are described by such termes as set out the sensiblenesse of their condition The meek the broken-hearted the captives them that are bound them that mourne in Zion them that sit in ashes them that are under the spirit of heavinesse The cure is set down in expressions suitable to the nature of these sicknesses To the meek good tydings to the broken hearted binding up to the captives liberty to them that are bound the opening of the prison to them that mourne comfort the oile of joy to them that are in ashes beauty to the spirit of heavinesse the garment of praise The Authority enjoyning this is the Divine unction of the Father by the Spirit The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me the Lord hath anointed me So Esay 50. 4. Jesus Christ is a very exact observer of his Fathers Commandment He hath his 〈…〉 not onely in his hand but even in hi◠〈◊〉 Psalm 40. 8. in the middest of his bowels Now because God hath in so peculâ—ar â— manner recommended these to his â—are therefore doth he apply himself to them for their cure 2. From the instigation of his own mercifulnesse Jesus Christ is very tender-hearted he is full of the bowels of compassion The Apostle calls him a merciful and faithful High Priest Heb. 2. 17. He could not be a compleat High Priest if he wanted either of these Now being so merciful and compassionate he will not turne away his bowels from them that are in so dejected a condition This is rendred as the reason why he was so ready to heale the wounded travellor Luke 10. 33 34. When he saw him he had compassion on him and bound up his wounds Jesus Christ hath lost none of his tendernesse by going into heaven He is still touched with the sensible feeling of our infirmities Heb. 4 15. this inclines him to this readinesse 3. That he may not lose the glory of that work which he hath begun The humbling and convincing of proud sinners is as truly the work of Christ as the restoring of humbled sinners 'T is his work to prick the heart as well as to comfort the heart Now if he should humble and convince a sinner and then leave him and proceed no farther he would lose the honour of what he hath done The soule doth not heartily praise Christ for conviction till conviction be carried on to conversion The soul so long as it abides onely under the paines of conviction apprehends no love but onely wrath and anger and so long as the love of Christ is unseen the glory of Christ is not proclaimed Now Christ will not lose the glory of the first work therefore is he so careful and ready to carry on the second work The Uses of this Point 1. Let this preserve all that are in such a condition from despaire Satans great plot upon convinced and humbled sinners is to drive them to despaire As he endeavours to heighten and harden unbroken sinners to presumption so his great designe is to afright humbled sinners to despaire This Doctrine is a good preservative against such temptations you that see sinne and complaine of your spiritual sicknesses know this to your comfort that as Christ hath prepared you for healing so he will be ready to heale you Object I have been a long time under these heart-pricking convictions and yet cannot finde any healing my wounds are as wide and as deep as ever they were I have lyen many moneths yea many yeares under the apprehensions of sinne and wrath and yet am not healed How shall I beleeve this Doctrine Sol. 1. Many sinners are healed who do not apprehend themselves to be healed Many wounded sinners will not beleeve themselves to be healed unlesse they could finde no skarre or spot of sinne upon them They think they are not healed of sinne 〈◊〉 they are not quite delivered both from the being and acting of sinne They even look to finde as perfect healing on earth as they shall have in Heaven But we must know that a person may be healed both of the guilt of sinne by Justification and of the dominion of sinne by Sanctification and yet still finde many sores of sinne upon and new sores breaking out every day in him Paul was healed when he cried out O miserable man that I am who shall deliver me from the body of this death Romans 7. 24. David was healed and yet he cries out My wounds stink and are corrupt through my foolishnesse Psalme 38. 5. and againe verse 7. My loynes are filled with a loathsome disease and there is no soundnesse in my flesh When the love of sinne the secret delight in sinne the allowance of sinne the commanding rule of sinne are removed though there continue many wounds and scarres too upon the soule the cure of sinne is wrought and that which is wanting shall perfectly be finished 2. Many sinners keep themselves from being healed by their own default They do keep terrour and apprehensions of wrath upon their soules because they will not close with the promises of the Gospel Though the comforts of the Gospel be held out never so clearly and with never so much perswadingnesse yet they will have none of them They are not humbled enough as they think they are not so prepared as they should be therefore they will not come to Christ to close with him as with a Saviour nor apply the promises of the Gospel but reject them and put them away as none of their portion This is the case of abundance of sinners Is it any wonder if such say they are not healed 'T is because they will not be healed They are not worthy of mercy and therefore they will have none They do not consider that all our worthinesse stands in the sense of our own unworthinesse They do not consider that they do not come to bring fulnesse to Christ but to draw out of Christs fulnesse John 1. 14. if such sinners would but lay aside this spiritual pride and close with Christ because they see they are unworthy of him they should finde that he would in a short time spiritually heale them For he is willing to heale and willing to do it speedily Jesus Christ never did never will put any sinne-lamenting sinner to any unnecessary trouble to any unnecessary delay 2. Let all the people of God especially the Ministery of God be ready to follow Christs example When you see or know of any soul that is wounded with sinne apply what healing medicines you can that they may be healed 'T is given in charge to the Ministers of God both in the Old and in the New Testament Esay 35. 3. and 1 Thes 5. 14. As it is cruel mercy to prostitute the comforts of the Gospel to proud sinners so is it great cruelty to with-hold the cordials of the Gospel from such sinners as are burthened with their sinnes Jesus Christ will take it very kindly at any mans hand that will help forward the
may be quite lost Therefore it can be no evidence of a state of grace Evidences of true grace can never totally be lost where once they are the knowledge of the evidence may be lost but the ground of the evidence cannot be lost but all outward prosperity may be lost Riches are not for ever Prov. 27. 24. Honours die before he that had them die Haman will be an example of that our own age hath given us fresh precedents in abundance of the perishingnesse of these things Do not many that were cloathed in skarlet embrace the dung-hil Are not rich men made poor and poor rich 7. Outward prosperity is sometimes given in wrath He gave them a King in his anger and took him away in his wrath Hos 13. 11. God gave quailes to the Israelites but his wrath came along with them Psal 78. 30 31. 'T is true of all outward things The prosperity of fooles shall destroy them Prov. 1. 32. Prosperitie kills more then adversitie But now that which is an evidence of salvation is never given in wrath I shall answer one question and then I shall shut up this Rule viz. How shall I know whether 〈…〉 are given in mercy 1. When they make the heart 〈…〉 Riches when they are given in anger 〈…〉 heart sensual stubborne When they are given in love they do spirituallize enlarge the heart God-ward we may see it in Hannah 1 Sam. 2. 2. My heart is enlarged outward mercies naturally make the heart carnal but when they are given in mercie they make it spiritual See it in David Psal 23. 5 6. I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever When health riches c. raise the heart nearer heaven then 't is a sign they are bestowed in mercie 2. When they make the heart more humble Naturally outward prosperitie swells the heart That Caution 1 Tim. 6. 17. notes the distemper A full purse ordinarily makes a big heart If therefore you finde your spirits humble under your outward enjoyments you may conclude they are given you in mercie See it in Jacob How humble was he Gen. 32. 10. His spirit was as low when he marched with his two bands as when he travelled with his scrip and staffe from his Fathers house So it was with David 2 Sam. 7. 12 13. There is a promise of great prosperitie to David and to his house See how humble this made Davids spirit v. 18 19. Who am I O Lord God and what is my house that thou hast brought me hitherto 3. When we are as ready to lay them out for God as to receive them from God When God gives thee an estate and thou growest covetous art loath to part with it to promote either the service of God or the good of his people When God gives thee a healthful body and thou carest not to serve him with thy health c. This is a signe that these things are given in anger But when thou canst freely part with thy substance when thou studiest how thou mayest honour God with thy estate as the Wise-man enjoynes Prov. 3. 9. When thou art willing to feed Gods hungry and cloath his naked and lodge his houslesse ones c. This is an Argument that God gives thee thy estate in mercie But now if thou squandrest it away in the service of thy lusts or if thou canst not finde in thy heart to lay it out for God thou mayest suspect that God gave thee what thou hast in great anger Thus much for the third false Rule 4. The fourth false Rule The judgement of others There are very many in the world who conclude themselves to be in a good condition because others have a good opinion of them They think they are perfectly well because others tell them they are well Especially if they be such as are godly and religious The Apostle hints at this Gal. 6. 4. I shall lay down two things 1. 'T is a very great mercy to be well reputed of by such as are godly The good opinion of one godly man is better then the acclamations of many wicked It 's an honour to any man to have a good report amongst them that feare the Lord in sincerity It 's recorded concerning Timothy that he was well reported of by the brethren that were at Lystra and Iconium Acts 16. 2. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 They that are godly are more knowing then others as having the Spirit of God and so better able to discern of men then others are And then they are more faithful then others They dare not willingâ—y call evil 〈…〉 The testimony of one godly 〈…〉 and valued before the testimony of 〈…〉 It is a great comfort and strengthening to a godly man when such as are of a discerning spirit approve of his condition 2. It 's possible for a man to be in a very sickestate and yet to be well reputed of by godly men the wisest the faithfullest I shall give three Arguments to cleer out this viz. 1 We have several instances of it in Scripture What think you of Judas he was a very wretched man our Saviour calls him a devil John 6. 70. And yet all the eleven had a very good opinion of him If Judas had desired it he might have had a Testimony under the hands of all the Disciples that they judged him to be a very godly man When our Saviour told them â—hat one of them should betray him every one of them was more ready to suspect himselfe then Judas Mat. 26. 21 22. They were exceeding sorrowful and began to say unto him one by one Mr. Is it I Ananias and Sapphira were without doubt well reputed of by the people of God and yet you know Act. 5. 1 2. how great hypocrites they were they both agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord. Was not Demas once highly approved of by the Apostle Paul and yet a very painted rotten-hearted hypocrite one that forsook the Apostle to embrace the present world 2 Tim. 4. 10. What should I tell you of Jehu Hymeneuâ— and Alexander and many others who were highly esteemed of by the servants of God in that generation Our present Age will furnish us with too many precedents of this nature many very many have turned fearful Apostates of whom the servants of God judged far better then ever they durst of their own hearts 2 No man doth infallibly know the state of another mans heart 'T is made by some a question whether a man can know the state of his own heart infallibly Though I do not question that yet I beleeve 1. That no man can do it at all times 2. That no man can do it without the extraordinary assistance of the Spirit of God bearing witnesse with his Spirit Rom. 8. 16. Sure it is no man can infallibly know the state of his brothers heart All the knowledge we have of other men is but conjectural A faithful Brother as I suppose saith the
now shining at the right hand of God we should say the Sun were but like sackcloth in comparison of it how much more bright is he in his Godhead this is so glorious that no man can see it and live The face of Jesus Christ is that which makes and constitutes the very glory of heaven And then 2. His omniscience The Sunne in the firmament travels up and down and beholds every part of the world David saith there is nothing hid from the heat of it Psalm 19. 6. Jesus Christ as he is the Sonne of God is perfectly omniscient The Apostle speaks of his omniscience Heb. 4. 13. There is no creature that is not manifest in his sight c. Yea he sees every thing not by moving up and down as the Sunne doth but by one fixed and constant view There can be no fence made to keep out the sight of his eye he doth simul semel together and at once behold all creatures with all their motions thoughts and imaginations This is the first II. In respect of his effects and workings upon his people There is a great resemblance between the Suns effects upon the creatures and Christs effects upon his people I shall instance in eight particulars 1. The Sunne hath an enlightning vertue The Sunne is the great luminary which God hath appointed and made to carry the light abroad to the inhabitants of the earth The presence of the Sunne makes day The Sunne is the great torch of heaven by which men and other creatures see what to do and where to go Gen. 1. 14 16. By his light we see it and all other things Jesus Christ hath an enlightning power and doth actually enlighten the hearts of men The soul is by nature in darknesse and never sees till Christ beame down his light upon it All men by nature in regard of spiritual light are as that blinde man was John 9. 1. without any spiritual sight They see neither sinnes blacknesse nor their own misery by reason of sinne They see not Christs beauty not graces excellency till their eyes are opened They have thick skales upon their eyes as Paul had before his conversion Act. 9. 18. Therefore they are called darknesse and their state a state of darknesse Eph. 5. 8. Now Christ gives them light When he riseth upon them savingly then and not till then do they see their condition and the way out of it Eph. 5. 14 As the Sun is speculum munds the worlds looking glasse so is Christ speculum Animae the souls looking glasse All spiritual light which is given to the soul is in and thorough Jesus Christ So the Apostle tells us 2 Cor. 4. 6. The Gospel is the vehiculum lucis the great chariot that carries this light abroad but the fountaine of it is this bright Sunne of righteousnesse Jesus Christ Spiritual illumination is Christs work This is that which the Evangelist saith John 1. 9. John Baptist carried the â—orch but Christ himself was the light Till this Sun be up the soul lies in grosse darknesse but when it appeares then light comes Presently Esay 60. 1. When the glory of the Lord is risen upon the soule then is darknesse expell'd and the soul shines forth The heart that is as dark as any dungeon when the beames of this Sunne are darted down into it is as light as a Paradise Christ turnes Egypt into Goshen And then 2. The Sunne hath a warming vertue Though it be not formally hot yet it is hot in its effect Psal 19. 6. The beames of the Sunne warme the earth and the ayre the bodies of the rational and irrational creatures Experience teacheth that the Sunne hath a heating power the light and motion of it causes heat The Lord Jesus Christ hath a warning vertue in him The heart that is as cold as yee is heated and warmed by the influences of his Spirit into a good temper The luke-warme heart when Christ shines upon it is set into a burning heat The beames which are cast from Christ in his Ordinances put the cold soul into a spiritual sweat We have an instance of this in the two Disciples Luke 24. 32. They were in a freezing temper till Christ overtook them but when they had continued a while in that spiritual sun-shine their hearts were put into a violent flame Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked with us by the way The forerunner of Christ tells the Jews that he that came after him did baptize men with the holy Ghost and with fire Matth. 3. 11. Christ can kindle the sparks of grace which seeme to be as dead and put them into a burning flame Many a Saint hath come to the Ordinances with his heart like the cold earth and before he hath departed Christ hath sent him away like a burning lamp the cold water hath been put into a vehement boyling that the heart hath runne over again eructâ—vit cor meum Psal 45. 1. Peter grew cold at the high Priests fire when the beames of Christ were withdrawn but when Christ shone upon him his cold heart was heated when Elisha had lien a while upon the Shunamites dead childe his flesh waxed warme 2 King 4. 24. Though a soule be as cold as death if Jesus Christ do but once stretch himself upon it it waxes warme And then 3. The Sunne hath a comforting vertue The Sunne is in Scripture put for comfort Job 30. 28. To walk without the Sunne is to walk without comfort and Solomon tells us that it 's a pleasant thing for the eyes to behold the Sun Eccles 11. 7. Weak and sickly persons when they are brought into the Sunshine finde their spirits cheered by it The Lord Jesus Christ hath a heart-comforting vertue He is the first inlet of comfort into the soul He is the preserver of joy in the soule and he it is that restores joy unto the soul after dejections and droopings of heart Noah was herein a figure of Christ see what his father Prophecies of him Gen. 5. â—9 Jesus Christ is the true Noah the great comforter of his people in all the griefs and sorrows of this world Christ is the foundation of all true comfort to thy soule Tolle Christum tolle solâ—â—â—um that reconciâ—iation which he hath made between God and man is the very basis of all consolation Whatsoever in God in the Scriptures yeilds any comfort to the soul is so onâ—y in and through Christ that comfort which is not built upon Christ is bastard comfort which will end in terrour The Spirit of God is called the comforter John 15. 20. his office is immediately to cheer the soul How doth he comfort but even by making application to the soul of a sinner of that which is merited for him All the arguments whereby the spirit comforts the heart are drawn from Christ he seales up to the soul that Christ is his and so fills it with comfort And then 4. The Sune hath a
stinking They defile all that comes neer them whatsoever they meddle with whatsoever toucheth them is defiled by them 2. They that are spiritually dead have no use of any of their spiritual senses The soul hath senses as well as the body but he that is dead cannot use any of these They cannot heare they cannot see they cannot taste they cannot smell they cannot feele they cannot heare Christs voice in the Gospel they cannot see the glory of Christ nor of grace they cannot feel the heavy weight of sinne they cannot taste the sweet and delicate pleasures of Jesus Christ they cannot smell the fragrancy of Christs sweet ointments They have no pleasure in those things that are most plesant in themselves and most desirable to such as are spiritually alive They are to all spiritual things and all spiritual things are to them as if they were not 3. This spiritual death if it be not removed is a certaine forerunner of eternal Death Blessed and happy is he that hath part in the first resurrection of him the second death shall have no power Rev. 20 6. but he that continues still in this spiritual death shall for ever be under the power of the second death the eternal death And this is the state of all such as want Jesus Christ Use 2. That that spiritual life which is in the soul of a beleever shall never totally and finally die It may be at deaths door it may be ready to die so it was with the Church of Sardis Rev. 3. 2. A Christian may be in regard of his spiritual life as a tree in the depth of winter no difference to all outward appearance between him and a dead plant but it is impossible that the spiritual life shall utterly be extinguished because Jesus Christ who is our spiritual life lives for ever Your life is hid with Christ in God Col. 3. 3. hid as in a root for safety and security Because I live ye shall live also John 14. 19. while the root liveth the plant cannot die while the fountaine runneth the streames cannot cease while the olive-trees convey their oyle through the pipes into the lamp the lamp cannot go out A living Christian may grow very weak but he cannot die Jesus Christ must cease to live before the life of grace in a Saint do utterly perish while the cause continueth the effect will Use 3. That there is a true spiritual union between Iesus Christ and a beleever This is one of the great mysteries of the Gospel that Christ and a beleever should be made one it s set out by many examples as of root and branches Iohn 15. init head and members Eph. 5. 3. foundation-stone and the superstructory stones Eph. 2. 20. meat and eaters Iohn 6 56. husband and wife Eph. 5. 32. This very doctrine makes it good He could not be our life if he were not united to us and we to him 'T is by vertue of our union with him that we come to draw life from him As the soul and body are united so are Christ and a beleever the whole mystical body is called by his name 1 Cor. 12. 12. so also is Christ speaking of the Church Use 4. Deadnesse of Spirit want of spiritual Activity is very inexcusable in a beleever The ground of this inference is very cleare Jesus Christ is his life Christ hath life enough in him and he is willing enough to communicate more and more of this spiritual life If the fountaine of this life were a meer creature something might be said for thy deadnesse and coldnesse but now seeing Jesus Christ is thy life thy deadnesse is inexcusable in thy self and it is also dishonourable to Christ The life and greennesse of the branches is an honour to the root by which they live Spiritual greennesse and fruitfulnesse is in a beleever an honour to Jesus Christ who is his life Psal 92. 12 13 14 15. The righteous shall flourish as a Palm-tree c. To shew that the Lord is upright c. The fulnesse of Christ is manifested by the fruitfulnesse of a Christian Use 5. It is the duty of a Christian to live comfortably on this Doctrine It affords very much comfort 1. Against the weaknesse of this life in our selves What Christian is there but finds this life very weak in him at some times well when it is weakest in thee it is then strong in Jesus Christ And God looks upon thy spiritual life not only as it is in thee but as it is in Christ 2. Against the fear of the wanting of the Ordinances of life 'T is a great losse to lose the Ordinances Lev. 26. 31. Well though thou lose these yet thou doest not lose thy life These are but the pipes Christ is the Olive-tree These are but the chanels Christ is the fountaine Man liveth not by bread alone but by the word of blessing Thy soul liveth by Christ not by Ordinances They are but the instrumental cause Christ is the efficient 3. Against the feare of Satans workings to destroy this spiritual life 'T is his great designe to take away this spiritual life He labours to stifle it by sinne he stirs up his instruments to remove the Ordinances Well he cannot prevaile He must destroy Christ before he can destroy our life He must either wither the root or he cannot kill the branches Use 6. Let beleevers be careful to carry themselves towards Christ as he who is their life 1. Acknowledge him the Authour of your life 2. Go to him when you want life 3. Strengthen your union with him Eph. 4. 15. 4. Live to him who is your life Rom. 14. 8. Use 7. It should invite all to lay hold on Christ All men are dead by nature There 's no other way to live a spiritual life If Christ be not thy life of grace he will never be thy life of glory COL 3. 4. When Christ our life shall appear then III. SERM. at Mary Wolnoth Lon. June 1. 1651. shall we also appeare with him in glory I Have handled the first Proposition as it relates to the life of grace viz. that Jesus Christ is a beleevers spiritual life I shall now consider of it as it refers to the life of glory and so summe it up into this conclusion viz. Doct. Jesus Christ is the eternal life of every beleever Christ is the everlasting life of all those that are eternally saved As he is their life of grace so he is also their life of glory He is often called in Scripture not only a Saviour but Salvation The salvation of God Luk. 3. 6. An horn of salvation Luk. 1. 69. And all because he is the salvation of all the Elect. I must here put in that Caution which I did before viz. That the Father and Holy Ghost are not to be excluded they are our life as well as Christ The Spirit and the Father are Saviours as well as the Sonne Opera Trinitatis ad
feed the inward man Those that have the fattest bodies have not alwayes the fattest soules But Christ is spiritual meat and drink He feeds the soul the conscience the spiritual part His blood purgeth the conscience Heb. 9. 14. it refreshes the conscience it chears the conscience his body strengthens the soul repaires the decayes of the inward man 2. Christ is heavenly meat and drink Joh. 6. 32. My Father giveth you the true bread from heaven Other meat and drink is terrene and earthly Your bread grows out of the bowels of the earth Your wine is the blood of an earthly grape The flesh you eat is fed of the tender grasie that springs out of the earth If the earth should prove barren you would soone feele a famine The King himself is served by the field Eccles 5. 9. 'T is true the blessing comes from heaven but all the materials of meat and drink are earthly But Jesus Christ is the bread of heaven and the wine of heaven The Manna came from the clouds onely but Christ from the beatifical heaven even from the bosome of the Father 3. Christ is incorruptible meat and drink All earthly meat and drink is of a fading perishing nature The best bread grows mouldy in a little time the best flesh in time putrifies and taints the best wine growes eager and sowre in a little time and becomes unfit for the body of man The very Manna it self when it was kept till the morning of the next day contrary to Gods command bred wormes and standk Exod. 16. 20. But Jesus Christ knows no corruption His flesh blood is now as sweet and pleasant after so many Ages as it was the first houre it was eaten and drank John 6. 27. And it will be as farre from corruption at the end of the world as now it is The Manna in the golden pot corrupted not though kept for many Generations Christ is Manna in that golden-pot the humanity in the golden pot of the Divinity shall see no corruption 4. Christ is such meat and drink as preserves from death Other meat and drink cannot keep man from the grave That rich man that fared deliciously every day was not made immortal The rich man died and was buried Luke 16. 22. All that Generation that fed on Manna and drank the water out of the rock died John 6. 49. But Christ preserves the soul from Death John 6. 50. This is the bread of God that came down from Heaven that a man may eat thereof and not die It immortalizes the soule that feeds on it He that beleeveth on me hath eternal life ver 51. And then 5. Christ is soul-satisfying meat and drink He that beleeveth on me shall never hunger and he that cometh to me shall never thirst John 6. 35. There is a hunger of desire and a hunger and thirst of total emptinesse and want He that hath this meat and drink shall never totally want him It is not so with other meat and drink A man may have his belly filled with other meat and drink and may have a good quantity before-hand and yet may at last want a morsel and die for want of a draught of water But he that once hath this spiritual meat and drink though he eat but a little shall never be utterly destitute Jehn 7. 37 38. The widows handful of meal and spoonful of oyle was never spent till God sent raine upon the earth 1 Reg. 17. 16. He that hath but a handful of Christs flesh and a spoonful of his blood shall never see want but shall have enough to satisfie him to all eternity 6. Christ is such meat and drink as gives life to the Dead Other meat and drink cannot preserve a living body from death much lesse can it give life and restore breath to a dead body Put the most delicate meat the strongest drink into the mouth of a dead man and they will not give him life if the soul be quite departed They may recover from a swoon they cannot from death But the flesh and blood of Christ quicken the dead Christ by putting his flesh and blood into the mouth of the dead soul conveys life into it His flesh and blood make the lips of the dead to speak As the Father raiseth the dead and quickneth them so the Son quickneth whom he will John 5. 21. if thou hast any spiritual life in thee thou didst receive it from the enlivening vertue of Christs flesh and blood communicated to thee by the Spirit of life 7. Christ is such meat and drink as will never surset All other meat and drink if it be taken immoderately and unseasonably tends to sicknesse and suâ—fetting The more lushious and delicate they are the sooner do they surfet the body Hence is Solomons advice Prov. 25. 16. drunkennesse and surfeting bring more to their long home then pining famine But the flesh and blood of Christ never surfet A man cannot eat and drink too much of Christ nor can they eat and drink him unseasonably There is no killing no annoying vertue in Jesus Christ this meat and drink will never clog never cloy the stomack Christ is an occasion of death to none but to those that refuse him 8. Christ is such meat and drink as is suitable for all persons at all times Other meat and drink is not fit for all persons nor for the same person in all conditions That that will nourish a man may kill a childe That that strengthens a man in health may kill him in sicknesse There is meat for strong men milk for babes c. But Jesus Christ is meat and drink for all persons for all conditions He is meat for the strong man he is milk for the babe He is proper for the healthful person and he is fit for the sickly person He is the labouring mans food and he is the sick mans diet His blood is Physical drink to him that is sick cooling drink to him that is parched with heat he is strong cordial-drink to him that faints He is a suitable nourishment 9. Jesus Christ is meat and drink that is freely bestowed He is not purchased by our money nor procured by our industry but freely communicated Other meat and drink is procured at dear rates Men must Till and Plow and Sowe their land men must breed up cattel men must plant vines dig springs and fountaines otherwise they can expect neither meat nor drink The Egyptians in a time of famine pawn'd their lands for food they gave their cattel for bread and at last sold their land out-right that they might have food Gen. 47. 15 16 17 18 19 20. But Christ is meat and drink though the most costly in himselfe yet costlesse to us Nothing is required on our part but receiving of him If any should offer money Christ would say as Peter to Simon Magus Act. 8. 20. Thy money perish with thee He that will not take this meat and drink as an
ROM 13. 14. Put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ VII SERM. at Mary Wolnoth Lon. Jan. 11. 1651. IN this Chapter the Apostle recommends unto Christians the practise of several excellent duties for the adorning of their holy profession in the world 1. Subjection to civil Magistracy This is urged by sundry Arguments from v. 1. to 8. 2. Vnto that heavenly and divine grace of love This is pressed by many Arguments from v. 8. to 13. 3. Vnto honesty of conversation v. 13. he would have them to abstaine from all acts of intemperance such as rioting drunkennesse c. and to walk 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 decently and honestly 4. 'T is the putting on of Christs righteousnesse This he names to distinguish Christian graces from moral vertues unlesse Christ and his righteousnesse imputed by faith be put on that power to live holily may be derived from that fountaine a Christians holinesse shall not exceed the righteousnesse of moral Philosophers and Jewish Pharisees They did abstaine from many works of the flesh they did practice acts of temperance and other vertues but they did not draw power from this fountaine Jesus Christ being strangers to Christ and his righteousnesse al their eminent vertues gained no saving acceptance from God The Apostle therefore would have Christians not onely to walk holily but to draw all power of holy walking from Christ the root of all true holinesse v. 14. 5. Not to make any superfluous and inordinate provision for the flesh ver 14. latter end The text hath two parts 1. An Act 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 It 's a Metaphor borrowed from the putting on of garments used by the Apostle often In reference to the New-man Eph. 4. 24. In reference to the spiritual Armour Eph. 6. 11. In reference to acts of mercy Col. 3. 12. And here in reference to the application of Christ But Put ye on 2. The object The Lord Jesus Christ. 3. Expressions relating to one and the same person They are many times joyned together though used singly and apart often Acts 16. 31. Beleeve on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved so in those Apostolical benedictions The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all We may distinguish them thus Lord is a Name of Power Jesus a Name of Grace Christ a Name of Authority The words afford a twofold lesson The one implied the other expressed Viz. 1. That Jesus Christ is a spiritual garment 2. That it 's the duty of beleevers to put on this garment Doct. 1. The Lord Jesus Christ is a spiritual garment This is necessarily implied under the metaphor of putting on This 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doth imply 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Jesus Christ is the soules cloathing Christ is a Christians vestment As he is spiritual meat and drink so he is spiritual Apparrel Two things here to be opened 1. To prove that Christ is a garment 2. To shew the Analogy between Christ and other garments 1. That Christ is a garment This will appear two wayes 1. From expresse Scriptures All those texts where mention is made of the putting on of Christ are testimonies of this truth Gal. 3. 17. As many as are baptized into Christ have put on Christ That in Esay 61. 10. I will rejoyce in the Lord for he hath cloathed me with the robes of righteousnesse he hath put upon me the garments of salvation Jerom expounds it of Jesus Christ salvatorem justificatorem nostrum who covers us with his own righteousnesse as with a precious robe of salvation This is taught by our Saviour in that counsel which he gives to the naked Church of Laodicea Rev. 3. 18. I counsel thee to buy of me gold c. and white rayment that thou mayst be cloathed What are those 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but Jesus Christ himself imputed and applied to the soule Isa 52. 2 its spoken of deliverance from Babylon and more fully of redemption by Christ 2. From typical or more mysterious Scriptures There are many of this kinde 1. Those garments of skins wherewith God cloathed our first parents after the fall You read of them Gen. 3. 21. This was not without a mystery Peter Martyr hath this note upon that place that by these garments was shadowed out the promised Messiah that blessed seed of the woman who should be sacrificed upon the crosse and cut out as it were into garments for the cloathing of Gods Elect. The like is observed by Interpreters from those kid-skins which Rebeccah put upon the hands of Jacob and upon the smooth of his neck when she sent him to his Father for the blessing Gen. 27. 16. They did decipher Christ with whom the soul being cloathed obtaines a blessing from the hands of God 2. Those garments of the High Priests God appointed in the Law that glorious garments should be made for Aaron You read of them Exod. 28. 2. What was typified by those garments They related to Christ As the High Priest did typifie Christ so the garments did set out the pure administration of Christ who offered up himself without spot Heb. 9. 14. and they did also teach the people of God that it is Jesus Christ that cloathes their soules with choice raiment that fine linnen which is the righteousnesse of Saints Rev. 19. 18. This type is more fully expounded in Zech. 3. 3 4. Those filthy garments noted Joshuab's sinnes and the sinnes of the people That rayment which was afterward put upon him did signifie Christ and his righteousnesse wherewith all spiritual Priests are gloriously decked and cloathed 3. The wedding-garment in the Gospel You read of it Matth. 22. 11 12. What is meant by this wedding garment but Jesus Christ who being apprehended and put on by faith works and creates the saving fruits of grace in the heart and in the life II. Wherein stands the Analogy There are several uses of garments in all which respects Christ is a garment to the soul 1. Garments are for the covering of the body Men use garments that the nakednesse of their bodies may not appeare to the eyes of others for this reason did our first parents few fig-leaves together to hide their nakednesse In the state of innocency when the body was without guilt nakednesse was the greatest Ornament when sinne had polluted the body then was nakedness deformity therefore man sought the best garments he could to cover that nakednesse For the same reason did God afterwards make man garments of skins to cloath him Gen. 3. 17. Jesus Christ is a covering to the soul He is the Lamb of God that did not onely redeeme us by his blood sed etiam lanis operuit saith Jerom 1. He covers the deformity of our natural filthinesse 2. He covers the uglinesse of our actual sins Psal 32. 2. 3. He covers all the spots of our holy duties The mercy-seat under the Law covered the two Tables of the Decalogue vid. Exod. 25 17 18 21. This mercy-seat did
cured Thousands and ten thousands are now in heaven that have been as siâ—k as thou canst be 2. Christ iâ— still in a way of curing His hand is in Indeed his hand is never out 3. He hath undertaken to cure all thy diseases He hath given the hand to his Father 4. He hath healed them all 〈◊〉 He hath done that which will heale you He hath shed his blood he hath poured out his Spirit c. 5. He is related to you Your brother your kinsman your husband your head a part of your self If a sick man had a brother or husband a Physician which could cure him would he despair c Why should a sick Christian despaire of cure whose husband is such a Physician 1. Object But I have many diseases upon me what hope shall I have Sol. Christ can cure all manner of diseases He cured Paul a blasphemer c. He cured Mary Magdalen He cured Manasseh c. Let thy disease be what it will so Christ be thy Physician 2. Object But my diseases have been long upon me what hope shall I have Sol. Christ can cure long diseases He cured one that was eighteen yeares diseased Luke 13. 16. Another that had been sick thirty eight yeares John 5. 5. All the diseases he cures are old diseases The original fountaine of all is from the fall of Adam 3. Object But I have relapsed c. what hope shall I have Sol. There is a peculiar promise for this disease Hos 14. 4. Peter relapsed and Christ healed him c. Whatever your diseases are if you will be willing to be cured Christ is willing to heal you Onely you must First Take Christs counsel Follow his Direction Never any miscarried that took Christs advice Secondly Keep back no disease Let him heale all or he will heale none Oh that Christ might get some custome with you this day 4. Object But I am worse since Christ took me in hand c. Sol. 1. Thou art so much the better because thou thinkest thy self worse if it be thy complaint that thou art worse 2. Let Christ alone with the cure he goes the safest way yea he goes the neerest way when he seems to go the farthest way 3 Take notice of the alsufficiency of Christ He is every thing to the soule which it wants The soul wants bread Christ is that the soule wants drink Christ is that the soule wants rayment Christ is that the soul wants a shadow Christ is that the soul wants a Physician and Christ is a Physician not a Mountebank but a learned skilful Physician The soule that hath Christ hath every thing One Jesus Christ is enough for all the Necessities of the soule 4. What comfort is this for the children of God! We get new falls every day we breed new diseases every day We contract new guilt new filth Christ is a Physician he hath healing in his wings he can cure your deadnesse your dulnesse your hardnesse your blindnesse c. He is a compassionate Physician He is touched with the sense of your infirmities Heb. 4. 15. Get nearer and nearer to Christ get farther under his healing wings c. 5. Rob not Christ of the honour of this Doctrine Christ is robbed of the honour of a Physician two wayes 1. When we go to other Physicians To creatures to duties to carnal mirth c. all which are Physicians of no value 2. When we attribute our spiritual healing to our selves or any creature and not to Christ He that robs Christ of the honour of a Physician shall when he is sick perhaps want a Physician Doct. 3. That there are many sick of this spiritual disease who think themselves to be whole As in regard of the body many that are very full of diseases judge themselves to be healthy and strong so very many there are who are mortally sick of spiritual maladies and yet conceive themselves to be in perfect health As many that are spiritualy healed think themselves sick unto death so many that are spiritually sick unto death judge themselves to be in a healthful estate Thus it was with the vain glorious Pharisee Luke 18. 11. he thought himself perfectly in health when as he was ready to drop into his grave yea to fall into hell through the abundance of his spiritual sicknesses Thus it was with those other Pharisees John 9. 39 40. Our Saviour hints their sad condition to them v. 9. They imagin'd themselves unconcern'd in what was spoken Are we also blinde q. d. our eyes are as cleare as the eyes of any in the world we are far from blindnesse They thought themselves to see as perfectly as any v. 40. Thus was it with the Church of Laodicea Rev. 3. 17. she thought her condition as good as the best in the world when she was indeed as sad a spectacle as the earth bore Experience shews it to be so still and that with the greatest part of men in the world Come to men that are grossely profane tell them of their dangerous condition ask them why they will not think of another course c. What is their answer Trouble not your self about us we are well our condition is good we hope to be saved as well as you that are so stâ—nct and so zealous heaven belongs to us as well as to you c. But whence comes this to passe I shall reduce all to these heads or springs First Ignorance The greatest part of men are grossely ignorant of their spiritual estate They know not they do not understand their inward estate The Scripture tells us that a carnal condition is an ignorant condition Eph. 4. 18. 1 Pet. 1 14 A carnal heart is spiritually an ignorant and blinde heart The state of nature is called a state of darknesse Acts 26. 18. And a state of folly Prov. 5. 23. And all such men are called spiritual fooles Psalme 14. 1. They may know much in outward things they may know much of the letter of the Scripture but as to saving knowledge they are very ignorant and without understanding And as they are ignorant of other matters so they are ignorant of their spiritual condition This ignorance is to be ascribed to these four heads 1. They want the Spirit of God The holy Spirit is the principle of all saving light It is called by the Apostle The Spirit of wisdome and revelation Eph. 1. 17. because all true wisdom and saving illumination is the work of the Spirit the Spirit gives us power to discern and light wherby to see spiritual things Pregnancy of natural wit without the Spirit of God can never make a person wise unto salvation Elihu tells Job Chap. 32. 8. There is a spirit in man and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth him wisdome He that wants this spirit cannot possibly know his spiritual estate But now many men all unregenerate men want this Spirit Ergo. This the Apostle largely disputes in 1 Cor. 2. 10 11 12 13
Apostle concerning Sylvanus 1 Pet. 5. 12. 'T is Gods Prerogative infallibly to know the hearts of men You cannot infallibly know a mans temporal estate unlesse it be discovered much lesse his spiritual estate 3 That that will be a good ground to another man to judge well of us will not be a sufficient ground for us to judge well of our selves Others are bound to judge well of us if they see no evil in us Charity beleeveth all things hopeth all things thinketh no evil Vid. 1 Cor. 13. 5 6 7. A fair outward deportment free from offence is a sufficient ground for another man to judge charitably of me and for me to judge charitably of another But now more then this is required to give me a ground of judging well of my selfe I must see some inward saving work of grace in my heart before I can judge before I ought to judge my own condition to be good That that will evince me to be a censurer of another if I do not judge well of him will 〈…〉 flatterer if I do judge well of my selfe upon such grounds because I must know possitively my condition to be good before I conclude it to be good Thus much for this Rule 5. The fifth false Rule Some outward reformation Many men conclude themselves to be in a very healthful condition because they are better then they were They have left some sinnes which formerly they walked in c. Therefore they hope their condition is good in the sight of God They were wont to swear at every word but now they swear not at all if they do 't is but very seldome c. Vid. 2 Cor. 16. 12. I have foure things to say about this Rule 1. 'T is a very great mercy when men are on the mending hand When they grow better any manner of way in any degree they have cause to blesse God exceedingly When he that was a common swearer can now speak without an oath When he that was a cheater doth now deale honestly with men When he that was a drunkard doth now live soberly There is some better hopes of this man then there is of another who goes on still in his old waies When a man can say I was an extortioner an oppressor a liar c. but now I have left these sins He hath very great cause to blesse God that hath made him better to leave one sinne is a greater mercie then to gain the world 2. No man can have hopes of heaven that doth not mend his life He that doth not outwardly reforme shall not go to heaven Job 22. 23. Col. 3. 4 5. 3. It 's possible that a man may outwardly reforme some things and yet he in â— very sick condition still A man may be better then he was and yet far short of a good condition A man may be lesse wicked then he was and yet not at all truly good in the sight of God Consider foure things to clear this 1 A man may part with some one sinne to make more sea-roome for some other sinne Though all lusts are from the devil and all lead to the devil and all are contrary to Holinesse yet there is some opposition between one lust and another so that one cannot act vigorously unlesse another which opposes it be brought under Prodigality is contrary to covetousnesse c. Now it 's possible for a man to leave some sinne out of love to another sinne to part with covetousnesse out of love to prodigality A man may put out some of his children to make more room for the first-born and yet he accounts them all his children A mans heart may be so much addicted to one sinne that he may seeme to neglect all the rest to make the better provision for that which is most dearly beloved 2 A man may leave some sinnes because he hath not ability or opportunity to commit them as before The Prodigal man hath so farre wasted his estate that he hath not ability to be so wastful as before The adulterer hath so empaired his health and strength that he is not able to act his sin as he did before A thief may have reformed his the every because he hath not that opportunity to purloine as he had before He is better watched then he was 3 A man may part with some sinnes meerly to please men with whom 〈…〉 because he hates the sinne but 〈…〉 displease others whom he would 〈…〉 A man may forbear some dish of meat which hâ— loves because his friend whom he hath invited doth not affect it 4. A man may part with some sinne because he hath found some outward smart by it He hath empaired his health by immoderate drinking and therefore he will now be sober He loves the sinne as well as ever he did but he cannot without the hazarding of his life or health frequent it Many a man abstaines from some meats not because he hates the meat but because the meat doth not love him So it is in respect of sinne It hath been a chargable sinne to him and will be so still if he use it therefore he puts it away By all these things it appeares that some outward reformation may be attained unto and yet the soul still in a sick condition This is the third thing 4. How may a man know then whether his Reformation be such as will eâ—ince his condition to be good These things will evidence this 1. If it proceed from a true displicency and hatred of it When loathing of sinne goes along with leaving of sinne When the heart is disaffected with it When the filthinesse of sin is apprehended as well as the destructivenesse of sinne Esay 30. 22. True grace doth haâ—e sinne more for its filthinesse then for its damnablenesse more because of its opposition to God then for its hurtfulness to himself He that can find this may conclude his reformation to be an argument of grace 2. If care be taken as well to suppresse the root as â—â— reforme the outward act Every sinful act doth proceed from a sinful habit Out of the heart proceed evil thoughts murthers fornications c. Mat. 15. 19. Now if you can finde that the outward reformation and the inward reformation go together you may conclude the presence of grace from such acts of reformation This is that which the Apostle speaks of 2 Cor. 7. 1. Now if as great care be used to be freed from the filthinesse of the spirit as from the filthinesse of the flesh 't is a signe the fear of God is there Put away your iniquities from before mine eyes saith the Lord Esay 1. 16. What is it to put away our iniquities from before the eyes of God but to take care that they may be blotted out of the heart as well as put away from the hand 3. If the Reformation be general If we mend in one thing as well as another we may conclude grace is in the heart Hypocrites
condition was discovered when anguish and horrour was upon their spirits then they were contented to do any thing Acts 2. 37. What shall we do to be saved Thus also it was with Saul Acts 9. 6. When Christ had created those tremblings and astonishments in his spirit then he comes off fully to Christ Lord what wilt thou have me to do So it was with the Jaylor when he had a true representation of his estate then he cries out Acts 16. 30. Sirs what must I do to be saved A man that is in extremity will do any thing to save his life When he sees that he must perish if he do not presently consent to what is proposed then he lingers not if he must throw all his goods overboard he is contented to cast them out presently because death is before him 4. That the mercy of the cure may be more highly valued Salvation from hell is a very great work which should be valued by all on whom it is bestowed The Prophet David calls upon his soule and all that is within his soule to praise God for such a mercy Psalme 103. init He that considers the worth of salvation the unworthinesse of the persons enjoying it the costlinesse of it the multitudes that shall never partake of it must needs acknowledge it a thing worthy to be esteemed But so unthankful a piece is the heart of man that he doth not value it at any considerable rate Jesus Christ therefore before he bring any into such a state will discover their misery to themselves that so he may provoke them to extraordinary thankfulnesse for it And the truth is nothing doth so much enhance the price of salvation in our hearts as a cleer manifestation of our wretched condition See how the Apostles heart is enlarged upon this very consideration 1 Tim. 1. 15. Had he not seen himself to be the chief of sinners he would never have thought salvation by Christ worthy of all acceptation as now he did 5. That the skill of the Physician may be more cleerly discovered Jesus Christ seeks to advance his own glory in all the works he does for the sonnes of men As in other his works so especially in this great work of conversion Therefore it is that he will not heale any till he have shewed them their sad estat◠〈…〉 may see his wisdome power goodnesse in their healing Men that think little or nothing ayles them do not halfe so much value the Physicians paines or skill as those that see themselves at the very brink of the grave when the Physician takes them in hand Jesus Christ therefore will shew them every sort that so they may publish his glory that wrought it for them I was brought low and he helped me saith David Ps 116. 6. See how the poor blind man proclaims the honour of Christ Joh. 9. 32. 4. Whether Jesus Christ observe the same method in this work of discovering the sinners estate to himselfe Whether all sinners have the same measure of humbling and terror and whether they continue for the same time under apprehensions of wrath Answ Jesus Christ is a free Agent He is not tyed to any certaine method nor doth he alwayes walk in the same way His dispensations in the work of convincing men of sinne are various and different The work is wrought on all so far as to make the soule sensible of sinnes bitternesse above all other bitternesse and to make it sensible of Christs excellency above all other excellent things But that it is done in the same violent manner in all or that it is of the same continuance cannot be affirmed Conviction and conversion may be wrought at the same Sermon as we see it was with those three thousand Acts 2. 37. 41. They were no sooner pricked in their hearts but they gladly received the word There was great difference between this work in Lydia and in the Jaylor Acts 16. 14. God shewed her hersicknesse in â— more milde way The Lord opined her heart that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul But the Jaylor he had an earthquake and great horrours in his conscience v. 27 29. 1. Some sinners have been more scandalous then others These are brought to Christ with greater troubles so it was with the Jaylor he had been a cruel bloody man God layes him under deep sorrow 2. God hath a greater work to do by some sinners then by others These he uses to deal with in a more rough way that he may prepare them for service the better This seems to be the reason of his so sharp dealing with Saul Act. 9. 15 16. 3. Some sinners are of a more rough turbulent nature then others These must be handled more severely Some men must be bound before they will be ruled So it is with some kinde of sinners Thus with Manasseh 2 Chr. 33. 11. 4. Some have been sinners of a longer standing then others These Christ useth to be more sharp withal in his way of curing 5. Some sinners have been more confident in their civil righteousnesse then others As Paul was in his Pharisaisme Phil. 3. These Christ uses to handle more sharply Jesus Christ is a wise Physician he observes the nature of all his Patients and accordingly prescribes medicines for them He that hath the least measure of this conviction hath so much as that he sees himself lost undone helplesse hopelesse in himself He sees the evil of sinne he sees Christ an excellent sutable al sufficient good for his soule This one thing 〈…〉 Where there is the least sorrow before 〈…〉 conâ—â—â—sion there is many times greater sorrow and morâ— troubles of Spirit after conversion The Uses of this Point 1. How sad is the condition of those that never yet were truly made sensible of their sick estate They never yet had a true lively sensible apprehension of their sick condition They were never so much as pricked in their hearts for sinne so as to make them loath it They were never taken from all their high conceits of their own natural estate c. These men have cause to suspect that sinne is not yet cured A person may have some conviction of his misery and not be healed but a man cannot be healed without some conviction The heart cannot be broken for sinne without the sight of sinne Ezek. 36. 31. There can be no self-loathing till there be a remembring of our wayes and doings that have not been good 2. How necessary the preaching of the Law is to true conversion A man will never be taken off from the opinion of his own healthfulnesse but by the preaching of the Law The Law shews men what they are what they may expect c. The fallow ground of the heart will never be broken up without the plough of the Law Jer. 4. 3. The plough of the Law must go and make deep furrows too before the seed of comfort be cast in Though the preaching of the
work is wrought By this Word is the soule first cut off from the wilde stock of corrupt nature and planted into the true Olive-tree or Vine Jesus Christ Hence the work of planting is in Scripture attributed to the Ministers of the Gospel 1 Cor. 3. 6 7. I have planted saith the Apostle Apollo watered God indeed is the great Planter So v. 1. of this Chapter I am the true Vine and my Father iâ— the 〈◊〉 He is the Master-Planter the Ministers are subordinate-planters We are labourers together with God 1 Cor. 3. 9. They are so called because by the Word preached this great work is done This the Prophet clearly affirmes Esay 61. 1 2 3. The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me because the Lord hath anointed me to preach Christ that they might be called trees of righteousnesse the planting of the Lord. These mystical trees are Gods planting but the instrument wherby they are made such trees is the Word preached Hence the Word is called the incorruptible seed of regeneration 1 Pet. 1. 23. As all the Trees and Plants in the first Creation were set and sprung up by the Word of God Gen. 1. 11 12. So are all these mystical Branches ingraffed by the Ministerial Word 2. The Spirit of God The Holy Ghost is the immediate Instrument whereby the soule is ingraffed It is the Spirit which gives efficacy to the Word both to cut off the soule from the stock of nature and to implant it into the Stock of grace The Word would never be able to tear off any person from his first root if it were not edged and strengâ—hred by the Spirit of God The Scripture calleâ—h the Holy Ghost the finger of God Luke 11. 20. compared with Mat. 1â— 28. He is so câ—â—â—ed as for other reasons so for this because he is the immediate instrument whereby God works in the hearts of his creatures Particularly for this work of ingraffing the soule into Christ the Holy Ghost is affirmed to be the immediate instrument 1 Cor. 12. 13. By one Spirit are we all baptized into one body c. and have been all made to drink into one spirit And againe Eph. 2. 21 22. where the Apostle speaking of this great mystery under another resemblance saith that in Christ we are builded an habitation of God thorough the Spirit The same Spirit which builds us upon Christ into one Temple doth ingraffe us into Christ as one Vine 3. Faith This is the immediate instrumental cause on mans part Faith is an uniting grace it knits the soule to Christ and Christ to the soul Faith is an incorporating grace it doth as it were embody the soule into Christ making it one with Christ and Christ with it This is that which the Apostle saith 1 Pet. 2. 4 5. To whom coming as to a living stone c. Ye also are built up as lively stones c. Two things are observable in that Text. First that the Saints are built together upon Christ the foundation-stone an holy house to God Secondly how Christ and they are cemented together into one building this is by beleeving set out by the expression of coming which is used ordinarily for beleeving as Mat. 11. 28. The Spirit of God first works saith in the heart of a person through the Word and then the soul is by the Spirit through faith ingraffed into Christ and made a lively Branch For the second particular What advantage the soul hath by being a Branch of Christ I shall here follow the Metaphor The same advantage the Branch hath by being ingraffed into the Stock hath a Beleever in a spiritual sense by being ingraffed into Christ I name these five 1. Spiritual supportation The Branch hath this benefit from the Stock into which it is ingraffed that it is born up and supported by it The Branch doth not bear the Vine nor doth it beare it self but is born of the Vine A beleever hath supportation from Jesus Christ We stand on Christs legs not on our own I can do all things saith the Apostle through Christ that strengthneth me Phil. 4. 13. The strength of the Branch is in the Vine so is the strength of a Beleever in Christ Who is this that cometh out of the Wildernesse leaning on her beloved Cant. 8. 5. I laid me down and slept saith David I awaked for the Lord susteined me Many blasts passe over a beleever many violent concussions and shakings is he exposed unto partly by reason of sinne partly by temptations from the Devil from men in all these shakings he hath sustentation from Christ into whom he is implanted My grace saith Christ to Paul shall be sufficient for thee for my strength is made perfect in weaknesse in 2 Cor. 12. 9. A beleever may with confidence go to Christ and pray for support in all his weaknesses A beleever may go to Christ and chalenge support Christ would never have made thee a Branch if he had not intended to support and strengthen thee Esay 41. 10. there are repeated promises of sustentation I will strengthen thee I will help thee I will uphold thee In doing in suffering in dying is a beleever supported by Christ A beleever never wants support but when either through pride he will not have it or through slothfulnesse he will not 〈…〉 Jesus Christ 2. Spiritual nourishment The Branâ—â— doth not give nourishment to the Stock nor doth it nourish it selfe but it receives nourishment from the Stock A beleever hath nourishment from Jesus Christ The Root feeds the Branch it conveys its sap to each Branch whether it be great or little whether it be nearer the Root or at a farther distance from it Christ conveys proper nourishment to every beleever The Apostle speaks of this Col. 2. 19. The whole body from Christ by joynts and bands hath nourishment ministred the Ordinances are the joynts and bands by which nourishment is carried but Christ is the great treasury from whence it is carried He nourishes Faith he feeds Hope he nourisheth love c. Of his fulnesse have we all received and grace for grace John 1. 16. Every grace a beleever hath would die and wither if it did not receive daily nourishment from Jesus Christ 3. Spiritual increase The branch receives its Augmentation from the Vine The graffe when it's first implanted is very small a childe may break it with one of his fingers but by abiding in the Stock it grows till it come to perfection All a Beleevers increase is from Jesus Christ 'T is by and through him that we grow from infancy to a perfect man Two Texts of Scripture do fully set out this benefit of our implantation The one is Col. 2. 19. In him the whole body having nourishment ministred increaseth with the increase of God The other is Eph. 4. 16. Where the Apostle tells us that by and from Christ the whole body being fitly joyned together and compacted by that which every part supplieth maketh increase
of the body That their knowledge is stronger then it was at first that the habits of grace are strengthned c. This is by vertue of their implantation into the Vine Christ is the beleevers breast the beleever by sucking at the brest growes from a childe to a young man from a young man to an old man in Christ 4. Spiritual fructification The fruitfulnesse of the Branch is from the fulnesse of the Root The Stock sends out its sap to every Branch and so every branch buds and blossoms and brings forth fruit Abeleevers spiritual fruitfulness is from Jesus Christ Christ sends out his sap and fatnesse to him and then he doth according to his kind bud and blossome and bring forth fruits in his season This is that which followes immediately after the Text He that abideth in me and I in him the same bringeth forth much fruit for without me ye can do nothing 'T is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 separated from me ye can do nothing David Psalme 1. 3. tells us from whence our fruits spring namely from our implantation He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water which bringeth forth his fruit in his season So Psal 92. 13. 14. Those that be planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the Courts of our God They shall still bring forth fruit in old age c. This preheminencie these mystical trees have of the natural Old age makes the natural tree barren but it makes the mystical tree the more fruitful Consider what God saith to his people Hos 14. 8. From me is thy fruit found This the Church acknowledgeth when she calleth them Christs fruits Cant. 4. 16. They are borne by the Church 〈…〉 produced by Christ The◠〈…〉 fruits in regard of benefit but 〈…〉 Christs fruit in regard of production The Creation the Preservation the ripening of 〈◊〉 are from Christ They are our fruits in regard of Inhaesion but they are Christs fruits in regard of Procreation That Christian is either blinded with ignorance or filled with malice or swelled with pride who will not acknowledge his spiritual fructification to be from Christ 5. Spiritual fellowship The Branch by vertue of its ingraffing into the Stock hath fellowship with the Stock it doth partake of all the good of the Stock A beleever by vertue of his implantation into Christ hath spiritual fellowship with Jesus Christ in all his good things God is faithful saith the Apostle by whom ye are called into the fellowship of his Sonne Jesus Christ 1 Cor. 1. 9. He that is a Branch of Christ is spiritually married to Christ Hos 2. 19 20. I will betroth thee unto me for ever in righteousnesse in judgemene in loving-kindenesse in mercies and in faithfulnesse Marriage gives the wife an interest in all the good things of her husband His honours his riches his relations are now related to her Her name is set upon all the goods which are marked with her husbands name where he is Caius she is Caia where he is Master she is Mistresse By our implantation into Christ all his possessions are ours His honours are ours we are called by his name He Christ we Christians His riches are ours his relations are ours I ascend to my Father and your Father to my God and your God John 20. 17. Hereby 1. We communicate with Christ in his death Rom. 6. 5. All the fruits of his death are ours onely by reason of our ingraffing into him 2. Hereby also we communicate with Christ in the fruits of his resurrection Rom. 6. 5. We shall also be in the likenesse of his resurrection Hereby 3. we have communion with him in his life Rom. 6. 8. If we be dead with Christ we beleeve that we shall also live with him He will be for ever unto us a spring of spiritual life Because I live you shall live also John 14. 19. Herein do these spiritual Branches differ from the natural a natural branch may die though the Root live but a spiritual Branch of Christ can never die while there is life in Christ his Root Hereby 4. Do we participate of the Spirit of Christ the Spirit of Christ is ours because we are Branches of Christ in 1 Cor. 6. 17. He that is joyned unto the Lord is one Spirit Consider but one Text which doth fully shew our spiritual fellowship from this very ground 'T is 1 Cor. 1. 30. Of him are ye in Christ Jesus c. There are three things in this text First that beleevers are in Christ Secondly that their being in Christ is from Gods Donation Of him are ye in Christ Thirdly that by vertue of their interest in Christ it is that they come to have fellowship with Christ he is to them wisdome c. because they are in him He is their wisdom as he hath revealed salvation to them as he guides them in the way of salvation He is their righteousnesse as he hath perfectly obeyed the Law commanding and as he hath fully satisfied the Law 〈…〉 Sanctification to them as he hath 〈◊〉 them his Spirit to renue them by regeneration and he is their Redemption as he shall raise theâ— up at the last day and glorifie them Thâ—â— much for Explication The Uses of this Point are of three sorts 1. Information 2. Exhortation 3. Consolation 1. For Information 1. We may learn from this Metaphor the nature of the union that is between Christ and beleevers The Doctrine of our spiritual union with Christ is a stupendious mystery therefore the Holy Ghost makes use of natural similitudes to set it forth Among others he makes use of this of the Vine and Branches Which teacheth us three properties of this Union 1 That it is a Real union The Branches and the Vine are not united appearingly but truly Christ and a beleever are united not imaginarily but really Though it be an invisible union to the eye of sense yet it is visible to the eye of faith Though it be a spiritual union yet it is a true union Hence it is that the Name of Christ is communicated to all his members 1 Cor. 12. 12. so also is Christ Not Christ personal but Christ mystical If the union were not in reality Jesus Christ would never impart his name to any of them 2. That it is a very strict union The union between the Vine and Branches is not a loose union but a close union by vertue of this union they are made one tree The union between Christ and a beleever is a very close union They are not united together as a wooden legge is united to the body onely by external bands and ligaments but as the natural legge is united to the body by inward bands by those influences of Spirits Animal and Vital which descend from the Head to the members The beleever is not tied to Christ onely by the bands of an outward profession but made one with Christ by a reall incorporation Christ
people When God committed our salvation to Christ he committed it to one that was mighty Christ is not a reed of salvation but a rock of salvation A strong Redeemer as the Scripture calls him Ierem 50. 34. Consider four things 1. What strong enemies Christ was to vanquish that he might save us 1 He was to save us from sinne Now sin was very strong it grew fast and deep in the heart Sinne is interwoven in the very constitution of every man Christ could not save the Elect if he did not pluck up the very roots of sinne He was to save them from the guilt from the power from the filthinesse yea from the very being of sinne Had he not been very strong he could not have subdued such a potent enemy as sinne was 2 He was to save them from the devil The devil is called in Scripture The strong man yea the strong man armed Luke 11. 21. One devil hath more strength then all the men in the world and there are many Legions of devils which are in the possession of the Elect by nature The devils are called principalities and powers for the greatnesse of their strength Eph. 6. 12. Jesus Christ if he had not been very strong could never have routed these mighty spirits Consider 2. The manner how he was to save us He was to beare and undergo the wrath of his Father for his Elect a heavy burthen which they were notable to bear The grappling with sinne and Satan was but easie in respect of this to beare the wrath of God without sinking The Prophet speaks of this Esay 53. 5 6. all the punishment of the sinnes of men was laid on Christ He treadeth the wine-presse of the fiercenesse and wrath of Almighty God Rev. 19. 15. There it 's spoken of him as the Executioner of his Fahters wrath but he did first tread it as a sufferer And he did beare all this alone And he was to undergo it without sinking and fainting Had he not been a strong salvation he had perished under this burden To beare the wrath of God is a greater work then the subduing of all the devils strength He could have done this by a word but to satisfie the justice of his Father could not be done without his personal suffering Consider 3. The multitude of the persons he was to save Thousands and millions an innumerable multitude the Scripture affirmes them to be Rev. 7. 9. All the Elect of God which did then live yea all that had been all that should be to the end of the world Had he not been a strong Saviour he could not have saved so many And which doth shew his strength more All these were at first unwilling to be saved by him The Elect when Jesus Christ 〈…〉 them and to apply the salvation 〈…〉 which he hath merited for them are 〈◊〉 unwilling to be saved they runne away from him they like their condition so well that they desire not to be removed out of it They â—â—ject Christ yea they fight against Christ and the salvation that he brings until he have subdued their hearts and of unwilling made them willing by the power of his irresistible grace And then they willingly and freely adhere to him Draw us and we will runne after thee Consider 4. The perfection and fulnesse of his salvation His salvation is a compleat salvation This is that which the Apostle saith Heb. 7. 25. He is able to save 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to the uttermost oâ— to perfection What is it to save to the uttermost or to perfection 1. 'T is to save the whole man 2. 'T is to save from all evil to all good 3. 'T is to save to eternity Jesus Christ doth perfectly save in all these respects He will never leave off his Elect till he hath brought them to glory Christ is called a Horne of salvation because he saves both Offensively and Defensively he saves his people and wounds his enemies It 's a Metaphor from horned creatures which do save themselves and offend their assailant Thus much for the second particular Why he is called an Horn of salvation 3. How Christ comes to be an Horn of salvation This is expressed in this word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 God hath raised him up This phrase notes these three things 1. Gods decree whereby Jesus Christ was from eternity designed to this work The Scripture â—â—lls that by a solemne Decree of all the three Persons Jesus Christ the second person was designed for this work of salvation He was set apart by the determinate Counsel of God to be the Authour of salvation unto the Church The Psalmist speaks of this Psal 2. 6 7. Yet have I set my King c. I will declare the Decree the Lord hath said unto me Thou art my Sonne this day have I begotten thee 2. Gods Mission of Christ. As he was before all time appointed for this work so he was in the fulnesse of time sent to accomplish it In the fulnesse of time God sent forth his Son made of a woman made under the Law to redeeme them that were under the Law Gal. 4. 4 5. Of this Mission the Prophet speaks largely Esay 61. 1 2 3. The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me c. He hath sent me to binde up the broken hearted c. To this belongs that solemne publick promulgation of the Father whereby he proclaimed Christ as his salvation to the world Mat. 3. 17. by an immediate voice from heaven This is my well beloved Sonne 3. The Act of God in furnishing Christ with such qualifications as might render him fit for such a work As he established him by his Decree and by his publick Mission sealed him for this work so he did furnish him with all those qualifications which were necessary for the carrying of it on for the good of his Elect This furnishing of Christ relates to two things 1. The preparing of a body for him A humane nature was necessary for him that was to be the salvation 〈…〉 must be made to Justice by the 〈…〉 that committed the trespasse And 〈◊〉 besides the Divine Nature was not capable of saving that way that salvation must be wrought namely by suffering God therefore fitted Christ with a body in which body by the grace of personal union the God-head was caused to dwell Of this the Apostle speaks Heb. 10. 5. Sacrifice and meat-offering thou wouldest not have but a body hast thou fitted me 2. By conferring upon the humane nature fulnesse of all those spiritual qualifications and endowments which were necessary for him to the carrying on of his work Strength wisdome judgement mercy love patience and many other graces were needful for this work of salvation God therefore furnished Jesus Christ with all these Esay 11. 1 2 3. And as he had variety of all these graces so did God bestow upon him a fulnesse of all these not a limited stinted fulnesse as he bestowed upon
others but an unmeasurable fulnesse of all grace A fulnesse of redundancy which from him might flow out to all the Elect for the filling of them with a fulness of sufficiency Of this the Scripture speaks John 3. 34. and Iohn 1. 16. In all these respects God hath raised him up to be a Horne of salvation Thus much for the opening of the Doctrine The Uses of this Doctrine Vse 1. For Information in two things First The miserable condition of those that are without Iesus Christ Who are without Christ Not onely Jewes and Turks and Pagans but all unbeleevers in the Church Whosoever is without true saving faith is without Christ 'T is faith that makes Christ Actually ours Faith unites us to Christ and Christ to us Their misery is very great Christ is a horn of salvation the onely Horn of salvation he that is without Christ is without salvation God hath put the salvation of men into Christs hands 1 Iohn 5. 11. He hath given us eternal life and this life is in his Sonne And he that hath the Sonne hath life but he that hath not the Son hath not life ver 12. God himself cannot save him that is without an interest in Christ He hath set down this way of salvation and he cannot deny himself It is a question amongst the Schoolmen whether God could have saved sinners without Christs satisfaction They generally conclude upon good grounds that he might but now 't is not so much as a question God hath resolved that whosoever is saved shall be saved by Christ and without mutability he cannot save men another way Better never to have seen the light then to die without an interest in Christ And he that doth not beleeve truely in him hath no saving interest in him Iohn 3. 18. How shall I know whether I do truly beleeve or no I shall here to help you lay down a twofold note of true faith 1. It is a heart-purifying grace This effect of faith the Apostle mentions in Acts 15. 9. Whosoever hath true faith in Christ will find his heart purified and cleansed thereby The efficient cause of the purification of the heart is the Spirit of God who is called the Spirit of Sanctification 2 Thes 2. â—3 The 〈◊〉 cause is Christs blood 1 Iohn â— 7. The instrumental cause is faith This grace purifies the hearâ—â— as it is an instrument whereby the blood of Christ which purifies is conveyed to the soul and as it doth take hold upon the promise of cleansing the promise is I will sprinkle clean water Ezek. 36. 25. Faith applies this promise and improves and so purifies the heart If you have not purification of heart you have not faith and if you have not faith you have not Christ as a Horne of salvation Now that heart may be said to be purified that hath these three properties 1. If it bewaile impurity Impurity that is truly lamented is in Gods account as if it were removed Rom. 7. 23 24. If thy pollution be thy greatest burden thy heart is purified in Gods sight 2. If it be cautious of every thing that may defile A heart that is purified dares not willingly come neere any defiling puddle it will avoid occasions temptations of defilement Iob 31. 1. Carefulnesse of shunning defilement is an infallible note of purification 3. If it be through inadvertency defiled it will not be quiet till it be made clean A purified heart cannot lie in any uncleannesse when God hath once discovered it to him Thus David when he saw his pollution with what earnestnesse doth he run to the Laver that he may be washed Ps 51. 2 7. 2. Saving faith hath very high and precious thoughts of Christ This character is laid down by the Apostle in 1 Pet. 2. 7. No unbeleever can truly have precious thoughts of Christ nay they have low thoughts of him as 1 Pet. 2. 7 8. and Cant. â— 9. Try your faith by this note Now if Christ be truly precious 1 He shall reigâ—â— and rule over thee His precepts will be as precious as his promises His Sovereignty will be as precious as his sacrifice his yoke will be as desirable as his merits the Apostle opposeth saith and disobedience 1 Pet. 2. 7. Where Christ is disobeyed he is not beleeved in 2 If Christ be truly precious to thee his dishonours will pierce thy soul The dishonours done to him in his truths worship government will be a greater grief to thy heart then all the dishonours that are done unto thy selfe 3 If Christ be truly precious to thee it will be thy meat and drink to do him any service Thou wilt make it thy study to set him up and to make him great where ever thou comest 4 If Christ be precious to thee all his Ordinances will be precious Thou wilt have a high esteeme of his Word of his Sacraments of his Sabbaths and that for his sake who hath instituted these things If it be not thus with thee thou art an unbeleever and if an unbeleever thou hast for present no saving interest in him that is the horne of salvation Secondly The impossibility of the perishing of any of the Elect. Their eternal salvation is a thing of absolute certainty They can never perish They may seem to be lost sometimes in their own apprehension I said saith Jonah I am cast out of thy sight Jonah 2. 4. He was in his own eyes as if he had been a cast-aâ—ay 〈…〉 impossible it should be so as in other 〈…〉 so in this because Christ is the horne of their salvation He that hath wrought their salvation is able to preserve salvation for them and them for salvation If Christ be able to save you ye shall be saved When you look upon that in your selves that may seem to hinder your salvation look upon that that is in Christ to maintain your salvation You shall be as certainly saved as Christ himself is saved Father I will that they whom thou hast given me may be with me where I am that they may behold my glory c. John 17. 24. Your salvation is now fully accomplished he that was able to accomplish your salvation is able much more to apply it now it is accomplished Consider these seven Notions to make this out 1 Christ will not lose the merit of his blood nor be deprived of the end of his death and he must do both these if one of his Elect should miss of salvation 2 Christ did not conquer for the Devil but from the Devil Christ will not be at the charge and cost of redemption and when he hath done suffer the devil to go away with the spoile 3 Christ will not impoverish himself to enrich the Devil and impoverished he should be if one of the Elect should perish for every Saint helps to make up his mystical fulnesse So the Apostle tells us Eph. 1. ult 4 Iesus Christ will not rob his Father to enrich the Devil Now if
any Saint should perish eternally God himselfe would be robbed for every Saint iâ— his inheritance Ephes 1. 1â— The Lord Christ 5. will not suffer the Spirits Temple to fall into the eternal possession of the Devil Now the Elect are the Temple of the Holy Ghost 1 Cor 6 19. 6 Christ will not empty Heaven to fill Hell Every Saint helps to fill heaven 7 Christ will not bear a Name in vaine He will neither mock himselfe nor mock his Father nor his people Now if he should be called an Horn of salvation and not actually his Elect of salvation he would be the greatest mock that ever was in the world 2. Vse Reprehension Those are to be blamed that erect other hornes of salvation 1. The Papists they do set up their own works as a horne of salvation at least they joyne works and Christ together as con-causes of salvation the Scripture layes the whole merit on Christ they lay a part of it on works Greater dishonour then this cannot be done to Christ If he be of himselfe sufficient what needs the addition of other things but he is sufficient Heb. 1. 3. chap. 7. 25. Hear what the Scripture saith concerning those that look for salvation by works Gal. 5. 4. As many as seek to be justified by the Law are fallen from grace How did it fall out with Israel that followed after the Law of works the Apostle will tell you Rom. 9. 30 31 32. Yea I shall adde this Jesus Christ will be a horne of destruction to those who will not make him the sole horn of Salvation 2. Much like to these are many ignorant Protestants who think to be saved by their duties by their prayers and by their repentanâ—◠〈◊〉 men should consider that Christ must 〈◊〉 them from the guilt of all their duties as well as from the guilt of their sinnes Our holiest services have a mixture of unholinesse in them Domine lava lachrymas was Austins prayer And it must be ours The filth of our holy things must be expiated by Christ 't is thorough him that they are accepted You may read this Gospel in the Ceremonial Law Exod. 28. 36 37. The holy services we do are not accepted because of any worth that is in us or them but because of the engraved plate which is upon the forehead of Christ 3. Vse Exhortation 1. This should provoke all sinners to close with Christ The great work of the Ministery is to bring Christ and the soule together They are the friends of the Bridgroome and it 's their office to woo sinners to come in to Christ Here is encouragement enough in this text He is a horn of salvation a horn of Gods raising flie to him for salvation salvation is to be had in Christ salvation is to be had no where else Acts 4. 12. Under the Law offenders did flie to the hornes of the Altar 1 Kings 2. 28. He that flies to the hornes of this Altar shall be sure to be safe Onely two things must be observed 1 All sinne must be cast away The wicked man must forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts Esay 55. 7. Jesus Christ will not be a horn of salvation to an impenitent sinner He came not to save men in their sinnes but to save them from their sins Mat. 1. 21. 2 Christs own termes must be embraced Christ came not to save men upon any termes but upon his own termes Now the termes of the Gospel are A voluntary resignation of our solvet to be at Christs disposing To do his Will to submit to his Scepter The soul must say as Saul did to Christ Lord what wilt thou have me to do Acts 9. 6. That soul that doth cast away sinne by repentance and surrenders himself to Christ to be in all things ruled by him shall whatever his condition hath been before finde Christ an horn of salvation to him Do not say my sinnes are great c. The greatest sinne thou didst ever commit is thy so long standing out against Christ John 3. 19. Murther Adultery are great sins but the souls refusal to come in to Christ is a greater sinne those are sinnes onely against the Law this is a sinne against the Gospel this is a sin against the Remedy this is a sinne that bindes and continues the guilt of all thy other sinnes upon the conscience He that doth not close with Christ saith one of these things either that he hath no need of Christ or else that Christ is not able to save him 2. This teacheth Gods people whither to go when their salvation is endangered Sometimes Satan by hot temptations sometimes corruption by its violent out-breakings do so exceedingly prevaile upon the servants of God as that in their apprehension their salvation is in a great hazard they feare the Crown will be pluckt away from them God lets them come into such jeopardy that they may exercise all their graces and thrive the faster They pray they watch yet Satan gets ground sinne overpowereth them so that the◠〈…〉 to conclude that the hope of 〈…〉 In such case your onely refuge must be to 〈◊〉 is horn of salvation David when sinne was 〈◊〉 hard for him goes to God Psal 65. 3. We must flie to this horn and by his strength defend our selves and vanquish our enemies There are several branches of this Horn which must be improved at such a time His Death his Resurrection his Ascension his Intercession All his Attributes all his Promises these are several little hornes growing out of this great Horne This Horn will give you strength to overcome this Horne will keep what he hath purchased for you He hath pushed down Satan sinne the world already and if they get head againe he can easily subdue them He is not onely the Horn of your salvation but the Captain of your salvation Heb. 2. 10. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 It was his free-will at first to undertake it but having undertaken it 't is his office to perfect it When salvation is at a hazard go to him fight in his Name and he will give you victory 3. Blesse the Father for Jesus Christ This holy man that pend this song he begins it with praises Blessed be the Lord God of Israel for he hath visited and redeemed his people and hath raised up an horne of salvation Never think of a horn of salvation but have in your hearts and mouths a Benedictus Dominus If every thought of heart were a rapture we could never sufficiently extol the love of God in raising up Christ for us Especially if he have made Christ an horn of salvation to us in particular What storms did Christ go thorough what deeps did he wade over that he might be to us an Horne of salvation He that is not thankful for Christ can be truly thankful for nothing When God gave Christ he gave all Naturallists speak much of the Unicorns horn Christ is the true Unicorn 4. Do
When Jesus Christ comes to the soul he brings joy to the soule Esay 9. 3. They joy before thee according to the joy in harvest and as mon rejoyce when they divide the spoile When the Eunuch had his soul bedewed with this raine He went on his way rejaycing Acts 8. 39. The ground of his rejoycing you may see v. 32 33 35. Philip had acquainted him with Christ and Christ upon Philips preaching had rained down a soaking shower upon his soule that created a holy gladnesse in his heart Christ is the onely cheerer of the heart He can remove spiritual melancholy he can take off spiritual heaviness and put unspeakable joy into the soule 'T is true many of the members of Christ want spiritual joy This ariseth either from the restraining of this raine or from their not discerning of this raine When ever the distressed soul shall come to the feeling of these showers it will rejoyce and be no more sad The Doctrine of Christ is a cheering Doctrine The whole Doctrine is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Doctrine of good tidings All the Ordinances of Christ are cheering Ordinances I will make them joyful in my house of prayer God hath planted Jesus Christ as a root of joy to his people As he is a plant of salvation so he is a plant of consolation no joy is either real or lasting which is not bottomed upon Jesus Christ That soul that hath received this raine into his heart shall have some joy here and he shall have everlasting full soul-satisfying joy in Christ and with Christ and from Christ in the other world This is the second Christ is like raine in respect of usefulnesse 3. Christ is like the raine if we consider the manner of its descending There is a great similitude between the manner of Christs descension upon the soule and the descension of the rain upon the earth I shal instance in seven particulars First The raine comes down successively and gradually now a little and then a little The raine doth not fall down all at once but it comes now a shower and then a shower as the earth stands in need of it God pierces now one cloud and then another in a pleasant succession Jesus Christ comes now a little and then a little as the condition of the soule requires A drop in one Ordinance and a drop in another Ordinance A shower falls in this Sermon and a shower at another Sermon This is that which the Prophet mentions Esay 28. 10. Precept must be upon precept line upon line here a little and there a little Now one comforting influence comes down and then another now one quickning impulsion then another now one promise is rained down then another 1 Jesus Christ would have his people in a constant dependance on himself 2 He would have them wait constantly upon every Ordinance 3 He would not have them surfet either upon his Doctrines or comforts therefore he observes a succession in his distillations of good things upon them 4 He would have every Doctrine and every comfort soak into their hearts Luke 9. 44. 5 Christ would have nothing lost which he is pleased to bestow 6 Christ would endear every drop of his grace to his people 7 The soules of his people are like narrow mouth'd vessels they cannot receive much at once without spilling 8 We are such bad husbands that Christ dares not trust us with much at once For these and such like reasons doth he cause all he gives to distill in a way of succession Jesus Christ doth in a way of wisdome parcel out all the good which he raines down upon the souls of his people Secondly The rain comes down irresistibly When God doth by his Word of command speak to the cloud to distil its moisture upon the earth it is not in the power of all the creatures in heaven and earth to hinder its falling down As the clouds cannot open their own veines till God give the word no more can they â—â—â—â—ch themselves when God sets them a bleeding Jesus Christ comes down upon the hearts of men with an irresistible power and efficacy whether we understand it of his Doctrine or of his Scepter or of the influences of his Spirit he doth descend with a forcible and mighty power His Word is called a powerful Word Heb. 4. 12. The Word of the Lord is quick and powerful 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 His Scepter is called a Scepter of strength Psal 110. 2. The Lord shall send the rod of thy strength out of Sion His Spirit is a Spirit of might and it s said to work mightily in the hearts of his people Col. 1. 29. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Let Pelagians and Arminians talk what their wilde fancy dictates of the resâ—stibility of grace the Scripture mentions no such thing the raine will come down whether men will or no and let the earth be never so hard it will soak into it When Christ by his Word and Spirit descends it is with a mighty power that the soul is not able to resist it I shall shew the power of Christs Word Spirit and Scepter in three great works Conviction Conversion Consolation To speak particularly to these 1. For Conviction When Christ comes down with an intention thoroughly to convince the conscience of sinne and righteousnesse the soul though it may stand out for a time yet it is through the mighty smitings of Christs Word and Spirit so powerfully over-ruled that it cannot but yield we have an instance of this in Paul Act. 9. 6. Jesus Christ doth with such an invincible evidence come upon his conscience that though he was in a violent motion carried on in a contrary course yet he yields up himselfe as a prisoner into his hands crying out Lord what wilt thou have me do He hath no strength to stand out any longer nay not so much as to dispute it with Christ Of this convincing power the Apostle speaks 1 Cor. 14. 24 25. Jesus Christ when he comes down with a purpose to bridle the conscience doth deal so effectually that the proudest sinner is brought upon his knees and made to passe sentence against himself Yea with such a mighty power doth he come down upon the soule that even those who are not savingly brought in have their mouths stopped and are unable to say any thing for themselves Thus it was with those that brought the woman taken in the act of Adultery to Christ John 8. 9. They were so mightily convicted by the Word and Spirit of Christ that they were not able to abide in his presence but shrunk away one by one as men self-condemned Thus it was when Christ descended in the word of Stephen Acts 6. 10. Though they would not yield yet they were so powerfully convinced that they could not resist the Spirit by which he spake Christ doth so demonstratively smite the conscience that carnal reasoning hath no door of evasion Of this powerful
At another time the raine falls plentifully when no shower is expected Jesus Christ comes down upon the soules of his people many times when they look for no influences from him the Church observes this Cant. 6. 11 12. I went down into the garden of nuts to see the fruits of the valley and to see whether the vine flourished and the pomegranates budded Or ever I was aware my soul made me like the chariots of Aminadab Here a shower fell upon her head when she did not look for it The soul sometimes comes to an Ordinance ful of misgiving thoughts expecting no good and before it depart it 's wet from top to toe with the distillations of Christs Spirit The Church found it so when she had the least reason that could be to expect it Cant. 5. 5. She might have expected to have found flames of brimstone in regard of her dealings with Christ and behold she findes the droppings of sweet-smelling myrrh Sometimes in the night-watches Christ raines upon the soule when it never expects any such thing David made his bed to swim Psalme 6. 6. he could not have watered his couch with his teares if Christ had not first watered his heart with his grace Sometimes the soule comes to the Throne of grace parched with hardnesse perhaps as dry as the rock in the Wildernesse and Christ suddenly sends down a shower that it goes savourâ—y weeping from his presence Did not our hearts burne within us while he talked with us by the way Luke 24. 32. Jesus Christ did desâ—end suddenly upon them while they were in conference with him Sometimes a servant of God takes the book of God into his hand when his soul is dry and withered and before he hath read half a Chapter he findes the clouds melting and his soul bedewed with a shower of grace never did a shower comedown so suddenly as the grace of Christ hath sometimes comedown upon the soul Fifthly The raine comes down not for its own benefit but for the benefit of the earth What advantage hath the cloud by all the moisture that drops down from it It empties it selfe that it may enrich the ground Jesus Christ doth by his Word and Spirit and Scepter descend for the benefit of men His Doctrine the influences of his Grace are for the enriching of his Elect. Christ came down at first in his incarnation for our sakes 2 Cor. 8. 9. and all his other descensions are for our good For the filling of our empty soules for the quickning of our dead souls for the comforting of our straitned and distressed souls it is that Christ comes still down into the world His preaching his knocking his striving is onely and meerly for our benefit What profit is it to God that thou are righteous Job 22. 3. Christ hath no more advantage by all the drops he sends down upon thy soule then the clouds have for all the showers they let fall upon the earth Sixthly The rain comes down variously sometimes after a more stormy manner sometimes after a milder manner Christ comes down somtimes by promises comforts enlargments in a way of mildness sometimes he descends in a way of severity by rebukes threatnings The Church hath as much need of stormy showers as milder showers of cold raine as of warmer drops Christs more angry drops are as useful for his people as his more pleasant drops His chiding and frowning distillations make his comforting droppings more sweet His milder showers comfort us but his stormy showers try us more If Christ should not rebuke us as well as comfort us he would indeed lose us The great raine of his anger keeps us from stragling when â—he small raine of his love occasions us to wander Seventhly The raine comes down plentifully Not a drop or two but whole showers Though it come not down all at once yet as much comes down as is useful for the earth Jesus Christ comes down plentifully he doth not scant the soul he doth not give one comfort but many comforts Eat O friends drink abundantly Cant. 5. 1. He hath enough in him to give The soul wants more then a little He is not niggardly but bountiful therefore he gives plentifully and then as the raine falls down in many places at once so doth Christ All the earth for many miles together is sometimes rained upon at oâ—e and the same time the rain waters many fields at once Jesus Christ comes down abundantly he can if he please water many soules yea many Congregations at once So many Churches so many Fleeces so many Congregations so many Pastures Christ can rain upon this Congregation and he can water other Congregations at the same time Jesus Christ if â—e pleaseâ—â— an send down such a shower as shall water every Congregation yea every soul in the world aâ— one and the same time As the drops of a shower cannot be numbred no more can the drops which fall from Jesus Christ upon his Church If we receive not plentifully from Christ 't is because we ask not plentifully For the third particular Quae disproportio And here I shall shew the excellency of Christ above all material raine in six particulars 1. Christ comes down from the highest heavens The raine descends from the visible heavens Philosophers divide the aire into three Regions the highest the middle and the lowest Region Now they all hold that the raine descends onely from the middle Region there it is generated and from thence it descends upon the earth But now Jesus Christ comes down from the invisible Heavens There he sits at the right hand of God Acts 5. 31. and from thence doth every drop which distills upon the hearts of men descend This is that which Peter tells the Jewes Act 2. 33. Being by the right hand of God exalted and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost he hath shed forth this which now ye see and hear All the good of his Word of his Scepter of his Spirit comes down from the Heaven of heavens There the royal throne is and from thence doth the raine fall You must look above the highest Region of the aire yea above the highest star in the firmament if you expect any drop from Jesus Christ 2. The raine that descends upon the earth doth first ascend from the earth A cloud which is the womb of the raine is a cold and moist vapour exhaled by the heat of the Sunne out of the earth or waters into the middle Region of the aire where it is by the cold condensed and there hangeth till by the heat it be dissolved into a shower So that the showers which do drop upon the earth are first drawn out of the earth Psal 135. 7. But now all the drops which distil from Christ are generated in heaven Jesus Christ is not beholden to the earth to furnish him What ever he distils either in his Word or by his Spirit is originally in and from himself
members of the Primitive Church are said to be Acts 4. 32. but there is a real spiritual union between them â—in them and thou in me John 17. 23. This Priviledge is proved as by other expresse Scriptures so by this Metaphor As the corner stone and the superstructories are united in one building so Christ the corner stone and all the living stones built upon him are made one mystical house The Apostle mentioneth this from this very similitude Eph. 2. 20 21. Christ and beleevers are made one holy Temple onely there is this difference between that union which is between Christ the corner stone and the living stones and the corner stone and superstructory stones of material buildings Every beleever is as neerly united to Christ as any beleever In other buildings some stones are more neerly united to the foundation then others are but in this building every Beleever is equally united to Christ the corner stone 4. The horrible pride of the Papists They are so intollerably proud as to apply this Title to the Pope making him the corner stone of the Church They apply that in Esay 28. 16. to the person of the Pope as if he were the foundation of the Universal visible Church They say that the Pope is in the Church as the Sun is in the firmament and that the ruining and shaking of the Pope would be the shaking and ruining of the whole Church The Scripture teaches us a better foundation Both Prophets and Apostles were ignorant of this Romish foundation they built not on the Pope but on Christ Eph. 2. 20. The Pope is the corner stone of the Apostatical Church not of the Apostolical Church He is the foundation stone of the adulterate Church not of the chast Church he is the foundation of the Synagogue of Satan not of the Spouâ—e of Christ The Church would be sure to fall if it had so weak and so wicked a foundation as that man of sinne is Christ did not say upon thee Peter but upon this rock will I build my Church Mat. 16. 18. Peter whose successor the Pope boasts himself to be did publickly preach Christ not himself the corner stone Acts 4 11. It is no honour but a great disgrace to be a stone of that building whose foundation stone is the son of perdition 5. Behold from this Text the truth of the two natures of Christ The Scriptures teach that Jesus Christ is both God and man Both these natures are asserted in this Text. The Divinity is confirmed from the close of the verse He that beleeveth on him shall not be confounded If Christ were not God it were idolatry to beleeve on him No meer creature is without sin to be relied upon without sin And then the truth of his humanity appeares from hence that he is the corner stone of the spiritual building He could not be a part of the spiritual house if he were not of the same nature with the other stones of the building so often as you read faith in Christ required beleeve his God-head and as often as ye heare him called the corner stone of the Church beleeve the truth of his manhood 6. The greatnesse of Christs strength The Scripture doth attribute Almighty power to Christ as well as to the Father His name shall be called the mighty God Esay 9. 6. The strength of Christ appears by the great works he hath done and doth do He set up the world by his power Without him was not made any thing that was made John 1. 3. He doth by his powerful providence govern the world Providence belongs to Christ as well as to the Father My Father worketh hitherto and I work John 5. 17. And then his power appears in this that he is the chief corner stone that upholds the Church if there were not Almighty power in him such a burden would break him to pieces Next to the bearing of his Fathers wrath no such heavy burden as the susteining of all the concernments of the Church Consider what a vast fabrick the Church is it 's a very huge building And then consider what potent enemies it hath a world of wicked men legions of powerful Spirits and then consider how weak every stone is in it self And then consider the multitude of its concernments and it will appear that he that bears up this building must needs be a person of vast and infinite strength Thou hast laid strength saith the Prophet on one that is mighty Ps 89. 17. 7. The nearnesse of Christ to his Church The Name of the Lord is called Jehovah Shammah Ezek. ult ult Christ hath promised to be with it for ever Mat. 28. ult He seemes sometimes to be far off to try how his people will carry themselves in his absence the nature and ingenuity of the childe is best seen in his Fathers absence But though he seem to be at a distance yet he is neere he may be out of their sight but he is never out of their call The Lord is neer to all them that call upon him This Metaphor sheweth this the corner stone is not farre off from the roof and yet Christ is neerer to his people then the corner stone is to the next stone of the building He is not onely with them but in them Iohn 17. 23. Thus much for Information 2. For Exhortation It commends these four things to all us Christians 1. Take heed of building upon any other foundation The Evangelist makes mention of a double foundation which our Saviour speaks of at the close of his Sermon on the Mount Matth. 7. 24. 26. The rocky foundation is onely one namely Jesus Christ or which is all one faith in Christ The sandy foundation is manifold Some build their hopes of salvation on their good works This is the foundation of the Papists They hope to be saved by their doing They may do well to consider what the Scripture saith of this foundation Luke 17. 10. And Romans 9. 30 31 32 33. building on works is not a divine but a humane foundation Some build upon outward profession This is the foundation of carnal professours They may do well to consider what our Saviour saith Luke 13. 26 27. Some build upon their good meanings They have as good a heart to God as the best This is the foundation of ignorant Protestants Whatsoever foundation of salvation grace or comfort besides Christ is laid is a sandy foundation and will appear to be so at the day of judgement The Apostle cuts off all other foundations besides this 1 Cor. 3. 11. He did not speak ignorantly for he saith v. 10. that he was a wise Master-builder They are not wise Master-builders but ignorant botchers that build or teach others to build either hope of comfort or of salvation upon any other foundation In one word all foundations of salvation besides Christ how spacious soever they be will prove at last foundations of damnation Arminian Socinian Popish corner-stones will
Alms shall famish for want of it Vse 2. For Exhortation I. To such as want Christ My counsel to them is that they would labour for an interest in him you cannot be well without him you will famish your soul if you have not Christ for your meat and drink Quest How may we come to have an interest in him 1. Be thorowly perswaded of your need of him This is the first step to the attainment of him Look upon your natural guilt upon all your sinnes upon the severity of the curse of the Law against disobedience upon the exact justice of God in punishing sinne and upon your own helpless nesse either to satisfie justice or to stand out under the deserved wrath of God and you will be convinced of your need of him 2. Wait upon Jesus Christ in that way in which he gives himself to sinners The publick Ordinances chiefly the preaching of the Word In that Christ makes the tender of himself and by that ordinarily faith is wrought in the heart to embrace that tender Rom. 10. 17. Zacheus obtained Christ by being in the way of Christ Luke 19. 4. the Ordinances are the Sycamore-tree Câ—â—mb up into them and stay and wait till Christ come He is to passe by that way 3. Observe his call and embrace it Prov. 9. init Luke 14. 16 17 18. Mark the impressions of the Spirit the knocking 's of Christ Thus did Zacheus Luke 19. 5 6. Zacheus Come down c. And he made haste and came down c. Beg of Christ that he would give a heart to come down when he sayes come down He is the meat and drink of God He that refuseth him sinneth against his own soule Consider seriously of it When you finde your stomack crave meat and drink think O what shall I do for spiritual meat and drink II. To such as have an interest in Christ who is meat and drink let me commend a few things to you 1. Feed on him Eat and drink of this flesh and blood every day Christians grow weak because they let their meat and drink stand by them 'T is not the flesh in the pot but the flesh in the stomack that gives nourishment 'T is not the drink in the vessel but the drink taken down that revives Stir up spiritual hunger and that will make you feed heartily on Christ Eat and drink Christ by Meditation eat and drink him by Application Let your faith draw in Christ in every Ordinance Keep your Spiritual meals as constantly as you do your other meales Your eating will help you to a stomack Satisfaction and hunger are mutual helps one to another Eating and drinking other meat takes away the appetite but it increaseth the spiritual appetite Fixed times of spiritual feeding every day are marvellous profitable When you have prayed call your heart to account what it hath taken in of Christ When you have been reading ask it what nourishment it hath received from the Word When the Lords Supper is over enquire what refreshment is received Put your selves forward to frequent constant actual feeding It 's pitty such precious meat and drink should stand in corners when the soule hath so much need of it 2. Be thankful for this meat and drink That it is provided for any that it is actually dealt out to you That you have that meat and drink which others want There are many that have no other meat but sinne They drink iniquity like water Job 15. 16. Some eat the bread of violence and drink the wine of deceit Some there are that drink the wine of the condemned in the house of their God Amos 2. 8. They eat the flesh of men and drink their blood like new wine Micah 3. 3. The greatest part of men have no other meat then the pulse of worldly comforts no other drink then the puddle water of created things and thou hast the flesh and blood of Jesus Christ to eat and drink prize and value at an high rate the exceeding riches of this grace We are to blesse God for our corporal meat and drink Jesus Christ gave thanks when he ate and drank John 6. 11 And so did the Apostles Acts 27. 35. and so should all men do It is brutish to eat and drink without Thanksgiving How much more cause have we to blesse God for our spiritual meat and drink The corporall is common to us with others This is peculiar onely to the Elect no other shall taste of this provision 3. Let your growth be answerable to such excellent feeding God expects that our spirituall growth should be proportionable to our spiritual feeding Bos Macer pingui in arvo is prodigious Husbandmen expect that when they put their cattel into pastures that are rich where there is plenty of grasse and abundance of water they expect that their growth should be answerable The Saints of God are highly fed They have Angels meat should they not then do Angels work If you do not grow very fast you will bring up an evil report of Christ as if his flesh were not nourishing meat as if his blood were not nourishing drink as if it were meat in shew and not meat indeed as if it were drink in shew not drink indeed Jesus Christ may repent that his body was broken his blood poured out to be meat and drink for you that are still leane and ill-favoured even dwarfs in grace It 's the Saints priviledge that they shall grow because Christ is their feeder and it is their duty because they have such food to be carefully mindful of growing Every limb of the new man should thrive We should grow lower in humility higher in heavenly-mindednesse broader and thicker in spiritual affections c. you cannot expresse your thankfulnesse for this royal meat and drink any other way so much to the contentment of Christ as by growing abundantly It is that which our Saviour requires as a testimony of our union with him and of thankfulnesse for that feeding vertue we receive from him John 15. 5 8. As he is unworthy of meat that doth not labour so is he more unworthy that doth not grow 4. Shew pitty to others that feed on other meat and drink Endeavour to communicate Christ to those that want him We naturally pity famished men lean cheeks and pale faces work some bowels in a miser in an enemy Commend Christ to others perswade them to embrace him You shall feel no want of meat and drink for your selves by communicating Christ to others Though a thousand eat and drink of him no one shall have the lesse 5. Do not despair of spiritual growth and strength 'T is a dishonour to Christ to think that he should starve you His flesh is strengthning flesh his blood is strengthening blood quickening blood 'T is full of spirits 't is full of life Though thy graces be weak thy spiritual diseases violent yet despair not Thou receivest more from Christ then thou canst lose or spend