yet yours shall be accepted when theirs shall be rejected Thus I have done with the use of terrour in laying down to you this sixfold misery of those men that are strangers to the covenant of grace and here because I would not have any poor soul that is under the covenant of grace and partaker of all the great priviledges of it to goe away with a sad heart I shall onely leave with you two or three words of comfort to them You children of the covenant that are under the covenant of grace let not your hearts be troubled at what hath been said this day concerning the misery of those men that are strangers to this covenant and to bear up and support your spirits I shall give you two or three comfortable considerations 1. That all the outward blessings that you enjoy comes to you in a covenant way God hath given you these blessings as an appendix to the covenant and by vertue of an entail to his covenant the Lord never gives you a common blessing but you see the love of a Father and of a husband and of a friend and the love of God in that blessing and therefore as I told you before in that very chapter where God promiseth the blessings of the covenant of grace he promiseth the blessings of this life too as an intail to the covenant wicked men may have blessings but not by vertue of a promise not by vertue of the covenant of grace But now if you ask mee how you may know whether the blessings you enjoy come unto you by vertue of the Covenant of Grace I answer you may know it by these two things 1. In case you doe use and imploy all the blessing you receive from God to the honour of God thus Abraham did as you may see in Gen. 17. 1 2 8 12. his using the blessings of God to promote the service of God did demonstrate that those blessings came to him from God in a covenant way but those that are strangers to this Covenant the mercies they enjoy are given them for their hurt 2. When blessings are as cords to draw you nearer to God and as bands to tye you fast to God then they come to you in a Covenant way as in Jer. 31. 11 12. For the Lord hath redeemed Jacob and ransomed him from the hand of him that is stronger then he therefore they shall come and rejoice in the height of Sion and shall run to the bountifulnesse of the Lord even for the wheat and for the wine and for the oyle and for the increase of sheep and bullocks c. That is all the mercies of God shall make them to come nearer and nearer and cleave closer to God you then that do enjoy your share of the blessings of God and they do not endeer you and draw you nearer to God you cannot look upon them as flowing in upon you in a Covenant way 2. You that are in covenant with God know this for your comfort that the Lord does accept of a little that you do in his service better then a great deal that a wicked man performs to him God will accept of a few turtle doves of you when he will not accept of 1000 Rams or 10000 rivers of oyle of the wicked he will accept of a cup of cold water given to a righteous man in the name of a righteous man when he will not accept of the costliest sacrifice from the wicked Oh what a happy condition art thou in that art under the covenant of grace wicked men may heare more Sermons and performe more duties and say more prayers to God then you and yet in all their duties be rejected when thou art accepted 3. Take this for your comfort that when ever you offend God and provoke him to anger you have a Mediator to stand between God and you though you are guilty yet you have an Advocate to plead your cause for you you that are under the covenant of grace you may say to Christ your Mediator as the Israelites said to Moses when they had offended God goe thou and speak unto God for us so may you say when you have nothing but thundring and lightning and tempests in your souls and the flashings of hell fire in your consciences then you may say to Christ go now to God and speak for me mediate with thy Father for the pardon of all my sins I have offended God oâ— intercede with him in my behalf I have committed a great offence oh plead with thy Father and beg a pardon for me thus thou maist say to Christ being under the covenant of grace But here lest any one should lye under a spirituall delusion and think himself under the covenant of grace when he is a stranger to it lest the Dogs should snatch at the Childrens meat I shall lay down to you some distinguishing Characters whereby you may know whether you are under the covenant of grace or no and before I make entrance upon this I will only premise four sad and dismall conclusions which will make way the better for what I have to handle in the examination 1. Take in this conclusion that a man may be within the outward and common priviledges of the covenant of grace and yet be without the saving and spirituall priviledges of it as pardon of sin having God to be your God and Christ to be your Saviour c. as in Deut. 29. 10 11 12. sayes Moses there You stand this day all of you before the Lord your God your Captains of Tribes your Elders and your Officers with all the men of Israel your little ones your wives and the stranger that is in thy camp from the hewer of thy wood unto the drawer of thy water that thou shouldst enter into covenant with the Lord thy God Now here you see were all from the rich to the poor to enter into covevenant with God and yet it is not imaginable that all these did partake of the inward priviledges of the Covenant of grace they did all partake of circumcision which was the seal of the covenant of the outward priviledges of it but not all did partake of the inward and speciall mercies of the covenant of grace as pardon of sin peace of conscience joy in beleeving God to be their God and Christ to be their Saviour and so in Rom. 9. 4 5. sayes the Apostle They are the Israelites to whom pertaineth the adoption and the glory and the covenants and the giving of the Law and the service of God and the promises of whom are the Fathers and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came these were very great priviledges and yet saies the text in vers 8. These are not all the children of God though they had the externall blessings of the Covenant yet they were not all the children of God so that you see you may be within the Church of God and partake of the outward blessings
The Naturall Mans Case stated OR An EXACT MAP OF THE LITTLE WORLD MAN Considered in both his Capacities Either in the state of NATURE or GRACE As is laid down in XVII SERMONS By that late truely Orthodox Divine Mr. CHRISTOPHER LOVE Pastor of Lawrence Jury London WHEREUNTO IS ANNEXED The Saints Triumph over Death Being his FUNERAL SERMON By that painfull Labourer in the Lords Vineyard Mr. THO. MANTON Minister of the Gospell at Stoak-Newington near London Imprimatur EDMUND CALAMIE The second Edition corrected and amended London Printed by E. Cotes for George Eversden at the Golden Ball in Aldersgate street 1652. To the Reader THe exuberant spawns of illiterate Books proceeding from the polluted wombs of the overloaded and bejaded adulterate presses which are all painted with fair titles I can compare to nothing so fitly as a cheating Lottery which when the greedy invader comes with hopes for a little money laid down to carry away a great deal of wit with him 't is nineteen at least to one when he opens it but he finds to his shame that he hath drawn a blank perhaps a blasphemy and yet couched under the title of glorious truth heavenly discoveries beams of light new Jerusalem Gods minde clearly revealed with multitudes of such paints upon their strumpets faces The sacred Bible which indeed is an Alablaster-box full of sweet perfumes and precious ointments is made alas like Pandora's boxe in the humane story which Epimetheus presumptuously opening filled the world with evils diseases and calamities of all kindes The sacred Bible is made now the patron of Prophane mens practises never were grosse sins at such an impudent height as now they are what horrid impudence is that of hel to take heaven by the hand Sins that were wont to hide themselves in the holes and clefts of obscurity not daring to be hold the light but Serpent-like to creep under the low shrubs of deceitfull shifts how do they Eagle-like sit pearching on the goodly Cedars I mean Pulpits and Thrones the Cedars of God and dare to cast up their eyes towards the Sun who would think it yet what this day more common then to meet the devill with his eyes towards heaven and a Bible under his arme cloathing all his words and actions cap a pea in Scripture phrases Murderers traitors rebels blasphemers soothsayers adulterers sabbath-breakers perjurers oppressours and almost all notorious villains have marshalled themselves like the Roman Clergy into so many severall Sects of religion all impudently assuming to themselves the usurped title of eminent Saints and quoting Scripture for their actions and scot-free passe the presse into the world to make more proselytes so that he that in this Soul-frozen age shall go to gather Books to warm his Soul as Paul did sticks to warm his fingers will be sure if he be not wary to gather vipers into his bosome And how am I stung with pain and horrour whiles I meditate on the thousands of poor souls that are gnawed to death by these speckled vipers Sure it cannot but sit sad one day upon the spirits of those licentious Licencers that are as the midwives of such monsters For thy comfort therefore and incouragement Reader I do assure thee this Book is free from all such venomous beasts no toad of malice nor serpent of deceit lurks either in the matter or the phrase hereof In plain English it is a pleasant heavenly self-searching soul-convincing sin-condemning heart-humbling spirit-raising grace-quickning Christ-exalting book I need say no more they are the Sermons of Mr. Christopher Love Master of Arts and Minister of the Gospell of Christ whose actions life and death will eternize his name I may truly say of his elegant style and pleasant way of expressing himself as he of Gregory Nazianzen Viribus eloquii valuit linguaque diserta Mellisluos dulei protulitore sonos The subject of these Sermons is of generall use to all sorts of people much like in that to that text of Chrysostomes in Psal 4. 2. which as he saith if hee had a voice like thunder and a mighty mountain for his pulpit and all the men and women in the world for his auditory he would choose this text to preach on O yee sons of men how long will ye turn my glory into shame how long will ye love vanity and seek after leasing Had this been really effected and I been there in Mr. Loves spirit would Chrysostome have lent me his voice and allowed me the use of his monarchical pulpit when he had done in the morning with his text I would have come up in the evening with this text Eph. 2. 12. That at that time ye were without Christ being aliens from the Commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the Covenant of Promise having no hope and without God in the World but this need not for it is in a manner effected already this worthy Minister hath ascended that pulpit from whence hee hath thundred into the world he is now one of those blessed ones that dyed in and for the Lord he is at rest from all his labours and now behold his works do follow him some are already gone before and these do follow after These Sermons were preached at St. Anne's Aldersgate where this holy young man was Pastor I pray God they may prove as the great trumpet of God to cause a spirituall resurrection amongst those people before they go down to the house of rottennesse it cannot but much rejoyce those people to hear their Pastors voice again those sheep cannot but know their shepherds voice which that they may doe the Lord of heaven blesse these his worthy labours to their and thy spirituall advantage so as that the distressed Churches losse in his sad and unexpected absence may be made up in the blessing of God upon these and the rest of his pious and painfull labours So prayeth Thine E. C. SERMON I. EPHES. 2. 12. That at that time ye were without Christ being Aliens from the Common-wealth of Israel and strangers from the Covenants of promise having no hope and without God in the world THis Chapter out of which my Text is taken is like a little Map containing in it a description of the little world Man and that in a double capacity considering man either in the state of Grace or in the state of Nature If you consider Man in the first capacity in the state of Grace this chapter layes down a five fold description of bringing Man into the state of Grace 1. Here is laid down the efficient cause of bringing Man out of the state of Nature into the state of Grace and that is God in the 4. vers 2. Here is laid down the impulsive cause and that is the riches of Gods mercy in the same verse But God who is rich in mercy for the great love wherewith he loved us c. 3. Here is laid down the meritorious cause of it which is Christ in his sufferings in
that carries the body but if a man hath a wooden legge the body must carry it so wicked men are a great burden and trouble to the Church as Paul sayes speaking of wicked men I wish sayes he they were even cut off that trouble you such men as are loose in practise and loose in opinion truly both these have been great burdens and troublers to the Church of God they are to the Church as Jonah was to the ship what a storm have they raised in this kingdome which God knowes whether you or I shall ever live to see it blown over Thus much for the second part of Mans misery by Nature That at that time ye were aliens to the Common wealth of Israel SERMON VIII EPHES. 2. 12. And strangers to the Covenants of Promise WEE come now in order to the third part And strangers to the Covenant of Promise but before I shall draw out any Doctrines from these words I shall resolve these five questions which are very needfull to be discussed Quest 1 1. What is the difference between the Covenants and the Promise For many look upon them to be both one and the same thing 2. What is meant here by the Covenants of Promise 3. Why it is called the Covenants of Promise 4. Why it is called in the plurall number the Covenants of Promise And lastly What it is to be a stranger to the Covenants of Promise Quest 1 1. Quest What is the difference between a covenant and a promise Answ Answ In answer to this you must know that though every Covenant is a promise yet every promise is not a Covenant a Covenant is a more comprehensive thing then a promise for a Covenant is nothing but a bundle of promises all the promises in the Gospell bound up together in a bundle so that herein you see the difference between a Covenant and a Promise Quest 2 2. What is meant by the Covenants of Promise Answ I answer That it is the free and gratious promise that God made with Adam after the fall and with the Patriarchs Abraham Isaac and Jacob and all the faithfull wherein he promised them Salvation and eternall life through Christ which was to come this is the Covenant of Promise even the promise which God made with his children before the coming of Christ wherein he did covenant to give them life and salvation through Christ which was promised to come Quest 3 3. Why is it called the covenants of promise Answ Answ It is called so because Christ the matter of this Covenant was not actually come but onely promised that he should come that is the reason of this phrase here the covenant of Promise Quest 4 4. Why is it called in the plurall number the Covenants of Promise seeing there was but one Covenant of Grace the Covevenant of Works was made to Adam before the fall and the Covenant of Grace after the fall Answ Answ It is called the Covenants of Promise not as if there were severall kindes of Covenants and of Salvation by Christ but because there were divers exhibitions and administrations of this one Covenant not as if this Covenant were many in kinde and substance for it is the same now that it was at the beginning but only it was diversly administred explained and enlarged sometime it is called a new Covenant that is new in regard of the urging exhibition of it the like phrase you have touching Love Behold a new command I give unto you that you love one another it was called new because it was then newly enforced upon the people The Covenant of Grace the tenor of which is that we shall have life and salvation through the bloud of Christ it is called Covenants because it was so often renewed and administred first it was made to Adam after his fall The seed of the woman shall bruise the Serpents head and then it was renewed to Abraham Paul explains it in Heb. 3. and after him to Isaac and then to Jacob and David and Solomon and all the faithfull but the Covenant was still for substance the same though it was many times renewed and so it continues the same to this very day thus you have a brief account of these four Queries Quest 5 5. What is it to be a stranger to the Covenants of Promise Answ Answ Did you but dive and look into the bottome of it you would finde it to be the finall upshot of the misery of an unconverted man to be a stranger to the Covenants of Promise is to be in such a dismall and lamentable and deplorable condition as that none of all the promises of God for Grace and life and Salvation by Christ doth appertaine to him and is not this a very miserable and sad condition that the Lord lookes upon a man in an unregenerate estate as uncapable of any mercy life or salvation by Christ A Covenant as I told you is a bundle of promises it containes all the promises of Grace life and salvation now if you be without the Covenant you must needes be destitute of all the promises by Christ Thus having by way of premise opened these five particulars I shall now draw out this one Observation from the words Doctr. Doctr. That all men during the time of their unregenorácy are strangers to the Covenants of Grace so that they can lay no just claim to any promise of having life and Salvation by Christ you are strangers to the Covenants of promise and Beloved when I tell you that you have no title to any one promise of life or Salvation by Christ it is the saddest news that ever you can open your ears to hear if you are a stranger to the Covenant you are without all the promises for the covenant is a bundle of promises all the promises of God bound up together In the handling of this point I shall onely shew you two things and then apply it 1. I shall shew you what the Covenant of Grace is 2. How you may know whether you are men without the Covenant of Grace yea or no and can lay no just claim to any promise of life and Salvation by Christ 3. I shall winde up all in a practicall use both for consolation to those that are in the Covenant and for terrour to those that have no right to the Covenant 1. For the Nature of the Covenant of Grace it is that free and gracious Covenant which God made with Adam after the fall promising him pardon of sin and eternall life through the righteousnesse of Jesus Christ This is the summe and substance of the Covenant of grace it is the promise of God first made to Adam and then renewed to Abraham Isaac and Jacob David and Solomon and all the faithfull it is the solemn promise that God made to the Elect of their obtaining Salvation through the righteousness of Jesus Christ Now here you must be very careful lest you run into a mistake for
there are two sorts of people that run into very dangerous errours concerning this particular As 1. The Socinians that are of an opinion that all the Patriarchs and good men in the old Testament did none of them go to heaven till Christ came in the flesh a very uncharitable and ungodly opinion And 2. There are others that hold that living in obedience to the Morall Law of Moses is to tye the people to the Covenant of Works to be justified by it they hold the Jews did not live under a Covenant of Grace till Christ came but if it were so none of them could possibly be saved for by the workes of Law shall no flesh living be justified no man in the World can ever goe to heaven by the Covenant of Works This I doe onely mention by the way that you may see and understand that since the fal of Adam al men are saved by the Covenant of Grace the Covenant of Works was no longer in force then while Adam lived and continued in Innocency but as soon as ever he fell the Gospel was presently preached unto them as well as it is to us now only it was preached unto them more darkly and to us more clearly Christ was preached unto them as to come but he is preached unto us as come already Quest II We come now to the second question to stir you up and put you upon enquiry how you may know whether you are the people that are in Covenant with God yea or no so as that you can lay a just claim to the Covenant of Grace and to all the promises therein contained for salvation and life eternall by Christ I shall handle this Query not in the positive but in the negative part of it how you may know that you are not in the Covenant of Grace I shall give you three or four discoveries of it Answ 1 1. Thou oh man art not in Covenant with thy God that hast not yet broken the League and Covenant which thou hast made with thy lusts you that doe still keep up and maintain the League and Covenant with your lusts and corruptions you are not as yet come within the Covenant of Grace that man that makes a Covenant with death and hell cannot be under the Covenant of Grace and therefore you that have not broken off your sins by repentance and righteousnesse and your iniquities by shewing mercy you that are in a wicked course and resolve to continue so lay no claim to the Covenant of Grace you that are engaged to your lusts you have been bad and you will be so stil you have no interest in the Covenant of Grace 2. You that think to be saved by a Covenant of works cannot be under a covenant of grace You that hope to be justified by Works are faln from Grace as the Apostle says in Gal. 5 4. you are faln from Grace that is not that you are faln from the habit of Grace you are faln from the Doctrine of Grace that holds out justification by Christ that man shall never be saved by Christ that thinks he cannot be saved by Christ and therefore a Papist living and dying in this very opinion that he must be saved by a Covenant of works cannot be saved if you be not cast out of your selves so as to rely wholly and only upon Christ for life and Salvation you can lay no just claime of being under the Covenant of Grace 3. You are strangers to the Covenant of grace that do make no conscience of breaking the engagements promises you have made to God you that are careless of keeping the Covenants you have made with God this is an evident demonstration that you are not in Covenant with God those that are in Covenant with God make conscience of keeping their Covenants with God if in times of affliction trouble you can make large promises to God of better obedience and yet afterwards return with the dogge to his vomit and are as bad or worse then ever you were this argues that you have no interest at all in the Covenant of Grace Thus I have done with the second Query the discoveries of those that are not in the Covenant of Grace I have onely now the Application of the point to speak to and the Use that I shall make of it shall be Use 1. For consolation to all that are in the Covenant of Grace you have a bundle of promises to which you may have recourse and lay claim to them as your own 2. By way ofterrour to shew the misery of those that are strangers to this Covenant of Grace 1. This may be matter of great consolation to you that are under the Covenant of Grace that are in Covenant with God this should provoke you to joy and comfort in the consideration of the great happinesse you enjoy in being under the Covenant of Grace from the misery you would be exposed to did you live under a Covenant of Works And now Beloved lend me your thoughts a little while I shew you in fourteen particulars the great happinesse you are now in being in Covenant with God under a Covenant of Grace from the misery you had lain under in being only under a Covenant of Workes Doe this and live I shall but only name them to you and run over them very briefly 1. The Covenant of Works was given by God to Adam as a Creator but the Covenant of Grace is given by God to a Believer as a Father God had not this term of a Father before the fall but only of a God and Creator but being under a covenant of Grace you may look upon that God that was only a Creator to Adam as a Father to you 2. This had been your misery under a Covenant of Works for that exacts perfect obedience and does punish the offendour in case of disobedience but being under a Covenant of Grace the Lord accepts through Christ of sincere obedience though it be not perfect 3. The Covenant of Works is not contented with perfect obedience neither unlesse it be personall it must not be perfect done for thee by another but done by thy self in thy own person but now the Conant of Grace accepts of perfect obedience though it be not done by thy self but in the person of Jesus Christ God the Father doth as fully accept of Christ obeying and fulfilling his will in doing and suffering in our behalfe as if we had done and suffered what he did in our own persons and herein lies the great happinesse of a man under the Covenant of Grace 4. The Covenant of Works was made by God to Adam without a Mediator there was no third person between God and Adam but the covenant of Grace was made by God with us in the hand of a Mediator Jesus Christ You may conceive it thus suppose two men should be at discord and variance one with another and a third person a friend to both these
that are falne out should come and endeavour to decide the difference first going to one and desiring him to be reconciled to the other and then going to the second and entreating him to be pacified towards the first till he hath united and reconciled them both together so it is here Christ is a friend both to God and man he is the Son of God and he is husband of his Church and being the Mediatour of the new covenant he comes first to his Father and sayes Father I know that all mankind hath broken that first covenant which they made with thee and are thereby justly lyable to all that wrath punishment due to the breach of it and I know thy anger and displeasure against them but I pray thee oh Father be reconciled and well pleased with thy people give them the sanctification of their Natures while they live here and give them heaven and happinesse when they dye and then Christ comes to Beleevers and tels them Sirs I have procured peace and pardon and reconciliation for you the sanctification of your Natures here and heaven when you dye and therefore lift up your heads with joy Christ first goes to his Father and sues to him for pardon and then comes to us and begs of us to be comforted 5. Adam under the Covenant of Works he had nothing but Works to save him and he was to keep this Covenant of Works only by his own strength he had no strength but his own to perform any duty he had no bottome no foundation but himselfe to stand on but under the Covenant of Grace we are kept by the mighty power of God through Faith unto Salvation we are under a far better condition under the Covenant of Grace then Adam was at first in the State of innocency for though hee was perfectly holy yet he was not immutably holy but now the foundation of God standeth sure we are kept by the mighty power of God unto Salvation 6. The Covenant of Workes if a man did once break them that did admit of no repentance had Adam and Eve after the fall wept their eyes out or prayed their hearts out all would have done them no good repentance will no way avail the Covenant of Works as it is in the civill Law if a man hath committed murder the Law does not enquire whether the man does repent or is sorry for what he hath done no but the Law takes notice whether he hath done the fact or no if he hath he must dye no repentance will avail but in the Covenant of Grace it is far otherwise for though you have done the fact and broken Gods Commandemants yet if you repent and mourn and grieve for the sins you have committed against God the Lord will pardon and forgive them as if they had never been committed so that this is another great happinesse you enjoy in being under the Covenant of Grace 7. Adam being under the Covenant of Works God took the very first forfeiture of breaking of this Covenant and one sinne made God to disanul that covenant whereas the Covenant of Grace is not made void nor disanul'd although you commit many sins as you may see in Ro. 5. 16 17. says the Apostle there Not as it was by one that sinned so is the gift for the judgement was by one to condemnation but the free gift is of many offences unto justification that is under the Covenant of Works there one sin did condemne all the world but being under the Covenant of Grace there the free gift is of many offences unto justification many sins are pardoned and many offences are passed over the Covenant of Grace pardons many sins and over lookes many weaknesses and failings though you break your Covenant often time after time yet the Covenant of Grace shall not be broken the first Covenant was disanuld for one sin but the second Covenant shall not be disanuld for many sins as you may see in Psal 89. 31 32 33. sayes God there If they break my statutes and keep not my Commandements then will I visit their transgressions with the rod and their iniquity with stripes neverthelesse my loving kindenesse will I not uttery take from him nor suffer my faithfulnesse to fail my Covenant will I not break nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips and so in Psal 11. 5. The Lord will ever be mindefull of his Covenant so that this is another part of your happinesse 8. Pray observe this had Adam continued still under the Covenant of Works and kept the Covenant performing exact and perfect obedience to it yet he could never have come to heaven he should have had onely an ever lasting continuance in Paradise he should never have enjoyed heaven but being under the Covenant of Grace that entitles you to everlasting Salvation and happinesse in heaven by Jesus Christ 9. Under the Covenant of Workes though God did promise life to Adam upon the performing of the Covenant yet God did not promise pardon to Adam upon the breach of the Covenant God promised him thus Do this and thou shalt live but God did not promise him that though he should break his commands and sin against him yet hee should bee saved notwithstanding in the Covenant of works there is no promise at all of pardon but only of life but under the Covenant of Grace you have a double promise 1. You shall obtain life eternall and Salvation by Christ And 2. you shall have all your sins pardoned and washed away in the bloud of Christ that you doe commit against him you shall have pardon and remission of sins by Christ so that no sin shall be charged upon you 10. Under the Covenant of Works God did accept the person for the worke-sake but under the Covenant of Grace he doth accept of the Work for the persons sake and herein lies our happinesse under the Covenant of Works God did accept of Adams person meerly because his works were altogether righteous and good and he accepted his person no longer then his works were good for as soon as ever he broke the command God was displeased with him but under the Covenant of Grace God doth accept of the works for the person sake as you see in Abel he was first accepted and then the sacrifice first his person was well pleasing to God and then the sacrifice for the persons sake so God accepts of our praying reading hearing and all that we doe through Jesus Christ he being well pleased with our persons in Christ he is delighted and well pleased with all our services in him 11. The Covenant of Works was made to all men generally and universally without exception but the covenant of grace was made onely to a select and chosen people all mankinde were in Adam under a Covenant of Workes if Adam had kept the Law all mankinde had lived by him but herein lies your happinesse in being under the Covenant
of grace when it is made onely to a few to a peculiar and chosen number of men 12. The Covenant of Works that entitles men to no further honor then to be a worthy and honourable servant of God not a child of God but under the Covenant of Grace we doe not only become servants but adopted sons we are the children of promise by Faith in Christ the Covenant of Grace puts us into a state of Sonship Adam was the son of God by creation but not by grace and adoption till the Covenant of Grace was made 13. Creation was the foundation of the Covenant of Works but it is Redemption that is the foundation of the Covenant of Grace the foundation of this is because Christ hath died for us and shed his bloud for us 14. In the Covenant of Works God did onely manifest the attributes of his greatnesse and power and wisdome and justice but in the covenant of grace hee does demonstrate the attributes of his grace and mercy goodnesse and patience c. God in the covenant of works was only a just God Do this and live so long as thou keepest my Commandments thou shalt live and no longer but in the covenant of grace he is a mercifull God too the Lord did make the attributes of his mercy and goodnesse to shine forth in this covenant should God say to us so long as you doe well it shall be well with you but if even you break one command or commit one sin you shall be damned if God should say thus to us we were in a most miserable and undone condition and could not escape damnation but we being under the covenant of grace by his Son Jesus Christ he tels us that although we doe break his commands and sin against him yet in his Son he will pardon us and passe by all our transgressions as if they had never beene committed SERMON IX EPHES. 2. 12. And strangers to the Covenants of Promise HAving shewn you in 14. particulars your great happiness in being under the covenant of grace from the misery you would have lain under had you been under the covenant of works I come now to the second Use Use 2 which is a Use of dread and terrour to lay before you the great misery of those that are strangers to this covenant of promise and here I might lay before you much astonishing and perplexing matter to all those that are not in the covenant of grace I shall be the larger upon this particular because the last day I spent half an hour about a use of comfort in shewing you your happinesse in being under the covenant of grace and therefore now I shall spend the like time in declaring the misery of all those that are strangers to the covenant which I shall comprise under these six heads 1. This is one part of your misery you are bound to keep the whole Law of God and that in your persons else you can never be saved and oh how impossible is this for any man to do he that is under the covenant of grace God the Father accepts of Christs keeping and fulfilling of the Law for him as if it were done by him in his own person but to such as are not in this covenant of grace God sayes to them if you doe not keep the whole Law and that personally you shall be damned eternally as in Gal. 5. 3. sayes the Apostle there I testifie again â—o every man that is circumcised that he is bound to keep the whole Law if you will not accept of Christ and accept of Salvation by his bloud alone but run to circumcision I tell you saith the Apostle that you are debters to keep the whole Law of God and he will cast you into hell upon the least breach of the Law Oh thou unhappy man upon how hard termes canst thou hope for salvation even upon impossible termes thou canst as well keep the sea in thy fist as keep the whole Law of God in thy own person God sayes to thee if thou dost break but one command though thou should keep all the rest yet thou shalt die and be damned eternally but if you be under the covenant of grace though you break the Law again and again yet Christ doth redeem you from the curse of the Law he being made a curse for you 2. Thou that art a stranger to the covenant of grace thou hast no strength but thy own to help thee in the discharge of all thy duties but now a man that is under the covenant of grace God doth command him a duty and does with the command give him a power to perform the duty God bids him act grace and powers upon him a spirit of Grace he bids him pray and gives him a spirit of prayer God commands him a duty and gives him a flexible willing and an obedient heart and abilities to perform the duty when in Scripture God does command a duty he does likewise promise to assist and enable us to the performance of the duty as for example the Lord bids us to wash us and make us clean and put away the evill of our doings and a poor soul saith Oh Lord I am not able to wash my heart nor cleanse my wayes nor to do any thing that is good of my self and therefore sayes God again I will wash you and make you whiter then snow so God bids us to get new hearts and then again he promiseth to create in us new hearts and renew rights spirits within us I might instance in sundry other particulars but now this is thy unhappinesse oh man that art a stranger to the covenant of grace God bids thee keep his commands but he gives thee no power to fulfill his commands he bids thee act grace and never gives thee a spirit of grace he bids thee pray and yet never powres out upon thee a spirit of prayer and if Adam in his innocency when he was perfect was not able to keep Gods commands how much more unable art thou to doe any thing that may please God thou by thy own strength art as well able to make a world as to make one prayer or perform any duty in a holy and spirituall manner thou canst as well destroy the whole world with thy own hands as subdue any lust by thy own strength but under the covenant of Grace God tels us that though we cannot keep the Law yet he will accept of his Sons keeping it for us and he hath promised to help and assist us in the performance of every thing that he commands us 3. You that are strangers to the covenant of grace herein lies your misery you have no Advocate to plead for you nor Mediator to stand between God and you you have an angry God frowning upon you and a galled conscience ready to accuse you and every thing else in the World against you but no friend either in heaven or in earth to plead
of the Covenant and yet want the inward and spirituall blessings of it 2. Take in this sad conclusion that the most of men in the world are without the common and outward mercies of the covenant of grace as all that are in the state of Judaisme Turcisme and Paganism and these being without the outward priviledges of the Church they can hope for no salvation If you should divide the world into one and thirty parts there is but a fift part of them are Christians there is nineteen parts of the world that are Jews and Turks and seven parts that are Pagans so that there is but five parts that are Christians the most of men in the world are without the outward and common blessings of the Covenant of grace and therefore can obtain no salvation by Christ 3. Take this conclusion yet further that the most of those men that are within the outward and common blessings are yet without the saving and spirituall blessings and priviledges of the covenant of grace this conclusion is answerable to that phrase in Mat. 2. Many are called but few are chosen there are but a few chosen to life and happinesse amongst those that are partakers of the externall mercies of the covenant of grace as in Zach. 13. 8 9. And it shall câ—me to passe that in all the land saith the Lord two parts therein shall be cut off and die but the third shall be left therein and I will bring the third part through the fire and will refine them as silver is refined and will try them as gold is tryed they shall call on my name and I will hear them I will say it is my people and they shall say the Lord is my God there was but one part of three that were godly and as it was then so it is now but one part of three that can say truly they have an interest in the covenant of grace and therefore Beloved this may be some of your lot there are many of you that have a share in the outward blessings of the covenant that have the Ordinances and meanes of grace and make profession of Christ and yet few of you that have any speciall and peculiar blessing from Christ As when Christ was thronged in the multitude there were a great many that touched him but one onely that got any vertue from him so there are a very few that enjoy the speciall and peculiar blessings of the covenant to have sin pardoned and their corruptions subdued and their duties and services accepted God to be their God and Christ to be their Saviour 4. Take this conclusion likewise that such is the pride and deceitfulnesse of mans heart naturally that from their being within the compasse of the outward blessings of the covenant that they will conclude themselves to have an interest in the inward and spirituall blessings of the covenant of grace as you shall finde the Jews did in Joh. 8. 33 39 41. in vers 33. say they we are the seed of Abraham and vers 39. we have Abraham to be our Father and from hence they conclude in vers 41. that God was their Father too though Christ told them plainly they were of their father the Devill wicked men are very apt to deceive themselves and think they have an interest in the spirituall blessings of the covenant of grace because they partake of the Sacraments and outward ordinances whereas in Baptisme you may have your face sprinkled with water and yet never have your hearts sprinkled with the bloud of Christ you may be born in the Church and yet never be of the Church of the first born in heaven you may have the Church to be your Mother and yet never have God to be your Father there is but a remnant according to the election of grace the main body is cast away there is but a remnant saved and yet the Jewes did boast of themselves that because they had the Adoption and the Glory and the Covenant and the Promise c. therefore God was theirs too and heaven and happinesse and all theirs when there was no such matter SERMON X. EPHES. 2. 12. And strangers to the Covenants of Promise HAving formerly premised four conclusions that you might not harbour any secret conjectures and imaginations that you do belong to the covenant of grace when you do not I come now to give you some trials and discoveries whereby you may know whether you are the persons that can lay a just claim to life and salvation from God through his Son Jesus Christ by vertue of his promise and I shall comprise them under these three heads 1. You may know whether you do belong to the covenant of grace or no in case you doe partake of the spirituall blessings of the covenant 2. In case you have the inseparable concomitants of the Covenant And 3. In case you doe perform the conditions of the covenant of grace which is faith beleeve and be saved if you have these three you may lay an undoubted claim to the covenant of grace 1. If you have the saving and spirituall blessings of the covenant of grace and these are four 1. God will be your God and you shall be his people This is the tenor of the covenant of grace as in Jer. 31. 33. I will be their God and they shall my people I shall a little open this blessing to you for God to be our God it notes these three things 1. It notes a speciall propriety in God which none have but the elect 2. It notes an all-sufficiency in God for their good 3. It notes an absolute authority that God hath over them 1. For God to be our God it notes that God is yours in a speciall way of propriety which none but those that are the children of God can have wicked men cannot lay claim to God as their God as Pharaoh when he desired Moses to pray for him sayes he I have sinned against the Lord your God he could not say against the Lord my God you that can upon Scripture grounds lay claim to God as your God as having a speciall propriety in him you have an interest in the covenant of grace 2. For God to be your God it notes an all-sufficiency in God put out for your good as in Gen. 17. 1. sayes God there to Abraham I am thy God all-sufficient walk before me and be thou perfect you that can look upon God as having an interest and propriety in God and you finde by experience that God is exceeding good to your soules in every thing if you see the emptinesse of all things in the world and that they are but particular helps to thee as food against hunger drink against thirst cloathes against nakednesse c. but you finde God to be an all-sufficient help and remedy the chiefest good sufficing and satisfying and filling thy heart thou that canst look upon God as thy all-sufficient good
hast thou to do to meddle with my covenant of grace you can lay no claim to the Covenant till you have cast off the old man and subdued and overcome your sins and corruptions 2. Another concomitant of the covenant of grace that will accompany you is this you will be a people wholly devoted and given up to the service of God Jer. 31. I will be your God and you shall be my people the covenant of grace is called an holy covenant Luk. 1. 72. not so much because it was made by a holy God as because it was made for the holy creature it will make them holy that do enter into it and therefore those that are in Covenant with God are called a holy people and they must be a holy people as in 1 Cor. 6. 20. sayes the Apostle You are bought with a price therefore glorifie God in your bodies and souls which are Gods and in 2 Cor. 7. 1. Seeing therefore we have these promises dearly beloved Let us cleanse our selves from all filthinesse both of flesh and spirit perfecting holinesse in the fear of God those that are in covenant with God they are a holy and crucified people 3. Another concomitant is this that man that hath a share in the blessings of the Covenant he doth make conscience to walk in the wayes of the Covenant hee will not only close with the promise of the Covenant but also make conscience of keeping the commands of the Covenant for the covenant of grace does not onely bestow blessings upon you but require something of you too as in Esai 55. sayes God Incline your ears and come unto me and hear hearken and your souls shall live and I will make an everlasting covenant with you even the sure mercies of David the covenant of grace is a sure and everlasting covenant but sayes God you shall come unto me first and then I will make with you an everlasting covenant God will have you to obey him if ever you think to have any share in the covenant of grace those that let God command what he will will doe what they please this argues that they doe not belong to the covenant of grace but if the blessings of the covenant of grace are given by God to you and the concomitants of it found with you and lastly the conditions of it found in you which is faith the only condition of the covenant of grace beleeve and be saved if God hath brought thee into a believing estate that there is not one promise in the Gospell but you do beartily assent unto and close with if it be thus then you may conclude that you do belong to the covenant of grace And thus I have done with these charactars by way of tryall Use I have only now a word or two more by way of use and so have done with this third part of mans misery and the Use that I shall make of this shall be for consolation to all those whose hearts can bear them witnesse that they doe enjoy the saving blessings of the Covenant of grace God to be their God and they to be his people and that God hath sanctified and renewed your natures and pardoned and passed by all your sins and iniquities and hath written his Law in your hearts that you doe not depart from him if you have the concomitants of the Covenant that you are disingaged from the league and covenant you have made with sin and death and hell if you are wholly devoted and given up to the service of God and doe make conscience to walk in the ways of the Covenant and if the conditions of the Covenant of Faith in Christ be found in you if you are brought into a beleeving condition if all these things be wrought in you then hearken to the great happinesse and benefit you enjoy by being under the Covenant of Grace 1. Thou hast that which is more worth then a kings ransome nay then all the world thou hast God to be thy God which is all in all it is more then that which was promised to Esther by King Ahasuerus to the half of his Kingdome you have more then the Devill promised to Christ when he carryed him to the top of the mountain and shewed him all the Kingdomes of the world and the glory of them thou hast more then the whole world for thou hast God to be thy God and thou hast an interest in the Covenant of Grace which is a bundle of promises and includes in it all the promises of the Gospell which are all yours and you may goe and apply them to your own soules in whatsoever condition you are in 2. You that are in Covenant with God labour to admire the great condescension of God that he would be pleased to proceed with you by way of a Covenant I have read of some Authors that have more wondred and stood amazed at this then at any thing else in the World that God that is the Soveraign Lord of all the workes of his hands that he should not rule us and command us by a Law but deal with us by way of a Covenant for God is not bound to give us a reward though we should serve him all the dayes of our lives God might command us as we are his creatures to serve and obey him to pray read hear and walk holily and humbly before him and when we have done all this yet he might say to us I will never give you heaven nor happinesse nor any reward at all he might have said thus to us but he hath condescended so far as to make a bargain with us that if we will beleeve in his Son Jesus Christ and live holily and walk uprightly before him then he will be our God and we shall be his people he will write his Law in our hearts and sanctifie and renew our natures and pardon and forgive all our sins and give us heaven and hapninesse when we dye Oh what an infinite condescension is this in God and what unspeakable bounty and free grace that when he might say to us you are bound to serve me and obey me and to love and fear me but I am not bound to make a Covenant with you and promise you my Son and life and Salvation through him but though I am not bound to it yet I will give you my Son and heaven and happinesse and I will be your God and you shall be my people and I will regenerate and sanctifie your natures and create in you new hearts and write my Law in your inward parts I will freely do all this for you sayes God Oh what infinite condescension and free grace and mercy is this 3. Another great happinesse you doe enjoy under the Covenant of Grace is this the Lord will pardon all the great sinnes you commit against him and accept of all the weak duties and services you perform to him though you commit great and mighty sins
If you be at this pass I have preached al this while in vain the victory of Christ which I have discoursed of is to little purpose Oh consider generous Heathens may shame you you make all the provision of Christ in the Gospell to be of lesse effect then meer morall principles 2. Especially improve this in the very season and hour of death the great Goliah is now faln and you may come forth and look upon the carkasse death its self that startleth the creature and seemeth to be the great check and prejudice of Christian hopes is vanquished by Christ therefore in the very season when it seemeth to prevail over you apply the victory and say Thanks be to God c. When the pangs come upon you remember this is deaths last pull and assault you may bear with it it shall molest you no more as Moses said The Egyptians which yee have seen to day yee shall see them no more again for ever so you shall feel these things no more in heaven there are no groans nor tears nor sorrows have but a little patience and assoon as the last gasp is over the soul shall be carryed by Angels to Christ and by Christ to God beleevers have the same entertainment that Christ had he was carryed into heaven by Angels Dan. 7. 13. They brought him to the ancient of dayes and so we are carryed by Angels into Abrahams bosome Luk. 16. 22. they have a train to accompany them into heaven as their friends accompany their bodies to the grave and as Christ was welcomed into heaven with acclamations and God saith Sit down at my right hand and aske of me and I will give thee c. so are beleevers welcomed Well done good and faithfull servant enter into thy masters joy What remaineth then but that we dye by faith as well as live by faith but that we welcome death with confidence and breath out our souls in triumph Moses when he took up the Serpent in his hand 't was but a rod death thus welcomed and entertained by faith will prove at most but a correction yea rather a blessing of the Covenant a means of passage into glory One thing I had almost forgotten to presse you to thankfulnesse to Christ Oh blesse your Redeemer that hath delivered you from the fear of death admire his love and condescension that he should come down from heaven and substitute himself into our room and place and take the horrours of death into his own soul 't is said Mat. 20 28. The Son of man came not to be ministred unto but to minister and to give his life a ransome for many Christ was a Prince by birth heir of all things yet he came not in the pomp and equipage of a Prince if he had come in state to visit us and to deliver comfort to us by word of mouth it had been much but Christ came not in this way not in the pomp of a Prince but the form of a servant to minister to our necessities and that in the highest way of self-deniall he gave his life as a ransome for many other Princes are lavish of their subjects bloud and care not how many lay down their lives for them many give their lives as a ransome for the Prince but here 't is quite otherwise this Prince layeth down his life to redeem the subjects and he suffered death that it might not bee terrible and destructive to us Oh blessed be the Lord Jesus Christ for this love for evermore Some may expect that I should speak something concerning the servant of God our dear brother now departed but I need not say any more then what I have spoken already all along the discourse I have indeed spoken of him and that in the judgement of your consciences the duties which I pressed upon you he performed the comforts which I have propounded to you he enjoyed I shall not make any particular rehearsall of the passages of his exemplary life I judge it not convenient only to you of this place I may take liberty to commend his doctrine and intreat you to be carefull of those precious truths which he sowed among you whilest the Lord used him here as a skilfull seeds man God looketh for some increase and taketh speciall notice of the time that you have enjoyed his labours there is an exact account kept in heaven in that parable These three years came I seeking fruit Luk. 13. 7. probably the three years of Christs ministery are intended for then he was entring upon his last half year God reckoneth how many yeares how many moneths your Minister hath been with you and accordingly doth expect fruit your pastour a little before his suffering professed high and worthy thoughts of you let him not be deceived 't will be sad for you in that great day of separation that when he expecteth to finde you among the sheep and to be his Crown and rejoicing he should see you among the goats he will know you there memory in heaven is not abolished but parfected I say he will know you though without any lessening of his own happinesse or repining at Gods rightous judgements FINIS An Alphabeticall Table A. AFflictions sweetned by Christ 75 76 Atheist in practise and judgement 238 Grounds of Atheisme 239 Discoveries of a practicall Atheist 243. 246 B. BAcksliders have no interest in Christ 43 Baseness of a man without Christ 23 61 Beggerlinesse of a man without Christ 26 A Beleever hath all things equivalently conditionally finally and in heritively 65 Blessings turn curses without an interest in Christ 55 Blindnesse of a man without Christ 28 C. CArist How a man may be said to be in Christ and out of Christ 18 What it is to be without Christ 19 The properties of a man without Christ 22 Characters of a man without Christ 34 The misery of a man without Christ 50. 101 Christ is to the soul as the sun to the earth 60 The benefits derived from Christ 67 All that Christ hath is a beleevers 71 and all that a Beleever hath is Christ's 73 Characters of a mans interest in Christ 85 Christ precious to a beleever 97 Church compared to a Commonwealth 103 Wherein they differ 107 Necessity of church government 109 Necessity of Church union 110 A great misery to be a stranger to the Church of God 113 A wicked man in the Church like a Wen in the body or a woodden leg 115 Comfort Vid. Joy No comfort without Christ 61. 75 Common-prayer-book an abstract of the Popish Masse 207 Three sentences of Scripture misinterpreted therein 206. 208. 210 Contentation only in Christ 98 Covenant and promise how they differ 118 Divers administrations thereof 119 Covenant of Grace what 121 How you may know whether you be within this Covenant 123 The difference in being under a Covenant of Works and a Covenant of Grace 126 The misery of strangers to the Covenant of grace 135
Characters of a man under the Covenant of grace 152. 157 The great condescension of God to make a Covenant with man 161 D. DEad a Christlesse man is a dead man 31 Death as a marriage day 8 Deformity of a man without Christ 29. 62 Duties accepted for the persons sake under the Covenant of grace 131 142. 145. 163. 204 Performance of Duties a sandie foundation and a rotten prop of hopes for heaven 177. 202 F. FOr bearance of God breeds Atheism 239. 250 G. GOd dreadful to apprehension without Christ 55. 77 God to be our God what it notes 152 And what a great happinesse it imports 161 To be without God what Vide Atheist 234 Characters of those that are without any real propriety in God 265 269 Our interest in God is to be proved 274 And improved 277 Growth in grace proceeds from Christ 60. 91 H. HOpe of the wicked vain 166 173 Reasons why an unregenerate man is without hope 167 The nature of true hope 170 Characters if an ungrounded and presumptuous hope 175 A true hope hath a purifying pacifying painfull property with it 179 The false props of awicked mans hope 181. 186. 197. 201. 206. 214. 217 Differences between a well-grounded and a presumptuous hope 221 The misery of presumptuous hopes 227 The same certainty excellency efficacy difficulty in hope that is in Faith 230 231 Humility how improved 12 13 The badge of Christianity 91 92 I. IGnorance what properties it must have to demonstrate thy want of interest in God 267 Joy the fountain of it Christ 29. 61 K. KNowledg of Christ spirituall experimentall affective appropriating practicall 20 21. 269 A man may have an interest in Christ and yet not know it 47 He knowes most that does most 267 L. LIturgie V. Common-prayer-book Love of Christ demonstrates interest in Christ 37 The object of love the people of God 272 M. MErcy of God in generall no good prop of hope 193 Misery of a Christlesse man 51. c. Mortification of lusts a sign that we belong to Christ 36 37. 88 N. NEwnesse of life declares an interest in Christ 90 White garments a type of thereof 95 P. PRayer the neglect thereof Atheisme 244 Presumption of the wicked 172 How it differs from the hope of the godly 221 Presumption begets frustration vexation and damnation 228 Pride a ground of Atheism 242 Promise Vide Covenant Covenants of promise what 117 The promise of God in Christ the main pillar of hope 178 Promises convey no comfort without Christ 212 Every promise hath some condition annext to it 213 R. REmembrance of our sinfulnesse before conversion works in us An admiration of Gods grace and mercy 9 Earnest contention to excell in grace 10 Compassion to the unconverted 11 Humility 12 Watchfulnesse over our wayes 14 S. SAlvation by Christ alone 99 Sanctification a blessing of the new Covenant 154 Scripture questioning the authority thereof makes Atheists 241 Sins before conversion to be called to minde 5 But not with complacency of spirit 6 Or stupidity of heart 7 Or despondency of minde 8 Reasons thereof 9 The dominion of sin taken away but not the life 36 The dangers and aggravations of small sins 182. 184 Sins of the godly no ground of hope to the wicked 188 The same for the matter but not for the manner 188. 191 Slavery of a man without Christ 24 Spirit of Christ his threefold operation upon the heart 35. 96 Strength to perform any duty to exercise any grace to subdue any lust to resist any temptation to bear any affliction derived only from Christ 58. 59 U. UNregenerate every unregenerate man is without Christ 17 And an Atheist 237 FINIS Pâ—ssâ—lli epigram in vita Gregor Nazianzeni Ezek. 23. 19 21. 1 Tim. 1. 13. Act. 26. 10 11. Tit. 3. 2 3. Ezek. 16. 3 4 5. Ezek. 20. 43. Ephes 5. 8. Ephes 1. 4. Tit. 1. 16. Eight properties of a man without Christ Isa 64. 6. Joh. 8. 36. 1. Joh. 8. 34. 2 Pet. 2. 19. 2 Tim. 2. Rev. 18. 13. Rev. 4. 17. Joh. 6. 55. Gen. 27. 4. Rev. 3. 17. Ephes 5. 8. Joh. 3. 19. Ezek. 16. 3 4 c. Job 20 22 Ioh. 5. 12. Ephes 2. 1. Col. 3. 3. Ioh. 3. 18. Seven Characters of a man without Christ Rom 8. 9 Gal. 5 24. Dan. 7. 12. Gal. 5. 24. Ioh. 14. 24. Ioh. 8. 54 55. 2 Pet. 3. 5. Iob 21. 14. Psal 82. 5. Joh. 8 47. Ioh. 9. 16. 1 Ioh. 5. 18. 1 Joh. 5. 19 2 Ioh. v. 9. 2 Cor. 5. 17. Joh. 20. 13 Joh. 14. 4. 2 Tim. 2. 19. 1. Joh. 25 5. 2 Cor. 3. 5. 1. Rom. 8. 26. Gal. 2. 20. 4. Ephes 6. 10. Phil. 2. 21. Rev. 3. 17. Ezek. 16. 14. 2 Cor. 6. 10. Cant. 5. 1. 1 Cor. 3. 22. Psal 84. 11. Seven benefits which the faithfull have by Christ 1 Cor. 3. 22. Psal 2. 8. Rom. 14 8. Joh. 14. 8. 1 Cor. 1. 30. Ioh. 1. 14. Ioh. 14. 27. Esa 53. 6. 2 Cor. 5. 21. Act. 9. 4. 1 Cor 6. 19 20. Ex. 15. 25. Iudg. 14. 2 King 3. 14. Ephes 1. 6. Rom. 8. 10 Ioh. 17. 23 24. Vers 20. 2 Cor. 10. 7. Rev. 3. 17. Joh. 12. Twelve Characters of a mans interest in Christ Phil. 3. 8. 9. 1 Cor. 4. 4. Luk. 16. 15. 1 Joh. 2. 5. 2 Sam. 3. 1. 1 Ioh. 5. 18 19 20. 1 Ioh. 3. 6 2 Cor. 5. 17. Joh. 15. 5. 1 Ioh. 2. 6. 1 Ioh. 4. 13. Eccles 1. 8. Gen. 43. 5. Joh. 17. 12. 1 Cor. 12. 8 9 10. Revel 22. 18 19. Rom. 7. 14 Psal 11. 3. Mat. 12. 25 1 Pet. 2. 2 Pet. 2. 13 1 Joh. Gen. 3. 15. Heb. 3. Gal. 5. 4. The great happinesse in being under a Covenant of Grace Psal 89. 31 32 33. Psal 11. 5. The misery of being strangers to the Covenant of Grace Isa 1. 16. Ezek. 36. 25 2 Cor. 5. 10. Exod. 34. 6 7. Ezek. 36. v. 25 26. 27 28. ver 29 30. v. 10 11. Heb. 11. 4. Prov. 15. 8. Jer 31. 11 12. Deut. 29 10 11 12. Rom. 9. 4 5. Vers 8. Zach. 13. 8 9. Joh. 8. 33. 30. 41. Three characters of a mans interest in the Covenant of Grace Ezek. 36. 26 27. Ier. 31. 34. Amos 5. 12 15. Act. 3. 25 26. Psal 50. 16. 1 Cor. 6. 20. 2 Cor. 7. 1. Esai 55. 3. Act. 27. 20. Tit. 2. 2. 1 Tit. 2. Heb. 11. 1. Joh 8. 13. Prov. 10. 20. Prov. 14. 16. Psal 36. â—2 Job 21. 23. Prov 11. 7. 1 Pet. 3. 15. Deut. 29. 15. Esa 57. 10. Psal 36. 1 2. Psal 119. 155. 1 Pet. 3. 15. Mat. 7. ult Luk. 13. 26. 1 Joh. 3. 14. Rom. 15. 13. 2. Heb. 16. 19. Quest 3. Answ Five false props of a wicked mans hope Luk. 18. 11. Phil. 3. 6. Mat. 19. 18 19 20. 1 Cor. 10. 11. 1. Tim. 1. 16. Gen. 9. Psal 36. 4. Psal 38. Psal 39. Lev. 13 4. Luk. 1. 50. Object Answ 1. Isa 58. 2 3. Zach. 8. 19. Psal 105. 9 Gen. 4. Heb. 11. 1 King 18. 25. Prov. 15. 8. Ezek. 18. Prov. 24. 16. Job 5. 19. 2 Cor. 5. 14 15. Mat. 18. 11. Luk. 19. 10. Gen. 17. 1. 2 Cor. 6. 16 18. 2 Cor. 7. 1. Heb. 5. 9. Mat. 11. 28. Answ 1. Answ 1. Psal 37. 37. Esa 57 41. Col. 1. 23. Rom. 15. 4 Psal 119. 49. 1 Tim. 1. 1. Psal 147. 11. Psal 33. 18. Psal 119. 81. Rom. 5. 2 3. Psal 119. 166. Psal 37. 3. 1 Joh. 3. 3. Esai 51. 10. Deut. 59. 18. Rom. 5. 4. Col. 1. 5. Jer. 17. 17. Psal 71. 5. Job 8. 13. Prov. 14. 32. Heb. 16. 11. Rom. 15. 5. Luk. 13. 28. Act. 15. 9. 1 Joh. 3. 3. Act. 17. 27. Mic. 4. 5. Psal 81. 11 Psal 14. 1. Foure grounds of Atheism Eccles 8. 11. Psal 50. 21 Rom. 2. 4. Eccles 8. 12. Rom. 2. 24 1 Pet. 3. 4. Exod. 5. 2. Dan. 3. 15. Thirteen Characters of an Atheist Psal 14. 1. Iob 22. 12 13 14. Job 24 13 15 17. Gen. 39. 9. Cant. 2. 14 Mat 26. 39. Luk. 22. 41. Mar. 14. 35. Ioh. 17. Act. 24. 25. Eph. 15. 5. Job 31. 24. vers 28. Iosh 24. 25 26. Gen. 42. 21. Iob 13. 26. Psal 25. 7 1 King 18. 21. Heb. 2. 18. Zach. 13. 8 9. Jer. 3. 4 5. Psal 14. 1. Seven Characters of those men that have no reall propriety in God 2 Chr. 15. 3. Ioh. 8. 54 55. 1. Ioh. 8. 55. Object Answ Prov. 30. 23. Psal 111. 10. Ier. 22. 16. Hos 8. 2. Iob 21. 14. Ioh. 8. 47. 1 Ioh. 4. 6. Ioh. 8. 49. 50. 1 Joh. 3. 10. Use Heb. 11. 16. Three discoveries of our interest in God 2 Cor. 6. 18. Ier. 3 25. Dan. 9 5. A view of the Context * Pareus in locum * Heb. 10. 33. Diyision of the Text. * Iosh 10. 24. * Gen. 3. 15. * Mat. 20. 28. 1 Tim. 2. 6. Iob 33. 24. * Prudentius * Rom. 7. 23. * Aristotle * Rev. 7. 17. * Heb. 10. 33. * Judg. 10. 14. * Kinet Cathol orthed Ques 40. primae â—â—â—is * 1 Pet. 3. 14. * Illius est nolle mori qui nolit 〈◊〉 ad Christum-Aug * Isai 66. 24. * Exod. 14. 13. * Psa 110. * 1. Psal 2. 8
your sins to remembrance with a great deal of grief and sorrow and bitternesse of spirit and therefore when young gallants wil boast of their sins and tel how often they have been drunk and have made others to be so and how often they have plaid the whoremaster and have drawn others to do so this is a most Diabolical remembrance 2. You must not cal your former sins to remembrance with stupidity of heart neither Beloved there are many men can remember what lewd courses they have taken and what wicked lives they have lived how often they have been drunk and unclean and the like and yet are never troubled at the remembrance of it their hearts do not smite them with remorse and sorrow but are like a rock the sense of sin never troubles them this is no way of calling sin to remembrance with a blockish and stupid heart this is not thanks worthy but it must be done with a broken and a bleeding and a contrite heart And 3. Take in this caution too it must not be done with despondency of minde neither There are many converted ones that do cal their sins to remembrance but it makes them discouraged and unwilling to come to Christ it makes them think that they have no interest in the covenant of grace but this should not be the true effect that the consideration of your former sinfulnesse should produce should be your laying your souls low and making them humble and the more sensible of that indispensable need you have of Christ of going unto him for salvation and comfort These are the Cautions necessary to be premised I come now to give you the Reasons of the point why it is the will of God that people in a converted estate should often cal to minde the sin and misery they were in before conversion and Reas 1 1. God will have it so because by so doing you will be provoked the more highly to magnifie and admire the greatnesse and riches of Gods grace to you there are none in the World greater admirers of Gods grace and mercy then those that are most studious of their own sin and misery thou wilt never solemnly and throughly magnifie Gods mercy till thou art plunged into a deep sensiblenesse of thine own misery till the Lord hath brought thee to see in what a miserable and deplorable condition thou wert in before conversion thou wilt then admire and magnifie the riches of Gods free grace in bringing thee out of that condition into the estate of grace as in 1 Tim. 1. 13. the Apostle Paul when he would magnifie the free grace of God to him saith he I was a blasphemer and a persecutor and injurious and yet through the abundance of Gods free grace and mercy I have obtained mercy the consideration of his former sinfulnesse did elevate and scrue up his heart to make him admire the free grace of God to his soul that man can never prize liberty as he should do that never was in prison But Reas 2 2. Another reason why God wil have it so is because this will be as a spur to quicken and engage men to be more eminent in grace after their conversion when a man doth frequently and seriously consider how bad and sinful he was before conversion it cannot but provoke him now to be more humble and holy after his conversion It is very observable in Paul that all those sins and wickednesses he was guilty of before conversion he did most of all strive against and labour to excell in the contrary graces after conversion as first before conversion he did labour to hale others to prison for worshipping of Christ but after his conversion he did labour to draw others to Christ Act. 26. 10 11. Many of the Saints did I shut up in prison and gave my voice against them and punished them oft in every City and I was exceeding mad against them and banished them into other Cities and now you shall see that after conversion Paul did labour to outvie in grace that evil course he was in before as before conversion he did imprison those that did belong to Christ so after conversion he was shut up himself in prison for the cause of Christ before conversion he gave his voice against the people of God but after conversion he did pray to God for them before conversion he did punish them often but afterward he did preach to them often before conversion he did compell men to blaspheme Christ but after conversion he was very earnest to perswade people to beleive in Christ he was exceeding mad against them before conversion but afterward hee was so exceeding zealous for the people of God that every one thought hee had been mad and lastly before conversion he did persecute Saints to strange Cities but afterwards he did go preaching of the Gospel to strange Cities Oh my Beloved let Pauls pattern be your task cal to minde your sin and wickednesse in your unconverted condition but so that it may provoke you that now you are converted you may labour to abound in grace as formerly you have abounded in sin Reas 3 3. Another reason why God will have us call to minde the sin and misery we were in before conversion is because this will be a means to kindle a great deal of pity and compassion in our souls towards those that remain yet unconverted this the Apostle exhorts us to in Tit. 3. 2 3. Speak evill of no man sayes he be no brawler but gentle Shewing all meeknesse unto all men for we our selves also were sometime foolish disobedient deceived serving divers lusts and pleasures living in malice and envy hatefull and hating one another as if the Apostle should have said I Paul and thou Titus we were sinful as wel as they and did serve divers lusts as wel as they once let us therefore be pitiful and merciful and compassionate towards them this consideration wil greatly provoke us to commiserate poor sinful souls the great reason why we pity them no more then we do is because we do not cal to mind our own sinfulnesse and what we were before conversion Reas 4 4. Another reason may be this because the consideration of our former misery will greatly abate pride in the hearts of converted men this will be a great means to abate and keep under pride and advance humility in the hearts of Gods people Beloved a good man naturally is apt to be proud we are not proud of our sins but of our graces pride is apt to grow in the best mans heart and therefore God would have us sometime look back upon what we were in our unconverted estate that so that might abate the pride of our spirits you have an excellent place for this in Ezek. 16. 3 4 5. compared with the last verse of that chapter Sayes God there to Jerusalem Thy Birth and thy Nativity is of the land of Canaan thy Father was an Amorite
or speak for you Christ is a mediator to those only that are under a covenant of grace now what canst thou say for thy self oh man why thou shouldst not be condemned and damned in hell for ever for thy drunkennesse adultery sabbath-breaking prophanenesse swearing lying and thy ungodly practises thou canst have nothing to plead for thy selfe but must needs be cast out into hell fire irrecoverably but now a godly man that is under the covenant of grace he can say Lord here is Christ my mediatour that pleads with thee for the pardon of all my sins and for the obtaining of heaven and happinesse and glory for me through his obedience and merits but thou that art under the covenant of works thou canst not say I have Christ to plead for me and to be an Advocate with the Father to beg for pardon of sin and life and salvation for thee thou canst not say so for without the covenant of grace there is no Mediator Christ is the Mediator onely of the new covenant therefore what sad condition art thou in seeing as verily as thou standest here now so thou must one day stand before Gods tribunall to answer and be judged for every thing thou hast done in thy body whether it be good or evill and then thou wilt have no body to plead for thee but must inevitably be cast into everlasting burnings 4. Being out of the covenant of grace this is your misery God will in exactnesse and rigour of justice proceed against you for your sins without any mixture of mercy at all Beloved God hath no mercy without his covenant but in the covenant of grace he is a God gracious and mercifull slow to anger and of great kindnesse abundant in mercy and truth pardoning iniquity transgressions and sins but he is cloathed with justice and rigour to all that are without this covenant As it is in courts of judicature in point of life and death the Judge will take no notice whether the man be a sorrowfull man or no the Law is not to shew mercy but to punish the offence the Law does not enquire whether the man be penitent and sorry for what he hath done but whether the fact be done or no if it be he must dye for it there is no remedy just so it is here God doth not enquire under a covenant of works whether you are sorrowfull for breaking of his Law but he enquires whether you have broken it or no and if you have he will condemn thee and cast thee into hell fire and then the poor soul cryes out Oh Lord be mercifull to me this once it shall be a warning to me I will never sin against thee nor displease thee more but will from henceforth walk more humbly and holily and circumspectly before thee and yet all this that thou hast promised if thou wert able to perform it will not avail thee for God will hear none out of Christ and out of the covenant of grace 5. A man out of the covenant of grace he hath no true and speciall title to any of the blessings of God here in this world Gods blessings go along with his covenant and therefore it is very observable that in that chapter where God does promise the blessings of the covenant of grace in that very chapter he promiseth the blessings of this life as you may see in the 36. of Ezek. sayes God there I will powre clean water upon you and you shall be clean yea from all your filthinesses and from all your Idols will I cleanse you a new heart will I also give you and a new spirit will I put within you and will take away the stony heart from you and will give you a heart of flesh and will put my spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes and you shall keep my judgements and doe them and you shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers and you shall be my people and I will be your God all these are the meroies of the covenant of grace now mark the next words saith God I will call for corn and will incerease it and lay no famine upon you but I will multiply the fruit of the trees and the increase of the field and so in the 10 11 ver of that chap. And I will multiply men upon you and the cities shall be inhabited and the wastes shall be builded and I will multiply upon man and beast and they shall increase and bring fruit and I will do better to you then at your beginnings and ye shall know that I am the Lord Here the Lord entails earthly blessings to the covenant of grace intimating that all that are under the covenant of grace they have a title not only to all spirituall but to temporal blessings likewise but no wicked man out of the covenant of grace hath any true title to any outward blessings they that are of the faithfull are blessed with faithfull Abraham and enjoy outward blessings as a blessing but wicked men it is true they have something allowed them but it it as to prisoners in a prison they have something to keep them alive untill their execution and so wicked men they have prison allowances till the execution day 6. Your misery that are strangers to the covenant of grace lies in this God will not give acceptance to any of your services though you may doe as much for the matter of them as any godly man doth nay thou mayst hear more Sermons and say more prayers and perform more duties then a godly man does and yet not be accepted when the others shall as you may see in Gen. 4. 4 5. Cain and Abel they both of them brought sacrifices to God one of his flock and the other of his grounds and the Apostle speaking of this sayes that by faith Abel offered a more excellent offering then Cain it was not more excellent in regard of the matter of it for in all probability and likelihood Cains sacrifice was of more value then Abels for his was but a few young lambs the firstlings of his flock but Cains was of the first fruits of his ground and yet Abels sacrifice was accepted and the others rejected because Abel was a godly man under the Covenant of Grace by which God did accept of what he did though it were lesse then Cains and so Solomon The sacrifices of the wicked are an abomination to the Lord but the prayer of the upright is his delight a sacrifice you know is a great deal more costly then a prayer for that costs a man nothing but his breath when the other will cost a great deal of money and yet a costly sacrifice is hated by God coming from a wicked man when a pennilesse prayer coming from a godly man is accepted so that under a covenant of grace though you do less for the matter of the duty then wicked men doe
as having thy portion and interest in him and in none else this is an undoubted evidence that you doe belong to the Covenant of Grace 3. For God to be your God it notes Gods soveraignty and power over you for your benefit the Lord will reign over you and subdue corruptions in you and quell your pride and humble your heart and give you a meek and quiet spirit If you finde that God is yours in these three particulars you may comfort your heart in an unquestionable interest in the Covenant of Grace if God be your God and you his people that you have given up and devoted your selves wholly to the service of God in every thing that you doe 2. Another speciall blessing of the covenant of grace is that God hath promised to sanctifie and renew your natures as in Ezek. 36. 26 27. saies God there A new heart also will I give you and a new spirit will I put within you and will take away the stony hearts out of your bosomes and will give you hearts of flesh and I will put my spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes and you shall keep my judgments and do them God will not onely give us life for our happinesse but grace for our holinesse he will not only give us imputed righteousnesse for our justification but also inherent righteousnesse for our sanctification now therefore examine your selves have your natures ever been sanctified and regenerated have you been ever washed with clean water and those stains of sin and corruption wiped away from you hath the beasom of sanctification ever swept your inward man and made it not a cave for every unclean bird to lie in but a habitation fit for the holy Ghost to dwell in if it be so you have a reall right to and interest in the covenant of grace for no man can have the blessings of the covenant but he must have a beeing in the covenant of grace It is very observable that God is not only as the covenant represents him a God gracious and mercifull slow to anger and full of compassion c. but he is a holy God as well as a mercifull God and therefore he will work holinesse in us and expect holinesse from us if ever we expect to have mercy and happinesse from him never lay claim to God nor expect life and happinesse from him as he is a mercifull God unlesse you resolve to be conformable to him as he is a holy God Object But here some may say This is not so great a blessing as you speak of to be sanctified by vertue of the covenant of grace for there are many men that may be sanctified by the covenant of grace and yet never be saved by it and this objection they ground upon that place in Heb. 10. 29. And they shall count the bloud of the covenant wherewith they were sanctified an unholy thing Answ I answer that the sanctification here spoken of is not a true sanctification but onely in profession in the sight of men not in the fight of God it is not a sanctification in very deed and in truth but onely in shew and in the judgement of men 3. Another blessing of the covenant of grace is the forgivenesse of our sins as in Jer. 3. 34. They shall all know me from the least of them to the greatest saith the Lord for I will forgive their iniquity and will remember their sins no more now beloved can you say that God hath pardoned your sins and done away your offences if so then you are under the Covenant of Grace Object But here some poor soul may say Alas I have been a great sinner and have committed offences against God and therefore I fear I have no reall interest in the covenant of grace Answ Be not discouraged for it is the glory of the covenant of grace to pardon great sins it puts a great deal of glory upon God to pardon great sins and passe by great offences as in Amos 5. 12 15. I know sayes God your manifold transgressions and your mighty sins here you see are manifold and mighty sins and yet saies God hate evill and love good it may be the Lord will be gracious to you nay the Lord he will be gracious to you though thou hast manifold and mighty sinnes yet it is not the greatnesse nor mightinesse of them but thy stubbornnesse of heart in not coming in and closing with Jesus Christ that undoes thee 4. Another blessing of the covenant of grace is Gods writing his Law in our hearts that we shall never depart from him as in Jer. 31. 33. I will put my Law in their inward parts and write it in their hearts I will be their God and they shall be my people that is God will put into our hearts a sutable frame and disposition answerable to every command of God in his Law that we shall be able to obey observe and keep it and say that it is good and then saies God you shall never depart from me now examine your selves hath this effect beene wrought by the spirit of God in your hearts hath God written the Sermons you have heard not in your books but in your hearts if so these are good evidences of your interest in the covenant of grace 2. Another discovery or character of your interest in the covenant of grace is this if you have in you the inseparable concomitances that belong to this covenant of grace there are some things that doe alwayes accompany the covenant of grace as I shall instance in 3 or 4 particulars 1. If you be a man under the covenant of grace in covenant with God then you are disingaged from that league and covenant which you have made and contracted with your lusts whosoever is in covenant with God he hath broken his league with his lusts you cannot be in covenant with Christ till you fall off from your lusts and break off from your sins as in Act. 3. 25 26. sayes the Apostle You are the children of the Prophets and of the covenant which God hath made with our Fathers saying to Abraham even in thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed First unto you hath God raised up his Son Jesus Christ and him hee hath sent to blesse you in turning every one of you from your iniquities so that if you are children of the covenant the Lord will turn every one of you from your wicked wayes and therefore you that are not turned from the evill of your courses that have not broken that league you have made with death and hell you can lay no claim to the covenant of grace as in Psal 50. 16. sayes God there to the wicked What hast thou to doe to take my covenant into thy mouth seeing thou hatest to be reformed and castest my words behinde thee thou wilt not forsake thy lusts nor leave thy sins and therefore what
yet the Lord is gracious and mercifull and will pardon them the Covenant of Grace covers great sins as the sea can cover a mountain as wel as a mole-hill so the Covenant of Grace can pardon mountainous sins as well as small ones And again the Covenant of Grace does accept of weak and imperfect duties nay those very duties which wicked men doe perform though they be more for the matter of them then ours are yet by vertue of the Covenant of Grace the Lord does accept of ours and will not accept of theirs as in Prov. 15. 8. the place that I quoted before The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord but the prayer of the upright is his delight a sacrifice is a great deal more costly then a prayer and yet the Lord will accept of a poore pennilesse prayer coming from a godly man when he will reject a costly Sacrifice from a wicked man God will accept of a cup of cold water from one in Covenant with him when he will not accept of 10000 rivers of oile from a wicked man he will pardon your great sins and accept of your weak services indeed were you under a Covenant of works that would require perfect obedience but being under a Covenant of grace the Lord accepts of sincere though it be imperfect obedience and thus I have done with the third part of mans misery being strangers to the Covenant of grace SERMON XI EPHES. 2. 12. Having no hope WEE come now to fall upon the fourth part of an unconverted mans misery which you will think to be a very strange one that he is without hope while these Ephesians were in a state of Gentilism unconverted to the Faith of Christ they were without hope the reason of it was because they were without Christ who is the way the truth and the life there is no other way to heaven but onely by Jesus Christ and seeing they were out of the way to heaven they must needs be without any hopes of coming to heaven it was the first branch of their misery in being without Christ that exposed them and made them lyable to all the rest because they were without Christ therefore they were aliens to the Common-wealth of Israel therefore they were strangers to the Covenant of Promise and without hope and without God in the World Object Ob. But here some will be ready to say How can this be that the Apostle should say they were without hope when were it not for hope the heart would break and therefore it is not possible they should be without hope Answ I answer it is true they had a hope but it was a vain hope an ungrounded and a deluding hope and this kinde of hope is no better then no hope at all so that the Apostle might well say they had no hope that is no good nor well grounded hope for heaven they had onely a presumptuous hope such a hope as would make them ashamed in the latter end they had only the hope of the hypocrite that shall perish and therefore when the Apostle sayes that these Ephesians during their unregeneracy were without hope his meaning is that they were without any wel grounded hopes for heaven they had no Scripture grounds to bottome or build any hopes upon that God would bring them to heaven this is a very sad and dreadfull point I am now upon in shewing you this part of mans misery without hope the Observation I shall draw out from hence shall be this Doctr. That all men during the state of their unregeneracy are without any true or well grounded hopes of heaven In the handling of this I shall first prove it in the generall and then improve it first to prove it an unconverted mans condition in reference to his hopes for heaven is just like Pauls and those Mariners that were with him in the ship sailing towards Rome Act. 27. 20. when neither Sun nor Stars appeared but the winde and waves did beat upon the ship insomuch that all the hopes they had of being saved were quite taken away so it is just your case that are without Jesus Christ there is neither Sun nor Star does shine upon you if Christ does not shine upon you you are like Paul and the other Mariners in the ship all hopes of your being saved is quite taken away from you I shall confirm this truth to you by three or four demonstrations that a wicked man is without any hopes for heaven Reas 1 1. An unregene rate man must needs be without hope because he is without Christ who is the foundation of a christians hope Wherefore remember sayes the Apostle that at that time ye were without Christ and therefore he tels them afterward that they were without hope in Tit. 2. 2. Christ is there called our hope Christ is that person in and upon whom we are to build all our hopes for heaven and therefore he is called our hope and this is the meaning of that expression Christ in you the hope of glory intimating that you cannot hope for glory but in and through Jesus Christ that man that is a Christlesse man must needs be a hopelesse man that is the first demonstration Reas 2 2. A man without Christ must needes be without hope because he is without a title to any promise of life and salvation which is the onely support and prop of mans hope you would count this a very fond and vain hope for any man to hope that such a rich man would make him heir of all he hath though hee never promised him one foot of Land why just so vaine are the hopes of wicked men but now the Word of Promise is like a pillar of marble to bear up the hearts of Gods people as in 1 Tit. 2. In hope of eternall life which God that cannot lye promised before the World began the promises doe ground that man that hath interest in them to a hope of eternall life he that is without the Lord Jesus Christ the foundation of hope and without the promises which is the pillar of hope must needs be without all true hopes of heaven Reas 3 3. He cannot but be without hope because he is without Faith which is the ground of hope as in Heb. 11. 1. Faith is the ground of things hoped for the evidence of things not seen where no true Faith is there can be no hope for Faith is the Mother and Hope is the Daughter Hope is begotten by Faith an unregenerate man must needs be without hope because he is without Christ the foundation of hope and the promises the pillar of hope and Faith the ground of hope Reas 4 4. It appeares that he is without hope because when hee leaves the world his hopes leave him whereas the hope of a godly man never leaves him till it brings him to heaven when a wicked man dies his hopes are gone and leave him when
and greater enormities as in 2 Cor. 6. 18. and in the first verse of the next chapter I will be your God and Father and you shall be my sons and daughters saith the Lord God Almighty Having therefore these promises dearly beloved sayes the Apostle let us cleanse our selves from all filthinesse both of flesh and spirit and therefore if you have a care to abstain from all secret sins whereby the inward man is defiled it is a signe that you have a reall interest in God because God will be our God and will own and accept of us to be his people we must not onely wash our legs and our outward man but our inward parts too and if we do thus we may be confidently assured that we are a sacrifice well pleasing and acceptable unto God through Jesus Christ but now you that make conscience of your wayes so far only as that men may not say black to your eye if you doe not labour to keep your inward man from defilements as well as your outward man you have no interest in God at all 2. Another evidence of your interest in God is this if you have an earnest and unwearied labour and endeavour in your spirits to come to the nearest resemblance and conformity to Jesus Christ as possibly you can Doe you labour to be holy as hee was holy and humble and meeke and lowly as hee was in 2 Cor. 7. 1. sayes the Apostle there dearly beloved let us cleanse our selves from all filthinesse both of flesh and spirit perfecting holinesse in the fear of God Doe you labour still to resemble God in holinesse thy relation and interest in God will make thee labour to be like unto God and to be still perfecting holinesse though you cannot be perfect in holinesse If you have an interest in God you will labour more and more to be holy as he is holy and to come to the nearest resemblance to him that may be 3. Another discovery of your interest in God is this if God hath engraven upon thy soul those saving effects and blessings which he doth bestow upon all those that have an interest in him God hath promised that he will be their God and they shall be his people that he will give them a new heart taking away the heart of stone and giving them a heart of flesh and that he will sanctifie and renew their natures and write his Law in their inward parts and work in their hearts a sutable disposition to his Law and put his fear into their hearts that they shall never depart from him These are the blessings of the Covenant of Grace Now you that can give abundant and evident testimonies in your own souls that you have found God cleansing and purifying your hearts and sanctifying and renewing your natures and writing his Law in your inward parts and putting his fear into your hearts that you doe never depart from him if you finde these things in you they are undoubted evidences that you have an interest in God 2. As I would have you prove your interest in God so I would exhort you to improve your interest in God too Many of you do let God lye by you as I may so say and never make use of him for your spirituall comfort and support and never goe to him for help and succour and relief in times of danger you doe not improve your interest in God Object But here it may be you would ask mee how you should improve your interest in God Answ 1 I answer 1. Improve it thus in making your interest in God a great incentment and provocation to thee to obey God thus David did in Psal 143. 10. Teach me to doe thy will sayes he for thou art the Lord my God here David did well improve his interest in God so in Psal 119. 115. Depart from me ye evill doers sayes he for I will keep the commandements of my God We should make our interest in God an ingagement upon our souls to keep the commands of God 2. Then you doe rightly improve your interest in God when this doth stir you up to aggravate all the sins you have committed against God when your interest in God doth make you see how exceeding sinfull sin is and how greatly you have provoked the Lord your God by your sins as in Jer. 3. 25. We have sinned against the Lord our God we and our Fathers from our youth even to this day and have not obeyed the voice of the Lord our God here the children of Israel aggravate their sins against God as their God And so Daniel he makes his interest in God a motive to stir him up to aggravate sin against God in Dan. 9. 5. sayes he there We have sinned and have committed iniquity and done wickedly and have rebelled even by departing from thy precepts and from thy judgements and then in vers 7. Oh Lord sayes he righteousnesse belongeth unto thee but unto us confusion of face as at this day so again in vers 8. Oh Lord to us belongeth confusion of face to our Kings and to our Princes and to our Fathers because we have sinned against thee but to the Lord our God belongeth mercy and forgivenesse though wee have rebelled against him and so hee goes on all along aggravating their sins against God no lesse then ten times he mentions their interest in God and ten times he aggravates their sinnes against God It is the consideration of our interest in God that does stir us up to aggravate our sins against God when we doe consider that we have sinned against our God against our gracious and mercifull Father who hath loved us and given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace who is infinite in goodness and abundant in mercy and truth Such considerations as these will exceedingly provoke us to aggravate our sins against him 3. Improve your interest in God by making it a prop and pillar of marble to bear up and support your hearts under all the miseries and afflictions and troubles you meet withall here in the World thus David incouraged himself in the Lord his God in Psal 3. 7. I am thine sayes hee Lord save me then you make a right improvement of your interest in God when you go to him and trust and rely and depend upon him in all times of danger and distresse for you have an interest in that God that is both able and willing to relieve and succour you a God that hath helped you and doth help you and will never leave you nor forsake you and therefore be incouraged to cast your care upon him FINIS THE SAINTS TRIUMPH OVER DEATH OR A SERMON Preached at the Funerall OF Mr. CHRISTOPHER LOVE IN Lawrence-Church August 25. 1651. By THOMAS MANTON Minister of the Gospell at Stoak-Newington near London London Printed by E. Cotes for George Eversden at the Golden-ball in Aldersgate-street 1652. THE SAINTS TRIUMPH OVER DEATH OR A
as you are chosen and sanctified in Christ Jesus it cannot hurt you I say again death may kill you but it cannot hurt you it hath no power over the better part like a Serpent it feedeth only upon your dust nay and for your bodies that which dyeth as a creature is sure to live as a member of Christ the Lord Jesus is our head in the grave your bodies have a principle of life within them beleevers are raised by the Spirit of holinesse the same Spirit that quickneth them now to the offices of grace shall raise their mortall bodies So Rom. 8. 11. He shall quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you The holy Ghost can never leave his old mansion and dwelling place how many grounds of comfort have we against the mortality of the body Christ is united to body and soul and he will not let his Mysticall body want one sinew or joynt in the account that he is to make to the Father he saith he is to lose nothing Joh. 6. 39. Mark he doth not say none but nothing Christ will not lose a leg or a piece of an ear Again God is in Covenant with body and soul when you go down to the chambers of death you may challenge him upon the Charter of his own Grace God is the God of Abrahams dust of a beleevers dust though it be mingled with the remains of wicked men yet Christ will sever it Mat. 22. 32. Christ proveth the resurrection of the body by that argument that God is the God of Abraham the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob the ground of the argument is that God made his Covenant not only with the souls of the Patriarchs but with their whole persons Again Christ hath purchased body and soul so much is intimated in that place 1 Cor. 6. 20. Ye are bought with a price therefore glorifie God in your bodies Christ had payed price enough to get a title to body and soul and therefore he will not lose one bit of his purchase the Lord will call the grave to an account Where is the body of my Abraham my Isaac my Jacob t is said Rev. 20. 13. The Sea gave up her dead and the Grave gave up her dead and Hell gave up her dead let me note that Hell is there taken for the state of the departed or else what 's the meaning of that passage that followeth afterward and death and hell were cast into the lake that burneth c. Well then all the dead shall be cast up as the Whale cast up Jonah so the grave shall cast up her dead the grave is but a chest wherein our bodies are kept safe till the day of Christ and the key of this chest is not in the Devils hands but Christs see Rev. 1. 18. I have the keys of Death and Hell when the body is laid up in the cold pit 't is laid up for another day God hath an especiall care of our dust and remains when our friends and neighbours have left is Christ leaveth it not but keepeth it till the great and glorious day 3. We are eased from the terrours and horrors of death death is terrible as t is a poenall and a naturall evill as I distinguished before 1 As it is naturall evill death in it selfe is the greatest of all evils 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 said an heathen which in Jobs language may be rendred The King of terrours Job 18. 14. We gush to see a Serpent much more the grim visage of death morall Philosophy could never finde out a remedy against it Heathens were either desperate rash stupid or else they dissembled their gripes and fears but Christ hath provided a remedy he hath delivered us not only from the hurt of death but the fear of death Heb. 2. 14. to deliver them from the fear of death that all their life time were subject to bondage by his spirit hee filleth the soul with the hopes of a better life nature may shrink when we see the pale horse of death approaching but we may rejoyce when we consider its errand 't is to carry us home as when old Jacob saw the chariots come from Egypt how did his heart leap within him because he should see his son Joseph Death however we figure it with the pencill of fancy is sent to carry us to heaven to transport us to Jesus Christ now who would bee afraid to be happy to be in the Armes of our beloved Jesus Let them fear death that know not a better life a Christian knoweth that when he dyeth he shall not perish but have everlasting life Joh. 3. 17. The world may thrust you out but you may see heaven alluring ready to receive you as Stephen saw heaven opened Act. 7. latter end there is an intellectuall vision or perswasion of Faith which is common to all the Saints though every one hath not such an extasie and sensible representation as Stephen had yet usually in the hours of their departure faith is mightily strengthned and acted so that they are exempted from all fear and sorrow 2. As 't is a poenall evill 't is sad when death is sent in justice and cloathed with wrath and cometh in the quality of a curse you know what was said before The sting of death is sin they dye indeed that dye in their sins death is a black and gloomy day to them they drop down like rotten fruit into the lake of fire now Christ hath taken away the sting the dolours and horrours of it he hath taken away death as he hath taken away sin he hath not cast it out but cast it down taken away the guilt and power of it though not the beeing of sin so the hurt the sting is gone though not death it self 't is like a serpent disarmed and unstinged we may put it into our bosomes without danger there are many accusations by which Satan is apt to perplex a dying soul these make death terrible and full of horrours But they overcome by the bloud of the Lamb Rev. 12. 11. and get the victory of these doubts and fears when sins are pardoned fears vanish Luther said Feri domine feri absolutus sum a peccatis meis strike Lord strike my sinnes are pardoned 4. 'T will be utterly abolished at the last day We scarce know now what Christs purchase meaneth till the day of judgement 't is said 1 Cor. 15. 26. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death t is weakened now but then it shall be abolished as to the elect Rev. 20. 14. And death and hell shall be cast into the lake of fire this is the second death the dominion of death is reserved for hell it must keep company with the damned whilest you rejoyce with God for the present t is continued out of dispensation it doth service to promote Gods glory but then the wicked must share death and hell amongst them and be kept under a