did it freely we buy without money or money-worth Isa 55. 1 2. 2. If you aske to what end hee did it It was his own glorie that he might get himselfe glory from poore dust and ashes that little thanke him for all this mercy declared to their souls He Predestinated Redeemed and Adopted us meerely to the praise of the glorie of his grace Ephes 1. verse 6. The end which he aimed at in Calling us was his glory Rom. 9. 23 24 25 26. If you aske me why God that could as well have been glorified in the damnation of poore wretches would chuse rather to be glorified in their salvation and bringing them to life I must run back again to the Fountaine againe meerly because so it pleased him because it was his will There wee must rest I shall now proceed to the Application of this mysterious sweet and precious Doctrine and it might be applyed severall wayes But I shall onely apply the consideration of it as offering you ground and matter First of Humiliation Secondly of Instruction Thirdly of Examination Fourthly of Exhortation Fiftly of Consolation Use 1 First of all for Humiliation Harke Christians is it so that thou wert so lost and undone that none but Jesus Christ could raise thee and hee hath done it when none else could and wil raise thee higher yet and this hee could not have done without taking thy flesh dying upon the Crosse suffering the bitternesse of his Fathers wrath consider then what cause thou hast to be humbled for thy sins 1. Considering that these were they put Christ to death 2 that by these since that time thou hast crucified the Lord of life 1. Consider that thy sins were those that put Christ to death Rom. 4. 25. He was delivered to death for our sinnes Me thinks every one when they heare of Christs Agony and bloudy Sweat of his Whippings Buffetings of his bitter Sufferings c. should be ready to cry out with Pilate Quid mali fecit What evill I pray hath he done Ah none Christian it was to raise thee thou wert dead lost undone he dyed to raise thee thou stolest the fruit he climbed the tree thou enjoyedst the sweetnesse of sinning and he for that was acquainted with the bitternesse of suffering He bore thy iniquity even thine and mine too if we be elected Certainly it was a great griefe of heart to David to remember that he had an hand in the bloud of Uriah that was surely the great transgression that hee complained of to be sure that heart-troubling sinne for which hee puts up that particular Petition Deliver mee from bloud-guiltinesse O God And questionlesse it was no small Trouble of Spirit to Paul afterwards to consider that he was one of them that were consenting to Stephens death Acts 7. 59 60. Chap. 8. verse 1. he afterwards repeats it with shame I was a persecuter Christian here is one murdered by cruell hands not an Uriah not a Stephen but hee that is worth ten thousand of these not an Abell yet his bloud troubled Cain all his life time but one whose bloud cries for better things than the bloud of Abell did here 's the Lambe of God slaine slaine by thy hands he was bruised for thine iniquities and his soule was made an Offering for thy sinnes Is it nothing to thee O Christian when Pilate was but about to condemne him his wife came startled in and cries Have nothing to doe with that just man and when Stephen charged the Jewes Acts 7. 52. for being the betrayers and murtherers of the Lord Jesus they apprehended it as a thing so hainous that they would not endure him beyond that word but were cut to the heart and gnashed upon him with their teeth verse 54. Christians there is none of you here but your sinnes were the betrayers and murtheres of the Lord Jesus that Christ that had such eternall sure and unchangeable thoughts of love to your soules Ah! how great were those sins which could not be remitted without the bloud of the immaculate Lamb of God Me thinks every one of you should sit downe and say Ah Lord that ever I should be such a wretch so farre to provoke the fire of thy wrath that nothing could quench it but the bloud of thy Sonne that I should throw my selfe so deep into Hell that nothing could raise mee but the bloud-shedding of the deare Sonne of Gods love You have had to doe with that just man Christians not to doe with condemning him but even with the vildest acts of Barbarisme were done unto him your hypocrisie was the kisse that betrayed him the sinnes of your hands and feet were the nailes that fastened his hands and feet to the Crosse the sinnes of your body were the Spears that pierced his sacred side the sinnes of your soules were they that made his soule heavy to the death that caused the with-drawings of his Fathers love from him and made him in the heavinesse of his panged soule to cry out My God my God why hast thou forsaken me O sit downe goe alone weep and weep bitterly for him whom you have pierced for those stripes by which you are healed 2. But secondly if any thing will move your soules to make your head a Fountaine of water and your eyes Rivers of teares Consider That this Christ you have crucified even since his death upon the Crosse for you When the Apostle St. Peter Acts 2. had made a long Sermon of Christs love shewing the Auditors what Christ had done and what he was he summeth up all verse 36. God hath made that same Jesus whom yee have crucified both Lord and Christ Now saith the Text verse 37. When they heard this viz. that they had crucified this Christ they were pricked at the heart This Christ my beloved whom you have crucified by your youth sinnes and life sins this was he that was crucified for you O be pricked at the hearts at this saying Was it not enough that he once was pierced scoffed wounded crucified for you but must you againe crucifie him and which of you doe it not daily Causinus tels us a story of Clodoveyus one of the Kings of France that when he was converted from Paganisme to Christianity while Remigius the Bishop was reading in the Gospell concerning the Passion of our Saviour and the abuses he suffered from Judas and the rest of the Jewes he brake out into these words If I had been there with my Frenchmen I would have cut all their throats In the meane time not considering that by his daily sins he did as much as they had done Which of us is not condemning the crucifiers of Christ for their cruelty and in the meane time we condemne not our selves who by our daily sinnes make him to bleed againe afresh Ah let us judge our selves and sit downe and mourne we are they that have added to Christs bonds that have increased his wounds and the pangs of his grieved soule
but a fained joy that the sinner hath a sudden short lived flame without any coales underneath to preserve it There is no peace to the wicked saith God and if no peace there can be no joy when the sinner is serious he cannot rejoyce his rejoycing is like the skipping of mad men that know not what they doe Thirdly Consider it is a starving condition The sinners soule starves whiles he feasts his body like a glutton his soule dyes for thirst when his body is overslowne with drunkennesse It is impossible the puffe-past of iniquity should nourish a soule Doth an Angell feed upon the earth doth a Saint feed upon hell The soule is of an Angelicke substance it cannot feed upon sinne sinne starves it Dost thou love to be in the middest of thornes dost thou delight to lye downe in sorrow canst thou endure to see thy better part starved whiles thou pamperest thy filthy Carcasse O let this deterre thee from the wildernesse of sinne and perswade thee to come out of it unto Paradise There First Thou shalt be in a safe condition Out of the feare of judgements out of hells gunshot There life or death will be either peace temporall or else eternall either grace or glory unto thee here thy soule shall be in a harbour if thousands fall at thy left hand and ten thousands at thy right none shall make the afraid thou shalt laugh at trouble when it comes Thou shalt be sure to goe to heaven either by land or water If thou goest through the fire thou shalt be sure to have Christ with thee Heaven is a security in all estates a protection from all Arrests if the King of glory hath a mind to sue thee thou shalt not be arrested like other men with a writ of wrath but invited to sup with him in glory onely by a letter of love and he will send his Ushers of glory to waite upon thy soul to the chambers of glory Luke 16. 22. The soule of good Lazarus was carried by Angels into Abrahams bosome you shall not live like other men haunted with the blood-hounds of wrath nor dye like other wretches that goe out of the world haled by the Sarjeants of hell to everlasting prison but quietly sleepe and awake againe one day in glory O who would not desire such a protection for himselfe such a security for his soule who would not throw off his raggs of sinne to put on Christs livery of grace when Christs badge upon his shoulder shall free him from all Arrests That he shall walke up and downe and nothing shall make him afraid Secondly Consider that Heaven is a place as full of joy as ever the wildernesse was full of sorrow and trouble of this I spake before O thinke of the joy of the Saints you children of vaine pleasure you mad-men of the earth that can dance over the hole of the Aspe and put your hands on the Cockatrices den Your false and flattering joy is nothing to the reall joyes of heaven There is joy like the joy of the harvest like the joy when men divide the spoyle The yoake of their burthen is broken and the rod of the oppressour O you that love your drinking meetings and dancing dayes that you would but love heaven where you might drink new wine with your Lord Christ where you might dance in glory and make all your dayes dayes of joy and every houre an houre of pleasure Thirdly consider that there and there onely is provision for your soule Christs robes is the only cloathing that will cover the nakednesse of it his flesh is meat indeed and his bloud is drinke indeed there my friends Eate and drinke and be merry there you may have wine and milke without money or without price O spend not your money for that which is not bread and your labor for that which profits not Here you may eate that which is good and let your soule delight it selfe in fatnesse Here is a Feast of fat things The fatlings are killed O come to the wedding Why should your roomes be emptie in the day of the Lords Espousals You shall bee welcome to my Masters Table Now O now Behold he stands at the doore and knocks Lord breake where thou knockest If any man will heare his voice and open the doore he will come into him and sup with him and he shall sup with him O let me intreat you to pittie the yerning of your Saviours bowels toward you pittie the groaning of his tender heart for you pittie your selves if not your Christ and O come come out of the wildernesse of sinne into this wildernesse of sorrow that of a drunken profane creature thou mayest be a mourning pious soule of a proud carelesse sinner become a poore humbled paenitent that the world may admire Saul amongst the Prophets and Paul amongst the Apostles and thee amongst the Saints of Christ and say of thee who art now a profane Swearer and Blasephemer Behold he Prayeth Of thee that wert a filthy Wanton Behold he Mournes Of thee that wert a filthy Drunkard and Glutton Behold he fasts And may in time say of thee Who is this that commeth up from the wildernesse leaning upon her Beloved But Secondly Is there any before the Lord this day that is in any other wildernesse of Sorrow Affliction Temption Desertion c O leane Come out of your wildernesse leaning upon your Beloved First Is there any one here to whom the Lord hath shewne their owne sad condition too and yet hath not revealed the fulnesse of his free grace to them O leane upon the Lord Jesus Christ and leaning come out of thy wildernesse Beleeve and thou shalt be saved But here 's the hard taske to perswade such a soule to beleeve Consider but these few things 1 That now thou art in a capacitie of beleeving Povertie of spirit is the nearest capacitie of faith Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after Righteousnesse Now thou art weary Christ hath promised to ease thee now thou art heavy laden he hath promised to help thee Secondly Consider that thou hast ground enough to build thy faith upon Christs power and love are two Pillars able to hold up the weakest faith First Beleeve leane upon Christ for he is able to pardon thy sinnes thou shouldest blaspheme in thy thoughts if thou shouldest not thinke this Can infinite mercy be fadomed thinkest thou Can any one plead his underservings against free grace Were thy burthen farre heavier then it is cast it upon Christ for he is able to beare it Art thou thick darknesse he is infinite light Art thou all sinne he is all pardon Art thou altogether lovely why Christ is altogether lovely Secondly Beleeve because Christ is as much love as he is power he is not only able but he is willing to pardon thee free grace thirsts after thee Nay beleeve me thou canst give Christ no greater satisfaction then to receive his mercies Christ is with child
himselfe and all his pesterity So we became miserable God dealing like a judge depriving us for Adams sin of his Image which except he would he need never have stampt upon us not any wayes becomming by this act of judgement an author or maintainer of sinne thus we become guilty Imputative by imputation and privative God depriving us of his image by denying to restore it to us againe when we had once lost it 2. Another way is by carnall propagation Our mother the Hittite brought us forth our father the Canaanite begate us what can be cleane that is borne of a woman saith Job chap. 25. v. 4. As sweet oile powred into a fusty vessell saith M. Perkins loseth its purenesse and becometh infected by the vessell So the soule created good and put into a corrupt body and made one with it receives contagion thence only Christ who was borne of a woman was borne cleane and the reason for that was say the schoolmen Ab Adamo humanam accepit naturā non tanquam a principio agente sed tanquam a principio materiali His body was from Adam but not from the seed of Adam And thus you see how it comes to passe that our mother brings us forth under the Apple-tree in a poore lost undone condition there your mothers brought you forth that bare you Nor let any one thinke himselfe in a better condition because his parents have been elect ones what then Except a man be born again saith Christ he shall never enter into the Kingdome of God Joh. 3. 3. Whatsoever is borne of flesh Joh. 3. 3. is flesh Parents beget not grace but nature Though they have no sinne to communicate in respect of Gods grace justifying their persons and not seeing sinne in them so as to impute it to them yet they have sinne a body of death so holy Paul had he groned under it Rom. 7. Yea and if we say we Rom. 7. 23. have no sin we do but deceive our selves and there is no truth in us Saith the blessed Apostle who lives and sinneth not This question was propounded to Saint Austine How the Saints of God that had no sinne could convey sinne to their children he replies to it Vicissim ego interrogo c. Let me aske you saith he how one that is circumcised can beget one that is uncircumcised and how it comes to passe that when you sow your wheat in your field without any chaffe cleaving to it you should reap it with chaffe how one that is a baptized Christian can beget one that is an unbaptized heat hen you will answer Quia non facit generatio sed regeneratio Christianos M. Perkins saith God took this order in the creation that whatsoever evill Adam procured he should bring it not only on himself but all his posterity by virtue of which decree the propagation of sinne is continued without any interruption though Parents them-selves be borne anew by the spirit of God even as God hath set it in the order of nature that the wheat thrown pure into the ground should yet spring and grow so often as it is sowed with stalk eare blade And all this I conceive is the truth concerning the manner of conveyence of this sad legacy to all the Children of Adam Without fifting those Philosophicall and schoole questions about it I shall conclude this Particular with only this note of M. Perkins It may be this will not satisfy the minds of all if any be so curious that he hath a mind yet to seek further let them know there is another matter of more concernment for us to look unto when a mans house is on fire t is no time to enquire when and how and in what manner it came to be so but it will be our policy to use all means possible to quench it That it is so it is plain our soules are all undone by nature Do you ask how this thing could be first remedy it then enquire the manner how it came to passe quench the fire then aske how it came in thy dwelling Quid quaeris rimam in the mean time why seekest thou a crevis saith Austine Quum habes apertam Ianuam per unum hominem intravit peccatum hast thou not an open door doth not the Apostle say it entred in by one mans disobedience and death by it and so went over all So much therefore shall serve briefly to have spoken of the doctrinal part Give me leave to come now to an application of it in which the Lord give me an heart affected in speaking you eares and hearts truly affected in hearing The first part of my application shall be more notionall the other will bee more particular for the first 1. This may discover unto you the lying falshood of the Pelagian Doctrine and of diverse in these times that have been so unhappy as to rake up all the putrified dunghills of errors and vend them for new truths 1. The Maniches of old would confesse this but 1. Would have it to be the direct work of God and to this end made a God on purpose that should be such a principium mali carrying on the wicked designes in the world efficiently as their other God who was their principium boni was by their appointment to carry on good designes 2. Then they would but in part confess it they would have some to be borne cleane others defiled but even the best as you have heard were borne defiled there their mother brought them forth there she brought them forth that bare them The Pelagians denyed any Originall sinne by way of propagation but only by Imitation if say they the Child walks in its parents stepps or because we tread Adams path therefore we are defiled but this is false in the very day of our birth we were in a lost undone condition 3. From hence also may appeare the falsenesse of that opinion of the Anababtists of old and now in these dayes viz that Christ by his death Originale peccatum ex humanâ naturâ sustulit tooke away originall sin out of our natures they are the very words of Chemnitius repeating the error of the old Anabaptists concerning this point and this I perceive many people harping on even in this City especially those that have so good an opinion of Christs death that he as they dreame died for all pinch them a little and they will confesse that all shall not be saved but this is in regard for their actuall sins for their originall sinne Christ hath paid that score if now they can but stand upon their owne leggs and will but walke in their strength and keep their feet for the time to come then all shall be well But mistake not Christians your mother saith the text left you not raised but in a lost condition not your grandmother Eve but your immediate mother brought you forth there and left you there long since Christ died it was since that time that
the Apostle told the beleeving Ephesians that they were Children of wrath by nature even as others Eph. 2. 3. Besides that Christ useth not to pay any debts by halves it were as good as nothing for Iesus Christ to pardon a reprobates Originall sin to whom he never intends to pardon all sinne yea Originall sinne doth not only remaine upon elected ones as an offence to God and laying upon them an obligation to death since Christ dyed untill their Iustification but even after Iustification there is a body of death it hath lost its condemning power and its raigning power but it yet cleaves to our flesh as Ivy to the tree so deep an impression it hath upon all our natures But this openeth a way to another question whether originall sin remaines in any of the elect after Justification the affirmative is truth but in regard that my text strikes not directly against the errour I shall passe it by and refer you to those that have defended the truth in it as Zanchi c. and leaving this first use shall proceed to some further application which shall be more Particular 1. By way of Instruction 2. By way of Examination and Tryall 3. By way of Exhortation 4. By way of Consolation Of all these in their order By way of Instruction We may hence learne first what a sad condition the most men of the world are in Ah! Lord how few are they whom thou hast chosen ever to obtaine eternall life and yet these are children of wrath by nature as well as others Poore creatures my heart trembles to thinke of you How many in this Congregation yet lye in a condition low enough and the Lord knowes whether ever to be raised yea or no. If a child should be borne with some naturall weaknesse in its armes or leggs and it should live six or ten or twenty years and yet not be able to use its limbs you would say it would be a very great hazard if ever that child did recover its limbs so as to have the strength and exercise of it it would be almost a miracle It was such a miracle that in the ninth of John when Jesus Christ had restored sight to one that was borne blind the Jewes would not beleeve it possible and ver 32. we find a positive determination upon the question Since the world began it was never heard that any man opened the eyes of one that was borne blind How many poore wretches that are come here into the presence of the Lord that were all borne blind deafe dead and have lived some ten some twenty some thirty yeares some more and all this time have continually had all the meanes that could be applyed to them for recovery and yet are in the same lost undone condition Ah my friends what can you neither stretch out hand nor foot nor tongue nor any member notwithstanding all the meanes of grace astoorded you for quickning Let me tell you it is ten thousand to one if you doe not perish for ever My friends It is a miracle a great miracle of mercy that any one poore wretch considering in what condition it is borne should ever come out of it The Jewes would hardly beleeve the report therefore they say Joh. 9. 19. Is this your sonne that was borne blind how then doth he now see We may say so concerning every one that hath any thing of God in him Was not this poore creature borne blind how doth he now see was not he borne lost How is he now raised but for those that in stead of growing better are growne ten times worse that have hardened their hearts and gone on in riot and wantonnesse and are yet in their bloud it is ten to one if ever the Lord say to them live they are growne to such a shamelesse impudence in wickednesse I dare not say there is no hope But let me sadly say there is small hope that ever the Lord should raise such wretches And if he doth not better ten thousand times better sinner had it been for thy soule that thou hadst never seen the light of the morning nor heard the voice of the Gospell in thine eares This is your condition the Lord awaken you Secondly From hence we may be instructed Whom we have cause to thanke that any of us are this day out of hell Who art thou O man that boasts thou art of good parentage or of a great birth harke in what language my Text speaks thy birth Thou wert borne under the Apple-tree there thy mother brought thee forth there she brought thee forth that bare thee If thy heavenly Father doth no more for thee than thy earthly mother woe to thee that ever thou wert borne What a boasting we have of pedegrees and great descents What a great word it is in the world I was better borne than you My father was such a Gentleman so great so rich c. My mother was of such or such an ancient Family O vanity vanity of vanities Poore creature thy mother brought thee forth under an Apple-tree The very heathen out of a meere rationall principle could scoffe at such brags Genus proavos quae non fecimus ipsi Vix ea nostra voco Tully could retort to the Roman bragging of his descent Domus mea à me incipiet tua verò in te desinet My house shall have its Originall from me my Nobility and worth thy Noble Family shall have an end in thy Basenesse Christian what is thy birth consider it but in a spirituall notion the poorest wretch in the world is borne in as good a condition as thou art and thou in no better an estate towards God than he Suppose a man were borne of some great parentage and had no Lands no estate left him but could only boast of fumos nomina vana Catonum his fathers name and the smoake of his chimney Possibly he hath some gorgeous suit of apparell left him this he weares and glisters in for a while yet a little while and these teare and then he hath not a rag left him nor a penny to buy one to cover his nakednesse how contemptible would such a poore wretch be in every mans eyes And is not this the condition of the most of the great men gallants of the world they glister with an outside a little in the world their names are great their persons admired yet a little while and these weare out the men dye and lye downe in hell Ah! that those that glory would glory in this that God is their Father and Jesus Christ their portion Thus your Houses would have a beginning of Glory from you and their Glory should not end with you 2. Nor is the boasting of those much better that can boast of their Religious Parents I confesse it is the better of the two an heire of Glory being farre more noble than the greatest worldling and in regard that the Election of God runs much in a
line but this will not doe Christian Esau was rejected though he was Isaacs sonne and Ishmael though he was Abrahams sonne Justus non gignit justum gignit hominem Thy righteous father did not beget thee a righteous man but he begat thee a child of flesh corrupt flesh and bloud Thy godly mother brought thee forth under the Apple-tree there thy mother brought thee forth there she brought thee forth that bare thee This was the Jewes great brag that they came forth out of the waters of Judah and were called by the name of Israel and were of the house of Jacob Isa 48. 1. They call'd themselves of the Holy City and this made them stay themselves upon the God of Israel but for all this observe what God sayes to them v. 4 5 6 c. This was that which the Jewes had to boast of to the Lord Jesus Christ Joh. 8. 33. We are Abrahams seed and were never in bondage to any man how sayest thou you shall be made free They tooke it ill that they being Abrahams seed should be so much as supposed to be in a bad condition But observe how Christ takes away their brag in the 39. Jesus saith unto them if you were Abrahams children that is his spirituall children you would doe the works of Abraham But in plainer English ver 44. Ye are of your Father the Devill and the lusts of your Father you will doe Heare this you that had godly parents and your selves have no goodnesse in you Abrahams faith will carry none to heaven but himselfe your parents faith will want a way of conveyance to doe good to your soules Graft a sweet Peare or Plumme upon a wild or sowre Crab-stocke it will grow and yeeld a pleasant fruit the nature will be changed in the fruit but now take the stone or kernell of that fruit and set it in the earth it shall not come forth a Plum-tree but a Crab-stock againe It is thy case Christian thy parent was a naturall Crabstocke the Lord grafted grace upon him then he brought forth sweet and pleasant fruit worthy of amendment of life But now thou art his kernell come out of the earth thou art not come forth gracious but naturall Thy parents grace was by vertue of an inoculation not by nature Therefore to conclude this use let me mind you of the words of the first Gospell-preacher John the Baptist Mat. 3. ver 8. Bring forth fruit therefore worthy of amendment of life and thinke not to say within your selves we have Abraham to our Father Looke to your condition Christians It is neither your noble nor yet gracious parentage and descent will carry you to heaven think not to say within thy self I had a gracious parent Thirdly from hence we may be instructed what a soul-cheating principle Libertines build on that conclude thus There is no need of Repentance or faith or such holy and strict life if we be elected we shall be saved if not we shall be damned Suppose thou beest elected poore creature yet know thou art borne under the Apple-tree O turne not the grace of thy God into wantonnesse looke to find thy selfe raised or thou shalt never see thy soule saved It is true for the sinnes of those whom the Lord hath chosen by name to everlasting life they are decretally pardoned from all eternity and meritoriously pardoned in the death of Christ but still they remaine as offences to God and keep the soule under a reall obligation unto death till the Lord comes and actually and formally in justification acquits the beleeving soule from hels claime and frees it out of the Devils imprisonment Suppose a condemned man in prison the Prince hath determined to pardon him and some friend of his possibly hath purchased his pardon for him but yet he is in the dungeon in fetters in the Gaolers hand till he be actually set free c. So it is with every Elect Vessell Cheat not thy selfe therefore with such licentious soule-deceiving principles of Libertinisme I have done with the first Use of Instruction I passe on to a second Use 2 How doth it now stand every poore soule in hand to examine his condition whether he be not in this sad condition yet yea or no. Christians the weight of your soules hangs upon this Examination This was your and my condition Try therefore your selves whether you be in the faith or no prove your owne selves know you not that more more than nature is in you Jesus Christ is in you except ye be reprobates I have in this place not long since handled this point so fully that I shall at this time adde very little to what I have already said Only it lying so full in my way give me leave to speake a word or two and the Lord speake it to your hearts I will speake but foure words 1. Therfore know this If none hath done more for you than your mother hath done you are under the Apple-tree still That is plaine in the Text There your mother brought you forth there she brought you forth that bare you What doth our Mother doe for us she conveighes Nature to us from her we derive flesh and bloud and our naturall dispositions if thou beest nothing but Nature thou hast nothing of Grace But some will say this is a note as darke as the other To make it therefore so as to be understood by the meanest capacities we must understand that there are two sorts of Natures A more corrupt or a more refined sort of Nature All short of Grace is Nature 1. If thou hast nothing seen in thee but corrupt filthy nature That thy naturall inclination carries thee out to acts of prophane wickednesse and thou hast not so much as put a bridle upon thy wild spirit but letst it run at randome and carry thee out to drunkennesse wantonnesse lying swearing all manner of ungodlinesse This thou mayest be sure of thou art not raised yet out of thy hellish danger in which thou wert borne Eph. 5. 5. 1 Tim. 1. 9 10. Rev. 21. 8. Rev. 22. 15. 1 Cor. 6. 9 10. But secondly If thou hast no more than bridled and refined Nature I call Bridled Nature a kind of civility which thou pridest in that thou art not so debauched a wretch as others are It consists first of all in a Negative righteousnesse Thou canst say thou art no Papist no Malignant and perhaps as much as the Pharisee Luke 18. v. 11. I thanke thee I am not as other men are extortioners unjust adulterers or even as this Publicane Secondly In a Positive righteousnesse Thou canst say whose Oxe have I taken whose Asse have I taken or whom have I defrauded Thou tythest Mint and Annis and dost no more to others than thou wouldst be content they should doe to thee thou art a good Second-table-man keepest the rule of justice strictly Thus had he done To whom Jesus Christ said 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 One thing is
32. they would have passed by on the other side Christ was he that was the good Samaritane onely that had compassion on us Ez. 16. verse 5. None eye pittied us to doe any thing to us that might doe us any good wee were cast out in the open field to the loathing of our person in the day wherein we were borne But if they would yet none could Alas they had been all Physitians of no value man had beene past their cure Here was the state of a poore Creature An infinite debt was due to infinite justice for mans offence Alas where shall it be had as Job said concerning wisedome Job 28. 13 14. Man knoweth not the price thereof neither is it found in the land of the living The depth saith it is not in mee and the sea saith it is not with mee c. So may we say The Angels said it is not in us for could wee assume bodies and dye yet we were but finite Creatures and there could not be an infinite value in our death Come wee downe to the earth the Beasts and other Creatures say it is not in us for is God pleased with the deaths of Bullocks and Goats and Lambs Ah no! what sayes David Thou desirest not Sacrifice else would I give it thou delightest not in burnt Offering And again Psal 40 verse 6. Sacrifice and Offering thou didst not desire Burnt-Offering and Sinne-Offering thou hast not required Besides how shall the flesh of Bulls satisfie the guilt of another Nature Man said it is not in me No Physician heale thy selfe Wee were all sinners and how should we pay the debt that if we could have paid our brothers debt had had as great a one for our selves to pay Can that Malefactor by his suffering death expiate for another when himself deserves to dye also and stands condemned to death for his owne demerits Besides had all man-kinde dyed they had been but as so many Prisoners laid in Gaole for debt that had not a groat to pay their lying in hell for ever had paid no debts but still increased them Well how shall the satisfaction be made shal we buy man off Alas no Salvation canot be gotten for gold nor shall silver be weighed for the price of it it cannot as job sayes of wisedome be valued with the gold of Ophyr with the precious Onyx or the Saphir The Gold and the Chrystall cannot equall it and the exchange of it shall not bee for Jewells of fine gold no mention shall bee made of Corals and of Pearles for the price of salvation is above Rubies The Topaz of Ethiopia shall not equall it neither shall it bee valued with pure gold whence then commeth salvation and where is the place of it seeing it is hid from all lâ—ving eyes and kept close from the Fowles of the aire Destruction and Death say we have heard the fame thereof with our eares God Christ understandeth the way thereof and hee knowes the place thereof Let us consider but what was necessarily required of whosoever should raise lâ—st fallen man and we shall finde this plaine enough that if Christ had not raised us up we had not been raised to this day I conceive these foure things were required of him that should undertake the raising and redemption of man in point of Justice and Reason so as to gaine acceptance with God First One that could dye God had made it his Statute The day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely dye Nothing but bloud would doe it Hebr. 9. 22. Without shedding bloud there is no remission Justice must have its course Now upon this score neither any person of the Trinity as meerely so nor any Angell in Heaven could helpe us for these had no bloud to shed And without shedding of bloud there is no pardon and remission of sinnes Secondly It must bee the offending Nature that must satisfie againe God is the Fountain of Justice he will not let the beasts suffer for mans transgression The Lords wayes are equall The soule that sinneth that shall dye Ezech. 18. 4. This shuts out all the Earth but man-kinde from making a sufficient satisfaction to infinite justice Thirdly It must bee one that can merit and satisfie by death for if by death he barely payes his own debts what becomes of ours You would laugh at that Debtor that if himselfe owes five hundred pound would undertake with foure hundred to discharge both himselfe and anothers too or at a Malefactor that being condemned himselfe to dye should offer to his fellow under the same condemnation to dye for him Now upon this score all man-kinde is excluded from finding out in it selfe a sufficient Saviour they are all under the same condemnation and when every one lay under a guilt and condemnation to dye for himself surely none could merit for another by dying especially if we consider Fourthly that the Saviour of man was not onely to satisfie but to pay an infinite satisfaction It was was an infinite God an infinite Justice that was offended and must be satisfied and a finite satisfaction would have been too short a pay for an infinite debt And now upon this score again are all creature-satisfactions excluded Let them doe their utmost infinitenesse is not in them they have a bottome may bee seene Now by this time me thinkes you should be wondring at mans salvation and crying out Lord how comes any man ever in heaven The Text tells you I raised you Christ did the worke Harke Christian and I will tell thee neither heaven nor earth could save thee alone there was nothing in heaven could suffer and there was nothing on earth could satisfie and as there was no mercy without satisfaction so there could be no satisfaction without suffering Heaven and earth therefore must bee mingled together From Heaven we must have a satisfying Nature from earth a guilty Nature and a suffering person God the Father sayes to Christ thou shalt goe and doe it Christ sayes I goe It is written that I should do thy will Father it is my delight I am content to doe it But how shall it be done saith God There shall spring up a branch out of the root of Jesse A Virgin shall conceive and beare a Sonne and that Sonne shall be my Sonne yet my Son shall not be her Sonne he shall take unto him the humane Nature and hee shall be despised smitten of God rejected of men full of sorrowes yea he shall dye and by death satisfie my wrath Thus in carne patitur Deus creator ne caro creaturae patiatur God the Creator suffers in the flesh of the Creature that the flesh of the Creature might not suffer I raised thee saith hee yes he did it when none else could doe it his arme brought salvation to us when every creatures Arme was too short yea and he did it alone hee needed no other his owne merits were enough in themselves for they were infinite and they were
Heb. 3. 17. one reason is given why the Lord Jesus became man and tooke part of flesh and bloud with us that he might be a faithfull High-priest 3. It was requisite that he should thus raise us that he might fulfill the Law for us Now the Law was to be fulfilled two wayes 1. Actively 2. Passively Neither could have been done without the Assumption of our flesh There is not such a contradiction between the Covenant of Grace and the Covenant of Works as some ignorant Libertines would this day make God gave a Law and his Covenant was doe this and live this is that which we call the Covenant of Works man could not doe it What is Gods mind altered now no such matter God sayes Doe this and live still and if you doe not this you shall dye It was written long since that time Deut. 27. ver 26. Cursed be he that confirmeth not all the words of this Law to doe them And all the people must say Amen to it now as well as they did then But herein is the Covenant of Grace more favourable The Covenant of Works sayes thou shalt personally doe them or dye The Covenant of Grace sayes thou shalt doe it or get Christ to doe it for thee the Covenant of Workes sayes I will take no baile no surety doe it or dye Durus est hic sermo an hard saying who can heare it The Covenant of Grace saith Get me Christs Baile and I will acquit thee if thou beleevest in him Therfore saith the Apostle Gal. 3. 10 11. As many as are of the workes of the Law that look to be justified by their owne workes by their owne righteousnesse in fulfilling the Law are under the curse for it is written Cursed is every one that continues not in all things which are written in the Law to doe them Look to it saith the Apostle if you look to be justified by obeying the Law in your owne persons take my word for it you have an hard taske But verse 13. Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the Law But how was that it followes in the next words Being made a curse for us ver 14. That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ Hee was to fulfill the Law Actively that he might fulfill what we through the weaknes of the flesh could not and in regard that he was to fulfill it for us it was requisite he should have our nature and as hee was to fulfill the Law Actively so in regard that his Elect by their past Transgressions had broken the Law of God Adam for himselfe and all his posterity and the body of death which he knew was to remaine after sanctification in his Elect ones would lay them open to hell He also was to fulfill the Law Passively for us therefore saith the Apostle He hath redeemed us from the eurse of the Law Now he tells you how that was verse 13. by being made a curse for us as it is written Cursed is every one that hangs upon a tree Now hee could not have been in capacity of being subject to the curse of the Law by hanging upon the tree for us unlesse he had taken upon him our flesh Nay yet a Fourth Reason may be given why it was necessary that Jesus Christ should raise up his redeemed ones by the assuming their flesh viz. That he might be a mercifull High-Priest It is the Reason that the Apostle gives Hebr. 2. verse 17. Wherefore in all things it behoved him to bee made like unto his brethren that hee might bee a mercifull and faithfull High-Priest in all things pertaining to God to make reconciliation for the sinnes of the people for in that hee himselfe suffered being tempted he is able to succour them that are tempted I shall adde nothing to it Thus he raised us by Assuming of our flesh which in order to our raising it was necessary for him to doe 3. He raised us Passione by his precious death upon the Crosse his falling was our rising his life our death The chastisement of our peace was upon him and by his stripes wee are healed His owne bloud was the balme from Gilead as well as himselfe the Physitian there Now in order to the raising of his Elect ones it was requisite that he should dye 1. That he might satisfie 2. That he might conquer 1. That he might satisfie and purchase Remission He that will redeem any slave out of Captivity must pay the summe of Redemption-money required Now Death was that which could alone satisfie for the redeemed ones It was the Lords first Law In the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die temporally and eternally Now a death must be paid or justice is not satisfied therefore saith the Apostle Heb. 9. 22. Without blood there is no remission he therefore dyed for our sinnes saith the Apostle he was our sacrifice 1 Cor. 4. 7. And he is no sacrifice till slaine This was typified by the slaying of beasts for sacrifices in the old Law which God required of all those that would obtain pardon And in regard that man had deserved hell as well as death Christ by dying that he might raise us and and make the face of God againe to shine upon us was content to suffer the withdrawings of his Fathers love and to feele as it were the paines of hell to raise us to the joyes of heaven Secondly as it was necessary in order to our raising that Christ should dye to the intent that he should satisfie for us so it was also necessary that he should dye that he might conquer for us This the Apostle fully expresseth Heb. 2. 14 15. Forasmuch as the children are partakers of flesh and bloud he also himselfe tooke part of the same that through death he might destroy him that hath the power of death even the Devill and deliver them who through feare of death were all their life-time subject to bondage Christ was to lead Captivity captive to take away deaths sting and hels victory which he could not have done without wrastling with death himselfe had he not been deaths captive he had never been deaths conquerour Hee raised us by dying for us 4. He hath raised us Resurrectione by rising againe from the dead therefore saith the Apostle Rom. 4. 25. He was delivered to death for our offences and rose againe for our justification Now his Resurrection had and hath an influence upon raising his Elect ones 1. By witnessing to them Christs conquest for them and therefore the Apostle makes the worke of satisfaction for us to be proper to his death and the worke of our justification he appropriates to his Resurrection Rom. 4. 25. When he dyed he went downe that he might conquer but it was his comming up out of the grave that witnessed his conquest over death and hell It was in that day that this Song was sung O death where is thy sting O hell
whom he justified them he also glorified under Predestination is included Redemption and Sanctification under Justification Now therfore a little to open this mysterie of our Redemption in the Application of it to the soules of them that shall be saved You have seen how there came to be Balme in Gilead and that there is a fulnesse and sufficiency in Christ Now what doth the poore Elect one want that it hath lost in Adam I conceive three things 1. Life 2. Strength 3. Light 1. Life It is a damned Creature in Adam it wants a way of salvation a pardon for its sinnes a righteousnesse to appeare in the sight of God 2. Adam hath left it a weak creature not able to do any thing that is good no not so much as to think a good thought it wants a strength to Act in so as to please God 3. Adam hath left it a comfortlesse creature without any light of Gods countenance shining upon it Now all these are purchased The first of them is necessary to give the first being to a Saint The second is necessary to preserve the Christians being The third ad bene esse for the comfortable being of all Christ is all to the Childe of of God Psalme 27. verse 1. But how doth Christ apply these to the soules of his redeemed ones 1. Saith the Apostle He calls them We say that in effectuall calling which is when God joynes the irresistable power of his Spirit with the outward preaching of the Word God doth these three things 1. Convince the soule of his elect vessell that is a child of wrath by Nature as well as others Ephes 2. 3. what a condition it is in by reason of its Originall and its Actuall sinnes 2. Humble the soule for its sinnes and discover unto the soule the insufficiency of all its owne righteousnesse that it is undone in its sinnes and undone in its righteousnesse and thirdly hee sayes to the soule Yet there is hope looke up to me and live I am as the brazen Serpent onely looke up and thou shalt live And that the soule may be able to look up with a true eye Christ gives faith to the soule to behold him come unto him and to receive him by a true resting and relying upon his Merits for salvation 2. And having thus Called the soule he then justifies it He hath in his Decree justified it from eternity hee hathmeritoriously justified it by his Death upon the Crosse but now hee doth actually and formally justifie it 1. By pardoning its sinnes and acquitting the soule from the obligation it till now lay under to death and forgetting the injury done to himselfe by any of its sinnes 2. By imputing the Righteousnesse of Jesus Christ to the soule by which it appeares the sinner is pardoned not without a satisfaction first given to Justice 3. By accepting graciously the soule thus justified as perfectly righteous for the Lord Jesus Christs sake as if it had never sinned And the worke of true faith in this Justification is to lay hold upon it And thus now Christ applyes the merits of his Death to the soule in conveying life and pardon to it thus hee raiseth it saying to it in its bloud live But this is not all 2. The soule is weake and is not able to live an houre of it selfe Christ therefore in the next place in order to its more perfect raising sanctifies the soule which implyeth two things 1. He gives unto the soule new principles of grace 2. He gives the soule power to act these principles for as except from him we have nothing so without him we can doe nothing Joh. 15. 5. Which power being given the soule from above the soule is raised and becomes strong in the strength of Christ and sets upon works 1. Of Mortification to subdue the strong holds of Satan viz. the remainder of corruption in the soule 2. Of Vivification setting upon such Duties as God hath required of his redeemed ones being exercises of the grace which they have received from the Lord Jesus Christ he gives the soule power to live upon faith to love to desire him to delight in him to do and to suffer for him to be content with him c. Yea and thirdly In his due time he raises the soule to a comfortable life in giving it the sense of his love a perswasion of its Union with the Lord Jesus Christ peace in the inward man shining upon it with the light of his Countenance which is better to it than thousands of Gold and Silver This I say he does in his due time not to all nor continuing it constantly to any but according to his good pleasure thus making knowne to it the Redemption he hath purchased for it and the Justification of its soule which is past in heaven before 4. And lastly in his due time he will yet further raise the soule by taking it to himself and glorifying it with himselfe for ever He will come againe on purpose to raise the soules of his redeemed ones from the dust and to take them up to himself in glory that where he is there they may be also John 16. verse 3. Thus Christ hath meritoriously raised all his redeemed ones and will apply their Redemption with the fruits of it to them in his due time applying life to them by Vocation and Justification strength to them by Sanctification light and comfort to them by shining with the Light of his Countenance upon them and finally giving them Glorification hee shall then perfect his worke of raising us and wee shall live with him in the Highest Heavens for ever I have now done with the Doctrinall part so farre as to shew you 1. That it is Christ that raiseth his Elect ones 1. He is designed 2. He can doe it 3. Hee onely can 4. Hee hath done it meritoriously for all 5. Hee hath done it actually and formally for some and will doe it for the rest And so farre as to shew you the manner how he did it and doth it both in respect of his owne acts in relation to the fitting himselfe for the worke and in respect of his application of it to the soules of his servants If now you aske me the Reasons why and to what end he did it for the reasons of the particular Propositions I have given you them before Now for Reasons in the Generall I shall give you them in two words 1. The moving cause was his owne grace because he would 2. The finall cause was his own glory 1. The moving cause and reason was his owne grace and goodnesse This is the reason of all Gods acts of grace towards the Creature whether Election or Redemption or Vocation or Justification or Sanctification or Glorification the sole cause was in himselfe because he loved us and delighted in us for his owne Names sake c. Isa 43. 25. Deut. 7. 7. Hos 14. 4. His owne will was all the reason he
What wilt thou And he answered Lord that I might receive my sight Goe thou and doe likewise beg Lord that I might be washed with thy bloud Lord that my sinnes might be pardoned though thou meetest with discouragements and thou thinkest that thou art one that art a dog to whom the childrens bread must not be given yet leave not beg againe but for a crumme of mercy a drop of bloud verily thou shalt not goe away without comfort 4. There is but one Querie more What Rules must I observe in the using of his physicke To this Christ hath shaped an answer for me Goe thy way sinne no more lest a worse thing befall thee Thou must take heed that thou dost not returne againe with the dog to the vomit and the swine to the wallowing in the mire He that is borne of God sinneth not sayes the Apostle not constantly nor wilfully but weakly This for direction And remember this last which I shall conclude with that of the Prophet Ez. 18. 24. If the Righteous man turneth away from his righteousnesse and committeth iniquity and doth according to all the abominations that the wicked man doth shall he live all his righteousnesse that he hath done shall not be mentioned in his trespasse that he hath trespassed and in his sinne that he hath sinned shall he dye saith the Lord. Shall I need adde any thing for motive I should thinke not but only call upon you to get eyes to see your sad and undone condition in which you are It is no wonder that you should say we have need of nothing when you thinke you are rich Get but a true understanding 1. Of your owne vile and undone condition what an hell you carry about with you 2. What an hell you tread over every day and it will be enough to pricke on your soules to seeke a portion in the Lord Jesus Christ especially if yee well consider what I have sufficiently proved to you that it is impossible that in Heaven and earth there should be found any way of salvation for your poore soules but in himselfe Now the Lord worke these things upon your hearts 2. Give me leave now to speake a word of Exhortation to you my Brethren to whom the Lord hath of his free grace given a portion in the Lord Jesus Christ and you are become his raised redeemed ones The duty which I shall in generall presse upon you is thankfulnesse O give thanks unto the Lord he remembred you in your low estate for his mercy endureth for ever O what shall ye render Christians what can ye render to the Lord for this mercy For Motives Consider but every word of the Text apart and methinks it should be Motive enough to prevaile with those that have any thing tasted of this heavenly gift First I. To open this word a little and shew you what there is in it to melt your hearts into obedience 1. I that was infinitely above thee Christ was the brightnesse of his Fathers Image God blest for ever even from all Eternity He was from Eternity 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the unice dilectus the only beloved of his Father in whom his Father tooke infinite delight he was the Prince of glory God blest for ever Now for an Eternall God to stoop to a poore worme O mercy for a King to visit an Hospitall to come with his owne hands and dresse the putrified wounds of his meanest subject it is a condescention scarse found amongst the sons of men and yet if you could find it it should come infinitely short of this condescention 2. I that did not at all need thee The Lord stood not in need of a worme the Father was pleased with the Sonne from all Eternity and taken up with delighting himselfe in him and the Sonne was againe pleased with the Father They had an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a self-sufficiency of glory and were enough each of them to other had it not been his bowels of mercy that had yerned towards thee for thy good he had never been moved towards thee from any other principle 3. I whom thou hadst offended Greater love than this is not found amongst men than for one to dye for his friend yet greater love than this hath Christ shewne that he dyed for his enemy Rom. 5. 8. Scarcely for a righteous man will one dye yet peradventure for a good man some will dare to dye But God commendeth his love to us-ward in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us O love infinite unfadomable love Secondly consider the Act with its circumstances I raised thee 1. Out of a low condition What lower than hell that was thy portion Christian thou wert a child of wrath by nature even as others He remembred thee in thy low estate his mercy endureth for ever 2. To a glorious condition It is an estate more glorious than thy naturall estate was or could be miserable to be free men in Jesus Christ Rom. 6. 18. into marvellous light 1 Pet. 2. 9. to to be children and if children then heirs of God and joynt-heires with the Lord Jesus Christ Rom. 8. 17. Heires of salvation Heb. 1. 14. Heires of the Promises Heb. 11. 9. Heires of the Kingdome Jam. 2. 5. Ye which in times past were not a people are now the people of God you that had not obtained mercy have now obtained mercy and are become 1 Pet. 2. 10 11. A chosen Generation a royall Priesthood an holy Nation a peculiar people wherefore is it but that you should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darknesse into marvellous light 3. He raised you by his owne falling yes nothing else could doe it Without bloud there had been no remission Heb 9. 22. His owne soule must be grieved to the death that your soules might be comforted He must be smitten despised rejected of men that the chastisement of your peace might be upon him and by his stripes you might be healed Was ever love like his Thirdly Consider it further in the object of this Act I raised thee 1. Thee not others Thee not Angels Thee not many other men 1. Not Angels yet the Angels were far more glorious creatures which if raised had sinned no more but spent their time in singing forth his glory and serving him with cheerfull readinesse all their dayes yet Heb. 2. 16. He in no wise took upon him the Nature of Angels but he tooke on him the seed of Abraham 2. If the Lord would have chosen men might not he have chosen ten thousand more great more noble more wise that in a carnall eye were by Nature cut out far more fit to have made vessels of glory of than thou art yet the Lord hath passed them by he hath passed by Eliab and Shammah that were sonnes of the same Father with thee and hath chosen thee that wert the least of all Ishmael and Esau that were thy elder brethren and hath chosen
thee 2. Thee that wert as low as others Adam left thee as deep in hell as any reprobate there Loe here the infinitenesse of free grace Two were in the same house yea grinding at the same mill of iniquity and thou art taken and the other is left possibly thou wert in thy wildest youth seeming to ride faster to hell than the other were that were thy brethren friends and acquaintance yet the Lord hath raised thee and let the others lye wallowing in their bloud he hath not said to them live 3. Thee that wert his Enemy Was ever dying love yea love in dying extended to an enemy before You have heard of two stories one of a Grecian the other of a Roman paire Theseus and Perithous Pilades and Orestes that would have dyed for their friends each for another but hath any offered to dye for his Enemy Moses would offer to have his name blotted out for his people that were Gods people and which he loved but would Moses have done it for a Philistine yet this hath Christ done O love ye the Lord all his Saints 4. Thee that never askt it He was found of them that sought it not Alas mankind lay as well without a tongue to aske as an hand to help themselves and behold Christ pitied them and amongst them thee his love declared from Eternity towards thee had not so much cause in thee as a poore prayer would have amounted to he was not moved by thy sighs and teares but by his owne infinite love 5. Lastly thee that hast still Rebellion in thee Christ said within himselfe when he dyed upon the Crosse Now is my heart-bloud powred out for as vile wretches as any are and for those that I know will requite my bleeding wounds my dying love with new speares and thornes thus he knew that thou wouldst doe in the time of thy unregeneracie yea and after thou shouldst be called too Who lives and sinnes not Now Christian lay these things to thy heart meditate of study out this love and see if thou hast not cause to say My soule and all that is within me my tongue and all that is without me praise the Lord. But O remember Christian Remember Burnt offering and sacrifice he doth not require but this he requires that thou shouldst doe his will O say Loe I come I am ready to do it But more particularly let me point thee out some particular duties that the Lord requires of thee in a poor answer to his rich Acts of eternall love First hath not he thought his glory too deare to lay aside for a while for thee nor his Word and Truth too dear to pawne for thee nor his bloud too deare to spill for thee hath he valued nothing in comparison of thee O doe thou value nothing in an equall ballance with him be willing to deny thy selfe for him who in every thing hath denyed himselfe for thee Thy Lusts cannot be so pleasing to thee as Christs glory was to him Be content to leave them Thy Honour cannot be so great as his was which he left for thee and became ignoble in our eyes Surely when wee saw him we esteemed him despised smitten of God and afflicted Isa 53. 4. But it was when hee was wounded for our Transgressions and bruised for our Iniquities when the chastisement of our peace was upon him and that by his stripes we might be healed Thy Riches cannot be greater than his yet remember him O remember the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ who though he was rich yet for your sake became poore that you through his Povertie might be made rich 2 Cor. 7. Thy life cannot be more deare than his yet he valued not his life for thee but powred out his bloud his precious bloud upon the Crosse that through his bloud thou mightest have remission purchased Learne hence Christian a lesson of self-deniall Be content to suffer for him who was content to suffer that he might raise thee value nothing in comparison of him This Lesson had Saint Paul learned Phil. 3. v. 7 8. What things were gaine to me I counted losse for Christ yea doubtlesse and I count all things but losse for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord for whom I have suffered the losse of all things and doe count them but dung that I may win Christ c. ver 10. That I may know him and the power of his Resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings being made conformable unto his death Looke upon nothing in an equall ballance with him 1 Cor. 2. 2. I determined not to know any thing amongst you save Jesus Christ and him crucified Secondly hath Christ entred into a Covenant and given his word to his Father and kept his word with his Father for you O then learne of him Vow your selves to him and keep the vowes of your lips Say with David Psal 116. ver 16. Ah Lord truly we are thy servants we are thy servants and the sons of thy handmaids for thou hast loosed our bonds Say with David Psal 40. Mine eares hast thou opened and bored them Say Ah Lord we come to doe thy will Christ kept his word with his Father for you Ah keep your word with him pay him the vowes which you have made Thirdly Hath Christ to raise you taken upon him your flesh O then Take ye upon your selves his spirit He hath become for you the childe of man doe you become for him the children of God Be made partakers of the divine Nature having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust 2 Pet. 1. 4. Your Nature was full of imperfection and weaknesse the divine Nature is full of perfection and glory He hath raised you be raised put off your filthy rags and put on change of Raiment Fourthly Hath Christ died that he might raise you from the death of Sinne and from the power of the Second death O then dye to sinne Col. 3. 5. Mortifie therefore your members which are upon the earth fornication uncleannesse inordinate affection evill concupiscence and covetousnesse which is idolatry for which things c. The Apostle Saint Paul presseth the great duty of mortification from this very principle Likewise reckon yee also your selves to be dead to sinne but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord Rom. 6. 11. and so on ver 12 13. Let not sinne therefore reigne in your mortall bodies c. Ah throw away the nailes that pierced your Christ Fifthly Did Christ rise from the dead that he might raise you from the death of sinne O then rise to newnesse of life The Apostle Saint Paul presseth this worke of Vivification also from Christs Resurrection Rom. 6. ver 4. We are buried with him by Baptisme into death that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father euen so we also should walke in newnesse of life and so all along that Chapter Sixthly Hath he
Though now for a season you are in heavinesse through manifold temptations yet it is that the triall of your faith being much more precious than of gold which perishes though it be tried with the fire might be found unto praise and honour and glory In temptations they leane upon God and they come out of these temptations leaning beleeving upon God too having found that he is able and knoweth how to deliver the godly out of all temptations 2 Pet. 2. 9. A fifth wildernesse in which the Spouse of Christ leaneth upon her Beloved and out of which she commeth leaning is the wildernesse of desertion And this is one of the saddest wildernesses that the Spouse of Christ comes in and she hath an hard work to leane here when Christ seemeth to pull away his shoulder yet even here she leanes Christ himselfe did so My God! my God! why hast thou forsaken me Mark the phrase Forsaken yet not forsaken the Bridegroome cryes out he was forsaken yet my God Gods forsaking us is no ground for us to forsake him If he seemes not to owne us it is no warrant nor policy in us not to owne him It is the duty of a pious soule when God clouds himselfe yet to cry My God The bowels of the father must yearne upon the childe againe if the childe cryes and will not shake him off It is a remarkable expression of Job chap. 13. ver 15. Though he kils me yet will I trust in him How now if thou beest kill'd blest Job how canst thou trust O immortall faith that puttest Spirits of confidence in the dust and ashes of Job Let God hide himselfe from the soule and so kill it For Gods separation of himselfe from the Christians soule is a worse death than the separation of his soule from his body Yet the soule must trust in him it must it will leane upon him The Spouse loseth not but quickens her faith in a fit of desertion That place of the Prophet is remarkable Isa 50. v. 10. Who is amongst you that feareth the Lord that obeyeth the voice of his servant that walketh in darknesse and hath no light let him trust in the Name of the Lord and stay upon his God They that feare the Lord though they may walke in a darke wildernesse and see no such light as they were wont to see have no such comfortable enjoyments of their God as they were wont to have yet they will trust and rest themselves upon the Lord and come out of this wildernesse leaning In all the wildernesses of this life the Spouse will leane upon her Beloved yea and upon him alone in all states in all conditions upon him for directing grace upon him for quickning grace upon him for whatsoever she hath need of either pardon or guidance or direction or assistance or comfort or heaven at all times she must trust in the covert of his wings for all blessings The Spouse of Christ is a most dependent creature The Babe of grace is never old enough to goe alone it hangs like a childe upon the mothers hands and leanes like a Bride upon the Bridegroomes bosome Thus have I done with the Doctrinall part having shewed you how she hath had and sometimes hath her dwelling in the wildernesse and how out of every wildernesse she commeth up but leaning and what strength there is in her Saviour to beare her up leaning upon him even in every wildernesse Who is this commeth up from the wildernesse leaning upon her Beleved Now let us see what use we may make of it And first here may a word of reproof and a brand of folly be fastened upon divers erroneous opinions and practices First is it so that the Spouse of the Lord Christ that comes and is married to the Lord Christ comes out of the wildernesse of sinne Then this may reprove the errour and folly of those that dreame of heaven and flatter themselves with the hopes of glory but yet never regard comming out of this wildernesse Christ came not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance These men dreame of Heaven and yet never thinke of Repentance Christ came to seeke and to save that which was lost friend how lost what insensibly lost as all of us were by Nature This is an idle construction that giddy headed Sectaries have of late devised to help themselves to heaven with The Devils are so lost yet Christ never came to save them No no friend it is those that are lost in their own apprehensions those that know not what to dot o be saved those that feel themselves even in the jawes of hell he makes apprehensions of his wrath precede the apprehensions of his love But woe and alas how many thinke they have a part in Christ That the Devill hath as great a part in Christ actually as they have Heaven is growne the common journeyes end and let men ride which way they list Not the most debauched wretch in a Congregation but aske him what he thinks shall become of him if he dyes in that condition why he hopes he shall goe to heaven nay I wish he doth not say he is sure of it too All men are sinners He is lost but Christ came to seek and save that which was lost Tell him of mourning for his sinnes if he meanes to be comforted of humbling himselfe if he meanes to bee exalted of feeling hell if ever he means to feele heaven O then you are a legall Preacher Heare what the other side saith what those you call Antinomian Preachers O these are the only Gospell-preachers to them This makes them to passe for such honest men O they shew a fine Cushion-way to Heaven that you shall not need wet a foot or eye in But let them preach what they will friend beleeve him who although he knowes but little yet knowes you must go out of the wildernesse if ever you come there The way is neither the Drunkards Ale-way nor the Adulterers uncleane way nor the Covetous man his dirty way nor the Ambitious mans high way nor the Hypocrites hidden way nor the Carnall-Gospellers formall way nor the Antinomians easie way It is a way through a wildernesse not a way in a wildernesse The Spouse is not described by her staying in the wildernesse but by comming out of the wildernesse Who is this commeth out of the wildernesse Secondly Doth the Spouse of the Lord come out of a wildernesse of sorrow leaning upon her Beloved First she is in then she commeth out then this reproves the folly of those that preach men found before they were lost and of those that dreame of leaning before they are in the wildernesse The Spouse leans but it is when she is comming out of the wildernesse Is there any that preacheth down a needlesnesse of duties that mockes at mourners that learne people a way to be found before they are lost Examine the Scriptures before you trust them under a pretence of exalting
Gods Word with Heart and Affection read it with obedience so shall we meet in joy at the last day Or else I bid you farewell for ever In these now and such like cases that soule that would make its beauty desireable in the eyes of Jesus Christ must like Levi say to his Father and his Mother I have not seen you in these cases he must not acknowledge his Brethren nor know his owne Children They stand in Christs way and Christ calls hastily The Saint must spare no time to parley Naturall affection with them he must forget his Fathers house the deare company of it his Rolations Secondly all sinfull Company is the Company of our Fathers house The Company of fooles as Solomon calls it Now all this must be forgotten or else in stead of being saved thy soule will bee destroied Prov. 13. 20. A Companion of fooles shall bee destroied Psalme 119. 63. I am a companion saith David of those that fear thee You must leave your swearing Company and your drinking Company and your vain Company or the King will never desire your beauty The soul that would render it selfe desireable in the eyes of the Lord Jesus Christ must make all its delight with David in those that excell in vertue the Saints upon the earth Saul before his Conversion was a companion of those that stoned Stephen and persecuted the Saints Like to like for himselfe consented to his death and was a Persecutor but no sooner had the Lord made his Motion to him but he forgat this company and assayed to joyne himselfe to the Church Thirdly the soule that would render its beauty desireable in Jesus Christs eyes must forget the Honour and Pompe and Riches and Greatnesse of his Fathers house all the high-Towers and Treasures of it c. They that will be Christs Disciples must not take up Crownes and advance themselves and follow him No they must deny themselves and take up the crosse and follow him their Crownes must be of Thornes made after their Masters Coppy They must not be such as love the uppermost roomes at Feasts and the chiefe seats of the Synagogues and Greetings in the Market and to be called of men Rabbi Rabbi Bee not yee call'd Rabbi saith Christ for one is your Master even Christ and all yee are brethren Hee that is greatest amongst them that are Saints must be as a Servant Matth. 23. 7 8 9 10. They must forget that naturall itching which is in the children of Adam usually and must be scratched with Madam or Rabbi or some high-swelling words of vanity they must not bee such as will swell like that Toad Haman if Mordecay give him not the knee or if their Brother give them not the wall or the way Saints are no such creatures they are such as are not at all taken with any such high titles but Rom. 12. 10. In honour they prefer one before another And they must look upon it as the greatest honor in the world not that they are masters and descended atavis Regibus of great Parentage c. but that they are servants of Jesus Christ the name of Christian the badge of honour first created at Antioch must appeare to them better than the names of Lord or Lady Theodosius was wont they say more to glory that hee was a servant of Christ than that hee was Emperour of the East Now I say That soule that would make its beauty desirable to Christ must forget all these not affect any of them not value them for hee that exalteth himselfe shall bee abased and he that humbleth himselfe shall be exalted Behold a miracle saith Mat. 23. 12. Augustine God is an high God yea the most high yet the higher thou liftest up thy selfe the further thou art off him the lower thou humblest thy selfe the nearer he drawes to thee he looks neare to the humble that he may raise them up but sees the proud afarre off that hee may depresse them The proud Pharisee prest as neare God as hee could the poore Publican durst not but stood afarre off God was farre from the one and neare to the other The high towers of the fathers house must bee forgotten yea and so must all the rich coffins and chests of it these are part of the furniture of our fathers house You know what Christ said to the young man when he seemed to bee in love with Christ Matth. 19. 21. If thou wilt be perfect if thou wilt make thy beauty a desirable beauty Goe and sell all that thou hast and give to the poore and thou shalt have treasure in heaven and come and follow mee and againe v. 24. It is easier for a camell to goe through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter into the kingdome of God You know what Christ saies Mat. 11. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the poore are those that are gospellized But to proceed yet The soule that would render its beauty desirable in Christs eyes must forget the pleasures and vanities of its fathers house all that is in the world 1 Joh. 2. 16. whether it be the lust of the eyes or the lust of the flesh or the pride of life When the Apostle speaks of lovers of pleasures he puts in more than lovers of God 2 Tim. 3. 4. Jude tels us such as are sensuall have not the spirit Jude 18. 19. Iob in the description of the wicked Job 21. 12 13. tels us that they are such as take up the tymbrell and harpe and rejoyce at the sound of the Organ their children dance they spend their dayes in wealth c. These are they that say unto God Depart from us for we desire not the knowledge of his wayes What is the Almighty that wee should serve him and what profit is there that we should pray unto him v. 15. Their fiddles must be laid in the water of true repentance and contrition The daughters of pleasure must undresse if they will be beautifull in Christs eyes they must lay aside their paintings and dressings their curlings and perfumings of the haire where as hee wittily sayes the powder doth forget the dust their ornament must not be the outward adorning of plaiting the haire and of wearing gold and putting on of apparell but the hidden man of the heart in that which is not corruptible even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit which is in the sight of God of great price 1 Pet. 3. 3 4. The daughters of pleasure must undresse I say for the Lord as he threatned hee would doe in the day of judgement Is 3. 18 19 20. so in the day of mercy to the soule of the vaine creature hee will also take away the bravery of their tinckling ornaments about their feet and their cauls and their round tyres like the moone the chaines and the bracelets and the mufflers the bonnets and the ornaments of the legs and the head-bands and the tablets and the carerings and the
love to them you have heard of killing with kindnesse let the kind of death be never so sweet yet the death will be bitter Take heed not of killing the bodies alas that were nothing but of damning your childrens soules and your owne too with miscalled kindnesse 3 Obj. But wil another Christian say I have not forgot my honour and glory I am not low enough I feare to get in at heavens gate I answer first 1. This is like the melancholy conceit of her that a Divine of our owne speaks of of a woman that conceited she was so fat shee could not get to heaven it is the lownesse of mind that God looks at Lords and Ladies if their hearts be not as high as their titles may sit in heaven as well as meaner persons I doe not say they shall have chaires of state set for them but they may have a roome there it may be one or two may sit above them if there bee degrees in glory that gave them place here but as Master Rutherford sayes the least place in Heaven is Heaven though it bee behind the doore But secondly 2. Is not thy outward Pompe and glory that which thou affectest and delightest in it and huntest after Does not thy title tickle thy eare nor swell thy heart if not it can doe thee no hurt all the feare of those swelling things is lest they should breed tympanies in the soule 3. Doe you look upon the title of the servant of Jesus Christ the title of Christian as the farre more honourable title Are you of Theodosius his temper which would you rather chuse to be call'd my Lord or Madam or to be called the servant of Christ which doe you preferre if the latter it is a signe you have forgot the former though you retaine it 4. Is your outward greatnesse and pompe no snare to your soule in the wayes of God Great persons are too ready to think they are above prayers above hearing above meane Saints should such ones as they pray in their families no let their boy do it should they pray in secret and runne up and downe to lectures O no forsooth it is a dishononour to them Heaven was made I confesse for the most part for people of lesser quality 1 Cor. 1. 26 27. James 2. 5. should such as they go to private meetings no better go to a taverne there they shall only foule their soules but keep their clothes cleane But now hath the Lord given thee another spirit it is true thou art great but thy greatnesse is no such snare to thy soule thou canst pray for all thy greatnesse and heare sermons and kneele in a duty for all thy silk stockings and entertain communion with the meanest Saint yea and for a need preferre a lether dublet in honour before thy selfe Though thou beest great it seemes thou hast forgot it 4 Obj. Ah but will a Christian say I am so addicted to mirth and pleasure I must have my vagary and tickle my sense sometimes c. 1 Answ Christian dost thou love thy pleasures more than thy God that indeed were something art thou more pleased with hearing a song than hearing a sermon this sounds high But love God best and for ought I know thy eye for thy recreation may bee delighted in seeing and thy care with hearing too 2 Answ Wilt thou baulk an opportunity of communion with Christ or with his Saints for a vaine pleasure Wilt thou bee a loser in thy heart to gaine a little pleasure for thine eye or eare or any sense wilt thou misse a family duty an opportunity of hearing Gods word privatly or publiquely thy time of secret duty a time of communion with the Saints to wait upon thy pleasure In such a case I would have thee suspect thy heart otherwise thou mayest recreate thy selfe with them and yet have forgotten them 3 Answ Suppose thy pleasures have been such and are such as are in themselves sinfull as wantonnesse drunkennesse c. Dost thou love them so that thou wilt have them whether God will or no thou wilt break with God to enjoy thy lust this is an ill and a very ill signe But possibly thy pleasures are such as God allowes thee temperately used if such thou mayest so use them and yet the King desire thy beauty I have finished this branch of application I have but one word more to adde It shall be of Use 4 Exhortation Let mee now perswade with you Christians And oh that the Lord would help mee to perswade 1. with you who have not at all yet forgate your fathers house and so consequently your beauty is not at all desirable to Christ 2. With you that have begun to doe well I have a word to both sorts 1 Br. Is there alas is there any poore soule before me this day whose heart smites him and tells him that his soule is not at all yet desirable in the eyes of Jesus Christ is there any poore creature so sadly miserable possibly the world dotes on you for beauty wit parts behaviour c. but in the meane time doe your soules tell you in plaine English that you are despised in Christs eyes As though God did beseech you by mee I pray you in Christs stead be reconciled to God Ah poore soule wouldst thou be desired of Jesus Christ Hearken then O daughter and consider and incline your eare forget thy owne people and thy fathers house I know I am pleading with you for an hard thing especially for you that have all the world at will But I beseech you by the love you bear to your precious soules which shall last for ever doe it ah doe it I had need now have the Rhethorick of an Angell yea if I had yet God must perswade Japhet to come and dwell in the tents of Shem. Let mee offer but a few considerations and venture at a perswading of you and leave the issue with God 1. Consider How will you live when your fathers house failes you for the present it is a full house and you live as wee say as well as a carnall heart would wish you have pleasures and honours and riches even what you would aske the colour is in your cheeks and the marrow in your bones But will this last alwayes doth not the fashion of this world passe away and will not the fashion of your bodies passe away what will you doe in that day of your visitation These things may last a while till God comes to keep a Court in your Conscience or hee summons you to a particular judgement or layes you upon your back in a bed of affliction or comes to his last judgement But in any of these dayes poore creature what wilt thou doe when thy perfumed body shall come to stinke in the nostrils of men thy soule shall be more loathed of God a future livelihood would be thought of This will perswade a virgin to marry sometimes But besides 2. Christian Dost
righteous with God to render trouble to them that trouble him we presse God with our sinnes as a cart is prest with sheaves it is his owne similitude no wonder if hee lades us with troubles to the breaking of our hearts when wee take such liberty to break his lawes I am not of their mind that think Saints troubles come not upon them for their sinnes that they come not as law demands for satisfaction I grant that they may come medicinally or meerly for the exercise of faith or patience or some other graces I also easily grant Whether wee may call them punishments or no though I see no solid reason against the affirmative in that nicety I will not dispute but this is sure enough If the Saint were not a sinner hee should not bee a sufferer neither in body nor in spirit nor in his estate nor his relations Death with all the appurtenances of it death both in the egge and bird is sinnes wages sinnes off-spring Saints by their sinnings by their inconstant and uneven walkings are causes of their own sufferings causes of their owne miseries A third head of causes for the Saints troubles may be the world And that 1. In respect of the incertainty of its comforts 1 Joh. 2. 17. The world passeth away and againe 1 Cor. 7. 31. The fashion of this world passeth away Job complaines that his welfare past away as a cloud Job 30. 15. Take what you will of the world it passeth away our friends passe away One generation goeth and another commeth Our prosperity passeth away Job's sunshines had a cloud came over them Riches take themselves the wings of the morning and flie away Now hence of course ariseth trouble when the heart of the creature is fixt upon a Relation and the Generation passeth the parent dies the husband wife child friend or what ever the Relation be it is gone Man goeth to his long home the mourners of course goe about the streets the affection remaines but the object being gone the spirit is disquieted the heart dissetled c. and so for other things Trouble followes of course upon the flitting and passing away of what the heart was let out after 2. The world is also a cause of the Saints troubles In respect of the ill nature of its inhabitants the malice of them Joh. 15. 19. Because you are not of the world but I have chosen you out of the world therefore the world hateth you The world is very selfish in its love it loves none but its own If yee were of the world the world would love its owne The world cares for none but those that are it 's owne it hateth Christ and all that claime kinred of him all that are in relation to him Joh. 15. 18. it hated Christ before it hated the Saints but hating him it hateth those that are flesh of his flesh and bones of his bones Eph. 5. 30. Thus you see various causes of the Saints troubles and so I have dispatched the third thing I promised you The fourth followes What peace is that that the Saint may have in Christ in the midst of this worlds troubles how is it in Christ and what paines hath Christ taken concerning it and how may the Saint get this peace and find it out in Christ and draw it from Christ To this I shall answer and first wee must enquire what peace is Pax est concordia Peace is an agreement say some tranquillitas ordinis a quiet of order saith Aquinas 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Because it drawes into an unity unio cordium rerum an union of hearts and actions say others tranquilla constitutio animorum ac rerum say others a quiet composure of differing spirits and actions Mutuus consensus say others a mutuall consent betwixt persons All amount to the same peace is a quiet composed frame of spirit amongst divers parties Now as there are many different parties in the world to agree and many different cases upon which agreements may bee so there are different sorts of peace There is an outward peace or an inward peace a peace with men and a peace with God peace with men may be either Politicall with Princes and subjects of different Kingdomes or amongst the subjects of the same Kingdome or betwixt the head and members of the same body politick or amongst men of the same City and Corporation contrary to forrain or civill warres and dissentions Or it may be domestick which is an agreement betwixt Husband and Wife Parents and Children Governours or Servants of the same family or more private betwixt party and party call'd pax sociorum the friendship and agreement of friends and companions c. All these now are the worlds peaces which Christ puts in opposition to his peace Ioh. 14. 27. Peace I leave with you my peace I give unto you not as the world giveth give I unto you There is a peace that is properly called Christ's peace It was Christ's legacy hee left it by his last will and testament to his Disciples and Saints hee distinguiguisheth it from all other peace whatsoever Now in generall this is the peace that the Saints may find in Christ in the midst of this worlds troubles it is Christs peace But more particularly what is that what peace is that that the world cannot give that Christs peace This is that peace with God which is nothing else than mutuus consensus Dei hominis an agreement betwixt God and man the Creator and the creature it may be considered in the root and in the fruit in the cause and in the effect in the originall and in the coppy 1. The originall is our Justification in foro Dei in Gods Court A peace betwixt God and the soule by vertue of an Act of Oblivion that the Lord hath passed in Heaven concerning all the sinners sinnes hee hath said I will remember your sinnes no more hee makes them as if they never had beene now upon the passing this Act there is an agreement concluded betwixt God and the sinner the differing parties are one the peace is made and entered in the rolls of heaven God looks upon the sinner no more as his enemy but as his sonne daughter friend in the nearest relation to him From hence ariseth 2. A piece of conscience which is nothing else but the agreement of the sinner within himselfe Conscience that is Gods agent in the soule proclaims no more warre bids no more defiance the man is at peace with himselfe hee dare say to himselfe conscience is it peace and his conscience shall make him answer it is peace Now this peace is but the sealing up of the other in the court of the mans own bosome A coppy of the other taken out by faith according to that Rom. 5. 1. Beeing justified by faith wee have peace with God through our Lord Iesus Christ this is also Christ's peace Now this peace with God whether considered in the originall