the Eye say I have no soul in me because I cannot speak like the Tongue Should the Tongue say I have no soul in me because I cannot see like the Eye Should the Ear say I have no soul in me because I cannot speak like the Tongue No but the soul that is in the body it gives according to the Station and Place of every member that is in the body So now the Lord Christ he gives out unto all his Body he is by his Spirit in the hearts of Beleevers but he does not give unto every Beleever alike One Beleever hath one place in the Body of Christ and another beleever hath another place in the Body of Christ But now I say to thee Observe what Place Room and Station thou hast in the Body of Christ and then tell me whether I or no do not ye find some workings of grace in some measure sutable unto the Place Room and Station that ye have in the Body of Christ Yes surely I cannot deny this but there are some workings in my soul according to the Room and Station that I have in the Body of Christ And this I can say That when the Comforter came then I did know that Christ was in me And I can say this also through grace in some measure The Work and Things of Christ are Naturalized to me They are the Servants and Retinue of Christ that do come in and go out unto my soul The Lord knows I am never better than when I am speaking of Jesus Christ and hearing from Jesus Christ If so soul be of good comfort though thou hast feared that Christ is not in thee Go in peace thy faith hath made thee whol and the Lord Jesus Christ is in thy soul the Lord Christ that is thus really united unto each Beleever by his Spirit is really in thy soul and in thy heart Quest Suppose it be so That the Lord Christ be in my soul indeed What is my Dutie now that does flow from hence Answ I am not able to tel ye what your Duty is that does flow from hence it is so great and so large But in Two or Three words thus Duty 1 First If Christ be in you of a truth Then why should the World be in you in its strength and power I say If Christ be in you of a truth Why should you meddle either in regard of your soul or body with any thing that may be unsavoury or distastful to Jesus Christ If a man have a Guest in his house that he prizes highly will he bring Swine into his chamber this were as much as to bid him be gone And if Christ be in you and in you of a truth Wil ye bring Swine unto him wil ye bring Lusts wil ye bring the World You are the Temples of the holy Ghost therefore why should ye not take heed of defiling these Temples What manner of men and women should we be in all holy conversation if Christ be in us of a truth Duty 2 2ly If Christ be in you of a truth Why then should ye not be Contented with your Condition what ever it be yea thankful for it yea in some Proportion thankful I say Contented Thankful thankful in Proportion I know a man that is made partaker of this great mercy this In-being of Christ in the Soul can never be Thankful in Proportion unto the mercy received but he may be thankful in Proportion unto other mercies You will be thankful to a man that gives you an hundred pound you will be more thankful to him that gives you a thousand pound you will be more thankful to him that gives you a thousand pound a yeer It may be you will say to him that gives you a thousand pound I can never be thankful enough to you but yet you will be more thankful to him that gives you a thousand pound a year So here you can never be thankful enough in proportion to the mercy received but you may be thankful in proportion to other mercies received If the Lord had given you the whole world for your portion you would have been thankful now in that he hath given you his Son and that Jesus Christ is really united to you by his Spirit and Christ really in your soul he hath done more for you than if he had given you all the whole world And will ye be thankful for these outward things and not for this In-being of Christ in your souls And yet how many are there that are sometimes blessing God and shewing some kind of thankfulnesse for outward things but as for this In-being of Christ in the soul that they are strangers to and the Lord knows they were never thankful for that so much as for outward things But if Christ be in you of a truth why should you not be contented with your condition what ever it be yea Thankful for it yea thankful in Proportion Duty 3 Thirdly If Christ be in you of a truth Then why should you not venture upon any work or service for God although it do lie beyond you and beyond your strength and expect large and great things from him You say sometimes you would do such or such a work for God but you have no strength to do it But if Christ be in you of a truth and really united to your soul Then surely you shall have strength enough and you may expect large and great things from him Therefore venture upon work and service for God yea although they do lie beyond your present strength be not unwilling thereunto but expect great things from God because Christ is really in you To end all be exhorted to get a share in this great mercy that I have been speaking of this In-being of Christ in the soul It may be there are some that can say I have none of Christ in my soul and may speak truly some that can say I have an unclean heart within me but I have no Christ within me I have a wanton heart within me but I have no Christ within me yet I have a proud heart within me but I have no Christ within me yet I have a Worldly heart within me but I have no Christ within me yet I have a Blaspheming heart within me but I have no Christ within me I have a Lying and Deceitful heart within me but I have no Christ within me to this day Lord I have no Christ within me what shall I do Others it may be that have indeed Christ within them and they can say Lord I hope that I have Christ within me but I do not find that I have room enough in my heart for such aguest Lord my soul is not enlarged enough for such aguest as Christ is Lord my soul is a poor narrow room Oh! that my soul were more enlarged what shall I do to get my soul enlarged to give entertainment to such a guest as Christ is I shall speak to ye both
from one Scripture turn ye both to the 17. of John the last vers Saies our Lord and Savior Christ praying unto his father And I have declared unto them thy Name and will declare it that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them I in them Mind the words Here are these Three things observable in them First of all Here ye have this Doctrine that I have been speaking of all this while Christ in each beleever I in them Secondly That God the Father does love a Beleever though not so much as Christ yet with the same love that he loveth Christ That the love wherewith thou hast loved me way be in them and I in them Thirdly That the way to procure this love and this In-being is To have the Name of God declared And I have declared unto them thy Name and I will declare it Why that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them and I in them So then the way for to get this In-being is to have the Name of God declared unto poor souls What is this Name the Name of God the Father that Christ declares It was the Love of God his Free-grace and Love Saies Christ Joh. 3.16 God so loved the world c. and stil Christ preach'd the love of God to poor lost man This was the Name of God that is declared Now then do any of your souls complain That you want this In-being of Christ in you or that you have not room in your souls to entertain such a guest Observe where this Name of God is declared and manifested this Free love of God is manifested and declared and there set thy soul under the spout under the declaration under the manifestation of the Name of God and look upon it as if Christ were there preaching and declaring the Name of God to thy soul and there Christ shall come in unto thee and there thy poor narrowed and straitned soul shal be enlarged and made more capacious for Jesus Christ Wherefore I beseech you then receive this Word of Exhortation and let every soul go unto Jesus Christ and say to this purpose Lord Jesus Thy work is to declare the Name of the Father to poor sinners that so thou maiest be in them now O Lord I am a poor sinner Lord declare the Name of the Father to me Lord declare the Name of the Father to me I have a straitned heart I have not room enough for thee in my soul Oh! that it were enlarged for thee now therefore declare this Name of thy Father to me that so the love wherewith thy Father hath loved thee may be in me and I in thee also Thus I say go unto Jesus Christ And study study much this In-being of Christ in your souls you that have it not labor to get it and you that have this In-being labor to be thankful for it improve it and get your souls more and more enlarged under it SERMON V. Preached at Christs-Church Aug. 25. 1648. GALATIANS 2. part of the 20. vers Nevertheless I live yet not I but Christ liveth in me I Intend at this time to speak on these words But Christ liveth in me Wherein ye have these Three things First The In-being of Christ in a Beleever Christ in me Secondly The Efficacy of this In-being Christ Liveth in me Thirdly The Constancy thereof he doth not stay for a night or two but he Liveth or Abideth in me Accordingly there are Three Notes or Observations First Christ is in each Beleever Christ is in every Christian For when he saies I live yet not I he personates a Beleever all along speaks not in his own person but in the person of a Beleever one Justified by Faith alone Secondly That Christ liveth in all Beleevers Christ liveth in me Thirdly That Christ liveth more in Beleevers than themselves do I live yet not I but Christ liveth in me Christ hath a greater hand and stroke in the Spiritual actions of beleevers than themselves have I have spoken of the former of these in another place and now I will speak unto the other and therefore I shall put them both together in one Doctrine or Observation thus Doct. Christ doth so live in a Beleever that he hath a greater hand and stroke in the Spiritual actions of a Beleever than a Beleever himself hath Christ lives in a Beleever more than himself as to his Spiritual actions For the opening and clearing of this Truth First I shall labor to shew you that Christ liveth in each Beleever Secondly That he hath a greater hand and stroke in the actions of his Spiritual life then a Beleever hath himself First That Christ liveth in each Beleever A man liveth where he worketh and staieth or abideth A man doth not live where he lieth he may come and stay for a day or two and yet not be said to live there but where a man works and staies or abides there he lives Now both these ye shall find Christ doth the first in that known place the 7. of John 38. verse He that beleeveth on me as the Scripture hath said out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water This spake he of the Spirit which they that beleeve on him should receive Where the Spirit of Christ is there is Christ And this is a promise made to all Beleevers more or lesse to be fulfilled unto them Out of their bellies shall flow rivers of living water Which is to be understood of the Spirit So that the Spirit of Christ shall be in them and be working in them And as for the other you know what is said in that 14. of John and the 23. verse Saith our Savior there If any man love me he will keep my words and my Father will love him and we will come unto him and make our abode with him It 's the same word that is used before for Mansions In my fathers house are many Mansions verse 2. We will come and take up our Mansions with him And this was so received a Principle in the Apostles time that he saies to the Corinthians in the 1 Epistle 3. chapter 16. verse Know ye not that ye are the Temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you But if you look into the 8. chapter of the Romans you shall see all proved together verse the 10 11. And if Christ be in you the body is dead because of sin but the spirit is life because of righteousness But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you Here are Three or Four things observable First That Christ in you and the Spirit in you is all one And therefore having said in the 10. ver If Christ be in you at the 11. verse he saies If the Spirit of him that raised
obedience Thirdly The more a man does agree with God and the Law the more fit he is to walk with God and observe the Law when a man is justified by faith then he is agreed with God Amos 3.3 Can two walk together unless they be agreed Now when a man is justified by faith he is Reconciled to God reconciled to the Justice of God reconciled to the Anger of God reconciled to the Law of God the Law is his friend Now before a man was justified the Anger of God was his enemy and the Justice of God his enemy and the Law his enemy but now being justified he is reconciled to God reconciled to his Anger that is satisfied by Christ reconciled to the Law that is satisfied by Christ thus he is made a friend to God he is agreed with God and with the Law and so he can walk with God and so he is the more obedient But Fourthly and especially thus As by Works and seeking Justification by Works a man is Estated in the Covenant of Works So by Faith and seeking Justification by Faith alone a man is Estated in the Covenant of Grace When a man is Estated in the Covenant of grace God is engaged to give grace unto him to make him Holy For that I pray do but reade what ye have in that 36. Chapter of Ezekiel at the 25. verse and so downwards Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you and ye shall be clean from all your filthiness and from all your idols will I cleanse you A new heart also will I give you and a new spirit will I put within you and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh and I wil give you an heart of flesh And I will put my Spirit within you and cause you to walk in my Statutes and ye shall keep my judgments and do them First I pray mark here That the Lord does promise Remission of sin although it be never so great I will sprinkle clean water upon you and wash ye from all your filthiness and from all your idols wil I cleanse you But saies a poor doubting soul Though the Lord do thus wash me I am so foule and so unclean that I am afraid I shall never be cleansed Yes saies the Lord I will sprinkle clean water upon you and ye shall be clean But though I be clean and cleansed from my guilt and my sin pardoned yet notwithstanding I have such a naughty filthy heart as I shall foul my self again See what follows A new heart also will I give you and a new spirit will I put within you Oh! but my heart is so hard like a stone that I shall resist this mercy of God Nay saies he And I will take away the stony heart cut of your flesh I will take away the Resistance the stony heart out of your flesh But though it be so as long as my nature is unchanged I shal never do that which is right Saies God I will change your nature for you I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh and I will give you an heart of flesh I wil make such a change in you That whereas before Naturally ye were as hard as a stone now I wil make you as soft as flesh But though the Lord do thus change my Nature yet notwithstanding I shall never be able to order my conversation aright I shall never be obedient Mark what follows I will put my Spirit within you and I will cause you to walk in my Statutes I will make you obedient saies God Oh! what streams of mercy are here But I pray mind the Fountain whence these flow They al flow from this fountain of Free-remission The first is I will sprinkle clean water upon you and cleanse you from all your idols I will forgive you freely I but though this be set first it may be this is not the Cause of the rest how shal it appear that this Free-remission is the Cause of all our holiness Then I pray look into the 8. chap. of the Epistle to the Hebrews where this Covenant of grace is repeated at the 10. verse For this is the Covenant that I will make with the house of Israel saith the Lord I will put my laws into their minds and write them in their hearts and they shall not teach every man his neighbor and every man his brother saying Know the Lord for all shall know me from the least to the greatest Why for I will be merciful to their unrighteousness and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more So that Remission is the Cause of Sanctification I will thus and thus sanctifie saies the Lord For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness and their sins and iniquities will I remember no more this is the Cause of all that Now I say When a man is once estated in this Covenant of grace the Lord ye see is engaged then for to make him holy And as by works and seeking Justification by works a man is estated in the Covenant of works So by faith and seeking Justification by faith alone a man is estated in the Covenant of grace and so the Lord is engaged for to make him holy So that thus you see now This Free-grace of God Justification of a poor sinner by faith alone it is no enemy but a real friend unto all our Holiness and Spiritual life No wonder therefore that the Apostle saies And now I live Applyca By way of Application If all these things be so Then here we see the reason why men are no more Gracious no more Heavenly no more Holy no more Spiritual in their lives because they think not of this they study not this they never had the true sence of this Even because they do not stand cleer from their own Duties and their own Doings as to the great matter of Justification and acceptance with God Is the Free-remission of sin and Justification by faith alone the Fountain and Original of all our Holiness Then why stand ye gazing upon your own Duties upon your own Prayers and Mournings Would ye live I know you would Skin for skin Job 2.4 and all that a man hath will he give for his life But would you live Spiritually would you live an Eternal life that life that never dies that Communicative life that life that is better than you should have had in the State of innocencie Then do you stand clear from all your own Doings and Duties and Workings as to this great matter of your Acceptance with God the Father Do ye think that Jesus Christ will present a Duty or a service unto God the Father that steps into his room and place and Office What is the Place and room of Christ He is our Saviour and the Mediator between God and man that stands between God and man for to cause Acceptance with God the Father if then you Pray Hear Reade Mourn and think
Cloaths or he is proud of his Friends or he is proud of his fine House and the like But after once a man comes to take up a Profession there is nothing that he is more apt to be proud of than his Gifts Graces and Spiritual things For look where a mans Excellency lies there his Pride grows Now the Excellency of a Professor lies in spiritual things and therefore there his Pride grows and there he is most apt to be proud Yet let me tell ye It is a more dangerous thing to be proud of a mans Duties and Spiritual Gifts then to be proud of Cloaths then to be proud of these outward things For this pride of Spiritual Gifts it 's directly opposite to a mans Justification And the more secret hidden any sin is the more dangerous it is and when sin Pride lies under Duties and Spiritual things then it is hidden indeed The more Bold a sin is the greater it is When a sin shall dare to come into the presence of God then it is bold indeed Now pride in spiritual things comes more into the presence of God than pride of Cloaths and these Outward things do therfore it is the bolder and the greater sin therfore who would not take heed hereof who would not labor for this Self-Denial to be humble and denying of ones self in spiritual things Truly the first step to Humility is to see ones Pride and the first step to Self-Denial is to be convinced of ones Self-Advancing Object But will some poor soul say that hears all this I am convinced of mine own Pride and Selvishness in all my Duties I can do nothing but Self gets in I write an I upon all that I do I cannot deny my self in spiritual things I have heard of some that have been so Humble and Self-Denying that they have been willing and contented to go to Hell if God would have it so But as for me the Lord knows I am not contented so I have a Proud heart and Self creeps into all that I do and therefore I fear that I have not this Faith therefore I fear that the Gospel never came in power upon my soul to this day Answ Though every true Beleever be an Humble Self-Denying person and is made partaker of this Gospel-Self-Denial yet know there is something of Self some remains of Self that still continues with the best something still that will tast of the Cask Though the Onion that is beaten in the morter be taken out of the morter yet the morter will smell of it A godly gracious man is sensible of his own Pride and Self-Advancing in spiritual things and will cry out and say Oh! what a Proud heart have I a Self-Advancing heart have I But shew me that man that was ever so transformed melted changed into the mould of the Gospel but still some savor of Self remains Whereas you say That some are willing and contented to go to Hell if God would have it so I have heard it of some yea and that some Ministers have put people upon this trial as thus Art thou contented to go to Hell if God would have it so I say I have heard that even some Ministers have put people upon such a trial as this is But where is their Commission where hath any Minister such a Cōmission from the Lord to put poor people upon such a tryal as this is Soul art thou contented to go to Hell if God would have it so Let any Minister shew me his Commission to put a soul upon such a tryal as this is And where Soul hast thou a Commission to put thy self upon such a tryal No we may have an eye to the recompence of reward the Lord Christ himself had so he had an eye himself unto the recompence of reward and therfore though thou canst not bring thy soul unto this height yet there may be some Humility even Gospel Self-denial that may lie under the leaf This Gospel Humility and Self-denial it is as I may so speak the souls Violet The Violet ye know it is a very sweet flower but it lies very low it hangs down its head and it lies under other herbs obscure herbs as if it loved to be unseen but it smels very sweetly and if you would find out this sweet-smelling herb and violet you must lift up other obscure leaves and there you shall see it So this Humility and Self-denial it lies under other Duties and under other Exercises and if you would see it you must lift up other leaves though thou beest not able to attain to that height as to say Thou wouldst be contented to go to Hel if God would have it so yet thou maiest have this sweet Violet though it lie under other herbs yet thou maiest see it and it may be smelt Only this If at any time Self breaks out if at any time thy soul begins to be advanced in regard of Duty or Spiritual things I do here call upon you fall down before the Lord and humble thy self before him for the pride of thy heart concerning Spiritual things and labour to get this Self-denial in spiritual things I am not to speak of Self-Denial at large but I cal upon you frō the Lord to labor to get Self-denial in spiritual things And take these Two of Three Motives to it First The more you deny your self in Spiritual things the more you shall be sure to keep them Saies Chrysostome The best treasury to keep any good work in is forgetfulness of that good work Ye know that if a man be to travel the way to keep himself and his money is not to go to the Market-Crosse and there proclaim that he hath so much money about him or to carry with him in his journey the only way for a man to lose his money is to let it be known and to brag of it abroad And truly what is the reason that so many in these daies of ours have made shipwrack Some heretofore have been very forward had great Gifts great Parts and now they are rotten they have lost all Why because they were proud of them and did not walk humbly under them Secondly The more you do deny your selves in spiritual things the more humble you will be in other things and the more humble you are the more sweetly shall you live in your own bosom yea towards and amongst others Some possibly complain of a Froward spirit Oh! saies one I am of an Angry disposition my Husband my Children my Servants my Wife or my Friends cannot meddle with me or touch me but I am ready to break out in distemper anger and frowardnesse the Lord knows I have a very froward and peevish heart of mine own But what is the reason Pride pride is the cause of Frowardnesse Ye see how it is with a Bladder let a Bladder be blown full of wind and though you may take it at the end yet notwithstanding you cannot
hold the Bladder in your hand or the greatest hand in the town cannot hold the Bladder But take a pin and prick the bladder and the least child may hold it then What is the reason that men cannot be held cannot be handled cannot be touch'd by their neighbors friends and those that are about them they cannot be grasp'd and walk'd with but because they are proud and swoln Therefore get an humble and self-denying heart and thou shalt walk more sweetly with thy own soul and others that are about thee Thirdly The more you deny your selves in Spiritual things the more you shall be exalted in them I say The more you deny your selves in Spiritual things the more those spiritual things shal grow be exalted the more increased Humble thy self 1 Pet. 5.6 or your selves saies the Apostle under the hand of the Lord and he will exalt you in due time And let me tell you this that look what that is wherein you do Humble your selves before the Lord therein the Lord will exalt you Doest thou humble thy self before the Lord in regard of these outward things There will the Lord Exalt thee Doest thou humble thy self before the Lord in regard of thy Parts and thy Gifts There will the Lord exalt thee Doest thou humble thy self before the Lord in regard of thine own Graces and thine own Obedience and thine own Righteousness Therein will the Lord exalt thee Ye know that John the Baptist said concerning Christ Joh. 3.30 Joh. 1.27 He must increase but I must decrease And saies John again concerning our Savior Christ Whose shoe-latchet I am not worthy to unloose Or whose shoos I am not worthy to carry Mark how he humbles himself to Jesus Christ And mark how Christ honors John Mat. 11.11 Mat. 8.8 Oh! saies Christ There 's not a greater among women than John the Baptist Christ exalts him And so saies the Centurion Oh! Lord I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof Mark how he humbles himself here before the Lord Christ And mark what our Savior saies of him Vers 10. I tell you I have not found such faith no not in Israel So that look where thou Humblest thy self there will the Lord Exalt thee Soul doest thou desire therefore that the Lord would Exalt thy Graces that thy Gifts and Graces should be increased Humble thy self there and learn to Deny thy self in spiritual things not only in regard of outward but in spiritual things that you may say I live yet not I. Quest But you will say This is a hard thing What may we do that we may be able to deny our selves in spiritual things Answ 1 First Never perform any Duty but as often as thou canst reflect upon thy performance and observe the Defects thereof When ye write a Letter after ye have written it you reade it over Or what ever ye write almost if it be of any concernment after ye have written it then you reade it over and if ye find any thing amisse then ye blot it out and when ye have done ye take your sand-box and throw dust upon it or ye go to the Chimney and take ashes and throw upon the paper Will ye do thus for your letters that ye write and will ye not do thus for your Duties and Performances When you have Prayed and performed Duty Go go and look it over and there you will find many Defects many things to be blotted out and many things to be put in and when you have found the Defects in your Dutie throw dust upon it and humble your selves before the Lord. Secondly If you would deny your selves in spiritual things Observe much the In-comes of the Spirit of the Lord upon your soul The way and manner of it how Suddenly how Unexpectedly how Freely the Lord by his Spirit breathes upon your soul When your heart is Dead when your heart is Hard when you say God is now gone and will never return again Oh! what freedom once I had in Prayer but now my heart is hard and I shall never be able to Pray again Then comes the Spirit of God and breathes upon your soul and gives you Prayer again Now if I would but observe the breathings of the Spirit of the Lord how it comes upon me thus when I am dead when my heart is hard when I say I shall never have prayer again if I could but observe the Freeness of the Spirits breathing over my soul and raising up my heart to Duty again should I be proud of Duty think you should I not rather say Shall I be proud I was dead my heart hard and had not the Spirit come and breathed upon my soul I had never been able to pray again but had been lock'd up for ever and shall I be proud Observe the In-comes of the Spirit the way and manner of it be much in this and you will be able to deny your selves in spiritual things Lastly Look much into the Gospel study much the Gospel and the way of the Gospel The more you see an Humble Christ the more you will learn Humility Where shall you see an humble Christ but in the Gospel The more you see a Self-denying Christ the more you will learn Self-denial And where shall you reade of a Self-denying Christ but in the Gospel The more ye see the Free and Rich grace of God the more you will deny your selves in spiritual things And where shall ye see the Free-grace of God but in the Gospel The more Faith ye have the more you will deny your selves in Spiritual things And where shall ye get faith but in the preaching of the Gospel and in studying of the Gospel This grace of Humility and Self-denyal in spiritual things grows only in the garden of the Gospel in the bed of the Gospel There is a Field-Humility and there is a Common or a Field-Self-Denial as I may so speak As ye see it is with your Flowers and Herbs There is a garden-Tyme and there is a Field-Tyme there is a Garden-Rose and there is a Field-Rose there is a Garden-Hony-suckle and there is a Field-Hony-suckle So there is a Field-Self-Denial that grows among Heathen and among Moral people that can deny themselves of this or that particular thing their Appetite Cloathing or now and then their Company And there is a Gospel-Self-Denial a Mysterious Self-Denial But this Self-Denial in spiritual things grows no where but in the Garden of the Gospel there thou shalt see an Humble Christ and become Humble There thou shalt see a Self-Denying Christ and become Self-Denying Therefore study the Gospel and study the way of the Gospel You that have walked in a Legal-way study the Gospel and the way of the Gospel I tell you in the words of the Apostle If the Gospel be hid it is hid to them that perish 2 Cor. 4.3 If the Gospel and the way of the Gospel be hid it is hid to them that
Zacheus so with the Jailor so with Paul and so with divers others But then ye must know That a work is great or small according to the opposition that it does meet withal Though a Work or Duty be small in it self yet if it meet with great opposition and break through it it is a great work It was no great matter for the poor Woman to give one or two mites into the Treasury but she having no more and it being all her livelihood it was a great matter It is no great matter for a man to pray and to pray constantly and to frequent the Ordinances but when a poor creature shall meet with all opposition from his Relations then it may be a great matter to do this It is no great matter comparatively for to stay ones soul upon Jesus Christ But in the time of temptation when ones soul is full of Fears and a man does look upon Christ as his enemy then to cast himself into the arms of Christ and to stay the soul upon Christ then this is a greater work So that the work is great though small in it self it is meet with great opposition and break through all But whosoever you are that make this Objection fearing that you are not in Christ and so have not the comfort of this Doctrine Give me leave to propound Three or Four Questions to you First Who and what are those and whose servants are they that do come into and go out of your souls are they not the retinue and the servants of Jesus Christ Ye say such a man or a Noble man lives here for his servants go in and out daily And what Words come out of your mouth and what Words go in at your ear whose servants are they ordinarily are you ever better than when you are thinking or speaking of Jesus Christ hearing from Christ Certainly if his servants do most ordinarily come in and go out the Master is within Christ is within Secondly Do not ye find your souls in some measure Naturallized unto the Work of Christ the Things of Christ and the Work of Christ in some measure Naturallized unto your souls Adam ye know was the first man the father of us all we were in Him as your Root and he in Us as his Seed and his Works they are Naturallized to us We being in him as in the Root and he being in us as in his Seed his Works are Naturallized to us It 's Natural to See and to Hear and to Speak it 's natural for a man to Sin Sometimes ye have a Wicked man hating of a Godly Gracious man and he can give you no reason for it I cannot tell why saith he but my heart is against him But I 'le tell ye why and what the reason is The Old Man is in him the Old Adam is in him and the work of Adam is Naturallized to a Wicked man and he can give you no reason many times why he does so because the Work is Naturallized to him So on the contrary The Lord Jesus Christ is our second Adam and beleevers being in him as in their Root and he in them as in his Seed his Works also are Naturallized unto a beleever in a great measure that a beleever sometimes his heart does stand unto the good Work of God and he can give you no reason for it why I should love this or that Godly man I can give you no reason but so it is my heart stands towards him The reason is this because that Christ the Second Adam is within and so his Work and Things are naturallized unto the soul and in some measure is it not so with you Thirdly Whoever you are that make this Objection Did ye ever find perceive or think that Christ is in you It may be now ye are under some present Fear Doubting but were you never perswaded of this In-being did ye never think or were ye never perswaded that Christ was in you Yes sometimes I have and sometimes I have not again Sometimes I do think that Christ is in me of a truth and sometimes I do not Then look into the 14. chapter of John ye shall see what our Savior promises I will pray the Father at the 16. verse and he shall give you another Comforter And what then He describes him in he 17. verse And at the 20. saies he At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father and you in me and I in you At that day It may be for the present you cannot say that Christ is in you you in him and he in you but did ye never think yet in all your life that Christ was in you Yes once or twice or sometimes I confess I did think that Christ was in me and I was strongly perswaded too that Christ was in me but now I have lost those perswasions But how came ye to be so perswaded at that time that Christ was in you Thus it was with me My heart was Dead Hard and I could not pray I thought that God and Mercy was gone that I should never see the face of God again and all on a sudden when my soul was in this sad condition I know not how but all on a sudden a strange and unspeakable comfort came upon my soul and my soul stood up as it were from the dead and then I had that perswasion that Christ was in me Well soul be of good comfort this was Christs time that was Christs time and though now for the present thou canst not say that Christ is in thee I tell thee from the Lord that time shall come again and Christ will send the Comforter again and then shalt thou know that thou art in the Father and Christ is in thee and thou art in Jesus Christ for what he said unto those Disciples he said unto other of the Disciples Wait but a little and thoug I be absent for a little time I will send the Comforter and then shall you know although you do not know now yet there is a time when the Comforter shall come and then shalt thou know that Christ is in thee and thou art in Jesus Christ Fourthly Although for the present you do not find those workings of Christ in you and those powerful operations of the Spirit which should argue this same In being Yet do ye not find some workings of grace in your soul according unto that Place Room and Station that you have in the Body of Christ The soul ye know is in the body yet the soul does not put forth such power in one Member as it puts forth in another the soul does not act in one Member as it does in another it does not put forth so much strength in the little Finger or in the Thumb as it puts forth in the Arm The soul does not act in the Eye as it acts in the Mouth neither does it act in the Tongue as it acts in the Ear Should
withal that he will write his Law in our hearts and when he promiseth in the Covenant of grace that he will write his Law in our hearts he doth also promise for to give his Spirit As when the Lord gave out the Law at first to man-kind he did write the Moral Law in mans heart so that the Heathen now have the Law written in their hearts the Moral Law whereby they are disposed and inclined to Morallity and Civillity So when the Lord comes and makes a Covenant of grace with the soul then he doth give out his Spirit to the soul and then he doth write his Law the Law of grace love and of the Gospel in that soul and that soul hath a secret disposition unto all the Commandements of the Gospel Now do ye not find it thus with you when sometimes you are tempted to what is evil do not ye say thus I cannot do it Oh! Lord thou knowest I cannot live as I have done and I cannot want the presence of God and Christ What means this Cannot but a Law within that God hath written in the heart there is the Spirit and there is Christ Thirdly Do not you find your souls sometimes carried out to what is good beyond and contrary to your own dispositions and natural inclinations It is written of Irajan the Emperor that He was an exceeding meek loving quiet good natured man and yet He was one of the greatest Persecutors in the Primitive times He had his hand in two as bloody actions against the Saints as any Persecutor in those times yet a man of a quiet loving sweet nature and disposition How came this to passe He was acted by Satan and being thus acted beyond his own disposition and inclination it argued that Satan had a greater hand and stroke in his action than himself had So when a man shall be carried on to what is good even contrary to his own nature and disposition what doth this argue but that the Lord Christ hath a greater hand and stroke in that action than himself hath Fourthly Do not you find sometimes who ever you are that make this Objection or lie under this fear That Christ doth not live in you do not you find that sometimes your soul is carried out to what is good beyond what you intended When Zacheus went up into the Sycamore-tree he only went up to see the outside of Christ but he comes down receives Christ into his house there he bids him welcome and saith Lord Behold Luke 19.8 the half of my goods I give to the poor Zacheus never intended this when he went up to see Christ What 's the reason The Lord Christ was upon his soul the Lord Christ was at work upon him and because he was carried out farther in this good work than ever he intended it thereby doth appear that the Lord Jesus Christ had a greater stroke in this spiritual action of his than himself had As on the other side A wicked man sometimes he begins to sin and saith he within himself I will do it but a little I will not goe very farre I will never do it again I will now take my leave of this sin it shall never be acted by me any more But he goes farther in it than ever he intended Why because the Devil hath a greater stroke upon him than himself hath So here when as a mans soul shall be carried out unto what is good beyond what he intended this argues that the Lord Jesus Christ is at work upon his soul and hath a greater hand and stroke upon his actions his spiritual actions than himself hath Now is it not thus with thee Fiftly Who ever thou art man or woman that makes this Objection and lies under this fear That the Lord Christ doth not live in thee Were you never perswaded of this did you never yet think that Christ was in you did you never yet beleeve that Christ lived in you Yes I confesse I had such thoughts once but oh I have lost those thoughts I have lost those perswasions But when you had those thoughts and when you had those perswasions how came you by them My soul was lying in a sad dark dead hardned condition my soul was ready to sink with despair and all on a sudden my soul was raised up within me to this perswasion for to think that Christ was in me and that Christ liveth in me Wel Either these thoughts were from Satan or from Christ Either this perswasion of yours was from Satan or it was from Christ Not from Satan for Satan doth not use to be so loving to a poor tempted soul to bear it up when it is ready to sink under Temptation Satan doth not use to be so loving to a poor soul to free it from Despair Then it was from Christ and if it were from Jesus Christ then Christ had a greater hand and stroke in this perswasion than thy own soul for thou sayest I was dead dull hardened ready to sink and I said Mercy is gone I shall never see the face of Christ again and all on a sudden these perswasions were raised in me Here Christ plainly hath a greater stroke in this perswasion than thine own soul Upon all this I do now appeal unto you who ever you are that lie under any of these Fears Hath it not been thus with you That all on a sudden you have been raised to these perswasions Do not you find That sometimes your soul hath been carried out to God even contrary to your own inclination and disposition Do not you find That sometimes your soul hath been carried out to what is good beyond all that you intended you thought to begin Prayer a little while and hath not the Lord sometimes come in and carried out your soul farther than ever you intended Do you not find a secret disposition or inclination to all the Commandements of the Gospel of Jesus Christ Do you not find That in the greatest actions and turnings of your lives Christ hath been at the end thereof Oh! yes If I should speak true I must needs say this Although I have not seen Christ at the end of every action yet as for the great actions and turnings of my life I must needs say Christ hath been there And the Lord knows I have a secret disposition to the Commandements of the Gospel And O Lord thou knowest that I have been carried out many times to what is good contrary to mine own disposition O Lord thou knowest I have been carried further in a way of good than ever I intended O Lord thou knowest When my soul hath been dead hardened and I have said Now mercy is gone and I am driven from mercy then then hath there been perswasions raised in me that Jesus Christ is in me Well be of good comfort soul be of good comfort from the Lord if thou hast these perswasions do not check them and if for the present you have
Drunkard or a Swearer but he will say thus This my son was dead but is now alive this my daughter was dead and is now alive Thus the Lord will look upon your former evils if once ye come to be made partaker of this Spiritual life Oh! therefore what a blessed condition are the Saints and people of God in that are made partakers of this same Spiritual life I remember it is written of a certain Martyr in the Primitive times a woman when she was brought before the enemies of the Gospel they put divers questions to her and she answered all their questions with one answer which was this Christiana sum I AM A CHRISTIAN When they said unto her Woman Art thou married or no. I am a Christian saies she What Parents hast thou Woman I am a Christian saies she Woman Where doest thou live I am a Christian saies she She answered all their questions with this I am a Christian And so me thinks a man may answer all objections that are made unto him with this I am alive in Christ But thou hast a dead Estate much of it is lost at Sea or at Land Well but I am alive in Christ But hast thou not a dead Husband or a dead Wife or a dead Child I am alive in Christ But is not thy Name dead and buried under reproaches I am alive in Christ A poor soul may answer all with this I am alive in Christ Oh! what a blessed thing is it for a man to be made partaker of this Spiritual life This is the condition of all the Saints Art thou therefore alive and made partaker of this Spiritual-life blessed art thou from the Lord and thou shalt be blessed to all eternity Object I am affraid that I have not this Spiritual life for my heart is Dead and Cold and Stiffe and dead men they are Cold and Stiffe very Stiffe and truly so 't is with me My heart is Cold and Dead and Stiffe and therfore I fear I am free among the Dead and not free among the Living Answ Have ye not heard That there is a deadness which is opposite to Liveliness aswel as a death that is opposit to Life And were thine heart dead with a death opposite to Life thou couldst not feel it And I appeal to thee If that thy soul be alive in opposition to death hast thou not more cause to be thankful that thy soul is alive in oppofition to death than to be discouraged that thy soul is dead in opposition to Liveliness But there is a differance ye know between the coldness of a Living man and the coldness of a Dead man Take a dead man and if he be cold 't is not al your fires wil put warmth into him or your Aqua-vitae or your chafing and rubbing of him or your warm beds that will make him warm But now take a man that is cold and Living and if ye chafe him or bring him to the fire or lay him in a good warm bed he recovers his warmth again And so 't is with a godly heart though cold yet bring it unto the Ordinance either Publickly or Privatly and it recovers its warmth againe and hath it not been even so with some of you It 's true A Dead man is Stiffe But have you found your selves in a way of sin an evil way and are ye so stiffe therein as ye will not be put out of your way no not by admonition then ye are stiffe indeed There are two men that are out of their way suppose The Traveller and the Thief The Traveller is out of his way and if you come to him and say Sir you are much out of your way He hearkens to ye and he thanks ye and he returns into his way again But if ye come to a Thief and say Sir you are out of your way He laughs and scorns and comes not into the way So there are some indeed that are out of their way and if you do come to them and tell them that they are out of their way they will blesse and praise the Lord for your admonition and labor to return into their way again But some there are that if ye tell them that they are out of their way they will rather scorn and jeer at it What have you to do to meddle with me what have you to do to meddle with my waies meddle with your own matters These men are stiffe they are stiffe indeed why because they are dead they are stiffe in the way of their sin and they wil not be stird out no not by Admonition why because they are dead But I appeal to ye whether is it thus with ye or no Don't ye say rather I praise the Lord though sometimes yea many times I am out of the way and in the way of sin yet I can rejoyce in an Admonition and blesse the Lord for an Admonition Yea this I can speak though my heart be sometimes very cold yet I have found heat and warmth recovered again either under a Publick or under a Private Ordinance Well then be of good comfort thou art not dead though thou mayest be asleep yet thou mayest be among the living Object I am affraid that I am not alive spiritually that I am not made partaker of this spiritual life because I do not grow in grace and this is the difference between a Living child and a Dead child the Dead painted child grows not but the Living child grows and the Lord knows I do not grow in grace and therefore I fear that I am but the painted child of God and I am not the Living child Answ If this were true it were ill for growth indeed is a sign of life But whoever you are that make this Objection and lie under this fear Give me leave to propound to ye Two or Three Questions First Do ye not grow more out of Love with your own Righteousness and with your own Duties as to the resting on them The stronger a man grows in grace the more he grows into Christ and so the more he grows off from Himself and his own Righteousness Secondly Do ye not find that ye are lesse subject to be offended now than heretofore ye were When a man is in the state of Nature and in Spiritual death then he is apt to be offended against all actions against the good way of God and the people of God This is your Godliness these are your Professors and they are all so very apt to be offended When a man is converted and turn'd to God while he is weak in grace he is apt to stumble and to be offended but the stronger he grows in grace the lesse he will be offended Thirdly Whether do ye not grow more off from the youthfull things that godly men do look unto I say the things that the youthfulness of godliness is taken much with Ye know that Youth is taken with many things that the state of man is not
not the Painted child but I am the Living child of God and made partaker of this Spiritual life What is my Duty now that does flow from hence Answ Surely you will be thankful for your life If your outward and momentary life were given you for a prey you would be thankful and will ye not be thankful for this life this Spiritual life this Pleasant life this Eternal life that never shall be taken from you But there are Three things I wil propound to you in particular Duty 1 First If we be alive indeed made partakers of this Spiritual life Why then should we not live at an higher rate than the world does which have none of this life The Beast lives at an higher rate than the Plant or the Herb does why because it hath an higher life than the Plant or Herb hath Man as man lives at an higher rate than the Beast does why because man as man hath an higher life than the Beast hath And if a man have this Spiritual life he hath a life that is higher than the men of the worlds life is and therefore if we be alive and made partaker of this Spiritual life why should we not live at a higher rate why should I not say to my own soul thus and speak it often O my soul Wherein doest thou live at a higher rate than Civil men do thou hast a higher life thou saiest why doest thou not then live at a higher rate Duty 2 Secondly If we be alive indeed and made partakers of this Spiritual life Why should our hearts run after the things of the world so as to feed on them as our meat to be satisfied with them Every life lives upon some meat that maintains it and is sutable to it The Herb hath one kind of life and it hath a meat which sutes to it The Beasts have another life and they have a meat that does sute to that life Man hath another life different from the Beast and therefore he hath a meat that does suit to his life Now this Spiritual life 't is another kind of life than the natural life of man is and therefore it must have a meat that does sute with it meat that the world knows not of Saies our Savior John 4.32 I have meat to eat that you know not of This life of grace it is a hidden life and therefore the meat thereof that it lives upon 't is an hidden meat Then if you are alive indeed and have this Spiritual life why do you live upon these outward things and why should our hearts run out after these outward things so as to live upon them and make them as it were our meat for the satisfaction of our souls to live upon Duty 3 Thirdly If we be alive indeed and made partakers of this Spiritual life Why is our Communion and Fellowship together no more living Why no more living Fellowship and Communion why is our Conference no more warm and living A living coal warms ye know There is this difference between a living coal and a dead coal Take a Dead coal and though it be never so great or small it sullies and blacks more or lesse but it warms not But take your Living coal which hath fire in it and though it be never so great or small it does warm in proportion more or lesse it warms And if we be as Living coals why then is our Conference and Communion together no more warming When ye go into Wicked and Ungodly company there ye meet with dead coals and there ye are sullied and dirtied and black't by them I say If ye indeed be living coals why is your Conference no more warm and living Oh! what sad times are we now fallen into Heretofore some four or six or ten years ago ye should not come into a Christians company but you should have some heart-warming Conference that you should bless God for many yeers after As 't is said of Junius he came into a poor country-mans house and he spake so feelingly of Christ that he thought it was not Knowledge only that would serve a mans turn and thereupon he thought of his own condition and was turned to God And we reade of the Martyrs in the Primitive times when they met together they would speak much of the Kingdom the Kingdom the Kingdom of Heaven in so much as their Accusers their Enemies and Persecutors charged them That they aimed at the Empire and the Kingdom whereas they were speaking of a Heavenly Kingdom and not of an Earthly Kingdom But I say they were alwaies speaking of the Kingdom the Kingdom And so heretofore in former times when Christians did meet together then they would speak of the Kingdom and somthing that would warm their hearts together that they might be the better al the yeer after But now when we are met together either our speech is about Newes or some Dispute in point of Religion or some other thing yea though it be upon the Lords-day But if you be living coals Where is your living Conference and your heart-warming-Communion Certainly if you be alive in Christ indeed and made partaker of this Spiritual life you will live at a higher rate than the men of the world do Quest Is there nothing in all this Doctrine concerning those that are dead in sins and made alive hath this Doctrine nothing to say to them Answ Yes it hath very much to say to them Only I am loth to be the messenger of death to any one of your souls But if this Doctrine be true That every godly man is a living man and in the state of life and none else How many poor dead souls may this Doctrine find in Congregations It 's said that when the Egyptians found their first-born dead in their families there was a great cry thorow Egypt a great cry in every family And were men as sensible of their souls as they are of their bodies Oh! what a great cry might there be in divers of your families One crying out and saying Oh! Lord I have a dead Child whose soul is dead Another Oh! Lord I have a dead Servant in my family Another Oh! Lord I have a dead Wife in my family whose soul is dead Another I have a dead Husband a dead Friend I say were men and women as sensible of their souls as they are of their bodies what crying what a great cry this morning might there be found in this Congregation But I chuse rather to Exhort ye in the Name of the Lord for to get this same Spiritual life that now I have been speaking of above all getting to get this Spiritual life Ye see into what sad times you are fallen Who knows how long he shall live who knowes how long he shall he the owner of his Estate Liberty or Life The Kingdom is ful of blood and there is a blood-thirsty-disposition that runs thorow the Kingdom and if you and I have our lives
godliness But ye know a spark of fire though it be but a spark of fire it will not oppose the flame though it be not so great as the flame yet it will not oppose the flame it opposes the water but it doth not oppose the flame of fire And so if a man have grace though it be but a spark of grace yet notwithstanding if it be in truth it will not oppose a flame But now Civil and Moral men that walk in a way of works and are under the Law Oh! how do they oppose those that have the power of godliness that have more grace than themselves that are in a flame for Christ them they oppose Is it so with you that make this Objection Oh! No I praise the Lord your soul will say if it speak in truth though I have but little the Lord knows I do not oppose them that have much I rejoyce rather in those that have more than my self yea I rejoyce in those that have the power of godlinesse And Lord thou knowest I do not stint and limit my self Oh! I can never be godly enough and I can never Repent enough and I can never mourn for my sins enough Well be of good comfort this may be no other stream then what flows from this blessed fountain Free-remission and Justification by faith alone Object 3 Thirdly Will some say I fear that upon all this account my Obedience and my Holiness is not right for I do not find the visible Characters of Justification upon my Sanctification Justification by faith alone is the fountain of all our Holiness Then if my obedience were right it would tast of my Justification and of Free-remission if my Holiness were right it would savour of Free-remission but I do not find any visible Characters of Justification upon my Sanctification I do not find that my Sanctification does relish or savour of Free-remission or Justification by faith alone therfore I fear al is naught my obedience hath been naught and wrong all this while Answ For answer to this Know ye not beloved That a mans Justification may be hidden from Sence when Sanctification is in truth Know ye not That the life of grace is a hidden life not only hidden from the world but hidden from ones own soule many times Quest But what are those Visible Characters of Justification which are engraven upon a mans Sanctification so that when a man does see them he may say Surely here is a Sanctification that is no other than that which flows from Free-remission and Justification by Faith along Answ 1 First When a man does mourn for his sin because it is pardoned does not this repentance savour of Free-remission When a man does obey the Lord because God hath pardoned and forgiven him does not this Sanctification then savour of his Justification and of Free-remission Secondly When there is a meeting of all graces and one good work and duty and grace is reconciled to another in a mans life is there not then a tast and a savour of Justification and Free-remission When the Lord does justifie a poor sinner then al the Attributes of God are reconciled to one another Justice is reconciled to Mercy and Mercy is reconciled to Justice and all these reconciled Attributes of the Lord do meet upon the soul of a justified person and accordingly there is a meeting of all graces in the soul and all good works and graces they are reconciled to one another That whereas before a man was justified they were at ods at a distance one from another and were inimititious one to another now they are not Whereas before a man was justified he could not rejoyce in God but it hindred his mourning for sin and he could not mourn for sin but it hindred his faith and he could not beleeve but his beleeving hindred his repentance But now when a man is justified and reconciled to the Lord then all those Works Duties and Graces are reconciled to one another Why Because the Attributes of God are reconciled unto one another and all the Attributes of God they meet upon the heart of a justified person and so there are the Characters of his Justification upon his Sanctification here And I appeal to ye who ever you are that labor under this scruple Is it not thus with thy soul in truth Do not you find it thus That now you look upon the very Justice of the Lord as your friend the Justice and Righteousness of the Lord as your friend That now ye are reconcil'd as it were to those Duties that heretofore you looked upon as your Enemies That now you rest upon the Lord Christ that you may be Obedient and your very resting upon Christ makes you obedient your very beholding of Christ changes you from glory to glory as the Apostle speaks 2 Cor. 3.18 If you would speak in truth from your soul you would say thus Lord thus 't is with me Now I am reconciled to that Duty that before was an enemy to me and now these Workes Duties and Graces are reconciled for now the more I can rejoyce in God the more I can mourn for sin and the more I Beleeve the more I can Repent Heretofore the more I Beleeved the lesse I Repented my Beleeving was my Security but now I see these works and Duties are friends to one another that now the more I Repent the more I Beleeve and the more I Beleeve the more I Repent all these works are reconciled in me And Lord thou that knowest all things knowest That therefore I grieve for my sins because thou hast pardoned them and therefore I desire to obey thee because thou hast forgiven me Well then here are the Visible Characters of thy Justification upon thy Sanctification And therefore be of good comfort notwithstanding this Objection Only let me tell thee this It may be thou hast not stood enough at a distance from thy own Doings and Duties as to the matter of thy Acceptance with God But would you be more Spiritual and Holy in your lives labour more and more to stand at a distance from all your Duties and Doings as to the great matter of your Acceptance with God the father Quest But you will say Suppose that I have not stood cleare from my owne Doings as to the matter of my Justification or Acceptance with God the Father what shall I do that now I may stand clear in this matter that so this fountain of Free-remission and Justification by faith alone may be opened upon my soul and my Spiritual life thereby may be more inlarged and increased Some things by way of Answer to this and so I have done First Be ye humbled in the sight and presence of the Lord that you have walked in that way that you have tied Jesus Christ unto your conditions and that you have made use of Christ only to eek out your Performance as to the matter of your Acceptance Secondly Study much
the Transactions of things between God the Father and Jesus Christ And then you will find That Jesus Christ had satisfied God the Father before ever you came into the world and therefore your souls when you think of this will say How therefore can my Work or my Duty any way bring in Satisfaction or Acceptance with God the Father Study I say the Transactions between God the Father and Jesus Christ Thirdly Acquaint your soul much with the difference between the Covenant of Works and the Covenant of Grace In the Covenant of Works a mans Work is first accepted and then his Person But in the Covenant of Grace a mans Person is first accepted and then his Work And when you understand this then you will say I if this be true That a mans Person is first accepted and then his Work How can my Work any way fetch me in acceptance with God the Father O my soul for ever stand clear in this great matter of my Acceptance in my Duties Fourthly when ever your Duties your Works and your Graces are Highest then and then especially use thy soul to be beyond them and say thus Though now I blesse the Lord my heart is thus and thus Inlarged yet I do not count upon my Acceptance by reason of this Inlargment Though I blesse the Lord I have now Prayer that before had none yet I do not count my Acceptance with God the Father by this Prayer When I say thy Duty is Highest use thy soul to be beyond it Fifthly When your Duty Grace and Holiness is lowest then know that now ye have an opportunity to stand clear from your own Duties and Workings as to the matter of your Acceptance and Justification by faith alone If I have a friend in my house that lives in my house with me whom I would not have privy unto a Work or a business I 'le take the opportunity to do the Work when that friend is out of doors now say I he is abroad if he were at home he would be prying over my shoulder and he would have a singer in the business and he would see it but now he is abroad now I will take the time to do it My brethren your Duties Prayer and Humiliation they are all friends to your Justification but when Prayer is out and Duty is out and abroad and out of sight and not at home Now take your time to be clear in the matter of nesting upon Christ ad one and say Now my Prayer is gone and Duties gone and all out of sight Oh! Lord now I have an opportunity to rest upon Christ alone had my Prayer been at home and Duties at home they would have been peering and prying into this Work but now they are all out of sight now I will rest upon Christ and his righteousness alone This is certain that this Justification by faith alone and Free-remission of a poor sinner 't is the great fountain and principle of all our Grace and Holiness and therefore if you would be more Gracious and more Holy I beseech ye in the Name of Christ study it much and walk in the sence of it And what 's the reason that many Professors are no more Holy and Humble but waspish and peevish and harsh and of a rugged disposition but because they have not studied the Gospel more and Free-remission and Justification by faith alone and they have not the sence of this upon then hearts poor souls you want the Experience of this you think some of you there is no such way to be Holy and Gracious as to have Legal-breakings to have the Law prest upon you but I do here tell you in the Name of the Lord and I lie not That Justification by faith alone and Free-remission is the principle of all our Obedience and all our Holiness And when Paul came to this and the sence of this Now I live saies he And so wilt thou say poor foul when thou comest to the sence of this Truth I was dead before but now I live indeed I was down and my heart dead when I hung upon my owne Duties but now I live Now there fore as you desire to live and liue spiritually the Lord give you hearts to live in the sence and experience of this great Truth Justification and Free-remission by faith alone SERMON III. Preached at Stepney July 16. 1648. GALATIANS 2. part of the 20. vers Nevertheless I live yet not I but Christ liveth in me THE Apostle Paul having spoken of our living to God in the former verse of our spiritual life in those words Yet now I live He proceeds unto the Properties of this spiritual life and those are Three First It is a Self-denying life Yet not I. I live yet not I. Secondly It is a Christ-advancing life But Christ liveth in me Thirdly It is The life of Faith And the life which I live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God I begin with the First at this time in those words Yet not I. The words hold forth a Self-Depression or Self-Annihilation The words are spoken in the Person of a Beleever So that in all these I's I through the Law and I am crucified and I live Paul doth personate a Beleever one that seeks Justification by faith alone according to the tenure of the Gospel And so the Observation is this Doct. Every true Beleever that seeks Justification by faith alone is an Humble Self-Denying person denying himself in Spiritual things The way of the Gospel is a Self-denying way Though a Beleever that seeks Justification by faith alone and not by the Works of the Law does live a spiritual life and so does act move and work towards God yet he cannot endure to write an I upon his own Performance Yet not I. He will Obey God but he will not have an I to be written upon his Obedience He will Pray to God but he will not have an I to be written upon his Performance Yet not I. I live yet not I. Where ever the Gospel comes in Power it does work this Self-denying frame of soul and spirit And thus it was with Paul in regard of his own Person as ye reade in the 1 Cor. 15. chapter speaking with relation unto the other Apostles at the 10. verse I laboured more abundantly than they all yet not I but the grace of God which was with me I laboured more abundantly than they all yet not I. I have been a Preacher of the Gospel and have been a means to convert many souls unto Jesus Christ Yet not I but the grace of God with me I have comforted many Afflicted souls yet not I. I have been a means to plant many Churches Yet not I but the grace of God with me He will not have his work defil'd with Self or this I to be written upon what he doth And so it is with every Beleever more or lesse this is the way and this
not these perswasions yet wait on the Lord for our Savior Christ hath said Joh. 14.20 I will send the Comforter and in that day ye shall know that I am in you and you in me and therefore wait upon Christ for that day Quest Suppose this Doctrine be true That Christ liveth in all Beleevers that he hath a greater hand and stroke in the actions the Spiritual actions of Beleevers than themselves have What Conclusions or practical Meditations shall we draw from hence Answ I will name some and lay them before you carry them home with you First If these things be true Then may every one say Now I see that the In-being of Christ in the soul is not a meer fansie a meer notion but carries with it the greatest reallity in the world For when Christ is in a Beleever there he lives acts and works yea and he hath a greater stroke in the spiritual actions of Beleevers than themselves have Surely therefore this In-being of Christ in the soul is a work of power of almighty power the same power that raised up Christ from the dead Secondly If these things be true Then here may a man say I see a great and vast difference between a Godly and a Wicked man Take a Wicked man and though he be never so great or rich yet Satan is in him Satan liveth in him and ruleth in him the Prince of the air ruleth in him and he is taken captive by the Devil at his will But now take a Godly man and though he be never so poor and mean yet Christ is in him Christ liveth in him Christ hath a greater hand and stroke in his actions than himself hath Take a Wicked man of the highest form and though he do Pray Hear Reade Confer or speak of good things yet not Christ but Himself works and acts in him Self worketh and acteth him But take a Godly man and though he be never so weak Christ liveth in him and hath a greater hand in his actions than himself Who would not be Godly who would not get into Jesus Christ Thirdly If these things be true What desparate madness is it for any to oppose the Saints and Children of God Especially for the matter of their Religion and gracious Actions It is opposition done unto Christ himself Christ liveth in them and the Lord Christ doth so live in a gracious man a Beleever as he hath a greater stroke in all his Prayers and in all his Duties than himself hath Then for a man to stand and scorn scoff and jeer at the Prayers Duties and gracious actions of a Beleever what is it but to make opposition to Christ Himself If there be ever an Opposer a Scorner in this Congregation Poor soul where wilt thou appear in the great day Fourthly If all these things be true Then may every Beleever say Now I see what a great evil it is for any child of God to say That his Duties are nothing but Hypocrisie or the work of Christ Hypocrisie Do you look upon the work of Jesus Christ as so vile and base nothing more base in your eye than Hypocrisie If Christ be in me He liveth in me He hath a greater hand and stroke in all my spiritual actions than my self hath Therefore through the grace of God I will be for ever wary how I say of my own Duties again They are all nothing but vile Hypocrisie Fiftly If these things be true Then here now I see the reason why a Beleever is and ought to be thankful to God for all those things that he doth to God and for God Not only thankful for what he receiveth from God but thankful for what he himself doth offer unto God We reade of David that when he and his people had offered a great Offering he praiseth the Lord for his own willingness to offer unto the Lord. So a Beleever is not only to be thankful for what he receiveth from God but also for what he himself doth do to God and for God Why because it is not be that doth it but Christ living in him and the Lord Christ hath a greater stroke in that action which he doth to God or for God than himself hath Therefore infinite reason why we should not only be thankful for what we receive from God but for what we do to and for God Sixtly If all this be true Then here we see a mighty engagement for every poor Beleever to come unto Duty although his heart be dead dull heavie and indisposed unto it Because it is not He but Christ worketh in him in Duty Am I therefore dead dull heavy and indisposed to Prayer or any Duty yet will I go and offer my self unto God in Prayer Either Jesus Christ will come down upon my Prayer God will come down in my Duty or else he will not If the Lord do what a mercy shall it be unto me If the Lord do not come down while I am at Duty and work all my work for me it shal be my affliction and I wil mourn after God But whether the Lord does come down in my Duty or whether he does not it is as it pleaseth Him I wil wait upon the Lord for it is He that worketh in us mightily Oh! my soul therefore for ever wait upon God in Duty yea although my heart be hard dead dull and indisposed thereunto Seventhly If all this be true What gracious holy heavenly lives should all those lead that pretend to the word Beleever Some there are that do pretend to the word Beleever I am a Beleever and they say they have Faith But if I have Faith indeed then Christ liveth in me Not the World liveth in me but Christ liveth in me Not Malice liveth in me but Christ liveth in me Not Pride liveth in me but Christ liveth in me But how many are there poor souls that may say in truth Pride liveth in me and Malice liveth in me and the World liveth in me but Christ liveth not in me And will ye say then that ye have Faith Let us not be deceived But if this be true That Christ liveth in all Beleevers what gracious and holy conversations should the conversations of Beleevers be And whensoever you fail in any thing you should even say Yea but would Christ do so My soul thus and thus hast thou spoken but would Christ have spoken thus and thus If all this be true Why should we not al stand wonder and admire at the infinite love of Christ It was much love in Christ for to come down into our Nature it was yet more for to come down into our Hearts by his Spirit yet more for to live act and work there but the Lord Christ he is not only come down into our Nature come down into our Hearts for to live act and work there but the Lord Christ hath an eye upon all our actions the Lord Christ hath a greater stroke in al our Spiritual