eternal life it self and therefore there is rest in it it is so far from getting eternal life by it as it is rather eternal life it self then so much as any way to eternal life for this may be said though I performe duty it is true God hath taught me so much that now under the Gospel we must not think to get eternal life by our duty by our works this is popery yet it is the way to eternal life the way that tends to it it is via ad Regnum the way to the kingdom though not the cause of Raigning Nay I wil shew you a further thing then so the wayes of obedience and holiness in a Christians course they are rather eternal life it self then the way to it they have more excellency in them then being the way to life It is true it were a great deal of ease and rest to ones spirit to consider of holy duties but as the way to heaven if a man were going a journy and knew the ende of his journy should be very glorious to him if it were to receive a crown a kingdom though it were a boysterous day and stormy weather and the way were very foul he would not be troubled at it but he would account it very comfortable to know that he is in the right way for he thinks this wil lead me to my journeys end and when I come there that wil make amends for al. And the truth is there were ease and rest enough in the waies of God if God did reveale no more unto a soul then this these are the wayes that lead thee to life and salvation that lead thee to a kingdom to glory especially considering that before we were out of the way we were wandering in the wayes of death and destruction and God by his Almighty hand hath brought us into the right way When a man is going a Journy of great consequence and he is gone out of the way and God by his providence hath brought him into his right way O! what ease is in his spirit Before when he was out of the way what distraction and disquietness of heart but now when he comes into the way Oh! what ease and quiet is in his spirit so I say this were ease and rest enough of spirit to know that whereas before the soul was wandering in the path of death now it is in the path of life But I tel you further then so that when thou art performing of holy duties and exercising of the grace of God in the performance of those duties thou art not only in the way of eternal life but thou art in eternal life it self not only in the way to the kingdom but in the kingdom not only in the way to heaven but in heaven it is eternal life This is eternal life to know thee the true God and thy son whom thou hast sent into the world And that place in the Epistle of St. John he speakes of a murderer one that did hate his brother in the first of John 3.15 Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer and you know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him Then it appeares that one that loves his brother and is Godly and gracious hath eternal life abiding in him for that must needs follow if this be the evil condition of a wicked man that hates his brother that he hath not eternal life abiding in him then by the rule of contraries it must needs be a truth that he that hath holiness and loves his brother he hath eternal life abiding in him and therefore such a one he hath eternal life already to come downe to him he is in heaven already So the scripture makes grace but the beginning of glory it is no other but the very beginning of heaven in the soul And therefore in that golden chain in Rom. 8.30 Whom God hath predestinated them he also hath called whom he hath called them he hath justified whom he hath justified them he hath also glorified Marke but where is the link of sanctification It is not whom he hath predestinated he hath called and whom he hath called he hath sanctified and whom he hath sanctified he hath glorified One would have thought the chain should have gon along in that linke but there is no mention of sanctification Why because sanctification is nothing else but glorification begun and glorification is nothing else but the perfecting of sanctification Now I beseech you observe this as a most special thing that belongs to a Christian the best duties that we performe are nothing else but the life of heaven to us nay the truth is it is the life of God And therefore it is said of ungodly men before they come to Christ they are strangers to the life of God therefore when thou art come to Christ thou hast the life of God in thee and the life of heaven in thee and the beginning of Glory Glory and eternal life thou doest live whilst thou art in performance of holy duties What is the happiness of heaven but for the Saints and Angels to be exercised in magnifying the riches of God and of Christ now thou beginnest it here and therefore if thou knowest what this is thou art not I say to look upon any duty that thou performest meerly as a duty but thou art to look upon it as a priviledg yea as part of thy wages That is a certain truth that Gods work it is wages and the improving of that principle would help us very much in our Christian course if thou didst live and account every duty that thou performest to God to be wages Oh! with what sweetness wouldest thou go on in the performance of those duties that God requires of thee thou art receiving thy wages when thou art performing of duties In Rom. 6. and the last The wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ At the 22. verse it is thus But now being freed from sin and become servants unto God you have your fruit unto holiness and the end everlasting life For the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. You have your fruit unto holiness it is the fruite unto holiness which is the gift of God and holiness it is nothing else but the gift of God and the beginning of eternal life the fulness of eternal life that indeed is the end of it but the fruit that you have for the present it is holiness and that holyness that is the gift of God it is the beginning of eternal life here in this world Then indeed is a christian wel improved in Evangelical obedience when he doth account duties to be mercies and when mercies are turned into duties as when we turne Gods mercies into duties that is an argument we receive Gods mercies from a Covenant of grace and there wil be linkes of Gods mercies towards
of the name of God there was a time that my soul was under these as wel as any but now the Lord hath delivered me and brought me under another Covenant brought me to his son to Christ and he hath undertaken to satisfie the Law for my soul and so the beleever stands upon the shoar and prayses God and this makes him love Christ so much the more prize Christ so much the more and bless the name of God that ever he heard the voice of the Gospel sounding in his eares and therefore it is not tedious and grievous to him to heare the dreadful threatnings of the Law he knowes how to make a holy use of them his heart is drawn neerer to God by it as wel as by the promises of the Gospel It is an ill signe when men and women cannot indure to heare the threatnings of the Law a dangerous signe that they are under those threatnings if they were not under them it would not be troublesome to them to heare them but they that are delivered from them they know how to make use of them Many men and women wil say when they hear of the terrors of the Law what doth this but harden us the hearing of the terrors of the Law doth more harden us but if thou wert acquainted with the Gospel thou wouldest be softened by hearing of the terrors of the Law because thou wouldest prize Christ more And therefore beleevers must not look upon them as things that no way concerne them though they be not under them to be cast by them yet they do concerne them nearly and therefore God would have those things revealed even to beleevers because of many gracious uses that beleevers are to make of those things The 2. Lesson Secondly from what hath been delivered both from the burden of the law and the rest in being delivered from it this Lesson may be learned Here we may see how beleevers are in the course of their lives to mix humility with confidence they may learne how to be humble and yet how to be confident how to rejoyce and yet how to tremble there is no such way to learne the mixture of humility with faith and confidence and the mixture of joy and trembling as this is know the Law and the bondage under it and then the rest that is to be had in Christ this wil teach thee to be sensible of thy own wretchedness and what a condition thou art in naturally and yet how to be confident in the grace of God in Christ This wil teach thee how to feare in regard of what thou art in thy self and yet to rejoyce in regard of what thou art in Jesus Christ in the rest thy soul hath Got in Jesus Christ Many people do not know how to mingle these two together if so be they be humbled for their sins then they are dejected in their spirits they cannot tel how to exercise humiliation for their sins and faith and confidence in Gods grace together they think the humiliation for sin wil hinder Gods grace and therfore they cannot indure to hear of such things as tend to beat them down to humble them for their sins but they say they must beleeve altogether in Gods grace aad the other wil bring them to despair Certainly thou art not acquainted with the mystery of Godliness if thou doest not understand how these two may stand together to be deeply humbled for thy sins and yet at the same instant of time the soul to be raised with the Mercy of God in Christ both together It is true vices are opposite one to another but graces are never opposite one to another those that understand the Mistery of Godlyness they know how to mingle these two together at one and the same time You know that the scripture saith that Godliness is a mistery Great is the mistery of Godlyness and indeed Godliness consists in the skil that a Christian comes to have to know at the same time how to be humbled and yet to be confident yet to be beleeving and one the other side to rejoyce and yeat to feare many cannot rejoyce but they grow loose and wanton with their joy and others cannot feare but their hears grow lumpish and dead if they do feare now the heart that understands what it is to be under the Law naturally and what rest Christ hath brought unto us in delivering us from the Law can tel how to rejoice in trembling and to beleeve in humiliation and there is no such way to make such a mixture of both as to understand what it is to be naturally under the Law and what the rest is that we have in Christ I confess these things wil not perhaps come so ful upon the hearts of those that do not in some measure remember what we have said hertofore both from the burden of the Law and the rest that we have in Christ those wil not be able to make so much use of this that I am speaking of I could wish these things would have come altogether but we cannot do al things at once The Third Lesson Thirdly A further thing that is to be learned from the deliverance we have in Christ from the Law it is this here appeares plainly that the way of Life and salvation is above nature it is supernatural for that that I have opened in the rest we have in Christ from the law teacheth you that beleevers are not to stand or fal for their eternal estates by any worke of the Law if they performe any worke of the Law this doth not bring them to eternal life if they breake the Law this doth not cast them down unto death therefore the way of life and salvation is supernatural for nature can teach a man no further then this that he must serve God if he do thâ— God wil bless him and love him and if he sin against God God wil afflict him and chastise him nature can tel of no way how a man should be saved but only by serving of God and by doing the workes of the Law nature teacheth a man nothing else but this together with the other that if he doth that that God forbids he must expect the wrath of God and to ly under Gods wrath and beyond this nature cannot go Now then for to heare of such a thing as this is that my soul shal not depend upon what I neglect nor my eternal life shal not depend upon what I do that is a high mystery that is infinitely above nature I do not say what the neglect of Gods wil doth deserve of eternal perishing yea even in beleevers but now they are under the Covenant in Christ they have the rest in Christ that their souls shal not be cast one way or other by what they do or what they leav undon though if they neglect his wil the Lord may make them to know it here while they live in this world And if upon this any
out of Christ from Prov. 23.34 II. Five Reasons thereof 1. They are under the curse of God 2. All creatures are their enemies 3. All the waies of Gods providence are against them 4. All their best services are rejected 5. They have no refuge for comfort III. Two conclusions from the premises 1 Most men live and perish in blindness 2 There is an insufficiency in al things out of Christ to give rest with the Reasons thereof Page 205 Chap. 27 The insufficiency of every thing besides Christ to give rest to the Soul is further enlarged with several choice Considerations Page 210 Chap. 28. Of the Rest that a Beleever hath by Christ from the guilt of sin laid out in ten Particulars 1 Christ takes upon himself al the sin of them that come to him stands charged with them before his father 2 He satisfieth for sin 3 The wrath of God is appeased 4 He is continually at the right hand of his Father to intercede for Sinners that come to him 5 Their Souls are sprinkled with the blood of Christ 6 The Soul at the first coming to Christ is made perfectly righteous before God 7 Christ not only undertakes for al the sins past but for al the sins to come 8 Guilt shal never return when it is once taken off 9 The soul at its first coming to Christ is cloathed with the righteousness of Christ 10 Such are sure that the day of judgment shal be the Solemnity of their absolution· Page 218 Chap. 39 The deliverance from the Law by Christ set out 1 Privatively in five Particulars 2 Positively in five Points more Page 228 Chap. 30 The Rest that beleevers have from the burden of the Law by coming to Christ laid out in ten Particulars 1 They do not stand or fal for life by the Law 2 The Law-giver is the Redeemer 3 The least spark of Grace is accepted 4 Their wil shal be accepted as the deed 5 Obedience is required in a sweet and gentle way 6 The grace of God in Christ doth melt the heart 7 Their sins make them an object of Gods pitty 8 They have Christ to undertake for them as a surety 9 They are delivered and yet satisfaction is made to the Law 10 They have assurance that they shal never forfeit the covenant of grace they are under by Christ Page 234 Chap. 31 Containeth divers Consequences from the rest Beleevers have from the burden of the Law And Lessons they are taught from thence Page 249 Chap. 33 Of the rest from Legal performances and the several waies how this rest comes from Christ viz. duties are delightfull to the soul because Christ renders God unto the soul in a gracious way 2. They are not performed as satisfactory but as testimonies of love and thankfulness 3 Christ himself offers up the duties to God 4 They are performed from the Law in the heart 5 They have the Promises joyned with them Page 262 Chap. 35. Two other waies whereby the former point is cleered with some consequences from the same and the use of the whol The First way is that whilst the soul is performing duty the strength of it is continually renewed Secondly The soul hath the love of God shed abroad into the heart The first Consequence is happiness of a Christian here Secondly Hence cometh the perseverance of beleevers The use of all is to exercise much faith in Christ Page 285 Chap. 36 Sheweth the Rest from the remainder of Corruption to be Sanctification and that to be a great Rest Laid open in six particulars 1 It is the right temper of the heart 2 In it the soul doth in great part attain its end 3 In it the soul lives the life of God 4 It raiseth the soul above the region of al troubles 5 It turnes every thing to good 6 It is the beginning of Glory Page 291 Chap. 37. Sheweth that Sanctification is only IN Christ Page 297 Chap. 38. Sheweth how our sanctification cometh from Christ in six particulars 1 It was the end of his coming to destroy the works of the Devil 2 He is the great Ordinance appointed by God to sanctifie his people 3 His death is appointed to mortifie sin 4 By him the curse upon the heart is taken away 5 By his union with Beleevers being the head of the second Covenant 6 In Christ are the strongest arguments for holiness that can be Page 300 Chap. 39 Containing two strong Arguments in Christ for holiness First In him the soul sees the greatest breach between it and God by reason of Sin Secondly In him it sees the greatest Hatred of Sin in God Page 313 Chap. 40 Shewing how Sanctification comes from Christ in six Particulars more 1. It is he that reveals the Father to the Soul 2. Through Christ the Love of God is shed abroad into the heart 3. All the Promises are made to us through him 4. In him all the Ordinances are effectual 5. He sends the Spirit into the heart 6. Christ Rules in the heart Page 317 Chap. 41. Six Consequences from the former Doctrine I. The difference between beleevers and the state in Adam II. We see the difference between Civility and true holiness III. We see the reason why so many Vowes and Covenants to live holily come to nothing IIII. It is impossible for any to be a member of Christ and not be holy V. Be not hindred from comming to Christ albeit you have not so much holiness as you desire VI. Hence we learne how to Vnderstand Christ aright Page 327 Chap. 42. Containeth an exhortation to come to Christ wherein Three hindrances are removed And six encouragements laid down First The Union between Christ and a beleever Secondly From the great Love of Christ Thirdly corruption is the burden of Christ as wel as of a sinner Fourthly He healed the bodies of many he will much more the soul Fifthly he knows what it is to be Tempted Sixtly It is for the Honor of the Death Resurrection and life of Christ to give Holiness Page 337 Chap. 43. Containes the conclusion of the former doctrine of Sanctification with divers directions how to come to Christ for holiness I. Be sensible of the want of it II. Be not satisfied with the ordinances further then you meet with Christ III. Come not so much for comfort and peace as for holiness IV. Be sensible of new supplies V. Converse with Christ in the Gospel Page 341 Chap. 44 Sheweth that a beleever hath Rest in Christ in al troubles he can meet with in the world which is laid out in four Particulars 1 All afflictions are at his disposal 2 In him the curse is taken away 3 They stand with Gods love 4 They are measured by God Page 348 Chap. 45. The Rest beleevers have from Christ in outward afflictions discovered in four Particulars more 1. They shall be to good ends 2 They shall be sanctified to the good of beleevers 3. God is present with his people
them but they have arts to make their tankerds light as can be but now if they carried their water in tankards of Lead though the water were no heavier yet this would make it more burdensome so sickness poverty loss of estate they are burdensome to al that beare them but yet the corruption of sin when the heart is corrupted with sin that is as lead that makes it the greater burden and therefore sin in the heart is such a thing as makes al other things burdensome that are burdensome Though a man should loose al his estate in one night this might be some burden but he that hath sin upon him that makes al other burdens to be burdensome The Fifth property of the Burden of Corruption Fifthly Sin is a burden unto God himself much more to the saints God cries out that he is prest under sin as a Cart is pressed that is ful of sheaves it is a burden to the spirit of God and therefore it is said that the spiâ—it of God is greived and it must needs be a great burden to thy soul when thou seest and knowest it is a burden to thy father it is a burden to the spirit of God whereby thou art sealed to the day of redemption Is it not a burden to the heart of any ingenious spirit when he shal consider that that which I have done is a burden to my father to the spirit of grace any ingenious child it wil be a burden to him that he hath done any thing against his father now so long as thou hast any sin in thee thou art a burden to God and to the spirit of God The Sixth property of the burden of Corruption Sixthly As it is a burden to God so it is that that makes us burdensome unto al that we converse with al and the more Corruption that remaines in our Hearts the more burdensome we are to all that we converse withal some there are though truly godly yet they have so much Corruption in them that they are burdensome to all that they converse withal as in a family take those that are passionate though they have godliness lies at the bottome yet how burdensome are they to those that converse with them others they have extream stout and stubborn Spirits others have sullen Hearts extream sullen spirits others have slight and vain spirits others proud and envious spirits and others Covetous now there is reason they should feel the burden themselves for others feel the Burden when it breaks forth from them and therefore it much more aggravates their Burden those that are truly godly that are overcome with passion when they think thus Oh! what a Wretched Heart have I that I should break forth into passion in such and such company Oh! what a Wretch am I that I should not only be burdensome to my self but to those that I converse withal I make no Question but I speak to many that have lamented their condition in this kind alone in that they have been so burdensome to others it is true I have been a Burden to such and such but the Lord knows it is much more a burden to mine own heart and to my self therefore the remaining part of Corruption is such a Burden to the godly because it is a burden to others whenas all the people of God should be useful in the places where they live they should live so as that all that live by them and with them should bless God for them this they should endeavor to do to live in such a manner as all that come neer them should bless God that ever they came neer or had converse with them The Seventh Property of the Burden of Corruption Seventhly This Burden is such a Burden as makes those that are godly to be burdensome to themselves yea even to be weary of their lives many times Why For their Corruption in them is a great deal more grievous then Death would be to them We use to express a thing that is very grievous to us and say it is death to us those that are godly can say so of their sin and that is one Reason that Paul gave that Name to his sin a Body of Death Oh! Wretched Man that I am who shal deliver me from this Body of Death Why because the remaining Corruption that then was in his Heart was as Death to him so it is with the Saints the Corruption that remaines in their hearts it is Death to them and they can appeal unto God and speak thus in his presence The bitterness of death would not be so much to me a thousand parts as this Corruption that is in my heart Oh! this Corruption that is in my heart that overcomes me after so many resolutions so many Prayers so many Sacraments so many ingagements it is that which makes me weary of my life as Rebeccah said if Jacob should marry a Wife of the Daughters of Heth it would make her weary of her Life so saith the godly this remaining Corruption in my Heart makes me weary of my Life what shal I do that carry such a Body of Death about me so as I do There are many Men and Women that in a discontented mood say they are weary of their lives but this is in a discontented mood but when could you say so in respect of your Hearts when did you say I lookt into my Heart and I saw a great deal of sin Corruption worldliness Pride Passion and the like and this is that which makes me weary of my Life The truth is the great thing that makes the people of God to be willing to die is this because they know when they die they shal be delivered from this Burden and therefore when Death comes they entertaine it willingly because they know they shal sin against God no more There is many of you when you have lived a long time in sickness and poverty and are in great straites many waies you think if Death should come to me I could be willing to die because then I should suffer no such things as now I do I but that is no argument of Grace but this is an argument of Grace that because of the great burden of Corruption that thou carryest about in thy Soul therefore thou would'st be willing to die The Eighth property of the Burden of Corruption Eightly Sin is a grievous Burden while we have it and makes us weary of our Lives and yet it is such a Burden as we must certainly carry about with us such a Body as we know we shal never be freed from wholly while we live in this world it is true we may be freed from it in a great measure Christ saith come to me and you shal have Rest that is some Rest for the present and whole Rest in the Life to come but we cannot be wholly freed from this Burden whilst we are in this World And thus much for the properties of this Burden what
worse then his If the King were going in his Robes to the Parliament a long the streets and should see such a poor creature lying by the Walls and should take special notice of him and call him to him and say let that poor creature come to me it would incourage him exceedingly this invitation from Christ is just the very same for the Lord Jesus Christ sees thee lying in thy gore blood as it is described in Ezekiel 16. where the miserable condition of them that are in their Natural estate is most elegantly set down they lay in their blood none Eye pittyed them then I came saith God and said unto thee live and this time was the time of Love so when thou liest in thy poor wretched miserable condition in thy filth in thy baseness in the Gall of bitterness and bond of iniquity this blessed Redeemer this great Prince of al the world he cals to thee and saies Oh! thou poor creature Come to me I You will say this is the discouragement of all I would be glad to go to Christ the Lord knows this is that my Soul pants after that I might go to Christ but I am such a poor vile creature so Wretched so Miserable that it is impossible for me to be accepted you tel me that for an argument that is the greatest discouragement of my Heart because I am so vile and because I am so Wretched this is that discourageth me from coming to Christ ARG. VII To that I answer in the Seventh place Come to me and I will certainly receive you whatever you are Christ will certainly receive all those that come to him whatever they are and for that consider these three things that may make it plain First The Solemn expression of Christ for this purpose that you have in John 6.37 All that the Father giveth me shall come to me and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out He doth not say he that hath been such a great sinner such a vile wretched sinner but he speaks indefinitly he that comes to me I will in no wise cast out Now this that is translated in your Books In no wise cast out it hath a greater force in the Greek there is two Negatives for though we in English say two Negatives make an affirmative it is not so in Greek for it is for a stronger confirmation of a thing and so it may be read He that cometh to me I will not not cast out as if so be Christ should say he that comes to me I will not I will not cast out As we when we would express the fervency of our Spirits we double our speech so doth Christ he would express the Fervency of his spirit and therefore he saith he that cometh to me I will not I will not cast out Secondly Whoever thou art upon coming to him he will not cast thee off for this was the great errand that Christ came into the world for to receive poor troubled souls and to ease poor Laden sinners it was the very business that Christ came into the world about it is the work that God the Father hath sent his Son into the world about that he might receive such poor wretched sinful creatures as thou art and if it were not that he should receive those that come to him he should lose the end that he came into the world for and therefore he will receive you when you come for Christ saies I shal else lose the end of that that was the greatest work that ever was done since the world began or shal be done to al eternity that is my undertaking the Mediation between God and you if I should not receive poor Souls that come to me that great work would be lost that work wherein my Father and my self is so much glorified for this is the glory of Christ to do so and Christ saw there was so much glory to be had this way that it did move Christ to come into the world to take such a course as this is to save Souls Christ knows that he should to all eternity be magnified by Angels for the saving such Souls as thou art Yea Christ knows that the Father wil love him more for he saies The Father loves me because I laid down my life for the Sheep John 10.17 It is that that will delight God the Father it is that that wil make God the Father to delight in the Son it is that whereby Jesus Christ gets the very end of his death til he had laid down his life till he had made his Soul an offering for sin he was not satisfied This is it that satisfied him that he should see his Seed and amongst others thou art one thou that comest to Christ thou art of the Seed that Jesus Christ is so satisfied with that he gaines the very end of laying down his life for thee and certainly Christ will not cast thee off but wil receive thee and therefore come to him Thirdly He will receive thee for he hath heretofore received as vile wretches as thou art You will say There was never any so vile as we are It s true we may and ought to judg our Selves as vile as the worst though we have not committed such vile sins outwardly as others have yet because we know not the Hearts of other men nor do we know what means others have had therefore we are to judg ourselves as vile as any but know that Christ hath received as bad as thou art those that pierced Christ that shed his blood Christ received 3000. of them in one day he received three thousand in one day of those that had inbrued their hands in his blood and the story stands in the Scripture for an everlasting Monument to incourage poor sinners to come to Christ And besides though thou art a vile sinner and a wretched creature yet know the greater thou hast been in thy sin the more will the Grace of God in Christ be magnified and certainly there is in Christ such a Grace as is able to swallow up great sins as well as little as the infinite Ocean of the Sea is able to swallow up great Vessels as well as smal were it not a silly thing when we were to cast a Vessel into the Sea to say it is too great a Vessel God is willing to have his Grace magnified to thee though it be to the hardening of many thousands If there is an infinite Ocean in God to swallow up great as well as smal sins so long as this keeps thee off from coming to Christ so long thou dishonorest this infinite Grace of God in Christ Were Gods mercy only such as his common bounty is to other of his creatures this might keep thee off but now it being the infinite Ocean of mercy in his Son and purchased by Christ it is an infinite dishonor to the Grace of God in Christ to stand upon tearms and not to come to
to have so much sin conveyed to us by Adam by propagation but thus As we may read in Rom. 5. By one man sin came into the world Now Adam he was the head of the first Covenant and by being the head of that al mankind are looked upon as members of the first Adam he being the head in that notion of the Covenant in that consideration Adam was not looked upon as a parent only as the first father but as the head and we are not looked upon only as the children of Adam but as members so that al men were looked upon as one in Adam and therefore the Scripture speakes but of two men the first Adam and the second Adam that look as sin is conveyed to us being members of the First Adam and he being the head of the First Covenant so grace comes to be conveyed unto the soul by our being members of the second Adam the Lord Jesus Christ being the head of the second Covenant here is the way of conveyance of holiness our union with Christ So that now the holiness that is in Christ comes to us by virtue of the mistical union As by virtue of the natural union of the members of the body with the head there comes animal spirits to the members of the body so by virtue of our mistical union with Christ our head there is conveyed holiness and grace to strengthen us against our corruptions As the oyntment did run from Aarons head 〈◊〉 â—to the rest of his members so Christ that is anoytâ—â—at hath the oyl not only of gladness but holiness too doth descend down to al his members by virtue of the union they have with him And for that end you have a most famous scripture in Rom. 8.2 For the Law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the Law of sin and death It is a scripture that hath very much in it What doth he mean by the Law of sin and death The Law that is the mighty power that there is in sin and so in death that comes by sin in the hearts of unbeleevers There is a Law of sin the strength of sin I speak of sin hath strength going along with it hath power with it So a Law of sin there is in the hearts of men they are compelled to sin as I may so speake as a man is compelled to a thing by a law a law of sin though this be no excuse to them And let them know that so far as they are compelled to sin they are compelled to death to But how shal this Law of sin and death be overcome Marke the words The Law of the spirit of life in Christ hath made me free from the Law of sin and death The Law of the spirit of Life here is two gradations that is the holiness that is in Christ that is likewise a Law as wel as the corruption that is in the heart The corruption in the heart hath a strength in it and the holiness of Christ hath a strength in it too So that when grace comes into the heart the heart goes on in a way of holiness in a holy kind of necessity We can do nothing against the truth saith the Apostle But yet there is a necessity of willingness goes along with it too there is a Law of Love and kindness but by this word of Law is meant a strong impetuousness a mighâ—y power that carries the soul on to holiness Again secondly it is the Law of the spirit and of the spirit of life the holiness of Christ it is a holiness that is ful of life First it is Life And secondly it is the spirit of Life Now the spiriâ— of life is a higher degree then life as the spirit of a thing hath the quickning of the thing in it beyond what the whol bulke of the thing is When the spirit of herbs or any such thing is extracted you know those spirits have much quickning in them beyond the things themselves so the spirit would express the mighty activity in the holyness that comes from Christ it is life it is the spirit of life and then it is the Law of the spirit of life Oh my brethren you see then here that Godliness is no dul thing it is no heavy thing no poor weake contemptible thing but it is the life it is the life of Christ it is the spirit of life and it is the Law of the Spirit of life he speakes of grace when it comes to that as the Law of the spirit of life There is but two things in sin the Law of sin and death and in grace there is life and the spirit of life and the law of the spirit of life and al this in Jesus Christ It is not in our owne resolutions purposes endeavours but in our union with Jesus Christ and this it is that brings grace unto the heart though there be much corruption before yet the soul being thus one with Christ and looking upon Christ as the head of the second Covenant and doth draw virtue from Jesus Christ a mighty strong virtue to help the soul against corruption and quicken it in the wayes of God and thus comes the rest to the soul by Christ in sanctification Carnal hearts they know no way in the world how to get grace they heare talking of grace and leaving of sin but they know not how to get it and they wil go and pray read heare and the like I but you must know that grace lies in another way then you think of for you think it must come from God I but it must come from God in a mistical way through Christ Perhaps some of you hearing the mysteries of the Gospel understand this that as God is the fountain of al grace so it must be conveyed by Christ as through the cisterne I but you must understand also that you must have it from God through Christ as he is a head unto you and you are the members through a mistical union that your souls must have with Christ so as you be made one with Christ you must be made one with Christ As the member can never receive any spirit from the head except it be united to the body it is not by being tied to the body If you take an arme of flesh and tie it to a mans shoulder it wil never receive life that way but it must have a natural union Just thus your common Professors that meerly have the name of Christians and are not spiritually united to Christ they are like to Armes tiâ—d on to the shoulder or to wooden legs that are fastened upon mens thighes that want legs they have some use of those legs to help theÌ„ a little to go I but those legs have not virtue and life conveyed from the head So your common Christians they have some knowledg of Christ they are only fastened to Christ as a wooden leg is fastened to a mans
see the reason that many people their vowes and Covenants to live better then they have done doth so often come to nothing our Sanctification is in Christ our overcoming of corruption it is by virtue of Christ then from hence I say we see plainly the reason why the vowes and covenants of so many people that do promise in the time of their sickness or when they are in any danger at sea to live better Oh say they if ever God restore us they wil never live as they have done they wil live better then heretofore they have done and though they do not speake thus for the present to deceive people but speake what they do intend their hearts are fully resolved to leave their sins and to live better yet when they are restored they live as before when they come to land whatever promise they made at sea yet they live as before What is the reason of this Because they are not acquainted with the mistery of Godliness they know not how to fetch strength from Christ to inable them to keep their resolutions they do not know where the stock of grace lies They depend upon their owne resolutions and promises they do not see the strength that should come from Christ and hence it is that al their vowes and covenants come to nothing As we reade of Sampson he said after his strength was gone from him that he would go forth as before but the Lord was departed from him So you think if God restore you you wil live better and overcome your corruptions you wil not live as before I but the strength of Christ is not with you you do not know that the strength of Christ is departed from you Adam had grace from God as the creator it is not for us to pray to God for grace as creator of al things but we must seeke God in Christ and see how the fulness of al the Godhead dwels bodily in him and so we come to have strength against our corruptions I remember a German Divine writing to his friend professeth that before he understood the way of the Gospel he had vowed and covenanted a thousand times against some sins and could never overcome them but after the Lord revealed to him the way of the Gospel that al strength comes in by exercising faith in Christ and seeing the father giving his son to supply al grace and exercising faith in the Covenant of grace he found strength against his corruptions so that he was able very comfortably to walk with God in the wayes of holiness So Christians that understand the way the Gospel wil find abundance of power against their corruptions more then they did with al their striving and paines taking before though we should strive and take al paines we can yet we must know that this wil not do it without the exercise of faith in Christ for the helping of us against our corruptions IIII. From hence followes also that it is impossible any should be a member of Christ but he must needs be holy because Christ is our sanctification Christ is Filled ful of holiness that holiness might be conveyed to his members therefore those that have yet their lusts in the strength of them that have not the rest of sanctification in some measure surely the spirit of Christ is not in them these cannot stand together to be a member of Christ and yet to walk in Filthiness these cannot stand together For Christ is the great prophet that teacheth and the great King of his Church to governe and certainly whatsoever is brought to him must be taught of him and governed by him it is impossible to have communion with the fountain of al holyness and yet for al that to live under the power of sin this cannot be V. From hence followes likewise That for any to be hindred in their comming to Christ because they have not that measure of holiness that they desire this is a great temptation for any soul that sees the want of grace the want of sanctification and labors under the burden of corruption for any such soule to be hindered in the coming of it unto Christ because it hath not what grace it doth desire this is a very strong and a dangerous temptation of the devil which we are to take heed of It is a most irrational temptation and yet this is that that many poor souls are troubled withal they think thus when we exhort them to come to Christ alas what should I do poor creature I am so vild I have such a wicked and sinful heart how should I come to him were I thus and thus had I power over my corruptions as others have then I could be bold to come to Christ Now what a temptation is this Christ saith come and I wil give you rest you say if I had rest I would come Christ is the fountain of al holiness therefore to be kept off from Christ because I want holiness is a very great temptation it is the work of the Divel should I be kept off from Christ for want of holiness when Christ is appointed by God the father to convey holiness unto the heart to renew the image of God in mee and to draw it more beautifully then ever it was before Remember the point you have heard that Christ is our sanctification and al holiness comes from him therefore surely my want of holiness shal not drive him from me but draw me to him Let me not say as Peter Master depart from me for I am a sinful man the truth is he should rather have said Master come to me for I am a sinful man So many poor soules wil say Lord I cannot come to Christ because I am so sinful thou shouldest come to him the rather because thou art so sinful VI. From hence we learne how to understand Christ aright and how to beleeve in Christ aright some people they understand Christ only as a savior that they must be pardoned by Christ and saved by him and delivered from hel by him but you must understand him to be sanctification to you also you must trust in Christ to sanctifie you as wel as save you if you understand Christ aright you must understand him to be a sanctifyer as wel as a savior if thou beleevest in Christ aright thou beleevest in Christ as a sanctifier as wel as a savior thus much of the conseqences that follow from the Rest of sanctification in Christ CHAP. XLII Containeth an exhortation to come to Christ wherein Three hindrances are removed And six encouragments laid down First The Vnion between Christ and a beleever Secondly From the great Love of Christ Thirdly Corruption is the burden of Christ as wel as of a sinner Fourthly He Healed the bodies of many he wil much more the soul Fifthly he knowes what it is to be Tempted Sixtly It is for the Honor of the Death Resuâ—rection and Life of Christ to give
Holiness NOW for the last thing that I propounded To exhort and draw beleevers to come to Christ and in this I shal endeavour to take away the many hinderances of the soul in comming to Christ for sanctification and also give some incouragements to the heart to come to Christ for sanctification You see here is the way to get power over corruption and to get grace namely to come to Christ Yea say you if I knew I were a member of Christ and had interest in Christ then I could come to Christ for power over my corruption and for grace but I am afraid I have no interest in him 1. For answer to that which is the main stop and hinderance of faith know that if thou hast but a heart to come to him for grace that is as good a signe of thy interest in Christ as any signe thou hast that is as good a signe of evidence of interest as any thou canst expect 2. You must come to him for grace and if thou hast not interest before yet thy very comming to him now for grace to help thee against corruption that very act of thine may give thee interest in Christ What is it that unites thee to Christ what is it that makes a member of Christ what is it that gives interest in Christ It is but the coming to him as you heard before in the point Quest Is you wil say If I had a right to him If thou comest now to Christ to get power over thy corruption and to get grace I say though thou hadst no interest before this very act may give thee interest in Christ and therefore be not discouraged but come to Christ 3. Wilt thou stay til thou dost find power against thy corruption before thou wilt come to him then thou wilt never have power against thy corruption for you have heard that it is Christ that is the foundation of thy sanctification And then for incouragements there are a great many excellent incouragements for poor sinners to come unto Christ First The consideration of the neere union that there is between Christ and us in regard of his very humane nature That place in Heb. 2.11 is a very notable scripture for our incouragement For both he that sanctifieth and they that are sanctified are al one for which cause he is not ashamed to cal them brethren He that sanctifieth and those that are sanctified are al one what is that That is Christ is of the same nature that thou art Christ hath taken our nature upon him and the fulness of the Godhead doth dwel bodily in him so that thou mayest goe with the more boldness He that is thy brother is not ashamed to be called thy brother and therefore do not look upon him as at such an infinite distance as thy judge but looke upon him as thy brother as one with him He that sanctifieth and they that are sanctified are all one Thou and Christ together are one body Now what incouragement is here to expect Sanctification from Christ to overcome corruption because Christ and you are made one body of the same Nature and so neerly united and made one Secondly Consider that if Christ did love thee so dearly as to lay down his life for thee surely he wil never suffer thee to perish in thy corruptions shall Christ come down from Heaven and lay down his life for poor Souls and shall he suffer them to die under their corruptions Now if a many should be willing to lay down his life for a Child and he should come and see the Child lie in the dirt ready to be stifled in the dirt could he go by and not regard the Child This is our case Christ hath come and laid down his life for poor sinners but yet they see themselves ready to be stifled by their corruptions and they cry to him for help surely Christ wil not pass by and let thee lie in thy filthyness to be stifled in thy corruption when thou wast so dear to him as to lay down his life for thee Thirdly Another incouragement is this know that thy corruptions are the burdens of Christ as wel as thy burdens they are burdens to thy Soul and burdens to Jesus Christ and therefore he doth certainly pitty thee under them and wil help thee Fourthly If Christ had so much pitty as to heal the bodies of poor creatures here in this world so that there was no diseased body that ever come to him but he healed them surely then Christ wil heal Souls Christ hath more regard to immortal Souls then to bodies Fifthly Christ knows what it is to be tempted for Christ had no Corruption in him yet Christ knows what it is to be tempted and Christ knows by his own experience what a Burden it is to be tempted to sin and surely Christ cannot but know what a Burden it is to be overcome with sin Now Christ himself had the Burden of being tempted unto sin and Christ knows that thy Burden is greater then his burden was and that it is more to be overcome then to be tempted to sin and therefore he knows how to pitty thee Sixthly Know it is to the Honor of the Death of Christ the Resurrection of Christ and the life of Christ to help thee against thy Corruptions and quicken thee in Grace Christ accounts his resurrection and life to be honored when he sees the virtue and power of it to be in the Hearts of beleevers Wherefore then if it be to the Honor of the Death and resurrection and life of Christ it may be incouragement to thee to go to him for help against thy corruptions And this remember when thou art upon duty and begging for help against thy corruptions carry this Rule with thee I come to pray against my sins but together with my prayer let me act my Faith I come to hear the word I but together with my hearing let me act my Faith upon Christ as Mediator to help me against my corruptions I come to the Sacrament but I come to have communion with Christ to help me against my corruptions Oh! act thy Faith in the promises of the Gospel through the blessed Covenant and thou shalt find abundance of strength against thy corruption and Rest unto thy Soul CHAP. XLIII Containes the Conclusion of the former Doctrine of Sanctification with divers directions how to come to Christ for holiness I. Be sensible of the want of it II. Be not satisfied with the ordinances further then you meet with Christ III. Come not so much for comfort and peace as for holiness IV. Be sensible of new supplies V. Converse with Christ in the Gospel I Shal now only add a word or two for the concluding of this and so go on to the next rest that is here promised Come to Christ for the Rest of Sanctification for holiness for the truth is there is no true holiness but that which we have by our coming to Christ