of knowledge Was there ever any soul so desperately ignorant think you as to take the place of a Minister and not have skil to read no but these had no knowledge to teach the people the meaning of the Law of God whose lips should preserve knowledge and at whose mouth the people should seek the Law Mal. 2.7 8. Vse 3. To teach all that beleeve on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ diligently to be conversant in the Writings of Iohn and of the Apostles Shall the Holy Ghost have a Pen to write unto us and shall not we have a hand to receive these Writings and by faith to behold and beleeve them Shall he take care to write us Letters from Heaven from the Lord Jesus Christ indicted by the blessed Spirit and written by the hands of faithfull Scribes who were carried to all truth and shall they write them to us to continue to the end of the world and shall not we attend to them These be written to every soule that beleeves in Christ for if written to them that beleeve in Christ then every beleever may say These writings are written to me to thee and to me and therefore let us carefully read and attend to them And therefore doe not neglect a Letter written by such precious Scribes and from the hand of a gracious God that directed them to us but if written to us and for our instruction and learning let us heare and read and obey and looke at them as the chiefest blessings and ornaments of God vouchsafed to us Among all the meanes of grace put up these writings as the Oracles of God for our instruction Rom. 15.4 Whatever was written aforetime was written for our instruction and edification as well as for them that lived in ancient times how much are the Church of Rome to blame that lock up these Epistles from the common people in strange Languages and if they understand not Latine they must not read unlesse with license or in a strange Tongue heavie will the curse of God fall upon them they may as well read a Fable to them as the Scripture yea many times the Priests themselves understood not the Latine that they read it was given to them as a clasped booke they were not able to expound it but say that ignorance in the people is the Mother of Devotion and therefore both fall into the ditch together Quest Vse 4. Serves to be some direction to every carnall man you say if these Scriptures be written but to beleevers will you not allow ignorant carnall men to read this part of the Word of God Ans Even they have thus much benefit by the Word first Carnall men have benefit by the Word whatever is expounded to them from this Word may be effectuall to bring them on to salvation but faith comes by hearing Secondly These Scriptures when they are read they are a profitable and helpfull meanes to get knowledge though that knowledge I beleeve reach not to salvation Thirdly it is a meanes to put people in remembrance of what they know though it be not to salvation And lastly it kindles in them some desires to know these things that they might understand them though that be rare I dare not reckon the Eunuch among the ignorant and unbeleevers Act. 8.30 31. and that were a blessed use if men shall read the Scripture and complaine for that they cannot understand them and shall be stirred up to desire a Guide to help them to see and understand what they before understood not and so be brought on to some knowledge it were a blessed use of the Scriptures And besides they are of this use they are of singular benefit to discover to people what sinne is and open to men what morall and common vertues be and so are a meanes to preserve people in a forme of godlinesse whereby they know that Magistrates are to be obeyed Ministers reverenced Parents honoured Murder not to be committed the Sabbath not to be prophained God only to be worshipped the body of these things they see are to be done and these evils eschewed they are a meanes to keep people in good order and to prepare them to a better understanding of the Ministery of the Gospell that shall at any time be blessed to them so that some profit there is hence to them that want faith but the principall thing the Apostle aymes at is this I write unto you that beleeve on the name of the Son of God But further I say to you that are not yet brought on to beleeve let this be your instruction diligently to attend to what you heare from these words for you may say and truly you may read every day a Chapter or two and read them over againe and againe and spend many houres about them and in prayer too and yet no nearer salvation then at the first I say not not nearer salvation for you are stirred up to many duties but when you see you have read much and prayed much and yet get little hold of the saving grace of Christ how should this provoke all that live without meanes of grace to give diligent heed to that Ordinance of God in which faith to salvation is wont to be conveyed and that is an use that may be of notable efficacy to stirre them up to heare diligently those who are destitute of the knowledge of God let them be the more diligent to seeke after more meanes in the Ordinances of God Vse last It is an use to all those that do indeed beleeve on the name of the Lord Jesus to be not only carefull to read but to read these Scriptures in hope of finding those very blessings for which these Scriptures were written and sent us Were they written that you might be taught truly you make an il use of reading if you know no more at last then at the first you may wel say you are unprofitable if you doe not observe something from your reading and if they were written to stir us up to be doing good you make an il use of reading if it bring not forth some profitable fruits yea if by reading these Epistles you might beleeve and be humbled comforted and your joy might be full in reading then truly you should not rest till by reading you finde some measure of faith strengthened in you to an holy feare of God in whose presence you stand and whose word you take in hand and finde your hearts take comfort from what you doe read since they were writen for your sakes that beleeve and for your sakes onely if you shall be negligent to read them shall you not take this blessed Ordinance of God in vaine and therefore read them and read them diligently and profitably for the blessed ends for which God hath written them that you may finde the blessed fruites of them Now we come to speake of the end for which he wrote them that you might beleeve on the name
such terms if you wil not have him unlesse he be thus and thus qualified then let him alone never talke of him rest not in looking after any of his benefits it is a good thing to looke for such benefits as accompany Christ but rest not there content not your selves in such wrastlings never thinke you are of a right spirit and that you have a lively life and such as by which you shall maintaine constant fellowship with God unlesse you finde your hearts longing after Christ My soule is a thirst for the living God Psal 42.1 2. Let your hearts be chiefly set upon him for his owne sake you can tell what it is to set your affections more upon a person then upon their estate and you must know that your affections are more set upon Christ then upon any benefit he hath unlesse you finde Christ more then his gifts you shall finde little peace in your way you must see that all even the worst of his things are beautifull and comly and is more to be desired then Gold is sweeter then the Honey or the Honey-combe he that thus hath the Sonne he hath life the Sonne of God God and Man as he is our Son and our Saviour let the desire of your soule be unto him and your affections run out after him be you for him and then he wil be for you Hos 3.2 3 4. Stand not so much upon this what Christ wil be for you but be sure that you be for him let friends and all goe and be sure you be only for him Though Christ love us first yet he wil make us no assurance of his love to us till he see us love him and if we chuse him first before and above all his benefits then we shall have him make him then your assurance and your Kingdome shall not be shaken thinke not that he wil make you a feoffement before you be married to him but we must be content to come to him and take him as he is and stand upon no conditions with him You must not looke for assurance of Christs benefits till you have himselfe and if you chuse him then you shall have assurance to your soules that he hath chosen you first you cannot aske more then hee wil give but first you must have himselfe he wil give you a kingdome but you must first be a little flocke all is yours and ye are Christs and Christ is Gods Thus chuse him above all his benefits and you shall have him and life in him SERMON V. 1 JOHN 5.12 He that hath the Son hath life and he that hath not the Son hath not life FRom the second part of the words He that hath the Sonne there are three sorts of Heads of notes drawne One is already handled to wit That such as have the Sonne they have not so much nor doe so much stand upon nor so much desire the benefits of the Sonne as the Sonne himselfe This is the Spirituall life of a Christian while some men labour more for Spirituall gifts then for Christ himselfe the true Christian is only for him and let his gifts goe we now come to the second head of notes from the word SONNE A man is said to have the Sonne when he hath the spirit of the Son A man is said to have Christ when he hath the Spirit and therefore you may read 2 Cor. 3.17 Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty and the Lord is that Spirit viz. He had spoken before of a Spirit of righteousnesse and of the Spirit of grace dispensed in the Ministery of the Gospel now the Lord is the Spirit not only so called because he is the Giver of that Spirit and Grace but also as there is a secret fellowship between Christ and the Spirit so that have one and you have both have not the Spirit of Christ and you have none of Christ Rom. 8.9 If a man have not the Spirit of Christ he is none of his And notable to this purpose is that in Gal. 4.6 Because ye are sonnes God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Sonne into your hearts and verse â— He redeemed them which were under the Law that we might receive the adoption of sonnes Implying that to whomsoever Christ came for into the World to save and redeeme all those have fellowship with the Son and into all their hearts he hath shed abroad the spirit of the Son So that look how Christ is and was in this world so are we in the world hee that hath the Sonne hath the spirit of the Son Now that I may the better open this point unto you because it is of speciall use for our direction in a Christian course There is a Threefold spirit of a Son A threefold spirit dispensing himself three wayes and bestowing a threefold gift upon us which gives us the Lord Jesus Christ to be ours and us to him to be his First A spirit that doth knit us to the Lord Jesus Christ and him to us Secondly A spirit of liberty Thirdly A spirit of prayer These three the Holy Ghost takes special notice of in this case First The spirit of God wheresoever it is shed abroad in any member of Christ it doth make us one with the Lord Jesus it unites us into one fellowship of nature a likenesse in affection and disposition and a likenesse in all the graces of God as John 17.21 our Saviour prayes the Father that all those whom he had given him might bee one with him as thou and I art one thou in me by thy spirit and I in thee by the same spirit and this spirit is such as makes not onely mee one with thee but them also one with mee and they also in like sort one with another it makes us and Christ us it were one Hence it is that as soone as we receive him we of his fullnesse receive grace for grace Joh. 1.16 There is a conformity between Christ and us one and the same Image stamped upon us both Rom. 8.29 a like in grace a like in affection and in continuance of affection a like in every thing For a little further clearing of the point The same spirit of Christ being shed abroad into the heart of every one that hath Christ doth worke a threefold conformity or likenesse betweene Christ and us First A threefold conformity between Christ and his A likenesse in Nature Secondly A likenesse in Offices Thirdly In Estate both of humiliation and exaltation And all this is done by the mighty power of the spirit of Christ First For the Nature of Christ by the precious promises of God which are made unto us The first Conformity and which the Holy Ghost doth apply to us We are made partakers of the divine nature 2 Pet. 1.4 There is a likenesse and a participation of the divine nature and we are made partakers of the like grace in Christ Jesus and that grace for grace
Look what grace any where you see in Christ the resemblance of it is stamped upon every child of God by the spirit of Christ Hence it comes to passe that which is worth your observation those who have Christ they doe reason from the nature of Christ to justifie the temper of their owne spirits and the course of their own lives as is the Apostle Pauls owne Argument in 2 Corin. 1.17 18 19. Some of the false Apostles tooke up an Argument against the Apostle Paul to prove his levity and inconstancy and forgetfulnesse and how doth he free himselfe did I use lightnesse no saith he our words toward you was not yea and nay and thus he reasons from Christs nature The Sonne of God who was preached among you was not yea and nay but yea and amen Now he which establisheth us with you is Christ c. So that looke as Christ is yea and amen the faithfull and true witnesse of God what he speakes he confirmes and fulfills in due season Now saith he when Christ was preached among you it was not an uncertain Christ carryed about with lightnesse and unsettlednesse but what is once gone out of his lips It is yea and amen Therefore make account that God that hath poured the same spirit upon us hath established us together with you To shew you that by reason of the participation of the spirit of grace there is such a spirit in us as that you may argue all these the nature of Christ the nature of the Gospell and the nature of the frame of grace in the hearts of Gods people to be all alike they do mutually shew the face one of another in the frame and carriage one of another That as Christ is yea and amen so is the Gospell and such are they that beleeve the Gospell and are established by the Gospel in Christ Jesus v. 21.2 And he hath sealed us and given us the spirit in our hearts the same spirit of Christ that breathed in the Gospell and in the Preachers of the Gospell and the beleevers of it is yea and amen in them all a spirit of truth and innocency and gravity and purity whatsoever is the spirit of the one is the spirit of them all So that this is an evident signe that wee have Christ when we have the spirit of Christ when you may reason alike the one from the other though in us it be the weaker by reason of a spirit of corruption found in us and not in Christ Yet this is an evident argument of the stabillity and gravity of our hearts which though in regand of weaknesse we might think the Apostle might have been excepted against yet because there is no weaknesse in a child of God but if he have Christ his heart is in the same condition with Christ and with the Gospel also therefore he may comfortably argue a likenesse between them what he speakes that he thinkes in his heart and it is the desire of his soul that it may be effected And though he may be hindred yet his heart is still the same and he was by no meanes to bee taxed of any lightnesse because he did not performe his word the fault was not his levity his spirit was the same but some occasion fell out otherwise by the providence of God And so it is with every child of God if he have Christ the spirit of a Christian is ever the same if there should be any inclination to lying and inconstancy the frame of the spirit is altered but the true bent and frame of a Christian is to be one with Christ as Christ is one with him 2 Now as there is a likenesse and conformity The second conformity and unity in nature between Christ and a child of God so there is also in us a conformity to Christ in his Offices The meaning is Whosoever hath the Son he hath the offices which the Sonne hath As he was both King Priest and Prophet to God his Father so are we Rev. 1.6 As Kings to rule over all our lusts and to rule all those whom God commends to our Government according unto God As Kings to get victory and to conquer over the World and to over-wrastle any difficulty as we meete with As Kings anoynted with the spirit of a King of a royall spirit though not invested with fulnesse of glory till the last day yet of an heroyicke noble spirit can easily over-look all earthly drudgery and resist any enemy we meet with And Priests also we are so as we are able to offer up sacrifices of prayer and thanksgiving to God A broken and an humble heart is a Sacrifice much set by of God Psalm 51.17 and Phil. 2.17 offered upon the sacrifice and service of your faith We are now inabled to go to God and to offer up praises to him which are as insence before him and in offering up any other sacrifice of an holy life we are Priests unto God the Father And so are we also Prophets Acts 2.17 hee poures out his spirit in a rich and plentifull measure he poures out his spirit upon all flesh whence it comes to passe that the servants of God understand many secrets of Gods counsell Psalm 25.14 and whence also it comes to passe that many a godly man by the same spirit discernes many secret hidden mysteries and meanings of the Holy Ghost in Scripture more then ever he could by any reading or instruction and many times discernes some speciall work of the spirit of God which inables them to fore-see some speciall blessings most usefull for their spirituall estate and so leads them on to many good things which they did little thinke of and so makes them of Propheticall spirits and bowes them to teach others also to lead on others of their neighbours in the wayes of God And now I say that as these be the Offices of the Lord Jesus Christ so there is no child of God that hath the Son but he hath all these in him hee is now a man of a royall and Priestly and Prophetical spirit And you are hereby I meane by the spirit not onely called to these Offices but inabled to discharge them For that is the difference between a Christian in heart and a Christian in appearance fall short of ability to performe these Offices And as there is this conformity to the Nature and Offices of Christ in them that have the Sonne So Thirdly The third conformity there is a conformity in their Estates you know Christ waded through an Estate of humiliation and exaltation These bee the main Principles of Religion that looke as it was with Christs estate it was sometime the time wherein hee was humbled in this world all the course of his life was a time of humiliation and that unto the very death or else his state of exaltation in heaven that then when he was most mortified then was he most glorified triumphing openly and mightily shewing
doing and this is a great measure of liberty that a Childe of God can tell how to make an advantage of all the afflictions he meets with in this world these things doe but serve his turne and afterward he wil say he could have missed none of them so that this is a second worke of the spirit of the Sonne it is a spirit of liberty Onely take this word for a Conclusion And that is thus much Examine now and try whether you have the Son or no which you may know by your having or not having the spirit of the Son Say then have you the spirit of the Son viz. have you that spirit of the Lord Jesus Christ that makes you to be of one and the same nature with him of the same Offices and same Estate with him can you find this in truth and that with comfort and honesty you may reason this is the frame of my spirit such is the Spirit of Christ And such is the spirit of the godly and if in any thing you faile your spirit is against it do you find that you are in some measure invested with a royall spirit that you can over-come your selves and the temptations of this world and are you able to offer up spirituall sacrifice to God of prayer and praises And doe you finde a spirit of Prophesie shed abroad into you that makes you sensible of and privie to the secret paths of God Doe you finde that Christ was most glorious when he was most humbled and so are you and when you enjoy outward blessings your hearts are not puffed up with them these are not the goodly stones that your hearts and eyes are set upon but you have greater matters then these to minde then I say it is the very Spirit of Christ that makes you to dye with Christ as well as Christ to dye for you he may dye for many men but he only dyes with those that are brought on to the fellowship of his grace if a Spirit of Christ so knit you together that he is yours and you are his then you have the Sonne because you have the spirit of the Sonne because you are sonnes God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Sonne into your hearts but now if there be no proportion no conformity to Christ in holinesse and righteousnesse not patient and meek as he is And though we be not such yet we allow our selves in not being such and are ever and anon starting aside from him And if we have not his Offices nor rule over our lusts nor over the world and we can neither pray nor prophesie and shew forth no spirituall life in our lives cannot deny our selves that wee may shew forth the hidden man of the heart then consider that for the present we have not yet Christ because we have not the spirit of Christ And also if we be not yet free from the fear of death And take no care to be free from the dominion and power of sinne but sinne hath still a power over us like a law and are not yet free from the service of men but as our Masters and Governours say so it must be if we yet know not how to rule men for our own advantage we have not yet received the spirit of Christ wee cannot tell how to serve our Masters with liberty of spirit we know not how to make advantage of them SERMON VI. 1 JOHN 5.12 He that hath the Son hath life and he that hath not the Son hath not life IT now remaines that we come to shew what it is to have the Sonne by a spirit of prayer but of this we shal have further occasion to speak in the 14 15 and 16 verses and therefore we shall leave it now and speak to it then You may remember we said there was three notes to discern whether we had the Son no. The first was if we desired not Christ for his benefits but cheifly for himselfe The second was If we have received the spirit of the Sonne We now come to speake of a third signe a point more easie to be gathered then the former but though most common yet not to be neglected but being well applyed will bee of speciall use to the edification and salvation of the hearers for every truth in his place is divine and precious The third signe He that hath the Sonne hath him for his Prince And therefore the next note is this He that hath the Son he hath him not only for a Saviour but for his Lord and the Prince A point which upon sundry occasions hath been touched but now to speake of it more fully There is no man that hath the Son but as he hath him for his Saviour so he hath him for his Prince Acts 3 3â— Him hath God exalted with his right hand whom they slew a Prince and a Saviour so that he that hath Christ hath him not only as a Saviour but as a Prince to whomsoever he is a Saviour to them he is also become a Prince it were a wonderfull dishonour to him to save them whom he doth not rule to save them from the power of the grave and to leave them still in their sinnes and unbroken off from their evill wayes it were much dishonor to him It is a dishonour to parents to have children and to have them untaught and unmannerly And God hath given the life blood of his owne Son to purchase us unto himselfe and therefore he would not onely save us but rule us or else we shall never have him for our Saviour So that here is two points to be opened Point 1 First Hee that hath the Sonne hath him for his Saviour Point 2 Secondly Hee that hath the Sonne hath him also for his Lord. It is an usuall saying every man would have Christ for a Saviour but rare are those that will have him for their Ruler and Governour But though the saying be true in respect of the common conceit of men yet in truth I say they are but rare Christians that wil have him for a Saviour so far off are they from desiring him as their Lord. For two things there be that goe to the having of Christ for a Saviour To have Christ for a Savior requires two things First He that will have Christ for a Saviour must look up to him for salvation in all his wayes and distresses we have other Saviours but not him if we looke for salvation else-where Esa 40.22 Look unto me all ye ends of the earth and be ye saved there is no God nor Saviour besides me therefore look to me and be ye saved So that if a man wil have God for his Savior he must look to him from one end of the earth to the other we are at the utmost corner of the earth and if we will be saved we must looke up to the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation as David looked towards the Temple at Jerusalem for salvation
petitions and the having of them all fulfilled To open this point unto you And because John doth gather this from the end of his own writing for hee saith hee wrote these things onely to them that beleeve in the name of the Sonne of God for this end That they might beleeve on his name Therefore let me shew you first how these two great benefits confidence and certainty of hearing and having our petitions doth both spring and arise from what is here taught us First Which is the foundation of all the rest 1 John 3.1 speaking of Adoption saith he Behold what manner of love the Father hath shewed on us that we should be called the Sons of God he doth stand and wonder at the marvellous and incredible love of God that he should vouchsafe to stoop so low and honour us so much debase himself and lift us up not only stoop so low as to behold low things are on earth Psal 113. but so low as to take up such earth-worms as we be from the Dung-hill and set us among the Princes of the people ver 5 6 7 8. he not only beholds them with an eye of providence but his people with an eye of fatherly compassion and lifts us up to become sonnes and daughters to himselfe and helps us to beleeve it that we are so This is the first ground of the certainty and confidence of the hearing of our petitions if once we may come to be certaine that we are the sonnes of God upon which occasion a great part of this Epistle is spent this is the first ground and these the Apostle is wont to joyne together as the ground of all comfort in this kinde Gal. 4.5 6. Rom. 8.15 so that to be perswaded or to grow confident that we are the children of God will be a good foundation to the certainty of the hearing and granting of our Petitions To whom may a Son come for any blessing but to a Father and what makes him more confident of speaking and acceptance then this principle that he knowes he is the childe of such a Father as is willing and able to help him Secondly another principle in this Epistle tending to build up this certainty and confidence is not only our adoption but likewise Christs advocation 1 Io. 2.1 2. If any man sinne we have an Advocate with the Father Iesus Christ the righteous Advocate what What is it to be an Advocate To be an Advocate is to plead on our behalves with the Father for the granting and answering of our Petitions for the pardoning and healing of all our transgressions and the performing to us and giving of us all the good things we stand in need of whether we aske them or aske them not but especially there is no Petition we put up but Christ takes it at our hands and puts it up in such forme to his heavenly Father as that by and through him it is accepted As a man retaines an Advocate in a Court he brings him his cause rudely drawne so as it would be rejected in the Court but his Advocate puts it into such a forme as is agreeable to the Law and sutable to the order of the Court so as it findes free acceptance So we put up our Petitions rudely and many times farre short of that frame which God especially lookes for from his servants hands but Christ takes them at our hands and puts them into forme and so preferres them to his heavenly Father and so as from thence we have good occasion and good ground of confidence and certainty that whatever we put up in any measure according to Gods will being presented to our Advocate to our heavenly Father shall be accepted Thirdly The Attonement or propitiation that our Saviour makes to our blessed Father spoken of in the same place 1 Ioh. 2.2 Attonement or propitiation the thing is this That whereas many a servant of God might feare his Petitions would never be granted because he hath been so sinfull before God and hath so many wayes dishonoured God that he knowes not however God should heare such an unworthy creature as he is Now the Apostle sets forth in this Epistle the Lord Jesus Christ as our Attonement that if we come to our Advocate and say We have such Suits and Petitions to put up to our heavenly Father but we have so displeased him that we thinke he will never regard us Why saith the Apostle If any man sinne we have an Advocate with the Father Iesus Christ the righteous and he is the propitiation for our sins and therefore for our owne hearts though we have just cause of discouragement in regard of our sins yet we have a propitiation an attonement he makes intercession for us as an Advocate but you say God will not heare him for such sinners as we be Yes he makes propitiation or attonement that we perish not by our sins nor that they should hinder Gods acceptance of us or granting our desires ver 7. of the first chap. and so here is a third ground-worke of our confidence and certainty of our desires Fourthly There is another and that is the annoyntment that we have received from him by which we know all things 1 Joh. 2.20 implying that though we be dark in our owne mindes and dead and straight in our owne spirits and doe not know what the Lord or Christ hath done for us Why yet we have received an unction from the Lord Iesus who will tell us what he hath done for us As a mans Advocate will send his Clyent word of all things how they goe in the Court about his businesse that he may know how farre he hath proceeded and where they stick So the Lord Jesus Christ he is the holy one there spoken of You have received an unction from him he sends downe his holy Spirit into your hearts and lets you see and know all the petitions and requests that God grants you you shall no sooner have a petition granted but you shall have it certified to you by this unction of the holy one whereby you know you have them granted and for whose sake it is that they are granted by this unction you know all things pertinent to life and godlinesse And this is that which the Apostle Paul speakes 2 Cor. 2.12 God sends forth his owne Spirit into our hearts to let us know so much and this is a marvellous point that the Holy Ghost gives us to know all things that are done in Heaven for us and how farre God hath accepted us Further If you be inquisitive to know why the Spirit of God doth certifie the soule of this First the Spirit certifies us of this that surely our Petitions are heard and granted because he hath given us an heart to pray he hath helped us to pray we could never have prayed fervently and feelingly unlesse the Holy Ghost had helped us we know we have straight hearts and if we therefore come and
him to attend and stay there a signe he meanes to take it into consideration at least and good hopes it will be accepted Now God consults with no body but if he give us a heart to waite and stay assure your selves he meanes not to send you empty away but it is an undoubted argument he will give us an answer because thou canst thus waite upon him Fourthly There is a fourth worke of this unction and it tends marvellously to the speeding of our requests and that is that which you read Psal 145.19 He will fulfill the desires of them that feare him Doest thou finde that the Lord hath wrought a spirit of feare in thy heart so as that thou walkes awfully before him and in the feare of his name goes about every duty and in his feare dependest upon him and endeavourest to approve thy selfe before him truly he will assuredly fulfill the desires of them that feare him when we reverence him in his Ordinances pray with reverence and in an holy feare Psal 2.11 Them that goe about holy duties in a reverent and holy feare doe all things in the feare of the Lord he hath a spirit of power to prevaile with God this is such a feare as whereby a man keeps Covenant with God and consequently prevailes with God to keep Covenant with them Jer. 32.40 This feare is it which makes us keep Covenant with God this feare of God alwaies keeps possession for God so as that we dare not doe that which is unlawfull we dare not sinne against God nor performe good duties carelesly and fearelesly for the feare of God bowes us to goe about holy duties in an holy and reverent manner and blessed is that man that so feareth alwaies If therefore God take from us a wanton and wilde heart a loose and unreverent heart and worke in us an awfull reverent feare of his name in every duty of his service and our owne callings that keeps us from departing from God and it keeps God from departing from us that we alwaies have him neare at hand to heare all the desires of them that feare him It is that spirit of which you read spoken of concerning our Saviour in which he shall prosper in all the workes of his hands Esa 11.2 The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him c. A spirit of power and of the feare of the Lord and that shall make him quick of understanding and so shall prosper which is a blessing promised our Saviour Esa 53.10 It pleased the Lord to bruise him and to put him to griefe but the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand This is the end of this blessing when God puts us to griefe and humiliation and so workes in us the feare of his great name which ever accompanies those dispensations then the worke of the Lord prospers in our hands If God give us a Spirit of his holy feare in any duty we goe about then it will assure us that God will heare our desires Fifthly But yet further there is a spirit of obedience which doth marvellously seale up unto us the hearing and granting of all our prayers and petitions 1 Joh. 3.22 Whatsoever we aske we receive of him because we keepe his Commandements and doe those things which are pleasing in his sight It is of necessary use that when God gives us hearts to listen to every word of his mouth he will then listen to the desires of our soules Prov. 28.8 The prayer of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord but the desires of the righteous are his delight and he that turneth away his care from hearing the Law his prayer shall be abominable But if a man lend a listening eare to Gods Law it makes his prayer acceptable hearken to the Lord and the Lord wil hearken to you else not It is to this purpose what you read Judg. 9. latter end of the seventh verse Hearken unto me that God may hearken unto you If God gave them hearts to hearken to what he spake to them in Gods name then God will hearken to them If we speake and doe as Eli taught Samuel to say Speake Lord for thy servant heareth 1 Sam. 3.10 If we come before God with such a resolution that whatever God speakes to us we will heare it and doe it we shall finde this upon it whatsoever we speake to God he will answer us and worke it for us so that an obedient Christian is a powerfull petitioner he is powerfull in prayer And this we may attaine to by making use of this holy Epistle of John that is written to all that beleeve on the name of Christ this is a fourth direction that Iohn gives us in this Epistle whereby you see how mighty this same Epistle is to satisfie and fill our hearts with fulnesse of joy Reas The reason of this confidence springs from the promises and the discerning of them clearly to belong to us now all these things discover to us many promises confidence springs partly from Gods nature and partly from Gods promise and partly also from our owne experience and these are the staffe of our confidence and from hence it is that we grow to see many promises belong to us we see the nature of God become fatherly to us and we from hence in time gather many experiences of Gods acceptance of us and this strengthens our confidence in his hearing of our petitions Our Adoption assures us of Gods nature to be ours whereby God takes us to be his Children and he is one that is full of grace and goodnesse nothing is wanting on his part he is a Father to us and that is a great matter And in regard that Christ is our Advocate and Attonement he brings all the promises to us which in Christ are all yea and amen 2 Cor. 1 20. And this holy Spirit of God gives us experience of all that goodnesse that is in God and the truth in his promises yea and it gives us experience in this also that he that hath given us his owne Sonne will not be give us all things else Rom. 8.32 He gives us Election Redemption fatherly Adoption and effectuall Vocation to the wayes of his grace and so he gives us experience of the greatest matters and from hence we know that he will not deny us smaller things as victory against the remnant of our corruptions the greatest part of them is scattered before the staffe and strength of them already broken and we now conflict but with remnants of corruption But now when the Holy Ghost saith we know this it goes farre for confidence and faith springs from the testimony of him that speakes or from the nature of him upon whom we trust but knowledge doth not so much spring from the testimony of any either God or man but is commonly gathered from sence and experience and experience is both a ground of confidence and knowledge and hence comes the knowledge of all
forth himself to be the Son of God even then when in mans sight hee was separated from God banished from the Church so as that al men cried away with him crucifie him and al his own Disciples forsook him and not a soul acknowledged him but one poor theefe upon the crosse with him yet even then was he so gloriously magnified as that well might the Apostle say he triumphed openly upon the crosse having therein made a spoyle of Principallities and Powers Col. 2.15 Now this very estate is the estate of every child of God and so farre as hee hath the Sonne so far doth he expresse this estate in his whole conversation for an estate of humiliation great and many be the afflictions of the righteous Psalm 34.18 19. there is their debasement in the world but the Lord delivereth them out of all there is their exaltation mixed together many wayes humbled and exalted deliverances Psalm 149.4,5 The Lord will beautifie the meeke with salvation that is hee will beautifie them by their manifold deliverances Nay besides deliverances you shall finde this to be the beautifull frame of the spirits of Gods people in their estates Take it in their outward condition in the World an estate of means and affliction if he be a man of a faire outward estate and of good means in the world yet you shall see a marvellous spirit of selfe-deniall in him so as that in the middest of many worldly comforts he fits loose from them and lives besides them these are not the things that he hath set his heart upon as our Savior said to his disciples concerning the stones of the Temple so as that though God had don much for them and given them many comforts yet there is a more hidden matter in their hearts better then these things can reach unto they are not a Christians crowne and glory but he is crucified to them and they unto him Gal. 6.14 And if so be that God give him any great or eminent gifts of Spirituall grace it is strange to see how they are clad in him with a garment of Christ crucified over shadowed in selfe deniall as they said of Paul meane in outward view and speech of little or no value 2 Cor. 13.3 and yet even in this very meanness which any of them labour under in regard of want of outward things and all their meanness and lownesse of carriage and selfe-deniall of all the outward blessings and contentments they have received yet you shall see a mighty power of Christ triumphing in the basenesse and mortifiednesse of a Christian soule so as that the Apostle fitly and sutably expresses their estate Though he was crucified through weaknesse yet he liveth by the power of God for we also are weak in him but we shall also live with him by the power of God So that as it was with Christ in his estate so it is with us in our estate weake in him meaning that as Christ in his outward Man seemed to be weake and contemptible so we as it is in the Originall are weake with him but we shall live with him by the power of God so that suppose Christ be indeed weake in outward view so as he that lookes once would not looke twice at him yet when he seemes to be most weake and base then is he most powerfull and glorious and so the very death of Christ wherein he is most exposed to such infirmities as follow mans nature yet then he performes the greatest worke of our Redemption satisfies the Fathers wrath for us procures us pardon of sinne and redeemes us from the bondage of Hel and purchases for us a spirit of grace and power and truly there is a certaine kinde of conformity even in this very point between the Lord Jesus and every servant of Christ as he is weake so are we as he dyes so doe we as he is in his greatest debasements and advancements so it is with us And hence it is that ye read these Phrases in Scripture We are dead with Christ Col. 2.20 and risen with Christ Col. 3.1 and crucified with Christ Rom. 6.6 Now these be strange Phrases that Christ who is dead one thousand six hundred yeares agoe and risen againe so long since what is this which the Apostle saith we are thus dead and crucified and risen with Christ What is the intendment of his discourse The true meaning is that by the same spirit of Christ which was shed abroad into his heart above measure we are so knit unto Christ as that we are not only of the like nature with him but of like estate with Christ that as he was in this world so are we while we are in the world weake as he yea glorious as he and as he rose againe out of all contempt and reproach and persecution so doe we rise againe out of all our many and great afflictions mightily by the same power of the same Spirit of the Lord Jesus so that this is a point that inwardly flowes from this having of Christ he that hath the Sonne hath the spirit of the Sonne whereby he is made one with Christ in Nature in Offices and in his estate and this is evident in the experience of Gods servants and by testimony of the Holy Ghost in Scripture And therefore examine we our selves in this particular if we have the Son we have the spirit of the Son The second worke of the Spirit is that it is not only a spirit of union but it is also a spirit of liberty The second work of the Spirits liberty for of all the kindes of temper in a Sonne there is nothing more expresses the frame of a Sonne next to his likenesse and union with the Father then liberty doth Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty 2 Cor. 3.17 And if the Sonne have made you free then are you free indeed Joh. 8.36 It is a reall liberty if the Sonne shall give you liberty and he speakes of such a liberty as appertaines to Sons and not to Servants that may be turned out of doores but the Sonne abides in the house for ever And it is a strange kind of liberty which the children of God are advanced to by the spirit of the Son it is a phrase of much importance A spirit of liberty First liberty from the feare of sinne Liberty from feare of sinne and the feare of Hell from feare of the Grave and of all the enemies of our Salvation a freedome from feare of any of them A Servant if he offend is afraid of extremity from his Master but the Sonne walkes with more liberty Rom. 8.15 Wee have received the spirit of adoption whereby we cry Abba Father We looke at God as a Father and we walke before him not in feare but in liberty and therefore we are free from the feare of death to which some are all their life time subject to bondage Heb. 2.14 15. Now this is
two affections never meet in other things when a man goes about any businesse gladly he is not afraid of it or if he be in feare he goes not about it joyfully the Sun trembles not at his course but rejoyces to run his race the Horse rejoyceth at the Battaile he never trembles at the matter or when any man goes about any worke with joy he never trembles at it but a Christian man when he goes about any spirituall duty though he have much joy and comfort in it and is glad of the occasion yet he is most fearfull as Psal 130.4 the very consideration of the greatnesse of Gods mercies makes a soule fearefull of the presence of God so the more rich God in grace and mercy is to us either pardoning sin or sanctifying the heart or quickning us to any duty the more fearefull is the soule in such a condition And hence is that you read Exod. 15.11 the Lord is said to be fearfull in praises when the heart is most enlarged to praise God with comfort then doth it most feare God so that here is another combination of graces that are not commonly found together in other businesses of ordinary affaires but where the heart is spirituall they meet together in the same thing Thirdly Take you a godly man in affliction Ioy in affliction and when he is most able to bear them and yet when afflictions is most heavy if he find his heart able to grapple under them yet then you shall find much joy and sadnesse of heart mixed together it was a signe of the election of the Thessalonians because they received the word in much affliction and with joy of the Holy ghost When they found much affliction either by the word or in the outward man though much affliction yet inwardly joyous Heb. 12.11 No affliction is joyous for the present yet it brings forth the quiet fruites of righteousnesse By how much the more affliction makes their spirits sad yet so much the more is the heart inlarged with joy and comfort in the Holy ghost Rom. 5.3 We rejoyce in tribulations tribulation is such a kind of affliction as is a threshing us like corne out of the chaffe drives us out of all the comforts of this life and that is not in nature to rejoyce in any measure when the heart is in grief and discouragement it ever wants something to raise it up Fourthly There is this mixture of affection in our carriage towards men which argues the life of holinesse in us Patience without forbearance In our converseing with men you shal have the same heart full of much patience but without all forbearance And those are such as are not found in nature nor in an hypocrite yet in a Christian heart you shall find them together the more patient a man is towards others yet the lesse able is he to bear with evill read Revel 2.2 I know thy workes and thy labour and thy patience and how thou canst not beare them which are evill A man would think it were a very strange expression A man of known and prooved patience and yet cannot bear For what is patience but bearing and forbearing yet saith God I know thy patience and that thou canst not beare them that are evill implying that such a soule if it were a matter to be put upon himselfe any affliction or tryall put upon himselfe then I know thy patience in bearing of it but if it come to a matter of evill not of punishment but of sinne then I know thou cannest not bear it Take you any patient man that onely hath a moral vertue of patience and if he have so much patience as that he can bear with crosses and afflictions he can as well also beare with evills committed against God but this is the nature of spirituall patience it is mixed with zeale so as that the more patient a man is in regard of injuries done to himselfe the lesse patient he is in respect of injuries done to God Fiftly You shall have gentlenesse and meeknesse sometimes mixed in a man with much austerity and strictnesse which is very much they should meet in one man Meeknes and strictnesse at once at one and the same time The wisdome that is from above is gentle and meek and easie to be intreated It was said of Moses Hee was the meekest man upon earth Numb 12.3 Take Moses in his owne case and his carriage towards men as they had respect to himselfe and then he was a meek man soon perswaded yet the same Moses when hee saw the matter concerned the Cause of God hee is so stiffe and unmoveable as that he wil not yeeld one jot he wil not leave an hoofe behind of all that appertained to the children of Israel Exod. 10.26 He would not onely have men and women and children goe forth to serve the Lord but their cattle and their stuffe He will not yeeld a little here no not for the Kings pleasure sake A man would much wonder that such a man so meek and gentle and so easie to be perswaded in his owne cause that yet when it comes to a matter of importance and concerns God hee will not there yeeld he is now inflexible nothing can perswade him to give way to it this is a combination of graces that are not wont to be found in men thus mixed together but it is found in the people of God that live a sanctified and holy life I know not better what to instance in then in the liquid Aire of all other things the most easiest to be peirced through of it selfe it gives way to every creature not the lest flye or least stone cast into it but it gives way to it of it selfe yet if God say it shall be as a Firmament between the waters above and the waters below it then stands like a wall of brasse and yeelds not it will not suffer the water in the clouds to fal down but if it do fal to water the earth it shall straine through the aire as through a sieve the clouds sometimes are so full that one would thinke they would burst through the aire and fall upon the earth but God having set the aire to be a Firmament or expulson between the waters above and the waters below though of it selfe a very liquid thing yet it stands like to a wall of brasse and truly so is it with a Christian spirit though of himselfe he is as liquid as the aire you may easily passe through him and goe an end with him easily he is easie to be intreated very gentle but take him now in any thing wherein God hath bid him keep his stand in his course and there he stands like a wall of brasse that were never such high and great matters put upon him ready to beare him downe he will not shrinke nor give any way at all this is another mixture of affections which are found in Christian men that
though at the first it may be weake yet it growes to that temper by which it may propagate and the life of grace is most strong in this regard it no sooner moves and feeds or growes in any measure or begins to expell any ill matter but it will have a minde to be fruitfull begetting its kinde and that is above naturall life a Christian is most apt and ready to draw on others to be like himselfe As soone as ever the woman of Samaria saw that Jesus was indeed the Messiah and found true sweetnesse in him the very same houre she runs into the Towne and tells her neighbours Come see a man that hath told me all that ever I did Joh. 4.29 Is not he the Christ and when they came and saw it they said We beleeve not because of thy Word but because we have heard him our selves and we know that this is indeed the Christ This is the proper nature of true life as soone as they are truly begotten they beget others of their owne kinde not but that sometimes a Christian soule hides himselfe long before he be well setled but when he truly discernes that he lives and is conscious to himselfe that God will be gracious to his soule then he desires to propagate the like grace unto others Joh. 1.41 to 46. when one had found Christ they call others to come and see Psal 51.10 Then shall I teach transgressors thy wayes and sinners shall be converted to thee to shew you that if God will but worke a cleane heart in David and renew a right spirit within him and his broken bones may be recovered and if God shall be pleased to establish him with his free spirit and he may be once againe assured of the pardon his sins then will he teach others the wayes of God if he be once converted himselfe he will draw on as many others as he can Thus you have five signes of spirituall life SERMON X. 1 JOHN 5.12 He that hath the Son hath life and he that hath not the Son hath not life WE are now in the next place to see how we may discerne life by the properties and adjuncts of it you heard before of the effects of life now of the properties and qualities of this life by discerning of which we may know that we have life There be three properties or qualities of life Three properties of life 1. Warmth First where ever there is life there is some warmth 2 King 9.34 when the Prophet had laine upon the childe and had done so seven times at length the breath of the childe began to wax warme a signe that life was a restoring and thereby the Prophet discerned that life began to returne into the body of the childe because warmth returned and so is the presence of the Spirit of grace and the union of it with the soule and body of a man it makes a man fervent and warme Fervent in spirit Rom. 12.11 and therefore it is that it is resembled unto fire Matth. 3.11 The Holy Ghost shall come downe upon you as it were with fiery tongues and shall warme and heate you with whatever duties God shall call you to 1 Thes 5.19 Quench not the Spirit now quenching belongs to fire a signe therefore that the spirit is of a fervent nature so farre forth as it is capable of any quenching and destroying by the Sons of men and 2 Tim. 1.6 Stirre up the gifts of grace in you as if yee stirred up the embers of the fire so stirre up and kindle the gifts of God which is in you blow them up into a kindling flame so that all these things expresse thus much That since the Spirit of life which is in Christ Jesus and from him communicated to his Members is a spirit of heat therefore wheresoever there is warmth there is life if no warmth nor heat there is no life and as our spirits begin to wax warme so we grow to life in Christianity Notable is that expression in Luke 24.22 Did not our hearts burne within us while he talked with us of the Scriptures to shew you that there is a power in the Word to convey such a measure of the Spirit of grace to the Hearers as that their hearts begin to glow within them and to convey some heat and warmth into them when the Word is powerfully applyed to the soule For the further opening of this point you shall see it in some things principally which are ever found in some measure in the spirits of Christian men that have any life in Christ First that which is wonderfull and is indeed no where found but in them their very knowledge is warme Knowledge warme which in all other men is cold knowledge is but an empty speculation brings forth no great matter of heat but in a Christian his knowledge is full of heat Zeale must be according to knowledge knowledge is no knowledge without zeal and zeale is but a wilde-fire without knowledge Rom. 10.2 So if Christians have a knowledge of God but no zeale there is no saving life in that knowledge it is not the knowledge of Gods people Notable is that speech of our Saviour Joh. 5.35 speaking of John He was a burning and a shining light not only a shining light to give cleare instruction in the knowledge of the Messiah and the true meaning of the Law but withall a burning light Joh. 5.3 expoundeâ— so as that he had a notable power when Hypocrites came before him to burne them up Mat. 3.12 And so where ever he came he did not only shew them what they should doe what shall we Publicans doe and what shal we Souldiers doe Luk. 3.3 to 15. but he did burne up not only those who were professed enemies to the wayes of grace but all those that he found in Hypocrisie he burnt them all up where ever he came and if he did not finde out their lusts he would kindle a fire in them he warmed Herod in such sort as that he was constrained to doe many things according to Johns Ministery Mark 6. and so shall you finde it in all the Servants of God that according to their life if there be true life there is true burning though sometimes their burning is not so strong as their life yet there is heat and fervency of spirit mixed with their knowledge that if they know the Will of God they are inflamed and their knowledge of Christ will not suffer them to be barren and unfruitfull 2 Pet. 3.18 So that the knowledge which a Christian man hath is such as by which he will doe what he ought to doe if he see sinne in his brother he will not suffer it to lye there Levit. 19.17 If he see any thing amisse in his brother that he sees not in himselfe he will be helpfull to him where the Spirit of grace is lively they will not suffer their brethren to rest in sinne much lesse
aboundance There are two properties more of life Where there is any life there is some kind of plyablenesse Pliablenes of spirit whereas dead carcasses are cold and stiffe and unsavoury though never so sweet before this is a certain truth the more you keep a dead corps above ground the more it stinkes and is unsavoury It shoots out at length and you may sooner breake him then bend him any way but while he is alive you may bend him which way you will now therefore consider thus much if there be any truth of grace in you you are gentle and easie to be intreated Jam. 3.17 but if not Jam. 3.17 expounded then you are of a stiffe spirit inflexible and implacable for to be gentle and easie is the true nature of life but if not then have you lost your life then either you never had life or else it is a swound and so evapoured that there is no bending or bowing of it but they are fit to be buryed as a dead carcasse Quest What is this plyablenesse and easinesse to be entreated and on the contrary this stiffenesse Answ There is Foure things in easinesse to bee intreated First Easie to be pleased 1 Pet. 3.18 any thing that you doe about them is pleasing to them that is poynt of gentlenesse and a gracious man in whom is the life and power of godlinesse he is easie to be pleased If you go about any thing with any tollerable indeavour to give him content he is not hard to be pleased and if not easie to please there is little grace or dangerous to be none at all if you have much a do to bow or bend them to comply with them that asketh and thing of them there is a dead heart in such a spirit Secondly A man that is easie to be intreated and gentle if he be offended he is easie to be intreated Rom. 1.31 It is a signe a man is of a reprobate sence when hee is implacable and stiffe when life is gone a man is stiffe not easie to be intreated Thirdly If so be that hee have offended another man he is easie to yeeld and to acknowledge that he is in a wrong Eccles 10.4 There is in a living Christian an aptnesse to yeeld when he is in a wrong If a man be in a wrong and will not see his errour will not see the evil hee hath done in Gods sight his stiffenesse is a signe of his dead-heartednesse So much stiffenesse here so much deadnesse in his heart and so much nearnesse to the chambers of death For a living Christian if he have offended he is willing to yeeld and will acknowledge himselfe a failer and promise amendment Fourthly He is willing to deny himselfe of his owne right even upon equall easie termes to prevent an offence that may grow and he stands upon equall termes least an offence should arise he yeelds and denies himselfe 1 Thes 2.6 7. So Abraham yeelded to Lot though he had not offended him yet hee condiscended to his inferiour and if any Lot shal be the chooser Gen. 13.8 This gentlenesse of spirit argues life of Christ in the holy servants of God Abraham was not stiffe but gentle and easie to be pleased when he was offended Now therefore art thou easie to be pleased easily intreated to passe by a wrong And if thou hast offended another thou wilt acknowledge it and art easily willing to deny thy selfe to prevent offence then thou art not stiffe but art living Christian but if men be stiffe in spirit hard to be pleased and froward no man can give him content as Naballs servants said of him And of we have offended hard to be intreated and will by no meanes see it or acknowledge it and by no meanes yeeld but turne our selves to endlesse devices and if we stand upon our owne ends and wee will have our owne to the utmost farthing and why should we bend then truly we are cold and little power and life breathing in us The last property of life is this So much sweetness so much life The body while it is alive is sweet and savoury but so soon as ever it begins to smell it must be buryed it cannot be kept above ground every living Christian is a sweet savour to God a Cor. 2.13 and Col. 4.4 5 6. Let your speech be savoury seasoned as with salt And the Apostle saith let no unsavoury or corrupt communication proceed out of your mouthes How then doe you finde your owne spirits doe you breath savoury and sweet and doth your conference yeeld edification and is it all wel-pleasing to God what ever you doe doth it savour wel in the nostrils of God and your brethren If the dutys you perform be so it is signe you are living in Gods sight But if your speeches be prophane conference unsavoury and carnal so much as we loose our sweetnesse so much we loose our life when a Christian carries himselfe serviceably and amiably then we live and in having life we have Christ SERMON XI 1 JOHN 5.12 He that hath the Son hath life and he that hath not the Son hath not life HAving handled an Use of Tryal of life and this depends upon our having of Christ We come now to another Use from this Doctrine Vse 2 It is to teach us the dangerous and uncomfortable estate of every such soule as hath not Christ for the Text saith he that hath not the Sonne hath not life No life in us if there bee no Christ in us Danger of being out of Christ this is that which Apostle speaks often to that we are dead in trespasses and in sins Eph. 2.1 5. This is the of estate of them all so farre as we are without Christ we are without life no Christ no life It is with the sons of men in this kinde that I may so speake as it was with the Souldiers 2 Kings 19.35 they were all dead corps truly that is the case of us all by nature every soule of us as long as we live in the world without Christ so many men so many dead corps so many unsavoury carcasses And indeede all that worke of life which you have heard opened it is no spiritual motion no feeding upon Christ no growing in grace no expelling of noysome lusts no care nor indeavour to beget others to an estate of grace in any men that are dead no motion at all to any spiritual good Heb. 9.14 al our works the best works we doe in an estate of nature they are all of them but dead workes And so are we to any spiritual motion As the Apostle tels you we none of us doe good and which is worse wee can doe no good yea and stil which is worse wee would doe no good if we could this is the estate of us all by nature The Lord looked downe from heaven to see if any of them did good but they are altogether become unprofitable not one doth
motions of Gods spirit and cannot indure that any Ordinance should bring us nearer to Christ Act. 7.51 Yee have always resisted the holy ghost expelled the blessed of God that if the holy ghost but dart any good councel into their hearts they cannot indure to hear it nor entertain any motion of it but grieve and vex the holy Spirit of God and they are not well till they quench it 1 Thess 5.19 Esa 5.3 we are alive to nothing but to run away from God alive to sinne alive to doe evill but to doe well we have no understanding Jer. 4.22 Apt to purge and cleanse our selves from all good things but wholly undisposed to doe any thing that is well this is the true estate of us all Look at us as we are by nature all of us without Christ cannot put forth one act of spirituall life not one good motion to be found in such a condition And in the first place for begetting any unto grace we rather doe the quite contrary we addict our selves to beget men to become the children of Hell worse then our selves Matth. 23.15 two-fold more the children of Hell and because that may be more proper to corrupt teachers Jeremy speakes it of all the sonnes of nature and those especially that had lived a while under the meanes and were not thereby brought on to an estate of grace those whom God had kindled some fire in their hearts and whom he would have brought on to grace even these They are all grievously revolted walking with slanders they are brasse and Iron they are all corrupters Jer. 6.28 He doth not say they are all corrupted but all corrupters that is such as are not only naught themselves but they corrupt others also they make others worse for their sakes No man that sets his face to God-ward but if he come among them he is the worse for them every man is kept off the more from goodnesse by their meanes they doe not love that men should be too forward or too precise nor to keep such a puleing nor such a praying we are all by nature corrupters Gen. 6.11 All flesh had corrupted their way even every man had done it every one is the worse for us that hath to doe with us if we see but any good disposition in them to be comming on in the waies of grace we doe as much as in us lyes to quench and damp and smother them and never rest by our good wills till we make them as ill as our selves and harden their hearts from Gods feare this is the true carriage of all those who are out of Christ He that hath not the Son he hath no life no motion of spirituall life no growing up in Christ no purging out of sinfull uncleannesse and therefore now to apply this conceive thus much First It applyes it selfe against the Church of Rome Application first who maintaine that men in the state of nature have free will to lay hold upon Christ and they conceive it is upon very faire termes but I would only demand of you this question Whether when they doe lay hold on Christ as they conceive whether they have him or they have him not they will say They have not Christ till they have received him for what hast thou that thou hast not received 1 Cor. 4.7 And till they have received him how shall they lay hold upon him and if not receive him they are dead men and when a man is dead what can he have by any benefit that is offered him Offer him never so largely and he can receive no benefit by it and if that any doe lay hold upon Christ were they not living when they so layed hold upon him so that when they doe lay hold upon Christ whether is it an action of life or no If not how shall they lay hold on Christ and without Christ no life A man in the state of nature neither doth good nor can he doe any good nor is he willing to doe good and therefore well doth the Apostle say It is God that workes in you both the will and the deed Phil. 2.12 13. Any thing that we doe that is good is wholly from the grace of Christ and this is just against the Papists Secondly It serves to teach us all to bemoane our owne estates or the estates of any of ours that we yet see in the gall of bitternesse lying in an estate of nature is it thy selfe or thy father or mother or thy children or servants whatever he be be he never so good a natured man if he be yet without Christ there is no life in him I say looke upon him as thy dead friend If thou didst look upon thy father and mother or children and see them lye dead before thee thou wouldest mourne bitterly for them you know what is said Zach. 12.10 As a man mournes for his first borne if our first borne or any that is neare to us dye we mourne bitterly for them and refuse to be comforted as was the case of Rachels mourning for her children and would not be comforted because they were not Matth. 2.18 they were all dead and therefore caused a bitter mourning it was the wounding and rending of her soule And may not this be the case of many a fruitfull mother many children and yet all of them dead in Gods sight not a soule living in the sight of God And is it not a farre more bitter death to be dead in sinne then to be dead in the body when it is a living soule in Gods sight then blessed are the dead that dye in the Lord for even so saith the Spirit that never spake words of falshood Revel 14.13 I say therefore if that our children live to God and have the life of grace in their hearts there is no danger of their death then thy children shall come againe to thy hearing at the resurrection of the just and thou shalt imbrace them with comfort and fill thy soule with unspeakable joy and fulnesse of glory if they dye in the favour and grace of God they shall rise to glory but if they be spiritually dead no goodnesse in the world in them no spirituall life at all no life of righteousnesse or holinesse which are the first fruits of the Spirit and of glory in this world then weep for these children and those friends that husband or wife or brother or sister weep for every soule that is in an estate of sinne and death they are as so many dead Corps you may sometimes see a whole house-full of dead creatures not one of them living to God not one of thy acquaintance not one of all thy brothers and sisters weep and mourne bitterly for them that are thus wounded with sinne and bleed deadly and gaspe for their last breath and it may be shall never finde grace from God in this world their present condition is fearefull and mourne thou for them in a godly manner that
in the second place there is something in our prayers made according to the will of God as is exprest in the spirit of him that prayes for this you shall finde ordinarily in Scripture that men that pray pray in the spirit Jud. 20. Praying in the Holy Ghost and Eph. 6.18 Pray in the spirit And you know what the Apostle saith in that well knowne place Rom. 8.26 27. We know not what to pray for nor how to pray as we ought but the Spirit helpeth us c. God searcheth the heart especially in prayer he knowes the meaning of the Spirit for he maketh requests according to the will of God that is the words of the text so that if you would aske how we may pray according to the will of God looke what is revealed in the breathings of the Spirit which marvellously declares it selfe in the wrastling and longing desires that it puts up to God Psal 119. My soule longeth and breatheth after thee and it lets us know what the will of God is and for that the Spirit helps us to pray First to pray in the spirit is to pray feelingly Now to open this a little First you shall discerne the will of God by the breathing of the Spirit first when the Spirit helps us to pray feelingly and sensibly for those blessings that we stand in need of when the Spirit doth lift up our hearts and reach after those mercies we stand in need of in some feeling and sensible manner The will of God is revealed in the breathing of the Spirit that stretches forth it selfe in such an humble and faithfull manner as that the soule is very sensible of its need of it we poure out our soules before God for what we stand in need of in feeling desires and this good Hannah expressed in her prayers 1 Sam. 1.15 I am a woman of a sorrowfull spirit I have poured out my soule before the Lord. To shew you there was an inward sensible worke of the Spirit of God in her heart that did inlarge her not so much to poure out words as sighes and groanes this feeling power of the Spirit doth mightily expresse what the will of God is that we should aske this is according to the will of God according to what you read Esay 26.9 With my spirit within me will I seeke thee early my spirit within me that is to say he speakes as if there were a spirit within his spirit besides the inclination God had given and wrought in him to the wayes of grace and besides his soule that did animate his body the Spirit of God within him with that spirit will he seeke God early in prayer the spirit will inwardly be working and turning him towards God so then this is the first thing wherein God reveales his will to us and we pray in the spirit which we doe when we pray in the sence and feeling of our own wants of those blessings we want at Gods hand that is by a certaine strength greater then any of our owne spirits can reach forth themselves unto the Spirit of God comes and helps us to wrastle with God with sighes and groanes that cannot be expressed that we thinke more then we speake and we speake more then we thought of 2. Fervently Secondly besides this this spirit helps us to pray unto God with fervency and heate of spirit so much as that in such a case as this we strive with God in our prayers and wrastle with him The effectuall fervent prayer of the righteous availeth much Jam. 5.16 When the Spirit of God helps us to fervency to cry to God and to be earnest with him in that regard and not to give him over and comes from a sensible want of the blessings we stand in need of and that makes us goe out of our selves to God for the mercy that is according to the will of God and this in Scripture is called wrastling and striving with God Rom. 15.30 when you grow sensible of your owne danger and you strive with him for the blessing this is to expresse fervency of spirit and this was commended in Iacob that he wrastled with God Gen. 32.24 26. which is expounded Hos 12.4 that he prayed and wept his wrastling was chiefly in prayer with teares that God would be mercifull to him in this case Thirdly 3. Perseverance We pray then in the spirit when we also persevere in prayer for that is also requisite in all the Petitions we put up our Saviour put forth a Parable for this very end that men should pray constantly and never be weary Luk. 18.1 Pray upon all occasions for every thing that you stand in need of and never give over til you be heard and answered and the Parable teacheth thus much from the unjust Iudge Shall a sinfull mortall man be moved with importunity and shall not God arise and be moved for those poore soules that cry unto him night and day yes doubtlesse though you may thinke God is not sensible of your prayers but he rests himselfe quietly in heaven and remaines in fulnesse of glory who is blessed for ever in himselfe and will not trouble himselfe with such poore requests as yours is but let me tell you this woman did not so much trouble the Judge here nor could be more troublesome to him then a poore Christian is to God that wrastles with him in prayer God cannot be quiet in heaven for such a soule but in the end he must rise and satisfie its desire so you have the like Luk. 11.8 to 13. If you continue knocking he will rise and so will your heavenly Father doe for you much more so as that though God might seeme to be asleep and rest himself satisfied in that blessed estate he enjoys in another world and no more regard things below then men asleep yet if you continue knocking and begging you wil disturbe his peace till he arise and shew mercy to you and this he speakes after the manner of men to shew you that he doth as unfeignedly and as deeply take to heart the desires of your soules as any of you can doe one of another and therefore be constant and persevering in prayer and never give over when we have a good petition in hand never give over when we pray for pardon of sin or for peace of conscience or for strength of grace for our selves or for others when we pray for the healing of our soules or our bodies for the Church or Common-wealth whatsoever we have in hand if the Spirit of God doe but move us this way it is for us never to give over untill God shew mercy to us in some one kinde or other that we may see our requests was not neglected Ephes 6.18 Watch thereunto with perseverance vers 19. where you see what course God would have his Servants to take take this course ever follow God watch night and day and never give over till he blesse you and
yours untill he blesse Magistrates give Ministers a doore of utterance that they may speake savingly and powerfully to the soules of their Hearers so as that as it were you may weary God and prevaile with him to arise and give you your desire Wherefore is it thinke you that Christ calls prayer knocking but for this very end to manifest unto us that when we continue praying we continue knocking and we make as a loud noyse at Heaven gates as any man that knocks at your house doores and God so esteemes the nature of prayer Matth. 7.7 For to him that knocketh it shall bee opened So that if God doe but give us hearts to knock and to be instant and constant in prayer for that is knocking if we be fervent and persevering in prayer and spring from our feeling and sence of want of the blessing and what comfort it would be to us to obtaine it and give him no rest untill we receive at his hands what we aske of him to him that thus knocketh it shall be opened So did the Woman of Syrophenitia she knockt hard at our Saviours doore of mercy have pitty have mercy upon me and when at the first Christ answers her not a word she then cryes out againe Lord helpe me and when thereupon he tells her he was not sent to her but to the lost sheep of the house of Israel Did shee then leave off No she would not be put off when he then told her it was not meet to take the childrens bread and to cast it to doggs Shee said Truth Lord but yet the doggs eate the crumbs that fall from the table Why then saith our Saviour be it unto thee even as thou wilt Like as a man that is weary of a Petitioner As if he should say Why if thou beest so importunate that thou wilt have no deniall if it must be so why goe thy way and be it unto thee even as thou wilt And when God gives us so to pray as not to give over we may know for a certaine God intends to give us a gracious answer in all the desires of our soules and this is to pray according to Gods will Now to speake of the second part of the Doctrine and that is the reason why a prayer thus made is ever granted pray well and speed well Reas 1 First because in praying according to Gods will God doth but fulfill his owne will in fulfilling yours as this is the will of God that all those things that are lawfull for us to aske and expedient for us it is his will that wee should pray for them it is Gods will that we should pray with submission to Gods will that we should pray humbly and feelingly and constantly now if we have prayed according to the will of God then his will must needs be done and his will is that now our wills should be fulfilled This reason is taken from the faithfulnesse of God in the promise and from the suitablenesse of Gods will to ours when we so pray Reas 2 Secondly It is taken from the mighty power of the name of Christ whensoever we use his name in prayer not in lip labour but when we pray in sence of our owne unworthinesse and in some measure of Childe-like confidence the prayers that we now make is the prayer of Christ and him the Father heareth alwaies Jo. 11.42 Now if Christ give us to use his name looke whatever petition we put up and use his name in it it is now the prayer of Christ for looke as if any of you should send your childe or servant to any of your neighbours to desire such or such a favour from them you send them but the petition is yours they desire it in your name and if you send him and bid him use your name and then you are sure it will be granted and if he should deny your childe or servant of such a petition that he askes in your name in denying him he denies you so that God cannot deny the petition you aske in Christs name for him he heareth alwayes and all such petitions he hath promised to heare The word of promise you heard before and it is full to this purpose Joh. 16.23 Verily verily I say unto you He takes his owne truth to witnesse it as a solemne asseveration Whatsoever ye shall aske the Father in my name he will give it you And therefore Aske in my name that you may receive If therefore the Lord Jesus Christ doe but give us this encouragement that we faithfully give up our selves to become his and in sence of our owne unworthinesse to aske any thing at Gods hands And we come to the Father as being set a worke by Christ and beseech him to answer us in this and that mercy and cannot give over till he receive our prayers and reach us an answer of them then the promise stands good Aske and you shall receive Reas 3 Thirdly It is taken from Gods acceptance not only of Christ but of the Spirit the Holy Ghost also for that is much to be considered for there is no prayer that is so wrought in this sort nor any prayer thus put up in sence and feeling and breathing of the Spirit in the name of Christ but it is the prayer of the Holy Ghost himselfe and God that knowes the meaning of the Spirit he hearkens to all the requests of the Spirit Rom. 8.26 27. The Spirit it selfe makes intercession for us so that these prayers are not only received and gratified because they are put up in the name of Christ but also because the Spirit it selfe makes intercession for us according to the will of God and God knowes the meaning and voyce of his owne Spirit God knowes that without this we could never be fervent for any spirituall blessing according to the will of God our dead hearts would soone make dead worke of it if there were no spirit in our prayer but our owne if our flesh be weake we shall soone have done and therefore when God sees us pray thus feelingly are not willing to leave him til he answer us in our desires then God knowes there is a mighty power of a spirit that speaks in us and God cannot deny the intercession of his spirit And further to strengthen this point Christ himselfe tels us that he will pray in our behalves for us for the Lord Jesus Christ himselfe sits at Gods right hand making intercession for us John 16.26 At that day yee shall aske in my name and I say not unto you that I will pray the father for you for the father himselfe loveth you because you have loved me c. And the Apostle sweetly expresseth how the Lord Jesus prayes for us Rom. 8.34 Who is he that condemned it is Christ that dyed yea rather that is risen againe who is even at the right hand of God who also maketh intercession for us so that the Lord Jesus Christ takes
pour out our souls to God in any spirituall affection then we know we have this unction the Holy Ghost came and opened our mouthes and healed our lips and made us pray affectionately and feelingly and that is a great light to the hearing of our petitions for a prayer well made is never ill heard and therefore you know what is said Psalm 10.17 Thou preparest the heart to pray and thou hast heard the desire of the poor How shall a poor Christian know that his desire is heard Why thou hast prepared the heart to pray If God prepare our hearts then he will cause his eare to heare these alwaies accompany one another That is something that this unction doth it works in all our hearts to pray according to Gods will and to pray in the name of Christ and so satisfies us Secondly This Spirit of God that we receive from the holy one it is also a spirit of faith that inwardly perswades us that God hath indeed heard us and that he will doe for us whatsoever we desire and will sometimes evidently beare witnesse of it to the heart of a man Maâ— 11.24 What thing soever ye desire when ye pray beleeve that ye shall receive them and ye shall have them We must beleeve that what we have said to God he will certainly doe it and the spirit of faith will come and say to the heart God in heaven saith Amen to it he gives out a fâ—at let it be done Psal 6.8 David was in a grievous affliction both in bodily affliction and spirituall desertion as in the beginning of the Psalme He cryed out day and night God had forsaken him and his soule was sore vexed but thou O Lord how long c. And now away from me all ye mine enemies for the Lord hath heard my petition and he will accept me so that even while he is in bitter complaints and grievous mourning while he is yet speaking this unction comes and reveales to him Gods acceptance of him and therefore now he encourages himselfe and casts a defiance upon all the troubles of his soule he lookes at them all as vanishing away like snow before the Sun and now he comforts himselfe therein And this oftentimes and usuall when the soule makes use of Gods Ordinances and Priviledges which himselfe hath granted that surely God hath heard our requests he never refuseth to grant that prayer which he stands to heare for this purpose is that you read of the good woman Hannah 1 Sam. 1.15 to 18. Ely suspected she was in some distemper but saith she I have poured out my soule before the Lord. She prayed feelingly and fervently and faithfully not words but her soule before the Lord she had prayed with her whole heart and her soule did raise up it selfe heaven-ward the strength of her desire was set upon that and he then said The Lord give thee favour in his eyes and grant thy request which was as if this answer had come from heaven for God doth reveale himself in his Ordinances She looked at him as the high Priest and so a Type of the Messiah and she tooke it as a voyce from heaven and the text saith She went home and looked no more sad God hath set it on and spoken comfort to her heart so as that her faith was established she saw the voyce of God in it and went home resolved upon it and takes such encouragement to her selfe from thence as to feare no more in that kinde When Gods spirit gives us to pray affectionately and to beleeve confidently then we know we have our petitions we are perswaded of it But besides this cofident perswasion this followes there is another worke of faith and that is a constant wrastling against all discouragements that falls between our requests and the accomplishment of our petitions Famous is that story of the woman of Syrophenicia Matth. 15. from 23. to 29 you know the manifold discouragements she met with she prayes and at first God gives her no audience answers her not a word she prayes againe and then he gives her a deniall to grant her any such request and tells her plainly It is not sutable to his calling and therefore he may not apply himselfe unto her yet she is not discouraged with this which is very much but she followes him still and though yet reproached and called a dogge yet she is not discouraged but out of the word of reproach gathers some hope of comfort if she be a dogge why then let her have that which belongs to doggs let her have but the crums that fall from the childrens table Shee is not discouraged with all the difficulties that lay in her way nothing shall cut her off from importunity and when he could forbeare no longer he then tells her O woman great is thy faith be it unto thee even as thou wilt To shew you that if the Holy Ghost doe but give a Christian soule so much resolution and confidence as not to give over praying till God be pleased to give over answering It is a good signe this spirit of faith will certainly prevaile at length All things are possible to them that beleeve and not only possible but certaine Thirdly There is a third worke of this Spirit and that is this it workes as it is a spirit of hope and that moves a man to waite upon God that though God should tarry long and he should pray heartily for such and such requests to be granted in such a case as this our spirits would be sad and uncomfortable and give over and be ready to say Wherefore should I waite on the Lord any longer as that prophane Prince said 1 King 6. last having been long prest with Famine he in the end burst forth with this This evill is of the Lord why should we waite on him any longer our foolish hearts soone grow impatient and we cannot dance after attendance upon God and therefore in this case though flesh and bloud be short winded and soone weary yet the truth is this unction when it workes in us a spirit of hope it still waites upon God it sets it selfe to waite upon him and is very well contented to stay Gods leisure though he should tarry very long Psal 62.1 Psal 130.4 5. and 2 last he sets both morning and evening watch for him and he is well contented to waite for him and Psal 123.1 2 3. Our eyes waite upon the Lord our God so that when God gives us a spirit of waiting then doth he certainly seale up unto us the granting of our petitions for when a man attends at the Court for an answer upon his petition if the King bid him attend it is a good signe he meanes to grant him his request else he would have rejected it but a wise Prince if he see a man come in good sort and desire a reasonable request of him that such a thing is according to his Princely will and he bids
Arts and Sciences whence is their knowledge but from their observation of many experiences Phisitians know it and they therefore set it downe in their bookes they know it is so Things that we gather from sence and experience we are said to have the knowledge of now this experience doth not only give us confidence but knowledge for by the unction that we have received we doe know the love of God that passeth knowledge Christ dwelling in our hearts by faith we come to know the love of God towards us Eph. 3.17.19 There is not any thing that concernes the love of God towards us but the Spirit of God dwelling in our hearts by faith it comes to passe that we are able to comprehend the height and depth length and breadth of the love of God towards us This Spirit of God in our hearts gives us sensible experience and knowledge of Gods love to us of his attonement and grace to us our Consciences that had hels in them before all such darksome evils are now vanisht and scattered and we know that sensibly we had power given us to pray and to beleeve that our prayers are granted and can wait upon God and feare God and make conscience of obeying his will Now this Spirit of prayer that discovers these things plainly to our inward man the sence and experience of it makes a Christian able to know what God hath done for him and makes him able to beleeve what God hath promised him and thus now when we aske any thing according to Gods will he doth not only say It is well said but he takes a course to answer our requests we have certaine grounds to move us in what we aske and the ends of our requests are right Now God considers not alwaies so much the letter of our prayers as the grounds and ends of them the scope we ayme at and God will so accordingly answer us Vse 1. Let it be first a ground of encouragement to every Christian soule that beleeves in the name of Jesus Christ trust not in your owne good parts and good gifts if any such things increase set not your hearts upon them trust not in any worldly blessing but beleeve on the name of Christ And therefore that you may beleeve humble your soules before him in regard of your sins and pray heartily in the faith of Christ And why so The ground is in the text you shall not only be confident and assured of your salvation which is a great mercy of God to my soule and a greater then all the whole Church of Rome would grant they may goe to Rome and from thence to Jerusalem and from one place to another to have sought for pardon of sin and yet not so much comfort promised them that after all this they shall finde it but in the end to Purgatory they must goe and that is as ill as Hell fire say they save only in durance and this is all the helpe they have they might whip and scourge themselves and give all their goods away to the poore and themselves goe in sackcloth and ashes all their dayes and when all comes to all they must not be sure of any mercy or favour from God which to beleeve would be Hereticall presumption but they must notwithstanding all this rest in Hell fire till the day of Judgement unlesse they will be at cost to purchase freedome from it and which is strange though they would not suffer them to beleeve a release by Christs pardon yet upon the Popes pardon they might have hope and so they take more pains for an uncertainty then we for certainty and knowledge but you shall not only attaine certainty of salvation but certainty of the granting of all your requests no peace to the peace of a Beleever and therefore lay aside all your confidence in the world but be confident in the name of the Lord Jesus and be certaine of Gods favour and goodnesse to you in him and then here is such blessings as will keep a mans heart warme in the worst houres Vse 2. To teach such as beleeve on the name of the Lord Jesus how you may come to be confident and certaine of the hearing and granting your petitions How may wee come to that Hast thou good evidence to thy soule of thy Adoption that God is thy Father then meditate well upon this point that Christ is thy Advocate to make intercession and Attonement for thee in case thou hast displeased thy heavenly Father These two things will much prevaile they be strong helps to a weake faith and then consider what unction thou hast received and look up to God that he would give thee a spirit of prayer to pray feelingly and fervently and humbly before him and then labour for a spirit of faith which if God give thee so much faith as to perswade thee thy requests are heard and to wrastle against discouragements and that the spirit of faith doth worke in thee grace to hope and waite upon God and withall an holy feare of his name and obedience to walke obediently in doing his will and patiently to suffer his will under his hand and observe how the Spirit speakes evidently in this and that kinde and it will be a notable means to helpe thee to grow confident and certaine that all thy prayers are heard Now many a Christian soule falls short of this he considers not the Attonement of Christ in his prayer but many times thus stands the case with them there is much desolutenesse in their lives and loosenesse and fearlesnesse in their hearts before God rejoyce not with trembling God sees his Servants loose in their obedience and when disobedient they seek not to Christ for Attonement whence it is that many times they are so full of doubts Vse 3. Of much consolation to all those that beleeve on the name of the Lord Jesus and make use of these blessed meanes this is our confidence that whatsoever petitions we aske he heareth us and we know it See how comfortable a Christians estate is he growes certaine not only of his owne salvation but he is certaine of the hearing and granting of all his petitions if he can but pray well he makes account all is well let his distresses be what they will be SERMON XVI 1 JOHN 5.16 17. If any man see his brother sinne a sinne which is not unto death he shall aske and he shall give him life for them that sinne not unto death There is a sinne unto death I doe not say that he shall pray for it THese words containe a third motive to encourage us unto that duty which is the maine scope of this Epistle to wit to beleeve on the name of the Sonne of God whereto the Apostle exhorts us vers 13. and propounds first this motive to wit A blessed confidence of the hearing of all our petitions Secondly a certaine knowledge verified that he not only heares but grants our desires Now he