servant to do our worke for us to suffer for us to beare the burthen of our sinnes upon the tree to become our husband to bestow his riches upon us to raise us to the same condition with himselfe and withall to be such a one as God hath chosen out to love and delight in as the best object of his love and most capable of it and for us not to solace and delight our selves in him that God delights in when God delights in him for our sake God loves and delights in him for the worke of salvation and redemption by his blood and shall not wee love and imbrace him for his love which is for our good What good hath God by it but onely the glory of his mercy in saving our soules through Christ Therefore if God love him for the good he doth to us much more should we love him for the fruit of it that wee receive our selves It should shame us therefore when we finde dullnesse and coldnesse upon us that wee can heare of any thing better then of Christ and arguments concerning Christ are cold to us alas where is our love and joy and delight and when we can make no better but a carnall use of the incarnation and other benefits by Christ we should therefore desire God to shed the love of Christ into our hearts more and more that we may feele in our soules the love that hee beares to us and may love God and Christ againe for that that hee hath done for us Hence we have also a ground of estimation of Christians to be excellent persons doth God valew poore sinfull soules so much as to give Christ for them to become a Saviour doth he delight in Christ for giving himselfe for them and shall not we love one another whom God and Christ so loves But if God love and delight in those that are in Christ with the same love and delight that he hath in him how shall I know that I am in Christ and that God thus delights in me Briefly a man may know that hee is in Christ if he find the Spirit of Christ in him for the same Spirit when Christ tooke our nature that sanctified that blessed masse wherof he was made when there was an union betweene him and the second person the same Spirit sanctifies our soules and bodies there is one Spirit in the head and in the members therfore if we find the Spirit of Christ in us we are in Christ and he in us Now this Spirit is renewing Whosoever is in Christ is a new creature all is new old things are done away the old manner of language the old disposition old affections old company all old things are past all is new and if a man be a new creature hee hath right and title to the new heaven and new earth let us examine the worke of grace in us if there be no change in us we have no present interest in Christ we have to do with him because he is still woing us to be in him but as yet we have no title to him The very beholding of Christ is a transforming sight the Spirit that makes us new creatures and stirres us up to behold this servant it is a transforming beholding if wee looke upon him with the eye of faith it will make us like Christ for the Gospell is a mirrour and such a mirrour that when we looke into it and see our selves interessed in it wee are changed from glory to glory a man cannot looke upon the love of God and of Christ in the Gospell but it will change him to be like God and Christ for how can we see Christ and God in Christ but we shall see how God hates sin and this will transforme us to hate it as God doth who hated it so that it could not bee expiated but with the blood of Christ God-man so seeing the holinesse of God in it it will transforme us to be holy when we see the love of of God in the Gospell and the love of Christ giving himselfe for us this will transforme us to love God when wee see the humility and obedience of Christ when we looke on Christ as Gods chosen servant in all this and as our surety and head it transformes us to the like humility and obedience those that find not their dispositions in some comfortable measure wrought to this blessed transformation they have not yet those eyes that the Holy Ghost requireth here Behold my servant whom I have chosen my Beloved in whom my soule delighteth I will put my Spirit upon him Now wee come to the qualification of Christ for his calling in these words I will put my Spirit upon him that is I will cloath him with my Spirit I will put it as it were upon him as a garment Now there were divers degrees of Christs receiving the Spirit at severall times for hee was conceived by the Holy Ghost the Holy Ghost did sanctifie that blessed masse whereof his body was framed in the wombe of the Virgin he was quickned in the wombe in his conception by the Holy Ghost and he was graced by the Holy Ghost and led by the Spirit in all things before his Baptisme but afterward when he came to set upon his office to be the Prophet and Priest and King of his Church that great office of saving mankind which he did not solemly set upon till hee was thirty yeares old then God powred upon him a special portion of the Spirit answerable to that great calling then the Spirit lighted upon him Christ was ordained to his office by the greatest authority that ever any was ordained from the beginning of the world for at his Baptisme when he was ordained and set apart to his office there was the Father from heaven uttered an audible voice This is my beloved Sonne in whom I am well pleased and there was Christ the partie baptized and installed into that great office then there was the Holy Ghost in the forme and shape of a Dove it being a matter of the greatest consequence that ever was in the world greater then the Creation it was fit it should be done with the greatest authority and so it was the Father Sonne and Holy Ghost being present at the admission of Christ into his office this is especially here intended though the other bee included I will put my Spirit vpon him that is I will annoint him as it is in Isaiah 61.1 The Spirit of the Lord is upon mee saith Christ because the Lord hath annointed me to preach good tidings to the meeke to binde up the broken hearted to proclaime liberty to the captives to open the prison for them that are bound to proclaime the acceptable yeare of the Lord that is the yeare of Iubile for that was a Type of Christ to preach the Gospell deliverance to all that are in captivity servitude and thraldome under Satan and sin this was
Spirit be put upon him I answer Christ is both God and Man Christ as God gives the Spirit to his humane nature so hee communicates his Spirit the Spirit is his Spirit as well as the Fathers the Spirit proceeds from them both Christ as man receives the Spirit God the Father and the Son put the Spirit upon the man-hood of Christ so Christ both gives and receives the Spirit in diverse respects as God hee gives and sends the Spirit the spiration and breathing of the Spirit is from him as well as from the Father but as man he received the Spirit And this is the reason of it next under the Father Sonne and Holy Ghost Christ the mediator was to be the spring and originall of all comfort and good therefore Christs nature must not onely be sanctified and ordained by the Spirit but he must receive the Spirit to inrich it for whatsoever is wrought in the creature is by the Spirit whatsoever Christ did as man he did by the Spirit Christs humane nature therefore must be sanctified and have the Spirit put upon it God the Father the first person in Trinity and God the Son the second they worke not immediately but by the Holy Ghost the third person therefore whatsoever is wrought upon the creatâ—re it comes from the Holy Ghost immediately so Christ received the Holy Ghost as sent from the Father and the Son Now as the Holy Spirit is from the Father and the Son so he workes from the Father and the Son he sanctifieth and purifieth and doth all from the Father and the Son and knits us to the Father and the Son to the Son first and then to the Father therefore it is said The grace of our Lord Iesus Christ the love of God the Father and the Communion of the Holy Ghost because all the communion we have with God is by the Holy Ghost all the communion that Christ as man had with God was by the Holy Ghost and all the communion that God hath with us and wee with God is by the Holy Ghost for the Spirit is the bond of union betweene Christ and us and betweene God and us God communicates himselfe to us by his Spirit and we communicate with God by his Spirit God doth all in us by his Spirit and we doe all backe againe to â—od by the Spirit Because Christ as a Head as the second Adam was to be the root of all that are saved as the first Adam was the roote of all that are damned he was therefore to receive the Spirit and to have it put upon him in a more excellent and rich manner for wee must know that all things are first in Christ and then in us God chose him first and then he chose us God singled him out to be the Saviour the second Adam and he cals us in Christ. God justified Christ from our sinnes being our Surety taking our sinnes upon him we are justified because hee by his resurrection quit himselfe from the guilt of our sinnes as having paid the debt Christ is the first fruites of them that rise againe we rise againe because he is risen Christ first ascended we ascend in Christ. Christ is first loved we are loved in the Beloved Christ is first blessed we are blessed with all spirituall blessings in Iesus Chrest So whatsoever is in us we have it at the second hand we have the Spirit in us but he is first in Christ God hath put the Spirit in Christ as the spring as the second Adam as a publike person that should receive the Spirit for us all he is first in all things Christ must have the preheminence he hath the preheminence in all both before time in time and after time in election in whatsoever is done here in this world and in glorification all is first in Christ and then in us he is the elder Brother We must understanding this to give Christ his due honour and respect and to know whence we have all we have Therefore the Spirit is said here first to be put upon Christ. Wee have not the Holy Ghost immediately from God but we have him as sanctifying Christ first and then us and whatsoever the Holy Ghost doth in us he doth the same in Christ first and hee doth it in us because in Christ. Therefore in Iohn 14. Christ saith He shall take of mine whatsoever the Holy Ghost works in us hee takes of Christ first How is that Thus The Holy Ghost comforts us with reasons from Christ he dyed and hath reconciled us to God therefore now God is at peace with thee Here the Holy Ghost takes a ground of comfort from the death of Christ. When the Holy Ghost would raise a man up to holinesse of life he tels him Christ thy Saviour and Head is quickned and is now in Heaven therefore we ought to rise to holinesse of life If the Holy Ghost be to worke either comfort or grace or any thing he not onely doth the same thing that he did first in Christ but hee doth it in us by reasons from Christ by grounds fetched from Christ the Holy Ghost tells our soules that God loves Christ first and he loves us in Christ and that we are those that God gave Christ for that we are those that Christ makes intercession for in Heaven the Holy Ghost witnesseth to us the love of the Father and the Sonne and so hee fetcheth from Christ whatsoever he works And hence the worke of the Holy Ghost is distinguished from illusions and delusions that are nothing but franticke conceits of comfort that are groundlesse The Holy Ghost fetcheth all from Christ in his working and comfort and he makes Christ the patterne of all for whatsoever is in Christ the Holy Ghost which is the Spirit of Christ workes in us as it is in Christ. Therefore in Iohn 1.13 it is said of his fullnesse we receive grace for grace that is grace answerable to his grace There are three things that we receive answerable to Christ by the Spirit We receive grace that is the favour of God answerable to the favour God shewes his Son he loves his Son he is gratiously disposed to him and he loves us So grace habituall wee have grace in us answerable to the grace in Christ wee have love answerable to his love patience answerable to his Patience Obedience and Humility answerable to that in Christ the Spirit workes a conformity to Christ in all things Likewise in the third place the Spirit assures us of the same priviledges that issue from grace Christ is a Son the Spirit tells us wee are sons Christ is an heire the Spirit tells us wee are heires with Christ Christ is the King of Heaven and Earth the Spirit tells us that wee are Kings that his riches are ours thus wee have grace for grace both favour and grace in us and priviledges issuing from grace we have all as they are in Christ. Even
children keepe your selves from Idols How doth this depend upon the other Thus will you goe to Idols flocks and stones devises of mens braine for supply of grace and comfort Christ whom God hath sent hee is come into the world He is God and eternall life God hath given eternall life and this life is in his Son therefore why should you goe to Idols What is the ground of Popish Idolatries and abhominations they conceive not aright of the fulnesse of Christ wherefore he was ordained and sent of God for if they did they would not goe to Idols and Saints and leave Christ. Therefore let us make this use of it goe out of Christ for nothing If we want favour goe not to Saints if we want instruction goe not to traditions of men he is a Prophet wise enough and a Priest full enough to make us accepted of God if we want any grace hee is a King able enough rich enough and strong enough to subdue all our rebellions in us and hee will in time by his Spirit overcome all Stronger is he that is in us then he that is in the world The spirit in the world the Divell and divellish minded men they are not so strong as the Spirit of Christ For by little and little the Spirit of Christ will subdue all Christ is a King goe not out of him therefore for any thing Babes keepe your selves from Idols you may well enough you know whom to goe too Therefore let us shame our selves is there such a store-house of comfort and grace every way in Christ Why are wee so weake and comfortlesse Why are we so dejected as if we had not such a rich husband All our husbands riches are ours for our good we receive of it in our measure why doe wee not goe to the Fountaine and make use of it Why in the middest of aboundance are we poore and beggerly Heere we may see the misery of the world Christ is a Prophet to teach us the way to Heaven but how few be there that will be directed by him Christ is a King to subdue all our spirituall and worst enemies to subdue those enemies that Kings tremble at to subdue death to subdue the feare of judgement and the wrath of God and yet how few will come under his government Christ is the light of the world yet how few follow him Christ is the way yet how few tread in his steps Christ is our wisdome and our riches yet how few goe to him to fetch any riches but content themselves with the transitory things of this life Men live as if Christ were nothing or did nothing concerne them as if he were a person abstracted from them as if he were not a Head or Husband as if he had received the Spirit only for himselfe and not for them wheras all that is in Christ is for us I beseech you therefore let us learne to know Christ better and to make use of him Againe if Christ hath the Spirit put upon him for us all then in our daily slips and errors make this use to offer Christ to God with this argument take an argument from God himselfe to binde him God will bee bound with his owne arguments we cannot binde him with ours but let us goe to him and say Lord though I be thus and thus sinnefull yet for Christ Iesus sake thy servant whom thou lovest and hast put thy Spirit upon him to be a Priest and to make intercession for me for his sake pardon for his sake accept Make use of Gods consecration of Christ by the Spirit to God himselfe and binde him with his owne Mediator and with his owne Priest of his owne ordaining thou canst not Lord refuse a Saviour and Mediator of thine owne sanctified by thine own Spirit whom thou hast set apart and ordained and qualified every way for this purpose let us goe to God in the Name of this Mediator Jesus Christ every day and this is to make a good use of this That God hath put his Spirit upon him But to make a use of Tryall how shall wee know that this comfort belongs to us that Christ hath the Spirit put upon him for us or no whether he be ordained a King Priest and Prophet for us That which I said before will give light to this we must partake of the same Spirit that Christ hath or else wee are none of his members as we partake of his name so we must also of his annoynting thereupon we are called Christians because we partake of the annoynting and Spirit of Christ and if we have the Spirit of Christ it will worke the same in us as it did in Christ it will convince us of our owne ill of our rebellions and cursed estate and it will convince us likewise of the good we have in him And then he is a Spirit of union to knit us to Christ and make us one with him and thereupon to quicken us to leade us and guide us and to dwell in us continually to stirre up prayers and supplications in us to make us cry familiarly to God as to a Father to comfort and support us in all our wants and miseries as he did Christ to helpe our infirmities as the Apostle at large in Rom. 8. sets downe the excellent office of the Holy Ghost what he doth in those that are Christs Let us therefore examine our selves what the Spirit doth in us if Christ bee set apart to redeeme us as a Priest Surely all his offices goe together he doth by the same Spirit rule us Rev. 1. He hath washed us in his blood and made us Kings and Priests Whosoever he washeth in his blood he maketh him a King and a Priest he makes him by the power of his Spirit able to rule over his base corruptions we may know then whether we have benefit by Christ by his Spirit not onely by the Spirit witnessing that we are the Sonnes of God but by some arguments whereby the Spirit may witnesse without delusion for though the Spirit of Christ tells us that we are Christs yet the proofe must bee from guiding and leading and comforting and conforming us to Jesus Christ in making us Kings and Prophets enlightning our understandings to know his will and conforming us to be like him The Spirit of Christ is a Spirit of power and strength it will enable us to performe duties above nature to overcome our selves and injuries it vvill make us to vvant and to abound it vvill make us able to live and to dye as it enabled Christ to doe things that another man could not doe So a Christian can doe that and suffer that that another man cannot doe and suffer because he hath the Spirit of Christ. At the least whosoever hath the Spirit of Christ he shall finde that Spirit in him striving against that which is contrary and by little and little getting ground where there is no conflict there is
no Spirit of Christ at all I will not be large in the point onely I speake this by way of tryall to know whether wee have the Spirit of Christ in us or no if not we have nothing to doe with Christ For Christ saves us not as he is out of us onely Christ was to doe something of himselfe that wee have no share in onely the good of it is ours hee was to redeeme us by his blood to bee a Sacrifice the title to Heaven and salvation was wrought by Christ out of us but there is somewhat that he doth not onely for us but hee works in us by his Spirit that is the fitting of us for that he hath given us title too and the applying of that that he hath done for us Whosoever therefore hath any benefit by Christ he hath the Spirit to apply that to himselfe and to fit and qualifie him to be a member of such a Head and an heire of such a Kingdome whosoever Christ works any thing for he doth also worke in them there is a Spirit of application and that spirit of application if it be true it is a Spirit of sanctification and renovation fitting us every way for our condition Let us not abuse our selves as the world commonly doth concerning Christ they thinke God is mercifull and Christ is a Saviour Jt is true but what hath he wrought in thee by his Spirit hast thou the Spirit of Christ or else thou art none of his Romans 8. Where ever Christ is he goes with his Spirit to teach us to apply what Christ hath done for us and to fit us to bee like him Therefore let those that live in any sinnes against conscience thinke it a diabollicall illusion to thinke God and Christ is mercifull I but where is the worke of the Spirit All the hope thou hast is onely that thou art not in Hell as yet for the time to come but for the present I dare not say thou hast any thing to doe with Christ when there is nothing of the Spirit in thee the Spirit of Christ conformes the Spouse to bee like the husband and the members to be like the Head therefore begg of Christ that hee would annoint himselfe King in our hearts and Prophet and Priest in our hearts to doe that that he did to know his will as a Prophet to rule in us as a King and to stirre up prayers in us as a Priest to doe in some proportion that that he doth though it bee in never so little a measure for wee receive it in measure but Christ beyond measure wee must labour for so much as may manifest to us the truth of our estate in Christ that we are not dead but living branches Now Christ gives and conveyes his Spirit especially and most of all since his ascention and sitting at the right hand of God for after his resurrection he declared his victory over all his enemies and therefore was able to give the Spirit without opposition and upon his resurrection death and hell and the anger of God were overcome and our sinnes were satisfied for now Christ was Head indeed having trod all his enemies under his feete now he was enabled to give the Spirit but upon his ascention into Heaven and his sitting there he was more enabled for even as the Sunne being so high above the Earth doth convey his light and heate and influence upon the inferiour bodies So Christ being so highly advanced is fitter to infuse his Spirit and grace heere below since his exaltation therefore the Church is fuller of grace and grace hath beene more spread and diffused since the ascention of Christ then before and the Evangelist gives it as a reason The Spirit was not yet given because Christ was not ascended intimating that after his ascention there was a more full portion of the Spirit given God being fully appeased by the death of Christ and Christ staying the advantage that was fittest to give the Spirit now God the Father gives the Spirit with the Sonne so in both regards there was a greater fullnesse of the Spirit Therefore the Prophets speaking of the times of Christ especially of his exaltation shew that then they should be filled with the Spirit that the Spirit should be povvred out upon all flesh more aboundantly then before And that is the reason that the Apostles so differed from themselves before and after Christs ascention what a wondrous alteration was there Peter before hee flies even at the voice of a maide and they were full of contention and vaine glory but after we see when the Spirit the Holy Ghost came downe after Christs ascention into Heaven how couragious and valarous they were that they accounted it a matter of glory to suffer any thing and indeed we have more or lesse valour and courage the more of lesse Spirit we have now they having received more abundance of Spirit hereupon they were more couragious and undaunted at one time then another and this abundance of the Spirit comes especially since Christs advancement But how or by what meanes doth Christ give his Spirit to us This Spirit that is so necessary for us it is given by the ministery of the Gospell which is the ministery of the Spirit received ye the Holy Ghost by the workes of the law or by the hearing of faith preached when the love of God in Christ and the benefits by Christ are layed open in the preaching of the Gospell to us God gives his holy Spirit the Spirit of Christ. Now God in Christ would save us by a triumphant and abundant love and mercy and the Spirit of God never goes but where there is a magnifying of the love and mercy of God in Christ therefore the ministery of the Gospell which onely discovers the amity and love of God to man-kinde being now reconciled in Christ it is accompanyed with the Spirit to assure us of our part and portion in those benefits for the Spirit is the fruit of Gods love as well as Christ Christ is the first gift and the Spirit is the second therefore that part of the word that discovers Gods exceeding love to man-kinde leaving Angells when they were fallen in their cursed estate and yet giving his Sonne to become man and a curse for us the discovery of this love and mercy of God and of his Son Christ to us is joyned with the Spirit for by the Spirit we see our cursed estate without the love and mercy of God in Christ and likewise we are convinced of the love of God in Christ and thereupon we love God againe and trust to his mercy and out of love to him performe all chearfull obedience whatsoever we doe else if it be not stirred by the Spirit apprehending the love of God in Christ it is but morallity A man shall never goe to Heaven but by such a disposition and frame and temper of soule as is wrought by the Holy Ghost
perswading the soule first of the love and favour of God in Christ. What are all our performances if they be not out of love to God and how shall we love God except we be perswaded that hee loves us first therefore the Gospell breeds love in us to God and hath the Spirit together with it working a blessed frame of sanctification whereby we are disposed to every good duty Therefore if we would have the Spirit of God let us attend upon the sweete promises of salvation upon the doctrine of Christ for together with the knowledge of these things the Holy Ghost slides and insinuates and infuseth himselfe into our soules Therfore the Ministers of the Gospell should be much in laying open the riches of God in Christ in unfolding Christ all other things will follow as S. Paul in 2 Tit. 12. The grace of God hath shined hath appeared gloriously teaching us to deny all ungodlinesse and worldly lusts and to live holily and soberly in this present world where the grace and love of God is perswaded and shed into the soule all will follow What is the reason that former times were called darke times and so they were the times of Popery a darke age Christ was vailed the Gospell was vailed there was no preaching of salvation by Christ alone people were sent to stocks and stones and to Saints and instead of the word they were sent to legends and such things Christ was obscured thereupon they were darke ages those ages wherein the Spirit of God is most is where Christ is most preached and people are best alway where there is most Spirit and they are most joyfull and comfortable and holy where Christ is truly layd open to the hearts of people the peaching of meere morallity if men be not carefull to open Christ to know how salvation is wrought by Christ and how all good comes by Christ it will never make a man perfectly good and fit him for Heaven it may make a man reforme many abuses like a Phylosopher which hath its reward and respect amongst men but nothing to give comfort at the houre of death and the day of judgement onely that whereby the Spirit is conveyed is the knowledge and preaching of Christ in his state and offices Againe the Spirit of Christ is given in obedience to this Gospell Acts 5.32 Hee gives the Holy Ghost to them that obey him Now there is the obedience of faith and the obedience of life when the soule is wrought to obedience to beleeve and to be directed by God then the Holy Spirit is given in a further measure still the Holy Ghost is given to them that obey to them that doe not resist the Spirit of God for in the Ministery of the Gospell the Spirit is given in some degree to reprobates it is offered it knockes at the hearts of the vilest persons that lives in filthy and false courses of life whose tongues and bodies are all instruments of an unsanctified soule to offend God they have gracious motions offered them but then they doe not obey them therefore the Spirit seizeth not upon them to rule in them they have the Spirit knocking upon them he doth not dwell in them and take up his lodging in them The Spirit is given to them that obey the sweet motions of it Now who is it that heares the blessed word of God the blessed tidings of salvation but he hath sweete motions of the Spirit to be in love with God and the mercy of God and to hate sinne a little for a time then presently upon it corruption joynes and and swels against those motions and they onely rest in the bare motion and never come to any perfection This is the state of reprobates in the Church they have many motions by the Holy Ghost but their hearts are not subdued to obedience not to constant obedience Therefore if wee would have the Spirit of Christ let us labour to subject our selves unto it when we have any good motion by the Ministery of the Word or by conference or by reading of good things as holy things have a savour in them the Spirit breathes in holy exercises Oh give way to the motions of Gods Spirit we shall not have them againe perhaps turne not backe those blessed messengers let us entertaine them let the Spirit dwell and rule in us it is the most blessed lodger that ever we entertained in all our lives If wee let the Spirit guide and rule us it will leade us and governe and support us in life and death and never leave us till it have raised our bodies the Spirit of Christ in us at length will quicken our dead bodies Rom. 8. it will never leave us till it have brought us to Heaven This is the state of those that belong to God that give way to the motions of Gods Spirit to rule and guide them therefore if we would have the Spirit of Christ let us take heed of rebelling against it This is the state of many of us the Lord be mercifull to us and cure us that we doe not onely not receive the motions of the Spirit deepely into us but if they bee such a crosse us in our pleasures and profits though the Word and Spirit joyne together there is a rising of the proud spirit of man against so much of the Spirit and the motions of it and against such parts of the Word as crosseth us this will bee laid heavy to our charge one day that wee would bring the Spirit of God to our corruptions and not bring our hearts to Gods Spirit and hereupon be those phrases in the Scripture of tempting the Spirit Ananias and Saphira tempted the Spirit that is when men will doe that which is naught and try whether God will forgive them and put it off or no how many are there that tempt the Spirit that put it off perhaps I shall have the like motions another time I shall have better occasion when I can gaine no more when I can have my pleasures no more thus men resist the Spirit as Saint Stephen saith that is when the Spirit discovers to them what they should beleeve and what they should doe and they see it crosseth their resolution to be naught heereupon they resist the worke of the Spirit that else would close with their soules and sanctifie them and fit them for Heaven if they would give way to it And there is a quenching of the Spirit that is when men have sweet motions of the Spirit and presently by some ill language or course of life they defile their vessels and quench the sweet motions of the Spirit Let us take heed of all these of tempting of resisting and quenching the Spirit For undoubtedly living in the bosome of the Church we have many heavenly motions especially those that have so much goodnesse in them as to attend upon Gods ordinances they have those motions at those times that they never have after perhaps
but they either resist them or quench them and wrong and grieve the Spirit as Saint Paul saith Greive not the Spirit of God whereby you are sealed to the day of redemption Ephes. 5. Men speake or doe somewhat that grieves the Spirit of God in them their conscience being enlightned by the Spirit tels them that they have done that which is naught yet notwithstanding for this or that advantage to please this or that company they will speake or doe that which is ill and then the Spirit that was given in some measure before is grieved at this carnall and sinnefull liberty Therefore if yee would be guided by the Spirit of Christ take heed of all these and of such like courses Another meanes whereby we may come to obtaine the Spirit is Prayer to bee guided by the Spirit of Christ next to Christ himselfe our Saviour is the most excellent thing in the world therefore it is worth the begging and getting Luke 11.13 How much more shall your heavenly Father give his holy Spirit to them that aske him Insinuating that wee can aske nothing greater then the Spirit A man that hath a sanctified judgement next the forgivenesse of his sins through Christ hee begs nothing more then the Spirit to witnesse the favour of God in Christ and to fit him for other favours especially to fit us for the world to come God can give nothing greater nor we can beg nothing greater if wee have sanctified judgements then the Spirit of God therefore let us have a high esteeme of the holy Spirit of the motions of it and out of an high esteeme in our hearts beg of God the guidance of the Spirit that he would leade us by his Spirit and subdue our corruptions that wee may not bee lead by our owne lusts and so consequently by Satan that leads us by our owne lusts in the way that leads to perdition So much for that I will put my Spirit c. And he shall shew judgement to the Gentiles After Christ was fully furnished as he was furnished with the Spirit of God and with a commission from Heaven from Father Sonne and Holy Ghost having this high commission and gifts for it by the Spirit he fals upon his office presently we are never fit for any thing till wee have the Spirit and when we have the Spirit it is active and vigorous and working He shall shew judgement to the Gentiles What is meant by judgement here By judgement is meant lawes hee shall declare his lawes his truth and together with declaring the truth of the Gospell which is his Evangelicall law hee shall declare it in the soule and bow the neck of the inward man to the obedience of this his judgement Christ then by himselfe and his Apostles and Ministers shall declare his truth which is the scepter of his governement to the Gentiles and not onely declare it as Princes doe their lawes by Proclamations and Statutes c. but hee shall declare it to the heart by his Spirit Now in the hebrew language ordinarily wise governement is called judgement hee shall declare judgement that is his manner of governement he shall declare it by his Spirit and cause our Spirits to submit to it And indeed grace is called judgement in the phrase of Scripture the grace of sanctification because it is agreeable to judgement to Gods law it is agreeable to it and wrought by it in the soule and it is the best judgement for grace whereby the soule is subject to the judgement and law and rule of God it must needs be the best judgement because it is agreeable to Gods judgement grace judgeth aright of things and subdues all things the affections and inward man to it selfe But why is the word of God called judgement It is called so frequently in the Psalmes and in other places of Scripture because the truth of God shewes what God doth judge Judgement is originally in God who is the first truth and the first good the first truth judgeth best of truthes what is light and what is darkenesse what is truth and what is error what is good and what is ill what is safe and what is dangerous all will grant that God is the first light and the firâ—t truth therefore hee doth originally judge of the difference of things for even as in the creation he put an eternall difference betweene light and darkenesse and severed things that were in the confuseâ— Chaos and established an orderly world that Heaven should be above and earth below that one thing should be above another and all in judgement So in the governing of man-kinde he shewes his judgement by his word and that word shewes how God judgeth of things Lawes shew judgement what is to be done and what is not to be done The Gospell shewes Gods judgement what he will have us beleeve and hope for and how wee must carry our selves in way of thankefullnesses if we doe this then the Gospell the word of God judgeth what shall become of us wee shall be saved if we doe the contrary the word againe judgeth what our state shall be wee shall be damned so it is called judgement because it judgeth what is good and what is ill and because it determineth what shall become of us if we obey or disobey Hereupon it is that the word of God is a glasse wherein we may see our owne condition infallibly what will become of us the Word of God judgeth thus he that lives in such and such sinnes shall come to this end God will inflict these and these judgements upon him Iudgement in the first place is you shall doe this and this because it is good Iudgement in the second place is because you have not done this this shall befall you so the Evangelicall judgement of the Gospell is this He that repents and beleeves shall not perish but have everlasting life but he that armes and furnisheth his heart to rebellion he shall perish in his sinnes He that believeth not is condemned allready the wrath of God hangs over his head So from this that Gods truth is called judgement we may know how to judge of our selves even as God judgeth in his Word wee may see our owne faces and conditions there hee that is a man of death may see it in the Word and he that is appointed for happinesse may there see his condition Againe not onely the Word of God the Gospell which is out of us in the booke of God is called judgement but the worke of God in the soule Sanctification is called judgement hence we may observe what is the most judicious course in the world the most judicious frame of soule when it is framed to the judgement and truth of God being the first truth When a man is sanctified and set in a holy frame it is from a sanctified judgement the flesh is subject to the Spirit heere is all in a gratious
the immediate fore-runner of Christ was greater then all that were before him yet he saith the least in the Kingdome of Heaven is greater then be not in grace but in prerogative in regard of the revelation and manifestation of more things For Iohn Baptist died before he saw the death and resurrection and ascention of Christ accomplished before he was glorified Therefore in regard of these prerogatives the least in the Kingdome of Heaven that is in the Church of the New Testament is greater then he It is a rule that the least of the greater is greater then the greatest of the lesse Iohn was greater then the greatest of them that were before him but lesser then the least of those that were after him Then Christ commends Iohn from the efficacie of his Ministery From the daies of Iohn Baptist untill now the Kingdome of Heaven suffereth violence and the violent take it by force so you see how the words depend upon the former For the points wee are to consider in them First here you have the state of the Church in the New Testament It is a Kingdome and the Kingdome of Heaven together with the quality of the meanes whereby it comes to be a Kingdome the meanes of grace the Gospell The Gospell and the people that are wrought on by the Gospell in the New Testament they are both called the Kingdome of Heaven Then secondly here is set downe the affection of those people that seeke this Kingdome at that time and so forward to the end of the world the disposition of the persons is they are violent The third is the issue or successe of this eagernesse and violence though the manner be violent yet the successe is good the violent take it by force The fourth is the date or time when it begins and how long it continues it beares date from the preaching of Saint Iohn Baptist to the end of the world untill now that is to the end of the world as it was said till now in the Evangelists time so posterity may say untill now from the first comming of Christ till his second comming while there is a Gospell preached which is the Ministerie of the Spirit the Spirit will bee working and there are such glorious things in the Gospell that there will bee violence offered so while there is a people to bee gathered and a Gospell to be preached to gather them and a Spirit that workes by that Gospell there will be violence in the Church offered to the meanes of salvation First The state of the Church together with the meanes the Gospell preached it is called The Kingdome of Heaven Besides others there are three maine significations of these words The Kingdome of Heaven First the famous leading proper signification is the state and place where God himselfe and his people are most glorious The Kingdome of Heaven all the other significations end in that But secondly because all that shall come into that glorious Kingdome they must bee Kings here first in the state of the kingdome of grace which consists in righteousnesse peace and joy in the Holy Ghost in the graces and comforts of the Spirit therefore the state of grace comes to have the name too of The Kingdome of Heaven And thirdly because grace in this world cannot be attained without an order and meanes and dispensation from God hereupon the dispensation of the meanes whereby we come to have grace is also called The Kingdome The unfolding the mysteries of salvation in the Gospell is called the Kingdome of God As Christ saith The Kingdome of God shall bee taken from you that is the preaching of the Gospell therefore the Gospell is called the Gospell of the Kingdome and the Word of the Kingdome because by this Word wee come to have grace and by grace glory there is no glory without grace and no grace without the Word one makes way for another The preaching of the Gospell doth cause a Church which is the Kingdome of Christ wherein hee rules by the Scepter of his Word by which Word Christ and all his riches and glory and prerogatives are unfolded and thereby grace is wrought and grace leades to glory This connexion and subordination is to bee observed First for the conviction of those who doe not indeed belong to the Kingdome of Heaven every man is ready to talke of the Kingdome of Heaven and the glory there I but there is a subordination of grace and of the meanes of grace how standest thou affected to the meanes of salvation to the Word of the Kingdome the Word of life The Word of reconciliation for it hath the name from all the excellencies to which it brings us to shew that as we valew life a Kingdome reconciliation and all that is good so we must valew this Gospell or else it is a presumptuous confidence if the priviledges of grace and glory belong to us wee must come to them by these steps those that regard not the Gospell and meanes of salvation they have nothing to do with grace nor glory they are hereby convinced of arrogant folly Againe it is a ground to comfort weake Christians that regard the meanes of salvation and yet feare their falling away be of good comfort whosoever thou art God hath knit and linked these together all the power of earth and hell cannot breake one linke of this chaine conscionable attending upon the meanes and grace and glory will go together Therefore hold on attend upon the meanes of salvation and waite with comfort The Gospell of the Kingdome will bring thee to grace and grace though it be but an earnest but a little measure will bring thee to glory Where God hath begun a good worke he will finish it he will second one benefit with another diligent attending on the meanes with grace and grace with glory In Scripture works have their denomination from that they aime at as the Apostle saith Yee have crucified the old man and yee are crucified with Christ because yee are in doing it and ye shall do it perfectly so we are Saints because wee shall be so we are Kings now because we are in part so and we shall be so fully hereafter so grace is called the Kingdome of Heaven because it is the undoubted way to the Kingdome of Heaven and glory God would helpe our faith by the very title for wee are not elected to the beginnings onely of glory but to the perfection as it is excellently set downe Ephes. 1. We are elected to glory by meanes and beginnings therefore undoubtedly we may hope for the accomplishment when we see the beginnings Why is the state of grace and the meanes of grace and glory it selfe called the Kingdome of Heaven Answ. Because they are all of and from Heaven the one is in Heaven the Kingdome of glory and the other the Kingdome of the Word here and truth and grace which
leave it shortly here he found it and here he must leave it in spight of his heart ere long and all is but vanity in the censure of him that knew all things the best of any man even Salomon that had gone thorow the variety of all things And oft times they misse of that they labour for They doe not rest that they get in hunting they hunt after preferment and after riches but oft times they doe not enjoy them and if they doe they get the curse of God with them and ere long they are stripped of all but here is that that may strengthen our indeavours The Kingdome of Heaven suffereth violence and the violent take it it is not an indeavour that is lost Then againe this shewes that the state of true Christians is different from the state of persons that are carried to good things but not violently The violent take it he surprizeth the city at the last he laies his siege and will not remoove till death he will not give over till he have it he will have it or he will dye in the businesse and so at last he obtaines his desire The sluggish carelesse man he goes a little way As Agrippa said to Paul he was almost perswaded to be a Christian so it is with such men in some things they will be Christians but there they are at a stand they will go no farther and so all they have done is to no purpose The sluggard desireth and wisheth but his soule hath nothing A sluggish cold lazie Christian he looseth all his paines If a man be to goe ten miles and goe but nine and there sit downe he shall never come to his journies end If a man will give but 7 or 8. shillings for that which is worth 10. he shall goe without it Grace and Glory are set at this price there is required such strength of labour and indeavour and violence therefore without this a man shall never attaine it unlesse he stretch himselfe to such a pitch He shall never come to the end of his Faith the salvation of his soule to the high calling of God in Christ Iesus The sluggard wisheth and gets nothing the reason is because he is a sluggard because he will not strive but the striver gets the fort and hath all in it and is a man made for ever The sluggard thinkes himselfe wiser then many men that can give a reason The sluggish discreete Christian I warrant you he hath reasons for what he doth It is not good to be too earnest it will incurre the disfavour of such a man or such a man J shall bee accounted so and so for my paines But a wise man he seeth the excellency of the things and he knowes that his courses and his conscience will justifie him at the last and therefore he goes on what ever comes of it God is not so weary of these precious things these precious jewels of grace and glory as to force them upon us Is the Kingdome of Heaven such a sleight thing that it should be obtruded to us whether we will or no Shall we thinke to have it when our hearts tell us wee esteeme other things betâ—er No there are none ever come to Heaven but their hearts are wrought to such an admiration of grace and glory that they undervalue all things to it therefore there is no hope for any to obtaine it but he that takes it by violence We see Moses esteemed the basest thing in the Church better then the greatest excellencies in the world that men are so violent after he esteemed the very afflictions of Gods people better then the treasures and pleasures of sinne for a season nay then the pleasures of a Court. When men shall esteeme the base things of the world above all the treasures of Heaven above the state of Christianity they have no hope of comming there they may pretend God is mercifull and Christ dyed c. I but whosoever he brings to salvation he workes such a sence of misery in them and such an apprehension of grace and of the meanes of grace that there is an undervaluing of all other things God will not bring them to Heaven that shall not glorifie him when they come there and how shall they glorifie him here or there when they value the world and these base things that they must leave behind them more then the things of Heaven This is the reason that few are saved because they content themselves with easie dull and drowsie performances and never consider with what proportion they are carried to things when they had rather loose the advantage of that which will bring everlasting good to their soules then loose the petty commodities of this world and yet think themselves good Christians what a delusion is this It is the violent only that are successefull they take it by force I but what if the opposition grow more and more Then the grace of God and courage will grow and increase more and more As Luther said well the more violent the adversaries were the more free and bold was he So the more the enemies rage the more the spirit of grace growes in Gods people it inceraseth by opposition As Noahs Arke the higher the waters were the nearer still it was carried to Heaven So we are nearer to God and nearer to the Kingdome of Heaven the more opposition swells and rages True courage growes with opposition As the Palme-tree riseth up against the burden that presseth it downe so the divine spirit being a heavenly thing and all opposition below of the Divell and divellish minded men being but earthly what are they to the divine Spirit which sets us on and encourageth us They cannot quell it but the Spirit growes more and more in opposition The Apostles they ran all from Christ when he was to be crucified they had but a little measure of the Spirit but when the Holy Ghost was shed more plentifully on them they beganne to stand couragiously for the cause of Christ when there was more opposition the Spirit grew more and more till they sealed the Truth with their blood Therefore though opposition of enemies and their fury and rage grow let us know whose cause we mannage and with what assurance of successe the violent at length shall take it by force Let us meditate upon this that successe is tyed to violence therefore when you pray to God if he seeme to deny your request offer violence wrastle with him let him not goe without a blessing when he seemes to be an enemy as sometimes he doth to try our strength we must use an holy violence when we are dull and not fit to pray nor fit for holy things Let us stirre up the Spirit of God in us and labour to get our of that estate let us use violence and violence will overcome at the last A man that hath the Spirit of
consider how the Law of the Spirit of life is in Christ what it doth in him and then how it is derivatively in us First of all we must know this for a ground whatsoever is done to us is done to Christ first and whatsoever wee have Christ hath it first Therefore life is first in Christ and then in us Resurrection first in Christ and then in us Sonne-ship first in Christ and then in us Justification from our sins first in Christ he is freed from our sinnes and then in us Ascension first in Christ and then in us Glory in heaven first in Christ and then in us We have nothing in us but it is derived from Christ therefore this being layd as a ground we must consider how the Spirit of life works in Christ what it doth in Christ and then what it doth as it is in us for whatsoever Christ hath it is not onely for himselfe but for us What doth it in Christ The Spirit of life in Christ first of all it did quicken and sanctifie his humane nature that nature that Christ pleased to take upon him it stopped sinne it made a stop of originall sinne in sanctifying that blessed masse out of which his body was made for the foundation of his obedience actuall that it was so holy it was hence that his nature was purified by the holy-Holy-Ghost in the wombe of the Virgin the foundation that his death and sufferings was satisfactory and acceptable it was that his holy nature was sanctified by the Spirit of God So the first worke of the Spirit of life in the Sonne of God it was to sanctifie and quicken that blessed masse that he tooke upon him And the Spirit of life that quickned and sanctified our nature in Christ did likewise ennoble our nature for even as a base woman is ennobled when she is taken in marriage with a great man shee hath his dignity accounted hers so our nature by the Spirit being sanctified is knit into the union of person with Christ that our nature and the second Person make one Christ so our nature by the Spirit is ennobled by this union And also inriched it with all grace that our nature is capable of for the nature of Christ had this double prerogative above ours First of all that blessed masse of flesh it was knit to be one person with God and then that nature was inriched and ennobled with all graces above ours And this the Spirit of life did to Christ himselfe to his humane nature that he tooke upon him that hee might be a publicke Person For God the second Person tooke not upon him any mans particular person of Peter or Paul or Iohn for then there should have beene distinct persons one person should have dyed and another rise but hee tooke our nature into his Person so that the same Person that did dye was God though he dyed in our nature that he might be a publicke Person So we must consider Christ sanctifying our nature that he might sit and sanctifie all our persons But did the Spirit of life doe nothing else but sanctifie and inrich the humane nature of Christ with grace Yes for the Spirit of life in Christ did sanctifie him for his Sacrifice as he saith Iohn 17. in that blessed prayer I sanctifie my selfe for them it prepared him for his death and made him a fit Sacrifice When he entred upon his calling he had more of the Spirit the Spirit of life as it were was increased For it is no heresie to thinke that the gifts of Christ for the manifestation of them were increased For in every state he was in hee was perfect and when he set upon his Office and was baptised hee was fuller of the holy-Holy-Ghost as it were there was a fuller manifestation then before when he did not set upon his Office openly In his death what did the Spirit of life then It supported him in his very death for there was an union of the Spirit when there was a separation of his soule and body there was not a separation of the union That which gave dignity and strength and value and worth to his death it was the Spirit though there was a suspending of the comfort a while yet there was no separation of the union but I speake no more of that being not especially meant here But especially in his Resurrection which we are now to thinke of by reason of the day and it is not amisse to take all occasions especially then the Spirit of life that had sanctified Christ and quickened him and inriched his nature and supported him and done all that Spirit of life quickened the dead body of Christ And he was mightily declared to be the Sonne of God by the Spirit of sanctification Rom. 1.4 by his Resurrection from the dead The Spirit of life raised him from the dead and put an end to all that misery that he had undergone before for our sakes For untill his resurrection there was as it were some conflict with some enemies of Christ either with Satan or the world or with death it selfe he lay under death three dayes untill Christs body was raised our enemies were not overcome Gods wrath was not fully satisfied it was not declared to be satisfied at least for he being our surety till he came out of the grave we could not know that our sinnes were satisfied for But now when the Spirit of life in Christ comes and quickens that body of his in the grave and so doth justifie us as it is Ro. 4. He dyed for our sinnes and rose againe for our justification that is by the Spirit of life in Christ quickning his dead body hee declared that we are fully discharged from our sinnes because he was fully discharged from our sinnes being our surety hee shewed by his Resurrection that he was fully discharged from all that he tooke upon him When a man comes out of prison that is a surety his very comming out of prison shewes that he hath a full discharge of all the debt hee undertooke to pay so the Spirit of life raising Christs body the third day manifestly declared that the debt he tooke on him was fully discharged and so as he dyed for sinne to satisfie Gods Justice for them so hee rose againe for our justification to shew that hee had a full discharge for all Now since the Spirit of life in Christ Iesus hath quickned his body the soule may make a bold demand to God as it is in 1 Pet. 8. It may make that demand Rom. 8. Who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods Elect it is Christ that dyed nay rather that is risen againe and ascended into heaven and makes intercession for us Who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods people it is God that justifieth who shall condemne our sinnes Christ hath taken our sinnes upon him and satisfied divine
to send us to heaven and make us partakers of that we desire most First wee desire that God will be with us here and secondly that we may be with God in heaven they make Gods children partakers of their desires by killing of them Let Tyrants and all persons that have a malignant disposition to the Church of God and are armed with power let them doe their worst the cause must stand impregnable Christ will have a Church and Kingdome in the world and their spirits will be impregnable against them they may kill them but they cannot hurt them they may kill them but they cannot kill their courage As we see in the Martyres there was the Spirit of God in them above all the dealings of of the persecutors there was a fire of Gods Spirit in them above all outward fire whatsoever You see it must be taken for granted that the Church of God and every particular Christian hath many enemies against them as it is Psal. 129. From my youth up saith the Church they have fought against me but they have not prevayled From my youth up from Abel to the last Saint that shall be in the world there will be alway some against Gods people yet their comfort is that none shall be against them to prevaile either over the Spirit of God in them or over the cause that they manage First of all you see then that the state of a Christian in this world is an impregnable state and a glorious condition Here is glory upon glory from this clause to the end of the Chapter If God be with us who shall be against us If God gave his Sonne for us shall hee not with him give us al things else there is another glorious speech Who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods people another glorious triumphant speech another glorious speech Who shall separate us from the love of God founded in Christ Hee loves Christ first and us in Christ as members and as he loves him eternally so he loves us eternally too Therefore you see every way the state of a Christian is a glorious condition Who can be against us You see the state of Gods people it is an impregnable and glorious condition Then by this meanes those that are strange Paradoxes to flesh and blood yet they agree in a Christian. He is never alone when hee is alone God is with him the Father Son and holy-Holy-Ghost are with him Angels are with him God is not only with him but his guard is with him and Gods Spirit is with him and in him victoriously both in grace and comfort Christ saith to his Disciples when they thought to leave him alone saith hee you cannot leave me alone My Father is with me and Saint Paul towards his latter end that had deserved so well of the Christian world All forsooke me saith he but the Lord forsooke me not but delivered me out of the mouth of the Lion So a Christian is not alone hee is not left to the mercy of his enemies but God is with him and who shall be against him to prevayle over him Againe though a Christian be a worme a person trampled upon for so the Church is the most afflicted part of man-kind yet Feare not thou worme Jacob. The world accounts them as wormes and they account themselves so they are trodden on as wormes they are wormes upon earth yet they have a glorious head in heaven and a glorious guard about them strange things agree in a Christian therefore let us not stumble though wee see not these things presently the life of a Christian is a mysterie Againe hence we see that a Christian profession to be a sound Christian to have true faith in Christ to be one with Christ and to be taken out of the state of nature this condition and the happinesse of it it hath the strongest foundation of any life in the world Christianity is founded upon the strongest and the greatest reasons that can bee Faith stands with the greatest reason that a thing can doe Why The comfort of a Christian is that he hath no enemy that shall prevaile over him and what is the ground of that God is with him God the Father Son and Holy Ghost Faith is that that layes hold upon that presence and promise and covenant of God and is not faith well bottomed A Christian that carries himselfe valiantly and couragiously is not his course grounded on sound reason Is not God with him God the Father is his father God the Son is his Redeemer God the Holy Ghost is his Comforter There is no other men that have strong reason for their course for that choise that they make of their Religion and of their wayes they prove but fooles in the conclusion onely the sound Christian that by the Spirit of God hath his eyes open to see the cursed estate he is in by nature and what it is to be in Christ and by a Spirit of faith is made one with Christ hee is the truely wise man in his faith and affiance that the world mockes at that hee hath no common supports in the world which hee cares not for if God be on his side hee cares not what man can doe against him as it is Psal. 118. you see on what ground it is founded God is with him and none can be against him Let us labour to lay up these principles wee worke according as our principles are Principles are the foundation of all conclusions that arise from them As our grounds are so are we in our faith and working and grace and comfort every way if wee have rotten principles if the grounds of our comfort bee rotten our course will be rotten and uncomfortable in the conclusion Let us build upon the Rocke to be well bottomed and founded that our principles and grounds bee strong and that they be so to us for what if God be with his if he be not so to us Let us labour to lay up sound grounds Grounds have influence into the whole course of our lives this one Text hath influence into all the parts of our lives in doing in suffering in all conditions I know not a more pregnant fruitfull principle in the Scripture than this If God be with us who can be against us It is like a pearle little in quantity few in words but strong in sence large in the fruit that issues from it Therefore as wee may carry pearles or precious things wheresoever we go because there is a great deale of worth in them and they be small in quantity so wee may carry this principle with us let us bee sure to lay it up and make use of it There be these two That there is a God and that God is with his children and so with his children that hee will subvert and overthrow all their enemies and all their plots and endevours a principle of wonderfull comfort If
downe the glorious condition of the Church in this world in part yet the desire of the Church rests not in any condition here therefore it is carried to the consummation and perfection of all There shall be a kind of new world at the conversion of the Iewes but when the Church is under that blessed condition yet it is under desires still of farther perfection till an end be made of all things Therefore this saying here Come hath reference to the future state of the Church All the desires of the Church are restles till the consummation of all things in the latter comming of Christ. It carries all before it in a desire Come Lord therefore to call the Iewes Come Lord to confound Antichrist which must be before that for the Iewes wil never come in till the scandal of Idolatry be removed when all this is fulfilled then come Lord to make an end of this sinful world As it is with a river it carryes all before it till it discharge it selfe into the Ocean where it is swallowed up so it is with the desires of a Christian they carry all in the meane time between heaven and them in a streame and never rest â—â—ll they be swallowed in heaven it selfe and â—â—e second comming of Christ to finish 〈…〉 s and then is the period of all happinesse and â—he accomplishment of all promises when Christ shall come to be glorious in his Saints The words they are as it wâ—re â—n eccho aâ— answere backe againe of the Bride the Spouse of Christ unto his promise of his comming which he makes twise in this Chapter in ver 7. Behold I come quickly and in ver 12. Behold I come quickly and he comes not empty handed My rewardâ— is with me Now the Church here ecchoes backe againe Christ saith I come and the Spirit and the Bride say come The words containe the most heavenly desire that can be of the most excellent personage in this world the Queene the Bride of Christ and it is a desire to the most excellent person absolutely Christ himselfe a desire of his comming and it is stirred up by the most excellent Spirit the holy Spirit of God for the meaning of the words is this The Spirit and the Bride say Come not as distinct and severed but the Bride by the Spirit saith Come the Holy Ghost in the Bride as it is Rom. 8.26 Wee know not what to pray but the Spirit makes intercession How is that The Spirit makes intercession by making us make intercession for what Christ doth the Spirit causeth us to do for there is one Spirit in Christ and us So the Bride by the motion of the holy and blessed Spirit say Come The order of our discourse upon these words shall be this First to speake of the person wishing and her condition The Bride And then of the desire of this excellent personage the Bride And then of the mooving cause that stirres up the Bride to desire the comming of Christ First for the person the Bride The Church is sometime compared to a woman for weakenesse sometimes to a wife for faithfulnesse to her Husband and Christ sometimes to a Bride because she is contracted to Christ in this world sometimes to a mother for her fruitfulnesse sometimes to a Virgin for her chastity here to a Bride because this life is but the time of Contract but the consummation of the marriage shall be in heaven Now this contract between the Church and Christ and betweene every particular soule and Christ for both are the bride of Christ. Even as it is the same soule that is in the little finger and in all the whole body the same soule enlivens both so it is the same Spirit in the Bride in generall and in every particular Christian therfore the Bride is both every particular Christian the whole Church Now the contract that is made betweene the soule and between the Church Christ it is by the Spirit of God which knits the soule to Christ and Christ to the soule And for this end that Christ might be a Husband and contract this Bride to himselfe in our nature he married our nature that he might marry our persons There is a three-fold degree of union An union of Nature An union of Grace An union of Glory The union of nature was then Christ tooke our nature upon him The union of grace is when we take his nature when wee partake of the divine nature The union of glory is when we shall all be in heaven The first is for the second and the second for the third Christ became bone of our bone in nature that we might be bone of his bone with him in grace and so perfectly one with him in glory We see the Bride that is the Person Here I might take occasion to speak of the sweet comfort that issues from this that the second Person in the Trinity should dignifie us so much as to take us to unity with and contract us to himselfe but I will not speak much of this point having spoken more at large of it out of the Canticles If marriage be honorable what is this marriage and contract which is indeed the patterne of all other others are but shadowes to this Hence comes the sweet security peace of the Church from this contract between Christ and it for all our debts are discharged by this he tooke upon him our sins And then the Church hath interest in him and all his in this contract and marriage which is to be consummate all that he is hath is the Churches All is yours because you are Christs What a large comfort is this if we had hearts to consider of it and to improove it his grace serves for the Church Of his fulnesse wee receive grace for grace So wee may say of all the priviledges that Christ hath they are first in him and then in the Church the Church shines in his beames And as it is matter of wondrous comfort so it is likewise matter of more speciall comfort in case of infirmities The Church is a woman therefore the weaker vessell Now God that bids us beare with the woman as the weaker vessell to honour her with the honour of gentle usage for that honor is meant he that teacheth man his duty will he not performe it himselfe to beare with his Church as the weaker vessell Especially when it is the condition of the marriage Hosea 2. I will marry thee to me in mercy wee may clayme mercy as a part of our dowry by Christ pardoning mercy forbearing pittying mercy we make not use of this comfort when we are discouraged But this teacheth us likewise how to carry our selves to Christ as we should doe chastly to take heed how we judge of things we must keep our judgements chast A Christian hath not liberty to ryot in his opinion to run at randome to see what 〈◊〉
Spirit in the Spouse saith Come The Spirit doth all as the soule doth all in the body it acts it and leads it and comforts it and gives beauty to it so the Spirit first knits Christ and us together there is the same Spirit in Christ the head and in the Church there is one common Spirit in head and members And when it hath done so it acts and leads and sanctifies and purifies the Church it acquaints the Church with the good things that God hath given her acquaints her with the deepe meaning of God the love of God in Christ it acquaints God with our desires hee knowes our meaning in our prayers and we know his meaning it acquaints us with the state we shall have after and assures us of it It is the earnest of the Inheritance the Spirit and the graces of it are not onely the earnest but a part of that Inheritance a part of heaven where our bodies shall be spirituall not that they shall turne to be spirits but they shall be ruled wholy by the Spirit as the soule rules the body As it is in a river it is impossible that the streame should run higher then the spring-head from whence it comes so it is impossible that our desires should rise higher then the spring from whence they come the desires of nature cannot goe higher then nature the desires of the flesh are fleshly but spirituall desires as they spring from heaven they have a noble originall and head so they carry to heaven againe Therefore as the Spirit comes from God the Father and the Sonne so it carries us backe againe to the Father and the Sonne as it comes from heaven so it carries to heaven back againe That is one way to know whether our desires be spirituall or no our desire of death and of the comming of Christ if it be from wearisomnesse of life and from afflictions in the world so nature may desire I were better be dead then to be thus as Ionas wished death and the children of Israel and Elias in a passion oh that I were dead c. but if those desires spring from the Spirit then they come from heaven from the consideration of the excellency of the state wee shall have there that it shall be better with us and that death is but a darke passage to a glorious condition We may know our desires are spirituall from the rise of them if they come from spirituall and holy and heavenly considerations the Spirit doth all in the Spouse that is holy and Spirituall Therefore let us give entertainment to the Spirit of God and be where we may have further and further communion with the Spirit in spirituall Ordinances The preaching of Gods holy Word though it be meanely esteemed by the world it is the Ministerie of the Spirit in the hearing of it the Spirit is given if we would have the Spirit let us attend upon the Ministerie of the Spirit And let us study Christ and make him all in all Saint Paul questions with the Galathians saith hee I would know of you how came ye by the Spirit by hearing of Christs Gospel or of the Law preached No it was by the Gospel so that not onely the Ministerie in generall but the Evangelicall Ministerie that unfolds Christ and the infinite love of God in Christ the excellent condition we have in this world and look for in the world to come the Spirit is effectuall with these thoughts to make us holy and heavenly The Law beats downe but the Gospel especially these Evangelicall truths make us spirituall Therefore wee should be willing to heare spirituall points There are a company of men that love to heare curious and nice points and if a Minister be quaint anâ— satyricall and unfold points sutable to their apprehension they can digest this but come to speake of things above nature of Christ and the benefits by him they are spirituall they are remote and transcendent above their nature that they cannot relish them But he that hath the Spirit of Christ of all points there are none to those that unfold Christ and the benefits by him the glory that wee hope for by him in another world And let us not grieve the Spirit but give way to his motions The Spirit is now among us in his Ordinance knocking at our hearts and desiring entertainement let us give way and not quench the good motions that hee stirres up and the Spirit shall be given more and more to us The holy-Holy-Ghost is given to them that ebey him And let us beg the Spirit God will give his holy Spirit to them that aske him Luk. 11. As if hee should say the Spirit is the best thing that God can give you that are evill can give good things to your children but your heavenly Father hath one good thing instead of all he will give his Spirit Therefore when wee find our hearts dead and dâ—ll and earthly and base-minded thinke thus Alas I am a lump of flesh now where is the Spirit of God certainely if I had the Spirit in me I could not be as I am If we love our soules we will take this course wee trifle with Religion else God doth all by the Spirit the Spirit is Christs Vicar here is no need of a Ministeriall head betweene the Spouse and Christ the Spirit and the Spouse are so neere together there is such a conjunction betweene Christ and his Church that where the Spirit is hee stirres up desires of his comming Onely let us attend upon the meanes and Ordinances that hee hath left in his Church And let us consider wee are not for this life we are not to live here alway the child in the wombe is not for that life and when it is in the world it is not for this life there is a third life that we are for An imperfect state rests not till it come to perfection our best is behind let those that are naught feare the second comming of Christ. Let Herod and Iudas and the beast of Rome feare that shall be cast into the burning lake Let Felix tremble the corrupt Judge and all that live in corrupt courses But wee that professe our selves to be Christians and hope for better things in another world let us labour to banish base feares and to this end let us labour to be spirituall and not to be lead by the flesh Whosoever is Christs hath the Spirit of Christ or else he is none of his as it is sweetly and largely and heavenly prooved Rom. 8. We have nothing to doe with Christ unlesse we have his Spirit to stirre up motions and desires of better things then this world can afford FINIS DAVIDS CONCLVSION OR THE SAINTS RESOLVTION In one Sermon By the late learned and reverend Divine RICHARD SIBBS Doctor in Divinitie Master of Katherine-Hall in Cambridge and sometimes Preacher at Grays-Inne Ieremy 30.21 Who is this that ingageth his heart to approach
of the excellency of spirituall things then spirituall practice will follow And undoubtedly the reason of the prophane conversation of the world it comes from hidden atheisme that men make no better choyce than they do that they draw not neare to God let them say what they will it proceeds from hence I prove it thus when men are convinced of good things they will do good for conviction is the ground of practise and when men do not take good courses it is because they are not convinced of the best things Therefore men that sweare and blaspheme that are carnall bruit persons at that time Atheisme rules in their hearts that they beleeve not these things in the book of God to be true Can the swearer beleeve that God will not hold him guiltlesse that takes his name in vaine that a curse shall follow the swearer and the whoremonger that whoremongers and adulterers God will judge and so the covetous and extortioners they that raise themselves by ill means shall not enter into the Kingdom of heaven can men beleeve this and live in the practise of these sinnes if they did beleeve these things indeed as the word of God sets them downe if they did beleeve that sin were so bitter and so soule a thing as the word of God makes it certainly they would not therefore it comes from a hidden Atheisme Indeed there is a bundle of Atheisme and infidelity in the heart of man and we cannot bewaile it too much In the best there are some remainders of it as this holy man so foolish was I and as a beast before thee when he thought of his doubting of Gods providence Therefore considering that the cause of all ill practise is that we are not spiritually convinced of the contrary that sinne is a naughty and bitter thing nor are wee sufficiently convinced of the best things let us labour more and more to be soundly convinced of these things Now nothing will do this but the holy Ghost as yee have it Iohn 16. Christ promiseth to send the Comforter the holy Ghost and he shall convince the world of sinne that is hee shall so set sin before the eyes of mens soules that they shall know there is no salvation but in Christ hee shall convince them of unbeliefe that horrible sinne they shall have it presented so to them that they shall beleeve presently upon it This the holy Ghost must do But the holy Ghost doth it in the use of meanes therefore it must be our wisdome to heare and pray and meditate much that God would vouchsafe his spirit to perswade us to convince our understanding to convince us of all our false reasonings against good things that there may not a vile imagination rise in our hearts contrary to divine principles It is good to draw neare to God therefore it is good to come to the Sacrament which is one way of drawing neare to God Let us be so convinced of it that it is not only a necessary but a comfortable and sweet duty to have communion with God for will we suffer for Christ if wee will not feast with him What shall wee say of those therefore that are so farre from drawing neare to God when they have these opportunities that they turne their backs They cleane thwart this blessed man here he saith It is good for me to draw neare to God nay say they it is good for mee to have nothing to do with God nor Christ no not when he comes to allure mee Now hee is come neare us indeed that wee might come neare him because wee were strangers to God and could not draw neare to him simply considered God became man Emmanuel God with us that he might bring us to God Christ is that Iacobs ladder that knits heaven and earth together Christ God and man knits God and man together this was the end of his incarnation and of his death to make our peace to bring those neare that were strangers nay enemies before and of our part and portion in the benefit of his death we are assured in the Sacrament Therfore let us draw neare to our comfort with chearefulnesse for his goodnesse that we have these opportunities Let us draw neare to God to have our faith strengthned and our commuion with him increased Only let us labour to come with cleane hearts God will be sanctified in all that come neare him Let us know that we have to deale with a holy God and with holy things and therefore cast aside a purpose of living in sinne let us not come with defiled hearts for then though the things be holy in themselves they are defiled to us let us come with a resolution to renew our covenant and come with rejoycing that God stoups so low to use these poore helps that in themselves are weak yet by his blessing they are able greatly to strengthen our Faith FINIS KING DAVIDS EPITAPH OR An Epitome of the life and death of King DAVID In three Sermons By The late learned and reverend Divine RICHARD SIBBS Doctor in Divinitie Master of Katherine-Hall in Cambridge and sometimes Preacher at Grays-Inne Luke 1.74 75. That we being delivered from our enemies might serve him in holinesse and righteousnesse before him all the dayes of our lives 2 Sam. 14.14 For we must needs die and are as water spilt upon the ground LONDON Printed by E. P for Nicholas Bourne and Rapha Harford KING DAVIDS EPITAPH Acts 13.36 For David after in his owne Generation he had served the Counsell or will of God he fell asleep and was laid to his Fathers and saw corruption THe words are part of a Sermon of blessed Saint Paul wherein he proves out of the old Testament Psal. 16. that David prophesied of Christ and not of himselfe David saw corruption but hee of whom David spake saw no Corruption therefore David was not the Messias He shewes that the things there spoken do no way agree to David but to the Messias who saw no corruption For David after hee had served his owne Generation fell asleep and saw corruption In generall observe this One of the best wayes to understand the Scriptures is to compare the old Testament and the new together That which was spoken and fore-told of Christ in the old Testament and fulfilled in the New that must needs bee true Christ is the true Messias why It was fore-told so of him in the old Testament and accomplished in the new therefore Christ is the true Messias comparing the prophesie and the event together For the old and new Testament make up but this syllogisme He that should be so and so as was prophesied Born of a Virgin that should come at such a time in the later end of Daniels weeks c. he is the true Messias But Christ was such a one hee was borne of a Virgin came at such a time he saw no corruption for hee rose the third day therefore Christ
God and when he is there he may yeeld an eare to listen and he hath common discourse and understanding to know what is said and upon what ground he can offer himselfe to the worke of the Spirit he can come to the poole though he be not thrust in this day or that day when God stirrs the waters this by common grace any man living in the Church may doe Therefore though we be all dead even the best of us by nature yet let us use the parts of nature that we have that God hath given us to offer our selves to the gracions and blessed meanes wherein the Spirit of God may worke Let us come to heare the Word of God Iohn 5.25 The time is come and now is that the dead shall heare the voice of God where the voice of God is in the Ministery and so they shall live As in the latter day the noyse of the trumpet shall raise the dead bodies So the trumpet of the Word of God sounding in the eares of men together with the Spirit shall raise the dead soules out of the grave of sin Therefore J beseech you as you would be raised up out of this death heare the noyse of Gods trumpet come within the compasse of the meanes As God is the God of life and Christ calls himselfe the life and the Spirit the Spirit of life So the Word is the Word of life because together with the Word God conveyes spirituall life The Word of God in the Ordinance is an operative working Word As it was in the creation God said Let there bee light and there was light So in the Ministery it exhorts and stirres up to duty and there is a cloathing of the ministeriall word with an almighty power it is a working word As when Christ spake to Lazarus when hee stanke in his grave he said Lazarus come foorth it was an operative working word there went an almighty power to raise Lazarus Therefore though we finde our selves dead and have no worke of grace yet let us present our selves more and more to the Ordinance of God God will be mighty in his own Ordinance the blessed time may come let us waite when the waters are stirred and take heede that we despise not the counsell of God which is to bring man to spirituall life this way And object not I am dead and rotten in sin many yeares I am an old man You know many were raised in the Gospell some that had beene dead few daies Lazarus was rotten and stanke It shewes us that though a man be dead and rotten in sinne yet he may be raised first or last the blessed time may come therefore waite never pretend long custome and long living in sinne All things are in obedience to God though they have a resistance in themselves yet God can take away that resistance and bring all to obey him All things in the world though they be never so opposite to Gods grace they are in obedience to his command Therefore though there be nothing but actuall present resistance in the soule to that that is good and a slavery to the bondage of sin yet attend meekly upon the Ordinance God can make of Lions Lambs he can take away that actual resistance As Christ when he was raised the stone that lay upon the grave was remooved So when God will quicken a man he will remoove the stone of long custome that is upon him though he have beene dead so many yeares yet God can rowle away the stone and bid him rise up Therefore let none despaire God is more mercifull to save those that belong to him then Sathan can be malicious to hinder any way The best of us all though we be not wholly dead yet there are some relicks of spirituall death hanging upon us there be corruptions which in themselves are noysome Therefore let all attend upon the meanes that the Spirit of God by little and little may worke out the remainders of death the remainders of darknesse in our understandings and of rebellion in our wills and affections For there bee usually three degrees of persons in the Church of God Some open rotten persons that are as graves open sepulchres that their stincke comes foorth and they are prophane ones There are some that have a forme of godlinesse that are meerely ghosts that act things outwardly but they have not a spirit of their owne they have an evill spirit and yet doe good workes they walke up and downe and doe things with no spirit of their owne The second are more tollerable then the first in humane society because the other stinke and smell to common society common swearers and prophane persons that stinke to any except it be to themselves But the godly have this death in part the life of sentence is perfect the life of justification but spirituall life in us is by little and little wrought in the meanes the Spirit of life joynes with the Word of life and quickens us daily more and more A word of these words And you hath he quickned Suteable to the occasion This being our estate let us know how much we are beholding to God who hath quickned us God quickens us with Christ and in Christ. It is a comfortable consideration In that God hath quickned Christ and raised him from the grave it shewes that his Fathers wrath is pacified or else he would not have quickned him he gave him to death and quickned him againe therefore we may know that he hath paid the price for us And he quickens us with Christ and in Christ whatsoever we have that is good it is in Christ first That Christ in all things might have the preheminence Christ first rose and ascended and sits in Heaven and then we rise and ascend and sit in heavenly places with Christ Therefore as St. Peter saith well in 1. Peter 1.20 God hath raised Christ that our faith might bee in God If Christ had not beene raised up our Faith and Hope could not have beene in God that he would raise us up we are quickned and raised in Christ all is in Christ first and then in us The ground of this is that Christ was a publike person in all that he did in his death therefore we are crucified and buried with him in his resurrection and ascention therefore we are quickned with him and sit in heavenly places with him He is the second Adam And if the first Adam could convey death to so many thousands so many thousand yeeres after and if the world should continue millions of yeares he would convey death to all shall not Christ the second Adam convey life to all that are in him So thinke of all things both comfortable and uncomfortable in Christ first when we thinke of sinne thinke of it in him our Surety and when we thinke of freedome from death and damnation thinke of his death when wee thinke of our resurrection thinke
that it may be bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh For before wee come to heaven Christ must not onely be bone of our bone c. that is in his Incarnation but wee must be bone of his bone c. that is wee must have natures like Christ not onely flesh and blood for so a reprobate hath flesh and blood as Christ hath but wee must have his Spirit altering and changing our nature that instead of a proud disobedient rebellious nature now it must be a holy and humble and meeke nature together with humane frailty for that we carry about with us then the Spirit of life derived from Christ makes us bone of his bone For indeed in his humane nature being bone of our bone and flesh of our flesh hee made us bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh he became man that we might partake of the divine nature being partakers of the divine Spirit So that now the Spirit of life in Christ when we are knit to him is a Spirit of sanctification altering our natures and working in our hearts a disposition like Christs that wee judge as Christ judgeth and chuse as Christ chuseth and ayme at Gods glory as Christ did For there is the same mind in us that was in Christ Philip. 2. In our proportion growing still more and more to conformity with Christ till we be in heaven till Christ be all in all 1 Cor. 15. When he will change our nature to be holy as his owne Besides this liberty from sinne and death in this life there is a glorious liberty and freedome thaâ— we have by the Spirit of Christ when we are dead for then the Spirit of life that raised Christs dead body will raise our bodies and that Spirit of Christ that raiseth his body and raiseth our soules in this world from sinne to beleeve in him will raise our dead bodies The same vertue and power that workes in Christ workes in his members this is called The glorious libertie of the Sonnes of God Then wee shall be freed indeed not onely from the law of sinne but from sinne it selfe and not onely from the law of death but death it selfe and wee shall live forever with the Lord. Christ then shall be all in all by his Spirit Christ will never leave us till hee have brought us to that glorious freedome wee are freed already from sinne and death he hath set us in heavenly places together with himselfe now In faith we are there already but then wee shall be indeed Thus you see how we come to have the law of the Spirit of life in Christ to free us from the law of sinne and death and all the passages of it You see here that there is law against law The Law of the Spirit of life in Christ against the law of sinne and death I beseech you consider that God hath appointed law to countermand law the Spirit of Christ to overcome sinne in us not onely in justification but in sanctification oh let us therefore comfortably thinke there is a Law above this Law I have now cold dead base affections but if I have the Spirit of Christ he can quicken and enliven me hee will not onely pardon my sinne but by the Law of his Spirit direct guid and command me a contrary way to my lusts And this is an Art of spirituall prudence in heavenly things whensoever wee are beset with dangers to set â—reater then that against it The Devill is an Angell but we have a guard of Angels about us The Devill is a Serpent but we have a braâ—en Serpent that cures all the stings of that Serpent We have Principalities and Powers against but we have greater Principalities and Poâ—ers for us The Law of life against the law of sinne and death We have a law of our lusts tyrannizing over us and enthralling us it is true but then there is a Law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus to overcome and subdue that law of our lusts if so be that wee use the prerogatives wee have if we use faith and goe to God and Christ in whom are all the treasures of grace Hee is the treasury of the Church of his fulnesse we receive grace for grace Are we troubled with any corruptions goe to the Spirit of liberty in Christ and desire him to set us at liberty from the bondage and thraldome of our corruptions And remember what Christ hath done for us and where hee is now in heaven let us raiâ—e our thoughts that wee may see our selves in heaven already that wee may be ashamed to defile our bodies and soules with the base drudgery of sinne and Satan that are sanctified in part in this world and shall be glorified in heaven Certainely faith would raise our soules so we betray our selves when being once in the state of grace we are inâ—hralled basely to any sinne For sinne shall not have dominion over you because you are under grace saith the Apostle Being under grace if wee doe 〈◊〉 use our reasoning and use faith and exercise the grace we have given us wee cannot be in thrall to corruptions Wee shall have remainders to trouble us put not to 〈◊〉 and reigne and domineere For sinne 〈◊〉 beares â—way but when wee betray our selves and either beleeve not what Christ hath done for us or else exercise not our faith A Christian is never overtaken basely but when hee neglects his priviledges and prerogatives and doth not stirre up the grace of God in him Learne this then when we are troubled with any thing set Law against Law set the Law of the Spirit of life in Christ against all oppositions whatsoever and let the temptation â—â—e where it will let it lie in justificatiâ—â— as when wee are tempted by Satan to despaire for sinnes for great sinnes oh but then consider the Law of the Spirit of life in Christ hath freed me from the law of sinne and of death Christ was made sinne to free me â—rom sinne Consider that Christ was God-man hee satisfied divine Justice the blood of Christ cleanseth us from all sinne though they be as red as crimson Thus set Christ against our sinnes in justification when the guilt of them â—â—oubles our soules And so likewise when wee are set on by base lusts set against them the power of Christ in sanctification What 〈◊〉 I now a member of Christ one that professeth my selfe to be an heire of heaven there is a Spirit of life in Christ my head there is a Law of the Spirit of life in Christ that is there is a commanding power in his Spirit and that Spirit of his is not onely in the head but in the members If I goe to him for grace I may have grace answerable to the grace that is in him grace that will strengthen me with his power be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might Ephes. 6.
higher house in heaven and the lower on earth and both say come What is the reason that the Church in heaven saith Come Because the Church in heaven have bodies that be rotting in earth which bodyes helped them to serve God on earth fasted with them and prayed with them and indured pains and toyle with them The soule acccounts it selfe imperfect till it be joyned to its old companion the body againe therefore it desires Come Lord that my body may be united to me againe that so wee may both perfectly prayse thee in heaven Then againe they have not all their company all the Saints are not gathered and they will not be merry indeed till they all meet in heaven therfore that all may meet even the Church in heaven hath a desire Come Lord so both heaven and earth agree in this they meet in this desire This may be a ground of tryall whether wee be truely the Bride of Christ or no the ground of the tryall may be gathered hence whither is the bent of our desire carryed is our condition so here as that wee desire to be as we are still then all is naught with us The Church we see saith come nothing will content her in this world so those hearts that are wrought upon by the Spirit of God nothing here will content them but still they say come The disposition in carnall persons is cleane contrary they say as it is in Iob Depart from us wee will none of thy wayes they are of the mind of the Devill in the Gospel Why doest thou come to torment us before our time doe not come If it were in the power of most men in the Church whether Christ should come to judge the world or no doe you thinke they would give their voyce that way that Christ should come they would never do it for they know how unfit a condition they are in for the second comming of Christ. If theeves and malefactors might have liberty to chuse whether there should be Assizes or no surely they would never have any so it is with the men of the world that live in sinfull wretched courses that abuse their tongues and their bodies are they of the disposition of the Bride to say come oh no they know they have not done their duty therefore let us enter deepely into our owne soules and try whether cordially we can yeeld this desire of our hearts to say come Therefore to spend a little time in a further search if wee can truely say Come we will desire Christ to come into our soules now to rule our soules now to come and make way for himselfe in our hearts Is it possible for the soule to desire to goe to Christ that will not suffer him to come to it If Christ rule not in us wee shall never raigne with Christ if Christs Kingdome come not to us we shall never enter into Christ Kingdom therefore the soule that hath this desire truly to say Come it will give Christ entrance into it and let him come by his Ordinances Come Lord by thy word come by thy Spirit into my heart close with my heart drive out whatsoever is there that will not give thee liberty to raigne as thou wilt these desires will be in a true heart it will not cherish wilfully those desires that are contrary to this Shall we thinke that that Christian that saith these words in good earnest will put Christ away in his Ordinances and not care for to heare his word nor care to meet Christ here in earth and yet pretend a desire to meet him in heaven where is Christ here is hee not in his Congregations and Assemblies of his Saints those therefore that despise the Ordinances of God and yet pretend that they desire that Christ should come doe they not prophane the Lords Prayer when they say Hallowed be thy name Thy Kingdome come They patter it over they doe not meane it in good earnest when they despise the Ministery and the Ministers and whatsoever is Christs despise the motions of his Spirit and will not suffer him to rule in their hearts but are ruled by rules of policy and reason and flesh can they say Come No they doe abhominably prophane the Lords Prayer what kind of Service is that when their desires are quite cleane contrary It is a protestation contrary to their faith and therefore it is a nullity they professe in their prayers that they would have Christ to come and yet their course of life is contrary they would not have him come Againe those that truly desire Christ should come they will be subordinate helpers under Christ to promote those things that tend to his comming before Christ comes Antichrist must be abolished and consumed the Jewes must be converted and the number of the Elect must be consummate and finished Therefore what shall wee say when those that pretend to desire the comming of Christ shall countenance heresies that mâ—st have an end first And those that are against wholesome Lawes to be made in that kind those that countenance Idolatry and false worship stablishing what Christ must abolish before he come can they say Come in good earnest Their course is contrary to what they pray Therefore indeed and in good earnest we pray Thy Kingdome come and say with our soules as the Church here Come when we set our selves to abolish heresie and false worship of God that is adulterous and promote the true Service of God when we labour in our places that the number of the Elect may be consummate when wee labour that our children may be Gods children and our servants may be Gods servants and every one in our places labour that the Kingdome of Christ may be inlarged If wee put not to our helping hand to that wee pray for it is a contradiction Those therefore that live scandalous lives iâ— scandalous courses and speeches and hinder the conversion of peoples soules and labour to draw them to wicked hellish courses when they post to hell themselves and labour to draw others into cursed society with them selves they cannot truly say as the Church here Come Let us take it to heart that we doe not mocke and dally with Religion it is a greater matter then we take it for It is impossible but a Christian that saith his prayers in earnest should be thus affected unlesse wee make a mockery of Religion Againe if we can indeed say Come there will be a fitting for this comming a preparing our selves for it for our going to Christ. Is it not so in civill things and doth not grace worke that that nature doth in a higher degree If we desire that a great person should come to us will there not be a fitting of our houses of our apparell and entertainement â—â—table to the worth of the person or else a man may say surely you looâ—e for no body this day there is nothing fitted and prepared so if we
and carry him the contrary way but yet there is left this generall foundation of Religion in all men as the heathen could say naturally all men from the principles of nature draw to that which is good Here religious courses are justified and commended from that which hath the best attractive and most magnetticall force It is good to draw neere to God Good hath a drawing force for the understanding that shewes and discovers but the will is the cheife guide in man and answerable to the discovery of good or ill in the understanding there is a prosecution or aversation in the will which is that part in the soule of man that cleaves to good discovered To unfold the words a little It is good To draw neere to God who is the chiefe good It is good in quality and good in condition and state It is good in quality and disposition for it is the good of conformity for the understanding creature to draw neare to God the Creator who hath fitted the whole inward man to draw neare to conforme to him And then it is good in condition for it is his happinesse to do so the goodnesse of the creature is in drawing neare to God The nearer any thing is to the principle of such a thing the better it is for it the nearer to the Sunne the more light the nearer to the fire the more heat the nearer to that which is goodnesse it selfe the more good the nearer to happinesse the more happy therefore it must needs be the happinesse of condition to draw neare to God So you see what is meant when he saith here it is good It is a pleasing good conformable to Gods will he commands it and it is for my good likewise it advanceth my condition to draw neare to God To draw neare what is it to draw neare to God wee shall see by what it is to go from God God is every where wee are alwayes neare to God Whither shall I go from thy presence If I go to hell thou art there c. saith the Psalmist God is every where indeed in regard of his presence power disposing providence but then there is a gracious presence of God in the hearts of his children And there is a strange presence of God to Christ the presence of Vnion which makes the humane nature of Christ the happiest creature that ever was being joyned by a hypostaticall Vnion to the second person but wee speak not of that nearnesse here There is a gracious nearenesse when the spirit of God in the spirits of those that belong to God sweetly inlargeth and comforts and supports and strengthneth them working that in them that hee works in the hearts of none else for instance The soule is in the whole man it is diffused over all the members it is in the foot in the eye in the heart and in the braine but how it is in all these It is in the foot as it moves it it is in the heart as the principle of life it is in the braine and understanding using and exercising his reasoning understanding power so that though all the soule be in the whole man yet it is otherwise in the braine than in the rest so though God bee every where yet hee is otherwise in his children than in others he is in them graciously and comfortably exercising his graces in them and comforting them hee is not so with the rest of the world you see how God is present every where and how hee is graciously present with his So answerable wee are faid to be neare to God we are neare him in what state soever we are but then there is a gracious nearnesse when our whole soule is neare to God as thus when our understandings conceive aright of God as it is said of the young man in the Gospell when hee began to speak discreetly and judiciously Thou art not farre from the Kingdome of God when men have a right conceit of divine truths they are not farre from the Kingdome of God when there is clearnesse of judgement to conceive aright Those that have corrupt principles are farre off if the understanding bee corrupt all the rest will go astray there is the first nearnesse when the judgement is sanctified by the spirit to conceive aright Then againe there is a nearnesse when we not only know things aright but mind them when the things are present to our minds when God is in our thoughts David saith of the wicked man God is not in his thoughts When we mind and think of God and heavenly things they are neare to us and wee to them For the soule is a spirituall essenâ—e it goes every where it goes to heaven and is present with the things it minds wee are nearer to God and heavenly things when wee mind them and think on and feed our thoughts on them Againe wee are neare them when our wills first make choyce of the better part with Mary when upon discovery of the understanding the will chuseth deliberatly upon consideration followes the determination and chusing of the will and upon choice cleaving which is another act of the will when it chuseth that which is spiritually best every way best for grace and condition then it cleaves to it As it is said of Ionathan his heart did cleave â—o David so the woman cleaves to her husband as Saint Paul speaks when the will chuseth and cleaves to that which is good then there is a drawing neare And likewise when the affections are carried to God as their object then there is a drawing neare to God when our love imbraceth God and heavenly things for love is an affection of union it makes the thing loved and he that loveth to be one it is the primary the first borne affection of the soule from which all other affections are bred when we love God we desire still further and further communion with him And where there is love if we have not that wee love then the soule goes forth to God in desire of heavenly things the heart pants after God as the Hart doth after the rivers of waters and after holy things wherein the spirit of God is effectuall And when we have it in any measure then the soule shewes a sweet enlargement of joy and delight in God Thus when we judge aright of and mind heavenly things and make choyce of them and cleave to God with all our affections of love and joy and delight when these are carried to God and heavenly things then we draw neare to him And especially when the inward man is touched with the spirit of God even as the Iron that is touched with the Load-stone though it be heavy of it selfe it will go up so when the inward man is touched by the spirit of God with a spirit of faith which is a grace by which we draw neare to God with trust for
it is confidence and trust that drawes us neare to God Faith it is wrought in the whole inward man in the understanding in the mind in chusing and cleaving but especially it is in the will for faith is described to bee a going to God a comming to him which is a promotion or going forth which is an act of the will so by faith and trust specially we draw neare and cleave to God Even as at the first we fell from God by distrusting of his word saith the Divell yee shall not die at all we beleeved a lier more than God himselfe Now we are recovered by a way contrary to that we fell wee must recover and draw neare to God againe by trusting and relying upon God You see what is meant by the words It is good for me to draw neare to God To come to observe some things from them first this that Spirituall conviction of the judgement it is the ground of practise It is good and good for me For we know in nature that the will followes the last designe of the understanding that which the understanding saith is to be done here and now all circumstances considered it is best that the Will chuseth and that a man doth for the Will rules and leads the outward man Now where there is a heavenly conviction of the understanding of any particular thing this at this time is good all things considered and weighed in the ballance on the one side and on the other where this is there comes in practise and drawing near to God alway Conviction is when a man is set down so that he cannot gainsay nor will not but fals to practice presently then a man is convinced of a thing That which is immediatly before practise and leads to practise it is conviction Now there are these foure things in conviction There is first truth a man must know that such a thing is true Then it must not only be a truth but a good truth as the Gospell is said to be the good word of God and it is a true and a faithfull saying It is a true saying that Christ came to save sinners and it is a faithfull a good saying If it bee not good as well as true truth doth not draw to practice as it is truth but as it is good As it must be truth and a good truth so it must be good for me as the holy man saith here It is good for me c. A thing may bee good for another man the Divell knowes what is good and that makes him envy poore Christians so wicked men know that which is good when they sinne against the holy Hhost but for them it is better to keep in the contrary so that we must know it is a truth and a good truth and good for us in particular that it is best for us to do so The fourth is this though it be true and good and good for us yet before we can come to practise it must be a good that is comparative better than other things that are presented or else no action will follow A man must be able to say this is better than that A weak man that is led with passions and lusts he oft-times sees the truth of things and sees they are good and good for me and wishes that he could take such a course but such is the strength of his passions at this time that it is better to do thus it is better to yeeld to his lusts and he trusts that God will be mercifull and he shall recover it afterwards These foure things therefore must bee in conviction before wee can take the best course and these are all here in this holy man for he saw it was a truth a duty and likewise that it was a good truth for to bee neare to God the fountaine of good it must needs be good And then it was good for him to be so nay it was good all things considered for it is a Conclusion as it were brought out of the fire out of a conflict Nay say the flesh and say all the world what it can to the contrary It is good for me to draw neare to God he brings it in as a triumphant Conclusion Put drawing neare to God in one ballance and lay in that ballance all the inconveniences that may fallow drawing neare to God the displeasure of great ones the losse of any earthly advantage and lay in the other ballance all the advantages that keep men from drawing neare to God as if a man do not keep a good conscience he may please this or that man hee may get riches and advance himselfe and better his estate consider all that can bee yet notwithstanding it is better to draw neare to God with all the disadvantages that follow that course than to take the contrary Thus you see the truth cleare that conviction is the way and foundation of practice Therefore we should labour by all meanes to be convinced of the best things It is not sufficient to have a generall notion and slightly to heare of good things no wee must beg the spirit of God that hee would seale and set them upon our soules and so strongly set and seale them there that when other things are presented to the contrary with all the advantages and colours and glosses that flesh and blood can set upon them yet out of the strength of spirtuall judgement wee may bee able to judge of the best things out of a spirituall conviction and to say it is best to cleave to God So said the blessed man of God Moses there was in the one end of the ballance the pleasures of sinne the honours of a Court there was all that earth could afford for if it bee not to bee had in a Princes Court where is it to bee had his place was more than ordinary hee was accounted the sonne of Pharoh's daughter yet lay all that in the ballance and in the other part of the ballance to draw neare to Gods people though the people of God were a base fore-lorne despised afflicted people at that time yet notwithstanding to draw neare to the cause of Religion the disgraced cause of Religion to draw neare to God when hee is disgraced in the world it is easie to draw neare to God when there is no opposition but to draw neare to Gods part and side when it is disgraced in the world Moses saw it the best end of the ballance put in the afflictions and disgrace of Gods people or what you will So it was with Abraham when hee followed God as it were blind-fold and left all his fathers house and the contentments he had there So it was with our Saviours Disciples they left all to follow Christ they were convinced of this surely we shall get more good by the company of Christ than by those things that we leave for him Let us labour therefore to be convinced