expression of a living soul is he doth not say it was wrought when he had a good mind to hear such a man or to take such a course so it may be will flesh and blood say but when you come to an heart that indeed lives in God sight he expresseth himself thus but when it pleased God it was done I for my part ran cleane another way I never had a desire after God I had indeed a kind of forme and shew and could comply my selfe to my Governours and Neighbours that I might be flattered and incouraged by them and I should never have taken better course of my selfe but when it pleased God to call me by his grace there is the life of a Christian he fetches his life from the highest heavens It pleased God to call me by his grace and to reveale his Sonne in me when it pleased him to shew me the estate of my soule and the sinfull rebellion of my heart and when he revealed Christ not so much to me as in me he was revealed to him in Act. 9. in the first vision and worke upon him but when he revealed Christ in me then he went that way the Holy ghost led him Thus you shal easily discerne it plainly though it be hidden in the pleasure of God yet it will shew it selfe evidently in the expression of a Christian man when he comes to speake of the life of his spirituall estate they never attribute it to good inclination nor to the good instructions of others but they say when it pleased God thus and thus to reveal himself in me when he shewed me my selfe when God laid about to find which way to hemme me in then it pleased God to do it and since then I have lived A second cause of my spiritual life is The second cause of spiritual life The Word of God the word of Promise for so the Apostle tells you Not all that are of Abraham are the seed and children of Abraham but the children of the Promise are counted for the spirituall seed That seed which is elected of God and chosen to everlasting life that is the seed of Promise That is such as are begotten of some promise of God or other Every Isaack is a Sonne of the promise And least you should thinke it peculiar to Isaack alone the Apostle opens it sweetly in Gal. 4.28 As a thing common with Isaack to all the people of God it is a like Priviledge given to the Galathians and to all others that were born of God We brethren are children of the Promise it was not peculiar to Isaack alone to be borne of the Promise and yet of the Promise he was borne in a kind of peculiar manner for before he was born God gave Isaack to Sarah by promise and by vertue of that promise was he borne even a naturall life Now so farre indeed it was a speciall peculiar Prerogative to Isaack and Jacob but the Apostle would from thence gather that the spiritual birth of us all is by a word of promise All of us one and other is born by a word of Providence but if we speak of our spiritual birth then we brethren are children of the Promise So that you shall observe this to be an holy truth of God That every child of God is borne of the promise of God So that then hast thou a new birth and dost thou live a new life Tel me then what promise was it that did beget thee to God that begat thee to this new life What Word of God was it by which thou wast begotten it is a general speech that in Ro. 10.17 Faith commeth by hearing and by the doctrine of faith preached Gal. 3.5 that is the Gospell of faith so that this is the point There is some promise which being reported to the soule in the ministery of the Word is laid hold upon by the hearts of Gods people the same Word of promise working that faith in the heart by which the soule cleaves to such a promise Then doe but consider if thou beest borne of God what cause was there of thy birth wa st thou born of that Word of God or of thine own conceite or of the good opinion of Christians or is there some Word of God which thou hast placed thy confidence in and upon which thou hast been reformed and since that day to this God hath turned thy heart and way to another course and given thee to live in his sight It is true it may be many a good soule cannot readily tell you Note this what promise did first bring them on to God but though thou canst not alwayes tell yet a word of promise it was and ordinarily a word of Promise which the word preached did apply to thy soule and caused thy heart to reach forth and to lay hold upon it but though thou beest not always able to reckon up the first Promises yet this I say And marke it there is no Christian soule but hath some promises of God on which his heart is stayed upon and by which his life is nourished which argues it was bred of those promises of which it is now fed though a man be not alwayes able to tell what promise it was sometimes a word of reproofe or of counsell may sink deep into a man when God sets it wel on and may make a deep impression in the heart of a man And may so turne about the course of their lives as that thereby they may reforme all common and outward and knowne soule sinnes which before was ever cause and matter of reproofe but that is not so safe a worke of Christ not such a strong evidence of our spirituall life when such a word of reproofe or counsell hath set us in such a course and we have thereupon refrained gaming and breaking of the Sabbath and vain fashions this is well but it is not so safe a signe of our new birth for this may befal even an hypocrite he may be so convinced by a word of grace and wise counsell as may strongly turne the streame of his course another way and yet bee without any life and power of godlinesse only the word of promise is able to work grace and life in the heart of a man For the Ground of the Point is this Ground of the point we cannot have a spirit of life wrought in us by the workes of the Law nor by the words of the Law Gal. 3.5 He that ministereth to you in the spirit and worketh miracles doth hee it by the workes of the Law As if he should say did ye ever receive the grace of Christ by the workes of the Law or by the counsell of the Law or by the commandements of the Law or by the reproofes reached forth from the Law he excludes it as impossible and as no wayes able to doe it vers 21. And therefore he doth ever lead us unto some word of the Gospel to some promise
CHRIST THE Fountaine of LIFE OR Sundry Choyce SERMONS on part of the fift Chapter of the first Epistle of St. JOHN PREACHED By that Learned judicious Divine and faithfull Minister of Jesus Christ Mr. JOHN COTTON B. D now Preacher at Boston in New-England Christus Vita Via est Scriptura Christi Published according to Order LONDON Printed by Robert Ibbitson and are to be sold by George Calvert at the signe of the half Moone in Watling street neer Pauls Stump MDCLI The Contents CReatures broken Cisters without Christ Pag. 2 Men cannot redeeme themselves ibid First part of the worship of Christ viz. in the minde and judgement p. 6 To prize Christ is to worship him p. 7 Christians worship Christ in their mindes p. 8 Moses honours the reproaches of Christ ib Naturally men desire to know the worth of blessings p. 9 He that hath Christ is inquisitive to know all the vertue that is in Christ ib Two parts of the worship of Christ is in the will and affections ib Deep measure of worshipping of Christ p. 10 Christ when more truly worshipped p. 11 Sweetest frame of spirit ib Third part of worshipping of Christ p. 12 Universall obedience ib If we cannot enjoy the liberty of the Ordinances but with sin against our soules in this case the Ordinances of God are to be neglected and omitted p. 22 The life of Christianity is not a life of wisdome and graces but of faith p. 29 A third way of having Christ is by Covenant p. 31 Extent of the Covenant on Gods part p. 33 God a Fountaine of goodnesse to his servants ib Extent of the Covenant on our part p. 34 Covenant three-fold ib Covenant of Salt p. 35 A fourth way of having of Christ p. 39 Christ received as into a temple three wayes p. 40 Second way of receiving of Christ p. 44 The third way of receiving Christ ib How to know whether you have truly embraced Christ p. 45 First thing considered in having Christ as a Son p. 46 True love to Christ wherein it is p. 53 Christ united to us and we to him by a three-fold spirit p. 59 A three-fold conformity between Christ and his p. 60 The first conformity wherein it consisteth ib The second conformity p. 61. The third conformity p. 63 The second worke of the Spirits liberty p. 65 Liberty from feare of sinne ib Naturall property of a Son p. 66 Liberty from power of sinne p. 67 Freedome from sins service p. 68 A Servants care in perseverance of Christian duties brings priviledge of peace to his soule p. 69 The third signe he that hath the Sonne hath him for his Prince pag. 74 To have Christ for a Saviour requires two things p. 75 Christ a Saviour from sin as well as from distresse p. 79 An hard matter to be willing to be saved by Christ p. 80 Christ saveth as a Prince p. 81 Christ our Prince in two things p. 82 Rebellious thoughts p. 83 Christians differenced by their thoughts ib Good thoughts continue for ever p. 85 Summe of all laid downe p. 88 Three sorts of signes of Spirituall life p. 92 First cause of Spirituall life ib John the first and the thirteenth opened p. 93 The second cause of Spirituall life p. 94 That the Promises belong to every true Christian p. 95 Ground of the point p. 96 A third cause of Spirituall life p. 98 Signes of Spirituall life from the effects of it p. 101 Life of Justification ib Inward peace flowes from pardon of sin ib That every sinner as soone as his sin is pardoned hath an unconceiveable peace in his soule p. 102 Second effect of the life of Justification ib Property of Spirituall life p. 105 Love of God a signe of Spirituall life ib Life of Sanctification p. 109 Joy and griefe in the soule sanctified at once p. 110 Joy and feare p. 111 Joy in affliction p. 113 Patience without forbearance ib Meeknesse and strictnesse at once p. 114 Modesty mixed with magnanimity p. 115 Psalme the 24. the 7. verse opened p. 116 Psalme 149. verse 6. expounded p. 118 The seventh combination of graces p. 119 Diligence in worldly businesse and yet dead to the world ib Love of Enemies p. 102 Effects of Sanctification signes of spirituall life p. 127 First effect motion ib Lightnesse of spirit p. 128 What is required to a Spirituall duty p. 129 Of common gifts p. 130 Causes of deadnesse of heart p. 132 Remedies against deadnesse p. 133 Second signe of spirituall life ib John 6.35 explained p. 134 First a soule longs after Christ in the Ordinance ib Strength and sweetnesse in the Ordinance p. 135 Third particular applying of the Word p. 136 Fourth conformity to the Word in every thing ib Growth in grace p. 138 Repentance the best purge p. 140 Fourth effect of the life of Sanctification ib Fifth signe life propagates it like p. 142 Three properties of life first warmth p. 144 Knowledge warme p. 145 John 5.32 expounded ib 2. Where there is life there is breath p. 146 3. Spiritual warmth digesteth Gods Ordinances p. 148 4. Spiritual warmth heateth others ib Power of sinne p. 153 Plyablenesse of spirit p. 158 James 3.17 expounded ib So much sweetnesse so much life p. 159 Danger of being out of Christ p. 161 Jer. 13. last opened p. 162 Esa 44.11 explained p. 165 Procure Christ for our selves and others p. 172 Motives to get Christ p. 172 Meanes of having Christ p. 174 What help Johns Epistles yeelds to beleevers p. 179 The bane of Congregations that have no means of preaching p. 184 Note the miserable case of Congregations that have but bare reading p. 186. Carnal men have benefit by the Word p. 187 Three reasons or signes of grace p. 189 Knowledge what p. 190 Rome an Harlot ib Mighty power in the Scriptures preached p. 199 Reading the Word p. 200 Examination of things heard ib Repetition of the word blessed p. 201 Meditation on the Word p. 202 Property of a faithfull Minister p. 203 Faith profitable to all things p. 205 Infidell practice of Papists ib Mighty power in meditating upon the Word p. 206 Kings must read the Word of God daily p. 207 To pray according to Gods will in two things 1. Aske things lawfull 2. aske in Christs name 1. To aske in Christs name requireth humility p. 211 212 First second third fourth acts of humility p. 212 213 First second third fourth acts of faith in prayer p. 213 214 First to pray in the spirit is to pray feelingly 2. Fervently 3. Perseverance p. 218 219 Advocate what p. 228 Partiall eye Censorious eye Malicious eye wanton eye p 243 244 245 Mantle of wisdome p. 248 Mantle of of faithfulnesse ib Mantle of compassion p. 249 CHRIST the FOUNTAIN of LIFE SERMON I. 1 JOHN 5.12 He that hath the Son hath life and he that hath not the Son hath not life THese words containe the Third part of the record that God bare of
parts and all the good common gifts of grace which are found sometimes in good nature and sometimes in the children of the Church we must part with them all that we may win Christ 1 Cor. 3.18 If any man among you seem to be wise in this world let him become a foole that he may be wise who ever would be a wise man as a wise man he cannot be if hee have not his part in Christ he must lay aside his serious and sad deliberation and communication with flesh and blood and all things in the way of God that he thinkes will be prejudiciall if any man be so wise as to see this and that danger in a Christian course let him become a foole else he shall never become a Christian if a man will be content to forsake all for Christ he must first be a foole and be content to bee counted a foole and heare every carnall man to count him a foole And I speak not onely of carnal and civill wisdom that that only is to be denyed in this case but common graces which many times choakes all the hypocrites in the bosome of the Church they are commonly choaked upon this point upon these things they trust and doe therefore verily beleeve that this and that interest God hath in them and they in God because they have received such and such gifts from him and this is the case formerly mentioned Matth. 7.22 23. they pleaded their spirituall gifts though common gifts and such as may be found in workers of iniquity they prayed to God a common gift and they prophesied in his name they had prophetical gifts some measure of the spirit of ministery and they were able to cast out devills in Christs name now when as men do trust upon these and settle themselves upon such a change truly hereby they loose that power in Christ which else they might have had It s a wonder to see what a change propheticall gifts will work in a man 1 Sam. 10.10 12. he there Saul had a spirit of prophesie came upon him and the people wondred at it it works a strange change in a man and so in the next chap. the 19 and 23 ver he prophesied til he came at such a place so that you shall see a man that is trained up in any good order though sometimes given to loose company when once God begins to poure into him any spirituall gift to inlighten his mind and to inlarge his affection that hee begins to have some love to and some joy in the Word and some sorrow in hearing of the Word and some comfort in meditation Its wonder to see what a change this will work in the spirit he forthwith begins to abandon his loose courses and sets himselfe to a more strict course then hee begins to see his acquisite learning is but a small matter to edification hee prizes his spirituall gifts and hee is able now to doe much and when a mans heart is thus changed by propheticall gifts it workes in a man such confidence in his soule that he thinkes all the Congregation shall perish before he can perish and if Ministers may be thus deceived by common gifts and graces how much more may their poor hearers bee deceived when they by hearing the Word find such comfort and illumination and inlargements that they thereby finde a great change wrought in them and yet if ministers may bee so much deceived in presuming vainly of their good estate which was not so then much more common Christians Should any man presume at Foelix his trembling Act. 24.25 At Jehues zeale 2 King 10.16 At Ahabs humiliation 1 King 21.28 29. At Herods joy in hearing you know what became of all these those be graces of God though but common graces and if the Prophets were deceived may not these be deceived also that have neither Christ nor any part in him and therefore a man that would bee sure not to goe without Christ nor without life in him he must not trust in any spirituall gift he hath received though his mind be enlightened sometimes to feare sometimes to joy to humiliation to inlargement to zealous reformation yet rest in none of these for these you may have and yet want Christ and life in him common graces may and will deceive you a man may have all these and yet not prize Christ at his cheifest good he may have all these and yet not worship him Notwithstanding all these there may bee some iniquity in their hands for which cause God will not shew mercy to them See and observe if in the midst of all these you do not worke some iniquity they were workers of iniquity alwayes at the best Matth. 7.23 you may be workers of iniquity notwithstanding all these and therefore consider if there be not some veine of pride and hypocrisie and covetousnesse that cleaves fast to your hearts which you allow your selves in which if you doe these very gifts will bee your ship-wracke your anchor will breake and your ship will bee carryed away and you fall downe in destruction but see that your hearts bee cleane and see that there bee not an ill thought or way that you allow your selves in and if so then your heart will lay hold upon God and you will prize Christ and then it is a signe those gifts you have are not in hypocrisie for in an hypocrite they are alwayes found with some sinne which if a man doe not willfully shut his eyes against hee may see for our Saviour speakes of such a sinne in them as the rest of the people of God may know them to be counterfeits from verse 15 to 23. You shall know them by this doe men gather grapes of thornes or figges of thistles have not they their ill haunts but put away these from you if you mean to have Christ Fifthly If we would have Christ and life in him we may have him in Justification but not in growth of Sanctification if you part not with confidence in the saving graces of Gods Spirit you must not looke to be justified by them for if you doe you wil discover them not to be sanctified graces nor the fruits of them the fruits of saving grace Christ shall profit you nothing if you looke to be saved by the righteousnesse of the Law Gal. 5.3 4. If therefore we thinke that for these graces sake God accepts us truly we loose the things that we have wrought and for all that we have received we have no part nor portion in the Lord Jesus Christ neither Abraham nor David hath whereon to 〈◊〉 Rom 4.4.18 But blessed is the man to whom the Lord imputeth no sinne and in whose spirit there is no guile Therein stands our blessednesse when the Lord imputes not sinne to us but if we looke to be justified either by the gifts of grace we have received or by the workes and acts of grace that we have performed we shall certainly fall
streame of our hearts that unfainedly we would be made whole not a member in our bodies but we would have it healed we would not have an uncleane lust in our soules but we would be perfectly made whole would we be saved from all our sins then we have him for our Saviour and there is not a sin in us but we shall be healed of it and this is life to looke to Christ for universall salvation And so consider have you Christ for a Prince Are your hearts willing to subject every thought unto him you say you are somewhat unwilling to it but doth not the Apostle say Every thought must be brought into subjection to the Gospel of Christ into captivity and were it not better to be free and voluntary It is true Gods people know that when they were first brought on to God they were carried captive and drawne Ioh. 6.44 but afterwards they finde the service of Christ to be perfect freedome and therefore how lookest thou at thy thoughts for I principally take notice of them Art thou not willing that a vaine thought should lodge within thee thoughts of pride and of revenge come into thy heart but what entertainment dost thou give them Doth Satan when he comes finde thy house fit for his purpose If thou give these Guests such entertainment then thou hast not Christ for thy Prince but if they come like stubborne Rebels into thy house and they disturbe thee and thou call to thy friends to help thee and thou cryest out to thy Prince in Heaven for a privie search to be made to finde them out and would not have any one wicked thought to rest in thy heart then thou hast Christ for thy Prince but if thou givest them willing entertainment and lodgest them next thy heart and fattest and feedest thy selfe in such thoughts of wrath and lust and huggs them in thy bosome then thy heart stands in rebellion against God if these rebellious lusts be thy friendly companions then God is not at peace with thee but if thou beest burthened with them as Souldiers come into the houses of men that live in the Palatinate and they are forced to entertaine them but if thou wouldest cast them out then thou hast Christ for thy Prince but if you refuse his government and your thoughts are your owne and you wil have God to serve your turne and you burthen his patience with one wicked course after another and you make use of Gods patience to the sinfull provocation of his wrath and you deale with God as Witches doe with the Devil he shall serve you now and you will serve him when you dye Consider what sacrifice you offer to God any thing is good enough for God and the wayes of his grace is a burthen to you then you have him not for your Prince Now in the name and fear of God consider what hath been said every one take his portion and the Lord give you a good understanding in all things SERMON VII 1 JOHN 5.12 He that hath the Son hath life and he that hath not the Son hath not life WE now come to a third head of Signes by which it may appeare whether we have Christ or no and that is from the third word in the Text which is Life for it is an Argument of like strength and value to argue the one from the other He that hath the Sonne hath life and he that hath life he hath the Sonne and therefore now at this time to open to you some signes or markes by which it may appear to us whether we have life or no that Spirituall Life here spoken of to wit the life of righteousnesse in our Justification and of Sanctification of comfort and consolation and of eternall glory And the signes of Life are of three sorts Three sorts of signes of Spirituall life either you may discerne the life of Gods Grace by the causes of it or by the effects of it or by the qualities and properties of it as we call them First 1 Signe for the Causes the Holy Ghost usually sets forth the causes of our Spirituall life and if we finde these causes to have been the work of that life which we conceive our soules to be endued with we may from thence argue the truth of our Spirituall life and from thence the truth of our fellowship with Christ For the first First cause of Spirituall life The first cause of our Spirituall life is the holy and gracious will of God Iam. 1.18 Of his owne will begat he us It is that therefore to this life by which we are begotten for all generation is unto life it is of his own wil that we are begotten to this life And the Apostle John sets it forth Joh. 1.13 opend by the removeall and deniall of all other causes John 1.13 We are borne not of flesh nor of blood nor of the will of man but of God Not of bloods Not of godly parents for men may have godly Parents and yet themselves degenerate and therefore it is not to be ascribed to parentage it is not from the parentage but from the Covenant and from Gods will in the Covenant that begets a child of God nor is it of the will of the flesh that is of corrupt nature nor of the will of man nor of the best paines that they can take though they take much paines for us yet all may be in vaine so as that unlesse God set in with Christian friends and with the blood and Covenant of our Ancestors we shall not be brought on to live a spirituall life in Gods sight It is that which God himselfe speakes of in Ezek. 16.6 When wee were yet in our blood yet God said to us live When we were in our blood like an infant gaspeing for naturall life and ready to perish even then when none could helpe us then God said to us live and then we lived in his sight And therefore in a word you may take this for an evident signe of the true life of grace where ever you find the worke of grace wrought in any soule you shall find the heart speaking of it as the worke of Gods owne hand Take you a man in the estate of nature and he will say God be thanked he had alwayes a good mind and his parents would never say no lesse of him but he was alwayes a toward and hopefull child he thanks God and thus a man will speake that is onely well nurtured he will say it is a worke that was ever in him and he ever thought so of himselfe But now take another man that is indeed borne to a new life and hath this life in him that springs from Christ he will tell you as Paul was wont to say Gal. 1.15 16. When it pleased God to separate me from my mothers wombe and called me by his grace There you shal as in a pattern discern what the maner of the