others but an unmeasurable fulnesse of all grace A fulnesse of redundancy which from him might flow out to all the Elect for the filling of them with a fulness of sufficiency Of this the Scripture speaks John 3. 34. and Iohn 1. 16. In all these respects God hath raised him up to be a Horne of salvation Thus much for the opening of the Doctrine The Uses of this Doctrine Vse 1. For Information in two things First The miserable condition of those that are without Iesus Christ Who are without Christ Not onely Jewes and Turks and Pagans but all unbeleevers in the Church Whosoever is without true saving faith is without Christ 'T is faith that makes Christ Actually ours Faith unites us to Christ and Christ to us Their misery is very great Christ is a horn of salvation the onely Horn of salvation he that is without Christ is without salvation God hath put the salvation of men into Christs hands 1 Iohn 5. 11. He hath given us eternal life and this life is in his Sonne And he that hath the Sonne hath life but he that hath not the Son hath not life ver 12. God himself cannot save him that is without an interest in Christ He hath set down this way of salvation and he cannot deny himself It is a question amongst the Schoolmen whether God could have saved sinners without Christs satisfaction They generally conclude upon good grounds that he might but now 't is not so much as a question God hath resolved that whosoever is saved shall be saved by Christ and without mutability he cannot save men another way Better never to have seen the light then to die without an interest in Christ And he that doth not beleeve truely in him hath no saving interest in him Iohn 3. 18. How shall I know whether I do truly beleeve or no I shall here to help you lay down a twofold note of true faith 1. It is a heart-purifying grace This effect of faith the Apostle mentions in Acts 15. 9. Whosoever hath true faith in Christ will find his heart purified and cleansed thereby The efficient cause of the purification of the heart is the Spirit of God who is called the Spirit of Sanctification 2 Thes 2. â—3 The 〈◊〉 cause is Christs blood 1 Iohn â— 7. The instrumental cause is faith This grace purifies the hearâ—â— as it is an instrument whereby the blood of Christ which purifies is conveyed to the soul and as it doth take hold upon the promise of cleansing the promise is I will sprinkle clean water Ezek. 36. 25. Faith applies this promise and improves and so purifies the heart If you have not purification of heart you have not faith and if you have not faith you have not Christ as a Horne of salvation Now that heart may be said to be purified that hath these three properties 1. If it bewaile impurity Impurity that is truly lamented is in Gods account as if it were removed Rom. 7. 23 24. If thy pollution be thy greatest burden thy heart is purified in Gods sight 2. If it be cautious of every thing that may defile A heart that is purified dares not willingly come neere any defiling puddle it will avoid occasions temptations of defilement Iob 31. 1. Carefulnesse of shunning defilement is an infallible note of purification 3. If it be through inadvertency defiled it will not be quiet till it be made clean A purified heart cannot lie in any uncleannesse when God hath once discovered it to him Thus David when he saw his pollution with what earnestnesse doth he run to the Laver that he may be washed Ps 51. 2 7. 2. Saving faith hath very high and precious thoughts of Christ This character is laid down by the Apostle in 1 Pet. 2. 7. No unbeleever can truly have precious thoughts of Christ nay they have low thoughts of him as 1 Pet. 2. 7 8. and Cant. â— 9. Try your faith by this note Now if Christ be truly precious 1 He shall reigâ—â— and rule over thee His precepts will be as precious as his promises His Sovereignty will be as precious as his sacrifice his yoke will be as desirable as his merits the Apostle opposeth saith and disobedience 1 Pet. 2. 7. Where Christ is disobeyed he is not beleeved in 2 If Christ be truly precious to thee his dishonours will pierce thy soul The dishonours done to him in his truths worship government will be a greater grief to thy heart then all the dishonours that are done unto thy selfe 3 If Christ be truly precious to thee it will be thy meat and drink to do him any service Thou wilt make it thy study to set him up and to make him great where ever thou comest 4 If Christ be precious to thee all his Ordinances will be precious Thou wilt have a high esteeme of his Word of his Sacraments of his Sabbaths and that for his sake who hath instituted these things If it be not thus with thee thou art an unbeleever and if an unbeleever thou hast for present no saving interest in him that is the horne of salvation Secondly The impossibility of the perishing of any of the Elect. Their eternal salvation is a thing of absolute certainty They can never perish They may seem to be lost sometimes in their own apprehension I said saith Jonah I am cast out of thy sight Jonah 2. 4. He was in his own eyes as if he had been a cast-aâ—ay 〈…〉 impossible it should be so as in other 〈…〉 so in this because Christ is the horne of their salvation He that hath wrought their salvation is able to preserve salvation for them and them for salvation If Christ be able to save you ye shall be saved When you look upon that in your selves that may seem to hinder your salvation look upon that that is in Christ to maintain your salvation You shall be as certainly saved as Christ himself is saved Father I will that they whom thou hast given me may be with me where I am that they may behold my glory c. John 17. 24. Your salvation is now fully accomplished he that was able to accomplish your salvation is able much more to apply it now it is accomplished Consider these seven Notions to make this out 1 Christ will not lose the merit of his blood nor be deprived of the end of his death and he must do both these if one of his Elect should miss of salvation 2 Christ did not conquer for the Devil but from the Devil Christ will not be at the charge and cost of redemption and when he hath done suffer the devil to go away with the spoile 3 Christ will not impoverish himself to enrich the Devil and impoverished he should be if one of the Elect should perish for every Saint helps to make up his mystical fulnesse So the Apostle tells us Eph. 1. ult 4 Iesus Christ will not rob his Father to enrich the Devil Now if
infirmities One sinne is more talked of then an hundred acts of holinesse This is a stumbling block to the wicked See what God saith of Davids sinne 2 Sam. 12. 14. They that would learne nothing by Davids piety did take offence at his sinne Though it be unreasonable that men should be offended at Christ for the failings of his servants yet it is ordinary 4. The sad Apostasie of those that have professed subjection to him There are in Christs family many rotten-hearted professours The falling of these is an occasion why many are offended at Christ Our Saviour speaks of this Matthew 26. 56. The fall of such hardens the hearts of many against Christ and his Religion John 6. 66. Thus much for the first particular the occasion of this offence 1 PET. 2. 8. A stone of stumbling c. XXIV SERM. at Mary Wolnoth Lond. March 27. 1652. SEcondly Quae causa How it comes to passe that so many are offended at Christ The Reasons are such as these viz. 1. Ignorance of Christ Blindnesse is one great cause of natural stumbling John 11. 9 10. If any man walk in the night he stumbleth because there is no light in him The spiritual blindness of the minde is one principal reason why the world stumbleth at Christ They know not the glory of his person they know not the excellency of his Doctrine they know not the nature of his Kingdome therefore they take offence at him This is that which the Apostle mentions 1 Cor. 2. 8. This ignorance of Christ ariseth partly from want of studying his Word They do not search the record which is given to Christ in the Scriptures partly from their infidelity they will not believe the report given of him by such a have the knowledge of him The Prophet speaks of this Esay 53. init The worlds blindenesse is the cause of the worlds offence Consult those two texts and the trath of this will appeare The one is Prov. 3. 21 22 23. The other is Mat. 15. 14. The blindnesse of the Pharisees did arise from the grosse ignorance of the Pharisees 2. Precipitancy and rashnesse Though a man have eyes to see yet if he be heedlesse and rash his foot may stumble in a plaine way A carelesse eye occasions a stumbling foot The greatest part of men are heedlesse in spiritual matters They rush on as the horse rushes into the battel Jer. 8. 6. The Scripture speaks of pondering the steps of our feet 'T is the Wise-mans counsel Prov. 4. 25 26. Most men neglect this counsel in the things of Christ They walk at all adventure turning their eyes now this way now that way and through their carlesnesse and indiscretion in not examining things they take offence and fall The Apostles advice is to try and prove all things 1 Thes 5. 21. Advisednesse and deliberation in the matters of God is a special vertue Most men are of a hurrying spirit and this makes them stumble 3. Heart distemperednesse A man that hath either un intoxicated head or a diseased body soon stumbles Wicked men have hearts full of distempers There are many unmortified lusts in their hearts which they are not willing to part with pride passion uncleannesse c. These are indulged These they will not part with They love some sinne better then Christ and because they cannot have Christ and their sinnes they are offended This is hinted to u in the text Such as stumble at the Word are said to be disobedient He that allows any sinne unrepented of in his heart will sooner or later stumble at Christ See Luke 16. 14. The Pharisees who were covetous derided Christ Our Saviour tells them they could not serve God and Mammon and they being given to covetousness were scandalized and derided him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they snuffed at him as the word signifies Walking in uprightnesse and being without offence are joyned together Phil. 1. 10. An bypocritical and profane heart will be a stumbling heart He that walks up to the knees in mire may easily stumble Wicked men walk up to the very loynes in the mire of sinful distempers and this causes them to be offended at Christ The way of the righteous saith Solomon is made plaine Prov. 15. 19. It 's raised up as a Causey Godly men walk in plaine even wayes wicked men walk in rough uneven myry wayes therefore they stumble at Christ They are burthened with the load of sinne therefore they stumble 4. Hatred of Christ Hatred will take offence at every thing done or said by the person hated As love doth interpret all to the best so hatred interprets all to the worst Ahab hated Micaiah and therefore took offence at every thing he said You may read the story 1 Kings 22. 8. Now wicked men haâ—e Christ with a perfect hatred There is dissimilitude between Christ and them and because of that cruel hatred They are impure Christ is pure they are unholy Christ is holy As similitude breeds love so dissimilitude creates hatred You reade Luke 19. 14. that Christs own Citizens hated him Christ is hated not only by foreigners but by them of his own houshold Where there is hatred there will be offence Mat. 24. 10. Many shall be offended and they shall hate one another Till the soul lay aside its hatred it will not cease to stumble at every thing of c. 5. Vnbelief Infidelity is the cause of stumbling This may be gathered clearly from the text compared with the foregoing ver unto you that believe he is precious but unto them that are unbelievers he is a stone of stumbling Most men walk by sense and not by faith they see the outside of Christ in his Gospel but they do not see the beautiful inside of Christ they see that in Religion which appeares unpleasing and bitter but they want faith to see that which is sweet and lovely therefore they are scandalized 6. The bad example of others Examples have a very great efficacy and operation whether they be good or bad good examples are great strengthnings to them that are good and bad examples are great provocations to them that are bad the Apostle speaks of this 1 Cor. 8. 10. Asahels lying dead in the way occasioned a stop in the march of others 2 Sam. 2. 23. One wicked man eyes the example of another and because he sees that such and such were offended at Christ especially if they be learned wise c. he upon that very example takes offence likewise Thus much for the explication The Uses are for Information Exhortation For information It teacheth us these four lessons 1. This may fortifie us against being dejected because of the offence which wicked men take at as causlesly It is too frequent to see wicked men scandalized at the people of God even for their holy actions They are offended with you for your prayers for your non compliance with them in their sinful wayes for their strict observing of the Sabbath
Alms shall famish for want of it Vse 2. For Exhortation I. To such as want Christ My counsel to them is that they would labour for an interest in him you cannot be well without him you will famish your soul if you have not Christ for your meat and drink Quest How may we come to have an interest in him 1. Be thorowly perswaded of your need of him This is the first step to the attainment of him Look upon your natural guilt upon all your sinnes upon the severity of the curse of the Law against disobedience upon the exact justice of God in punishing sinne and upon your own helpless nesse either to satisfie justice or to stand out under the deserved wrath of God and you will be convinced of your need of him 2. Wait upon Jesus Christ in that way in which he gives himself to sinners The publick Ordinances chiefly the preaching of the Word In that Christ makes the tender of himself and by that ordinarily faith is wrought in the heart to embrace that tender Rom. 10. 17. Zacheus obtained Christ by being in the way of Christ Luke 19. 4. the Ordinances are the Sycamore-tree Câ—â—mb up into them and stay and wait till Christ come He is to passe by that way 3. Observe his call and embrace it Prov. 9. init Luke 14. 16 17 18. Mark the impressions of the Spirit the knocking 's of Christ Thus did Zacheus Luke 19. 5 6. Zacheus Come down c. And he made haste and came down c. Beg of Christ that he would give a heart to come down when he sayes come down He is the meat and drink of God He that refuseth him sinneth against his own soule Consider seriously of it When you finde your stomack crave meat and drink think O what shall I do for spiritual meat and drink II. To such as have an interest in Christ who is meat and drink let me commend a few things to you 1. Feed on him Eat and drink of this flesh and blood every day Christians grow weak because they let their meat and drink stand by them 'T is not the flesh in the pot but the flesh in the stomack that gives nourishment 'T is not the drink in the vessel but the drink taken down that revives Stir up spiritual hunger and that will make you feed heartily on Christ Eat and drink Christ by Meditation eat and drink him by Application Let your faith draw in Christ in every Ordinance Keep your Spiritual meals as constantly as you do your other meales Your eating will help you to a stomack Satisfaction and hunger are mutual helps one to another Eating and drinking other meat takes away the appetite but it increaseth the spiritual appetite Fixed times of spiritual feeding every day are marvellous profitable When you have prayed call your heart to account what it hath taken in of Christ When you have been reading ask it what nourishment it hath received from the Word When the Lords Supper is over enquire what refreshment is received Put your selves forward to frequent constant actual feeding It 's pitty such precious meat and drink should stand in corners when the soule hath so much need of it 2. Be thankful for this meat and drink That it is provided for any that it is actually dealt out to you That you have that meat and drink which others want There are many that have no other meat but sinne They drink iniquity like water Job 15. 16. Some eat the bread of violence and drink the wine of deceit Some there are that drink the wine of the condemned in the house of their God Amos 2. 8. They eat the flesh of men and drink their blood like new wine Micah 3. 3. The greatest part of men have no other meat then the pulse of worldly comforts no other drink then the puddle water of created things and thou hast the flesh and blood of Jesus Christ to eat and drink prize and value at an high rate the exceeding riches of this grace We are to blesse God for our corporal meat and drink Jesus Christ gave thanks when he ate and drank John 6. 11 And so did the Apostles Acts 27. 35. and so should all men do It is brutish to eat and drink without Thanksgiving How much more cause have we to blesse God for our spiritual meat and drink The corporall is common to us with others This is peculiar onely to the Elect no other shall taste of this provision 3. Let your growth be answerable to such excellent feeding God expects that our spirituall growth should be proportionable to our spiritual feeding Bos Macer pingui in arvo is prodigious Husbandmen expect that when they put their cattel into pastures that are rich where there is plenty of grasse and abundance of water they expect that their growth should be answerable The Saints of God are highly fed They have Angels meat should they not then do Angels work If you do not grow very fast you will bring up an evil report of Christ as if his flesh were not nourishing meat as if his blood were not nourishing drink as if it were meat in shew and not meat indeed as if it were drink in shew not drink indeed Jesus Christ may repent that his body was broken his blood poured out to be meat and drink for you that are still leane and ill-favoured even dwarfs in grace It 's the Saints priviledge that they shall grow because Christ is their feeder and it is their duty because they have such food to be carefully mindful of growing Every limb of the new man should thrive We should grow lower in humility higher in heavenly-mindednesse broader and thicker in spiritual affections c. you cannot expresse your thankfulnesse for this royal meat and drink any other way so much to the contentment of Christ as by growing abundantly It is that which our Saviour requires as a testimony of our union with him and of thankfulnesse for that feeding vertue we receive from him John 15. 5 8. As he is unworthy of meat that doth not labour so is he more unworthy that doth not grow 4. Shew pitty to others that feed on other meat and drink Endeavour to communicate Christ to those that want him We naturally pity famished men lean cheeks and pale faces work some bowels in a miser in an enemy Commend Christ to others perswade them to embrace him You shall feel no want of meat and drink for your selves by communicating Christ to others Though a thousand eat and drink of him no one shall have the lesse 5. Do not despair of spiritual growth and strength 'T is a dishonour to Christ to think that he should starve you His flesh is strengthning flesh his blood is strengthening blood quickening blood 'T is full of spirits 't is full of life Though thy graces be weak thy spiritual diseases violent yet despair not Thou receivest more from Christ then thou canst lose or spend
work is wrought By this Word is the soule first cut off from the wilde stock of corrupt nature and planted into the true Olive-tree or Vine Jesus Christ Hence the work of planting is in Scripture attributed to the Ministers of the Gospel 1 Cor. 3. 6 7. I have planted saith the Apostle Apollo watered God indeed is the great Planter So v. 1. of this Chapter I am the true Vine and my Father iâ— the 〈◊〉 He is the Master-Planter the Ministers are subordinate-planters We are labourers together with God 1 Cor. 3. 9. They are so called because by the Word preached this great work is done This the Prophet clearly affirmes Esay 61. 1 2 3. The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me because the Lord hath anointed me to preach Christ that they might be called trees of righteousnesse the planting of the Lord. These mystical trees are Gods planting but the instrument wherby they are made such trees is the Word preached Hence the Word is called the incorruptible seed of regeneration 1 Pet. 1. 23. As all the Trees and Plants in the first Creation were set and sprung up by the Word of God Gen. 1. 11 12. So are all these mystical Branches ingraffed by the Ministerial Word 2. The Spirit of God The Holy Ghost is the immediate Instrument whereby the soule is ingraffed It is the Spirit which gives efficacy to the Word both to cut off the soule from the stock of nature and to implant it into the Stock of grace The Word would never be able to tear off any person from his first root if it were not edged and strengâ—hred by the Spirit of God The Scripture calleâ—h the Holy Ghost the finger of God Luke 11. 20. compared with Mat. 1â— 28. He is so câ—â—â—ed as for other reasons so for this because he is the immediate instrument whereby God works in the hearts of his creatures Particularly for this work of ingraffing the soule into Christ the Holy Ghost is affirmed to be the immediate instrument 1 Cor. 12. 13. By one Spirit are we all baptized into one body c. and have been all made to drink into one spirit And againe Eph. 2. 21 22. where the Apostle speaking of this great mystery under another resemblance saith that in Christ we are builded an habitation of God thorough the Spirit The same Spirit which builds us upon Christ into one Temple doth ingraffe us into Christ as one Vine 3. Faith This is the immediate instrumental cause on mans part Faith is an uniting grace it knits the soule to Christ and Christ to the soul Faith is an incorporating grace it doth as it were embody the soule into Christ making it one with Christ and Christ with it This is that which the Apostle saith 1 Pet. 2. 4 5. To whom coming as to a living stone c. Ye also are built up as lively stones c. Two things are observable in that Text. First that the Saints are built together upon Christ the foundation-stone an holy house to God Secondly how Christ and they are cemented together into one building this is by beleeving set out by the expression of coming which is used ordinarily for beleeving as Mat. 11. 28. The Spirit of God first works saith in the heart of a person through the Word and then the soul is by the Spirit through faith ingraffed into Christ and made a lively Branch For the second particular What advantage the soul hath by being a Branch of Christ I shall here follow the Metaphor The same advantage the Branch hath by being ingraffed into the Stock hath a Beleever in a spiritual sense by being ingraffed into Christ I name these five 1. Spiritual supportation The Branch hath this benefit from the Stock into which it is ingraffed that it is born up and supported by it The Branch doth not bear the Vine nor doth it beare it self but is born of the Vine A beleever hath supportation from Jesus Christ We stand on Christs legs not on our own I can do all things saith the Apostle through Christ that strengthneth me Phil. 4. 13. The strength of the Branch is in the Vine so is the strength of a Beleever in Christ Who is this that cometh out of the Wildernesse leaning on her beloved Cant. 8. 5. I laid me down and slept saith David I awaked for the Lord susteined me Many blasts passe over a beleever many violent concussions and shakings is he exposed unto partly by reason of sinne partly by temptations from the Devil from men in all these shakings he hath sustentation from Christ into whom he is implanted My grace saith Christ to Paul shall be sufficient for thee for my strength is made perfect in weaknesse in 2 Cor. 12. 9. A beleever may with confidence go to Christ and pray for support in all his weaknesses A beleever may go to Christ and chalenge support Christ would never have made thee a Branch if he had not intended to support and strengthen thee Esay 41. 10. there are repeated promises of sustentation I will strengthen thee I will help thee I will uphold thee In doing in suffering in dying is a beleever supported by Christ A beleever never wants support but when either through pride he will not have it or through slothfulnesse he will not 〈…〉 Jesus Christ 2. Spiritual nourishment The Branâ—â— doth not give nourishment to the Stock nor doth it nourish it selfe but it receives nourishment from the Stock A beleever hath nourishment from Jesus Christ The Root feeds the Branch it conveys its sap to each Branch whether it be great or little whether it be nearer the Root or at a farther distance from it Christ conveys proper nourishment to every beleever The Apostle speaks of this Col. 2. 19. The whole body from Christ by joynts and bands hath nourishment ministred the Ordinances are the joynts and bands by which nourishment is carried but Christ is the great treasury from whence it is carried He nourishes Faith he feeds Hope he nourisheth love c. Of his fulnesse have we all received and grace for grace John 1. 16. Every grace a beleever hath would die and wither if it did not receive daily nourishment from Jesus Christ 3. Spiritual increase The branch receives its Augmentation from the Vine The graffe when it's first implanted is very small a childe may break it with one of his fingers but by abiding in the Stock it grows till it come to perfection All a Beleevers increase is from Jesus Christ 'T is by and through him that we grow from infancy to a perfect man Two Texts of Scripture do fully set out this benefit of our implantation The one is Col. 2. 19. In him the whole body having nourishment ministred increaseth with the increase of God The other is Eph. 4. 16. Where the Apostle tells us that by and from Christ the whole body being fitly joyned together and compacted by that which every part supplieth maketh increase