could not have bin better for Paul to have been dead than to live it were better that Paul had lived even to the day of Judgment than to have died and so to be nothing and turned into dust but he saith that when he died he should be with Christ which was better for him but that which swayed him on the other side why he should be willing to live it was this That he might be useful to the Churches Nevertheless it is better for you that I should abide in the flesh Service to the Churches is the great cause that makes one who hath made his peace with God to be willing to live it is not that he may live in ease and enjoy pleasures to the flesh but that he may live and do service for God that makes him willing to live And then he tels them he is confident he shal continue with them a while for the furtherance of their faith and that by his coming to them their rejoycing should be more abundant but in the mean time whether I do come or come not Only let your Conversation be as becometh the Gospel of Christ As if he should say I shall the more willingly live my life wil be the more comfortable to me it will somthing recompence my absence from Heaven my staying from the joyes of it if your Conversation be as becometh the Gospel of Jesus Christ If I may hear from you being absent or when I come to you I may see that your Conversation be as becommeth the Gospel of Jesus Christ This is the dependancy of the words For the opening of the words Only Only let your Conversation That is as if he should say be not solicitous about me and my sufferings and what shall become of me and whether I shall come to you or not be not so careful about that only let your care be taken up about this great business That your Conversation be as becometh the Gospel of Christ for saies he this should be the main thing that I should aim at if I should come to you this is that I should put you upon and give you directions about That your Conversation be as becometh the Gospel of Jesus Christ And if I be absent there is not any thing I desire more to hear of than this That you that have received the Gospel of Christ from my hands as it were through my Ministry that your Conversations be as becometh the Gospel of Jesus Christ Brethren if we had Paul here present with us or preaching among us or if he were alive and could write an Epistle to this Congregation or any other Congregation the main drift of his preaching or writing would be to those that had heretofore received the Gospel That they would make it their great care that their Conversations be as becomes the Gospel of Christ Only let your Conversation The word here is a word taken from the ordering of a City or a Common-wealth wherein every one acts in their own sphere and is serviceable each unto other to the publick good so saith he the Church of God it is as a City as a Common-wealth wherein every Christian is to act in his own sphere and every one laboring for the good each of other in a comely order that so there may not only be peace in the Churches but edification of all and the Gospel may thrive and prosper that 's the meaning of this word translated here Let your Conversation As if he should say Do not think it enough that you have some enlightenings that you have some stirrings some affections are moved by the Ministry of the Gospel rest not there but look to your Conversation It is not enough for Christians to have knowledg and to be able to speak of the Gospel and have some stirrings of affection but they must look to their Conversations Let your Conversation be As it becometh the Gospel of Christ For the opening of these words there are these two things considerable First What is this Gospel of Christ that here is spoken of And secondly What is it so to live as becometh the Gospel of Christ Let your Conversation be as becometh the Gospel of Christ The Gospel of Christ in general is this It is the good Tydings that God hath revealed concerning Christ This hath come unto your ears the good Tydings concerning Christ for so the word Gospel the Greek word signifies nothing else but the good Tydings the good Tydings that comes from Heaven unto you concerning Jesus Christ that 's the Gospel of Christ More largely it is this As all Mankind were lost in Adam become the children of wrath put under the sentence of death God though he left his fallen Angels and hath reserved them in the chains of eternal darkness yet he hath thought upon the children of men he hath provided a way of atonement to reconcile them to himself again Namely the second Person in Trinity takes mans nature upon him and becomes the Head of a second Covenant standing charged with mans sin and to answer for it in a way of suffering what the Law and Divine Justice required and for making satisfaction and keeping the Law perfectly which satisfaction and righteousness he tenders up unto the Father as a sweet savor of Rest for the souls of those that are given to him and now this mediation of Christ is by the appointment of the Father preached to the children of men of what Nation or rank soever freely offering this unto sinners for atonement for them requiring them to beleeve in him and upon beleeving promising not only a discharge of all their former sins but that they shall never enter into condemnation that none of their sins or unworthiness shall ever hinder the peace of God with them but that they shall through him be received into the number of Sons that they shall have the Image of God again to be renewed in them that they shall be kept by the Power of God through faith and salvation that these souls and bodies shall be raised to the height of glory that such creatures are capable of that they shall live for ever enjoying the presence of God and Christ in the fulness of al good this is the Gospel of Christ this is the sum of the Gospel that is preached unto sinners when you hear speaking of the Gospel your thoughts may be about this this glad Tydings that is come into the world for salvation of sinful creatures through Jesus Christ and all the good things that Jesus Christ by his blood hath purchased for sinners When Ministers are cald the Ministers of the Gospel the meaning is they are appointed by God Ministers to declare and to preach this glad Tydings to the world Oh it is glad Tydings indeed to the world could there be such glad tidings preached at Hell gates that there were any such way of reconciliation of them to God we could not but conceive there would
2. may prove to be your portion it is spoken of Doeg This is the man saith the Psalmist that did not make God his trust but trusted in his great riches this is the man So you may be pointed out one day This is the man Doeg was a great Courtier and because he was an Officer of King Sauls and because he had his favour he trusted in the favour of the King and in his riches and what did he care for David Yea by the Text it appears he was one that made some shew of Religion too in the 1 of Sam. 21. 7. He was detained before the Lord Tremelius thinks either out of some Religious vow or to keep the Sabbath or somewhat concerning the Law he was detained before the Lord and yet he was a vile Malignant against David and all because he trusted in the great countenance he had at Court Now this is the man that made not God his trust but that trusted in his great riches the Lord forbid this Scripture should be made true of any of you I leave this Text with you that are rich men take heed you trust not in your great riches I leave this Text with you that are in places of dignity and honor take heed you have not your portion in this world I leave this Text to Voluptuous men given up to pleasures take heed you hear not one day this Son remember in thy life-time thou hadst thy pleasure I leave this with those that dare not trust God for a portion to come And above all I leave this with all Hypocrites let them take heed it be not said to them Here is your reward Consider what hath been said and the Lord give you understanding in all things FINIS THE ALPHABETICAL TABLE A ABuse see Body Adam First Adam what he was and what he should have been had he stood Page 43 The state of Adam compared with the state of the Saints 44 Admiration Admiration of Saints and Angels 90 Adrian Adrian the Pope his wofull death 339 Alexanders rebuke 349 Angels Angels are the Saints keepers 155 Angels see Love Honor Anger Anger must be avoided 38 Arbitrary Arbitrary Government and the differences of it 324 Antichrist Antichrists great design 49 Argument see Gospel B Beginning Beginings of sin to be feared 83 Beleevers Beleevers draw strength from Christ 45 Beleevers should manifest Christ in their actions Ibid Beleevers cannot fall away 46 Beleevers are not without mixture of evil ib. Beleevers under the Law were as children under age 100 Beleevers under the Gospel are children of full age ib Beleevers must not be of earthly hearts and why 270 Beleeve The manner how to beleeve 76 Bishops see Prelats Blood The Blood of Christ takes us off from vain conversations 98 Body The body of sin must be mortified 39 The body of sin is unknown to Nature 40 Abuse not your bodies and why 92 Boldness see Saints Boniface Boniface his answer 288 Bowels Bowels of mercy beseem the Gospel 71 Branch see Christ C Canaan The Land of Canaan a type of Heaven 47 Carelesness see Profession Christians Carnal Carnal worship opposeth the soul of godliness 49 Carnal see Weapons Heart Ceremonies Ceremonies condemned and why 97 Chastisement Chastisements for sin what they are 148 Children see Beleevers Christ Christs love known in the Gospel 69 Christ is the mercy of all mercies 70 Christs kept the Law and why 78 Christs self denial 93 Christ is the Root and we are the Branches 103 Christs is a great King 116 Christ God-man governs all things and why 136 Christs Rule 139 Christs Law ibid See Dependance Subjects and Peace Christians Christians must be carefull of their families 19 Christians should eye those whose Conversations are above them 29 Christians subject to grow careless by degrees 31 Church Church of God as a City 3 Circumvent We must not circumvent one another 275 Citizen A Citizen's wretch'd speech 320 Civil Civil mens worship of God 35 Companions see Tribulation Compulsion see Persecution Conscience Liberty of Conscience the way to procure it 22 Contentment Motives to contentment 349 Conversation The meaning of this word CONVERSATION 3 What Conversation becomes the Gospel 5 Our Conversation must be looked to after conversion 7 Conversation becoming the Gospel 57 How our Conversation should be manifested 350 What Conversation becomes the Gospel 115 See Image Wanton Cook Cook his opinion of the Martyrs 308 Covetousness Covetousness unbeseeming a Saint 270 Customs Old Customs an hindrance to spiritual worship 100 D Daies Difference between daies of fasting and thanksgiving and holy daies 99 See Observing Danger see Help Deceivers Self Deceivers how 13 Dependance No dependance between the Kingdom of Christ and this world 284 Design see Gospel Despair The reason of despair 75 Despise Despise not the meanest of men 92 Difference Difference which the Gospel makes 122 Difference betwen Saints and worldly men 312 Divisions Divisions whence they come 105 Duty see Time Dying Dying one for another becomes the Gospel 58 E Elevation Elevation of spirit upon what ground 91 Enmity How enmity against God is kept up 15 Epistle The Saints should be the Epistles of Christ 113 Eternal life Little mention of Eternal life in the Old Testament 110 Excellency The Excellency of a Saints portion wherein it consists 354 Eyes The eyes of all are upon Professors 23 What the eyes of a Christian should be set upon 354 F Faith Faith acts upon Christ as a King aswell as a Savior 135 Necessity of living by faith 285 Fleshly-lusts Fleshly lusts unsutable to the Gospel 102 G Gentils see Partition German The speech of a German Divine 137 God Gods willingnesse to be at peace with man 63 See Hatred Love Glory People Mercy God is full of goodness 64 How the utmost of Gods glory is manifested 90 Godly Why godly men are willing to live 2 Gospel What the Gospel is 3 Gospel-Conversation what it is 38 Gospel Obedience proceeds from love 40 Difference between the Law of Adam and the Gospel 41 Those that live under the Gospel must live in an higher way of holiness than those that lived under the Law 42 The great Design of the Gospel 54 The Gospel cals for love 58 Gospel-arguments are the strongest arguments 69 Difference between the Gospel the light of Nature 73 See Law Mallice Christ Conversation Dying Bowels Wanton Worship Beleevers Power Government see Arbitrary Great ones see Religion H Hard-hearted see Monster Hatred Gods hatred of sin how to know it 81 Heart Carnal hearts will not trust God 351 Help Helps against the danger of the times 24 Holy Ghost The Holy Ghost dwells in our bodies 90 Honor How the honor of Religion is kept up 15 More honor put upon Men than upon Angels 89 I Jewes The error of the Jews about Christs Kingdom 117 See Partition Image How man holds out the Image of God Injustice A remedy against Injustice 77 Institution Whereon institution of Worship depends
out of his den 4. A man may come to know the evil of sin by some dreadful judgments that God hath executed upon sinners here in this world and by the terrors of conscience that there are upon the wicked as on Cain Saul and Judas c. men many times here for their sins by the wrath of God that is reveal'd from Heaven against sin in the execution of it but take all those together yea did we see the woful execution of the wrath of God in Hell its self did the Lord open unto us a door into the chambers of death to discover the torments that are there and to hear all the shreeks and cries of the damned in everlasting burnings yet all this the threats of the Law the terrors of it the agonies of Conscience the torments of the damned in Hell I say put all together and they would not so much nor so cleerly discover Gods infinit hatred of sin as what we find in the Gospel the red Glasse of the blood of Jesus Christ that was shed for sin doth discover more of Gods hatred against it than all the torments of Hell can do or all the threats of the Law can do God doth in inflicting his wrath upon his Son for mans sin thus preach unto the world Wel I see that you cannot be brought to understand how I hate sin with a perfect hatred but I 'le have one way of argument to convince you that it is impossible you should stand against I will therefore send my Son to take your nature upon him and to stand charged with your debt and you shall see how I 'le deal with him who is your Surety I 'le not spare him I 'le powr out the vials of my wrath upon him to the last drop I 'le make him a curse for sin though he be infinitly blessed and equal with my self yet I 'le make him cry out in the anguish and trouble of his soul My God my God why hast thou forsaken me He shal tread the winepress of my wrath I 'le make the burden of sin heavy to Him that shall make Him fall groveling upon His face and sweat great clodders of blood in a winter season that shall run down from His body upon the cold ground I 'le do this to that end that all the world to whom the preaching of the Gospel shall come may see how infinitely I hate sin This is one of Gods ends though it 's true that the principal end of the death of Christ it was to satisfie Divine Justice But there is another end that God aims at in the death of his Son To declare to all the world to men and Angels how infinitly the Lord doth abominate all sin Now this is held forth in the Gospel more than in all the execution of the Law if the Law were executed to the full upon all the world it would not hold forth Gods hatred of sin so much as this doth Do you beleeve this Gospel Hath God let you live under this Gospel that you hear it it your ears And do you profess that the Lord hath enlightened you by his holy Spirit to understand the certainty and reality of this Oh then let your Conversation be as becomes this Evangelical truth Quest What Conversation doth become this Answ Hence then your own reason cannot but make a consequence from this that the Gospel holds forth Hence then Cast away al sin as an abominable thing from you What have I to do any more with Idols Hence then Call no sin little which so much provokes the Lord. Indeed if you were only acted by the light of reason reason perhaps will tell you that such things are but little and smal and you need make no such great matter about them But now Art not thou a Christian A follower of Christ A friend to the Gospel For shame call no sin little for in the Gospel you see the infinit hatred of God against all sin yea there is more evil in the least sin than in the greatest affliction whatsoever that 's a point that hath been long since opened to you at large and this will shew it cleerly there is more evil in any sin than in the greatest affliction by the dealing of God the Father with his Son and therefore if you will be willing to live as becomes the Gospel of Christ rather be willing to bear any affliction in the world than wilfully to commit the least sin Are these two in the ballance Here is a great and a sore cross you think how shall I endure that On the other side Here 's a sin to be committed if I venture upon this sin it may be I shall be delivered from this affliction Now would this become the Gospel of Christ for one that professes that he doth beleeve that God the Father dealt thus with His Son that had sin but by imputation upon Him that He let out the vials of His wrath upon Him and made Him a curse for sin and if Christ had but undertaken for to have satisfied for one sin though the least sin He must have died for it For the wages of sin is death of sin indefinitly it 's death And do I beleeve this and yet shall I rather chuse the commission of a sin than the bearing of any affliction Oh this is infinitly unbeseeming the Gospel of Jesus Christ do I beleeve this and is it real unto my soul Oh let me then manifest in my whol course and life that I tremble at the very thought of a sin at the appearance of evil and am as much afraid of the least spark of lusts as of the fire of Hell let me discover the temptation to sin that I may endeavour to avoid all temptations to sin because God hath given such a testimony from Heaven against sin Oh it is a loud testimony indeed that God hath given from heaven against sin in the death of his Son Oh then let my Conversation be such as I may make it appear that I am afraid of the beginnings of sin of the first whispering and motions to sin Oh set me not stand dandling of sin in my thoughts and roul it as a sweet morsel under my tongue let me not entertain it in my affections in the least degree as to love it to approve it to delight in it but as soon as ever it enters into thy heart cast it out presently let it not lodge within thy doors one moment raise up all the power of thy soul against it follow it with Hue and Cry till thou hast overtaken it and then do justice and judgment upon it what though it may be a Delilah yet cut it off Oh let me take heed of lying in any sin have I bin overtaken in my sin Oh let me be willing rather to shame and condemn my self to deny any thing in the world rather than to continue in that sin the Lord forbid that if I have been once drawn
But that we shall come more fully to when we speak how our Conversations should be becoming the Gospel of Christ But I speak this in this point as a preparation to that especiallie to young Professors that have been wrought upon by the Word within these few yeers since there hath bin more freedom of preaching the Gospel and I verily beleeve that divers of you in this Congregation do know many young ones and others that have been wrought upon by the Ministrie of the Word that for the first yeer were verie exact and verie careful of their lives and verie punctual in every thing but you now see them begin to grow loose and wanton and vain in their Conversations Oh this is a sad and an evil thing If you would be careful of your Conversations observe this seventh Rule Be not onlie careful at the first work of God upon you when you begin to be enlightened but in the constant course of your lives Oh give me a professor of Religion that was wrought upon when he was a Youth or a young Maid and yet continues till they be old disciples in a constant way of holiness and strictness Oh! They are the most beautiful objects that are in the world to behold the Sun in the firmament is not so glorious as an ancient professor of Religion that hath continued constant in the waies of godliness from his youth that can say as good Obadiah once said 1 King 18. 12. I have feared the Lord from my youth and my conscience though it tell me of many failings and weaknesses yet my conscience excuseth me in this that I have endeavored with a good conscience to walk with God and without offence to man and not given way to my self in any way of loosness since God made known Himself to me Oh such may have an abundance entrance into the Kingdom of Heaven and die with abundance of comfort But thus much for this first point That Christians ought to be careful of their Conversations We come now to the second and that is the main point in the Text. Let your Conversation be as becometh the Gospel of Christ 2. Doct. Every kind of Conversation of professors is not enough it must rise to that height as must be sutable to the Gospel of Christ meet for the Gospel that they do profess That 's our point Now we shall come to the Particulars what Conversation it is that is meet for the Gospel of Christ I gave you the Heads in the opening of it But now I shall speak to them First That Conversation that is meet and becomes the Gospel of Christ must be a Conversation raised to a higher degree than the light of Nature will raise it That Conversation that is no higher than possibly may be raised by the light of Nature certainly that 's not a Conversation becoming the Gospel of Christ that 's beneath not fit for the Gospel of Christ As thus Suppose a man in his Boat here in the Thames rows very exactly I but this is not a work sutable to shew the skill of a Navigator of one that professes the art of Navigation it 's beneath that Why so To live exactly according to the light of Nature it is beneath the Conversation that becomes the Gospel of Christ if so be that a man should make his boast that he hath great skill in the art of Navigation And how will he shew this skill he will go into a Boat and there he will row over the Thames and by that you may see what a mighty Navigator he is this would be ridiculous to any man And so if one that professes the Gospel of Christ would manifest that he is a good Christian What doth he do the life that he lives it is no other than a man by the light of Nature may be enabled to this is even as ridiculous as the other 1. As now for instance The light of Nature that will teach this That we are to worship God the Heathens have worshiped God in their way 2. Yea the light of Nature will teach That we must live justly among men yea and that we must do as we would be done to This the light of Nature will teach Many of the Heathens have had that principle to be just with men to do as we would be done by The light of Nature condemns grosse sins of Drunkenness Adulterie Swearing c. I could give you many instances in the Laws of Heathens punishing those sins very severely and some of them with death 3. Yea the light of Nature will rise thus high That a man should be consciencious should make conscience of secret sins of sins that none in the world could know of or are ever like to know of As I remember sometimes I have told you of one of the Heathens that did but owe for a pair of shoos to a Shoo maker and no body knew it but only the Shoo-maker himselfe the Shoo-maker dies no body could challenge this of him yet his conscience would never let him be at quiet until he ran and threw the money into the shop and said Though he be dead to others yet he is not dead to me whereas he had a temptation to have kept it because no body could challeng it he knew it was not his he knew it was either the Childrens or Executors and so he restortd it Many particulars might be named to shew how far we might go by the light of Nature but now I only bring it in to this end to shew that if we would have our Conversations such as becomes the Gospel of Christ we must go beyond what ever anie have done by the light of Nature and yet Oh Lord how short do manie Professors of Religion come of this How manie that will profess they hope to be sav'd by Christ I suppose there is not anie one in this Congregation or if I should go to everie ones house that belongs to the Parish they would say they hope to be saved by Jesus Christ and yet what worship of God is there And what justice is there among men to do as they would be done by Nay this is a Rule that will examin manie professors of Religion and their consciences would tell them that in such and such things they would be loth to be dealt with as they deal with others And for gross sins manie Professors of Religion break out into them also for all are a kind of Professors of the Gospel at large Drunkards and Adulterers and Blasphemers and yet they will come and make profession of Religion and think it very much if they should be denied the Sacrament of the Bodie and Blood of Christ Why are they not Christians and their children Christians and yet must they not be Baptized And yet they are beneath Heathens Heathens will rise in Judgment against them And for conscienciousness in secret I appeal to everie one of your consciences are there no sins that
God for Christs sake hath forgiven you Set the example of God before you what God hath done for you for Christs sake and let that be the great motive Do not only argue thus well I would be forgiven if I had offended and I would not have another to bear anger and malice against mee and therefore I will not be angrie with them nor malign them this is a low principle but if I find that this is revealed in the Gospel that the Lord for Christs sake hath forgiven me and it 's this that quiets my passion when I feel my corruption rising and stirring against any that hath offended me when I do but think of Gods mercie in forgiving me for Christs sake this quiets me I this is somewhat like as becomes the Gospel of Christ when we walk upon such principles as these are And so you have it in Col. 3. 13. Forbearing one another and forgiving one another If any man have a quarrel against any even as Christ forgive you so also do ye It is very unbeseeming such as profess the Gospel of Christ to be quarrelsome with their neighbours Now you shall have some that are of very meek and quiet dispositions naturally I love to live quiet say some men thus far thou maiest come by the light of Nature not to love to quarrel But now when any doth cause any quarrel doest thou labor to quiet the quarrel upon this ground Evn as Christ forgave me O I have found the Lord Jesus Christ notwithstanding my wretchedness against Him and all the wrong I have done Him He hath forgiven me and therefore seeing Christ will not take advantage against me as He might I will not take advantage against another Is it upon this ground And dost thou raise thy Conversation with thy Neighbor in keeping from quarrelsomness and contentiousness dost thou naise it to this height upon this ground so to forgive as Christ hath forgiven you I will not forgive only in this particular or in this lesse offence But as Christ hath forgiven me We shall still have further occasion to mention these things in opening the sutableness of our Conversations to the Gospel that is for the point of Justice it must rise higher than that of doing as we would be done by And then for grosse sins thou keepest from them thou thankest God thou art no Swearer no Drunkard no Whoremonger such kind of notorious sins thou art not guilty of but what art thou in respect of inward sins what art thou in respect of secret sins Mark that Scripture in Matth. 5. 10. saith Christ there I say unto you That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees you shall in no case enter into the Kingdom of Heaven We shall likewise speak further of this when we open that of the Law that our Conversations must rise higher than the Conversations of those did that lived under the Law or else it doth not become the Gospel of Christ You shall find further in the Chapter how Christ would raise them higher than meerly not to commit adulterie or to be openly prophane Verse 17. Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time Thou shalt not commit adultery But I say unto you That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart And if thy right eye offend thee pluck it out and cast it from thee for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish and not that thy whol body should be cast into Hell And then If thy right hand offend thee cut it off And so in the point of Anger in the 21 22. verses Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time Thou shalt not kill and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the Judgment But I say unto you That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment and whosoever shall say unto his brother Racha shall be in danger of the councel but wosoever shall say Thou fool shal be in danger of hell fire That is liable to the same judgment that you think murder is Now is your conversations as becometh the Gospel Here Christ is a great Preacher of the Gospel and shews that there is more strictness in the Gospel than ther is by the light of Nature or by the Law or by that that they understand by the Law This the light of Nature doth dictate that men should not Kill nor commit Adultrie but now If thy Conversation be such as becomes the Gospel then thou must make conscience of Anger and tremble at that as a natural man would tremble at Murder for that becomes the Gospel I say one that is a professor of the Gospel he should tremble at sinful anger as a natural man would tremble at murder for observe it here look what they said murder did make a man liable to the same thing Christ saith Anger would make a man liable to therefore one that would walk as becomes the Gospel must tremble at the inward sin of Anger as a natural man would tremble at the outward sin of Murder And so for Adultry Thou art no Whoremonger But one that professes the Gospel must look at the lusting of the eye and of the heart as a natural man that hath but the light of Nature would look upon the cōmission of Adultrie for Christlaies that upon the lust of the heart that they lay upon the commission of Adultrie This is as becometh the Gospel Further By the light of Nature a man may be consciencious That is make conscience of several sins Q. But now you will say Wherein should a man go beyond this as becomes the Gospel What can any man that professes the Gospel go beyond this of making conscience of a secret sin that though he knew that no bodie in the world did know his sin nay suppose he knew certainlie that it should never be known yet he dares not do it how can a man go beyond that Ans Yes You must labor for the mortification of the body of sin that is within you not onlie to make conscience to keep from the act of secret sins but thy work must be to labor for the mortification of the bodie of sin and death that is in thee that 's that that is reveal'd by the Gospel that no man by the light of Nature ever knew you shall never reade among all the Phylosophers of the point of Original sin nor of mortification of the body of sin and death this the light of Nature never tels So that now when a man come to his height that is first my conscience being enlightned by the Word so that I dare not commit any secret sin for the world though there be none but God and my conscience together but besides that Oh I carry about with me a body of sin and death a root of
bitterness that original corruption and this makes me cry out Oh wretched man Oh wretched woman who shall deliver me from this body of death and Oh that I could find this mortified in me this is that that is the strength and endeavor of my soul to get this bodie of sin to be mortified I this is as becomes the Gospel so to live in your Conversations as it may appear that you are not content meerly to keep from actual sins though in secret but it is your great care and endeavour to mortifie this verie bodie of death that is within you and by this a great manie of your Civil men and meer moral men will or at least may be convinced that their Conversations comes short of that that becomes the Gospel of Jesus Christ for they are not acquainted with this Lastly If you would have your Conversations such as becomes the Gospel of Christ you must not only think to make conscience of secret sins but that which you do you must manifest that it doth proceed out of Love not only that you do obey but that you love the Commandement that you do obey Now this neither any hypocrit or meer moral man doth if you take it universallie one Commandement as well as another Obj. You will say Love is a secret thing Ans But as you may know in your family the difference between your childrens obedience to you and your servants so there may appear a difference between the obedience of one that is meerly moral or doth it out of conscience and the other that doth it out of love therefore you must know that you do not rise beyond the light of Nature except that you do love the Command as well as obey the Command and so carrie things in your Conversations as you may make it appear that all those waie of God that you make conscience of that you likewise have a love unto them and do them out of a principle of love and thus you come beyond the light of Nature and in some measure it is as becomes the Gospel of Christ And that 's the first thing how we should walk in our Conversations as becomes the Gospel of Christ But now this is the lowest of all The second is That our Conversations must be such as is beyond such as live under the Law for the Law of God goes higher than the light of Nature for there 's more reveal'd there than in the light of Nature It 's true that that you call the moral Law the light of Nature if it be cleer it is sutable to it to the most part of it only there is some part that is positive but most part is but sutable to the principles of Nature if they were cleer and pure but now because since the fall of Man the light of Nature is darkned and the principles of Nature are much corrupted therefore God hath given His Law that is as it were a glass of His Will that is the cleer glass of what was written in the heart of man in Innocencie that 's the Law Only there is that of the limitation of the seventh Day particularly from the Creation that hath somewhat positive in it but take all the other and I say it is nothing but as a glass of what was written in the heart of man in the time of Innocency There was written in mans heart to keep some solemn time for the worship of God only the specification was by revelation but the substance of all those ten Commandements I say is the glass of what was written in the heart of man in Innocency And because God saw that this writing was so much blotted out almost all obliterated therefore God wrote it in Tables of stone whereas it was written in the Table of mans heart at first But now when He comes to bring men to the Gospel there He writes over that Law again in the Tables of their hearts At first it was written in the heart of Adam but he falling doth blot it out in a great measure then God writes it over fair again but how He writes it over in a fair Copie but it is in Tables of stone but when God receives any soul in the Gospel He writes it over again in the Tables of their hearts Now this gives you a little hint of the difference between the Law and the Gospel between the Conversations of men that were meerly Legal and the Conversation that is Evangelical but the opening of it to shew the difference between the Law and the Gospel in reference to this and to shew how low the Conversation was that was meerly Legal and how high raised the Conversation of a Christian ought to be if he would make it Evangelical such as becomes the Gospel of Christ would ask more time and therefore we must defer that to the next day SERMON III. PHIL. 1. 27. Only let your Conversation be as becomes the Gospel of Christ A Conversation becoming the Gospel of Christ it must be beyond what the Law can inable one to attain to or else it doth not become the Gospel I have shewed you already what the Gospel of Christ is But now we are upon the point of Conversation That it must be higher than can be by the Law those that live under the Gospel must live in a higher way of holiness than those that lived under the Law Now for this we are to consider of the Law under these two considerations First As it is a Covenant of works for life so it was made at first to Adam It was a Covenant of works for eternal life to Adam and so to man kind in him Secondly We are to consider the Law as in the Ministration of it by Moses Take it either of these two waies Those that live under the Gospel and profess the Gospel must live in a more holy Conversation or aim or endeavour at least after a more holy Conversation than that Conversation could be that was under the Law As now I say thus the Law as the Covenant of life to Adam But what was his Conversation First It was obedience to God meerly as Creator no further Adam in innocency he lookt upon God as Creator of al things as the First being of all and so Adam tendered up his service to God meerly as the Creator and First-being That was his obedience Secondly The Law to Adam had promise only of natural things of a natural life to be continued We do not reade of Gods promising Adam to live in Heaven if he had obeyed but Do this and live that was the Tenour of the Covenant with him that is he should have continued in Paradise and so have lived a natural life but yet continued eternally God would have upheld that natural life of his that 's all we reade of that ever God promised to Adam if he had stood by vertue of that Covenant of the Law That 's the second thing considerable in
him so that his obedience was tendred up to God to that end that he might obtain the continuance of a natural life here in this world only in order unto that for we find no more revealed The first man Adam he was Natural the second Spiritual the first of the Earth earthly the second the Lord from Heaven The Apostle 1 Cor. 15. speaks of Adam in innocency as the common head of al man-kind he was of the Earth earthly and in way of distinction the second Adam was the Lord from Heaven He brings all heavenly glory Though Adam had stood yet we never reade of any heavenly glory that ever he or his posterity should have had but the second Adam he is the Lord from Heaven that brings Heavenly glory with him That 's the second thing considerable in the Law as a Covenant with Adam The third thing in the Law as a Covenant with Adam was this That Adam under the Law he must have wrought by his own strength that he had received God at first gave man strength for obedience and he puts his stock into his own hand and so he must have wrought and continued by the power of the strength that God did at first give him he had not that fountain to go to for that continual supply of strength as we have which you shall see presently Fourthly Adam he was in such a condition as he was in hazard of his miscarrying for his eternal estate He was indeed in a way of obedience to the Law that God gave him but still so as he was in hazard of eternal miscarrying this was the condition of Adam under the Law Obj. You will say He was holy and had no sin Ans But considering his condition under the Law That it was Obedience to God as a Creator he did work for natural good and he wrought by the strength he had received and he was in hazard of miscarrying eternally Now compare his condition with the condition of the Saints in the time of the Gospel and you will find the condition of the Saints having the fruit of the Gospel to be in a great deal better condition even now not only shall be in Heaven but are in a better condition now than Adam was in paradise 1. Adam he obeyed God and tendered up his service to God as a Creator But now the people of God under the Gospel those that are brought home to God by the Gospel they look upon God under another relation not meerly as Creator but all their services that they tender up to God it is as unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ and their Father in Him I go to my Father and I go to your Father saith Christ John 20. 17. It 's true still we look upon God as the First-being of all things as Creator but we look upon Him in a higher relation than meerly our Creator we look upon Him as the Father of Jesus Christ and so in Jesus Christ as our Father and so we tender up obedience to Him in that way and surely such obedience tendered up to God as under such a relation should be a higher kind of obedience a higher kind of holiness than was in Adam Although it is true in respect of our condition here we are not so free from corruption as Adam was in Innocencie yet the obedience that we tender up to God though it be not so free I say from mixture yet it is of a higher nature than Adams was it is to God as the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ 2. We have better promises than ever Adam had we have promises of Heavenly Glory that he had not God doth not say Do and live to us only live hear in the world in a natural life and I will free you from outward troubles and from the death of the body But we know that the Gospel brings immortallity and glory to light it tels us of the glory of Heaven and of the Mansions that Jesus Christ is gone before to prepare of the glorious Communion that the Saints shall have with God in the highest heavens which is another manner of motive to obedience than ever Adam had And therefore our obedience to God should be raised in a higher way than ever his was 3. The strength that we have it 's not put into our own hands to keep and so to improve and there 's all But Jesus Christ the Second Person in Trinity He is fil'd with all fulness that we might receive grace for grace continually from the fulness of Jesus Christ that hath all the treasures of wisdom in Him In Him it pleased the Father that all fulness should dwell now the Saints by faith have as it were a pipe laid into that Cistern that hath all fulness from whence continually by the work of Faith they draw strength and nourishment new supply from Him they have not somewhat given to them and so are set to trade for themselves and improve what is given them but they suck new vertue from Jesus Christ as from a Head Adam he was the head of the first Covenant himself but now 't is Jesus Christ that is the Head of the Second and all Beleevers draw spirits from Jesus Christ and strength from him as from the Head they have a Head that Adam had not to draw strength from and therefore they are to manifest the strength of Jesus Christ in all their waies that fulness that there is in Jesus Christ they are to make that appear to the world in their lives and Conversations And therefore that text Col. 1 10 11. is very remarkable That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledg of God mark in the 11. verse strengthened with all might according to his glorious power This is worthy of the Lord because that now we come to receive of his fulness of the fulness of Jesus Christ and to have a continual supply from him Though 't is true so God hath ordered it that so long as we live we shall have some mixtures of corruption here but yet he hath provided a help for us a fulness in his Son that from Him we should draw of His fulness and so come to be strengthened with all might 4. We now serve the Lord and obey Him in our lives as those that are delivered from the hazard of eternal miscarrying Adam obeyed but yet he might know when he was obeying I now obey but I am in danger to miscarry eternally every hour to undo my self and posterity for ever But now certainly this very thought and the understanding of this it could not stand with that full freedom of spirit that the Saints may have now under the Gospel the Saints under the Gospel come in a way of obedience to God and upon this ground they have their feet as it were upon sure ground Well as for my eternal estate the hazard of
to me a sinner but they think not of a way of Gods shewing mercy so as yet he may have the glory of infinite justice God seals the forgivenes of sin in the Court of Justice as well as in the Court of Mercy few think of this and that 's the reason why people are ready many times to despair because a great while they having but slight thoughts of God they hope Christ will be merciful to them yet in time of temptation when the Devil comes and doth set before them the dreadfulness of Gods justice that God is a most just God as well as merciful this makes their hearts to sink like a stone within their breasts But now the soul that sees the way of God in the Gospel sees that God is infinitly set upon mercy and likewise sees a way how Gods infinit justice may be satisfied and seeing both these this is a mighty help to faith now let there come never so many temptations when the soul is catching hold upon Gods mercy I but saith temptation God is a just God as well as merciful and dost not thou presume No saith the soul the way of mercy that my soul rests upon I see there is in it a way of satisfaction to infinite justice as well as a way for the manifestation of mercy and therefore though God be a righteous God and a just God yet here I see a way for my soul to be sav'd yet for Divine Justice to have no wrong neither and therefore I can beleeve and venture my soul upon this It 's impossible for a sinner to venture his soul upon any way of mercy if it comes to understand with what a God it hath to deal except it comes to know God in Jesus Christ in that way wherein infinit justice is satisfied to the utmost farthing which is declared in the Gospel Now what Conversation is sutable to this Hence let there be that Conversation in you that may manifest that you do not turn the grace of God into wantonness Oh a wanton Conversation is infinitly unbeseeming the Gospel Oh there is infinite mercy and free grace treasured up here and what wilt thou be wanton and vain and loose therefore there is infinite grace but what way doth God take to manifest infinite grace Is it not in a way wherein the dreadfullest Justice of God appears too Is not the grace of God let out to you through the blood of his Son wherein the most dreadful fruit of Gods justice is manifested that ever was since the beginning of the world or ever shall be manifested to the end of the world if so be thou shouldest see all the damned in Hell the chambers of death unlocked under the wrath of God there flaming out in fire and brimstone it would not be such a dreadful sight as to see Jesus Christ made an offering for sin and lying under the vials of the wrath of his Father falling down upon the ground grovelling and sweating out great drops of water and blood and crying out upon the Cross My God my God why hast thou forsaken me This is the way of the purchase of thy mercy therefore there is infinit justice together with infinite mercy Oh be not wanton then do not turn the grace of God into wantonness but rejoyce in Gods mercy yet rejoyce with trembling and with fear and reverence of the Name of God When thou speakest of the free grace of God and when thou comest to beleeve in the free grace of God in the Gospel thou maiest come cheerfully and boldly I but come with reverence and holy humble fear I do not mean despairing fear nor servile slavish fear but with awful reverence of the glory of God that doth appear in the Lord Jesus Christ I need not send you to the Law to cause fear in your hearts there is enough in the Gospel to cause your souls to tremble before God as well as to beleeve in God Even our God is a consuming fire Oh what was he to Jesus Christ I need go no further to lift up God to make him an object of my fear but to look upon him in his dealings with his Son and therefore those Christians that walk loosly and altogether upon slight thoughts of mercy without any fear to ballast their hearts Oh certainly their Conversations are not Gospel Conversations for if thou didst understand the way of Gods mercy in the Gospel thou wouldest see that that should fill thy heart with fear and reverence all the daies of thy life And as to take heed of wantonness so to reverence Gods Justice even the dreadfulness of it so as the Gospel holds forth to think that God would only have you to have your thoughts about his mercy and not to have your hearts to give glory to his justice it is certainly a vain conceit and I fear it will cause the Gospel to vanish into little in the hearts of men when men apprehend the Gospel so as not to apprehend the dreadfulness of his justice as if so be that God would not have the glory of his justice Christ hath satisfied that Hath Christ satisfied that consider what thou saiest when thou saiest so do but consider how much of the glory of Gods justice doth appear in what Christ hath done and suffered I desire to hold forth no further the glory of justice than by holding forth Jesus Christ to thee Doest not thou think that God would have thee to sanctifie in thy heart and life all the Attributes of God that doth appear in Jesus Christ Now the glory of justice doth appear as much in Christ as the glory of mercy doth then thou that doest profess the Gospel thou must sanctifie this Attribute of God as well as the other thou sanctifiest them both in honoring Gods justice I do not say that thou shouldest have a despairing heart nay it will keep thee from despairing or that thou shouldest have a servile spirit but that thou shouldest sanctifie it with reverence And another thing that is very considerable What is God so set upon the glory of his Justice in the Gospel Oh labour you to be just in all your Conversations you see how God prizes justice that he will rather have his Son die and be made a curse than justice should not have honor Oh take heed of injustice the sin of injustice is a sin unbeseeming the Gospel and here 's an argument against injustice a stronger than I know any in all the Book of God or can be imagined by men and Angels which is this That in the Gospel I find that God hath His heart so set upon justice that rather than justice shall not be satisfied he will not spare his Son one farthing as the Scripture saith He spared not his own Son but His Son must pay to the uttermost His Son must bear his very wrath and all that God may shew his infinite love to justice Oh then let Christians love justice
to any sin that I should think to cover it by another sin by adding one sin to another to think to shift for my credit or esteem by adding more sin to that already committed Oh no the Lord in his mercie hath made known unto me in the Gospel of Christ what sin means the evil of sin and therefore I have learned rather to endure any thing than to multiply iniquity Indeed before I came to understand Jesus Christ I thought sin was an evil thing and I abstain'd from gross sins by that dim light of Nature that is within me but since I came to understand the Gospel of Jesus Christ the great mystery of godliness in his Son the dealings of the Father with his Son the Lord knows now I abhor a sin in secret though I were sure no body in the world should ever know it more than I do abhor Hell its self I such a Conversation as would manifest such a work of God upon the heart as this is would become the Gospel of Christ indeed Whereas otherwise brethren if any of you that do profess the Gospel of Christ shall make sin but as a slight thing and shall be ready to entertain sin in thy bosom know that by this means you do no other but trample under foot the Blood of Jesus Christ as a coÌ„mon thing as a thing that had no worth at all in it This doth despight to the Gospel of Christ you do dishonor Jesus Christ and you do put him to open shame whose Name you have taken upon you by your profession I 'le give you a Scripture now for this in Heb. 6. 4. c. He speaks of some that were once enlightned and had tasted of the Heavenly gift and were made partakers of the holy Ghost and tasted of the good word of God that 's the Gospel and the powers of the world to come if they should fall away it were impossible to renew them to repentance Mark the reason Seeing they crucifie to themselves the Son of God afresh and put him to an open shame Such as fall off after the profession of the Gospel into sinful waies they are said here to crucifie the Son of God afresh and to put him to open shame This is far from walking as becomes the Gospel And so you have another text in Heb. 10. 29. c. he speaks of those that had fallen off from their profession into sinful waies Of how much sâ—rer punishment suppose ye shall he be thought worthy of who hath troden under foot the Son of God and hath counted the blood of the Covenant wherewith he was sanctified an unholy thing and hath done despight unto the Spirit of Grace See how the holy Ghost speaks of such as fall from their profession into sinful waies again And there 's a great deal of reason for it for 't is not so much for those that never made profession of the Gospel to fall to sin not such a horrid thing for them but for those that have made profession of the Gospel that they hold forth thus much this is the language of their actions though they dare not say so Lord I acknowledge that I have seen the fruit of thy hatred of sin in the death of thy Son that thou didst so hate sin that thou madest thy Son to be a curse for sin but yet for all this such is the strength of my lusts I must have my lusts though it be so vile in thine eyes as the blood of thy Son went for it yet I must have it rather than deny my lusts Oh what a dreadful thing is this how provoking must it needs be to the holy God Oh happy had it been for such men and women that they had never heard of the Gospel of Jesus Christ But of the evil of walking unbeseeming the Gospel of Jesus Christ we shall speak to after when we come to the application That 's then the sixt particular of what the Gospel holds forth The infinite hatred of God against sin Now the seventh thing that is held forth in the Gospel that cals for a Conversation beseeming is this The great price of souls There 's nothing in the world that ever God did that doth discover the worth of mans immortal soul so as the Gospel of Jesus Christ doth there God manifests to all the world what a price he puts upon mans soul the Lord saw that men by sin had undone themselves and that those souls that he made were like to perish to all eternity yea were under the sentence of eternal death and must certainly perish eternally if so be that some way were not found out by an infinit wisdom for to ransome them now saith the Lord rather than I will have all souls perish it 's true the love that I have unto my Justice is such as for many souls I 'le let them go and they shall perish but yet that I might shew that I have an high esteem of the souls of the children of men for the ransoming of that number that I have appointed from all eternity to save I 'le send my Son and he shall die for the saving of souls that souls may not perish If the Lord should have said concerning any one soul I do so highly prize this soul and account the worth of it to be such as rather than it shall perish I 'le disolve heaven and earth heaven and earth shall perish rather than this soul shall perish you will say this had been a great testimony of Gods esteem of a soul But know that the Gospel holds forth a higher esteem of a soul than this comes to when God shal say Rather than this and the other soul shall perish I 'le send my Son to be made a Curse This the Gospel holds forth this is infinitly a higher price that God puts upon a soul You know therfore what the Apostle saith in 1 Pet. 1. 18 19. Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed saith he with corruptible things as silver and gold Then in the 19. verse But with the precious blood of Christ as of a Lamb without blemish or without spot 'T is not silver and gold or any corruptible thing that can redeem you but the precious blood of Jesus Christ Oh that blood that 's more precious than the world even all the world must let the redemption of a soul alone for ever all the Angels in Heaven if they would have joyned together to have redeem'd a soul and would have ventured themselves to have been destroyed for ever that they might have redeem'd a soul it would not have been they must all let the redemption of a soul alone for ever the matter then of the redemption of a soul is more than we are aware of and we could never have come to have known this but by the Gospel of Jesus Christ The full price of a soul is writ down by the finger of Gods Spirit in the Gospel of Christ