because through the merit of Christ and the mercie of God it is transitorie to all beleevers 4. Lastly it is called a bodie because as our bodies are made up of many Integrals and consist of several members by which they act and exercise severall functions so also originall corruption is one thing consisting of many particular sins as so many integrall parts or severall members whereby it putteth forth it self in severall operations For these and such like reasons Originall corruption is called a bodie Thus you see what is here meant by bodie And now it is more easie to understand what is meant by the Spirit The Spirit is life because of righteousnesse For if by the body be meant originall corruption then by the Spirit must be meant originall righteousnesse that which is elsewhere in the Scripture called the divine nature or the seed of God or grace or holiness or the like Originall holiness or righteousness is that which I take it is here meant by the Spirit It is so called John 3.6 That which is born of the spirit is spirit and so in many other places Now this same habit of holiness is called the Spirit 1. To shew the excellency of it That as a Spirit is an excellent thing far above all bodily substances so is holiness the excellentest of Gods creatures for grace is also a creature as other things 2. To shew the durableness of it though sin shall die in the Saints and be utterly destroyed yet grace shall never be destroyed stroyed nor cease in the Saints of God 3. It is called the Spirit in regard of the Objects of it for the Objects of this grace are spirituall things 4. In regard of the Author of it It is the holy Spirit of God that begets and works it in people therefore as the child beareth the name of the Father so doth this of the Spirit Thus you see what is meant by sin namely the transgression of Gods Law either in omission or commission What by righteousness The observation of Gods Law in the duties of the first and second Table What by the bodie Originall corruption What by the spirit the habit of holiness or originall righteousnesse Now then the whole amounteth to this That if so bee the Lord Christ be in people then there is a death of sin in them and a life of righteousnesse Thus much is meant by the words let them be taken any way which way soever Expositors can carry them this must be the sence of them and therefore we need not spend further time in the Exposition but will fall directly upon the Doctrine which is this In whomsoever Christ is there is a death of sin and a life of righteousnesse The Point is very evident and expresse in the Text being the main matter scope and drift thereof as well as in other places of Scripture For the proving of it not to trouble you with many other Scriptures you may consider these things First The ends and the offices of Christ which the Apostle Paul expresseth Tit. 2.14 Christ gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquitie and purifie unto himself a peculiar people zealous of good works The main end of Christ is the redemption of a people from all iniquitie which implieth not onely the removal of the guilt of sin but the destroying of the bodie of sin Therefore 1 Joh. 3.8 it is said That for this purpose the Son of God was manifested that he might destroy the works of the Devill Not onely the guilt of sin but the power and dominion of sin is the work of the Devill now therefore for this purpose saith the Text the Son of God was manifested that he might free us from the guilt yea and from the dominion and life and power of sin There is one end Another end of Christs giving himself was To purifie us therefore he must put sin to death in us for to purifie is nothing else but to purge out corruption as the fire doth work the drosse out that is in the gold Again To purifie us that we might be a peculiar people zealous of good works Where there is a zealousnesse of good works there must be a life of righteousnesse So that by that place you plainly see that the end of Christ is the putting of sin to death and bringing in the life of righteousnesse Moreover Christ was to be the second Adam and he is so called 1 Cor. 15.45 And to speak the truth the first Adam was a Type of Christ as it is Rom. 5.14 Who is the Figure or Type of him that was to come For not onely the Ceremonies amongst the Jewes were Types of Christ but even Adam in his fall in his undoing the world in his overthrowing of mankind was a Type and Figure of Christ also Onely other Types did figure out Christ by way of similitude but Adam by way of dissimilitude and contrarietie For look what Adam did the contrary to that Christ is to doe Now Adam did cause to all in whom he was as the Parent is in the child a death of righteousnesse and a life of sin Therefore the contrary the Lord Jesus Christ must work in all those in whom he is a death of sin and a life of righteousnesse Secondly this Point is also plain from the consideration of those respects in which Christ is said to be in people Those are as you heard before First in regard of his Spirit Secondly in regard of his Vertue influence and sap that is in them Now where ever these are there must be a death of sin and a life of righteousnesse For the former even as fire doth purge away drosse and rust so the holy Ghost works out corruption and puts sin to death where ever he cometh and as light expelleth darkness even so doth he expell unrighteousnesse and sin because he is the holy Spirit Again for the vertue and life of Christ you know it was the life of righteousnesse therefore whereever this is there must be a life of righteousnesse in that man Last of all the truth of this will appear from the consideration of that communion with Christ and conformitie to him that all those must have which are in Christ and Christ in them Wherein they must have a communion with and a conformitie to Christ Saint Paul sheweth Rom. 6. from the third verse to the twelfth In the third Verse he layeth down that Union by Faith which all justified persons have with the Lord Jesus and from this he inferreth a communion with him and a conformitie unto him But in what In his death and in his resurrection If we have been planted together saith he v. 5. in the likenesse of his death mark not in the same death but in the likeness thereof wee shall bee also in the likeness of his resurrection Where the Apostle declareth that like as there was in Christ a bodily death and a bodily resurrection so there is in
all those in whom Christ is a death of the bodie of sin and a resurrection in regard of the life of righteousnesse This the Apostle plainly and largely proveth in that place For the further opening of this Point you must consider that there are divers degrees both of the death of sin and of the life of righteousnesse First there is a perfect death of sin when the whole body of sin is altogether destroyed and perfectly rooted out of a man And there is an imperfect death of sin when the whole body of sin and every particular of it is in part and but in part destroyed and rooted out of a man Again on the other side there is a perfect life of righteousnesse when the whole frame of holiness is perfectly and compleatly set up in a man and an imperfect life of righteousnesse when the same frame is in every particular of it yet but imperfectly set up My brethren that I chiefly desire you should mark is this That in the imperfect death of sin and in the imperfect life of righteousnesse there is a kind of perfection in regard of the particular parts both of the body of sin and of the frame of holiness There is no part no member of the body of sin that is not destroyed and supprest onely it is destroyed but in part and not perfectly Every member I say of the body of sin doth in part suffer death Therefore the Scripture calleth it the destruction of the body Rom. 6. 6. Our old man saith the Apostle is crucified with Christ that the body of sin might be destroyed It cannot be said that the old man is crucified or the body of sin destroyed if so be that every part of the old man and every member of the body of sin bee not in some measure destroyed But although every part and particular of the body of sin be destroyed yet here is no part no particular but is still alive and unsubdued even in the people of God Even in them that be in Christ there are the seeds of all corruptions to be found there are the reliques of every kind of sin there are the lustings of every fruit of the flesh and sometime one part of the body of sin sometime another part according as God is pleased to leave them for their tryall doth break out and manifest it self in them So it is also in regard of the life of righteousnesse That same imperfect life of righteousnesse hath in it every part of holinesse so that there is no grace that is not in part quickned no piece of the Image of God that is not in part stamped upon the soul Thereupon it is said That the godly have the seed of God remaining in them that they are partakers of that divine nature that they have the Law of God written in their hearts that they bear the Image of God that they be the children of God None of these things could be said of them if they had not every part and particular of grace and holines in some measure in them yet notwithstanding there is no part no particular of the body and frame of holiness perfectly in them but onely imperfectly and in degrees Thus you see what is here meant by the death of sin and the life of righteousnesse not that which is perfect for that shall never be attained to till after the death of the bodie but that which is imperfect and that is infallibly in all in whomsoever Christ is Yea and not onely one of these but joyntly both of them are imperfectly in all these that are in Christ and therefore the Apostle in the Text joyneth them both together For howsoever we will not now stand to dispute whether the life of righteousnesse be the cause or spring of the death of sin as the coming in of light is the cause of the expulsion of darknesse yet this is sure that they are alwayes inseparable and go together there is no life of righteousness where there is not a death of sin and there is no death of sin where there is not a life of righteousnesse Now then my brethren the sense and meaning of all this Point that I have thus opened and proved to you cometh to thus much That who-ever have Christ in them they have the whole body of sin in every part of it weakned and destroyed and the whole frame of holinesse and righteousnesse in every part of it begun in them though both but in part Give me leave now as briefly as I can to make application First then here you have a cleer locking-glasse wherein you may be able to judge of the faces of the state and temper of your souls I beseech you consider it well and the Lord set it home upon your hearts either you have Christ in you or you have him not in you If Christ be in you then you have this imperfect death of sin and life of righteousnesse but if you have not this then Christ is not in you Be exhorted therefore I beseech you to try your selves by this touchstone But some will say How shall I be able to know whether I have this same death of sin and life of righteousnesse in mee yea or no This is shewen already yet to help you more particularly I will shew you how you may judge of that imperfect death of sin and life of righteousnesse which is to be found in us in this world And first for the death of sin you must know that there is a great deal of difference between the restraint or the sleep of sin and this death of sin Many people deceive themselves with taking the restraining or sleep of sin for the death of sin And indeed many times a sin that is restrained or asleep may appear to others and to a mans self to be more dead then a sin that is dead indeed For this same death of sin that is to be in all those that have Christ in them is not as I said before an utter destruction a plenary and full abolishment of sin but it is onely a weakning a lessening and diminishing thereof Now a sin that is onely weakned and yet stirreth may be more manifest then a sin that is restrained or asleep and stirreth not for the present One that is shut up in a prison cannot do so much in the street as a weak and dying man that is in the streets and one that is asleep cannot doe so much as a weak and dying man that is not asleep Even thus many times sin so long as the sit of restraint or sleep lasteth doth not manifest it self so much as when it is dead with this imperfect death for then it is onely weakned and lessened in the strength of it Therefore I say it concerneth us much to know the difference And I conceive you may know it by the effects of the death of sin which are these First of all where the body of sin is lessened and weakned
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
dutie of all people to look to signs and to try themselves by them And if there were nothing more but this that is in the Text me thinks it is an unanswerable Argument to confute them that crie out against Signs and Evidences of the truth of grace Doth not the Apostle Paul as plain as any man in the world can put them upon the tryall of themselves by Signs telling them that if they have such and such things in them they are in a good estate and if they have not that they are in a dangerous and damnable condition Therefore I say put it not off but make conscience to practise this duty to view your souls in this and the like looking-glasses Especially considering that which our Saviour Christ hath laid down for a certain truth That there are many called but few chosen There were four sorts of grounds upon which the seed of Gods word was cast and but one of those four proved good There were six hundred thousand of the people of Israel that came out of Egypt and went toward Canaan and yet but two of them that went into Canaan There were twelve Tribes which the Lord had caused to make them cleave to himself as a girdle to a mans loins and yet there were ten of those Tribes at one clap that were all cast off from being the people of God and but two of twelve that did remain You know how that the Apostle Paul telleth us in Rom 9.27 Though the number of the Children of Israel be as the sand of the sea a remnant shall be saved The Lord will put up righteousness in a short sum I say considering these things that there are so many of those that doe profess and hope to be saved shall miscarry how much doth it concern us all to try our selves When as our Saviour Christ had told his twelve Discriples that one of the twelve should betray him every one began to put himself upon the examination and asked their master whether it were he Were they so carefull every one to try himself when Christ told them that one of the twelve should betray him and shall not we be carefull to try our selves when as the Scripture telleth us that scarce one of twelve shall be saved and that eleven of twelve Professors are like to perish and miscarry Oh the heart of man is exceeding deceitfull hypocrisie is very strong and exceeding cunning hardly is a man able to finde out the state of his own spirit when he tryeth it with all his dilgence But above all my brethren let me presse you to this duty to try and examine your selves considering the times we live in These are the times wherein the Lord putteth people upon the tryall trying times even times like the times of the Fullers purging his cloth and the Goldsmiths refining his mettall And there are more trying times like to come Have we not wofull experience of divers falling away some falling scandalously perhaps being the Saints of God Davids and Lots and Noahs and Peters for so it is possible that some that are the children of God may yet notwithstanding fall into scandalous and offensive sins through their want of watchfulness and fear and carefulness But a great many doe fall and fall scandalously yea many give all cause of fear that there never was the soundness and truth of grace in them they went out from us because they were not of us Now I say considering that there are those that doe fall such as take upon them the profession of religion and are eminent in the waies of Christ and in the Gospel and yet fall and fall desperately and damnably Doth it not concern us all to fear and upon fearing to try our selves When the Apostle discoursed of the fall of the Jewes how they were broken and cast off What use did he teach the Gentiles to make of this Let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall So say I are these such times that many fall away then such of us as doe stand let us also take heed that we doe not fall How shall we take heed of falling Oh let us look to our selves that we are sound the ordinary cause of falling away is rottenness and unsoundness when people in hypocrisie take up the profession of Religion Therefore let us not make that use of the falls of holy men as the people of the world doe if there be any that falls into any scandalous sin and manifests himself to be naught at the heart what use doth the world make of it To flie upon God and upon religion and upon all professors of pietie and upon the Ministers and Preachers of the word Oh say they this is their Religion they are all but hypocrites this will be the end of them all These kind of Uses doth the world make of the falls of upright men whereas alas there is nothing lesse use to be made of them than this If so be that people were not desperately malicious against God and all goodness and that they were not shamefully ignorant they would never make this Use of the falls and scandalls of these men For first of all how can it blemish God or Religion or good men because some that seemed to be good and were not good doe discover their rottenness and unsoundness by their falls What kind of blemish was it to the holy Apostles and to the beleevers in the Primitive Church that some that were amongst them did goe out from them What kind of blemish was it to the twelve Apostles that one whom Christ kept familiar company with and was conversant with the Apostles as brethren did prove a hypocrite Was Judas his desperate fall a sign that the Religion and Preaching of Christ were naught and the other Disciples hypocrites None dare say so and if it were not then why should it now be a sign They that doe fall away they doe therefore fall away because they are not religious and not because they are religious They therefore fall away because they did not observe the rules of that religion they profest and not because they profest it And as it argueth thus an ignorance in people so further if so be that the world were acquainted with the Gospel and works of God they would know that the Lord hath decreed from all eternitie that in all ages of the Church some that have been eminent in profession should fall away There must be offences and scandalls given the Lord Jesus Christ himself layeth down the rule Matth. 18.7 It must needs be that offences come The Lord hath foretold it and hath ever made it good in all ages and times of the Church that there shall be offences and scandalls and that for good ends First to the making of them that are true hearted to be more fearfull and watchfull and more diligently to try their own estates and to fear lest they fall and by this kind of painfull and
to make thee able to doe them Yes where is the fault then what is the reason thou doest not doe them but that thou walkest in so many transgressions where is the fault what canst thou say for thy self Is not God able or is not God faithfull Yes God can doe it and God hath promised to doe it Surely then the fault lieth onely in thy self Consider it seriously and you shall finde one of these two things to be the cause of all the sins you live in that are the people of God Either this that you are not willing to bee made whole you are not willing to be rid of your sins or else this that you are not able to beleeve the truth of what God hath said One of these two is the cause of all the sins of Gods people First thou art not willing it may be to be made whole thou art not willing to obey Gods Commandements Truth God hath commanded thee a great many things but thou art not willing to doe them and because thou art not willing therefore God doth not make thee able For my brethren this is a sure rule God never makes any able to obey but they that first of all by God are made willing to obey In Joh. 5. When our Saviour could cure that impotent man that lay at the pool of Bethesda he first asked him this question vers 6. Wilt thou be made whole If so bee he had not been willing Christ would not have healed him Why did Christ ask him the Question To stir up in him a desire of being made whole for God never giveth till we desire Therefore look well and it may be thou shalt find thou art not willing to obey Gods commands thou art not willing to subdue every lust a lust that is suteable to thy constitution a lust that is very sweet to thee through long custome a lust that is dear unto thee by reason of the pleasure or profit that it brings in it may be thou art not willing to obey God in subduing this lust But even as it was with Jacob when he commeth to let Benjamin goe into Egypt he striveth against himself he would let him go and he would not necessitie constrained him that he should go but yet his affection made him unwilling he should go This kinde of strugling there is in Gods people when they look upon the command they know they must obey but yet considering the dearness and sweetness of their sin they are loth to obey And this is the reason God doth not help thee in matter of obedience to his commands because thy heart is false and thou art not willing to it Oh what a shame is this when God requireth no more but thy will not to let him have thy will for thee still to be unwilling to obey when Christ died for this end that thou shouldst obey But if so be thou canst cleer thy self in this Point and canst say thou ant willing to be made whole look into thy self once more and happily thou shalt find that thou art not able to beleeve that God will make thee whole When the father of the possessed child in Mark 9. brought his son to Christ to be cured Lord saith he v. 22. If thou canst doe any thing have compassion on us and help us If thou canst doe it saith Christ If thou canst beleeve all things are possible to him that beleeveth So I say to such of you as are willing to obey Gods commands in all things are you able to beleeve this Doctrine that I have this day preached That God will make you able upon your endeavours to doe all he commandeth if you could be beleeve this all obedience were possible But here is thy fault if it be not in the former thou canst not beleeve God will give thee strength over every lust a lust that is strong in thee by constitution is strong in thee by custome by education a lust that hath so great a rooting in thee that hath so often foiled thee that God will help thee against such a lust Because thou canst not beleeve here is the cause thou canst not obey Gods commands What a shame is this for thee not to beleeve the God of truth not to bee able to take his word when his word is confirmed by his promise when his promise is seconded with his Oath when his Oath is also accompanied with so many seals as thou hast had renewed every time thou hast received the Sacrament of the Supper and yet notwithstanding thou art not able to believe what a shame is this Thus you see how that the sins of Gods people are altogether unexcusable unpardonable they are not mercie there shall bee but yet notwithstanding they are unexcusable All your disobediences whatsoever they are notwithstanding all the frailty of your nature they are without all excuse For the ground of your disobedience is either because you are not willing to obey or else because you are not able to beleeve the truth of what God hath said Therefore learn I beseech you to be ashamed of your selves and of those guilts and disobediences that lie upon you there is great sault in your selves for though you have no power in your selves God having promised to make you able you should have been able if you were not guiltie either in want of a will to be cured or in want of abilitie to beleeve what God hath said Here is the Second Use Again the third use of this point is to teach us what is the onely and ready way to be able to obey Gods Commandements This is a thing which all that are truly godly desire much to know and this point teacheth us The onely way to be able to obey Gods Commandements is to beleeve It ariseth thus God hath promised to make his people able to doe all that he commandeth if God hath promised it then they have no power but from God it were but a slight thing for God to promise that which they could doe of themselves God having therefore promised it it plainly appeareth they have no power of themselves to doe it and God having promised to doe it they must have this power to doe it by laying hold upon the promise and that is by beleeving So that the onely way to attaine to any obedience is by faith to lay hold upon the promise of God In a word all strength to obey commeth by promise the promise is made ours by beleeving there is no way therefore to obey but by beleeving Hence it is that in 1 John 5. 4. Faith is called our victory whereby we overcome the world by the world is meant all sinne faith is our victory that is the instrument of our victory as a sword is called the souldiers victorie because it is the means whereby he gets the victorie Faith is the means whereby we come to have victorie over the world Hence is that also in john 6. 29. They had asked
with the punishment of sinne such of you as doe desire as truly to be rid of sinne it selse as to escape damnation for sinne in a word such of you as are sensible of the corruption of your nature and groan under it as under the greatest misery you can possibly lie under such of you as maintain an invincible opposition against the sinnes of your nature and make them your daily conflict you are Gods people and to you I speak at this time Here my brethren is comfort for you sinne may be in thee it may foile thee it may have sometime a great power over thee yet notwithstanding be of good comfort sinne shall never have dominion over thee it shall never make thee his subject it shall never damne thee I pray take notice of the speech of God to Saint Paul 2 Cor. 12. 8 9. The Apostle was troubled with his corruptions and he prayed thrice to be rid of it here is a signe of Gods childe though he have corruptions in him yet he is restlesse under them and he never giveth over praying till God deliver him from them Paul prayed thrice that is often he could not be quiet till he were free from it it was as a thorn in his foot what answer doth God give My grace is sufficient for thee As if he should say Paul be of good comfort art thou annoyed with corruption yet notwithstanding My grace is sufficient for thee thy corruption shall never have dominion over thee well may it dwell in thee never shall it reign over thee well may it foile thee never shall it conquer thee thou shalt never come to be overcome with thy corruptions so as to give up thy selfe with full consent of will to obey thy sinnes My grace is sufficient to keep thy corruption from reigning over thee though I will not keep it from dwelling in thee My grace is sufficient to keep sinne from damning of thee though I will not yet keep it from molesting of thee Here is comfort for thy poor soule therefore that art burthened and grieved with the sense of thy corruptions As the Lord resolved that he would not for a time drive out the Canaanites from among the people of Israel but yet they should be Tributaries to them and acknowledge them for their Soveraigne so the Lord hath resolved that sinne shall dwell in thee but yet it shall be a Tributary it shall never sway the Scepter it shall never weare the Crown it shall never set on the Throne of thy soule and not prevailing to reign over thee it shall never prevaile to damne thee Be of good comfort therefore God will deliver thee from all dominion of sinne yea he hath done it already Oh how did Saint Paul crie out Rom. 7. 24 Oh wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from the body of this death Here is a true signe of Gods childe they that have not this are none of Gods by reason of the remainders of corruption which is as death in him therefore the Apostle here calleth it the body of this death he meaneth originall corruption but calleth it a body of death because it is a death to him and he had rather suffer death then have it in him by reason of this he counteth himselfe miserable and wretched Oh miserable and wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from the body of this death he would give all the world if he had it but to be delivered from the presence of sinne this is the state of Gods children nothing in the world burtheneth them so much as the presence of their corruptions they are not pleased when they break Gods Commands they doe not make it their trade to commit sinne it is the greatest griefe and shame and wound their soule hath Well how doth Saint Paul comfort himselfe against the remainders of corruption in him I thank God saith he through jesus Christ our Lord As if he should say why doe I thus dismay my selfe sinne is in me but yet notwithstanding sinne shall not have dominion over me by Christ I am delivered from the reign of sinne Oh thanks be to God through jesus Christ Here is consolation take it and incourage your selves by it against the remainders of corruption that are in you God hath left sinne in you but why It is but to serve you as the Canaanites that were left in Canaan they shall not reign over you saith God they shall be Tributaries to you to draw water and to hew wood for the service of the Sanctuary to helpe you in offering up Sacrifices they shall be your servants I speak this to your comforts onely that are the Lords sinne is left in you not to reign over you but to serve you You are Priests to God the Father and you must have Sacrifices to offer up unto God of old God made his people offer up costly Sacrifices Oxen and Sheep and Calves but now sinne serveth the turne the sinne that is in thee serveth thee for Sacrifice every sinne that thou mortifie it is as pleasing a Sacrifice to God as if thou offerest up an O xe or a Sheep thus they are thy servants and they save thee cost they serve in stead of Sacrifices they serve to draw water and cut wood thy sinnes they doe more further thygrace then any thing else they helpe thee to draw the water of godly sorrow of true repentance they helpe thee to prize the mercies of the Lord Jesus Christ they helpe thee to humility to meeknesse to a spirit of compassion to others in a word nothing doth thee so much service as the sinne that is in thee Be of good comfort therefore if thy sinnes be grieved for striven against laboured against they further thy reward for all eternity Here is the second Use The last Use is for Exhortation in as much as you that are Gods people see that sinve shall never have dominion over you be exhorted therefore to fight against your sinnes you have a good cause you are sure of victory oh then play the men Souldiers that have a good cause and have good hope of victory how manfully doe they fight and yet they are not sure of victory neither But thou that art one of Christs what cause can here be better then thine the cause of Christ against the Devill what greater assurance can there be of obtaining the victory seeing God himselfe is ingaged in the quarrell the word is gone cut of his mouth he hath said it Sinne shall not have dominion over you Oh then stand it out against sinne never yeeld the bucklers to thy corruptions that make hard upon thee make the battell fresh and strong against thy lusts though thou art foyled again and again never give over conflicting for God hath said it and his words shall never fall to the ground that sinne shall not have dominion over thee he hath engaged himselfe in the cause and if God be true and able
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
LONDON Printed by G. D. for Francis Eglesfield and are to be sold at the Sign of the Marigold in Pauls Church-yard 1651. Culpable Ignorance OR The danger of Ignorance under Means SERMON VI. ISAI 27.11 For it is a people of no understanding therefore he that made them will not have mercie on them and he that formed them will shew them no favour IF you cast your eyes my brethren upon the beginning of this Chapter you shall observe that when the Prophet had discovered the fierce dealing of God with the enemies of his people vers 1. he doth from the second verse to the words of the Text and so afterwards make known Gods gracious affection towards his own faithfull servants as also his dealing with those cursed Hypocrites that live in the bosome of the Church In a word that I may not be long before I come to that which I desire to deliver to you in the discoverie of the Lords dealing first with his own people and then with others that live in the bosome of the Church to whom he communicateth his ordinances there are three things observable The first is Gods speciall care of and his tender love and fatherly affection to those that love and fear his Name that labour to approve their hearts and waies to him that are called to the profession of his truth and walk answerably thereunto and that continueth to the seventh verse namely That the Lord will keep them and water them every moment that he will keep them night and day c. Secondly As the Prophet expresseth Gods speciall care of his servants so withall he manifesteth a secret kind of displeasure that was in God even toward those that belong unto him because of the carelesness and fruitlesnesse that was among them therefore he was pleased to lay his correcting hand upon them yet still in measure with abundance of patience and in much compassion towards them and all for their special good not to confound but to humble and better them And this we have from the 7th to the end of the 9th verse where the Prophet sheweth what is the fruit of affliction to those that belong unto God By this therefore shall the iniquity of Jacob be purged and this is all the fruit to take away his sin As if he should say Howsoever the Lord loveth his vineyard yet he will prune it not to destroy it but to make it the more fruitfull He onely will take away the superfluous branches those inordinate lusts that appear in the lives of his servants This is the main issue and speciall benefit of afflictions to the godly to subdue their corruptions to purge them to make them walk more circumspectly before God Thirdly the Prophet having thus declared Gods care of his own people and his fatherly chastisement of them in the last place from the 9th verse to the end of the 11th he declareth his proceedings also against the cursed Hypocrites that live in the bosome of the Church against those that have a form of godlinesse onely but deny the power thereof that present themselves before the Lord and appear in his Sanctuary as if they would doe great matters for him yet their hearts are naught and the Lord seeth them and threatneth to deal with them accordingly and in conclusion denounceth an utter overthrow an universall ruine and confusion unto them so as that their estates shall be altogether helplesse for their defenced Cities shall be desolate and their habitations forsaken and left like a Wildernesse Yea so helplesse shall they be that if a poor silly woman come by shee shall spoil them The women come and set them on fire Now if it be asked Why the Lord doth deal thus fiercely with carnall sinful men seeing though they have no strength of grace in their hearts yet they are his creatures The Reason is rendred in the words of the Text For it is a people of no understanding therefore he that made them will not have mercie on them and he that formed them will shew them no favour As if he should say Doe yee inquire the reason why the Lord is so deeply displeased with Hypocrites that live in thee bosome of the Church and why he threatneth to proceed so severely with them Alas it is no wonder for they are a people of no understanding what shew soever they make though they enjoy the Ordinances yet they are no way fit for Gods spirituall building they are onely fit for the fire of his wrath though they are in the Church yet they are not of the Church therefore he that made them will shew them no mercie and he that formed them wil not vouchsafe to bestow any favour upon them In the words there are two things observable First the judgement of God denounced against this people Secondly the cause of that judgement Or thus First the sin of this people Secondly The judgement of God because of that sin The sin of the people is They have no understanding The judgement of God because of that sin Therefore he that made them will not have mercie on them and he that formed them will shew them no favour First you see the people offending they want sanctifying and saving knowledge they are a people of no understanding You see again the Lord observing this and proceeding severely against them because of this Therefore he that made them will not have mercie on them and he that formed them will shew them no favour First of the former touching the sin of the people I will not stand long in the opening of the words Onely thus much observe briefly It is a people that have no understanding What kind of people was it Even those that lived under the means of grace that enjoyed all the helps and incouragements that a people could desire that had an outward call and were counted the people of God those were a people of no understanding Howsoever the Lord was pleased to inlarge himself toward them to bestow many outward Priviledges upon them to suffer them to enjoy many singular helps howsoever they were those to whom were committed the Oracles of God and means of life and salvation yet they remained unfruitfull and unprofitable they were a people of no understanding they had no depth of reach in spirituall things The point observable from hence is thus much That People may enjoy the means of knowledge of life and salvation and yet not withstanding in the mean time not profit by them but remain void of the knowledge of God What this knowledge is and the nature of it I will open unto you afterward onely thus much take along with you for the present That by knowledge here I mean saving knowledge Knowledge no doubt this people had and happily a great measure of understanding they might know many things that belonged to grace and salvation yet for the main for the substance and truth of it it was not the knowledge of God it was not
further then God is pleased by a mightie hand to break open the heart of a man and to enlighten it whether he will or no as a man may say 2 Tim. 3 6 7. this is observed to be the main cause why men are ever learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth They are very good Churchmen as they say often in the Church alwaies hearing and yet notwithstanding remain as poor ignorant silly sots in the main things of life and salvation as if they had lived all their dayes in the West-Indies What is the reason and ground of this The Apostle complaineth there of a certain company of widdows that were ever learning certainly then you would thinke that they were good Schollars no that they were not What was the cause what alwaies learning up early and down late and yet never come to the knowledge of the truth What is the cause The Apostle telleth you in the sixt verse They are laden with sins and led about with divers lusts And vers 8. They are of corrupt mindes reprobate concerning the faith or as it is in the Margent of your Bibles of no judgement concerning the faith Mark like unto these carnall hearted widdows there is a sort of men in the Church of God that carry the cloak of profession upon them and will run to every Lecture and take hold of every occasion to hear a Sermon and yet alas know nothing but are as silly and ignorant in the main grounds of Religion as blind in the things of God as any in the world Will you know the reason why they thrive not Observe it They are laden with lusts and led about with divers pleasures their hearts cleave close to some corruption they harbour some bosome lust in their souls they have a form of godliness but they take not up the power of Religion because it would remove and dis-place those lusts that they love so well I beseech you observe that place Isa 6.9 10. When the Lord had a purpose to overthrow the people and to bring a desolation upon them for their obstinacie he biddeth the Prophet go and preach to them but to what purpose Not to doe them any good for he would not save them Well what course then must the Prophet take Goe saith God and tell this people Hear ye indeed but understand not and see yee indeed but perceive not Make the heart of this people fat and make their ears heavie and shut their eyes least they see with their eyes and hear with their cares and understand with their heart and convert and bee healed I beseech you observe this Text If they did see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand 〈…〉 God would heal them But God in his just judgement will not have them see nor hear nor understand that they might not convert and be healed and he will accomplish this work by the Ministerie of the Prophet and therefore he sendeth him to harden them by his preaching and how Make their hearts fat and then as it followeth their ears will be heavie and their eies will be shut Now observe what makes an heart fat First continuall glutting of ones self with diet with immoderate eating and drinking and then secondly continuall idenesse these two make men fat Just so it is with the soul of a sinner When as the heart of a man cleaveth to a corruption when as a mans affections are glued unto it so that he takes delight in it let it be what lust so ever it will be you shall ever finde him feeding upon it The proud man continually feeds himself upon his pride his minde is ever taken up with the thoughts of this or that fashion with this or that way of attiring and adorning himself The Adulterer is still feeding on the pleasures of his lust alwaies contemplating on those cursed delights The covetous man meet him where you will assoon as he is up in a morning presently he is talking of buying and selling of bargaining and match-making So the drunkard and the rest of sinners the meat is never out of their mouthes their hearts are continually set upon those sinfull corruptions to which they are addicted And withall mark as there must bee feeding so there must be resting for daily exercise and labour spendeth a man and therefore we know those that will feed any creature fat put it up So when a man is resolved to contiune in that course wherein he is is setled on his lees hath set up his staffe he will go no further but there he will stay such a mans heart is fat and what followeth his eyes will be blind Whatsoever shall come from the Minister to thwart that sinfull disposition of his to crosse that lust which lieth in his bosome any way to disease him or stir him off his dregs though it be never so clear and plain and delivered with never so much evidence and demonstration of the Spirit of God it self yet he cares not for it he is resolved to do what he pleaseth and to take his own course let them all say what they will Hence it cometh to passe that in these daies of light wherein the means of knowledge run through the greatest part of the land and abound as the rivers from the sea and yet men remain stark blind in the mysteries of salvation and altogether unreformed in their lives Doe but observe a little the temper of mens spirits and you shall finde it generally to be this Those truths out of the word of God which they conceive to crosse their quiet and disturbe their peace they will not indure Their heart is resolved to be at peace and at libertie come what come will and therefore whatsoever truth it be that causeth any disquietness or disturbance in them away with it Oh say they I will have none of that I have done with that point Surely it is no marvell that such men are not informed seeing they have shut their eies and will not see Oh say they I see no reason for this I understand not why I may not doc such and such a thing Yea you will not understand it you will not be informed because it will trouble and disquiet your hearts There is many a man my brethren who if he might have his libertie in sinfull courses allowed him and might injoy his credit and contentment and ease in the world together with the Gospel would take up many truths that are now despised by him but the main ground of his contempt lies here he must have his sin he will take his libertie he will enjoy himself what ever is said to the contrary And hence it is that God in his just judgement seeing that such men will not entertain the truth in the â—ove thereof that they might be saved they should be given up to strong delusions that they should beleeve a lie that they all might be damned who beleeved not the
to keep sinne from reigning over thee thou shalt be sure to have the victory in the end fall on thy side Thus much for the first part of the verse the promise that the Apostle makes to the people of God Sinne shall not have dominion over you Let us now come as breifly as we can to the second part of the verse and that is the ground and reason of this promise For you are not under the Law but under Grace Give me leave in a word to observe something in the generall before we come to the words themselves The Apostle had exprest a great deale of sweet incouragement to these Beleevers in that he promiseth in the name of God that sinne should not have dominion over them the ground and reason of all this is because they were not under the Law but under Grace This teacheth us thus much and I will note it in a word by the way That All the incouragement we have from God it is all of Grace It is not by workes for then it would come by the Law but it is by Grace that is of Gods free mercy of his free gift This is it that the Papists and the old Pelagians and divers other Heretiques will not give to God that all that we have for matter of incouragement is of Grace Again we may also observe another thing the ground of mercy which the Apostle here had exprest to the people of God he makes it come by Grace and not by the Law But how commeth this grace to them It commeth by Christ and by the Gospell The Lord Jesus Christ he is the meritorious cause of all this grace the Gospel that is the Revealer the Preacher of this grace the Instrument whereby God doth make known and communicate it to us In as much then as the Apostle makes the ground of all the mercy that beleevers have to be by grace and that grace commeth by Christ and the Gospel you may learn in the next place in the generall this instruction also That All the priviledges and mercies that we do enjoy they all come to us by Christ and by his Gospel So much is here included in the word Grace by Christ and by the Gospel come we to injoy all the favour and mercy from God that we doe injoy I will shew you a little in brief how that by Christ we come to injoy all the grace and favour we doe injoy See first that place in Rom. 5.18 19 20. there the Text plainly sheweth that as all our misery and all the displeasure of God came on us by one man that is by Adam so all the mercy and the favour of God with all the comforts and priviledges that we doe injoy they come to us by the second man that is by Jesus Christ you may read the place at your leasure you shall find it expresse in the Text. This is it also you shall see as plainly exprest in the first Verse of that Chapter Being justified by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ by whom also wee have access by faith into the grace wherein we stand Observe peace with God it cometh by Christ access to that grace with God wherein we stand is all by Jesus Christ And as it is thus for Christ so it is also for the Gospel whatsoever priviledges or favours from God we enjoy they are all through the Gospel 2 Thes 2.14 Whereunto he called you by our Gospel to the obtaining of the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ All our glorie cometh by Christ all this glory of Christ is partaked of us through the Gospel And hence also is that in 2 Tim. 1.10 But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ who hath abolished death and hath brought life and immortality to light through the Gospel Still you see the Gospel is made the means whereby we come to injoy those favours and priviledges from God that we doe injoy But you may object if so be all the grace and favour Gods people have had with God come by Christ and by his Gospel then how came they to enjoy it that lived before the coming of Christ and the preaching of the Gospel the Patriarchs and Fathers from Adam to Christ To this I answer that as they so many of them as were beleevers had the same grace and favour with God that we have so they also had the same Christ and the Gospel that we have Christ and the Gospel was as well made known to them as to us and by Christ and the Gospel they came to enjoy that grace with God which they had as well as we doe Hercupon it is that Christ professeth that Moses and the writings of the Prophets did bear witness of him as he speaks in Joh. 5.46 And the Apostle Saint Paul speaking of the unbeleeving Jewes layeth down the cause therof not to be a want of the revelation of Christ in the writings of Moses and the Prophets But saith he 2 Cor. 3.14 their minds were blinded for untill this day remaineth the same vail untaken away in the reading of the Old Testament and even unto this day when Moses is read the vail is upon their heart Christ and the Gospel are revealed in the Old Testament as well as in the New onely here is the difference there was a vail put over their minds that they could not see this Christ and this Gospel that was revealed in the Old Testament And therefore the same Apostle in 1 Cor. 10.3 professeth that the beleeving Jews of the Old Church did eat of the same spirituall meat and did all drinke the same spirituall drink For saith he they dranke of that spirituall rock that followed them and that rock was Christ They were partakers of the same Christ and of the same Gospel that we are The difference is onely this They that were before the coming of Christ they had the Law in a greater plentie and they had the Gospel in a greater scarcitie than we have They had more of the Law and lesse of the Gospel we have lesse of the Law and more of Christ and the Gospel They had not onely the Morall Law but the Judiciall Law and the Ceremoniall Law whereas we are delivered from the Judicial and Ceremoniall Law onely so far as there was in any of them a Morall Equitie And as they had more of the Law so they had lesse of the Gospel Christ indeed was preached to them but it was in Types and Figures but to us Christ is preached nakedly the Gospel indeed was revealed to them but very darkly very obscurely but now to us it is preached in an open and full manner But you will say what is the reason that God put this difference between the people of God before Christ and since I answer The Reason was this Because that before Christ the Church was in his infancie in his childhood therefore as great Heires so long