received The last and principall thing is the stooping of the soul and subjection of the heart to that which is understood and remembred For then indeed according to the Phrase of the Spirit of God in Scripture a man is said to hearken when the soul begineth to yeeld and subject it self and to take the impression of that truth which God is pleased to make known unto it and that is the meaning of the Phrase 1 Kings 12.15 The Text saith there of Rehoboam that when the ancient men came to counsell him he hearkned not unto them as if it should be said he heard them well enough and he understood them well enough and he retained their counsel in his memory well enough but his soul yeelded not to it his heart imbraced not that counsel he did not subject himself thereunto therefore the Text saith He hearkned not to the counsell of the old men The like Phrase we have touching the sons of Eli 1 Sam. 2.25 When their father spake to them after a cold fashion the Text saith They hearkned not unto the voice of their father They heard his words well enough and understood what he said but their souls stooped not their hearts submitted not they did not subject themselves to take in the impression of the truth upon them and to be framed to the wisdome of God revealed to them in the same So that my brethren then a man is said to hearken when his ear heareth the sound his understanding closeth with the sense and his memorie retains it and his heart cometh under it stoopeth to it yeelds up it self to the impression of the truths delivered to be disposed of thereafter In brief therefore this is the meaning A carefull attention to the word that includes the three former and obedience and subjection of heart to the word thus attended to comprized in the last Now for the party to be hearkned unto that is unto me What is meant here by the word mee If you have recourse to the beginning of this Chapter you shall see it is Wisdom And by Wisdom here you are to understand the Lord Jesus Christ so far as he hath pleased to reveal himself to us either in the Word of God or work of his grace For Christ is here especially meant but not Christ meerly or barely as God nor Christ in the second person but so far as the Lord Jesus Christ the wisdome of his Father is pleased by the work of his grace by the power of his Spirit in the Ministory of the word either written or preached to reveal himself to us So far he is said to be Wisdome The words now are clear you see what is to be understood by hearkning and who the parâ—ie is to whom we must hearken The Point then that ariseth from these two parts of the Text thus joyned together in the Explication is evident and it is to this effect Namely â—hat The voice of the Lord Jesus Christ ought onely to be attended to and must be obeyed of all his faithfull servants I say Of all his faithfull servants The Lord Christ thinketh 〈◊〉 vain to speak to others therefore he addresseth himself onely to his children These are they that must attend and obey his voice whatsoever he shall be pleased to reveal unto them they must submit themselves unto it and that before and above all others in the world The Point is clear and evident You see it is the main purpose and intent of Christ in this place and therefore hee calleth for audience he desireth to gain acceptance at the hands of men As if he should say in other terms Lay by all other advice onely hearken unto me my children let corrupt counsell carnall advice the sinfull delusions of all ungodly persons in the world let them all passe onely hear and hearken unto me entertain and unbrace my counsell submit your hearts to my instructions And not onely Christ requires this of his children in this place under the name of Wisdome but it is the injunction of God himself and that from heaven it is such a truth and of so great importance that God himself from heaven makes it known and giveth it in speciall charge to all the sons of men Matth. 17.5 When Christ was transfigured in the Mount There came a voice out of the cloud which said This is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased hear ye him Mark there came a voice out of the cloud It is not onely the voice of man that perswades you aâ—d enjoyns you to give audience to the Lord Jesus but God himself and that from heaven and that in mediately with his own mouth layeth this upon us as a dutie that we are to perform that we should hear his Son that is hear him above all more then all nay hear him onely and none but him It is that also which Christ himself calleth for Mat. 11.29 Learn of me for I am meek and lowly in heart As if he should say There are many masters and teachers in the world but leave all the rest and come hither and learn of me for I am c. Yea it is not onely the charge of God and command of Christ but it hath been and is the generall resolution of the Saints of God from day to day Mic. 4.2 all the people joyned hand in hand as it were Come say they and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord and to the house of the God of Jacob and he will teach us of his waies and we will walk in his paths for the Law shall go forth of Zion and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem As if they should have said Because from Zion cometh the Law because at Jerusalem the word of God is taught and revealed therefore it is high time for us to go thither come let us goe let us wait upon God there he will teach us of his waies and what remaineth we will walk in his paths we will stoop unto the truth delivered we will submit our selves to it and conform our hearts and lives to the will of God revealed to us from thence And you shall observe the holy Prophet David as though there had been no Temple no Priest no Teacher besides how his good soul is still breathing upward in many passages of the 119. Psalm Lord teach me Lord quicken mee Lord give understanding to thy servant c. He repaireth maâ—nly and chiefly to the Lord for guidance and direction Enough for the proof of the point But a man may aske after what manner must I hearken Hearkning I told you implyeth attention and obedience therefore you may remember that I put them both together in the Doctrine that it was our duty both to attend to the voice of Christ and to yeeld obedience unto it But how must I doe this For the opening hereof give me leave to discover unto you three particulars which are specially to be considered and are required of
had and what he received by faith they that beleeve as he did may expect the selfe same mercy that he had Now the faithfull of God and sonnes of Abraham are here described two wayes I say every faithfull man that is the sonne of Abraham that imitateth the faith of Abraham is discovered two wayes First Negatively What will not suffice to make a man the sonne of Abraham Secondly Affirmatively What God specially looks for at the hands of those that are to be the children of Abraham First Negatively thus Abraham is the father of circumcision not onely to them who are of the circumcision that is not onely theirs who have the priviledges of the Jewes the Word and the Oracles of God Circumcision and the Passeover T is true Abraham is their father but not onely theirs that have no more but those priviledges but also theirs that walk in the footsteps of the faith of Abraham So that by Circumcision you must here understand all these prerogatives and priviledges which the Jewes had above any other Nation and consequently that none of all those priviledges then could that none of ours as to be in the Church to be baptized c. now can make a man to be the sonne of Abraham Abraham is the father of the circumcision not to them who are of the circumcision onely but he is the father of the circumcision if they have faith They that have bare circumcision onely may indeed applaud themselves therein but they shall never receive thereby those things God hath promised This is the Negative Secondly The Affirmative part sheweth who they be indeed that shall truly be partakers of the comforts and graces of Abraham namely those that walk in the footsteps of that faith of Abraham If a man beleeve as he did work as he did walk as he did so onely he may come to have title unto and interest in the promises God hath vouchsafed in his Word Thus much for the opening of the words Come we now in the first place to speak of the negative part in which the Spirit of God is pleased to exclude all outward priviledges and prerogatives and to say thus Abraham is the father of circumcision to them who are not of the circumcision onely that is if they injoy onely outward priviledges they are not the children of Abraham The point we learn hence is thus much That all outward priviledges as the hearing of the Word the partaking of the Sacraments and the like are not able to make a man a sound Saint of God The point is clear in the Text That if a man had circumcision that is if he had all those preferments that God vouchsafeth to a people in the face and bosome of his Church this would not doe him any good at all he hath no title to the promises because of these if he rest in them Abraham is not the father of those that are circumcised onely So that I say again all outward priviledges are not able to make a man a true Saint of God Our Saviour Christ speaking of Capernaum saith And thou Capernaum which art exalted unto heaven shalt be brought down to hell for if the mighty works which have been done in thee had been done in Sodome c. Mat. 11.23 Capernaum was lifted up to Heaven how In all those spirituall helpes and excellent meanes that God vouchsafed them above many others they were highly advanced in the enjoyment of heavenly priviledges they heard the Word of God and they saw the Miracles of Christ and yet Thou Capernaum shalt be deep in punishment thou wert lifted up to Heaven in regard of excellent priviledges but thou shalt be cast down to Hell in regard of thy impenitency and stubbornesse under them The Apostle Paul disputeth the point and makes the case clear Rom. 2.28 29. where he plucks away all these hopes and vain props which men raise to themselves from the having of outward priviledges He is not a Jew saith he that is one outwardly that is he is not therefore a true child of God and a faithfull man he hath not therefore saving faith because he is circumcised because he enjoyeth the liberties and priviledges of the people of God and liveth in the bosome of the Church but he is a Jew which is one inwardly and Circumciston is that of the heart in the Spirit and not in the Letter whose praise is not of men but of God You know that it was an ancient Proverb in Israel Is Saul also amongst the Prophets 1 Sam. 10.12 and 19.24 Yes Saul was amongst the Prophets and he that was once amongst the Prophets is now amongst the Devils in Hell Judas was highly promoted he lived as an Apostle amongst the Disciples heard out Saviour continually sate at table with him and yet for all this is now damned in hell for ever These were high priviledges and if these would have done the deed Judas had never perished Ishamel was circumcised and yet he was excommunicated out of Abrahams family the then Church of God and was a cast-away Instances are many in the Scriptures to this purpose but I list not to dwell longer upon the proofe of the point you see it is evident enough that bare priviledges be they never so high and excellent are not able to make one indeed a faithfull man before the Lord nor the sonne of Abraham I should have shewed the Reasons Alas outward matter 's never work upon the heart That which makes a man a Saint must work upon the soul Now the Word and the Sacraments barely considered cannot work upon the spirit unlesse the Lord work a new frame inwardly by the infusion of Grace Gal. 5.6 Circumcision and uncircumcision profiteth nothing but faith that worketh by love These outward things are too shallow to reach the inward man too weak to work so powerfully upon the soule of a Christian man as to bring the heart to God But I leave the strengthning of the point by Reasons and because I would not be prevented I come to the Uses The first Use I will hence raise is an Use of reproof This Doctrine confoundeth the carnall confidence of those Professors that living in the bosome of the Church place all their hopes and assurance of being saved upon this bottome because they have been baptized and come to Church and hear the Word and receive the Sacrament therefore of necessity they presume they must be accepted of God This was the old plea of the Jewes in Jeremies time When the Prophet came to them to reprove them for their sinnes and presse them to repentance they began to quarrell with him and to take up Bucklers against him and cried out The Temple of the Lord the Temple of the Lord are these These are the Fig-leaves wherewith poor and ignorant Christians think to hide themselves at this day Tell them of their saults bid them walk humbly and holily before God reprove them for their strange practises against God
your hearts be a wed with it howsoever it is true you may gainsay the commands of the Word yet you shall never be able to flie the curse of the Word A Minister may speak from God to you and labour with God for you and all may be cast aside but the Word it self remaineth and will have its effect one way or other and that which you now reject shall have dominion over you Alas my brethren the Word we preach it is not our own it is the Word of God of the God of Heaven and know this that that which will not now be obeyed in the precepts of it will hereafter be found in the curse of it I would fain hear the sinner that now takes up arms against God and his truth that makes nothing of the Commands he hears and in effect sayes that he will not obey them I would faine have such a one consider what he will say at the fearfull day of Judgement Now God bids thee repent and beleeve and obey the Gospel and thou wilt not the Lord then shall say to thee depart from me into everlasting fire I would faine hear a sinner say Lord I will not goe down to hell and be in that pit for ever My brethren you are too weak to strive with the Lord his word may now be gainsaid but then the Lord shall say by this Word that thou hast disobeyed thou shalt be condemned and that Word shall send thee down to the pit when there will be found no resistance Therefore I beseech you be perswaded rather chuse the good that your soules may live and know who you have to deal withall it is the voyce of God that speakes to you that voyce that shook heaven and earth once and will doe it again Therefore let every soule be a wed at the mighty word of God that being framed according to the rules of it now you may be blessed for ever by it Fourthly and lastly Work thou when God works and move thou when God moveth There is a time when the Spirit of God moves upon the hearts of men in the hearing of the word when God leaveth some impression behind him at a Sermon that a man may say me thought this day I was almost perswaded the thought it was reason that the Minister spoke On work now when God works take that Word home with thee and go aside and lift up thy hands to heaven and beseech the Lord to blesse that good word now that the heart hath been stirred and in some measure perswaded now intreat the Lord buckle and bow they soul in perfect obedience to his Majestie Thinke well of this counsell my brethren There is never a wicked man in the world that slights the power of the word now but he shall be terrified under it and feel the power of it whether he will or no. If God therefore be pleased to stir up any thought in thee of this kinde doe not put it out of thy heart by going about other businesse or into wicked company no take home that stroke of God make it worke more effectually upon thee converse with that word every night and labour to bring thy heart to be affected with it still more and more This is the next way to be sure to work when God works The Devill stealeth terror out of the hearts of men it should be our course therefore that what ever powerfull work God works in any of us in any measure that thou art almost a Christian as Agrippa make one step further joyn with God go home and intreat the Lord to set it deeper upon thy soul that thou mayest not onely be almost good but altogether good and be ever constant in this course FINIS Courteous Reader These Books following are printed and are to be sold by Francis Eglesfield at his Shop at the Marigold in Pauls Churchyard EXcellent Instructions for the keeping of Merchants Books and Accounts by way of Debitor and Creditor after the Italian manner by John Carpenter Gent. in Folio Aelians Tacticks or the Art of Imbattelling an Armie in folio Animadversions of War by Robert Ward Gentleman and Commander in Folio The Works of John Taylor the Water-poet collected into one Volume in Folio Heywood of Angels in folio Parcus on the Revelation in English in folio Goulston in Rhetoricam Aristotelis gr lat in quarto The Works of that famous Mathematician Edmund Gunter sometime Professor of Astronomie in Gressam Colledge London in Quarto The Works of Sir Richard Baker Viz Meditations and Disquisitions on the Lords Prayer in 4to On the First Psalm in 4to On the seven Penitentiall Psalms in 4to On the seven Consolatorie Psalms in 4to His Cato Variegatus or Cato's Morall Disticks translated into English Verse 4to On the Creed in 12. Motives for prayer upon the seven dayes of the Week in 12. The Soliloquie of the Soul in 12. An Apologie for Lay-mens writing in 12. Decimall Arithmetick or the use of Napiers bones by William Barton in 8to Butlers Historie of Bees in 4to The Seamans Secrets with the Tables new calculated very usefull for young Seamen in 4to Commentaries on the first Psalm by Phinehas Fletcher in 4to The Purple Island being Poeticall Miscelanies in 4to Joy in tribulation or Consolations for afflicted Consciences The Golden Scepter with the Churches marriage and the Churches carriage in three Treatises by that learned Divine Dr. Preston in 4to His five Sermons upon severall occasions preached at Court The needles Excellencie or a Book of Cut-works in 4to Light from Heaven by Dr. Sibbs in 4to Lydias Conversion or the Riches of Mercie by Dr. Sibbs in 12. The whole Works of that Eloquent Divine Thomas Playfer D. D. collected into one Volume 8to The Handmaid to Arithmetick refined by Nicholas Hunt 8to The Art of Dialling by John Foster in 4to An Introduction to the right receiving of the Sacrament by W. Pemble in 12. I he burthen and unburthening of a loaden conscience in 12. Spirituall food and Physick being a large Catechisme by John Mico in 8to Nichols Catechisme in 8to Corpus Christi together with the demonstration of Antichrist in 12. The Historie of Heliodorus in ten Books turned into English by W. Lisle in Quarto Aesops Fables in Prose and Verse grammatically translated illustrated with Pictures together with the Historie of his Life in 12. Divine Emblems and Hieroglyphicks by Francis Quarles in 8to The usefulnesse and excellency of Christ by C. Jelinger in 8to The Office and Dutie of Constables Churchwardens and other Officers excellently set forth by Nicholas Layer Counsellor A Collection of Speeches by Sir Edward Deering in 4o. A Discourse of proper Sacrifice by Sir Edward Deering in 4o. Posselii Syntaxis 8o. Greek Gods's Summons to a generall repentance by Adam Harsuet in 12o. Juelli Apologia in 8o. Greek and Latine Divers Sermons upon severall occasions by John Bond Master of the Savoy in 4º The Doctrine of the Bible in 8o. Gospel
4.10 he is there said to be the Saviour of all men especially of those that beleeve You see in the Verse before my Text he is called our Saviour how he gave himself for them to whom he is a Saviour but saith the Apostle he is the Saviour of all men specially of those that beleive The meaning of the place is this Christ he saveth all men with a common temporall salvation he saveth them from many dangers from many miseries he is a generall Saviour to all men but a speciall Saviour to save from Hell from the wrath of God from the guilt and power of sin thus specially the Lord Christ is a Saviour only to them that beleeve So that by the Object of this Act included in the word Vs he gave himself for us is meant beleevers them that doe beleeve in him What this belief is I think I shall not need now to declare unto you I will but onely touch it in a few words To beleeve in Christ then it is nothing else but for a man to goe out of himself and to receive the Lord Christ in all his Offices to be to us in particular a King to govern us a Prophet to teach us and a Priest to save us and to make intercession for us Thus Faith is described John 1.12 To as many as received him that is as the latter part of the Verse hath it to as many as beleeved in him He gave power to be the sons of God So that to beleeve in Christ is to receive Christ Now there is no receiving of Christ but you must receive whole Christ the coat of Christ was never divided much lesse is the person of Christ if Christs coat and person was not divided much lesse the Offices of Christ So that if to beleeve be to receive Christ then to beleeve is to receive whole Christ in all his Offices You see then what this faith is it is to goe out of ones self and to entertain Christ to be in particular for us our onely King and Priest and Prophet and therefore to give up our selves to Christ as subjects to be guided by him as by our Soveraign and as Schollers in all things to be taught by him as by our Master and for to give up our selves to him alone to expect attonement and to expect favour from God through his Priesthood This is to believe The Properties of this Faith the signs of it by which you may know that you are them for whom Christ gave himself you shall find in Scripture to be these First of all Faith it is said to purifie the heart Acts 15.9 There saith the Apostle he put no difference between us and them purifying of their hearts by faith There is one propertie of faith It is a purifier of the heart that is where there is faith there is a principle in that heart whereby it commeth to be purified and cleansed from the power and dominion of all originall corruption Where ever there is faith there is a pure principle in that soul which endeavoureth nothing but the cleansing of the soul from all corruption that is inbred by nature Faith it doth not purifie the heart perfectly but onely in part It doth not purge out all corruption but onely some but yet this it doth it establisheth in the soul a pure principle whereby the soul is purged from the dominion of all sin from the love of all sin from the habituall delighting in any sin and whereby the soul is made to be continually purging of it self from the remainders of corruption Whence is that speech you have in 1 Pet. 1. 22. Seeing you have purified your souls by obeying the truth faith it purifieth the heart by planting in it a principle which makes the heart purifie it self Thereupon is that you have in 1 John 3 3. Every man that hath this hope purifieth himself as he is pure Hope it is the daughter of faith where there is faith there is hope brought forth where there is hope this hope makes a man purifie himself even as God is pure I pray observe it Hope with faith works in the soul it looks upon God and it doth make a man strive to purifie himself that he may come to be pure as God is What ever impurity is discerned in the soul there is not that hope which is the daughter of faith faith and hope is continually labouring and striving to work out that impuritie that is the meaning of it he purifieth himself even as God is pure that even as a Scholer that is willing to learne hee looks upon the Copie of his master and upon his own writing and where ever he findeth any default he is continually striving to mend that and still labouring every time more and more to be more conformable to his masters copie even thus where ever there is faith it doth produce hope which hope makes the soul continually aim to conform it self to the puritie of God whom it hopeth fully to enjoy And that you may not be mistaken consider thus much that there will bee impuritie in the heart wherein there is faith but yet where there is faith there is a continuall purging out of impuritie as it manifesteth it selfe You may conceive it by a similitude if a pot be boyling upon the fire there will a scum arise but yet they that are good house wives and cleanly and neat they watch it and as the scum riseth up they take it off and throw it away happily more scum will arise but still as it riseth they scum it off Thus it is with the soul impuritie will be in the heart wherein there is faith and it manifesteth it self and riseth up when the soul is in action but yet the heart that hath faith in it eyeth the soul and as it discovereth any impuritie though it be never so secret or never so small though it be never so agreeing to his naturall disposition it scummeth it off and it is his continuall work and desire to make riddance of any corruption which doth appear Here is the first Propertie whereby you may know them that are the Persons for whom Christ gave himself they are beleevers and faith purifieth the heart A second Propertie of faith is that you have in Gal. 5.6 Faith which works by love Where ever there is faith it is working Faith it is not an idle grace it is not a fancie or an opinion that Christ hath died for us and there is an end but it is a working grace where ever there is faith there is work and what work is it it is a work of love There is a working of love and a working by love where ever there is faith First there is a working of love faith that beleeveth in Christ works a love to Christ Faith that beleeveth the pardon of sin it works a hatred of that sin for whose pardon Christ bloud was shed faith it works a love to the Image of Christ
to the honour of Christ to the Gospel of Christ In a word what ever is Christs to that faith doth work a love where ever it is so that whosoever hath faith they have in them a love to Christ and to all the things of Christ You may conceive it by this similitude If a woman have with a conjugall affection taken a man to be her husband that same taking of him to be her husband makes her love him and all that is his she loves his name his honour and credit his profit his contentment his ease his safety his person his friends for that same conjugall affection which makes her to take him to be her husband works love in her in all these particulars To beleeve in the Lord Christ is nothing but to take Christ as I said before to be our husband Now if we have taken him to be our husband then we shall love him as a wife loveth her husband There is the second thing Again thirdly a third Propertie of Faith is that in the 1 Thes 5.8 The breastplate of faith and love faith is a Brest-plate there is the third property of faith What is the use of a brestplate A brestplate it doth fence and secure the heart from all danger from all stabbs from all injuries Where there is faith the soul is fenced as it were with a brestplate so that it is neither drawn away from Christ nor wounded with the fierie darts of Satan or temptations of sin My brethren I pray observe it there is no faith where the heart is not in some measure fenced from the wounds of sin and from the insnarements of the world Faith is a brest-plate there is the third Again in the fourth and last place the last propertie of faith that I will name is that in the 1 John 5.4 Whosoever is born of God overcommeth the world and this is our victorie even our faith Observe that place where there is faith there is a victorie and a victorie over the world where ever there is faith there is an overcomming of the world To overcome the world it is not to be overcome of the world it is to persist in setting our chiefest affection upon the Lord Jesus Christ notwithstanding all the devises and attempts of the world either by flattery or by frowns either by favour or by blowes this is to overcome the world Now then where ever there is faith there is a victorie over the world that soul which hath faith in it it hath overcome the world the care of the world was wont to overcome it but now it overcommeth the care of the world it is not so carefull for the world as it is for Christ The feares of the world were wont to overcome it but now it hath overcome the feares of the world it is not so afraid of all the worlds injuries and threats as it is of Christs displeasure The pleasures of the world were wont to overcome it the world runneth after nothing so much as after worldly pleasures is delighted in nothing so much as in some worldly pleasure either of contentment or profit or friends of riches or honours But now the soul that hath faith in it it delighteth in nothing so much as in the comfort of the Spirit in the communion of the Lord Jesus Christ Thus I pray consider it though I speak but briefly of these things yet consider it where ever there is faith there is a victorie over the world before there is faith there the soul is a slave to the world but if once there be faith he is more then conquerour he is not the worlds slave but the world is his the world is trampled under his feet and is a dead flower to him that hath neither beauty nor sweetness in it Thus my brethren they that have these Properties they whose hearts are purified they who work by love they whose hearts are fenced with a brestplate that they cannot bee stollen from Christ nor wounded with sin they that are conquerours over the world they are beleevers And so you see the first thing the Object of this Act of Christ The persons for whom Christ gave himself viz. for them that have a faith purifying the heart for them that have a faith working by love for them that have a faith that is as a brestplate to their soul for them that have a faith that overcometh the world for these Christ gave himself Now we come in the second place to open the second thing that is the Act of Christ the thing that Christ did he gave himself for these beleevers What is meant by giving of himself to give a thing in the generall it is to put a thing out of ones own use and power and freely to bequeath it to the use and power of another this is in the generall to give a thing But here I conceive giving is taken a little more strictly and not so largely viz. that which we call giving a ransome For if you compare with this Text that which you shall find in 1 Tim. 2.6 Who gave himself a ransome for all that is for all sorts and conditions of people so that here by giving himself is meant a giving himself as a ransome Now what it is to give a thing as a ransome you are to know it is this It is to dispose and order a thing so as that it may redeem another out of that distresse wherein he is So then the meaning of these words he gave himself for us is this That the Lord Christ did so dispose of himself that by him there may come a redemption to all beleevers from all that miserie and distresse they are in by nature This is the meaning of the words The words then thus explained this Doctrine doth arise Jesus Christ hath given himself for all that believe I need not stand to prove it it is so plain and evident in the Text onely let me give you one place which is parallel to it Eph. 5.25 Husbands love your wives as Christ loved the Church and gave himself for it By the Church is meant nothing else but the company of beleevers now he so loved the Church that is the company of beleevers that he gave himself for them to be their ransome For the opening of the point that you may see what this Action of Christ was I will shew you the particular things to which Christ gave himselfe for beleevers First Christ gave himself to incarnation to become a man for beleevers Secondly Christ gave himself to a perfect obedience of the Law to work all righteousnesse for beleevers 3. Christ gave himself to suffering to passion for beleevers These I will briefly open and so make use of the Point The First thing to which the Lord Christ bequeathed himself for the sake of beleevers it was for to be a man For the understanding of this you must know that Christ he was as he is God he was not man
bee said to doe it as the second Person is said to die and God is said to shed his bloud because that nature which obeyed the Law was the nature of God The second thing is a very great act Christ thus as God and man gave himself up to the obedience of the Law for beleevers Oh consider and admire it What a wonderful thing is this that he that was the Law-giver should put himself to be under the Law for beleevers and so become for them the Law-keeper Thirdly and lastly The last particular to which Christ gave himself for beleevers was to suffering Christ gave himself to death for beleevers Here for the understanding of this you must know That there are two kinds of sufferings to which the Lord Christ gave up himself for beleevers First sufferings in body Secondly sufferings in soul First the suffering of mans wrath Secondly the suffering of Gods wrath Christ for beleevers gave up himself to both these First Christ gave himself up to the sufferings in body to the suffering of the wrath of man for beleevers you that are acquainted with the Historie of the Gospel know the truth of this How did Christ suffer himself to bee scorned to be hated to be reviled and persecured by men Christ he gave himself up in his passion First to be arrained attached by souldiers with staves and holberts as a malefactor after that he gave himself up to be reproached his ears to be filled with blasphemies and with mocks his face to be buffeted to be spit upon his head to be all wounded with thornes his hands and his feet to be pierced with nails and his side with a spear Thus Christ gave up his body to the suffering of the wrath of man in bodily tortures for beleevers and in the last place he gave himself up to the suffering of a dissolution of soul and body that which we call death This is the first sort of suffering to which Christ gave up himself for beleevers to the suffering of bodily tortures to the suffering of the wrath of men There is no kind of suffering that man is outwardly subject to but Christ endured in every member of his body and in his name his ears with their mocking speeches and his eyes with their mocking gestures when as they clothed him with purple and gave him a reed in his hand and bowed to him and mocked him calling him the King of the Jews by derision Again in the second place Christ he gave himself up to the sufferings of soul to the sufferings of the wrath of God for beleevers and this is a great deal more Christ he did not only suffer in body but he also suffered in soul You may gather it from that in Mar. 14.32 33 34. He taketh with him Peter James and John and began to be sore amazed and to be very heavie and saith unto them my soul is exceeding sorrowfull unto death and afterward he goeth from them and prayeth three times that if it were possible the cup might be taken from him If so be that Christs suffering was only the wrath of men and bodily tortures Christ had been very pusillanimous and faint-hearted that would bee so fearfull at the apprehension of death We have many men that can expect death without any amazement or fainting of heart therefore if there had been no more then the bodily suffering Christ had been weaker then men who was thus amazed and affrighted and prayed three times that the Cup might passe from him And further that Christ suffered in soul wil appear by that in Luke 22.44 there saith the Text Being in an agonie he prayed more earnestly and his sweat was as it were great drops of bloud falling to the ground If Christ had only suffered in body how had it been possible that the fear of death could have made him sweat great drops of bloud Many through fear have sweat great drops of water but never any did sweat drops of bloud for never did any man feel such a bloodie wrath as Christ felt at this time And yet further in that Mark 14.34 our Saviour saith it himself in express termes My soul is exceeding sorrowfull unto death Here he saith plainly that his soul suffered And likewise in Luke 22.43 it is said That an Angel appeared to him from heaven strengthning him If Christ had nothing to doe but suffer the death of his bodie what need an Angel come to strengthen him Men are able to bear the apprehension of a bodily death and shall we conceive Christ could not bear it without the strengthning of an Angel These things plainly shew that Christ did not onely give himself up to the suffering of bodily wrath but to the suffering of soul the suffering of the wrath of God And it must be so for if Christ had not suffered the wrath of God as well as the wrath of man Christ had never done beleevers any good at all for the same nature that had sinned must suffer and the soul of beleevers sinned as well as the body therefore the soul of beleevers must suffer as well as the body The wrath of God is spirituall and therefore reacheth the soul as well as the body so that Christ could never have been a ransome to beleevers from the wrath of God nor a satisfaction to his justice if the soul of Christ had not suffered the wrath of God as well as his bodie the wrath of men Thus you see the second thing whereto Christ gave himself for beleevers and that was to the suffering both of man and of God the tortures both of body and soul And to the end you may a little better conceive it consider I beseech you what the tortures of soul and wrath of God is that Christ gave himself up to suffer It is in brief First a losse in regard of sense of all the apprehension of Gods love and a sensible feeling of the immortall and eternall and infinite wrath of God The suffring of Gods wrath includeth these two things A privation in regard of sense of all the of favour God and an enduring in regard of sense of all the anger of God these two things did Christ indure First he lost in regard of sense all the apprehension of Gods favour he had not the least apprehension and sense of the love and favour of God but even as the world is when the Sun is set without all light so was the soul of Christ in regard of sense without all love without all favour without all presence of God at all My God my God Why hast thou forsaken me In regard of sense he suffered the losse of God the losse of his love and favour and this was more to Christ then a thousand deaths Indeed Christ had the favour and the love of God but all sense of it was perfectly withdrawn Secondly Christ also suffered the full sense of the wrath of God the arrows of the divine displeasure were
shot in the spirit and soul of Christ To be brief this you must know whatsoever beleevers should have suffered for their sins whether it be in the losse of the sense of Gods love or in the sensible feeling of the wrath and divine displeasure of Almightie God all that Christ suffered so far as can be suffered without sin and without the guilt of a defiled conscience Now to all this did Christ give up himself for beleevers to the end that beleevers who have lost the love of God might have it Christ gave up himself in regard of sense for a while to lose all sense of Gods love to the end that beleevers might not feel the insupportable burthen of the infinite wrath of God Christ took it upon him and endured it and all this Christ did willingly and freely and of his own accord therefore the Phrase in the Text is Emphaticall Who gave himself and Christ saith of himself I lay down my life Beleevers did with full consent sin Christ must with full consent suffer or else Christ could not deliver beleevers from the wrath of God This appeareth because that Christ when hee knew that Judas should betray him he goeth to that place where he was wont and knew that Judas would come there After that Judas and the Souldiers come out of seek Christ Christ cometh and offereth himself Whom is it that you seek saith he We seek Jesus of Nazareth I am he saith he he offereth and declareth himself to them putteth himself into their hands and whereas he makes them to let all his Disciples scape yet he suffereth them to take himself Could Christ make them let the Disciples go and could hee not have made them let himself go Again our Saviour did but speak and they went backward and fell to the ground he that could throw them down backward could be not have killed them with his word if he pleased Again when Peter drew out his sword and went about to defend him Peter saith he put up thy sword I can pray to my Father and hee shall presently give me more then twelve Legions of Angels One Angel in one night slew in the camp of the Assyrians an hundred fourscore and five thousand men and what then could twelve Legions of Angels have done This Christ could have had for a word speaking to his Father but he did freely and willingly give up himself to all these torments for beleevers and he did not onely suffer them as a man but as a God For as I told you in his obedience so I tell you in his passion you must not sever the Divinitie of Christ from his humanitie For howsoever the Godhead could not suffer yet notwithstanding the Godhead did these things it was the nature of Christ that suffered Whatsoever a man doth with any part of himself though it be with his bodie the whole man is said to doe it because all actions are attributed to the person it was that nature that subsisted in the Divine Person that endured all these things therefore it is said that God shed his bloud Again the Godhead did withdraw it self and so had a hand in the passion of Christ the Godhead did withdraw it self from the revelation and manifestation of it self to Christ Again the Godhead did suffer it self to be eclipsed to be vail'd to be obscured and so may have a hand in suffering Again the Godhead of Christ did support the humane nature to bear the other wayes insupportable wrath of God But in all these respects the Lord Christ as God as well as man gave up himself to this for beleevers Hence is that Emphaticall speech Zach. 13.7 Awake O sword against my Shepherd and against the man that is my fellow Observe that speech Awake O sword here God speaks to his wrath to his divine vengeance to fall upon the man that is his fellow Christ as Gods fellow did suffer the wrath of God now Christ is not Gods fellow but as Christ is God Christ as Gods fellow suffered the wrath of God therefore Christ as God gave himself up even to suffer for beleevers And observe the Phrase Awake O sword against the man that is my fellow the very justice of God could not tel how to lay stroaks upon this Son of God til God bid it it stood as it were in amazement for to strike the man that was Gods own fellow What for God to strike his fellow that man that was God how could justice doe this Nay justice could not till God bad it Awake O sword Thus you have seen the Doctrine opened to you what the things are to which the Lord Christ freely disposeth and bequeatheth himself for beleevers To Incarnation he that was God became man To the obedience of the Law he that was the Law-giver became the Law-keeper To suffering both in body and in soul both the wrath of man and the wrath of God This is the meaning of these words Hee gave himself for us Now as briefly as I can to make some Use of the Point and so to passe on to somewhat else First of all this Doctrine serveth to shew us the wonderfull love of Christ to beleevers Can there be greater love then for a man to give himself to one We count it the greatest love that can be between creatures that of the man to the wife and the wife to the man and why so because there is a giving themselves one to another which no creature else doth This Christ hath done he hath given himself to beleevers and he cannot shew greater love because he cannot do a greater thing and yet behold a greater than this he hath not only given himself to them but for them and that is a little more You may conceive it by a similitude If a man give himself to a woman to become her husband there is a great-matter in that but if the man shall give himself for the woman when shee is to die to die for her that is more he that giveth himself to her doth yet injoy himself but he that giveth himself for her doth lose himself he that giveth himself to men hath himself but hee that giveth himself for men hath given away himself Oh this this is the love of Christ to all beleevers He hath given himself for us he that was God made himself of no reputation made himself nothing for so the word is in the Originall he that was above the Law he hath put himself under the Law he that was a Soveraign is become a Subject he that was the God of life is become a man under the power of death he that was the Judge standeth as the person guiltie and suffereth the judgement Here is his love you that are beleevers to the end that you might enjoy Gods favour he hath given himself to lose Gods favour for the sense of it to the end that you might never go to hell he hath suffered himself to endure the uttermost
torments of hell was there ever love like this Suppose that Christ had given himself to die ten thousand times over and over again a bodily death it had not been in the least degree so much as is one giving of himself some six hours to the enduring of the infinite wrath of God Here is the first Use remember it and admire it and be overcome with the love of Christ Oh that God would shed abroad this love in our hearts would it not constrain us as Saint Paul said of himself In the second place as it serveth to shew the love of Christ so it serveth for a great matter and ground of assurance and consolation to you that are beleevers of having all from Christ whatsoever you stand in need of for he hath given himself for you and will he not give you all things else What is it that your souls want Do you desire Christ you shall certainly have Christ he that hath given himself for thee will he not give himself to thee If we shall see a man giving of himself to death for a woman shall we question whether that man will give himself as a husband to the woman No certainly So when thou seest alreadie that Christ hath given himself for thee doest thou think Christ will not give himself to thee when he gave himself for thee he abased himself when he giveth himself to thee he exalteth himself When he gave himself for thee he was below his condition when he giveth himself to thee hee reserveth his condition for he giveth himself to be thy God and thy King to be above thee to command thee therefore he that hath done the greater will certainly doe the lesser And if Christ will give himself to thee what else is there that thou wantest that Christ will not give thee What Saint Paul saith in regard of God the Father that may I speak in regard of God the Son Rom. 8.32 He that spared not his own Son but delivered him up for us all how shall hee not with him freely give us all things So do I say to all you that are beleevers he that spared not himself but gave himself for you how much more shall hee freely with himself give you all things Do you want the Spirit of Christ He that hath given himself for you will much more give his Spirit to you It is more for Christ to give himself to you then for Christ to give his Spirit to you the Spirit is the Spirit of Christ and he that hath given himself must needs give whatsoever he hath together with himself The Spirit is but one of his Priviledges and his Jewels I mean the sanctifying operations of the Spirit If a man have given himself to a woman will he not give her his name his honour his wealth will he not give her all that he hath Even so consider it and apply it for your comfort and assurance he that hath given himself for you will he not give you all that he hath He that suffered the wrath of God to doe you good will hee not sanctifie your souls to doe you good Hee that lost his own peace for you will hee not give you that peace of conscience which passeth all understanding Thus it is a notable ground of strong assurance confidently to perswade our hearts of this that there is nothing we want that is good for us but Christ will give it us who hath given himself for us Again thirdly Let this be a motive strongly to perswade you to give up your selves to Christ he hath given himself to you will you not give up your selves to him It is that which the Scripture often speaks of Rom 6.13 Give up your selves as a reasonable sacrifice unto God And again Give up your members weapons of righteousness unto God Here now is an Argument above all Arguments why should you deny to give up your selves to him who hath not denyed to give himself to you why should you not give up your understandings your naturall parts to doe him service why should you not give up your hearts to be possest by him Why should you not give up all the members of your bodies to be instruments of doing his will of furthering his honour whereas he hath given up himself for you There is a great difference between Christs giving himself for us and between our giving up our selves to him When Christ gave himself for us he chang'd from the better to the worse when we give up our selves to Christ we change from the worse to the better for till we give up our selves to Christ we are the worlds sins and the Divels we are slaves vassals and drudges then onely come we to be Lords and to be Freemen and to be happie when we give up our selves to Christ Now then if he have changed from the better to the worser for your sakes will not you change from the worser to the better for his sake Consider this seriously there is no argument in the world stronger to perswade the soul to give up it self to Christ then to consider this that Christ hath given himself to us Become Christs altogether be not any longer the worlds nor your own but the Christs and Christs altogether give up your names for Christ be content the world should take away your name for the sake of the Gospel of Christ give up your goods for Christ suffer even with joy the spoyling of your goods for the sake of Christ and of the Gospel give up your liberties for Christ be content to be deprived of all your freedoms and contentments that you injoy for Christ give up your lives for Christ for he hath given up his life for you And if all this then much more give up your sins for Christ What doth Christ require of thee that art a profaner of his day but to abandon that sin to crucifie that sin Oh doe it Christ hath given himself for thee thou hast a sin perhaps that is neer and dear to thee Christ calleth for it Oh give it up to the sword of his word to be mortified and crucified he gave up his dearest life for thee Thus me thinks this same is a notable motive to perswade us to mortification to die to sin and to vivification to live to Christ to devote our selves in every thing to the Lord Jesus Let us not let us not I beseech you live any longer to our selves but to Christ who hath loved us so as to give himself for us And lastly to conclude this point let me perswade all such of you as are not yet beleevers that you would labour above all things to become beleevers Oh my brethren thrice happie are they of whom this may be said Christ hath given himself for us This is onely the happiness of beleevers they whose hearts are purified they that have a working love they that have a brestplate that secures their souls against all the wounds of the world
else but the very words of the Text explained For the proof of it you may please to consider that name that is given to Jesus Christ 1 Cor. 15 47. The first man is of the earth earthie The second man is the Lord from heaven Christ here is called the second man what is the reason of it Because there is a proportion between Christ and the first Adam onely it is a proportion of unlikenesse and contrarietie not a proportion of likeness and agrement Christ is just contrary to the first man how is that The first man did bring all mankind under sin and guilt and punishment Christ he doth bring all beleevers all mankind that doe beleeve in him he bringeth them all from under sin from under guilt from under punishment Thus there is a likeness between Christ and Adam onely by way of contrarietie Christ undoing what Adam did Christ bringing our of all that miserie into which Adam brought us therefore Christ is called the Second Man the first man undid us all the Second hath made us all that are beleevers the first man hath run us into debt the Second hath redeemed us from all that miserie into which the first hath plunged us And not to prove this onely in generall you shall see it proved in all the particulars how that the Lord Christ hath been a ransome and setteth free all beleevers from all Iniquitie First of all The first thing that I told you is meant by Iniquitie it is the breaking the transgression of Gods Law Now Christ he hath set beleevers free from this iniquitie he hath delivered them from the transgression of Gods Law this is that you have in the 1 Pet. 1. 18 19. Forasmuch as you know that you were not redeemed with corruptible things as filver and gold from your vain conversation but with the precious blood of Christ Observe the precious blood of Christ doth redeem beleevers from their vain conversation that is from the transgression of Gods Law from a course of disobedience and of breaking Gods Commandments I pray observe it it is a thing that the world thinks not of Christ hath redeemed beleevers from the very breaking of Gods commandments from their vain conversation It is true beleevers are not yet perfectly free from all transgression of Gods Law yet notwithstanding they are freed from a great deal which they were subject to before which none doe obtain but they that doe beleeve for howsoever they cannot but sin yet notwithstanding sin doth not raign in them though they are not delivered from the presence of sin yet they are delivered from the power of sin as you have it in Rom. 6. 14. Sin shall not have dominion over you for you are not under the Law but under Grace Sin indeed it hath a being in beleevers but yet notwithstanding it cannot so act and command them as it did formerly they doe not transgress the Law of God with resolution with love with delight the transgressions of the Law of God which they fall into they are their burthens they are their shame they are their grief they are the things that they hate and would not doe Thus I say in a great part they are for the present delivered from the first kind of iniquitie from the very violation of the Law of God and in due time they shall come perfectly to be delivered from all transgressions of Gods Law And there fore Saint Paul in Rom. 7. 24. when he cryeth our Oh wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from the bodie of this death that is from the power of sin that is in mee who shall deliver me from that Originall corruption whereby I am made to commit iniquitie and to transgress Gods Law He presendy subjoyneth I thanke God through jesus Christ my Lord. As if he should say I thank God Jesus Christ hath delivered me We have a title to perfect deliverance from all transgression and we have the beginnings of it in that we are now delivered from the power and raign and dominion of all sin Thus you see the first thing proved Christ hath delivered beleevers from the first kind of iniquitie that is from the transgression of the Law so that corruption doth not reign in them Secondly Christ hath also delivered them from the guilt of sin as he hath in a great part delivered them from the acting of sin This is that you have Eph. 1. 7. In whom wee have redemption through his bloud the forgiveness of our sins Where sin is forgiven there all the guilt of sin is removed by the bloud of Christ beleevers have their sins forgiven therefore the guilt of their sins is taken away so that there is no guilt of any sin committed by a beleever that lieth upon him but he is as perfectly free from the guilt of any sin whatsoever he hath committed as a man is freed from debt by a discharge from the Creditor Thirdly Christ hath also redeemed beleevers from the punishment of all iniquitie so that there is no punishment of iniquitie can fall upon any beleever See this in Rom. 8. 1. There is therefore now no condemnation to them that are in Christ jesus that is to beleevers Christ hath redeemed them from the curse of the Law therefore from all punishment that belongeth to the breaking of the Law This the Apostle excellently setteth forth in Rom. 5. 18. Where as saith he by the offence of one that is the first Adam judgement came upon all men to condemnation So by the righteousnesse of one that is of Jesus Christ the free gift came upon all men to justification of life Observe it All that are in Christ they have a free gift of justification they are acquitted and discharged from all punishment of sinne whatsoever Indeed I am not of their minde that say That God never punisheth his children for sin it is an abhominable Doctrine and contrary to the whole course of the Scriptures But yet this I desire you to observe That though God punisheth beleevers for their sin yet there is no beleever that hath the punishment of sin For you must know that there is a punishment for sin and a punishment of sin the punishment of sin that beginneth in the wrath of God and endeth in eternall damnation now no beleever hath this punishment Indeed for their sins they are punished but not with a punishment of sin neither cometh their punishment from wrath neither doth it end in hell but all the punishment they have for sin is a fatherly correcton it is sueh a punishment as whereby God cleareth his justice to the world and makes it appear that he is no cockering Fathe It is such a punishment whereby they are trained fitted and educated for the Kingdome of heaven to which Christ hath redeemed them so that though God punisheth them for sin yet hee never layeth upon them the compleat punishment of sin Christ hath redeemed them from the fruit of iniquitie
thee that art a beleever Exod. 14 13. Moses said to the people Fear not stand still see the salvation of the Lord which he will shew you this day What is that For the Egyptians whom you have seen to day you shall see them again no more for ever This was typicall this was a type of Christs redeeming thee that art a beleever from all iniquitie I say therefore to thee stand still and fear not be not afraid of any thing art thou invirond round about with iniquities as they were with the Egyptians fear not stand still be but patient a little soon shall â—he time come wherein thou shalt see the salvation of the Lord for thine Iniquities whom thou now seest thou shalt fee them again no more for ever This is the very end of Christs dying therefore this end shall be made good Oh let us rejoyce together in the redemption of the Lord Jesus Christ How would it glad our soul if we were vassalized to the Turk or slaves to the Moors to be redeemed from that vassalage and slaverie If we were to be imprisoned but all our life time for a debt which we could never pay how would it rejoyce our soul if a friend should come and pay our ransome and discharge our debt and set us free Behold here my brethren a greater redemption wrought for thee by Christ thou art redeemed from under all iniquitie not with a temporarie redemption thou mayest be redeemed in thy body from a slave and taken captive again the next yeer thou mayest be redeemed out of prison for debt and brought in again soon after but the redemption thou hast by Christ it is an eternall redemption as it is called Heb. 9.12 an universall redemption it is from all iniquitie and it is for ever Here is the first Use Admirable consolation to all beleevers you that are not sensible of this comfort are not beleevers Christ hath given himself for this end to redeem us from all iniquitie therefore assuredly his end shall be effected all beleevers shall be freed from all iniquitie The Second Use is for Exhortation Is this the end why Christ gave himself to redeem us from all iniquitie then let us that are beleevers be exhorted to these two things First of all let us be afraid of coming under any Iniquitie The Lord Christ did so much desire our redemption from all iniquitie That he gave himself for that end Oh then let us bee afraid of being again brought under the power of any iniquitie Hath Christ so much desired our freedome from Iniquitie as that he gave himself for that end and shall not we have a care that Christ may have his desire in keeping our selves free from iniquitie Suppose a Father had been content to redeem his son out of prison wherein he was perpetually to lie for debt to sell all that he had and to strip himself of all his estate to set his son free should we not cry out of that son that should after that he was redeemed so costly by his father again turn Prodigall It is as grosse a thing my brethren for us that are redeemed by Christ with so costly a Redemption as is even the giving of himself to rush again under the power of that iniquitie from which to redeem us Christ hath given himself Suppose a father should so love a son as that for the curing and freeing of him from a disease he should shed his own hearts bloud should we not judge it abhominable for that son presently to run again into the infection of the same disease when as his father with so much love and cost even his own life had procured his freedome from the disease I beseech you consider it the Lord Jesus Christ hath therefore given himself to be a man to obey the Law to suffer the wrath of God and to die that we might be redeemed from iniquitie Oh therefore let us ever be fearful of coming under iniquitie any more let us not suffer our selves to be defiled with that sin from which to deliver us Christ hath given himself Certainly if any argument in the world would perswade people not to given way to sin but to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts and to live soberly and righteously in this present world this will doe it When therefore thou art tempted to commit a sin reason thus with thy self Now that I am tempted to sin here is presented to me pleasure or honour or profit or escape from trouble and if I will commit the sin I shall attain many of these but let me remember that to the end I might bee brought out of sin Christ gave himself Is not Christ more worth than profit more worth than pleasure of more worth then my life why then to save my self from danger or to gain profit or pleasure or honours should I rush into a sinne out of which Christ to pluck me hath given himself Consider of it for this I assure you that there are none whom Christ hath redeemed from Iniquitie but he doth put into them such a spirit that they shall for ever after bee carefull to keep themselves from iniquitie The Lord Christ would not bee at so great cost to give himself for an end that should be frustrate he hath bought our redemption with the price of himself therefore he will make it sure that it shall be effected If therefore you find your hearts bold to run into any sin and ready to put your selves into all iniquitie you are not those that are redeemed by Christ Consider for the proof of this these places James 1.27 Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this to visit the fatherlesse and widowes in their affliction and to keep himself unspotted from the world Observe it where there is a true Religion there men keep themselves from the spots of the world And you shall finde this also excellently and plainly laid down in 1 John 3. from the 6. verse to the 11. Whosoever abideth in him that is in Christ sinneth not whosoever sinneth hath not seen him neither known him Little children let no man deceive you he that doth righteousnesse is righteous but in v. 8. He that committeth sin is of the devill Observe these Phrases of the Scripture And in v. 9. Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin for his seed remaineth in him and be cannot sin because he is born of God And in v. 10. In this the children of God are manifest and the children of the devill whosoever doth not righteousnesse is not of God In few words here is a plain tryall who are Gods and who are the Devils children whoever sinneth whoever doth not righteousnesse is of the Devill is not of God Take notice of it I beseech you they are the very words of the Spirit of God And to this you may adde that in the fifth Chapter of the same Epistle of John v. 18. We know that whosoever is born of
you doe not finde your hearts loving Christ above all things if you cannot say of Christ as the Church in the Canticles Oh thou whom my soul loveth if you cannot say that Christ hath more room in your affection that there is more inlargement of heart toward him then to any thing else in the world then you are not yet in the number of them for whom Christ gave himself to redeem them from all iniquitie Therefore I beseech you quicken up your hearts towards Christ Why doth Iniquitie so abound now and the love of so many waxe cold Surely you have forgotten your selves have not you forgotten what Christ hath done how else could your affections be so little so cold towards him Remember what I have opened now unto you Christ gave himself to be a man to obey the Law to suffer the wrath of God and man and that for this end to redeem you from all iniquitie therefore love you the Lord Jesus according as he doth deserve And thus much shall serve for the first end Why Christ gave himself for beleevers That end which concerns beleevers themselves Viz. That he might redeem them from all iniquitie The Second remaineth and that is that which concernes himself But so much for this Time â‚ THE BLESSED INHABITANT OR The BENEFIT of CHRISTS BEING In BELEEVERS By that Reverend Divine THOMAS HOOKER Late Preacher in New England EPHES. 3.17 That Christ may dwell in your hearts by Faith LONDON Printed by G. D. for Francis Eglesfield and are to be sold at the Sign of the Marigold In Pauls Church-yard 1651. The Blessed Inhabitant OR The Benefit of Christs being in Beleevers SERMON II. ROM 8.10 If Christ be in you the body is dead because of sin but the Spirit is life because of righteousnesse THe Apostle Saint Paul having in the first verse of this present Chapter in the very first words of the Verse set down the blessed Priviledges of all true beleevers such as are regenerated and are in Christ he doth afterwards in many Verses lay down the Signs and Tryals whereby he doth discover who they bee that are in that blessed condition and who they bee that are not And amongst others not to stand upon the Coherence it not being necessary for the understanding of this Verse he doth in the words of the Text lay down certain cleer Signs and Tryals whereby people may know whether they are regenerated by Christ and so justified yea or no And that is the Scope and Sum of this Verse If Christ be in you the body is dead because of sin but the Spirit is life because of righteousnesse In the Verse then you have these two things considerable First the state and condition of all justified persons Christ is in them in the first words If Christ be in you Secondly the Signs and Evidences whereby it may bee known whether Christ be in people yea or no in the rest of the Verse the bodie is dead because of sin but the spirit is life because of righteousnesse I begin with the First The state and condition of all persons that are justified They have Christ in them If Christ be in you saith the Apostle supposing thus much That the Lord Christ is in every justified person in every one that is exempted from condemnation The Point is clear and evident in the words of the Text If Christ be in you The like to this you have John 14.20 I am in my Father saith our Saviour to his Disciples and you in me and I in you They are in him and he in them The like also you have John 17.21 23. There our Saviour prayeth That they may be one in us I in them and thou in mee that they may bee made perfect in one Mark I in them and thou in me Look as God the Father is in Christ so the Lord Christ also is in every beleever To this purpose also is that of the Apostle Col. 1.27 The riches of the glory of this mysterie is Christ in you the hope of glory CHRIST IN YOU You see the Point is clear Christ is in every justified person For the further understanding hereof I will let you know in a word or two for I purpose but to touch it how the Lord Jesus Christ is in all justified persons First he is in them as the Housholder or Master of the Family is in his house Therefore the Apostle saith Eph. 3.17 That he doth dwell in our hearts Look as the Master of the Family dwelleth in his house ruling commanding and ordering all things there even so is Christ in them that are justified persons Again he is in them as the food that we receive is in our stomacks Therefore he is often in the Scripture compared to meat and drink because as meat and drink are in us after we have eaten and drunken so is the Lord Jesus Christ also in all them that are justified for their refreshing nourishing and strengthning and preservation of life in them Last of all He is in them as a mans life is in him I live not saith the Apostle Gal. 2.20 but Christ liveth in me Christ is in the soul of a poor sinner that beleeveth as our naturall life is in our bodies as our life doth act and move us being the principle of all those motions that are in us even so is Christ also in all justified persons But you will ask In what respect is it that the Lord Christ is said to be in justified persons I answer Amongst others Christ is said to be in them in these two respects First Because his Spirit is in them By his Spirit I do not mean his humane spirit his soul as he is a man that is proper to himself as every mans soul is but by his Spirit I mean the Spirit of God the Holy Ghost the third Person in Trinitie which is the Spirit of Christ both as he is the second Person in Trinitie so the Holy Ghost proceedeth from him together with the Father and also as he is the Mediatour of his Church so it is his Spirit because he hath merited and as it were purchased it to imploy it and to send it about for the effecting of the salvation of the Elect. Now the Lord Christ is in beleevers by vertue of his spirit because his spirit is in them This the verse before the Text and the verse after plainly prove where the Apostle maketh mention of the Spirit of Christ dwelling in the faithful If the Spirit of God dwell in you v. 9. And If the spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you Verse 11. This is the first Reason why Christ is said to be in justified persons his Spirit is in them Another is Because the vertue efficacie life and operation of Christ is in them as the tree or the root may be said to be in the branches because the life and sap of the tree is put forth in the branches So
my brethren is Christ said to be in the soul of every beleever because the vertue and influence of Christ is working in them as truly as it is in himself onely differing in regard of degrees and perfection Now for the fuller illustration of the Point give me leave in the last place to shew you the means whereby Christ is in all them that are justified They are these two First the grace of Faith For this in-being of Christ in all justified persons is the consequent of their union with him Now by faith they are joyned to Christ and Christ being joyned to them and they to him Christ is in them as well as they in him Therefore in that forenamed place Eph. 3.17 Christ is said to dwell in our hearts by faith Another means is The abiding of Christs word in us John 15.7 If ye abide in me and my words abide in you In the fourth Verse our Saviour had said thus Abide in me and I in you now repeating that again he somewhat altereth it and saith If ye abide in me and my words abide in you I conceive the ground of the alteration is onely this because the abiding of Christs word in people is a means whereby Christ doth abide in them By the words of Christ I take it is meant the Gospel of Christ with all the commandments instructions and promises that are contained in it Now when this Word of Christ doth abide in people which it doth when understood remembred practised and observed by this means Christ is said and made to abide in them The words of Christ are as so many plants which he doth ingraft into a poor soul as we doe ingraft Cions into a stock Therefore the Apostle calls it the ingrafted word which is able to save your souls Jam 1.21 Now look as the stock cometh to have the nature and to bear the fruit of the Cion by having the Cion implanted and ingrafted into it even so by ingrafting the word of Christ into us we come to have the sap and life of the Spirit of Christ and consequently Christ himself to abide in us For the further understanding of the Point you must in the last place know That however the Lord Christ is in all justified persons yet he is not wholly and compleatly in them not so as to exclude sin and Satan out of them Christ is in them and sin and Satan are in them also so that Christs dwelling in them is but imperfect yet notwithstanding it is perfecting and in the end shall be consummate and then Christ shall onely be in them and sin and Satan altogether shut out This serveth my brethren to teach us all which is the readiest and surest way to become justified persons and partakers of Christ and all his priviledges to wit to get Christ to be in us In vain dost thou hope for any Christian priviledge in vain dost thou indeavour after any thing that is necessary to salvation if by faith Christ is not brought to be in thee People doe oft trouble themselves many waies but most are ignorant or negligent of this way whereas our hope of happinesse of the forgivenesse of our sins our labours and endeavours after heaven are all in vain if we doe not labour by beleeving to get the Lord Jesus Christ to be in us Many conceit that Christ will be for them but he will be for none but for them in whom he is I mean not now to dispute whether Christ be for us or in us first but this is sure he will be for none but such as he is in also Therefore saith the Apostle Col. 1.27 Christ in you the hope of glory The Connexion is to be observed Christ the hope of glory but Christ in you implying that as we must have no hope but Christ and therefore Christ is called our hope so we can never have Christ to be our hope if we have not Christ to be in us Learn this therefore I say above all things to labour to be joyned to Christ by a lively faith that so you may come to have him in you and then he shall be for you and never till then Thus much for the first thing The condition of all such as are justified They have Christ in them Now for the second which is the main thing the Apostle aimeth at the Evidences or Signs whereby it may be known who have Christ in them Yee have them in the next words The body is dead because of sin but the Spirit is life because of righteousnesse Give me leave first to open the words unto you By Sin you know is meant the transgression of Gods law the going beside the rule of Gods Commandment either in neglecting what is enjoyned or in doing what is prohibited this is sin By Righteousness also must be meant the contrary to this For howsoever righteousness is sometime in the Scripture taken strictly for the observation of those duties that concern men which the second Table injoyneth yet sometime it is taken largely for the observation of the whole Law of God and all duties concerning God and us and thus it is usually taken when as it is not joyned with something else that doth restrain it Here it is opposed to sin and therefore as by sin is meant the going beside the Commandment of God so by righteousnesse is meant the observation or doing of the Commandment of God Thus you see what is meant by sin and what by righteousnesse But it is more difficult to know what is meant by the bodie and what by the Spirit The bodie is dead because of sin but the spirit is life because of righteousnesse I take it here by the bodie is meant the bodie of corruption the bodie of sin that same Original corruption that is in all of us by nature It cannot be understood of the natural body because of the opposition to spirit for by the spirit here cannot be understood our soul or our spirit for it cannot be said that any mans spirit or soul is life to righteousnesse it may be said that it is enlivened to righteousness but it cannot be said to be life to righteousnesse therefore seeeing by the spirit the soul of a man cannot be meant I thinke it is clear that by the the body the bodie of man cannot be meant But by the body I conceive as I said is meant the body of sin for so Saint Paul calleth it Rom. 6.6 That the bodie of sin might be destroyed Now this Originall corruption is called a bodie in these respects 1. Because that it commeth to us by propagation from the parents of our bodies 2. To expresse the baseness of it for our bodies are but base and vile as Saint Paul calleth them Phil. 3.21 3. To expresse the fadingness of it for that is our comfort as our naturall bodies are mortall so the body of sin originall corruption is also mortall to all the Saints Therefore it is called flesh
dutie of all people to look to signs and to try themselves by them And if there were nothing more but this that is in the Text me thinks it is an unanswerable Argument to confute them that crie out against Signs and Evidences of the truth of grace Doth not the Apostle Paul as plain as any man in the world can put them upon the tryall of themselves by Signs telling them that if they have such and such things in them they are in a good estate and if they have not that they are in a dangerous and damnable condition Therefore I say put it not off but make conscience to practise this duty to view your souls in this and the like looking-glasses Especially considering that which our Saviour Christ hath laid down for a certain truth That there are many called but few chosen There were four sorts of grounds upon which the seed of Gods word was cast and but one of those four proved good There were six hundred thousand of the people of Israel that came out of Egypt and went toward Canaan and yet but two of them that went into Canaan There were twelve Tribes which the Lord had caused to make them cleave to himself as a girdle to a mans loins and yet there were ten of those Tribes at one clap that were all cast off from being the people of God and but two of twelve that did remain You know how that the Apostle Paul telleth us in Rom 9.27 Though the number of the Children of Israel be as the sand of the sea a remnant shall be saved The Lord will put up righteousness in a short sum I say considering these things that there are so many of those that doe profess and hope to be saved shall miscarry how much doth it concern us all to try our selves When as our Saviour Christ had told his twelve Discriples that one of the twelve should betray him every one began to put himself upon the examination and asked their master whether it were he Were they so carefull every one to try himself when Christ told them that one of the twelve should betray him and shall not we be carefull to try our selves when as the Scripture telleth us that scarce one of twelve shall be saved and that eleven of twelve Professors are like to perish and miscarry Oh the heart of man is exceeding deceitfull hypocrisie is very strong and exceeding cunning hardly is a man able to finde out the state of his own spirit when he tryeth it with all his dilgence But above all my brethren let me presse you to this duty to try and examine your selves considering the times we live in These are the times wherein the Lord putteth people upon the tryall trying times even times like the times of the Fullers purging his cloth and the Goldsmiths refining his mettall And there are more trying times like to come Have we not wofull experience of divers falling away some falling scandalously perhaps being the Saints of God Davids and Lots and Noahs and Peters for so it is possible that some that are the children of God may yet notwithstanding fall into scandalous and offensive sins through their want of watchfulness and fear and carefulness But a great many doe fall and fall scandalously yea many give all cause of fear that there never was the soundness and truth of grace in them they went out from us because they were not of us Now I say considering that there are those that doe fall such as take upon them the profession of religion and are eminent in the waies of Christ and in the Gospel and yet fall and fall desperately and damnably Doth it not concern us all to fear and upon fearing to try our selves When the Apostle discoursed of the fall of the Jewes how they were broken and cast off What use did he teach the Gentiles to make of this Let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall So say I are these such times that many fall away then such of us as doe stand let us also take heed that we doe not fall How shall we take heed of falling Oh let us look to our selves that we are sound the ordinary cause of falling away is rottenness and unsoundness when people in hypocrisie take up the profession of Religion Therefore let us not make that use of the falls of holy men as the people of the world doe if there be any that falls into any scandalous sin and manifests himself to be naught at the heart what use doth the world make of it To flie upon God and upon religion and upon all professors of pietie and upon the Ministers and Preachers of the word Oh say they this is their Religion they are all but hypocrites this will be the end of them all These kind of Uses doth the world make of the falls of upright men whereas alas there is nothing lesse use to be made of them than this If so be that people were not desperately malicious against God and all goodness and that they were not shamefully ignorant they would never make this Use of the falls and scandalls of these men For first of all how can it blemish God or Religion or good men because some that seemed to be good and were not good doe discover their rottenness and unsoundness by their falls What kind of blemish was it to the holy Apostles and to the beleevers in the Primitive Church that some that were amongst them did goe out from them What kind of blemish was it to the twelve Apostles that one whom Christ kept familiar company with and was conversant with the Apostles as brethren did prove a hypocrite Was Judas his desperate fall a sign that the Religion and Preaching of Christ were naught and the other Disciples hypocrites None dare say so and if it were not then why should it now be a sign They that doe fall away they doe therefore fall away because they are not religious and not because they are religious They therefore fall away because they did not observe the rules of that religion they profest and not because they profest it And as it argueth thus an ignorance in people so further if so be that the world were acquainted with the Gospel and works of God they would know that the Lord hath decreed from all eternitie that in all ages of the Church some that have been eminent in profession should fall away There must be offences and scandalls given the Lord Jesus Christ himself layeth down the rule Matth. 18.7 It must needs be that offences come The Lord hath foretold it and hath ever made it good in all ages and times of the Church that there shall be offences and scandalls and that for good ends First to the making of them that are true hearted to be more fearfull and watchfull and more diligently to try their own estates and to fear lest they fall and by this kind of painfull and
carefull fear the Lord doth keep them that they shall never fall And another end is in regard of the wicked world the world lieth in wickedness and it is cursed and hated of God and intended to damnation and there are a generation in the Church which the Lord hateth and abhorreth and hath appointed to wrath and there are some that hate God and Religion and are glad of any occasion whereby they may reproach God and Religion and may harden their hearts from the power and practise of Religion Now in regard of these desperate wretches the Lord hath appointed it that in all ages some professors shall fall scandalously that they that have a minde to have their hearts hardned against God and Religion should have them hardned with a vengeance that even as a man that is running in a way and another having a minde to make him fall casteth some stone or block before him that may make him stumble and fall Even so when the Lord seeth men desperately cavilling against Religion studying how to harden their own hearts and the hearts of others the Lord will make his own children sometimes to fall though that it is not so common but ordinarily hypocrites to fall and lie in their way as stones that they may stumble and fall and perish for ever There is a woe to them that take scandals all profane ones that will stumble at Religion and reproach professors and profession because of scandalls there is a woe to them and what woe Even this that those scandalls are as so many stones tumbled in the way to make them break their necks in the pit of everlasting perdition And therefore thus you shall finde that usually where the ministry of the Gospell hath been any long time and people have not been wrought upon by the preaching of the Gospel are not brought to a powerfull profession of religion you shall usually finde it that the Lord doth suffer some professors or other in these places to fall scandalously Is it not so in many places in this City And therefore I beseech my brethren think of it as you are afraid to be hardened and to have a blacknesse upon you of Gods wrath take heed of making this use of the fals and scandals of any to harden your hearts against religion or to tip your tongues with reproaches against the Gospel and professors and so to grow to a hatred of the truth and power of godlinesse But the use you are to make of it is this Let him that standeth take heed least he fall Is one fallen take heed thou doest not fall also and to the end thou doest not fall have a care to trie and examine thy selfe Looke to thy selfe that thou have a sure standing Therefore I beseech you make use of this Looking-glasse take this text of Scripture and by it try your selves if you be right Christ is in you if Christ be in you there is a death or sinne and a life of righteousnesse Thus much for the first Use The second Use in a word and that is for Comfort and Terror Is it so that those that have Christ in them have a death of sinne and a life of righteousnesse then here is comfort to some of you and terror to others of you Comfort to all such of you as finde in your selves this death of sinne and this life of righteousnesse Doest thou find that there is this death of sinne in thee this life of righteousnesse in thee Oh then be comforted for thou hast Christ in thee and thou art certainly in Christ God is reconciled to thee thy person is justified thy sinnes are forgiven and thy soule must be everlastingly saved therefore be thou comforted It may be there is not so great a death of sinne in thee as there is in others but there is a death of sinne in thee It may be there is not so full a life of righteousnesse in thee as there is in others but there is a life of righteousnesse in thee If there be a death of sinne and a life of righteousnesse Christ is in thee though thou come short of that death and life that is in others I pray is not the soule of man as truly in an Infant in the wombe as in that childe that is borne and grown to some strength Is not the soule of man as truly in a weak and sickly man as in a strong and lusty man Is not the life and sap of a tree in a plant that is truly ingrafted though but newly and standeth in a manner loose and scarse buddeth or blossometh is it not as truly in that graft as in a graft that is grown strong and hath borne much fruit Even so is it in thee and therefore be comforted I desire to joy and glad your hearts that are in Christ and have Christ in you and I could not tell what better subject to pitch upon to bring you to comfort because I know this is the maine ground of all your discomfort a doubt whether Christ be in you or not therefore I thought it fit to shew you your faces in this Looking-glasse If then you finde in you a death of sinne and a life of righteousnesse know that Christ is in you When as the Scriptures and Ministers from the Scriptures doe open to you cleare signes and certaine evidences of the goodnesse and truth of your estates if you put away comfort then you put away comfort when God speakes to you you refuse to be comforted when the Lord will comfort you you give the lie to God and to his Word therefore take heed what you doe if by these signes or any such which are cleare and evident grounded upon the word of God you finde your estates to be good know then and assuredly beleeve them to be good It is true I confesse the heart of man is so deceitfull that a man cannot try his own heart and therefore the heart of man is so deceitfull that Ministers cannot try other mens hearts none but the Lord Jesus Christ is onely able to know the heart none but the King is able to discerne the man that had not on the wedding garment you may passe the judgement of all the Ministers and Servants of the King and be let in to the feast Yet notwithstanding though neither man himselfe nor Minister is able to try the heart yet this I confidently beleeve that a man himselfe and a Minister also may know and try the hearts of people if so be they deale faithfully and plainly with him Though no man can discover the secret windings of the heart yet the word of God doth this word of God doth not onely lay down infallible signes whereby people may know whether they are in the truth of grace but the word of God doth lay down signes whereby we may know whether we have those signes or no therefore if people will in the humility of their soules nakedly so farre as they know their own
hearts openly and plainly and particularly judge them by the Scriptures and observe their hearts in the course of Gods dealing with them and their dealing with God and accordingly apply the touchstone of the Scriptures I am confident by the signes and evidences of grace that are in the Scriptures people may come to discerne their own hearts not by any vertue or skill of their own but by the vertue and skill of God whose power goeth along with his Word It is true a Hypocrite may deceive the quickest-eyed Minister in the world if he will not openly lay his heart before him and therefore good Ministers oftentimes speake peace to them to whom no peace belongeth yet they speak the truth according to those evidences that are expressed to them Were not the wise virgins deceived in the foolish Was not David deceived in Achitophell Were not the Disciples deceived in Judas Yet notwithstanding as I said if people will sincerely deal with their fellow brethren and with their Minister and when God calleth upon them to try themselves if they will turne their inside outward if they will nakedly lay open the state of their own hearts so clearly as they can discerne I doubt not but the Minister of God from the word of God may speak assured peace and give them certaine evidences of the truth of grace Were not these things thus it were not possible we should ever come to assurance it were in vain that the Lord hath given us so many signes and tokens if by observing and trying we might not come to discerne the estate of our hearts Therefore for such of you as in truth find from time to time by these and the like evidences the truth of grace in you know you that there is ground of comfort for your soules And as this is ground of comfort to you that have these things so it is ground of terror to those that want them I know you are almost all frequenters of the Word speakers well of the practise of religion happily you have some reformation in you happily you have some Ministers that speak peace to you happily there is no disturbance in your consciences happily there is some kind of joy and rejoycing in you in hearing the Word c. But my brethren whatever there is that can be in you if this be not in you if there be not a death of sin and a life of righteousnesse be it known unto you that Christ is not in you neither are you in the state of grace You may go on and please your selves with dreams of a happy estate because of such and such appearances of grace yet this I assure you if the death of sin be not in you and the life of righteousnesse Christ is not in you nor never will be for you Again therefore be amazed and tremble and fear and cast away your vain hopes all you that have not found the death of sin and life of righteousnesse Be assured of what the Lord Christ speaks in John 12. The words that I speak shall judge you at the last day Be assured of this that the Lord Jesus Christ will judge your estates by these and such like tryals as these are at the last day and if you cannot be found meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the Saints in light by the Ministers and Ministry of the Word faithfully dispensed from the Scriptures you shall never be found meet to bee partakers of it in the judgement of God at the last day for so as the Word judgeth God judgeth and as the Minister judgeth while he keepeth to the Scriptures the Lord Christ will judge at the last day So that you see here is Comfort for some and Terror for others Comfort for such as have a death of sin and a life of righteousness though there bee much corruption though there be much weakness of grace in you yet here is comfort for you and terror for all others whatever their morall vertues and common graces or their restraining gifts or outward profession is Well then what now remains but that in the last place we be all exhorted from the Lord to labour to increase the death of sin and life of righteousness in us They are but imperfect in the best of us let us labour to make them both more perfect to perfect the death of sin and the life of righteousness Why so Because that the death of sin and life of righteousness they are the Evidences of Christs being in us the evidences of the goodness of our estates therefore the more these are the more are our Evidences of our part in Christ and the greater will our comfort be and we shall make more sure our calling and election This is that which the Apostle Peter meaneth 2 Pet. 1. 5. Give all diligence saith he to make your valling and election sure But how is that done by making sure those things in your selves that are the tokens and signs and evidences of Gods Election How shall this be done saith the Text there adde one grace to another to your faith vertue to your vertue knowledge and to knowledge temperance and to temperance patience and to patience brotherly kindnes and to brotherly kindness love perfect your grace increase the life of righteousnesse perfect in you the death of sin increase the ruine of the old man the more you increase these things the more you increase your Evidences of your part in Christ What can you desire that is able to administer to you so much comfort to provide so good a help for you against those fears we have so long justly feared what can prepare you for those ensuing calamities that are approaching as your Evidences of a part in Christ But nothing can give you so much evidence of a part in Christ as the death of sin and life of righteousnesse Therefore I beseech you studie above all things what ever else you neglect to increase and perfect in you the death of sin and life of righteousness that so the Evidences of Christ being in you may be certain And so much for this time and Text. FINIS GRACE MAGNIFIED OR THE PRIVILEDGES OF THOSE That are under Grace By that Reverend Divine THOMAS HOOKER Late Preacher in New England TIT. 2. 11. For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men c. LONDON Printed by G. D. for Francis Eglesfield and are to be sold at the Sign of the Marigold in Pauls Church-yard 1651. GRACE Magnified OR The PRIVILED GES of those that are under Grace SERMON III. Rom. 6. 14. For sin shall not have dominion over you for you are not under the Law but under Grace THe blessed Apostle Saint Paul having in the two former Verses exhorted the Romans to whom he wrote this Epistle that they should not let sin reign in their mortall bodie nor yeeld their members as instruments of unrighteousnesse unto sin He cometh in this Verse to prevent a
dominion over you For the understanding of this you must know there is a double dominion of sinne the one is when sinne reigneth to obedience the other is when sinne reigneth to death First I say there is a reign or dominion of sinne to obedience that is it which is spoken of in the 12. verse of this Chapter Let not sinne reign in you that you should obey it in the lusts thereof This dominion of sinne is when as sinne doth sit in the soule as a King sitteth upon his Throne and commandeth the heart of a man and all the members of his body as a lawfull Soveraigne doth command his Subjects The other reign of sinne which is a reign unto death is that which is spoken of in Rom. 5. 21. there the text saith Sinne hath reigned unto death and that is nothing but the power that sinne hath to damn all those whom it hath lorded it over Now both these are meant in the Text for both of them goe together the reign of sinne to obedience and the reign of sinne to death and damnation even as the light and heat of the Sun goe together so doth the dominion of sin to obedience and damnation goe together Where-ever sinne reigneth to obedience that is where-ever sin is in the soul of a man as a King making a man to obey it in his commands as a Subject doth his Prince there also will that sin reign to the damnation of that man Both of them are meant in the words So then the meaning of the words comes to this effect that sinne shall neither have dominion over you to obedience nor to damnation sinne shall neither reign over you to make you obey it as a Subject his Soveraigne nor to damn you for obedience of it This is the meaning of the promise and this is a promise that is made to all beleevers to all that are members of Jesus Christ And the observation that I note from thence is thus much that Sinne shall never reign in the children of God so as to make them obey it as a Subject their King nor so as to damn them for obeying of it The Point you sâ—e is no more than the words of the Text explained sinne may dwell with a child of God and sinne may dwell in a child of God Rom. 7. 17. It is no more I but sinne that dwelleth in me But sinne shall never reign over a child of God neither to make him obey it with full consent of will as a Servant doth his Masters commands or as a Subject doth his Soveraignes laws nor yet to damne him for obeying of it thus sinne shall never reign over any child of God though it may be in him and dwell with him yet it shall never reign over him The truth of this you may see in Rom. 6. 18. Being then made free from sinne you became the servants of righteousnesse He is not made free from the presence of sinne nor from the power of sinne for Saint Paul prosesseth of himselfe Rom. 7. 23. I find a law in my members that is sinne rebelling against the law of my mind that is the grace of God that is in me and bringing me into captivity to the law of sinne Therefore sinne may be in a man A child of God is not free from the guilt of sinne neither But how then is he free from sinne Thus he is free from the dominion of sinne sinne doth not reign in them as a Lord and King sinne doth not reign in them so as to damn them for it This is that also in Luke 1. 74. 75. That he would grant us that we being delivered out of the hands of our enemies might serve him without feare in holinesse and righteousnesse all the daies of our life Observe this Text Every one that is a child of God is delivered out of the hands of his enemies that is out of the hands of his spirituall enemies the world and the flesh and the Devill and he is delivered out of the hands of these enemies that he might serve God without fear in holiness and righteousnesse But how can any man be thus delivered from hell and sin and the Devill to serve God without fear in holiness and righteousness if he be not delivered from the reign and dominion of sin both as a King and as a Judge to damn him So that you see the Doctrine is cleared That all that are Gods people are delivered from the reign of sin sin neither reigneth in them to Lord it over them nor to damn them I will briefly give you the grounds of the point and so come to apply it The first Reason why all Gods children are delivered from the domnion of sin is because that all the reign of sin both as a Lord and as a Judge both to damnation and to obedience it all cometh through the justice of God which hath lest us thereto to punish all sins in Adam Now Jesus Christ he satisfieth the justice of God he appeaseth the wrath of God in all particulars wherein we have provoked him Gods justice being satisfied he takes off the punishment and so delivereth his people for whom Christ hath satisfied from the dominion of sin both to obedience and to damnation This then is the first Reason Because Christ he hath satisfied the justice of God and hath delivered all his people from that curse and that misery that lay upon them by the Law This is that you have in Gal. 4. 5. God sent his Son made of a woman made under the Law to redeem them that were under the Law We are under the Law in a twofold respect First we were under the accidentall power of the Law whereby the Law through our corruption did multiply transgressions in our souls and beget sin upon us as a man begetteth children Secondly We were under the Law in respect of the curse of the Law the Law cursing all that broke it and cursing of them to damnation we were under the curse of the Law in this respect Now Christ hath redeemed all his children from under the Law in both these respects First in the first respect he hath redeemed all his children from under that accidentall power of the Law where by the Law had power through our corruption to multiply transgression upon occasion of every Commandement it gave for the Law of God commanding and forbidding and our corruption being strong in us we broke every Commandement and so the Law occasioned a multiplication of transgression Now the Lord Christ hath delivered us from under this accidentall power of the Law in some measure so that how soever still through the remainder of corruption the Law occasioneth a great many sins in us because it commandeth and we doe not obey yet the Law doeth not occasion any reigning sin because there is nothing the Law commandeth but we obey it in some measure I pray observe it They love the Law of God they strive to
every soule that would make conscience of discharging this duty First of all we are then said to hearken to the voice of Christ as we should doe when we first seek to him and depend wholly and onely upon him for direction I doe not say but we may use all good meanes and helpes that God shall please to put in our hands But this I say howsoever we may use other meanes yet we must depend upon no other but the Lord Jesus first of all have recourse unto him and withall resolve that he onely shall cast the scale that his direction shall onely stand with us in whatsoever case it is we desire counsell And then the soule is said indeed to depend upon Christ for direction when it doth acknowledge a kind of soveraignty in him and also an all-sufficiency to direct a man so that howsoever we sometimes heare the counsell of others and hearken to the voyce of the Minister and of private friends yet we ever use them but as means to bring us to Christ and to reveale his counsell unto us and there being diversity of opinions and variety of judgements in many matters of Religion and that amongst godly and learned men yet in all points that which mainly casteth the scales with us is not the learning or holinesse of this or that man but the so veraignty and authority of Christ what he saith what his mind and his judgement is and what he would have us to doe This is the depending of the soule upon Christ You shall observe in the Old Testament how this course was ever taken up by the Saints in any matter of difficulty how they had alwayes recourse to the counsell of God and made their repair to his mouth We may read how often David did this 1 Sam. 23. When the matter was in much question and he in a great straight and every one gave in their severall opinions he went and enquired of the Lord saying Shall I goe and smite these Philistines verse 2. And when the Lord bad him goe and his followers were utterly against it he enquired yet again verse 4. and in the conclusion the counsell of the Lord bore the sway with him though in the judgement of flesh and blood it seemed the worse So again verse 11. Will the men of Keilah deliver me up into the hands of Saul will Saul come down c. So Psal 85. when he had long pleaded with God as it were in the time of Extremity see whither he had recourse at the last and upon what he setled himselfe verse 8. he resolveth upon this I will hear what God the Lord will speak that is I will not eye meanes nor look upon any mens opinions but I will hear what the Lord will say My brethren this is the course that every one of us must take if ever we purpose to hearken to the Lord in a right manner we must upon all occasions in all doubts and questions have recourse to him and labour to captivate our judgements to that truth that shall be delivered to us from him as knowing all other directions are good onely so farre as they are squared by that standard Look as men doe in their Law matter If one have a sute depending in an inferiour Court and cannot meet with satisfaction there according to the state of his cause he appealeth to a higher Court and there standeth at the judgement of the cheif Judge so ought it to be with us in all spirituall doubts and difficulties we must appeale from the conceits and counsels of men to the authority of Christ This is a point that is grosly mistaken and the contrary professed and maintained in popery But I shall not meddle with that at this time This is the first rule so to repair to Christ as wholly to depend upon him for direction But marke this we must repaire to him in the first place and not suffer our judgement to be forestalled with former counsels but first while the minde lyeth equally and indifferently disposed then set the word step in then let us repaire to Christ for guidance in the cause The contrary is a great hinderance to the effectuall passage of the Word of God into the hearts and soules of men and the world may easily observe it For look what points men have drunk in or what customes they have entertained they keep and retain them and there is no speaking against them their hearts are forestalled against the truth and possest with other principles or carnall customes and therefore the word of God takes no place in them The second thing we are to take notice of concerning the manner of our hearkning to the voyce of Christ is this As the soule must first seek unto Christ and depend upon him for direction so in the next place the heart must settle it selfe upon the truth revealed and quiet it selfe in the manifestation of that direction that God hath been pleased to make known unto it We must not listen and hearken to any of those delusions and silly devises wherewith Satan by the ministery of his instruments laboureth to draw us from the truth but our minds being enlightned the counfell of God being made known unto us we ought to take up our rest and standing there settle there let heaven and earth move but stirre not a foot from that truth God hath made known to us It was great folly in that good Prophet 1 Kings 13. to doe otherwise and he suffered for it He was sent on a message against Jeroboam and the Altar at Bethel and was charged by the Word of the Lord nor to eat bread nor drinke water in that place nor turn again by the same way that he came and accordingly he refused divers offers and withstood suâ—dry perswasions to the contrary But at length there came an old Prophet to him as subtill as ancient and he takes upon him to perswade him to return back to eat and drink and to refresh himselfe and he pleadeth I am a Prophet as well as thou and an Angell spake unto me by the word of the Lord and charged me to reveal to thee that thou shouldst come home with me though with no body else Hereupon the young Prophet yeelded to him and went back with him and eat bread in his house and drank water wherefore the Lord flew him My brethren take heed of this The Prophet had a plain charge the will of the Lord was openly revealed to him he gave him an express command to denounce the sentence against Jeroboams Altar at Bethel and that he should not stay to eat or drink in that place when the word of the Lord is so clear if an Angell from heaven should come and teach otherwise let him be accursed saith the Apostle So in ought to be with every Christian when once the truth is clearly revealed unto us and our mindes truly inlightned with the knowledge of Gods will we must resolve not to
now hee that is carried along in all his services by the will of God if that be the principall mover of him in all his performances then when ever that will is revealed let it bee what it will bee let it crosse him never so much or be never so contrary to his disposition yet he is the same in every thing that he is in one thing This is that which is said Acts 3.22 For Moses truly said unto the Fathers A Prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you like unto me him shall you hear in all things whatsoever hee shall say unto you Mark him shall you hear in all things that is Whatsoever he shall make known unto you to bee the will of God to that you shall yeeld obedience And this is a necessary consequent of the former For if the will of God be the first mover of the soul to every performance then being at any time revealed it casteth the ballance and commands the soul willingly to yeeld to what God requireth in every thing Thus much shall serve for the clearing of the Point The substance of all that I have said is thus much namely That the voice of the Lord Jesus Christ must be so alone hearkned to and obeyed that first of all we must seek to him and depend onely and wholly upon him for direction Secondly that we must settle our hearts and judgements upon that truth that is by him revealed unto us And lastly that wee must be moved to the performance of every dutie because God requires it and consequently that our obedience bee universall that we hear him in all things Now a Question may be here propounded How shall a man hear the voice of Christ Indeed happily may a carnall man say if the Lord Christ would reveal himself to us immediately and his word were made known to us by himself we would presently yeeld obedience thereunto without any contradiction How shall a man therefore know when the voice of Christ is made known I answer briefly the voice of the Lord Jesus Christ is made known to us two waies First the word of God in the Scripture ever hath the voice of Christ in it Whatsoever the word speaks the Lord himself speaks The Apostle Rom. 3.2 saith that unto the Jewes were committed the Oracles of God What were those Oracles of God Nothing but the Scriptures So that this everlasting truth this word of God rightly understood and truly conceived alwaies carrieth the voice of Jesus Christ with it And therefore Saint Peter speaking of the Scriptures in generall 2 Pet. 1.21 saith that those holy men of God that were the Penmen thereof spake as they were moved or inspired by the Holy Ghost thereby intimating unto us that the Scriptures are the very inspirations of God the very breath as one may say of the the Holy Ghost So that look whatsoever it is that the Scriptures make known to us God from heaven hath spoken it even as truly and as really as though he had spoken it immediately What the word saith God himself saith Secondly Whatsoever any faithfull Minister shall speak out of the Word that is also the voice of Christ The Texts are many that are to this purpose Give me leave to touch but one or two of them 2 Cor. 1â— 3 Ye seek a proof saith the Apostle of Christ speaking in me which to you-wards is not weak but is mightie in you Implying that whatsoever is spoken out of the word of God what truth soever is delivered to us by the mouth of his Ministers agreeable to the word Christ himself speaks in them Therefore our Saviour is plain Luke 10.16 He that heareth you heareth me and he that despiseth you despiseth me and he that despiseth me despiseth him that sent me That which the Ministers of God speak the God of Heaven himselfe speakes and they that despise their ministry the God of Heaven will require it even as if he himselfe should speak from Heaven and men should reject his words The Apostle Peter saith that the Lord Jesus by the power of his Spirit went and preached in the time of Noah to the Spirits that are now in Hell 1 Pet. 3.29 to those people that were disobedient before the floud to whom Noah preached partly by his practise and partly by his directions Christ himselfe spake even by that Spirit whereby he quickneth all things So then the point is evident But what reason is there that a man should stoop to the voyce and command of Christ In a word first He that alone hath command over us and right to require service at our hands him onely we ought to obey Now Christ alone is our Lord and we are his servants Eli joyneth these together in his direction to Samuel 1 Sam. 3 9. Thou shalt say saith he Speak Lord for thy Servant heareth If Christ alone therefore be our Lord whom else should we hear unto whom else should we attend and yeeld obedience Secondly The direction of Christ is the surest and safest look what counsell the Lord Jesus giveth we may build upon it As for others some are ignorant and know not how to teach some negligent and idle and will not teach some corrupt in their judgement and may infect us But Christ being Knowledge it selfe and Truth it selfe neither can nor will deceive us Therefore whatsoever the Lord Christ shall make known we may rest upon it and whatsoever course we take up upon his directions we may undoubtedly perswade our selvts that it shall goe well with us in the issue Our Saviour joyneth the same reason to his exhortation Mat. 11.29 Learn of me for I am meek and lowly in heart What then And yee shall find rest unto your soules as if he should say The counsels and directions that men give they doe not they will not they cannot give a man any rest but the counsell that I give and those directions that I reveale unto you out of my word what ever soule imbraceth them what ever heart entertaineth them shall find rest and comfort to it selfe for ever Let us perswade our selves that whatsoever the Lord speakes will not saile us there is none that trusts upon him that even shall be ashamed his counsell is seasonable and will be profitable to us if it be blessed of God Thirdly Christ onely is able to teach us Man may teach the care but the Lord onely can frame the soule and bring the heart to obedience That place Luke 24.32.45 is worth the remembring Verse 32. it is said that the Lord opened to the Disciples the Scriptures and Verse 45. that he opened their understanding that they might understand the Scriptures Men can onely reveale truths to us but never a man in the world is able to perswade our hearts and put understanding into our mindes but the Lord not onely openeth the sense and meaning of the Scriptures but he giveth us mindes to know and hearts to imbrace
what we ought to doe Now let us gather these up together The Lord onely hath right to command us therefore we ought to obey him His rules and directions are such as are most sure and safe therefore most worthy to be observed Lastly He onely can teach the inward man men may teach the care but have no power to bow the soule to buckle the heart to give wisdome and understanding to the simple onely the Lord that dwelleth in heaven is he that must doe it Let us now see what Use we may make of this Doctrine First it is as it were a bill of Inditement falling marvellously heavy upon the practise of many that live in the bosome of the Church those I mean that will heare any thing attend to any thing but to the voyce of Christ Whom they should heare they neglect and those they ought to neglect they will heare whether the Lord will or no The Drunkard hearkeneth to his companions they no sooner say as those Prov. 1.14 Cast in thy lot among us let us all have one purse or as the speech of our good fellowes is Comes let us goe and club it but presently he gives his consent The Adulterer stoopeth to the glance of the Adulteresse and that prevaileth with him he goeth after her straightways as an Oxe goeth to the slaughter or as a Foole to the correction of the stocks Prov. 7.22 The truth is if you mark the ordinary and common course of the wicked and ungodly men of the world you may easily see how every thing is imbraced onely the voice of Christ is refused Nay though Satan whisper not though occasions move not yet mark how the soule of such men yeeldeth to the inclinations of every sinfull lust If a lustfull thought arise in the heart see how the soule sucks the sweetnesse of it by meditation how it is delighted in the contemplation of filthynesse If a covetous thought oh how the man pursueth it he will never be at quiet till he have hatched some sinfull resolution within and brought forth some ungodly practise abroad It is admirable to see in that one place Acts 19. how the voyce of gain sounded so loud in the eares of those covetous Silver-smiths that the voyce of Paul could not be heard Doe but observe how Demetrius reasoneth the case with his follow-craftesmen Verse 25. Sirs saith he you know that by this craft we have our wealth we get our living Moreover you see and hear that not alone at Ephesus but almost throughout all Asia this Paul hath perswaded and turned away much people from entertaining and following this superstitious course saying that they be no gods which are made with hands So that this our craft is in danger to be set at nought When they heard these sayings the Text saith all men with one voyce cryed out about the space of two houres Great is Diana of the Ephesians Truly so it is now in the world there is such a noyse in mens mindes and judgements what the World will have and what Profit will have and what Pleasure will have that the Lord Christ may call till he be hoarse and yet no man will mind him but all stop their cares and refuse to heare the voyce of the Charmer charme he never so wisely Psal 58.4 5. It is evident then that these men are not the Schollers o Christ and certainly therefore the judgement of Christ shall be executed upon them hereafter In the mean time let me wish such to remember that place 2 Thes 2.11 12. When men will not receive the truth in the love of it but have pleasure in ungodliness when they shut out the truth and will not be perswaded to forsake their ungodly courses but suffer their sins and sinfull occasions to prevail with them above the word of God what befalleth them See what the Text saith and the Lord fasten it upon your hearts Read it over and over again That they all might be damned who beleeved not the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousnesse Mark I beseech you this is the word of God Who ever he is that hath pleasure in unrighteousnesse and will not hear and receive the truth in the love thereof so as to yeeld obedience thereunto and to frame his course according to it God hath appointed that man to everlasting damnation So that when thy conscience calleth thee to the discharge of such and such duties to forsake such and such courses and the word of God shineth full in thy face and is as clear to thee as the Sun at noon-day when the Lord hath revealed to thee his will and yet thy soul can say within thee notwithstanding all this Thou hast loved those sins which God out of his word hath forbidden thee thou hast had pleasure in those courses which God in his word hath condemned those proud and adulterous courses those ungodly practises thou hast harboured them in thy heart and kept them in thy bosome and taken pleasure in the practise of them Doth thy own soul say this Well then my brethren make the conclusion your selves See I beseech you doth not the Word of God say plainly that the Lord hath sealed such up to everlasting damnation because they had pleasure in unrighteousnesse A Second sort that are here justly to be reproved are those that captivate their own opinions and conceits to the judgement of men There are a poor kind of deluded creatures in the world that have made themselves so far servants unto men that they have pinned their conceits and judgements to the opinions and commands of those upon whom they depend and from whom they expect either profit or preferment That look what their great masters say whatsoever they speak that they account as Gospel and whatsoever these have devised they must desend and maintain it and their judgements must entertain nothing to the contrary These are marvellously estranged from the Lord and are contrary to this truth that hath been taught from the words of this Text. For doth not the Text say Hearken unto me Therefore it plainly reproveth those that can be content to have the word of men to carry weight with them and the commands of men to cast the ballance that whatsoever they will have practised must be yeelded unto let the word of Christ say what it will and they must be content to give up themselves to perform it let it be agreeable to the Scriptures or not This argueth clearly that these are the servants of men and that they have mens persons in admiration for filthy lucres sake because they thinke that their profit or pleasure or preferment is gone if their good will and pleasure be not observed upon whom they depend This is an ordinary and grosse fault The wife she complaineth and saith Indeed it is true the course is good that you wish me to and I am perswaded that God requireth it but my husband is against it and I shall lose the
love and respect that I have alwaies had from him if now I enter upon such a course The husband he complaineth and saith A holy conversation is good and such duties as you call upon me to exercise in my family cannot but be pleasing unto God and such as he requires but if I should take up such a practice my wife would be continually besieging me with daily vexations I should neglect my calling and incur the censure of my neighbours and friends and bee counted too too precise These and many others that I could instance in are not hearkners to Christ In the last place there come in also another sort to be reproved and these are such as can be content to give the Lord the hearing but will doc nothing when it should come to performance Howsoever happily they will approve and applaud that which the Minister delivers to them from God yet in the conclusion if their ease and honours and liberties lie at hazard they fail in matter of practise they will doc nothing they dare doc nothing further then they are advised unto by those Counsellors that keep a kinde of audit in their hearts and what sentence they deliver shall be yeelded unto and no more To instance a little The world knoweth that it is the will of God that every man should deny himself and take up his crosse and follow Christ that a man should hate father and mother and wife and children and friends and all for his sake and the Gospels that a man should renounce all those courses of sin that carry with them the most appearance of profit and pleasure that he should pluck out his right eie and cut off his right hand These are truths that are clearly discovered in the Word of God and every soul that is rightly informed yeelds unto them and men in the world are acquainted with them hearing them pressed from day to day in the preaching of the Word And so also that it is the will of God that men should be pure as God is pure and be holy as he is holy in all manner of conversation that they should abstain from all appearance of evill this the Lord requireth and this men commend and approve of But now come to matter of practise If a dutie be required that will crosse their ease or their honours or in the least measure diminish their outward comforts Mark what followeth then they are at ademurr they will stay there and thinke twice of it before they will doe any thing they must first take counsell and be well advised of it And what counsell doc they take Not from the Lord and his word but from their pleasures and profits and carnall delights and contentments The ambitious man asketh his honour Shall I be sincere and zealous in the cause of God The covetous man asketh his wealth Shall I be exact in a Christian course Shall I lose this gain or that advantage for the keeping of a good conscience The voluptuous man asketh his pleasure Shall I abstain from the appearance of evil Shall I hate the garment spotted with the flesh Shall I enter upon the way that is called holy and walk therein with that preciseness and strictness that the word of God requires Then they all cry unto a man as sometime Peter said unto Christ when he had told his Disciples That he must suffer many things of the Elders and Scribes and be killed Be it far from thee Lord this shall not be unto thee Matth. 16.22 and they hang about him as once Pauls friends hung about him when they heard that he must be bound at Jerusalem Acts 20.37 38. and 21.12 No saith honour if once you take that course then I must be abased No saith profit if once you walk that way I must be neglected No saith pleasure if you mean to walk so strictly and exactly before God and men then abandon all pleasure you and I must bid farewell for ever Now the poor soul returneth this answer to God and to his Word and Minister I have taken counsell concerning that which you require of me and am advised to the contrary my pleasure and my profit and my preferment tell me that it will be marvellous tedious irksome and grievous to take such courses I find this way every where spoken against and therefore conceive it better to lie quietly and sleep in a whole skin then to bring an old house upon my head Thus you see what the pleas of carnall men are To all which I say but one thing Let them ask their own hearts but this one question Is this to hear the voice of Christ or not If it be not as most certain it is not then the case is clear He that doth not hear the voice of Christ is none of Christs It is our Saviours own conclusion John 8.47 Hee that is of God heareth Gods words yee therefore hear them not because ye are not of God That is Whosoever they be that will hear any counsell but the counsell of God that will bee content to be ruled by any thing rather then by his word God will not own them hereafter they are none of his that is they have no work of grace in them for so the Apostle expounds it 2 Cor. 5.18 All things are of God that is God is the worker and framer of saving grace in the soul of his servants He therefore that will not stoop and be obedient to the voice of Christ hath no saving grace as yet wrought in his heart and consequently is not of God This me thinks should awaken the souls of all such poor carnall creatures as love their pleasures and profits and preferments more then God I beseech you think of it and know it for a certain that while you hear these counsellers you hear not God and so long as you hear not God he hath no part in you neither will he hereafter if you so continue shew mercy unto you I have one thing more to say before I conclude and that is a word of reproof even for the Saints and people of God who though they walk with God in truth and sinceritie yet are often worthy to be blamed in that they wrong the Lord and their own comforts by their not hearkning and stooping to the command of Christ by their not inquiring of him in the first place and by their not resting upon him when they have his will revealed to them These are two main weaknesses and infirmities in the godly themselves and they ought to take speciall notice of them Many a Saint of God there is that is daily vexing himself by poring on his own weaknesses by hearing whatsoever carnall reasons flesh and bloud and sense can possibly raise against him together with all the false suggestions and perswasions of Satan and at last when he hath wearied and tired himself and knoweth not what to doe then he goeth home to God and is contented to hear what
he will say whether he will speak comfort to his soul or no and then away with carnall reason and delusions of Satan My brethren yee should in the first place go to God and advise with him and hear what his good pleasure is toward you and never inquire of your own carnall reason Again there is oft another great fault in the people of God that as they go not to Christ in the first place for advice and counsell so in the second place when they have it they rest not upon it Many a one there is who after he hath been convinced evidently and clearly by the power of the word rightly and strongly applyed that his estate is good before God and that his conscience is sincere his heart upright and that the spirit of God hath begun an everlasting work of grace in him yet notwithstanding oftentimes relinquisheth that ground that God hath given him to stand upon and letteth go that hold that hath been reached out from heaven for him to sustain himself by and returning home again to a view of his own weaknesses and infirmities he forsaketh his own mercies and groweth forgetfull of his former comforts the consolations of the Almightie seem small unto him hee will not quiet himself in that truth which God hath made known nor rest upon his word as he requireth Yea but the soul replieth alas should a man content himself with a blind perswasion that his estate is good and not try his title to heaven or search whether his interest in Christ be such as will not deceive him at the last I say Yes a man should look into himself and examine himself whether he be in the faith or no but alwaies let the Lord be Judge let his word onely passe sentence upon thee Never Judge thy self barely by what either Satan seems to suggest or thy own sinfull weakness would perswade thee unto but when the Word of God is revealed and his truth manifested unto thee when the Minister out of the Seripture hath setled thy conscience and declared thy case good by such assured Evidences as thou maist safely build upon then hold there and beleeve nothing to the contrary search your selves but still doe it by the word of God If this course were taken and well observed where there are thousands of complaints among Christians there would be scarce one For my brethren the ground of all our feebleness and distrust and distemper lieth especially in this that we neglect our grounds and doe not fix upon those truths which God hath revealed and made known unto us either publikely or privately Hold this therefore for ever as the best direction I can give thee If my soul shall be condemned the word of God shall condemn it If I must judge my self to have no grace the Word of God shall say it If I must conclude salvation as yet belongeth not unto me it shall be because the Word saith so and not because Satan or my own imagination saith so This carrieth thousands of poor souls into manifold distempers because they settle not themselves upon the truth of God which alwaies standeth as mount Zion unmoveable and would make them rest in abundance of peace in the midst of all those disquiets that are raised by Satan and our own distrustfull hearts Lastly in a word doth the Lord himself call for and require this at our hands the Lord I say who onely hath right and authority to command us Doth he injoyn us when he speaks to hear and obey Oh now therefore though an unworthy Minister cannot perswade you to yeeld up your selves to the practice of this duty yet let the Lord himself prevail with you and woe to that soul that will not bee perswaded by the Lord himself Take notice of that place before alledged Acts 3.23 Every soul that will not hear that Prophet shall be destroyed from among the people Let every one therefore now in the fear of God observe that which Christ himself injoyneth and so often calleth for in the second and and third Chapters of the Revelation He that hath an ear to hear let him hear The Lord saith the same now to every soul in this place Let every soul that hath an ear to hear hear what the Lord saith unto him not onely now but hereafter whensoever God shall be pleased to reveal any of his counsell to him for his direction Labour to bring your hearts to that temper we read to have been in Cornelius and those that he had gathered together to be partakers of Saint Peters Ministerie Acts 10.33 When the Apostle was come mark what Cornelus saith to him We are all here present before God to hear all things that are commanded thee of God My brethren the same frame of spirit ought we to have whatsoever it is that the Lord shall speak unto us wee must hear him in all things as I told you before not onely in some easie kind of dutie such as every man is willing to imbrace but in every thing be it never so crosse to carnall reason and corrupt nature when the Lord teacheth we must bring docile hearts hearts inlarged to hear and entertain his doctrine hearts willing to be moulded into that good word of God that he shall reveal to us neither must we thinke this dutie tedious we should never be weary of it Observe what Christ saith Luke 10.24 Many Prophets and Kings have desired to see those things which yee see and have not seen them and to hear those things which ye hear and have not heard them What things Even those that are preached unto you and made known from day to day the great things of the Gospel which are now published in open view great men of great place and eminencie have desired to see and hear them The holy Patriarchs and Prophets whose spirits are now in heaven looked long for Christs day Abraham saw it afar off his eies dazeled in beholding of it If they rejoyced and delighted in these things should not we much more Nay the blessed Angels come down and delight to pore into these sacred mysteries that are now revealed to the people of God Which things saith the Apostle the Angels desire to prie into 1 Pet. 1.12 Those blessed spirits that are the subjects of joy and happiness are so ravished with those glorious mysteries that they are contented to come to our Congregations not a step or two as we doe who assoon almost as we are out of our doors are in the Church but a great journey even from heaven and with a great deal of liking and complacencie they behold the services of Gods people and are glad to see a poor soul converted and report it again in heaven rejoycing there together that a sinner is turned unto God My brethren thinke of it Shall we now that have most reason to attend these things they being that upon which our everlasting salvation depends be utterly careless of them Alas the
Angels have the least part in the redemption of a sinner We are the redeemed and the saved and we are they that must be glorified and shall we have no ears to hear no hearts to attend to no desires to imbrace the Word of Salvation Oh what a shame is it that we that have so much interest in mercie should have so great a neglect of mercy What then remaineth but this that we all provoke one another to the performance of this dutie here required of us that we stop our ears to all carnall counsell to all delusions of Satan that we hearken to the Lord onely as our Master resolving to attend to no advice to follow no directions to obey no commands but what he shall give us Oh but will some say what is this which you teach us May not a man hear his carnall friends may we not follow the advice that they give us If we slight their counsell we may be undome their anger may be such against us that wee shall not be able to bear it To this Objection I will reply in a word Will carnall friends be troubled and offended because their words are neglected and will not the Lord Jesus Christ thinke you be horribly displeased when his commands are despised Assure your selves my brethren either you must hear the Lord Christ now as a Saviour or you shall hear him hereafter as a Judge either hear him now so as to obey and doe what he requires or if you refuse to hear his counsel expect to hear an horrible sentence thundred against you when he shall sit as Judge at the last day when all your carnall counsellours shall not be able to acquit you You that are wives and pretend that you must please your husbands by submitting to their commands and desires you that are husbands and alledge that you must give satisfaction to your wives you that are Apprentices and plead that if you observe not your masters wills but walk according to the rule of Gods word you shall be thwarted by your masters and driven to some great inconvenience You that stand upon the humoring of your friends and acquaintance consider it well Will the perswasions and counsels and desires and commands of a Father or friend or husband or master stand you in stead at the day of judgement Will this be a satisfactorie answer at that day my husband intreated me my friends counselled me my master commanded me No my brethren as you are brethren in iniquitie and causes of sin one to another so you shall perish both together Therefore knowing the terror of the Lord let that scare you more then the anger and displeasure of all the friends in the world But the truth is you will answer again they are they that we receive all from and should we goe contrary to them and neglect their advice we must resolve to be poor and base and mean all our daies What a silly imagination is this Put case these carnall friends bear some kinds of respect unto thee and promise thee fair and seem able to doe thee good Can they doe thee good unlesse the Lord Christ blesse what they doe Is not he able to draw their hearts from thee or to move them towards thee Cannot he blesse the means and cannot he curse them also Thinke of this my brethren Whether is better for a man to be inriched or glorified To hear an earthly parent that happily may give him an earthly patrimonie or an heavenly father that assuredly will receive him to mercie in the end of this life Thinke of these things and withall know that the means and helps and supports that we desire are not properly in the power of friends and acquaintance but it is God that boweth the hearts and inlargeth the spirits of men whether friends or no to doe us good I have known many a carnall man that having wicked friends hath been inforced to bestow most upon those whose life and practise he most opposed and hated At leastwise beleeve for a truth what the Lord saith by the Prophet Isa 55.3 Encline your ear and come unto me hear and your soul shall live That is enough me thinks to put to silence all such Objections as these What ever carnall friends shall perswade you to nothing shall doe you so much good as the hearing and obeying the voice of Christ But it may be some will reply and say Alas I have present need of such and such therefore I must either hear them counselling or else they will not hear me intreating Oh my brethren thinke of this Hath a man or shall a man have need of a friend and shall he not also have need of the Lord Jesus Christ Must a friend be obeyed because wee have need of him and shall not the Lord Jesus Christ be much more observed because we have much more need of him Hast thou need of a father or master to bestow some favour upon thee and hast thou not need also of a Saviour that may deliver thee from sin here and from everlasting damnation hereafter Know it know it that howsoever now you may neglect the counsell and advice of the Lord Jesus Christ and thinke that you have no need of him because happily for the present your friends smile upon you yet the time will come when you shall find you have more need of Christ then of all the world When a man lieth upon the bed of death and his eies begin to grow dim and his breath short and his pulse weak and he ready to goe the way of all flesh Oh what good can friends doe him then all of them together can neither restore health nor preserve life in that hour He that now would be our Saviour hereafter will be our Judge and will passe sentence upon us one way or other either of salvation or damnation Shall we not stand in need then of his mercy and saving health when that day cometh The soul will then wish for a dram of mercy more then for a whole world Ask a man my brethren when he is going the way of all flesh what then he most desireth and what he would have at that time especially Oh will he say mercy mercy Oh that the Lord would accept my person and pardon my sins and graciously look upon me in the face of Christ This is all that the poor soul then craveth But if you neglect now to hear the voice of Christ how can you expect that ever he will hear you in that day It is just it is just my brethren that you should then have the same sentence that was past upon the foolish Virgins Matth. 25.12 They came and knocked hard and spake loud Lord Lord open unto us Away saith Christ I know you not I know you not You would not hear me in the time of your pilgrimage upon the earth when I sent all my servants the Prophets rising early and sending them therefore now I will not
hear you But that is not all I beseech you to hear it and tremble The Lord at that day will not only neglect a man that hath neglected him but he will also rejoyce at his destruction and laugh when his fear cometh Mark what the Text saith and remember it for ever Prov. 1.24 Because I have called and ye refused I have stretched out my hand and no man regarded but yee have set at naught all my counsell and would none of my reproof I also will laugh at your calamity I will mock when your fear cometh What a fearfull thing is this that the God of heaven the God of mercy should solace himself in the ruine of all such rebellious wretches as would not hear and imbrace his blessed truth when he delivered and manifested it to them When Christ shall say This is that drunkard that will not part with his cup for all my perswasions and intreaties This is that adulterer that would not part with his lust notwithstanding all my calling upon him and reproving of him Here is a man that loved his ease his pleasure his comforts his worldly contentments more then me Here stands he that hearkned to the advice of his carnall friends and wicked companions and set at nought all my counsels and admonitions Oh my brethren then shall the just judgement of God sink these down to the everlasting pit where there is weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth for ever I say no more but I beseech you hear me now that God may hear you at that day You will have need of a Saviour and of mercy then The soul longs for nothing in the day of death but pitty and pardon O make Christ your friend now hear him now obey him now receive him now that it may go well with you for ever If now the command of God cannot carry you nor these Arguments which I have used draw you to yeeld obedience to this truth yet remember that passage Deut. 5.27 29. with which I will conclude and me thinks if you have any good nature in you it should work much upon you When the people of Israel had said unto Moses after they had heard God speak unto them out of the midst of the thunder and lightning Go thou neer and hear all that the Lord our God shall say and speak thou unto us all that the Lord our God shall speak unto thee and we will hear it and doe it The Lord saith the Text heard the voice of their words the Lord said I have heard the voice of the words of this people which they have spoken unto thee they have well said all that they have spoken Oh that there were such an heart in them that they would fear me and keep all my Commandements alwaies that it might be well with them for ever Mark my brethren it is the Lords own request that there may be an heart in you to hear and obey that so yee may live for ever Oh therefore if a man cannot prevail with you yet let the Lord Jesus Christ beg so much of you You may think it strange that the Lord should desire this at your hands but it is true he desireth it heartily and he will be exceedingly pleased if you satisfie his desire Well now seeing it is the great request that the Lord by me hath made unto you ask your own souls commune with your own hearts and tell me what answer I shall return to the Lord Shall I say you will not hear My brethren it is a grievous and tedious thing for a poor Minister to give up such an answer unto God I would not willingly have this answer from you therefore I beseech you answer again Tell me what shall I say Speak comfortably as they did Whatsoever the Lord our God shall say that will we hear and doe If so then let me conclude with the answer of God O that there were such a heart in you and that you would fear the Lord and keep his Commandements that it might be well with you for ever FINIS THE ACTIVITIE OF FAITH OR ABRAHAM'S IMITATORS By that Reverend Divine THOMAS HOOKER Late Preacher in New England JAM 2.17 Even so faith if it hath not works is dead being alone LONDON Printed by G. D. for Francis Eglesfield and are to be sold at the Sign of the Marigold in Pauls Church-yard 1651. The Activity of Faith OR Abraham's Imitators SERMON V. ROM 4.12 And the Father of Circumcision to them who are not of circumcision onely but also walk in the steps of that Faith of our father Abraham which he had being yet uncircumcised THe blessed Apostle Saint Paul from the 20. verse of the former Chapter to the end disputeth that great question of justification by the free grace of God and after many Arguments alledged to prove that it is by grace and not by works he concludeth in the 28. verse Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by Faith with the works of the Law Having dispatched this and setled his assertion by strength of argument in this fourth Chapter wherein my Text is he laboureth to make the truth yet more clearer and evident by way of example and to the end he setteth it forth in the lively colour of that faith of Abraham giving us an instance of this truth in the example of him who was the father of the faithfull a father not by naturall generation but by imitation the Lord having appointed him to be the coppy to all the Beleevers of succeeding ages that as he beleeved and by faith was saved so they that doe expect to receive salvation must walk in that way if they purpose to partake of that end Now touching this example of Abraham that I may not be long before I come to that which is the principall point I intend to deliver at this time the Apostle doth two things first he layeth down the pattern it selfe clearly both in Gods vouchsafing justification to Abraham and also in Gods sealing this by the seale of circumcision and this he doth in the 11. verse And as he hath propounded it thus both in Gods gift and in Gods sealing thereof so in the words of the Text he maketh an application of both applying it to all Abrahams children that shall live to the end of the world whether Jewes or Gentiles and in effect it is as if he had said thus Abraham when he was uncircumcised did beleeve and so was justified therefore they that are uncircumcised may beleeve and be also justified Abraham when he did beleeve was circumcised and that hindered not so those that are circumcised may beleeve and be justified that is the Jewes and the Gentiles have both liberty to come into the Covenant of grace and so also to be happy by that Covenant as Abraham was In the words therefore you have an application of the former patterne to the particular use of every faithfull servant of God that look what good Abraham
and his truth in prophaning his day blaspheming his name contemning his Word despising his Ministers c. and they presently cry out against us What will you make Pagans of us What do you thinke we are Heathens Have we not received Christian Baptisme c. This is a bottome that beareth up many But oh poor silly creatures this will not doe it be not deceived you will shrink under this shelter you will fall notwithstanding these props when you come to tryall you may have all this and yet perish this will not make you Saints in the sight of God You that are Tradesmen is it a good argument that because have good ware in your shops therefore you have no refuse no drug commodity or you that are husbandmen because some good corn grows upon your ground is it therefore all good corne Who knows not that there is Cockle amongst corn and bad wares even in your best shops So it is true here as there are many hearers in hell and many receivers in hell so there are too many in the bosome of the Church enjoying the outward priviledges of Gods people that shall never receive good by all that they partake of Therefore I beseech you be not deceived trust not to these lying words and vain hopes The Sacrament of the Lord and the Church and the Church I say trust not to these lying vanities A man may as Judas not onely have the Sacrament in his hand but Christ in his mouth and goe to Hell notwithstanding Alas at the day of judgement if thou hast nothing to say but this Lord I was a hearer of thy Word a receiver at thy Table a frequenter of thy house thou canst expect no other answer but Depart from me I know thee not He is not the Son of Abraham that hath Circumcision onely but that walketh in the steps of the faith of Abraham In the second place here is a word of Exhortation and that is this We ought hereby to be instructed and provoked to stir up our soules and not to content our selves with or settle our selves in these outward shaddows but to labour to go further and beyond all that these outward priviledges barely as outward priviledges can make us not onely to enjoy these but to strive to be bettered by them not onely to have the Word and the Sacraments but to improve them to get more then the outward shell to labour for the kernell for the comfort of them Therefoee I would advise a Christian man that liveth in the bosome of the Church where the Lord is pleased to continue helps and means to him as to esteem them great priviledges for so they are so not to content himself with the outward enjoyment of them but to call upon himself and to look inward to see what the heart saith Outward things will not doe the deed look we therefore for somewhat more that will stand us in stead when the Lord cometh with his fan in his hand throughly to purge his floor and to make a division between the wheat and the chaffe Take notice of it therefore and understand for your spirituall good When thou comest to the house of God and bringest thine hands to receive the Sacrament and thine eares to listen to the word thinke with thy self I have heard the Word I have received the Sacrament but O heart what sayest thou Have I embraced these promises Have I closed with those precepts that have been delivered Have I eaten Christ in the Sacrament Hath my faith pitched on him exhibited there under the Elements of Bread and Wine How often have I already lived under the call of God and yet have rejected it my soul is not yet humbled I onely come and hear and return without any benefit therefore now I will go further and dig deeper that my heart may be brought to the obedience of the truth Mark what our Saviour Christ faith Joh. 6 49 provoking the Jews to beleeve in him and so to receive mercy by him he speaks on this manner forcing them to goe further then outward things Your fathers saith he eat Manna in the Wilderness and are dead Who are those Fathers Those stubborn and rebellious Jewes that fell in the Wildernesse These entred not because of unbelief saith the Apostle to the Hebrews Now Christ saith Your Fathers eat Manna and are dead he meaneth are damned for he saith afterward Vers 51. If any man eat of this bread he shall live for ever thereby shewing a difference between the faithfull and unbeleevers though both die a naturall death I say making a difference between the rebellious Jews that did not beleeve and those that did beleeve Your Fathers eat Manna in the wilderness a Type and a Sacrament indeed to them as St. Paul expresseth it but that would not doe the deed though the Manna came from heaven yet it could not bring them up to heaven it could not free them from eternall death But here is the priviledge of beleeving and of right receiving He that doth not onely receive bread but Christ he that eateth this food this bread he shall never die any more he cannot perish Labour therefore for this evermore As when the woman of Samaria heard our Saviour speak of living water that would continue for ever She cryed out presently Oh Sir give me of this water that I thirst no more Joh. 4.15 So labour for this food above all Labour to settle your souls and to rest your hearts still upon these resolutions Oh what have I that a carnall man may not have What doe I that that a carnall man cannot doe I would have a Christian man to go beyond all those that live in the bosome of the Church I say therefore let this be the Question and examine thine heart What doe I more then the damned in hell have done I pray The truth is the foolish Virgins knocked too I preach so did Judas Doe I reform many things So did Herod Was I baptized So was Simon Magnus In a word am I resolved to confesse my sins and to make satisfaction for them Alas Judas did all this and yet this would not serve the turn he sorrowed and repented and when he had done he went and hanged himself It was not godly sorrow that caused repentance to salvation he repented onely for the gall of sin not for the soul of sin Labour we therefore and let us every one provoke another to go further then ever reprobates went in praying and hearing and professing labour for something that will stand us in stead in the day of tryall When the heavens shall bee rolled together as a scrole Isai 34.4 that we may appear before the Lord and receive a reward from him in his appointed time and season So much for the Negative Part. I proceed now to the Affirmative Who those are that may and doe indeed receive benefit as Abraham did The Text saith They that walk in the steps of that faith of
title to the Lord Jesus and the promises of God revealed in the Church Let us try a few And first this falleth marvellous heavy upon and casteth out all ignorant persons that were never inlightned never quickned never had their mindes informed touching Christ and the promises Alas they know not what faith meaneth and what Christ meaneth and how can these walk in the footsteps of the faith of Abraham when they never saw the way of Abraham But let them goe my heart pittieth them I rather chuse to grapple with those that think themselves in a better estate and condition And the first of this rank are profane persons those that live and lie in sinne in Sabbath-breaking swearing drunkennesse adultery and the like The case of such is clear and evident These are so farre from treading in the steps of Abraham that they hate purity and holinesse and goodnesse And as for these if any such be here let them not be deceived but let me tell them out of Gods Word that as yet they have not faith as yet they are not the sonnes of Abraham What they may be I know not I leave them to the Lord and wish them a sight and apprehension of their own condition and that they may be brought out of that gall of bitternesse wherein they are but as yet I dare say they are not the sonnes of Abraham Whose sonnes are they then My brethren I am loth to speak it and I will not men will not beare these words from us but think that we goe beyond our commission for my own part my soule trembleth to think of them their case is so fearfull The Lord therefore shall speak and I will say nothing Look into John 8. The Scribes and Pharisees came to Christ and began to quarrell with him and to provoke him to say many things that they might catch him in his speech opposing our Saviour in the course of his ministry and labouring to suppresse his Doctrine mark how Christ reasoneth there I doe saith he the works of my Father Yee doe the deeds of your father But say they Abraham is our father and again We be not born of fornication we have one Father even God but mark our Saviours answer verse 44. Yee are of your father the Devil and the lusts of your father yee will doe Thus Christ speakes to the Scribes and Pharisees great men of place and of great abilities You of your father Abraham No you are of your father the Devill My brethren I will not say it I beseech you be not offended it is the Lord that speaks and I would fain know that man that date contradict his Word the case is clear and the Lord will make it good upon his soule in another world His lusts saith Christ you doe What are those He is an accuser of the brethren so are these He crieth out against and opposeth the purity of Religion so doe these men exclaime against the nicenesse and precisenesse of Christians and blame those that are holy and sincere The Devill continued not in the truth no more doe these they are not governed by the truth they stoop not to it they yeeld not obedience to it The Divell is a lyer and speaketh not the truth so these men are contented to lie shamefully of their brethren to broach scandalous things of those that they know to be holy and sincere In a word the Devill is malicious and envious so are all these profane ones desperate unreasonable creatures that cast off Gods commands that neglect the Ordinances and wallow in the mire of their sins that hate the sinceritie and power of Relgion that envie and malign the true professors of godliness If the Devill himself were incarnate he could doe no more and surely if there were ever a child like the father these are like him I will say nothing the Lord himself speak to your consciences Yea but you will say It is true Christ knew who were the children of the Devill but can you discern them I say nothing but I can tell you how you may discern them A child of the Devill doth not go invisible but may be known and the Apostle tels you 1 Joh. 3.10 In this the children of God are manifest and the children of the Devill Mark that Whosoever doth not righteousnesse is not of God neither he that loveth not his brother I observe three things in this Text 1. That there are children of God and children of the devill 2. That a man may know them The Text saith so plainly they are not my own words Consult I beseech you with the place In this the children of God are manifest and the children of the Devill 3. How a man shall know a child of the Devill He that worketh not righteousness and he that hateth his brother is of the devill Hee that worketh not righteousnesse that is he that is not willing and contented constantly to take up a Christian course to walk according to the rule of Gods word to abstain from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit to live in all holiness of life and conversation to studie and indeavour to keep a good conscience in all things both towards God and towards men and he that loveth not his brother That is he that hateth holiness where he sees it that hates a good man and one that is sincere whose colour riseth at such a one where ever he meets him who can brook a drunkard or a swearer or an adulterer but cannot endure a righteous man a holy man one that makes conscience of his waies If there be any such in this Congregation I desire to speak a word to them in the name of the Lord Let them consider that what I speak is not my own and I profesle that what I say is not out of passion or a desire to slander any but the desire of my soul is that they may come to the knowledge of the truth that they may be saved You therefore that are given to these sins and are walking in this way of death consider and bethinke your selves and say to your selves Oh Lord how neerly doth this I have heard this day concern me Alas I thought not of this before I am one that never was a worker of righteousness in all my life I am one that have hated the servants of God that have scorned and loathed the puritie of Religion and now the Lord hath said it Christ hath spoke it his word hath spoke it that I am the child of the Devill Alas it is too too manifest to my self that such a one I am and God knoweth it much more What shall I doe Now I pray thee go thy waies home break off thy sins by repentance and labour to make thy peace with God forthwith and of the son of the Devill to be the Son of God be mightie with God in prayer to make you his child And this is all I have to speak to these 2. Let me
go further and you shall see more then these cut off from being the sons of Abraham And surely if Abraham should come down from heaven he might complain that there were very few of his sons to be found upon the earth In the next place therefore take a taste of the civilized professors such as are not as other men no common swearers no profaners of the Sabbath no drunkards and the like These men thinke that they go neer indeed to the steps of Abraham yet give me leave to scan these a little I pray and to try them Abraham you know did not stick with God when hee called him but was content to be under the command of God and to yeeld to him in every thing Take now one that hath not the power of godliness in his heart he keepeth it may be his fingers from filching and stealing abstains from the grosse acts of sin and from open profanenesse but what strength of grace is there in his soul What mortification shall you finde of his secret lusts What subduing of sin within Alas aske him what ruleth him at whose command he is at whose call he cometh I appeal to the souls and consciences of all such men The command of God calleth and covetousness calleth which of these is followed The Lord saith to the worldling come out of thy counting-house and goe to prayer come and hear my word the Lord calls to the Gentleman forsake thy pleasures and thy sports and humble thy selfe in sackcloth and ashes and the Lord calleth for these things the times call for them who is obeyed Whose commands doe you stoop unto Is there any command disobeyed but Gods If a man presume on any it is on the Lord Profits pleasures worldly business must be attended whether the Lord be pleased or no or whether the duties he requireth be performed or no. You that are Gentlemen and Tradesmen I appeal to your souls whether the Lord and his cause is not the loser this way Doth not Prayer pay for it Doth not the Word pay for it Are not the Ordinances alwaies losers when any thing of your own cometh in competition Is it not evident then that you are not under the command of the word How doe you tremble at the wrath and threatnings of a mortall man and yet when you hear the Lord thunder judgements out of his Word who is humbled When he calls for fasting and weeping and mourning who regards it Abraham my brethren did not thus these were none of his steps no no he went a hundred mile off of this course The Lord no sooner said to him Forsake thy countrie and thy kindred and thy fathers house but he forsook all neither friend nor father prevailed to detain him from obedience but he stooped willingly to Gods command Look again to the fifth note and step of Abrahams faith and trie your selves a little by that Are you content to run any hazard for the cause of God To spare nothing from him As Abraham withheld not Isaac from God when he required him so are you contented likewise to with hold no not the dearest thing you have when God calls for it If the Lord put you to the tryall to undergoe trouble losse of goods imprisonment banishment are you content to stoop to these things to give way and to break through all impediments Judge your selves If it be so it is well But let your consciences speak nay let your lives and conversations speak Doe they not shew the contrary Doth not the very name of danger the sight of it a afar off the voice of some great man dash all your forwardnesse out of countenance Nay if an Isaac come and complain that those and those things must be provided for and cry out Alas if you take this course what will become of wife and children and family all must to ruine you presently give over your profession Did Abraham doe thus No he did not so and I beseech you thinke of it if you were the children of Abraham you would not you could not you durst not doe so There are yet a third sort that come short of being the sons of Abraham and they are the close-hearted Hypocrites These are a generation that are of a more refined kinde then the last but howsoever they carry the matter very covertly yea and are exceeding cunning yet the truth will make them known Many an hypocrite may come thus far to be content to part with any thing and outwardly to suffer for the cause of God to part with divers pleasures and lusts and to perform many holy services But here is the difference between Abraham and these men Abraham forsook his goods and all but your close-hearted Hypocrites have alwaies some God or other that they doe homage to their ease or their wealth or some secret lust something or other they have set up as an I doll within them and so long as they may have and injoy that they will part with any thing else But thou must know that if thou be one of Abrahams children thou must come away from thy gods thy god of pride of self-love of vain-glory and leave worshipping of these and be content to be governed alone by God and his truth This shall suffice for the first Use I cannot proceed further in the pressing thereof because I would shut up all with the time The second Use is a word of instruction and it shall be but a word or two That it all the Saints of God must walk in the same way of life and salvation that Abraham did then there is no by-way to bring a man to happinesse Look what way Abraham went you must goe there is no more wayes the same course that he took must be a coppy for you to follow a rule as it were for you to square your whole conversation by There is no way but one to come to life and happinesse I speak it the rather to dash that idle devise of many carnall men that think the Lord hath a new invention to bring them to life and that they need not to goe the ordinary way but God hath made a shorter cut for them Great men and Gentlemen think God will spare them what must they be humbled and fast and pray that is for poor men and mean men their places and estates will not suffer it therefore surely God hath given a dispensation to them And the poor men they think it is for Gentlemen that have more leasure and time alas they live by their labour and they must take paines for what they have and the refore they cannot doe what is required But be not deceived if there be any way besides that which Abraham went then will I deny my selfe but the case is clear the Lord faith it the Word faith it the same way the same footsteps that Abraham took we must take if ever we will come where Abraham is You must not baulk in this kind whoever you
LONDON Printed by G. D. for Francis Eglesfield and are to be sold at the Sign of the Marigold in Pauls Church-yard 1651. Culpable Ignorance OR The danger of Ignorance under Means SERMON VI. ISAI 27.11 For it is a people of no understanding therefore he that made them will not have mercie on them and he that formed them will shew them no favour IF you cast your eyes my brethren upon the beginning of this Chapter you shall observe that when the Prophet had discovered the fierce dealing of God with the enemies of his people vers 1. he doth from the second verse to the words of the Text and so afterwards make known Gods gracious affection towards his own faithfull servants as also his dealing with those cursed Hypocrites that live in the bosome of the Church In a word that I may not be long before I come to that which I desire to deliver to you in the discoverie of the Lords dealing first with his own people and then with others that live in the bosome of the Church to whom he communicateth his ordinances there are three things observable The first is Gods speciall care of and his tender love and fatherly affection to those that love and fear his Name that labour to approve their hearts and waies to him that are called to the profession of his truth and walk answerably thereunto and that continueth to the seventh verse namely That the Lord will keep them and water them every moment that he will keep them night and day c. Secondly As the Prophet expresseth Gods speciall care of his servants so withall he manifesteth a secret kind of displeasure that was in God even toward those that belong unto him because of the carelesness and fruitlesnesse that was among them therefore he was pleased to lay his correcting hand upon them yet still in measure with abundance of patience and in much compassion towards them and all for their special good not to confound but to humble and better them And this we have from the 7th to the end of the 9th verse where the Prophet sheweth what is the fruit of affliction to those that belong unto God By this therefore shall the iniquity of Jacob be purged and this is all the fruit to take away his sin As if he should say Howsoever the Lord loveth his vineyard yet he will prune it not to destroy it but to make it the more fruitfull He onely will take away the superfluous branches those inordinate lusts that appear in the lives of his servants This is the main issue and speciall benefit of afflictions to the godly to subdue their corruptions to purge them to make them walk more circumspectly before God Thirdly the Prophet having thus declared Gods care of his own people and his fatherly chastisement of them in the last place from the 9th verse to the end of the 11th he declareth his proceedings also against the cursed Hypocrites that live in the bosome of the Church against those that have a form of godlinesse onely but deny the power thereof that present themselves before the Lord and appear in his Sanctuary as if they would doe great matters for him yet their hearts are naught and the Lord seeth them and threatneth to deal with them accordingly and in conclusion denounceth an utter overthrow an universall ruine and confusion unto them so as that their estates shall be altogether helplesse for their defenced Cities shall be desolate and their habitations forsaken and left like a Wildernesse Yea so helplesse shall they be that if a poor silly woman come by shee shall spoil them The women come and set them on fire Now if it be asked Why the Lord doth deal thus fiercely with carnall sinful men seeing though they have no strength of grace in their hearts yet they are his creatures The Reason is rendred in the words of the Text For it is a people of no understanding therefore he that made them will not have mercie on them and he that formed them will shew them no favour As if he should say Doe yee inquire the reason why the Lord is so deeply displeased with Hypocrites that live in thee bosome of the Church and why he threatneth to proceed so severely with them Alas it is no wonder for they are a people of no understanding what shew soever they make though they enjoy the Ordinances yet they are no way fit for Gods spirituall building they are onely fit for the fire of his wrath though they are in the Church yet they are not of the Church therefore he that made them will shew them no mercie and he that formed them wil not vouchsafe to bestow any favour upon them In the words there are two things observable First the judgement of God denounced against this people Secondly the cause of that judgement Or thus First the sin of this people Secondly The judgement of God because of that sin The sin of the people is They have no understanding The judgement of God because of that sin Therefore he that made them will not have mercie on them and he that formed them will shew them no favour First you see the people offending they want sanctifying and saving knowledge they are a people of no understanding You see again the Lord observing this and proceeding severely against them because of this Therefore he that made them will not have mercie on them and he that formed them will shew them no favour First of the former touching the sin of the people I will not stand long in the opening of the words Onely thus much observe briefly It is a people that have no understanding What kind of people was it Even those that lived under the means of grace that enjoyed all the helps and incouragements that a people could desire that had an outward call and were counted the people of God those were a people of no understanding Howsoever the Lord was pleased to inlarge himself toward them to bestow many outward Priviledges upon them to suffer them to enjoy many singular helps howsoever they were those to whom were committed the Oracles of God and means of life and salvation yet they remained unfruitfull and unprofitable they were a people of no understanding they had no depth of reach in spirituall things The point observable from hence is thus much That People may enjoy the means of knowledge of life and salvation and yet not withstanding in the mean time not profit by them but remain void of the knowledge of God What this knowledge is and the nature of it I will open unto you afterward onely thus much take along with you for the present That by knowledge here I mean saving knowledge Knowledge no doubt this people had and happily a great measure of understanding they might know many things that belonged to grace and salvation yet for the main for the substance and truth of it it was not the knowledge of God it was not
saving knowledge A people may be in the bosome of the Church live under the means of grace and partake of the Ordinances of God and yet notwitstanding all this be void of the saving knowledge of God This is a Point that ariseth clearly and evidently from the Text These people of whom the Prophet speaks were in the Church of God lived under the Ordinances and enjoyed all the outward priviledges of the people of God yet he saith of them they are a people of no understanding they knew nothing of God and salvation in a sanctifying and saving manner It is easie to confirm the truth of this Doctrine by other places of Scripture The Scribes and Pharisees sate in Moses chair and were the teachers of others and therefore one would thinke should have understanding themselves yet our Saviour saith Matth. 13.14 That in them was fulfilled the prophesie of Isaiah which saith By hearing yee shall hear and shall not understand and seeing yee shall see and shall not perceive It was not any want of means they could alledge or that they lacked the Ordinances for they were alwaies hearing and hearing they had all the light that could be afforded them to guide their feet into the way of peace and no question but they waited upon those means and yet they were not informed yet they were not inlightned to know the things that concerned the glory of God and their own peace in a saving manner they heard but understood not they saw but perceived not In the like manner Isai 42.19 the Lord complaineth of his own servants those that should have been neer to him indeed Who is blinde but my servant or deaf as my messenger that I sent Who is blind as he that is perfect and blind as the Lords servant Seeing many things but thou observest not opening the eares but he heareth not It is generally conceived that this is spoken of those that drew neer to God even in the Ministery and Priesthood and were brought up especially for this service yet notwithstanding who so blind as they were and who so ignorant as the Messengers he sent It was also the Apostles complaint of the Hebrews that whereas for the time they might have been teachers of others they had need to be taught again which be the first principles of the Oracles of God Heb. 5.12 Having so long a while injoyed the means of grace and salvation and under the light of the Gospel and had so many gracious instructions and reproofs surely they might have been in the highest Form in the School of Christ they might have been guiders and teachers of others yet notwithstanding they had need themselves to be taught the very first Rudiments the very A B C. of Religion they remained ignorant of the first principles of the Oracles of God and were fitter to be fed with milk than with strong meat In the prophecie of Jeremy the Lord sendeth the dull and heavie hearted Jews as it were to school to the creatures The Storke in the heaven knoweth her appointed times and the Turtle and the Crane and the Swallow observe the time of their coming but my people know not the judgement of the Lord Jer. 8.7 So Isai 1.3 The Oxe knoweth his owner and the Asse his masters crib but Israel doth not know my people doth not consider The people of the Jews Gods own people enjoyed more means then ever any people besides They had line upon line and precept upon precept Isa 28 10.13 From the thirteenth yeer of Josiah saith the Prophet Jeremie even unto this day that is the three and twentieth yeer the word of the Lord hath come unto me and I have spoken unto you rising early and speaking but ye have not hearkned And the Lord hath sent unto you all his servants the Prophets rising early and sending them but yee have not hearkned nor enclined your ear to hear Jer. 25.3 4. They had the means of grace you see yet they were unprofitable under the means they had helps for knowledge yet grew not in knowledge The point then is clear That The People may enjoy the means and yet remain void of the knowledge of God No more therefore for the proof thereof For the ground of the point a little You will ask Is it it possible that there should be such sencelesse ignorance in the hearts of men that live in the bosome of the Church and that any who partake of the Ordinances and the means of salvation should yet remain a people of no understanding Alas my brethren the truth is it is too too evident We can speak of great matters and as the Apostle saith we thinke we know something but this I am sure of that though wee have lived long under the means and have enjoyed abundance of light yet notwithstanding if a man should go from house to house even in this City where the means of knowledge are more then ordinary he should find a marvellous poor deal of sanctifying and saving knowledge yea I doe assure you of any reasonable common knowledge in matters of Religion If you ask What is the ground of all this I will answer briefly in two or three words The first cause why men get no more knowledge notwithstanding they have the means of knowledge I take to be the blindnesse of their mindes the weaknesse of their judgements the ignorance that is in their understanding Though they have all the outward helpes that any people have under heaven yet having a want in themselves and a weaknesse in their own powers and naturall principles it is impossible that ever they should receive any good by those meanes This is the very cause which the Apostle Paul alledgeth Ephes 4.18 why the Gentiles were estranged from the life of God namely because their understandings were darkned and because of the ignorance that was in their mindes and the blindnesse of their heart It skilleth not how bright and clear the Sunne shineth if in the mean time the visive faculty be wanting if a man have no eyes to see he is never the better for the greatest light in the world So it is here as long as men are full of blindnesse and ignorance in their understandings though the light of the Gospel shine in their very faces it is no mervail they benefit not thereby for alas they have no eyes The fault is not in the Gospel for that is light but the fault is in their own souls their understanding is darkned the scales of ignorance are grown over the eyes of their mind they want an inward principle of spirituall sight and so they are not able to reap any benefit by the most excellent meanes in the world as they should doe That is the first Reason Adde hereunto in the second place that as they have blindnesse in their mind and ignorance in their judgement so they are meer naturall men and no further then God is pleased by a supernaturall work of the spirit
truth but had pleasure in unrighteousnesse Their heart being resolved which way to walk it is just I say with the Lord to give them up to blindnesse of minde to dulnesse of spirit to ignorance and error that they may be hurried on in the waies of destruction for ever It is Gods own word 2 Thes 2.10 Because men received not the truth the whole truth of God in the love thereof Mâ—â—y are loth to have some points to be true as that a man â—hould exactly observe the Sabbath it is just with God to give such up to a profane spirit to deny the Sabbath Others are loth to have this true that they must pray duly every morning and evening in their family it is just with God to give such up to a sottish and stupified course that they can be contended to goe to bed like beasts The like I may say of many other duties The Lord calleth for fasting and prayer and would have his people humble themselves and seek his face now because the duty is tedious and happily the world crosseth it therefore many will fall out with the Ordinance reject it have nothing to doe with it they will have their ease and their quiet their hearts are grown fat and if any thing crosse their corruptions they will not hear with that eare It is fearfull what the Lord speaks against these Rom. 1. 28. and my heart trembleth to think of the hideous curâ—e of God against such courses and his severe indignation against such persons It is said there that because the Heathen delighted not to retain God in their knowledge God gave them over to a reprobate mind to doe those things which are not convenient Mark As they did not like to retain God in their knowledge as who should say Must my mind be inlightned must I be convinced and perswaded that I must lay aside my self and be content in uprightnesse of heart to imbrace every truth of God though it be with the losse of ease and credit and estate yea and of life it self must I doe this well I doe not like it I will not beleeve it all the world shall never perswade me to it And why Because you have taken a sleepy pillow before-hand you have been resolved to keep those things that these truths crosse It is just with God when men doe not love and like to retain the truth he affordeth them to give them up to a reprobate mind that is to a mind void of judgement not knowing the truth not approving the Word And you shall see these men in all their courses and opinions vanishy Why Because the Lord hath given them up to a reprobate mind a mind not able to observe what he revealeth and a heart not willing to entertain what he discovereth to be good Gather up these things This is the last and most speciall argument why the hearts of most men are estranged from God and his truth because they harbour many lusts in their soules and cleave close to some or other corruptions It is a passage worthy observation that is recorded Jer 43. The people that were left behind in the land when the King of Babylon had carried the rest away captive were resolved to goe down into Aegypt but they would first goe to the Prophet and take his advise and he must goe to the Lord and whatsoever the Lord should declare to them by the Prophet that they would doe be it good or be it evill Here was a very fair pretence But their hearts were fully resolved betore to goe down into Aegypt and therefore when the Prophet brought them the answer of God that they should not goe but that they should remain in the Land Thou speakest fatsly say they unto him the Lord our God hath not sent thee to say Goe not into Aegypt to sojourn there but Baruch the sonne of Neriah setteth thee on against us So they obeyed not the voyce of the Lord to dwell in the sand of Judah As if they should have said we had thought thou wouldest have perswaded us that it was lawfull for us to goe down into Aegypt and if thou hadst done so we would have hearkened to thee but because what thou sayest is not as we would have it because it doth not fit us nor stand with that course we are resolved to take we will not yeeld to it whether it be truth that thou speakest or no. I wish this were not so amongst many of us I doe not say carnall and profane ones the world is full of those and their spirits are too too manifest but I say I wish it were not a fault even amongst many that in some measure love and fear the Lord. We are grown sick of our peace and we must have our quiet and ease and contentment therefore though we should appear to be sincere before God in all things and zealous for the cause of the Lord of Hosts we will shuffle in divers practises rather then be disturbed and troubled in that course that we have set to our selves Now I say gather up these and I think the point is clear If it be so that men are blind in their mindes and cannot know the Word if so be they are carelesse and doe not attend to the Word nay if so be they be setled in their sinnes and corruptions from which they will not part it is no wonder that though they have means yet they are not savingly informed in the truth of God answerably to those meanes which are bestowed upon them Let me adde now but one thing for the full clearing of the Doctrine You will say we see the quite contrary For it is cleare and evident that there are many that live in the bosome of the Church that have a great measure of understanding yet are not such as God hath wrought upon effectually yea the Devill himselfe hath knowledge enough and many a man that is nought and carnall hath an abundant measure of understanding happily much more then some godly and holy men can attain to To answer this in two or three words It is true I confesse there is many a cursed hypocrite that hath a great measure of knowledge and yet in very deed hath no true understanding at all For the knowledge whereby such men are inlightned differs much from that information and understanding which the Saints of God have For look as there is wild thime and garden thime both of the same name and both growing after the same manner yet very different in their nature and qualities so it is with knowledge there is a gracious and a sanctifying knowledge garden knowledge as I may say and there is a wild and a common knowledge I will open it a little in two or three words If you goe no further but consider the understanding of both barely you shall cleerly perceive a main difference between a Saint of God and an Hypocrite 1. An Hypocrite and a carnall man like
reconciled to him Now when the soul findeth this and the like and withall hath an inward work which though happily he cannot discover the manner and order thereof nor expresse it to others yet he knows more thereof then any man under heaven Ask a child How doe you know such a man is your father Alas he cannot tell you yet he hath a strong affection toward him above all others and feels in himself such a leaning in his affection towards him as another feels not So the mother of the child that was brought before Solomon had no Argument in the world to prove the child to be hers but the yerning of her bowels and relenting of her spirit toward the child proved it sufficiently So there is in a Saint of God an inward tenderness of affection a leaning of his soul towards God which no man knowes but he that hath it If a curious workman after he hath made a clock or a watch shew the frame thereof to a man ignorant of that Art and declare to him the manner of making it happily he will conceive his words and his reasons and perceive that he saith truth but he cannot make such another because he hath not the Art it self of clock-making My brethren so it is here There is a curious frame in the soule of a Christian of grace of faith of repentance of holinesse of love patience and the like a blessed disposition of heart whereby the soul runneth right toward God and every holy dutie and strikes right as I may say in all holy obedience to God this is a frame reared up by the hand of the Spirit of God alone in the heart of a Christian Now the Apostle Paul who had such a work as this wrought in him can tell the nature of hope and of faith and of repentance but I that read what he hath written of these things being a naturall man though happily I understand the sence and apprehend the meaning of the words yet the true knowledge of the nature of repentance or faith or hope I cannot possibly attain to so long as I remain a meer naturall man Even as an ignorant man cannot conceive the Art of Watch-making in that manner as the Artist himself understands it so cannot I discern the nature of this spiritual frame in the heart further then God is pleased to teach me this skill by the work of his Spirit within my self When I finde my own heart wrought upon then I can best discover it to another then doe I know that which before I never understood though happily I could discourse something concerning such things and understand the outside as it were yet that was all I never knew the bottom as I doe now You see then the difference between the knowledge of Hypocrites that live in the bosome of the Church and the knowledge of Gods Elect or saving knowledge Now for the Use of all in a word or two If this be so that men may live in the Church of God and enjoy the means of grace and yet be a people of no understanding have no saving knowledge then my brethren here is a word of reproof to check all those conceits and pull down all those silly imaginations of poor ignorant carnall creatures that live here among us in the bosome of the Church who because the Lord hath been pleased to put them into a place where the truth is plainly taught and preached presently perswade their own souls that they have wise dome and knowledge enough to bring them to life and salvation If happily you come to any of these men and tell them that they ought to be inlarged in those duties God requireth of his children that they should be able to catechise their families to pray with them to instruct them that they should be skilfull in the art of humbling their souls before God in private conversing and spirituall communion with him Alas they will answer you that for the present they are too weak and unable for such things as these Well but prove them again afterwards when they have continued a longer time under the means and demand of them how they have bettered themselves what strength of grace they have attained unto By no means you must meddle with them What they have not lived so long in a good Parish under a panfull Minister and gone so often to Church but surely they have sufficient to bring them to heaven and although they cannot doe so and so though they cannot give you a reason of the hope that is in them yet they make no question but to speed as well as the best Men think it enough to be good Church-men to have and injoy the helpes God vouchsafeth and bestoweth upon his people to be often hearers of the Word read and preached and so rest themselves contented and there set up their staffe though in the mean time they remain as blind and ignorant and as carnall as ever My brethren be not deceived the Lord will not be mocked It is not sufficient to salvation for a man to be an often hearer to have his heart now and then inlarged to give assent to the truths delivered to conceive the grounds of them or to be able happily to discourse of some points of religion Oh look further he that hath saving knowledge indeed goes farre beyond all this You that are tradesmen or you that have children will any man say my child is a good Schollar for he hath gone so long to schoole or my Apprentise hath good skill in his trade because he hath served me so many yeares It is true he ought to be so but it doth not follow that because he hath had such and such helps and lived so long under them that therefore he is so So it is here there is no reason for any man to ground his assurance of salvation on his injoyment of the meanes or to imagine that God hath wrought mercifully for him in the matter of knowledge which accompanieth life and happiness because of his long living under a good ministry no it is not enough to have the preaching of the word among us and to have the meanes and helps of saving knowledge you may have all these and yet remain ignorant and blind and be a people of no understanding Secondly this is a word of instruction to us We are hence given to understand the sinfulnesse of our nature and the blindnesse of our mindes seeing a man may have all the means under heaven and yet all prove unprofitable to him may injoy all the helpes that God hath set up in his Church for the good of peoples soules and yet receive no good by them What a strange heart is ours Yet so it is even amongst many of us in this place and I wish it were not so with most that live in the Church at this day I fear me that if a man should goe from heart to heart and observe every ones particular
temper he should find this that I say to bee too too true What is the reason else you will not suffer a good Minister to follow you home to search your soules but take pet at such a man presently what is the cause of this Surely your wayes are naught your mindes are blinded your hearts are hardned under the means Men are loth to let others see what they are because they are not as they should be they are like dull-headed Schollars to whom it is death to be posed But I say observe therefore the mervailous deadnesse and weaknesse the strange besotted dulnesse of our natures to good that when we have all the incouragements and meanes that may be yet we get no benefit we reap no profit by them If a man should have a tree in his garden that all the dunging and pruning and dressing that he can use will doe no good of nor make it bring forth any fruit certainly he would think that tree to be of a strange temper so here let us see and wonder when we see that the Lord hath bestowed so much cost upon us made his judgements come home even to our very doores powred his mercies on us in abundance yet we are not provoked nor quickned nor inlarged in the wayes of life that though wind and tide be both with us yet we make no progress in goodness but he that was ignorant is ignorant still and he that was filthy is filthy still That we may therefore shame our selves humble our soules and bemoan our estates before the Lord consider I pray you but these two things The variety of helps that God vouchsafeth us and the success those helps find in our hearts When all the fire in the town cannot warm a man how cold is he When all the perswasions under heaven cannot work upon a man oh how flinty is he How graciously my brethren hath the Lord dealt with you that live in this place How many helps hath he put into your hands you have prayers and sermons and exhortations and instructions and admonitions and comforts forts and all things that are available to bring a man to life and happiness Now he that groweth not under this means he that thriveth not with this food he that is not heated by this fire he that is not quickned by this dew of heaven let him take notice of the strange distemper of his own heart and the deadnesse of his spirit I know not what to say to you Certainly had the Devill himselfe but any hope of receiving mercy the sermons that are made in this City were able even to melt his heart as it were and to bring him to consider and repent of the sinnes he hath committed against Almighty God but because he hath no hope of mercy he remaineth in a forlorne and desperate condition Yet the Apostle saith Jam. 2.19 The Devils also beleeve and tremble that is they know all things contained in Gods Word are true they beleeve them and assent to them and are perswaded that God will one day make all his threatnings good upon them and upon the hearts of all the damned for ever and that they together shall be wholly deprived of all those mercies that God hath propounded in his Word and they tremble at it Look now into your own hearts and see what kind of temper they are of when notwithstanding the many judgements that have been threatned the many woes that have been denounced yet most either turn their back upon the Church or turn a deaf eare to what they hear and cast the Commandements of God behind them and rather fleer in the face of the Minister and contemn what he saith then be any wayes humbled for their sinnes or tremble at the Word of God and the threatnings denounced out of it My brethren think of it for the Lords sake reason a little with your selves and consider and say Lord what a wicked heart and what a wretched disposition have I the Sea is troubled the Mountains quake and the earth sinketh when the Lord speaks and uttereth his voice nay the Divels beleeve and tremble but oh what terrors and woes have I heard out of the Word against my pride my covetousness my swearing my drunkenness my profaning of the Sabbath yet none of them stirre me one jot I have had the fire full in my face yet remain as ycie and cold and frozen as ever I have had many a heavenly dew upon me many a silver drop yet continue a dry and barren Wilderness Oh what a heart have I Surely my brethren such a case as this is very desperate and deplorable think of it betime in vain it will be for you to put it off You dream and have conceits of knowledge and imagine that you have faith and repentance whereas alas you have little or none of these graces I pray therefore consider it now and now hear and tremble least you tremble afterwards when you are sunk down in the pit for ever When you are in hell you shall feel another manner of trembling then now is expected from you for it shall be farre greater and altogether without hope of remedy Where now are all those professed enemies and rebels against God where is Nimrod where is Pharaoh where is Sennacherib are they not in hell and there left to perish for ever Reason the case therefore seriously with your selves to the end that now you may be humbled and brought to tremble at the Word of God least hereafter you tremble when all hope is past To move you the more consider how graciously the Lord hath been pleased to work upon others They have heard the Word and have lived under the light of the Gospel and they have received benefit by it they have attained to good measures of saving knowledge Are there not some that live neer thee of whom thou mayest say such a man I know and I thought my selfe once to have had as much understanding in religion as he I made account I had as much ability to doe God service as ever he had But now the case is altered he is able to discourse savourly and feelingly of the things of God to pray sensibly and spiritually to reason of the matters of salvation profitably farre beyond that which I can doe and yet I have had as many helpes I have heard as much and understood as much as he O Lord what a case is my soule in what a sinfull creature am I Here is a drunkard converted there is a profane swearer and a Sabbath-breaker wrought upon my next neighbour that happily was as bad as I hath his soule humbled many a gain-sayer of the Gospel the Lord hath made him come crying to him for the forgivenesse of his sinnes begging pardon for such and such rebellions especially for his refusing of the offers of mercy made in Jesus Christ and all this while I stand it out What a strange heart have I That drunkard that profane
person that swearer that covetous wretch is brought home by the Word and yet my soul is not inlightned to know God and to understand the things of his kingdome Now the Lord of heaven open your eyes and have mercy upon your poor soules and give you the knowledge of his truth that you may be saved FINIS VVILFUL HARDNESSE OR THE MEANS OF Grace Abused By that Reverend Divine THOMAS HOOKER Late Preacher in New England HEBR. 3.15 While it is said to day if yee will hear his voice harden not your hearts LONDON Printed by G. D. for Francis Eglesfield and are to be sold at the Sign of the Marigold in Pauls Church-yard 1651. Willful Hardness OR The Means of Grace Abused SERMON VII PROV 29.1 Hee that being often reproved hardneth his neck shall suddenly be destroyed and that without remedie THis Book of the Proverbs by the consent of the judgement of all that have written upon it is like an inclosed peece of ground every particular sentence carrying with it as it were a full and compleat sense of it self each Verse being taken in as I may so say from all the bordering parts of this Scripture either going before or coming after it having neither coherence nor dependence upon any but carrying in it self a full and intire sence and therefore I shall spare the making of any kind of entrance by shewing any dependance of this Scripture which I have now read with that which goeth before it but saving that labour we will come presently and particularly to the words in hand In the Verse therefore there are two things offered to your consideration The First is the Sin that is here committed He that hardneth his neck being often reproved The Second is The judgement that is threatned to be executed upon him agreeable to the nature of the sin He shall be destroyed we shall have occasion to open the words anon He shall be shivered all to pieces God will overthrow him and all that appertaineth to him So I take the word is meant The Sin here is hardning of the neck and that is aggravated by the contrary means which God affordeth and the helps that God putteth into his hands for his good being often reproved or as the word carrieth it being a man of admonitions one that hath had admonition upon admonition The Judgement is set forth by severall circumstances discovering the qualitie of it First He shall be destroyed And then secondly The manner of it Suddenly God will not wait long or vouchsafe so much long suffering and patience towards him when once he cometh to that sin of hardning his neck under the Means of Grace And then lastly here is the irrecoverablenesse of him in this his condition He shall be destroyed without remedie there is no hope of redemption for him For the former before I come to the Point you must suffer me a little to make way for my self in the opening of two or three passages in the Text. Two things there are therefore that we will briefly discusse 1. What is meant here by hardning the neck 2. What it is to be a man of admonitions We will not be long in either onely as I said a little to make way for the evident discoverie of the point which we mean to treat of To harden the neck then it is a similitude taken from Oxen that are to draw in the yoke that when they are to come and bow their necks to the yoke they begin to grow stubborn and stiffe-necked and refuse to come under the yoke as the Master requireth and as he expects they should doe and as those that are taught will doe whole nature it is to take the yoke willingly and kindly To harden the neck therefore is to be stubborn and rebellious not to come under the Commandements of God which in the Scripture are compared to a yoke so Christ speaks Take my yoke upon you That is Submit your selves to the Laws of God to the Statutes and Commandements of God Now we are said to harden our necks when as the Heifer in his kind so our souls in their kinde withdraw our shoulders as it were from the commands of God that when the will of God is revealed we will not stoop we will not yeeld and submit to the truths of Christ but take up arms against him and become rebellious to the blessed word of God This is the stiffening of the neck In a word to be rebellious to resist to gainsay the truth of God the word of God and whatsoever is revealed to us and ought to be done by us The second Phrase is Being often reproved The word in the Originall implyeth as I said before a man of admonitions he that hath line upon line and precept upon precept admonitions upon admonitions and therefore our English rendreth it well A man often reproved that is one that hath not onely been once counselled and instructed and reproved but one upon whom the Minister is daily calling in the publike Ordinance one that is from Sabbath to Sabbath at least admonished and perswaded and intreated by the Minister of God that is continually again and again warned of the wrath to come If such a man as this gainsay all these and remain stubborn and rebellious after so many admonitions and reproofs then the judgement of God is ripe for him and he is ripe for it he shall be destroyed saith the Text the God of heaven will break him all in peeces as the Psalmist speaks and that suddenly without remedie So then the words being clear the Point is thus much viz. That Wicked men grow most rebellious under the best Means Mark this I beseech you It is not I but the Text that saith as much A man that is often reproved and hardneth his neck What is it to harden the neck I told you to grow stubborn and stout-hearted and to gainsay the truth of God to oppose it And what is it to be often admonished One Means is here specified but all are understood he that hath many means and that hath many helps and many incouragements that hath counsell and advice and reproof and perswasions and instructions If he harden his neck So then it is plain that he may harden his neck and he doth harden his neck and grow stubborn and rebellious notwihstanding all those means for that is presumed and necessarily implyed in the Text. The case then you see is clear That wicked men that shall be destroyed for whom God hath appointed sudden and heavie desolation and perdition they grow hard-hearted and rebellious under the best means The point is evident in the Text we will shew you what we have to doe namely to make good the thing in hand which we will establish by severall witnesses and discover the nature of it You shall observe this to be a usuall thing in the course of the Scripture 1 Pet. 3. 20. The Text saith there That the Lord went and preached to the
to the lure of a poor Minister to be at his beck and to stand at his command Alas my brethren doe you think we preach our selves Indeed in carnall reason if a Minister should come in his own name and lay upon you his own commands it were fitter for him to say nothing then to goe about such a work in regard of the great distance there is between the men of the world and him in outward respects But we come in the name of the Lord of heaven and it is his word that we preach and the Word of God is powerfull and will make the sturdiest heart to bow or break under it it is mighty in operation like a two-edged sword dividing asunder between the joints and the marrow searching even into the very thoughts of the heart Now because the heart of a naturall man is not able nor indeed willing to stoop to the authority and power of the word loth to be at the beck of Gods command such naturall pride and arrogancy of spirit there is in carnall men that in stead of submitting and yeelding thereunto they take up arms the more against it by how much the more powerfull the word it It is a pretty passage that we read of the Philistines when the Israelites brought the Ark into the field now the Ark was a Type of Jesus Christ mark the Philistines resolution when they heard of it Woe unto us for here hath not been such a thing heretofore Wo unto us who shall delive us out of the hands of these mighty Gods Be strong therefore and quit your selves like men O ye Philistines that you be not servants unto the Hebrews c. 1 Sam. 4. 8 9. So it is here when the word of God commeth with a certain kind of commanding power as it doth when it is delivered in the evidence and demonstration of the Spirit if a man indeed preach under the hatches as I may say as he may easily doe and trouble no man he shall meet with no resistance but if a man bring the Ark into the field that is set up the power of Gods Ordinance labour to advance the Throne and Scepter of the Lord Christ in the hearts of men then mark to the end that men may not be brought into subjection to the Ordinances of God that they may not stoop and be brought under the yoke of Gods Commandment they joyn hand in hand and side one with another and fight for their liberties as it were counting it a matter of basnesse and pusillanimitie to be subject to the Word of God You have an example of this spirit that is in wicked men in Jer. 2.21 Wee are lords say they there wee will ceme no more at thee And it is observable in that place I named before Gen. 19.9 This fellow came to sojourn with us and shall he be a judge there lay the pith of the Argument and that which moved their wicked spirits against Lot if Lot had ruled them by his counsell then he should have been master over them therefore say they Shall he bee a judge I could tell you wofull experience that we finde of this Wicked men when they are gainsaid and when the word of God is with that Evidence and power of the Spirit discovered to them that it will either stoop them or work upon their galled hearts and consciences they are not able to bear it they cannot endure to be under the government of it therefore they will rebell against it and resolve what shall the Minister rule us Doth he thinke to bring us under his girdle to make us doe what he will and follow what course he will have us take Shall he be lord over us It is the same also with Magistrates and with private families Any means that God useth any admonition whatsoever findeth such entertainment as this with wicked and carnall hearts Let this suffice for a second Argument and reason why wicked men are so marvailous opposite against the word of God and the means of grace even then when it is most powerfull in gainsaying them and their corruptions because of the pride of heart that is in all naturall men whereby they are not able to stoop and submit to the yoke and rule thereof but though they are often admonished yet they harden their necks Wee will now come to the Use And to let all other Uses that might be made of this truth thus cleared and confirmed alone I will onely intimate two unto you What now can we gain from hence thinke you The case you see is evident and every man must subscribe to this as an everlasting truth That wicked men are the worse under the best means You have seen the manner of it and you have seen the grounds of it What gain can we get from this truth Briefly thus much First it is a Use of Examination And next a Use of Exhortation A man may hence clearly see his own soul as in a glasse and discern very plainly what kind of person he is what kinde of course he leadeth in what state and condition he standeth whether he be a gracious man or a gracelesse man whether a wicked man or one that God hath a part in yea or no. It concerneth us all my brethren very deeply to thinke of it Consider well therefore of what hath been said I would not have you conceive that all this that we have spoken is meerly to spend out the hour No my brethren you must labour to bring your souls to be under the power of the truths delivered And know this that whatsoever the Lord saith unto you out of his word he will require it of you when you come to give up your accounts at that day Every Sermon a man heareth he is thereby nearer either to heaven or hell either he is made better or worse by it All mens estates in this world are either holy or unholy either they are in a state of grace and salvation or in a state of sin and condemnation Hence therefore you may take a scantling of your conditions and plainly and clearly see how it is with you Whether you be of the number of those that have infallible Evidences of the work of Gods Spirit in the Ministerie of the word tending to holiness and sanctification or whether you be yet in the gall of bitterness and in the bond of iniquitie Whether you be as you came into the world the children of wrath still or whether you be begotten again by the immortall seed of the Word to a lively hope and to an inheritance with the Saints in light Observe what the frame and temper of thy soul is and how it standeth affected to the word of God when it is revealed to thy conscience If the word prevail not over thee and over-power thee if thy heart submit not to the Scepter of the Lord Christ and yeeld to his commands certainly thou art not right in the sight of God Wee
not your hearts with your conditions but confesse it confesse thou hast a graceless and naughty heart this is the next way to be a Christian It is a speciall ornament of a Christian man to be contented to be checked by the Word of God labour therefore to yeeld to the truth when it is revealed And this is the first Use a word of Examination The second is a word of Exhortation and so I will conclude We are all to be exhorted in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ to take notice of this evill that is in our hearts I say all of us for howsoever wicked men doe professedly oppose the truth of God and his Word in the faithfull ministry thereof yet the Saints of God themselves so farre as they are flesh have resistances in them but with this difference a godly man when he perceiveth his heart stubborn and rebellious against God in his Word he yet notwithstanding joyneth and sideth with the Word and laboureth to oppose that corruption of the flesh so it was with Saint Paul in the place before named A child of God that hath a holy disposition wrought in him by the Spirit of God when he seeth his heart unwilling to yeeld to Christ and his Word he cryeth shame upon himselfe that after so much hearing so many mercies received so many gracious promises revealed to him the good Word of God so often laid home to his conscience that his heart should yet remain in any measure rebellious against God and therefore he resteth not in this condition but takes up armes against this rebellion of heart as well as against any corruption else whatsoever This I say is the disposition of a gracious heart But with a wicked man it is clean contrary So then I say though it concerneth all naturall men in a speciall manner to suffer this word of exhortation but seeing every man even the Saints of God themselves so farre as there is corruption in them have in them this rebellion of nature it is therefore an exhortation to all to be perswaded if we tender our own good and comforts not to content our selves to be bare hearers to injoy the means of grace and to live under the powerfull preaching of the Gospel but to labour to bring our hearts to yeeld and submit to the truths revealed and to give way to the Word of God to be contented to be governed by the good Word of God It is better never to have known the Word of God then to have it made known and to gainsay and stand out against it Let us therefore be carefull to subject our selves and to take up the yoke of the Lord to give way to every truth revealed being willing and contented to yeeld to whatsoever the Word of God shall make known whether it declare what is amisse to take that away or whether it revealeth what is to be done to practise that This is a blessed frame and disposition of spirit and by this we shall come to have comfort and benefit by all our hearing this is the onely way to get that good that God intendeth in all those helpes and means that he hath appointed in his Church It is the commendation of Josiah that his heart melted at the hearing of the Law read 2 Kings 22.19 And I know not a greater ornament to a Christian then to have such a heart that look as it is with soft things they will take any impression that is put upon them whatsoever the stamp or seale setteth upon them they will take it print for print be it of what nature or kind soever such ought to be the temper of every soule to have a tender yeelding melting heart to be of a pliable teachable disposition to give way to whatever is made known out of the Word I beseech you therefore take this home to your soules and suffer the words of exhortation let the Word of God take place in your hearts I would have every Christian soule to look up to heaven when he commeth into the Congregation and to say speak Lord thy servant is desirous to hear and contented to hear and obey whatsoever thou shalt in this Sermon make known to me And if the Lord will have any thing give it him if he exact any thing from thee yeeld to him This is a melting heart But you will say to me I will conclude in a word or two How shall a man come to bow his neck and take up the yoke of Christ Here is all the labour my brethren and if we could once obtain this the businesse would be done God is not lesse mercifull then he was the Word is not lesse powerfull then it was but these hearts of ours are stubborn and loth to yeeld to the truth Labour therefore for this and have all But what course shall we take to compasse this In a word the means that I would suggest for the present are these First labour to work upon thy own soul a kind of reasonable contentednesse to part with that beloved corruption that lieth in thy bosome I doe not say thou canst doe it but I say labour to bring thy heart to a reasonable kind of contentednesse this way For my brethren here is all the quarrell between you and the Minister of God it all lyeth here the Lord saith thou must forsake thy sins or else I must damn thy soul For we come for souls when we come to preach we doe not come here onely to spend an hour and so an end of the matter No but we see a poor company of creatures in the Congregation and we know that many among them are yet hardned and blinded and going headlong to perdition it is now our labour and care to prevent your ruine and therefore many a prayer we put up and many a tear we shed on your behalf Oh suffer your Minister therefore because he desireth and studieth your good he sees you walking in a way in which you must needs perish and therefore he draweth the sword of the word of God against you Oh stoop to the word of God revealed Here now I say is all the quarrell the Minister saith you must leave your sins the soul saith I will not I will have those fins and I will practise those courses and therefore thou stomackst the Minister and thy heart works against the Word of God Alas Why doe you contend against him and murmure against him we seek not our selves but you nor doe we aim at our own ends but at the salvation of your precious souls and notwithstanding all your oppositions here is the comfort of a Minister that one converted soul is better then a whole world therefore well may he sweat his heart for it whatsoever you say But I say if the Minister labour thus with God and with thee for thy souls good why is all this controversie Why dost thou not labour with thy heart to part with thy sins It is the desire
of the Minister that it may go well with you and yours for ever Is not this reasonable Oh take notice what Traitors there are in your bosomes that perswade you to the contrary begin to think with thy self of thy own folly say with thy self Lord What a beast am I Is not the truth that is revealed to me a plain truth is it not the truth of God Is it not for my good to yeeld unto it Doe not I see the heart of the Minister earnest to save me what doth he say but that which is profitable for my soul What is the reason that I stoop not to this so reasonable a thing why come not I under the power of this word and submit to the government thereof Oh my corruptions say it is unreasonable what doe they say wilt thou suffer thy sin which thou hast loved and dallyed withall so long thy sin that hath been of such ancient acquaintance with thee and yeelded thee so much pleasure and profit Wilt thou suffer the Word now to pluck it away from thee My brethren labour now to lay strong hands upon the Traitor and to grapple with that bosome-corruption and work thy soul to a contentednesse to part with it And to bring thy heart to this contentedness for all the quarrell is ended if this be done you must professedly come to this Point whether it be better to lose an eie or a tooth or a limb and go to heaven lame or blind or to retain these and go to hell and lose your soule for ever Bring I say thy soul to a secrious consideration of this truth either I must lose my sin or my soul there is no third thing to be done howsoever carnall reason may suggest other matters yet it must come all to this at last Therefore thinke of it seriously and tell your souls this in secret if sin be had condemnation must be entertained by me also chuse now which you would have Every man by nature hath this principle in him to desire to sleep in a whole skin and therefore we shall observe men in times of horrour of conscience the soule is content for its own safety to fling off all for a while Bring thy heart to it now and labour to keep it close to this point either to renounce Christ or sinne Look as it is with a man that hath a gangrean in his hand or leg or some other venemous disease when a man comes to him and he asketh his counsell and he tels him that the nature of the disease is such that the part must be cut off or else all will be infected this he likes not perhaps but yet this is not enough to work in him a resolution of being dismembred and therefore he sendeth for another and another But at last one commeth and telleth him plainly either you must lose your hand or your life oh then the heart is brought to this rather take my hand than my life So it is here bring thy heart to this therefore either leave all profanenesse leave all contemning of God and love of the world or leave salvation either your life or your lust must goe your sin or your eternall happinesse Work this upon your soules every time you come to hear the Word The second thing for a man to doe that he may come to give way to the Word of God and have a teachable soule is this Take heed of admitting any carnall reasonings against the truth revealed and the plain Word of God openly manifested to you no carnall shifts and evasions for the soul will be thereby cozened In Exod. 7. you shall see there Moses commeth to work upon the heart of Pharaoh and to perswade him to let Isruel goe and to work the more effectually upon him he doth some miracles when Pharaoh saw this he sent for the Magicians to doe the like and they did t is true Moses Rod eat up their Rods but in the mean time Pharaohs heart was hardened The thing is this my brethren what Moses said to Pharaoh the Lord saith to every soule let thy soule goe that it may serve me let thy heart yeeld obedience to me that thou mayest be blessed for ever there is no remedy this must be done thou must be humbled for thy sinne and forsake it or else destruction on followeth This is the charge which God sendeth by every faithfull Minister if now a man send for some carnall reason which is as the Magitians to Pharaoh and that suggests what needeth all this adoe what needeth all this nicenesse and precisenesse is not God mercifull and shall a man look to be saved for his works why did Christ die if salvation were not for sinners Oh my brethren this will undoe you these are the delusions of Satan and meer carnall imaginations and so the soule forsakes that repentance that God requireth and gainsayes that good Word which God hath revealed Your onely course now my brethren is to admit of no carnall reasonings when the Word of God is plainly and powerfully discovered when you see a miraculous hand of God in making known your hidden and secret sinnes and laying open your estates when God discovereth your sinnes in their own fearfull and ugly shape will you yeeld to fleshly imaginations to think alas every thing is not Gospel that the Minister speakes many wise men and great Schollars and Ministers too here are that say the quite contrary This is to hinder the power and efficacy of the Word of God Admit therefore of no carnall counsell send for no Magitians when the Lords command is evident and plain heare nothing against the Word of God but yeeld and captivate your minds to the truths revealed The third Argument that will bring the heart to stoop to the Word of God it is this to consider the excellency and soveraign superiority of the Commandment of God My brethren it is in vain to dally with the Word of God you must know it is his Word the Scepter of his Kingdome that Word by which you must be judged that Word which shall stand though heaven and earth change and come to nothing that which shall be made good upon all men either to their salvation or damnation Therefore be convinced of the majesty and authority of the Word of God Doe not think that all the businesse is when you come here onely to hear a man speak an houre and so have done No that which you hear is the Word of God and that Word that is now revealed it must rule you either here to bring your soules to a subjection thereunto or else to domineer over you then when you cannot gainsay it Many are the shiftings and turnings that are in the heart of wicked men to put off the force and vertue of the Word of God alas say they these words are but wind and they break no bones and so men scoffe at the threatnings of God Oh take heed of this and know and let