subordination to God and sowen a perpetual discord and enmity between them this hath conquered all mankind and among the rest even the elect and chosen of God these whom God had in his eternal Council predesâ—inated to life and salvation sin brings all in bondage and exerciseth the most perfect tyranny over them that can be imagined makes men to serve all its imperious lusts and then all the wages is death it binds them over to Judgment Now this sedition and rebellion being arisen in the world and one of the most noble creatures carried away in this revolt from allegiance to the Divine Majesty the most holy and wise Council of Heaven concludes to send the Kings Son to compesce this rebellion to reduce men again unto obedience and to destroy that arch traitor sin which his nature most abhoâ—s And for this end the Son of the great King Jesus Christ came down into the world to deliver captive man and to condemn conquering sin There is no object that God hath so pure and perfect displeasure at as sin therefore he sent to condemn that which he hates most and perfectly he hates it to condemn sin and this is expressed as the errand of his coming 1 Ioh. 3.5 8. to destroy the works of the devil all his wicked and hellish plots and contrivances against man all that poyson of enmity and sin that out of envy and malice he spued out upon man and instilled into his nature all these works of that Prince of Darkness in enticing man from obedience to rebellion and tyrannizing over him since by the imperious laws of his own lusts in a word all that work that was contrived in hell to bring poor man down to that same misery with devils all that Christ the only begotten Son of the great King came for this noble businesse to destroy it That Tower which Satan was building up against Heaven and had laid the foundation of it as low as hell this was Christs business down among men to destroy that Babylon that Tower of darkness and confusion and to build up a Tower of light and life to which Tower sinners might come and be safe and by which they might really ascend into Heaven Some do by these words for sin understand the occasion and reason of Christs coming that it was because sin had conquered the world and subjected man to condemnation therefore Jesus Christ came into the world to conquer sin and condemn it that we might be free from condemnation by sin And this was the special cause of his taking on flesh if sin had not entered in the world Christ had not come into it and if sin had not erected a Throne in mans flesh Christ had not taken on flesh he had not come in the likenesse of sinful flesh So that this may administer unto us abundant consolation If this was the very cause of his coming that which drew him down from that delightful and blessed bosome of the Father then he will certainly do that which he came for he cannot fail of his purpose he cannot misse his end he must condemn sin and save sinners And truly this is wonderful love that he took sin only for his party and came only for sin or against sin and not against poor sinners He had no commission of the Father but this as himself declares Ioh. 3.17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world but that the world through him might be saved As one observes well Christ would never have hinted at such a jealousie or suggested such a thought to mens minds had it not been in them before but this we are naturally inclined unto to think hard of God and can hardly be perswaded of his love when once we are perswaded of our enmity Indeed the most part of the world fancy a perswasion of Gods love and have not many jealousies of it because they know not their own enmity against God but let a man see himself indeed Gods enemy and it is very hard to make him believe any other thing of God but that he carries a hostile mind against him and therefore Christ to take off this perswades and assures us that neither the Father nor he had any design upon poor sinners nor any ambushmâ—nt agâ—inst them but mainly if not only this was his purpose in sending and Christs in coming not against man but against sin not to condemn sinners but to condemn sin and save sinners O blessed and unparallel'd love that made such a real distinction between sin and sinners who were so really one Shall not we be content to have that wofull and accursed union with sin dissolved Shall not we be willing to let sin be condemned in us and to have our own souls saved I beseech you beloved in the Lord do not think to maintain alwayes Christs enemy that great traitor against which he came from Heaven Wonder that he doth not prosecute both as enemies but iâ— he will destroy the one and save the other O let it be destroyed not you and so much the more for that it will destroy you Look to him so iniquity shall not be your ruine but he shall be the ruine of iniquity but if you will not admit of such a division between you and your sins take heed that you be not eteâ—nally undivided that you have not one common lot for ever that is condemnation Many would be saved but they would be saved with sin too Alace that will condemn thee as for sin he hath proclaimed irreconciliable enmity against it he hath no quarter to give it he will never come in terms of composition with it and all because it is his mortal enemy therefore let sin be condemned that thou may be saved It cannot be saved with thee but thou may be condemned with it The word for sin may be taken in another sense as fitly a sacrifice for sin so that the meaning is Jesus Christ came to condemn and overthrow sin in its plea against us by a sacrifice for sin that iâ— by offering up his own body or flesh And thuâ— you have the way and means how Christ conquered sin and accomplished the business he was sent for It was by offering a sacâ—â—fice for sin to expiat wrath and to satiâ—fie justice The sting and strength of death is sin and the strength of sin is the Law as the Apostle speaks it 1 Cor. 15.55 we had two great enemies against us two great tyrants over us sin and death Death had past upon all mankind not only the miseries of this life and temporal death had subjected â—ll men but the fear of an eternal death of an everlasting separation from the blessed face of God might have seized upon all and subjected them to bondage Heb. 2.15 But the strength and sting of that is sin it is sin that arms death and hell against us take away sin and you take away the sting the strength of death it hath no force or power to hurt man but death being the wages due
in lesser things and shall we be mad self-willed and refractory in the greatest thing that concerns us eternally O! unbelief is that which will condemn the world the unbelief of this one thing that the walking aâ—â—er and minding of the flesh is mortal and deadly Though all men confesse with their tongues this to be a truth yet it is not really believed the deep inconsideration and slight apprehension of this truth makes men boldly to walk and violently to run on to perdition Did you indeed believe that eternal misery is before you at the end of this way and would you be so cruel to your selves as to walk in it for any allurement that is in it Did you really believe That there is a precipice into utter darkness and everlasting death at the end of this alley would the pleasure and sweetness of it be able to inâ—atuat you and besott you so far as to lead you on into it like an Ox to the slaughter and a fool to the correction of the stocks It is strange indeed thou you neither will believe that death is the end of these things nor yet can you be perswaded that you do not believe it there is a twofold delusion that possesses the hearts of men one is a dream and â—ancy of escaping death though they live in sin another is a dream and fancy that they do believe that death is the wages of sin We might wonder how they consist together if we did not find it by so many experiences Your way proves that you do not believe it that death is the end of it and then your words evidence that you do not believe That you are unbelievers of that O! how desperat is the wickedness and how great is the deceitfulness of the heart The false Prophet that is in every mans bosome deceives him that it may destroy him As Satan is a liar and murderer and murders by lying so the heart of man is a self-murderer and self-destroyer and that is done by lying and dâ—ceiving There is some lie in every â—in but there is this grosse black fundamental lie at the bottom of all sin A conceit of immunity and freedom from death and hell a strong imagination of escaping danger even though such a way be chosen and walked into as of its own nature inevitably leads to destruction And there is something of this bloody murdering flattery even in the hearts of Christians therefore this Apostle gives us an antidot against it and labours often to purge it out by stirring up that knowledge they have received Know you not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the Kingdom of God 1 Cor. 6.9 Be not deceived God is not mocked for what a man soweth that he shall reap he that soweth to the flesh shall reap corruption c. Gal. 6.7 8. O! that you might listen to this word to this watch word given you and stop your course at least for a season to think what shall be the latter end know ye not that such shall not inherit the Kingdom know you not that the way to heaven lyes upward know you not that your way lyes downward towards the flesh and the earth are you so far demented as to think to come to Heaven by walking just downward in the lusts of the flesh Truly this is the strongest and strangest inchantment that can be that you think to sow one thing and reap another thing to sow darkness and reap light to sow corruption and reap incorruption Is that possible in nature to sow nettle-seed and think to â—eap barley or wheat Be not deceived O that you would undeceive your poor deluded souls and know that is as natural for Death and Hell to grow out of sin and walking after the flesh as it is for every seed to yeeld its own fruit and herb Do you then think to disolve the course and order of nature Truly the flesh is mortal in it self it s ordained for corruption you see what it turns to after the life is out that is an embleme of the state of the fleshly soul after death As you did abase your spirits to the service of the flesh here and all your plowing and labouring and sowing was about it the seed which you did cast in the ground was Fleshly lusts earthly things for the satisfaction of your flesh so you shall reap of the flesh Corruption death and destruction that shall make your immortal spirits mortal and corruptible and subject them to death and corruption with the body as far as they are capable it shall deprive them of all that which is their proper life and refreshment and separat them eternally from the fountain of blessedness and banish them out of Heaven unto the fellowship of devils and Oh! that corruption of the incoruptible spiâ—it is worse then the corruption of the mortall flesh corruptio optimi pessima Now who ever of you is thus far undeceived as to believe your danger and misery and to discern that imbred delusion of your hearts be not discouraged utterly there may be hope of recovery when you see your disease I say if you see that hell is at the end of your way then know that He who sent that voice to call you off that way of death He leaves you not to your own wits to guide you into the right way but He follows with a voice behind you â—aying Here is the way walk in it turn not out of it to the right hand or left and this voice sounds plainly in the Word and it is nothing elâ—e but the sound of the Gospel that blessed sound that invites and allures you to come in to Jesus Christ the way truth and life the true way to the true life All other wayes all other lifes have no truth in them it s but a cloud a fancy that men apprehend and lay hold on But come to this way and it will truly lead thee to the true life eternal life if you flee unto him out of the apprehension of your danger you have a clear way to come to God and as plain a way to attain life and peace Being in Christ you have assurance of not falling into condemnation He is such a way as will hold you in and not suffer you to go out of it again to the way of Death And therefore he will give you a Tutor a guider and directer in this way to life and peace and that is the Holy Spirit to lead in all truth and to guide your feet in the way of his Commandments so that in this new and living way of Christ you shall have both light of the Word to know where to walk and life of the Spirit to make you walk toward that eternal life and thus grace and truth is come by Christ. Indeed you must suffer the mortification of your flesh you must endure the pain of the death of your lusts the cutting off your right hand and plucking out your right
character of all our evidences and rights for Heaven disowns many as bastards and dead members withered branches and certainly according to this word He will judge you the word that I have spoken shall judge you in the last day O that is a heavy word you have the very rule and method of proceeding laid down before you now which shall be punctually kept at that great day Now why do you not read your ditty and condemnatory sentence here registred If you do not read it now in your consciences he will one day read it before men and Angels and pronounce this I know you not for mine you are none of mine But if you would now take it to your hearts there might be hope that it should go no further and come to no more publick hearing there were hope that it should be repealed before that day because the fiâ—st entry of the Spirit of Christ is to convince men of sin that they are unbelievers and without God in the world and if this were done then it were more easie to convince you of Christs righteousnesse and perswade you to embrace it and this would lead in another link of the chain the conviction of judgement to perswade you to resign your selves to the Spirits rule and renounce the kingdom of Satan this were another trinity a trinity upon earth three bearing witnesse on the earth that you have the Spirit of God Vers. 10. All the preceeding verses seem to be purposly set down by the Apostle for the comfort oâ— Christians against the remnants of sin and corruption within them â—or in the preceeding Chapter he personâ—â—â— the whole body of Christ militant shewing in his own exâ—mple how much sin râ—mains in â—he â—â—lieâ—t in this life and this he rather instances in his own person then another that all may know that matter of continual sorrow and lamentation is furnished to the chiefest of Saints and yet in this chapter he propounds the consolation of Christâ—â—ns more generally that all may know That these priviledges and immunities belong even to the meanest and weakest of Christians that as the best have reason to mourn in themselves so the worst want not reason to rejoice in Jesus Christ. And this would alwayes be minded that the â—mplest grounds of strongest consolation are general to all that come indeed to Jesus Christ and are not restricted unto Saints of such and such a grouth and stature the common principles of the Gospel are more full of this milk of consolation if you would suck it out of them then many particular grounds which you are laying down for your selves God hath so disposed and contrived the work of our sâ—lvation that in this life he that hath gathâ—red much in some respect hath nothing over that is to say hath no more reason to boast then another but will be constrained to sit down and mourn over his own evil heart and the emptiness of it and he that hath gathered lesse hath in some sense no want I mean he is not excluded and shut out from the right to these glorious priviledges which may expresse gloriation and rejoycing from the heart that there might be an equality in the body he maketh the stronger Christian to partake with the weaker in his bitter things and the weaker with the stronger in his sweet things that none of them may conceive themselves either dispised or alone regarded that the Eunuoh may not have reason to say I am a dry tree Isa. 56.3 For behold the Lord will give even to such a place in his house and a name better then of sons and daughters The soul that is in sincerity aming at this walk and whose inward deâ—ires â—â—irrs after more of this holy Spirit he will not refuse to such that name and esteem that they dare not take to themselves because of their seen and selâ— unworthinesse Now in thiâ— vers he proceeds further to the fruits and effects of sin dwelling in us to enlarge the consolation against that too Now if Christ be in you the body c. Seeing the word of God hath made such a connexion between â—in and deâ—th and death is the wages of sin and that which is â—he 〈◊〉 compence of enmity and rebellion â—gainst God the poor tâ—oubled soul might be ready to conceive That is the body be adjudged to death for sin that â—he rest of the wages shall be payed and sin haviâ—g so much dominion as to kill the body that it should exerce its full power to destroy all seing we have a visible character of the curse of God engraven on us in the mortality of our bodies it may look with such a visage on a soul troubled for sin as if it were but earnest of the full curse and weight of wrath and that sin were not fully satisfied for nor Justice fully contented by Christs ransome Now he opposes to this misconception the strongest ground of consolation If Christ be in you though your bodies must die for sin because sin dwelleth in them yet that spirit of life that is in you hath begun eternal life in your soulâ— your spiâ—its are not only immortal in being but that eternal happy being is begun in you the seeds of it are cast into your souls and shall certainly grow up to perfection of holiness and happiness and this through the righteousnesse of Christ which assureth that state unto you The comfort is it is neither total for it is only the death of your bodie nor is it perpetual for your bodies shall be raised again to life eternal vers 11. And not only is it only part and for a season but it is for a blessed end and purpose it is that sin may be wholly cleansed out that this tabernacle is taken down as the â—eprous houses were to be taken down under the Law and as now we use to cast down Pest-lodges the better to cleanse them of the infection It is not to prejudge him of life but to install him in a better life Thus you see that it is neither total nor perpetual but it is medicinal and profitable to the soul it is but the death of the body for a moment and the life of the soul for ever SERMON XXVII Rom. 8.10 And if Christ be in you the body is dead because of sin c. THis is the high excellency of Christian Religion that it contains the most absolute precepts for an holy life and the greatest comforts in death for from theâ—e two the truth and excellency of Religion is to be measured if it have the highest and perfectest rule of walking and the chiefest comfort withall Now the perfection of Christianity you saw in the rule how spiritual it is how reasonable how divine how free from all corrupt mixture how transcending all the most exquiâ—ite precepts and laws of men deriving a holy converâ—ation from the highest fountain the Spirit of Christ and conforming it to the highest pattern the will of God And
THE SINNERS SANCTUARY OR A discovery made of those glorious priviledges offered unto the penitent and faithful under the Gospel Unfolding their freedom from death condemnation and the Law in fourty Sermons upon Romans Chap. 8. By that eminent Preacher of the Gospel Mr. Hugh Binning late Minister at Govan Heb. 11.4 And by it he being dead yet speaketh Isaiah 38.16 O Lord by these things men live and in all these things is the life of my spirit so wilt thou recover me and make me to live Zanch. Thes. 3. de Dispens c. Dispensare solet Christus hanc salutis gratiam per Sermonem veritatis hoc est per Evangelium salutis nostrâ— EDINBVRGH Printed by George Swintown and Iames Glen and are to be sold at their Shops in the Parliament-yard Anno Dom. 1670. Christian Reader EXperience hath proved that few Posthumous Works are perfect most of them being lame for their parts and almost all of them wanting the last touch of the Authors Pen and the lustre thereby given for publick view besides that there is a general aversation in them that survive to mix with the Genius of the dead This little Piece upon the eighth Chapter to the Romanes labour under all these disadvantages being imperfect as to parts by the immature death of the Author and for ought I know never designed for publick view could not have the last touch of his Pen Neither hath his Genius appeared in another person to pursue his Work yet because many imperfect Writings have been useful to the Church of Christ and have provoked others with holy emulation to pursue the perfecting of things well begun observing also the universal acceptance that another imperfect Piece of the same Authors hath found with all who have seen it I have been perswaded to let these go to the worlds view not doubting but they shall find the same acceptance and be through the blessing of God rendered profitable to the Christian Reader P. G. SERMON I. Upon Romanes VIII Vers. 1. There is therefore now no condemnation c. THere are three things which concur to make man miserable sin condemnation and affliction Every one may observe that man is born unto trouble as the sparks flie upward that his dayes here are few and evil he possesses moneths of vanity and wearisome nights are appointed for him Job 5.6 7. and 7.3 He is of few dayes and full of trouble Job 14.1 Heathens have had many meditations of the misery of man's life and in this have out-stript the most part of Christians We recount amongst our miseries only some afflictions and troubles as poverty sickness reproach banishment and such like they again have numbred even these natural necessities of men amongst his miseries to be contiâ—ually turned about in such a circle of eating drinking and sleeping What burden should it be to an immortal spirit to roll about perpetually that wheel We make more of the body than of the soul They have accounted this body a burden to the soul they placed prosperity honour pleasure and such things which men pour out their souls upon amongst the greatest miseries of men as vanity in themselves and vexation both in the injoying and losing of them But alace they knew not the fountain of all this misery sin and the accomplishment of this misery condemnation They thought trouble came out of the ground and dust either by a natural necessity or by chance but the Word of God discovereth unto us the ground of it and the end of it the ground and beginning of it was mans defection from God and walking according to the flesh and from this head have all the calamities and streams of miseries in the world issued it hath not only redounded to men but even to the whole creation and subjected it to vanity ver 20. of this Chapter Not only shalt thou O man saith the Lord to Adam eat thy meat in sorrow but thy curse is upon the ground also and thou who was immortal shalt return to that dust which thou magnified above thy soul Gen. 3.17 But the end of it is suitable to the beginning the beginning had all evil of sin in it and the end hath all evil of punishment in it These streams of this lifes misery they run in to an infinit boundless and bottomless ocean of eternal wrath If thou live according to the flesh thou shalt die It is not only death here but eternal death after this The miseries then of this present life are not a proportionable punishment of sin they are but an earnest given of that great sum which is to be payed in the day of accompts and that is condemnation everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and the glory of his power Now as the Law discovers the perfect misery of mankind so the Gospel hath brought to light a perfect remedy of all this misery Jesus Christ was manifested to take away sin and therefore his Name is Iesus for he shall save his people from their sins This is the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world Iudgment was by one unto condemnation of all but now there is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Iesus so these two evils are removed which indeed have all evil in them He takes away the curse of the Law being made under it and then he takes away the sin against the Law by his holy Spirit He hath a twofold vertue for he came by blood and water 1 Iob. 5.6 7. by blood to cleanse away the guilt of sin and by water to purifie us from sin it self But in the mean time there are many afflictions and miseries upon us common to men Why are not these removed by Christ I say the evil of them is taken away though themselves remain Death is not taken away but the sting of death is removed death afflictions and all aâ—e overcome by Jesus Christ and so made his servants to do us good The evil of them is Gods wrath and sin and these are removed by Jesus Christ. Now they would be taken away indeed if it were not good they remained for all things work together for the good of those that love God ver 28. So then we have a most compleat deliverance in extent but not in degrees Sin remains in us but not in dominion and power wrath sometimes kindles because of sin but it cannot increase to everlasting burnings Afflictions and miseries may change their name and be called instructions and tryals good and not evil but Christ hath reserved the full and perfect delivery till another day which is therefore called the day of compleat redemption and then all sin all wrath all misery shall have an end and be swallowed up of life and immortality ver 23. This is the sum of the Gospel and this is the substance of this Chapter There is a threefold consolation answerable to our three-fold evils There is no condemnation to those that are in
God unbelief and disobedience Now what became of all this work you may know the generality of all ranks have rebelled against that Lord and Prince and withdrawn from his allegiance and revolted unto the same lusts and wayes these same courses against which we had both by our profession of Christianity and solemn oaths engaged our selves and so men have voluntarily and heartily subjected themselves unto the laws of sin and desires of the flesh Hence is the beginning of our ruine because we would not serve our own God and Lord in our own land therefore are so many led away captive to serve strangers in another land therefore we are like to be captives in our own land because we refused homage to our God and obeyed strange lords within therefore are we given up to the lust of strangers without I would have you thinking and that seriously that there are worse masters you serve then these you most hate and that there is a worse bondage whereof you are insensiâ—le then that you fear most you fear strangers but your greatest evil is within you you might retire within and behold worâ—e masters and moâ—e pernicious and mortal enemies to your well-being Tâ—is is the case of all men by nature and of all men as far as in nature sin ruling commanding in them and lording it over them and they willingly following after the commandment and so oppressed and broken in judgement If you could but rightly look upon other men you might see that they who are servants oâ— diverse lusts are not their own men so to speak they have not the command of themselves Look upon a man given to drunkenness and what a slave is he whither doth not his lust drive him let him bind himself with resolutions with vows yet he cannot be holden by them shame before men losse of estate decay of health temporal punishment nay eternal all set together cannot keep him from fulfilling the desires of that lust when he hath opportunity A man given to covetousness how doth he serve that idol how doth he forget himself to be a man or to have a reasonable â—oul within him he is so devoted to it and thus it is with every man by nature there may be many petty little gods that he worships upon occasion but every unrenewed man hath some one thing predominant in him unto which he hath sworn obedience and devotion The man most civilized most abstract from the grosser outward pollutions yet certainly his heart within is but a temple full of idols to the love and service of which he is devoted There is some of the fundamental laws of satans kingdom that rules in every natural man either the lust of the eyes or the lust of the flesh or the pride of life every man sacrificeth to one of these his credit and honour or his pleasure or his profite Self whatever way refined and subtillized in some yet at best it is but an enemy to God and without that sphear of self cannot a man act upon natural principles till a higher spirit come in which is here spoken of Oh! that you would take this for bondage to be under this woful necessity of satisfying and fulfilling the desires of your flesh and mind Eph. 2.2 many account it only liberty and freedom therefore they look upon the laws of the spirit of life as cords and bonds and consult to cast them off and cut them asunder but consider what a wretched life you have with your imperious lusts The truth is sin is for the most part its own punishment I am sure you have more labour and toyl in fulfilling the lusts of sin then you might have in serving God mens lusts are never at quiet they are continually putting you on service they are still driving and dragging men headlong hurrying them to and fro and they cannot get rest what is the cause of all the disquiet disorder confusion trouble and wars in the world from whence do contentions arise come they not hence saith Iames 4.1 even of the lusts that war in our members It is these that trouble the world and these are the troublers of Israels peace these take away both inward peace domestick peace and national peace These lusts Covetousness Ambition Pride Passion Self-love and such like do set nation against nation men and men people and people by the ears These multiply businesses beyond necessity these multiply cares without profit and so bring forth vexation and torment If a man had his lusts subdued and his affections composed unto moderation and sobriety O what a multitude of noysom and hurtful cares should he then be freed from what a sweet calmness should possess that spirit Will you be perswaded of it Beloved in the Lord that it were easier to serve the Lord then to serve your lusts that they cost you more labour disquiet perplexity and sorrow than the Lords service will that so you may weary of such masters and groan to be from under such a law of sin But if that will not suffice to perswade you then consider in the next room if you will needs serve a law of sin you must needs be subject to a law of death if you will not be perswaded to quite the service of sin then tell me what think you of your wages The wages of sin is death that you may certainly expect and can you look and long for such wages God hath joyned these together by a perpetual ordinance they come in the world together sin entered and death by sin and they have gone hand in hand together since and think you to dissolve what God hath joyned Before you go further and obey sin more think I pray you what it can give you what doth it give you for the present but much pain and toyl and vexation in stead of promised pleasure and satisfaction Sin doth with all men as the devil doth with some of his sworn vassals and servants they have a poor wretched life with him they are wearied and troubled to satisfie all his unreasonable and imperious commands he loadens them with base service and they are still kept in expectation of some great reward but for the present they have nothing but misery and trouble and at length he becomes the executioneâ— and perpetual tormenter of them whom he made to serve him such a master is sin and such wages you may expect Consider then what your expectation is before you go on or engage further death We are under a law of bodily death therefore we are mortal our house is like a ruinous lodge that drops through and one day or other it must fall sin hath brought in the seeds of corruption in mens nature which dissolves it else it had been immortal But there is a worse deâ—th after this a living death in respect of which simple death would be chosen rather men will rather live very miserably then die nature hath an aversation of it skin for skin
and besides it was for a pledge that at the last day all shall not die but be changed The true cause of death is sin and the true nature of it is penal to be a punishment of sin take away this relation to sin and death wants the sting But in itâ— fiâ—st appointment and as it prevails generally over men aâ—uleaâ—a est mors it hath a sting that pierceth deeper and woundeth soâ—er then to the dissolution of the body it goeth in to the innermost paâ—â—s of the soul and wâ—undeth that eternally The truth is the death of the body is not either the first death or the last death it is rather placed in the middle between two deaths and it s the fruit of the first and the root of the last There is a death immediatly hath ensued upon sin and it is the separation of the soul from God the fountain of life and blessedness and this is the death often spoken of you who were dead in sins and trespasses c. Eph. 2.1 Being past feeling and alienated from the life of God Eph. 4.18 19. And truly this is worse in it â—elf then the death of the body simply though not so sensible because â—pirituâ—l the corruption of the best pâ—â—t in man in all reason is worse then the corruption of his worst part but this death which consists especially in the losse of that blessed communion with God which made the soul happy cannot be found till some new life enter or else till the last death come which adds infinit pain to infinit losse Now the death of the body succeeds thiâ— souls death and that is the separation of the soul from the body most suitable seeing the soul was turned from the fountain spirit to the body that the body should by his command return to dust and be made the most defiâ—ed piece of dust Now this were not so grievous if it were not a step to the death to come and a degree of it introductive to it But that statute and appointment of Heaven hath thus linked it after death comes Iudgment Because the soul in the body would not be sensible of its separation from God but was wholly taken up with the body neglecting and miskenning that infinit losse of Gods favour and face therefore the Lord commands it to go out of the body that it maythen be sensible of its infinit loss of God when it is separated from the body that it may then have leasure to reflect upon it self and find its own surpassing misery and then indeed infinit pain and infinit losse conjoyned eternal banishment from the presence of that blessed Spirit and eternal torment within it self these two concurring what posture do you think such a soul will be into There are some earnest of this in this life when God reveals his terrour and sets mens sins in order before their face O how intolerable is it and more insupportable then many deaths They that have been accquainted with it have declared it the terrours of God are like poysonable arrows sunk into Jobs spirit and drinking up all the moisture of them Such a spirit as is wounded with one of these darts shot from Heaven who can bear it not the most patient and most magnanimous spirit that can sustain all other infiâ—mities Prov. 18.14 Now my beloved if it be so now while the soul is in the body drowned in it what will be the case of the soul separated from the body when it shall be all one sense to reflect and consider it self This is the sting of death indeed worse then a thousand deaths to a soul that apprehends it and the lesse it is apprehended the worse it is because it is the more certain and must shortly be found when there is no brazen serpent to heal that sting Now what comfort have you provided against this day what way do you think to take out this sting Truly there is no balm for it no Physitian for it but one and that the Christian is only acquainted with He in whom Christ is he hath this soveraign antidot against the pâ—yson of Death he hath the very sting of it taken out by Châ—â—st death it self killed and of an mortal enemy made the kindest friend And so he may triumph with the Apostle O death where is thy sting O grave where is thy victory Thanks be to God in Iesuâ— Christ who giveth us the victory 1 Cor. 15.55 The ground of his triumph and that which a Christian hath to oppose to all the sorrows and pains and fears of death mustred against him is threefold one that death is not real a second that is not total even that which is and then that it is not perpetual This last is contained in the next vers the second expressed in this vers and the first may be understood or implyed in it That the nature of death is so far changed that of a punishment it is become a medicine of a punishment for sin it is turned into the last purgative of the soul from sin and thus the sting of it is taken away that relation it did bear to the just wrath of God And now the body of a Christian under appointment to die for sin that is for the death of sin the eternal death of sin Christ having come under the power of death hath gotten power over it and spoiled it of its stinging vertue he hath taken away the poysonable ingredient of the curse that it can no more hurt them that are in Him and so it is not now vested with that piercing and wounding notion of punishment though it be true that sin was the first in-lett of death that it first opened the slâ—ue to let it enter and flow in upon mankind yet that appointment of death is renewed and bears a relation to the destruction of sin rather then the punishment of the sinner who is f`orgiven in Christ And O how much solid comfort is here that the great reason of mortality that a Christian it subject unto is that he may be made free of that which made him at first mortal Because sin hath taken suâ—h possession in this earthly tabernacle and is so strong a poyson that it hath infected all the members and by no purgation here made can be fully cleansed â—ut but there are many secret corners it lurks into and upon occasion vents it self therefore it hath pleased God in His infinit goodnesse to continue the former appointment of death but under a new and living consideration to take down this infected and defiled tabernacle as the houses of leprosie were taken down under the Law that so they might be the better cleansed and this is the last purification of the soul from sin And therefore as one of the Ancients said well That we might not be eternally miserable mercy hath made us mortal Justice hath made the world mortal that they may be eternally miserable but to put an end to this misery
shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and glory of his power if it were duely apprehended it would weigh down a mans soul and make it heavy unto death This condemnation includes both damnum poenam poenam damni poenam sensus and both are infinite in themselves and eternal in their continuance What an unpleasant and bitter life would one lead that were born to a kingdom and yet to be banished it and losse it But what an incomparable losse is it to fall from an heavenly kingdome which heart cannot conceive and that for ever In Gods favour is life and in his presence are rivers of pleasures for evermore When your petty penny-losses do so much afflict your spirits what would the due apprehension of so great a losse do would it not be death unto you and worse then death to be separated from this life to be eternally banished from the presence of this glory If there should be no more punishment but this only if the wicked were to endure for ever on earth and the godly whom they despised and mocked were translated to heaven what torment would it be to your souls to think upon that blessednesse which they enjoy above and how foolishly ye have been put by it for a thing of no value what would a rich man's advantages and gaines be to him when he considereth what an infinite loser he is how he hath sold a kingdom for a dung-hill Now if there were any hope that after some years his banishment from heaven might end this might refresh him but there is not one drop of such consolation he is banished and eternally banished from that glorious life in the presence of God which these do enjoy whom he despised If a man were shut up all his lifetime in a pit never to see the light once more would not this be torment enough to him but when withall there is such pain joyned with this losse when all this time he is tormented within with a gnawing worm and without with fire these senses that did so greedily hunt after satisfaction to themselves are now as sensible in the feeling of pain and torment and when this shall not make an end but be eternal O! whose heart can consider it It is the comfort and ease of bodily toâ—ments here that they will end in death Destruction destroyes it self in destroying the body but here is an immortal soul to seed upon and at length the body shall be immortal that destruction cannot quite destroy it but shall be an everlasting destruction and living death This is the sentence that is once past against us all in the Word of God and not one jot of this Word shall fall to the ground Heaven and earth may fail sooner Ye would think it were an irrepealable decree if all the Nations in the earth and Angels above conveened to adjudge a man to death did pass sentence upon him Nay but this Word that is daily spoken to you which passeth this sentence upon you all is more certain and this sentence of death must be executed unless ye be under that blessed exception made here and elsewhere in the Gospel I beseech you consider what it is to have such a Judge condemning you Would not any of you be afraid if ye were under the sentence of a King if that judgment were above your head Who of you would fit in peace and quietness Who would not flee from the wrath of a King that is like the roaring of a Lion But there is a sentence of the KING of Kings and Nations above your heads Who would not fear thee to whom it doth appertain O King of Nations It is not a great man that can destroy thy body that is against thee it is not he who hath power to kill thee and he hath also a great desire so to do this were indeed much but it is the great and eternal Jehovah who lifts up his hand to heaven and swears he lives for ever he is against thee he who hath all power over body and soul is against thee and so is oblidged to improve his omnipotency against thee He can kill both soul and body and cast them into hell and by vertue of this curse he will not spare thee but pour out all the curses in this book Thou would be at no peace if thou wert declared rebell by the King and Parliament but alace that 's a small thing they can but reach thy body nay neither can they alwayes do that thou may flee from them but whither canst thou flee from him thou cannot go out of his dominions for the earth is his and the sea and all that therein is darkness cannot hide thee from him he may spare long because he can certainly overtake when he pleases men may not because they have no assurance of finding I beseech you then consider this it is of soul-consequence and what hath a man gained if he gain the world and lose his soul if the gainer be lost what is gained And it is of eternal consequence and what is many thousand years to this You can look beyond all these and might comfort your sâ—lves on hope but you cannot see to the end of this there is still more before than is past nay there is nothing past it is still as beginning O that ye would consider this curse of God that stands registrate upon us all What effects had it in Christ when he did bear it it made his soul heavy to death it was a cup that he could scarcely drink he that supported the frame of this world was almost near succumbing under the weight of this wrath it made him sweat blood in the garden He that could do all things and speak all things was put to this What shall I say When this condemnation was so terrible to him who was that mighty One upon whom all help was laid what shall it be to you No mans sorrow was ever like his nor pain ever like his if all the scattered torments were united in one but because he was God he overcame and came out from under it But what do you think shall be the estate of these who shall endure that same torment and not for three dayes or three years or some thousands of years but beyond imagination to all eternity I beseech you consider this condemnation which ye are adjudged unto and do not ly under it Do ye think ye can endure what Christ endured Do ye think ye can bear wrath according to Gods power and justice and yet the judgment is come upon all men to this condemnation But alace who fears him according to his wrath Who knows the power of his anger Ye sleep secure as if all matters were past and over your head We declare unto you in the Lords Name that this condemnation is yet above you because you have not judged your selves It is preached unto you that ye may flee from it
but since ye will not condemn your selves this righteous Judge must condemn you Now since it is so that such a condemnatory sentence is past on all men what a priviledge must it be to be delivered from it to have that sentence repealed by some new act of Gods mercy and â—avour David proclaims him a blessed man whose sins are forgiven and covered and indeed he is blessed who escapes that pit of eternal misery though there were no more though there were no title to an inheritance and Kingdom above to be delivered from that wrath to come upon the children of disobedience this is more happiness than the enjoyment of all earthly delights What would a man give in exchange for his soul Skin for skin and all a man hath he will give for his life These riches and advantages and pleasures that men spend their labour for all these they will part with in such a hazard The covetous man he will cast his Coffers over-board ere he lose his life The voluptuous man he will suffer pain and torment in cutting off a member ere he die But if men knew their souls and what an immortality and eternity expects them they would not only give skin for skin and all that they have for their soul but their life also Ye would choose to die a thousand deaths to escape this eternal death But what shall a man give in exchange for his soul Mat. 16.26 though he would give yet what hath he to give There are two things endears any priviledge to us and hightens the rate of it the necessity of it and the preciousness of it and these two are eminent here Is it not necessary to be to live and have a being All men think so when they will give all they have to redeem themselves All other things are accidental to them they are nearest to themselves therefore all must go ere themselves go But I say this is more necessary to be well eternally than to be simply to escape this condemnation than to have a being And this shall be verified in the last day when men shall cry for hills and mountains to fall on them and save them from the wrath of the Lamb Rev. 6.16 Men will choose rather not to be than to fall in that wrath O how acceptable would a mans first nothing be to him in that great day of wrath who shall be able to stand in it When Kings and Princes bond and free great and small shall desire mountains to grind them into powder rather then to hear that sentence of condemnation and yet shall not obtain it O blessed are all they that trust in him when his wrath is kindled but a little Psal. 2.12 Ye toil and vex your selves and spends your time about that body and life but for as precious as they are to you now ye would exchange them one day for immunity and freedom from this wrath and curse How will that man think his lines are fallen in pleasant places How will he despise the glory of earthly Kingdoms though all united in one who considers in his heart â—ow all Kings all Tongues and Nations must stand before the Judgment Seat of God and the books of his Law be opened to judge them by as also the books of their Consciences to verifie his accusation and precipitate their own sentence and then in the open view of all the sons of Adam and the Angels all secrets be brought out their accusation read as large as their lifetiâ—e and as many curses to be pronounced against every one as there be breaches of the Law of God whereof they are found guilty and then all these will seek into corners and cry for mountains but there is no covering from his presence What do ye think the man will think within himself who will stand before God and be absolved in Judgement by Jesus Christ notwithstanding his provocations above many of them what will a King then think of his Crown and Dominions when he reflects on them what will the poor persecuted Christian then think of all the glory and perfection of this world when he looks back upon it O know poor foolish men what madnesse is in venturing your souls for trifles ye run the hazard of all greatest things for a poor moments satisfaction Ye will repent it too late and become wise to judge your selves fools when there is no place to mend it But this priviledge is no more necessary than it is precious Your souls are now kept captive under that sentence of everlasting imprisonment ye are all prisoners and know not of it What will ye give in ransome for your souls your sins and iniquities have sold you to the righteous Judge of all the earth as malefactors and he hath past a sentence of your perpetual imprisonment under satans custody in hell Now what will you give to redeem your souls from that piâ— how few know the worth of their souls and so they offer unto God some of their riches for them Doth not many of you think ye have satisfied for sins if ye pay a civil penalty to the Judge many thinks their own tears and sorrow for sin may be a price to justice at least if it be joyned with â—mendment in time coming And so men conceive their sins are pardoned and their souls redeemed But alas the redemption of the soul is precious yea it ceaseth for ever all your substance will be utterly contemned though ye offered it How few of you would give so much for your souls and yet though ye gave it it will not do it ye must pay the uttermost farthing or nothing Your sorrow and reformations will not compleat the sum no nor begin it though thou wash thee with nitre and take much sope yet is thine iniquity marked with me yet there is still condemnation for thee Though all the world should conveen about this matter to find a ransome for man suppose all the treasures of Monarchs the mines and bowels of the earth the coffers of rich men were searched Nay let the Earth the Sea the Heavens and Sun and Moon be prized at the highest Joyn all the merits of Angels above and men below all their good actions and sufferings yet the sum that amounts of all that addition would not pay the least â—â—rthing of this debt The Earth would say it is not in me the Heaven behoved to answer so Angels and men might say we have heard of it but it s hid from all living Where then is this Redemption from the curse where shall a ransome be found Indeed God hath found it It is with him he hath given his Son a ransome for many and his blood is more precious than souls let be gold and silver Is not this then a great priviledge that if all the kingdoms of the world were sold at the dearest yet they could not buy it What a jewel is this what a pearl who ever of you have escaped this
what hopes are there then of delivery when the prisoner accounts his bondage liberty and his prison a palace what expectation of freedom when all that is within us conspires to the upholding that tyrranous dominion of sin against all that would cast it out of its usurpation as if they were mortal enemies Yet there is a delivery possible but such as would not have entered in the heart of man to imagine and it is here expressed the Law of the Spirit of Life c. this declares how and by what means we may be made free Not indeed by any power within us not by any created power without us sin is stronger then all these because its imperial seat is within far without the reach of all created power there may be some means used by men to beat it out of the out-works of the outward man to chase it out of the external members some means to restrain it from such gross out-breakingâ— but therâ— is none can lay â—iedge to the soul wiâ—hin or sâ—orm the undeâ—standing and will where it hath its pâ—incipal residence its inaccessible and impregnable by any humane power no intreaties or perswasions no terrors or threatnings can prevail it can neither be stormed by violence nor undermined by skill because it is within the spirit of the mind Untill at length some other spirit stronger then our spirit come till the Spirit of life which is in Christ come and bind the strong man and so make the poor soul free You heard that we were under a law of death and under the power of sin now there is another Law answering this law and a power to overcome this power You may indeed ask by what law of authority can a sinner that is bound over by Gods Justice unto death and condemnation be released Is there any law above Gods Law and the sentence of his Justice The Apostle answers that there is a Law above it a Law after it the Law of the Spirit of Life Jesus Christ opposes Law unto law the Law of life unto the law of death the Gospel unto the Law the second Covenant unto the first Thus it is then Iesus Christ the eternal Son of God full of grace and truth did come in mans stead when the law and sentence of death was past upon all mankind and there was no expectation from the terms of the first Covenant that there should be any dispensation or mitigation of the rigour of it he obtains this that so many as God had chosen unto life their sins and their punishment might be laid on him and so he took part of our flesh for this end that he might be made a curse for us and so redeem us from the curse Thus having satisfied Justice and fulfilled the sentence of death by suffering death him hath God exalted to be a Prince and Saviour and the head of all things In compensation of this great and weighty work given him by his Father all judgment is committed to him and so he sends out and proclaims another Law in Sion another sentence even of life and absolution unto all and upon all them that shall believe in his Name Thus you see the law of death abrogated by a new Law of life because our Lord and Saviour was made under the law of death and suffered under it and satisfied it that all his seed might be freed from it and might come under a life-giving law so that it appears to be true that was said at first there is no condemnation to them that are in Christ there is no Law no Justice against them But then another difficulty as great as the former is in the way though such a law and sentence of life and absolution be pronounced in the Gospel in Christs Name yet we are dead in sins and trespasses we neither know nor feel our misery nor can we come to a Redeemer as there was a law of death above our head so there is a law of sin within our hearts which rules and commands us and there is neither will nor ability to escape from under it It is true life and freedom is preached in Christ to all that come to him for life to all that renounce sins dominion is remission of sin preached But here is the greatest difficulty how can a dead soul stir rise and walk how can a slave to sin and a willing captive renounce it when he hath neither to will nor to do Indeed if all had been purchased for us if eternal life and forgiveness of sins had been brought near us and all the business done to our conâ—ent and that only wanting if these had been the terms I have purchased life now rise and embrace it of your selves truly it had been an unsuccessful buâ—ineâ—â— Christ had lost all that was given him if the moment and weight of our salvation had been hung upon oâ—r acceptation Tâ—erefore it is well provided foâ— this alâ—o that there should be a power to overcome this power a spirit of life in Christ to quicken dead sinnerâ— and â—aise them â—p and draw them to him And so the second Adamâ—ath â—ath this prerogative beyond the fiâ—st that he is only a living soul in himself but a quickening spirit to all that aâ—e given him of the Father 1 Cor. 15.45 So then as Christ Jesus hath law and right on his side to free us from death so he hath vertue and power in him to accomplish our delivery from sin as he hath fair law to loose the chains of condemnation and to repeal the sentence past against us without prejudice to Gods justice he having fully satisfied the same in our name so he hath sufficient power given him to loose the fetters oâ— sin from off us When he hath pay'd the price and satisfied the Father so that justice can crave nothing Yet he hath one adversary to deal with Satan hath sinners bound with the cords of their own lusts in a prison of darkness and unbelief Jesus Christ therefore comes out to conquer this enemy and to redeem his elect Ones from that unjust usurpation of sin to bring them out of the prison by the strong hand and therefore he is one mighty and able to save to the uttermost he hath might to do it as well as right to it Consider then my beloved these two things which are the breasts of our consolation and the foundation of our hope we are once lost and utterly undone both in regard of Gods justice and our own utter inability to help our selves which is strengthned by our unwillingness and thus made a more desperat busineâ—s now God hath provided a suitable remedy he hath laid help on one that is mighty indeed who hath almighty power and by his power he fiâ—st conflicted with the punishment of our sins and with his Fathers wrath and hath overcome discharged and satisfied that and so hath purchased a right unto us to give salvation to whom he will be conquered
for sin Rom. 6.23 all the certainty and efficacy in the wages flowes from this work of darkness sin But Now the strength of sin is the Law this puts a poysonable and destructive vertue in the sting of sin for it is the sentence of Gods Law and the justice and righteousness of God that hath made so inseparable a connexion between sin and death this gives sin a destroying and killing vertue Justice arms it with power and authority to condemn man so that there can be no freedom no releasment from that condemnation no eschewing that fatal sting of death unless the sentence of Gods Law which hath pronounced thou shalt die be repealed and the justice of God be satisfied by a ransome And this being done the strength of sin is quite gone and so the sting of death removed Now this had been impossible for man to do these parties were too strong for any created power the strength of sin to condemn may be called someway infinit because it flows from the unchangeable law of the infinit justice of God now what power could encounter that strength except that which hath infinite sterngth too Therefore it behoved the Son of God to come for this business to condemn sin and save the sinner And being come he yokes first with the very strength of sin for he knew where its strangth did ly and so did encounter first of all with that even the justice of his Father the hand writing of ordinances that was against us for if once he can set them aside as either vanquished or satisfied he hath little else to do Now he doth not take a violent way in this either he doth it not with the strong hand but deals wisely and to speak so with reverence cunningly in it he came under the Law that he might redeem them who were under the Law Gal. 4.4 force will not do it the Law cannot be violented justice cannot be compelled to forgo its right therefore our Lord Jesus chooseth as it were to compound with the Law to submit unto it he was made under the Law he who was above the Law being Law-giver in mount Sinai Acts 7.38 Gal. 3.19 he cometh under the bond and tye of it to fulfil it I came not to destroy the Law but to fulfil it Mat. 5.17 he would not offer violence to the Law to deliver sinners contrary to the commination of it or without satisfaction given unto it for that would reflect upon the wisdom and righteousness of the Father who gave the Law But he doth it better in an amicable way by submission and obedience to all its demands whatsoever it craved of the sinner he fulfils that debt he satisfies the bond in his own person by suffering and fulfils all the Commandments by obedience And thus by subjection to the Law he gets power over the Law because his subjection takes away all its claim and right over us therefore it is said that he blotted out the hand-writing of ordinances which was against us by nailing it to his cross and so took it out of the way Col. 2.14 having fulfilled the bond he cancell'd it and so it stands in no force either against him or us thus the strength of sin which is the Law is removed and by this means sin is condemned in the flesh by the suffering of his flesh it is fallen from all it's plea against sinners for that upon which it did hang viz. the sentence of the Law is taken out of the way so that it hath no apparent ground to fasten any accusation upon a poor sinner that flees in to Jesus Christ and no ground at all to condemn him it is wholly disabled in that point for as the Philistines found where Sampsons strength lay and cutted his hair so Christ hath in his wisdom found where the strength of sins plea against man lay and hath cutted off the hair of it that is the hand-writing of ordinances which was against us This is that which hath been shadowed out from the beginning of the world by the types of Sacrifices and Ceremonies All these offerings of Beasts of Fowls and such like under the Law held â—orth this one sacrifice that was offered in the fulness of time to be a propitiation for the sins of the world and something of this was used among the Gentils before Christs coming certainly by tradition from the Fathers who have looked afar off to this day when this sweet smelling sacrifice should be offered up to appease Heaven And it is not without a spâ—cial Providence and worthy the remarking that since the plenary and substantial One was offered the custom of sacrificing hath ceased throughout the world God as it were proclaiming to all men by this cessation of Sacrifices as well as silence of Oracles thâ—t the true atonement and propitiation is come already and the true Prophet is come from Heaven to reveal Gods mind unto the world There were many ceremonies in sacrificing observed to hold out unto us the perfection of our atonement and propitiation They laid their hands on the beast who brought it to signifie the imputation of our sins to Christ that he who knew no sin was made sin for us that we might be made the righteousness of God in him And truly it is worth the observation that even those sacrifices for sin were called sin and so the word is used promiscuously in Leviticus to point out unto us that Jesus Christ should make his soul sin Isa. 53.10 that is a sacrifice for sin and he made sin for us that is a sacrifice for sin When the blood was poured out because without shedding of blood no reconciliation Heb. 10. the Priest sprinkled it seven times before the Lord to shadow out the perfection of that expiation for our sins in the vertue and perpetuity thereof Heb. 9.26 that he should appear to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself to put it away as if it had never been by taking it on him and bearing it And then the High Priest was to bring in of the blood into the holy place and within the vail and sprinkle the Mercy Seat â—o shew unto us that the merit and efficacy of Christs blood should enter into the highest Heavens to appease the wrath of God Our High Priest by his own blood hath entered into the holy place having obtained eternal redemption for us Heb. 9.12 And truly this is that sacrifice which being offered without spot to God pacifies all ver 14. Sin hath a cry cryeth aloud for vengeance this blood silenceth it and composeth all to savour and mercy It hath so sweet and fragrant a smell in Gods account that it fills Heaven with the perfume of it He is that true scape-goat who notwithstanding that he did bear all the sins of his people yet he did escape alive albeit he behoved to make his soul a sacrifice for
draws the spirit of a man after them he hath found the savour and seen the beauty and this allures him to taste them and then he invites the welbeloved to come and taste also to eat of these fruits with him We might instance this in many things a Christian relishes more sweetnesse in temperance in beating down his body and bringing it into subjection in abstaining from fleshly lusts then a carnal man tastes in the most exqâ—isite pleasures that the world can afford A Christian he savours a sweetnesse in meeknesse and long-suffering he â—ath more delight in forgiving and forbearing and praying for them that wrong him then a natural man hath in the accomplishing of the most greedy desires of revenge O what beauty hath gentlenesse goodnesse and patience in his eye what sweetness is in the love of God to his taste How ravishing is the joy of the Holy Ghost How contenting is that peace that passeth understanding These are things of the Spirit that he minds and savours Know Christians that it is to this ye are called to mind these things most and to seek them most beware lest the deceitfulness of sin intise you through the treacherous and deceitful lusts that are yet living in your members If you indeed mind these things and out of the apprehension of the beauty and savour of the sweetnesse and smell of the fragrancy of them would be content to quite all your corrupt lusts for to be possessed with them then you are on that blessed and happy side of this great and fundamental division of men you have indeed the priviledge of all others who are not renewed what ever be your condition in the world you are of the Spirit and this is better then to be rich wise great and honourable God hath not given you such things as the world go mad after but envy them not he hath given you better things more real and substantial things that makes you far better and more excellent But then this difference as it is the widest so it is the durablest as it is substantial here so it is perpetual hereafter When all the other differences between men shall be abolished this alone shall remain and therefore you have it in the next vers to be carnally minded is death but to be spiritually minded is life and peace This division that is begun here shall gâ—ow wider foâ— all eteâ—nity there shall be a greater difference after this life and a more sensible separation Death and life eternal death and eteâ—nal life are the two sides of this diffeâ—ence as it shall shortly be stated When all other degrees and distances of men shaâ—l be blotted out and buried in eternal oblivion there shall no vesâ—â—ge or maâ—k remain of either wisdom or riches or honour oâ— such like but alâ— mankind shall be as to these outward things levelled and equalized this one unseen and neglected difference in the world shaâ—l appear and shine in that day when the Lord maketh up his jewels then he will discern between the righteous and the wicked between him that feareth God and him that feareth him not Mal. 3.18 The carnal and spiritual man have opposite affections and motions the spirit of the one is on a journey or walk upward after the Spirit and the spirit of the other is on a walk downward towards the flesh and the further they go the further distant they are the one shall be taken up to the company of the spirits of just men made perâ—ect and to the fellowship of Angels the other shall be thrown down into the fellowship and society of Devils and truly it is no wonder it â—all so low for all its motions in the body was downward to the fulfilling of the lusts of the flesh Thus you see the difference will grow wider and more sensible then it is yet between the godly and ungodly in this world it doth not so evidently appear as it will do aâ—terward As two men that leave one another and have their faces on contrary aiâ—ts at the beginning the distance and difference is not so great and so sensible but wait a little and the further they go the further they are distant and the wider their separation is Even so when a Christian begins to break off his way from the common courâ—e of the world it doth not appear to be so different from it as to convince himself and others but iâ— his face be towards Ierusalem above and his heart thitherward certainly he will be daily moving further from the world till the distance be sensible both to himself and others he will be more and more transformed and renewed till at length all be changed No wonder then that these two cannot meet together in the end of their course whose course was so opposite Though wicked men will desire to die the death of the righteous yet it is no more possible they can meet in the end then Hell and Heaven can reconcile together because they walk to two contraâ—y points SERMON XIX Rom. 8.6 For to be carnally minded is death but to be spiritually minded is life and peace IT is true this time is short and so short that scarce can similitudes or comparisons be had to shadow it out unto us it s a dream a moment a vapour a flood a flower and whatsoever can be more fading or perishing and theâ—eâ—ore it is not in it self very considerable yet in another respect it is of all things the mâ—st precious and worthy of the deepest attention and most serious consideration and that is because it is linked unto eternity there is an indissolvable knot between them that no power or art can break or loose The beginning of eternity is continuedly united to the end of time and you know all the infinit extension oâ— eternity is uniform it admits of no change in it from better to worse or worse to better and therefore the beginning of our eternity whether it be happiness or misery is but one perpetuated and eternized moment so to speak Seing then we are into the body and sent unto the world for this end that we may passe through into an unchangeable eternal estate Truly of all things it is most concerning and weighty what way we choose to this journeys end seing the time is short in which we have to walk and it is uncertain too we ought as the Apostle Peter speaks give all diligence as long as the day remains we should drive the harder lest that eternal night overtake us The shortness and uncertainty of time should constrain us to take the present opportunity and not to let it slip over as we do seing it is not at all in our hand either what is past or what is to come the one cannot be recalled the other is not in our power to call and bring forward therefore the present moment that God hath given us should be catched hold on and redeemed as the Apostle speaks Eph. 5.16 We
eye which would make offend and stumble in the way but let the remembrance of the life to come sweeten it all when men undergo the hazard of losing life for a little pleasure when for a poor petty advantage men will endure so much pains and trouble O what should eternal life and such a life as the best liâ—e here is but death to it how should it mitigat and sweeten the bitterness of mortification how should it fortifie our spirits to much endurance and patience A battel we must have for these lusts that we disingage from the Devil and the World besides will lay wait for us in this way but when for such small and inconsiderable advantages men will endure all the disadvantage of war of a long war O how should the expectation of this peace which incloses and comprehends all felicity all well-being animat and strengthen us to fight in into the City of life and peace eternal SERMON XX. Rom. 8.7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God and is not subject to the Law of God neither indeed can be UNbelief is that which condemns the world it involves in more condemnation then many other sins not only because more universal but especially because it shuts up men in their misery and secludes them from the remedy that is brought to light in the Gospel By unbelief I mean not only that careless neglect of Jesus Christ offered for salvation but that which is the root of that The inconsideration and ignorance of our desperat sinfulness and irremediless misery without Christ which not being laid to heart seriously makes such slight and superficial intertainment of a Saviour and Redeemer Man is truly miserable and unhappy whether he know it or not but truly it is an accession to his misery that he knows it not that he neither apprehends what he is now by nature nor what he must shortly be made by Justice Indeed if there were no remedy to be â—ound it were a happy ignorance To be ignorant of misery the knowledge and remembrance of it could do nothing but add unto the bitterness of it if a man might bury it in eternal forgetfulness it were some ease But now when God hath in His mercy so appointed it that the beginning of the belief of sin and misery shall in a manner be the end of miserâ— and seing whether men know it or not they must shortly be made sensible of it when there is no remedy to be â—ound then certainly it is the hight of mans misery That he knows and considers it not If we would apply our hearts at length to hear what God the Lord speaks for he only can give account of man to himselâ— we might have a survey of both in these words and the preceeding of our desperat wickedness and of our intollerable misery for the present by nature we are enemies to God and shortly we must be dealt with as enemies as rebels to the most potent and glorious King be punished with death an endless living death Experience shews how hard a thing it is to perswade you that you are really under the sentence of death you will not suffer your hearts to believe your danger left it interrupt your present pleasures of sin Nay you will flatter your selves with the fancied hope of immunity from this curse and account it a cruel and rigorous Doctrine That so many creatures made by God should be eternally miserable or a sentence of it should be past on all flesh Now that which makes us hardly to believe this is the unbelief and deep inconsideration of your sinfulnesse therefore the Apostle to make way for the former adds Because the carnal mind is enmity against God Do not wonder then that your wayes and courses your affections and inclinations bring forth that ghostly and dreadfull end of death seing all these are enmity to the greatest King who alone hath the power of life and death They have a perfect contâ—ariety to His holy Nature and righteous Will not only is the carnal mind an enemy but enmity it self and therefore it is most suitable that the soveraign power of that King oâ— kings stretched out to the vindication of His Holiness and Righâ—eousness by taking vengeance on all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men If rebellion in a State or Monarchy against these petty mortal gods who shall die as men be so hainous as to deâ—erve death by the consent of all Nations how much more shall enmity and rebellion against the immortal eteâ—nal King who hath absolute right and dominion over his creatures as over the clay have such a suitable recompence of eternal death Now my beloved if you once believed this the enmity and opposition of your whole natures to God you could not but fearfully apprehend what might be the issue of it you could not blesse your selves as you do and put the evil day far off but certainly you would be affrighted with the terrour and Majesty of that God you have to do with whom when he awakes to judgment you can neither resist nor escape no standing against his wrath and no fleeing from it out of His Dominions and this would dispose and incline your minds in time to heaâ—ken â—o the treaty of peace which is holden out in the Gospel and to lay down the weapons of your enmity and make peace with Him in His Son the Peace-maker Amity and Unity is the very being and beauty of the world This universe is made up of innumerable different kinds and natures and all these climb and walk together by the bond of peace and concord among themselves and with that One high understanding that directs all and supream will of God that moves all It is that link of union with God that gives and preserves being and beauty in all the creatures as the dependence of the ray upon the Sun or the stream on the fountain makes them what they are which being interrupted they cease to be what they were All things continue as thou hast ordained them for all are thy servants Ps. 119.91 You see then this amity and union of subordination of the creatures to God is not dissolved to this day But woâ—ull and wretched man alone hath withdrawn from this subordination and dissolved this sacred tye of happy friendship which at first he was liâ—ted up unto and priviledged with Amity and friendship you know consists in an union of hearts and wills and a communion of all good things it makes two one as much as two can be by the conspiracy of their affections in one thing and the joynt concurrence of their endeavours to communicat to one another what each hath it takes away propriety and it makes a community between persons Now how happy was that amity how blessed that friendship between God and man Though mans goodness could not extend to God yet his soul united to God by love and delight and all that God had given him returning that to
Christ hath continued our mortality Else he would have abolished death it self if he had not meant to abolish sin by death and indeed it would appear this is the reason why the world must be consumed with fire at the last day and new Heavens and earth succeed in its room because as the little house the body so the great house the world was infected with this leprosie so subjected to vanity and corruption because of mans sin therefore that there might be no remnant of mans corruption and no memorial of sin to inteâ—upt his eternal joy the Lord will purify and change all all the members that were made instruments of unrighteousness all the creatures that were servants to mans lusts a new form and fashion shall be put on all that the body being restored may be a fit dwelling place for the purified soul and the world renewed may be a â—it house for righteous men Thus you see that Death to a Christian is not real death for it is not the death of a Christian but the death of sin his greatest enemy it is not a punishment but the enlargement of the soul. Now the next comfort is that which is is but partial it is but the dissolution of the lowest part in man his body so far from prejudging the immortal life of his spirit that it is rather the accomplishment of that Though the body must die yet eternal life is begun already within tâ—e soul for the Spirit of Christ hath brought in life the Righteousnesse of Christ hath purchased it and the Spirit hath performed it and applyed it to us not only there is an immortal being in a Christian that must survive the dust for that is common to all men but there is a new life begun in him an immortal well being in joy and happinesse which only deserveth the name of life that cometh never to its full perfection till the bodily and earthly house be taken down If you consider seriously what a new life a Câ—â—istâ—â—n is â—â—â—aâ—lated unto by the operation of the Holy Ghost and the ministration of the word it is then most active and lively when the soul is most retired from the body in meditation the new life of a Christian is most perfect in this life when it carrieth him the furthest distance from his bodily senses and is most abstracted from all sensible engagements as you heard for indeed it restores the spirit of a man to its native rule and dominion over the body so that it is then most perfect when it is most gâ—thered within it self and disingaged from all external intanglements Now certain it is since the perfection of the soul in this life consists in such a retirement from the body that when it is wholly separated from it then it is in the most absolute state of perfection and its life â—cts most purely and peâ—fectly when it hath no body to communicat with and to entangle it either with its lusts or necessities The Spirit is life it hath a life now which is then best when furthest from the body and therefore it cannot but be surpassing better when it is out of the body and all this is purchaâ—ed by Christs righteousnesse As mans disobedience made an end of his life Christs obedience hath made our life endlesse He suffered death to sting him and by this hath taken the sting from it and now there is a new statute and appointment of Heaven published in the Gospel whosoever believeth in Him shall not perish but have eternal life Now indeed this hath so intirely châ—nged the nature of death that iâ— hath noâ— the most lovely and desirable aspect on a Christian that it is no more an object of fear but of desire amicable not terrible unto him since there is no way to save the passenger but to let the vessel break he will be content to have the body splitted that himself that is his soul may escape for truly a mans soul is himself the body is but an earthly tabernacle that must be taken down to let the inhabitant win out to come near his Lord the body is the Prison-house that he groans to have opened that he may enjoy that liberty of the sons of God And now to a Christian death is not properly an object of patience but of desire rather I desire to be dissolved and be with Christ Phil. 1.23 He that hath but advanced little in Christianity will be content to die but because there is too much flesh he will desire to live but a Christian that is riper in knowledge and grace will rather desire to die and only be content to live he will exercise patience and submission about abiding here but groanings and pantings about removing hence because he knoweth that there is no choice between that bondage and this liberty SERMON XXIX Rom. 8.10 The body is dead because of sin but the Spirit is life c. IT was the first curse and threatning wherein God thought fit to comprehend all misery Thou shalt die the death in that day thou eatest though the sentence was not presently executed according to the letter yet from that day â—orward man was made mortal and there seemeth to be much mercy and goodness of God interveening to plead a delay of death it self that so the promise of life in the second Adam might come to the first and his posterity and they might be delivered â—rom the second death though not from the first Alwayes we bear about the markes of sin in our bodies to this day and in so far the threatning taketh place that this life that we live in the body is become nothing else but a dying life the life that the ungodly shall live out oâ— the body is a living death and either of these is worse then simple death or destruction of beeing The serious contemplation of the miseries of this life made wise Solomon to praise the dead more then the living contrary to the custom of men who rejoyce at the birth of a man-child and mourn at their death yea it pressed him further to think them which have not at all been better then both because they have not seen the evil under the Sun this world is such a Chaos such a masse of miseries that if men understood it before they came into it they would be far more loath to enter into it then they are now afraid to go out of it And truly we want not remembrances and representations of our misery every day in that children come weeping into the world as it were bewailing â—heir own misfortune that they were brought forth to be sensible subjects of misery And what is all our life-time but a repetition of sighs and groanâ— anxiety and satiety loathing and longing dividing our spiâ—its and our time between them How many deaths must we suffer before death come for the absence or losse of any thing much desired is a sepâ—ration no lesse gâ—ievous to the hearts of men
then the paâ—ting of soul and body for affection to temporal peâ—ishing things unites the soul so unto them that there is no parting without pain no dissolution of that continuity without much vexation and yet the soul must suffer many such tortures in one day because the things are perishing in their own nature and uncertain What is sleep which devours the most part of our time but the very image and picture of death a visible and daily representation of the long cessation of the sensitive life in the grave and yet truly it is the best and most innocent part of our time though we accuse it often there is both lesse sin and lesse misery in it for it is almost the only leniment and refreshment we get in all our miseries Iobâ—ought â—ought it to asswage his grief and ease his body but it was the extremity of his misery that he could not find it Now my beloved when you find that which is called life subject to so much misery that you are constrained often to desire you had never been born you find it a valley of tears a house of mourning from whence all true delight and solid happiness is banished seing the very Officers and Serjeants of death are continually surrounding us and walk alongs with us though unpleasant company in our greatest contentments and are putting marks upon your doors as in the time of the Plague upon houses infected Lord have mercy upon us and are continually bearing this motto to our view and â—ounding this direction to our earâ— cito procul diu to get soon out of Sodom that is appointed for destruction to fly quickly out of our selves to the refuge appointed of God even one that was dead and is alive and hath redeemed us by his blood and to get far off from our selves and take up dwelling in the blessed Son oâ— God through whose flesh there is accesse to the Father seing all these I say are so why do not we awake our selves upon the sound of the promise of immortality and life brought to our ears in the Gospel Mortality hath already seized upon our bodies but why do ye not catch hold of this opportunity of releasing your souls from the chains and setters of eternal dâ—ath Truly my beloved all that can be spoken of torments and miseries in this life I suppose we could imagine all the exquisite torments invented by the most cruel tyrants since the beginning to be combined in some one kind of torture and would tâ—â—n stâ—etch our imagination beyond that as far as that which is compoâ—ed of all torments surpasseth the simplest death yet we do not conceive nor expresse unto you that death to come Believe it when the soul is out of the body it is a most pure activity all sense all knowledge and seing where it is dulled and dampished in the body it is capable of so much grief or joy pleasure or pain we may conclude That being loosed from these stupifying earthly chains that it is capable of infinit more vexation or contentation in a higher anâ— purer strain Therefore we may conclude with the Apostle that all men by nature are miserable in life but infinitly more miserable in death only the man who is in Jesus Christ in whose spirit Christ dwells and hath made a temple of his body for offering up reasonable service in it that man only is happy in life but far happier in death happy that he was born but infinitly more happy that he was born mortal born to die for if the body be dead because of sin the spirit is life because of righteousnesse Men commonly make their accompts and calculat their time so as if death were the end of it truly it were happinesse in the generality of men that that computation were true either that it had never begâ—n or that it might end here for that which is the greatest dignity and glory of a man his immortal soul it is truly the greatest misery of sinful men because it capacitats them for eternal misery But if we make our accompts right and take the right period truly death is but the beginning of our Time of endlesse and unchangeable endurance either in happinesse or misery and this life in the body which is only in the view of the short-sighted sons of men is but a strait and narrow passage into the infinit ocean of eternity but so inconsiderable it is that according as the spirit in this passage is fashioned and formed so it must continue for ever for where the tree falleth there it lyeth There may be hope that a tree will sprout again but truly there is no hope that ever the damned soul shall see a spring of joy and no fear that ever the blessed spirits shall find a winter of grief such is the evennesse of eternity that there is no shadow of change in it O then how happy are they in whose souls this life is already begun which shal then come to its Meridian when the glory of the flesh falls down like withered hay into the dust the life as well as the light of the righteouâ— is progressive its shining more and more till that day come the day of Death onâ—y worthy to be called the present day becâ—â—se it brings perfection it mounts the soul in the highest point of the Orb and there is no declining from that again The spirit is now alive in some holy affâ—ctions and motions breathing upwards wrestling towards that point the soul is now in paâ—t united to the fountain of life by loving attendance and obedience and it iâ— longing to be more clâ—â—ly united the inward senses are exercisâ—â— about spiritual thingâ— but the burden of this clayie mansion dotâ— much dull and damp them and proves a great Remora to the spiriâ— the body indispoâ—es and weakens the soul much its life as in an Infant though a reasonable soul be there yet overwhelmed with the incapacity of the organs this body is truly a prison of restraint and confinement to the â—oul and often loathsome and ugly through the filthinesse of sin But when the spirit is delivered from this necessary burden and impediment O how lively is that life it then lives then the life peace joy love and delight of the soul surmounts all that is possible here further then the highest exercise of the soul of the wisest men surpasses the bruitish-like apprehensions of an infant and indeed then the Christian comes to his full stature and is a perfect man when he ceaseth to be a man How will you not be perswaded beloved in the Lord to long after this life to have Christ foâ—med in your hearts foâ— truly the generality have not so much as Christ fashioned in their outward habit but aâ—e within daâ—knâ—sse and eaâ—thinesse and wickednesse and without impiety and prâ—fanity will you not long for this life for now you are dead while you live as the Apostle speaks of widows that live in pleasure
The more the soul be satisfied with eaâ—thly things it is the deeper buâ—ied in the grave of the flesh and the â—urther separated from God Alas many oâ— you know no other liâ—e then that which you now live in the body you neither apprehend what this new birth is nor what the perfect statuâ—e of it shall be afterwards but truly while it is thus you are but walking shadows breathing â—lâ—y and no more A godly man used to calculat the years of his nativity from his second birth his conversion to God in Christ And truly this is the true period of the â—ight calculation of life of that life which shall not see death True life hath but one period that is the beginning of it for end it hath none I beseech you reckon your years thus and I fear that you â—eckon your selves many of you yet dead in sins and trespasses Is that life I pray you To eat to drink to sleep to play to walk to work Is there any thing in all these worthy of a reasonable soul which must survive the body and so cease from such things for ever Think within your selves do you live any other life then this What is your life but a tedious and wearisome repetition of such bruitish actions which are only teâ—minat on the body O then how miserable are you if you have no other period to reckon from then your birth day If there be not a second birth day before your burial you may make your reckoning To be banished eternally from the life of God As for you Christians whom God hath quickned by the Spirit of His Son be much in the exercise of this life and that will maintain and advance it let your care be about your spirits and to hearten you in this study and to beget in you the hope of eternal life look much and lay fast hold on that Life-giving Saviour who by his righteous life and accursed death hath purchased by his own blood both happinesse to us and holinesse Consider what debters ye are to Him who loved not his own life and spared it not to purchase this life to us Let our thoughts and affections be occupied about this high purchase of our Saviours which is freely bestowed on them that will have it and believe in Him for it if we be not satisfied with such a low and wretched life as is in the body He will give a higher and more enduring life and only worthy of that name SERMON XXX Rom. 8.11 But if the Spirit of him that raised up Iesus from the dead dwell in you he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken you c. IT is true the soul is incomparably better then the body and he is only worthy the name of a Man and of a Christian who prefers this more excellent part and imploys his study and time about it and regards his body only for thâ— noble guest that lodges within it and therefore it is one of the prime consolations that Christianity affords that it provides chiefly for the happy estate of this immortal piece in man which truly were alone sufficient to draw our souls wholly after Religion suppose the body should never taste of the fruits of it but die and rise no more and never be awak'd out of its sleep yet it were a sufficient ground of engagement to godlinesse that the life and well-being of the far better part in man is secured for eternity which is infinitly more then all things beside can truly promise us or be able to perform Certainly whatsoever else you give your hearts to and spend your time upon it will either leave you in the midst of your dayes and at your end you shall be a fool or you must leave it in the end of your dayes and find your selves as much disappointed or to speak more properly because when your time is ending your life and being is but at its beginning you must bid an eternal adieu to all these things whereupon your hearts are set when you are but beginning truly to be But this is only the proper and true good of the soul Christ in it most portable and easily carried about with you yea that which makes the soul no burden to it self and helps it to carry all things easily and then most inseparable for Christ in the soul is the spring of a never-ending life of peace joy and contentation in the fountain of an infinit goodnesse and it out-wears time and age as well as the immortal beeing of the soul yea such is the strength of this consolation that then the soul is most closly united and â—ully possessed oâ— that which is its peculiar and satisfying good when it leaves the body in the dust and eâ—capes out of this pâ—iâ—on unto that glorious liberty But yet there is besides this an additional comfort comprehended in the vers read that the sleep of the body is not perpetual that it shall once be awakened and raised up to the fellowship of this glory â—or though a man should be abundantly satisfied if he possesse his own soul yet no man hateth his own flesh the soul hath some kind of natural inclination to a body suitable unto it and in this it differs from an Angel and therefore the Apostle when he expresseth his earnest groan for intimat presence oâ— his soul with Christ he subjoyns this correction not that we desire to be uncloathed but cloathed upon it 2 Cor. 5.1 2 3. If it were possible sayes he we would be glade to have the society of the body in this glory we would not desire to cast off those cloaths of flesh but rather that the garment of glory might be spread over all if it were not needful because they are old and ragged and would not suit well and our earthly Tabernacle is ruinous and would not be fit for such a glorious guest to dwell into and therefore it is needful to be taken down well then here is an overplus and as it were a surcharge of consolation that seing for the present it is expedient to put off the present cloathing of flesh and take down the present earthly house yet that the day is coming that the same cloaths renewed shall be put on and the same house repaired and made suitable to Heaven shall be built up that this mortal body shall be quickned with that same Spirit that now quickens the soul and makes it live out of the body and so the sweet and beloved friends who parted with so much pain and grief shall meet again with so much pleasure and joy and as they were sharers together in the miseries of this life sâ—all participat also in the blessednesse of the next like Saul and Ionathan lovely and pleasant in their lives and though for a time separated in death yet not alwayes divided Now is the highest top of happinesse to which nothing can be added its comprehensive of the whole man and its
are debters indeed but you owe nothing to the flesh but stripes and mortification SERMON XXXIV Rom. 8.13 For if ye live after the flesh ye shall die but if ye through the Spirit c. THough the Lord out of his absolute Soveraignty might deal with man in such a way as nothing should appear but his supream Will and Almighty Power he might simply command obedience and without any more perswasions either leave men to the frowardnesse of their own natures or else powerfully constrain them to their duty yet he hath chosen that way that is most suitable to his own wisdom and most connatural to mans nature To lay out before him the advantages and disadvantages and to use these as motives and perswasives of his Spirit for since He hath by his first creation implanted in mans soul such a principle as moveth it self upon the presentation of good or evil that this might not be in vain he administers all the dispensation of the Law and Gospel in a way suitable to that by propounding such powerful motives as may incline and perswade the heart of man It is true there is a secret drawing withall necessary the pull of the Fathers arm and power of the Holy Ghost yet that which is visible or sensible to the soul is the framing of all things so as to engage it upon rational terms it is set between two contraries death and life death which it naturally abhoâ—reth and life which it naturally loveth an even ballance is holden up before the light of the conscience in which obedience and sin are weighed and it is found even to the convincing of the spirit of man that there are as many disadvantages in the one as advantages in the other This was the way that God used fiâ—st with man in Paradise you remember the terms â—un to what day thou eats thou shalt die he hedged him in on the one side by a promisâ— of life on the other by a threatning of death and these two are very rational restraintâ— â—uited to â—he â—oul of man and in the inward principles of it which are a kind of instinct to that which is appâ—ehenâ—ed good or gainfull Now this vers â—uns even so in the form of words If ye live after the flesh ye shall die you see thiâ— method is not changed under the Gospel for indeed it is natuâ—al to the spiâ—it of man and he hath now much more need of all such peâ—swasions because there is a great change of mans inclination to the woâ—st side all within is so disordered and perverse that a thousand hedges of perswasive grounds cannot do that which one might have done at fiâ—st then they were added out of superabundance but now out of necessity then they were set about man to preserve him in his natural â—â—ame and inâ—linations but now they are needfull to change and alter them quite which is a kind of creation therefore sayeth David creat in me a new spirit and therefore the Gospel abounds in vaâ—ieâ—y of motives and inducementâ— in greater variety oâ— far moâ—e powerâ—ul inducements then the Law Heâ—e is that grâ—aâ— peâ—swasiâ—n tâ—kâ—n fâ—om the infinit gain or lâ—sse of â—â—e â—â—ul of man which is any thing be able to prevail this must do seing it is seconded wiâ—h some natural inclination in the soul of man to seek its own gain Yet there is a diâ—â—erence between the nature of such like promises and threatningâ— in the fiâ—st covenant and in the second In the fiâ—st covenant though life was freely promised â—et it was immediatly annexed to perâ—ect obedience as a consequent â—eward oâ— it it was fiâ—stly pâ—omised unto compleat â—ighteousnesse of mens persons But in the second covenant firstly and principally liâ—e eteâ—nal grace and glory is promised to Jesus Christ and his â—eed antecedent to any condition or qualification upon their part and then again all the promises that run in way of condition as he that believeth shâ—ll not perish c. If ye walk after the Spirit ye shall live these aâ—e all the consequent fruits of that absolute gracious disposition and resignation of grace and life to them whom Christ hath chosen and so their believing and walking and obeying cometh in principally as parts of the grace promised and as witnesses and evidences and confirmations of that life which is already begun and will not see an end Besides that by vertue of these absolute promises made to the seed of Christ and Christs compleat performance of all conditions in their name the promises of life are made to faith principally which hath this peculiar vertue To cary forth the soul to anothers righteousnesse and sufficiency and to bottom it upon another and in the next place to holy walking though mixed with many infirmities which promise in the first covenant was only annexed to perfect and absolute obedience You heard in the preceeding vers a strong inducement taken from the bond debt and duty we owe to the Spirit to walk after it and the want of all obligation to the flesh Now if honesty and duty will not suffiâ—e to perswade you as you know in other things it would do with any honest man plain equity is a sufficient bond to him yet consider what the Apostle subjoynes from the dammage and from the advantage which may of it self be the Topickes of perswasion and serves to drive in the nail of debt and duty to the head if ye will not take with this debt ye owe to the Spirit but still conceive there is some greater obligation lying on you to care for your bodies and satisfie them then I say behold the end of it what fruit you must one day reap of the flesh and service of sin If ye live after the flesh ye shall die but then consider the fruit you â—hall reap of the Spirit and holy walking ye shall live It is true the flesh may flatter you more for the present but the end of it will be bitter as death amplâ—ctitur ut strangulet the flesh imbraces you that it may strangle you and so if you knew all well you would not think you owed it any thing but enmity and hatred and mortification If your duty will not move you let the love of your selves and your souls perswade you for it is an irrepealable statute The wages of sin is death Every way you choose to fulfill the lusts of your flesh and to make provision for it neglecting the eternal welfare of your souls certainly it shall prove to you the tree of the knowledge of good and evil it shall be as the forbidden fruit which in stead of performing that was promised will bring forth death the eternal separation of the soul from God Adam's sin was an Breviary or Epitome of the multiplied and enâ—arged sins of mankind you may see in this tragedy all your fortuns so to speak you may behold in it the flattering insinuations and deceitful promises of sin and Satan who is a liar
of hâ—s Law surâ—ound when your Conscience accuâ—eth and God condâ—mneth it may be too late and out of date Alas then wâ—at will you do who now put your conscâ—ence by and will not hearken to it or be put in fear by any thâ—ng can be represented to you we do not desiâ—e to put you in feâ—r where nâ—â—ear is but where there is infinit cause of â—ear and when it is possible that fear may introduce faith and be the forerunner oâ— these glad tidings that will compose the soul We desiâ—e only you may know what bondage you are really into whether it be observed or not that you may fear lest you be enthralled in the chains oâ— everlasting daâ—knesse and so may be perswaded to flee from it before it be irrecoverable Wâ—at a vain and empty sound is the Gospel of liberty by a Redeemer to the most paâ—t who do not feel their bondage Who believes its report or care much for it because it is necessity that casts a beauty and lustâ—e upon it or takes the scales off our eyes and opens our closed ears Now for you who either are or have been detained in this bondage under the feaâ—ful apprehension oâ— the wrath of God and the sad remembrance oâ— your sins know that this is not the prime intent and grand businesse to torment you as it were before the time there is some other more beautiful and satisfying structure to be raised out of this â—oundation I would have you improve it thus to commend the necessity the absolute necessity of a Redeemer and to make him beautiful in your eyes Do not dwell upon that as if it were the ultimat or last work but know that you are called in this rational way to come out of your selves into this glorious liberty of the sons of God purchased by Christ anâ— revealed in the Gospel Know you have not received the spirit of bondage only to fear but to drive you to faith in a Saviour and then you ought so to walk as not to return to that â—ormer thraldome oâ— the â—ear of wrath but believe his love SERMON XXXVII Rom. 8.14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God they are the sons of God Vers. 15. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear but ye have received the Spirit of adoption whereby we cry Abba Father THE liâ—e oâ— Christianity take it in it self it is the most pleasant and joyful life that can be exempted from these fears and cares these sorrows and anxieties that all other lives are subjâ—ct unto for this of necessity must be the force and efficacy of true Religion iâ— it be indeed true to its name to disburden and ease the heart and fill it with all manner of consolation Certainly it is the most rich Subject and most compleatly â—urnished with all variety of delights to enteâ—tain a soul that can be imagined Yet I must confess while we consult with the experience and practice of Christians this bold assertion seems to be much weakned and too much ground is given to confirm the contrary misappreheâ—sions of the world who take it to be a sullen melancholick and dâ—â—consolat life attended with many â—ears and sorows It is alas too evident that many Christians are kept in bondage almost all their lâ—fe-time through fear oâ— eteâ—nall death how many dismall representations of sin and wrath in the souls of some Christians which keep them in much thraldom at least who is it that is not once and often brought in bondage aâ—ter conversion and made to apprehend feaâ—fully their own estate who hath such constant uninterrupâ—ed peace and joy in the holy Ghost or lyes under such direct beams of divine favour but it is sometimes eclipsed and their souls fillâ—d with the darknes of horrour and terrour and â—ruly the most part taâ—â—e not so much sweetness in Religion as makeâ— them uncessâ—nt and unwearied in the wayes of Godliness yet not withstanding of all this wâ— must vindicat Christianity it self and not impute these things unto it which are the infirmities and faults of the followers of it who do not improve it unto such an use or use it so far as in it self it is capable Indeed it is true that oâ—ten we are brought to fear again yet withall it is certain that our allowance is larger and that we have received the Spirit not to put us in bondage again to fear but rather to seal to our hearts that love of God which may not only expell fear but bring in joy I wish that this were deeply considered by all of us that there is such a life as this attainâ—ble that the word of God doth not deceive us in promiâ—ing fair things which it cannot perform but that there is a certain realiâ—y in the life of Christianity in that peace and joy tranquility and serenity of minâ— that is holden out and that some have â—eally found it and do find it and that the reason why all of us do not find it in expeâ—ience is not because it is not but because we have so little apprehension of it and diligence after it It is strange that all men who have pursued satisfaction in the things of this life being disappointed and one generation witnessing this to another and one person to another that notwithstanding men are this day as fresh in the pursuit of that as big in the expectations as ever and yet in this business of Religion and the happiness to be found in it though the Oracles of God in all ages have testified from Heaven how certain and possible it is though many have found it in experience and left it on record to others yet there is so slender belief of the reality and certainty of it and so slack pursuit of it as if we did not believe it at all Truly my beloved there is a great mistake in this and it s generally too all men apprehend other things more â—easable and attainable then personal holinesse and happinesse in it but truly I conceive there is nothing in the world so practicable as this nothing made so easie so certain to a soul that really minds it Let us take it so then the fault is not Religions that these who professe it are subject to so much fear and care and disquieted with so much sorrow it is rather because Christianity doth not sink into the hearts and souls oâ— men but only puts a tincture on their out-side or because the â—aith of divine truths is so supeâ—ficial and the consideration oâ— them so slight that they cannot have much efficacy and influence on the heart to quiet and compose it Is it any wonder that some souls be subject again to the bondage of fear and terrour when they do not stand in aw to sin Much liberty to sin will certainly embondage the spirit of a Christian to fear Suppose a believer in Jesus Christ be exempted from the hazâ—rd of condemnation yet he
Christ. Here is a blessed message to condemned lost sinners who have that sentence within their breasts vers 1. This was the end of Christs coming and dying that he might deliver us from sin as well as death and the righteousnesse of the Law might be fulfilled in us and therefore he hath given the holy Spirit and dwels in us by the Spirit to quicken us who are dead in sins and trespasses O! what consolation will this be to souls that look upon the body oâ— death within them as the greatest misery and do groan with Paul O miserable man that I am c. Rom. 7.24 This is held forth to vers 17. But because there are many grounds of heavinesse and sadnesse in this world therefore the Gospel opposes unto all these both our expectation which we have of that blessed hope to come whereof we are so sure that nothing can frustâ—at us of it And also the help we get in the mean time of the Spirit to bear our infirmities and to bring all things about for good to us vers 28. And from all this the believer in Jesus Christ hath ground of triumph and boasting before the perfect victory Even as Paul doth in the name of believers from vers 31. to the end Upon these considerations he that cryed out not long ago O miserable man who shall deliver me doth now cry out Who shall condemn me The distressed wrestler becomes a victorious triumpher the beaten Souldiour becomes more than a Conquerour Oh that your hearts could be perswaded to hearken to this joyful sound to embrace Jesus Christ for grace and salvation how quickly would a song of triumph in him swallow up all your present complaints and lamentations All the complaints amongst men may be reduced to one of these three I hear the most part bemoaning theâ—selves thus Alace for the miseries of this life this evil world Alace for poverty for contempt for sickness Oh miserable man that I am who will take this disease away who will shew me any good thing Psal. 4. any temporal good But if ye knew and considered your latter end ye would cry out more ye would refuse to be comforted though these miseries were removed But I hear some bemoaning themselves more sadly they have heard the Law and the sentence of condemnation is within them the Law hath entred and killed them Oh! what shall I do to be saved Who will deliver me from the wrath to come What is alâ— present afflictions and miseries in respect of eternity Yet there is one moan and lamentation beyond all these when the soul finds the sentence of absolution in Jesus Christ and gets its eyes opened to see that body of death and sin within that perfect man of sin diffused throughout all the members then it bemoans it self with Paul Oh miserable man who shall deliver me from this body of death Rom. 7.24 I am delivered from the condemnation of the Law but what comâ—ort is it as long as sin is so powerful in me Nay this makes me often suspect my delivery from wrath and the curse seing sin it self is not taken away Now if ye could be perswaded to hearken to Jesus Christ and embrace this Gospel O! what abundant consolation should ye have what a perfect answer to all your complaints they would be swallowed up in such a triumph as Pauls are here This would discover unto you a perfect remedy of sin and misery that ye should complain no more or at least no more as these without hope You shall never have a remedy of your temporal miseries unlesse ye begin at eternal to prevent them Seek first the kingdom of God and all other things shall be added unto you seek fiâ—st to flee from the wrath to come and ye shall escape it and beside the evil of time-afflictions shall be removed first remove the greatest complaints of sin and condemnation and how easie is it to answer all the lamentations of this life and make you rejoice in the midst of them You have in this verse three things of great importance to consider The great and precious priviledge the true nature and the special property of a Christian. The priviledge is one of the greatest in the world because it s of eternal consequence and soul concernment the nature is most divine he is one that is in Jesus Christ and implanted in him by faith his distinguishing property is noble sureable to his nature and priviledges he walkes not as the world according to his base flesh but according to the spirit All these three are of one latitude none of them reaches further than another that rich priviledge and sweet property concenters and meets together in one man even in the man who is in Jesus Christ whoever enters into Jesus Christ and abideth in him he meets with these two Justification and Sanctification these are no where else and they are there together If ye knew the nature and properties of a Christian ye would fall in love with these for themselves but if theâ—e for your own sakes will not allure you consider this incomparable priviledge that he hath beyond all others that ye may â—all in love with the nature of a Christian. Let this love of your selves and your own wel-being puâ—sue you in to Jesus Christ that ye may walk even as he walked and I assure you if ye were once in Christ Jesus ye would love the very nature and walking of a Christian no more for the absolution and salvation that accompanies it but â—or its oâ—n sweetnesse and excellency beyond all other Ye would as the people of Samaria no moâ—e believe for the report of your own neceâ—â—â—ty and misery but ye would believe in Jesus Christ and walk according to the Spirit for their own testimony they have in your consciences Ye would no more be allured only with the priviledges oâ— it to embrace Châ—istianity but ye would think Christianity the greatest priviledge a reward â—nto it self Pietas ipsa sibi merces eâ—t Godlinesse is great gain in it self though it had not such sweet consequents or companions That you may know this priviledge conâ—â—der the estate all men are into by nature Paul expresses it in shoâ—t Rom. 5. By the offence of oÌ„ne judgemnt came upon all unto condemnation and the reason of this is by one man sin came upon all and so death by sin for death passed upon all because all have sinned vers 18.12 Lo then all men are under a sentence of condemnation once This sentence is the curse of the Law Cursed is every one that abideth not in all things commanded to do them If ye knew what this curse were ye would indeed think it a priviledge to be delivered from it Sin is of an infinite deserving because against an infinite God it s an offence of an infinite Majesty and therefore the curse upon the sinner involves eternal punishment O! what weight is in that word 2 Thes. 1.9 Ye