my brethren is Christ said to be in the soul of every beleever because the vertue and influence of Christ is working in them as truly as it is in himself onely differing in regard of degrees and perfection Now for the fuller illustration of the Point give me leave in the last place to shew you the means whereby Christ is in all them that are justified They are these two First the grace of Faith For this in-being of Christ in all justified persons is the consequent of their union with him Now by faith they are joyned to Christ and Christ being joyned to them and they to him Christ is in them as well as they in him Therefore in that forenamed place Eph. 3.17 Christ is said to dwell in our hearts by faith Another means is The abiding of Christs word in us John 15.7 If ye abide in me and my words abide in you In the fourth Verse our Saviour had said thus Abide in me and I in you now repeating that again he somewhat altereth it and saith If ye abide in me and my words abide in you I conceive the ground of the alteration is onely this because the abiding of Christs word in people is a means whereby Christ doth abide in them By the words of Christ I take it is meant the Gospel of Christ with all the commandments instructions and promises that are contained in it Now when this Word of Christ doth abide in people which it doth when understood remembred practised and observed by this means Christ is said and made to abide in them The words of Christ are as so many plants which he doth ingraft into a poor soul as we doe ingraft Cions into a stock Therefore the Apostle calls it the ingrafted word which is able to save your souls Jam 1.21 Now look as the stock cometh to have the nature and to bear the fruit of the Cion by having the Cion implanted and ingrafted into it even so by ingrafting the word of Christ into us we come to have the sap and life of the Spirit of Christ and consequently Christ himself to abide in us For the further understanding of the Point you must in the last place know That however the Lord Christ is in all justified persons yet he is not wholly and compleatly in them not so as to exclude sin and Satan out of them Christ is in them and sin and Satan are in them also so that Christs dwelling in them is but imperfect yet notwithstanding it is perfecting and in the end shall be consummate and then Christ shall onely be in them and sin and Satan altogether shut out This serveth my brethren to teach us all which is the readiest and surest way to become justified persons and partakers of Christ and all his priviledges to wit to get Christ to be in us In vain dost thou hope for any Christian priviledge in vain dost thou indeavour after any thing that is necessary to salvation if by faith Christ is not brought to be in thee People doe oft trouble themselves many waies but most are ignorant or negligent of this way whereas our hope of happinesse of the forgivenesse of our sins our labours and endeavours after heaven are all in vain if we doe not labour by beleeving to get the Lord Jesus Christ to be in us Many conceit that Christ will be for them but he will be for none but for them in whom he is I mean not now to dispute whether Christ be for us or in us first but this is sure he will be for none but such as he is in also Therefore saith the Apostle Col. 1.27 Christ in you the hope of glory The Connexion is to be observed Christ the hope of glory but Christ in you implying that as we must have no hope but Christ and therefore Christ is called our hope so we can never have Christ to be our hope if we have not Christ to be in us Learn this therefore I say above all things to labour to be joyned to Christ by a lively faith that so you may come to have him in you and then he shall be for you and never till then Thus much for the first thing The condition of all such as are justified They have Christ in them Now for the second which is the main thing the Apostle aimeth at the Evidences or Signs whereby it may be known who have Christ in them Yee have them in the next words The body is dead because of sin but the Spirit is life because of righteousnesse Give me leave first to open the words unto you By Sin you know is meant the transgression of Gods law the going beside the rule of Gods Commandment either in neglecting what is enjoyned or in doing what is prohibited this is sin By Righteousness also must be meant the contrary to this For howsoever righteousness is sometime in the Scripture taken strictly for the observation of those duties that concern men which the second Table injoyneth yet sometime it is taken largely for the observation of the whole Law of God and all duties concerning God and us and thus it is usually taken when as it is not joyned with something else that doth restrain it Here it is opposed to sin and therefore as by sin is meant the going beside the Commandment of God so by righteousnesse is meant the observation or doing of the Commandment of God Thus you see what is meant by sin and what by righteousnesse But it is more difficult to know what is meant by the bodie and what by the Spirit The bodie is dead because of sin but the spirit is life because of righteousnesse I take it here by the bodie is meant the bodie of corruption the bodie of sin that same Original corruption that is in all of us by nature It cannot be understood of the natural body because of the opposition to spirit for by the spirit here cannot be understood our soul or our spirit for it cannot be said that any mans spirit or soul is life to righteousnesse it may be said that it is enlivened to righteousness but it cannot be said to be life to righteousnesse therefore seeeing by the spirit the soul of a man cannot be meant I thinke it is clear that by the the body the bodie of man cannot be meant But by the body I conceive as I said is meant the body of sin for so Saint Paul calleth it Rom. 6.6 That the bodie of sin might be destroyed Now this Originall corruption is called a bodie in these respects 1. Because that it commeth to us by propagation from the parents of our bodies 2. To expresse the baseness of it for our bodies are but base and vile as Saint Paul calleth them Phil. 3.21 3. To expresse the fadingness of it for that is our comfort as our naturall bodies are mortall so the body of sin originall corruption is also mortall to all the Saints Therefore it is called flesh
upon the man even Lot and came neer to break the door And why was all this because his arguments were good and seasonable by which he advised them against their wicked purpose because he opposed them in that wicked course of theirs therefore they could not now hold themselves but burst out into a strange distemper of spirit We will now say they deal worse with thee than with them And so in Acts 7. It is a very observable place vers 56. When Stephen had made a long relation to the Jews of the rebellion and stubbornness of their Fathers they heard him all along without manifesting any virulencie of spirit but at last when he came out with that Yee stiffenecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears you doe alwaies resist the Holy Ghost as your Fathers did so doe you then when they heard these things when Stephen made a powerfull application of what he had said to them in particular and told them that they had been the betrayers and murtherers of that just One of whose coming the Prophets before had shewed they were cut to the heart and gnashed upon him with their teeth and they cryed out with a loud voice and stopped their ears and ran upon him with one accord These were the workings of their corrupt hearts the more forcible Stephen was in the power of the word the more violent they were in gainsaying that Word I need say no more onely that is observable in Rom. 7. The Text saith there That sin becommeth out of measure sinfull because of the Commandment How is that It is as if he had said Sin is the greater and the more notorious doth it manifest it self by how much the more the Commandment of God is the more openly published sin becommeth out of measure sinfull because that God in the Commandment gainsayeth it and the more the Commandement is pressed the more sin opposeth it and gainsaies it and becometh the more violent and so grows out of measure sinfull Briefly look as it is with a stream and current or Rivolet set but a little dam there and it will run over it easily of it selfe but if the dam be strong and high the River grows deep and cometh to be great and large Why so because it is stopped So it is here the Commandment of God is the dam as I may say every naturall man hath a stream of corruption that is alwaies issuing forth in a continued current if it be so now that the Word of God stoppeth him at every turn in every ungodly practise admitteth of no vent giveth no way to any sinfull course gainsays him in every carnal and sensuall delight barrs him of the sinfull enjoyment of pleasures and worldly lusts then the heart of a sinner beginneth to rise up against God and against his word and Commandment and that onely because the Word of God crosseth him and gainsayes him And therefore observe it if there be but a sleepie-headed Magistrate or a carelesse Minister in a Congregation that will lot a great deal of the water go give leave for the stream and current of corruption to passe let men have a vent for their lusts all will be at great peace and the stream will run as calme as can be that Magistrate shall never have an ill word that Minister that any way permits a vent to corruption he and his Parish shall agree as quietly as may be but if a man be stout and couragious either Magistrate or Minister hee shall finde violent opposition and marvailous strivings and workings of heart against him and that word which he delivers and the means of grace which God vouchsafeth to a people Again as this corruption discovers it self in opposing the good word of God so in the second place observe another passage wherein the wickednesse and rebellion of mens hearts appeareth notwithstanding God affordeth them the most excellent means of salvation They cleave the closer and cling the more eagerly to their corruptions and sins because they seem to be crossed in the eager and violent pursuit of them As you know it is the nature of stubborn spirits the more they are forbidden a thing the more resolved they are to doe it I have my self observed it in some stubborn servants that have answered their masters Why if you had not said any thing I would never have done it but because you keep such adoe I will doe it the more You shall see a proof of it Jer. 18.12 God there had sent his Prophet early and late to that people to shew them the good and ancient waies how they should walk with God and so prevent those Judgements that were threatned and hung over their heads But mark the Spirit of this people the more earnest and violent the Prophet was out of tender compassion to their poor souls to win them to God the more desperately did they resolve upon a course of sin we will walk say they after our own devices and we will every one doe the imagination of his evill heart As if they should have said say what you will we are resolved what to doe we will have our sin we will not forsake our corruptions nay wee will rather cleave the closer to them because you labour to pluck us from them This is the nature of every man in the world I appeal to your own consciences is it not so Is it not in every son of Adam more or lesse in wicked men wholly in the Saints partly observe it in your own experience when that happily the truths of God come and lay siege close to your consciences that you cannot finde a way and vent for your base and sinfull practises but the Word of God crosseth you how doe your hearts swell and repine at the Word How weary are you of your Minister How doe your spirits vex at him And so sometime at the Magistrate if he be more zealous to reform abuses amongst men then ordinary There is I say a secret indignation of soul that every man may finde in himself against the word of God and the reproofs thereof Let us come now to see the reason why men should be so sencelesse and unreasonable to grow the worse because God is the better to them What ground is there for this Great ground my brethren The Reasons are double and both most evident and plain The first is taken from that inward and intimate love the soul of a wicked man hath to his sin This is an everlasting rule there is never a naturall man in the world but he loveth his sin as he loveth his soule Nay he makes his sin his God And my brethren the case is evident we need no proof of it take a tryall of it in your own experience Let the command of God be revealed let the word of God be never so clearly made manifest to the hearts of men let it shine never so bright even in their very faces and let there be a beloved
to the honour of Christ to the Gospel of Christ In a word what ever is Christs to that faith doth work a love where ever it is so that whosoever hath faith they have in them a love to Christ and to all the things of Christ You may conceive it by this similitude If a woman have with a conjugall affection taken a man to be her husband that same taking of him to be her husband makes her love him and all that is his she loves his name his honour and credit his profit his contentment his ease his safety his person his friends for that same conjugall affection which makes her to take him to be her husband works love in her in all these particulars To beleeve in the Lord Christ is nothing but to take Christ as I said before to be our husband Now if we have taken him to be our husband then we shall love him as a wife loveth her husband There is the second thing Again thirdly a third Propertie of Faith is that in the 1 Thes 5.8 The breastplate of faith and love faith is a Brest-plate there is the third property of faith What is the use of a brestplate A brestplate it doth fence and secure the heart from all danger from all stabbs from all injuries Where there is faith the soul is fenced as it were with a brestplate so that it is neither drawn away from Christ nor wounded with the fierie darts of Satan or temptations of sin My brethren I pray observe it there is no faith where the heart is not in some measure fenced from the wounds of sin and from the insnarements of the world Faith is a brest-plate there is the third Again in the fourth and last place the last propertie of faith that I will name is that in the 1 John 5.4 Whosoever is born of God overcommeth the world and this is our victorie even our faith Observe that place where there is faith there is a victorie and a victorie over the world where ever there is faith there is an overcomming of the world To overcome the world it is not to be overcome of the world it is to persist in setting our chiefest affection upon the Lord Jesus Christ notwithstanding all the devises and attempts of the world either by flattery or by frowns either by favour or by blowes this is to overcome the world Now then where ever there is faith there is a victorie over the world that soul which hath faith in it it hath overcome the world the care of the world was wont to overcome it but now it overcommeth the care of the world it is not so carefull for the world as it is for Christ The feares of the world were wont to overcome it but now it hath overcome the feares of the world it is not so afraid of all the worlds injuries and threats as it is of Christs displeasure The pleasures of the world were wont to overcome it the world runneth after nothing so much as after worldly pleasures is delighted in nothing so much as in some worldly pleasure either of contentment or profit or friends of riches or honours But now the soul that hath faith in it it delighteth in nothing so much as in the comfort of the Spirit in the communion of the Lord Jesus Christ Thus I pray consider it though I speak but briefly of these things yet consider it where ever there is faith there is a victorie over the world before there is faith there the soul is a slave to the world but if once there be faith he is more then conquerour he is not the worlds slave but the world is his the world is trampled under his feet and is a dead flower to him that hath neither beauty nor sweetness in it Thus my brethren they that have these Properties they whose hearts are purified they who work by love they whose hearts are fenced with a brestplate that they cannot bee stollen from Christ nor wounded with sin they that are conquerours over the world they are beleevers And so you see the first thing the Object of this Act of Christ The persons for whom Christ gave himself viz. for them that have a faith purifying the heart for them that have a faith working by love for them that have a faith that is as a brestplate to their soul for them that have a faith that overcometh the world for these Christ gave himself Now we come in the second place to open the second thing that is the Act of Christ the thing that Christ did he gave himself for these beleevers What is meant by giving of himself to give a thing in the generall it is to put a thing out of ones own use and power and freely to bequeath it to the use and power of another this is in the generall to give a thing But here I conceive giving is taken a little more strictly and not so largely viz. that which we call giving a ransome For if you compare with this Text that which you shall find in 1 Tim. 2.6 Who gave himself a ransome for all that is for all sorts and conditions of people so that here by giving himself is meant a giving himself as a ransome Now what it is to give a thing as a ransome you are to know it is this It is to dispose and order a thing so as that it may redeem another out of that distresse wherein he is So then the meaning of these words he gave himself for us is this That the Lord Christ did so dispose of himself that by him there may come a redemption to all beleevers from all that miserie and distresse they are in by nature This is the meaning of the words The words then thus explained this Doctrine doth arise Jesus Christ hath given himself for all that believe I need not stand to prove it it is so plain and evident in the Text onely let me give you one place which is parallel to it Eph. 5.25 Husbands love your wives as Christ loved the Church and gave himself for it By the Church is meant nothing else but the company of beleevers now he so loved the Church that is the company of beleevers that he gave himself for them to be their ransome For the opening of the point that you may see what this Action of Christ was I will shew you the particular things to which Christ gave himselfe for beleevers First Christ gave himself to incarnation to become a man for beleevers Secondly Christ gave himself to a perfect obedience of the Law to work all righteousnesse for beleevers 3. Christ gave himself to suffering to passion for beleevers These I will briefly open and so make use of the Point The First thing to which the Lord Christ bequeathed himself for the sake of beleevers it was for to be a man For the understanding of this you must know that Christ he was as he is God he was not man
you doe not finde your hearts loving Christ above all things if you cannot say of Christ as the Church in the Canticles Oh thou whom my soul loveth if you cannot say that Christ hath more room in your affection that there is more inlargement of heart toward him then to any thing else in the world then you are not yet in the number of them for whom Christ gave himself to redeem them from all iniquitie Therefore I beseech you quicken up your hearts towards Christ Why doth Iniquitie so abound now and the love of so many waxe cold Surely you have forgotten your selves have not you forgotten what Christ hath done how else could your affections be so little so cold towards him Remember what I have opened now unto you Christ gave himself to be a man to obey the Law to suffer the wrath of God and man and that for this end to redeem you from all iniquitie therefore love you the Lord Jesus according as he doth deserve And thus much shall serve for the first end Why Christ gave himself for beleevers That end which concerns beleevers themselves Viz. That he might redeem them from all iniquitie The Second remaineth and that is that which concernes himself But so much for this Time â‚ THE BLESSED INHABITANT OR The BENEFIT of CHRISTS BEING In BELEEVERS By that Reverend Divine THOMAS HOOKER Late Preacher in New England EPHES. 3.17 That Christ may dwell in your hearts by Faith LONDON Printed by G. D. for Francis Eglesfield and are to be sold at the Sign of the Marigold In Pauls Church-yard 1651. The Blessed Inhabitant OR The Benefit of Christs being in Beleevers SERMON II. ROM 8.10 If Christ be in you the body is dead because of sin but the Spirit is life because of righteousnesse THe Apostle Saint Paul having in the first verse of this present Chapter in the very first words of the Verse set down the blessed Priviledges of all true beleevers such as are regenerated and are in Christ he doth afterwards in many Verses lay down the Signs and Tryals whereby he doth discover who they bee that are in that blessed condition and who they bee that are not And amongst others not to stand upon the Coherence it not being necessary for the understanding of this Verse he doth in the words of the Text lay down certain cleer Signs and Tryals whereby people may know whether they are regenerated by Christ and so justified yea or no And that is the Scope and Sum of this Verse If Christ be in you the body is dead because of sin but the Spirit is life because of righteousnesse In the Verse then you have these two things considerable First the state and condition of all justified persons Christ is in them in the first words If Christ be in you Secondly the Signs and Evidences whereby it may bee known whether Christ be in people yea or no in the rest of the Verse the bodie is dead because of sin but the spirit is life because of righteousnesse I begin with the First The state and condition of all persons that are justified They have Christ in them If Christ be in you saith the Apostle supposing thus much That the Lord Christ is in every justified person in every one that is exempted from condemnation The Point is clear and evident in the words of the Text If Christ be in you The like to this you have John 14.20 I am in my Father saith our Saviour to his Disciples and you in me and I in you They are in him and he in them The like also you have John 17.21 23. There our Saviour prayeth That they may be one in us I in them and thou in mee that they may bee made perfect in one Mark I in them and thou in me Look as God the Father is in Christ so the Lord Christ also is in every beleever To this purpose also is that of the Apostle Col. 1.27 The riches of the glory of this mysterie is Christ in you the hope of glory CHRIST IN YOU You see the Point is clear Christ is in every justified person For the further understanding hereof I will let you know in a word or two for I purpose but to touch it how the Lord Jesus Christ is in all justified persons First he is in them as the Housholder or Master of the Family is in his house Therefore the Apostle saith Eph. 3.17 That he doth dwell in our hearts Look as the Master of the Family dwelleth in his house ruling commanding and ordering all things there even so is Christ in them that are justified persons Again he is in them as the food that we receive is in our stomacks Therefore he is often in the Scripture compared to meat and drink because as meat and drink are in us after we have eaten and drunken so is the Lord Jesus Christ also in all them that are justified for their refreshing nourishing and strengthning and preservation of life in them Last of all He is in them as a mans life is in him I live not saith the Apostle Gal. 2.20 but Christ liveth in me Christ is in the soul of a poor sinner that beleeveth as our naturall life is in our bodies as our life doth act and move us being the principle of all those motions that are in us even so is Christ also in all justified persons But you will ask In what respect is it that the Lord Christ is said to be in justified persons I answer Amongst others Christ is said to be in them in these two respects First Because his Spirit is in them By his Spirit I do not mean his humane spirit his soul as he is a man that is proper to himself as every mans soul is but by his Spirit I mean the Spirit of God the Holy Ghost the third Person in Trinitie which is the Spirit of Christ both as he is the second Person in Trinitie so the Holy Ghost proceedeth from him together with the Father and also as he is the Mediatour of his Church so it is his Spirit because he hath merited and as it were purchased it to imploy it and to send it about for the effecting of the salvation of the Elect. Now the Lord Christ is in beleevers by vertue of his spirit because his spirit is in them This the verse before the Text and the verse after plainly prove where the Apostle maketh mention of the Spirit of Christ dwelling in the faithful If the Spirit of God dwell in you v. 9. And If the spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you Verse 11. This is the first Reason why Christ is said to be in justified persons his Spirit is in them Another is Because the vertue efficacie life and operation of Christ is in them as the tree or the root may be said to be in the branches because the life and sap of the tree is put forth in the branches So
of it Again it is constant not onely for a time but for ever Yea and there is a progress in it also sin still groweth weaker and the strength thereof daily more and more abateth But where is not such progress where there is not a continuance in the deaths-wound of sinne there the deaths-wound was never given to sin by the blessed spirit of Christ For howsoever Christ doth not kill the old man presently yet he killeth it cortainly and when once the deaths-wound is given it can never be recovered any more Hereby you may trie whether there be a death of sin in you however you may finde in your selves all the parts and kinds of sin and corruption the severall lusts and inclinations of the flesh rising and bubling up in you however some times particular corruptions may have a very strong hand and put forth abundance of might in you to the mastering and captivating of you so that you are for the present sold under sin as the A postle Paul speaks of himself Rom. 7. yet if there be this lessening and weakning of corruption and that universally and constantly it is most certain there is a death of sin in you Now on the other side let me shew you how you may know the life of righteousness and this will also help you the better to discover the death of sin For as yee have heard both goe together and the one helps to manifest the other Therefore I say in the next place let us consider the severall effects of the life of Righteousnesse which are these First where ever there is a life of righteousnesse there is a seeking after God and after the things of God Righteousnesse is of a divine nature and therefore it alwaies carrieth the soul wherein it is up to God from whence it came As the fire being heavenly doth alwaies move upward so righteousness because it is of God doth alwaies raise up the soul of that person in whom it is toward God Hence it is that the righteous are described to be a generation of them that seek the Lord Psal 24. and Psal 27. 8. the Psalmist professeth that he will seek the face of god People that have no life of righteousness are described Rom. 7 to be such as do not seek after God But whereever there is a life of righteousnesse there is a seeking after God God in himself God for himself God as he is accomplished with his holy excellencies and admirable Attributes and perfections God as he is take him altogether is alwaies the aim and scope end and object of the desire of that soul that is endued with the life of righteousnesse so that when he praies or receives the Sacrament or hears the word or whatsoever he doth he seeks after God in all And as he seeks after God so he seeks after the things of God the favour and mercie of God the presence and fellowship of God those glorious inheritances which are Gods and are called his because they are with him the things of the kingdome of God they are the things he seeks after that hath the life of righteousnesse in him Secondly where the life of righteousnesse is there is a sutableness of the spirit and an agreement of the heart to the whole law of God I beteech you observe this The body of righteousness is nothing else but as it were the stamp of Gods Law there is a proportion and conformitie between the one and the other therefore in whomsoever the life of righteousnesse is in his spirit there is a sutableness of disposition to the whole Law of God so that howsoever there is much antipathie and deformitie and unlikeness and disagreement from the Law of God yet notwithstanding there is something within that soul that is agreeable to the whole Law of God so that there is no particular branch nor part of the Commandment of God but it doth find a principle to which it is suted and agreeable in the heart of all them that have the life of righteousnesse in them And this I take it is the meaning of that of writing the Law of God in their hearts that is the very Law of God in all the parts of it it hath a stamp and impression and a resemblance in the spirit of all them that have the life of righteousnesse This the Apostle largely expresseth in that seventh of the Romans from the 15. Verse and so forward I consent saith he to the Law that it is good and that it is holy and just They that have the life of righteousnesse they doe not onely finde a truth and a justice in Gods Law but they doe finde a goodness a loveliness in Gods Law there is a sutableness and an agreement between their spirit and the whole Law of God not onely in some but in all particulars Those branches of Gods Law which are most contrary to their customes and naturall dispositions and inclinations they see them good they behold them amiable they finde a disposition in their souls suteable and agreeable thereunto And hence is that of David Psal 119.6 Then shall I not be ashamed when I have respect to all thy Commandments There is the second thing The third Effect of this life of righteousness it is a discerning of the evill of sin The want of the life of righteousnesse is the very cause why people doe not see the evill of sin Many people doe see the evill of the consequences of sin the plagues and judgements that come for sin but they doe not see the evill of sin Take sin in its own nature as it is an unlikeness to the nature of God as it is a transgression and a going beside a swerving from the Commandment of God they doe not see any evill in sin thus But now where ever there is the life of righteousnesse there is an apprehension and feeling of the evill of sin as it is sin it self and the reason of it is cleer because that the life of righteousnesse is nothing but an impression of the Law of God upon a man therefore it must needs cause that soul in which it is to know and apprehend the Evill of the transgression of Gods Law In a word they that have the life of righteousnesse in them they doe in their hearts apprehend sin to be the greatest evill and the most bitter thing that is in the world whether it be a great sin or a small sin in regard of the matter of it whether it be a secret sin or a publike sin in regard of the circumstance however sin may differ yet they apprehend the greatest evill and bitterness to be in all sin thereupon it is that they are as truly though not as strongly shy of the least sin as of the greatest of the secretest sin as of the most publique and scandalous sin You have Saint Paul for this Rom. 7.24 Oh wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from the bodie of this death The
he will say whether he will speak comfort to his soul or no and then away with carnall reason and delusions of Satan My brethren yee should in the first place go to God and advise with him and hear what his good pleasure is toward you and never inquire of your own carnall reason Again there is oft another great fault in the people of God that as they go not to Christ in the first place for advice and counsell so in the second place when they have it they rest not upon it Many a one there is who after he hath been convinced evidently and clearly by the power of the word rightly and strongly applyed that his estate is good before God and that his conscience is sincere his heart upright and that the spirit of God hath begun an everlasting work of grace in him yet notwithstanding oftentimes relinquisheth that ground that God hath given him to stand upon and letteth go that hold that hath been reached out from heaven for him to sustain himself by and returning home again to a view of his own weaknesses and infirmities he forsaketh his own mercies and groweth forgetfull of his former comforts the consolations of the Almightie seem small unto him hee will not quiet himself in that truth which God hath made known nor rest upon his word as he requireth Yea but the soul replieth alas should a man content himself with a blind perswasion that his estate is good and not try his title to heaven or search whether his interest in Christ be such as will not deceive him at the last I say Yes a man should look into himself and examine himself whether he be in the faith or no but alwaies let the Lord be Judge let his word onely passe sentence upon thee Never Judge thy self barely by what either Satan seems to suggest or thy own sinfull weakness would perswade thee unto but when the Word of God is revealed and his truth manifested unto thee when the Minister out of the Seripture hath setled thy conscience and declared thy case good by such assured Evidences as thou maist safely build upon then hold there and beleeve nothing to the contrary search your selves but still doe it by the word of God If this course were taken and well observed where there are thousands of complaints among Christians there would be scarce one For my brethren the ground of all our feebleness and distrust and distemper lieth especially in this that we neglect our grounds and doe not fix upon those truths which God hath revealed and made known unto us either publikely or privately Hold this therefore for ever as the best direction I can give thee If my soul shall be condemned the word of God shall condemn it If I must judge my self to have no grace the Word of God shall say it If I must conclude salvation as yet belongeth not unto me it shall be because the Word saith so and not because Satan or my own imagination saith so This carrieth thousands of poor souls into manifold distempers because they settle not themselves upon the truth of God which alwaies standeth as mount Zion unmoveable and would make them rest in abundance of peace in the midst of all those disquiets that are raised by Satan and our own distrustfull hearts Lastly in a word doth the Lord himself call for and require this at our hands the Lord I say who onely hath right and authority to command us Doth he injoyn us when he speaks to hear and obey Oh now therefore though an unworthy Minister cannot perswade you to yeeld up your selves to the practice of this duty yet let the Lord himself prevail with you and woe to that soul that will not bee perswaded by the Lord himself Take notice of that place before alledged Acts 3.23 Every soul that will not hear that Prophet shall be destroyed from among the people Let every one therefore now in the fear of God observe that which Christ himself injoyneth and so often calleth for in the second and and third Chapters of the Revelation He that hath an ear to hear let him hear The Lord saith the same now to every soul in this place Let every soul that hath an ear to hear hear what the Lord saith unto him not onely now but hereafter whensoever God shall be pleased to reveal any of his counsell to him for his direction Labour to bring your hearts to that temper we read to have been in Cornelius and those that he had gathered together to be partakers of Saint Peters Ministerie Acts 10.33 When the Apostle was come mark what Cornelus saith to him We are all here present before God to hear all things that are commanded thee of God My brethren the same frame of spirit ought we to have whatsoever it is that the Lord shall speak unto us wee must hear him in all things as I told you before not onely in some easie kind of dutie such as every man is willing to imbrace but in every thing be it never so crosse to carnall reason and corrupt nature when the Lord teacheth we must bring docile hearts hearts inlarged to hear and entertain his doctrine hearts willing to be moulded into that good word of God that he shall reveal to us neither must we thinke this dutie tedious we should never be weary of it Observe what Christ saith Luke 10.24 Many Prophets and Kings have desired to see those things which yee see and have not seen them and to hear those things which ye hear and have not heard them What things Even those that are preached unto you and made known from day to day the great things of the Gospel which are now published in open view great men of great place and eminencie have desired to see and hear them The holy Patriarchs and Prophets whose spirits are now in heaven looked long for Christs day Abraham saw it afar off his eies dazeled in beholding of it If they rejoyced and delighted in these things should not we much more Nay the blessed Angels come down and delight to pore into these sacred mysteries that are now revealed to the people of God Which things saith the Apostle the Angels desire to prie into 1 Pet. 1.12 Those blessed spirits that are the subjects of joy and happiness are so ravished with those glorious mysteries that they are contented to come to our Congregations not a step or two as we doe who assoon almost as we are out of our doors are in the Church but a great journey even from heaven and with a great deal of liking and complacencie they behold the services of Gods people and are glad to see a poor soul converted and report it again in heaven rejoycing there together that a sinner is turned unto God My brethren thinke of it Shall we now that have most reason to attend these things they being that upon which our everlasting salvation depends be utterly careless of them Alas the
Judas may thus farre have his understanding inlightned concerning all the truths of life and salvation that are either discovered or made known out of the Book of God as to perceive the sense of the words that are set down and understandingly to discourse of the meaning of the Scripture and reason of the points therein contained and that more freely and abundantly in outward appearance then many of the deare Saints and Servants of God are able to doe and yet all this is but that which the Apostle Paul cals a form of knowledge Rom. 2.20 Such an one hath onely got religion by rote as we use to say like a child that happily may be taught a sillogisme or some forme of an argument he may say it without book but understands it not so hypocrites may have a form and as it were an outside of knowledge but there is something in the bottome concerning the savingnesse and holinesse of knowledge which they can never attain unto For certain it is there is never a carnall person under heaven howsoever he can talk of God and of Christ and of Faith that either knoweth God in the works of his wayes toward him or hmselfe in the works of his duty toward God That is a strange passage concerning Hazael 2 Kings 8 When the Prophet Elisha setled his countenance upon him and wept Hazael said Why weepeth my Lord And he answered Because I know the evill that thou wilt doe unto the children of Israel their strong holds wilt thou set on fire and their young men wilt thou stay with the sword and wilt dash their children and rip up their women with childe And Hazael said But what is thy servant a dog that he should doe this great thing He thought that there was no such matter in himselfe he perceived not the corruption of his nature And truth it is that as it was with Hazael so it is with every wicked man under heaven further then God is pleased to awaken him he neither knowes what he is himselfe nor what God is talk of it he may but cannot apprehend it in truth in the the generall he may speak of it but in his own particular he cannot 2. For the further proof of this point That there is a main difference between a child of God and an hypocrite in their very knowledge though I know it is the judgement of many and those holy and godly too that wicked men in matters of knowledge may go as far as any Saint under heaven yet I take it they are deceived for no sanctifying work of the holy spirit of God is common to those that are wicked and reprobates but the work of saving understanding and illumination is a work of sanctification and to prove that goe no further but to the naked consideration of a mans bare understanding When the Lord is pleased to work effectually upon the soule there is a sanctifying work on the understanding as well as on the will Now that work which is upon the understanding of a servant of God as truly differs from the inlightning of a carnall hypocrite as the heart of a Saint from the heart of a man not sanctified As the Spirit of God I say hath a proper and peculiar work of sanctification upon the will of Gods children so also hath he upon their mind and understanding therefore of necessity wicked men having no work of sanctification the children of God must needs differ from them in this particular of knowledge Again the Apostle is clear enough 1 Cor. 2.14 The naturall man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God neither can he know them because they are spiritually discerned Before a man can discern spirituall objects he must have spirituall light therefore wicked men being as all hypocrites are but bare nature and wanting spirituall light are not able to perceive and discern the things of God So you see there is a plain and broad difference between the Saints of God and carnall hypocrites in the point of knowledge and understanding Now then for the point it selfe That there is such a knowledge as is peculiar to the Saints take it my brethren thus The godly doe not onely apprehend the meaning of the words in the Scripture and are able to discourse of the reasons therein contained but they discern also the spiritualnesse of the work of grace that is discovered in the same Observe it There being first the Word of God set down in his book and then reasons that goe along with it and lastly a spirituall work of grace that God hath made known in those reasons the Saints of God alone see the spiritualnesse of the work that is manifested and communicated in that reason there set down The secret of the Lord is with them that fear him Psal 25.14 wicked men may know repentance but there is a secret of repentance which the godly onely have Wicked men may pray but there is an inward spiritualnesse and closing with the Lord a secret humbling of the soule before the Lord which the godly onely have wicked men I say can pray and hear and discourse of repentance and of faith and the like but there is a secret in all these and a spirituall work derived into the soule thorough the knowledge of all these which the Saints onely apprehend and understand Take but an Apple there is never a man under heaven can tell what tast it is of whether sweet or soure untill he have tasted of it he seeth the colour and the quantity of it but knoweth not the tast so there is no man under heaven discerneth more of grace then he findeth in himselfe A carnall man may talk of repentance and faith and obedience yet notwithstanding there is a sappinesse which I call the spiritualnesse in these blessed works that no man can tell and understand but onely those that indeed have found by experience the work in themselves We use to say and we say truly that no woman knoweth the nature of a mother before she hath been a mother So it is here first a man must have the work of grace in himselfe before he can rightly understand the nature of it No man knoweth what it is to be the child of God or what it is to have a child-like affection toward God but so farre forth as he findeth and feeleth this in some measure wrought in himselfe by the operation of the Spirit I will not dispute that text Rev. 2.17 I will give him a white stone and in the stone a new name written which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it but I take this to be the main thing intended there which makes for my present purpose Name there signifies Adoption and the white stone Absolution the Lord will absolve and acquit him of all those sinnes that he is guilty of and withall he will give him the name of a sonne The Lord sealeth to the soule of a Christian man that he is God
shot in the spirit and soul of Christ To be brief this you must know whatsoever beleevers should have suffered for their sins whether it be in the losse of the sense of Gods love or in the sensible feeling of the wrath and divine displeasure of Almightie God all that Christ suffered so far as can be suffered without sin and without the guilt of a defiled conscience Now to all this did Christ give up himself for beleevers to the end that beleevers who have lost the love of God might have it Christ gave up himself in regard of sense for a while to lose all sense of Gods love to the end that beleevers might not feel the insupportable burthen of the infinite wrath of God Christ took it upon him and endured it and all this Christ did willingly and freely and of his own accord therefore the Phrase in the Text is Emphaticall Who gave himself and Christ saith of himself I lay down my life Beleevers did with full consent sin Christ must with full consent suffer or else Christ could not deliver beleevers from the wrath of God This appeareth because that Christ when hee knew that Judas should betray him he goeth to that place where he was wont and knew that Judas would come there After that Judas and the Souldiers come out of seek Christ Christ cometh and offereth himself Whom is it that you seek saith he We seek Jesus of Nazareth I am he saith he he offereth and declareth himself to them putteth himself into their hands and whereas he makes them to let all his Disciples scape yet he suffereth them to take himself Could Christ make them let the Disciples go and could hee not have made them let himself go Again our Saviour did but speak and they went backward and fell to the ground he that could throw them down backward could be not have killed them with his word if he pleased Again when Peter drew out his sword and went about to defend him Peter saith he put up thy sword I can pray to my Father and hee shall presently give me more then twelve Legions of Angels One Angel in one night slew in the camp of the Assyrians an hundred fourscore and five thousand men and what then could twelve Legions of Angels have done This Christ could have had for a word speaking to his Father but he did freely and willingly give up himself to all these torments for beleevers and he did not onely suffer them as a man but as a God For as I told you in his obedience so I tell you in his passion you must not sever the Divinitie of Christ from his humanitie For howsoever the Godhead could not suffer yet notwithstanding the Godhead did these things it was the nature of Christ that suffered Whatsoever a man doth with any part of himself though it be with his bodie the whole man is said to doe it because all actions are attributed to the person it was that nature that subsisted in the Divine Person that endured all these things therefore it is said that God shed his bloud Again the Godhead did withdraw it self and so had a hand in the passion of Christ the Godhead did withdraw it self from the revelation and manifestation of it self to Christ Again the Godhead did suffer it self to be eclipsed to be vail'd to be obscured and so may have a hand in suffering Again the Godhead of Christ did support the humane nature to bear the other wayes insupportable wrath of God But in all these respects the Lord Christ as God as well as man gave up himself to this for beleevers Hence is that Emphaticall speech Zach. 13.7 Awake O sword against my Shepherd and against the man that is my fellow Observe that speech Awake O sword here God speaks to his wrath to his divine vengeance to fall upon the man that is his fellow Christ as Gods fellow did suffer the wrath of God now Christ is not Gods fellow but as Christ is God Christ as Gods fellow suffered the wrath of God therefore Christ as God gave himself up even to suffer for beleevers And observe the Phrase Awake O sword against the man that is my fellow the very justice of God could not tel how to lay stroaks upon this Son of God til God bid it it stood as it were in amazement for to strike the man that was Gods own fellow What for God to strike his fellow that man that was God how could justice doe this Nay justice could not till God bad it Awake O sword Thus you have seen the Doctrine opened to you what the things are to which the Lord Christ freely disposeth and bequeatheth himself for beleevers To Incarnation he that was God became man To the obedience of the Law he that was the Law-giver became the Law-keeper To suffering both in body and in soul both the wrath of man and the wrath of God This is the meaning of these words Hee gave himself for us Now as briefly as I can to make some Use of the Point and so to passe on to somewhat else First of all this Doctrine serveth to shew us the wonderfull love of Christ to beleevers Can there be greater love then for a man to give himself to one We count it the greatest love that can be between creatures that of the man to the wife and the wife to the man and why so because there is a giving themselves one to another which no creature else doth This Christ hath done he hath given himself to beleevers and he cannot shew greater love because he cannot do a greater thing and yet behold a greater than this he hath not only given himself to them but for them and that is a little more You may conceive it by a similitude If a man give himself to a woman to become her husband there is a great-matter in that but if the man shall give himself for the woman when shee is to die to die for her that is more he that giveth himself to her doth yet injoy himself but he that giveth himself for her doth lose himself he that giveth himself to men hath himself but hee that giveth himself for men hath given away himself Oh this this is the love of Christ to all beleevers He hath given himself for us he that was God made himself of no reputation made himself nothing for so the word is in the Originall he that was above the Law he hath put himself under the Law he that was a Soveraign is become a Subject he that was the God of life is become a man under the power of death he that was the Judge standeth as the person guiltie and suffereth the judgement Here is his love you that are beleevers to the end that you might enjoy Gods favour he hath given himself to lose Gods favour for the sense of it to the end that you might never go to hell he hath suffered himself to endure the uttermost
remembrance of that Originall corruption that was in his soul and could never be rooted out this made him to cry out for deliverance Again Fourthly Wheresoever there is the life of righteousnesse there is a discovering and discerning of the severall Particulars of sin and of unrighteousnesse Light it doth discover all things that are foul and are amisse and life doth oftentimes discover weaknesses and illnesse and straightness we know discovers crookedness so where ever there is the life of righteousness there is a discerning of that inward contrarietie of unrighteousness that is in that heart I know that no man can discern all the evils that are in his soul because the life of righteousness is not perfect but imperfect in this world but yet notwithstanding he that hath the life or righteousness he doth in part discover every corruption in his soul he doth see in himself the corruptions that are contrary to the whole frame of righteousnes he doth see in himself the iniquities that are the transgressions of the whole Law of God Hence it is that the children of God are so humbled for a child of God one that hath the life of righteousnesse in him cannot be proud for he having a life of righteousness commeth to see the death of sin in him and to disscern in himself an universall contrarietie in part to the whole Law of God Hence it is also that they thinke worse of themselves then of any other because by the life of righteousness they discern the remnants of an universall contrarietie that is in them to the whole Law of God Lastly The fifth Effect of the life of righteousness it is this Where ever there is the life of righteousness there are all the fruits of the Spirit in some part and in some measure begun in them The life of righteousness it is not the springing up of one grace but it is the quickning of the whole body of grace in us the whole frame of holiness it is begun in them that have the life of righteousness there are all the fruits of the Spirit to be found in that soul What they are you may read in Gal. 5.22 Love joy peace long-suffering gentleness faith meekness temperance c. I say there are all the fruits of the Spirit begun in that soul so that there is no grace that the word of God calleth for that Christ hath that the Saints of God ever shewed forth but he that hath the life of righteousness can discern it in some measure begun or beginning in himself Take the lowest and meanest Christian of all others if he have the life of righteousness he can finde in himself if he doe not judge falsely at least the buddings and blossomings of the fruits of the Spirit of God of that which God requireth of his children By the beginnings and buddings of grace I mean First a discerning of the wants of grace for usually the first work of grace is a discerning of the want of grace The first work of the grace of humilitie is a discerning of the want of humilitie the first work of the grace of Faith is a discerning of the want of Faith c. So that there is I say a discerning of the want of such and such graces but that is not all hypocrites may sometime see the want of grace but there is together with a discerning of the want of grace an apprehension of the excellencie of grace a hungring and thirsting after the getting of it a high valuing of those that have it and a constant use of the Ordinances for the obtaining of it And to all these Effects of the life of righteousnesse as to the former Effects of the death of sin you must add that Propertie that it is lasting it is a never-dying life When this life of righteousness is quickned and begun in any it increaseth and groweth up it never dyeth and is finally extinguished Thus I have as briefly as I can shewed you how you may trie your selves whether you have this death of sin and life of righteousnesse that is in all those in whom the Lord Jesus Christ is Now then my brethren be exhorted I beseech you in the fear of God to put in practise and to make use of this Touchstone and looking-glasse It is of use to all of us not onely to you that are the people of God but to you that are not not onely to you that are not but to you that are the people of God These touchstones of the Scripture these scales and weights of the Sanctuarie they are of use to all sorts of people First To you that have the truth of grace in you it is of great use to you to trie your selves by for by often tryall you come to be setled and assured of the truth of your grace And for want of this you want the comfort of your interest in the Lord Christ the comfort of your justification and of your sanctification and consequently of your salvation You cannot but want comfort so long as you want assured Evidences of the truth of grace in you Again you doe not onely want comfort but you are disinabled to the service of God and growth in righteousness by discouragements Discouragements are to the people of God as the cold winde and frosts are to yong buds and whence cometh discouragements Because people are not assured of the truth of their grace And not onely so but lastly you are not so careful and thankfull to God as you should onely because you are not rooted in the certaintie of the goodness of your estate Therefore these tryals are of use to you And much more to you that are not yet in the state of grace What is the reason that so many drop into hell and are tumbled down into the pit of destruction notwithstanding they live under the Gospel and the preaching of it It is because the Devill hath begotten in them vain hopes groundless perswasions of their part in Christ of the forgiveness of their sins and salvation of their souls and so while they have vain and groundlesse hopes hence it is that they goe to hell with a dream and conceit that they go to heaven Could we but once convince people that they are not yet in a right state and that all their vain hopes and imaginarie conceits are false and will prove deceitful there were a great deal of likelihood that they would obtain true grace and so consequently come to be everlastingly saved Therefore I say it is of use to all sorts I beseech you therefore make use of those signs that the Scripture giveth you whereby you may trie your selves Doe not thinke that it is an irregular way to put people upon signs and tryals I confesse there are some particular cases wherein it is not safe for some particular persons at that time and in that case to put them to try themselves by signs But for the generall it is necessary and it is the
thou finde that God commandeth thee much and thou doest little but yet thou art in a condition wherein the Lord hath promised so thou wilt use the means and trust upon him to make thee able in an acceptable manner to doe all that he biddeth thee doe Doth the Law threaten doth the Law curse yet thou art in a condition wherein neither the threatning nor curse of the Law shall ever reach thee to condemnation Findest thou mighty rebellions in thy nature against the Law of God yet thou art in a condition wherein is promised a new nature which shall be made conformable and subjected to the Law of God What should make thee therefore hang down thy head Sharply are such Christians to be reproved that being in Christ lead lives as if they were out of Christ Doest not thou make the world to thinke that that is false which Christ saith That his yoke is easie and his burthen light If Christs yoke be easie and his burthen light why is it saith the world that the servants of Christ walk so disconsolately and complain of heavie burthens You shall find an exhortation of the Apostle in 2 Cor. 6.1 We beseech you that you receive not the grace of God in vain There is a double receiving of Gods grace in vain The one is when as Gods grace is offered and preached to people and out of love to the world and to their sins they slight it and will not receive it Another receiving the grace of God in vain it is when as people have entertained the grace of God and have entred into Covenant with Christ and yet notwithstanding doe not take the comforts that the grace of God affordeth them This is also a receiving the grace of God in vain This is thy case whoever thou art that art a beleever and yet notwithstanding doest not make melodie in thy heart and triumph over thy enemies What have the redeemed of the Lord to doe but to praise the Lord What have the members of Christ to doe but to rejoyce in Christ Doe you thinke when the Lord giveth that Commandement Phil 4. Rejoyce alwaies in the Lord and again I say rejoyce he doth not bid them rejoyce in riches in friends in honours in pleasures c. this is worldly this is damuable but he biddeth us rejoyce in the Lord in the priviledges we have by Christ through the New Covenant of Grace he biddeth us rejoyce and always rejoyce Do you thinke I say when God gave you that Commandment he had forgotten the state in which he left you that he had left you under the power of many sins subject to many failings unable to perfect obedience Doe you thinke I say again that God forgot the condition wherein he left you No God knew well enough what state he left you in that you are as Israel mingled with the Canaanites and yet he biddeth you to rejoyce why so There is ground enough for your rejoyceing because you are not under the Law but under grace and if under grace surely there is ground enough for your rejoycing notwithstanding all your failings Consider therefore then my brethren I beseech you doe not you receive the grace of God in vain doe not you slight as it were and not make use of the grace of God which thus administreth matter of rejoycing in all conditions to you that are in Christ when as you walke so lumpishly because of sin formerly committed or because of corruptions that for the present lie upon you Indeed I deny not but it becommeth Christians to mourn and they that doe not mourn shall never rejoyce in the day of judgement and the people of God are mourners in Zion Yet what kind of mourning There is a double sorrow A godly sorrow and a worldly sorrow A godly sorrow is this when as a soul melteth into tears upon the consideration of his sins and wants because he beleeveth that God through Christ will accept him notwithstanding them all this sorrow the more of it the better this sorrow melloweth the heart softneth the heart makes it frameable to the impressions of the word of God But now the other sorrow which is a worldly sorrow when as a soul is beaten out of heart because of sin formerly committed because of mighty corruptions that doe annoy him to mourn without hope and confidence of acceptance this is worldly sorrow and causeth death this is altogether unbeseeming Christians Receive now this sharp reprehension and be humbled for it and labour to remember your condition You are not come to mount Sinai but to mount Zion You are not under the Law but under Grace Therefore rejoyce in the Lord alwaies and be so cheerfull that the world may see that the service of Christ is a sweet service Here is the second Use The third is for Instruction to them that are not in Christ to such of you as remaine yet in your naturall estate The condition of them that are in Christ is this they are not under the Law but under Grace Thy condition who art not yet in Christ is just the contrary thou art not under grace but under the Law There are none that doe more assume to themselves the priviledges of grace then they that are not under grace You shall have your profane Wretch your painted Civillian your formall Hypocrite men that are dead in trespasses and sinnes that are servants to sinne while with full consent they obey sinne in the lusts thereof yet you shall have these challenge to themselves the priviledges of the Covenant of grace you shall have one swear an Oath and when he hath done say God forgive me you shall have another say I am a great sinner but I hope God will be mercifull to me Another I cannot keep the Commandements but I hope God will accept me thus these wretches that are in the gall of bitternesse and in the bond of iniquity they claime the priviledges of grace But I would have them know so many of you as have no evidences that you are translated out of the state of nature and ingrafted into Christ by his holy Spirit that you are not under grace but under the Law What is that You are in such a condition wherein nothing but perfect obedience shall stand you in stead If you pray as well as you can yet if you doe not pray as perfectly as God commanded in the Law you shall never be heard If you keep all the Commandements of God and faile but in one yet you shall be damned there is no accepting of imperfect obedience of you because you are not under Christ but under the Law And I tell thee this the Saints of God shall commit greater sinnes and goe to Heaven when thou lesser and goe to Hell Peter forsweareth his Master with an Oath and Curse and yet he is pardoned thou shalt not sweare and curse or deny Christ for the ordinary matter and shalt be damned Saul yeeldeth God imperfect
received The last and principall thing is the stooping of the soul and subjection of the heart to that which is understood and remembred For then indeed according to the Phrase of the Spirit of God in Scripture a man is said to hearken when the soul begineth to yeeld and subject it self and to take the impression of that truth which God is pleased to make known unto it and that is the meaning of the Phrase 1 Kings 12.15 The Text saith there of Rehoboam that when the ancient men came to counsell him he hearkned not unto them as if it should be said he heard them well enough and he understood them well enough and he retained their counsel in his memory well enough but his soul yeelded not to it his heart imbraced not that counsel he did not subject himself thereunto therefore the Text saith He hearkned not to the counsell of the old men The like Phrase we have touching the sons of Eli 1 Sam. 2.25 When their father spake to them after a cold fashion the Text saith They hearkned not unto the voice of their father They heard his words well enough and understood what he said but their souls stooped not their hearts submitted not they did not subject themselves to take in the impression of the truth upon them and to be framed to the wisdome of God revealed to them in the same So that my brethren then a man is said to hearken when his ear heareth the sound his understanding closeth with the sense and his memorie retains it and his heart cometh under it stoopeth to it yeelds up it self to the impression of the truths delivered to be disposed of thereafter In brief therefore this is the meaning A carefull attention to the word that includes the three former and obedience and subjection of heart to the word thus attended to comprized in the last Now for the party to be hearkned unto that is unto me What is meant here by the word mee If you have recourse to the beginning of this Chapter you shall see it is Wisdom And by Wisdom here you are to understand the Lord Jesus Christ so far as he hath pleased to reveal himself to us either in the Word of God or work of his grace For Christ is here especially meant but not Christ meerly or barely as God nor Christ in the second person but so far as the Lord Jesus Christ the wisdome of his Father is pleased by the work of his grace by the power of his Spirit in the Ministory of the word either written or preached to reveal himself to us So far he is said to be Wisdome The words now are clear you see what is to be understood by hearkning and who the parâ—ie is to whom we must hearken The Point then that ariseth from these two parts of the Text thus joyned together in the Explication is evident and it is to this effect Namely â—hat The voice of the Lord Jesus Christ ought onely to be attended to and must be obeyed of all his faithfull servants I say Of all his faithfull servants The Lord Christ thinketh 〈◊〉 vain to speak to others therefore he addresseth himself onely to his children These are they that must attend and obey his voice whatsoever he shall be pleased to reveal unto them they must submit themselves unto it and that before and above all others in the world The Point is clear and evident You see it is the main purpose and intent of Christ in this place and therefore hee calleth for audience he desireth to gain acceptance at the hands of men As if he should say in other terms Lay by all other advice onely hearken unto me my children let corrupt counsell carnall advice the sinfull delusions of all ungodly persons in the world let them all passe onely hear and hearken unto me entertain and unbrace my counsell submit your hearts to my instructions And not onely Christ requires this of his children in this place under the name of Wisdome but it is the injunction of God himself and that from heaven it is such a truth and of so great importance that God himself from heaven makes it known and giveth it in speciall charge to all the sons of men Matth. 17.5 When Christ was transfigured in the Mount There came a voice out of the cloud which said This is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased hear ye him Mark there came a voice out of the cloud It is not onely the voice of man that perswades you aâ—d enjoyns you to give audience to the Lord Jesus but God himself and that from heaven and that in mediately with his own mouth layeth this upon us as a dutie that we are to perform that we should hear his Son that is hear him above all more then all nay hear him onely and none but him It is that also which Christ himself calleth for Mat. 11.29 Learn of me for I am meek and lowly in heart As if he should say There are many masters and teachers in the world but leave all the rest and come hither and learn of me for I am c. Yea it is not onely the charge of God and command of Christ but it hath been and is the generall resolution of the Saints of God from day to day Mic. 4.2 all the people joyned hand in hand as it were Come say they and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord and to the house of the God of Jacob and he will teach us of his waies and we will walk in his paths for the Law shall go forth of Zion and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem As if they should have said Because from Zion cometh the Law because at Jerusalem the word of God is taught and revealed therefore it is high time for us to go thither come let us goe let us wait upon God there he will teach us of his waies and what remaineth we will walk in his paths we will stoop unto the truth delivered we will submit our selves to it and conform our hearts and lives to the will of God revealed to us from thence And you shall observe the holy Prophet David as though there had been no Temple no Priest no Teacher besides how his good soul is still breathing upward in many passages of the 119. Psalm Lord teach me Lord quicken mee Lord give understanding to thy servant c. He repaireth maâ—nly and chiefly to the Lord for guidance and direction Enough for the proof of the point But a man may aske after what manner must I hearken Hearkning I told you implyeth attention and obedience therefore you may remember that I put them both together in the Doctrine that it was our duty both to attend to the voice of Christ and to yeeld obedience unto it But how must I doe this For the opening hereof give me leave to discover unto you three particulars which are specially to be considered and are required of
hearken to any perswasions to the contrary though they be backed with never so many shews of Religion or learning But a question here may be demanded shall not a man be willing to heare better counsell happily then his own Must he heare nothing at all against such an opinion or practise as he conceives to be grounded upon divine truth and which he hath been taught by those teachers he hath depended upon Who knoweth not that a man may easily be deceived and mistake the sense of Gods Spirit in the word so as to imbrace errour instead of truth My brethren by the cunning subtilty of the enemy this conceit hath crept into the mind of all Heretiques that look what they once drink in they must ever retain it as a principle and never think of removing or unsetling from it This is an hook whereby the Devill holdeth multitudes of men in falsehood and errour and in wicked courses They will heare nothing against that which formerly they have imbraced and been perswaded unto by those they depend upon This policie the Devill useth in Popery and amongst the Familists and Anabaptists teaching them to resolve to hold whatsoever they have received either from themselves or others And here I say it is sinfull for a man to resolve to heare no counsell at all against his opinion But neverthelesse this I say When a man is perswaded that the opinion or course he takes up is such as God himselfe hath been pleased to make known unto him out of his Word he is to receive nothing against this but meerly out of the Word let nothing unsettle our judgement in a plain and revealed truth but onely hold to that As I have been settled by the truth so if ever I change my opinion the truth is that which shall reform me all the counsell I take up and all the opinions I hold shall be such as the Word of God shall reveal to mee And because my minde may be weak and my understanding frail and not able to see the sense of the spirit therefore I will hear nothing against a good course but onely out of the Word If my opinion and my course be such as I am perswaded is the truth revealed out of the word howsoever I may be deluded yet this I will attribute to the Word of God no opinion no authoritie of any other shall carry the truth from me but the word shall reform me as the word hath perswadad me and as the word hath revealed to me This you shall observe to be the counsell of God in severall places of Scripture Mark what the Apostle saith to the Philippians Phil. 1.27 he desireth this at their hands that they would stand fast in one spirit with one minde in the truth revealed and to the Colossians Col. 1.23 Continue saith he in the faith grounded and setled and be not moved away from the hope of the Gospel which you have heard and which was preached unto you As if he should say If you have received that satisfaction from the word of God that you are convinced that it is the word of God and that the course you take is grounded upon it be not moved but stand fast in that truth received This is the second thing The third and last thing which concerneth the manner of our hearkning to the voice of Christ is this When thus the soul is perswaded of the will of God revealed and when the heart setleth it self upon it and hears nothing against the good pleasure of the Lord thus manifested then in the last place the soul must yeeld obedience therunto not alone in doing the thing God commandeth but in doing the will of God in so doing Mark not alone I say performing what God requireth of us but to be carried to the performance of the dutie meerly because God requireth it For these you must observe are two distinct things and of great difference A man may doe the thing which God commandeth and yet notwithstanding never doe Gods will but his own Many a man cometh to Church and there hears and understands and remembers and doth the things that God would have him doe and yet in the mean time doth not at all the will of God for he doth not therefore go to Church because God requireth it but partly either because custome or shame or the Law or somewhat else forceth him to it Here therefore is the main pitch of our obedience not alone to perform what is the good pleasure of God but to let the will of God be the first mover of our souls in the discharging of that service he calleth for at our hands to doe what we doe because it is the will of God we should doe it to perform what he requires in obedience to him because he requires it Our Saviour Christ putteth these together in his prayer to his Father Luke 22.42 If thou be willing saith he remove this Cup from me nevertheless not my will but thine be done He saith not that he will do the thing that God requireth but he will doe the will of God in it the will of God should be the carrier and mover of him to take upon him the great work of redemption So should it be with us in every thing we doe It is not my will that moveth me but the will of God it is not my pleasure that provokes me to this service but the pleasure of God This is the third thing requisite in our manner of hearkning to the voice of Christ And this may be sufficient for the explication of the point Onely let me adde one thing more Hence it followeth clearly That he that doth the will of God because God requireth it will obey all the good pleasure of the Lord Hee will obey him in every thing as well as in one thing in the hardest command as well as in that which is more easie in that which most crosseth his nature as well as in that which is more suteable thereunto This indeed is that which makes a Christian constant in his walking with God notwithstanding all those difficulties and discouragements he meets withall when as others are fain to baulk many things which are required of them to perform For my brethren if a man onely take up the practise of such matters in Religion as sute with his own humour or ease or profit or the like when those fail his performance of the 〈◊〉 faileth also if there be no other motive to carrie him along in the service of God but these outward and carnall considerations when they are gone his service of God is gone also And therefore we find by experience that many men can be content to give us the hearing they will come to Church and attend to the word of God but they will take up no more they will be tyed to the performance of no dutie further then it standeth with their own occasions and suteth with their own sinfull dispositions But
Angels have the least part in the redemption of a sinner We are the redeemed and the saved and we are they that must be glorified and shall we have no ears to hear no hearts to attend to no desires to imbrace the Word of Salvation Oh what a shame is it that we that have so much interest in mercie should have so great a neglect of mercy What then remaineth but this that we all provoke one another to the performance of this dutie here required of us that we stop our ears to all carnall counsell to all delusions of Satan that we hearken to the Lord onely as our Master resolving to attend to no advice to follow no directions to obey no commands but what he shall give us Oh but will some say what is this which you teach us May not a man hear his carnall friends may we not follow the advice that they give us If we slight their counsell we may be undome their anger may be such against us that wee shall not be able to bear it To this Objection I will reply in a word Will carnall friends be troubled and offended because their words are neglected and will not the Lord Jesus Christ thinke you be horribly displeased when his commands are despised Assure your selves my brethren either you must hear the Lord Christ now as a Saviour or you shall hear him hereafter as a Judge either hear him now so as to obey and doe what he requires or if you refuse to hear his counsel expect to hear an horrible sentence thundred against you when he shall sit as Judge at the last day when all your carnall counsellours shall not be able to acquit you You that are wives and pretend that you must please your husbands by submitting to their commands and desires you that are husbands and alledge that you must give satisfaction to your wives you that are Apprentices and plead that if you observe not your masters wills but walk according to the rule of Gods word you shall be thwarted by your masters and driven to some great inconvenience You that stand upon the humoring of your friends and acquaintance consider it well Will the perswasions and counsels and desires and commands of a Father or friend or husband or master stand you in stead at the day of judgement Will this be a satisfactorie answer at that day my husband intreated me my friends counselled me my master commanded me No my brethren as you are brethren in iniquitie and causes of sin one to another so you shall perish both together Therefore knowing the terror of the Lord let that scare you more then the anger and displeasure of all the friends in the world But the truth is you will answer again they are they that we receive all from and should we goe contrary to them and neglect their advice we must resolve to be poor and base and mean all our daies What a silly imagination is this Put case these carnall friends bear some kinds of respect unto thee and promise thee fair and seem able to doe thee good Can they doe thee good unlesse the Lord Christ blesse what they doe Is not he able to draw their hearts from thee or to move them towards thee Cannot he blesse the means and cannot he curse them also Thinke of this my brethren Whether is better for a man to be inriched or glorified To hear an earthly parent that happily may give him an earthly patrimonie or an heavenly father that assuredly will receive him to mercie in the end of this life Thinke of these things and withall know that the means and helps and supports that we desire are not properly in the power of friends and acquaintance but it is God that boweth the hearts and inlargeth the spirits of men whether friends or no to doe us good I have known many a carnall man that having wicked friends hath been inforced to bestow most upon those whose life and practise he most opposed and hated At leastwise beleeve for a truth what the Lord saith by the Prophet Isa 55.3 Encline your ear and come unto me hear and your soul shall live That is enough me thinks to put to silence all such Objections as these What ever carnall friends shall perswade you to nothing shall doe you so much good as the hearing and obeying the voice of Christ But it may be some will reply and say Alas I have present need of such and such therefore I must either hear them counselling or else they will not hear me intreating Oh my brethren thinke of this Hath a man or shall a man have need of a friend and shall he not also have need of the Lord Jesus Christ Must a friend be obeyed because wee have need of him and shall not the Lord Jesus Christ be much more observed because we have much more need of him Hast thou need of a father or master to bestow some favour upon thee and hast thou not need also of a Saviour that may deliver thee from sin here and from everlasting damnation hereafter Know it know it that howsoever now you may neglect the counsell and advice of the Lord Jesus Christ and thinke that you have no need of him because happily for the present your friends smile upon you yet the time will come when you shall find you have more need of Christ then of all the world When a man lieth upon the bed of death and his eies begin to grow dim and his breath short and his pulse weak and he ready to goe the way of all flesh Oh what good can friends doe him then all of them together can neither restore health nor preserve life in that hour He that now would be our Saviour hereafter will be our Judge and will passe sentence upon us one way or other either of salvation or damnation Shall we not stand in need then of his mercy and saving health when that day cometh The soul will then wish for a dram of mercy more then for a whole world Ask a man my brethren when he is going the way of all flesh what then he most desireth and what he would have at that time especially Oh will he say mercy mercy Oh that the Lord would accept my person and pardon my sins and graciously look upon me in the face of Christ This is all that the poor soul then craveth But if you neglect now to hear the voice of Christ how can you expect that ever he will hear you in that day It is just it is just my brethren that you should then have the same sentence that was past upon the foolish Virgins Matth. 25.12 They came and knocked hard and spake loud Lord Lord open unto us Away saith Christ I know you not I know you not You would not hear me in the time of your pilgrimage upon the earth when I sent all my servants the Prophets rising early and sending them therefore now I will not
had and what he received by faith they that beleeve as he did may expect the selfe same mercy that he had Now the faithfull of God and sonnes of Abraham are here described two wayes I say every faithfull man that is the sonne of Abraham that imitateth the faith of Abraham is discovered two wayes First Negatively What will not suffice to make a man the sonne of Abraham Secondly Affirmatively What God specially looks for at the hands of those that are to be the children of Abraham First Negatively thus Abraham is the father of circumcision not onely to them who are of the circumcision that is not onely theirs who have the priviledges of the Jewes the Word and the Oracles of God Circumcision and the Passeover T is true Abraham is their father but not onely theirs that have no more but those priviledges but also theirs that walk in the footsteps of the faith of Abraham So that by Circumcision you must here understand all these prerogatives and priviledges which the Jewes had above any other Nation and consequently that none of all those priviledges then could that none of ours as to be in the Church to be baptized c. now can make a man to be the sonne of Abraham Abraham is the father of the circumcision not to them who are of the circumcision onely but he is the father of the circumcision if they have faith They that have bare circumcision onely may indeed applaud themselves therein but they shall never receive thereby those things God hath promised This is the Negative Secondly The Affirmative part sheweth who they be indeed that shall truly be partakers of the comforts and graces of Abraham namely those that walk in the footsteps of that faith of Abraham If a man beleeve as he did work as he did walk as he did so onely he may come to have title unto and interest in the promises God hath vouchsafed in his Word Thus much for the opening of the words Come we now in the first place to speak of the negative part in which the Spirit of God is pleased to exclude all outward priviledges and prerogatives and to say thus Abraham is the father of circumcision to them who are not of the circumcision onely that is if they injoy onely outward priviledges they are not the children of Abraham The point we learn hence is thus much That all outward priviledges as the hearing of the Word the partaking of the Sacraments and the like are not able to make a man a sound Saint of God The point is clear in the Text That if a man had circumcision that is if he had all those preferments that God vouchsafeth to a people in the face and bosome of his Church this would not doe him any good at all he hath no title to the promises because of these if he rest in them Abraham is not the father of those that are circumcised onely So that I say again all outward priviledges are not able to make a man a true Saint of God Our Saviour Christ speaking of Capernaum saith And thou Capernaum which art exalted unto heaven shalt be brought down to hell for if the mighty works which have been done in thee had been done in Sodome c. Mat. 11.23 Capernaum was lifted up to Heaven how In all those spirituall helpes and excellent meanes that God vouchsafed them above many others they were highly advanced in the enjoyment of heavenly priviledges they heard the Word of God and they saw the Miracles of Christ and yet Thou Capernaum shalt be deep in punishment thou wert lifted up to Heaven in regard of excellent priviledges but thou shalt be cast down to Hell in regard of thy impenitency and stubbornesse under them The Apostle Paul disputeth the point and makes the case clear Rom. 2.28 29. where he plucks away all these hopes and vain props which men raise to themselves from the having of outward priviledges He is not a Jew saith he that is one outwardly that is he is not therefore a true child of God and a faithfull man he hath not therefore saving faith because he is circumcised because he enjoyeth the liberties and priviledges of the people of God and liveth in the bosome of the Church but he is a Jew which is one inwardly and Circumciston is that of the heart in the Spirit and not in the Letter whose praise is not of men but of God You know that it was an ancient Proverb in Israel Is Saul also amongst the Prophets 1 Sam. 10.12 and 19.24 Yes Saul was amongst the Prophets and he that was once amongst the Prophets is now amongst the Devils in Hell Judas was highly promoted he lived as an Apostle amongst the Disciples heard out Saviour continually sate at table with him and yet for all this is now damned in hell for ever These were high priviledges and if these would have done the deed Judas had never perished Ishamel was circumcised and yet he was excommunicated out of Abrahams family the then Church of God and was a cast-away Instances are many in the Scriptures to this purpose but I list not to dwell longer upon the proofe of the point you see it is evident enough that bare priviledges be they never so high and excellent are not able to make one indeed a faithfull man before the Lord nor the sonne of Abraham I should have shewed the Reasons Alas outward matter 's never work upon the heart That which makes a man a Saint must work upon the soul Now the Word and the Sacraments barely considered cannot work upon the spirit unlesse the Lord work a new frame inwardly by the infusion of Grace Gal. 5.6 Circumcision and uncircumcision profiteth nothing but faith that worketh by love These outward things are too shallow to reach the inward man too weak to work so powerfully upon the soule of a Christian man as to bring the heart to God But I leave the strengthning of the point by Reasons and because I would not be prevented I come to the Uses The first Use I will hence raise is an Use of reproof This Doctrine confoundeth the carnall confidence of those Professors that living in the bosome of the Church place all their hopes and assurance of being saved upon this bottome because they have been baptized and come to Church and hear the Word and receive the Sacrament therefore of necessity they presume they must be accepted of God This was the old plea of the Jewes in Jeremies time When the Prophet came to them to reprove them for their sinnes and presse them to repentance they began to quarrell with him and to take up Bucklers against him and cried out The Temple of the Lord the Temple of the Lord are these These are the Fig-leaves wherewith poor and ignorant Christians think to hide themselves at this day Tell them of their saults bid them walk humbly and holily before God reprove them for their strange practises against God
Abraham That man that not onely enjoyeth the Priviledges of the Church but yeeldeth the obedience of faith according to the Word of God revealed and walketh in obedience that man alone shall be blessed with faithfull Abraham Two points may be hence raised but I shall hardly handle them both therefore I will passe over the first onely with a touch and that lieth closely couched in the Text That Faith causeth fruitfulness in the hearts and lives of those in whom it is Mark what I say A faithfull man is a fruitfull man Faith inableth a man to be doing Ask the Question By what power was it whereby Abraham was inabled to yeeld obedience to the Lord The Text answereth you They that walke in the footsteps not of Abraham but in the footsteps of the faith of Abraham A man would have thought the Text should have run thus They that walk in the footsteps of Abraham that is true too but the Apostle had another end therefore he saith They that walk in the footsteps of the faith of Abraham implying that it was the grace of faith that God bestowed on Abraham that quickned and inabled him to every duty that God required of him and called him to the performance of So that I say the Question being Whence came it that Abraham was so fruitfull a Christian what inabled him to do and to suffer what he did Surely it was faith that was the cause that produced such Effects that helped him to perform such actions The Point then you see is evident Faith is it that causoth fruit Hence it is that of almost all the actions that a Christian haah to doe faith is still said to be the worker If a man pray as he should it is the prayer of faith Jam. 5.15 If a man obey as he should it is the obedience of faith Rom. 16.26 If a man war in the Church militant it is the fight of faith 1 Tim. 6.12 2 Tim. 4.7 If a man live as a Christian and holy man he liveth by fasth Gal. 2.20 Nay shall I say yet more if he die as he ought he dieth by faith Heb. 11.13 These all died in faith What is that by the power of faith that directed and ordered them in the course of their death furnished them with grounds and principles of aflurance of the love of God made them carry themselves patiently in death I can say no more but with the Apostle 2 Cor. 13.5 Examine your selves whether yee bee in the faith Why doth not the Apostle say Examine whether faith be in you but whether yee bee in the faith His meaning is that as a man is said to be in drinke or to be in love or to bee in passion that is under the command of drinke or love or passion so the whole man must be under the command of faith as you shall see more afterwards If he pray faith must indite his prayer If he obey faith must work If hee live it is faith that must quicken him and if he die it is faith that must order him in death And wheresoever faith is it will doe wonders in the soul of that man where it is it cannot be idle it will have footsteps it sets the whole man on work it moveth feet and hands and cies and all parts of the bodie Mark how the Apostle disputeth 2 Cor 4.13 We having the same spirit of faith according as it is written I beleeved and therefore have I spoken we also believe and therefore speak The faith of the Apostle which he had in his heart set his tongue a going If a man have faith within it will break forth at his mouth This shall suffice for the proof of the point I thought to have pressed it further but if I should I see the time would prevent me The Use therefore in a word is this If this be so then it falleth soul and is a heavie Bill of Indictment against many that live in the bosome of the Church Go thy wayes home and read but this Text and consider seriously but this one thing in it That whosoever is the son of Abraham hath faith and whosoever hath faith is a walker is a worker by the footsteps of faith you may see where faith hath been Will not this then I say fall marvellous heavie upon many souls that live in the bosome of the Church who are confident and put it out of all Question that they are true beleevers and make no doubt but that they have faith But look to it wheresoever faith is it is fruitfull If thou art fruitlesse say what thou wilt thou hast no faith at all Alas these idle Drones these idle Christians the Church is too too full of them Men are continually hearing and yet remain fruitless and unprofitable whereas if there were more faith in the world we should have more work done in the world faith would set feet and hands and eies and all on work Men go under the name of professors but alas they are but Pictures they stir not a whit Mark Where you found them in the beginning of the yeer there you shall find them in the end of the yeer as profane as worldly as loose in their conversations as formall in dutie as ever And is this faith Oh faith would work other matters and provoke a soul to other passages then these But you wil say May not a man have faith and not that fruit you speak of May not a man have a good heart to God-ward although he cannot find that abilitie in matter of fruitfulnesse My brethren be not deceived Such an opinion is a meer delusion of Satan whereever faith is it bringeth Christ into the soul Mark that Whosoever beleeveth Christ dwelleth in his heart by faith Eph. 3.17 And If Christ be in you saith the Apostle the body is dead because of sin but the spirit is life because of righteousness Rom. 8.10 If Christ be in you that is Whosoever beleeveth in the Lord Jesus Christ dwels in such a man by faith now if Christ be in the soul the bodie cannot be dead but a man is alive and quick and active to holy duties ready and willing and cheerfull in the performance of whatsoever God requireth Christ is not a dead Saviour nor the Spirit a dead Spirit The second Adam is made a quickning spirit 1 Cor. 15.45 And wherever the Spirit is it works Effects suteable to it The Spirit is a Spirit of puritie a spirit of zeal c. and where it is it maketh pure and zealous c. When a man will say he hath faith and in the mean time can be content to be idle and unfruitfull in the work of the Lord can bee content to be a dead Christian let him know that his case is marvellously fearfull For if faith were in him indeed it would appear yee cannot keep your good hearts to your selves where ever fire is it will burn and where ever faith is it cannot be
reconciled to him Now when the soul findeth this and the like and withall hath an inward work which though happily he cannot discover the manner and order thereof nor expresse it to others yet he knows more thereof then any man under heaven Ask a child How doe you know such a man is your father Alas he cannot tell you yet he hath a strong affection toward him above all others and feels in himself such a leaning in his affection towards him as another feels not So the mother of the child that was brought before Solomon had no Argument in the world to prove the child to be hers but the yerning of her bowels and relenting of her spirit toward the child proved it sufficiently So there is in a Saint of God an inward tenderness of affection a leaning of his soul towards God which no man knowes but he that hath it If a curious workman after he hath made a clock or a watch shew the frame thereof to a man ignorant of that Art and declare to him the manner of making it happily he will conceive his words and his reasons and perceive that he saith truth but he cannot make such another because he hath not the Art it self of clock-making My brethren so it is here There is a curious frame in the soule of a Christian of grace of faith of repentance of holinesse of love patience and the like a blessed disposition of heart whereby the soul runneth right toward God and every holy dutie and strikes right as I may say in all holy obedience to God this is a frame reared up by the hand of the Spirit of God alone in the heart of a Christian Now the Apostle Paul who had such a work as this wrought in him can tell the nature of hope and of faith and of repentance but I that read what he hath written of these things being a naturall man though happily I understand the sence and apprehend the meaning of the words yet the true knowledge of the nature of repentance or faith or hope I cannot possibly attain to so long as I remain a meer naturall man Even as an ignorant man cannot conceive the Art of Watch-making in that manner as the Artist himself understands it so cannot I discern the nature of this spiritual frame in the heart further then God is pleased to teach me this skill by the work of his Spirit within my self When I finde my own heart wrought upon then I can best discover it to another then doe I know that which before I never understood though happily I could discourse something concerning such things and understand the outside as it were yet that was all I never knew the bottom as I doe now You see then the difference between the knowledge of Hypocrites that live in the bosome of the Church and the knowledge of Gods Elect or saving knowledge Now for the Use of all in a word or two If this be so that men may live in the Church of God and enjoy the means of grace and yet be a people of no understanding have no saving knowledge then my brethren here is a word of reproof to check all those conceits and pull down all those silly imaginations of poor ignorant carnall creatures that live here among us in the bosome of the Church who because the Lord hath been pleased to put them into a place where the truth is plainly taught and preached presently perswade their own souls that they have wise dome and knowledge enough to bring them to life and salvation If happily you come to any of these men and tell them that they ought to be inlarged in those duties God requireth of his children that they should be able to catechise their families to pray with them to instruct them that they should be skilfull in the art of humbling their souls before God in private conversing and spirituall communion with him Alas they will answer you that for the present they are too weak and unable for such things as these Well but prove them again afterwards when they have continued a longer time under the means and demand of them how they have bettered themselves what strength of grace they have attained unto By no means you must meddle with them What they have not lived so long in a good Parish under a panfull Minister and gone so often to Church but surely they have sufficient to bring them to heaven and although they cannot doe so and so though they cannot give you a reason of the hope that is in them yet they make no question but to speed as well as the best Men think it enough to be good Church-men to have and injoy the helpes God vouchsafeth and bestoweth upon his people to be often hearers of the Word read and preached and so rest themselves contented and there set up their staffe though in the mean time they remain as blind and ignorant and as carnall as ever My brethren be not deceived the Lord will not be mocked It is not sufficient to salvation for a man to be an often hearer to have his heart now and then inlarged to give assent to the truths delivered to conceive the grounds of them or to be able happily to discourse of some points of religion Oh look further he that hath saving knowledge indeed goes farre beyond all this You that are tradesmen or you that have children will any man say my child is a good Schollar for he hath gone so long to schoole or my Apprentise hath good skill in his trade because he hath served me so many yeares It is true he ought to be so but it doth not follow that because he hath had such and such helps and lived so long under them that therefore he is so So it is here there is no reason for any man to ground his assurance of salvation on his injoyment of the meanes or to imagine that God hath wrought mercifully for him in the matter of knowledge which accompanieth life and happiness because of his long living under a good ministry no it is not enough to have the preaching of the word among us and to have the meanes and helps of saving knowledge you may have all these and yet remain ignorant and blind and be a people of no understanding Secondly this is a word of instruction to us We are hence given to understand the sinfulnesse of our nature and the blindnesse of our mindes seeing a man may have all the means under heaven and yet all prove unprofitable to him may injoy all the helpes that God hath set up in his Church for the good of peoples soules and yet receive no good by them What a strange heart is ours Yet so it is even amongst many of us in this place and I wish it were not so with most that live in the Church at this day I fear me that if a man should goe from heart to heart and observe every ones particular
spirits now in prison What spirits were these which once were disobedient when once the long-suffering of God waited in the dayes of Noah Those spirits and damned souls those damned Ghosts now in hell the spirits of wicked men now in hell what were they they were those that were disobedient in the dayes of Noah Noah a preacher of righteousnesse whose life was a continuall preaching who daily called upon them and was earnest with them to repent and there was much long-suffering and patience afforded them God waited long for their amendment yet those souls were then rebellious under such great meanes and they are now cooped up in Hell A man would thinke it strange when he shall read the storie of Cain that he notwithstanding God himself came from heaven to teach him should yet remain obstinate and stout-hearted and yet you know the storie Gen. 4. you see it was so Cain began to be dismaid and his countenance fell because God regarded not his sacrifice Well God came from heaven and takes Cain to taske Cain what meaneth all this stir Why art thou wroth and why is thy countenance fallen If thou doest well shalt thou not be accepted and if thou doest ill sin lieth at the door and unto thee shall be his desire and thou shalt rule over him A man I say would thinke that one should be instructed when God himself teacheth yet notwithstanding after all this Instruction of God himself whith in reason would be thought as effectuall as could be Cain forsakes God and flyeth off from the commandement of God stoopeth not nor yeeldeth obedience thereunto This is that which the Prophet I saiah hath Chap. 26. 10. Let favour be shewed to the wicked yet he will not learn righteousnesse in the land of uprightnesse will he deal unjustly and will not behold the majesty of the Lord. Though there be many helps afforded to him though he be planted in the Church of God where all things call and cry to him for amendment of life though the holinesse and mercy and goodnesse of God compasse him about though he have holy and religious neighbours about him though he have a good Minister in the Parish where he is yet he will not learn righteousnesse but will deal unjustly notwithstanding all the washing he will remain black still notwithstanding all the means that God vouchsafeth for his good yet he will be naught still One example you shall see of this in a passage of a Parable Mark 12. which makes good the Point in hand A certain man saith the Text planted a vineyard and set a hedge about it and digged a place for the wine fat and built a Tower here was much pains and a great deal of cost bestowed Well he let out this vineyard to husbandmen and went into a far countrey and at the season he sent to the husbandmen that he might receive of the fruit of the Vineyard Did he receive any fruit No they beat one and stoned another and killed another and all the messengers they sent away emptie At last he sent his son his welbeloved but they took him and killed him and cast him out of the Vineyard In a word The Vineyard is the Church of God and the Husbandmen were the Scribes and Pharisees they were those to whom God as it were had let out his Church He sendeth his messengers his servants the Prophets rising early and sending them his Apostles and Disciples to call for fruit for the fruits of holiness of faith and obedience but they abused his servants they made him no return of fruit but when he looked for grapes behold they brought forth wild grapes At last the Lord sent his Son the Lord Jesus Christ he came amongst them he that spake as never man did speak so that even all the world wondred at the gracious words which did proceed out of his mouth certainly saith God they will reverence my Son they will hear him they will be governed by his directions they will stoop at his command No they were then most outragious and malicious against him they all banded themselves together Come say they let us slay him they joyned heart and hand and all for his ruine I will not dwell longer upon the proof of it See it in nature The Physitian observeth it of the stomack that is naught that the best meat that a man giveth it the more cordials the better diet the worse are the humors that are bred by it Even so it is with a naughtie heart and it is an argument of a most wretched disposition when the best Physick the best Remedies the best diet as I may say that God can afford a man for his spirituall cure shall make the heart the worse And truly when the heart is naught it groweth stark naught under the best means No men are so bad as they that live where are the best helps for amendment The thing you see is evident in the proof of it we will a little further discover the nature of such men as live under the means and yet harden their necks and how that corruption that is in the heart doth discover it self most where the best means are And you shall see it made good in these two particulars That wicked men corrupt hearts are the worst under the best meanes though they have admonition after admonition though they are often reproved First of all The hearts of those men grow usually most rebellious against the Lord and against that truth that cometh with greatest power upon them either discoveriing sin to them or working effectually upon the soul and conscience The disposition of men usually that are naught is so that they manifest a marvailous fiercenesse of soul whereby they carry themselves violently against the blessed truth and Word of God and the more because it is the more powerfull we have a rule in reason that contraries when they meet the more violent one is the more the other will work against it as we may see it in fire and water So it is here the greater violence and Spirit and power the Word hath in any place the more violent the heart will shew it self in gainsaying the Ministry thereof The more home the Word cometh to the conscience and the more powerfully it is applied either in the convincing of sin or perswasion to holiness of life the greater risings and stirrings of heart there is against it You shall observe this in a passage of the story of the men of Sodom Gen. 19.9 When the cursed Sodomites came about the house and would have taken the Angels that came to Lot Lot he came out to them and spake very lovingly to them but because that which he said tended to crosse them in their wicked and unnaturall courses mark how they answered him Stand back say they This one fellow came in to sojourn and he will needs be a Judge now will we deal worse with thee than with them and they pressed sore
not your hearts with your conditions but confesse it confesse thou hast a graceless and naughty heart this is the next way to be a Christian It is a speciall ornament of a Christian man to be contented to be checked by the Word of God labour therefore to yeeld to the truth when it is revealed And this is the first Use a word of Examination The second is a word of Exhortation and so I will conclude We are all to be exhorted in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ to take notice of this evill that is in our hearts I say all of us for howsoever wicked men doe professedly oppose the truth of God and his Word in the faithfull ministry thereof yet the Saints of God themselves so farre as they are flesh have resistances in them but with this difference a godly man when he perceiveth his heart stubborn and rebellious against God in his Word he yet notwithstanding joyneth and sideth with the Word and laboureth to oppose that corruption of the flesh so it was with Saint Paul in the place before named A child of God that hath a holy disposition wrought in him by the Spirit of God when he seeth his heart unwilling to yeeld to Christ and his Word he cryeth shame upon himselfe that after so much hearing so many mercies received so many gracious promises revealed to him the good Word of God so often laid home to his conscience that his heart should yet remain in any measure rebellious against God and therefore he resteth not in this condition but takes up armes against this rebellion of heart as well as against any corruption else whatsoever This I say is the disposition of a gracious heart But with a wicked man it is clean contrary So then I say though it concerneth all naturall men in a speciall manner to suffer this word of exhortation but seeing every man even the Saints of God themselves so farre as there is corruption in them have in them this rebellion of nature it is therefore an exhortation to all to be perswaded if we tender our own good and comforts not to content our selves to be bare hearers to injoy the means of grace and to live under the powerfull preaching of the Gospel but to labour to bring our hearts to yeeld and submit to the truths revealed and to give way to the Word of God to be contented to be governed by the good Word of God It is better never to have known the Word of God then to have it made known and to gainsay and stand out against it Let us therefore be carefull to subject our selves and to take up the yoke of the Lord to give way to every truth revealed being willing and contented to yeeld to whatsoever the Word of God shall make known whether it declare what is amisse to take that away or whether it revealeth what is to be done to practise that This is a blessed frame and disposition of spirit and by this we shall come to have comfort and benefit by all our hearing this is the onely way to get that good that God intendeth in all those helpes and means that he hath appointed in his Church It is the commendation of Josiah that his heart melted at the hearing of the Law read 2 Kings 22.19 And I know not a greater ornament to a Christian then to have such a heart that look as it is with soft things they will take any impression that is put upon them whatsoever the stamp or seale setteth upon them they will take it print for print be it of what nature or kind soever such ought to be the temper of every soule to have a tender yeelding melting heart to be of a pliable teachable disposition to give way to whatever is made known out of the Word I beseech you therefore take this home to your soules and suffer the words of exhortation let the Word of God take place in your hearts I would have every Christian soule to look up to heaven when he commeth into the Congregation and to say speak Lord thy servant is desirous to hear and contented to hear and obey whatsoever thou shalt in this Sermon make known to me And if the Lord will have any thing give it him if he exact any thing from thee yeeld to him This is a melting heart But you will say to me I will conclude in a word or two How shall a man come to bow his neck and take up the yoke of Christ Here is all the labour my brethren and if we could once obtain this the businesse would be done God is not lesse mercifull then he was the Word is not lesse powerfull then it was but these hearts of ours are stubborn and loth to yeeld to the truth Labour therefore for this and have all But what course shall we take to compasse this In a word the means that I would suggest for the present are these First labour to work upon thy own soul a kind of reasonable contentednesse to part with that beloved corruption that lieth in thy bosome I doe not say thou canst doe it but I say labour to bring thy heart to a reasonable kind of contentednesse this way For my brethren here is all the quarrell between you and the Minister of God it all lyeth here the Lord saith thou must forsake thy sins or else I must damn thy soul For we come for souls when we come to preach we doe not come here onely to spend an hour and so an end of the matter No but we see a poor company of creatures in the Congregation and we know that many among them are yet hardned and blinded and going headlong to perdition it is now our labour and care to prevent your ruine and therefore many a prayer we put up and many a tear we shed on your behalf Oh suffer your Minister therefore because he desireth and studieth your good he sees you walking in a way in which you must needs perish and therefore he draweth the sword of the word of God against you Oh stoop to the word of God revealed Here now I say is all the quarrell the Minister saith you must leave your sins the soul saith I will not I will have those fins and I will practise those courses and therefore thou stomackst the Minister and thy heart works against the Word of God Alas Why doe you contend against him and murmure against him we seek not our selves but you nor doe we aim at our own ends but at the salvation of your precious souls and notwithstanding all your oppositions here is the comfort of a Minister that one converted soul is better then a whole world therefore well may he sweat his heart for it whatsoever you say But I say if the Minister labour thus with God and with thee for thy souls good why is all this controversie Why dost thou not labour with thy heart to part with thy sins It is the desire
he was a spirit and not flesh he neither had bloud nor bones nor any body at all but yet for beleevers did Christ dispose of himself so that he might become a man he that was God the second Person in Trinitie the maker of all flesh he did so order it that he gave up himself to Incarnation to become a man This is that you have excellently exprest in Phil. 2. 6 7. Who being in the form of God thought it not robberie to be equall with God that is who was God Gods equall one and the same with God therefore equall with God in majestie in power in glory in all perfection Well though he was God yet he made himself of no reputation and took upon him the form of a servant and was made in the likenesse of men Here was the first thing Christ gave himself to he gave himself to become flesh to become a man and all this for beleevers This was a great act for the Creator to become a creature for him that was eternall invisible immortall incorporeall spirituall for him to be of the seed of man that was mortall that was corporeall that was visible and had some proportion with the nature of beasts Nay not only did the Lord Christ give himself to be a man but he gave himself for beleevers to be of the lowest ranke of men therefore the Text saith he tooke upon him the form of a servant and was made in the likeness of men There are two things in those words First he was made in the likeness of men the meaning is not that he was like a man and no man as some heretiques would have grounded upon this Text for the Scripture plainly enough sheweth that Christ was a man but by the likeness of men here is meant a likeness to them in all infirmities sin only excepted hee was not only of the nature of man but he gave himself to be like men in this frail and infirm condition wherein they are so that he was subject to the like infirmities that men were only without all sin that is meant by the likenesse of men Christ he might have been a man and have lived without weariness without faintness without hunger and thirst he might have lived without meat and drinke without sleep and rest as he doth now in heaven where he is a man but Christ as he gave himself to be a man for beleevers so he gave himself to be like men in all sinlesse infirmities for beleevers Thus he abased himself below man below man as mans nature was in innociencie below that which was the nature of men he even gave himself to the meanest infirmities of men without sin Another thing in these words is In the form of a servant he did not only give himself to be a man and to be subject as men are to all sinlesse infirmities but he gave himself to be in the lowest ranke of men even to be a servant amongst men He took upon him the form of a servant The Lord Christ might have been in the likeness of men a man subject to all humane infirmities without sin and yet been a great man a Commander a Governour a man of place But for beleevers Christ gave himself to be of the lowest ranke of men to be a servant the Son of man came not to be ministred to but to minister Here is the First thing to which Christ gave himself for beleevers even to become a man subject to all sinlesse infirmities to become of the meanest ranke of men even a servant amongst men 2. The Second thing to which Christ gave himself for beleevers whereto he disposed himself that he might be their ransome it is to the obedience of this Law to the fulfilling of all righteousness This is that which the Scripture plentifully expresseth you may take one place for all Matth. 3.13 14 15. Christ there cometh to John to be baptized of him Baptism was an Ordinance of God appointed to men by the Law of God Christ hee cometh and putteth himself under the obedience of this Law in this particular John knowing what Christ was that he was God he refuseth to baptize him he knew Christ had no need to obey the Law in this or any other particular the Law was but the counterpain of that righteousness which is in the nature of Christ as he is God therefore what need he come to put himself under the Law that was above the Law of whose holinesse and righteousnesse the Law was but a Coppie Now what is our Saviours Answer Jesus said unto him Suffer it to be so for thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousnesse As if he should have said John indeed I know it is true if you look upon strict terms there is no need I should obey the Law yet notwithstanding though I need not Let it be so for it becommeth me to fulfill all righteousnesse I have given up my self to this work to fulfill the Law for them that to the worlds end shall beleeve in me Here then is the second thing Christ gave himself to the obedience of the Law to the working of all righteousnesse therefore it is that he is often described in the Scripture to be that just one that holy one of God one in whose mouth there is no guil all which are but expressions of his obedience to the Law This Christ did in both his Natures not onely as he was man but even as he was God for in all the actions of Christ you must not separate the Deitie from the Humanitie I pray observe it there is no action of Christ would be of efficacie and vertue sufficient for beleevers if it were separated from the concurrence of the Deitie Therefore Christ as he was the second person in the Trinitie did give up himself to the obedience of the Law thereupon is that that it is called the righteousnesse of God Rom. 3.21 But now saith the Text the righteousnesse of God without the Law is manifested by the Law What is meant by the righteousnesse of God There is nothing meant but the obedience of Christ to the Law Christ his perfect obedience to the Law is the righteousness of God Why is it called the righteousnesse of God not only because God found it out but because God wrought it this white linnen garment of Christs righteousnesse it is woven by no other then by God himself it was the second Person in Trinitie that wrought this righteousnesse therefore it is called the righteousnesse of God Not that the second Person in Trinitie in himself obeyeth the Law of God for that is impossible but it is said to be the righteousnesse of God and so that God did obey the Law because the second Person in Trinitie did fulfill all righteousnesse and obey the Law that nature which was the nature of the second Person wherein the second Person in Trinitie did subsist that nature I say obeying the Law the second Person may