as much intend them as the other that his people might not precisely know the very time when their deliverance should be that it should be this year or this day to teach them still to depend upon him for deliverance even when they might think that their deliverance was nearest We must trust God for deliverance but the very time when it shall be we must leave that to him He useth to reserve that in his own breast But to go on 3. In that deliverance God honoured his people Deut. 4. 34. Isa 43. 3 4. He gat them a Name and made them high above all Nations They were a People that all the World did talk of that heard what God had done for them how he had redeemed them and how he had chosen them and how he went before them Well now beloved you see this was an honourable deliverance that God gave to them but this Freedom by Christ is the most honourable Freedom of all God never so honoured himself by any deliverance as by this nor did he ever so honour his promises nor did he ever so honour his people For the first see John 12. 28. for the second Luke 1. 68. to 74. for the third Luke 2. 32. They are so honoured by this that they that partake of this Freedom are said to be made Kings to God Property 4. This Freedom is a Heavenly Freedom They who are interested in it are said to be partakers of the heavenly calling Heb. 3. 1. And they are called the heavenly Jerusalem cap. 12. 22. and Jerusalem which is above Gal. 4. 26. 'T is such an Heavenly Freedom that the very Angels desire to look into this salvation which it brings 1 Pet. 1. 10 11 12. Other Deliverances were earthly or at most the best and greatest of them as I said were but types and shadows of better things but this Freedom is all made up of Heavenliness I shall make out this by Four things a little 1. It is the Sons Freedom 2. The Souls Freedom 3. The Saints Freedom 4. The Scripture-Freedom 1. I say 't is the Sons Freedom that which the Lord Jesus Christ the Son of God hath procured 'T is the Son that makes free You have had this largely opened to you Now what an heavenly Freedom must this be that God imployed his own Son in and sent him from Heaven on purpose about it When the Lord would redeem his people out of Egypt he sent Moses and Aaron for that work and they were but Men but when he would give this Freedom he sent one that was more than a Man 'T is true he raised up Christ from amongst the Jews according to the flesh and the humane Nature did not come immediately from God but 't was made of the Seed of David Yea but God was manifested in this flesh and upon this account he is said to come down from Heaven John 3. 13. and to come out from God and to come forth from the Father cap. 16. 27 28. So that in this Freedom beloved there came one from the Throne of God yea one that was God to give it to us 2. 'T is the Souls Freedom the Freedom of the Soul Now you know they must be all heavenly things that can reach that to do it any good In other Deliverances they were the Bodies of men that were set free but in this Christ brings Souls out of Prison and Bondage And indeed herein lies the very main of all the excellency of this Freedom that it is a Freedom for Souls If I should have said nothing else about it but only this That the precious Souls of Men and Women are redeemed by it you must needs have said 't is an excellent Freedom Yea beloved all that I have said or have yet to say or can say runs into this Oh blessed joyful heavenly Freedom by Christ What a thing is this What to bring salvation to Souls to set the Heart Mind Will Understanding Affections Conscience at liberty that when all was bound within with spiritual Chains and Fetters that were Ten thousand times stronger than those that are made of Brass and Iron that when the Soul sat in darkness and in the shadow of death there should be redemption for that that Christ should pity lost and undone souls Oh heavenly heavenly heavenly Freedom Well may I use those words to you here which the Angel used to the Shepherds Luke 2. 10 11. Behold I bring you good tidings of great joy which shall be to all people for unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savioue which is Christ the Lord. Here 's a Saviour for your Souls Where are your Souls Sirs by Nature What a condition are they in Oh! they are kept the closest Prisoners that ever were in the deepest darkest Dungeon that ever was and this Prison they are cast into for Debt for Theft for Murder for Treason and no Debt like this Debt for 't is the Debt of Sins and Iniquities and no Theft like this Theft for 't is for robbing God of his Glory and no Murder like this Mruder for 't is for destroying your own Souls and no Treason like this Treason for t is against the Crown of Heaven And yet if you will repent and believe the Gospel here 's a Freedom for your Souls out of all this Methinks it should be even with us in the hearing of this as 't is said in Luke 19. 37 38. that we should rejoyce and praise God with a loud voice And if we should not be affected with this Freedom one might think as ver 40. that if we should hold our peace the stones would immediately cry out 3. It is the Saints Freedom Indeed 't is to make sinners free but it is not the Freedom of sinners That is as long as persons are out of Christ they cannot truly call it theirs 'T is the portion and priviledg of the children of God A wicked man may have it but a true Believer hath it The one is under a possibility of it but the other is in possession of it Rom. 5. 2. They have their standing in this Grace They stand upon Gospel-ground Now what a Heavenly Freedom is this that none but Saints enjoy The men of the World may enjoy other Freedoms but one must be in Christ to enjoy this It belongs to the holy Company Eph. 2. 19. Ye are Fellow-Citizens with the Saints Indeed this Freedom doth not find us Saints but it makes us so And therefore hereby you may know whether you have any thing of it Do you think that you are made free by Christ and abide ungodly To be sure you deceive your selves The Lord Christ never redeemed any Soul to leave it where he found it he puts it into a contrary state to that which it had before he found it in darkness but he puts it into Light he found it in Death but he puts it into Life he found it in Wickedness but he puts
Soul what art thou that thou lookest so coy upon Jesus Christ I would fain have thee understand thy self a little Why I pray thee consider what Portion is Jesus Christ like to have with thee if he should have thee What canst bring to him Canst thou bring any thing to him but a broken ruin'd undone condition 'T is true thou hast a deal of thine own but what is it A deal of sin a deal of misery a deal of deformity a deal of poverty If these things will make thee rich thou hast enough of them but as for any thing else thou hast it not nothing at all to render thee desirable or lovely in Christs eyes and yet doth he offer love to thee and woo thee as heartily as if thou wert some great and excellent person and hadst riches and beauty and worthiness tho alas if ever he have thee he must clothe thee from top to toe And yet wilt thou refuse him why I marvel at thy Pride You know 't is counted an odious thing by the common Proverb that goes among us to be Poor and Proud so sinner what art so Proud and yet art so Poor The Lord in mercy shew thee what thou art 6. You will be guilty of Cruelty to your selves I might stand upon that of Cruelty to us the Ministers of Christ who take all this pains with you as though God did beseech you by us to pray you in Christs stead to be reconciled unto God Beloved if we should spend our strength and spirits as we do in earnest intreaties of you to close with Christ and you should not be perswaded would you not shew in this a great deal of hardness of heart against Christ's Embassadors in suffering them to weary and wear out themselves in pleading with you to repent and believe the Gospel and all in vain I tell you the account of this will lie heavy upon you another day that you should let our Strength and Spirit and Labours run to waste You must needs think that the pains that the Ministers of Christ take with you in this kind of work are very spending to their outward man their Strength is not the strength of Stones nor their Flesh of Brass therefore there should be some pity towards them and you should not by your delays and backwardness to imbrace their Message put a kind of necessity upon them even to lay out themselves beyond their strength But now to come nearer to you What Cruelty do you shew to your selves by not closing with Christ Saith Wisdom that is Christ himself Prov. 8. 36. He that sinneth against me sinneth against his own soul The great hurt of all is that which you do your selves by refusing of Christ you are with your own hands making weapons of Death to destroy your selves If you would study which way in all the World to do your selves the greatest mischief 't is in this to neglect this great Salvation I tell you In this you take the shortest cutt that can be to manifest that you have no greater enemy than your selves And this is the reason why the Lord will condemn at the last day every Christ-refusing sinner for self destruction Oh Sirs you are not in a right sense self-lovers till you are Christ-receivers 'T is true you have a carnal self love but that 's but a love to sin 't is not a love to the soul and therefore 't is not the right self-love which teacheth one to look after ones own everlasting Salvation next to the Glory of GOD. 7. You 'll be guilty of undervaluing the highest mercies Consider you are offered as precious things as God himself can give to his Creatures what can he give more than Himself and his Son and Spirit his everlasting Love and everlasting Life his Pardon his Promises Why you 'll be found despisers of all these if you don't come to Christ And what is it nothing in your account to be a Child of God to have all your sins blotted out to be justified and sanctified and saved Is it nothing to be delivered from the curse of God and the wrath to come Methinks you should be dealing with your own thoughts a little thus Why what shall I let these great things go a great God and a great Saviour and a great Reward Certainly Friends if you undervalue these things 't is because you overvalue other things you overvalue your sins and you overvalue the world and you overvalue your own righteousness If you could but count these loss you would count Christ to be gain Phil. 3. 7. 8. You 'll be guilty of Hypocrisie What! do you come hither and seem to be a people that would close with Christs offers of Grace and yet when all comes to all you will not do it What Hypocrisie what double dealing is this You put us in hope by your attendance upon the Means that you will give up your selves to Christ and upon this account we are glad to see every one of you here hoping that you will be willing to list your selves into the number of Christ's true Disciples and now what won't you be sincere Shall your faces be towards him and your hearts against him Will you not be as you seem Pray be down-right with us give in your Souls to what you are about This is no place to dissemble with God and with his Ordinances and therefore as in 1 Pet. 2. 1 2. Laying aside all guile and hypocrisies As new born babes desire the sincere milk of the word that ye may grow thereby 9. You 'll be guilty of Vnbelief You that close not with Christ you believe him not We tell you he came into the world to save sinners we tell you that there is mercy and pardon and life for you if you come unto him but you believe not our report if you close not with him you believe not the Scripture you believe not the Gospel See 1 Joh. 5. 9. This is the witness of God which he hath testified of his Son Shall God testifie these things concerning Christ which we preach to you and shall he not be believed Will you make God a liar vers 10. 10. You 'll be guilty of Foolishness What not to accept of an offer that is so much for your good Is there any wisdom in this Do you use to do thus about the things of the World Come eat of my bread Forsake the foolish Prov. 9. 5 6. Observe here we shall be among the fools till we close with Christ 11. You 'll be guilty of Presumption You talk of your hope to be saved what and not close with Christ Why 't is high presumption in you a tempting a daring of God 12. You 'll be guilty of Vnprofitableness Why till you close with Christ what good do you do This is that which must enter you into a holy fruitful life without this you have not laid the foundation of any spiritual walking Glorifying of God begins here hence it
it yours Beloved there be many that are and will be undone for ever because they went no further than the hearing of a Christ at a distance Now those that shall be saved by him he and their souls have been brought nigh together and they make such an application of him to themselves that the relation they have to him is like that of the Members to the Head or of the Wife to the Husband they are so joined to him by Faith that they become one with him now the general offers of Grace never make us one with Christ till he is my Christ I am never united to him Now this is the great thing that you should look after to have Union with Christ and 't is application that makes the Union and you have nothing of him in a saving manner till you are in him and he in you Col. 1. 27. Christ in you the hope of glory Obj. It may be some will say that have but small cause for it Oh if it be Faith that makes Christ mine why then I have a part in him for I do believe I thank God in my Saviour Jesus Christ I put my whole trust in him with all my heart Ans Those that have the true Faith have been made to see that there is a false Faith a counterfeit Faith yea and to fear and question and examine whether their Faith were not a counterfeit Faith Beloved there is a counterfeit of every Grace and certainly there be many that think they believe and don 't As I would have no child of God to think he doth not believe when he doth so I would have no Christless person to think he doth believe when he doth not The way to find out the truth of our Faith is to put our Faith to the proof have you not taken it for granted that you have Faith without trying it I 'll give you but two Notes of the true Faith and I am sure they 'll be enough to prove divers to be Unbelievers that think themselves to be Believers The true Faith is always accompanied with love to Christ with a high prizing love to him they that believe with their hearts they set their hearts upon Christ he hath their dearest and choicest affections placed upon himself they have discerned such a Beauty in Christ that they cannot but love him best 1 Pet. 2. 7. Vnto you that believe he is precious Now there be many of you that think you have Faith and yet let one listen never so much to you one cannot hear you talk of Christ nor utter any longings or breathings of Soul after him and when the beauty and sweetness and fulness and freeness of Grace that is in Christ is spoken of you have no delight to be upon such a Discourse And pray now what do your thoughts and desires run out most upon Are not your minds and affections taken up with the present and perishing things of this World more than with Christ Is there not something that sits nearer to your hearts than he doth Surely here 's a discovery of a false Faith to say one believes in him and yet not love him Ask thy soul Hast not gone many a day many a week many a year nay all the days of thy life and had never one raised desire towards him Thou dost not know what 't is to be unsatisfied without his presence and without communion with him thou dost not know what 't is to be sick of love for him he may stay never so long from thy Soul and thou never grieve nor groan thou canst do well enough with the Creature though thou hast not Christ I tell thee if it be so thou hast thy Faith to seek thou never madest any particular application of him yet to thy self for if thou hadst application of him would beget affection to him A true Believer is greatly in love with the Lord Jesus he had rather be without any thing than him he accounts all loss in comparison of him Phil. 3. 8. 2. The true Faith is always accompanied with likeness to Christ A Believer in him is a Conformer to him and a Follower of him he bears about Christ's Image in the World he lives according to Christ's Life and according to Christ's Law and according to Christ's Example he partakes with him in his crucified and in his quickned State As Paul in Gal. 2. 20. when he speaks that the life of faith was in him in the beginning of the verse saith he I am crucified with Christ he died to sin and walked in newness of life But now how many be there of you that think you have Faith and yet are as much for sin as ever you were and as contrary to goodness as ever you were you can be as vain and as vile and as carnal and as covetous and as proud and passionate and lukewarm as ever you were If it be thus with thee I tell thee if there were no better Believers than thou art there would not be one true Believer in the World A Faith that doth not change thee into a new Creature is a false Faith 2 Pet. 1. 1. To them that have obtained like precious faith with us How doth he make out that they had this precious faith why vers 4. they had escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust True Faith is of a sanctifying purifying nature It is at peace with no sin nor at war with any duty Reas 3. We should every one look after this Freedom because a diligent looking out for it is the way to obtain it You know how much diligence hath done sometimes in other cases how it hath by the blessing of God upon his Labours raised a man to great Riches that before had nothing yea it may be was worse than nothing So if you would be diligent how can you tell but that you may be rich tho you are now so very poor and that you may be made free tho for the present you are in Bondage Why may not a man get a spiritual Estate by taking pains as well as many have gotten an earthly one Obj. Oh but you 'll say there are some discouraging places that I meet with in the Scripture Ans Well What are they let us hear And before thou goest any further let me tell thee it is a great mistake to think that there is any place of Scripture rightly understood that doth discourage any Soul from taking pains to look after his own Salvation Doth not God every where almost call upon People to do it Is not the Word full of Precepts to that purpose and full of Promises to that purpose Take but one place among many Matth. 7. 7 8. Ask and it shall be given you seek and ye shall find knock and it shall be opened unto you For every one that asketh receiveth and he that seeketh findeth and to him that knocketh it shall be opened Well I pray thee let 's hear thy
Ages that are past That Christ can revive a drooping Soul and chear up a fainting Spirit now as well as ever he could 4. Take notice of the exceeding riches of the grace of God that upon such a thing as the Fall he should bring in Freedom by Christ Oh! what an astonishing Consideration is this that God should take occasion to manifest his highest Mercy where he might have taken occasion to have manifested his hottest Justice What could have been expected in all likelihood when our first Parents and we in them had thus by sin spoiled all God's Workmanship and defaced his blessed Image to which we were conformed in our Creation but that he should have left us to all the misery that his broken Law could expose us to And lo no sooner had man undone himself but he brings in a promise of Redemption by Christ Who would ever have thought that Mercy would have come in at that door Behold Sirs at what strange doors God can bring Mercy in when the Condition looks like a hopeless lost undone condition God can let in Mercy there If it be great affliction nay if it be great transgression God can let Mercy in for all that Hos 13. 9. O Israel thou hast destroyed thy self but in me is thine help There Mercy comes in but at what a strange door ' t is And therefore whatever be thy case or whatever be thy guilt don't say Well to be sure Mercy can never come in here 'T is true we must look for Mercies coming in the appointed ways of finding it and we must not expect it at any strange door Don't tempt the Lord and presume upon hopes of Grace in ways of sin Rom. 6. 1. What shall we say then Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound I only note this from it That when God will 't is wonderfull to see what strange occasions he takes to shew himself gracious To the Second thing what is intimated to us by this That Freedom comes by Christ 1. It intimates the horrible nature of sin in that no less than God's own Son must be the Redeemer from it You know sometimes the greatness of a Disease is seen in the greatness of the Physician that comes to the Patient If one ailes but some small or ordinary matter why then one will hope to do well again either without any Physician at all or else that an ordinary Physician will serve the turn But when there comes some famous eminent Doctor one that all the Countrey hath been laid for to inquire out a man that is so skilful and able in his Profession that there is not such another to be heard of why then People will be ready to say Certainly the person that this Physician goes to is taken with a very dangerous Disease and his condition is no ordinary Distemper because there is such an extraordinary Physician sent for So here that the Son of God must be sent into the World to recover it that there must be a Physician from Heaven to do this Work Oh! it speaks what a grievous condition sin brings us into Sin is the worst of evils one bad better be any thing for Affliction than be a Sinner yea the greatest suffering is not comparable to the least sin And therefore you that will not believe that sin hath any such great harm in it you must needs think you are deceived if you do but consider what a Physician this makes work for See Psal 41. 4. If thou hadst committed but one little sin in all thy life yet 't is of such dangerous consequence that thou wilt certainly die of it if this Doctor Jesus do not come to cure thee 2. That spiritual Freedom is an unspeakable Mercy you may see 't is in that it comes by Christ by so great a hand Do you think that the Son of God should come down from Heaven to bestow it upon us if it were not some transcendent good thing There are many excellent Mercies that are given to men and yet there 's no coming from Heaven to give them the Gifts come from Heaven but the Giver doth not Jam. 1. 15. but this is such a Gift and such a Mercy that the Giver must come from Heaven to give it Joh. 16. 28. Oh Sirs what high thoughts should we have then of this Freedom Surely there 's abundance of worth in it as I shall shew upon the last Branch of the Doctrine in that it comes to us by such a Messenger as Christ himself You that have a part in this you may say as Paul doth 2 Cor. 9. 15. Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift 3. That Christ hath a ruining design upon the Kingdom of the Devil If Freedom comes by him then that must not stand This Freedom by Christ is God's device and contrivance to batter down the Devil's walls to turn his Subtilty into Foolishness and his Power into Weakness and to bring away his Subjects from him in spight of his heart even as many as the Lord will have to be saved 'T is true the devil will keep multitudes of Souls in his slavery but there is not one of them that God hath chosen but shall be sure to be brought out from his Iron Fornace The Devil may keep those that are to be his own for ever but he shall not always keep any that belong to God though he hath some of them yet in his Dominion yet they shall be delivered as Pharaoh had the Children of Israel for a while in captivity but at last he must part with them whether he would or no and there remained not one of them left behind Though they don't come all out in the self same day as they did out of Egypt Exod. 12. 41. yet now one is converted and then another is converted till it shall come to that at length that the Devil hath not one left that was a chosen Vessel to God 4. It intimates that as Christ undertook the Work of our Redemption so he did not fail of accomplishing that which he went about Freedom comes by him he did not only attempt or indeavour to bring it but he effected it Men many times they set upon great things but then when they have begun them they cannot carry them through the burden and charge and care of it is beyond their power and it is one of the greatest follies of some that they will be medling with those things that are too high for them Now this was a very high Undertaking that Christ went about to procure Freedom for such a vast number of Souls as were to be brought to Glory for tho 't is true they that shall be saved are but few in comparison to those that shall perish yet considered apart and by themselves they are a wonderful great Company Rev. 7. 9. Well but now as high an Undertaking as this was 't was not too high for Christ he began it and he finished it See Joh.
17. 4. I have finished the work he means this Work of our Redemption And in Joh. 19. 30. you read that these words It is finished were the last words that Christ spake before he died as if he should have said Though I am a dying yet the work of my Life is done I do not go off the World like a Bungler that went about what he was not able to effect All that believe in me will find that I have not been a half but a whole Saviour to them the business hath not miscarried in my hands that they should wish I had never medled with it You know the Apostle tells the Colossians chap. 2. 10. that they were compleat in him and in Heb. 9. 12. 't is said that Christ hath obtained eternal Redemption for us he did not only endeavour to obtain it but he hath obtained it The Greek word is he hath found it he did not do as a man doth sometimes when a thing is lost he seeks it but then he comes back again and saith he cannot find it Isa 53. 10. The pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand that is he shall be sure to carry it through 'T is true he met with many difficulties in his way as it was the highest Work that ever was gone about so 't was the hardest Work if it had not been Christ that had been about it it would never have been brought to pass but because 't was he that had it in his hand therefore he brought it to a blessed period And in this Christ is an Example to us not only to begin good things but to hold out to the finishing of them whatever hardship we must undergo Beloved difficulty doth attend all Duty and great difficulties do attend some Duties but for all that we must see the end of them God loves such a frame of spirit as to have Christians to be crowding and pressing to Heaven through many things that stand in their way 'T is no great matter you know to get to a place when one hath Elbow room enough but when the way is thronged up and there is this to hinder him and that to hinder him and yet the man will not give over till he comes where he should it speaks that he was resolved to get thither And remember this Note That the going on in our Duty notwithstanding difficulty is an evident sign of our Sincerity There was a great deal of difficulty in Abraham's way when he was to offer up his only Son at the Command of God but because he would not stick at that see what is said to him Gen. 22. 12. Now I know that thou fearest God seeing thou hast not with-held thy son thine only son from me As if he should have said Now thou hast given a proof it to purpose You may judge of the Sincerity or Hypocrisie of your Hearts in this case You begin many things that are good it may be ay but do you carry them on to perfection Don't you fly back again when you find 't is hard It may be thou beginnest to deny thy self in this and that Sin or Lust yea but as thou art a doing of it thou findest that Self-denial is a very hard thing and so thou returnest with the dog to his vomit and with the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire Oh! this is a bad sign that thy heart is not right in the sight of God One that is sincere will desire to stir himself up the more now because he finds 't is hard and he will be thinking What shall I be worsted and let alone because my way is not smooth and easie for the Flesh to walk in And tho he finds it difficult yet he doth not think it impossible he believes through Grace such a strong Corruption may be subdued and such a Temptation may be overcome and such a great Affliction may be born with a patient spirit and therefore he will go to God for power tho he hath none of his own and go to God to make things easie tho they are so hard to him and then he finds he can go on Col. 4. 13. To the Third How doth it appear that this Freedom comes by Christ Ans For this I shall give you two sorts of Arguments 1. Some that prove it more directly 2. Others that prove it more remotely being drawn from such considerations as are not immediately about Christ himself Those Arguments that prove it more directly which do more nearly relate to Christ himself are these 1. This Freedom was to come by one that was the only begotten Son of God who could call God Father and whom God could call his Son after such a manner as none else could they must have such a Relation one to another as could not upon some accounts be communicated to any other For tho 't is true God doth in his rich mercy enter into the Relation of a Father with Believers and gives them power to become the Sons of God Joh. 1. 12. Yet as I have formerly hinted to them God is a Father by Grace Covenant and Promise and they are children to him by Faith see 2 Cor. 6. ult Gal. 3. 26. But this was not enough for him that was to bring in this Freedom he must not be one that was made the Son of God so as to be none before but he was to have this Relation to him from all eternity We cannot express the manner of it it is such a glorious Mystery Well now who can this be but Christ The Saints they do not claim their Sonship this way tho they are called Sons and wonder at it that they should 1 Joh. 3. 1. Yet they acknowledge that they were not the Sons of God by nature no but children of wrath Eph. 2. 3. They 'll quickly tell you 't was not their natural due to be the Children of God but to be fire-brands in Hell for so this Scripture last quoted doth intimate And the glorious Angels in Heaven they don't claim their Sonship this way neither they acknowledge that they are Sons by Creation and they all of them praise and bless the Lord for this and shout as it were for joy in singing together to his Name Job 38. 7. But Christ he hath this Sonship by eternal Generation this is the only begotten of the Father as he is often called and therefore Freedom must come by him And in my Text you may observe that when Christ speaks of this Freedom he puts in this Relation of his to God he useth the word Son If the Son c. To teach them that it must needs come by him since he was the eternal Son of God for such a one he must be who was to give this Freedom There is one Objection before I can go on that I would take notice of Obj. But it is said in Scripture that this Freedom and the Works about it were to be by a Servant
manifest signs and tokens of a person in slavery what 's the meaning that thou art so in love with sin and under the power and dominion of these and these Lusts that thou art so given to such and such wicked Ways and so contrary to all that is good That thou hast such an unclean Heart and such a disobedient Life such a dark Mind such vile Affections such a rebellious Will Why doth not this speak that thou art an Enemy to God and a Child of Wrath Would or could any Man or Woman live such a carnal vain Conversation as thine is if they were not in an unregenerate condition Therefore you read Joh. 16. 9. that it is the Spirit that reproves the world of sin Again It is the Spirit that humbles the soul that is to be saved that abases and laves it low in the sight of its own sin and misery that makes sin grievous and odious to it and that brings the Soul under a sense of that wrath that belongs to the workers of iniquity So that it shall cry out Oh what have I done Oh what have I deserved what a dangerous case am I in Here 's this and that sin forbidden by God and yet committed by me and thereupon the Law threatens thus and thus Oh how shall I escape Here 's this and that Duty commanded by God and yet neglected by me and thereupon the Law threatens thus and thus again Oh what shall become of me Hence that sorrow and heaviness that is in such a Soul now is called the spirit of heaviness Isa 61. 3. to note that this heaviness comes from the Spirit 't is he that sets the Soul a mourning thus Again It is the Spirit that discovers to the Soul that is to be saved where its remedy is for all this that acquaints it with the Gospel and Salvation by Christ and what things God hath freely given to his People in and by his Son 1 Cor. 2. 12. That shews it Tho thou art such a great sinner yet there is a great Saviour one that is a Physician appointed to cure such Diseases as thine are one that 's a Surety appointed to pay such Debts as thine are 'T is said here that the Spirit makes those who shall be saved to know such things as these are what God hath done for the raising and recovering of poor sinners in a way of free Grace what a glorious Contrivance he hath found out by Jesus Christ revealed in the Gospel to shew mercy to them and indeed that 's a knowing that is worth the having to know these things so as the Spirit makes them known to the People of God There be many that have a kind of Knowledge of these things by bare reading of them and hearing of them and by common Illumination of the Spirit but this knowing here is another manner of thing Again It is the Spirit that doth help and inable the Soul to look out for this Christ to use all the means and to go all the ways that may be to come to this Christ and to get an interest in him that works in it faith to lay hold upon him and that makes the Soul able to take him Eph. 3. 16 17. That he would grant you according to the riches of his glory to be strengthned with might by his spirit in the inner man that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith Mark 't is the Spirit that by his might doth strengthen the inner man that Christ may dwell in the heart by faith Take notice by the way what a deal of Power there must go out from this Spirit to make a Soul believe with the true saving Faith They that have the false Faith they can believe with ease there needs not an Almighty Arm to be stretched out to work their Faith they give it themselves and have had it all their days they find no difficulty either in the getting of it or in the keeping of it But the true Faith comes into the hearts of Saints by no less a strength than that which God by his Spirit puts forth See Eph. 1. 19 20. Again It is the Spirit that seals and witnesses to the Soul the Assurance that this Freedom doth belong to it and that proves to the Soul that it is so by such Evidences as it gives out of the Word Eph. 1. 13. This is he that carries as I may say God's Privy Seal and when and to whom he pleases he gives it but he gives it to none but them that are sanctified The secret of the Lord is with them that fear him and he will show them his covenant And this is an unspeakable mercy to have the Spirits Seal set to our Graces to have ones repentance sealed for a true Repentance and ones faith sealed for a true Faith and ones comfort sealed for true Comfort and ones interest in Christ sealed up We must make our state of Grace sure by Signs but the Spirit can make it sure by Seal Again It is the Spirit that ingages and stirs up the Soul to such a walking as is sit for one that is brought into a state of Freedom therefore 1 Pet. 1. 2. the People of God are said to have the sanctification of the Spirit unto obedience And Oh! how much are they beholding unto this Spirit for many heavenly Notions that he gives in to them and for fresh quicknings when they find abundance of deadness and formality in their Duties hath seised upon them This Spirit is often calling upon the Saints to pray more fervently to hear more profitably to walk more closely to bring forth more fruit to God who hath done so much for them It often minds them of their Mercies that they may be more stirred up to Duties and of the hope of their Calling that so they may walk more worthy of it Again It is the Spirit that preserves and keeps them in the state of Freedom that they shall not lose it again and that makes them to persevere to the end in a holy life that so they may come at last to the full injoyment of all that their dear Redeemer hath purchased and prepared for them This Spirit is that Power of God by which they are said through Faith to be kept unto Salvation See Ezek. 36. 27. Thus you see that both the Father and the Holy Ghost have a hand in this Freedom But yet according to the second thing that was said in answer to the Question our Freedom in other respects comes from Christ personally and peculiarly so as that in some sense he is and must be look'd upon as more immediatly our Redeemer for he did that in his Person which the other Persons did not They did not take our nature and come in the likeness of sinful flesh but the Son did Rom. 8. 3. and therefore 't was not they but he that was made under the Law and that yielded perfect obedience to it neither did they but he died
a sword and with a spear and with a shield but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts and so he prevailed This is the Cordial that true Christians must take along with them in their journey to Heaven to keep them from fainting That Father Son and Spirit are all ingaged in the matters of their Salvation And 't is certain that they would not be so fearful and so weak in their work as they are apt to be if they did but know their strength And so this is the first thing that shews After what manner this Freedom is in Christ 'T is in him Personally 2. This Freedom is in Christ abundantly So Paul found it when the Lord had mercy on him 1 Tim. 1. 14. You know the manner of men is when they give others of their good things to give but a little of them it may be rhey have not such a store of their own as to be able to part with much But 't is not so with Christ this Freedom is stor'd up in him he hath Treasures of it 't is much that Christ can do for Souls that place is very full for it Heb. 7. 25. He is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him The word in the Greek is as if you should read it He is able to save to the finishing or perfecting of all 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Whatever is in Christ 't is in him abundantly Consider four things and you 'll see 't is thus with him in respect of this Freedom 't is in him plentifully 1. He can save more than ever shall be saved The reason why such multitudes do post and flock to Hell is not because there was not enough in Christ to keep them from it but because they will not be ruled by him they do not follow this Physicians Prescriptions Here upon Earth though the Patient makes the best use that can be of the Physician and follows his Prescriptions and Advice to a tittle and doth all things to the exactest obedience yet many times the Patient dies notwithstanding or he is never the more delivered from the pain and danger of his Disease as it was with the Woman that had the bloody Issue Mark 5. 25 26. And the Disease is so inveterate and malignant that all the skill of the Doctors is not able to cure them or preserve them But here no Soul is lost for want of Skill or Power in the Physician but 't is because they would not do as he would have them they would not submit to his Cure nor accept of his Help they should have found him a Healer if he had found them obedient Psal 81. 11 12. Obj. But you may say If Christ hath such a Power he could have made them obedient if he pleased Ans That 's true he could have done so and so he doth to some he doth make them obedient and willing that he will not only give Advice but they shall take Advice and give up themselves to be wholly at Christ's direction and counsel and where-ever this is wrought in the Soul it is the free Grace and distinguishing Love of God The overcoming of the Will to close with Christ is indeed the breaking forth of God's eternal Election and he will do this in all whom he hath chosen but when God sees that tho men cannot of themselves receive Christ yet they do wickedly and wilfully resist the offers of his Grace and through the pride of their Hearts will not cry to him to make them willing and to bring down the stubbornness and rebellion of their spirits who will dare to blame 〈…〉 if he leave them to themselves 〈…〉 sure as 't is unspeakable Mercy in God to draw some to willingness So 't is a very righteous thing in him to leave others to their wilfulness God is not bound to save any man against his will and whom he pleases he may make willing and whom he pleases he may let alone in their rebellion and so they don't perish because Christ could not save them but because they would not be saved and they manifested that they would not because they always resisted the Holy Ghost Acts 7. 51. Obj. But how doth this consist with that great willingness that is in Christ to save Sinners of which we are so often told that so many Sinners should perish and yet Christ could save them Ans 1. The willingness that is in Christ to save Sinners must especially and principally as I conceive be understood of those kind of Sinners who seek to him out of a sense of their need of his Salvation and of their undone condition without him as appears from Matth. 11. 28. Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest As the Lord Jesus in the days of his Flesh did upon all occasions of the coming of the diseased persons to him manifest his great readiness to cure them and he turned away none that offered themselves to him by them he would be prevailed with and by them he would be touched and as many as touched him were made perfectly whole of whatever Disease they had So whoever they be whatever spiritual Plagues they have that do humbly and sensibly offer themselves to Christ as the Physician of their Souls and cry to him Lord Jesus be intreated to cure me of a blind Mind of a hard Heart of the strong Possession that the Devil hath taken hold of me by such a sin and such a sin 't is certain that Jesus Christ doth as I may say stand prepared to help such a Soul and to have mercy upon him and heal him And therefore you must know that Jesus Christ requires this at your hands that you who would have Mercy and Salvation from him should repair to him and come and spread as it were your Wounds before him and implore his help You must not stay away from Christ and keep at a distance from him but go and tell him the misery that your Souls are in and beseech him to shew his skill upon you and this will be the way to get him to be moved with compassion towards you Then you 'll find that he hath a willingness in his heart to do you good and the more importunate you are with him the more hopes you will have to speed with him yea you need not doubt or fear if you do sincerely make out to him for his help but you shall have it you are to believe that you shall And if you do not thus look out for help in Christ but neglect coming to him that is appointed of God to save you as you will certainly perish so tho you shall yet your destruction doth not proceed from a want of willingness in Christ to save you tho I confess this willingness that is in Christ to save even them that shall never be saved is not the same with that which is in him
he will with him also freely give you all things Rom. 8. 32. Priviledg 14. They that are made free by Christ are under special protection as you know the children of Kings and great Persons they must have some always with them to see that they get no harm So beloved these persons they are well guarded the Lord himself watches over them 'T is true he doth employ Angels for their safety and you 'l say that 's a great matter that Angels must wait on them and be doing them all the good they can Psal 91. 11. Heb. 1. ult But God is so tender over them that he will not trust Angels alone with them but he hath also committed them the care of them particularly to his Son Whereupon Christ saith Joh. 17. Those whom theu hast given me I have kept and yet he will look after them himself too He is with them Isa 41. 10. or he goes before them and then he is behind them too Isa 52. 12. and then on every side of them Psal 125. 2. If this be not enough for their protection then he will lead them Isa 49. 10. if that be not enough then he will cover them Psal 91. 4. if that be not enough then he will carry them Isa 46. 4. Priviledg 15. They are interested in the prayers of all the Saints in the World It may be they are prayed for some where or other all the day long yea all the week yea all the year yea all their life For it is like that there is a continual stock of Prayers a going by some or other of them night and day And they don't use to pray for themselves alone but for others and for their Fellow-Members most of all as Paul did for the Churches of Christ Priviledg 16. Their Priviledges about their Afflictious are very great as that they shall be 1. moderated God will not lift his Arm too high when he strikes nor make his Rod too big when he whips them 1 Cor. 10. 13. 2. Sweetned Heb. 12. 6. For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth Loveth and Son these be words to sweeten his Corrections 3. They shall be sanctified they shall be for our profit ver 10. There is either some Sin to purge out or some Grace to be brightned or increased or some choice Experience to be learned 4. At last removed God will be sure to hold his hand when 't is enough and to comfort them when they have mourned enough and to take them out of the fire when they have been tried enough He that hath redeemed Israel it self shall also redeem Israel out of all his troubles Priviledg 17. They have acceptance of their poor sincere duties Alas what is it that they do or can do for the great God to take any notice of it and yet God is well pleased with them Heb. 13. 16. But to do good and to communicate forget not for with such sacrifices God is well pleased 1 Pet. 2. 5. Ye also as lively stones are built up a spiritual house an holy priesthood to offer up spiritual sacrifice acceptable to God by Jesus Christ Priviledg 18. They shall be blessed in and after death in their death for they shall die in the Lord and after death for they shall be for ever with the Lord. As here they are brought into a Kingdom of Grace so there they shall be brought into a Kingdom of Glory Then comes the rest the inheritance the pleasures for evermore the building of God the house not made with hands eternal in the heavens the blessed hope the everlasting life Much time might be spent about these Priviledges and many others that might have been mentioned But I shall stay no longer upon them Now beloved Is not this Freedom by Christ an excellent thing upon this account too namely the excellent Priviledges which come by it And truly now you have heard them methinks you should not be able to forbear going to God when you come home pouring out your most earnest cries to him in these words with which I will close up this 5th Head Psal 106. 4 5. Remember me O Lord with the favour that thou bearest unto thy people O visit me with thy salvation That I may see the good of thy chosen that I may rejoyce in the gladness of thy nation that I may glory with thine inheritance CHAP. X. Concerning the excellent Vses that may be made of this Freedom THE Sixth way of making out the excellency of this Freedom by Christ is to acquaint you with the excellent Vses that may be made of it The worth and value of any thing is seen in the Uses to which it may be put That which is of no use is naught that which is of some use is good that which is of great use is very good but that which is of the greatest use is best of all Now beloved to give this Freedom its due place I must put it amongst those things which are of the highest use and in doing so I shall not set it one jot above what it deserves for the highest place doth of right belong to it Now in speaking upon this I might shew 1. The excellent Vses which Christ makes of this Freedom 2. The excellent Vses which Christians may make of it I shall be brief upon the first because I do chiefly intend the latter To the 1st I will hint but Four excellent Uses which Christ makes of it 1. By this Freedom he brings home all the elect of God He fetches them one after another into the Kingdom of Grace and Glory It was the will of God concerning those whom he hath chosen in the eternal purpose of his love that they should be made holy in this World and happy in the World to come Now by this Freedom Christ doth accomplish that will of his Father he brings them unto holiness by it Tit. 2. 14. and he brings them to happiness by it 2 Tim. 1. 10. So that this Freedom will discover who they are that are elected and who are not For they that are elected will be sanctified and glorified and they that are not will remain in their sins and be damned It will separate between the precious and the vile between the Tares and the Wheat between the Sheep and the Goats By that time the work of this Freedom is finished it will set the children of God by themselves and the children of the Devil by themselves that they shall never come near one another more Matth. 25. 31 32 46. 2. By this Freedom Christ repairs the great breach by the Fall of mankind He heals that deadly wound and makes up that unspeakable loss for as many as believe on his Name In that Apostacy from God the Devil did a World of mischief to the Sons of Men but by this Freedom Christ undermines him and out-plots him and he brings his whole design against the Elect of God to nothing and