to recover the Spirit again Which that thou mayest do follow these directions 1. Cleanse thy conscience from the allowance of any known sinne make thy heart clean and so fit for Christ and his Spirit will come unto thee let thy heart be like that roome Christ came to eat the Passeover in Luke 22.12 an upper roome a furnished roome and a swept roome let thy heart be prepared and swept with the besome of sanctified grace from the allowance of sinne and this will be a means for thee to recover the Spirit again 2. Go unto God by prayer which is the universal remedy for all spiritual distempers Is any among you afflicted let him pray saith the Apostle James James 5.13 Let the affliction be what it will prayer will be a means to deliver thee Prayer is injoyned by God as a means to receive the Spirit of God Luke 11.13 And it will speed because it is Gods ordinance 3. Do not only pray but bewaile thy condition in prayer Spread thy complaints before the Lord and say Lord how is my heart a cage of uncleane birds a receptacle for sinne and the devil This is the best that my heart is now fit for I who once had my graces fresh and floâ—…ishing how are they now like the withered grasse on the house-toppe that once had the imbraces of an everlasting arme but now am I forsaken of the Spirit I was once like a field whom God had blessed and like unto the Cedars of Lebanon casting forth my roots and pleasant branches But now I am as a tree of the forrest which brings forth nothing I once was as a fruitful vine in the vineyard of Christ but now am like unto the mountains of Gilboa upon whom neither the rain nor the dew falls thus bewaile thy self in the presence of the Lord and it may be when he sees thee with tears in thy eyes and thy petitions in thy hand he may returne unto thee Though he hath forsaken thee yet he will not forget thee though he hath cast thee down yet he will not cast thee off for ever He will not cast away his people if thou forsakest not him labour therefore by prayers and tears to recover thy fall Position 7 Look upon it as a more grievous judgement to have the sanctified and sanctifying motions of the Spirit withdrawn then to have the comforts of the Spirit withheld This is a fault among many Christians especially among those who are troubled in conscience all their complaints are for want of assurance and comfort and I do not know whether Christ be mine or no into this channel all their sorrow and grief runnes And therefore it is much to be feared that rather self-love then love to Christ is the ground of many such complaints as many make when they say they are deserted whereas it is a more sad judgement if thou wantest the quickening and exciting motions of the Spirit then if thou wantest the witnesse and comforts of the Spirit it 's more sad to have the Spirits gracious motions with-held then to have the Spirits comforts withdrawn Position 8 Another position is this that the common gifts of the Spirit may be imparted when the saving gifts of the Spirit may be with-held It was thus with many in the Church of Corinth 1 Cor. 1.7 The Apostle tells them They came behinde in no gifts 1. Cor. 3.1 and yet as to grace he tells you they were carnal and walked as men Position 9 Consider that the Spirit in its motions and workings may be really withdrawn from a man when he in his own apprehensions thinks he fully enjoys them It may be with a man in this case as with Sampson it was told him that the Philistines were upon him Judges 16.20 and he aworke out of sleep and said I will go out as at other times before and shake my self and he wist not that the Lord was departed from him He knew not that his strength was gone Thus you may be left of the Spirit and you may not know it and the reason is partly because the departures of the Spirit are gradual You cannot discerne a mans growth because he grows by little and little As it is with our natural growth so is it also with our spiritual decayes and partly because the heart is very deceitfull and carelesse and negligent to search and try how it is with the soul And therefore let this lie upon your thoughts you may have the Spirit in its motions withdrawn from you when yet in your apprehensions you may be perswaded that you possesse them Application of the Doctrine by way of consolation I shall conclude this point with a few words of comfort lest peradventure there may be some which may be troubled and perplexed about what I have delivered concerning the withdrawings of Gods Spirit Vse 1 Thou Oh Christian who complainest that the Spirit is withdrawn from thee remember this though the Spirit be withdrawn yet it is but a gradual not a total
difference between those common motions of the Spirit in the wicked and the saving motions of the Spirit in the regenerate Answ The reason why I shall discusse this question is Heb. 6.4 because the Scripture saith that wicked men may be partakers of the holy Ghost and therefore to answer the question you must know that there is a twofold difference between the wicked and the godly their partaking of the Spirit 1. About the measure 2. About the manner 1. In the measure though a Reprobate partakes of the motions of the Spirit yet he hath not such a measure of the Spirit as a regenerate man hath Forbes in that practical Tract of his concerning this doubt gives you this exemplification Summis tuntam labris pitissare Wicked men sayes he partake of the Spirit as Coocks do of the meat they dresse they taste of as much as will relish their palates but do not take so much as to make a meal of which may refresh nature and strengthen it But the regenerate are as the invited guests and they not only taste the meat prepared but also make a meale thereof Wicked men they have but a taste and therefore sayes the Apostle of them They have tasted of the heavenly gift Heb. 6.3 They are just like unto men going by an Apothecaries shoppe who may smell the sweet sents of his pots but only the sick patient gets benefit by his cordials Thus it is with the wicked God he may and doth give them tastes of his Spirit but they have not so much as will do their souls good It is only the godly who have saving participations of grace As there were many of the Israelites who had a taste of the fruit of the land of Canaan who yet never came to heaven so some may taste of the heavenly gift who shall never come to heaven 2. They differ as in the measure of their receiving the Spirit so also in the manner 1. Motions of the Spirit in the reprobate they are transient and gliding not lasting motions they passe like a shadow And therefore saith the Lord by the Prophet Hosea speaking of Ephraim Your goodnesse is as a morning cloud and as the early dew it passeth away Hosea 6.4 As the rising Sunne dissipates the clouds and dries up the dew so do the motions of the Spirit in Reprobates soon vanish and passe away But the motions of the Spirit in the godly they are like an old inhabitant they dwell with him and therefore saith our Saviour If my words abide in you ye shall aske what ye will and it shall be done unto you John 15.7 The words of Christ are transient and as sojourners in the wicked but abiding in the godly they stay with a godly man all his life-time he is one that hath alwayes a conscience void of offence Acts 24.16 My soul breaketh for the longing it hath to thy judgements at all times Psal 119.20 Psal 27.4 saith David And that I might dwell in the house of the Lord all my dayes Psal 23.6 The motions of Gods Spirit in the godly they are not by fits and starts but they are abiding and lasting motions 2. They are rare and seldome not ordinary and usual as they stay but a while so they come but seldome now and then upon some extraordinary emergencies It is in this case with the Reprobate in regard of good motions As it is with a man in a lottery to one prize he may draw a hundred blankes so wicked men they have a hundred Satanical motions to evil for one motion of Gods Spirit to good they are as rare and seldome as it is to see a Swallow in Winter While a wicked man is thinking evil thoughts he is in his own element and he as familiarly doth that as breath but good thoughts are but as strangers in his heart 3. The Spirits motions in wicked men they are constrained not voluntary they are not in them as water which proceeds from a fountaine but as water coming from a still forced by reason of the fire underneath it The Spirits motions in wicked men they are constrained upon a double ground First either from natural conscience which tells them they must not be such devils incarnate as never have any good motions Balaam he had a desire to curse the people of Israel yet natural conscience prevaised with him to the contrary Numb 23.12 and sayes he Must I not take heed to speak that which the Lord hath put into my mouth Or secondly this may proceed from the sense of outward judgements this may occasion the entertainment of good thoughts When their fear cometh as desolation and destructions as a whirlewinde then shall they call upon me Prov. 1.27.28 It must be a whirlewinde of feare which drives them to call upon the name of the Lord agreeable to that of the Prophet Hosea In their affliction they will seek me early Hose 5.15 When the Israelites were afraid of the thunder and the lightening They said unto Moses Speak unto us all that the Lord our God shall speak unto thee and we will do it Deut. 5.26,27 4. Motions of the Spirit in the Reprobate they are casual and accidental not studied and considered such which fall in by the by without preparation or meditation motions which tumble in they know not how The wicked man he consulteth evil thoughts therefore sayes the wise man He shutteth his eyes to devise froward things Prov. 16.30 Shutting of the eyes it is a posture which argues intentions of minde thus wicked men they contrive how to bring about a mischievous device and are students in sinne and to this purpose saith the Apostle Paul 1 Cor. 4.5 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that God will make manifest the counsels of the heart Deliberate thoughts about sinne they are called the councels or consultations of the heart and these will God lay open The wicked are said to plot against the just but they never study to have good thoughts when they come they fall in accidentally and passe away without consideration 5. Good motions in wicked men they are partial not universal as moving them not to good at all times so neither to all good They may have motions to move them to the doing of outward good things such whereby their names may become to be spoken of with applause but not to the doing of all good their motions to good put them not upon the mortifying of strong lusts and keeping under sin whereas the Spirits motions to good in the godly they are universal to one good thing as well as another Heb. 13.18 We trust saith the Apostle Paul that we have a good conscience in all things willing to live honestly Acts 24.16 and as the same Apostle in another place Vniversalitas objecti subjecti Herein do I exercise my self to have alwayes a good conscience void of offence toward God and toward men
There is a universality in the motions of Gods Spirit upon the hearts of the godly The whole heart being moved unto all good and that alwayes 6. Motions of the Spirit in the wicked they are fruitlesse motions which have no influence upon their lives One saith that the heart of a fool is like unto a cart-wheel his thoughts like a roving a xletree as a cart-wheel it goes round and round all the day 2 Cor. 1.17 Isa 51.1 Daniel 1.8 yet still abides where it used to be so wicked men it may be sometimes they have good thoughts and good motions but yet these have not an influence upon his life his motions to good are fruitlesse motions But motions to good in the godly are joyned with practice and holy purposes joyned with prayer Psal 119.2 7. The motions of Gods Spirit in Reprobates they are for good things done in publick not in private thou wilt do good that thy name may be cryed up The winde of vaine glory may blow the saile of thy heart and fill it with good motions Simile Wicked men may be compared to a nightingal they say of that bird if it sees a man listen to her it will sing the more sweetly thus it is with wicked men they are better to men then they are unto God and better in the Church then they are in the closet It is reported of one that could fast several dayes in a Monastery but not halfe a day in the Wildernesse and being asked the reason he gave this answer When I fast in the Monastery I feed upon vain glory and the praise of men but not so in the Wildernesse It is so with formal professors their motions are such which put them upon outward and visible good but never upon inward and secret duties to examine their hearts to watch over them to keep close communion with God in secret if thou comest short of this thou comest short of the effectual and saving motions of the Spirit The use I shall make of this point shall be twofold First of humiliation Use of humiliation Secondly by way of instruction to draw out some practical inferences from the point If it be the duty of Gods people to walk after the guidance and motions of the Spirit of God then Vse 1 Be humbled for that inobservancy that is in us of the Spirits motions As it is with the winde to which the Spirit is compared Joh. 3.8 The winde it bloweth where it listeth but who takes notice of the winde How often do men walk in the streets and yet observe not which way the winde blowes as it is with the winde so is it with the Spirit the Spirit comes with many a sweet gale and yet we do not observe it That as Job said of the Lord He passed by and he saw him not Job 9.11 so may we say of the Spirit of God It was nigh me and I perceived it not Thus our Saviour speaks of the world that they cannot receive the Spirit of truth Because they neither see him nor know him The meaning is not John 14.17 as if they could see the Spirit with a bodily eye for the Spirit is not a bodily substance but they neither see him nor know him that is they see not his motions neither have any experimental knowledge of the Spirits workings Natural men are unacquainted with their own Spirits and much more with the motions of Gods Spirit We cannot see the Sunne but by its own light nor observe the Spirit without the Spirit There are many in the world like unto that Ruler of the feast when Christ turned the water into wine Joh. 2.9 it is said He knew not whence it was I may allude to this Scripture thus there are many men whose water the Spirit would turne unto wine that is their corrupt motions into holy and gracious motions yet they do not know it neither will they see it 2. If you are not guilty of inobservancy of the Spirits motions yet be humbled for the infirmity of the flesh that you cannot alwayes imbrace the Spirits motions when you know them You read in Joh. 14. where Christ speaks concerning the sending of the Spirit That the world cannot receive him He doth not say John 14.17 the world doth not receive him but the world cannot receive him to note a debility in the flesh that men cannot entertaine holy motions Rolloc on this place compares the heart of natural men unto wet wood 1 Cor. 2.14 which is not so easily set one fire The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God for they are foolishnesse unto him neither can he know them because they are Spiritâ—ally discerned And the carnal minde is enmity against God for it is not subject to the law of God neither indeed can be Rom. 8.7 There is not onely a meer suspension of the act but a disability in the soul this is our infirmity that we cannot imbrace the Spirits motions in the flesh though we know them 3. Be humbled though knowing them yet because you cannot bring these motions into holy practice there are many men who entertaine the Spirits motions but alas they act not these gracious motions The Spirit moves to pray better to heare better to live more holily and yet still they remain as they were and though sometimes they may resolve to live better yet how soon are these resolutions forgotten such may complaine with Job in this case Job 17.11 My purposes are broken off even the thoughts of my heart Doubtlesse these were good thoughts as if he should have said I have purposed to live thus and thus if God had kept me in prosperity but now they are broken off and I am disappointed in my own thoughts many of us may take up this complaint that our purposes are disappointed many a good motions hath the Spiritâ— stirred up in thy heart and yet thou couldest not bring that holy motion into action But it will become every childe of God to say and hold to purpose and practice and with David to say I will confesse my sinne and so to confesse then Psalme 32.2,3 4. Be humbled for that receptivenesse that is in our natures to imbrace all sinful motions How unlike are we unto our Saviour John 14.30 the Tempter came unto him but found nothing in him he found no matter for his temptation to fasten upon but the Tempter comes to thee and he findes something in thee he findes in thee a receptive nature to close with the temptation he suggests unto thee Christs nature it was like unto a Crystal-glasse filled with pure water the devil shook the glasse but it was still clear but when the devil comes to us he findes us as a puddle of water and he doth but take into this puddle and how doth the mudde appear A dunghill may have herbes and flowers grow upon it but if you rake and
delusion of wicked Saul Or else the devil may know future events by that great knowledge which he hath in Scripture-Prophecies those Prophecies which are dark to us the devil may know them and therefore we read in History that the devil hath told the events of Wars Thus the devil in the Delphick oracle told Alexander that both the Caldean and Grecian Monarchies should be under his government the devil told him so So that if men shall take upon them peremptorily to tell future contingent events I may confidently say it comes from the devil not from God Direct 5 Another direction about the Spirits motions is this Bring your selves under all advantages whereby you may gain the Spirits motions There are three advantages which I would commend to you 1. Be much in holy discourse with good company conversing with those who have the Spirit about spiritual things is a likely advantage for thee to gain the Spirits motions What Christ did whilest he was upon earth that will he yet do by his holy Spirit You read when the two Disciples were going to Emmaus Luke 24.15 communing and reasoning together that Jesus drew neere and went with them Christ will draw neere to those by the motions of his â—pirit who are discoursing about holy things 2. Give due attendance to the ordinances of God they are that poole which the Angel at certain times will move It is a Text worthy of observation which you read of in the Prophet Isaiah where the Lord sayes Isa 30.20,21 That thy Teachers shall not be removed into a corner any more but thine eyes shall see thy Teachers and thine ears shall hear a voice behinde thee saying This is the way walk ye in it Mark the connexion you shall see your Teachers and in seeing them shall heare a voyce that is of the Spirit The ordinances are they which convey the Spirit in its motions to us and to this purpose I may accomodate that of the Prophet Zachariah Zech. 4.12 where it is said that the two Olive-branches did empty themselves of the golden oile by the two golden pipes and so it ranne into the Candlestick This Candlestick is the Church the oile is the motions of Gods Spirit and these motions they runne through ordinances they are those golden pipes which convey the Spirits motions into your hearts It is with the motions of the Spirit and holy ordinances as it is with the blood and Spirit and the veines and Arteries for as these convey the blood and spirit to each part so also ordinances convey the graces and comforts of the Spirit to each believing member of Christ Waite upon the Preaching of the Word and then waite also upon prayer that will be a means whereby you shall obtaine the Spirit Christ he makes this an incouragement to prayer Luke 11.13 If ye then being evil know how to give good gifts to you children how much more sayes he shall your heavenly Father give the holy Spirit to them that aske him Go therefore to God in prayer and that will be a means to bring the Spirit into thy heart 3. Be much alone in holy meditation Christ could tell you that he was alone and yet sayes he I am not alone because the Father is with me So you if you are alone in meditation yet you will not be alone because the Spirit will be with you in its holy motions That as Isaac when he went forth to meditate Gen. 24.63,64 it is said that then he saw Rebeccah that mercy he so long prayed for so may I say to thee be much in meditation and the Spirit which thou hast prayed for shall be given in unto thee 1 Kings 19.12 As Eliah when he was in the mountaine he perceived that the Lord was in the still voice so will the soul at last perceive that though the holy Spirit is not in the strong winde of boisterous passions yet he will be in the still voice of holy meditation Direct 6 Look more after the holy motions of the Spirit then after the ravishing comforts of the Spirit and the reason is this because you more need the Spirits motions then the Spirits comforts you may go to heaven without comfort but you cannot go to heaven without grace though it be the ravishing work of the Spirit which makes my life comfortable yet it is the holy work of the Spirit which makes my soul saveable The sealing work of the Spirit whereby I cry Abba Father gives comfort but the Sanctifying work of the Spirit whereby I mortifie the deeds of the flesh Romans 8.13,14,15 is the ground of that comfort Direct 7 And lastly take heed that you do not mistake moral perswasions for the Spirits motions This is a very useful rule Men are apt if they have a good motion to intitle it unto the Spirit whereas there may be a thousand good motions in thy minde which may meerly come from moral perswasion Meere nature may make a Reprobate go farre how do you read of flashes of joy in Herod he heard John Baptist gladly of pangs of fear and horrour in Felix and fits of sorrow and grief in Judas yet all these came from the force of moral perswasion and were not saving workings of the Spirit That you may not be mistaken about moral perswasion I shall give you four differences between it and the Spirits working 1. Moral perswasion it may move a man to do good but it never changes the affections And therefore you read of those 2 Thes 2.10 That did not receive the truth in the love of it Which intimates that men may receive the truth in the motion of it and yet not in the love of it Eph. 4.15 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And hence are those expressions Of speaking the truth in love or doing the truth in love whatsoever you do you must do it in love Now moral perswasion may move you to do a good act but it never draws out your affections in love to the things you do 2. Moral perswasion presses men to do good but it gives them no power to do the thing it perswades to Moral perswasion may give a man an eye to see what is to be done but the Spirit it gives not only an eye Rom. 3.26 but a hand also and helps us in the doing of that good whereunto it perswades 3. Moral perswasion moves men to do good more out of hope of reward or fear of punishment then of love to grace or holinesse it looks more at what God gives then what he requires and hath more respect to the reward of grace then to grace it self 4. Moral perswasions they are partial perswasions they move a man to some kindes of good but not to all good to good that may be easily done but not to difficult duties to outward but not to inward good but the Spirits motions they are universal there is no good act but the Spirit it moves a man
doctrine I shall premise a few particulars to be considered of 1. This conflict between the flesh and the Spirit it was not found in innocency then there was an harmony between the motions of Gods Spirit and all the powers and faculties both of soule and body God made man upright 2. This conflict it shall not be found in a state of glory for then thou shalt be all Spirit and no corrupt flesh for then the flesh shall be utterly abolished 3. This opposition it is not found in infancy it is true there is a corrupt nature in infants sinful motions in children but there is not that which we call actual opposition because they cannot exercise neither grace nor sin 4. This conflict it is not found in the state of unregeneracy while a man is wholly unregenerate he hath no saving motions in him and there cannot be an opposition but where there are two contraries 5. That the time of this life is the time how long this conflict shall last it cannot be ended untill this life be ended untill thou castest off the body of flesh thou shalt not be rid of the motions of sin 6. That even in the most holy that are there will be this conflict between the flesh and Spirit and those who have most grace are most sensible of the contest of the flesh against the Spirit 7. That even regenerate men do more often side with the motions of the flesh then close with the motions of the Spirit they are more in sin then in obedience more in imbracing sinfull motions then in entertaining divine motions some gather this from the Apostles vatiation of speech when he sayes The works of the flesh are manifest but he doth not say so of the fruits of the Spirit intimating that mâ—n are apt to close with the flesh rather then with the Spirit 7. These motions of corrupt nature they do not only reside in the inferiour part of man as the concupiscible faculty exciting to gluttony and lusts and irascible to envy and wrath but also in the superiour part though the Papists would make us believe otherwise The more noble and rational faculties of man are become corrupt thou art become vain in thy reason and in thy imagination thy understanding is tainted and thy will rebellious thy affections displaced thy superiour faculties are defiled Now having laid down these particulars I come to raise the Doctrine which is this Doctr. That the motions or inclinations in our natures to sin do ever conflict or warre against the motions of Gods Spirit pressing us to good I shall not dilate upon the proving of this point it is written legibly in the Word and engraven in every mans experience Therefore in the handling thereof there are several Queries I shall dispatch and then shall give you the use Querie 1 Wherein consists this conflict between the flesh and the Spirit Answ 1 In stirring up in the heart motions to sinne when the Spirit disswades from sinne Thus the Apostle Paul Rom. 7.5 he speaks it in the name of the regenerate sayes he When we were in the flesh the motions of sinne which were by the law accidentally did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death Not only in unregeneracy do motions arise from corrupt nature James 1.7,14 contrary to Gods Spirit but in a regenerate man Every man is tempted when he is drawn away of his own lusts and enticed that is by original sinne and thus Paul he speakes of himself as converted Rom. 7.23 sayes he I see another law in my members warring against the law of my minde and bringing me into captivity to the law of sinne which is in my members the Apostle he calls sinne a law because it had a force over him and brought him into captivity the law of his members did warre against the law of his minde by provoking him to sin Answ 2 By quenching and stifling the good motions of the Spirit that presses us to good The Spirits office is not only to testifie to us our graces and to evidence to us our interest in Christ but also to excite and stir up holy motions in the heart Now the flesh it doth what it can to quench all these good motions Rom 7.19 hence it is that Paul complaines of himself that the good he would do he did not and the evil he would not do that he did and this arose from that corruption of nature which in the whole Chapter he complaines of and herein chiefly consists the opposition that is between the flesh and the Spirit Answ 3 By inturrupting you when you are about good duties if the flesh cannot prevaile with you to make you not do it will labour to make you misdo duty herein is the great sinfulnesse of it To will is present with me Rom. 7.18 saith Paul but how to performe that which is good I finde not as if he should say I have alwayes an evil nature within me which is interrupting me and debilitating me that I cannot do the good I would herein consists the conflict between the flesh and the Spirit Querie 2 How doth the flesh oppose the Spirit and provoke to sinne the Spirit disswades from sinne the flesh intices to sinne Now what way doth the flesh take to intice to sinne so as thereby to conflict with the Spirit Answ 1 In general the way and manner which the flesh takes to oppose the Spirit it is very sly and subtil Hence is that of Paul Rom. 7.11 sayes he Sinne taking occasion by the commandment deceived me and by it slew me by sinne he means not actual but original sin the sin of nature is very subtil to deceive as will appear 1 By the names the Scripture gives to the sin of nature They are called deceitful lusts Eph. 4.22 There is great deceitfulnesse in sin according to that exhortation of the Apostle Exhort one another daily while it is called to day lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulnesse of sinne Heb. 3.13 2. The sin of nature it is deceitful as appears by the experience of Gods people Rom. 7.11 Sinne taking occasion saith Paul by the commandment deceived me and by it slew me 3. Because this sinne of nature it is that which makes the heart deceitful above all things and desparately wicked Jer. 17.9 Quicquid efficit tale est magis tale the heart is deceitful and is very subtill therein Answ 2 In particular there are seven wayes by which corrupt nature intices men to sin 1. By varnishing over sinne with the colour and paint of grace As a light woman may sometimes dress her self in modest attire that so she may not be suspected so thy heart may varnish over sinne that thereby it may the sooner deceive thee As it is usual that the beautiful face of grace by the corruption of our hearts may be smeared over with deformity as that tendernesse of
wanting this there would be hope that it would be tyred and wearied out at last but this is the nature of corruption it is unweariedly an enemy against the Spirit Things that act naturally act unweariedly the fire is never weary of burning nor the water of ebbing and flowing because it is natural to those creatures the Sun is never weary of going its course because its motion is natural sin it is a thing natural to thee thou wast borne in in it and bred up in it and therefore it acts unweariedly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 This war between the flesh and Spirit is a truceless war 6. Corrupt nature it is an inward enemy it dwells not only with us but in us and therefore sayes Paul It is not I but sin that dwelleth in me Rom. 7.20 An enemy without to assault a City cannot do much hurt if the walls be strong and well mann'd but if there be traytors within as well as assailants without it will indanger that City Remember thou hast not only the Devil without but corrupt nature within a sin within which ever seeks to betray thee A little thief once gotten in there is more danger of him then of all the robbers without Corrupt nature is this little thief which alwayes will seek to betray thee to the Devil 7. This corruption of nature it is a continual enemy against the Spirit There is nothing which acts continually but corrupt nature the eye is not alwayes seeing the Sea not alwayes flowing the Sun not alwayes shining but corrupt nature it is alwayes working the Spirit cannot send forth a good motion but the flesh labours to send it back again and to quenâ—h it The Devil is not always tempting nor the world alwayes vexing but the flesh is alwayes resisting the Spirit 8. The flesh it is a politick enemy against the Spirit it works more by flattery James 1.14 then by force Every man is tempted when he is drawn away of his own lust and enticed It is a Metaphor taken from fisher-men which shew the baite but hide the hook it works slyly and subtilly 9. It is an outragious enemy against the Spirit The Apostle exhorting the Thessalonians to holinesse and sanctification 1 Thes 4.5 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 bids them not to walk in the lust of concupiscence as the Gentiles which knew not God Not in the passion of concupiscence as the original hath it corrupt nature it is inveterate against a man and therefore it is called a burning in lust Rom. 1.27 and what is more fierce and outragious then fire burning Corrupt nature it puts the soul on fire so also it is compared to a horse rushing into the battell It is called a drawing of sin with cart-ropes to note the eagernesse of a sinner it is fierce out ragious and violent 10. It is an equal enemy in all men it is not in one man more and in another lesse but in all alike all are equally tainted with it and there is this reason for it because all men are equally alike in Adam otherwise some men should be more in Adams sin then others which is impossible We are all sons of Adam and therefore are all equally polluted yet this is true that actuall corruption is more drawn out in some men then in others some are more profane some more incontinent some more passionate then others because in some there are strong natural inclinations and more prevalent corruptions then in others to some sins yet no man is more corrupted in his nature then another and therefore thou which art regenerate thou hast as much cause to bewaile a corrupt and sinful nature as any Devil in hell hath And these are the properties of this enemy which wars against the soul Vse 1 Let the consideration of this stirre you up to thankfulnesse that notwithstanding corrupting nature hath all these properties to wit that it is so powerfull so malicious so universal unsatiable indefatigable inward subtile and outragious an enemy yet that it could not hinder converting grace blesse God that converting grace hath conquered this enemy and notwithstanding all its potency malice and subtilty yet hath brought it into subjection 2. Blesse God for establishing grace This is one of the wonders of the world that a childe of God should have so much corruption in him and that that corruption should not destroy grace the wonder appeares in this Adam who had no sinful nature seeing only he was a mutable creature left to the liberty of his own will yet being tempted by the Devil fell And the Angels in heaven who neither had an evil nature within nor a tempting Devil without yet rhey fell also But thou who hast both a tempting Devil without and a corrupt nature within yet thou shalt not fall Oh blesse the Lord for this It comes from this thy being interessed in an unchangeable Covenant because thou art chosen by an unchangeable decree and kept by an unchangeable God therefore being once in the Covenant of Grace thon art alwayes kept therein Jude vers 24. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Pet. 1.5 blesse God for this unchangeable grace of his towards thy poor soul whereby thou art kept unto salvation whereby the people of God are kept from falling Vse 2 Let this also stirre you up to watchfulnesse against the motions of sin in your corrupt natures If the flesh hath all these properties have you not cause to keep watch and ward in your own hearts There is this reason why thou should'st be watchful because thy corrupt nature hath a manifold advantage against grace 1. It hath been longer in thee then grace hath been Therefore in the first place it is said The flesh lusteth against the Spirit which is a great advantage As we may observe in military affaires when a pitcht battel hath been fought that Army which first takes the field will be sure to chuse ground for their own advantage Thy corrupt nature which warres with the Spirit it was first in the field and so hath got wind and ground thou waft borne a sinner with an evil nature but not with a divine nature therefore here in the Text the flesh begins the conflict watch therefore against the flesh having this advantage against you 2. The flesh hath not only the advantage of time but of number there is more of flesh in thee then there is of the Spirit more kindes of sin then of grace there are more weeds then flowers in the best garden more corruptions then graces in the best soul I may appeal to your experience whether ever you have acted so many graces as sins in the Chapter wherein my Text is there are seventeen sins mentioned in the catalogue but there are but seven graces to shew that the flesh is more in us then the Spirit there are swarmes of lusts and vain thoughts but alas how few good thoughts and holy motions of the Spirit of God are there in
but it is called so because the devil is an instrument to set on our sinful nature to sin this thorn in the flesh was left in Paul to humble him and this is the true and proper reason why God will not have regeneration to be as perfect as Creation because he would keep us humble So it is that humility the best of graces comes from the worst root our sin and pride the worst of sins comes from the best root our graces How wise and how good is God that by this thorn in the flesh he doth prick thereby let out the impostumation of pride out of our hearts 2. To make the regenerate put a difference between earth and heaven between being in a course of pilgrimage and in their fathers house Heb. 12.22 In heaven the spirits of just men are made perfect but they are not so on earth if the spirit were made perfect we should have all spirit and no flesh In the wildernesse there were scorpions and fiery serpents but in Canaan there were none this world is a wildernesse and whilest we live here the fiery serpents of sin will sting us but when we come to heaven we shall be above sin Corruption now dwells in the soul as the body in a house and so long as the soul dwells in the body sin will dwell there in the soul but when we come to heaven then corruption shall put on incorruption And we shall be freed not onely from the natural corruption of the body but also from the moral corruption of the soul by sin 3. Which is the chief reason of all God suffers it that so you may the more prize a Mediator if you had no sinne you would prize God only as a Creator and not Christ as a Mediator Sin makes you to prize a Saviour thus it was with Paul O wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from the body of this death I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord Rom. 7.24 as if he should say if I had been perfect I should have thanked God as a Creator as Adam in Paradise but now having a sinful nature it makes me to prize Christ as a Mediator delivering me from sin I may exemplify this by an Elephant which as some say if it once falls to the earth cannot rise again and therefore Naturalists say that the Elephant doth not lie down to sleep but doth sleep leaning to a tree now the story is this An Elephant being fallen to the earth and a man having helped him to rise the Elephant like Andronicus his grateful Lion followed his Benefactor whereever he went so it is with us we were fallen and no help but Christs could raise us up how should we then be lift up with humble thankfulnesse to God who hath therefore suffered us to fall that we might thereby learn to prize the help we have and hope to have by Jesus Christ 4. God suffers corruption in nature to try his people which side they will take in this conflict here are two Camps pitcht army against army and the Lord leaves the flesh in thee to try which side thou wilt take wilt thou cleave to the strongest side wilt thou worship the rising Sun why then thou wilt side with the flesh for many times and for the present that conquers though indeed the final issue and conquest will be on the Spirits side Now will you war against the flesh and side with the Spirit in opposing the motions of sin hereby will the Lord make a trial of you Deut. 8.2 The Canaanites and Jebusites were left in the land on purpose to try whether the Israelites would cleave unto the true worship of God so God suffers corruption to bein us to try the truth of our grace 5. The Lord suffers motions to sin to be in the hearts of his own people that so he might make use of the motions of sin to keep men from the acting of sin and this is a mysterious consideration God so disposes of it that those sins which we most are frequently tempted unto we shall be most watchful against A man that is suddenly tempted may yield but a man often haunted with motions to sin God in his wisdome makes use of these motions to prevent the action Had David been often haunted with motions to those great and abominable sins of adultery and murder he might happily had time to have bethought himselfe and so prevented the acting of them and the like of Peters denial of Christ but both these servants of God were suddenly surprized And these are the reasons why God leaves regeneration so imperfect The next Quere is to shew what rules you should follow that so the motions of the flesh exciting to sin may not prevaile against the Spirit 1 If you would not have the flesh in its sinful motions prevaile over you then resist them whilest they are but bare motions before they break forth into actions Crush the Cockatrice in the egge tread out sin which is the fire of Hell while it is in the spark the suggestion and motion As we say It is easier to keep out an enemy then to beat him out being once gotten in so it is easier to keep out sin then to beat out sin sin in the motion it is like an enemy in the suburbs not got into the city and if thou wouldst not yeeld to these motions resist them whilest they are so quench them while they are motions A disease if it be taken in time Principiis obsta serò meâ—icina paratur Cùm mala per longas invaluêre moras before the humours be gathered together may easily be cured Do to thy sins as Pharaoh gave command should be done to the Israelites children he would not stay till the children were grown up to yeares but commanded the Midwives to kill them assoon as they were born this was a cruel act in him but thus do thou to thy sins and it will be a merciful act in thee to thy soul what Pharaoh did most cruelly do thou do prudently against thy sins kill them when they are in the birth and there are three cogent reasons why you should take this course 1. Because if you resist motions whilest they are motions you shall be sure not to find the devils suggestions to joyn against you with the fleshes motions take but this experiment if thou hast a motion in thy nature to sin and doest act that motion the devil will then joyn with thy corruption to make thee act that sin again The devil he knowes not the motions to sin that are in thy heart but as thou actest such motions as suppose thou art tempted to lust and thou yeeldest to it hereby the devil knowes what motion there was in thy heart and thy love to that sin and so will be ready to tempt thee to the committing of that sin again therefore resist motions while they are so and by this meanes you will
hinder the devil that he shall not joyn his suggestions to the sinful motions of your own hearts 2. If you do not resist motions while they are motions there will be a more eager vehement pronenesse to sin in your natures then was before acting of sin is not the way to cease and quell a sinful motion but to increase it it is as it were a casâ—ing oile into the fire to make it burn the more the way therefore to quell sinful motions is to withstand whilest they are so In Philosophy we say that acts do strengthen habits Habitus acquiritur actibus actus confirmant habitum if a man hath a habit of any grace acting of that grace makes the habit more strong thus it is in sin acting of sin begets a greater pronenesse thereunto and therefore it behoves you to keep under sins motions lest they lead you farther to sinful actions For sinful suggestions when they meet with our sinful inclinations the inclination begets consent consent acting acting continuance of act then delight then security and then scornful contempt of all reproof and means of amendment If you keep not under sin in its motion it will be more difficult for thee to suppresse corruption if a house be on fire and you can keep the fire within there is no danger of a great conflagration but if it break out into the aire and the winde take hold on it then it will burn exceedingly thus it will be with thee in regard of thy sin if thou keepest it not under in the motion it will be hard for thee to suppresse it afterwards We take physick by way of prevention health of body and soul too is more easily preserved then restored A sore neglected growes a gangrene one part being infected after another till there be no soundnesse in the flesh 2. Keep off from all external occasions of that sin which thou hast a motion to commit whatever thy sin be suppose it be pride wear not that apparel which may minister an occasion of pride suppose drunkennesse keep from bad company if it be uncleannesse Prov. 5.8 keep off from the dore of the harlot carefully avoid occasions of sin This is very imitable in Joseph Gen 39.10 it is said that as his Mistresse spake to him day by day that he hearkened not unto her to lie by her or to be with her he kept out of her company as much as might be And this is the counsel and command of the Lord Keep thee far from a false matter Exod. 23.7 the occasions of sin are as it were the awakening of corrupt nature what else should be the reason that a man not thinking of sin when he hath an occasion hath a motion to commit it therefore be not ventrous to run upon occasions of sin and whensoever thou art moved to any sin keep off from the external occasion thereof A Divine sets out men ventring upon occasions of sin to be like those who pray to God they may not be burned and yet will thrust their fingers into the fire thou which prayest against sins motions have a care also to keep from sinnes occasions 2 Thess 5.27 Gods children are bound to abstain from all appearance of evil 1 Thess 5.17 and to hate the garment spotted with the flesh Jude 25. Jude 25. The Nazarite was not only to abstain from wine but also from touching the very husk of the grape Numb 6.3,4 Numb 6 3,4 3. Labour to unarm the flesh As the godly have armour and the peeces thereof are registred in the 6 Chap. to the Ephes So the flesh hath armour to fortify it self it is armed with power labour to conquer it with malice with an insatiable desire of thy ruine with manifold solicitations to sin Now labour to disarm it of all its pretences of all its policies You must do with sinne in this case as the Philistines with the Israelites they fearing that the Israelites would wage warre against them used this stratagem they would suffer no iron weapon to be found among them nor no Smith in Israel to make these weapons Do you as the Philistines did unarm sin take away any occasion which corrupt nature may have to act transgression in you you must do as the Rechabites did they were commanded not to drink wine and they would not yeeld to any temptation or solicitation to break that Commandment disarm sinne by taking away its occasions 4. Do not so much dispute with evil motions as resist them It is the folly of many that they will dispute with sins temptations whereas there is no man that hath ever consulted with flesh and blood but at last hath been overcome by it Count the flesh as thy enemy but never let it be thy Counsellor the flesh is a great dissembler it hath such subtile insinuations such slie evasions that it will cheat a man into sin and therefore do not dispute with it you will do with disputing with flesh as our first parents with the devil after disputing they fall to eating the flesh will tell thee this sin is profitable for thee and the other sin is pleasurable and suitable and therefore beware of sin and be more in resisting then in disputing with the flesh 5. Give thy selfe much to the exercises of mortification and the exercises of those duties which tend thereunto and this will be an especial means to preserve thee There are three duties I shall commend to you for this end Spiritual watchfulnesse prayer and fasting You have two of these duties prescribed by our Saviour together Mat. 26.41 Watch and pray sayes he that ye enter not into temptation The flesh will be still assaulting thee and Satan by thy flesh and therefore we had need to be still watching and praying the warre between the flesh and Spirit is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Be much in watchfulnesse against the occasions of sin Watch over the outward senses of thy body and over the inward faculties of thy minde be much in prayer that sinful motions may be suppressed and subdued Do not pray as Austin Metuebam nè me exaudiret Deus Aug. who confessed that before his conversion through the light of a natural conscience he prayed against the lust of incontinence and the sins of his youth but was afraid that God should hear his prayer do not you so pray And joyn fasting with the duty of prayer it was Pauls custom 1 Cor. 9.17 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vox à pugi ibus derivata qui propriè di cuntur 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. cum pugnis aut coestibus An tagomstam obtundere sayes he I keep under my body and bring it into subjection that is corrupt nature By the body cannot be meant the body in a natural sense who hereupon do excruciate and torment their body by whippings fastings and pilgrimage but the body here is termed the body of death by fasting prayer and
from hence take this doctrine Doct. That the motions and workings of Gods Spirit in the regenerate do warre and conflict with the motions of sin which flow from corrupt nature In the handling of which point I shall do these four things 1. Shew what the nature of this conflict is 2. Wherein it consists 3. How you may know that conflict which the Spirit hath against the motions of sin from that conflict against sin which may be found in a natural mans conscience 4. Give you rules about this conflict Quest 1 What this conflict is Answ Negatively There are four sorts of conflicts against sinne which come short of the Spirits conflict 1. There may be a conflict against sin by sin one corruption may conflict with another and a lesser sin may oftentimes be overcome by a greater and this oftentimes is found in natural men as pride and covetousnesse a man that is proud he must have something to feed his pride and because he is proud therefore he will be in high company and in brave and rich apparel now covetousnesse being a contrary vice may give a check to pride So a man that is prodigal that spends his dayes in revelling and roaring inordinate love of the world will tell him that he spends too much in money thus one corruption may contest with another and yet may come short of the Spirits conflict against sin 2. There may be a conflict against sin in the natural affections wherein nature seeks to preserve it selfe As it is with brute creatures fear many times keeps them from that which their natural appetite would carry them unto the wolfe would fain worry the sheep but his fear of the shepherd restraines him so between anger and fear a man that is angry his anger puts him upon it that he would fain be revenged on the man whom he is angry with but another passion fear tells him if thou killest the man thou art angry with the Law will take hold on thee this arises not at all from the Spirit 3. There is a conflict which arises from a mans natural disposition some men have such heroick and generous dispositions that they naturally conflict with many vices as Luther said of himselfe that he was never tempted to the sin of covetousnesse he was of such a generous and free spirit It was a saying of Plutarch I had rather said he that men should say there was never any such person in the world as Plutarch rather then say Plutarch is unfaithful or unconstant of such a noble disposition was this Heathen to scorn all basenesse 4. There is a conflict which arises from the light of reason helped by a natural conscience which checks and controls a man for sin The Heathens could by the light of natural conscience see and detest sinne they counted it a base thing to prostitute themselves to base and beastly lusts Conscience it is Gods spy and mans overseer Major sum ad majora natus quam ut corporis mei sim mancipium it is Gods officer in man to warne him against sin now this is found in unregenerate men and falls short of the Spirits conflict against the flesh as shall be shewed afterwards But to shew you positively what this conflict is I answer that the conflict of the Spirit against the flesh it is a mighty and irreconcileable opposition stirred up by the motions of Gods Spirit in regenerate soules against all the motions of sin proceeding from corrupt nature this is a plain and full description of this conflict Quest 2 The next question is wherein the conflict of the Spirit against the flesh consists Answ This conflict of the Spirit against the flesh hath a double reference First to sin to prevent it Secondly to good to provoke it In reference to sin the Spirit doth these five things 1. It enlightens a man and discovers sin to a man which he never saw before Thus saith Paul Rom. 7.7 John 16.8 I had not known lust to be sin except the Law had said Thou shalt not covet The Spirit of God by the Law discovered sin to Paul and the discovery of an enemy is a degree of opposition 2. The Spirit doth not rest only in discovering sin but resists the motions of sin which proceed from corrupt nature the Spirit it lusts against the flesh that is it opposes the workings of corrupt nature this is in the Text. 3. The Spirit puts conscience on work to check and rebuke a man for entertaining evil motions for making his heart a lodging for sin It convinces the world of sin John 16.8 4. The Spirit it sanctifies the nature of a man and washes him from the filth of sin 1 Cor. 6.11 and therefore the Spirit of Christ is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the holy Spirit because of the sanctifying work of the Spirit upon the hearts of Gods people the Spirit is not only holy himself but the Author and maker of holines in the hearts of believers 5. The Spirit of God it suppresseth the motions of sin ' it not only resists but helps a man to mortify the motions of sin Rom. 8.13 If ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body ye shall live saith the Apostle and you have a promise for this in the verse before my Text Gal. 5.16 That if ye walk in the Spirit ye shall not fulfill the lusts of the flesh he doth not say you shall not act but you shall not fulfill them it shall not have so much power and prevalency over you as over wicked men thus as to sin you see how the Spirit conflicts with the flesh 2. In reference to the doing of good the Spirit opposeth the flesh several wayes 1. By enlightening and discovering to a man what is good Isay 30.21 thus the Lord promiseth by the Prophet Thou shalt hear a voice behinde thee saying This is the way walk ye in it the Spirit discovers to a man his way his work and his duty 2. Not only so but the Spirit stirres up holy motions and holy resolutions in thee to do that duty it not only shewes thee the way but presses thee to walk therein 3. The Spirit assists a man in the doing of good when the flesh hinders Rom. 8.26 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 We know not what to pray for as we ought but the Spirit it self maketh intercession for us and helps our infirmities 4. It more and more communicates grace to his people whereby they may be inabled to do that which is good it gives continual supplies of help and therefore you read of the supplies of the Spirit of Jesus Christ Phil. 1.19 Thus you see wherein the conflict of the flesh against the Spirit consists both in reference to sinne and in reference to good Quest 3 Seeing there may be a conflict in wicked men against sin as I have shewed you arising from natural conscience wherein then appeares
rebuke a man for sin of nature 2. Natural conscience as it doth not reach to sin of nature so neither to the nature of sin My meaning is this natural conscience it never conflicts against the nature of sin but only against the punishment of sin it rebukes not a man for sin under this consideration that it is against a holy God and contrary to a holy and pure Law it is the punishment of sin and not the nature of sin which natural conscience relucts at not because sin defiles the soul but because sin destroyes the soul not because sin blots out the image of God but because sin keeps men that they shall not see the face of God not because God hates sin but because God punisheth sin But the regenerate they do not only through the Spirit conflict with the sin of their nature but with the nature of their sin with their sin not as destroying their soules but as defiling their soules not as tormenting the conscience but as polluting the conscience not as damning the soul but polluting the heart A natural man may be afraid of sin as a childe is afraid of a fire-stick not that it feares to handle it because it will colly his hands but because it will scorch his fingers It is a main difference for a childe of God would abstain from sin because of God not only because of hell The godly would not offend against the purity holinesse authority and goodnesse of God and therefore abstaines from sin The natural man as Augustine saith metuit ardere non metuit peccare is afraid to burn in hell but is not afraid to sin 3. Natural conscience may conflict with sinne yet it comes farre short of the Spirits conflict because it reaches only to open and grosse sins not to secret and small evils Cursing it is so execrable an evill that a mans own heart wil tel him of it Eccles 7.22 as the wise man sayes Oftentimes thine own heart knoweth that thou thy selfe hast cursed others natural conscience will not so often check thee for secret and bosome-sins as spiritual pride wandring thoughts in holy duties and emptinesse of minde but a renewed conscience when the Spirit of God comes by it to convince of sin it reaches to secret sins it reaches to the very motions is well as to actions and thus it was with the Apostle Paul sayes he Sin taking occasion by the Commandment Wrought in me all manner of concupiscence Rom. 7.8 whilest original sin did work but in its motions before they were acted the Apostle was sensible of them And so Hezekiah a good man it is said that he humbled himself for the pride of his heart for the lifting up of his heart as in that no man could accuse him of These are the differences between the conflict which natural conscience hath against sin and that conflict which the Spirit hath against corruption Vse 1 If this be so that the Spirit doth as well lust against the flesh as the flesh against the Spirit in regenerate men Then first see the reason why regenerate men do not live so sinfully as the wicked do It is not as if good men had better natures then bad men for the best man on earth yea the most glorious Saint in heaven had as bad a nature as the worst man on earth The true reason is this because a godly man hath the Spirit to warre against the flesh he hath the Spirit to conflict with corruption Gal 5.16 and therefore he acts not sin as wicked men do If ye walk in the Spirit ye shall not fulfill the lusts of the flesh 1 John 3.9 and according to this is that of the Apostle John Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sinne for his seed remaineth in him and he cannot sinne because he is born of God He cannot sin it is not to be taken absolutely but comparatively he shall not sin after that manner and in that measure with those circumstances as the wicked do because they are born of God have a seed of grace remaining in them this is the reason why godly men live not as the wicked do The godly have another kinde of spirit in them then the meer natural man hath he hath the Spirit of Christ whereas the other hath only the spirit of the world Vse 2 Learn to blesse God seeing thou hast so bad a nature that thou hast the Spirit within thee which is able to suppresse the workings of corrupt nature All you that are begotten again by the immortal seed of the Word that have the Spirit to keep under your corruption what evill would you not do and what good would you not leave undone if the Spirit were but withheld from you what will that man be that wants the Spirit will he not be an habitation for swarms of lusts and a cage for every unclean bird if thy heart be not a storehouse for the Spirit it will be a workhouse for the devil if it be not Christs garden wherein he sowes the seed of grace it will be the devils seminary wherein nothing but sin will thrive and grow oh therefore blesse God seeing thou hast such an evill heart that thou hast the motions of the Spirit to warre against the motions of the flesh 3. Pray unto God that his Spirit may do its office in thee thou needest not pray thy heart to tempt thee to sin but the Spirit needs intreaty to do its office in thy heart do thou every day put up that request of David Lord withhold not thy Spirit from me seeing every day I have sinful motions let me every day have the motions of thy Spirit seeing every day Satan perswades me to sin let thy Spirit every day perswade me to good Sermon XVI At Lawrence Jewry London Decemb. 29. 1650. GAL. 5. verse 17. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit and the Spirit against the flesh and these are contrary the one to the other so that ye cannot do the things that ye would I Come now to the third difference touching this conflict A third difference Of this conflict in an unregenerate and a regenerate person and that is in regard of time concerning which there are these particulars to be handled 1. The time when this conflict begins 2. The time of its continuance 3. The time how often this conflict comes 1. The conflict between natural conscience and sinne may begin assoon as ever a man hath light of nature whilst a man is in an unregenerate estate Rom. 2.14 The Apostle tells you that the Gentiles which have not the Law do by nature the things contained in the Law that is natural conscience it carries the force of a Law with it and hath power over them so that they shall not break out into many evils contrary to natures light so that the time when a natural conscience may conflict against sin may be whilest a man is in the
righteous then he and that he had done wickedly in pursuing his life and yet notwithstanding all this Sauls unruly affections did overmaster Sauls unquiet conscience his ambition of the kingdom caused him yet to go on further in the pursuit of David So Pilate his conscience told him that Jesus Christ whom he was to judge was an innocent person and therefore he washed his hands and told the people that he found no cause of death in him this was his conscience but his ambitious affections did overpower it fearing lest he should hereby lose Cesars favour Luke 19.12 If thou let this man go say the people thou art not Cesars friend he feared this saying of the people and therefore went against his conscience And so also Pharaoh his conscience told him that he did wickedly in disobeying Gods command for letting the children of Israel go and he confesseth that he had sinned and done wickedly in the Lords sight and begged Moses to pray for him but observe Pharaohs ambitious affections did over-master his conscience and therefore when the plage was over he would continue in sinne still But when the Spirit of God comes to conflict with the lusts of the flesh though the affections be unbridled and unruly yet in time the Spirit of God will check and curb them and overcome though the Spirit cannot throw them out yet it will throw them down as the Apostle Paul speaks I keep under my body and bring it into subjection 1 Cor. 9.27 A godly man thus deals with sinne though he cannot give it an utter extirpation yet he will indeavour to bring it into subjection 2. Natural conscience in opposing sin it rests contented with a bare restraint of the Act though there be no mortification of the vicious inclination As it was with Pharaoh when the plagues were upon him then conscience wrought but yet his sin was not at all subdued but onely restrained and therefore sayes the Text Exod. 8.15 When Pharaoh saw that there was respite he hardened his heart and hearkened not unto them as the Lord had said And so Haman when he saw that Mordecai his mortal enemy was preferred by the King when he saw that he was taken into royal favour it is said that he refrained himselfe that is he would not now attempt to destroy him Esth 5.10 and though he refrained himself yet his revengefull disposition remained still unmortified Thus a drunkard may be outwardly restrained and yet his drunken inclination remain But the Spirit of God in its conflict it doth not only restrain the act but also weakens Rom. 8.12,13 and suppresses the inclination If ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the flesh ye shall live there is the mortifying of the act of sin and thus also we are commanded to mortify our members which are upon the earth as fornication uncleannesse inordinate affections evill concupiscence and covetousnesse Col. 3.5 and again to crucify the affections and lusts Gal. 5.24 that is not onely to restrain the act of sinne but to kill and mortify the sinful inclination 4. And lastly natural conscience conflicting with sin it works not more watchfulness in a man against the assaults of sin for the time to come but the Spirit of God when that conflicts with a sin this day it makes him watchful against all sinne the next day and all his dayes and thus you have the third Quere dispatched touching the difference that is between the conflict of the flesh and the Spirit and that combate which is onely between the naturall conscience of an unregenerate man and his lusts Quere 4 What rules may be given seeing the Spirit doth conflict against the flesh in us that by the following of them we may be able to prevail against the motions of the flesh to sinne Answ This is a practicall and an usefull question and for answer thereto I shall give you five directions 1. Listen to what conscience shall say to you when you are tempted to any sin conscience it is Gods spie mans overseer and the Spirits officer and in hearkening to its checks you take a ready way to imbrace the Spirits motions and deaf your ear to the motions of sin it is the Spirits office not only to witnesse with our Spirits but also to check and rebuke us for sin with our spirits therefore hearken to what your own conscience shall speak whether it will solicite thee after this manner saying Why wilt thou dishonour so good a God hazzard thy precious soul and break a good Law As sin gives a wound to conscience so conscience awakened enlightened and sanctified gives a great check to sinne that it shall not reign in a cihlde of God 2. If you would have the Spirit prevail over the flesh then be sure you minister no occasion of sin unto the flesh lest from vicious motions there come sinful actions This rule the Apostle gives to the Galatians Gal. 5.13 exhorting them not to use their liberty for an occasion to the flesh that is do nothing which may administer an occasion to the flesh to take hold on you It is true the flesh can sinne without an occasion and a man may be an adulterer though he never saw a woman and a man may be a thief though he never stole and a murtherer though he never spilt blood but occasions to sin they do the more strengthen corrupt nature as the Philosophers tells us that acts do strengthen habits so the more thou acts sin the more strength it gathers and hence it was Numb 6.9 that the Nazarites who were forbidden to drink wine were also forbidden to eat any thing that came of the Vine-tree they were not to eat the raisin nor the husk of the grape that an occasion of sinne might not be admitted to them And the wise man shewing the mischief of whoredome Prov. 5.8 exhorts not to come near the dore of her house it is no sinne in it selfe to come nigh any ones dore but because being nigh the dore of an harlot may occasion and stirre up unclean thoughts and lustful desires therefore we are commanded not to come near her dore It is observable that God would not be called Baali but Ishi there was no harm in the word Baali for it signified in the common use of the word my Husband Hosea 2.16 Isai 54.5 as Isai 54.5 Thy Maker is thy husband It is in the Hebrew thy Baal 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Dominus mariâ—us i. e. thy Lord or husband but this is forbidden that so the name of an Idol continued amongst them for they usually called their Idols Baalim might be no allurement to idolatry To this purpose Divines make much use of that place in Deuteron Deut. 25.13 25.13 where it is said Thou shalt not have in thy bag divers weights a great and a small the having of these weights in the bag you would think to be no sinne
considerations to provoke you to be humbled 1. Consider that the flesh and thereby this contrariety against grace it was more ancient in thee then grace was in thee it was in thee before the Spirit of grace was Divines make the strugling of Esau and Jacob in the womb of Rebeccah an embleme of corruption and grace in a regenerate man they strugled in the womb and it is observed that Esau the bad sonne was born first and Jacob the good son born last it is a fit resemblance of nature and grace which strive in the heart of a regenerate man but remember this that sin is the elder of the twaine before thou hadst the Spirit thou hadst the flesh nature is the elder brother nay assoon as ever there was an union between the soul and body sin was in the soule nay not only before thou couldst act grace thou hadst sin but before thou couldst act reason I remember Augustine hath a relation in his Confessions concerning a little childe Vidi infantulum Zelantem c. which saw another childe suck his mothers brest and sayes he before the childe spake I saw an envious nature in it the child grew pale to see the other suck his mothers brest this sayes he made me call to mind my original sin and truly this is a great advantage to the flesh that the flesh is first in a man as if two Armies come to fight a pitcht battel that Army which first comes to the field hath much advantage against the other that come after into the field the flesh hath gotten the sunne and winde against us it hath many advantages upon this consideration that it was first in thee and therefore be humbled 2. Be humbled on this consideration that the flesh and this contrariety of the flesh against grace in thy nature 't is more abundant in thee then grace is 't is not onely more timely but also more abundant though a Christian hath the Spirit yet every regenerate man hath more of the flesh you have now received but the first fruits of the Spirit but you have the whole crop of sin the whole harvest of original corruption in a regenerate man there are more swarms of lusts and unholy thoughts then there are gracious thoughts as in every hedge there are more briars and thornes then fruitful trees so in every mans heart more briars and thornes of corruption then of the fruitful trees of grace And as in every field there are more thistles and weeds then lilies and roses so in every heart there is more of corrupt nature then of true grace Sin growes naturally but grace only by divine culture Corruption is natural but grace is supernatural That of the Apostle is observable to this purpose Rom 6.19 where he exhorts us As we have yielded our members to uncleannesse and to iniquity unto iniquity so now to yield cur members servants to righteousnesse unto holinesse Divines gather hence that the Apostle speaking of sin maketh mention of three To 's there is to uncleannesse to iniquity and unto iniquity but when he speaks of grace and holinesse he mentions but two To 's to note that there is more abundance of sin in thee then grace Ransack a believer in every faculty and in every faculty you shall finde more sin then grace First look into the understanding Hoc tantum scio me nihil scire Hieronym and there you shall finde more ignorance then knowledge and so Hierom himselfe confesseth that he was ignorant of more truths then he did understand In the memory there is more forgetfulnesse then retention of good thou forgettest more good then thou doest remember Heb. 2.1 the best man alive doth not remember so much of a Sermon as he doth forget And therefore the Apostle gives this counsell that we should give the more earnest heed to those things which we have heard lest we let them slip as a broken and leaking vessel runs out for the word signifies 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is a metaphor taken from leaking vessels And so likewise in the fancy there are more vain sinful and unclean speculations then there are divine and holy contemplations In the affections there is more love to earthly things then to heavenly thou more fearest man then God and grievest more for affliction then sin for the punishment more then for the evill of sin if you ransack all men you shall finde more corruption of nature then holinesse and grace in them Gal. 5.19,20 this the Apostle hints in that catalogue which he gives of the works of the flesh and the fruits of the Spirit where he reckons up seventeen sins and but seven graces to note that there is more sinne then grace in men Corruption it is like great Goliah and grace is but like little David but yet though corruption be strong there be more of it in us then grace yet we shall get the victory in the close though Goliah be stronger then David yet as David so all the regenerate shall have the final successe and conquest 3. That you may be humbled consider that this contrariety of nature to grace it works unweariedly in you if this contrariety did shew it selfe now and then upon some extraordinary occasion it were not so much but this corruption it works unweariedly against grace grace and good motions are supernatural and therefore are sometimes irksome to us that are flesh and blood but corrupt motions to sinne they are natural to a man and things which act naturally act unweariedly as the Sea it 's never weary of flowing nor the Sunne of running its course and as the fire is never weary of burning so neither is corrupt nature of opposing the holy Spirit our whole course and way to heaven is up the hill and against the tide and winde both of corruptions and temptations 4. Be humbled also on this ground that this contrariety of nature it will work continually against grace even to thy dying day if it did but oppose sometimes and then would be weary or else if it were stinted to some age of a mans life it were something but this corruption will shew it self contrary to grace as long as thou livest thou mayest get rid of actual sin but thou canst never rid thy heart of this habitual corrupt nature It is a notable saying of Cyprian to this purpose It is more sayes he to take away one sin then many sins his meaning is this that it is harder to take away this one sin of nature then to take away many sins of life as for actual sins the sinnes thou wast haunted with the last year thou mayest not be troubled with them now nor the sins that now thou art troubled with hereafter but the sin of thy nature it hath troubled thee the last year and this year also and it will do all thy dayes that as Ivy in a wall though you lop off the branches yet it is so
fastened in the joints and intrals of the wall that till you pluck down the wall you cannot root up the the Ivy so it is with us till God pull down this wall of your body the root of your sin cannot be plucked up This was typified under the Levitical Law Lev. 14.41,45 in that house which was infected with a fretting Leprosie all their scraping and pouring out of the dust thereof could not make the house clean and therefore God commanded that the house should be pulled down and be removâ—d The corruption of our natures is like this Leprosy which nothing but the pulling down of the wall of the house would remedy so nothing but the death of the body will perfectly destroy the body of death This leprous house is a type of thy defiled body and the scraping thereof an embleme of thy indeavour to sweep thy heart of sin and yet for all this the house could not be cleansed till it was pulled down neither can the house of thy body be wholly purified and sin quite extirpated untill it be plucked down and laid in the dust I remember a learned Authour Luke 23.40 he makes the impenitent thief on the Crosse an embleme of the sin of our natures when he was nailed to the Crosse and as we say bound hand and foot he had onely one member untied and that was his tongue and with that he falls a reviling on Jesus Christ just so sayes this Authour are our natures when a man lies on his death-bed and cannot stirre hand nor foot even then hath he a nature kindled with fire from hell wherewith he sinnes against God Oh let this greatly humble us in the sight of God 5. Consider that this contrariety in thy nature against grace though it be repugnant to grace yet it is suitable to thy nature Corrupt nature will tempt men to those sins which are most suitable to flesh and blood as the devil when he tempted Christ in the wildernesse being an hungry Command sayes he Matth. 4.3 that these stones be made bread this was a very suitable temptation to Christs condition for he had fasted fourty dayes and fourty nights and was hungry the devil did suit him with a temptation and if the devil do suit temptations to our condition our natures will much more because a mans owne heart knowes what is more suitable to his inclination then the devil doth it is true the devil knowes what a mans inclination is by his actions otherwise he cannot know but our natures are so corrupted that they will propose temptations that are most pleasing to flesh and blood and to those sinnes which either by custome or inclination we are most inclined to And this the Apostle James speakes of as I have formerly noted Jam. 1.14 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 when he sayes that every man is tempted when he is drawn away of his own lusts and enticed It is a metaphor taken from fisher-men who will suit their bait to the fish which they desire to take and will not alwayes fish with the same bait thus it is here thy corrupt nature doth play the fisherman and layes such a bait which is most suitable to every mans inclination therefore on this consideration be humbled that sin is so suitable to thy corrupt nature 6. Be humbled on this ground that thy corrupt nature will carry thee to commit such sinnes which thou didst believe in thy heart thou shouldst never fall into an eminent example hereof we have in Hazael who when he was told by the Prophet Elisha what evil he should do unto the children of Israel That he should set their strong holds on fire and slay their young men with the sword dash their children against the stones and rip up women with childe Oh sayes he is thy servant a dog that he should do these things 2 Kings 8.12 he could not believe it and yet this he did and worse then there the Prophet had told him Here is cause therefore to be humbled there is that evil seminally in thy nature that will provoke to sinne which thou couldst not imagine to be there why else should Christ admonish his Disciples Luke 21.34 to take heed that their hearts were not overcharged with surfetting and drunkennesse and worldly cares Alasâ— what danger was there for poor Disciples to be overtaken with these sins yet Christ knew that there was cause for them to take heed though they were eminent Apostles of Christ yet they had the seed of those evils in their natures It is an observation of Mr. Capel Capel of temptations that a godly man at one time or other before his death shall be tempted either by the devil or his own heart to break every Commandment of the Law and to doubt of every article in the Creed and therefore do not think thou art so well setled in thy judgement that thou shalt never fall into errour and thou which livest holily be not over-confident nor too secure thinking that thou shalt never fall as such a man fell remember thou hast as bad a heart and if God should suffer the devil thy own corrupt nature and an occasion to concurre together thou wouldest fall into as bad a sinne as ever any in the world fell into there is such a contrariety in thy nature against grace that it would carry thee to the most unnatural and grosse sinnes that are in the world Augustine had a good saying when he saw a man fall into sinne Tu hodie ego cras Thou fallest to day and I to morrow if God help me not 7. Consider that this contrariety in thee it is an universal contrariety if there were a contrariety against some grace and not against all it were somewhat excusable or if there were onely a contrariety in some parts not in all it were somewhat tolerable but when this contrariety is universal in every respect how intolerable is this though thou art a godly man not only the wicked but even thou who art a godly man all thy body and all thy soul is defiled it is true there is grace in every part of thy soul so there is sinne too There is ignorance in thy understanding forgetfulnesse in thy memory stubbornnesse in thy will disorder in thy affections hardnesse in thy heart searednesse in thy conscience now it is true though every faculty be infected yet also is every part regenerated too in those that are godly Corruption it is in the soule as the soul is in the body the whole soul is in the whole body and the whole soul is in every part of the body just so it is with original corruption it is whole in every man and it is whole in every part of a man One hath this note that corrupt nature it is more in the soule then the soule is in the body for though the whole soule be in the whole body and every part of it yet it is not in that
manner in every part of the body as it is in the whole body it is more eminently in the whole then in part but corrupt nature it is more in man then the soule is in the body for though the soule be in the body yet it is but in the members of the body for particular uses it is in the eye to see not to work and in the hand to work and not to see it is in the ear to hear and not to go and in the foot to walk and not to hear but sinne is in the soul not for particular acts but it is in every man and in every part of man provoking and enticing to all kinde of evil this the universality of that corruption found in mans nature for which we have great cause to be humbled Sermon XIX At Lawrence Jewry London Januar. 19. 1650. GAL. 5. verse 17. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit and the Spirit against the flesh and these are contrary the one to the other so that ye cannot do the things that ye would HAving opened the enmity and contrariety that is between the flesh and the Spirit I come now to answer two cases of conscience relating to this Doctrine and the first is this 1. If the flesh doth carry such a contrariety to grace what are the reasons why God is pleased to leave such contrary principles in the hearts of regenerate men 2. If there be such a contrariety which can never be reconciled then to what end is it for a man to oppose the flesh Quest 1 What are the reasons why even in regenerate men God suffers such a contrariety against grace Answ 1 I shall answer the question by these four particulars 1. God doth it for the clearer illustration of his mercy God would have shewed his goodnesse if man had never fallen but being fallen Rom. 5.21 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 God shewes his mercy to him The end of our redemption is that Gods grace and mercy might reign And herein you may see a manifest signal thereof that God should work grace in thee when thou hadst such a contrariety in thy heart against it this is great mercy though thou hast a contrary principle in thy nature to grace yet converting grace will overcome and though it do not remove yet it will subdue corruption and grace though it be opposed yet it shall never be expelled grace shall be conquerer at last though it be alwayes fighting whilest we are in this life 2. God is pleased to leave such a contrariety against grace even in the hearts of regenerate men that they might put a higher estimation on Jesus Christ If you had not had a contrary principle to grace you would onely have admired God as a Creator but now having a principle of sinne within you you come to see the need you stand in of a Mediator Adam in innocency needed not a Saviour but now thou being fallen by sin and having a principle of enmity in thy nature nothing but the power of a Saviour can take away this enmity by the work of sanctification and nothing but a Saviour can free thee from the guilt of this enmity even Jesus Christ as the Apostle speaks Rom. 7.24,25 I thank God through Jesus Christ that hath delivered me from this body of death it is he by whom thou art delivered from this guilt and enmity 3. The Lord leaves this corruption of nature in the hearts of his people to stirre up in them a greater and deeper measure of humiliation Humiliation it had not been a duty in us if the Lord had not left the remainers of original corruption in the hearts of his chosen indeed thou shouldest have delighted in God to all eternity but thou shouldest not have had this ground of humiliation if sinne had been totally extirpated This was Pauls case 2 Cor. 12.7 an eminent Apostle There was given him a thorn in the flesh a messenger of Satan to buffet him lest he should be exalted above measure There are foure interpretations given of these words some referre this thorn in the flesh to be meant of Hymeneus and Alexander which did vex Paul so but this is groundlesse Others referre it to some exquisite bodily disease but that can harldy be proved 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Cypr. Others referre it to the particular sinne of lust of uncleannesse but that cannot be admitted because Paul had the gift of continency and wished that all men were as himself as to that particular But here by the thorne in the flesh the most inquisitive and exquisite Interpreters understand it to be the sin of nature and it is called a messenger of Satan because the devil doth joyn with mans nature and doth set on the corruption of mans heart Now why was this thorn in the flesh left in Paul was it not to humble him lest he should be exalted above measure Deut. 8.15,16 Thus the Lord left the fiery scorpions in the wildernesse to humble the Israelites and the Lord leaves corruption in thy nature to humble thee that thou mightest not be puffed up in thy selfe but that when thou perceivest the corrupt workings of thy nature thou mayest be the more vile and base in thine own eyes 4. The Lord leaves this corrupt nature in thee for the exercise of thy grace Grace is never more exercised then when it is opposed hereby God will try the truth of thy grace and the honesty of thy heart whether thou wilt fall in with the Spirit and side with it against the flesh Thus the Lord left the Canaanites in the land to try whether the Israelites would joyn with them there is a contrary principle to grace left in us to try whether we will joyn with the flesh or follow the motions and dictates of the Lords Spirit Quest 2 The next Question is To what purpose is it for a man to contest with the corruption of his heart seeing that we shall carry this corruption to our grave we have heard that contraries can never be reconciled therefore to what end is it to strive against corruption when there will be no end of the combate I shall name three reasons that though it be true you cannot remove the contrariety that is in your hearts against grace yet there is just reason why you should maintain a contest against it 1. If you will not oppose corruption of nature it will break forth with greater rage and violence in your lives thou hast now an unclean nature but if thou dost not oppose it thou wilt have a vicious life let but thy nature alone and it will be like a field unmanured over-runne with briars and thornes Out of the heart proceed evill thoughts murders adulteries fornication thefts false witnesse blasphemies Matth. 15.19 if we stifle not evil thoughts in the heart they will break out you see into evill and inordinate practices of life so that herein though you cannot remove original
of my corrupt nature whilest I was a Pharisee I did not then see nor know my selfe to be so vile and sinful as now I do and so when light breaks into the soul those sins appeared which lay hid and those which seemed but as motes now appeare beames and those which seemed as little as gnats now appeare as bigge as Camels 2. It may proceed from a more gracious and tender sincerity in thy conscience then there was in times past In former time thy conscience was hard seared and senselesse fighting against the sense of sinne but now God hath melted and mollified it God hath made thy conscience to be not as seared but as raw flesh godly men may complain of corruption and think they have more then ever they had but it is because they are more tender and more sensible When a man hath hurt his finger he thinks he doth never so much touch it as then and this ariseth from the tendernesse of the part so God having made thy heart a broken and a soft heart therefore the corruption of thy heart is more felt then before Prov. 7 2◠Sin to a wicked man is as a blow on the back but sin to a godly man is as a blow upon the eye 3. Consider this though you discern the corruptions of your nature and see more of it then ever you saw before yet be confidently assured of this that thou shalt have the final victory To this purpose I may accommodate that passage concerning Rebecca who having conceived the children strugled together within her and she said Lord Why am I thus And the Lord said unto her Two Nations are in thy womb that is the rise of two Nations Gen. 25.22,23 Esau and Jacob two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels and the one people shall be stronger then the ether and the elder shall serve the younger Whence mark 1. It is said There was two manner of people in her womb and these separated Thus is Sin and Grace 2. The one is said to be stronger then the other that is the posterity of Esau they shall be stronger fot a while then the Israelites Numb 22.18 for they did defeat them once but now what is the comfort Why The elder shall serve the younger and so it came to passe that the Edomites did serve the Israelites 2 Sam. 8.14 1 Kings 22 47. Obad. 8.17,18 Thus I may say as of Esau and Jacob Corruption of nature is stronger then Grace in many good men and it is elder then grace but here is your comfort The elder shall serve the younger Grace shall get the final victory Direction 3 I inferre hence that though you are not to be discouraged considering this corruption yet you are greatly to be humbled in the sense of this contrariety that is in your natures against grace If you had onely a disability as to grace it were matter of humiliation for you if you had onely an opposition against grace that would be cause of more humiliation but having an utter contrariety against grace here is greater cause for you to be humbled A carnal minde is not onely an enemy to God but enmity it selfe What the Spirit perswades to that the flesh disswades from Rom. 8.7 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and what the Spirit wills that the flesh wills and therefore you have great cause of humiliation 4. Learn to reduce all actual sins that have broke out in your lives to their original that is to this contrariety of nature Thou dost not sin because the devill tempts thee nor because thou art in bad company but because thou hast a corrupt nature It is a saying of a learned Divine that a Christian hath many enemies to fight withall but he hath onely one which overcomes grace and that is the flesh Were it not for corruption within all temptations would be no other to thee then they were unto Christ the Tempter came to him but he found nothing in him his temptations were but as a spark of fire cast into the sea but the devil comes to thee and the world comes to thee and they find fit matter in thee a suitablenes in thy nature to fall into and close with the temptation and therefore reduce actual sin to its original thus Paul did It is no more I that sins sayes he but who doth he blame Rom 7.20 not the devil nor the world but sin that dwelleth in me that is an evill and corrupt nature it is my corrrupt nature which drawes me to evill and hinders me from good and if you would thus reduce your sinne to its original what cause of sorrow and debasement would it give unto you It is said of David that the devil moved him to number the people but he doth not charge it upon the devil 1 Chr. 21.1 2 Sam. 24.10 but upon himself and sayes he I have sinned and I have done foolishly we are all transgressours from the womb Complain not of the evill that is in thy life but charge it upon thy corrupt nature and thus also David in another place Isai 48.8 he duces those two great evils of murther and adultery to the corruption of his nature and sayes he I was shapen in iniquity and in sin did my mother conceive me And thus Augustine in his Confessions Psal 51.5 when he confesseth how he robbed an Orchard he saith neither hunger nor want of the fruit he stole for he had better at home but it was meerly to gratifie corrupt nature 5. If there be contrariety in thy nature against grace oh then do not joyn in with this contrariety against the Spirit wouldst thou joyn with an enemy this contrariety why is it in thee is it not to damne and destroy thy soule 1 Pet. 2.11 therefore sayes the Apostle Abstain from fleshly lusts because they warre against the soule the flesh strives to damne you but the Spirit strives to save you therefore do not take part with thy enemy Yet how many men are there that joyn with the corrupt motions of their hearts when they prompt them to evill and how unreasonable is this the Apostle tells us that We are not debtors to the flesh to live after the flesh Rom. 8.12 as if he should say You owe nothing to corrupt nature and why will you yield thereunto It is honesty in every man to pay his debts But you owe nothing to corrupt nature but you are Debtors to the Spirit and if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body ye shall live Therefore indulge not the flesh or as the same Apostle speakes Make no provision for the flesh Rom. 13.14 If an enemy come into your houses will you victual his camp will you send in Armes to an enemy to destroy you this is that which men do when they joyn with the flesh against the Spirit By how much any man makes provision for the flesh by
of God but what doth he blame Rom. 7.25 not the devill or the world but it is sin which dwelleth in me And in the 25. verse he sayes With my minde I serve the law of God but with the flesh the law of sin It is the flesh which carries the force of a law whereby we sin in the service of God and therefore oh man do not blame the devill or the world but thy own heart 3. Another Position is this that the corruption of the flesh interrupting of us in duty it is manifest and violent both in secret as also in publick duties thy heart will be violent against thee when thou art alone between God and thy own soul as also when thou art in publick your own experience will contribute to the truth of this What roving mindes and what distracted thoughts are you haunted with in your secret retirements Yea also in publick duties how hard is it to bound the thoughts and to compose the minde to lay a restraint upon devotion 4. That a mans heart and corrupt nature is more apt to interrupt him in extraordinary duties then in common and ordinary duties A man therefore shall be more haunted with evill thoughts upon a solemn fast-day then upon an ordinary day did you ever set your selves upon the solemn duties of examination and meditation if you did you have found your hearts have more troubled you in those duties then in reading hearing and praying and the reason is this because those duties that are more solemn are most conducible to a Christians growth in grace and therefore in those duties nature will be most indefatigable to disturbe and interrupt you and the devill will not fail to set thy heart at work to disturb thee in those duties whereby his Kingdome is battered and assaulted 5. That the lesse men do prepare their hearts for duty the more they shall be disturbed by corrupt nature in duty Greonham in his observations takes notice of this What is the reason that Christians can never pray without distractions nor hear without wandring thoughts Oh man sayes he take my experience didst thou prepare more for duty thou wouldest be lesse distracted in duty Physick doth the body little good if it be taken on a full stomack and if the body be not prepared so it is with duties and Ordinances they will do thee little good unlesse thou doest first prepare thy selfe for them Posit 6 6. That the flesh interrupts us more in those duties which others perform then in those which we perform our selves A Preacher when he is preaching a Sermon he hath lesse wandring thoughts in preaching then he himself would have if he were a hearer and why but because at such a time his minde is busied in thinking of the matter he hath to deliver to his Auditors And so for any of you suppose you were praying in a company you would be lesse apt to be distracted in that duty because popular applause a respect to the company among whom you pray they binde your thoughts that they runne not astray lest you should be confused in the duty whereas if you did joyn in duty then you would be more carelesse and distracted and therefore you whose lot it is never to preach or pray in publick do you look to your own hearts for the flesh is more apt to interrupt you in those duties wherein you joyn with others thâ—n in those which you your selfe perform Posit 7 7. That in the corruption of the flesh in duties it may be more violent after a long standing in Religion then it did appear to be upon your first conversion At a mans first conversion happily he could pray and not be distracted but have his love his joy and his delight and all his soul taken up with the service but in processe of time and after some continuance in the wayes of Religion he may begin to grow flat and formal perfunctory accustomary in all his performances and this was that which Augustine observed Many at first conversion they will pray with much feeling and fervency but afterwards with coldnesse and deadnesse losing that vigour and warmth of affection which they found in themselves at first conversion Posit 8 8. That there is not a duty in all your life-time which you perform unto God but there is some evill tincture of the flesh cleaves to it though the duty is good in it self yet there is some evill in it as it comes from thee Prayer is good and hearing is good but these duties as they passe through the vessel of thy defiled soul they become defiled inso much that God might justly charge even upon regenerate men the sins of their holy duties When I would do good Rom. 7.15 sayes Paul evill is present with me It is true the natural motions of the flesh may be pared off but still there is a sinful tincture which cleaves to thy duties It is observable that the ceremonial law which you read of in the 28. of Exod. v. 38. Exod. 28.38 where you read that Aaron was to have a plate of pure gold upon his fore-head when he went into the holy of holiest that he mighe bear the iniquity of the holy things of the children of Israel And this notes sayes a Divine that Jesus Christ our fore-runner he is gone into the holy of holiest and he by his intercession and sitting at the right hand of his Father weares that plate of pure gold upon his fore-head and there beares not onely the iniquity of our lives but the inquity of our holy things and if this were not so and did there not a viciousnesse cleave unto all our holy duties then we might commend some duties to God without the mediation of Jesus Christ but because there is no duty can be done without a tincture of evill cleaving to it therefore you cannot stand before God in the best prayer that ever you made nor in the best service that ever you performed We have need of a Christ a Mediatour not only for our sins but also for our duties Posit 9 9. That it is the most difficult thing in the world to keep the minde so close to duty that the flesh shall not interrupt you in its performance As Eliphaz reasoned with Job Job 15.12,13 so may every man with his own heart Why doth thine heart carry thee away and what doth thine eyes winke at that thou turnest thy spirit against God and lettest such words go out of thy mouth Thus may every man reason with his own soule and say Why doth my heart carry me away when my spirit would keep close to God Augustine hath an excellent note upon 2 Sam. 7.27 2 Sam. 7.27 Dixit se invenisse cor suum quasi soleret fugere ille sequi quasi fugitivum August Nihil est corde meo fugacius Bernard Posit 10. upon Davids words I have found in my heart to make a prayer unto thee as if David
Prophet speaks concerning Ephraim and sayes he Ephraim is a beifer that is taught and loveth to tread out the corne Ephraim loved duties Chap. 10. v. 11. but such which would bring in profit and advantage The flesh in duty never looks for spiritual benefit nor labours in duty and communion with Christ to get mortification for corruption and excitation of holy affections with a furtherance in a way of grace and holy experience 3. The flesh will put men upon duty rather to pacify then purify conscience just as a thief will give meat to a dog but it is to still the dogs barking that those which are in the house may not be awakened Just thus will men do with their consciences they will perform duty because their consciences are like barking dogs checking and accusing them and therefore they will perform duty that they may still the noyse of conscience Jonah 1.5 which otherwise will flie in their faces as the mariners in Jonah prayed but it was onely because danger of death awakened their natural conciences 4. The flesh will put men upon duty rather out of a fear of the threatenings for neglect of duty then out of love to the command which injoynes duty The flesh never cares for the commands of God all it feares is the terrifying threatenings of Gods law Were the Scripture all promises and precepts a wicked man would be idle and yet presume but because there are threatenings mixt with these therefore wicked men set upon duty Prov. 13.13 For nidine poenae and holy exercises It is said of a righteous man that he feares the command but a wicked man never feares the precept he may fear the threatening and the punishment but a godly man dares not neglect duty because of the command of God 5. The flesh will put upon the performance of duty rather out of the hope of the eternal reward of duty Mercedis amor vel amor mercenarius then out of any inward and spiritual excellency that the soule sees in them Now though God may allow us a love of the reward yet he doth not allow of a mercenary love 6. Corrupt nature will put men upon duty to remove outward judgements rather then inward judgements judgements upon the body rather then those on the soule Thus the Heathen mariners cried unto their gods when they were in a tempest and like to lose their lives Jonah 1.5 that they might have the storm abated and get safe to land every man falls to prayer now this is but a servile fleshly end of duty for a man to be put upon it rather to avoid bodily then soul-judgements and thus it was with the Egyptians when the Lord slew their first-born then it is said Exod. 12.32,33 that Pharaoh and the Egyptians cried unto the Israelites Rise up and be gone you and your flocks and your heards and go and serve the Lord your God and they were urgent with them for they said We are all dead men Pharaoh would not let them go before but when their going out would conduce to their safety then he bids them be gone this is the nature of all men naturally to set on duty rather to avoid bodily afflictions then inward judgements To this purpose the Prophet Jeremiah speaks Jer. 22.23 O inhabitant of Lebanon that makest thy nest in the Cedars how gracious shalt thou be when pangs come upon thee the pain as of a woman in travel Outward not inward judgements put wicked men upon the performance of duty 7. The flesh will put men upon performance of duty that they may sinne with more freedome and lesse suspition This the Apostle was driven to vindicate himselfe from 1 Thes 2.3,5 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Prov. 7.14 that he did not preach the Gospel to be a cloake unto sin This is natural to men as the Harlot would cover over her wickednesse with her peace-offerings so many wicked men they will cover over theâ—r sin with the garb of godliness thus our Saviour condemns the Scribes and Pharisees Mat. 23.14 who devoured widows houses for a pretence made long prayers They did not offend in the thing nor in the manner of their prayers for long prayer is not a sin but in the end of their prayers they made long prayers that they might devour widows houses they took upon them the profession of Religion that they might be esteemed just and righteous people and fit to be intrusted and so they might get widowes estates and widowes money into their hands and thereby deceive them for this I conceive is the particular scope of that place And thus I have finished the doctrinal part of this point The Use I shall make of this point shall be First by way of Instruction Secondly by way of Comfort And first there are seven practical inferences that I shall draw from this general head by way of Information of the flesh its hindering of regenerate men in doing duty 1. From hence see the great misery of unregenerate men if the flesh disables the godly in doing duty that have grace how doth the flesh disable wicked men that have no grace at all Eph. 2.1 men that remain in a natural estate they are in a dead condition Rom. 5.6 and dead men they cannot act men in a natural estate they have no strength as the Apostle speaks he compares a man unto one that is fallen into mud and dirt that hath no power to help himselfe Homo lapsus super acervum lapidum in luto Beruard 1 Cor. 15.43 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or a metaphor taken from a dead corps which is utterly unable to help it selfe or move it selfe and therefore the Apostles word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a body dead weak i.e. helplesse The Scripture sets out a natural man four wayes 1. As one that hath lost his strength thou canst not do any good action The imagination of mans heart is evill and onely evill and that continually mans heart it is evill Gen 6.5 there is no good in it and it is evill that is it is all evill and then it is evill that is it is aiwayes and that continually evill this is mans natural estate The carnall minde it is not subject to the Law of God neither indeed can be Rom. 8.7 there is the feeblenesse of mans nature 2. Thou art without strength to have any good motion not onely to have good actions but good thoughts and this the Apostle Paul asserts but good thoughts and 2 Cor. 3.5 We are not sufficient of our selves to think any thing as of our selves but our sufficiency is of God 3. A natural man is not able to speak one good word he can neither do good nor think good nor speak good Christ reproving the Pharisees sayes unto them Mat. 12.34 O generation of vipers how can ye being evill speak good for out of the abundance of the heart
intentions and these the Law of God will judge 5. Judge not thy self to be righteous and gracious by bare restraints from sin in particular actions but if you would judge your selves judge by the ordinary course of your lives It is possible that in a particular act a good man may not be kept from that sin from which a wicked man may and it is possible that a wicked man may do that good which a godly man may not be able to do Now you are not to judge of your selves by particular acts but by the constant course of your lives for if you should do otherwise you would condemn the generation of the just I shall give an example by comparing together good King David and wicked King Abimelech they were both tempted to the same sin and should you have guessed at these two men by their particular restraints you would have taken Abimelech for the good King and David for the bad King Abimelech in his restraint was far better then David it is said of Abimelech that he took Sarah he did not know that she was Abrahams wife but David did know that Bathsheba was the wife of Vriah and then further Abimelech the Heathen King though he had Sarah in the house yet the Scripture tells you he did not defile her but David took Bathsheba into his house and was actually unclean with her Now should you look upon these two men in this particular case you would judge Abimelech to be the gracious King and David the Heathen King But now if you look upon David in the ordinary course of his life he was far better then Abimelech you are not therefore to passe a verdict upon any man that he is good or bad by any particular act that as it is a rule in Philosophy that one act doth not denominate so when you go to judge of men you must not look upon a particular act but upon the general scope and current of their lives Prov. 16.17 The high way of the righteous is to depart from evil Vse 2 The second Use is of Instruction and first to regenerate men who have the renewing work of the Spirit There are these three Instructions I would have you to learne 1. Blesse God that ever you have been crossed in the doing of those sins which you would have committed How near the brink of many a sin hath many a godly man been at when an occasion and an inclination hath met together but God hath put in a restraint O blesse God it is the greatest mercy next converting grace It was the prayer of Jabez O that thou wouldest blesse me indeed and O that thou wouldest keep me from evil let it be thy prayer also Sometimes men are angry when they are kept from an intended sin and this is just as if a man going to execution should be angry with a man for stopping him in his way Alas poor man thou art going to the execution of thy sin if any stop thee 't is the saving of thy soul at least the saving of thy peace therefore blesse God How did David blesse God when he intended to have cut off Nabal and all his family when Abigail came with smooth words and prevented him O then sayes he Blessed be God and blessed be thou and blessed be the Counsel thou hast given me 1 â—am 25.32 so it may be thou hast determined the Commission of a sin with all circumstances which may further thee in the execution of it and hath God stopped thee in thy way what great cause hast thou to magnifie him 2. From hence gathet what cause the people of God have to suspect their own hearts lest they should carry them to such evils which they think they should never have committed Suppose the Spirit should be suspended that it should not restrain thee what evil wouldest thou not commit There are Scripture-instances of godly men who have fallen into those sins that themselves never thought they should commit and such sins which were repugnant to those graces wherein they were most excellent Abraham he was the eminentest man alive in his age for faith Gal. 3.9 Abrahamus paâ—er fidelium non efficienter sed exemplariter and therefore was called the father of the faithful now would any man think that Abraham should fall into unbelief why yes he did for being distrustful of Gods Providence he told two lies one to Pharaoh King of Egypt Gen. 12.13 and the other to Abimelech King of Gerar. Likewise Moses the Scripture tell of him that he was the meekest man upon earth Psal 106.33 and yet he spake unadvisedly with his lips he fell into passion which was that sin which was contrary to that grace wherein he was most excellent And so also Iob Jam. 5.11 whom the Scripture tells you was the most patient man on earth and of all sins Iob was most hurried to impatiency Job 3. insomuch that he bitterly curseth the day of his birth and the night in which it is said A man-childe is conceived I name these examples to you to let you see what cause you have to blesse God for the sin you have been prevented from and what cause you have to suspect your hearts if the Spirit of God withdraw from you And so Moses he was noted to be the meekest man on earth Numb 12.3 And yet even this meek Moses is transported with passion and he speaks unadvisedly with his mouth 3. Pray unto God for the Spirit to do its office in thy soul Psal 106.33 that the Spirit may keep thee from doing the evil thou wouldest We read of David Psal 19.13 that he made this prayer Lord keep thy servant also from presumptuous sins Thou hast need to pray that the Spirit may check and curb thy corruptions when thou art tempted to sin because there is no man though never so good that can stand by his own strength though never so great and thereby avoid an evil when he is tempted to it though never so foule O therefore pray for preventing grace that God would keep thee by his Spirit that so thou mightest not do the works of the flesh And therefore Christ hath taught us to pray Lord deliver us from evil Mat. 6.13 viz. from that evil which we cannot of our selves avoid Secondly as this point refers to the unregenerate who have only restraining grace to hinder them from sin Let even such consider what cause they have to blesse God for this mercy though they shall go to hell yet they have cause to blesse God for restraining grace on earth for though it will not make you good yet it will and doth make you lesse evil and though it cannot make you spiritual yet it will make you good moral men By restraining grace a man may have this good 1. He may not commit so many and great sins 2. He may not incur so great punishment 3. He will bring the lesse scandal
you there is a clashing between Gods will and yours as if God did not so well know how to deal with you as you do with your selves else you would quietly submit to his will 3. Another evill cause from whence this immoderate sorrow ariseth is ignorance both of the vanity of temporall things and the reality of spirituall things we discover thereby that we think temporall things to have more worth in them then indeed they have and spirituall things lesse But 2dly As it proceeds from evill causes so it produceth evill effects there are these five evill effects that immoderate sorrow produceth as 1. It prejudiceth your naturall health 2 Cor. 7.10 godly sorrow worketh repentance never to be repented of but worldly sorrow causeth death And Solomon tells us a sorrowfull spirit drieth up the bones Prov. 17.22 so saies David in Psal 31.10 my life is spent with grief and my years with sighing my bones are consumed 2. It is a blemish to Religion for a Christian to be excessive in his sorrows for the joy of the Lord should be his strength A godly Christian hath alwayes cause of joy unspeakable and full of glory therefore it is a blemish to Christianity to see a godly man overpressed with worldly sorrow it is an aspersion upon Religion for a godly man to hang down his head for the losse of any outward things as if he had no greater concernments to look after no joy nor comfort nor happiness to look after but here in this life 3. It exceedingly indisposeth the heart to holy and spirituall duties it hinders and interrupts you in hearing the word and prayer Exod. 6.9 They hearkened not unto Moses for anguish of spirit and cruel bondage c. Psal 77.4 I am so troubled that I cannot speak 4. Excessive sorrow imbitters those sweet and comfortable mercies you do injoy a thousand mercies are buried under the excessive sorrow for one affliction as in Gen. 37.35 the place before quoted Jacob did so extreamly mourn for Joseph his youngest Sonne which he supposed to be dead that though he had eleven Sonnes and many Daughters and all of them came to comfort him yet he could take no comfort in any of them but resolved that his gray hairs should go down to the grave in mourning for him this one excessive sorrow for Joseph did imbitter many mercies and comforts which he did injoy So Esther 5.13 though Haman was admitted to the greatest intimacy familiarity with the King yet all this availed him nothing so long as he saw Mordecai sitting at the Kings Gate in this regard many men discover a temper much like the Hedg-hog which as naturalists tell us hath this property it will gather a great many apples or such like fruit upon his bristles and then go to a Hedge and eat them but it is so mournfull a Creature that if it chance but to let fall one of his apples by the way it will so vex and trouble him that he will throw down all the rest So many men if they meet but with one cross or affliction it will make them throw away all the other mercies they enjoy and take no comfort in any of them 5. Excessive sorrow for worldly crosses provokes God many times to send heavier and greater afflictions then ever yet you suffered As I told you before a stubborn Child that blubbers and cries and murmurs under the Fathers corrections will fare the worse and have the more blowes for it so the more we repine and immoderately grieve for any worldly afflictions the more crosses and troubles we are like to have And thus I have done with the second question why Christians should take heed of immoderacie and excessiveness in worldly sorrows We come now to lay down some considerations whereby to allay your sorrows but I must leave that till the afternoon I shall onely for the present make a short application of what hath been said and so have done Vse Vse Is it so that Christians should not be excessive in worldly sorrows but weep as if they wept not then this reproves those that can mourn for every crosse that befalls them but yet cannot shed a teare for any sin they commit Many men complain of small inconsiderable troubles and affliction but yet never complain of their sins and corruptions these never trouble them nor come near their hearts they can mourn for that which can but at most prejudice the body and yet never grieve for that which can prejudice and destroy their soules 2. I beseech you beloved take heed of being lavish of your teares for worldly crosses or afflictions it is pitty to wash a foul Room with sweet water I must needs tell you teares are too pretious to shâ—d for every trifle it were a great deal better you would keep this pretious water to wash away your sins for though it is Christs blood alone that can wash away the guilt of sin yet your teares may much conduce to wash away the filth and power of sin When you mourn for worldly crosses then weep as if you wept not but when you mourn for sin mourn as much as you can Be like yee before the Sun that will soon melt and convert into water you that are the Children of God know that you have greater things and of higher concernment to bestow your teares upon then any outward troubles you have daily failings and many sins and corruptions unmortified and unsubdued and the losse of the light of Gods countenance to mourn for your sorrows never run aright but when they run in this Channel when your tears run into the Mill-pond to grind your lusts and corruptions to consume and weaken them then are your sorrows right and regular Lastly Let me intreat and advise you not to mistake in reference to your sorrows to think you do mourn and grieve for sin when it is only for outward afflictions Many men when their Neighbours aske them why they are so sad and mournfull and weep so much will be ready to say it is for their sins and failings and corruptions that are too strong for them or the like when indeed it is only for some crosse or outward trouble they have met with therefore do not mistake that sorrow to be for your sins which is onely or especially for some outward affliction you have met with SERMON 2. WEe come now to the third Question which I shall spend this whole Aftemoon upon and that is this to lay down to you 12 considerations whereby to allay and keep under immoderateness and excessive sorrow for any worldly crosses or afflictions and how to keep our selves in the frame and temper of spirit which the Apostle here enjoyns us namely to weep as if we wept not I told you in the morning God would not have us stupid and insensible of his hand in any affliction but yet as we should not be stoicall so neither must we be excessive in our sorrows I have
is inordinate that man is not fit to receive any instruction from any friend that goes about to comfort him Thus Asaph in Psal 27.2 when he was overwhelmed with sorrow his soul refused to be comforted they are then like Rachel that would not be comforted Matth. 2.18 In Rama was there a voice heard lamentation and weeping and great mourning Rachel weeping for her Children and would not be comforted because they were not The women of Bethlehem did weep and mourn and would not be comforted which did evidence their sorrow to be immoderate When no promise in the Bible no comfort nor support from the word will ease and quiet the heart this shews that such a spirit is too much overcome with sorrow vexation and grief for worldly crosses And thus I have done with the first caution to take heed when you are over much grieved for worldly afflictions that you do not then say it is only a naturall sensibleness of the hand of God upon you and no more Caution 2 2. Is it so that we must not be immoderate in our sorrows for worldly crosses but must weep as if we wept not then take heed ye do not judge that to be a mourning for sin which is only for outward troubles And beloved the reason why I give you this caution is because of that aptness and propensity there is in people when they have lost Husband or Wife or Children or Estate c. and are extreamly troubled and dejected If you aske them why they mourn and grieve so much they will answer it is for their sins and will say what will you not give me leave to mourn for my sins it is my sin that is the cause of all my grief and sorrow and teares and I hope you will allow me to do so yes mourn for your sins in Gods name Case 2 but because men are apt to deceive themselves in this particular I shall therefore handle another case of conscience concerning this How you may discerne when a man doth excessively sorrow whether he doth weep rather for his afflictions then for his sin rather for his troubles and worldly crosses then for his corruptions and offending and sinning against God I shall give you 4 plain discoveries of such a man 1. Then a man doth grieve under worldly crosses Discoveâ—ies of men that mourn rather for sin then for affliction rather for his sin then for his afflictions if so be that man did grieve and mourn for his sins before ever he was afflicted It is an Argument that your grief is rather for sin then for affliction if when you were in prosperity sin did break your heart and you could then have no rest nor quietness within you by reason of your sins and thus David did mourn for his sins when he did water his couch with his teares for defiling of Bathshebah for he had then no affliction or crosse lay upon him and yet David did roar in the disquietness of his soul and he had no rest in his bones by reason of his sin When David sate upon the Throne in worldly glory and prosperity yet then could he lie in the dust in spirituall shame and this before the Child was sick And therefore if upon examination you finde that you did weep and mourn for your sins and corruptions before ever you had this or any other crosse lying upon you then you may conclude that your sorrow is more for sin then for worldly afflictions but now when a man shall pretend to grieve for sin and yet that mans sins never troubled him all his lifetime before his corruptions never grieved his heart nor troubled his conscience before this showes it is more for afflictions then for his sin that such a man mourns and weeps Discov 2 2. Then a man mourns rather for sin then for affliction when he takes more care to remove his sins from his soul then his afflictions from his body VVhen thou canst make it the great request of thy soul and the care of thy heart rather to have thy sins removed then thy afflictions Hosea 14.2 Oh Lord take away all iniquity and receive us graciously they did not say Oh Lord take away affliction although they had many then upon them but say they Lord take away the iniquity of thy Servants and receive us graciously but he that desires rather to have his troubles removed then his sins it is a sign he does not mourn for sin but for affliction Thus Pharaoh when the Judgements of God were upon him when the Thunder and Hail came and the froggs and lice Exo. 9.28 and murrain of Beasts c. saies he to Moses intreat the Lord that there be no more mighty Thunderings and Hail he desired Moses to pray to God to remove the plagues from him but never desired that his sin and the hardness of his heart might be taken avvay You that can cry out oh Lord take avvay this crosse or this affliction from me but never pray to have your sins removed and your corruptions subdued this is an Argument you mourn for affliction more then for sin 3. If vvhen the committing of a sin and the removing of an affliction stand in competition together you would rather have the affliction continued then commit a sin this shevvs you grieve for sin rather then for affliction As for instance vvhen a man is brought to a lovv condition and a great decay in the vvorld his Trade fails and his stock is spent if that man be more troubled for his sin that brought him into that condition then for the affliction it self then he vvill not commit a sin to repair and make up his losses though he did knovv that the committing of such a sin vvould do it and so in any other case as I have read a story of a Noble man whose Sonne and Heire was supposed to have been bewitched and being advised by some to go to a Witch to have his Sonne helped and unbewitched again he answered no by no means for he had rather the Witch should have his Sonne then the Devill But if you make no conscience to commit a sin to avoid or remove an affliction if you will break the hedge of a command to avoid a little foul way of affliction it is a sign that you mourn for your crosses and afflictions more then for your sins and that you never grieved so much for your corruptions as you have done for your corrections Job 36.21 so those that in their distress go to VVitches and VVizzards and Fortune-tellers as Saul did to the vvitch at Endor shew that they grieve more for affliction then for sin 4. If you mourn for sin the true joy that ariseth from the forgiveness of sin will swallow up the grief that comes to thee through any worldly crosse or affliction and will likewise make thee to undergoe them with patience That man grieves for sin most who when his sin is pardoned grieves
least for outward trouble when the comfort of his sins forgiveness doth more rejoyce him then the continuance of any affliction upon him can grieve him as in the 33 of Esay and the last The Inhabitants shall not say I am sick for the people that dwell therein shall be forgiven their iniquity those people they were like a Ship in a great tempest their Mast broken and their sails loosed all their tackling lost and gone why what then yet the Inhabitants shall not say I am sick because the Lord hath forgiven them their sin he doth not say they shall not say they were sick but they shal not say they are sick because their sins are pardoned the sense of their pardon should take away the sense of their pains under their present sufferings now when it is thus with you it is an argumēt that your trouble was more for sin then for affliction But then is a man more troubled for his afflictions then for his sins when he will grieve though he be assured that his sins are pardoned and that he is an heir apparent unto glory All the perswasions he hath of sins forgiveness doth no whit allay his impatience And thus I have done with this second caution that you take heed you do not look upon that as a mourning for sin that is onely for some outward trouble and affliction Before I come to the third caution give me leave to lay all close to your hearts by a word or two of application and the use that I shall make of what hath been said in these two Queries shall be first for reproof Use of Reproofe and then for exhortation 1. For reproof to those that are so far from weeping as if they wept not for afflictions that they weep so excessively as if their whole bodies were made of a lump of Ice that does all dissolve into tears when the Sun of affliction does scorch them How many men are there that are easily drawn to sorrow immoderately for worldly crosses VVe use to say when a man weeps that he waters his plants and you know that when you water your plants in your Garden too much you drown and kill them and so when you weep over much for afflictions you drown your plants and discompose your spirits and make them unfit for any spirituall imployment 2. This reproves those that when they come to mourn and weep for their sins and corruptions they are so sparing of their teares that then they weep as if they wept not a slight superficiall sigh or some tear extracted by violence is the greatest sorrow that many men have for sin when men are like a Cloud that will easily drop down teares for any outward affliction but like a Rock that cannot shed a drop for sin for dishonouring and displeasing of God Many people are like to Lewis the ◅th King of France that did alwayes carry a Crucifix in his hat and when he committed any grosse and abominable sin would take off his hat and bow to his Crucifix and aske forgiveness and then thought all was well presently Most men are apt to be slight and superficiall in their griefs for sin why now how do you invert the Apostles Order and direction here when you weep for sin as if you wept not and are excessive and immoderate in your worldly sorrows 2. Use of Counsel By way of counsel be perswaded to look upon your sins as greater matter of sorrow and grief then all the afflictions that ever befell you oh weep and weep again for them for your sins are worser and greater evills then all your outward troubles and the better to encourage you to this duty consider First That sin is the cause or inlet of all your afflictions had it not been for sin you had undergone no suffeirngs◠rather therefore mourn for the cause then for the afflictions themselves Secondly Afflictions are not so bad as sin in regard God is the Authour of all our afflictions but sin is such an evill that God disclaims that though there be no evill in the City but God doth it that is he is the Authour of the evill of afflictions yet he disclaims being the Authour of sin Thirdly Consider that all outward afflictions are consistent with grace but many sins are utterly incompatible and inconsistent with grace Let your afflictions be never so great yet you may be a godly man for all that you may be as poor as Job was or as miserable as Lazarus and endure any afflictions whatsoever and yet all this be consistent with grace but all sin is not consistent with grace as the sin against the Holy Ghost the sin of finall impenitency or finall obduracy and hardness of heart these are not consistent with grace and therefore you have more cause to mourn for sin then for afflictions and 4thly Consider that afflictions they reach but to the body but sin that reaches to the soul afflictions can make but the outward man miserable but sin will destroy and undo the soul and make that miserable and therefore be perswaded rather to weep for your sins and corruptions then for your sufferings and corrections SERM. V. Caution 3 WEe come now to the third caution and that is this Conc concerning mourning for sin is it so that we must weep as if we wept not then take this caution that Christians are not only to take heed that they weep moderately for worldly afflictions but they are also to take care that they be not excessive in their sorrows for their sins and corruptions But before I handle this case of Conscience give me leave to premise three conclusions Con. 1 1. That a man may weep overmuch for his sins This you have laid down in 2 Cor. 2.7 The Corinthians did fear that the excommunicated person would be swallowed up with over much sorrow for his sin saies the Apostle ye ought rather to forgive him and to comfort him lest perhaps such a one should be swallowed up with over much sorrow 2. Con. 2 Take this conclusion that there be but few in the world that do overmuch grieve sorrow for their sins where one offends in sorrowing too much thousands and ten thousands do offend in sorrowing too little there are but few that are immoderate in their sorrows for sin 3. Con. 3 Consider that none but disconsolate and doubting and despairing sinners do over-much grieve for their sins Obdurate sinners do not grieve at all and assured Christians they will not grieve too much only disconsolate and despairing sinners do sorrow over-much And here comes in the third case of conscience Case of conscience when Christians may be said to grieve too much for sinne how or in what case a man may weep and sorrow over-much for sin I shall resolve this case very briefly First That sorrow for sin is excessive that makes a Christian pore so much upon his corruptions that he over-looks his graces A Child grieves
miseries and afflictions of other men that want those comforts that you enjoy Judges 16.23.25 Sampson you know when he discovered wherein his great strength lay the Philistins cut off his hair and then his strength was gone and he became as another man and the Philistins took him and put out his eyes and bound him in fetters of brasse and made him grind in the prison-house they made him their drudge and their slave and the Lords of the Philistins gathered themselves together to offer sacrifice to Dagon and to rejoyce and when their hearts were merry they called for Sampson to make them sport their immoderate joy did make them insult over this poor blind man in misery Beloved then is your joy excessive when you make the afflictions of other men to be matter of your Joy 6. Your Joy is excessive when it is mingled with luxury and sensuality 2 Sam. 13.28 Luke 15.23,14 Hence it is that you read so often in Scripture of mens being merry with wine in 1 Sam. 25.36 and as an Authour observes the same word in the Hebrew that signifies to be merry signifies to be drunk in the 43. Gen. last when mirth proceeds so far as to drunkenness and sensuality Eâ—h 1.10 then it is excessive 7. When worldly joy breeds security and insensibleness of Gods judgements approaching any place then it is inordinate Thus Ethiopia was called the rejoycing City that dwelt securely Zeph 2.16 and hence it is that in Psal 2.11 fear is adjoyned to rejoycing serve the Lord with fear and rejoyce with trembling And hence it is that Absolom when he would by treachery shed the blood of Amnon gave this Counsel to his Servants When you see Amnon merry then fall upon him as knowing that when his heart was merry he would then be secure And so those in Amos 6.3.6 that chant to the sound of the Violl and drink wine in Bowles are said to be men that put far away the evill day and were secure in their pleasures and so these in Esay 22.12.13 In the day that the Lord called for weeping and mourning and baldness and to girding with Sackcloth behold joy and gladness slaying Oxen and killing sheep eating flesh and drinking wine let us eat and drink for to morrow we shall die they would not believe the prophet that foretold them the Judgements of God that were coming upon them but in scoffing and jearing manner said one to another let us eat and drink for to morrow we shall die And so again in Esay 56.12 Come ye say they I will fetch wine and we will fill our selves with strong drink and to morrow shall be as this day and much more abundant they feared not want nor alteration of their condition which security of theirs declared their joy to be excessive and inordinate 8. When men will run to worldly joyes and pleasures to still and stifle the troubles and terrours of their consciences When a man shall have a conviction upon his conscience which troubles and perplexes him for some grosse evill he hath committed in his life and shall then run to his recreations and pleasures or get amongst jolly Company to cast away and shake off these troubles that are upon him this shews his joy is immoderate And thus Saul did discover a joviall and sensuall spirit 1 Sam. 16.15 when an evill spirit from the Lord troubled him that is when he had some guilt and terrour lying upon his Conscience then he commanded his Servants to seek him out a man skilfull in Musick to play before him but he had been better to have gone to prayer upon his knees then to call for Musick and run to sensuall delights to remove his trouble And thus it was with those Idolaters that sacrificed their Children unto Moloch they had Instruments of Musick but what to do why first it was to drown the cries of their Children and secondly to provoke them to merriment and jollity that their Consciences might not trouble them for so cruel a murther as the sacrificing their Children Why now beloved you that can when a Sermon hath come home to you and toucht you to the quick and the word of God hath come with power and wrought effectually upon you to the discovering and convincing you of your sin If you then run to your recreations and pleasures to company-keeping and Stage-playes or the like to divert your thoughts from your sins and remove the terrour and trouble of your conscience This is a sign your joy is excessive and sinfull indeed this is the way rather to increase then to quiet the checks of conscience The Pellican to put out the fire flaps it with her wings and so instead of putting it out kindles it the more burns her self so do those that seek by worldly pleasure and jollity to stifle the checks of conscience And thus I have very briefly run over these 8. particulars to shew you wherein a mans worldly joy for outward comforts is excessive I have only now a second thing to run over and then give you a short use and so have done Query 2 2. What Rules and directions can you prescribe us to keep our worldly joy for outward comforts within bounds Answ Answ I shall give you 3. or 4. 1. Consider that you have better things to rejoyce in then any thing here below Directions for mode rating our joyes in worldly comforts thou hast better objects to transport thy soul with joy as thy reconciliation with God communion with Christ the comforts of the Holy Ghost assurance of the pardon of sin the justification of thy person by the merits of Christ the sanctification of thy nature by the spirit of Christ Thou hast thy election vocation redemption glorification thou hast all these objects to provoke thy Joy and to fasten thy delight upon Would any man rejoyce and delight himself in Counters if he might have so many peeces of Gold in the room of them or would any man delight or rejoyce so much in Pibbles if he might have as many Pearls for them or in a flint stone that hath a Diamond oh beloved you have things of more worth then any thing in this world to rejoyce in There is a great deal vaster difference between the things of Heaven the mercies of eternity and these outward comforts here below then there is between Brasse and Gold between Pibbles Pearls between the Sun and a Candle Therefore Consider I have a God and Christ Heaven and happiness pardon reconciliation sanctification Justification redemption and glorification I have all these to fix and place my Joy upon and therefore why should I rejoyce so much in the things of this world The Disciples of Christ thought themselves some body and were puffed up because they could cast out Devills and work miracles but saies Christ to them rejoyce not in that the Devills are subject to you but rejoyce that your names are written in Heaven Luke 10.20 the
in your bellies 3. Suppose you may keep an Estate all your life-time yet you will be a great loser by the bargain for all that for what though you have gotten and kept your Estate yet you will lose your own soul by it And saies our Saviour what will it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his own soul Hab. 2.10 Thou hast by thy unjust gains consulted shame to thy house and sinned against thy own soul and thus much for the fift Consideration 6. Consider that by dishonest gains thou dost run the hazard of the greatest losse in all the world to wit a precious and immortall soul In that place before quoted Hab. 2.10 wo be to that man that gets wealth by dishonesty and oppression he sinneth against his own soul James 5.3 wo be to you rich men your gold and silver is cankered and the rust of them shall be a witness against you at the last day Heb. 2.11 The stone shall crie out of the wall and the beam out of the timber in the house which you have gotten unjustly shall cry for vengeance against you another day A Lapide hath a notable Fable to this purpose comparing men that are unjust in their dealings to Spiders the righteous man to a Bee The Spider upbraded the Bee for going up and down oh said the Bee stolidissimum est pro vita vitam evomere provilissima re charissimam medullam fundere pro incerto certum expendere pro minimo magnum perdere And therefore consider oh wicked man thou hast gotten a fair Estate but that Estate shall cost thee thy souls blood without repentance oh let this consideration lie near your hearts that you endanger your precious souls by your unjust gains And thus I have done with these three branches of the use directed to three sorts of people 1. To those that buy and sell in the world and can scarce bring the year about 2. To those that trade in the world and get great Estates but unjustly and dishonestly And lastly to those that have got great Estates and Possessions by just and commendable courses I shall now conclude all with another short and practical use and so have done I have already spent 4. Sermons about this business of commerce and trading in the world and all that I shall now say by way of use in the close of this subject shall be this earnestly to exhort and beseech you in the midst of all your buyings and sellings in the world to drive a Trade for Heaven and to labour to possess grace as well as worldly goods and to encourage you herein let me but offer these three things to your consideration 1. Do not you expect some gain and increase by your Trades there is not one of you but think to get by your Trading O therefore do not drive a Trade for Heaven and yet never labour to increase and grow better and better by it Luke 19.5 the Lord expects that we should improve our talent and gain by our trading for Heaven Do you expect to gain by your worldly Tradings and doth not God expect that in your Tradings for Heaven you should gain more grace and more knowledge more experience humility holiness heavenly mindedness and the like 2. Would it not be matter of grief to you to continue a long time buying and selling and trading in the world and yet not increase your stock would not this grieve you Beloved and shall it not grieve you too that you have been trading for Heaven a long time and yet from your first stepping forth to this instant have gotten no increase and would it not grieve you to decline in your Estates after all your labour and pains and trading in the world and should it not grieve you much more to be further off from Heaven now then you were at first Consid 3 3. Is it not unreasonable that all your pursuits and endeavours should be to gain and procure things for the body and to-take no care and make no provisions for the soul Beloved would you not count him an unnaturall man that should take care to cloath his slave and yet let his Child go naked so is it not unreasonable that you should take all pains for the body and none for the soul Beloved what a folly is it for you to be so sollicitous to preserve your bodies and never take any care concerning the welfare of your precious and immortall souls And thus now I have gone through these three parts of the Text. And they that weep as though they wept not and they that rejoyce as though they rejoyced not and they that buy as though they possessed not In the next place I shall proceed to handle the fourth and last part and they that use this world as not abusing of it for the fashion of this world passeth away SERM. XIII 1 Cor. 7.31 And they that use this world as not abusing of it for the fashion of this world passeth away IN which words there are these two generall parts 1. A duty commanded 2. The reason of it adjoyned First 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the duty commanded in these words and they that use this world as not abusing of it Secondly the reason of it affixt for the fashion or the scheme of this world passeth away The word signifies a mathematicall figure which is a meer notion and nothing in substance I shall principally insist upon the first part of the words Doct. And they that use this world as not abusing of it from whence observe this point of Doctrine That while men use their lawfull comforts in this world they must take a great deal of heed that they do not abuse them This is the Doctrine I shall spend this hower upon You must not only take heed of things sinfull but of some things lawfull too for though there be no sin in them yet there may be a snare in them In the prosecution of this point I shall thus proceed 1. To give you the reasons why you must not abuse the lawfull comforts of this world 2. I shall shew you when a man may be said in the use of lawfull comforts to abuse them And lastly I shall give you some directions how a Christian may so use the lawfull comforts of this life as not to abuse them I shall begin with the first and shew you the reasons why you must not abuse the lawfull comforts of this life There are four potent reasons for it two of them found in Scripture and the other two deduced from Scripture Reasons why we should not abuse the lawfull comforts of this life 1. Abuse nothing you use why because nothing that you use is your own but Gods he is the true owner of all that you possess and you know it is a part of dishonesty to abuse other mens goods All that you have is Gods the Cattle upon a thousand hills are his your Corn and wine are