his Son to whom this eternall life is communicated and that is to all such as to whom the Son is communicated amplified by the contrary He that hath not the Son hath not life Doctrine According to or upon our having or not having of Christ depends our having or not having of life The note is of speciall weight in our Christian experience and therefore let us take so much the more care in opening of it He that findeth me which is all one with hee that hath me he hath life Prov. 8.34 but he that is estranged from me he loveth death ver 36. So that finde Christ and finde life Finde him not but be estranged from him and finde death So Eph. 2.12 In times past ye were without Christ being aliens from the Commonwealth of Israel strangers from the Covenant of promise having no hope and without God in the world and Eph. 4.18.19 There he speakes of some that were alienated from the life of God but in ver 20. Ye have not so learned Christ if so be you have been taught by him as the truth is in Jesus For further clearing of this point let me shew you first the Reasons upon which it depends and then the uses of it Creatures broken Sisterns without Christ Reason 1. For the first The first reason arises from the insufficiency of all the body of the creature to give us life without Christ Heb. 10.1.4 It is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats should cleanse the conscience from sinne They are not a valuable recompence to God for the transgressions we have done by our transgressions we had deserved death for which the death of the beasts cannot make recompence Men cannot redeem themselves And besides should we dye for our sinnes our selves our death would not free us from the punishment for we are not able to overcome death but should for ever sinke under it If there had been a Law that could have given us life then wee might have lived by it but there is no such Law as can give us spirituall life David speakes in the name of Christ Psal 22.29 It is the speech of our Saviour or of David in his name No Man can keepe alive his owne soule It is beyond the power of the creature to keep alive his own soule no not so much as naturall life Psal 49.7.9 No man can give a ransome for the soule of his brother no man is able to ransome or redeem his owne life or anothers yea which is much Adam in innocency was taught to looke for the preservation of his inocent nature out of himself for to that end did God give him the tree of life Gen. 2.9 the tree of life grows not in Adam but in the Garden Now he that was to eat of the tree called the tree of life he was taught from thence that the maintenance and continuance of that life which he then lived a life of grace and glory was not to be expected from his owne strength but from something without himselfe The tree of life was a type of the Lord Jesus Christ the second person in Trinity 1 Joh. 3.4 Now if Adam could not keep alive his own soule but by that tree how much lesse Adam falne and corrupted being now become unable to keep that Law which in innocency he might have kept But more clearly see the grounds of this insufficiency in the creature to helpe it selfe The first is taken from the preciousnesse of the price of our redemption The costlinesse of it the matter of our justification is the price of our redemption and without justification no spirituall life at all Now the price of our redemption is our justification the forme of that justification is Gods accepting of it and imputing it to us but the matter of it is the price of our redemption and that is the root of all our spirituall life the price of our redemption given to God is accepted of him and by him given to us Psal 49.8 Precious is the redemption of soules it is farre beyond the power of the creature that which may be fit matter to give to God by way of satisfaction for a soule that is very precious and this was onely the obedience of Christ to the death he by suffering death for us and rising from the dead declared himselfe mightily to be the Son of God and he by his obedience to the death offered to God the price of our redemption He gave himselfe a ransome for many And this shews that it had beene impossible for any under the Sonne of God to have given a sufficient price for our redemption neither man nor Angels could doe it but he in giving a sufficient price for us did thereby mightily declare himselfe to be the Sonne of God he onely by his death is the matter of our justification and his rising is our life the Father himselfe it could not stand with his justice to give a price for our redemption he being the person offended but the Sonne taking upon him our nature that nature which had offended God he by this meanes made atonement betweene the Father and us and in making atonement declared himselfe mightily to be the Sonne of God none but he alone was able to tender to God such a recompence as might be a satisfaction for our sins 2. And as this is ground why there is no sufficiency in the creature to give us the life of our justification so it is also taken from the root of our sanctification and consolation for they spring both from one fountaine and that is the Spirit of Gods grace John 16.7 he is the comforter that is our sanctifier and this springs in us to everlasting life Joh. 4.14 Now he that can give a spirit of sanctification and consolation is onely the Lord Jesus Christ unlesse he goe away and send the Comforter to us he never comes If you would know who it is that can give this water of life you shal read Joh. 4.10 that it is only the Lord Jesus he it is only that goes to the Father and sends his Spirit of grace into our hearts unlesse he go to heaven and send it downe from heaven to us it is not given So that he being the root of the Spirit of consolation of sanctification all this life of consolation sanctification springing from the Spirit as from a fountain and Christ being he that sets open this fountain Zac. 1.13 Therefore it is that there is an insufficiency in the creature to shed abroad such a thing as this into our hearts Act. 2 33. when he was to give a reason of the spirit of Tongues he fetches it fom the resurrection of Christ that he by his ascending into heaven did shed abroad this word which you now see and heare so that by his death he gave to God not onely the price of our redemption but prevailed with the Father to bestow upon him the Spirit to
motions of Gods spirit and cannot indure that any Ordinance should bring us nearer to Christ Act. 7.51 Yee have always resisted the holy ghost expelled the blessed of God that if the holy ghost but dart any good councel into their hearts they cannot indure to hear it nor entertain any motion of it but grieve and vex the holy Spirit of God and they are not well till they quench it 1 Thess 5.19 Esa 5.3 we are alive to nothing but to run away from God alive to sinne alive to doe evill but to doe well we have no understanding Jer. 4.22 Apt to purge and cleanse our selves from all good things but wholly undisposed to doe any thing that is well this is the true estate of us all Look at us as we are by nature all of us without Christ cannot put forth one act of spirituall life not one good motion to be found in such a condition And in the first place for begetting any unto grace we rather doe the quite contrary we addict our selves to beget men to become the children of Hell worse then our selves Matth. 23.15 two-fold more the children of Hell and because that may be more proper to corrupt teachers Jeremy speakes it of all the sonnes of nature and those especially that had lived a while under the meanes and were not thereby brought on to an estate of grace those whom God had kindled some fire in their hearts and whom he would have brought on to grace even these They are all grievously revolted walking with slanders they are brasse and Iron they are all corrupters Jer. 6.28 He doth not say they are all corrupted but all corrupters that is such as are not only naught themselves but they corrupt others also they make others worse for their sakes No man that sets his face to God-ward but if he come among them he is the worse for them every man is kept off the more from goodnesse by their meanes they doe not love that men should be too forward or too precise nor to keep such a puleing nor such a praying we are all by nature corrupters Gen. 6.11 All flesh had corrupted their way even every man had done it every one is the worse for us that hath to doe with us if we see but any good disposition in them to be comming on in the waies of grace we doe as much as in us lyes to quench and damp and smother them and never rest by our good wills till we make them as ill as our selves and harden their hearts from Gods feare this is the true carriage of all those who are out of Christ He that hath not the Son he hath no life no motion of spirituall life no growing up in Christ no purging out of sinfull uncleannesse and therefore now to apply this conceive thus much First It applyes it selfe against the Church of Rome Application first who maintaine that men in the state of nature have free will to lay hold upon Christ and they conceive it is upon very faire termes but I would only demand of you this question Whether when they doe lay hold on Christ as they conceive whether they have him or they have him not they will say They have not Christ till they have received him for what hast thou that thou hast not received 1 Cor. 4.7 And till they have received him how shall they lay hold upon him and if not receive him they are dead men and when a man is dead what can he have by any benefit that is offered him Offer him never so largely and he can receive no benefit by it and if that any doe lay hold upon Christ were they not living when they so layed hold upon him so that when they doe lay hold upon Christ whether is it an action of life or no If not how shall they lay hold on Christ and without Christ no life A man in the state of nature neither doth good nor can he doe any good nor is he willing to doe good and therefore well doth the Apostle say It is God that workes in you both the will and the deed Phil. 2.12 13. Any thing that we doe that is good is wholly from the grace of Christ and this is just against the Papists Secondly It serves to teach us all to bemoane our owne estates or the estates of any of ours that we yet see in the gall of bitternesse lying in an estate of nature is it thy selfe or thy father or mother or thy children or servants whatever he be be he never so good a natured man if he be yet without Christ there is no life in him I say looke upon him as thy dead friend If thou didst look upon thy father and mother or children and see them lye dead before thee thou wouldest mourne bitterly for them you know what is said Zach. 12.10 As a man mournes for his first borne if our first borne or any that is neare to us dye we mourne bitterly for them and refuse to be comforted as was the case of Rachels mourning for her children and would not be comforted because they were not Matth. 2.18 they were all dead and therefore caused a bitter mourning it was the wounding and rending of her soule And may not this be the case of many a fruitfull mother many children and yet all of them dead in Gods sight not a soule living in the sight of God And is it not a farre more bitter death to be dead in sinne then to be dead in the body when it is a living soule in Gods sight then blessed are the dead that dye in the Lord for even so saith the Spirit that never spake words of falshood Revel 14.13 I say therefore if that our children live to God and have the life of grace in their hearts there is no danger of their death then thy children shall come againe to thy hearing at the resurrection of the just and thou shalt imbrace them with comfort and fill thy soule with unspeakable joy and fulnesse of glory if they dye in the favour and grace of God they shall rise to glory but if they be spiritually dead no goodnesse in the world in them no spirituall life at all no life of righteousnesse or holinesse which are the first fruits of the Spirit and of glory in this world then weep for these children and those friends that husband or wife or brother or sister weep for every soule that is in an estate of sinne and death they are as so many dead Corps you may sometimes see a whole house-full of dead creatures not one of them living to God not one of thy acquaintance not one of all thy brothers and sisters weep and mourne bitterly for them that are thus wounded with sinne and bleed deadly and gaspe for their last breath and it may be shall never finde grace from God in this world their present condition is fearefull and mourne thou for them in a godly manner that
a spirit of liberty to have the heart set free from all feares it is the summe of all security he hath redeemed us That we might serve him without feare all the dayes of our lives Luk. 1.74 75.78 We are free from feare of Death and Hell and of the World and we doe not feare what flesh can doe unto us Psal 3.5 6. his meaning is That the feares of men should not breake his sleep but he would walke in a child-like confidence before God and man and he would lye him downe quietly and sleepe securely though ten thousand had compassed him round about and the like you read Psal 56.3 What time I am afraid I will trust in thee And vers 11. In God will I put my trust I will not be afraid what man can doe unto me It is an usuall phrase with David and the usuall frame of the spirits of Gods people and this kinde of holy tranquillity of heart and liberty to walk with even nesse and comfort of soule against all the feares of this and another world this kinde of inward liberty from all feare Naturall property of a son is the naturall property of a Sonne a sonne never greatly feares ill measures from his Father all his care is to approve himselfe to his Fathers will and then he knowes his Fathers care is more for his owne provision and protection then his owne can be and if at any time he fall short of doing his Fathers will he makes his peace with his father upon as good termes as he can and there he rests but this is his fathers will and you need not possesse him of that and if he be a sonne he will looke for protection from his father A childe of God knowes his heavenly Father will support him and he feares not what sinne and Hell and the Grave and Death can doe unto him he feares not persecution nor sword nor famine the Lord is with him and he feares none of them I am perswaded saith Paul that in all these we are more then conquerours Rom. 8.37 38. this is the liberty of the spirit of a sonne Now as there is by the Spirit in the heart of the Childe of God liberty from all feare of sinne Liberty from power of sin so he hath liberty from all the power and dominion of sinne he is not subject to the dominion and bondage of sinne sinne hath not that power over him as to carry him captive to it but he walkes at liberty Psal 119. and therefore at liberty because he is not under the law but under grace Rom. 6.14 And notable is that speech in Chap. 8.2 The law of the spirit of life which is in Christ Jesus hath freed me from the law of sinne and of death The spirit of life viz. That spirit of life which hath a legall power in it a power like a law and hath a ruling power over me as the law hath and in both these respects called A Law of God A kinde of spirituall life because there is a lively spirit in him And this law of the Spirituall life of Grace hath freed me set me at liberty from the law and trade of sinne and of death sinne and death set him a course and trade which this Law of the Spirit of life hath set him free from so as that he is but a bungler in sin now not now learned in the law of sinne as sometimes he hath been but the Law of the Spirit of life hath freed him from the skill of sinne and from the command of sinne the law of sinne hath had a soveraigne power over him but now he is freed from the act and trade of sinne and now he walkes at liberty even from the dominion and usurpation of sinne time hath been when nothing would withhold him and he could have followed evil company and unlawfull games they were as lawfull to him as to any and he had no power to resist them but now the Law of the Spirit of life hath helped him against them all this is another part of the spirit of liberty a liberty from the bondage and dominion of sinne and it is a marvellous comfortable liberty indeed many a vallourous spirited man hath so little feare of death that he rushes upon the Pikes as the Horse into the Battell as if it were their meat and drinke but yet he wants this liberty he is not at liberty from feare of danger by the redemption of the Lord Jesus Christ but as Aristotle saith valiant because ignorant of the danger And besides such a naturall man though he be of a magnanimous spirit in respect of fear of danger yet such a man is often captivated of many base lusts and sinfull courses and is not able to resist ill counsell nor ill company whereas a godly man is free from all these free from the bondage and dominion of sinne and all the law of sinne he looks at it as a cobweb-law which hee may easily breake through and accordingly doth so and overcomes all his former sinfull lusts Freedome from sins Service Thirdly There is another frame of this spirit of liberty as it is the Spirit of the Sonne it frees us from the service of men 1 Cor. 7.23 Not that it forbids civill subjection not so to make men free but if God have called you a servant live as a servant 1 Cor. 7.12 to 20. but use your liberty the rather if you can but if you must needs be a servant then know that he that is a servant is the Lords free man but be not ye the servants of men that is though you owe and doe your bodily service to men yet towards God walk at liberty and if thy labour be great and thy reward little yet doe thy service and looke for more wages at the hand of Christ Col. 3.23 then from men in serving men serve Christ and therefore goe about your Masters service not with eye service but in singlenesse of heart serving the Lord and not men in serving of men they do faithfull and diligent service to the Lord and therefore they do it willingly and not grudgingly but in much quietnesse of spirit and are more free for Christian duties and have more quiet time for seeking God then ever after 1 Cor. 7.22 He that is married careth for the things of the world And it is true he that is most free is but a servant to Christ but a free servant though But he that is a servant is the Lords free-man the meaning is not only to doe the worke of his owne service with a free spirit but he is not onely a free man when he is most bound but then hee goes about the service of God with much more liberty of spirit then when he is his own man It is oft times wonder to see servants being called what care they will have of Christian dutyes what time they will steal to call upon God and to examin
themselves and therefore this is the warmth of this knowledge it both burnes up their owne lusts like chaffe and all the sinfull distempers that we see in the lives and wayes of our Brethren this is one part of the heat of a Christian soule that his knowledge is a warme knowledge Look what he knowes he thinkes he must doe whereas another man knowes many things but he doth them not but a Christian if he know it to be the Will of God he must doe it And that is the reason why Gods servants are many times counted very busie as indeed the fire is ever very busily working no creature in the house so busie as the fire is and so the knowledge of Gods people makes them to be so busie in doing and therein they expresse the life of Christ Secondly 2. Where there is life there is breath where ever is true life there is this warmth a warmth in their breath both in the Naturall and Spirituall body in this Naturall body while we live it is warme and so long as we live we breath more or lesse it is but for a little time if at all breath be intercepted it may be in some suddaine fits but ordinarily if it tarry long it is a signe of death but if there be life there is breathing and that breathing is warme some warme breath comes from him that is alive And truely so shall you finde it in your spirituall life If there be any true life in the heart of a Christian soule there is alwayes some kind of warm breathing there is some measures of warmth in his prayers the prayers of an hypocrite ir alwayes but lip-labour and accordingly lust labor the words vanish away in the aire but there is ever more or lesse some kind of warmth-in the prayers of Gods servants according to what the Apostle speakes Rom. 8.26 even then when we know not what to pray for nor how to pray as we ought then the spirit helpes our infirmities that when we sometimes cannot bring out a word to God the heart is ful sometimes of anguish and discouragement in respect of inward desertions or temptations and outward afflictions but yet though in such a case we be not able to tel what to pray for yet there is ever in a Christian soule something that makes him seeke to God and the very sighs of such a soule come from ome warmeth of spirit within him The scalding sighs and deep groanes of the soule they come from a spirit of life and warmth in Christ Jesus Therefore though it be true there be many cold prayers that Gods servants do put up yet there is some kind of sighs and groans that springs from them which argues some heat and life in them And so is it As they breath thus to God-ward so doe they breath one to another so that if they speake of the things of God they speake not of God and his Word lightly and wantonly or loosely as those that have no affection to them but if they speak of the Word of God of his threatnings promises or of any of his commandements or any of the workes of his providence they speake not of them coldly as those that took no pleasure in them but if they speake of any of the things of God they speake with some reverence and desire after them and settling a confirmation in them they have love to the word and rejoyce in it and stand in awe and in feare of it and they exercise their hearts and wits about it when at any time they speak of the things of God so that there is some kind of warmth in the expression of a Chirstian in some savoury affection whereby he esteemes of the things of God above what is found in an hypocrite Thirdly Spiritual warmth digesteth Gods Ordinances There is a certaine kind of warmth by which the soule doth not only affect the Ordinances of God but by which it doth in some measure digest them there is no living man wanting some such measure of heat as makes him able to digest some kind of dyet though not alwayes strong meate especially if he be in any measure of health and that is no small measure of heate Psal 119.20 the very longing desire it alwayes hath to Gods Judgements was it that even made his soule to breake within him and so to pant after Gods Word and his presence in his Ordinances Psalm 42.1 there was a kind of panting and longing and eager desire after God by which it comes to passe that the soule of a Christian closes with God in his Ordinances and turnes them into nourishment within himselfe and so is more strongly and inwardly bent towards God in the ways of his grace whereas a dead spirit is flat and hath no affection to the word no affection to Gods presence no list to the things of this nature Fourthly things that are warm put them together and they are the more warm 4. Spiritual warmth heateth others but put cold clogs and peeces of wood together and they are never a whit the warmer but if you take but two or three of them things that are well kindled and they will set all a fire that comes nigh them though ready before to goe out for want of supply if you lay two or three warme brands together they will kindle one another And truly so it is among Christians take you a Christian that hath this spirituall warmth in him though almost benumbed for want of good company and good conference and breathing forth of Gods spirit and grace in the soule Yet if he meet with two or three like himselfe they presntly begin to kindle one another And the breath of such Christians is like bellows to blow up sparkes savoury and sweet expressions of their hearts and edifie themselves by their mutuall fellowship one with another Yea and sometimes they grow so warme by this means as that they are fit to admonish one another to exhort and to comfort and if need require to rebuke one another as occasion serves 1 Pet. 4.8 Have fervent love one to another above all things have fervent love among your selves this is a speciall thing love among Christians by which love they so kindle one another to such deep respects to God and the wayes of his grace and so burne one out of another much sinfull folly and frailety which will be in them that are so loose one to another and raiseth them up to that power of godlinesse which sometimes they had grown up unto and now almost lost for want of often joyning together for by so doing they do what they can to put out the fire when Satan means to put out the light and life of Religion out of both Church and Commonwealth hee layes one Christian in one corner and another in another that they shall when they list go to bed and sleep and then a lazy spirit shall come upon them and so they
is now peaceable quiet and assured that God hath wrought this and that grace in me which will abide in me for ever 2 2. Effect That you may be further instructed in this point see a second effect of this life of justification of the life of righteousnesse which is of speciall use for the right discerning of our Spirituall life and that is this Looke as in all naturall life no man hath received life but is carefull to preserve it Skin for skin and all that a man hath will he give to save his life and if his life be struck at he will have his hand cut off rather then have his head wounded he will expose himselfe or any member to any danger rather then loose his life And so if God vouchsafe pardon of sinne and peace of conscience you wil find this an evident signe of pardon and peace together and an evident effect of them both a serious care and a constant endeavour to maintaine and keep that peace that as you see God hath been very gracious in speaking peace to you so you would preserve that peace above all the blessings in the world that whatsoever you loose else though you loose friends and goods and lands and trades health and liberty you would not loose your peace though you hazard the losse of them all to preserve and maintaine your peace that peace when it was given you was so unspeakable and glorious that life it selfe was not to be compared to this mercy which God hath vouchsafed us when he gave us peace Psal 63.3 Thy loving kindnesse is better then life A man that hath found something that is better then his life he will loose his life rather then it and much more any thing else and therefore if you see God incline your hearts to be tender and chary of your peace then God hath bestowed peace and pardon upon you and it is evident because you are so loath to breake it A man that never received this peace he makes no conscience of sinne unlesse it blemish him in the eye of the World he makes no great matter of conscience to run into any sinne because the old score is yet undischarged Christ is not wont to discharge that score which we make no conscience to run into againe And if they doe he can tell how to make them feele the smart of playing such Prodigalls but when God hath blotted all our sins out of his sight that there is no more mention of sinne between God and our souls that the heart of a Christian will be marvellous chary and solicitous that it sinne no more against God he that hath his sinne pardoned and knowes what it hath cost both on Gods part and on his own he is very carefull of running into sinne any more and is very careful to walk more holily for ever hereafter notable is that example Gen. 39.9 When Joseph was tempted to a pleasing sinne oh saith he How shall I commit this great wickednesse and so sinne against God how should hee now breake his peace with God and runne upon a new score with God It is certaine he had sinned before and he had found pardon of it And how should he now sinne any more against God this is the constant care of every Christian man he is fearful of every sin I grant you it is true that sometimes even those that have their sinnes pardoned and the writing of transgression by which they had ingaged themselves to everlasting torments hath been cancelled yet even they have afterwards turned the grace of God into wantonnesse through sinfull lusts As David and Peter c. through some corruption or other but you shall also find this to be true that as they have been over-taken and over-whelmed with such corruptions as those be so they have held forth as much repentance and affliction in this case that if you had taken many lives from them you could not have greived them so much as in this case they are put to The blotting out of the sence of this pardon hath been more bitter to them then death it selfe And if it be not so that Christian men in such a case doe not more shame themselves before God and loath themselves for all the evills they have done in Gods sight they will either lye downe seared and benumbed and their spirituall life will evaporate away and then it will argue it was never true and sincere and if it were true it will lye so close and hidden that you may plainly see what a slaughter Satan hath made and what heavy load hee hath put upon such as are carelesse to maintaine that peace with God which hee hath vouchsafed them And therefore if God give us hearts to keep our peace it is an evident signe God is at peace with us If we fly from sin as from the grave or hell then surely those sinnes are pardoned which we doe abhorre And that peace and reconsiliation is procured which wee desire That is the nature of Spirituall life Property of spirituall life it desires to maintaine it selfe and to expell all that is contrary to it if the body have taken any noysome and hurtfull thing it wil vomit and cast it out and will not let it rest there in quiet if it be an enemy to our life it will strive against it if there be any spirituall life in us it cannot let sin rest in us it will strive against it and never rest till it be shut of it any way some way or other out it must though he shame himselfe for it by an open confession and though it many wayes trouble him yet out it must it is an enemy to his life and out he must cast it and therefore if God give us hearts to be fearfull of sinne and carefull to maintaine our peace it is an evident signe of the truth of our Spirituall life and this is a signe of life for he feels not his peace because it is clouded in him he discernes no life in him and he feares what he had was but a delusion Why how stands thy care to preserve thy peace and to avoyd the danger of the losse of it If God give thee an heart desirous and carefull to maintaine thy peace though it be not so lively as sometimes it was yet it is certainly true and good A third signe and effect of the life of righteousnesse Love of God a signe of spirituall life is that which our Saviour gives Luk. 7.47 Her sins are forgiven her which are many for she loved much So then this is a third signe that our sins are pardoned and of the life of our justification our love of God Love of God proportionable and sutable according to the greatnesse of the sins that have been forgiven and pardoned to us this is a good evidence of the life of our justification this is not a dead and a livelesse pardon A Prince may pardon a Malefactor of his
upon them day and night and taken times to chew and digest them If thou hadst done thus then thou wouldest have beleeved more assuredly but if we be negligent in any of these kinds then wonder not if we take away bodily food we take away bodily heat take away the fuell that nourishes faith and then it must needs grow weake and infirme And therefore as you desire to grow in beleeving be diligent in these duties that you may beleeve on the name of Christ and in beleeving may beleeve much more And for you that doe not beleeve savingly whose faith will not put you in possession of eternall life though this Scripture was not so much written for your use and benefit Note this as for them that already beleeve yet since there is no meanes to come to faith but by the Word be not you wanting as ever you desire to come to that faith which accompanies salvation be not wanting diligently to heare the Word of God and conferre about it with those that beleeve already Faith comes by hearing Rom. 10.17 and it is the mighty power of God to salvation Be glad of any opportunity to heare the Word and waite at the posts of wisdomes gates Prov. 8.34 35. He that findeth me findeth life the promise is very plaine waiting daily at my gates Implying that in hearing we shall finde him and in finding Christ we shall finde life be diligent therefore to heare and when you have heard it goe home and search whether it be true or no and if you have liberty be doing this often be conferring about it as you can have any opportunity God hath sanctified these Ordinances to this end Be diligent in inquiring after wisdome after Christ in the Scripture there is a treasure lyes digge for it and you shall have it especially if with all these you joyne humble and hearty prayer to God for a blessing upon all these Ordinances for 1 Tim. 4.5 they are all sanctified by the Word and Prayer and Prov. 2.2 3. God would have you to use Prayer intreat him to open your eyes and hearts that you may beleeve and obey and that no Ordinance might be in vaine to you but might profit by them all and might grow up in beleeving SERMON XIV 1 JOHN 5.14 15. And this is the Confidence that we have in him that if we aske any thing according to his will he heareth us And if we know that he heareth us whatsoever we aske we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him IN the former Verse the Apostle described to us the maine scope of his writing this Epistle which was partly that Beleevers might know that they did beleeve and partly that they might beleeve on the name of the Sonne of God Now in this latter end Iohn aymes at in writing this Epistle he exhorts Beleevers to imbrace it by three severall Motives in the verses following the 14 15 16. verses Motive 1 The first Motive is taken from the confidence of such as beleeve on him for salvation for the obtaining of their Petitions This is the confidence that we have in him meaning we that beleeve on his name that if we aske any thing according to his will he heareth us Motive 2 Secondly Another motive or benefit that flowes from this is this That if we know he heareth us we know we have the things that we asked of him Motive 3 Thirdly here is likewise added another motive taken from the prevalency of his Prayers with God in such a point as wherein of all others we may finde this comfort and that is look as by beleeving on the name of Christ we shall finde comfort in respect of our everlasting estate so we shall finde this further benefit that if we see any Brother which hath sinned a sinne that is not unto death not a deadly sin that is not the sin against the Holy Ghost so mighty and prevalent shall our prayers be with God that in case we beleeve on the name of Christ and aske pardon of sinne for our brothers offence God will give him life so that if we beleeve on his name our prayers shall be heard and they have a prevailing power with God to obtaine at his hands the pardon of all our brothers sinnes that have not sinned unto death The Doctrines hence are these Doct. 1. First That a prayer that is made well never speeds ill Or thus A prayer that is made according to Gods will is ever granted according to our will or as the Apostle saith according to our desire vers 15. Doct. 2. Secondly Such as beleeve on the name of Christ for salvation may be confident and certaine of the hearing and granting their petitions Doct. 1. A prayer made according to Gods will shall be granted according to our will For so saith the words of the Text If we aske any thing according to his will he heareth us We praying according to Gods will shall finde acceptance according to our will Notable is that speech of encouragement and acceptance of our Saviour to the woman of Syrophenitia Matth. 15.28 O woman great is thy faith be it unto thee even as thou wilt She had prayed as Christ would according to Gods will and shee received answer according to her desire As if a man that did beleeve and had a spirit of Prayer and had learning to pray according to Gods will he might be able to carve for himselfe in the treasures of Gods goodnesse as if God would let him into the chamber of his presence of his grace and favour and bid him take what he will take for himselfe and his friends and for his brethren as he will For opening of this point observe thus much First let us see what it is to pray according to Gods will and then secondly what is the ground of the point For the first to pray according to Gods will To pray according to Gods will in two things are contained in that Phrase and yet divers things besides those are comprehended in it First when he saith according to his wil it implyes first That we pray for such things as God wills such things as are not according to his secret will for so we cannot guide our actions for secret things belong to the Lord our God but of things revealed it is according to his revealed will and it implyes that we should aske him nothing but what hee gives us Commandement to aske all that he commands us to doe as to aske that we may aske and for that we are to pray for expresly As for the glory of his Name the comming of his Kingdome and the building up of his grace in any the doing of Gods will for our daily bread c. These are the things he hath given us warrant to pray for Secondly According to Gods will this is evident That whatsoever we aske we should aske it with submission to the will of God so our Saviour
Arts and Sciences whence is their knowledge but from their observation of many experiences Phisitians know it and they therefore set it downe in their bookes they know it is so Things that we gather from sence and experience we are said to have the knowledge of now this experience doth not only give us confidence but knowledge for by the unction that we have received we doe know the love of God that passeth knowledge Christ dwelling in our hearts by faith we come to know the love of God towards us Eph. 3.17.19 There is not any thing that concernes the love of God towards us but the Spirit of God dwelling in our hearts by faith it comes to passe that we are able to comprehend the height and depth length and breadth of the love of God towards us This Spirit of God in our hearts gives us sensible experience and knowledge of Gods love to us of his attonement and grace to us our Consciences that had hels in them before all such darksome evils are now vanisht and scattered and we know that sensibly we had power given us to pray and to beleeve that our prayers are granted and can wait upon God and feare God and make conscience of obeying his will Now this Spirit of prayer that discovers these things plainly to our inward man the sence and experience of it makes a Christian able to know what God hath done for him and makes him able to beleeve what God hath promised him and thus now when we aske any thing according to Gods will he doth not only say It is well said but he takes a course to answer our requests we have certaine grounds to move us in what we aske and the ends of our requests are right Now God considers not alwaies so much the letter of our prayers as the grounds and ends of them the scope we ayme at and God will so accordingly answer us Vse 1. Let it be first a ground of encouragement to every Christian soule that beleeves in the name of Jesus Christ trust not in your owne good parts and good gifts if any such things increase set not your hearts upon them trust not in any worldly blessing but beleeve on the name of Christ And therefore that you may beleeve humble your soules before him in regard of your sins and pray heartily in the faith of Christ And why so The ground is in the text you shall not only be confident and assured of your salvation which is a great mercy of God to my soule and a greater then all the whole Church of Rome would grant they may goe to Rome and from thence to Jerusalem and from one place to another to have sought for pardon of sin and yet not so much comfort promised them that after all this they shall finde it but in the end to Purgatory they must goe and that is as ill as Hell fire say they save only in durance and this is all the helpe they have they might whip and scourge themselves and give all their goods away to the poore and themselves goe in sackcloth and ashes all their dayes and when all comes to all they must not be sure of any mercy or favour from God which to beleeve would be Hereticall presumption but they must notwithstanding all this rest in Hell fire till the day of Judgement unlesse they will be at cost to purchase freedome from it and which is strange though they would not suffer them to beleeve a release by Christs pardon yet upon the Popes pardon they might have hope and so they take more pains for an uncertainty then we for certainty and knowledge but you shall not only attaine certainty of salvation but certainty of the granting of all your requests no peace to the peace of a Beleever and therefore lay aside all your confidence in the world but be confident in the name of the Lord Jesus and be certaine of Gods favour and goodnesse to you in him and then here is such blessings as will keep a mans heart warme in the worst houres Vse 2. To teach such as beleeve on the name of the Lord Jesus how you may come to be confident and certaine of the hearing and granting your petitions How may wee come to that Hast thou good evidence to thy soule of thy Adoption that God is thy Father then meditate well upon this point that Christ is thy Advocate to make intercession and Attonement for thee in case thou hast displeased thy heavenly Father These two things will much prevaile they be strong helps to a weake faith and then consider what unction thou hast received and look up to God that he would give thee a spirit of prayer to pray feelingly and fervently and humbly before him and then labour for a spirit of faith which if God give thee so much faith as to perswade thee thy requests are heard and to wrastle against discouragements and that the spirit of faith doth worke in thee grace to hope and waite upon God and withall an holy feare of his name and obedience to walke obediently in doing his will and patiently to suffer his will under his hand and observe how the Spirit speakes evidently in this and that kinde and it will be a notable means to helpe thee to grow confident and certaine that all thy prayers are heard Now many a Christian soule falls short of this he considers not the Attonement of Christ in his prayer but many times thus stands the case with them there is much desolutenesse in their lives and loosenesse and fearlesnesse in their hearts before God rejoyce not with trembling God sees his Servants loose in their obedience and when disobedient they seek not to Christ for Attonement whence it is that many times they are so full of doubts Vse 3. Of much consolation to all those that beleeve on the name of the Lord Jesus and make use of these blessed meanes this is our confidence that whatsoever petitions we aske he heareth us and we know it See how comfortable a Christians estate is he growes certaine not only of his owne salvation but he is certaine of the hearing and granting of all his petitions if he can but pray well he makes account all is well let his distresses be what they will be SERMON XVI 1 JOHN 5.16 17. If any man see his brother sinne a sinne which is not unto death he shall aske and he shall give him life for them that sinne not unto death There is a sinne unto death I doe not say that he shall pray for it THese words containe a third motive to encourage us unto that duty which is the maine scope of this Epistle to wit to beleeve on the name of the Sonne of God whereto the Apostle exhorts us vers 13. and propounds first this motive to wit A blessed confidence of the hearing of all our petitions Secondly a certaine knowledge verified that he not only heares but grants our desires Now he
propounds a third motive in these words taken from the benefit which by beleeving on Christ we shall in some measure be enabled and made capable of bestowing the like blessing upon our brethren and that by our prayers If such a man should see his Brother sin a sinne which is not unto death he shall aske and he shall give him life As an instrument God at his request shall give him life God will make him an instrument of conveying speciall favour to such a man First the words containe three parts First a promise of obtaining life for such of our brethren as we shall see sinne not unto death and shall aske life for him Secondly an acception from this generall promise he would have it understood of some speciall transgression of them that sinne not unto death he would be so understood and would not inlarge this promise so farre as that a faithful man by his prayers shal obtaine pardon of sinne for such as sin unto death but not for that that is the onely caution that he gives least this promise be taken to extend too far Thirdly A prevention of an objection or doubt that might hence arise For might some man say All unrighteousnesse is sinne and every sinne is a sinne to death and the wages of every sinne is death Rom. 6. ult And therefore if the promise extend only thus farre to procure peace and pardon for such as sinne not unto death then either you must grant some veniall sins or else this promise is of none effect for if every sin be mortall and you onely promise pardon of sin to such as is not unto death and no man sins but it is unto death this promise is of none effect Iohn Answers to this Objection vers 17. and saith though all unrighteousnosse be sin yet there is a sin that is not unto death It is true the deserved wages of al unrighteousnes is unto death but there is a sin that is not unto death not that there is any sin which doth not deserve death but not that which doth undoubtedly cut off a man from all hopes of life but notwithstanding that sin he may be converted As sometimes our Saviour said of the sicknesse of Lazarus he is sick but not irrecoverable Iohn 11.4 So that the meaning of the Holy ghost is that there is a finne unto death which doth not onely kil the soule but irrecoverably out of which there is no hope of recovery or salvation and that sin they must forbear to pray for This promise thus opened will afford us three notes First That a faithfull Christian or which is all one a beleever on the name of Christ is not to hide his eyes from observing and discerning the sinnes and slips of their brethren If any man see his brother sinne a sin which is not unto death which he cannot see if he neglect to observe them Secondly A faithfull Christian discerning the sinne of his brother is to pray for him Let him aske when he sees him sin not unto death Thirdly A faithfull man praying unto Christ for the sinne of his brother shall obtaine life at Gods hand for him pardon and peace and grace for him For the first of these Doct. A faithfull beleever is not to hide his eyes from observing the sinnes and failings of his brethren If any man see his brother sinne a sinne he must observe him else he cannot see him Gal. 2.14 When I saw that they walked not uprightly according to the truth of the Gospel c. he observed them and discerned their course hee turned not his eyes from beholding it but he did take notice of it Heb. 3.12 13. Take heed least there be in any of you an evill heart of unbeleefe in departing from the living God take heed hee doth not speak of himselfe onely though that principally but least there be in any of you an evil heart of unbeleefe that is not only for every man to take heed to himselfe but to his brethren also as appears by the following verse implying that a man should not only take heed to himself but as much as in him lyes take heed to his brethren And if you should aske how should I prevent another man from having an evill heart of unbeleefe he tells you how By exhorting one another daily while it is called to day looke to your selves and also to your brethren and shew your care of them by stirring them up daily And this is that the Apostle speakes of in Hebr. 10.24 Let us consider one another and provoke one another to love and good workes see therefore and observe one another and see where any thing is amisse and stir up one another to every holy performance Reas 1. It is first taken from the love we owe them Secondly from the love we owe our selves First The love we owe to our brethren God requires our love to our brethren yea towards our enemies Oxe or Asse we should not see one of them fall under their burden or goe astray and hide our face from them Deut. 22.24 If you should see the beast of your enemy to sink down you shall not passe by him and let him alone but you shall raise him up from under his burthen Now if God require so much love to our beasts and that to the beasts of our enemy how much more doth God require this love to our brethren that if we see them going out of the way we should call them back againe if we see them to sinke under the burthen of sinne not there to let them lye but though we could finde in our hearts there to let them lye yet we ought not so to satisfie our selves but to looke unto our brethren in such a case and doe the best we can to recover them from going astray And in respect of our selves this benefit we our selves shall have we shall learne a more holy feare of the Lord and have a more just jealousie over our selves we shall keep the better watch over our selves when we see our brethren fall before us Rom. 11.12 Be not high minded but feare to shew you that when we see other men through unbeleefe and corruption fall into any sinne we ought to benefit our selves thereby not to be high minded upon this occasion to blesse our selves and we thanke God it is not with us as it is with other men we are not such and such as these Publicans are wont to be but feare we in such a case the faylings of others should be the feares of Gods people the more they see others fall the more should they suspect their owne aptnesse to faile in the like kinde If such things doe befall the greene tree such as are full of the Oyntment of the Holy one how easily may the dry stubble kindle so that what out of respect to learne the more to watch our selves and out of compassion to our Brethren to restore them what by seasonable admonition Levit.
see that we doe not pray for them when we forget to remember them before the Lord this is ill taken God is displeased when there is none to stand in the gap in such a case as this Esa 59.15 16. God doth not afflict willingly and yet if he be stirred up he must destroy them if there be none to stand in the gap you then provoke the wrath of the Lord and this displeaseth him much and God may justly leave us to the like sinne for which we are not humbled in others Reas 5. Takâ—â—â—â—om the blessing that befalls Gods Servants when we doe so as was upon Job in chap. 42.8 9. when Iob begins to pray for his friends then God turned the captivity of Iob he had long time laine under many vexations wofull calamities but when he begins to pray for his friends that had sinned then the Lord turned his captivity and so it is expresly said Esa 57.18 19. I will restore comfort unto him and to his mourners To shew you that God will restore comfort to us if we lament the falls of others and mourne over them in that condition We shall have comfort in their comfort because we did mourne in their griefe If Gods people can mourne with their brethren in sinne and misery God will restore comfort to them and to their mourners Before we make use of this point come we to the next Doct. 3. A faithfull Christian praying for his brethren faln into any sin shall obtaine peace and pardon and grace for him It is said so in the text If any man that is any man that beleeves in Jesus Christ he shall aske and he shall give him life So that you see here is the promise made to such the promise is that upon asking he shall give life to his sinfull brother Who shall give him life Interpreters take it both wayes and both agreeable to the text and the Analogie of faith for whether he that prayes be as an Instrument or God it is all one for it must be God that doth it and he that prayes is an Instrument he procures to his sinning brother great favour from God Life that is the life of Iustification and of Sanctification consolation and comfort to his soule notwithstanding his sinne the promise is evident he shall prevaile with God to bestow life upon his brother This you shall see evident from Scripture Deut. 9.25 26. I fell downe before the Lord forty dayes and forty nights c. and thereupon the Lord did shew mercy and pardoned their sin Iob prayed for his friends and the Lord said he would accept him Job 42.8 9. And so our Saviour he prayed for his crucifiers And it is generally thought that the powerfull prevalency of Peters Sermon in converting three thousand soules at once did especially spring from our Saviours prayer and the efficacy of it Act. 2.37 And Stephen he prayed for his persecutors and Paul was one of them that had an hand in his death Act. 7.6 And yet ere long God answered Stephens prayer in converting Saul so that let a man a beleeving Christian pray for his sinning brother and he shall give him life Reas 1. It is taken from the pleasure that God takes to knit the Members of the Body of his Son together and no better means to joyne us together and so fitly to make us useful Members one to another then this those members of the body that are most weak should be most helped this way 1 Cor. 12 21 22. Every member should be of some use one to another and it doth better compact the body together God did not say to Iobs friends Goe you and pray for your selves but Goe to my servant Job and he shall pray for you He would have them beholden to Iob of whom they had spoken the thing that was not right else God would not accept them Reas 2. It is taken from the Intercession of Christ who performes that office for every member of his body This honour have all his Saints though they doe not merit this by their prayers yet there is this efficacy in their prayers not of merit but of grace to prevaile with the Father in their brethrens behalfe Rom. 8.34 Intercession is such a part and kinde of prayer as a man makes for other men to procure favour from God to them to be Mediators for them to pray for others in the name and mediation of Jesus Christ and that for his sake they may be accepted God will then heare us for Christs sake in the behalfe of our brethren Vse 1. It may be a ground of much encouragement to every Christian man to wrastle earnestly with God in the behalfe of his brethren when you see them sinne a sinne that is not unto death be it a mans wicked covetousnesse and such as a man is froward in it and wil by no meanes be admonished and goe on resolutely in it yet in this case God expects and requires we should mourne for him Esay 57.17 18. and therefore neglect not to pray for your brethren in this case First it will displease God if you pray not for them is it nothing to you to passe by and to see such a man lye in sinne assure your self of this Gods heart will fit loose towards you if your hearts sit loose to your brethren and therefore neglect not to pray for them Secondly if you pray for them you shall have comfort restored to them and to your selves with them and though for the present you might seeme to procure hurt to your selves and no good to them yet pray and pray heartily and use the best meanes you can and you will surely finde the comfort and benefit of it may not this be a notable encouragement to you this way that God should be pleased to make thee an Instrument of life to thy brother when he is a dead man in Gods sight a dead man will be stiffe and cold and putrifie and yet even such a man if thou prayest for him thou shalt give him life to his soule Object You say But doth not many a man pray for his brethren and yet is not heard and accepted did not Abraham pray for Ishmael And what think you of Samuels prayer for Saul and yet saith God How long wilt thou mourn for Saul 1 Sam. 17.6 I have cast him off mourne no more for him so that sometimes a man may pray for his brethren and that earnestly and yet his prayers fall to the ground in vaine Answ First it would be considered whether a man be a brother or no Abraham did not pray for one that was already gracious that did belong to the election of grace and the text doth not reach to such a brother but I understand it of such as are either called or belong to the election Secondly Suppose you doe not know whether he belong to the election of grace or no it may be you pray for them whom you have not used other means to heal them I doubt not but David prayed for Absalom and Adonijah but not using other meanes his prayers are rejected these are not prayers of faith when other good means are not used Thirdly It s possible that a man may pray without faith and without fervency Jam. 5.15 and such requests should be faithfull and fervent and God requires you should come before him and submit your selves to him and acknowledge your owne unworthinesse to aske such a blessing and yet in the name of Christ you presse God with it and you must walke close with God in a course of Christianity else your prayers are to no purpose and to waite on God through Christ for a gracious acceptance and God will recompence your prayers and labour of love in due time FINIS