of this death That our comforter against spiritual deadness is in Christ the following words shew I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Though there be cause of mourning when we look into our own dead hearts yet there is cause of thanksgiving and rejoycing when we look up to God in Christ And that on these grounds 1. The end of Christs assuming our nature and suffering death for our sins was to give us life not only eternal life hereafter but spiritual life here and that in a plentifull measure Joh. 10.10 I am come that they might have life and that they may have it more abundantly Joh. 6.51 I am the living bread which came down from Heaven if any man eat of this bread he shall live for ever and the bread that I will give is my flesh which I will give for the life of the world 2. Though there be in us much deadness yet in Christ and with Christ there is a fountain of life Psal 36.9 For with thee is the fountain of life and in thy light shall we see light As it is with Fountains of water there is water to be had at all times and for all comers in the Fountain So it is with the Fountain of life there is life to be had constanly freely a sufficiency of life for all comers at all times to be had from this Fountain of life 3. The Lord hath given us many gracious and comfortable promises to encourage us to hope in him for quickning grace at such times as we find our selves under deadness as Joh. 11.25 Jesus said unto her I am the resurrection and the life he that believeth in me though he were dead yet he shall live Joh. 6.57 He that eateth me even he shall live by me Psal 69.32 Your heart shall live that seek God Psal 22. They shall praise the Lord that seek him your heart shall live for ever Amos 5.4 Thus saith the Lord unto the house of Israel seek ye me and ye shall live We see here that Spiritual and Eternal Life is promised to such as seek the Lord These promises may be a great comfort to us under our deadness 4. Jesus Christ hath provided us excellent helps against our deadness I will instance in two helps 1. His word that hath a quickning influence in it Psal 119.50 Thy word hath quickned me And ver 93. I will never forget thy precepts for with them thou hast quickned me And as the Precepts so the promises of the word have a quickning virtue in them We may say of the promises with Hezekiah Isa 38.16 O Lord by these things men live and in all these things is the life of my Spirit 2. His spirit is an excellent help against deadness Joh. 6.63 It is the spirit that quickneth The spirit of Christ is the spirit of life and this quickning spirit shall be given to those that ask it of God Luk. 11.13 5. When Christ who is our life shall appear we shall appear with him in glory and when we appear with Christ in glory we shall ive with him for evermore and shall never any more be troubled with deadness but shall be freed from the body of sin and death for ever Col. 3.3 4. Ye are dead and your life is hid with Christ in God when Christ who is our Life shall appear then shall ye also appear with him in glory Your Life is hid with Christ in God It may be understood of the life of Grace here and the life of Glory hereafter Our life of Grace is hid not only from the eyes of the VVorld but at sometimes and in part from themselves As Davenant observs Ex parte quoad quos sanctos quippe qui vitam hanc sentiant in se esse valdè infirmam obscuram dubiam obtentationes diaeboli carnis Yet the weakness of our Spiritual Life the deadness that is mixed with the life of grace shall not hinder our appearing with Christ in and if we appear with him in glory all our deadness and imperfections shall be done away for ever Sect. 7. There is comfort in Christ for such as are troubled for the weakness and imperfections of their services Many Christians finding their service they do for God and their Generations attended with very great weakness and many imperfections are much troubled and discouraged thereby But to such as go under this burden there is comfort to be had in Christ and that in these respects 1. Our persons and services are accepted of God not for the worthyness that is either in our persons or services but for the sake and upon the account of Jesus Christ Eph. 1.6 He hath made us accepted in the beloved And as our persons are accepted in Christ so are our services also 1 Pet 2.5 To offer up spiritual Sacrifices acceptable to God by Jesus Christ If any say how can imperfect services that have sin mixed with them be accepted of God I answer by the merits of Christ the imperfections and sins that are mingled with those holy services which we perform to God are done away and the services rendered acceptable to God Exod. 28.38 And it shall be upon Aarons Forehead that Aaron may bear the iniquity of the holy things of the children of Israel which the children of Israel shall hollow in all their holy gifts and it shall be alwayes on his Forehead that they may be accepted before the Lord. Aaron was a Type of Christ our great High Priest The Plate on his Forehead that had graven on it Holiness to the Lord was a Type of the merits of Christ who is the Lord our Righteousness As Aaron bare away the iniquities of the holy things Typically which being done they were accepted of God So Christ doth really and truly bear away the sins of all services and thereby they are accepted of God 2. Though our services have much weakness and many imperfections in them yet if they be performed with Upright hearts God will accept them 1 Chron. 29.17 I know also my God that thou tryest the heart and hast pleasure in Vprightness As little done by an Upright man is more acceptable to God than great services done by wicked men Pro. 15.8 The Sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord but the Prayer of the Vpright is his delight 3. VVould you serve God and your Generation in a better manner if you were able and is it your burden that you can serve God no better then know for your comfort that God through Christ will accept of your willing mind though you have not such abilities to serve him as others have or as you your selves desire to have 2 Cor. 8.12 If there he first a willing mind it is accepted according to that a man hath and not according to that he hath not 4. It is a great comfort to those that mourn over their imperfections that how imperfect soever they are in themselves they are compleat in Christ Col.
requireth hast When the Angels told the Shepherds that Christ was born in Bethlehem and that they should find him wrapped in swadling-cloths and lying in a Manger they made hast to get a sight of him Luk. 2.16 They came with hast and found the babe lying in a Manger To be made pertakers of Christ and all his saving benefits is of greater concernment than to have a sight of Christ lying in the Manger and if the Shepherds upon the invitation of an Angel made hast to see Christ when he was a little Babe lying in a Manger then how much more doth it concern us to make hast to be pertakers of Christ and all his saving benefits at the call and command of the great God II. We must seek an interest in Christ diligently and earnestly not remisly as if we did not much care whether we got Christ or no. We must say to God as Rachel did to Jacob. Gen. 30.1 Give me children or else I dye VVe must beg for Christ as for Life Lord give me Christ or I dye give me Christ or I am undone for ever The Apostle exhorts us to covet earnestly the best gifts 1 Cor. 12.31 Covet earnestly the best gifts Christ is the best of all the gifts that ever God gave to any of the Children of men and therefore we should covet earnestly the giving of Jesus Christ to our Souls They that labour in a hot and scorching day do earnestly desire to get into the shadow Job 7.2 The Servant earnestly desireth the shadow There is a hot and scorching day approaching Mal. 4.1 Behold the day cometh that shall burn as an oven Earnestly desire to get under Christs shadow before this scorching day and hot day comes To be under Christs shadow is more delightfull and refreshing in the hottest day of Gods vengeance under the most scorching persecutions than it is to a labouring man to set under the shadow in the hottest day and in the hottest climate of the world Cant. 2.3 I sate down under his shadow with great delight VVicked men are very earnest and diligent in following after their sins Mich. 7.3 They do evil with both hands earnestly And shall not we be more earnest to get Christ and the Salvation of our Souls than wicked men are to commit sin and bring damnation upon themselves This is a sure way to find Christ to seek him diligently Jer. 29.13 And ye shall seek me and find me when ye shall search for me with all your hearts Heb. 11.6 He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him And what is the reward that God giveth to them that seek him diligently He gives them himself for their reward Gen. 15.1 I am thy exceeding great reward III. VVe must seek after Christ and Salvation by Christ above all things in this world Mat. 6.33 Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and his Righteousness First that is mainly chiefly make it your main care your chiefest business to get to Heaven The Apostle Pauls desire and endeavour above all things was that he might win Christ he was willing to do or suffer any thing so that he might win Christ and be found in him at the great day of judgment Phil. 3.8 9. For whom I have suffered the loss of all things and do count them but dung that I may win Christ and be found in him not having mine own Righteousness which is of the Law Jesus Christ is far better than all things that are in this VVorld what Solomon saith of wisdom Prov. 8.11 Wisdom is better than Rubies and all the things that may be desired are not to be compared with her The same is true of Christ the wisdom of God Christ is better than Rubies and all things that we can desire are not to be compared with him and therefore to seek to get Christ above all things in the world VVith what eagerness do some men seek after the world they rise early they set up late there is no end of all their labour and they never think that they have enough of the world Eccl. 4.8 He hath neither child nor brother yet there is no end of all his labour neither is eye satisfied with riches And some men that are not willing to take much pains are exceedingly desirous of the world Prov. 21.25 26 His hands refuse to labour he coveteth greedily all the day long Oh that men would but take the like pains to get Christ that they do to get the world that they would covet Christ greedily all the day long that there were no end of their labour that they would never say they have enough of Christ but labour to get more and more of him IV. We must seek Christ constantly we must seek him till we have found him and got possession of him If we loose a piece of Silver we look diligently for it and we look till we find it Luk. 15.8 What woman having ten pieces of Silver if she loose one piece doth not light a candle and sweep the house and seek diligently till he find it If there be such endeavours to seek a little piece of Silver that we will not give over looking and seeking till we have found it how much more should we seek after Christ till we have found him seeing he is better than all the Silver and Gold in the world Psal 105.4 Seek the Lord and his strength seek his face evermore We must not only seek the Lord for a time or for a long time but for evermore Hos 10.12 It is time to seek the Lord till he come and rain Righteousness upon you Though it should be very long before the Lord comes yet we must seek him till he come Now if we would continue seeking after an interest in Christ till we have obtained it we must take heed of these two things 1. Of resting satisfied in any condition in any gifts in any enjoyments till God hath given us Jesus Christ What Abraham said concerning his being childless Gen. 15.2 Lord God what wilt thou give me seeing I go childless So should we say concerning a Christless condition Lord God what wilt thou give me seeing I go Christless None of all Gods gifts should satisfie us unless he hath given us Christ Though he hath given us excellent gifts and parts though he hath given us comfortable yoak-fellows convenient habitations plentifull estates beneficial callings yet none of these nor any other gifts can make up the want of Christ and therefore we should say what wilt thou give me seeing go Christless VVhat is said of Booz in reference to Ruth Ruth 3.18 The man will not be in rest untill he have finished the thing this day The like should we do in reference to seeking an interest in Christ we should not be at rest in our minds till we have finished this thing namely the getting a saving interest in Christ 2. VVe must take heed of giving over seeking after Christ through discouragement
to the observation of the Commandments of God All these things have I kept from my youth up Yet this young man had one thing that lay nearer his heart than Christ and that was the love of the world Mark 10.21 One thing thou lackest go sell whatsoever thou hast And when Christ put him on the Tryal he chose rather to part with Christ than with his possession though it was some grief to him to part with Christ yet he went away from him rather than he would part with his possessions Matth. 19.22 When the young man heard that saying he went away sorrowful for he had great possessions 3. There is no person nothing in the whole world that deserves so much of our love as Christ It is most equitable and reasonable that we should love Christ above our dearest Relations above all things and persons whatsoever On several accounts I will name two or three 1. None ever shewed such love to us as Christ hath done The love of Father and Mother and the dearest Friends we have in all the world is short of the love of Christ The The greatest love that man can shew is to die for his Friend John 15.13 Greater love hath no man than this that he lay down his life for his Friends This love Christ hath shewn to us he layd down his life for us yea greater than this for he did not lay his Life for us when we were Friends but when we were Enemies Rom. 5.10 When we were Enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son All earthly similitudes as the love of an Huband to his Wife the love of Parents to their Children the love of a man to his Friend are too short to set out Christ's love to us and therefore he fetcheth a comparison from Heaven and likens his love to us as his Fathers love to him Joh. 15.9 As the Father hath loved me so have I loved you As Christ's love is greater to us than the love of any man in the world so it is of longer continuance Our Parents love was not towards us till we had our beings and ceaseth when we go to our Grave for though there be grief and sorrow for a season at our Death yet in process of time dead men are forgotten both by them that loved and hated and envied them Eccl. 9.5 6. The memory of them is forgotten Also their love and their hatred and their envy is now perished But Christ's love to us is Everlasting It was towards us before we had our beings even from Everlasting and will be towards us when we shall cease to be in this world even unto Everlasting Jer. 31.3 I have loved thee with an everlasting love Now Christ having loved us more than any man ever loved us it is but reason that we should love him above all 2. Jesus Christ is more amiable than any other persons or things in the World He is altogether lovely Cant. 5.16 This can't be said of any Creatures since the fall of man that they are altogether lovely for there is something of unloveliness in them Whatsoever there is in any Creatures that may attract our love it is eminently and transcendently in Christ As for Instance Is our love drawn by others love to us Love will beget love in all sorts of men Luk. 6.32 Sinners love those that love them Never any man shewed such love to us as Christ hath done as proved before Doth beauty draw our love it is said of Christ Thou art fairer than the Children of men Ps 45.2 There are all excellencies and perfections to be found in Christ Is our love drawn by beneficence and bounty Thus doth great things with most men Prov. 19.5 Every man is a Friend to him that giveth gifts None ever gave us such gifts as Christ hath given to us none hath been so bountiful and beneficial to us as Christ Jesus Is it propriety that ingageth our affections A man loveth his own Children above other Children and his own things above other things John 15.19 The World loves his own There is nothing so much our own in this VVorld as Christ is if we be true Christians He is our own Lord and our own Master he hath given himself for us and given himself to us He is ours by an Everlasting Covenant we are united to him he is our Head and we are Members of his body and he dwelleth in us by his Spirit And we are more his than we are our own or any other mans He made us and he redeemed us and bought us with a price and hath betrothed us to himself 3. We are under greater Obligations and Ingagements to love Christ than we are to love our Parents or any other Relations or dearest Friends in the world For none ever did or suffered such great things for us of Christ hath done He hath reconciled us to God He hath obtained for us the pardon of all our sins he hath saved us from the torments as Hell he hath purchased an Everlasting for our Inheritance in the other VVorld he hath made us Kings and Priests to our God He appeareth in the presence of God for us and is continually making intercession for us The benefits we have by Christ are innumerable It is said of David 1 Sam. 18.16 All Israel and Judah loved David because he went out and came in before them Christ the Son of David doth more than this for us he sticks closer to us than David did to Israel he hath said I will never leave thee nor forsake thee How ought we then to love Christ for this and not only for this but all the benefits we have by him which are far greater than we have by any man in the the World 4. It is most equitable and reasonable that we should in all things give Christ the preheminence and prefer him above and before all things in the world and that on these accounts 1. It is the will and good pleasure of God the Father that his Son Jesus Christ should be preferred by us above all things in the world and therefore he hath made him head of the Church Col. 1.18 And he is the head of the Body the Church that in all things he might have the preeminence 2. Jesus Christ is better than all things and therefore to be preferred above and before them Col. 1.17 He is before all things and by him all things consist He is above all the Angels of Heaven who are his Servants and worship and adore him 1 Pet. 3.22 Who is gone into Heaven and is on the right hand of God Angels and Authorities and Powers being made subject unto him Heb. 1.6 Let all the Angels of God worship him He is better than all things in the VVorld All that is in the world is but dross and dung compared with Christ Phil. 3.8 And therfore we may say with David Ps 73.25 Whom have I in Heaven but thee and there is