and live to God Had he now sought Justification in a away of works and by the Law could he have ever bin able to have answered to this temptation Ye may see what the Apostle saies in the 7. chap. of his Epistle to the Romans he gives you a Similitude thus As a woman so is the sould of every man So long as a woman is married unto one man she brings forth children unto him and not unto any other but is dead unto all others but when that man dies she is free to marry and she marries another and she brings forth children unto him Now saies the Apostle at the 4. verse Wherefore my brethren ye also are become dead to the Law by the body of Christ that ye should be married to another even to him who is raised from the dead that we should bring forth fruit unto God So that so long as a man is married to the Law he can never bring forth fruit unto God Now then thus lies the Reason If that the Law and Justification thereby be no Friend but a real Enemy unto all our Holiness then contraries having contrarie consequences Justification by faith alone is a friend and no Enemy unto our Spiritual life and Holiness Seondly This also will appear if ye consider the paralel between the first and second Adam Christ is our second Adam Now saies the Apostle in the 5. of the Romans As by the sin of one death came upon all men to condemnation so by the Righteousness of one life comes unto many Well but how came condemnation upon all men by the sin of one The first Adam he was a common person he did stand for all mankind when he sinned all mankind sinned and therefore assoon as any one is born the sin of Adam being imputed to him judicially that imputation is the original of all the Unholiness that is among the children of men So our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ being our second Adam he is a Common person stands in the room of al the Elect he was obedient not for Himself but for Them Christus non meruit sibi Obeyed not for Himself and he died not for himself but for them righteous for them When therefore a man is born into the world is regenerate by faith then all that Righteousness of Christ the second Adam is imputed to him And this imputation of his Righteousness by faith is the original of all that Holiness that is in our lives thus As al the Unholiness and Wickedness that is in the world does flow from the imputation of the first Adams sin So al that grace and holiness that is in the world does flow from the imputation of the second Adams Righteousness Now by faith alone this Righteousnes is imputed and does become ours and therefore Justification by faith alone is the principle and original of all our grace and holiness Thirdly If free-remission of sin and the sence thereof be the cause of our Holiness then Justification by faith alone must needs be a friend unto it For these Two Free-remission of sin and justification by faith alone go together and are ordinarily taken for one And therefore in the 3. of the Romans The Apostle having said as the 24. verse Being justified freely by his grace he saies at the 28. ver That a man is justified by faith and saying That a man is justified by faith he saies That a man is justified freely by grace these are put together Now Free-remission of sin and the sence thereof is the Cause of al our Holiness Ye know what the Apostle saies Tit. 2.11 12. The grace of God hath appeared unto all men teaching us to deny Vngodliness and worldly lusts and to live righteously and soberly in this present world All Holiness comes from thence The apparition of grace Free-remission of sin And ye know what it is that doth hatch the Chicken 't is not the fire that does hatch the Chicken nor is it the cold water that does hatch the Chicken but laying of the eggs under the warm feathers of the living Hen. Come to a man or woman that hath many eggs that are yet not Chickens within a month or two these are al become living Chickens Say you How comes it to pass that all these are now living Chickens What! did you lay these eggs unto the fire No for then they would have been roasted What! did you lay these eggs in the cold water No then they would have rotted but I laid them under the warm wings of the living Hen and so they are become chickens So you come to a living soul a living heart and you say Friend how came you to be thus enlivened and quickned a month or two ago I heard you complaining of your dead heart Oh! my heart is dead but how came you to be thus enlivened and to be thus quickned Did you go and lay your heart against the fire of the Law No that would have scorch'd me and tormented me What did you go and lay your heart in the cold world No that would have rotted me How then Truly after all my fears and after all my doubtings I went and laid my cold heart under the warm wings of Divine-love and so it came to pass that I am thus enlivened and I am thus quickened as you see this day for the which I blesse the Lord for ever Three things there are that do make up a gracious Conversation Repentance for sin past Mortification of sin present and the Obedience of faith or Obedience Now as for Repentance look I pray what is said in the 7. Chapter of Luke and see what is the Cause of that You reade there a story of a great Sinner that became a great Penitent at the 37. verse Behold a woman in the City which was a great sinner and she came and stood behind Jesus at the 38. verse weeping and began to wash his feet with tears and did wipe them with the hairs of her head She wept much Why for saies the text at the latter end of the Chapter she loved much But why did she love much She loved much because much was forgiven her So then Remission is the Cause of Repentance And have ye not so much expresly in that 16. Chapter of Ezekiel and the last verse I will establish my Covenant with thee that thou maiest remember and be confounded and never open thy mouth any more because of thy shame when I am pacified towards thee for all that thou hast done So that this shame and repentence comes from pacification And as for this matter Luther had so great a fight into it that saies he before I was justified by faith alone and saw into this matter of Free-remission I look't upon that word Repent as a terrible word I did even hate that word and I wish't that there had been no such word in all the book of God but after once that word justitia was opened the righteousnesse
for first r. last p. 108. l. 12. for Dominus reginae r. Domina regina p. 109. l. 13. dele two p. 199. l. 13. for rigorous r. vigorous THE CONTENTS Of the Third VOLVMNE SERMON I GALATIANS 2.20 TEXT Opened Page 2 Doctrine 1 Every godly gracious man is a living man and lives a spiritual life Page 3 Explication 1 What this spiritual life is 1. A supernatual perfection Page 3 2 It ariseth from our Vnion with Christ by the Spirit Page 4 3 By it we act move and work towards God Ibid 2 How it may appear that every godly gracious man is thus a living man Proved 1 By vegetative life Page 5 2 By sensitive life ib. 1 They are sensible of their sins Page 6 2 Of the hiding of Gods face ibid 3 Of the miseries of the Churches Page 7 3 By rational life ibid How it may appear that others are not in this state of life Page 8 Objections answered Page 9. 10 Application Comforts for the Saints 1. It is above the life of Adam in innocency Page 12 2. It is the most pleasant life ibid 3. It is the most communicative life Page 13 4. The Lord looks upon all our former sins under a mollifying consideration ibid Object I am afraid I have not this spiritual life because I am dead cold and stiff Answered There is a deadness opposite to liveliness as well as a death opposite to life Page 15 There is a difference between the coldness of a living man and the coldness of a dead man ibid Object I am afraid I am not alive because I do not grow Answered 1. Do you grow out of love with your own righteousness Page 16 2. Are you less subject to be offended than before Page 17 3. Do you grow more off from youth ful things that godly men look to ibid Object I am alive to the world Answered Page 18 Duties flowing from this spiritual life 1. We should live at a higher rate than the world doth Page 20 2. Our hearts should not run too much after the things of this world Page 21 3. Our comunion and fellowship should be more with the living ibid Exhortation to those that are dead in sins to come to Christ Page 23 SERMON II. Gal. 2.20 Doctrine 2. Our Justification by faith alone is no enemy but a real friend to our spiritual life Page 26 Explication 1. What is meant by Justification by faith alone Page 27 2. How doth it appear that free Justification by faith alone is the original of all our holiness 1. By contraries Page 29 2. By the paralel between the first and second Adam Page 31 3. By the sence of free remission of sin Page 32 Instanced in 1. Repentance Page 33 2. Mortification ibid 3. Obedience Page 34 3. Objections Answered Page 34. 35 4. What there is in free Justification by faith that doth advance our holiness 1. The more a man forsakes his own good for Christ the more is Christ engaged to give his good to him Page 36 2. God doth never suffer any man to pass under relation but he writes the Law of that relation in his heart ibid 3. The more a man agrees with God the fitter he is to walk with God Page 36 4. As by seeking Justification by works a man is estated in the covenant of works so by seeking Justification by faith alone a man is estated in the covenant of grace Page 37 Application Hence we see the reason why men are no more gracious Page 39 Object I fear my obedience was never right because I have turned aside to a covenant of works Answered Page 41 Object My obedience is not right because it is so little Answer 1. Doest thou limit thy self Page 42 2 Doest thou oppose them that have much ibid Object My obedience is not right because I do not find the visible characters of Justification upon my Sanctification Answered 1. Doest thou mourn for sin because 't is pardoned Page 44 2. Is there a meeting of all graces in thee ibid Object Suppose I have not stood cleer from my own doings in matter of Justification how shall I do to do it Answered 1. Be humbled in the sight of God Page 46 2. Study much the transaction of things between God the father and Jesus Christ ib. 3. Acquaint your souls with the difference between the covenant of works and the covenant of grace ibid 4. When your duties are highest let your souls go beyond them ibid 5. When they are lowest you have an opportunity to stand cleer from them Page 47 SERMON III. Gal. 2.20 Doctrine Every true beleever that seeks Justification by faith alone is a self-denying person Page 50 Explication 1. What it is for a man to deny himself Answered Page 51 2. Whereby it may appear that the Gospel works this grace in the heart of man Answered 1. If the Law cannot do it the Gospel must Page 52 2. He that lives under the Gospel is of a disposition contrary to the world Page 53 3. He is tender of intrenching upon Gods prerogative Page 54 4. The more truly a man repents the more sensible he is of his own unworthiness ibid An objection How doth the Gospel only do this seeing moral men Heathens and Papists have spoken and written much for humility and self-denial Answer 1 Though they be humble yet they are proud of humility Page 56 2 'T is only in some particulars ibid 3 He is ruled by reason and not by the spirit ibid 4 There is no mysterie in it as there is in a Christians For 1 A Christian cries out what shall he do to be saved and yet he expects not to be saved by doing Page 57 2 He accounts himself lesse than the least of all Gods mercies and yet he thinks God hath done more for him than if he had given him all the world ib. 3 He prizes every duty though never so small and yet counts all dung in respect of Jesus Christ ib. 4 He looks upon himslf as the greatest of sinners yet would not change condition with a Drunkard c. for all the world ib. 5 He mourns under reproaches and yet triumphs over them ib. 6 He counts all he doth nothing and yet praiseth God for every thing ib. 4 What there is in the Gospel to being a mans heart to this frame Answered 1 The more of Gods glory a man sees the more humble he is Page 58 2 The more self-denial a man sees in Christ the more he denies himself Page 60 3 The more a man sees himself a debter to Christ the more humble he is Page 61 4 When Christ comes into the soule all other things must out ib. Application How hard a thing it is to Beleeve Page 62 Reply We hope we all have faith Answer Are there not some that 1 Cannot deny themselves in outward things Page 64 2 Seek themselves in spiritual things ib. 3 Stint themselves in the service of God Page 65
is the spirit of the Gospel where it comes in Life Truth and Power thus it is For the clearing of this great Truth unto you First I shall spend a little time in the Explication and shew ye What it is for a man to deny himself in spiritual things Secondly I shall labor to give you some Demonstrations of the Truth Thirdly Answer One Objection And Fourthly shew ye What there is in the Gospel or the way of the Gospel that can work a mans heart to this frame Quest 1 First If ye aske me What it is for a man to deny himself in Spiritual things Answ Ye know that there is a Three-fold Self mentioned by Divines A Natural Self as a mans Parts Wit Reason Will Affections and Inclination are called ones Self Then there is a Sinful Self and so a mans Corruption Lust and Sinful Disposition is called ones Self And then there is a Religious Self and so a mans Duties Graces Obedience Righteousness and Holiness are called ones Self Now though a man is to deny all these yet I am not at this time to speak of the Common-place of Self-Denial this Scripture does not lead me to it but only of Self-Denial in Spiritual things Denial of Religious Self There is a great difference between a mans denying of his Sinful and of his Religious Self When a man does deny his Sinful Self for Christ then he is wholly to leave and forsake his sin and that Self But when a man is to deny his Religious Self for Christ he is not to leave and forsake his Duty only in point of Justification he is to renounce all and in point of Sanctification he is to attribute the strength the power and the glory of all his Graces and Duties unto Jesus Christ and to himself nothing and when a man in point of Justification does renounce all and in point of Sanctification does attribute the strength the power and the glory of all unto Jesus Christ and unto himself nothing then he denies himself in Spiritual things For there is a Two-fold denial of ones self even in Spiritual things One that is opposed to Self-Seeking And another that is opposed to Self-Advancing When a man seeks himself he makes himself his End When a man does Advance himself he makes himself his Prey Now though a man be to deny himself in opposition to all Self-Seeking yet that is not the Argument that lies here it is not the Argument of this Scripture but a man is called upon by this Scripture to deny himself in opposition to Self-Advancing I live yet not I but Christ liveth in me But yet again that we may rightly understand things Though every Beleever is to deny himself in spiritual things and so to depress himself yet notwithstanding he is not to speak evil of the grace of God within him For there are Two things in every Duty or Service There is something of Gods something of a mans own something of the Spirit of God somthing of a mans own Now though a man may trample upon all his Duties and upon all his Graces as to the point of Justification yet as to the point of Sanctification he may not mis-cal the Graces of God in him and his Duties saying These are nothing but the fruits of Hypocrisy for then he should speak evil of the Spirit whose works they are A man tramples and treads upon the Dirt but he will not trample upon Money upon Gold and Silver why because that is a precious mettal or hath the stamp or the image of the Prince upon it Now our own Duties our own Righteousness and Holiness as to the matter of Justification they are nothing worth and so we trample upon all but as to the matter of Sanctification they have the image of Christ upon them they are precious mettal and therefore for a man to say This is Hypocrisie and all is nothing but Hypocrisie this is not Self-Denial properly Self-Denial in Spiritual things is as to the matter of Justification to renounce all and as to the matter of Sanctification to attribute the strength the power and the glory of all unto Jesus Christ and to ones self nothing and when a man does attribute all the strength the power the glory of all to Jesus Christ and to himself nothing then he is said to deny himself in Spiritual things This by way of Explication Quest 2 But now Secondly Whereby may it appear that the Gospel works this grace in the heart of man Answ 1 If the Law and the preaching of the Law cannot make a man to deny himself in Spiritual things then the Gospel must do it for this grace is to be obtained and found some where something must work it Now the Law and the preaching of the Law can never make a man to Deny himself in Spiritual things but rather it will make a man to Seek himself in Spiritual things For what is it to preach the Law but when I shall come from God and tell ye That if ye do keep the Ten Commandements and fail in nothing ye shall be Saved but if ye fail in any one point ye shall be Damned and lost for ever This will not make a man to Deny his own Righteousness but rather to Seek himself his own Salvation to avoid Damnation and seek himself in Spiritual things But now when I come to ye and speak thus unto ye from the Lord That if you do throw down all your own Righteousness at the feet of Christ and rest only upon him ye shall be saved this will make a man to deny all his own Righteousness and deny himself in Spiritual things and this is the Gospel And the Gospel must needs do it For what is the Gospel but the Voyce of Christ the Preachings and the Sermons of Christ Now look as it was with the first Adam the first lesson that the first Adam did learn practice and teach his posterity was To Advance himself in Spiritual things Gen. 3.5 The day that thou eatest saies Satan to him thou shalt not die but thine eyes shall be opened and thou shalt be as God Which he beleeved and did eat and so laboured to Advance himself in Spiritual things The first lesson that ever he learn'd and taught his posterity was to Advance himself So the second Adam the first lesson that ever the Second Adam Christ put in practice was Self-Denial in Spiritual things Phil. 2.6 7. For saies the Apostle He thought it no robbery to be equal with God and yet humbled himself unto the form of a servant and became of no reputation This was the first thing Now I say the Gospel is nothing else but the Voyce of Christ the Sermons and Preachings of Jesus Christ the Second Adam and there and there only is this lesson to be learned Secondly Every Godly Gracious man that lives under the Gospel Is of a spirit and disposition contrary to the world This is the disposition
Self-Denial such an Example as the Sun never saw before Phil. 2.6 7. Luke 22.42 from first to last At the first He thought it no robbery saies the Apostle to be equal with God and yet he humbled himself and took upon him the form of a servant And at the last Saies he unto his father Yet not my will but thy will be done And if ye look into the 13. chapter of John ye shall find there that our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ takes a towel and water and fals down at the feet of his Disciples and washes their feet verse the 4. He riseth from supper and laid aside his garments and took a towel and girded himself and after he had powred water into a besin he began to wash his Disciples feet and to wipe them with a towel When the Pharisee saw the woman come unto Christ and wash his feet and wipe them with the hair of her head he wondred and said Surely if this had been a Prophet he would not have suffered a sinner to come so neer to him Did the Pharisee wonder at this condescention That Christ should humble himself so far as to suffer a poor woman to come so neer him as to wash his feet with her tears Oh! what condescention is here for ever to be wondred at That the Lord Christ himself should down upon his knees and wash the Disciples feet that the great God of heaven and earth the second person incarnate should now come fall down at the feet of sinners Judas among them too and wash his Disciples feet When all power in heaven and earth was in his hands that with those hands he should wash the feet of sinners But stay a little It may be all power in heaven and earth was not then given into his hands Yes reade for that purpose the 3. verse that goes before this story Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands and that he was come from God and went to God he riseth from supper and laid aside his garments But though all power in heaven and earth was given into his hands it may be he did not know it Yes saies the text Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands and that he was come from God and went to God He riseth from supper and laid aside his garments and took a towel and girded himself After that he powred water into a basin and began to wash the Disciples feet Oh! what Self-Denial is here was there ever such Self-denial as here And this this does the Gospel hold forth unto ye and only to be learned in the Gospel Thirdly The more I see my self a debter unto Jesus Christ for all my Gifts and for all my Graces the more Humble I shall be and the more I shall deny my self in spiritual things Ye know how it is with a man that ows for his Cloaths Possibly a man may wear brave and fine Cloaths but he ows for them at such a shop While he is abroad he swaggers and is proud of his Cloaths but when he comes into the shop where he ows for them and looks upon the book and what he hath to pay he strikes sail then and is more modest ashamed and blushes The Gospel is the great Shop from whence we have al our gifts and al our graces and when I come into the Gospel there I see how infinitly I am a debter to Free-grace for al I have and though I may be proud in spirit at another time yet if I come into the Gospel and see what an infinite debter to Free-grace I am for all that ever I wear upon the back of my soul then I think Oh! what cause have I to be humble Shall I be proud shall not I deny my self in Spiritual things I say this Gospel is the Shop of all our Gifts and all our Graces Fourthly True saving justifying faith is an Emptying grace it brings Christ into the soul and when Christ comes into the soul all other things must out As when a King or Prince comes into a House the Master of the house goes out of his own lodging and all must out to make room for the Prince So when Christ comes into ones soul then all goes out all other things go out 'T is in our beleeving on Jesus Christ as in our beleeving on God the Father Joh. 14.1 Ye beleeve in God saies Christ beleeve also in me Look how ye beleeve in God the Father so do ye beleeve in me Now as when a man does beleeve in God the Father for Provision for outward Provision as seeing an Al-sufficiencie in God to Provide then he sees an In-sufficiencie in all the creatures to help and never before So when a man comes to beleeve in Christ when he sees that Al-sufficiency that is in Christ to Redeem and satisfie for him then he sees an In-sufficiency in all his own Duties and Righteousness and never till then The truth is A man cannot come to Christ unless he do forsake all As ye cannot come to this side of the water or river unlesse you come from that side of the river Now faith it is nothing else but a Coming to Jesus Christ and therefore where ever there is true saving justifying faith a man does Deny himself in Spiritual things he cannot write an I upon his own Performance upon his own Duties Applyca If so if al these things be true How hard a thing is it for a man to Beleeve how few are there in the world that do Beleeve indeed True saving justifying faith it makes a man Abundant in the work of the Lord it makes a man live a spiritual life but then it takes away that I from him he cannot write an I upon what he does as formerly he hath done It makes a man live a Spiritual life but it makes him also to Deny that Spiritual life There are Four streams that this Spiritual life is divided into The stream of Performance The stream of Obedience The stream of our Sufferings The stream of Enjoyment True saving faith and the Gospel makes a man to Deny himself in all these As for our Performance and Obedience ye know what the Apostle saies concerning himself Thus and thus I was and thus and thus I have lived but now I count all things as dung and drosse in regard of Christ As for our Sufferings I have read of some Martyrs in the Primitive times that being in prison and ready to suffer divers came to comfort them and called them Blessed Martyrs No say they we are not worthy of the Name of Martyrs by no means they would not bear it that they should call them Martyrs Denied themselves in their Sufferings As for our Enjoyment Ye know what the Apostle saies I desire to be dissolved and to be with Christ which is best of all Phil. 1.23 Nevertheless for your sakes saies he c. I am in a
hold the Bladder in your hand or the greatest hand in the town cannot hold the Bladder But take a pin and prick the bladder and the least child may hold it then What is the reason that men cannot be held cannot be handled cannot be touch'd by their neighbors friends and those that are about them they cannot be grasp'd and walk'd with but because they are proud and swoln Therefore get an humble and self-denying heart and thou shalt walk more sweetly with thy own soul and others that are about thee Thirdly The more you deny your selves in Spiritual things the more you shall be exalted in them I say The more you deny your selves in Spiritual things the more those spiritual things shal grow be exalted the more increased Humble thy self 1 Pet. 5.6 or your selves saies the Apostle under the hand of the Lord and he will exalt you in due time And let me tell you this that look what that is wherein you do Humble your selves before the Lord therein the Lord will exalt you Doest thou humble thy self before the Lord in regard of these outward things There will the Lord Exalt thee Doest thou humble thy self before the Lord in regard of thy Parts and thy Gifts There will the Lord exalt thee Doest thou humble thy self before the Lord in regard of thine own Graces and thine own Obedience and thine own Righteousness Therein will the Lord exalt thee Ye know that John the Baptist said concerning Christ Joh. 3.30 Joh. 1.27 He must increase but I must decrease And saies John again concerning our Savior Christ Whose shoe-latchet I am not worthy to unloose Or whose shoos I am not worthy to carry Mark how he humbles himself to Jesus Christ And mark how Christ honors John Mat. 11.11 Mat. 8.8 Oh! saies Christ There 's not a greater among women than John the Baptist Christ exalts him And so saies the Centurion Oh! Lord I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof Mark how he humbles himself here before the Lord Christ And mark what our Savior saies of him Vers 10. I tell you I have not found such faith no not in Israel So that look where thou Humblest thy self there will the Lord Exalt thee Soul doest thou desire therefore that the Lord would Exalt thy Graces that thy Gifts and Graces should be increased Humble thy self there and learn to Deny thy self in spiritual things not only in regard of outward but in spiritual things that you may say I live yet not I. Quest But you will say This is a hard thing What may we do that we may be able to deny our selves in spiritual things Answ 1 First Never perform any Duty but as often as thou canst reflect upon thy performance and observe the Defects thereof When ye write a Letter after ye have written it you reade it over Or what ever ye write almost if it be of any concernment after ye have written it then you reade it over and if ye find any thing amisse then ye blot it out and when ye have done ye take your sand-box and throw dust upon it or ye go to the Chimney and take ashes and throw upon the paper Will ye do thus for your letters that ye write and will ye not do thus for your Duties and Performances When you have Prayed and performed Duty Go go and look it over and there you will find many Defects many things to be blotted out and many things to be put in and when you have found the Defects in your Dutie throw dust upon it and humble your selves before the Lord. Secondly If you would deny your selves in spiritual things Observe much the In-comes of the Spirit of the Lord upon your soul The way and manner of it how Suddenly how Unexpectedly how Freely the Lord by his Spirit breathes upon your soul When your heart is Dead when your heart is Hard when you say God is now gone and will never return again Oh! what freedom once I had in Prayer but now my heart is hard and I shall never be able to Pray again Then comes the Spirit of God and breathes upon your soul and gives you Prayer again Now if I would but observe the breathings of the Spirit of the Lord how it comes upon me thus when I am dead when my heart is hard when I say I shall never have prayer again if I could but observe the Freeness of the Spirits breathing over my soul and raising up my heart to Duty again should I be proud of Duty think you should I not rather say Shall I be proud I was dead my heart hard and had not the Spirit come and breathed upon my soul I had never been able to pray again but had been lock'd up for ever and shall I be proud Observe the In-comes of the Spirit the way and manner of it be much in this and you will be able to deny your selves in spiritual things Lastly Look much into the Gospel study much the Gospel and the way of the Gospel The more you see an Humble Christ the more you will learn Humility Where shall you see an humble Christ but in the Gospel The more you see a Self-denying Christ the more you will learn Self-denial And where shall you reade of a Self-denying Christ but in the Gospel The more ye see the Free and Rich grace of God the more you will deny your selves in spiritual things And where shall ye see the Free-grace of God but in the Gospel The more Faith ye have the more you will deny your selves in Spiritual things And where shall ye get faith but in the preaching of the Gospel and in studying of the Gospel This grace of Humility and Self-denyal in spiritual things grows only in the garden of the Gospel in the bed of the Gospel There is a Field-Humility and there is a Common or a Field-Self-Denial as I may so speak As ye see it is with your Flowers and Herbs There is a garden-Tyme and there is a Field-Tyme there is a Garden-Rose and there is a Field-Rose there is a Garden-Hony-suckle and there is a Field-Hony-suckle So there is a Field-Self-Denial that grows among Heathen and among Moral people that can deny themselves of this or that particular thing their Appetite Cloathing or now and then their Company And there is a Gospel-Self-Denial a Mysterious Self-Denial But this Self-Denial in spiritual things grows no where but in the Garden of the Gospel there thou shalt see an Humble Christ and become Humble There thou shalt see a Self-Denying Christ and become Self-Denying Therefore study the Gospel and study the way of the Gospel You that have walked in a Legal-way study the Gospel and the way of the Gospel I tell you in the words of the Apostle If the Gospel be hid it is hid to them that perish 2 Cor. 4.3 If the Gospel and the way of the Gospel be hid it is hid to them that
the Eye say I have no soul in me because I cannot speak like the Tongue Should the Tongue say I have no soul in me because I cannot see like the Eye Should the Ear say I have no soul in me because I cannot speak like the Tongue No but the soul that is in the body it gives according to the Station and Place of every member that is in the body So now the Lord Christ he gives out unto all his Body he is by his Spirit in the hearts of Beleevers but he does not give unto every Beleever alike One Beleever hath one place in the Body of Christ and another beleever hath another place in the Body of Christ But now I say to thee Observe what Place Room and Station thou hast in the Body of Christ and then tell me whether I or no do not ye find some workings of grace in some measure sutable unto the Place Room and Station that ye have in the Body of Christ Yes surely I cannot deny this but there are some workings in my soul according to the Room and Station that I have in the Body of Christ And this I can say That when the Comforter came then I did know that Christ was in me And I can say this also through grace in some measure The Work and Things of Christ are Naturalized to me They are the Servants and Retinue of Christ that do come in and go out unto my soul The Lord knows I am never better than when I am speaking of Jesus Christ and hearing from Jesus Christ If so soul be of good comfort though thou hast feared that Christ is not in thee Go in peace thy faith hath made thee whol and the Lord Jesus Christ is in thy soul the Lord Christ that is thus really united unto each Beleever by his Spirit is really in thy soul and in thy heart Quest Suppose it be so That the Lord Christ be in my soul indeed What is my Dutie now that does flow from hence Answ I am not able to tel ye what your Duty is that does flow from hence it is so great and so large But in Two or Three words thus Duty 1 First If Christ be in you of a truth Then why should the World be in you in its strength and power I say If Christ be in you of a truth Why should you meddle either in regard of your soul or body with any thing that may be unsavoury or distastful to Jesus Christ If a man have a Guest in his house that he prizes highly will he bring Swine into his chamber this were as much as to bid him be gone And if Christ be in you and in you of a truth Wil ye bring Swine unto him wil ye bring Lusts wil ye bring the World You are the Temples of the holy Ghost therefore why should ye not take heed of defiling these Temples What manner of men and women should we be in all holy conversation if Christ be in us of a truth Duty 2 2ly If Christ be in you of a truth Why then should ye not be Contented with your Condition what ever it be yea thankful for it yea in some Proportion thankful I say Contented Thankful thankful in Proportion I know a man that is made partaker of this great mercy this In-being of Christ in the Soul can never be Thankful in Proportion unto the mercy received but he may be thankful in Proportion unto other mercies You will be thankful to a man that gives you an hundred pound you will be more thankful to him that gives you a thousand pound you will be more thankful to him that gives you a thousand pound a yeer It may be you will say to him that gives you a thousand pound I can never be thankful enough to you but yet you will be more thankful to him that gives you a thousand pound a year So here you can never be thankful enough in proportion to the mercy received but you may be thankful in proportion to other mercies received If the Lord had given you the whole world for your portion you would have been thankful now in that he hath given you his Son and that Jesus Christ is really united to you by his Spirit and Christ really in your soul he hath done more for you than if he had given you all the whole world And will ye be thankful for these outward things and not for this In-being of Christ in your souls And yet how many are there that are sometimes blessing God and shewing some kind of thankfulnesse for outward things but as for this In-being of Christ in the soul that they are strangers to and the Lord knows they were never thankful for that so much as for outward things But if Christ be in you of a truth why should you not be contented with your condition what ever it be yea Thankful for it yea thankful in Proportion Duty 3 Thirdly If Christ be in you of a truth Then why should you not venture upon any work or service for God although it do lie beyond you and beyond your strength and expect large and great things from him You say sometimes you would do such or such a work for God but you have no strength to do it But if Christ be in you of a truth and really united to your soul Then surely you shall have strength enough and you may expect large and great things from him Therefore venture upon work and service for God yea although they do lie beyond your present strength be not unwilling thereunto but expect great things from God because Christ is really in you To end all be exhorted to get a share in this great mercy that I have been speaking of this In-being of Christ in the soul It may be there are some that can say I have none of Christ in my soul and may speak truly some that can say I have an unclean heart within me but I have no Christ within me I have a wanton heart within me but I have no Christ within me yet I have a proud heart within me but I have no Christ within me yet I have a Worldly heart within me but I have no Christ within me yet I have a Blaspheming heart within me but I have no Christ within me I have a Lying and Deceitful heart within me but I have no Christ within me to this day Lord I have no Christ within me what shall I do Others it may be that have indeed Christ within them and they can say Lord I hope that I have Christ within me but I do not find that I have room enough in my heart for such aguest Lord my soul is not enlarged enough for such aguest as Christ is Lord my soul is a poor narrow room Oh! that my soul were more enlarged what shall I do to get my soul enlarged to give entertainment to such a guest as Christ is I shall speak to ye both