talents to the doing of thy will and the advancement of thy glory If hitherto I have served divers lusts and pleasures now I will serve my God even him only If I have for the former part of my life trampled upon thy commandments now I will devote my self wholly to thy fear and to the keeping thy statutes Psal 119.38 Psal 116.16 And 3. Take with you words of prayer and supplication and say unto him Lord Receive me graciously and love me freely and admit me again into thy service It is true that I am altogether unworthy to have the least regard from the God of heaven but I come unto thee through Christ who is worthy I beseech thee mercifully to inrol me amongst the number of thy peculiar people Hos 14.1 2. And my brethren if you do thus unfeignedly give up your selves unto God it will be a present testimony that you are alive from the dead that you are quickned by the holy Ghost Rom. 6.13 4. To put this matter of your conversion out of question Make an immediate entrance upon a course of new obedience Set now upon cleansing your selves further from all sorts of filthiness and actually perform those duties which in your places and stations are to be performed and therein study to approve your selves unto God If thine heart be privy to any corruption that hath been countenanced let it be wholly forsaken and the occasions of sin avoided If any wicked companion hath had too much of thy converse and intimacy now break off society with him If any duty hath been omitted let it be henceforward discharged if slightly performed let it be done in an humble serious and spiritual manner Hereby it will appear that you gave up your selves to be the Lord 's in sincerity that you do not complement only with him as many Professors do who are often professing and protesting to the Lord that they are his servants but still they follow the imaginations of their own hearts Then is the resignment of our selves unto the Almighty done in truth when it doth ingage us presently to walk in the truth I have sworn saith David and I will perform it that I will keep thy righteous judgments Psal 119.106 And such is the language of a true Convert I am the Lord 's and now I will demean my self as being his I have given my self to the most High and now I will be no more at my own disposal I have subscribed unto the Lord and accordingly I am doing his work So that here is the last word of advice for the present proof of your conversion and union with Christ thereupon Yield up your selves unto the Lord and serve the Lord your God 2 Chron. 30.8 Make a present entrance in the strength of the Spirit upon all the wayes of holiness and let that be your constant exercise from henceforth unto the end Thus I have finished the second use of the point by way of examination and trial CHAP. XII Exhortations grounded upon the doctrine of Union with Christ. To the unregenerate and Christless To Believers To all 3. THe last Use of this doctrine is for Exhortation wherein I will study to be more succinct and concise addressing my self in what I have to deliver under this head unto you my brethren under a threefold consideration I shall speak unto 1. The unregenerate who are strangers to Christ 2. Believers who are through grace ingraffed into Christ 3. All of you both of the one sort and of the other 1. To the wicked and unregenerate who are strangers unto Christ and that in a twofold respect In respect to 1. Believers 2. The wicked themselves 1. To the unregenerate and ungodly in reference to Believers Take heed that you be not found opposers of them in any regard whatsoever Remember they are knit to the Son of God and what you do against them he takes it as done against himself whose members they are And how will you stand before Christ at his tribunal if now you despise and set against his servants who are not only dear to him but are in him As Abner said to Assahel 2 Sam. 2.22 Turn thee aside from following me wherefore should I smite thee to the ground How then should I hold up my face to Joab thy brother So should you bethink your selves How shall I lift up my face to Christ if I wrong his followers How will the Lord Jesus take it at my hands May not I certainly expect that he will avenge their quarrel upon me in my destruction For they are one with him so that he that toucheth them toucheth the apple of his eye Zech. 2.8 Christ hath a tender regard unto them and is sensible of the smallest injury that is done unto them as we are of the least blow or prick upon the apple of the eye Sirs It is the sorriest office imaginable to be a Persecutor of the Saints it is the worst imployment upon earth to set against believers for they are one with Christ and so in effect it is to fight against him * Doleamus necesse est quod nulla civitas impune latura sit sanguinis nostri effusionem Possumus aequè exitus quorundam praesidum tibi proponere qui in fine vitae suae recordati sunt deliquisse quod vexassent Christianos Sed qui videntur sibi impunè intulisse venient in diem divini judicii Non te terremus qui nec timemus sed velim ut omnes salves facere possmus monendo 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Fert ad scap And therefore let my counsel be acceptable in the words of Gamaliel Act. 5.38 39. Refrain from these men and let them alone if you love your souls do not meddle with them to their hurt do not harbour so much as an hard thought against them for therein you will be found fighters against God you will be found enemies to the Son of God for they are one with him And is it not a dangerous thing to set against Christ If he plead against you who shall maintain your cause before the Lord If thou make him thine adversary who shall be thy friend If Christ sentence thee to hell for opposing his members who shall be able to save thee from thence If you do but touch the Saints to their hurt you will burn your fingers by it nay you will ruine your souls for ever without a speedy repentance for they are one with Jesus This Exhortation may fitly be branched forth into four particulars 1. Do not scandalize or offend the servants of God See to it that you be not guilty of laying stumbling blocks in their way Be careful what in you lieth that you do not grieve their spirits nor sadden their hearts by your disorderly walking But especially take heed that you lay none occasions of falling in their way which is the offence that the holy Ghost * Illud scandalum dicitur ubi recto itinere ambulanti deceptie aliqua
you bring forth the fruits of righteousness here and endeavour to be holy in all manner of conversation If you live in any course of sin or in the neglect of observing any of God's commandments it is not possible you should come to the enjoyment of God whilst you abide in that estate Never dream of being saved without holiness for such imaginations are but dreams and fancies Heb. 12.14 Follow peace with all men and holiness without which no man shall see the Lord. 1 Cor. 6.9 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the Kingdom of God Be not deceived c. q. d. It is a plain case that the unrighteous will perish unavoidably it is a token of gross ignorance to think otherwise Do not hope for or expect salvation without righteousness for by such hopes and expectations you will but cheat your own souls Gal. 5.19 20 21. Now the works of the flesh are manifest which are these adultery fornication uncleanness lasciviousness idolatry witchcraft hatred variance emulation wrath strife seditions heresies envyings murders drunkenness revellings and such like Of the which I tell you before as I have told you in time past that they which do such things shall not inherit the Kingdom of God Mark it if a man live in any of these sins or in any other sin like unto these whether it be filthiness of the flesh or of the spirit open or secret though not here particularly enumerated he cannot enter into eternal life It is a matter as if the Apostle had said which I have studied and the more I think of it the more I am confirmed in it I have preached this doctrine to you formerly and I am still of the same mind and therefore warn you of it again that if you be such persons you cannot be saved 2. Although I counsel you to be much in the works of righteousness yet you must despair of ever being justified or saved upon the account of your righteousness For alas what are the best of our righteousnesses to give satisfaction to the justice of God for the wrong that we have done him If you be pardoned and accepted of the Lord it must be for the sake of the righteousness of Jesus Christ and not by virtue of any thing of your own For the Seripture hath concluded all under sin that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe Gal. 3.22 3. Although you must be active and diligent in the service of God and labour to walk in uprightness before him yet you are utterly to despair of doing this in your own strength It is only strength and aflistance from Jesus Christ that will inable you to be faithful unto Christ If you trust in your own hearts they will deceive you 2 Cor. 3.5 Psal 71.15 16. * Ad evulsionem hominis à statu peccati requiritur 3. ut ex evictione conscientiae desperatiosalutis consequatur respectu nostrarum virium omnis etiam auxilii quod à creaturis haberi potest Ames de cons 4. I would counsel you to work up your hearts to an utter despair of receiving either righteousness or strength from Christ except you get into him Sit down and rest in this conclusion that unless you be united to the Son of God you cannot dwell in the presence of God There is no salvation to be had upon other terms And thus to despair of deliverance in a state of separation from Christ is an excellent means or inducement to drive you unto him Thus the Law is our School-master to lead us unto Christ i. e. by convincing us of our undone condition without him * Lex in vero suo officio est ad gratiam ministra praeparatrix prodest ad justificationem non quod justificat sed quia urgeat ad promissionem gratiae cam facit dulcem desiderabilem Luth. It pursueth us with wrath as the avenger of bloud that we may be forced to hasten into the City of refuge Gal. 3.24 This is the first Direction I intended in order to the attainment of this grace of union Direct 2. If you would be united unto the Son Get the Spirit of the Lord Jesus into your hearts It is only the holy Ghost who is sent in his name that can lead you unto him and ingraff you in him and form Christ within you And if you have not the Spirit of Christ you cannot be his Rom. 8.9 And therefore to this end 1. Be much in prayer to God for this very mercy that he would graciously send the Spirit of his Son into your souls There is an encouraging word to draw forth your fervent supplications in this behalf Luke 11.13 If ye then being evil know how to give good gifts to your children how much more shall your heavenly father give the holy Spirit to them that ask him It is the mercy which he delights to be sought unto for and to be dealing forth in return to the prayers of his Servants 2. Be much conversant with the word of Christ and constant in your attendance upon the Ordinances of the Gospel Be frequent in reading and studying the Scriptures make them the matter of your daily meditations lose no opportunity to acquaint your selves therewith or to wait upon Christ in the wayes of his appointment Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom Col. 3.16 For it is the word and institutions of Jesus Christ which are designed as conduit-pipes to convey the spirit of sanctification into mens hearts And therefore the word hath the promise of conversion annexed unto it because the spirit of conversion worketh in and with and by the word Psal 19.7 The Law of the Lord is perfect converting the soul Jam. 1.18 Of his own will he begat us with the word of truth As the word cannot work savingly without the concurrent operation of the holy Ghost So the holy Ghost doth not ordinarily work without the word For the Gospel is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth Rom. 1.16 And when our Saviour prayeth for them that should be gathered unto him it is under this expression For them that shall believe on me through their word Joh. 17.20.3 Take heed that you resist not the Spirit by quenching his motions or rising up in contradiction against the convictions that he is pleased to work upon your hearts Readily hearken to his call and comply with him in the tenders of grace If you repel him by the frowardness and perverseness of your spâ—rits you know not when he will return Joh. 3.8 Take therefore the Apostles advice Eph. 4.30 Grieve not the holy Spirit of God whereby you are sealed unto the day of redemption Direct 3. If you would be knit unto Jesus and so have an interest in him endeavour after the uniting grace of faith in his bloud cast your selves upon his righteousness for salvation according to the proposals
the God of heaven Their tongues will make mention of the praises of his name and sing aloud of his righteousness Psal 149.6 Their hearts will be filled with an holy admiration of his greatness and majesty and wonderful goodness in their redemption 2 Thes 1.10 He will be glorified in his Saints and admired in them that do believe Their lives also will be filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ unto the glory and praise of God Phil. 1.11 2. God is glorified upon believers in more of his attributes and excellencies Peculiarly in his free grace and tender mercy which is the attribute that he delighteth to magnifie and taketh singular pleasure in the exercise of Mic. 7.18 God doth shew forth his truth and justice and declare his power and holiness in the ruine of the ungodly but there are no prints or footsteps of his free grace and compassion Their portion is wrath without mixture Rev. 14.10 But what saith the Prophet of them that are saved Mark that notable Text Isa 63.7 8. I will mention the loving kindnesses of the Lord and the praises of the Lord according to all that the Lord hath bestowed upon us and the great goodness towards the house of Israel which he hath bestowed on them according to his mercies and according to the multitude of his loving kindnesses For he said surely they are my people children that will not lye So he was their Saviour Here is a discovery of grace rich inexpressible grace herein is manifest the goodness of God nay the great goodnesses of the Lord here is mercy and loving-kindness yea a multitude of mercies loving-kindnesses 3. In some of his attributes God is more transcendently glorified viz. in his wisdom and power It was a work of infinite skill and wisdom to find out a way to redeem lost sinners from the jaws of eternal death to execute vengeance upon the transgression and yet to save the transgressors O the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! Rom. 11.33 It is a work of greater power to pull a soul out of the hands of the Devil than to give him over to the will of Satan Eph. 1.19 20. Nay the very justice of God is better satisfied by believers through their surety than in the damnation of such as perish in their unbelief Here the price paid is the death of a creature but there the precious bloud of the Son of God as of a Lamb without blemish and without spot 1 Pet. 1.18 The wicked that perish are ever satisfying and have never given full satisfaction for the wrong which they have done their debt is paying as it were by driblets But in the behalf of believers the work is compleated and finished the utmost farthing was paid together upon the nail and there is nothing further to be demanded For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified Heb. 10.14 Now if God be more glorified in the salvation of such as are in Christ undoubtedly he is willing that you should come unto Christ and is ready to receive you when ye come So much for the third direction Direct 4. To stir you up to a closure with this advice and diligent prosecution of this work of getting into Christ Often revolve in your thoughts and lay seriously to heart this following consideration viz. That if you perish for ever in a separation from the Lord Jesus and for want of being in him that you may partake of his righteousness it will wholly proceed from your own default and your bloud will be upon your own heads And what anguish and horror will this bring to thy conscience in the day of accounts to bethink thy self thus I might have been saved by the bloud of the covenant but I would not and now I must lie bound for ever in the chains of darkness For it is a sinners willful rejecting of the tenders of mercy upon the terms of the Gospel which is the cause of his falling short of the mercy tendred Although it is Gods free grace and not mans free will that doth conduct believers un o the kingdom of heaven yet it is the perverseness and obstinacy of the will of unbelievers which hindereth their deliverance from the damnation of hell Jo. 5.40 Ye will not come unto me that ye might have life Hos 5.4 They will not frame their doings to turn unto the Lord Ezek. 18.31 Why will ye die O house of Israel q. d. If you are destroyed for ever you may thank your selves you are the blame-blame-worthy cause of your own eternal ruine by refusing the terms on which salvation is offered And I pray think of it often what an unspeakable torment it will be to thy spirit for ever to reflect upon this very thing I have been wooed and intreated to lay down the arms of my rebellion and to submit to the government of Christ that I might be saved and I would not How often hath the spirit of God strived with me and I still resisted the Holy Ghost The word of God hath called upon me and I have broken through the convictions of the word With what confusion wilt thou be filled when the Lord Jesus shall say unto thee how often would I have gathered thee into the number of my servants and thou wouldest not be gathered and now depart from me thou accursed wretch into everlasting fire Mat. 23 37. Thus I have ended the first head of exhortations directed unto the wicked who are yet strangers unto Christ 2. Let me speak unto the godly who are through rich mercy and grace ingraffed into Christ and made partakers of this priviledge of union with the Son Be exhorted 1. To be much in blessing the name of God for his signal saving and differencing mercy Adore him for advancing you to this high dignity Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon you that you should be called the sons of God! Nay that he should take you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ and intimately knit you unto him 1 Jo. 3.1 Will you bless God for temporal mercies and not be ravished with the contemplation of this super-eminent blessing Certainly my brethren eternity itself will be little enough to admire the wonderful and unsearchable grace of the Lord. 2. Be exhorted moreover rightly to improve the consideration of this unspeakable gift And that especially in these six cases 1. Improve it in case of transgressions to humble you and to fill you with an holy shame and self-abhorrence in the sense of your miscarriages Not only to fill you with hatred against sin but with a loathing and detestation of your selves because of sin Let your thoughts be set on work in this Evangelical manner Hath God advanced me to this high dignity and shall I be so unworthy as to rise up against him Am I a person closely joyned unto Christ and in covenant with God through Christ
may be ready at hand upon all occasions for your guidance and direction in the way to heaven If Truth as * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Plut. one saith is of the number of the greatest gifts which the God of heaven could confer on the children of men or they are capable of receiving from the Lord of glory And if those Truths are most worthy of all acceptation which are in their own nature and tendency of the greatest weight and importance Then I hope I may justly expect your loving Reception and diligent Perusal of these Divine Instructions Especially when I call to remembrance your fervent mind and more than usual respect which many of you have formerly expressed towards me If I detain you longer than is customable by way of Preface impute it wholly to the earnestness of my desires of being useful to the promoting your everlasting salvation For I can truly say that since my removal from amongst you I have had you frequently in my thoughts much in my affections and fervently in my Prayers Give me leave to be your Remembrancer That you are a people under manifold Obligations and Ingagements to serve the Lord and to stick fast unto his testimonies 1. You have some of you for a long time made a Profession of Godliness and openly avowed your selves to be the servants of the most High And will you not labour to walk answerably to that Vocation wherewith ye are called If the Principles you own be good they ought to be practised And if they be evil why are they professed When King Alexander had a cowardly Souldier of his own name he is reported to have called him aside and thus to have spoken to him Friend either change thy name or leave thy cowardise The like may be fitly said to Professors of Religion Either sh w forth the power of godliness in your lives or do not take upon you the profession of Godliness Why call ye me Lord Lord if ye do not the things which I say Luk. 6.46 2. You are many of you I am apt to think a people under convictions The clear light of the Gospel which hath shined amongst you hath left at least such impressions on your spirits That you cannot but approve the things that are excellent You cannot but acknowledge the wayes of God to be right and the service of sin to be abominable Ask your consciences to whom I appeal in this case if it be not thus So that I may speak to you as the Apostle Paul to the King Act. 26.27 King Agrippa Believest thou the Prophets I know that thou believest My brethren Do you believe the absolute necessity and incomparable worth of Holiness Do you believe That the fear of the Lord is the best wisdom and the favour of God the chiefest portion That Godliness is great gain and ought to have the supremacy and preheminence above all worldly enjoyments Do you believe that the pleasures of sin are folly and madness and will end at length in everlasting destruction I am perswaded many of you believe it Now Sirs it is a dreadful thing to sin against convictions to disown that in your conversations which you subscribe to in your consciences Happy is he that condemneth not himself in that thing which he alloweth Rom. 14.22 To him that knoweth to do good and doth it not to him it is sin Jam. 4.17 3. You are most of you a people of low estate and poor in the world And will you not secure an interest in the true riches If you have little or no treasures upon earth should it not quicken you to be the more industrious to lay up treasures in heaven that you may not be poor in every respect When Bishop Hooper as I remember was led to his Martyrdom there came to meet him a poor boy that was blind but had received the knowledge of the truth To whom the Martyr spake to this effect See to it that you continue to serve the Lord and that you lose not the knowledge of God for then thou wouldest be blinde both in soul and body So let me say to those of this rank amongst you Well is it if you have chosen the good part which cannot be taken away if you have in heaven an enduring substance else you are poor both in this world and in relation to that which is to come Study to shew your selves men and women approved of God that it may appear you are of the number of those whom the Apostle James makes mention of Chap. 2.5 Whom God hath chosen the poor of this world but rich in faith and heirs of the Kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him 4. You are all of you a people of signal and eminent mercies And if the mercy of God rise up in judgment against you what will be able to plead for you If mercy condemn you how sore will be your condemnation Will ye trample upon the bowels of the compassion of God And tread under foot his loving kindness Deut. 32.6 Do you thus requite the Lord O foolish people and unwise Is he not thy father that hath bought thee Hath he not made thee and established thee I will not multiply the mention of Particulars only there are two mercies principally come at present into my thoughts which I would have you never to forget 1. Remember the dayes of old consider the years of some generations at the least Ask your Fathers and they will tell it your Elders and they will shew it That you have been remarkably blessed with Gospel-priviledges and advantages for attendance upon God and communion with him You have had for some good while together a succession of faithful and painful Ministers who rightly divided the word of Truth When some other places were comparatively in darkness you dwelt in Goshen a place of light Keep therefore an holy suspicion and jealousie over your hearts and lives lest you be found guilty of receiving the grace of God in vain 2 Cor. 6.1 And to that end let me beseech you often to read and meditate with seriousness and self-application upon these awakening Texts Mat. 11.20 21 22 23 24. 2 Cor. 4.3 4 5 6. 2. Consult your late experiences of the goodness of God That was a special preservation which I would have you to keep fresh in your Memories and constantly to retain the sense of it upon your hearts When it pleased the Lord in the late dreadful year to contend with the Nation by the destroying Pestilence you were as a fire-brand pluckt out of the burning You were exposed to the contagion as well as other places where it violently raged Nay more upon several accounts than some other Towns which it laid almost desolate And the Lord was pleased only to give you thereby an awakening call to Repentance and to suffer the destroying Angel to proceed no further One house amongst you was infected and it swept away all that dwelt therein
salvation so far beyond all they looked for And they repenting and groaning for anguish of spirit shall say within themselves This is he whom we had sometimes in derision and a proverb of reproach We fools accounted his life madness and his end to be without honour How is he numbred amongst the children of God and his lot is amongst the Saints As for the oppositions you meet with the word of God is evidently fulfilled in them before your faces And they are none other than you were warned to expect Act. 14.22 2 Tim. 3.12 Besides It is but yet a little while * Nubecula est cito pertransibit and he that shall come will come and will not tarry Heb. 10.37 6. According to your several abilities set up the worship of God in your families And be conscientious and strict in sanctification of the Sabbath the Lords day It is a matter of easie observation That where these two are neglected or slightly managed the fairest profession of godliness is quickly shriveled and withereth away Never plead that you have no parts or ability for these things If you will set upon the discharge of your duty in the integrity of your hearts God will meet you therein and graciously assist you unto the performance Psal 27.14 And if there be indeed first a willing mind which willingness is manifested by vigorous and earnest indeavours it is accepted according to what a man hath and not according to what he hath not 2 Cor. 8.12 See Gen. 35.2 3. Josh 24.15 Psal 101. Jer. 10.25 Isa 56.2 4 5. Isa 58.13 14. 7. Be constant and diligent in the duty of prayer That is one of the special waies whereby a fellowship and correspondency is maintained between God and his people In taking counsel of the word we hear what the Lord is pleased to speak unto us And by the exercise of the grace of supplications we have the liberty given us to speak unto the Lord. And remember what hath often been inculcated upon you That as all sorts of blessings are stored up in the promises so Faith and Prayer are the special means which God hath appointed for the fulfilling and accomplishment of all his promises Jer. 29.11 12 13. Psal 10.14 As you cannot comfortably expect that God should preserve and keep you from the pollution of sin unless you be careful to avoid the occasions of sin So on the other hand You cannot rationally expect to receive mercies from the Lord unless you seek unto him by prayer for the obtaining of mercy Ask and it shall be given you seek and ye shall find knock and it shall be opened unto you Mat. 7.7 Philip. 4.6 7. Eph. 6.18 19. 8. Live in the daily contemplations of eternity and of the uncertainty of the time of your continuance here Study how you may subordinate all your affairs and concernments in this world unto the matters of another world Put an estimate upon all things as they have reference thereunto Often say within your selves What evidence have I to prove my interest in God What are the grounds whereupon I look for eternal life What thoughts am I likely to entertain of sin and the world on the one hand and of conformity to Christ on the other hand when I am to depart hence and shall be seen no more How precious will that time and space of repentance then be which now I am ready to squander away upon trifles What answer shall I be able to make when God visiteth for the filling up of my Relations for the management of the Talents wherewith I have been intrusted for the right improvement of the means of grace which I have enjoyed for all the particulars of my conversation in the world Did you frequently press these and such like considerations home upon your spirits and keep them closs and warm by meditation upon your hearts what manner of persons would you be in all sobriety holiness and righteousness My brethren You know not how soon how unexpectedly you may be summoned to the giving up your accounts And it infinitely concerns you to be in a readiness That you may be found of God in peace Boast not thy self of To morrow for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth Prov. 27.1 9. Beware therefore of procrastinating in the business of providing for your immortal souls It is one of the principal snares of the devil whereby he holds sinners fast in their spiritual bondage and captivity unto their final destruction If therefore you would set effectually upon working out your salvation ingage speedily presently in the work without further delay Give not place to the devil Deliver thy self as a Roe from the hand of the hunter and as a bird from the snare of the fowler Give not sleep to thine eyes nor slumber to thine eye lids Psal 119.6 Heb. 3.7 2 Cor. 6.1 2. And now I shall trouble you no further with this preliminary discourse But conclude with my unfeigned Prayers for you all That the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ who is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords the Infinite Eternal and Almighty God and the only Redeemer of lost sinners The love of God our Father in him who spared not his own Son but delivered him up unto death And the sweet and comfortable Presence Guidance and Communion of the holy Ghost the same Infinite Incomprehensible and Immortal God the Spirit of Grace and Truth The Sanctifying Assisting Quickning Comforting and preserving presence of that Spirit may be with you and amongst you To inable you unto your duties To keep you against Temptations To support you under Burdens To carry you through difficulties To strengthen your weaknesses and plentifully to supply all your wants That you may walk wisely in your Families spiritually in your Closets soberly in your companies and Christianly in all your conversations So as to write Holiness to the Lord upon every of your undertakings That upon all occasions you may be effectually instructed in the will of the Lord and bring forth his word into practise That you may thereby witness your Union with Christ and be rooted and built up in him and stablished in the faith And so the Blessing of God may be your constant portion here and you may be everlastingly blessed in the glorious presence of God hereafter Amen 23. July 1668. Written by one who truly and affectionately desireth your Edification and Salvation ROWLAND STEDMAN To the READER IT may be interpreted by some to whom I am best known not only as a defect in prudence but a doing violence and treading counter to my personal inclination who have alwayes affected the privacy of Retirement thus to appear in publike and consequently to expose my Sentiments in the matters of Religion to the censure of all sorts of persons who may light upon this Book To whom therefore I owe this account of my Studies and the publication thereof Having often in the course of my Ministery
brought to light wherein the way is revealed for restoring fallen sinners to their primitive happiness or conducting souls to everlasting bliss God hath graciously pleased to declare this way by the Scriptures and to leave it upon record in the Word of the Gospel and here we have the substance or summary of that Record viz. That God is the giver of eternal Life and that this life is in his Son c. If you examine the connexion or dependance which the words of the Text have with and upon the foregoing passages of the Chapter You will evidently find our Apostle is herein giving a succinct account of the great foundation-truths which are proposed to be the object of a Christians Faith by closing with which we do eminently and signaly advance the glory of God and by disbelieving whereof we are said to make him a lyar Our faith is to be built upon the word of the Lord to be bottomed upon the Record which God hath given concerning his Son And this saith the Apostle is the Record That God hath given us eternal Life c. The better to clear this coherence and so the genuine import and scope of these words let us a little cast our eyes back upon the context or the verse immediately preceding the Text wherein we may note two things 1. The nature and excellency of the grace of faith or believing on Christ ver 10. former part He that believeth on the Son hath the witness in himself 1. For the nature of Faith it is a believing on the Son so it is usually set forth in the dialect of the Holy Ghost Act. 16.31 Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved and thine house Joh. 3.36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life This is the saving act of Faith which will bring a soul to Heaven a believing on the Son And therefore I might touch by the way on that common distinction as useful to be considered that there is a threefold act of Faith or three waies of Believing in reference unto Christ There is a believing 1. That Jesus is the Christ Credere Christum Christo. In Christum 2. Jesus Christ 3. On the Lord Jesus Christ 1. There is a believing that Jesus is the Christ an assent unto the truth of this principle that he who was born of the Virgin Mary is the true Messiah and Mediator sent of God to be the Saviour of Mankind So the very Devils believe As they know there is one God so they acknowledg this principle that Jesus is the Son of God and the only Redeemer of lost sinners Hence it is that they are so unwearied in their endeavors to hinder poor souls in closing with Christ and that they labour by all manner of false suggestions to draw their affections from the Lord Jesus Mark 1.24 The unclean spirit cried out Let us alone thou Jesus of Nazareth I know thee who thou art the Holy one of God And that herein the Father of lies spake the very truth you will find by the testimony of the Spirit of God himself v. 34. He cast out many Devils and suffered not the Devils to speak because they knew him 2. There is a Believing Jesus Christ i.e. a subscribing to the truth of the Doctrines that he delivered which are contained in the Scriptures the Word of Christ and Preached by Ministers of the Gospel in his name Thus a Simon Magus may believe he may own the verity of Christs Word though in the gall of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity Acts 8.12 13. When they believed Philip Preaching the things concerning the Kingdom of God and the Name of Jesus Christ then Simon himself believed also Thus Nicodemus believed before he was instructed in the necessity or acquainted with the grace of regeneration he was convinced by the Miracles wrought by Christ that he was a teacher sent of God and consequently that the Doctrines which he taught were the truths of God Joh. 3.2 As a carnal person who never tasted of saving grace may have much knowledg in his understanding of the will of Christ so he may be under such convictions upon his judgment as in a sort to approve the Word of Christ Rom 2.17.18 3. But lastly there is a believing on the Lord Jesus When a man is so powerfully convinced of the evil of sin and his own obnoxiousness to the wrath of God and the heart so fully perswaded of the excellency of Christ and the sufficiency of his Righteousness together with the utter insufficiency of all other wayes of deliverance that thereupon he doth actually close with Christ upon Gospel terms and make application to him casting himself upon the Son of God for Salvation and renouncing all things for the enjoyment of him Although believing on Christ doth not alwayes signify a saving faith as see Joh. 2.23 yet for the most part it doth and so may fitly be made use of by way of distinction It being observed by some that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is a phrase peculiar to the Holy Ghost and not used by prophane Authors This is the saving act of Faith A believing on or in the Son Joh. 11.25 26. He that believeth in me though he were dead yet he shall live and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never dye For mark it Sirs that assent of the Judgment unto the great truths of the Gospel which is required of the Lord and is well pleasing in his sight is not a bare naked lifeless assent but a compounded and operative assent such as doth ingage the heart to comply with those truths and brings the whole Soul in subjection unto them Rom. 10.10 With the heart man believeth unto righteousness That 's for the nature of Faith It is a believing on the Son 2. For the excellency and preciousness of thus believing He that doth so hath the witness in himself i.e. in his own Soul and Spirit and Conscience He hath it graven upon the very tables of his heart But what is this witness which a Believer hath in himself Answ You may understand it either of these three waies 1. In relation to his spiritual state He hath a fundamental evidence that he is a child of God and in covenant with him here is sufficient matter if rightly improved whereupon to raise a testimony of this thing It is faith which brings a man under the favor of God and the act of believing is a sure token that the person is endowed with the grace or habit of Faith Spiritual actions as they must proceed from a Divine principle so they are evidences of that principle from whence they do proceed 1 Joh. 5.1 Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ not with a bare assent of the Judgment but he that believeth it with the heart as before * When a particular duty is produced as an evidence of a state of Salvation or hath a promise of grace and
mercy annexed to it it ought alwayes to be understood of a sincere spiritual and Evangelical discharge of that duty Compare Matt 7.7 Hos 5.6 with Jer. 29.12 13. So Joel 2.32 Prov. 1.28 with Psal 145.18 is born of God That is an undoubted evidence of his regeneration for how could the heart of a sinn r bring forth such fruit unless there were the â—oot of grace planted in the heart 2. It may be meant in reference to the Doctrines of the Gospel He hath the Witness himself that is he is able to seal to those t uths experimentally from the work they have had upon his own Conscience and the effects wrought by them in his own soul He hath not only heard by report of the awakening convincing and converting power of the Gospel which are a strong witness of its divine original and authority but this witness he hath within himself as having felt that efficacy So that he can say to the Ministers as the men of Sychar to the woman Joh. 4.42 Now we believe not because of your reports for we have found it our selves to be a divine doctrine because it hath subdued our hearts and wrought mightily upon our spirits Or as the stranger that commeth into the Church Assembly upon whom the Word is quick and powerful and sharp as a two edged sword piercing into his bosom and discovering the secrets of his heart O saith he God is in you of a truth surely this is none other than the Word of the Lord of Hosts 1 Cor. 14.24 25. The Arguments produced by the Minister are a witness without him and the energy of the Word upon his heart is a witness within him 3. Or thirdly You may understand it metonymically the witness for the person witnessing q.d. He that believeth hath the Spirit of grace and holiness conferred upon him He is made partaker of the Holy Ghost whose work it is to bear witness unto Jesus No man out of sincere aff ction and true faith can profess that Christ is the Lord but by the instinct of the Holy Ghost Engl. Annot. in loc and without whom they could never believe in Jesus 1 Cor. 12 3. No man can say that Jesus is the Lord but by the Holy Ghost that is no man can speak it spiritually from the heart as he ought to speak it so as to subscribe to this principle that Jesus is the Lord and to submit to his Lordship and Government but by the Holy Ghost That 's the first thing I would note in the context The nature and excellency of believing 2. We have the sinfulness of the sin of unbelief the horrid and heinous nature thereof It doth implicitely charge the God of truth with falshood and virtually impeach him as a lyar v. 10. latter part He that believeth not God hath made him a lyar because he believeth not the Record that God hath given of his Son How doth unbelief make God a lyar Answ 1. Not by the contamination or pollution of the divine nature as if the Lord contracted any defilement thereby He cannot be tempted to sin nor tainted with sin Jam. 1.13 The blessed Angels are not tainted with pollution but the nature of God cannot be tainted he is infinitely out of the reach of it Unbelief doth not take from the truth of Gods promise but puts a bar in the Way of our receiving the mercy promised 2 Tim. 2.13 If we believe not yet he abideth faithful he cannot deny himself And mark what the same Apostle saith Rom. 3.3 4. What if some do not believe shall their unbelief make the faith of God of none effect God forbid q. d. Let not such a cursed thought enter into your hearts it cannot be but the faith of God that is the faithfulness of God as to his word and promise must abide firm and immutable to such as have an interest therein We make our fellow servants oftentimes sinners by real infection when the guilt is spread into their souls being seduced by us and made partakers with us but God is holy holy holy Isa 6.3 infinitely holy unchangeably holy capable of nothing but holiness Our unbelief doth not hurt him but our selves Job 35.6 2. But it makes God a lyar in a way of calumniation or detraction Unbelievers do really and consequentially though unjustly charge God with this imperfection They say in their hearts the Lord is not a God of truth For did they own the truth of God they would undoubtedly subscribe to his word By questioning the matter witnessed we impute falshood to the person witnessing Tantum valet testimonium quantum auctoritas testantis and this is the very nature of unbelief As it is the damning sin that locketh up a man under the guilt of all his transgressions so it is an exceeding heinous and sinful sin it carrieth a kind of blasphemy in the bowels of it it maketh as if God were a lyar As by believing we seal to the truth of God Joh. 3.33 Non quod dei fidem labefactet corum impietas sed quod per eos non stat quin issum arguant vanitatis Calv. So by unbelief we do in effect lay falshood to his charge O the desperate wickedness of mans heart O the horrid abomination of this great ungodliness and the wonderful patience of God towards unbelieving sinners That 's the second thing to be noted The sinfulness of the sin of unbelief 3. Now the Text is brought in as a Specification of that Record which is propounded as the object matter of our faith and in reference to which unbelievers do asperse and calumniate the God of Heaven as a lyar They will not acquiess in the dictates of the Scripture they call in question the record that God hath left concerning his Son And if it be demanded what this record is or what special matter it doth contain The Apostle informeth you in the subsequent verses This is the record that God hath given us eternal Life and this life is in his Son He that hath the Son hath life and he that hath not the Son hath not life Which words are a Compendium of the Christians Charter An abbreviature of the great deed of gift or conveyance which God hath made of eternal glory and blessedness unto the children of men the record which he hath left touching the way of salvation Wherein you have observable for the distribution of the words these four parts 1. The mercy provided or the blessing conveyed that is eternal life What are we to understand by eternal Life in this place Vita aeterna sumitur 1. Propriè pro beato electorum statu post hanc vitam 2. Impropriè seu Metonymicè pro viâ seu medio perveniendi ad vitam aeternam Ravan I answer 1. Expresly and primarily the enjoyment of God in heaven the blessed Vision and fruition of the Lord in glory the Rivers of pleasures that are at his right hand for ever the
See Rev. 2. â— The Christians were at first reckoned by the Heathen as Jews vid. Suet. in vita Claud. Judaeos imgulsore Christo assidue tumultuantes Roma expulic So that the Christians seem to have goâ—e under that name and to haâ—â— been banished with them by the decree mentioned Act. 18.2 though they were no savingly instructed nor taught the truth as it is in Jesus yet they had some knowledge of the mind of God and were convinced of the truth and excellency of the Law of the Lord so as to subscribe to it and to own and approve it as such This made them Christ's people at large by way of profession And this must needs be one of the ligatures of that Union for such as avowedly reject the fundamental doctrines of Christianity are not so much as Christ's seeming friends but open enemies to his crown and dignity 2. There must be an external subjection to the Ordinances of Christ so as to afford their presence at them and outward compliance with them and attendance upon them For Sirs Gospel Ordinances are the badges of Christ's followers Sacramenta ut alia insti uta divina sunt figna piotestativa fidei as well as means to convey his grace into their souls And if a people belong to him at all they must at least wear his livery So that when persons live in the open neglect or contempt of the Ordinances and Institutions of the Lord Jesus or think they are arrived at so high a pitch as to be above Ordinances they do thereby declare themselves to be so far from the truth of grace that they are not arrived to a serious prosession Above Ordinances and below Christianity Such have not so much as Christ's livery upon them for this is one of the bonds of a common union Thus Simon Magus was baptized into Christ and for a while held fellowship with the Disciples and so in a sort did belong to Christ till afterwards he apostatized and discovered his rottenness Act. 8.13 So far the lowest rank of hypocrites ordinarily go It is true they have no spiritual communion or fellowship with Christ in his Ordinances but they are many times pretty-constant in attendance upon Ordinances So those carnal Israelites whom God owneth in this respect to be his people Isa 58 1.2 And therefore the Apostle calls men off from trusting in this to mind the grace of Regeneration and Conversion upon their hearts for these priviledges avail not to a saving union with Christ but a new creature Gal. 6.15 3. There is usually some common workings upon their hearts and spirits as now convictions in the conscience of the evil of sin sometimes an inclination upon their souls to give up themselves to be the Lords only a beloved lust hindereth the performance of it Possibly many common graces of the Spirit are conferred upon them in which respect they are said to be made partakers of the holy Ghost for so far a carnal Professor may arrive Heb. 6.4 5. The holy Ghost may strive with a professed enemy to the Kingdom of Christ There are some Converts external from the world to the Church who yet stick in their naturals and are not in the sense of sin fled unto Christ for refuge nor converted from nature to saving grace Dicâ—â—s but when he shall moreover work some remarkable effects upon a sinner as terrors in apprehension of the wrath of God desires to be sheltered under the wings of Christ that he may escape that wrath so that he joyneth himself outwardly to his people then he becometh a seeming friend though he proceed no further 4. The last bond which I shall mention of this common union with Christ is some degrees of reformation in the life and practise When persons live and lie weltering in gross pollutions of the world they do apparently belong unto the world they do openly proclaim themselves to be the very children of the devil If a man belong to Christ but by profession there must be some measure of reformation wrought there must be an actual abstaining from those wickednesses whereby the name of Christian is openly contradicted As real holiness and closs walking with God is essential to the being of a Disciple indeed so a cleansing of the outside of the cup and platter as our Saviour calleth it is required to make a man a Disciple but in appearance And thus far they commonly go 2 Pet. 2.20 21 22. They retained their doggish and swinish nature still as is evident from their Apostacy v. 12. The dog is turned to his vomit again and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire and yet they escaped the pollutions of the world and that through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ v. 20. Although the doctrines of the Gospel had not a saving effect upon their souls yet they had a real effect though their natures were not transformed yet their lives in some particulars were reformed their conversations were cleansed from gross and scandalous abominations That 's the first Position touching this matter 2. Pos 2. It is a very great priviledge and mercy considered in it self for a man or woman to be taken thus neer unto Jesus Christ and in this sense to be united to him namely by way of external adhaesion To be separated from the Heathen to be his people and to be made to differ from the profane world and the notoriously wicked who do avow their sins openly in the face of men and declare themselves subjects unto the prince of darkness Though it be not the best of priviledges yet it is a great priviledge though it be not a mercy to be rested in yet it is a mercy thankfully to be acknowledged it is no way to be slighted and undervalued The Apostle speaketh of it as such Rom. 3.1 2. What advantage hath the Jew or what profit is there of circumcision that is what benefit doth arise by being a member of the Church of Christ what profit is it to be a Jew outwardly a Disciple by profession into which relation circumcision did give them solemn entrance it was the Ordinance for initiation Is this nothing or is it a priviledge of a low nature No in no wise saith the Apostle do not thus esteem it It is an eminent mercy there is much advantage by it every way You will say wherein lieth the advantage of being thus in Christ Answ In four things especially 1. Chiefly and primarily because hereupon they are set under the means of grace and tenders of salvation They have eternal life set before their souls and upon the terms of the Gospel offered unto them Hereby they do enjoy the word of Christ the Oracles of God and the Ordinances which are the places wherein the Lord Jesus himself is to be found of them that seek him and which are the conduit-pipes through which he doth use to convey spiritual grace and blessings to such
as thirst after them The remainders of the light of nature are enough to leave a sinner inexcusable in his condemnation when he doth not live up to that light but they can proceed no further they can make no discoveries of the path of salvation But now persons in the visible Church have these things revealed before their eyes they have Christ set forth that they may know him and his excellencies displayed that they may love him So that it is a merciful priviledge in this respect Nay if the fault be not in themselves it may bring them to Christ in a saving way Psal 147.19 20. He sheweth his word unto Jacob his Statutes and his Judgments unto Israel He hath not dealt so with any Nation and as for his Judgments they have not known them Praise ye the Lord. q. d. Here is matter of praise and abundant thanksgiving See also Rom. 9.4 and Ezek. 20.11 12. 2. Hereby persons do enjoy communion with such as are real Saints and servants of Christ in sincerity which may be of excellent use to provoke them to emulation and so to save their souls They have the benefit of the society of the godly to be an incouragement unto them to serve the Lord indeed and the advantage of their example as a copy for imitation Multum resert quibuscum vixeris They are under their counsel for admonition and many times partakers of their provoking conferences to incite and stir them up to become such as they are They have a share in their inspection and watchfulness over them whereby oftentimes they are restrained and kept in due bounds And so it is a signal mercy in this respect As by fellowship with the wicked and contracting friendship with them men learn their wayes and get a snare unto their souls so by communion with the Saints persons are in a capacity of learning their ways and saving their souls Psal 141.4 5. Let the righteous smite me it shall be a kindness and let him reprove me it shall be an excellent oyl which shall not break my head Nihil tutius amico monitore that is by an usual Meiâ—sis it will abundantly tend to my spiritual good and to the promoting and carrying on my eternal welfare As coals are kindled by other burning coals so are the ungodly many times by hearty counsel and holy walking and the like made instrumental to quicken and inflame such as have fellowship with them Jam. 5.19 3. From hence it is that they do in a sort partake of that special care which God taketh of his Church and receive some drops of those blessings which Christ doth showr down upon his Church You know that although God by a general providence doth mind and govern the whole creation he feeds the ravens when they cry and gives meat to the beasts of the field yet he hath a special inspection into the affairs of his Church he maketh peculiar provision for them reserving his dainties in store for them Now by this external adhaesion unto Christ and being in the visible Church a person may have a share in those mercies and the out-skirts of those blessings may fall down upon their heads As one that is but a sojourner in a family and no stated fixed member of it may taste of many good things which the good man of the house prepared for his own children And therefore a people are said upon this kind of neerness to have God himself nigh unto them that is to be under his special care even the body of the people though multitudes of them went no further than profession Psal 148.14 The children of Israel a people neer unto him Deut. 4.7 For what Nation is there so great that hath God so nigh unto them as the Lord our God is in all that we call upon him for And it seemeth to be mentioned as a priviledge of the whole visible Church Isa 4.5 That the Lord will create upon every dwelling place of mount Zion and upon her assemblies upon the Church of Christ whereof Zion was a type and upon all the particular Congregations thereof a cloud and smoke by day and the shining of a flaming fire by night The meaning is this God will in a special manner be a guide unto them and undertake for their safeguard and protection He will lead them and preserve them as he did the children of Israel in their travels out of Egypt when he went before them in a cloud by day and in a pillar of fire by night So Isa 31.5 As birds flying so will the Lord of hosts defend Jerusalem defending also he will deliver it and passing over he will preserve it As birds flying that is swiftly and speedily at the cry of his people he will come as in an instant before the adversaries are aware Or as a bird doth hover over the nest to preserve her young ones so will the Lord watch over his people to secure and deliver them These and such promises are made to the Church in general and even carnal Professors by vertue of their station in the Church may have a share in this security these deliverances As when the godly joyn in confederacy with the wicked they may be made to smart under the judgments that are sent upon the wicked so Professors by their fellowship with the godly may taste of the blessings imparted unto them 4. It is a great priviledge because hereby men are often restrained from venting many corruptions that otherwise would have prevailed from turning aside into such sins and abominations wherein others wallow And so they are prevented and kept from contracting much guilt which otherwise would be contracted by them And this is no small advantage Restraining grace is a mercy though sanctifying grace is an higher And God doth make use of this neerness to Christ as a restraint or bridle to stop sinners in their carier hereby they are purged from their old sins 2 Pet. 1.9 That 's the second Position 3. Position 3. When men and women are only thus united unto Christ by way of visible profession or external adhaesion though they may abide with him for a time and seemingly cleave unto him yet at last there will be made a separation betwixt them and this union will be dissolved and broken asunder As it is a dissoluble Union for the nature of it Quomodo ergo Zizania sunt in regno Dei Putres pisces in reti Evangelico carena veste nuptiali in nuptiis Christi ita in Chricto est qui non sert fructum nomine tenus stilicer secundam externam 〈◊〉 tantum non antem verâ— fiâ—e Quare telluntur isti tandem velut resecti arefactique pelunites gebennae addiciottur Bucer so in the event it will actually be dissolved sooner or later by one means or another When a soul is in Christ by a spiritual implantation he shall never be parted from Christ but this common union will be
broken and the cords of it snapt asunder If a dead branch stick to the Vine for a season yet at length the Gardiner cometh with his pruning-knife and catteth it away This is the very Metaphor whereby the dissolving of this Union is set forth John 15.2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away i.e. he cuts off with his pruning-hook and casteth them into the fire If they do not live through the vine they shall have no further being in the vine And there are three principal ways how this separation is made or this sort of union is dissolved 1. By their Apostacy and drawing back from the profession of the Faith in days of tribulation and trial for they are the usual seasons wherein carnal Professors discover themselves When God doth exercise his Church under discriminating providences as sore afflictions and persecutions for the truths sake then it appeareth who are his indeed and friends unfeigned to the truth Cum exurimur persecutiâ—â—â—ardare tunc probamur de fidei tonore Tertul. Then the living branches stick fast and such as are dead fall off and perish For this Sirs is one end which God aimeth at by bringing his Church into distress not as if he took pleasure in their smart and grief but to pare off their exuberancies and that such as are approved may be made manifest Then hypocrites mostly unstrip themselves of their covering and are discovered to be what they are Mat. 13.21 When tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word by and by they are offended Mark it They were only united to Christ by external adhaesion when the winter cometh and the frost nippeth them they wither and fall away In this sense we hold falling away from grace and apostarizing from the faith Amici ob utilitatem una cum utilitate dissolvuntur namnon sui mutuo erant amici sed utilitatis that is from common grace and the profession oâ— of the Faith This may serve to direct you how to judge of Apostates and backsliders either they fall but partially and God in due time will restore and bring them back by weeping cross or if they depart totally and finally from Christ The reason is because they were but dead branches in Christ and so they drop off 2. This common union is dissolved by the execution of the spiritual judgments of God upon their souls by giving them up to themselves and delivering them over to the will of Satan When persons continue long unprofitable in the Church under the Ordinances and are not spiritualized nor bettered by them God is provoked thereby to withdraw the very strivings of his Spirit from such and to let loose the reins of their corruptions which formerly were kept under to give them up to vile affections and a reprobate mind that they may make it appear to whom they really belong even to the God of this world the spirit that ruleth in the children of disobedience You read that thus he dealt with the Heathen for not living up to the dictates of the light of nature Rom. 1.24 26 28 29. Much more may it be feared when persons abuse the light of the Gospel and receive the grace of God therein manifested in vain or turn it into wantonness For as it is Heb. 6.7 8. The earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed receiveth blessing from God But that which beareth thorns and bryars is rejected and is nigh unto cursing whose end is to be burned By the earth understand the souls of men and women likened to the earth for their natural stupidity O earth earth earth hear the word of the Lord 2. Because of their tendency downwards unto earthly things But in this place especially because of the souls activity and fructifying vertue it will bring forth something either good or evil By the rain that cometh oft upon this earth is meant the doctrines of the word which fall as the rain and distil as the dew upon the face of the ground for the watering thereof Now that earth which drinks in this rain and beareth thorns and bryars i. e. if they live still in their sins defiled with their abominations and are not such as walk answerably in some measure to the means they are under is nigh unto cursing unto this spiritual curse of being given up to themselves to commit iniquity with greediness whereby they are sealed up to destruction to the curse of barrenness Never fruit grow upon these souls any more See also Hos 4.17 and Psal 81.8 11 12. This should have a mighty influence upon us to make us watchful over our hearts that we be not barren or unfruitful in the vineyard of Christ 3. This Union will be certainly and solemnly dissolved by pronouncing the sentence of eternal judgment If the hypocrisie of such be not discovered until the last then it will be made known in the face of all the world Christ will then rend them from him however they may hope to shelter themselves under his wings Then the Lord will judge between cattle and cattle between one branch and another Mat. 13.49 50. At the end of the world the Angels shall come and sever the wicked from among the just and shall cast them into the furnace of fire Mark it They shall be then severed from amongst the just intimating that now they are together as tares and wheat in the same field as good fish and bad in the same net as living branches and dead in the same vine but then the wicked shall be removed from their station and cast into hell That 's the third Position That this Union with Christ will sooner or later be dissolved 4. Pos 4. The state and condition of such persons as are thus united to Christ by way of external adhaerence only and do not aspire nor press after a further intimacy with him and a neerer conjunction that do not improve this priviledge that they may be indeed what they profess to be is a very wretched estate and a miserable condition It is worse than the condition of open enemies to Christ such as are grosly ignorant of the truths of the Gospel and that never professed to be his servants The Scripture calleth it a wretched and miserable condition that is very wretched exceeding miserable God doth hate them with a perfect hatred and loath them with a full abhorrence and detestation Rev. 3.16.17 So then because thou art luke-warm and neither hot no cold neither a sincere Professor of Religion nor a professed enemy to Religion neither faithful to Christ nor an open adversary against Christ I will spue thee out of my mouth Because thou sayest I am rich and increased in goods and have need of nothing and knowest not that thou art wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked Better for such carnal Professors that continue in that estate and
rest contented therewith without getting higher I say better for them they had never known the way of righteousness then to take up their rest in this common union and not to improve it to a pursuance after a more inward conjunction with Christ 2 Pet. 2.21 The sadness and deplorableness of their condition will appear in these four particulars 1. Because they do thereby put themselves into the greatest unlikelihood and incapacity of being ever savingly wrought upon of any that live where the word of Christ is published and the glad tidings of Salvation are made known to the children of men There is more hopes of the conversion of the most debauched wretches that live in a professed subjection to the devil than of those who have long continued only carnal Professors As when they apostatize they do usually become the most bitter enemies of Christ so it is the hardest thing to draw them effectually unto Christ This is none other doctrine than our Saviour hath taught Mat. 21.31 Verily I say unto you that the publicans and barlots go into the kingdom of God before you They go into the Kingdom of God that is they are easier prevailed upon to subject themselves to Christ's government it is a harder thing to work upon your souls than upon theirs there is more probability of their being converted than of yours Who were these to whom Christ speaks Why they were the chief Priests and Scribes and Elders men that were thought to be some bodies in the Church that were had in great estimation of the Church that seemed to be pillars in comparison that made a fair shew but rested therein as being strangers to the life and power of godliness Mind it saith Christ I say unto you verily I say unto you q. d. It is an undoubted truth let it sink deep into your hearts that publicans and the harlots the vilest of people go into the Kingdom of God before you It will seem no wonder that such are in the greatest unlikelihood of being savingly wrought upon if you mind these three Considerations 1. Consider That these dead branches in Christ or carnal Professors do commonly thereupon maintain a good opinion of themselves and get a strong confidence thereby that their estate is good They think themselves well enough already and therefore will not easily be perswaded to look after a saving interest in the Redeemer because they suppose their interest is already secured Initium est salutis notitia peccati Egregiè hoc mihi videtur dixisse Epicurus Nam qui peccare se nescit corrigi non vult Deprehendas te oportet antequam emendes Sen. Epist 28. And be sure of this that nothing is a greater hindrance of a sinners deliverance out of an estate of wrath than a strong confidence that he is in a good estate Prov. 26.12 Seest thou a man wise in his own conceit there is more hope of a fool than of him It may well bear this interpretation Seest thou an unregenerate person that is righteous in his own eyes for by wisdom all along is meant righteousness and holiness that is true wisdom the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom There is more hope of a fool that is of one that is plainly and openly a wicked person for he is the fool in Solomons account Kings are wont to have their fools and Solomon was a great King and his fool is the ungodly that provoketh the Lord to wrath and neglects to provide for eternity and selleth his soul for a trifle So Mat. 9.12 They that be whole need not the Physitian that is Such as have a good opinion of themselves do not see their need of Christ's righteousness they will not hunger and thirst after it as being full already * Quid nos decipimus Non est extainsecus malum nostrum intra nos est in visceribus ipsis sedet Et ideo difficulter ad sanitatem pervenimus quia nos agrotare nescimus Son Epist 50. There is a double work required to the conversion of such first to empty them of self and then to drive them unto the Saviour first to make them sensible of their sickness and then to quicken them to seek a remedy first to convince them of their damnable estate and then to cause them to flee from the wrath to come And the first is a matter of very great difficulty 2. Consider That such as are in Christ by visible profession only are most likely to have their consciences seared as with an hot iron so that those awakening truths which serve to rouse up other sinners produce little or no effect upon their souls By continuance in sin under the preaching of the World and constant attendance upon Ordinances men become Sermon-proof and Prayer-proof Sacrament-proof and Affliction-proof Scarcely the hottest fire will melt such obdurate spirits As it is reported of them that live neer the Cataracts of Nilus by continual hearing those dreadful sounds they become deaf and stupid Primo importabile processu temporis grave paulo post leve postea placet suave est ad extremum quod erat importabile ad faciendum est impossibile ad continendum Bern. so it befalleth these hypocrites by constant hearing of Gospel-truths and not regarding them their spirits at length become dead stark dead twice dead as it is expressed Jude 12. Before they were dead in sin and now they are dead in security likewise To their natural hardness is added a contracted hardness And who are they of whom the Apostle speaketh why such as are clouds without water that is who make a shew of Godliness but have nothing of the substance who have the form without the power of it To them the word of the Lord proveth an obdurating word that maketh their hearts fat and their ears heavy and shutteth their eyes lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and convert and be healed Isa 6.9 10. 3. Consider withal That God is usually provoked by such mens barrenness and unproficiency utterly to depart away from them and so to bind them over unavoidably to condemnation to swear in his wrath that they shall never enter into rest Heb. 3.10 11. So that he will deal with them no further in order to their repentance and salvation For this is the very method of Gods dispensations of this nature first men resist the Spirit which he sent to knock at the door of their hearts and then he calleth away his Spirit from them Gen. 6.3 First they neglect to hearken to the grace of God that should lead them to repentance and so he will wait to be gracious no further but sealeth them up in a state of impenitence First they will not believe and God sweareth they shall never believe Joh. 12.39 40. 2. The condition of these unfruitful branches in Christ is miserable above that of others in respect of the intolerableness of the
unto the world Joh. 14.22 and mark our Saviours answer v. 23. Jesus answered and said unto him if a man love me he will keep my words and my Father will love him and we will come unto him and make our abode with him q.d. We will be united and knit to such a one and thereupon maintain a constant communion and intercourse with him which is a way of the manifestation of our selves which the world knoweth not of The world is shut out of Christ's prayer for this mercy and it is confined to believers Joh. 17. v. 9. compared with v. 21. 2. It belongeth to believers Universally and comprehensively that is to all of that sort and number whether they are weak Christians or strong whether they are more eminent in the Church or of a lower esteem My brethren this grace of Oneness with Christ is not a dignity conferred upon some eminent Saints whereby they are advanced above their fellows but this honour have all the Saints If there be true justifying faith but as a grain of mustard-seed as our Saviour speaketh in another case it putteth a man into the possession of this priviledge It may be the comfort of the meanest and poorest of the people of God upon earth that however men despise them yet they are married to the King of Kings to the only begotten Son of God You read of babes in Christ who are the lowest rank of Believers 1 Cor. 3.1 It may be improved as a point of wonderful consolation by poor drooping souls that love the Lord Jesus in sincerity When your corruptions struggle within you and you are violently assaulted by temptations from without and thereupon are afraid how you shall be able to hold out and to keep on in the way of godliness when your spirits are ready to sink under your burdens indeavour to raise them up again with this meditation The Lord Christ is my Husband why should I fear He is ingaged to preserve me for I belong to him nay I am in him See and study Isa 40.27 28 29 30. 3. This Union appertaineth to Believers entirely and undividedly My meaning is this the whole persons are the subjects of this Union and every part of them not only their souls the spiritual and immortal part but their very bodies which are made of the dust of the earth For as the grace of Vnction or sanctification where it is poured out upon a person it maketh an entire change both in body and soul so doth the grace of Vnion reach to the whole man to the body as well as to the soul 1 Cor. 6.15 What know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ q. d. This is a known truth a foundation principle you must not be ignorant of it you should be well instructed in this Point that you may be careful not to defile your bodies that it may quicken you to glorifie Christ with your bodies as well as with your spirits 1 Cor. 6.20 At the resurrection the bodies of the Saints shall be fashioned and made like to Christ's glorious body and here upon earth they are knit to his person 4. Believers are the subjects of this Union formally that is under that very consideration as such quatenus Believers For the grace of saith is the principle which God doth peculiarly honour in this very business to make up our union with Christ or to knit a person and the Lord Jesus together Whom he hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood Rom. 3.25 And therefore our Apostle applyeth the doctrine of my Text unto them that believe in the words immediately following v. 12. He that hath the Son hath life c. And v. 13. These things have I written to you that believe on the name of the Son of God that you may know that ye have eternal life How should Believers know it hereby Why because Believers have the Son by believing they are in the Son eo nomine because they believe That 's the third Branch of the description the proper subjects of this Union viz. Believers 4. Here is the foundation of this Union on which it is bottomed and from whence it doth arise namely from their intimate conjunction with Christ It is that special relation which Believers have to the Lord Jesus arising from their intimate conjunction with him Or from the closness of their being joyned together This is well to be observed as a material point for first there must be unition as one noteth before there can be Vnion First they must be brought together and must be linked and fastened one to the other before they can become one together At least in order of nature conjunction must precede for Union doth result or flow from it and hath a necessary dependance thereupon As it is in marriage the great resemblance for illustration of this mystery First the man and woman are brought together and married one to the other and thence their union doth arise they become one flesh So it is in this spiritual grace first Christ and a Believer are joyned together and then they become one This conjunction is so closs and in imate that it is called a being glewed unto Christ so the word signifieth 1 Cor. 6.17 He that is joyned * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Qui Domino agâ—utinatur 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 gluten or glewed to the Lord is one spirit First they are joyned and so become one spiritually How this conjunction is wrought I shall open at large in answer to the next question This is the fourth branch of the Description 5. Lastly You have the blessed consequents which flow from hence or the glorious effects produced hereby and they are especially three 1. Hereupon they are accounted as one with Christ 2. Their spiritual state is fundamentally changed 3. The benefits of redemption are effectually applyed 1. Hereupon they are accounted as one with Christ Being made so they are reckoned and esteemed as such and accordingly made partakers of whatsoever advantage doth accrew thereby and doth grow upon this root of Oneness with the Mediator It is not an empty name and an airy appellation which is hereby attained but believers are answerably esteemed and dealt with in all sorts of dispensations Therefore they are said to be found in him Philip. 3.9 That I may win Christ and be found in him that is in all the dealings of God towards them they are looked upon as one with his Son so their concernments are regarded and blessings are dispensed unto them evils are averted and kept from falling upon them and spiritual good things are given forth When God doth go forth in his providence twoards the children of men he findeth the wicked in their sins polluted in their blood under the curse of the Law and so there is a curse interwoven with his proceedings with them but when he looketh down upon Believers they are found in Christ They are reckoned as one
never so zealous and forward in his worship Such actions may less displease the Lord than some others but at the best he cannot take pleasure in them And therefore the whole stress of the matter is laid upon the state of a man Prov. 21.27 The sacrifice of the wicked is abomination how much more when he brings it with a wicked mind Mark it though he come with a good intent and mean well as there is a kind of natural integrity yet it is an abomination This is plainly intimated if he come with a wicked mind making the duties of religion a cloak to cover his other horrid impieties then his sacrifice is most odious and abominable but however he cometh it is an abomination Why because the person sacrificing is a wicked ungodly sinner and the Lord judgeth mens actions by their state 2. This is a matter seriously to be weighâ—d because the greatest number of persons who call themselves Christians do seldom or never think of it They go on in sin and perish eternally for want of laying to heart this very thing And therefore we should give diligence the rather to study it because it is neglected by the most You may observe it as an ordinary thing with carnal people when conscience is a little awakened when they are brought into distress by sickness or some other sore affliction they will cry out with a kind of bitterness for their evil wayes and seemingly melt with sorrow for some actual miscarriages but not one of many will mind his spiritual state Thus it was with Micah the Idolater when he heard his mother curse and ban for the mony that was stollen from her these curses startled his conscience and made him to vomit up the sweet morsel wch he had swallowed down he minds that wicked action but never once considers his spiritual condition and so goeth on in other sins notwithstanding Judg. 17.2 3 5. Thus Saul was troubled in a reflection upon some of his evil ways and profane Esau grieved because he had displeased his Father by his sinful actions but scarce one of an hundred crieth out of his sad condition Nay commonly they are so far from it that they will be ready to fly in a mans face that doth but make mention thereof When you have convinced a wicked man of his evil life and brought him to an acknowledgment of a course of sin wherein he walketh if thence you begin to speak of his estate in sin of his being an enemy to God a child of his wrath and a wicked person he will defie the words No will he say I love the Lord and God knows my heart is good and the like See how fowl they fell upon Christ for touching upon this string When he told them of their wretched condition that they were not of God but of their father the devilâ— Thou art a Samaritan say they and hast a devil Joh. 8.44 47 48. They could not endure he should meddle with that matter 3. It concerneth you to be well instructed and settled in this particular of your spiritual state God-ward because when the spirit of conviction doth powerfully prevail upon a mans heart so as to turn him effectually from sin and to bring him to a sound and sincere conversion it doth ever end in conviction of the state of sin As conviction usually beginneth in some particular actual wickedness so it alwaies endeth in a discovery of that wicked and damnable condition into which the sinner is brought Thus it was with Paul Rom. 7.9 For I was alive without the Law once but when the commandment came sin revived and I died that is * Absentia legis faciebat ut viveyet hoc est inflatus justitiae suae fiducidâ vitam sibi arrogabat quum tamen esset mortuus c. Calv. I saw my self dead and undone I found that I was in a perishing conditione that unless the wonderful grace of God stept in for my deliverance I must perish and be lost irrecoverably Before I had a good conceit of my self as to my state and condition however conscience might now and then check me for some failings and actual miscarriages yet I was alive without the Law i.e. before I had a clear understanding of the Law in my own apprehension I was a child of life I thought my self sure of salvation but when the commandment came in the life and power and vigorous workings of it I found I was stark dead So in the return of the Prodigal mark how far the conviction proceedeth Luk. 15.17 I perish Not only I am a disobedient Son that have ran away from my father and wasted my Patrimony But if I continue in this condition I am undone for ever This is the spirit of bondage which the Apostle mentioneâ—â— as the fore runner of the spirit of adoption Rom. 8.15 You have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear Mark it not again intimating that once they had received it that all who are savingly converted must first be under it When is the holy Ghost a spirit of bondage Why when he doth discover to a mans soul his wretched and miserable condition when he doth not only shew him his work wherein he hath exceeded but doth also make him sensible of the lost estate wherein he is involved when he causeth a sinner to see that he is a child of the wrath of God bound over to answer to the demands of the justice of God obnoxious to the everlasting and insupportable vengeance of the most high and raiseth fears and terrors in the soul in apprehension thereof so that he sees it necessary that his state be altered The holy Ghost Sirs may be a spirit of conviction as to sundry acts of sin when he is not a spirit of bondage for this relates to the state of sin which is alwayes an antecedent to sound a conversion And therefore as I said I will open this point of the change of a mans spiritual state in six particulars 1. There is a twofold state or condition of mens souls in reference to spiritual and eternal concernments The state of nature and the state of grace as they are usually called The state of condemnation and exposedness to the wrath of God and the state of favour and reconciliation with the Lord. That of alienation from God and that of friendship and fellowship with him A state of service to the Lord and of slavery to the devil Of liableness and obnoxiousness to everlasting death and the state of heirship and title to the kingdom of heaven You read often of them in the Scripture Joh. 3.18 He that believeth on him is not condemned but he that believeth not is condemned already So Rom. 6.17 18. But God be thanked that ye were the servants of sin There 's the state of nature And v. 18. Being then made free from sin ye became servants of righteousness There 's the state of grace Eph. 2.19 Now therefore ye
at the same time make his entrance in their whole persons and take seizin and possession of all their powers and faculties unto his use and service The plian meaning is this that the work of sanctification is a through-work wrought upon the whole man there is grace infused into every part and faculty As in the work of mortification all the habits of corruption are subdued so in the work of renovation or vivification all the seeds of holiness are introduced the whole man is purified as Christ is pure The common gifts of the Spirit are bestowed many times singly and apart one from the other but special sanctifying graces are planted together This I lay down that you may not deceive yourselves in this matter by thinking Christ is in you when you are strangers unto him There is great proness in us to mistake upon this account and to flatter our selves in this case for some common workings upon the heart to conclude that saving grace is planted in the heart And therefore mind what I say to prevent this self-cozenage that where a person is cleansed savingly and effectually there is an universal purification of the whole man and all the graces in the seed of them are infused together As all old things pass away so every thing is made new 2 Cor. 5.17 The understanding is renewed with saving knowledge of the mind of God and the will is brought into a blessed subjection to the will of God the conscience is furnished anew with tenderness and faithfulness the affections are renewed by being turned into their right channel and pointed upon their right objects love and delight upon God and hatred and sorrow towards sin and what is displeasing unto the Lord the heart is principled anew with sincerity and singleness and truth put into the inward parts the memory is made a treasury and store-house of good things and the body is fitted to be subservient unto the soul in wayes of holiness Thus I might run over the several branches of this work There is vigour and activity put into the soul to do the will of God commanding and patience to suffer and be contented under the will of God disposing there is the grace of moderation to guide in prosperity and the grace of faith to support under affliction and trouble and the man is prepared and fitted unto every good word and work 1 Thes 5.23 And the very God of peace sanctifie you wholly and I pray God your whole soul and spirit and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ Mark it Sirs the work of sanctification is a very extensive and diffusive work it leaveneth the whole man both the inserior and superior faculties of the soul the animal and the rational powers and the body likewise So that it is not some slight trouble upon the conscience for sin or a little touch upon the affections or inclinations towards the Kingdom of God that will evidence you to be sanctified for sanctification ingageth the whole man in an holy compliance with the wayes of holiness and the interest of Jesus As a partial repentance in the exercise of it which striketh at some sins only and leaveth a man in the allowance of others is but a feigned repentance so partial workings upon the heart are but common workings they will not amount to saving grace Jer. 3.10 When Christ entereth by his Spirit into any of the children of men he doth take possession of them wholly and set up his residence in every part and faculty 3. In this work of the entrance of the Spirit into to a mans soul whereupon Christ is said to be in him and to dwell with him and possession is taken for his use and service the soul of that man is altogether passive My meaning is this It is not in the power of any person upon the earth to plant grace in his own soul or to confer the habits of holiness upon himself nor doth he contribute any active assistance in the performance of it but is wholly wrought upon by the mighty power of God and the effectual operation of the holy Ghost We are apt to imagine that it is in our own power to make a saving change within our selves that we can convert and turn to God at any time and repent when we please As Luther said in point of merit there is a Pope in every mans belly so may I say in this case there is a tang of Pelagianism in every mans heart and hence it is they take incouragement to procrastinate and delay in the matters of salvation they think they can repent when they will if it be but upon their death-bed But Sirs it must be a day of power that maketh you willing A as if God should give you up unto your selves you would perish for ever in your unregeneracy The planting grace in the heart is a turning the course of corrupted nature it is as a quickning the dead it is a creating and infusing of how principles into a man * Opus hoc conversionis sive duobus effici non potest Uno a quo fit altero in quo fit Deus est â—â—tor salâ—â—is liberum arbitrium tantum capax Bern. Observetur in primo actu veluntatis qui procedit à gratia praeveniente voluntatem esse motam non moventem Aquin. prima secundae q. 111. of which there is nothing in us by nature but a contrariety and repugnancy thereunto Eph. 2.5 Even when we were dead in sins he hath quickned us together with Christ And v. 10. For we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto good works So that it is not mans free will but God's free grace and his infinite power by which it is wholly wrought and to him alone doth belong the glory of it 4. Although we are wholly passive in this work of regeneration or planting grace into our hearts whereby Christ entereth into and taketh possession of us and we contribute no manner of active affistance therein yet there is something required at our hands in order to the attainment of this grace and that we may be made partakers thereof This is well to be noted that it may prevent our abuse of this doctrine and that we may not turn the grace of God into negligence and slothfulness For will sinners be apt to argue thus if it be God alone by his infinite power who can imprint grace upon our hearts and this he doth without our concurrent assâ—stance then we may fit still and let the Lord perform his own work if he please to convert and sanctifie us we shall be converted and if not all our indeavours are to no purpose But Sirs this is to pervert the grace of the covenant God forbid there should be such cursed inferences drawn from this excellent doctrine although it tendeth to advance and magnifie the free grace and power of God yet it gives no manner of incouragement to the
sloth and carelessne's of men For though we are not active in the planting grace into our souls yet there is something expected at our hands in order to the a tainment thereof Although we cannot convert our selves yet we are to wait upon God that we may be converted by him and are to attend upon the means which he hath appointed and wherein he is wont to meet the souls that seek him Although we cannot cleanse and sanctifie our own spirits yet we are diligently to search the Scriptures and to press arguments upon our selves from the Scriptures and to give constant attendance upon God in his Ordinances which are the special instruments he is wont to make use of whereby to convey the spirit of sanctification * Sâ—bordinata non sunt opponenda sed componenda Auditio hominis irregeniti etsi conversionem non inchoat Est camen ordmarium requisitum quod conversionem ordinariam aâ—tecedit tanquam quaedam ad eam nondum existentem praeparatio Wendel Syst majus And this is none other then what God looketh for at our hands Ezek. 36. v. 26. compared with v. 37. A new heart also I will give you and a new spirit I will put within you and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh and I will give you an heart of flesh But then v. 37. Thus saith the Lord God I will yet for this be enquired of by the house of Israel that I may do it for them Though we cannot mortifie and subdue our own corruptions yet we should reason the case with our selves and be much in expostulation with our own hearts why we should be so vile and foolish as to serve base lusts and corruptions and to turn our backs upon the Lord and though we cannot put the principles of holiness into our own souls yet we must follow after God by prayer and supplication that he may graciously send forth the holy Ghost to plant them in us And this seemeth to be one of the great ends of God in laying his commandments upon us though we have no strength or ability to the performance of them that we might turn the commandment into prayer and be earnest with him to work in us what he requireth to be within us Jer. 31.18 Turn thou me and I shall be turned for thou art the Lord my God Psal 51.6 7 10. Behold thou defirest truth in the inward parts and in the hidden parts thou shalt make me to know wisdom Create in me a clean heart O God and renew a right spirit within me It is just for all the world in the case of a private man or woman as it is in the work of a Minister It is not within the power of the most excellent Preacher in the earth to convert one soul but it should be his care to preach such heart-searching truths and to press upon sinners such awakening considerations in season and out of season as may have a tendency towards conversion to instruct in meekness them that oppose themselves not as it he could give them repentance but if peradventure in the use of the means God may give them repentance 2 Tim. 2.25 26. So it is with sinners themselves they cannot bring spiritual life into their own souls yet they may wait upon God in the duties which he hath required and be earnest with the Lord to speak the word that their souls may live in his sight As we are to serve God with grace or in the exercise of grace when it is bestowed so we are to seek unto him for grace that it may be conferred And pray mind it Christians this will be enough to stop the mouths of impenitent sinners and render their plea of inability to convert themselves invalid Why thou sinful wretch who thus cavillest against the Lord hast thou duly and diligently set upon the discharge of that work which God calleth for in order to conversion That is a notable acknowledgment Dan. 9.13 We made not our prayer before the Lord our God that we might turn from our iniquity and understand thy truth If Daniel had onely confessed that they had not turned from iniquity might some captious sinner have been apt to say alas we had no power we were not able to turn of our selves yea but saith that holy man we have neglected the means which God hath appointed to turn us so put it home to thy conscience hast thou not resisted the Spirit whereby God hath many times striven with thee Hast thou not neglected to study the word or restrained prayer before the Lord wherein peradventure he might have been found by thee Thus I might instance in other particulars but I proceed 5. These principles of grace infused into the soul in the work of Regeneration or this image of God restored upon the soul by the Spirit in the day of conversion may be called Christ in us and the Lord Jesus may be said thereby to dwell with us and that upon a fourfold account especially Because 1. This grace is derived upon the soul out of the fulness of Christ 2. Hereby we are made conformable unto Christ 3. The Holy Ghost implanting it doth act in Christs name 4. Hereby we become his servants and possession is taken of us to his use 1. It may be called Christ in us because the habits of grace infused into the soul are derived upon us out of Christs fulness The whole stock of grace was put into the hands of the Mediator and from thence it is communicated unto Gods chosen people When the Lord Jesus was anointed with the Spirit without measure it was put into his hands as into a common Store-house or Magazine that from thence the Elect of God might be furnished It was put into him as into a fountain that out of that fountain our vessels might be filled It pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell Col. â— 19 And out of his fulness we all receive and that grace for grace John 1.16 And therefore it is called The Law of the Spirit of life which is in Christ Jesus Rom. 8.2 It is in him originally in us derivatively being imparted to us from him 2. Hereby Christ may be said to dwell in us because grace doth render a man conformable to Christ In the work of Regeneration our natures are fashioned according to his nature As there is an answerableness between a Copy and the Orignal from whence it is transcribed there is line for line and sentence for sentence word for word and letter for letter so take the humane nature of Jesus Christ as he was anointed by the Holy Ghost and the nature of a Person sanctified and there is a suitableness between them there is love for love and joy for joy and hatred for hatred they have the minde of Christ and the meekness of Christ and the long-suffering and compassion and gentleness of Christ and the like Therefore they are said to purifie themselves
love made perfect that we may have boldness in the day of judgment that is as I take the meaning of the Apostle to be in the day of mans judgment when we are called before mens tribunal seats for the profession of Christ and required to give an account of our faith in Christ then we that are true believers will do it boldly we are not ashamed to own him for our Lord and Master Why Because we love him and this is the top of our love to make us stick fast unto him in times of tryal Or this is the perfection of our love the putting it to its proper use it was one of the ends for which this grace was planted within us that it might cause us to abide with Christ and not to shrink away from him when we are brought before mens judgment seats * The latter clause of the 17. v. Because as he is so are we in this world is rendred in the Syriack in the time past Because as he was so are we in this world As if the meaning were this Why should not we be bold to stand to the cause of Christ If we suffer for him it is but what he did for our sakes We are thereby rendred conformable unto him He was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief and shall we not willingly partake of his sufferings Vide Marian. in loc I am the rather confirmed in this interpretation from the following words v. 18. There is no fear in love but perfect love casteth out fear as if he had said if persons love Christ sincerely which is Evangelical perfection if they love him really and in good earnest they will not be terrified with the threatnings of men but they will acknowledge him for their Master in the midst of an adulterous and sinful generation and though they should be dealt with for it even as they dealt with Christ Why Because they dearly love him and that love keepeth under their carnal fear and causeth them to go on with courage amidst all oppositions * The Gnosticks whom as some think the Apostle here confutes held that Christians in danger might to save their lives deny Christ outwardly Provided that they owned him in their-hearts To confute which devillish opinion St. John asserts the necessity of confessing Jesus v. 15. answerable to Matth. 10.32 33. And here he sheweth that denying Christ for fear of death was utterly inconsistent with love to him For many waters cannot quench love neither can the flonds drown it Cant. 8.7 And therefore when Peter had denyed his Master once and again for fear of danger what is the question that our Saviour puts to him after his Resurrection See Joh. 21.15 16 17. Simon Son of Jonas lovest thou me more than these Simon Son of Jonas lovest thou me He said to him the third time Simon Son of Jonas lovest thou me as if Christ had said haste thou not cause to question the integrity of thy love towards me Should not thy love have kept thee from disowning thy Lord even in the High-Priests-Hall though in times of danger Is there not reason for thee to search into the reality of thy love where was it at that time when thy carnal fear did so prevail 3. That love of Christ which will be evidential of our ingrafture into him must be a superlative love When we give the Lord Jesus the top of our affections and the uppermost seat in our hearts and place nothing above him or in competition with him When persons plead that they love Christ and it is pity he should live will some carnal people say that doth not love the Lord Jesus but they love the world better they love the Son of God but they have more love for their lusts and the pleasures of sin this is indeed to reject and despise him For Mat. 10.37 He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me and he that loveth son or danghter more than me is not worthy of me Luk. 14.26 If any man come to me and haâ—e not his father and mother and wife and children and brethren and sisters yea and his own life also he cannot be my disciple If he doth not hate them that is if he have not a lesser affection for them than for me which in comparison with a greater love is a kind of hatted if he be not ready to cast them away even with detestation and to trample them under his feet when they come in competition with Christ as we are wont to do that which we hate and abhor he cannot be my disciple saith our Saviour For a Believers love to Christ must be a superlative love so as to account all things but loss and dung for Christ's sake and to part with all things to win Christ And to this purpose you must be much in studying the worth of Christ and be careful to get an insight into his excellency For as in secular negotiations men will never part with a great price for a commodity except they know the worth of that commodity so in spiritual affairs you will never be willing to sustain any great loss for Christ unless you know the excellency of him As your apprehensions of Christ's worth are such will be your readiness to venture and lose for Christ's sake Unless the Merchant had been acquainted with the preciousness of the pearl he would never have sold all that he had to buy it Mat. 13.45 46. 4. It must be a love of complacency and satisfaction when there is an holy acquiescence of the soul in Christ and a sweet contentment that ariseth from the enjoyment of Christ When it is the joy and rejoycing of a mans heart to be conversing with him * Amor est delectatio cordis alicujus ad aliquid propter desiderium in appetendo gaudium perfruendo Per desiderium cürrens requiescens per gaudium Else when persons say they love Christ but perhaps think not a serious thought of him from one end of the day to the other seldom or never have him in their meditations care little for any spiritual intercourse with him that is but a pretended love If a man love the Lord Jesus indeed he will long after converse with him it will be as marrow and fatness to his soul to be in his society Psal 63.1 2 3 8. O God thou art my God early wil I seek thee my soul thirsteth for thee my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty Land where no water is c. And v. 8. My soul followeth hard after thee It is love to Christ which maketh Believers so prize the Ordinances wherein they are wont to meet with him that is the reason why they take it so heavily to be deprived of those priviledges and that they can hardly bear the withdrawment of his presence but their spirits are ready to sink within them See what effect it had upon the Spouse Cant. 5.6
state unto the end I answer It is built especially on a sixfold foundation 1. Upon the unchangeableness of the purpose of God concerning believers and the never failingness of his love towards them whereby he did elect and fore-ordain them to everlasting life and set them apart for the eternal enjoyment of himself This purpose of God cannot be frustrated or disappointed His counsel shall stand and he will perform all his pleasure and the love of God towards his chosen is not a transient fleeting but an everlasting love And therefore when he hath gathered a people unto Christ he will never suffer them to be divided from him again For that love which moved him to shew compassion upon them and to draw them unto his Son is unalterable as his own nature and essence * Dona dei sunt 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rom. 11.29 i. e. Dona illa quae proficiscuntur ex electione ut indicant verba proximè praecedentia Secundum electionem Charissimi Suar. de Praedest without any variableness or shadow of turning Jer. 31.3 I have loved thee with an everlasting love As for its original it is from everlasting so it reacheth unto everlasting whom he loveth indeed he loveth unto the end This is noted as the very ground of their perseverance 2 Tim. 2.18 19. Who concerning the truth have erred saying The resurrection is already past and overthrow the faith of some Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure having this seal The Lord knoweth who are his The foundation of God that is the eternal purpose and electing love of God upon which the salvation of the faithful is built as upon a sure ground-work This cannot be shaken that any of them should fall away to perdition whom God hath chosen to eternal life And the Lord knoweth who are his q. d. It is true the faith of some may be overthrown who were never sound in the faith but not a person who is the Lord 's indeed shall ever miscarry for their perseverance is built upon a sure foundation namely upon the electing love of God that will never fail 2. The indissolubleness of this union is built Vpon the nature of the Covenant made with believers and the truth and faithfulness of God in keeping Covenant with them It is such a lasting Covenant as is confirmed with an oath whereby the Lord hath manifested the unchangeableness of his counsel And wherein he hath made provision for the discharge and performance of the articles which are on their part to be discharged as well as for conveyance of the mercies which he is ingaged to convey thereupon This you have often spoken of as the ground of their establishment Isa 54.8 9 10. In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment but with ever lasting kindness I will have mercy upon thee saith the Lord thy Redeemer For this is as the waters of Noah unto me for as I have sworn that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth so have I sworn that I would not be wrath with thee nor rebuke thee For the mountains shall depart and the hills shall be removed but my kindness shall not depart from thee neither shall the Covenant of my peace be removed saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee As if he had said As sure as the day and night shall not fail according as I sware unto Noah after the flood so sure my mercy shall not fail towards you not shall ye at any hand fall short of it for I have made it over unto you by a covenant confirmed with an oath It is one remarkable difference between the word of God and his oath That sometimes a word of promise is made under certain exceptions and conditions implyed upon the failure whereof God may repent of the good which he promised to do Jer. 18.7 9 10. But when the Lord sweareth he will not repent That is a certain token of the immutability of his counsel Psal 110.4 Heb. 6.17 Now the perseverance of the Saints is a mercy which God hath sworn to give unto them Luke 1.73 74 75. The oath which he sware to our father Abraham that he would grant us That we being delivered out of the hands of our enemies might serve him without fear in holiness and righteousness before him all the dayes of our lives Not only that we should be admitted into his service but likewise abide therein unto the death And for the freeness of the Covenant wherein God hath graciously obliged himself not only to perform the mercy promised but also to assist believers with his Spirit for performance of the duty required at their hands so as not to fall short of that mercy Take that noted place Jer. 32.39 40. And I will give them one heart and one way that they may fear me for ever for the good of them and of their children after them And I will make an everlasting covenant with them that I will not turn away from them to do them good but I will put my fear in their hearts that they shall not depart from me 3. The indissolveableness of the union between Believers and the Lord Jesus is built upon the charge that is given unto Christ concerning them and his faithfulness in accomplishing what he hath undertaken for them Thus Sirs when God the Father did put all his elect into Christ's hands and constituted and ordained him to be a Mediator for them it was with this express charge That he should conduct them to glory Not only that he should gather them unto himself and give them spiritual life but that he should guide them with safety to the kingdom of heaven And this charge he undertook John 17.2 As thou hast given him power over all flesh that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him Heb. 2.10 In bringing many sons to glory Now in pursuance of this undertaking Christ doth kni◠them to himself inseparably that he may be a faithful steward of the grace of God It is the very reason which our Saviour giveth why no man shall pluck Believers out of his hands because he is to give them eternal life John 10.28 And the Apostle Peter put much stress upon it when he prayeth for the settlement of Believers in the faith 1 Pet. 5.10 But the God of all grace who hath called us into his eternal glory by Christ Jesus after that ye have suffered a while make you perfect stablish strengthen settle you Here is a bundle of arguments to incourage our dependance upon God for our abiding in Christ There is scarcely a word but hath an emphasis upon it to that purpose 1. It is God that strengthens you he that is able to do it and is on your side so that greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world All your adversaries are but creatures who labour to draw you away but he that establisheth you
faith Col. 2.7 So much for the third signal mercy or blessing which floweth from ingrafture into Christ and hath dependance thereupon namely The communication of the supplies of the Spirit 4. A fourth mercy that depends upon having the Son or union with the Son is The gracious acceptation of all our service and duties Take an unconverted sinner and he may do many things in Religion he may suffer much upon a religious account and be at much cost and expence in his profession and practise And the God of heaven hath no regard unto it Herein lieth the misery of a man out of Christ that whatsoever he doth for God is not accepted of the Lord. He may make many prayers and lose all his labour therein For the cars of the God of heaven are shut against them Isa 1.15 When you spread forth your hands I will hide mine eyes from you yea when you make many prayers I will not hear When you spread forth your hands that is Although you call upon me with never so much seeming earnestness although you seek after me in a solemn seemingly affectionate maner with your hands stretched out towards heaven I will hide mine eyes from you i. e. I will 〈…〉 in a way cannot endure the sight of them And when you multiply to pray I will be so far from granting your requests that I will turn away my self in disdain from you I will not so much as give you the hearing O what a sad word is this to the ungodly They trust in their duties when the Lord abhorreth them See another Text setting forth their deplorable condition in this respect Jer. 7.21 Thus saith the Lord of hosts the God of Israel Put your burnt offerings unto your sacrifices and eat flesh It is unto the wicked he is speaking and it amounts to this As if he had said Keep your duties to your selves I will have nothing to do with them make your best of your offerings and never bring them unto me as long as you live in your iniquities Their burnt offerings or Holocausts were wholly to be burnt but as for their sacrifices the offerers themselves might eat some part of them Now saith God to those impenitent sinners Take them and and eat them both put them together and use them your selves make your best advantage of them for I regard them not Mark it These were costly duties and in respect to their signification they were Evangelical duties but whilst they were still in their sins God hath no delight in them What course then shall a man take that his sacrifices may be accepted Why he must get into Christ and be knit to him for this is a mercy which floweth from union with him Then if he offer up his duties in the Name of Christ the work is owned and the concomitant infirmities will be passed over Particularly then his supplications and prayers shall be graciously answered which is 〈…〉 given The Lord will with-hold no good thing from him Joh. 15.7 If ye abide in me and my words abide in you ye shall ask what ye will and it shall be done unto you O what a mercy is this to have the King 's eat the ear of the King of kings Your heavenly Father will deny you nothing And for the general acceptance of all their duties of God's appointment consult the Text 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 q. d. Then your performances will be accepted through him when ye your selves are built upon him and cemented unto him Here is another proof of the indispensable necessity of this Union No having the Son and no acceptation of any duties whatsoever 5. Another blessing which floweth from union with Christ and is attainable only thereby is A title to the promises of the Gospel which concern this life or that which is to come And this is a matter of unspeakable concernment for if you would enjoy the mercies conveyed by the promises you must have an interest in the promises You must secure a title to them as your heritage and portion and then they will prove a rich treasury or magazine to furnish you with every thing needful for life comfort and happiness There can be nothing desired for the advancement of a mans welfare which is not contained therein The promises are the foundation on which our hope is bottomed Indeed herein it differs from presumption which expects mercy from God without a word of promise to warrant the expectation thereof But good hope through grace is built upon the word Psal 119.49 Remember the word unto thy servant upon which thou hast caused me to hope If a person entertain strong hopes of mercy and salvation without a word for it or against the word that is hope of the devils causing or such as proceedeth from the delusion and cozenage of his own Spirit it will prove such an hope as will make him ashamed at length and will be like the giving up the Ghost When God causeth a man to hope it is built upon the word that is the word of promise whereby mercy is entailed upon the servants of the Lord. And pray mark it Sirs you can have no title to the promises so as to rest upon them and to be able to plead them with God and to lay hold upon them as your heritage till you have the Son and are knit unto Jesus For in him they are established They are part of the inheritance prepared for the Saints and unless a person be married to the heir he can lay no just claim to the inheritance 2 Cor. 1.20 For in him all the promises of God are yea and in him Amen unto the glory of God by us And therefore the promise is said to be given through faith in Christ Gal. 3.22 that is A title to the promise or the enjoyment of the mercy promised is made over to a sinner by faith in Christ by that uniting grace which joyneth us unto Christ This is the fifth special mercy depending upon union with the Son Except you have the Son the Mediator of the Covenant you can have no right to the promises contained in the Covenant Your title to them doth result and flow from your oneness with him 6. There is Union with God the Father and an intimate acquaintance with him Whilst out of Christ we are at a distance from the Father yea at an enmity with him He is a consuming fire and we are as so much bryars and thornes and it were a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God But by having the Son that distance is removed and the enmity taken away and we are knit unto God so as to have fellowship and communion with him As Christ is in the Father and the Father in him so Believers by being in Christ are in the Father also Joh. 17.21 That
Fathers will which hath sent me that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing but should raise it up again at the last day This is the first thing to be noted 2. For the winning over a sinner to become the Lord Christ's and to surrender up himself into his hands He doth first treat with the sinner to that purpose and doth intreat and perswade him to accept of the grace of the Gospel Just for all the world as it is in order to marriage first the party is wooed before the contract is made so Christ doth woo the soul to become his Spouse and to accept him for an husband To this end he imployeth his Ministers to intreat sinners in his name and sends his Spirit to deal with their hearts and to propound the match unto them Such is his gracious condescension towards fallen man that although the whole benefit of this union redound unto us yet he is pleased to beseech us to close with him 2 Cor. 5.19 20. Now then we are Embassadors for Christ as though God did beseech you by us we pray you in Christ's stead be ye reconciled to God The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ is not only free grace and abundant grace but 〈…〉 〈…〉 with salvation unto the children of men so he doth seek unto them and earnestly beseech and intreat them to accept the offers of salvation Gen. 9.27 God shall perswade Japhet * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Alliciet scilicet ut suo tompore ad cultum Dei tentoria Shem i. e. Ecclesiam accedat Fut. per Apoc. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hiph pellexit allexit c. Buxtorf so the word signifieth and he shall dwell in the tents of Shem. Mark it The Church of Christ for some ages was well neer confined to the posterity of Shem Abraham and his seed came out of the loyns of Shem. And by Japhet understand the Gentiles who were his off-spring for by them were the Islands of the Gentiles possessed Now saith the Spirit of God the time will come that the Gentiles shall be gathered unto Christ they shall be brought into the Church How or by what means will this be so brought to pass why Christ will woo them and treat with them he will perswade them effectually and prevail by his perswasions 3. In pursuance of this comparison note further That our faith in Christ which is the uniting grace whereby we are joyned to him and made one with him is The consenting of our hearts to take Christ for our Redeemer as he doth tender himself to us and the resignation or giving up our selves into his hands As in the business of marriage it is the consent of parties that makes it The proposal being made the woman accepteth of such a man to be her Husband and accordingly giveth up her self unto him 〈…〉 gether Thus it is in the transactions of matters between Christ and the Church we are contracted to him by our consent to be his and taking him to be our Lord and husband Cant. 2.16 My beloved is mine and I am his Wilt thou have me for thy Husband and Saviour upon the terms of the Gospel saith Christ by his Spirit unto the sinner O Lord answereth the sinner through grace I will I give my full consent and surrender up my self unto thee and thus they are united Therefore it is the great complaint of Christ that he cometh to sinners and they will not accept him Joh. 1.11 He came unto his own and his own received him not Joh. 5.40 And ye will not come unto me that ye might have life And it is said of the Christians of Macedonia when they believed in Jesus they gave themselves unto the Lord 2 Cor. 8.5 4. This consent of the heart to be the Lord Christ's and acceptance of him for our Redeemer if it be such as uniteth us to him and maketh us one with him must be a marriage-consent and acceptance My meaning is It must be so qualified and circumstantiated as is required in the consent of persons when they are married togeâ—her That is to say It must have these three properties It must be 1. A present consent and acceprance 2. A full and hearty consent and acceptance 3. An entrie and indefinite consent and acceptance 1. It must be a present acceptance of Christ and closure with him and not only a promise for the future to take him hereafter and to submit to him in time to come For as Casuists and Civilians observe though promises for the future leave an obligation upon the parties promising yet they do not make up a marriag-contract that must be in words de praesenti So when sinners ingage hereafter to give up themselves to the Lord Jesus although it will add to their sin and condemnation to live in the neglect of performing such ingagements yet they are not thereby united unto Christ but still abide under the wrath of God If we would be made one with him we must immediately give up our selves unto him and take him to be our Lord and Saviour Psal 16.1 2. Preserve me O God for in thee do I put my trust O my soul thou hast said to the Lord thou art my Lord. Psal 116.16 O Lord truly I am thy servant I am thy servant It is not said I will become thy servant hereafter when I have a convenient season and then I will obey thee and put my trust in thee but I thy servant I thy servant q. d. Here am I ready to set upon any service I enter my self now into thy service to abide with thee henceforward even for ever 1 Cor. 7.22 He that is called being free is the servant of Christ If he be effectually called if he answer the invitation of the Gospel he must ingage without delay in Christ's work For it is the present time which is the time of acceptance and the present day which is the day of salvation 2 Cor. 6.2 And the truth is Sirs that bare promises for the future are so far from uniting us to the Son that they are nothing else but the sly endeavours of the heart to put a cheat upon Christ It is by such hypocritical promises that when sinners are convinced of the necessity of closing with Christ they do break through such convictions and get from under the power of them When conscience presseth them hard this is the answer whereby they stop the mouth of conscience hereafter they will become obedient to the Gospel But be not deceived Christ will not be dallyed with but all persons shall know that he searcheth the hearts and the reins and is able to see through their dissimulation and hypocrisie and he will give to every one according to their works Rev. 2.23 2. It must be a full and hearty consent and acceptance with the whole soul of a man It is not a faint wishing and woulding after Christ that will give us an interest in him but
when the whole heart goeth out unto him * Quod cor non facit id non fit As it is in marriage A woman may have a months mind as we are wont to express it to have such a man for her Husband and yet remain a stranger to him When they are married indeed there must be a rejecting all other Suitors and a full consent to be his So it is in these spiritual affairs there may be a slothful velleity and luke-warm inclinations in the spirit of a wicked man towards Christ he may have an heart for his lusts and an heart for a Saviour but this cold and sluggish desire will never make up the match betwixt them If a man will be knit unto Jesus he must abandon all things for him and give him reception with the whole spirit Psal 110.3 Thy people shall be willingnesses in the day of thy power * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Populus tuus erit spoutaneitatum i. e. summè spontaneus So the word imports that is they shall so heartily consent to take Christ for their Lord and Husband as if all the faculties of the soul were turned into will they shall so fully embrace him as if there were a concentring together of many wills to make one violent current to go forth unto him as if all the doors of the soul were set wide open for his entertainment They shall be willingnesses abundantly willing as if the whole man were nothing but will See it in the case of Zacheus how heartily he consents to take Christ upon his terms and salvation by him Luk. 19.6 He made haste and came down and received him joyfully 3. It must be an unlimited and indefinite acceptance without any secret reservations or exceptions Poor carnal people are apt to deceive themselves in this respect They will have Christ for their Saviour and Master but it is alwayes upon some proviso or other that they may keep such a beloved lust that they may have liberty to fulfil this carnal pleasure or to live in the practise of the other profitable sin they will give up themselves to the Lord Jesus provided alwayes they may comply with the times and save their estates and humour such a great man on whom they depend provided they be required to serve him only in the Sunshine of the Gospel and be not bound to follow him through tribulations Such caveats and proviso's they enter into but this leaveth them still in subjection to the devil For that acceptance and consent which uniteth a sinner unto Christ must be a marriage-consent when we take him wholly and entirely without any acceptions to submit to him in all his institutions and commandments and to cleave to him in all estates and conditions When we take Christ for our Lord and Husband to have and to hold for better and for worse for richer and for poorer in sickness and in health to go with him through fire and water resolving through grace that nothing shall divide betwixt us and that we will never joyn with any other in confederacy against him We must come to him as Paul upon his conversion Act. 9.6 Lord what wilt thou have mâ— to do q. d. Here I am in a readiness and resolvedness for any manner of service Let me but know thy will and through divine assistance I will stick at nothing He doth not say thus far I could be contented to follow after thee upon conciâ—ion I be not put upon difficult service and that I be not forced to forsake such a lust or to break off my intimacy and familiarity with this or the other sinful companion No but here I bring my soul as a blank paper write what terms and conditions thou pleasest and I am ready to subscribe to them Do but shew me thy way and cut out the work which I am to do and whatever it is I am resolved to set upon the performance This is the fourth thing to be noted our consent to take the Lord Christ must be a marriage-consent and upon marriage terms and articles 5. Note from this comparison in the next place That a believers obedience and service which he tenders unto Christ throughout the whole course of his life must be an affectionate obedience or a service mingled with love and proceeding from love We must not serve him as slaves meerly out of fear and no further than we are forced by outward respects or by the clamours of conscience but as a Spouse is obedient to her husband and careful to please him because of her affection towards him Matrimonial subjection is a loving subjection and such must â—e ours to the Lord our Saviour This is to to serve him evangelically answerable to the dispensation of the Gospel which proclaimeth and promalgateth the love of Christ unto sinners When our obedience doth spring from a principle of love to Jesus and is intermingled therewith and is promoted by the sense of his love to sinners thâ—n it is Gospel-obedience and new Covenant-service Not but that the fear of wrath and heâ—l may have its due place and efficacy to quicken a Believer unto the works of holiness but love is the most evangelical motive most proper and suitable to the dispensation of the Gospel And therefore the Apostle prayeth in behalf of the Ephesians in order to their more abundant fruitfulness in the wayes of God their being filled with all the fulness of God that they might be rooted and grounded in love that is love towards Christ and that they might be able to know the love of Christ his love towards them which passeth knowledge i. e. that they might have some clear and competent apprehensions of it though in its full extent and greatness it can never be comprehended Eph. 3.17 18 19. 6. Lastly note That this similitude taken from the relation betwixt the husband and wife besides its holding forth the union of a Believer with Christ doth import also that mutual complacency and satisfaction which they take in converse one with the other How doth Christ delight in maintaining fellowship with the Saints And how do their spirits exult in the enjoyment of Christ See the mutual dearness that is betwixt them Cant. 7.10 11 12. I am my beloveds and his desire is towards me Come my beloved let us go forth into the field let us lodge in the villages let us go early to the vineyards let us see whether the vine flourish whether the tender grapes appear and the pomegranates bud forth there will I give thee my loves The meaning is this The heart of the Church was so set upon Chriâ— that it was her chiefest delight to be in communion with him as the wise taketh pleasure in the society of her husband and he in hers So much for the third special resemblance for illustration of this mystery drawn from the conjunction which is betwixt the husband and wife 4. The fourth and last similitude which I shall
mention upon this account is taken from the union between the foundation and the building erected thereupon They are coupled together and knit into one so as to make up one house So the servants of Christ are knit unto him being built upon him 1 Cor. 3.9 11. Ye are God's building Upon what foundation are they built See v. 11. Other foundation can no man lay than that is laid which is Jesus Christ Believers then are as a fabrique erected upon Christ and cemented unto him A little to unfold this resemblance I will only mind you of three things 1. The holy Ghost doth make mention in the records of the Scripture of a twofold foundation with reference to the Church 1. A doctrinal foundation 2. A personal foundation 1. A doctrinal foundation whereupon our faith is to be bottomed as upon an infallible and unmoveable ground This foundation is the Scriptures the doctrines contained in the Bible the Word of God therein revealed and in that way made known unto the children of men Eph. 2.20 Ye are built upon the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets that is Upon the doctrines contained in the Old and New Testament whereof the Prophets and Apostles were the publishers and the penmen by whom as instruments the mind of God was transmitted to succeeding generations * Gubernabit te verbum Dei ad portum coelorum te adducet spiritus sanctus Our faith Sirs is not to be bottomed on the dictates of men or the traditions of our fathers for then it would be a fickle unstable uncertain faith But it is to be built on the sure word of Prophecy The doctrines of the Bible are to be the foundation of it In this respect our Lord Jesus Christ is compared to the chief corner stone He is the principal subject whereof the Scripture treats and whereunto the doctrines tend they are appointed to discover Christ unto us and to bring us unto him and to build us up in him He is the person in whom the strength of the building lieth and through whom the two walls of the building are joyned together Jews and Gentiles are made up into one house and Church as the sides of a building are coupled together by the corner stone 2. There is a personal or essential foundation upon whom a Believer depends for life and salvation by whom the Church subsisteth and through whom it is constituted as a temple for God Thus Christ is the foundation and every Saint is a stone in the building founded upon him Isa 28.16 Behold I lay in Sion for a foundation a stone a tryed stone a precious corner stone a sure foundation Which the holy Ghost expoundeth once and again as meant of Jesus Christ And it is an excellent passage containing abundant matter of incouragement for humbled sinners to come unto Christ and to rest upon him 1. He is a Saviour of Gods appointment sufficiently authorized to be the Mediator so that if you come to God by him he will not reject you for it is the Lord 's doing to constitute him to be our Redeemer it is the way which God himself hath set open to bring sinners to salvation He is the foundation which the Lord hath laid I lay in Sion for a foundation 2. For the qualification of his person he is mighty to save able to deliver to the uttermost He is not as sand or gravel by which the building cannot be supported but a stone or rock which noteth the stability and strength of Jesus Christ he is able to bear whatever weight is laid upon him No winds or storms from earth or hell can prevail to overturn what is built upon him And this ariseth from the constitution of his person being very God as well as man 3. He is a tryed stone Do you yet question his sufficiency to save you Are you still in doubt whether you may trust in him Why do but mind the experience which he hath given of his ability he is a tryed stone Eve hath tryed him and Enoch tryed him and Noah and Abraham and David and Solomon and all the people of God in former ages have made the experiment and their expectations were not frustrated they found him such a one as he is discovered to be He is a stone of trial a foundation of proof a sure foundation 4. This is that which God would have sinners to take notice of Behold I lay in Sion for a foundation a stone c. q. d. Hear O people and give ear all ye inhabitants of the earth mind what I have done to carry on the salvation of sinners And to what end is this publication made but that we might come unto Christ and unto God by him with full assurance of faith This is the first particular I would observe under this similitude 2. This resemblance doth import That all such persons whatsoever who are knit unto Christ and built up to salvation upon his righteousness must of necessity be made conformable unto him There must be an answerableness betwixt them As the foundation is the supporter of the building so it is a rule and measure unto the building The stones which are set upon it must be proportioned thereunto the superstructure must be of length and breadth according to the foundation So it is in the spiritual building The souls of Believers who are joyned to Christ must bear a proportion to him with whom they are joyned This is the Statute-Law of the God of heaven and it is more unalterable and irrevocable than the Laws of the Medes and Persians That there is no saving interest in Christ without conformity to him Rom. 8.29 Whom he did foreknow he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son Mark It is the unchangable decree of the Lord of Hosts If you are saved in any other way or at a cheaper rate it must be by the alteration of God's decrees which are unchangeable as his nature and essence without any variableness or shadow of turning As Christ could never have been our Redeemer but he must be made like unto us so we shall never taste of the Redemption purchased by him unless â—e be made like unto him This conformity of a Believer to the Lord Jesus Christ doth mainly lie in five things viz. 1. The qualifications of his â—erson 2. The sufferings of his death 3. His resurrection and ascension into heaven 4. The holiness of his conversation 5. The troubles and persecutions which he underwent upon the earth 1. Believers must be made like unto Chist in the qualifications of his person Their judgments must concenter with Christ's judgment in the approbation of such things as he approveth and disapproving those things which he disliketh Their affections must run in the same chanel wherein Christ's affections run loving what he loveth and hating what he hateth and delighting in that wherein he taketh delight Their minds must be placed on the same objects on which
hominem quem non tellat atque perimat Dominus ut suos conservet Calv. in loc Rather than lose but one of those who are in Christ he will destroy and pluck up whole nations before him He will strike through kings in the day of his wrath and wound the heads over many Countreys Psal 110.5 6. 4. The peculiarity of providence doth appear in this That many outward enjoyments are given to the ungodly and they are set on high for Believers sakes Not that God hath delight in the wicked or is a countenancer of their evil wayes but therefore he doth prosper and advance them because he intends to use them for the good of his Servants Either to exercise their faith and patience and to purge away their dross or sometimes to shelter them from the rage of others It was for Jacob's sake that corn was laid up in Egypt Gen. 45.7 It was for Israel's sake that Cyrus was advanced to the Empire and the treasures of darkness given to him Isa 45.3 4. Your great Statesmen little think of this Their design is by the advancement of persons to make their party strong or to please a friend or to carry on their secular interest one way or other But God over-ruleth all for his peoples sake Unto whom he hath a peculiar regard in all things that are brought to pass under the Sun And no marvel for they are in Christ married unto him and acaccordingly God hath a respect unto them This is the second Inference 3. The last Inference which I mainly intended to inlarge upon is this If there be an indispensable necessity of Union with the Son in order to the partaking of life through him Then the state of all unconverted sinners whatsoever before they are knit unto Christ by the spirit of regeneration taking hold on their persons and working faith in them to take hold on the Lord Jesus is a dead estate For till they are ingraffed into the Son they can have no life from him He that hath the Son hath life and he that hath not the Son hath not life i. e. he is stark dead utterly dead This is one of the expressions which the holy Ghost hath singled out to set forth the wretchedness and misery of a person in the state of unregeneracy before he is brought unto Christ He is not only defiled with sin but dead in sin Not only in a condition like that of the man that fell amongst thieves in his journey from Jerusalem to Jericho Luk. 10.30 as some would bear us in hand who wounded him and left him half dead But he is quite dead without any spark of spiritual life remaining in him By our Apostacy we brought our selves into a dead condition * Propheta dicit Anima quae peccat ipsa morietur Quamvis mortem ejus non ad interitum substantiae sentiamus Sed hoc ipsum quia aliena extorris sit à Deo qui vera vita est mors ei esse credenda est Orig. and till we are united to Christ we are unavoidably shut up in that condition The Son is the fountain of life unto lost sinners and there is no reception of life from the Son without having the Son And therefore the conversion of a sinner is not as the recovery of a sick man out of his distemper but as the raising of a dead man out of the grave Joh. 5.24 25. It is a passing from death to life For as it is v. 25. The hour is coming and now is when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God and they that hear shall live It is meant of a spiritual resurrection of the first resurrection and the raising of the body is afterwards produced as an evidence of the mighty power of God whereby he is able to work this wonderful change upon the soul v. 28 29. My brethren When a godly man dieth he shall live that is when his body is dead his soul shall live in the presence of Christ and see the face of God in glory but an unregenerate person whilst he liveth is dead that is whilst he liveth the life of nature and the life of sense and the life of reason he is dead spiritually And it must needs be so because he is separated from Christ who is the fountain of life What is said of the widow that liveth in pleasures is true of every impenitent sinner He is dead whilst he liveth 1 Tim. 5.6 How or in what respect you will say are unconverted sinners dead I answer In a fivefold respect viz. In respect of 1. Abomination in the sight of God 2. The putrefaction and rottenness of that condition 3. Utter impotency and inability to what is spiritually good 4. Damnation or liableness to eternal death 5. The abundant evils incident to or the perfect wretchedness of that condition 1. The state of all Christless unconverted sinners is a state of death in point of loathsomness and abomination in the sight of God You know that dead carkasses are loathsom unto the living though a person hath been never so neer and dear to us yet when they are dead we cannot endure their presence Let me bury my dead saith Abraham out of my sight Thus the unregenerate are dead God loaths and abhorreth them and all that is done by them They are as smoak in his nostrils as dead stinking carrion in his sight Prov. 3.32 For the froward is an abomination to the Lord but his secret is with the righteous By the froward understand the wicked of all sorts for they are opposed to the righteous And indeed every ungodly man is perverse and froward in his wayes He riseth up against the light of his own conscience and resisteth the workings of the Spirit and is ready to rebel against the plain counsels of the word He is a prating fool as he is elswhere called his heart is finding fault with this command and cavilling at the other duty in all things he walketh cross to God and holiness and delighteth in crooked paths Let the Lord say what he will he hath some objections against it and is resolved to hold on his own course and therefore is justly called froward And what is the condition of such why they are an abomination to the Lord. I pray think of this you that live in any way of sin you that harbour any secret lust in your bosoms and hide it as a sweet morsel under your tongues and thereby evidence that you are not in Christ Remember I say though you may be rich and great and men may flatter you yet God abhorreth and detesteth you You may have high conceits of your selves but you are a burden to the Spirit of the living God and if you go on in those wayes he will quickly ease himself of you For he hateth all the workers of iniquity Psal 5.5 O Sirs How should men hasten their escape out of this sad estate and adore the patience
is gracious and merciful and full of compassion and therefore they hope he will spare them notwithstanding Nay but O vain man If thine heart still goeth after thy detestable things the God of incomprehensible mercy will not shew thee one drop of mercy He that is unspeakable in his compassions will not have one dram of pity or compassion upon thy soul It is true He is gracious and merciful and will not turn away his face from you if ye return unto him 2 Chron. 30.9 But God shall wound the head of his enemies and the hairy scalp of such a one as goeth on still in his trespasses Psal 68.21 The mercy of the Lord is from everlasting unto everlasting upon them that fear him and unto such as keep his Covenant Psal 103.17 18. But he will not be merciful to any wicked transgressor Psal 59.5 Why Sirs do not you know that he is a God abundant in truth as well as rich in mercy And he will shew no mercy to sinners in a way derogating from his truth Exod. 34.6 It is he that hath said The wicked shall be turned into hell and all the Nations that forget God Psal 9.17 and the Word of the Lord will certainly have its accomplishment When thou presumest of mercy Remember withal that he is a God of truth and as sure as God is true if thou goest on in sin and remainest ununited unto Christ thou wilt perish for ever notwithstanding that God is merciful For all the wayes of the Lord are mercy and truth unto such as keep his covenant and his testimonies Psal 25.10 Alas poor deluded wretch dost thou hope for mercy to keep thee from hell whilst thou art in a course of ungodliness Why man The mercy of God will come up in judgment against thee and sink thee deeper into hell * Quos diu ut convertantur tolerat non conversos durius damnat Hier. Tarditatem vindictae compensat gravitate supplicii for by despising the goodness of God thou art treasuring up wrath against the day of wrath Rom 2.4 5. Dost thou presume of mercy in thy state of impenitence Why man This very presumption will add load upon thy back and degrees unto thy torments Read over that Text deliberately and the Lord awaken thy conscience in the perusal of it Deut. 29.19 20 21. And it come to pass that when he heareth the words of this curse he bless himself in his heart saying I shall have peace though I walk in the imagination of mine heart to add drunkenness to thirst It is to this effect as if the carnal wretch had said God is gracious and merciful and though I have no interest in Christ but take my pleasure in sin and am not so forward in godliness as these precise Ministers would perswade me yet I trust in God that he will shew pity upon me he will not be so severe as these hot-spirited men would bear us in hand God is a God of mercy and delighteth in it and I hope to taste of his compassion and that he will not send me to hell whatever he hath said Well But will such a person find mercy because he hopeth for it Will he meet with peace because he saith in his heart He shall have peace Nothing less This very presumption of mercy whilst in his sins will be a means to bar and bolt the door of mercy against him * Quo diutius expectat eo districtius judicabit For mark what followeth v. 20 21. The Lord will not spare him but then the anger of the Lord and his jealousie shall smoke against that man and all the curses that are written in this book shall lye upon him and the Lord shall blot out his name from under heaven And the Lord shall separate him unto evil out of all the tribes of Israel according to all the curses of the Covenant that are written in this book of the Law c. This is the fourth respect in which a Christless estate is a state of death viz. In point of condemnation or obnoxiousness to eternal death 5. Lastly Unconverted sinners are in a state of death in respect of the abundant evils incident to that condition They are in a perfectly wretched and miserable estate For death comprizeth all sorts of evils As when life is promised to the godly it is a comprehensive term that containeth all sorts of blessings and mercies whatsoever Psal 30.5 Prov. 3.18 So when the wicked on the other hand are said to be dead that is a big-bellyed word that carrieth all kinds of evils in the bowels of it troubles and vexations and perplexities here and at last eternal ruine and desolation Deut. 30.15 19. Now in this sense they are all dead who are not in Christ Destruction and misery is in their wayes and the way of peace they have not known Rom. 3.16 17. To work this upon your hearts study seriously these three Texts of Scripture Job 15. from v. 20. to the 30. Job 18. from v. 5. to the 21. Job 20. from v. 5. to the end of the Chapter And withal observe these four subsequent notes 1. Christless persons are under the guilt of all the sins and transgressions that ever were committed by them since they had a being And God will one day reckon them up in order and lay them in full load upon their shoulders Possibly sinners themselves have forgotten multitudes of them but the God of infinite knowledge hath written them down exactly in his book and at length he will bring them forth into judgment And truly Sirs One would think there needed no more to make them miserable enough One sin if laid to our charge would sink us irrecoverably into perdition Alas How will the sinner stand when all his iniquities shall meet together and be sealed up as in a bag and bound fast upon him If a wicked man should sit down and make a catalogue of the sins of one month or week what a vast heap would they amount to Vain thoughts proud and earthly and unbelieving thoughts inordinate passions and affections unsavoury and rotten communication evil actions done and duties left undone and slightness and superficialness in the discharge of duty and the like Yea but when all the sins of his whole life and the native pravity and wickedness of his heart shall be gathered together into one bundle what a numberless number would they amount to What unconceivable torments would be the wages of them if considered as clothed with all the aggravating circumstances thereof Why Sirs when God enters into judgment with the unregenerate he will not abate them one sin Psal 10.15 Break thou the arm of the wicked and the evil man Seek out his wickedness till thou find none That is set them down in order till they are all set down Let not one of them remain untaken-notice of Let them be searched out so exactly till there be no more to be found We are
apt to think that God will not be so strict as some would press us to believe But if you are wicked sinners he will not abate you one transgression The very sins of thy youth which are slipt out of thy memory God will fill thy bones with them and make them lie down with thee in the dust Job 20.11 And as for thy secret sins which the world could not observe he will bring them to light and set them in order before thine eyes Eccl. 12.14 Psal 50.21 2. Persons out of Christ are in a wretched condition because they have God for their adversary who is the mighty possessor of heaven and earth in whose hands are all the corners of the world and at whose command and beck is every creature in being to fulfil his pleasure Against whom never did person rise up and prosper For he is wise in heart and mighty in strength Job 9.4 This all-powerful God is their enemy that setteth against them the living and eternal God who is able to pursue them that oppose him with fiery indignation for ever Into whose hands therefore it is a fearful thing to fall Heb. 10 31. Job 9.4 My brethren a few right and serious apprehensions of the nature and attributes of God would make a mans heart shiver and tremble at the very thoughts of having him for an adversary For as Moses saith Who knoweth the power of his anger Psal 90.11 No secure sinner knoweth it for if they did it would rouse them out of their security and cause them to flie for refuge unto the city of refuge * Omnis peccans est ignorans No unregenerate person knoweth it Had they but a glimps of the discovery of it their ears would tingle at the mention of his being against them It would be a vexation by day and by night only to understand the report of God's being their enemy who in a moment can break them in pieces like a potters vessel Who knoweth the power of his anger The meaning is It is unsearchably dreadful and past finding out So that this alone were sufficient to bespeak them throughly miserable For may a man say to the unregenerate as the King did to the woman that cried unto him for help 2 King 6.27 If the Lord do not help thee whence shall I help thee If God do not comfort thee what enjoyments can do it for they are all at his disposal and can minister no further assistance than he is pleased to put into them If the Lord of Hosts be set against thee who can deliver out of his hands 3. Vnconverted sinners are under a curse in all that doth concern them And how can they expect to succeed in any of their affairs when there is a curse from heaven intermingled therewith This is the condition of every person out of Christ to be an accursed person And that curse is of an extensive nature It rideth a large circuit it spreadeth it self upon and insinuateth it self into every mercy which they receive and every work they perform and every place and relation they are in and every providence they are under Prov. 3.3 The curse of the Lord is in the house of the wicked But what if he go out of his house may he not escape it No The curse will follow him whithersoever he goeth and suck out the sweetness of whatsoever he doth possess Deut. 28.15 16 17 18 19 20. It shall come to pass if thou wilt not hearken to the voice of the Lord thy God to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day that all these curses shall come upon thee and overtake thee Cursed shalt thou be in the City and cursed shalt thou be in the field cursed shall be thy basket and thy store cursed shall be the fruit of thy body and the fruit of thy land the increase of thy kine and the flocks of thy sheep Cursed shalt thou be when thou comest in and cursed shalt thou be when thou goest out The Lord shall send upon thee cursing and vexation and rebuke in all that thou settest thine hand unto for to do until thou be destroyed and until thou perish quickly because of the wickedness of thy doings whereby thou hast forsaken me Mark how the curse pursueth the ungodly and although he stave it off with all his strength and skill yet it will come upon him And if he flee from it it will follow after him And if he run never so fast it will overtake and seize upon him and all that he hath and will never be removed till he leave his sins and get into Christ or else be made eternally accursed This is the third particular to set forth the misery of a Christless condition It is an accursed condition And it must needs be so for Christ alone can deliver us from the curse of the Law and you can have no redemption through Christ except you are ingraffed into him 4. Persons unconverted and ununited to Christ must of necessity be in a perfectly wretched condition because all the comminations and threatnings in God's word belong unto them and hang over their heads and unless prevented by a speedy return unto God will actually fall down upon them As a Believer cannot but be blessed because he hath a right to all the exceeding great and precious promises of the Gospel so an unregenerate person cannot but be miserable because all the dreadful and direful threatnings of the word are his share and portion And this in very deed is the reason why sinners for the most part cannot endure to be conversant in the word and it is a trouble and vexation unto them when passages of the Scripture are darted into their Spirits Because as Ahab said of Micaiah it never prophecieth good concerning them it denounceth nothing but wrath against them All that is written in the Law is set against them and if there be not enough written God will bring upon them more evils than are expresly mentioned in the threatnings of the Law Their inward thought is that God will not deal so severely with them as is contained in the word But mind it Sirs if you continue in sin he will fulfil his word with advantage He will bring upon such all the plagues that are written Also every sickness and every plague that is not written in the book of the Law them will the Lord bring upon such persons till they be destroyed Deut. 28.61 So much for the third Inference That persons out of Christ must of necessity be dead for he that hath the Son hath life and he that hath not the Son hath not life There is one main objection should have been answered under this head which relateth especially to the third way of their being dead viz. in respect of impotency and inability to that which is spiritually good I will briefly touch upon it in this place though it cometh in a little out of order
Lord himself in some other place hath undertaken to perform that we might be quickned to seek unto him for it In Jer. 4.4 you have it as a precept Circumcise your selves to the Lord and take away the foreskins of your hearts But in Dent. 30.6 it is a word of promise And the Lord thy God will circumcise thy heart and the heart of thy seed to love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul Ezek. 18.31 God hath laid it as a commandment upon us Make you a new heart and a new spirit But Ezek. 36.26 The Lord himself hath undertaken it for us A new heart also I will give you and a new spirit I will put within you 4. God doth command the unconverted to turn themselves though they are dead in sins and trespasses because he doth employ his word of precept as the means whereby effectually to turn them Together with his commandment To cleanse themselves he doth send forth his Spirit to make them clean * Utitur Deus praeceptis ut corda nostra ad obsequium trahat Sic mortuos quoque non frustra Deus alloquitur quando per ipsum illud alloquium vitam mortuis infundit quod efficere vult declarat Wendel It is just for all the world in this case as in Christ's calling upon Lazarus Joh. 11.43 He cried with a loud voice Lazarus come forth This did not import any power in Lazarus to raise up himself for he had been four dayes dead But together with the word of Christ there went forth a secret energy and vertue from him whereby he was raised So when Christ's call goeth forth unto the wicked to turn and repent it doth not suppose any power in them but together with his word he sends forth the efficacious operation of his Spirit whereby they are turned and repentance is wrought within them And this is according to one of the Statute-Laws of the great God of heaven that his Word and Spirit shall go forth together The holy Ghost worketh in the word and by the word The commandment is the vehiculum or conduit-pipe by which the Spirit is conveyed to plant grace in mens hearts Isa 59.21 Prov. 1.23 Jam. 1.18 And this should incourage the unconverted to be much inreading the word and in meditation upon the word and to give their constant attendance upon it when it is preached and to be often pressing it upon their hearts and personally applying it to their own cases and consciences 5. I might shew you That although it is God alone by his Almighty power who is able to convert a sinner unto himself yet he is pleased to lay his commands upon them and to reason and expostulate the case with them that so they may be wrought upon in a rational way For God doth not work upon men as upon stocks and stones but dealeth with them as creatures indued with reason and understanding He draweth them powerfully to Christ yet he doth it sweetly without offering violence to the will of man And therefore he maketh use of commandments to press them thereunto and of arguments and spiritual reasonings to inforce those commandments and so doth overcome their stubbornness by making those means to prevail Joh. 6.44 45. No man can come unto me except the father which hath sent me draw him and I will raise him up at the last day It is written in the Prophets And they shall be all taught of God Mark it The Lord draweth men by teaching them and making those teachings efficacious He acteth with a strong hand and an outstretched arm but that arm conquereth them in a way of instruction And thus I have done with the first Vse viz. that of Information CHAP. XI The Use of Trial. Self-examination the way to attain the knowledge of our Union with Christ Wherein the work of Self-examination consisteth Motives to quicken thereunto Directions for the right managing of that work 2. THe principal use I drive at for the improvement of this point is by way of examination and Trial. If union with Christ or having the Son be of such absolute necessity in order to salvation by him Then it concerneth us to take this doctrine home to our selves and to enter upon a serious debate wich and examination of our selves whether we be in Christ whether we have the Son by being united unto him Else we have no right to eternal life but are still in our sins and under the wrath of God So that as you tender your everlasting well-being and the welfare of your immortal souls put this question closly to your hearts and follow it earnestly till you get a determinate answer thereunto Am I united unto the Son of God Doth Christ dwell in me and am I ingraffed into him It is a matter of infinite weight and moment for if you fall short of this priviledge you are ruined everlastingly A mistake herein may undo you utterly without recovery This is the foundation of all true peace and comfort so that make a strict enquiry into it It is a matter which may be known for the Apostle John telleth us of Believers that they knew they were in Christ 1 Joh. 2.5 and Self-examination is the way to know it And therefore take my counsel in the words of S. Paul 2 Cor. 13.5 Examine your selves whether you be in the faith prove your own selves Know you not your own selves how that Christ is in you except ye be reprobates Examine and prove that is make a curious and narrow search into it be very inquisitive concerning it ransack your whole souls that ye may find it out pierce your selves through leave no stone unturned no corner of your hearts unript up What! know ye not your own selves q. d. Is it not a shame to be ignorant of your own spiritual estate whether you be in Christ and Christ be formed in you Can you rest contentedly without the knowledge of it Why if you do not know it the fault is probably in your selves because you do not set upon the work of Self-examination or you are slight and superficial in that work so that enter upon it throughly and in good earnest My brethren If you knew that you were united to the Son of God your hearts would be able to make their boast of God continually you might rejoyce in him all the day long you might be assured of access unto him and a gracious acceptance with him upon all occasions you needed not be afraid in times of evil though one evil rumour come upon the neck of another and one sore calamity usher in another When others walk droopingly and disconsolately you might serve the Lord with alacrity and gladness of heart and this joy of the Lord would be your strength And if you continue out of Christ better were it for you that you had never been born So that it much lieth upon you to get the knowledge of it and therefore call
your selves to an account how the case stands with you Say Have I the son Am I planted into Christ If people are unacquainted with this particular touching themselves it is mostly through the neglect or persunctory discharge of the work of Self-examination As will evid intly appear by these three following considerations 1. Without Self-examination a man can never pertinently and appositely apply the Word of God unto himself nor compare the frame and temper of his soul with the Word of the Lord so as to be able to pass a righteous judgment thereupon My brethren it is the Word of God which is the rule for discovery whether we be in Christ or not as I shall shew you more fully anon but this discovery cannot be made by a bare naked speculation of the truths contained therein except we personally apply the truths unto our selves and compare our selves with them Just as it is in secular matters The Carpenters line and plummet will discover the straightness or crookedness of a piece of timber but this it cannot do by taking a single view of the line unless it be applyed unto the timber The Standard is appointed to shew the justness or falshood of weights and measures but then you must bring them unto the standard and compare them with the standard So the Scripture is the rule for trial of mens hearts whether they be straight or crooked It is the standard to evidence a mans spiritual estate whether his person will hold weight in the ballance of the sanctuary when he cometh to be judged of the Lord but then he must apply this rule unto himself and compare himself with this standard Such persons as would know that they are of God must not only view the light but must also bring their persons and actions unto the light Joh. 3.21 He that doth good cometh unto the light that his deeds may be manifest that they are wrought in God He taketh the light of God's word and his own soul and purteth them both together that he may see what correspondency there is between the one and the other And it is said of the wicked v. 20. of that Chapter He hateth the light and doth not come unto it that is He cannot endure personally to apply it unto himself You have many carnal people could be content to know the truth in the general notion but they hate it in the particular application to their case But if you would know whether you are in Christ you must apply and appropriate the word of God unto your selves and compare it with your condition Now to bring this home to our purpose This application of the word and comparing our selves with it can never be done aright without self-examination Except the Physician know the constitution and temperament of the patient he can never apply suitable remedies unto him so except we search and enquire into the frame of our souls we can never apply the Scripture properly and suitably unto our souls Except a man search into his wayes and actions as well as into the word he cannot compare those actions with the word But he will be apt upon every turn to run into mistakes and practical errors He will take that word home to himself which doth not belong to him and pass such a sentence upon himself as is not to be passed upon him It is hinted as the ground of mens deceit and self-cozenage because they do not look into themselves Prov. 21.2 Every way of a man is right in his own eyes but the Lord pondereth the hearts As if the holy Ghost had said If men did but search their own hearts they would not be so mistaken concerning their wayes nor pass such a false judgment upon themselves They presently conclude that their wayes are right because they do not throughly look into them nor take a view of their spirits which are the principle of action but God ponder eth their hearts 2. If you would know that you are or whether you are united to Christ you must be diligent in the examination of your selves and the reason is Because that is the very means which God hath especially designed to this end and appointed to be made use of to this purpose to bring us unto the knowledge of it This is a Maxim in Religion as clear as the noon-day That if we would comfortably expect any mercy from the Lord or gracious assistance unto any work or business we must look for it in the use of such means as God hath appointed to that end and wherein he is wont to convey such grace and assistance Now self-examination is the means which God hath required to be made use of to bring us to the knowledge of our ingrafture into Christ For Sirs although it is God alone who can powerfully and convincingly make it known to us yet we must not sit still and be idle and say if God will discover it to me I shall know it But we must wait upon him in the way wherein he is wont to meet his people to this end which is in the duty of self-examination If we would have our calling and election made sure our selves must give diligeâ—â—e to make it sure 2 Pet. 1.10 3. Self-examination is the way to arrive at this knowledge whether we are spiritually ingraffed into the Son Because hereby we shall find out those falshoods under which our spirits are apt to lie hid and those deceits whereby our hearts are ready to cheat us in passing a false judgment upon our selves Self-examination will shew us where the cheat lieth and upon what ground it is that we deal treacherously in this matter You read of a people Isa 28.15 who thought themselves to be free from the wrath of God when indeed they were the very generation of his wrath And what was the reason of it whence did this deceit proceed Why they took sanctuary in lies and covered themselves over with falshoods When the overflowing scourge shall pass thorow it shall not come unto us for we have made lies our refuge and under falshood have we hid our selves The meaning I take to be this They built their hopes of deliverance upon rotten pillars and sandy foundations They apprehended themselves to be in a right way when they were not that their hearts were for God when indeed it was a lie for they were set upon sin and idolatry and full of desperate wickedness They thought they were in the service of the Lord and that therefore he would shew them favour when in truth it was a falshood they were in the broad way that leadeth to destruction Now how should a man discover the falshood of these pretences and find out the fallacies whereby our hearts would impose upon us in this case Why By being diligent in the examination of our selves There is a full Text to this purpose Gal. 6.3 4. For if a man think himself to be something when he is nothing he deceiveth
Joh. 3.18 These adaequate properties are such as you should principally take notice of and select for your use in the trial of your union with Christ and for the clearing of it up to your selves whether you are ingraffed into him You will know them by these three conditions 1. There must be universality of the subject they must be found in all persons united to the Son 2. Peculiarity they must be such as belong only unto them 3. Indefiniteness of time such as appertain to the Saints at all seasons This is the fifth Conclusion I intended to open the nature of self-examination Concl. 6. The last assertion is this That such marks and signs of whatever sort they be whereupon a Christian may confidently rest in the examination of himself and according to the tenour of which he may pass a righteous sentence upon himself whether he be united to Christ must be clearly deduced from the Scriptures and plainly bottomed thereupon Mark it I say if you would not be deceived and proceed upon mistakes you must fetch your evidences from thence and see that they be such characters of union as are warranted thereby Else you may possibly get some presumptuous hopes but you can never attain unto a well-grounded assurance For the Word of God is the only sure foundation which you can build upon in this case of enquiry And the reason lieth herein because our Lord Jesus in his proceedings will judge us by the Scriptures and pass everlasting sentence upon us according to the tenour of the Scriptures And therefore by that rule we should judge our selves If a man have a trial at Law touching his estate or life and would know before-hand whether his cause be good he doth not depend upon what this neighbours thoughts are or the others opinion is But he searcheth the Law and addresseth himself to men skilful in the Law as knowing the judge will proceed according to that Rule Why Sirs At the great and general Assizes Christ will try all causes by the Word of God and pass judgment upon all sorts according to the Word so that by it we are to be guided in the trial of our selves Joh. 12.48 He that rejecteth me and receiveth not my words hath one that judgeth him the word that I have spoken the same shall judge him in the last day As Christ himself is ordained to be the judge of the quick and dead so the doctrines which he hath delivered will be the rule of all his judicial proceedings both in acquitting the righteous and condemning the wicked You read Dan. 7.10 that when judgment is set The books shall be opened And this is one of those books which shall be consulted with in the case The book of the Statutes and Ordinances of the King of heaven the Law which he appointed for a testimony in Jacob. As the book of every mans conscience shall be opened for their conviction wherein they shall read their guilt in legible characters For that is a book of record wherein mens actions are entred and although now it be shut and sinners will not look into it many of the lines and sentences are almost obliterated or blotted that they cannot be read Yet at the day of accounts God will refresh and recover the lustre of those ancient writtings And as the book of life shall be opened Rev. 20.12 that is to say the decrees of God will be then published and made known which now are sealed up in his breast and locked up in his Archives Then it will be seen who are appointed to life for the glorifying of the free grace of God and whom he purposed to leave in their sins and perish for the exaltation of his justice I say As these books shall be opened so there is another book to be made use of in that day to wit The great Statute-book of the Lord of Hosts the records of the Gospel of Jesus Christ Jam. 2.12 So speak ye and so do as they that shall be judged by the Law of liberty i. e. by the word of the truth of the Gospel of Christ the whole Word of God registred in the Scriptures Chap. 1.23 25. which if hearkened unto is the means to set men at liberty from their bondage to sin and Satan By the Gospel of Christ which though it give no manner of countenance unto licentiousness but is a strong argument against it yet proclaimeth liberty to penitent sinners and the opening of the prison to them that are bound upon a due submission to the government of Christ Besides it may be called a Law of liberty or freedom because it doth not flatter any man as to his spiritual condition but dealeth openly and freely with him and telleth him his own without tergiversation And this affords us another reason why we should fetch our marks of union from the Scripture because it will deal freely and plainty in the discovery of our spiritual estate without respect of persons For Sirs if you build your confidence upon the opinions of men or upon the bare dictates of your own hearts you may be deceived Men may sooth you up in your sins and your hearts will flatter you but the word of God will deal freely and impartially with you It will represent matters as they are in their own proper colours without favour or affection So that this is an excellent means to overthrow presumptuous hopes and to build aright in our expectations of eternal life when we fetch all our marks and signs of being in Christ from the Scriptures and bring our evidences unto the Scriptures Thou hopest to be saved through Christ because thou wast born in the Church and baptized and performest some outward duties of Christ's appointment Nay but Ovain man where doth the Scripture say these are tokens and evidences of union with Christ and salvation through him Thou hopest for admission into heaven upon the account of Christ because thou art free from such scandalous sins whereof others are guilty thou knowest such and such truths whereof many are ignorant or because such godly persons converse with thee and have a good opinion of thee But poor deluded wretch where doth the Scripture say that any or all of these are marks of having the Son or of coming to the kingdom of heaven by the mediation of the Son Remember my bres thren that the Word of God is appointed not only for the rule of faith and guide of our conversations but also for the trial of our spiritual estate whether we be interested in Christ and united unto him That we may have hopes indeed and not only a presumptuous confidence which will make us ashamed at the last Rom. 15.4 For whatsoâ—â—er things were written aforetime were written for our learning that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope Psal 130.5 I wait for the Lord my soul doth wait and in his word do I hope So much for the first thing I intended
God that it may prove a certain evidence of conversion and consequently of our union with Christ Jesus It must of necessity have these six properties and each of them must be enquired after in the business of self-examination It must be 1. Spiritual 2. Vniversal 3. Evangelical 4. Sincere 5. Thriving 6. Stedfast obedience 1. It must be spiritual obedience answerable to the nature of that God whom we wait upon and whose servants we are His essence is spiritual and such must our obedience to him be if we will serve the Lord acceptably and make it appear that we are of the number of his peculiar people Bodily exercise and a meer external devotion will strike a great stroke in making up the form of godliness but the power of it consisteth in that which is spiritual Joh. 4.23 The true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth for the Father seeketh such to worship him These are the true worshippers that is such as are so in Gods account whom he will graciously receive and own in their performances When people serve him in a bare external bodily manner he reckoneth them as his greatest enemies their service is but a piece of dissimulation which hath only the shadow of worship For the substance lieth in what is spiritual And such the Father seeketh to worship him i.e. such worship he commandeth and his soul is well pleased with Although it seemeth to be spoken here with a peculiar reference to instituted worship yet it holds strongly as to natural worship also even of all the parts and particulars of his service For the reason which is rendred v. 24. is comprehensive of all Because God is a Spirit So that our obedience if it prove us a chosen generation whom God hath set apart for himself must be spiritual And that in a threefold respect In respect of the 1. Principle from whence it floweth 2. Extent how far it reacheth 3. Subject whereon it is terminated 1. In respect of the principle from whence it proceedeth It must be such obedience as cometh from the heart and wherein the soul and spirit is ingaged Not an honouring him with the lips and drawing neer to him with the mouth when the heart is removed far from him Not a serving him only by a kind of compulsion under some terrible apprehensions of the judgments of God not in a slothful careless and lukewarm manner as if Religion were a weariness to us and we had no mind to our work But when we serve him aright our hearts must be ingaged to approach unto him Jer. 30.21 22. we must be fervent in spirit serving the Lord Rom. 12.11 And our inward parts must be employed in the works of holiness When a mans tongue doth speak forth the praises of God and his heart joyneth with him in the business when his hands do act in the works of piety and his spirit concurreth in the action and carry him on thereunto this is to serve the Lord with the Spirit Although he calleth for the body also to be imployed in his service as indeed he deserveth the whole man yet not as a picture or image without life and soul but as animated by the heart Prov. 23.26 My son give me thine heart and let thine eyes observe my wayes q.d. A slave will give me his hands and feet and the strength of his body an hypocrite will offer up the outward man but if thou be a son I must have the heart and spirit 2. It must be spiritual obedience in respect of the extent of it how far it reacheth Such as sets us in opposition against spiritual sins as well as fleshly such as causeth us to fight against secret pride and envy and earthliness and unbelief and malice and double-mindedness and the like as well as to obstain from rotten communication and gross outward pollutions It must be such obedience as is exercised in spiritual duties as meditation on the word of the Lord and frequent contemplation of the excellencies of God adoring his Majesty and admiring his works and setting the affections on things above as well as in pleading the cause of holiness and openly walking in the profession of it It must carry us to such works as are performed in the secret recesses of the Spirit and sets us a striving against such corruptions as are forged and fabricated in the spirit which no eye can observe but God and our own consciences 2 Cor. 7.1 Let us cleanse our selves from all the filthiness both of the flesh and spirit Rom. 8.5 They that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh but they that are after the spirit the things of the spirit Psal 73.1 Truly God is good to Israel even to such as are clean of heart See further Psal 24.3 4. Mat. 6.21 3. In respect of the subject whereon it is terminated It endeth in the further renewing and purifying the spirit and getting more degrees of habitual grace into the heart When we are not only contented to be kept free from the acts of sin but do mourn and lament under the principle of sin and labour to deaden that principle When we do not think it enough to do much for God but fain would have our spirits transformed every day more and more into the image of God Thus it will be if you are converted If a carnal person resist the temptation he thinks his work is done and is apt to glory in himself as if the whole business were dispatched But a convert layeth the ax to the root of the tree he followeth the corrupt stream to the poysonous fountain whence it is derived and nothing will satisfie him but cleansing the fountain and taking revenge upon his lusts that lodge within him Rom. 7.23 24. Paul's actual sins cause him to have an eye upon his heart by which he was turned aside I see saith he another law in my members warring against the law of my mind and bringing me into captivity unto the law of sin which is in my members O wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from this body of death This is the first qualification It must be spiritual obedience 2. If you would prove your conversion and consequentially your union with Christ by your obedience It must be universal obedience Not a partial and restrictive serving of God but a following him fully as far as the whole circuit of holiness reacheth As it is said of Caleh Num. 14.24 He followed the Lord fully and that proved him to be a man of another spirit and of a gracious temper indeed sanctified by the holy Ghost because his obedience was universal There is a threefold universality must go to the right qualifying our obedience that it may be evidential of a converted estate It must be universal in relation to the 1. Agent or person obeying 2. Rule of obedience 3. Times and seasons of the performance 1. In relation to the agent or person
obeying that is when a man doth consecrate and devote his whole self both soul and body to the keeping of Gods commandments and doth his will not only from the heart but with the whole heart and spirit When there is a concentrication and conjunction of all the powers and faculties of the whole person in the service of the Lord the understanding is apprehensive of the mind of God and the judgment approveth the way of his precepts the affections run out in earnest desires to do and delight in doing the will of God the will is in a posture of ready compliance therewith the conscience stirreth up unto obedience and the members of the body are instruments in the execution of what is enjoyned Contrary to that dividing heart which the Scripture condemneth when the several faculties of the soul draw several wayes The understanding and judgment and conscience are for God and his wayes but the will and the affections for sin and the world and such lying vanities When persons have an heart and an heart an heart for God and an heart for Belial they are not come to any setled determination but their spirits halt between two opinions My brethren If you would prove that you are converted unto God your hearts must be united to fear his name and all that is within you must be gathered together to the observing of his Statutes Jer. 29.13 Ye shall seek me and find me when you search for me with all your hearts And mark the words of Samuel to the men of Israel when they lamented after the Lord 1 Sam. 7.2 3. And Samuel spake unto all the house of Israel saying If ye do return to the Lord with all your hearts then put away the strange gods and Ashtaroth from among you and prepare your hearts unto the Lord and serve him only and he will deliver you out of the hands of the Philistines As if he had said Be not deceived it is not some faint inclinations unto godliness and a little lamentation after the Lord that will give you an interest in his mercy But if you would be accepted of him you must espouse none other interest but his you must carry on none other design co-ordinate with that of pleasing the Lord and walking with him if you are his servants at all you must be his altogether and give him your whole heart and mind and soul and strength And the reason is apparent because in sanctification grace is pouted out into the whole man and the change wrought is an universal change And it is not the actings of a part which will evidence a change in the whole But when the whole man is set upon the wayes of God This is the perfect heart which was a comfort to Hezekiah when all the soul goeth together in the way to heaven and there is no part lacking Isa 38.3 Remember O Lord I beseech thee how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart 2. It must be universal in relation to the rule or the particulars of obedience When there is an equal and uniform respect unto all the commandments of the Lord and a readiness to be pressed upon any service whether greater or lesser with whatsoever difficulty it is attended and whatsoever self-denial is required in the discharge of it When a man's soul is drawn out in a detestation of every sin and doth not live in the allowed omission or neglect of any known duty whether secret or publike whether generally practised or despised by the generality You read of Herod that he heard John Baptist and did many things but this was no proof of a sound conversion because in other things he fell short * Qui facit solummodo ea quae vult facere non Dominicam voluntatem implet sed suam Salvian In some cases he did what was commanded and in others he took liberty to trample upon the commandment Mark 6.20 And this is the furthest that carnal Professors go They are as Cakes not turned half-bak'd Christians as it is said of Ephraim Hos 7.8 As to the abandoning of some sins and discharge of some duties they bid fair for heaven But as for other corruptions by which they think they have their livelyhood and that have a more than ordinary share in their affections they will hold them fast and shake hands with Religion when they come to difficult points of obedience and so discover their rottenness Thus Jehu bade fair for salvation and yet fell short 2 King 10.30 31. He destroyed Baal out of Israel and did to the house of Ahab according to all that was in God's heart Howbeit from the sins of Jeroboam he departed not he thought those sins were so interwoven with his secular interest that he could not keep the Kingdom without them That no calves at Dan and Bethel and no king in Israel But now when a person can say in uprightness that his heart standeth in awe of the whole Word of God and whatever he findeth with the stamp of a divine precept upon it he is willing to submit to and through the assistance of the Spirit will close with it be it never so contrary to flesh and bloud though it run directly cross to his worldly interest and cost him never so much ignominy and reproach from the wicked though it expose him to never so many troubles and hardships here is that obedience in the life which will evidence grace in the heart Psal 119.6 Then shall I not be ashamed when I have respect to all thy commandments i. e. Then it will appear that my profession is sound and my hopes well bottomed and such as will not deceive me then I shall not be put to confusion at the day of accounts nor be frustrated and disappointed in my expectations of glory when I have this testimony to produce that I am a servant of God because I esteem all his precepts in every thing to be right and have a conscientious regard unto them all 3. It must be universal obedience in relation to the times and seasons of the performance of it Psal 106.3 Blessed are they that keep judgment and he that doth righteousness at all times Not as some Professors whose Religion is modelled according to the providences they are under and the company which they meet and converse with When godliness is in esteem and credit in the world they will be clothed in that dress and none shall be more forward in religious duties and exercises But when it is discountenanced and under a cloud then their course is changed They row their boat as the tide runneth backward or forward and hoise up their sails according as the wind bloweth If they fall into a religious family and amongst godly company there they will approve and commend the wayes of God and if their lot fall amongst vain and profane persons they will be wanton and vain and profane and scurrilous as the rest They will do
person upon the most serious and deliberate examination of himself be still left in the dark as to his union with Christ for want of clear evidences of his conversion The way to make sure work in this behalf and to put the matter out of question is to put forth immediately fresh acts of faith upon the righteousness of Christ for salvation to renew his repentance as to the evil of sin to make a fresh surrender of himself into the hands of God upon the terms of the Covenant of grace and to enter presently upon the course of new obedience * Conscientiae meritò perturbatae haec unica est ratio pacanda Si qui sic afficicur adduci possit in illum statum per veram fidem resipiscentiam ut assumptio syllogismi illius quo turbatus fait merito incipiat esse falsa jure negetur Ames Thes de consc These Sirs are those acts which the principle of regeneration doth first exert and put forth when it is planted into the soul and these spiritual acts are often reiterated and repeated by the souls of such as are converted So that if you were before effectually called these will be the renewings of your conversion and if you were formerly unconverted yet hereby it will be evident that you continue such no longer But that through grace now the work is wrought These being the immediate products of the grace of conversion I will a little open this word of Advice in relation to each of the particulars asunder 1. Act your faith afresh upon the Lord Christ and his righteousness Endeavour in the sense of the greatness of the evil of your sins and apprehension of the insupportableness of the wrath of God deserved by sin in the due acknowledgment of the justice of God that must be satisfied and the insufficiency of all your personal qualifications and obedience to give satisfaction thereunto to cast your selves upon Christ's righteousness to put your selves for redemption into his hands and to accept him for your Saviour upon the terms of the Gospel This is to believe in Jesus and if it be done now in sincerity and truth it will be a comfortable evidence that either you were formerly united unto Christ or else that at the present the knot is tyed betwixt him and your souls See the words of our Saviour Joh. 12.46 I am come as a light into the world that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness Only take the advice with this provise See to it that you do not mistake in the nature of faith that you do not take a dead faith for a living nor an hypocritical counterfeit faith for the faith of God's elect And then if you believe indeed the putting forth that principle into exercise will be as a present evidence that you are gotten into Christ and have a right to the favour of God through his bloud 2. To put the matter out of question touching your conversion and union with Jesus Christ Renew your repentance as to the evil of sin Labour to get such a sight of your transgressions committed against the Lord as may fill you with godly sorrow for them and to be so deeply affected with your own filthiness and pollutions that you may loath your selves and lie down in your shame upon the account of that filthiness Upon taste of the bitterness of your departings from God and the destructive nature of your iniquities let your hearts be set in hatred of them and cast them away from you with utter detestation and abhorrence never to come neer you again as to any reconcilement with them Especially abhor those iniquities which have mostly prevailed over you say unto your lusts get ye hence what have I to do any more with you You have ruined my soul and I will never yield subjection to you further If I have served you hitherto through Gods assistance I will do it no longer This my brethren is repentance according to the Scriptures And if your hearts speak these things in uprightness it will help to demonstrate that you have the grace of repentance and so shall never come into condemnation Only take heed that your hearts do not dissemble and flatter in this work Jer. 31.19 After I was turned I repented and after I was instructed I smote upon my thigh First Ephraim was made partaker of the grace of conversion and then he doth exercise that grace in a sincere repentance Indeed a legal repentance may be without grace in the heart but this evangelical repentance is the product of grace and an evidence thereof See 2 Pet. 3.9 Luke 15.7 10. 3. To prove that you are converted Make a fresh surrender of your selves into the hands of God upon the articles of the Covenant of grace Resign up your selves anew unto the most High make choice of him for your only portion set your affections upon him as the chiefest good and give up your selves unreservedly to be his servants and to be wholly at his disposal That is another spiritual act which the principle of regeneration doth immediately put forth when it is infused into the soul and if you perform it in the integrity of your hearts it will be an evidence that you are partakers of that principle Isa 44.3 5. I will pour out water upon him that is thirsty and flouds upon the dry ground I will pour out my spirit upon thy seed and my blessing upon thine off-spring And then it followeth v. 5. One shall say I am the Lords and another shall call himself by the name of Jacob and another shall subscribe with his hand unto the Lord and firname himself by the name of Israel Mark it Assoon as the Spirit of God is put into the soul that soul doth give up himself unto God and list himself amongst his followers So that as a present proof of your having the spirit of conversion take your hearts along with you and go to the Lord and make a full and fresh refignation of them and of your whole selves into his hands Take with you words and go unto the Lord as it is elsewhere expressed My meaning is this 1. Take with you words of election and choice say unto him O Lord I now take thee to be my God and my Master I will henceforward make thee my refuge and fortress I will set my heart upon thee as my only happiness and exceeding great reward If I have stood it out formerly against the tenders of grace I will stand out no more If I have followed after lying vanities I will follow them no longer Now I make choice of the Lord Behold I come unto thee for thou art my God and I abandon all things that stand in competition with thee This sort of words you shall meet with Jer. 3.22 23. 2. Take with you words of surrender and say unto God O Lord here I am to dedicate my self and my strength and my time and my
instruitur ad peccandum Orig. mostly warneth against for they are knit to Christ It is the very argument pressed for prevention of scandals 1 Cor. 8. v. 9 12. Take heed lest by any means this liberty of yours become a stumbling block to them that are weak For as it followeth v. 12. When ye sin so against the brethren and wound their weak conscience ye sin against Christ How against him Why not only against the word and commandment of Christ which is hereby contemned so all sins are against him not only against the work of Christ which you hereby oppose Christs work is to save these weak Christians and what in you lieth by your scandals you put an obstacle in the way of their salvation But you sin especially against Christ because they are his members knit unto him and made one with him So that my brethren the matter of scandalizing and offending the meanest of the Saints of the most High is not of such trivial concernment as many persons would make it When they are pressed with an argument drawn from this Topick of offending the servants of God they turn it off with a wet finger as if it were a matter hardly worth the mentioning But Sirs is it nothing to sin against Christ the Mediator Is it nothing to destroy those for whom he died and who are in him sure I am that our Saviour himself putteth much weight upon it and reckons it amongst the sins that he will severely punish Mat. 18.6 Whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me it were better for him that a milstone were hanged about his neck and that he were drowned in the depth of the Sea 2. Do not reproach or speak evil of the people of God Dare not to vent a contemptuous or malicious word against them for they are one with Christ and so whatsoever is spoken against them doth not only reflect upon him but is accounted as spoken against him Jude 15. Behold the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his Saints to execute judgment upon all and to convince all that are ungodly amongst them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodlily committed and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him How do they speak against him Not only when they openly blaspheme the name of Christ and utter despiteful words against the person of Christ But when they reproach his people and vent their hatred in evil words against his Saints This is reckoned as done against Christ because of their near relation unto him and union with him Commonly their hard speeches are immediately directed against Believers Many that pretend a love to Christ or that will not be so profane as to speak reproachfully of him will be often lashing at his followers and taking all advantages to smite them with the tongue and to cast dirt upon their profession But mark it Sirs how little soever you think of it this is to strike at Christ and to wound him through their loyns And in the day of accounts he will convince you of these hard speeches he will make you to know to your eternal sorrow what an evil it was thus to wrong his people For it is for the Son of mans sake that the godly are reproached and their name is cast out as evil And besides he dwelleth in them and they are one with him Luk. 6.22 So that you should be afraid to speak evil of them As the Lord said to Aaron and Miriam Num. 12.8 Wherefore were ye not afraid to speak against my servant Moses q. d. He is my servant one of my family and what he doth is in my name I the Lord employ him in the work that he hath undertaken and could you imagine that I would not take his part or that I would not stand up in his vindication and defence So may the Lord Jesus say to you in this respect This people whom you despise and trample upon are my people you account them as the dung of the earth and the off scouring of all things and at every turn are ready to cast dirt in their faces But they are of my retinue they belong unto me nay they are mystically one with me and could you think I would not rise up in their behalf Wherefore were you not afraid to speak a word against them you do thereby east dishonour upon Christ and load him with your reproaches for they are his members 3. Have not the least hand in persecuting or actually opposing the people of God Do not hinder their progress in the wayes of holiness nor be a means to bring them into sufferings upon that account Remember They are one with Christ the Saviour and if he shut the door of heaven against you who can open it for your admittance He hath the key of David that openeth and no man shutteth and shutteth and no man openeth They are united to Christ the Judge and what favour can you expect at his hands if you set your selves in defiance against him But you will say we do not meddle with Christ far be it from us to act in the least against him We only punish and set against a company of inconsiderable people that walk in a way contiary to the rest of the world who have a path by themselves and would be deemed more holy than their neighbours If Christ were upon earth we would honour and serve him But Sirs be not deceived God is not mocked If you hate believers for their holiness you would much more have hated Jesus Christ whose holiness is unspeakably more than theirs and you would persecute him if he were within your reach for he walked more precisely and strictly than any of the poor Christians whom you oppose and in a far greater contradiction to the world Besides what you do against them is interpreted as done against Christ himself because they are one with him Act. 9.4 5. Saul Saul why persecutost thou me And he said who art thou Lord And the Lord said I am Jesus whom thou persecutest Saul thought he had only hunted the poor Saints at Damascus a company of humorous people that would not conform to the customs and traditions of the Elders a few despicable persons who were contemned on every hand But he is arraigned as an enemy to Christ and found guilty of persecuting the Lord Jesus When he breathed out threatnings and slaughters against the Disciples of the Lord it is accounted as if he had sought the destruction of Christ himself as if his rage and madness had been directly bent against the Son of God Why persecutest thou me q.d. I esteem their affliction as if I were afflicted and their sufferings as if my self suffered And what reason hast thou to set thus furiously against me Is this my requital for coming down from heaven to open a door of salvation for lost sinners Is it not the greatest folly in the world to provoke
say I have backsliden from Christ I have made many promises and faultered in the performance of them I have deeply revolted after frequent vows and protestations of obedience and shall such a wretch as I am find favour Observe the words of invitation and promise Jer. 3.12 Return thou backsliding Israel saith the Lord and I will not cause mine anger to fall upon you for I am merciful saith the Lord and will not keep anger for ever Only acknowledge thine iniquity c. Hos 14.4 I will heal their backslidings I will love them freely I might be very copious upon this particular but must forbear Get a catalogue of these rich and gracious promises often read them and study them pray them over to God and have them alwayes in readiness to produce in answer to all the suggestions of Satan and the fears and despondencies of your own unbelieving hearts 4. There are sundry examples in the Scripture of the most heinous transgressors who upon their believing on the Son of God and returning by repentance unto the most high have found grace in his sight and they are recorded unto this purpose that they may be incouragements for us to be believe also Our first parents were the most wilful offenders that sinned against the greatest light and the clearest manifestation of the will of God who by one sinful act were guilty of the murder of all the generations to come The sin of our first parents and our sin in them Rom. 5.12 was not one single act of disobedience but a twisted complicated or compounded sin that carried many horrid offences in the bowels of it There was cursed blasphemy and unbelief a giving God the lye and not crediting his word monstrous idolatry in believing the suggestions of the devil and hearkening to the instigations of the Prince of darkness devilish pride and discontent with that blessed condition wherein the Lord had placed man upon the earth and affecting to be equal unto God himself unparallel'd cruelty as before venturing upon the insupportable wrath of God to the destruction of themselves and all their off-spring It was a sin committed in a most presumptuous manner and had abundance of ingratitude wrapt up in the nature of it And yet the Lord was pleased to preach the Gospel unto them and it is charitably supposed that they found grace and forgiveness upon the terms of the Gospel However it is plain in the case of the woman who was first in the transgression so much may be collected from the enmity put in her heart against the devil Gen. 3.15 Take the example of Manasseth King of Israel who was a gross Idolater and a witch and a conjurer and shed innocent bloud without measure till he had filled Jerusalem from one end to the other and his wickedness was not confined to his own person but he made Judah to sin 2 King 21.3 6 16. And yet when he humbled himself and sought the Lord and prayed he was intreated of him and heard his supplication 2 Chron. 33.12 13. The Apostle Peter directed the offers of salvation upon repentance unto the crucifiers of the Lord Christ who denied the holy one and the just and desired a murderer to be granted unto them and killed the Prince of life Act. 3.14 15 16 19 26. Not to multiply instances of this nature Take only further that of Saul who was a persecutor and a blasphemer and injurious who compelled others to blaspheme and was exceedingly mad against the Church and yet upon his application to Christ he obtained mercy 1 Tim. 1.13 But what are these things to me will the drooping soul say How shall I be assured to find the like grace and compassion Why mind it These examples are recorded for thy sake and to this very intent that thou mayest take incouragement to cast thy burden upon the Lord and expect to find the same abundant grace as others have found before thee See what the Apostle saith of himself 1 Tim. 1.16 For this cause I obtained mercy that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all long-suffering for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting q. d. It was the design of Christ in shewing mercy upon me to make it appear that he is ready to save others also even the greatest sinners if they will come unto him that they may be saved * Significat statim ab initio Deum proposuisse tale exemplar quod tanquam ex illustri excelsoque theatro conspici posset ne quis diffideret paratam sibi fore venâ—am modo fide accederet ad Christum Et certe praevenitur nostra omnium diffidentia dum ejus quam quâ—remus grattae typum in Paulo sic videmus expressum Calv. in loc To prove that we are thus to make use of these examples of mercy consult that passage of David Psal 32.5 Thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin And then it followeth ver 6. For this shall every one that is Godly pray unto thee c. See also Psal 34.6 8. 5. The last incouragement to faith which I shall mention to be considered is this That God is more eminently and more abundantly glorified in the salvation of such as believe in the Lord Jesus than in the condemnation of the impenitent and unbelievers And therefore without dispute he is willing that sinners should come unto the Son that they may have life through his bloud for it tends to the eminent advancement of his glory which is the principal end which he aimeth at in all his dispensations and undertakings Can you be so sottish as to entertain a thought in your hearts that God is not willing to have his name glorified Why this is specially brought to pass by our believing in Christ and salvation upon his account above what is wrought in the destruction of the wicked God is really glorified in the vessels of wrath fitted for destruction but he doth make known the riches of his glory in the vessels of mercy which he before prepareth unto glory Rom. 9 22 23. A little to make it appear that it is so in very deed because it is a comfortable point and may be improved as a wonderful incouragement to strengthen the hands of faith in taking hold of Christ I will open it in three particulars God is glorified in the salvation of such as believe above what he is in the condemnation of unbelievers 1. More wayes 2. In more of his attributes and excellencies 3. In some of his attributes more transcendently 1. He is glorified more wayes that is both actively and passively passively on Christ their surety and actively in themselves and him God is glorified upon the ungodly in their eternal desolation and ruine i. e. they are subjects upon whom he doth shew forth his power justice and severity and the like out of whom he doth fetch glory to his name Ezek. 28.22 But believers are active instruments to render glory unto
dum recipit de reddendo cogitat Sen de Benef. with for his sake Hath the Lord Jesus taken me into such a neer relation unto himself and shall not I love him and serve him with all my strength Surely to this precious Saviour I will cleave and his pleasure I will do and nothing shall separate betwixt my soul and him Take the exhortation in the words of S. Paul Col. 2.6 7. As ye have therefore received Jesus Christ the Lord so walk ye in him rooted and built up in him and stablished in the faith as ye have been taught abounding therein with thanksgiving 3. Let me add but a few particulars by way of advice and exhortation to all and so we will conclude our discourse upon this subject If in order to the salvation of sinners by Christ they must be united to him and ingraffed in Christ Then be exhorted all of you 1. To learn the spiritual lessons which are from this point to be learned 2. To practise the duties that are hereupon to be practised 1. Learn the lessons which are from this doctrine to be learned And they are principally two which I shall commend unto you besides what I gave you under the use of information 1. Learn from hence The necessity of regeneration in order to eternal life Except you are persons born again of the Spirit you cannot enter into the kingdom of God Except you be quickned by the holy Ghost it is impossible you should be blessed in the presence of the Lord. Why Because you must have the Son you must be knit unto Christ and it is in the day of regeneration that the knot is tyed whereby the Lord Jesus and a Christian are joyned together It is the grace of regeneration and conversion that removeth a sinner from his own bottom and buildeth him upon the Mediator as upon a sure foundation as hath been largely opened So that believe this point and work it powerfully by meditation and prayer upon your own hearts That no regeneration no salvation It was the doctrine wherewith our Saviour began his Sermon to Nicodemus and he speaketh of it as a matter of great concernment to be studied Joh. 3.3 Verily verily I say unto thee except a man be born again he cannot see the kingdom of God Mark how the assertion is strengthned with a double asseveration to note how hard a thing it is to convince a sinner effectually of this matter and how neerly it doth concern us to be thus convinced It is as if Christ had said The children of men are apt to think otherwise they hope to get into heaven upon the account of their notional knowledge and common priviledges and moral righteousness and the like But it cannot be I tell thee it cannot be take it upon my word Do your hearts question it Verily it cannot be verily it is impossible that any man should be saved except he be sanctified Whence you will say doth arise this absolute necessity of a man's being born again I answer It doth arise from these four things 1. From the stedfastness and unalterableness of the purpose of God Whom he hath predestinated unto life he hath determined to lead thither through the gate of regeneration So that if ever you get to heaven without partaking of this grace it must be by the change of the decree and purpose of God which is in its own nature unchangeable for the counsel of the Lord standeth fast for ever And observe the tenour of his purpose touching the way of life 2 Thes 2.13 God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit Although God doth not elect or save any of the children of men for their holiness yet he doth elect them unto holiness that they may be saved 2. The absolute necessity of regeneration doth appear from the infinite holiness and purity of the God of heaven who will never maintain any converse or fellowship with such as lie dead in their sins nor indeed is it possible they should have communion with God till they are washed and sanctified An unsanctified mind cannot behold him an unholy will cannot enjoy him and unholy affections can take no delight or complacency in him My brethren when persons are called into the state of the favour of God they are called also unto fellowship with him Now what communion hath light with darkness What friendly intercourse can there be betwixt a God of incomprehensible purity and such whose spirits are nothing but sinks of filthiness First you must be made again after the image of God and so fitted for acquaintance with the most high for God is of purer eyes than to behold iniquity and he hateth all the workers of it Hab. 1.13 Psal 5.4 5. 3. Without a principle of grace planted in the heart there can be no fruits of new obedience brought forth in the life which are of indispensable necessity to our getting safe to heaven Such as are saved by the Lord must be serviceable unto him for Christ will judge us hereafter according to our conversations here As a man soweth that he shall also reap Rev. 2.23 Gal. 6.7 8. Now except you be regenerate you cannot walk in a course of new obedience First there must be a good treasure in the heart before it can be productive of what is good in the life As the principles are so the practise will be Mat. 12.33 34 35. Besides God doith judge of mens works and deeds by the frame of their hearts in the doing of them He doth search the heart and try the reins that he may give to every man according to his wayes and according to the fruit of his doings Jer. 17.10 4. The indispensable necessity of regeneration doth arise from the influence it hath to unite a sinner unto Christ without having of whom there is no partaking of life through his bloud The day of regeneration is the day of espousals between the Lord Jesus and his people It is that which helpeth to make the marriage betwixt them For if any man be in Christ he is a new creature 2 Cor. 5.17 This is the first Lesson I would from hence commend to your study and meditation 2. Learn from this point of a Believers union with Christ What is the influence of faith in the justification of a sinner or in what sense it is said to justifie us in the sight of God Not by any inherent worth and vertue in it self but because it is the bond that knitteth a sinner to Christ by the imputation of whose righteousness we are made righteous If we are justified it is freely by the grace of God through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus Only the grace of faith is the instrument to bring us unto Christ and the bond of our union with him that so we may partake of that redemption * Sicut olim in deserto serpens aeneus in ligno punctis à serpentibus medebatur
r. tempore p. 257. l. 28. r. exceptions p. 263. l. 26. r. we l. 27. r. him p. 277 l. 12. p. 313. l. 16. r. principal p. 344. l. 14. r. orderly p. 394. l. 7. r. erect p. 396. in the quotation r. proximos Books to be sold by Thomas Parkhurst at the Golden Bible on London-Bridge MR. Sedgwick's Bowels of Mercy fol. Tho. Taylor 's Works the first vol. fol. 2. An Exposition of Temptation and Matth. 4. verse 1. to the end of the eleventh 3. A Commentary on Titus 4. Davids Learning A Comment upon Psal 32. 5. The Parable of the Sower and of the Seed upon Luke 8. and 4. Divine Characters in two parts distinguishing the Hypocrite in his best dress by Sam. Crook B.D. A Learned Commentary or Exposition on the first Chapter of the second Epistle to the Corinthians by Richard Sibbs D. D. fol. A Commentary on the whole Epistle of St. Paul to the Ephesians by Mr. Paul Bain fol. A practical Exposition on the third Chapter of the first Epistle of St. Paul to the Corinthians with the Godly Mans Choice on Psal 4. ver 6 7 8. By Anthony Burgess fol. The dead Saint speaking to Saints and sinners living in several Treatises The first on 2 Sam. 24.10 The second on Cant. 4.9 The third on John 1.50 The fourth on Isa 58.2 The fifth on Exod. 15.11 By Samuel Bolton D.D. fol. Colloquia Mensalia or Dr. Martin Luthers Divine Discourses at his Table with Melancthon and several others Translated by Henry Bell fol. The view of the Holy Scriptures By Hugh Broughton fol. Christianographia or a Description of the multitude and sundry sorts of Christians in the world not subject to the Pope By Eph. Pagitt fol. These six Treatises following are written by Mr. George Swinnock 1. The Christian Mans Calling or a Treatise of making Religion ones business in Religious Duties Natural Actions his Particular Vocation his Family Directions and his own Recreation to be read in Families for their Instruction and Edification The first Part. 2. Likewise a second Part wherein Christians are directed to perform their Duties as Husbands and Wives Parents and Children Masters and Servants in the conditions of Prosperity and Adversity 3. The third and last part of the Christian Mans Calling Wherein the Christian is directed how to make Religion his business in his dealings with all Men in the Choice of his Companions in his carriage in good Company in bad Company in solitariness or when he is alone on a Week-day from morning to night in visiting the sick on a Dying-bed as also the means how a Christian may do this and some motives to it 4. The Door of Salvation opened by the Key of Regeneration 5. Heaven and Hell Epitomized and the True Christian Characterized 6. The Fading of the Flesh and the flourishing of Frith Or One cast for Eternity with the only way to throw it well all these by George Swinnock M.A. Large Octavo's A learned Commentary on the fourth Chapter of the second Epistle of St. Paul to the Corinthians to which is added First A Conference between Christ and Mary Second the Spiritual Mans Aim Third Emanuel or Miracle of Miracles by Richard Sibbs D. D. 4to An Exposition of the five first Chapters of Ezekiel with useful observations thereupon by Will. Greenhil 4to The Gospel-Covenant or the Covenant of Grace opened Preached in New England by Pater Bulkeley 4to Gods Holy Mind touching Matters Moral which himself uttered in ten words or ten Commandments Also an Exposition on the Lords Prayer by Edward Elton B. D. 4to A plain and familiar Exposition of the ten Commandments by John Dod 4to Fiery Jesuite or an Historical Collection of the Rise Increase Doctrines and Deeds of the Jesuites Exposed to view for the sake of London 4to Horologiographia Optica Dialing Universal and Particular Speculative and Practical together with the Description of the Court of Arts by a new Method by Sylvanus Morgan 4to Praxis Medicinae or the Physicians Practice wherein are contained all inward diseases from the head to the foot by Walter Bruel Regimen Sanitatis Salerni or the School of Salerns Regiment of Health containing Directions and Instructions for the guide and government of Mans Life 4to Christ and the Covenant the work and way of Meditation Delivered in ten Sermons Large Octavo's By William Bridge late of great Yarmouth Heart-treasure or a Treatise tending to fill and furnish the head and heart of every Christian with soul inriching treasure of truths graces experiences and comforts to help him in Meditation Conference Religious Performances Spiritual Actions Enduring Afflictions and to fit him for all conditions that he may live Holily dye Happily and go to Heaven Triumphantly by O. H. with an Epistle prefixed by John Chester Large Octavo A Glimpse of Eternity by A. Caley A Practical Discourse of Prayer wherein is handled the Nature and Duty of Prayer by Tho. Cobbet Of Quenching the Spirit the evil of it in respect both of its causes and effects discovered by Theophilus Polwheile Wells of Salvation opened or Words whereby we may be saved with advice to Young Men by Tho. Vincent The Re-building of London encouraged and improved in several Meditations by Sam. Rolles The sure way to Salvations or a Treatise of the Saints Mystical Union with Christ wherein that great Mystery and Priviledge is opened in the nature properties and the necessity of it by R. Stedman M.A. The greatest loss upon Matth. 16.26 By James Livesey small Octavo's Moses unvailed by William Guild The Protestants Triumph being an exact answer to all the sophistical Arguments of Papists By Ch. Drelincourt A Defence against the fear of Death By Z. Crofton Gods Soveraignty displayed By William Geering A sober Discourse concerning the Interest of words in Prayer The Godly Mans Ark or City of refuge in the day of his distress in five Sermons with Mistriss Moores Evidences for Heaven By Ed. Calamy The Almost Christian Discovered or the false Professor tryed and cast By Mr. Mead. Spiritual Wisdom improved against temptation by Mr. Mead. A Divine Cordial A word of comfort for the Church of God A Plea for Alms in a Sermon at the Spittle The Godly Mans Picture drawn with a Scripture-pensil These four last were written by Tho. Watson The True bounds of Christian freedom or a Discouse shewing the extents and restraints of Christian liberty wherein the truth is setled many errors consuted out of John 8. ver 36. A Treatise of the Sacrament shewing a Christians Priviledge in approaching to God in Ordinances duty in his Sacramental approaches danger if he do not sanctifie God in them both by Sam. Bolton D. D. The Lords Day enlivened or a Treatise of the Sabbath by Philip Goodwin The sinfulness of Sin and the Fulness of Christ two Sermons by W. Bridge A serious Exhortation to a Holy Life by Tho. Wadsworth Ovid's Metamorphosis Translated Grammatically by J. Brinsley Comfortable Crumbs of refreshment by Prayers Meditations Consolations and Ejaculations with a Confession of Faith and summ of the Bible Aurifodina Linguae Gallicae or the Golden Mine of the French Language opened by Ed. Gostlin Gent. The difference between the spots of the Godly and Wicked in four Sermons by Jer. Burroughs Four Centuries of Select Hymns collected out of Scripture by Will. Barton The Doctrine of Repentance useful for these times with two Sermons against Popery by Thomas Watson FINIS
are no more forreiners and strangers that 's the state of alienation from the Lord but fellow Citizens with the Saints and of the houshold of faith this is that of friendship and communion with God That is the first thing to be noted as to this matter 2. These two estates as to matters of salvation and condemnation are comprehensive of all the posterity of mankind without exception of any They do take in the whole compass of the children of men My meaning is this that there is no middle condition there is not a man or woman upon the face of the earth but must of necessity fall under one of these two ranks Either he is a Saint and servant of God or a vassal and slave to the devil either he is an heir of heaven or a firebrand of hell And pray Sirs let us apply it diligently unto our selves and often say in our hearts One of these two is the condition of my soul if I am not a child of God and in covenant with him it will necessarily follow that I am a child of the devil for there is no third estate If I be not sanctified and called to be a Saint it cannot otherwise be but that I am in the gall of bitterness and if I die in this condition I drop immediately into hell As there are but two places into which all nations shall be sent at the end of the world that is heaven and hell the place of eternal life and that of everlasting punishment so there are but two states in which all are comprized during their abode in the world either they are Gods friends or his adversaries still in their sins or delivered from their sins 1 Joh. 5.19 And we know that we are of God and the whole world lieth in wickedness The whole world that is all other persons besides us of what rank and quality soever And that is a pregnant Text Eccl. 9.2 All things come alike unto all there is one event to the righteous and to the wicked to the good and to the clean and to the unclean to him that sacrificeth and to him that sacrificeth not as is the good so is the sinner and he that sweareth as he that feareth an oath Mark it all people in the world are cast by the holy Ghost into two ranks or companies either they are righteous or wicked clean or unclean good or sinners There is no middle condition or state of neutrality upon a spiritual account And indeed there is strong evidence of it from the reason and nature of the thing because the distinction which is between these two estates is such as we call a difference of contradiction in some respect such as is between the negation and affirmation of the same thing which cannot possibly admit of any third or middle estate whatsoever * If you will rather say they are privative opposita yet the argument holds good for such admit not a middle in subjecto capaci Oppositorum duorum privativè cum unum non inest necesse est alterum inesse susceptibili Aquin. Privatio euim est circa certum genus contradictionis Alex. de Ales Joh. 3.36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life but the wrath of God abideth on him Mark it here is a difference of contradiction betwixt believing and not believing You cannot possibly pitch upon a man but either he believeth on the Son and so is in the state of grace or he believeth not on the Son and remains in the state of wrath They who are regenerate and converted have the promise of salvation and such as are unregenerate and not converted shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven Here is a kind of difference of contradiction between converted and not converted And so I might instance in other qualifications That is the second thing to be noted as to the change of a mans spiritual state 3. Observe in the third place That these two estates upon a spiritual account are utterly incompatible and inconsistent one with the other and cannot upon any hand stand together Plainly thus they cannot both appertain to the same person at the same time It is altogether impossible that a man should be in the favour of God whilst he is in league of amity with his corruptions that he should be in the kingdom of Christ and under the prince of darkness together This is a truth so plain and obvious at the first view that one would think it should be needless to press it But I insist upon it the rather because there are secret workings in the hearts of the children of men to the contrary Their inward thoughts are that they may serve the Lord and be subjects of the devil together that they may be vain and earthly and sensual and follow the course of the world and yet be the people of God notwithstanding That they may drink and revel and be wanton and the like and be in the state of salvation too You shall find these are the secret thoughts and imaginations of mens spirits Mic. 3.10 11. They abhor judgment and pervert equity they build up Zion with blood and Jerusalem with iniquity The heads thereof judge for reward and the Priests thereof teach for hire and the Prophets thereof divine for mony Yet they will lean upon the Lord and say is not the Lord amongst us They flatter and sooth up themselves that they were servants of Jehovah the God of heaven although they served divers lusts and pleasures and turned aside into crying wickednesses that the Lord was on their side and they belonged to him though they openly espouse the interest of sin But alas Sirs it can never be these imaginations are vain and sottish Mark how peremptorily our Saviour asserteth the contrary backing that assertion with forcible argument Mat. 6.24 No man can serve two masters for either he will hate the one and love the other or else he will hold to the one and despise the other ye cannot serve God and Mammon q.d. It is a sottish thing to entertain such a fond conceit as if you could join both interests together The Laws of Christ and the commands of sin are diametrally opposite one to the other if the affections run towards the one they must of necessity be withdrawn from the other nay set against the other for they are directly contrary And besides where God accepteth of the heart he will have the whole heart where he is served truly he must be obeyed entirely and universally with the whole soul So that never dream of such a thing as making a commixtion of these two It is as easie to joyn together light and darkness heaven and hell as to make a conjunction between righteousness and unrighteousness between Christ and Belial The words of Joshua are very pertinent to this purpose when the people seemed to promise so affectionately
and resolvedly that they would serve the Lord Jos 24.19 And Joshua said unto the people ye cannot serve the Lord for he is an holy God he is a jealous God he will not forgive your transgressions nor your sins that is unless you forsake your corruptions you cannot except you detest and cast off your idols you cannot whilst you are in confederacy with sin and before you have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty you cannot be the Lord's servants He is an holy being who will have no communion with the workers of iniquity Perhaps you will walk in sin and hope to make amends for all by crying to God for forgiveness you will swear and curse and ly and defraud and commit adultery and profane the Sabbath and cry God forgive me But Sirs be is a jealous God and will not forgive you as long as you go on in a course of impenitence he will never pardon your transgressions Possibly you will walk as the generality do in the vanity of your minds and wallow in all sorts of uncleanness and filthiness and then call upon God to have mercy on you Alas poor souls be not deceived He will not be merciful to any wicked transgressor Psal 59.5 So that whilst you serve sin you cannot serve the Lord. That 's the third thing to be noted 4. Remember this withal That the state of all persons by nature as they are in themselves and as they came into the world is an accursed estate a state of utter estrangedness from God and of liableness to the indignation of the Almighty Mark I say this is the condition of all persons whether Jews or Gentiles bond or free learned or unlearned whatever priviledges they enjoy and wheresoever their lot is cast this is their state by nature to be under sin Rom. 3.9 What then are we better then they No in no wise for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles that they are all under sin q.d. Is this the sad condition of the heathen and of the infidel world only to be under the guilt of sin and the curse of the Law No it is the condition of every Son and daughter of Adam Are the Jews we that are visible members of the Church in a better state than others in this respect No we are all involved in the same wretched condition There is not a person amongst us but may lay his hand upon his heart and appropriate it to himself and say this was my condition and if I have nothing to plead for my exemption besides my birth priviledge the name of Jew or Christian and the like this is my condition to be under sin Not only to betainted with sin but under sin i. e. under the guilt of it and under the condemnation due to it All the posterity of mankind are by nature condemned persons in a damnable estate and if God should take them away in that condition they would be actually damned and perish for ever Sin would lie upon them and they would fall under it and so it would sink them irremediably into destruction O my brethren how infinitely doth it concern us to prove that we are renewed and born again for as we came into the world this is the estate of all of us to be under the curse both of my soul who speak and of thy soul that hearest or readest these things Certainly if any man upon earth could have freed himself from being involved herein it might have been Paul who had as much to plead as any Phil. 3.5 6. He was circumcised the eighth day that is according to the ordinance of God he was solemnly admitted into the visible Church Of the stock of Israel to whom pertained the adoption and the Covenant and the giving of the Law and the promises He was of the tribe of Benjamin not of one of the ten tribes who fell away so grosly to idolatry but of them who retained the true worship of God when the others apostatized An Hebrew of the Hebrews that is both his parents were Israelites he was not descended of Proselytes on either side but of native Jews without any mixture of Gentiles in his linage * He that was born of a Proselyte either by Father or Mothers side was termed Ben-ger the Son of an He-proselyte or Ben-gera the Son of a Shâ—proselyte But he who had both parents Israelites was an Hebrew of the Hebrews Godwin Moses and Aaron Touching his profession He was a Pharisee he was of the strictest Sect amongst the people of those who held fast many of the great truth of Religion which the Sadduces and other Sects rejected he was more Orthodox than some others Lastly for his practise he was blameless touching the righteousness of the Law that is in the sight of men they could lay nothing to his charge they could not say black was his eye And yet he includeth himself as wrapped up amongst others in this cursed estate he acknowledgeth himself to be a child of the devil and led captive by him till he got into Christ Eph. 2.1 2 3. Amongst whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind and were by nature children of wrath even as others This is the fourth thing to be noted That the state of all men by nature is a state of wrath 5. For the conducting of a sinner to everlasting life and glory in the prefence of God and to make him for ever blessed in the enjoyment of God this state must be changed They must be taken out of this condition and put into another namely into the state of grace As there must be a physical change wrought upon the heart so there must be a relative change in the state For indeed Sirs it will be the principal matter of Christ's enquiry at the day of accounts in what state men are He will divide the persons that come before him into companies according to the state they are in â— and pass sentence upon them answerably thereto Mat. 25.31 32 33. When the Son of man shall come in his glory and all the holy Angels with him then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory And before him shall be gathered all nations and he shall separate them one from another as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats And he shall set the sheep on his right hand but the goats on the left Mark it here is the great matter of enquiry whether they are sheep or goats righteous or wicked in the state of grace or still abiding in the state of nature It is true the Lord Christ will make an exact scrutiny into mens ways and carriage he will bring every work in to judgment and render to every one according to his deeds But those works will be lookt into as an evidence of their state and the nature and quality of the actions do much depend upon