delights this will dead a mans heart as the Apostle sheweth of the Widows that lived in pleasure 1 Tim. 5. 6. they were dead while they were alive as soon as ever David gave way to his sinful corruptions his heart was deaded presently upon it as may appear by the prayer he had afterwards when he came to himself and to look out for quickning uphold me with thy free spirit Psal 51. 12. as who should say I feel a base dull slavish spirit come upon me that former liveliness that was in me it is wofully decayed sin had made a mighty breach in his soul it had knockt off his wheels and made him dull and therefore he is fain to pray that God would give him a free spirit again so it was with Peter as soon as ever he had given way to his curiosity and security and presumption he would needs go and see sights he would go into the high Priests hall and see how the business went he did not see the proneness of his heart to be carried into sin now you may see how wofully it deaded his heart in a moment as soon as the damsel spake thou also wert with Jesus of Galilee a man would wonder how no life at all almost appeared in that mans heart if he had had any life would he have carried himself in that fashion his life was so gone that he cursed and sware that he never knâ—w the Mat. 26. 47. man if he had any life in him he would rather have said what if I were with Jesus of Galilee I was with him and I am with him and I will be with him I am ready to dye with him I profess my self to be his Disciple he had no heart in the world to stand for Jesus Christ he had no heart to appear in pleading for him and expose himself to danger for him he was now called to it but he had no heart at all sin it is even like ashes cast upon the fire the fire cannot then send sorth its heat so sin doth even cast ashes upon the soul that it cannot express such life as otherwise it would The first reason is because sin is a soul killing thing it is like Mare Mortuum the fishes dye as soon as ever they come there so when the Divel hooks a man into sin he hooks him into the dead sea as the Apostle saith of the Ephesians you were dead in sins if the Divel can but hook a man into Eph. 2. sin he is presently in the dead sea Hos 13. 12. it is said of Ephraim when he offended in Baal he died c. before when their affections were up and they trembled before God they were lively but when they gave way to sin and iniquity the Church presently died they withered away more and more till they came to nothing therefore the Apostle calls the Law of sin the Law of death the Law of the spirit of Christ hath freed us from the Law of sin and of death Rom. 8. 2. sin doth even bring a man to deaths door it doth weaken all the powers and faculties of the soul that a man cannot stir to any duty it makes a man like a snake that is frozen with the cold it cannot stir so it is with a man when he gives way to sin and iniquity it freezeth all the powers that are in him and lesseneth all the powers of Gods spirit it is even like a weight as the Apostle calls it Heb. 12. 1. If a man should have a great weight upon his back fetters upon his legs how can that man go he must needs go very dully so it is with sin and iniquity when a man gives way to it it is like plumets of lead like great weights and burthens that clog a mans heart and affections it makes them dull and lumpish and heavy to any thing that is good as Christ speaks of the cares of this life if a man give way to them they will overcharge the heart they will lie heavy that the heart cannot stir Luke 21. 34. sin poysons all the soul it poysons the mind that a man cannot look upon things as he did it poysons a mans heart though his heart were deeply affected towards God it is strange if a man give way to sin how it will take off the affections from God it separates between God and the soul and comes between God the fountain of life and the soul and therefore must needs be a killing and deading thing Secondly Sin is a deading thing because it doth grieve the holy spirit of God that dwels in a man you know all the quickning of a Christian consists in the gracious assistance of Gods spirit as long as Gods spirit is pleased to go along with us and work our works for us then we can pray and deny our selves then we are fitted to every good word and work but if the spirit of God retire if it withdraw and suspend his actions and forbear his operations what can a man do a man is even a block without the spirit of God now though the spirit of God delight never so much in doing good to the Saints and delight in accompanying of them and assisting of them and enlarging of them in all their wayes yet if they give way to sin directly he will be grieved and sent sad back again to heaven as it were and when the spirit of God is grieved all must needs go sad and heavy with the child of God suppose a child of God give way to vain talk and discourse you shall see what the Apostle saith this will grieve the spirit of God grieve not the spirit of God whereby ye are sealed to the day of redemption Eph. 4. 13. he speaks of that very sin if a man give way to it the spirit of God will be grieved though formerly he was pleased mightily to help yet now he will withdraw and then how dully shall a man goon so if we should give way to the suffering of our hearts not to be affected with God and his truth not to see God in all his wayes in all his goodness and dealings that we should not be thankful this will quench the spirit of God it will quench its motions as if a man should pour pail-fuls of water upon the fire so this will quench the spirit of God 1 Thes 5. 18 19. there is a manifest dependence between all those exhortations and this is certain let a man once not be affected with God let him not see Gods goodness in all his wayes let him not be affected with Gods mercy and loving kindness it will quench the spirit of God and then consider what a lamentable case a man shall be in Thirdly Sin must needs dead a mans heart because it doth put a most woful bitter hard task upon the soul to go through for you know hard tasks stir up reluctancy against them when a man hath an hard task to go through the
passed from death to life saith the Apostle this is an allusion to a mans effectual calling afterwards a man brings forth the fruits of life and is alive to God but when a man is first effectually called there is his passage from death to life he was a dead man before Now this effectual calling therefore is the first work that is wrought in a man because it is the first passage of a man from death to life it is a transition from sinne hell and damnation to be in Christ therefore marke how Peter speaks when he had a hope that his hearers were effectually called Acts 8. 40. Save your selves saith he from this untoward generation as who should say this is your first parting from the world the first shaking of hands and bidding them farewell if you be effectually called as you seem to be come out from among them and save your selves from this untoward generation this is the first bursting of the bonds between you and sin the first breaking of the league between you and carnal company now save your selves from this untoward generation and make it appeare that you are called this the Apostle sheweth Gal. 1. 13. that before he was called he had nothing in him at all you have heard saith he how in times past beyond measure I persecuted the Church c. I confesse I had goodly things in me and I profitted in the jewish Religion above many my equals in my own nation being more jealous for the traditions of my fathers I was marvellous strict and forward and for the letter of the law I was marvellous zealous and blamelesse there were excellent good things in me but I had nothing of Christ all this while but when it pleased God who seperated me from my mothers womb and called me by his grace c. as who should say now here was the first dawning of that blessed light in my heart now begun that to appeare when God called me by his grace and first revealed his Son in me then was the deed done and never till then so also he shews that he was a cursed creature living in iniquity it may be himself and his companions took him to be as good a man as any was in all Israel but see how he casts his own water Tit. 3. 3. We our selves also were sometimes foolish serving divers lusts c. but after that the kindness and love of God appeared c. from thence he began to be in the estate of grace when God called him out of that bad estate when God made a breach between him and his old courses when he made the first rent and division and revoke then grace began to appeare from that time forward I was in Christ thus you see that effectual calling is the first work of God in a mans soul it is the first bringing of a man to Christ and the first making of a man to put him on Secondly Because before effectual calling all was within God what Effectual calling declared in the heart God would do with this or that man may be he meant to save him may be he meant to dam him may be he meant to open his eyes maâ— be he meant to let him go on and live and dye in blindness may be he meant to turne his heart may be he meant to let him go on with the world all was within his own bosom there was no inkling that ever this man should have grace and eternal life nor man nor Angel nor himself could perceive any such thing a man might have vaine hopes and false conceits but no inkling from heaven but he was as faire to be a reprobate as the devils in hell but when God effectually calls a man then he begins to declare what he intends to this or that man he begins to open his brest and shew what purpose he had in himself from all eternity as Eph. 1. 9. having made known unto us saith the Apostle the mystery of his will which he purposed in himself c. it was all in himself before shut up in his own secret and privy bosom but when God did effectually call us saith he then did he make known unto us the mystery of his will it was a mystery locked up it was a secret thing that ever he had a purpose to bring us to such things to let us see such mercies now here was the breaking open of this seale now it began to shew it self now the Lord declared what purpose he had in himself now he makes it appeare that we are his elect and chosen and his beloved ones as Paul saith of the Romans to all that are at Rome beloved of God called to be Saints c. Rom. 1. 7. you will say how do you know we are beloved ones If you be called to be Saints I dare be bold to say you are beloved of God God hath made it to appeare that he loves you I could not speak thus before you were as vile drunkards and profane persons as any were in Rome but now I dare be bold to say you are beloved of God nay more grace and peace be to you from God the Father and from our Lord Jesus Christ you are called to be Saints and if you are once called then it doth appeare you are the beloved of God it is Gods golden scepter no man could tell whom the King would call to him no man could tell this or that man should be called rather then another till he held out his golden scepter Hest 4. 11. So it is with God when God doth hold out this golden scepter to a man now a man hath an inkling that the Lord hath chosen him and will be good to him and hear him and help him in all his wayes and pardon him and do every good thing for him as Mark. 3. 13. I use it onely as a similitude our Saviour Christ was there in the mount and the people were below in the vally now saith the Text he called unto him whom he would and they came unto him he was in the mount and all his Disciples were in the vally now no man could tell who should be an Apostle Andrew saith Christ come up now he was one who should be next no man could tell Peter come up then they knew he was one too c. Therefore this calling was the first intimation of Christs purpose to them it was secret in his own bosom whom he would make Apostles before but when he called them it came forth Andrew sees he is the man and Peter sees he is the man c. Thirdly Because all other works follow this work of effectual calling All works follow the work of effectual calling there be abundance of works that God doth work upon his people that he hath chosen to his Kingdom and glory he doth justifie them and pardon their sins and sanctifie and cleanse them from iniquity makes them grow in grace hears their
bursts forth and so he hath no evidence of comfort to his soul be knows not how to meet God in the field But when the wrath of God breaks out in any kind upon his Goods or Wife or Children or Body or Friends or any thing he is at a losse and knows not what to do he is fain to sink under the hand of God and hath no refuge to flie unto therefore we should watch against the day of Gods anger Thirdly We should watch over the times of Grace for there be gracious Time of Grace and acceptable times as the Apostle calls them 2 Cor. 6. 21. Many times good motions come in Now if we do not watch to keep them and nourish them in our hearts the Lord will passe us by at another time and we shall not be moved Sometimes God affects thy heart at a Sermon and puts in a good resolution to forsake sin and lead a new life now have a care to keep these resolutions and let them not perish in thee and go out like lightning The Lord hath given many a blessed season and oportunity of mercy the water was moved if he would have but stepped in if he would but have taken hold of the mercy he might have had it but afterwards he may go mourning and thirsting and longing and never have the mercy offered more and it is well if he can be humbled for missing of that mercy by his neglect and watch for the future the times of Grace Again we should watch the times of Death we are all mortal men Death must die and Blessed is that servant whom his Lord when he cometh shall find him so doing Mat. 24. 5. If any of us should dye before we are converted and brought home to God we perish for ever Whosoever thou art if thou die in thy sins with thy dead hard unsanctified unregenerate heart thou art damned thou goest to Hell Therefore watch for the coming of death that so when it comes it may not be the King of Terrours and an amazement to thy heart Againe We must watch for the day of Judgment as Death leaves us so Judgment will find us Therefore we should consider with our selves seriously Judgment the strictnesse of the account we are to give at the dreadful day of the Son of man when all works shall be brought to a Touch-stone and all secrets shall be Preached on the House top It is an excellent thing when a man doth consider these things before hand when a man hath looked upon his thoughts for they shall be Judged and upon his speeches and upon all his wayes for they shall all be brought before the Judgment Seat of God and according as a man hath done such reward he shall receive for evermore The next thing is the Reasons why we are to Watch. Reasons Our proneness to be drowzy And the First Reason is Because we are marvellous prone to be Drowzy in Spiritual things In temporal things we are watchful enough for Covetousnesse and Pride and the like we are very watchful but in Spiritual things how subject are we to Drowzyness Paul himself was fain to complain I know that in me that is in my flesh dwelleth no good thing Rom. 7. 18. Is thy heart better then Saint Pauls If he were left to himself he should be as miserable and proud and untoward as another and have as vile an heart as another and therefore that made him watch Therefore we had need to watch for how loath are we to be brought to watch And how unwilling to take such an hard piece of service to do we are marvellous apt to be secure If Jonah had watched if he had had a watch over his heart he would have gone to Nineveh but for want of watchfulnesse he ran away Cant. 5. 2. I sleep saith the Church it was not like the sleep of she wicked and ungodly for her heart waked but she was asleep she was proud and marvellous secure there was a great deal of untowardnesse of spirit grew upon her And as we are untoward to that which is good so we are prone to that which is evil we are glued naturally to the world and the things of this life it is an easie thing to draw us away into evill therefore we had need to watch As it is said of the Disciples of Christ in regard of temporal drowziness so it is with us in regard of Spiritual drowziness Matth. 26. 43. He came and found them asleep again for their eyes were heavy Though Christ had awakened them and jogged them yet they were asleep again for their eyes were heavy So though the Lord hath awakened us even now we were awakened by a Crosse by Sicknesse by a Sermon by a Reproof something or other God hath been pleased to waken us by but all on the suddain we fall asleep again for our hearts are very heavy as it is with an heavy brain what a doe he hath to keep himself awake though he pinch himself and rowze up himself yet he hath much adoe to keep his eyes open so the heart of man is so drowzy that he hath much adoâ— to keep any Grace alive in himself we are so apt to be so secure that we had need to watch Zech. 4. 1. the Prophet complains of the drowziness of his heart The Angel that talked with me came again and waked me as a man is wakened out of his sleep when God was talking with him he fell into a sleep So when we are in Prayer we have much adoe to hold out in the duty we have such vile natures and cursed dispositions How ought we then to watch over our selves Secondly Another reason why we should be watchful is because our life is a Warfare and we do not lie like two Armies in a field removed Christians life is a Warfare one from the other but we lie in the midst of our enemies round about us and so they are ready to surprize us The greatest means of doing us mischief are most commonly those things we have need of as our meat and drink and affaires and callings The world an Eenemy we cannot go to prayer but worldly thoughts are ready to intangle us we cannot go to the House of God but a man is in danger to be intrapped There is danger in every thing we go about by reason of the worlds powerful enticements therefore we had need to stand upon our guard and be careful for else how can we avoid to be suprized and led away This is the reason why so many sink into Perdition Many that have given good hopes many that have promised excellent things have come to nothing but have fallen away as the fall of a leafe Whence comes this but because they have not been careful and watchful The Divel is watchful to insnare and intrap us therefore we should watch The Divel to avoid his snares As the Apostle saith 1 Pet.
to call for life that he should sell all forsake all and follow him that is the life of a man the soule and heart of a man must be put forth he was sad at that saying So Laodicea was content to do any thing the spirit of God layeth nothing to her charge he chargeth her with no particular sin but lukewarmnesse onely she would do any thing but to be fervent and zealous in it to lay out her strength for God that she would not do so that we had need to take heed of deadness of all other sins it is a deep sin and is the harder to be gotten out and the harder it is to be gotten out the more paines is to be taken Fourthly other sins may be but acts as a man may be drunk but he may not have the habit of drunkenness as Noah was drunk but he was not a drunkard we see David committed adultery but he had not the habit of adultery but deadness is an habit Eph. 2. 1. Now when a man leaves sin in a dead manner he leaves it but his affections are not crucified to it he doth good duties but he is dead to them this man comes neer to the estate of sin now an estate of sin is worse then any particular act of sin Fifthly Other sins are the first death of the soul we are all under trespasses and sins Rom. 5. Death passed upon all men for that all have sinned We are all by nature the children of wrath we were all once dead but now if after we are Christians we grow dead again we grow twice dead of all sins we should take heed of deadnesse for that causeth the second death not the second death of damnation but of being dead after a man hath been quickned as Saint Jude speaks ver 12. twice dead so we are twice dead Now other sins do make a man but once dead but after the Gospel hath come among us and hath stirred up our hearts and quickned us in some measure if we grow remiss and dead and cold again we are twice dead or at least grow and tend that way and so our estate is more dangerous therefore how should we take heed of this Lastly Other sins though God threatens hell and damnation against them yet more specially against deadness did you ever hear of a more special threatning then that 2 Thess 2. 10 11 12. when men doe not receive the truth in the love of it He doth not say When they do not receive it but When they do not receive it with affection with all their hearts You may see there how terribly God threatens when we do not receive the truth in the love of it we do not love Gods Word we do not love prayer and his ordinances we do not love the communion of Saints we do not love obedience to Gods truth this is a most woful thing though we doe receive it yet if we do not receive it in the love of it see there what he saith For this cause God shall send them strong delusâ—ns that they should believe a lye that they might all be damned c. So when Ephesus left her first love God threatned to remove the candlestick Rev. 2. 4 5. When Laodicea was grown cold and careless and of a middle temper Gods threatens to spue her out of his mouth Rev. 3. 16. When Eli was grown cold and remiss and wanted zeal and life to stand for him see how terribly God threatens him I will doe a thing that whosoever heares it both his eares shall tingle 1 Sam. 3. 11. Nay saith he I will judge his house for ever for this thing v. 13. What remains then but that we should with all our might and all care and diligence even set to both our shoulders for the casting off this sin of deadness that if it be possible we may come to be quickned and serve God as we ought to do and follow his heavenly Kingdome with eagerness that none of these things we have spoken may befall us Consider first we have life and why may not God have it He hath breathed into our souls the breath of life in him we live move and have our being he hath given unto us all life and breath and if we have life why may not God have it if he hath given us affections why should they not be given to him again if he hath given us thoughts why should we not bestow them upon him if he hath given us dispositions and inclinations why should they not be set upon him The Rivers that come from the sea return to the sea again It is said of the Macedonians that they did yield themselves to the Lord 2 Cor. 8. 5. So we should yield our selves to the Lord if God did ask any thing that were not in us it were another matter if we had no thoughts and affections if we had no heart and inclinations then no wonder though we did not give him them but when we have them why should not he have them all things are of him therefore let all things be to him shall our lusts have our thoughts and not God shall the world carry away our minds and not God that is against reason Secondly Consider that all the world is alive in their own courses let Christians be alive in theirs as the Prophet speaks Micah 4. 5. Every man walks in the name of his god let us walk in the name of our God So I say every man follows his god those that have their belly for their god all their minde and affections run that way those that have their pleasure for their god and their profit for their god how eager are they after these things as one saith the world is like the Ant poor little creatures they goe carrying of straws after their manner and are so busie so it is with the world what a deal of drudging up and down and going this way and that way is there in the world one for one thing another for another one for his Mammon another for the lusts of his flesh and the pride of life men are busy and stirring every one is setting forward why should not we be as forward in our way if we be Christians and the servants of God why should not we bestir our selves for him the Devil himselfe is a spirit and is working and busie as himself saith Job 2. 2. Then let us walk up and down and bestir our selves this way and that way and every way for God and be as active and agile for him let us consider how the poor prisoners in Ludgate beg for a token what eagerness they use that though a man had no minde yet their importunity will make him give them something and shall not we beg earnestly of God to pardon our sins and quicken us and humble us for our deadness and for the time to come to make us earnest for the Kingdom to come if men be so earnest
the strength of the arm will take away that though the bias be never so strong as long as the strength of the arm lasts the bias goeth according to the strength of the arm when the strength of the arm is gone then the bias begins to sway it So if a man have strength it will swallow up the bias of temptations but when a man hath no strength then the bias of temptations carries him away then the world bows him then pleasure and his natural inclination sways him this way and that way whereas if a man had strength he might resist temptations 1 Cor. 15. 58. be stedfast and unmoveable abounding in the work of the Lord that is if you were strong you would be unmoveable and abound in the work of the Lord all the world could not withdraw you from the work of the Lord for all temptations you would abound in good things what inâ—inite need have we to resist temptations none of us can arrive at heaven unless we be able to go through thick and thin and a world of temptations blessed is the man that endures temptations he shall have enough of them and happy is the man that can endure them and overcome them if we be not strong if we have not this spiritual might what shall become of us if we have not strong love to the truth we shall be hooked away from it if we have not strong love to obedience we shall be disobedient if we have not strong love to the wayes of God we shall be pulled away from them by force of temptations Fourthly Without strength if we should chance to fall we cannot get 4. Reas James 3. 2. up again what man is there that falls not in many things we offend all how often doth the godly man fall into sin through weakness and infirmity and ignorance and sometimes in a worse manner now if he have spiritual strength in him then he may rise up again if he hath a strong relation to God in Jesus Christ that cannot be broken then he may get up again as the body if it hath abundance of sores and blains and divers diseases and distempers upon it yet as long as the strength of nature lasts it may work them out again if you give this man Physick as long as the strength of nature lasts Physick may do him good but if the strength of nature be gone the disease will overcome him it will be his death so it is with a Christian as long as there is any spiritual strength in him it will work out corruption if a man have strong relation to God strong interest in Christ strong apprehension of the evil of sin and of the goodness of Gods wayes strong fear of God and a strong judgement these will work out any sin and corruption but if he hath not these he can never get up again as the Apostle saith Heb. 12. 12 13. lift up the hands that hang down and the feeble knees and make strait paths for your feet c. as who should say if you will strengthen your feeble knees then though they be lame they will rather be healed then turned out of the way but if you let your feeble knees be weak still then if you have any lameness or any distemper you will be turned out of the way but if you strengthen your feeble knees when you have been lame and have any distemper you will rather be healed then turned out of the way You shall see when Israel were without the true God and were distempered they were Idolators and all manner of wickedness was grown upon them now when God would have Asa purge out these abuses see how he calls upon him 2 Chron. 15. 7. be strong c. now in the words following we may see Asa did strengthen himself and reformed all the abuses and set up the worship of God and went on admirably in that work now he had gotten strength Lastly If we have not strength we can never do any thing God bids us 5. Reas with ease but if we have strength we may not only do what God bids us but do it with ease as when a man hath a strong memory he can get two or three leafes by heart with ease he hath it presently another that hath a weak memory will be conning and conning it I know not how long and as fast as he remembers one thing he forgets another he hath much ado to get it so if a man have a strong judgement and understanding though he meet with an hard word or passage he will understand it and pick out the meaning whereas one of a weak understanding may be studying all the dayes of his life and yet never apprehend it so when a man hath got spiritual strength he can do what God bids him do and leave what God bids him leave with ease he may pray and humble and deny himself with ease and lay those lusts aside which before he had as live have parted with his blood as parted with them when a man is strong in his love to God and strong in the consideration of Gods goodness and mercy he can do these things with ease my yoak is easie saith Christ and my burthen is Matth. 11. 30. light whereas to a natural man it is the heaviest yoak and burthen in the world for a man to be tied to abstain from all vanity from all vile passions and inordinate affections from all sinful pleasures and covetous desires it is a burthen intollerable for a natural man it is because of his weakness but now a gracious heart that hath gotten spiritual strength can do it and do it with ease The first Use is to condemn those that have no strength at all that are Vse 1 not capable of this Exhortation we cannot say strengthen the good things that are in you because they have no good things in them at all they have nothing of saving grace and of the covenant of life wrought in themâ— they have nothing but the common graces that may be in a reprobate as Paul saith Rom. 8. 7. of the carnal mind it is not subject to the Law of God neither indeed can be it cannot be subject there is no strength of grace there is strength enough but it is let out upon the world may be they have strong parts and gifts but there is no strength to this duty to be subject to the Law of God he is not able to do it as Christ saith of the corrupt Matth. 7. 18. tree it cannot bring forth good fruit it hath as much strength to suck from the earth and to bud and blossome and bring forth fruit and as much fruit as a good tree but it cannot bring forth good fruit so a natural man thinks as much and speaks as much and eats and drinks and sleeps as much as a godly man doth and goes about the business of his calling and hearts the word of God may
His wings were off and his chariot-wheels were knockt aside he could not goe on in good duties with any pace he was lumpish and untoward his soule cleaved to the dust and yet you see what heaves he gives he would be quickned he would not be at this passe Oh that God would quicken him this was his disease and the burthen of his soule O quicken me O the lamentable throwes and secret yernings that are in a poor soule that is dead and dull he cannot pray nor finde the Word work upon his soule he can receive no fruit and benefit by the Word of God O the moanes and yernings and lookings up to God that God would quicken him though he hath no heart almost but is marvellously borne down yet he is not able to lie down under this it is a disease to him O quicken me Again Let him be never so much hardened as a childe of God may be fearfully hardened yet in the midst of all he hath a feeling of this hardning whereupon he makes out after God and will never give him over till he hath freed him from it Isa 63. 17. Again Though a childe of God be never so secure as he may be secure and grow careless of God yet in the midst of all he can never be quite overcome by security so as quite and clean to forget God no he must listen after God and will hearken after God and hear the voice of God in some measure when the word reproves him and finds fault with his courses he doth hearken to it he is not quite asleep as the Church saith I sleep but my heart waketh Cant. 5. 2. She did take notice of God in the midst of all her security it is the voyce of my Beloved saith she Fourthly A childe of God can never so far goe down the wind but he shall for ever love the Image of God and love mercy and love holinesse and goodness and love the Ordinances of God and the Image of God wheresoever he sees it nay he doth love the children of God and this is a signe unto him that he is passed from death to life when he hardly hath any other signe 't is true when sin aâ—â— corruption hath exceedingly defiled Gods childe it may make him shy of Gods children and make him winde out of their company but yet grace makes him love them they are the amiab lest persons in the world in that mans eye he blesseth the very ground they goe upon he hath this ever left in him and by this a childe of God may know that he is passed from death to life because he loves the Brethren 1 John 3. 14. Fifthly A childe of God shall never be brought so low but in the midst of all he shall chide and check and finde fault with his own soule not as wicked men doe by reason of the terrours of conscience but in a gracious manner why have I done thus is this the thanks for the redemption of the world by Jesus Christ is this the thanks for the Gospel are these the fruits I bring forth under Gods Ordinances why am I thus dull to good duties why am I thus dastardly and cowardly for God there will be these gracious chidings though sin and corruption makes him full of legal terrours yet there be some gracious checkings and expostulations as David saith Why art thou so heavy O my soule O be quickned O be awakened hear better and pray better He doth check and condemn himselfe in a gracious manner and he can never like of these courses this will be for ever Lastly Another thing that shall be in Gods children for ever is the habits of grace they shall ever have these though the acts of grace may be asleep and cease working yet the habits of grace shall ever remain as a man though through violent sickness he may run mad and frantick and lose the act of reason and be like a mad man yet the habit of reason is in him still because he hath a reasonable soule and let the distemper be gone and he will put forth the acts of reason So a childe of God though for the present he be horribly distempered and all the acts of grace are asleep yet he hath the spirit of God in him and therefore hath the habits of grace although no grace were shining in Davids heart in the act of them when he fell in to the sins of murder and adultery yet he had all graces in the habit of them in the root of them as a tree though it seem to be quite dead yet life is in the root so a childe of God will have the habit and life of grace ever remaining in him and this appeares by two things First A childe of God in the midst of all his carelesness and negligence there is a miraculous preserving of that man that though that man hath been very â—areless and wonderful unwatchful and exposing himself to the temptations of Satan yet he shall be strangely kept that he shall not fall in a wonderful manner though it be no thank to himselfe 1 Sam. 2. 9. This is an evident sign of Gods spirit in him that though he let him get abundance of knocks yet he will not let him get that fatal knock but he carrieth him along from day to day Secondly It appeares by this that this man shall never be to be converted again but he shall for ever be a new creature though the spirit of God hide himselfe and withhold his former operations yet he will not goe quite away because a childe of God shall never need to be converted again 'T is true the rising up of a childe of God out of sin into which he is fallen is called conversion sometimes as our Saviour Christ saith to Peter When thou art converted strengthen thy brethren Nay a childe of God may think he hath need of new conversion and that he must begin all anew again as David said Create in me O Lord a clean heart and renew a right spirit within me Psal 51. 10. as though he were to begin anew again But a childe of God is never to begin anew no regeneration is an incorruptible thing 1 Pet. 2. 23. Psalm 112. 5. His righteousness remaineth for ever he shall never have quite lost it so as that he shall be to seek again as if he had never had it for if regeneration were to be renewed a man should be reprobated again but there is but one Faith one Baptism one Lord Eph. 4. Therefore if there be but one Baptism there is but one Regeneration The faith is but once delivered to the Saints Jude 3. God delivers his vertues and graces but once to the soul and is never to deliver them again indeed they may be smothered and choaked sometimes and lie under the ashes as coals under the embers but they shall never be quite extinguished there needs nothing but a stirring up and provoking of the
shall and will know God in Jesus Christ it puts in divine things into the soul whereby the soul must needs know him and come to him and be reconciled to him 1 Joh. 3. 9. he puts his own seed into him he that is borne of God sinneth not for the seed of God remaineth in him the Lord puts an holy kinde of ointment upon his eyes and makes him see and that abides in him 1 Joh. 2. 27. The holy anoynting which ye have received abideth in you Thirdly It is a continual call it is not a call and so away a call for a year Gods call is an effectual caâ—l and so an end but it is a continual call he never leaves calling of him till he comes home to him as 1 Thes 5. 24. Faithful is he that hath called you who will also do it as who should say he hath called you and doth call you and he is faithful and will do it he hath called you heretofore and made you come to him in truth and sincerity and he will still continue his call he will still do it more and more the Lord draws his people nearer and nearer to himself Now I will prove the Doctrine by divers particulars First Because a man then may be able to look back upon all his life even from Then a man may reflect on his life past his cradle to this day even before his call and see Gods love to him as Paul though he could not see it before yet when God had effectually called him he is able to look back upon all his former time and space he had lived even from his mothers womb Gal. 1. 15. Who hath seperated me saith he from my mothers wombe and called me by his grace and so it was with David I have been cast upon thee saith he even from my mothers belly Psal 22. 9 10. it is not likely that David was converted then but when God had effectually called him then he was able to go back all along even to his very infancy and trace Gods goodness towards him in this and that even to his very bringing him into the world Secondly This interests a man in all the promises of God 2 Pet. 1. 3. Who This interest a man in the promises hath given unto us all things pertaining to life and godliness through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and vertue if we know that God hath called us to glory and vertue then we know that God hath given us all things that pertaine to life and godliness to this life and the life to come we know it when God hath effectually called us we know that all the promises belong unto us as the Apostle speaks Acts 2. 39. For the promise is to you and to your children and to yours that are afar of even as many as the Lord our God shall call look how many God calls so many do the promises belong unto all the promises of mercy and grace and comfort of strength and direction and eternal redemption the compleat working of it all these promises from the first to the last they all belong to a man when God hath called him when the Lord effectually calls a man he takes him out of the world to have fellowship with the Lord Jesus Christ and in whatsoever he hath done or suffered or purchased for his people Thirdly It doth sweeten all Gods promises to a man what is the reason we can hear such admirable things out of the Word and yet they affect people It sweetens the promises to a man generally for the most part no more then a dry chip though they hear of the promises of God what promises he hath made to his people to their Prayers to their hearing of the Word to their receiving of the Sacrament what promises he hath made in adversity and prosperity in sickness and in health in life and death when they sin through frailty what promises they have to help them up againe when they are to do any thing what promises to assist them and go along with them when they are called to any employment what promises to sustaine them and bear them out I say though all these things be delivered to people things that were sweeter to David then the hony and the hony combe Psal 119. 103. Yet generally people are not affected with these things the reason is because they are not able to say that God hath effectually called them therefore when they heare such things the heart cannot lay hold upon them they think with Francis Spera I have no part in these things they think 't is true they are so to Gods people but they think there is little comfort little sweetness in them because they cannot say that they are effectually called of God Fourthly If a man be effectually called this helps a man to pray Psal 119. 94. I am thine save me when David was able to say thou hast called me to be one of thine then he was able to pray to God Lord save me Lord help me It helps him to pray I am thine thou art my God when he was able to say that he had interest and propriety in God this did exceedingly help him and encourage him with boldness in prayer but when a man questions his effectual calling every petition a man puts up it is choaked a man cannot pray to God but he is beaten off there is no strength in such a prayer as soon as ever Paul was converted saith God to Ananias behold now he prayes Act. 9. 11. Paul had prayed a thousand times before no man in Judea prayed more then he but God took no notice of his prayers but when God had effectually called him by his grace now the Lord took notice of his prayers and observed them and heard them and regarded them and inclined his ear to them behold now he prayes Fifthly This is a great encouragement to all goodness in outward things Knowledge of our effectual calling a help to good actions it is a great encouragement to a man to take them in hand when he seeth he hath a calling thereunto Gideon was very earnest with the Angel that he might see he had a calling to that he was to go about Judg. 6. 11. So it is in this divine calling it is a great encouragement when a man can see that he is called true it is that every man is called but I speak not of the general calling but of the effectual call when a man can see that he is effectually called of God this helps a man in all good actions then a man may go to God as to â— Father he may go to the Sacrament as the seale of his righteousness and saith then a man may take Gods name into his mouth God challengeth the wicked for doing of it without his call Psal 50. 16. What hast thou to dâ— to take my name into thy mouth seeing thou hatest to be
gathered you under her wings and made you safe so againe it is called the drawing of a man unto Christ Joh. 6. 44. No man cometh to me except the Father draweth him that is except the Father effectually call him he cannot come unto me now this bare and naked calling cannot do it without drawing therefore it is here called drawing of a man before which a man was altogether out of Christ therefore this is the first act God performes upon a man to draw him to Christ the man is as unwilling to come to Christ naturally as any else his lusts draw him another way and he is as heavy as a milstone and his heart is lumpish to the things of God till the father draws him and pulls his affections and thoughts and minde to come home unto Christ this is the first act God doth and againe it is called the bringing of a man to Christ Joh. 10. 16. other sheep also have I saith Christ which I must bring unto this fold he speaks here how that he means to call the Gentiles all the elect of God among them now because they cannot come they have no strength of their own to come therefore he saith he must bring them unto him Againe there must be application of Christ unto a man now effectual calling is the first step to the application of the Lord Jesus Christ to a man There must be applying of Christ to a man we know the Lord Jesus is the Redeemer of the world he hath taken away the sinnes of the world satisfied the wrath of God wrought righteousness for Gods elect he hath overcome death and sinne and Satan and hath expiated for us and wrought an everlasting salvation by his own death and passion in the daies of his flesh Christ hath done this now except this be applied to a man what is a man the nearer now the first step of the application of the redemption of Christ is wrought by this effectual calling of a man unto him then the Lord begins to make a man have union with Jesus Christ before a man was like a branch out of the vine a dead branch that could do nothing he could not repent or serve God or please God or do any thing he was estranged in minde and heart and will but when God doth effectually call a man he doth first work this application of Christ that a man may have union with him and effectual calling is the first putting of a man into the estate of grace the first estating of a man into eternal life it is the first ingraffing of a man into the Son of God it is the putting on of Christ the Saints of God after they are called weare Christ and walke in Christ but at a mans first effectual calling there is the putting of him on it is the first notice that a man hath of salvation the first tydings that comes to the soul of eternal redemption by Jesus Christ people heare it with their outward ears before but never do they come to heare this in their souls and spirits till now this is the first notice and inkling of it when God doth effectually call them then he begins this work as Col. 1. 6. which Word is come unto you speaking of the Gospel it is come unto you and bringeth forth fruit since the day you heard of it and knew the grace of God in truth that is since the day you were effectually called then was the first time of hearing this blessed Gospel your ears were deaf till then your hearts were dead in sins and trespasses till then but when you were effectually called then was the first knowing of the grace of God in truth therefore it is called in Scripture the first beginning of God to do a man good it is the first beginning of all the goodness of God towards a man as Phil. 1. 6. being confident in this that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it till the day of Jesus Christ that is he that did effectually call you as he did begin a good work in you and did begin to put forth his eternal good will and pleasure in you and powred forth the beginning of his mercy and grace and favour into your souls now he that hath done this will never leave it till he hath brought it to perfection So againe it is called the first building of a man for heaven this is done in effectual calling Acts 15. 14. Simâ—on hath declared how God at the first did visit the Gentiles saith the text to take out of them a people for his name that is the Word had effectually called the Gentiles and this ver 16. is called the first building of the Gentiles and the first plucking of them out of the other people of the world to be a people of God This is the first day of a child of Gods consecration it is called the forming of Christ in a mans heart when a man comes to be formed in the womb of the Church before he was a non ens he had no being in the world he was but a natural man but this new workmanship never came into the world till now when a man is effectually called So againe it is called a mans first entring into Christ enter in at the straight-gate as who should say obey the call of God come in a mans effectual calling is a mans first entring into the estate of grace I speak the more largely of it because I would have you understand the Scripture that speaks of it in these phrases I say effectual calling is the first step to the application of Jesus Christ the first step of putting a man into the estate of grace the first bringing of a man to Christ The first reason of this is because before effectual calling a man was without Before effectual calling no interest in Christ out Christ and had no interest in Christ no communion or fellowship with Christ he was altogether dead in trespasses and sinnes a cursed creature a damned creature in the estate of sinne and condemnation whatever parts or gifts he had all were no better then may be in a reprobate Eph. 2. 12. before that time you were without Christ aliens and strangers from the commonwealth of Israel may be you were civil but you had no union with Christ though you were constant hearers of the Word which is a laudable thing yet you had no union with Christ may be you were decked with admirable qualities and jewels as the Prophet shews a man may be decked with golden vertues and afterwards turne to drosse a man may have admirable things in him before he hath this but there was nothing of God in a man nothing of Christ in a man no saving operation of Gods Spirit at all in a man no union with Christ this is the first passage of a man from death to life from nature to grace from the devil to God we are
men shall rise againe as John 5. 28. Marvel not for the houre shall come that all flesh that is in the grâ—vâ— shall come forth if all that are dead shall rise again then every man shall rise again though his name be not named in Scripture so it is hear we read in Scripture that Christ saith John 7. 37. If any man thirst let him come unto me and drink now the Lord includes a particular in it and brings it to the soul thou thirstest thou wouldest faine have Christ here are the promises here is all mercy in my Sonne believe in him come and receive him take him and thou shalt have them so if Christ saith whosoever believes shall be saved then Saint Paul might safely conclude a particular word to the Jaylor belâ—eve in the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved Acts 16. 31. so that you see here is a particular word though not particular directly yet equivalent to a particular namely a particular in the general and the Spirit of God doth speak this to the soul and makes the soul hear it Every man therefore that hath heard it c. When God calls the soul home he makes the soul hear his voice here a Doct. When God calls the soul he makes it hear a particular voice particular voice and word to him believe in the Lord come unto me for salvation relie upon me for eternal life the sinnes that trouble thy soule cast thy self upon me for the forgiving of them the diseases miseries distempers thou art subject unto lay hold upon me and rest upon me for the delivering thee from them the Lord when he calls a man effectually he speaks it not onely the Minister and the Word speaks it but the Lord speaks it and so the soul hearing of the Father comes to Christ thus you may see the Lord holds the free promises of the Gospel before the soul and bids a man relie upon them as Peter dealt with his contrite hearers the Spirit of the Lord going along with his word Acts 2. 39. believe saith he for the promise belongs to you and to your children c. as who should say when God calls a man effectually he holds forth his promises and propounds them to the soul beleeve this promise and rest upon me for it thus the Lord doth call a man home he sends his promise before him he sets up hope before him he sends the gracious invitation of the Gospel before him and bids him relie upon it thus God dealt with his Elect Câ—rinths 1 Cor. 1. 9. God is faithful saith the Apostle by whom ye are called to the followship of his Sonne Jesus Christ as who should say when God called you he spake to every one of you in particular come and be fellow heirs with my Son come and have every good thing with my Sonne come and be a sonne with him come and be an heir of grace with him and have title to eternal life and salvation God calls you saith he to beleeve that he is faithful So I might instance in many more though there be never so many in the Congregation yet the Lord doth not speak to them all they do not all hear his voice they all hear the Minister but that makes them not to come that doth not the deed but when the Lord calls a man he comes he joyns with the Word and speaks to this or that man and takes him alone and whispers him in the ear and tells him where mercy is and bids him rely upon him and though sense and seeling be against him though all fears and objections be against him he bids him believe and be of good cheere he shall have all these mercies it he will believe in him as he saith Esay 51. 20. Look unto Abraham your father for I called him alone and blessed him mark it the Lord took him alone and spake to his heart between him and himself so when the Lord speaks to a soul and calls him by his grace he calls him alone and takes him alone though all the Congregation hears the same Sermon yet he takes him alone and speaks to his heart and bids him beleeve in him for I will never faile thee it is a sure foundation he may build upon it for ever and ever Because no man could come unto Christ else for we see daily though Reas 1. Elâ—e no man could come to Christ Ministers call all the Congregation and assembly yet people do not stir they are dead in their sins they cannot hear the Minister no it must be a louder voice and one that is more powerful and effectual unlesse the Lord come and bid a man beleeve he can never do it therefore John 5. 26. See what Christ saith Verily I say unto you that the hour shall come when the dead shall heare the voice of the Sonne of God here comes an Almighty voice that speaks to the raising of a man out of the death of sinne to the life of righteousnesse and faith and he shews that there is a voice of Christ that speaks to the soul that though the soul be dead yet it shall heare and live so Ephesians 5. 14. and were it not for this call no man could beleeve That so they may have a ground for their faith the soul cannot first beleeve â— That we may have a ground for out faith and then come to the promise but the Lord brings the promise first and then makes the soul to beleeve he lets in the promise first and then causeth the soul to lay hold upon it the soul doth not first come and then look to the promise but the soul first looks upon the promise and then beleeves as you may see Psal 119. 49. it is the speech of the Prophet David Remember thy Word O Lord wherein thou hast caused thy servant to trust the Lord lets in a word of promise into Davids heart then caused him to hope in it and made him look upon it as a thing tendred and propounded to him and so made him relic upon it if it were not for this call of God who were able to beleeve for without this call the soul when it seeth its dulnesse and deadnesse and untowardnesse and unworthinesse it would go away it would say I cannot look to the promise I cannot do this and that and I have no faith and what have I to do with the promise therefore the Lord when he effectually calls a man he lets in the sight of his promises he holds forth his free and gracious promises so that now the soul can say the Lord calls me by his grace and though I be never so wretched and my heart be stark naught though I be as reprobate to every good word and work as the vilest in the world yet here is a free offer and I will relie upon it it is tendred unto me otherwise why should God propound it so freely why should he hold it forth
Apostle saith 1 John 5. 20. We know that we are in him that is true his meaning is we are in him by faith that is we have such a kinde of faith whereby we do not only assent to him that he is the Sonne of God and all things are true that are spoken of him but we are in him we are in him that is true that is we are united to him and 2 Cor. 17. 5. Whosoever is in Christ is a new creature and Paul saith of Andronicus and Junia they were in Christ before him Rom. 16 7. So Christ is said to be in them Know ye not that Christ Jesus is in you except you be reprobates it is the faith of union He that hath the Sonne hath life 1 John 5. 12. That is he that believes in the Sonne of God that is so believes that he hath him and is united to him that man hath life and none else so that it is a faith of union that justifies a man not as though faith of it self doth this for its own worthinesse as though it were able to unite a man to Christ it is only by vertue of Gods Ordinance that faith unites a man to Christ God of his infinite mercy and goodnesse hath appointed faith to be such a thing that upon putting forth of that act he shall presently have relation to Christ and Communion with him by grace are we saved through faith saith the Apostle we are saved through faith but not for any worthinesse of faith but by grace this is the thing the Lord hath appointed such a kinde of faith shall justifie as shall unite a man to Jesus Christ Nay if faith did not do this faith could not justifie and sanctifie and purifie and intitle a man to Heaven for it doth all these by vertue of union first it unites a man to Christ and makes Christ one with him and him one with Christ and so he comes to have right and title to all the merits and all the good things that come by Christ so then if thou hast not this faith of union though thou hast all faiths besides historical faith temporary faith and if it were possible miraculous faith Nay if thou hadst ten thousand thousand faiths more if it were possible yet if thou hast not such a faith as to be united to Christ thou art in thy sins and art under the law and under the curse of the law and under Gods justice if thou shouldest pray never so much and give thy body to be burned yet if thou do not dwell in Christ and Christ in thee if thou be not one with Christ and Christ one with thee thou art nothing but as â—ounding Brasse and as a tinkling Cymball though thou hast been a professor these twenty yeares together and hast been taken for a godly man through Town and Countrey yet if thou art not in Christ thou arâ—â— still in thy sins faith doth unite a man to Christ through the Ordinance oâ— God by the Grace of God it doth unite a man to Christ 1 John 4 15 whaâ— confession doth the Apostle meane there Only a confession of historiâ—â— faith when a man believes that God is so and so and confesseth him No the Apostle expounds himself 1 John 3. 24. as who should say it is such a faith as wholly resignes a man unto God to be ruled and guided by him as well as saved by him it is such a faith as makes a man with minde and heart and will and all that is in a man to cast himself upon Christ so that all obedience and all conformity to the Sonne of God will follow he that hath this faith to keep his Commandements dwelleth in God and God in him Now what kinde of faith can this be can it be only the act of the minde whereby a man believes all the truths concerning Christ doth this unite a man to Christ It were blasphemy to say so for by this Argument the union between Christ and a true believer were no better then the union between a true believer and the Devil because a true believer believes all the truths and assents unto them that God hath spoken concerning the Devil as well as concerning Christ this doth not unite a man there is a kinde of union indeed in the minde but that union is only notional and intentional and rational as for example when I think of an horse or a tree there is an union of the tree with my minde for the tree is in my minde in the notion of it but this is a bare intentional and simple union the maine union of all is in the heart when the heart is united to a thing an heavenly minded man he may have an union of his understanding with the things of this world he may understand carnal men understand their courses and wayes and there is a notional intentional union with these things in his understanding but he is not truly united to those courses except his heart be set upon those courses then he takes them up so untill the heart is set upon Christ a man is never heavenly never godly never a true Christian till he is thus united into Christ Nay I will tell you more and I will prove it and it is a thing to be considered that were it possible Suppose God should reveal he might if he would to any man that he is elected before he is converted Suppose this I do not say God doth thus to any of his Elect but suppose an Elect man that is yet unconverted and yet out of Christ he is a natural man and yet an elected man â—uppose I say God should reveal to this man thou art elected to eternal life I have intended from all eternity to give my Son to thee all his merits and death and passion I have intended them to thee and I have intended thou shalt have fellowship with him God reveales this and the man firmly assents to the authority of the speaker that he is elected to eternal life doth this faith justifie a man A man is in his sins yet for all this though he knoweth and God hath revealed such a thing to him that he hath intended Christ to him as long as he hath not revealed that he is in Christ this doth not put him into Christ this sheweth him that he shall be in Christ but this act of believing doth not put him into Christ therefore the children of God that are converted and are believers and can believe that God hath elected them and eternally intended Christ to them this act of their faith doth not justifie them this only is an act to know that they are justified already and converted already I will shew you an excellent place for this 2 Tim. 1. 12. For which cause saith the Apostle I also suffer these things for I know in whom I have believed and that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day Mark
another and that is this as faith tyeth the heart to 3. Because faith gleweth the heart to the Commandements as well as to the promiâ—es the promises so it glueth the heart to the Commandements these go together and when faith reacheth forth the hand to the one it reacheth forth the hand to the other they are tyed with bonds of adamant that cannot be severed Psalme 119. 56. When faith will go to God in vertue of a promise to do this or that for him he reacheth forth the hand to the Commandements too I am the Lord thy God thou shalt have no other Gods but me As who should say if you will look upon me as your God by faith then look that you have no other gods but me look that you honour me in all my wayes and stoop to me and obey my Word as the Lord propounded the one so he set before them the other a man forgets that God is his God by faith if he keeps not his Commandements beware saith Moses least thou forget the Lord thy God in not keeping his Commandements How can a man believe in God when he forgets that which he should believe When a man forgets to be subject to God and to give up himself in all his wayes The Promises and Commandements are tyed together with bonds of adamant and no man can pull them asunder as it is with sinne and the threatnings if a man go on in sinne he shall be sure to have the threatnings light upon him they are bound together by bonds of adamant and everlasting coards let a man do what he can if he howle and roare to God to take away his plagues to take away Hell fire and damnation if he go on in sinne it will never be they hang together in an everlasting truth The way of the wicked shall perish and if a man soweth iniquity he shall reap misery saith the Wiseman As a man soweth so he shall reap do not deceive your selves We are marvelous apt to reason as Eve did to put in perhaps perhaps you shall dye Nay assuredly we shall dye if we go on in sinne and will not live that life which God hath set before us the life of faith the life of God the life of Heaven the life of true Holinesse and righteousnesse if we will not submit to this and give up our selves to be brought under it we shall assuredly perish never did any man live and goe on in sinne but he dyed in perdition Never any man lived a wicked and ungodly life but had a wicked wretched and damned death if a man do go on in sinne he shall be sure to have the threatnings of God light upon him he cannot avoyde them so it is on the other side the Promises and the Commandements go together and if a man do observe the Commandements ' of God by a true and lively faith he shall assuredly have the promises and if he reject the Commandements or be unâ—ound in the doing of them he cannot have the Promises if he have the one he must have the other he can never make a faithful Plea for Peace for Pardon for Heaven or any thing that God hath promised that bindes not himselfe over to God to do his will in every thing Nay the strength of Faith puts forth it selfe in as strong an act towards the Commandements as towards the Promises and if there be any difference it is on the Promises side for the Promises are more supernatural then the Commandements for they were once written in the heart therefore the Commandements are not so supernatural a man was once acquainted with them but the Promises of Mercy and Pardon and Redemption are more supernatural and we see this in poore weak beleevers that go on and are enabled to make good conscience of their wayes and to be very carefull of sinning against God and walk in very good strictnesse diligence and circumspection and yet have much ado to apply the Promises and appropriate them to themselves I say broken-hearted people that are weak in faith in regard of personall confidence may yet notwithstanding be very strong in the doing of the Commandements of God The reason is because obedience flows from a direct act of faith and this bearing a man upon the Promises from a reflect act of faith it flowes from a consciousnesse of obedience when a man is conscious that he is sincere then and never before can a man have confidence that the Promises are sealed to him this is a reflect act of faith but it is a direct act that makes a man obey Gods Commandements so that faith must needs work obedience for if there be this blessed couple propounded to the soule in the Gospel together with the Commandements Faith looking on both takes one as well as the other Fourthly there is another close couple that faith looks upon and that is as upon a Title to the Kingdome of Heaven so also to a fitnesse 4. Because faith looks to a fitnesse for heaven as well as a title to heaven for the Kingdome of Heaven and one is as needfull as the other as things without which a man cannot enter into the Kingdome of God Now Faith as it helps a man to a title to Glory so it helps a man more and more with fitnesse because it seeth it cannot be otherwise When David had committed his two fowle sinnes of murther and adultery though he had not lost his title to the Kingdome of Heaven yet he could not enter into it he could not have actual possession of it Why Because he was unfit Heb. 12. 14. Without holinesse a man cannot see God though a man hath all the titles in the world though he be elected to it before all worlds yet till he is made fit for it he cannot enter into it flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God as the Apostle Peter speakes it is an inheritance holy and undefiled and a man must be holy before he can be made partaker of it Joseph must shave himself before he come before Pharaoh Ahasuerus women must be prepared and purified with spices and odours and mirrhe Hest 2. 11. And then they came before the King when they were prepared and adorned and made sweet and persumed So a man must first be prepared and fitted for the Kingdom of heaven or else there is no admission into it heaven is too fine a place for adulterers and drunkards c. As soone as ever the Angels of heaven though glorious creatures began to sinne against God God thrust them out of heaven they left their habitation it was too fine for them and do you think the Lord will admit the Devill into heaven againe in his members what a thing is it when every drunkard and profane person shall think himself meet company for the blessed trinity it cannot be God will never take such foule loathsome creatures into fellowship and Communion with him they are too neare
Whore and commit his wickednesse he doth not think that they are dead and damned men that are there nor that they are in the pit of Hell Though his Conscience may tell him that he is wicked and sinful and wretched and that he is half dead yet he is not a dead man he is not absolutely a dead man he doth not know this It may be he will confesse it Lord I am a dead man Lord I am a damned man it may be he will confesse this in his Prayer because he hath some light but yet his heart is not taken down the livelinesse of his heart is not killed I will prove it to you for let another man a Minister of God or a child of God say he is a dead man a damned man one that lies under the wrath of God he will deny it and say he is uncharitable and judgeth hardly and why may he not be a live man and a good Christian he hopes he is he doth not know that he is a dead man as the wise-man speaks Prov. 14. 12. There is a way that seemetht right to a man but the issues thereof are death that is there is a way that seems to be a way of life and a man seems to be alive that walks in that way but the truth is it is a way of death and a man that goeth in that way is a dead man and a damned man but yet in the mean time while he walks in that way it seems to be a way of life unto him there is a non-appearance of the deadnesse and damnednesse of a mans estate and condition that walks in that way and therefore it seems to him to be a right way and a way of life and there is great hope in him that he shall live for evermore and many men do walk in that way and therefore it seems to him to be a right way and a way of life it seems right to a man but the end thereof is death And this is the First thing wherein this liveliness consists The non-appearance of a mans dead and damned estate 2. Secondly It consists in Performance he is able as he conceives to do the duties that God commands he hath wisdom and ability at home to go about his Affairs he hath understanding and supply at home he hath life and sufficiency to go about these and these duties and performances let the Law tell him he must be sober he hath life to avoid the Ale-house and if he commit a Drunken Act he would have you think he hath grace to be sorry for it and let a man tell him he is a dead man he hath no grace in him no life in him he will tell you he doth thus and thus he hears Gods Word and he Prayes to God and he Trusts in God and he Believes in God your telling of him this doth not kill his heart he thinks he is alive for all this nay let the Law of God come and tell him He is a dead man for all his doing this will not kill him neither so long as the Lord himself doth not open his eyes and clear his eye-sight and discover his sins and convince his Conscience though the Law say he is a dead man and a damned man this doth not kill him he can wait upon God and perform these and these duties Then let the Law of God say He is a dead man for all this he must deny himself why so he will I confesse Lord I am an unrighteous man a wretched man a sinful creature and all my righteousnesse is as menstruous raggs and now he thinks all is well but the Law of God hath not yet come home unto him and shewed him his heavie estate but he is alive in regard of the performance of the duty and thinks verily he hath life at home in him whereas if the Law of God did come home and charge his estate upon him and shew him what obedience the Law requires what severity and truth in the inward parts it would break a mans heart and kill him notwithstanding all performances but in the mean time that a mans heart is not killed and the Law hath not given him his deaths VVound he thinks he is alive Cry aloud saith God lift up thy voice like a Trumpet shâ—w my people their Transgressions and the house of Israel their sins Isai 58. 1. there the Lord looks upon the people as dead wretched sinners and abominable people but yet notwithstanding they thought they were alive in performances as we may see vers 2. Yet they seek me daily and delight to know my wayes even as a Nation that did righteously and had not forsaken the Statutes of their God they ask of me the Ordinances of Justice they draw near to me saying We have fasted and thou regardest it nâ—t We see here they take delight in approaching unto God they take delight in Gods Ordinances and seek God early they can do thus and thus and are alive in all performances but that man whose spirit the Law hath pulled down and the Lord hath convinced him of his infinite inability to perform the Law he cannot see any liveliness in him unto any performance Let any duty come it kill his heart I should now hear the VVord of God but my heart is unprepared and my ear uncircumcised and I cannot hear aright Let an opportunity be offered to Pray it kills his heart I should now call upon the Name of the Lord but I have such a cursed heart I cannot Pray I cannot speâ—k one right word before God Let an occasion be offered of holy Conference it kills his heart Alas saith he I want pure language my tongue was never touched with a coal from the Altar my lips have not ability to drop forth favoury speeches I am not able to speak one syllable aright to Gods glory it kills his heart he sees no life at all in him unlesse he can have life from without and ability from without he is dead all is nothing to him the law hath taken away the livelinesse that was in him But he that is not humbled by the Law he is alive he hath life in himself it is nothing with him to Pray and go to Church and hear Gods Word it is nothing but thrusting to do the duty he hath life in him to do duties and wait upon God in his Ordinances but when the Law comes home to him it plainly lets him see that he hath no life in himself to do any good he must seek for life and abibility from without else he is a dead man he can do nothing in this case David in this case cannot look up Mine iniquities are gone over my head I cannot loâ—k up Psal 40. Mâ—ses he is a man of uncircumcised lips and cannot speak unto Phâ—raoh Paul cannot do any thing that is good In me dwelleth no good thing Rom. 7. And so for the rest of Gods people when the Law hath
killed them and laid them dead in regard of any performance they must have life from without there is no life at home no grace at home no understanding at home they must go out for all but a carnal man he is alive unto all performances Many a man is like unsavoury Salt good for nothing but to throw upon the dunghil He never received the Holy Ghost and yet he will be inducted into a Living and take a Pastoral Charge upon him as if he were able to perform the Duty of a Minister and take the Charge of Souls upon him So Ananias will be a Husband and Sapphira a VVife Athalia vvill be a Queen and Nimred a King and Abimilech a Judge they are alive to discharge all these Duties thus men are alive the Law of God hath not killed their hearts and pulled down their spirits it hath not made it appear unto them what wretched cursed Creatures they are This is the Second thing wherein this Liveliness consists Thirdly This Livelinesse consists in a presumptuous hope he conceives that he is justified before God and that God will not damn him but forgive him his sins There is nothing can make a mans heart more full of life than to think that he is righteous before God and that God will not impute his sins unto him there is nothing can make a man more alive then this If they think they are justified before God they have then a lively hope 1 Pet. 1. 3. Blessed be God saith the Apostle even the Father of the Lord Jesus Christ which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again to a lively hope by the Resurrection of Christ from the Dead So these men have a hope that makes them lively and full of life as a poor man that hath some grounded hope of an Earthly inheritance it makes the heart lively Poverty deads the heart he that hath nothing to maintain himself and those that belongs unto him it deads his heart but if he hath some hopes of an hundred pound a year and his hope is grounded if he hath sure hope of it and he makes no doubt of it it makes his heart full of life so when a man doth believe that he is in a good case that he is delivered from death that he is in the estate of grace when he hath some probability that God hath justified him from sin this breeds an hope in him of an eternal Inheritance and this hope the consideration of it makes the soul full of life There is nothing can make a man more lively then a hope that he is justified before God and that God will not impute his sins unto him Now when a carnal man conceives he is righteous before God and that God will forgive him his iniquities that God will not damn him nor count him a dead and a damned man so long as a man doth imagine this he must needs be a lively man he is alive in his own apprehension nay all the delights in the world cannot make a man so full of life as this hope It is not mens following their pleasure that makes their hearts so full of life as to have hope that the Lord doth not account them dead men that they are justified men and righteous men that they have salvation to shew for Heaven and eternal happinesse to shew for that they shall go to heaven But if now the Law were charged upon a man if he knew that he were a dead man a damned man it would pluck down his spirits and make his spirits dead for all his pleasures It is the conceit that men are Justified that makes them so full of life so long as the Law doth not come home to a man and point him out in his colours and make it appear to him that he lyeth under the wrath of Almighty God that the Lord doth account him an abominable wretched Creature so long as he doth not apprehend this especially if he have any good Gifts and Parts and Qualities and Moral Obedience to the Law doing good Duties and a general laying hold upon the Promises and a hope they belong to him this makes him alive Phil. 3. 9. Paul when he was a Pharisee and did Moral Duties and performed Moral Obedience to the Law of God he thought he had Righteousnesse of his own he calls it there his own Righteousnesse he so apprehended of himself now this is that which makes men alive when they conceive that they have some Religion and some Grace You shall have many men and women that hate the Servants of God and yet think they are godly men and have Grace and Life in them We may see it Acts 13. 50. there it is said that the Jews stirred up certain devout and honourable women and raised Persecution against Paul and Barnabas and expelled them out of their Coasts Though they hated Paul and Barnabas yet they are said to be devout and honourable women They imagined they were very Devout they conceived they were Religious How many men and women are there that think they are Righteous and they will do many Duties and take many good Courses in so much that it would pity a man to think they should go to hell they will be very Zealous they will be very Earnest against Drunkennesse and cry out against the abominations of the times they are marvellous Devout and Godly and yet a man that is Devout and Godly in truth and in deed they cannot abide him but hate him Now if the Law should come home unto them and discover how indeed it is with them it would humble their souls and pull down their spirits and make them dead so that this presumptuous hope that men are in good terms with God and that God will be merciful to them and forgive them their sins this makes them to be alive 2. We come now to the Second thing and that is the Effect of this â—iveliness what Effects it works in the heart And the Effects of this Liveliness are Four 1. First It makes them sound and heart-whole like a Boyl unlaunced it is yet sound The true sight of sin and wrath of God in the soul is able to break the heart of any man it is able to dead his spirit and kill all the Livelinesse that is in him and make him have little life to go on as he doth But so long as the Law of God is not come home to a man though he have no Title to Heaven though Hell be the Portion of his Cup yet he is as sound as can be as heart-whole as may be Let carnal comfort come he can take it let pleasures come he is able to delight himself therewith and go on in his course as if he ailed nothing Prov. 18. 14. the Wise man saith The spirit of a man will sustain his infirmities but a wounded spirit who can bear When the Lord comes to wound a mans heart with the sight of his sins and
the fearful condition he is in what a cursed creature he is having no Mercy and being out of Christ having no Pardon no Grace no Holinesse but lyeth under the Curse of God If the Law this come home and wounds his Conscience he is not able to bear it this man let carnal Comforts come he is not able to take them it kills the heart Look as it is with the Stomack if it can take meat and digest it it must needs be alive for if the Stomack be dead it can digest nothing So for the Taste If a mans Palat and all the instruments of the taste be dead he takes no delight in any meats So there is a kind of soundness in the Soul that is the reason why a man can delight in carnal pleasures in Drinking and Sporting and in Profit and Gain There is a kind of soundness and â—iveliness in the Heart the heart is not yet broken If the Law come and take the Hearts life away this will pull down the Heart it will make a mans heart even break it will pull down his spirit But a man whom the Law hath not yet humbled and shewed him his damned estate his heart is yet whole and sound When the Law of God had but a little killed Ahabâ— heart you might see it in his very gate he went softly he could not tread so confidently upon the ground as he was wont to do it tamed his very steps it is wonderful how his heart was broken it appeared in his very going up and down When the Law comes home to a man it is able to kill his heart and makes him Soul-sick and makes him cry out O the wretchednesse of my heart it makes a man sick at the heart it lyes like a heavie Plague upon the heart and conscience it will make a man at deaths door with his sins it will make him say with Paul When the Commandment came Sin revived and I died But another man though he hath evident demonstration that he is a dead man yet the Law of God hath not pulled down his heart sicknesse will pull down a mans Stomack so when the law of God comes home to a mans conscience and makes him sick it makes him yield and pulls down his stomack Many men are crazy and sickly and yet they lye not by it but walk up and down and go abroad but if they were heart-sick it would pull them down and make them lye by it So many a carnal man may have some qualms of sin but yet their hearts can go abroad after profits and pleasures after vanities and delights they can go abroad for all this But when the law comes home it will pull down a mans spirit and make him heart-sick This is the meaning of that place The whole need not a Physician but the sick Mat. 9. 12. Every carnal man so long as he is not humbled and broken under the sight of his sins his heart is yet whole his spirit is yet sound he is not yet wounded as the Prophet Isaiah speaks Isa 1. 6. From the crown of the hâ—ad to the sole of the foot there is nothing but wounds and swellings and sores full of corruption there is no soundnesse in him He is indeed full of wounds but the skin is yet sound it is not broken he fells it not the law hath not yet discovered his estate unto him This is the first effect of this livelynesse it makes men to be sound and heart-whole 2. The Second effect of this livelynesse when a man is alive in the non-appearance of his dead and damned estate alive in performance alive in presumption and self-justifying and self-hopes The effect of it is that he is fearlesse the more lively the more fearlesse First the Object must dead the heart before it can make the heart fear so long as the heart is sâ—out the livelynesse that is in the heart is able to keep out fear So the livelynesse of a sinner makes the heart fearlesse and secure A man would wonder how any creature durst provoke God it is almost beyond the reach of true reason how any creature should dare to provoke God to consider what infinite danger he is in to have the wrath of the God of heaven and earth to hang over his head to be under the hand of revenging Justice to pull down all the Woes and Plagues and Comminations of God upon the Soul that a man should do this and yet be secure it would make a man wonder at it But a man that hath this livelynesse he can provoke God and yet be secure as Jâ—b 12. 6. those that provoke God are secure the reason is the law of God hath not taken down their hearts the law of God hath not deaded their spirits they are alive in presumption and imagination and therefore though they provoke God they are â—ecure and fear nothing It is the disquietnesse of a mans heart that makes him fear therefore so long as a mans mind is quiet and is not disturbed he is fearlesse So long as the law hath not disquieted a mans mind nor broken the rest of a mans Soul nor disturbed his conscience but tells him go on in quiet he spends his dayes in security he fears nothing whereas fearfulnesse and trembling and horrible dread would overwhelm him if the law of God should come and take away his life It is fear that deads a mans heart as we may see Mat. 28. 4. when the Angel of the Lord roled away the stone from Christs Sepulchre it is said For fear of the Aâ—gel the Keepers trembled and became as dead men There is the effect of fear if the law did but open mens eyes and paint out before them how it is with them how they are liable to Gods wrath and under the sentence of condemnation If they were once thus feared it would make them seem as dead men the Drunkards would be so afraid that they would become as dead men All wretched men all ungrounded Christians all that are not truly alive towards God it would make them become as dead men and it is the deadnesse of the heart that makes men fear and such a man cannot be secure Carelessenesse and fear are two contraries as Ezek. 30. 9. In that day shall Messengers go forth from me in Ships to make the carelesse Ethiopian afraid and great pain shall come upon them The Prophet there makes these two contraries they shall be full of fear to rouze them out of security so the cause why men are carelesse to get Repentance carelesse to get deliverance from sin carelesse of their walking with God the reason is because of this damnable livelinesse that is in their hearts they are not yet deaded by the Law 3. Thirdly Another effect of this livelinesse is this it makes the heart stiff what a deal of stiffnesse is in the hearts of carnal men Let God forbid sinne they are stiff and will still continue in their
sin revived as if it were truly and really dead before for his sins were not dead in him when he was a Pharisee his sins were not mortified when he was in his unregeneratâ—d estate and condition sin was not dead in him that cannot be the meaning eas if sin vvere dead before and now revived But he speaks of the Appearance of the death of sin though it vvere not dead before yet it did appear to be dead as a Snake in cold weather though it be alive yet it appears to be dead the life of it is in a swound though it hath life yet the cold benums it and keeps it from appearing So before the commâ—â—â—ment came sin was in Paul but it seemed to have no life but when the â—â—â—mandment came and discovered plainly what a dead creature he was then the life of sin came indeed to be manifested Now the Law of God doth manifest the life of sin Three wayes it manifests Three lifes of Sin There are three lifes of sin that appear to the soul when the Law comes 1. First There is the life of Aggravation the Law of God doth aggravate and point out sin to the full life of it it makes sin appear in the true nature of it the true nature of every thing is the life of the thing the nature of a man is the life of a man Now the Law did shew him the nature of his sins it painted them out to the very life in their lively colours this made him see how his sins were aggravated what a cursed and damned thing sin was and what a person it was committed against this made sin appear unto him in the very life of it therefore in the 13. vâ—â—s of this Chapter the Apostle saith â—â—n that it might appear sin wrought â—ath in me that siâ— might be out of measure sinful by the commandment that is when the commandment comes and is manifested to the soul it makes the life of sin appear the life of sin is then manifested the Law of God 〈◊〉 glasse doth shew the life of the Commandment and the very nature of all sinning and transgressing Now before the Law came thus home â—â—to him he could not thus see sin he could say he was a sinner and had committed these and these sins But what these sins were and the exceeding sinfulnesse of these sins he did not see that He had a dead kind of picture of his sins before but the life thereof was not manifested but the Law of God did make his sin revive and made him see his sins in the life of them 2. Secondly There is the life of Irritation as I may so call it or of â—ching and egging a man This is another life of sin whereby it is full of Operation and Working in the Soul The Operation of a thing is the life of a thing Now before the Commandment came sin seemed dead it wrought indeed many evils in him but he did not think his heart had been so full of life and so full of activity against Gods Law and commandments Sin seemed to lye dead before but now when the Commandment came and set upon his heart and began to charge him with better Obedience now his heart grew itching and marvellous full of life unto lust Hereupon sin egged him the more on to lust It is like water when a man goes about to stop it it runs the more violently So it is with sin in the heart the more the Law of God goes about to stop it and hinder it the more eager it is and the more full of life and working as the Apostle speaks vers 8. Without the Law sin was dead there was no such working of sin in my mortal body then but vvhen the Commandment came vvhen the Lavv vvas charged upon my heart then sin took occasion hereby to be the more violent and vvork in me all manner of Concupiscence before I committed sin vvithout any check I had vain thoughts and foolish courses and many a lust in my soul and I vvent to it as if it had been a good thing not as if it had been evil But vvhen the Lavv of God came to shevv me the slacknesse of my Obedience and to controle me and convince me and to stop the course of sin it vvrought all manner of Concupiscence in me it vvrought before in Paul for it vvrought all his security and all his hardnesse of heart and all his vain thoughts and imaginations but this vvas but a dead kind of vvorking in comparison of that which it wrought after the commandment came There are none that have such active Rebellions against the Law and Commandment of God as those to whom the Law comes it eggs a man forward and makes him itch unto Rebellion If a man had asked Paul before whether he had such a divelish heart against God he saw no such matter he never meant God any hurt when he went on in his course he thought not that he was so stubborn and Rebellious he did not feel this stubbornnesse and rebellion But when the Law came once it shewed him the veâ—ome and cursed nature of his sins 3. The Third life of sin is the worst of all and that is the life of Imputation for here sin is so full of life that it is not only able to discover unto him that he is a sinful wretch and an abominable creature but to bind him over to wrath and send him to Hell and everlasting destruction Now it is the Law of God that discovers this life of sin before the Law comes a man hath many vain hopes that God is merciful and Christ died for sinners and that God will forgive him his sins he doth not see the imputation of sin the imputation of sin lying upon the Soul is not clearly discovered before the Law come for where there is no Law there is no imputation of sin Rom. 5. 13. there saith the Apostle Vnto the time of the Law was sin in the world but sin is not imputed while there is no Law Before the Law is charged upon the heart the heart never dreams of the imputation of sin as if he should answer for sin and be damned for sin for ever He thought the contrary before but now the Law discovers the life of sin unto him and sin revives and appears to have life to damn him for evermore Sin now appears to have life to cast him off from God and to bind him over to Everlasting vengeance Thus it was with Paul when the Commandment came sin revived I saw sin was alive indeed and I saw the life of Aggravation I saw the hellish nature of sin it was painted out to the full I saw the life of Irritation I saw the infinite egging and itching of sin how it did work in me I saw the life of imputation how all my sins were imputed unto me and did all lye upon my conscience and so sin revived that is the meaning
strive no more the reason is because the law doth charge the truth of God upon a man Now the truth is that every sinner is a dead man this is the very truth of it Rom 8. 6. To be carnally-minded is death That man is a dead man there is the very death of sinne and hell and condemnation in that man that is a carnal-minded man Now the law of God when it comes doth charge this Truth upon the Soul it discovers a man to be in this estate and condition wherein in truth he is 2. Secondly It consists in deadnesse in Gods account For all a mans presumptions for all a mans vain hopes that he is justified for this is the nature of man before he is convinced by the law of God to justifie himself you are they that justifie your selves not that he is indeed Luke 16. justified but he falsely applies justification to himself and he hopes he is justified before God he is apt to pronounce this hope unto himself Let a Minister tell him of his sins here is his Salve God is merciful and Christ came to save sinners Let Sermons beat upon him from day to day to humble him he cannot imagine that he is in a damnable estate Preachers are too harsh and censorious and the like But when the Law comes it shuts up a man that he cannot get out as the Apostle speaks Gal. 3. 22. The Law hath concluded all under sin that is the nature of the word of God to shut up a man that a man is not able to get out before the law is charged the heart hath a thousand starting-holes Denounce hell and damnation against it it hath this starting-hole that Christ dyed for sinners discover plainly that he is a dead man he hath these starting-holes he hopes he shall have peace and he hopes he is not so vile before Almighty God and he hopes he hath better righteousnesse then you would bear him down with and so he hath an evasion to get out but when the law comes and shuts him up this will tame him As we use to tame Lions and Bears and such like fierce and cruel creatures by shutting of them up so the Lord tames the heart of a poor creature when he would pull him down he shuts him up and layes him in the prison and in the Gaole and he hath no way to get out he is a dead man and there is no way to get out no evasion to escape but still he is a dead man and a damned man he cannot open his mouth any more Ezek. 16. 63. That thou mayest remember and be confounded and never open thy mouth any more when I am pacified towards thee for all that thou hast done saith the Lord God The law indeed works thus in the Regenerate though the Lord be pacified towards them yet they shall never open their mouths never cavil against Gods precepts more never be so brisk any more But so long as a man is in his sins the law doth not only convince him that he is dead in himself but that he is also dead towards God that God accounts him a dead man that God is not pacified towards him but he lies under the wrath of God and this pulls him down and stops his mouth A carnal mans mouth will not be stopped but he will have some thing to say some vain hope or confidence or other some pleading or excusing or other His mouth will never be stopped till the law of God comes and when that comes that will stop his mouth and make it appear that he is guilty before God Rom. 3. 19. the Apostle saith Now we know that whatsoever the Law saith it saith to them that are under the Law that every mouth might be stopped and all the world may be culpable before God But before the law comes a mans mouth will not be stopped Gen. 20. 3. God came to Abimilech by night and said Thou art but a dead man because of the woman which thâ—u hast taken for she is a mans Wife He was a dead man but he little thought it he would not believe that he was a dead man As the Text there speaks of temporal death So it is true of the other carnal men are indeed dead men but they will not believe that they are dead men and damned men they hope for mercy and cry peace peace to their soulâ— but when the law comes that knocks off all mens hopes and layes them for dead in Gods account 3. Thirdly This deadnesse I here speak of it consists in regard of all manner of doing when the law of God hath charged it self upon the conscience and discovered to a man that he is a dead and a damned man It makes it now appear unto him that he is utterly unable to do any thing he is in the depth of misery and he is unable to cry mercy aright he is not able to make a prayer no more then a dead man he seeth he can no more keep a Sabbath as he ought than a dead man So for any duty of Religion he seeth he hath no more life to do it then a dead man hath to do the actions of the living as the Apostle speaks Gal. 2. 19. I am dead to the Law that I might live unto God God made Saint Paul alive unto him but first he charged his law upon his conscience and made him seem to be a dead man to the law That he had no life or â—â—â—ty to do any thing pleasing to God but when the Lord made him alivâ— to himself then he could do something nay he was able to do all things through the Lord Jesus Christ that strengthned him But in himself both still and before he was altogether dead to the law of God so that when the law comes and shews a mans estate unto him it shews him his utter inability to the performance of any good duty The Pharisee will to the Temple as well as the Publican Saul will Sacrifice as well as Samuel Prophane people will take up the Ordinances of God as if they had life to go through them as well as the people of God But when the law comes it plainly convinceth a man it makes him feel and understand that he hath no activity or life to perform any thing pleasing to Almighty God a dead man can do nothing he is cut off from all the actions of the living dead men they cannot devise ought they cannot purpose ought they cannot work ought So when the Law of God is charged upon a man and shews him that he is but a dead man and a damned man now he seeth he can as well create a world as make a prayer he can as well remove a Mountain as do any thing acceptable to God Such a man will say I am a dry tree and cannot grow I am lost in the wildernesse of sin and cannot get out again Thus we see wherein this deadnesse consists 2.
all Christians Watch in all things For the better handling of this point I will shew you First What it is to watch Secondly The things we must watch Thirdly The reasons of it First What it is to watch And to watch in Scripture is taken two What it is to watch wayes Literally and Spiritually First Watching sometimes is taken Literally and then it signifies a waking Literally when the time or nature calls not for sleep for there is a difference between watching and waking we are all awake at this time or else ought to be but yet we cannot be said to watch but this is to watch when time or nature calls for sleep When a man awaketh all night or the greatest part of the night as Luke 2. 8. The Shepherds were watching their flocks by night And this is two fold either Ordinary or Extraordinary Ordinary watching is contrary to immoderatenesse in sleeping As when Ordinary a man is sober in eating and drinking and other lawful things so we ought to be sober in our sleep for it is a dangerous thing if we suffer immoderate sleep to fall upon us Now Extraordinary watching is contrary to sleep it self as ordinary Extraordinary watching is contrary to sleepinesse for it takes away our natural sleep which otherwise we are to have And this is for two reasons The first is for a Civil end when we watch with those that are sick as a For a civil end duty of Charity it is fit that those that are well should break their natural sleep and rest to be helpful to those that are sick this is a Civil end Secondly There is a Spiritual end of extraordinary watching and that For a Spiritual end is when a man is not only moderate in sleeping but abates himself of that rest he may lawfully take for a Spiritual end As Saint Peter saith Watch unto prayer 1 Pet. 4. 7. and the Church Lament 2. 19. watched to humble their souls under Gods hand For sometimes we have need to break our very natural rest for the good of our souls Though we be never so careful and conscionable in the day time yet it may so fall out that the day will not be enough but we must entrench upon the night also to seek the Lord extraordinarily but this watching is not here meant though it be sometimes required But a Spiritual watching is specially meant which includes Spiritually Three things in it First It doth note a readinesse of minde to be drowzy for as in natural It implies proneness to be drowzy and literal watching it doth note a natural proneness to be drowzy either through the darknesse of the night or the heat of the weather or the like so this spiritual watching signifieth unto us that we are naturally subject to be secure spiritually and vain and idle and negligent and have need to be rouzed up for indeed all Commandments since the Fall are such as do not agree with our nature as when he commands us to seek the Lord while he may be found that intimates that we are by nature apt to put it off and to be careless of making our peace with God and when the Lord saith pray alwayes it doth imply how backward we are to that duty how apt to neglect it or to shuffle it over and to be luke-warm in it before the Fall when God did bid man do any thing the bidding of him did imply that if he were not careful he was in a possibility of breaking the commandments it did not argue a proneness to break them but since the Fall the commandements of God whatsoever God hath commanded us to do either for matter or manner of it it implyeth how backward to and untoward we are in doing it Secondly Watchfulnesse doth imply a labour and endeavour in our selves to take off this sinful pronenesse to evil that is in us and to be seriously stirred Endeavour to stir up our selves up to look after our Duty whatsoever it is both towards God and towards man we ought to shake off all untowardnesse of Spirit whereby we are unfit to Watch Watchfulnesse implyeth this also Ephes 5. 14. Awake thou that sleepest and stand up from the dead as who should say Shake off thy drowzinesse and labour to break off this folly of heart whereby thou goest dreaming on and rouze up thy spirit and stand upon thy guard The Third and main thing This Watchfulness doth include some further It is an intentive Consideration in all Cases businesse or duty to be done that is not yet performed for watchfulness is an act to help forward some further act As for example We are bound to remember God in all our wayes the want of this is the reason we so often sin against God now if we did remember God if we did remember his Holinesse if we did remember the greatnesse of his Power and the strictnesse of his Justice against Sin if we did remember our Death and what account we are to make before him this would be a great help to keep us from sin now if we would remember this a special way to help us is to watch as Acts 20. 31. Watch and remember saith the Apostle he being desirous that they should remember the admonitions which he had propounded he layes down this as a special means to help them hereunto to watch So we are to be watchful that we may be sober in eating and drinking and all lawful things for how sudduly do distempers break in upon us unlesse a man look to himself now watchfulnesse is an excellent help to Sobriety 1 Thess 5. 6. Let us watch and be sober We had need to watch whatsoever we go about that we may be sober in it whatsoever wordly businesse we go about in our Callings we had need to have this watchfulnesse that we be not overwhelmed and over head and ears in the world that we may not be intemperate in our eating and drinking that we may not give our selves too much liberty and freedom in talking and discoursing of the things here below so we are bound to keep our garments that our nakednesse may not be seen that the sins that are up and down in the world do not defile them that the temptations and allurements and occasions we meet withal and the examples of the times and such like do not take away our righteousnesse from us now watchfulnesse is an help hereunto as we may see Rev. 16. 15. the text saith Blessed is he that watcheth and keepeth his garments So that watchfulnesse is an excellent help for a further act to be done when a man hath some duty or other to be done which the Lord requires should be done with care and diligence watchfulnesse is a help thereunto as Hab. 2. 1. the Prophet knowing there was some Prophecy to be bestowed upon them the Prophet laboured to be in a fit case to receive it and that he
regard of our souls one man cannot watch while another man sleeps but every man must watch over his own heart If we do not watch our own souls we shall perish and if we do not perish everlastingly we shall have miserable temptations and evils and many inconveniences we shall be exposed unto But some may say Are not Ministers to watch over us How then is every Object man to watch over himself Ministers are watchmen Son of man I have made thee a watchman over the house of Israel saith the Lord to the Prophet Ezekiel and Heb. 13. 17. The Apostle speaking of Ministers saith They watch for your souls I Answer The word in the Original is not for your souls but over your souls to watch for a man is to watch for another that he may not watch Answ as when a man watcheth for his neighbor that his neighbour may not watch but the Ministers are not so to watch for the people that the people may not watch but the Ministers are to watch over the people that they may watch as when a man watcheth Deer or Hawkes he watcheth them that they may watch and not sleep that so he may tame them as a man that watcheth with a man which is sick of the Lethargy which is such a Diseâ—se that if a man be let sleep he goeth away in his sleep therefore their friends stand about them to watch over them that they may not sleep knowing that if they do sleep their lives are hazarded and if they see them but to slumber they awaken them lest in their sleep they die and go away So it is with the Ministers of the Gospel we ought to watch over your souls that you may not sleep for you are all sick of the Lethargy of sin and if ye sleep you go away if you be not careful for heaven and heavenly things if you follow vanity and security of heart and do not take heed to avoid sin your souls will die therefore the Ministers are to watch over you and keep you from sleeping and shew you the danger of it and labour to awaken you and keep your eyes waking The First Use is To condemne the infinite security that is grown upon people Vse Condemning the general neglect of Watchfulnesse that though it be so excellent a duty for a man to watch yet where is the man almost that is careful of it They put this duty over to God as if it did not belong to them they will watch over outward things for plowing and sowing and reaping and the like but for the good of their souls they never acquaint themselves with this watching their hearts are like the wildernesse as the wildernesse is open for all wild-beasts so their hearts are open for all temptations that is the reason they have such dead hearts and cold affections that is the reason they look so little after salvation and eternal life because people never look after this duty of watchfulness nay they are so far from watching how to be saved that they watch how the divel may take them when a man sins he wisheth the Divel would help him to more sin a covetous man is so far from watching over his sin that he would have more opportunities and more occasions of getting the Devil cannot come fast enough to fill his heart with these things So if a man be given to pleasure he thinks he cannot have enough but would have more still Thus people would have the Divel put more corn into the hopper They are so far from watching for good that they watch for evil they devise evil upon their beds as the Prophet Micah speaks They are possessed with the spirit of slumber they have eyes and see not they have eares and hear not hearts and understand not they do not know what watchfulnesse is if they do they are the lesse excusable because they practice it not they do not watch and wake unto Prayer that they may not enter into temptation but are carried away with the world and sin The Second Use is To them that are Godly in some measure that we Reproving the godly's too great neglect cannot say they altogether do not watch yet how negligent are they in this duty Many Christians are there among us that have some goodnesse in them yet how doth this duty lye unpractised whence come all the vanities in our minds and untowardnesse in the Ordinances of God Whence comes all unfruitfulnesse in our meetings and unsettlednesse in our Consciences It is because we do not watch Whence comes it that we are no more ready to good duties When we are called forth on the sudden to pray or do any thing for the good of Gods Church and People that we are so unfit to do it and so backward it is for want of watchfulness Nay what is the reason that we perform not the Worship of God in our Families better but because we do not watch the very Regenerate themselves what a world of mischief do they do to their own souls for want of this duty of watchfulness How do they swell in sin and are slack in goodnesse and slubber over Gods service How do they favour themselves too too much and suffer the dishonour of God by the wicked and suffer their own hearts to dishonour him too too much Thirdly The next Vse shall be to shew you the Rules that are to be observed Directing how to watch in watching and the Rules are these If you would watch over your selves First Count watchfulnesse your very life and think if you let watchfulnesse Account watchfulness our life go you let your life go for if once watchfulness go hovv dead are you in Prayer and hearing the Word of God So that the security of the heart vvill be the death of the heart vvherefore if vve vvould go on in vvatching let us labour to keep this Holy disposition count it your very lives and think vvith your selves I let Life go if I let Watchfulnesse go We use to say of Sleep that it is the brother of Death and 1 Thes 5. 6. vve may see the Phrase used by the Apostle vvhere vvaking is put for living and sleeping for dying that is the meaning of the vvords So that as sleep natural sleep doth lively represent death so it is vvith Spiritual sleep vvhich is the death of the soul Therefore dost thou find thy self to be out of frame and not vvatch over thy vvayes then think vvith thy self that thou art a dead man and take up thy vvatch as fast as thou caâ—st again Secondly Thou must let thy watch stand Catholically universally in all Watching in all things duties and all times vvatch thereunto and persevere therein vve must not only watch but Persevere Be careful in the morning how vve may begin our vvatch in the day hovv vve may spend it at night hovv vve may end it So vve must vvatch in all duties vvhen vve go