is not my basenesse that hinders mee but my corruptions that oppose the worke of grace in my soule and that will be my bane I know that God is able to doe what is needfull and Christ is willing to doe what he is able to those that beleeve in him and rest upon him but this proud heart opposeth the worke of his grace and the operation of his Spirit my minde is so blinde that nothing in the world takes place my heart is still polluted and my distempers still hang upon mee nay sometimes my soule is wearie of the good word of the Lord that would pluck them from me insomuch that I could almost bee content to pluck out my heart and will the Lord shew mercie to mee that oppose mercie and will the Lord make mee partaker of his redemption that resists the worke of his redemption I answer God hath appointed Christ for this purpose and Christ hath undertooke this worke therefore if God hath appointed it and Christ will worke it who can hinder it thy ignorance cannot hinder the Lord Jesus Christ if hee will teach thee hee will inlighten thy blinde minde and convince that stubborne heart of thine nay all the corruptions under heaven cannot oppose this worke of God hee hath appointed it and hee hath power to pull downe a stout stomack and bee hath power to sanctifie a polluted heart corruptions are many and temptations fierce but if he will redeeme who can destroy if he sanctifie who can pollute if he justifie who can condemne this is the worke of a Saviour if Christ will doe it none can hinder it if God hath appointed it nothing can let it but it is the worke of a Christ and God hath appointed it therefore cheare up thy heart in the consideration hereof you that are the Saints of God cast off all those cavils and pretences against the power of Christ and his grace and goe out of your selves and see the privileges that God vouchsafes unto you and reason thus with your selves It is true Lord my heart is naught and I have no power my minde is blinde and I have no wisdome but I know that Christ is made wisdome to mee and thou hast appointed the Lord Jesus Christ to be made wisdome and sanctification to the soule of thy servant though sin pollute me yet Christ can sanctifie mee though the guilt be great yet the pardon of a Christ is greater than the guilt and where sinne abounds grace abounds much more therefore lift up your selves and cheare up your hearts and goe away comfortably what is awanting God will give what hee gives he will maintaine what hee maintaines hee will quicken what hee quickens hee will perfect and he will crowne you and your grace and all in the kingdome of heaven for ever what would you have in this kinde nay let mee speak one thing more Hee is the redeemer of his servants what is that why the Scripture saith the last enemy of all is death and that is the aime of all the wicked that is the worst they can doe now in Saint Matthew Christ saith Thou art Peter and upon this rock will I build my Church and the gates of hell shall not prevaile against it the gates of hell what 's that it was the fashion among the Jewes as our sessions and assises are kept in the market place so their place of meeting was at the gates so that when he saith The gates of hell shall not prevaile against it his meaning is this when Beelzebub and all the Devils in hell shall joyne together to destroy the Church all the policie of all the Devils in hell shall not prevaile the worst they can doe is to bring them unto death but Christ will bee redemption unto them art thou in captivity he will free thee art thou in persecution he will deliver theeâ— nay when thy body shall lye downe in the grave though the Heathen said when they had burnt the bodies of Gods Saints and throwne them into the water Let us now see how they will rise againe they were deceived thou must be contented for Christ will redeem that dust and say to the earth Give up and to the sea Give up thy dead deliver up the bodies of my servants let their sinews and bones come together and body and soule shall come together and enjoy happinesse in heaven together for evermore if then neither the guilt of sinne can condemne us nor the filth of sinne pollute us if neither misery nor persecution can hurt us then goe away not only comfortably but triumphantly into persecution and prison into holes and caves and dens of the earth Christ will bee all in all unto you in grace here and in glorie hereafter therefore let this comfort you Vse 3 In the third place it is the use the holy Ghost here makes Is it so that there is a conveyance of all grace from Christ to the beleever hee doth what he doth by him and hath what he hath from him then it is a word of instruction to teach us all to lye downe in the dust let no man glorie in man but let him that glories glorie in the Lord this is the maine collection the Apostle inferres God hath chosen the foolish and base things of the world that no man might glorie in flesh as who should say it is not my parts but Christ it is not my abilities but mercie it is not what I can doe but what Christ will performe therefore if Christ then bee Author of all wee have or can doe let him receive all the honour and praise of all we have or doe doth the Lord worke all our workes in us and for us then let him receive the tribute due to his Name and take nothing to your selves away with that proud heart that bars God of his honor and praise and of the due which indeed belongs unto him and ought to be performed by all his servants dost thou thinke the Lord will bestow all his favour upon thee and worke all for thee and thou in the meane time pranke up thy selfe and lift up thy crest no I charge you you Saints of God as to know your owne privileges to be thankfull for them so to know your owne unworthinesse and to lie downe in the dust and be abased for ever and to give God the honour due unto his Name Revel 4.8 The foure and twentie Elders fell downe and laid downe their crownes at the Lambes feet and said Thou onely art worthy to receive all honour and glory and praise If wee had a thousand crownes never so much honour and riches and credit and abilities fling away all at the foot of Christ let him have all the praise thou art worthy Lord we are unworthy thy assistance wee have received thy comfort thou hast continued and thou art worthy of all the honour in that thou hast beene pleased to worke any worke in us and by us to the praise of thy Name The Apostle was marvellous tender to meddle with any thing belonging to the Lord as Ioseph said to his mistresse in another case when shee tempted him to folly My master hath given me all he hath in his house save thee his wife how then shall I commit this wickednesse This was that which wrought upon
the Lord humbled him mightily so when the Lord comes to meet with an old loose adulterer and an old base drunkard and a sturdy persecutor as Paul was an ordinary stroke will not doe the worke therefore as he had a great deale of mercy for Paul so hee had a great deale to doe before hee could humble Paul hee flung him off his horse as he was posting to Damascus and might have broken his neck againe men sometimes are driven to great trials and straights as when God cals men to great trials and sufferings now God doth apply to every man according to his estate and condition he that God hath set as a commander in his Church as a Minister to teach and a Magistrate to rule and a master of a family Gods fits graces unto them according to their estates the Lord takes measure of a mans estate as it were and suits him proportionably with all graces necessary for his condition againe they that are meaner and poorer they shall have wisdome and sanctification and redemption but answerable to their conditions that is observable Ephes 4.16 Paul there calling our Saviour Christ the head of the Church and his faithfull servants the members of this head hee saith By whom all the members being knit together according to their effectuall working in their measure they receive increase as for example in the body so much life and spirit as belongs to the finger is in the finger but there is more in the arme than in the finger and more in the bulk of the body than in the arme that which suits with such a part it hath it and that which suits with such a part nature bestowes it there is not so much in the finger as in the hand nor so much in the hand as in the arme nor so much in the arme as in the body because it is not sutable and proportionable nature will not doe it God will not suffer it so some Christians are armes in the body of the Church some fingers some legs some are strong Christians that beare up a great weight in profession stout and strong and resolute and the like now the Lord communicates all grace and mercy sutable for every mans place and condition thou that art a finger shalt have so much grace as befits a finger and thou that art an hand thou shalt have so much grace as shall save thee and is fit for thy place but another is an arme and hee shall have more but all shall have that which is fitting therefore the text saith Christ is made unto us wisdome righteousnesse sanctification and redemption that looke as a man that makes a garment hee takes measure of the man for whom he makes it and fits every part according to the part of the body the arme of the doublet is sutable to the arme of the body and so Christ is made righteousnesse and sanctification to all poore beleeving creatures thou art an arme in the body of Christ hee is made so much wisdome and sanctification to thee as will serve thy turne thou hast had a great many sinnes and hast beene a rioter and a roister before God opened thine eyes and brought thee home to himselfe why there is great mercy in Christ sutable to thy sinnes there is mercy in Christ to justifie thee if thou hast never so few sinnes and there is mercy enough in Christ to justifie the greatest sinner if hee can but beleeve in the Lord Jesus Christ and this is the second passage in this article of agreement in the tenure of the conveyance of grace from Christ to the soule the Lord hath enough for all and he doth communicate what is fit and proportionable to every mans estate and condition The third thing is this as the Lord doth communicate what is fit so he doth preserve what hee doth bestow and communicate and give to the beleeving soule hee doth not give grace to the beleeving soule and there leave him and let him manage his estate but when hee hath wrought grace in the soule he preserves it and nourisheth his owne worke Psal 16.5 there the Prophet David saith The Lord is the portion of mine inheritance and he maintaineth my lot he doth not only give him his lot but he maintaines his lot it is a comparison taken from the children of Israel when they came into the land of Canaan it was divided to every tribe by lot now God did not onely bring them into the land and give them their lot but he maintained that lot he defended them and releeved them from the fury and rage of their adversaries that went about to take away that which God had bestowed upon them now the Psalmist saith The Lord is my portion and hee maintaineth my lot every beleeving soule hath a lot and portion in Christ so much grace and holinesse and so much assurance now the Lord doth not onely give this but when you are weake and feeble the Lord keeps your grace and preserves your grace which hee hath bestowed upon you therefore Christ is said to be the preserver of his Church Iude 1. To you that are called and sanctified preserved by Iesus Christ Christ is not only the giver of grace but he is the preserver of his Church and that is the meaning of that phrase when our Saviour had implanted grace in the heart of Peter he did not only plant it by his Spirit but he watered it by his prayers that it might not wither away I have prayed that thy faith faile not hee did not only give him faith that was not enough but he watered his faith by his prayers that it might not wither and dye and decay 1 Pet. 1.4 hence it is said that hee preserves us by the power of God through faith unto salvation and faith keeps the soule and Christ keeps faith faith is the hand that layes hold upon Christ and Christ layes hold upon faith and wee have a kingdome preserved for us and he preserveth us for it and this is the pith of that phrase Psal 1. the text saith The righteous man is like the tree planted by the rivers side that brings forth fruit in due season whose leafe shall not fade he doth not say his sap shall not wither but his leafe shall not wither not onely that gracious disposition of heart which is wrought shall never decay in the Saints of God but a zealous profession shall never decay in conclusion how ever a tree be nipt with the cold and frost yet in conclusion it will bud forth againe so the sap of grace that Christ workes in us and conveyeth to us being planted by the fountaine of the Lord Jesus in the midst of persecution and fiery triall they shall grow humble and meeke and holy in despight of what can befall them for a Christian is not conquered when hee loseth his life but when he loseth his grace as take a man that is led into captivitie into Turkie into Algeir
and the Son have wrought Hence it is that actions are given especially to the Father though not excluding the Sonne nor the holy Ghost but yet howsoever they are all equall in their working in regard of time yet the Father is first in regard of order A malefactor is now arraigned and condemned and the pardon is to be begged and none but the Kings sonne the young Prince can have a pardon his abilities are onely able to carry him through the worke the Prince begs it the Favorite brings it but the King onely grants it so it is here the Lord Iesus Christ is the Sonne of the everlasting Father and the Prince of peace and hee it is that begs the pardon of his Father hee sends it to us by the hands of the holy Ghost but only the Father grants the pardon When the soule hath long beene humbled and selfe denying and said Lord forgive the trespasses of thy servant and yeelds and layes downe the weapons of deflance and falls at the footstoole of the Lord Iesus Christ and rowles it selfe upon his merits then the Spirit comes and saith thy sinnes are pardoned thy person is accepted I bring thee this newes from God the Father God is now reconciled to thee in and by the Lord Iesus Christ now the Father is the King that grants this pardon the Sonne is he that begs it and the Spirit is the messenger that brings it Now you see how it is an act of God the Father Quest. 2 Secondly I come to shew why it is an act of God the Father upon the beleever Answer The reasons of the question are these we must understand that the actions of God are of two sorts First there are some actions which doe remain in God which are confined within the compasse of his owne Councell and goe no further and they are immanent actions they stay in God and goe no further A man may conceive in his mind what heresolves to doe in his heart whether hee will doe such a thing or no and no man can tell what he intends to doe but himselfe but if a man will practise answerably according to his purpose then he doth expresse the worke outwardly which he intended inwardly and now hee workes upon the creature and makes it to receive some impression of that good which hee kept secretly in himselfe There are some actions which remaine in God as the decrees and purposes of God before the foundation of the world and they are confined within the high Councell table of Heaven Father Sonne and holy Ghost and these never appeared to the eye of the world Secondly there are actions also which passe from God upon the creature and doe worke a change and an alteration upon the creature and these wee call transient actions or actions that passe which are not onely in God but passe from God and doe frame and order and dispose of the creature as God sees fit and of this sort are all the actions that belong to a Christian except predestination for the Lord doth not reveale those secrets unto any by the worke of vocation which is wrought upon the creature for there the Lord quickens desire and stirres up hope and kindles love and joy and the Lord turnes the face of the soule God-ward and in adoption regeneration and all the workes of grace and salvation and of this kinde is justification and this is the reason why I call it a transient action because it passeth upon the creature but that must be warily understood with a graine of salt as the Proverbe is now what change is this I answer the Lord workes a change upon the creature two wayes First the Lord is said to passe a worke or an action upon the creature when he puts some kind of abilitie upon the creature either spirituall or naturall as when the Lord makes a wicked man a good man an adulterous man a chaste man and of an envious proud malicious man a patient meeke and holy man and this we call a naturall change because there is a gracious frame put into the heart and soule which overpowers the creature and all things are become new new affections new desires but this is not all for here is the difficultie Secondly the Lord is said to make a change upon the creature when he takes off some relations and respects which the creature had and puts upon it some other respects hee doth not put them into the soule but puts the soule into another roome and they are not naturally qualities but onely relations which are imprinted upon the soule of man and these are called morall and of this kinde is justification as thus Take a Prentice that is bound by covenant and Indenture for so many yeeres and he is now fallen into an ague or a burning fever hee hath two relations First he is an apprentice Secondly hee hath a weake sickly distempered body now there may bee a double change wrought in this man according to this double disposition first the master burnes the Indentures and gives him his time and sets him free from his service and hee that was an apprentice before is now a freeman this is a morall change for all this while he is as sicke as he was before but the former relation is quite gone and the master cannot now command him to his service now the fellow servants cannot dominere over him because he is not now a servant but now the wise Physitian he comes and he by good means helps the man of his disease and brings him to a faire sweet and wholsome temper of body and now there is a change in the very nature of this servant before he was distempered but now he is well ordered before hot but now finely coole here is something wrought in the nature of this man Just so it is in this change of the soule there is a morall change in justification a man is bound to the Law and liable to the penaltie of it and guiltie of the breach of it now God the Father in Jesus Christ acquits a man of this guilt and delivers him from this revenging power of the Law and that 's not all but withall hee puts holinesse into the heart and wisedome into the minde and puritie into the affections this is called a naturall change because there are new spiritual abilities put into the heart not because of the nature of it but because of the thing which it works as to take the example of Scripture 1 Iohn 3.14 Wee are translated from death to life As it is with a man taken prisoner in Turkie or some other place haply a Christian of England he is accounted a Traitor there and is condemned as a Traitor the man being weake of himselfe and not able to deliver himselfe he must bee dealt by as a Traitor but now if this man bee rescued and finde some way of escape and bee set upon some other shore whereby he may be conveyed
agreeable to the exactnesse of the Law and for which a man may be condemned that cannot justifie a man but it is so here therefore they cannot be justified p. 119 Use 1. It is a ground of confutation of the Church of Rome that holds the formall cause of the justication of a sinner it is the frame of holinesse wrought in him not imputed to him p. 122 Use 2. It is a word of consolation and it is a Cordiall to cheere up a mans heart and to carry him through all troubles whatsoever can betide him or shall befall him ibid. Use 3. It is an use of exhortation will nothing doe the deed but a Christ why then above all labour for a Christ more than all labour to prize a Christ p. 127 A TABLE OF THE Soules Iustification out of these words 2 COR. 5.22 For hee hath made him to be sinne for us which knew no sinne that wee might bee made the righteousnesse of God in him OVt of these words two things are to bee opened First the discription of justification Secondly opening of the discription p. 132 Iustification it is an act of God the Father upon the beleever whereby the debt and sinnes of the beleever are charged upon the Lord Iesus Christ and by the merits and satisfaction of Christ imputed to the beleever hee is accounted just and so is acquitted before God as righteous ibid. Doctrine 1. Iustification is an act of God the Father upon the beleever p. 133 For the clearing of the doctrine 2. particulars are to be opened Particular 1. The first particular is this why is it called an act of God the Father Answ First because the Father was the party that was properly offended p. 135. Secondly because the Father is the Fountaine in the Deitie p. 137 Particular 2. Why it is an act of God the Father upon the beleever Answer Because it is a transient action that passeth from God upon the creature and so doth worke thereby a change and alteration upon the creature p. 139 The charge that is wrought upon the creatures is two wayes Particular 1. The Lord is said to passe a worke or an action upon the creature when hee puts some kinde of abilitie upon the creature either spirituall or naturall as when the Lord makes a wicked man a good man an adulterous man a chaste man and this wee call a naturall change because there is a gratious frame put into the heart p. 140 Secondly the Lord is said to make a change upon the creature when he takes off some relations and respects which the creature had and puts upon it other respects and this is called a morall change p. 140 Use 1. It is a ground of admirable comfort to beare up the heart of a poore sinner above all the accusations of sinne Satan or the envy of the world p. 143 Use 2. It is a word of direction to all the Saints to appeale to the Iudge of the Court in their judgement p. 148 Use 3. It is a groung of terrour to the wicked and to all unbeleevers that they have no share in this point of justification p. 154 Doctrine Christ Iesus never yeelded the least improvement of heart to sinne neither did he ever commit the least sinne in his life p. 159 Reason 1. Looke into the nature of our Saviour and it was pure p. 159 Reason 2. Looke into the Office of our Saviour and hee was without sinne p. 160 Use 1. It is a word of exhortation to the faithfull to conforme their hearts and conversations answerable to Christ p. 161 Doctrine God the Father did impute all the sinnes of all the world to the charge of our Saviour p. 166 When God the Father doth charge the sinnes of the faithfull upon Christ it doth appeare in these three particular acts Particular 1. God the Father and the Lord Iesus Christ made a mutuall decree and purpose that so many as should beleeve should be saved and this was left to the care of Christ that he should make them beleeve p. 170 Particular 2. Our Saviour having undertaken to keepe these he therefore put himselfe into the roome and place of all those lost sheepe p. 173 Particular 3. Our Saviour having put himselfe into the room of a sinner the Law now proceeds with full scope against him p. 175 Reason 1. That which the Lord Iesus Christ did willingly submit himselfe to without sinne that God the Father might justly charge upon him p. 176 Reason 2. Because the justice of God requireth this at the hands of Iesus Christ that hee should take the guilt of sinners upon himselfe p. 177 Reason 3. Because herein is abundantly magnified the love and mercy of Christ p. 179 Use 1. It is a word of instruction to the Saints if God the Father hath laid thy sinnes upon Christ then doe not thou take them from him to thy selfe p. 180 How farre a beleever may charge himselfe with his sinne doth appeare in these foure conclusions Conclusion 1. Every beleever is bound to see and examine the sinfull carriage of his soule and to judge that it hath power to make him guiltie and also to condemne him p. 182 Conclusion 2. Every beleeving soule justified ought to acknowledge that it were righteous with the Lord to let out his wrath against him though not to condemne him yet to distract him p. 185 Conclusion 3. Every beleever accepted and justified in and through Christ by the Father yet hee is thus farre bound to charge his sins upon himselfe as to maintain in his owne heart a sense of the need that he hath of Christ as well to continue his respect and acceptation with God as to bring him at first into the love and favour of God p. 187 Conclusion 4. Thus farre the Saints of God ought to goe in charging their owne soules with their sinnes so far to see them and to bee affected with them as to bring their hearts to be truly carried with hatred against them and with resolution to get power and strength against them p. 189 How farre a beleever may not charge himselfe with his sin may bee conceived in these two conclusions Conclusion 1. A beleever should not in his judgement conceive nor in his heart be perswaded that any sinne nor all his sinnes shall ever bee able to fasten the guilt of sinne upon him so as to cause revenging justice to proceed against him to his condemnation p. 192 Use 2. It is a word of terrour to all unbeleevers they are destitute of all hope of the pardon of their sinnes p. 197 Use 3. It is a word of exhortation to the Saints was Christ made sin for thee then be thou content to bee made shame for him p. 200 Use 4. It is a word of comfort to all the faithfull learne to cast all thy sins on the Lord Iesus Christ Doctrine 4. The Lord Iesus Christ suffered fully whatsoever punishments divine justice required or were deserved by the sinnes
the world make their maine prize and they thinke thereby to procure praise unto themselves and great preferment in their owne eyes this way let me speake a little to these you that are guilty of this sinne see the compasse of it take notice of the reach how farre this rebellion goeth I would wish these men that persecute the Saints I would have them underst the compasse of their course how farre their wicked practice extendeth it is not against a despised Christian no let them know it their rage and malice ascends up to Heaven and offers violence to the Lord Iesus Christ and the labour what they can to plucke Christ from the right hand of his Father and they endevour what in them lies to shed his blood and take away his life let all know that have beene professed opposers and dead haters of the Saints of God let them know they are melted of light treason and that in a most hainous manner against the Lord of Heaven and Earth against the Lord Iesus Christ the Redeemer of the world I would that these men would not cozen themselves for God will not bee mocked they professe they love Christ with all their hearts and they will doe any thing for him but those nice fellowes those spruce fellowes it is those that they hate to the death doe you so indeed thou hast said enough then for thou hatest Christ in hating them and thou persecutest Christ in persecuting them Esay 37.23.28 Whom hast thou reproached and blasphemed saith the text and against whom hast thou exalted thy voyce and lifted up thine eyes on high even against the Holy one of Israel and in the 28. verse I know thy abode and thy going out and thy comming in and thy rage against me so that how ever Senacherib aymed at Hezekia onely and those that professe the truth yet the Lord takes it at done to himselfe he that knew their hearts and their malice hee saith I know thy rage against me it was against the holy One of Israel that they rayled Wicked men persecute the lives of beleevers now Christ lives in them and thou hatest the life of Christ and persecutest the life of Christ Acts 9. Paul had gotten letters from the Synagogue and hee would have haled to prison all the Saints of God that professed the Name of Christ now if a man had come to Paul and asked him Paul why doe you persecute Christ hee would have beene in great indignation what reverenced Paul learned Paul zealous Paul what hee persecute the Lord of life why Christ proclaimes it he doth so and hee puts it to an upshot and ends the controversie and puts the question out of doubt I am Iesus saith he whom thou persecutest as if he had said Poore foole thou knowest not and I perceive thou thinkest it not but I receive the wound the foot is prickt and the head complaines I would have a man make the case his owne and be his owne Judge If any man should pretend friendship to you and professe hee loves you and tells you hee tenders your person but yet hee will torment your body and hee loves your head but yet he will cut off your arme there is no man so weake but he would loath such cursed kinde of dissimulation a man cannot love the head and hate the member love the person and torment the body just so these men deale with the Lord Iesus Christ Gods faithfull beleeving servants are his eyes Zacharie 2.8 He that toucheth you toucheth the apple of mine eye they are flesh of his flesh and bone of his bone thou that pretendest to love Christ and to tender the head and in the mean time loathest his members and his poore Saints know that thou dost not persecute the Saints so much but thou persecutest Christ much more but haply thou wilt say I am no drunkard nor no whore-monger I tell thee this sinne is worse than drunkennesse or whoredome the text saith Luke 13. that Herod was an incestuous person and married his brother Philips wife but he added this sinne above all the rest hee put Iohn in prison therefore all that heare the Word of God if a man did see an incestuous wretch in the congregation whom humanity and reason and nature doth loath we would abhorre and detest him nay every man knowes that it deserves death Looke upon thy owne soule and lay thy hand upon thy heart thou that persecutest the Saints thy sinne is greater and thy condemnation shall be farre sorer than such a mans hence it is that God threatens such men with the heaviest judgements Psalme 82.5 it is spoken there concerning Doeg we may see the story 1 Samuel 22. When Abimelech gave David shew-bread and Goliahs sword Doeg saw it and told Saul and afterwards slew eighty five persons of the Priests now this Psalmist made this Psalme against this man and he saith Thy tongue deviseth mischiefe lik a sharp razor working deceitfully and God shall likewise destroy thee for ever He shal take thee away and pluck thee out of thy dwelling place and out of the land of the living because he did oppose himselfe against Abimelech therefore the Lord would not let him go without a punishment nay as God threatens the sorest punishment against such person so the Saints of God by their prayers set themselves most against them Psalme 129.5 Let them all he confounded and turned backe that have ill will at Sion neither doe they that goe by say The blessing of the Lord bee upon you the poorest man that lives that is in the meanest place if he walkes in an honest calling the Saints wish a blessing to him but they that oppose the Saints of God the Saints curse them in the name of the Lord it is true I confesse wee must bee wary and wise but being wise and wary it is a thing wee may and should doe David by way of Revelation knew who were implacable and obdurate though wee know not this yet aiming at none in particular but onely in the generall at those who bee incorragible the Saints of God curse them and that bitterly in all their desires that they put up to God nay the greatest indirement at the day of judgement proceeds against sinners because of the persecution of his Saints because in them they persecute Christ himselfe they teare out the very eyes of Christ and rend his heart in peeces Iud. 14. The Lord commeth with thousands of his Angels to execute judgement upon all and to convince all that are ungodly amongst them of all their ungodly deeds which they have committed and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him Matthew 25. the latter end Depart from mee ye cursed I know ye not I was in prison and ye visited mee not I was naked and ye cloathed me not why Jesus Christ is gone to Heaven and haply they never saw him bâ—â— faith hee in that you did it not
worthy of this advancement it is the use that the Apostle makes Walke worthie of the calling whereunto the Lord hath called you are ye the members of Christ why then behave your selves as the members of Christ are you joyned thou neerly to Christ then carrie your selves as beseemes you let the dog returne to his vomit and the sow to the wallowing in the mire but let the Saints that are knit unto a Saviour walke worthy of that mercie and union and prerogative that God hath vouchsafed unto them it is a shame to see that servants of Christs family and the plants of his vineyard doe walke after the conversation of the world what manner of persons ought wee to bee in all manner of holinesse of conversation we are knit unto Christ and therefore ought to be holy as he is holy pure as he is pure wee ought to doe nothing but that which may beseeme and content a Saviour but ye will say the world will hold up their hands at us and their mouths will bee open against us why God hates the world and ye are redeemed from the world yee are called out of the world therefore live not as if ye were in the world but as God hath called you to live with himselfe in heaven your conversation should be such as if yee were in heaven I would not have a Saint of God tamper with the least distemper or be addicted to any base course but walke exactly before the Lord. Thus wee see a faithfull soule is knit unto Christ now that which followes is this it is so knit that it is made one Spirit The point we named before it is this Doct. 2 The faithfull injoy such a union with our Saviour that they are one Spirit with him The point is difficult and the mysterie great and beyond the reach and roome of that little light I injoy onely wee shall bee desirous with sobrietie and modestie to communicate what shall be most sutable to the minde of God not being unwilling but desirous to heare any advice from another concerning the same the doctrine then is a beleever is so knit to Christ that he becomes one Spirit for the opening whereof because it is a deepe mysterie suffer mee to deale plainly and punctually and that I may expresse my thoughts and communicate what I conceive suffer mee to discover two particulars First the manner how the soule comes to be one Spirit with Christ Secondly the order thereof These two we will labour to cleare so farre as we are able First for the former the manner how the soule◠com 〈…〉 be one Spirit with Christ it is an undeniable principle and confessed by Divines on all parts that the soule comes to be one Spirit by the power of the Spirit on Gods part and by the power of faith on the beleevers part they confesse that the Spirit of God workes upon a beleever and the beleever goes out againe to God by faith but wee have now onely the termes in the generall if we come to the particular examining of these and aske a weake soule how the soule comes to be one Spirt by the Spirit on Gods part and by faith on our part wee are as far to seeke as wee were before and most of the congregation can understand little of it This is our misery we content our selves with termes in the generall and never cracke the shell that wee may see the kernell wee never dive into the truth that wee may see the intent of the Spirit therein therefore for the opening of the point viz. the manner how the soule coms so to be knit to Christ as to be made one Spirit not denying any thing of the former truth but holding thereto wee will open it so far as our light serves us Quest If the question then be how the soule by the spirit on Gods part and faith on the soules part comes to be one spirit Answ That which I intend to speake I will cast into three particulars or three conclusions Conclus 1 The first conclusion is this know that the spirit of God the holy Ghost the third Person in the glorious Trinitie he doth really and inseparably accompany the whole word that is the generall but he doth more specially accompany the pretious promises of the Gospell the Spirit of the Lord is in these in a more speciall manner though he be a God every where in regard of his providence yet hee is in a more speciall manner going with and accompanying of his Word and in a more speciall and particular fort hee is in the promises the soule comes to bee one with Christ and to bee knit unto him principally by the promise the law prepares the soule and the promise that calls the soule and knits it unto Christ God hath appointed his Word and specially the promise for the converting of a sinner and therefore the Spirit of God goes therewith and workes thereby and gives a blessing thereunto according as hee in his wisedome thinkes fit for he is a voluntary agent and therefore may use the word as he will and when hee will the Spirit doth alwayes worke in the word but not alwayes after the same manner You make nothing of the Gospell and of the Scripture I tell you the Spirit of the Lord God blessed for ever is there after an extraordinary manner and hardens the hearts of the reprobates and humbles and converts and comforts the soules of his servants and when not when I will or you will but when the Spirit of the Lord will This is that I take to be the best expression of it looke as it was with the brasen Serpent set up in the wildernesse there was an healing vertue inseperably accompanying of that brazen Serpent and it was as possible that hardnes should be separated from the brasse as his healing vertue for whosoever lookt upon it healing vertue did undoubtedly and inseparably goe with it because God had appointed this therefore hee did blesse this and undoubtedly worke by this Just so it is with the good Word of the Lord the Spirit of the Lord though he be God every where yet hee doth blesse this Word especially and goes with it and hath appointed it for the salvation of his servants therefore when the sound comes to the eare and the sense to the minde the Spirit goes with the Word when thou hearest it either to convert thee or to confound thee therefore the text saith ye stiffe necked and hard hearted ye have resisted the Spirit of the Lord they would have pluckt Christ out of Heaven and the Spirit and all Now that this is a case undeniable I prove it thus that word which is able to discover the thoughts of the heart and to raise the dead to life and can comfort a distressed soule and perswade the soule of Gods everlasting favour that word must needs have a supernaturall power goe with it for no created power can doe the former things
the Word tels the deepe things of God the Word saith I am sanctified therefore I am justified therefore called therefore elected the Word reveals these deepe things of God therefore the spirit must needs goe inseparably with it this is an undoubted conclusion Conclus 2 The second is this and I take it to bee somewhat difficult the Spirit of grace the holy Ghost the third Person in Trinitie working with and accompanying of the promise of grace and salvation it doth therein and thereby leave a supernaturall dint and power and a spirituall and overpowring vertue upon the soule and thereby carries it and brings it unto Christ and there lieth a great weight and observe it The principall and efficient cause in the worke of the soule to bring it to beleeving it is not so much any thing in the soule as a spirituall assisting and moving and working upon the soule by vertue of which working and motion it is moved and carried to the Lord Iesus Christ as thus the spirit let in a power to stirre hope and it is stirred and moved it lets in a power to quicken desire and it goes it lets in a power to kindle love and it flames it lets in a power to perswade the will and it takes and chuses the Spirit moves upon these faculties and by vertue thereof they are moved and carried to the Lord therefore I conceive the maine principall cause of faith is rather an assisting power working upon than any inward principall put into the soule to worke of it selfe but the worke is upon the soule the soule by that power and assistance is conveyed and carried home to Christ observe it I will expresse it in severall passages because here lies the difficulty of the point Then know that the Spirit of God doth in the first stroke of faith as the Spirit of God did upon the waters Gen. 1.2 the text saith there 〈◊〉 confused lumpe and the Spirit moved upon the 〈◊〉 and set upon that confused lumpe fasâ—â—◠〈…〉 the creature out thereof so it is with the Siprit and when I speake of the Spirit I intend the promise too the Spirit in the promise meeting with an humbled soule now abased and staggering and quarrelling with himselfe he is in a confused estate hee knowes not what to make of himselfe nor of his confused condition now the good Spirit of the Lord moves upon the soule and leaves a spirituall dint and supernaturall work upon it and the soule by vertue thereof is carried and fitted and fashioned to goe to Christ this I take to bee the meaning of that place Acts 26 18. Saint Paul was sent to turne men from darknesse to light Now it is a confession amongst all Protestant Divines that the first stroke of the Spirit is upon the soule there is nothing in the soule that can drive sinne from the soule and plucke the soule from sinne but the Spirit works this and the soule takes this blow and by vertue of that Spirit the soule is pulled from corruption and turned from sinne this is a confessed truth that the first stroke in conversion is not from any thing within the soule but it is from the Spirit nay the same stroke doth two things it turnes from darknesse to light the same hand and the same stroke doth both these as for example when you teare one thing from another as you reare it from the other you pull it to your selfe he that puls a bough from a tree as he pulls it from the tree hee pluckes it to himselfe so the same Spirit that workes upon the soule in calling it from sinne it doth worke upon the soule in drawing it to Christ it pulls off hope from the world and makes it expect a Christ it pulls off desire from the world and makes it long for Christ it pulls off love from the world and makes it entertaine a Christ it pulls off the will from the world and makes it chuse a Christ so that one stroke doth both and it is plaine therefore the worke of the Spirit upon the soule must bring it unto Christ The like phrase wee have Iohn 15.19 I have called you out of the world therefore the world hates you so that it is there the same voyce the same spirit that calls a man from sin as that is not the way thou poore sinner the way of pride and idlenesse c. that is not the way to Heaven Now that call as it pulls the soule from sinne so that motion and moving and supernaturall worke that it leaves upon the soule the soule thereby being moved and drawne it is comming to the Lord the soule hath not so much the worke of the Spirit of grane in him as the work of the spirit of grace working upon him to draw him from evill and to turne him to the Lord and by vertue of the same worke hee is drawne from the one and brought to the other this I conceive to be the great difference between the union that Adam had with God and that which the faithfull have Adam had a stocke in his owne hand God made him wise and holy and righteous this was his stocke he had a principle within himselfe either to hang upon God and so to bee sustained or to slide and withdraw himselfe from God he had power either to hold or to let goe he had the staffe in his owne hand he might turne unto God and close with the command if he would or he might depart from God and withdraw himselfe from the assistance which hee lent him as he did but now here is a maine difference in the bringing of the heart home to Christ in this union because the first stroke that drawes the soule and brings the soule to Christ is not from any thing within so much as from the spirit without the hand of Christ it layes hold upon the heart and workes upon the heart and brings him home to himselfe this first stroke is from without wee doe beleeve being framed thereunto and drawne by the Spirit of the Father the everlasting arme of the Lord that appeares in the Gospell hee lets it downe and workes upon the soule and brings the heart to himselfe and so the heart is brought to Christ not from any Principle first in it selfe but by the Spirit that workes upon it when the Word of God comes to the soule the Spirit of God accompanies that Word and puls the earthly minde from earthlinesse and the uncleane heart from his lusts and saith Come out thou poore soule this is the way to a Christ that will pardon thee this is the way to a Christ that will purge thee so that my soule moves but it is because it is moved my will closeth but it is because it is perswaded so that the first stroke of this union is not from my selfe but it comes from Christ the hand of the Spirit layes hold on me and drawes me to him hence in the third place
the union drawes somewhat neerer so that wee see first there is a holy Ghost in the promise and secondly wee see that the Holy Ghost leaves a supernaturall worke upon the soule and brings it home to Christ Conclus 3 The third conclusion is this the Spirit of grace in the promise working thus upon the heart it causeth the heart to close with it selfe in the promise the Spirit of God by the promise so works upon the soule that it makes the soule close with the promise and with it selfe in the promise and this is to be one Spirit and this I take to bee the meaning of that place Philippians 3.12 Paul saith that he was apprehended of Christ as if he should say I was not so much apprehending as apprehended not so much that he did it but Christ in him and upon him and by him for I told you the worke of the Lord in the worke of conversion is upon us by us to bring us to himselfe The Spirit of the Lord is in heaven and it is in the promise and that Spirit in the promise comes to the soule of a beleever and leaves a spirituall worke upon the soule of a beleever and the soule is moved by vertue of that Spirit to close with that promise and with that Spirit that is in the promise I would expresse my selfe by these two comparisons looke as it is with the moone the naturall Philosopher observes that the ebbing and flowing of the sea is by vertue of the moone she flings her beames into the sea and not being able to exhale as the sunne doth shee leaves them there and goes away and that drawes them and when they grow wet they returne backe againe now the sea ebs and flowes not from any principle in it selfe but by vertue of the moone being moved it goes being drawne it comes the moone casting her beames upon the waters it moves the sea and so drawes it selfe unto it selfe and the sea with it so the heart of a poore creature is like the water unable to move towards heaven but the Spirit of the Lord doth bring in its beames and leaves a supernaturall vertue by them upon the soule and thereby drawes it to it selfe or looke as it is with a claspe and a keeper take a great claspe put it thorow the keeper and being brought thorow it closeth with it selfe so it is with an humble broken heart it is like this keeper the good Spirit of the Lord is like this claspe the Spirit workes upon the soule and leaves a supernaturall vertue upon the soule and goeth with that vertue and puls the soule by the power of it selfe and knits it to its selfe it workes upon the heart in this manner and clasps the humbled sinner and brings him home and holds him to the promise and to it selfe in the promise Now I would contract these three conclusions in the former sermons into three questions to make them so familiar that weake ones which have any spirituall grace may be able to come to aprehend and understand them Quest 1 I aske therefore what is there in the promise of the Gospell or what is there in the Word of God is there nothing but letters and sillables and sentences Answ I answer Yes humane Authours have words and sentences but oh the glorious God the third person of the Trinitie the blessed Spirit of the Lord Jesus Christ is inseparably present with and accompanying of the promises of God the words are but the shell but the substance is the Spirit of grace how were your hearts comforted in the time of trouble and how were your hearts broken and brought out from your lusts Oh it was the Spirit for man was never able to doe it but Lord thy almighty hand came downe from heaven and broke this heart of mine and if Christ that Lion of the tribe of Judah had not come downe from heaven this lion-like heart of mine would never have yeelded nor come downe this is the answer to the first question Quest 2 What doth the beleever doe aske your owne hearts doe your hearts close and meet with the good Word of the Lord and doe you say Oh it is the good Word of the Lord my heart consented to it and closed with it thus Answ Oh yes saith the soule me thought I was even knit to the Word then I aske againe was thy heart knit to the Word onely and the sillable only and did thy heart close with the sentences only the soule answers No the truth is my eare did receive the sound and my minde the sense but my soule received the Lord Jesus Christ To as many as received him to them he gave power to become the sonnes of God 1 Iohn 12. the words are but only as the conduit to convey the water of life and the Spirit of grace but they lay hold upon Christ there and that it is so I prove it thus did not you finde your hearts comforted at such a time Oh yes saith the soule me thinks I see the Ministers face still and when he came to such a point and such a passage good Lord mee thought I was in heaven could words and reasons and sentences have done it No surely the Spirit of grace was there and my heart did close with the same the stomack receives not meat as the dish or vessell doth but the stomack doth receive it and is fastned to it and hath the sweetnesse of it and is made one with it Iohn 6.63 The words that I speake they are Spirit and life and this is the excellencie of the Word when all the learned Doctors and Schoolemasters shall have the tongues but shall never humble one soule nor purge nor convert one heart yet the Word and the Spirit in it will doe that which is usefull and helpfull for thee in this kinde the Words that I speake they are Spirit and they are life saith our Saviour so then you see you that are ignorant and weake you say to your selfe how shall I come to be knit to the Lord Jesus Christ seeing hee is in heaven and I am on earth Oh but quiet thy selfe in this he is in a most speciall manner in the preaching of the Word and if thou cleavest to the Word aright then thou cleavest to the Spirit of Christ Quest 3 In the third place I aske how doth the Spirit of man come to close and to be one with the Spirit of Christ in the promise Answ I answer are your owne hearts able to doe this or is nature or your wits or parts able to doe this for you No the good Spirit of the Lord wrought upon and fitted and framed the hearâ— hereunto and put this temper upon it as the workman gives a temper to the knife and another makes iron draw iron and he doth it thus he drawes the magnet or load-stone over the iron and the vertue thereof makes it able to draw iron to it selfe so the soule saith
Alas I doe it not it was the Lord that wrought this heart in mee I have seene the day when I could have beene as well content to heare the Minister preach plainly as to have a knife run to my heart but the Lord wrought my heart to it therefore the Spirit puts that magnet stone of the mercie and grace of Christ upon my heart hee puts this temper upon my heart and makes it able to close with it selfe in the promise in 2 Corin. 5.5 when Paul there had disputed of his desire to lay downe his life for the Gospell and to put his body upon suffering for the Gospels sake he was even weary of the world and would faine have beene gone how gat he this temper why the text saith Now he that hath wrought us for the same thing if God who also hath given us the earnest of his Spirit it is a great while before wee can bee brought to this temper when all the Ministers tongues are even worne to the stumps and the wicked will bee wicked still yet the Lord doth worke it so then you see that the Spirit of God by the promise works upon the soule and leaves a dint upon the heart and so brings the soule by the Spirit to close with it selfe in the promise and hence you may collect two things for your information in this kinde Colect 1 First that the beleever being moved by the stroke of the Spirit of the Father is made able to close with the Father and the Sonne because the Spirit of the Lord doth fasten fit and frame the heart hereunto in this manner and hence it is that the soule can close with the Father and the Sonne too why because the Spirit which proceeds and comes from the Father and the Sonne is able to frame the soule to close with both for the Spirit hath something of the Father and something of the Sonne and therefore is able to make the soule to close with both 1 Iohn 1.3 These things have I written unto you that you may have fellowship with us holy Iohn was a spirituall father unto them and hee writes to them that thereby they might have fellowship with the Saints and he saith Truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Sonne Iesus Christ why doth he not say our fellowship is with the Father as well as to say our fellowship is with the Father and the Sonne because it is presumed before hand that a man must have fellowship with the Spirit before hee can have fellowship with the Father and the Sonne because it is the Spirit that hath fitted the heart and framed it to close with both Colect 2 Secondly hence it comes to passe that the person of the beleever may bee knit to the person of the Lord Jesus Christ the foot is knit to the head by the continuance of the order of the body and the members thereof as the foot is knit to the leg and the leg to the thigh and the thigh to the body and so to the head this is the meaning of that phrase Iohn 6.56 our Saviour presseth this hard upon the Disciples and saith My flesh is meat indeed and my bloud is drinke indeed hee that eateth my flesh and drinketh my bloud dwelleth in me and in him then they begun to wonder at it and to say How can this be and yet Christ saith what if you see the the Sonne of man carrying the body of his flesh into heaven you will thinke it more hard to eat my flesh then yet you must eat my flesh then too how it is the Spirit that quickneth the flesh profiteth nothing the words that I speak they are Spirit and life as if he had said my good Spirit is in the word and promise close you with my Spirit and then you draw my Spirit my flesh and my blood downe into your whole natures the words that I speake they are Spirit and Life that is my Spirit is in the Word of the promise though my body be gone up into heaven therefore close you with my Spirit in the promise and then you close with my flesh spiritually Thus much for the manner of the union Now for the order of this union how this is done and there the question will be this Whether the beleever is knit first to the humane nature of Christ or to the Divine nature Quest. 2 I am not greatly willing to meddle with this point in this popular congregation because there are many wise and orthodox Divines and godly too which are of contrary opinion they confesse both but they differ about the order but that I may bring no prejudice to the judgement of any I will shortly shew you the summe of those arguments Answ which either side hold and will shew to which I doe incline and so leave the point to the judgement of those that heare it to incline to which side they thinke best and thus I shall wrong none at all First some Divines wise holy and orthodox and many too doe goe that way all of them have it from that root they that hold that the soule is knit to the humane nature of Christ first have two reasons for it First say they as the Scripture reveales Christ to us so also our hearts embrace him and close with him but the Scripture reveales the Lord Christ more often and frequently in regard of his Manhood than in regard of his Godhead as in that place The seed of the Woman shall breake the Serpents head and such like therefore the understanding first closeth with this and the heart first receives it the second reason why they hold this is thus much If say they all the great works of our redemption both sanctification and justification and redemption were wrought in the humane nature of Christ and as by a channell conveyed to us by his humane nature then it is reason that the soule should first close with the humane nature but it is so that all the great workes of justification sanctification c. were all accomplished in the humane nature of Christ for as the text saith He died for our sins and triumphed over sin and hell and death therefore say they it is fit that the soule should first close with the humane nature of Christ and this is the life and pith of all their arguments Againe other Divines and they are wise and orthodox they hold this and though all hold the maine substantiall truths of eternall life yet they differ in this they say the beleever is first knit to the Deity and they have also two arguments and the first is this That which is the maine and the proper object of faith to that the soule first lookes and to that the soule is first united for all union comes by operation in this kinde but the Godhead is the first object of faith in beleeving the Godhead and the third person of Trinity they are the first objects of
the heart of Ioseph and prevailed with the spirit of Ioseph being his master was marvellous kinde all that hee had in his house was his save onely his wife and that was requisite and reasonableâ— so it is with the soule of a Christian all is yours you shall have wisedome and righteousnesse and sanctification and redemption but let God have the glory of it that onely he reserves for himselfe My glory I will not give to another my grace and mercy I will give to another but my glory I will not give to another why give it him then and say Not unto us Lord not unto us but to thy Name be the praise When your hearts begin to thinke of some credit and aime at some base ends as it was with Herod when the people cried out The voyce of God and not of man hee tooke it to himselfe whereas he should have rebounded it to God hath God vouchsafed mercifully and graciously to humble your soules and make you seeke him hath hee given you any abilitie of prayer and conference remember when your soules begin to take any honour and credit to themselves away with it doe not take it Not to us Lord not to us but to thy Name be the glory thou workest all thou preservest all thou art the Author of all therefore thou shalt have the praise of all beat it backe againe and rebound it to the Lord from whence all help and assistance came therefore Saint Paul was marvellous shie and tender in this kinde Hath the Lord given mee all but his glorie nay I have Christ and grace and heaven and happinesse all but his glorie will nothing but that content me what haughtie high minded Devils are wee will nothing serve us but the crowne on Gods owne head if you can seeke God and have abilitie to performe dutie you must justle God out of his throne and set his crowne upon your head what monstrous pride is this deale wisely therefore as Ioseph did and as Saint Paul did Gal. 6.14 Now God forbid what 's that that I should glorie in any thing save in the crosse of Christ whereby the world is crucified unto me and I to the world let not the wise man glory in his wisedome let not the strong man glory in his strength let not the Minister glory in his preaching nor the people in their hearing God forbid wee should glory in any thing but in Christ as who should say the Lord keep us from it and preserve us from it Christ onely reserves the Crowne to himselfe hee will doe any thing for us worke any thing in us and by us and this is all the glory a Christian hath that Christ will use him and doe any service by him all the glory of the Lanthorne is the candle so let us glory in nothing but Christ and walke so humbly that a man may see nothing but Christ let your actions manifest it and let your speeches declare it and hold out Christ and mercy grace hath done this and mercy hath done this that men may see not us but Christ in us and glorifie him for that which is done by us It was a marvellous sweet disposition of spirit which the holy man David had when the Lord had inlarged him and the people to give liberally toward the Temple 1 Chron. 29.14 it is a fine passage he lifts up God and lieth downe himselfe as when a man lifts another over a wall hee that is lifted up is seene but hee that lifts him doth not appeare So David lies downe upon his honours and kingdomes and parts and abilities he appeared not but the Lord appeared marke what the Text saith Thine is honour and power and praise for ever when the Lord inlarged his heart and the hearts of his people to come freely and give liberally he gives God the praise But who am I Lord and what is this people that thou shouldst give us hearts to offer so freely as who should say thou art a blessed God and I a poore worme thou art a glorious God and wee are base creatures all is thine and all is from thee as who should say the gift is thine and the action thine the ability thine and the worke thine and what are we that thou shouldst worke by us and honour thy selfe in us and give us hearts to doe thee service The heart is thine and the worke is thine and all is thine when therefore thy heart findes any succour from God any assistance in the performance of duty if it begins to lift up it selfe and say aye this is somewhat then checke thy soule with that of the Apostle what hast thou which thou hast not received what bragge of a borrowed suit who did this let him that did it receive all the praise dost thou doe any thing Christ inables thee dost thou increase in any holy service Christ inlargeth thee thou hast all from free mercy thou hast nothing but that thou hast received therefore I conclude with that of the Prophet Zacharie 4 8 9. speaking there of the building of the Temple the Text saith the same hand of Zorobabel that laid the first stone shall lay the last stone hee laid the first stone and began it and hee laid the last stone and perfected it and all the people cried grace not Zorobabel but grace so it ought to bee with us as it was in the materiall Temple so in the Spirituall Temple as in the outward so in the inward building of the soule from the beginning of humiliation to the end of salvation from the beginning of conversion to the end of glorification from the lowest stone of the one to the top stone of the other the same hand that layeth the first stone layeth the last stone it is all from Christ therefore when Christ gives what is wanting and maintaines what hee gives and quickens what hee maintaines and perfects what hee quickens let all say Not I not man not meanes but Christ hath done all this hee that is the Author of all let him have the praise of all in Christ from Christ through Christ and by Christ is the phrase of the Apostle Romans 11.30 To him bee praise for evermore in Christ hee is the fountaine from Christ hee is the Author through Christ hee is the meanes and by Christ hee is the assister it is all from Christ therefore let us give all to him that wee may bee no more in our selves but that hee may bee all in all in us and doe all by us that he may doe all in all unto us when wee shall bee no more 1 COR. 1.30 Who of God is made
times as when a man cannot well drinke a great potion at one draught he drinkes and breathes and then drinks againe and breathes and then drinkes the third time so Christ was resolved to beare all the wrath of God and because it was too grievous for the humane nature to drinke it all at once therefore hee drinkes and breaths againe and then drinkes the second time and breaths againe and so drinkes the third time and so our Saviour was able to suffer all and not to bee driven to any distemper or weaknesse for all those distempers of affections they arise from these three grounds 1 Either affections prevent judgement 2 Or else it will not yeeld to judgement 3 Or thirdly it disturbs judgement Now our Saviour tooke one draught and then breathed and then tooke another draught and 〈◊〉 had againe and so thinke it at the third time so that none of all the sorrowes of the agonie that he undertooke troubled him because hee undertooke it when he would and yet bore all and so gave full satisfaction Thus you see what our Saviour suffered in the garden in his soule and it was such a kinde of sorrow that he tooke onely Peter and Iames and Iohn with him and no more Now in the next place I come to fasten upon the proofe of the point to wit that this sorrow must needs bee more than can come from the paines of death and I shall make it good by force of argument that this sorrow cannot come barely from the naturall death I shall give you grounds from Scripture and from reason and I reason thus All the sorrowes that came upon our Saviour they came by reason in this cup that is from these sorrowes and miseries that he was to beare both in the agonie in the garden and upon the crosse Now that cup which brought astonishment in upon his soule and fild it full of anguish and drove him to an amaze and not only to weep bitterly but to trickle downe drops of clodded blood that cup must needs bee more than the pains of a naturall death but that cup which caused all this was that which brought them in and made him thus to be astonished and fild his soule with anguish and wrested clodded blood from his body therefore this was more than naturall death the latter part of the argument is undeniable namely that the agonie came from this cup therefore the cup was the cause of his sorrowes and griefes and teares but to thinke that naturall death should drive our Saviour to this astonishment it is unreasonable to thinke it that the Souldier should beare that which the Commander cannot beare and that many a poore Christian that hath but a little grace should beare the paine of a naturall death for a good cause and that comfortably and shall not Christ the Fountain of all grace beare much more it is unreasonable for any man to thinke so therefore there must be more than the paines of a naturall death in the sufferings of our Saviour Hee that gave his Saints grace to beare these paines of the naturall death he hath much more grace in himselfe to beare them and to come forth from under them Vse 1 Is it so that the Lord Jesus Christ was driven to this astonishment and to all this misery then what use will you make of the point shake the â—ee and gather the fruit Let every soule learne from hence what will bee the fruit of sinne and what he may expect from sinne if he doe rightly conceive of it wee use to judge of physicke by the working of it especially if it be some strange kinde of physicke then the working of it will discover the nature of it And as it is with some great personages as the Popes and such like they have their tasters to taste their meat for them for certainly if the meat doe poyson him that tastes it then it will doe him no good that eats iâ— so see what sinne hath done in Christ and the same it will doe in thee what he hath received from it doe thou looke to partake of the same if thou continue in sin He onely tasted of it by way of imputation and he had only the shadowes of sin as I have formerly shewed hee had onely the taste of sin by way of account and charge and imputation therefore if it made him sicke even to death then know thou shalt bee sure to feele the same it will worke upon thee much more that hast sin not by way of imputation but thou hast it by way of commission and thou canst sit at thy base pleasures and loose company and sinfull occasions and drawest on iniquitie as it were with cart-ropes it will bee thy death if the Lord be not mercifull unto thee to save thee and the Lord Christ gracious to pardon thee therefore let us not judge of our sinnes according to our conceits it is that which cozens and deceives thousands of poore creatures therefore let us not value our sinnes according to the sweetnesse that our owne corrupt heart findes in them nor according to the pleasure that wee expect from them they goe downe merrily now but they kill as certainly It is the great weaknesse of poore soules that wee see sinne a great way off through many glasse windowes many mediums and covers there are many profits and pleasures and dalliances that are betweene sinne and us and we see sinne through all these and therefore sin is welcomed and received because it seemes pleasant but now I would have you see sinne in the nature of it and therefore looke upon sinne in the Lord Jesus Christ and there see it in its colours and see what vexation it brought on our Saviour the same it will bring upon thee unlesse the Lord be the more mercifull Is is with sinners as it is with children little children that know not the nature of a Beare or a Lion if they lie sleeping they will bee ready to play with them but if the Beare begin to shake himselfe and the Lion begin to rore it makes not onely children afraid but even the stoutest to flie wee dally with the hole of the Aspe sinne hath devoured thousands at this day and children that wee are we play with sin and with the pride of our owne cursed hearts and our lusts and our ambition and uncleannesse and with the neglect of Gods ordinances and every other corruption The drunkard playes with his drunkennesse and the adulterer with his dalliances and the proud man with his ambitious thoughts and so every wretch with his wicked practices and this ambition is now asleep but if you could see these roring upon you and ready to devoure you then certainly you that now take delight in them would flie from them Proverbs 7.27 It is observable what sinne will doe the adulterous woman meets the poore deluded creature and she inticeth him with her base lusts and he dreams of nothing but Downe
to be forsaken that we might not be forsaken and to bee condemned that wee might bee acquitted Oh all you stubborne hearts that heretofore have made nothing of the blood of Christ and his honour but though the judgements of God and the hammer cannot breake your hearts yet let this mercy breake you and reason with thy owne heart in this manner and say Good Lord is this possible Lord this is too much for reason cannot reach it nor nature cannot doe it to give himselfe and his life and to bee forsaken and despised that a rebbell and a traitor should be received to mercy certainly I shall love him as long as I live yes and doe so too and seeke to that Jesus Christ and honour him and say for ought I know I may obtaine a part in Christ therefore I will never wrong him nor grieve his good Spirit more The Lord say Amen to the good desires of your hearts that you may stand and wonder at this compassion of the Lord that is out of measure great Vse 4 Hath the Lord suffered all these punishment for us then what shall wee doe for the Lord Jesus Christ returne an answer to the Lord what course you will take to answer the kindnesse of the Lord. When David had received many kindnesses from the Lord he lookes up to Heaven and saith I will love thee dearly O Lord my strength Love is the loadstone of love therefore have love inlarged in this dutie be not scantie in your love but bestow your hearts fully and liberally upon the Lord Jesus Christ and let all returne love to the Lord Jesus Christ and love him in all things by all means and at all times and know that the death of Christ requires this and will call for it I doe not love that a man should give the Lord Iesus Christ a little scanty desire and a few lazy wishes but love him with all thy soule and with all thy strength and say I will love thee dearly Oh Lord my strength when thou dost rise in the morning love Iesus Christ and bathe thy heart in it and when thou art in the way or at thy labour love Iesus Christ that strengthens thee when thou feedest upon the sweetnesse of thy meat thinke upon the sweetnesse that is in Christ and thanke the blood of Christ for all that thou hast in all the riches thou seest and in all the honours thou hast and in all thy friends and means and whatsoever thy heart loves or esteems in that see Christ and in that love Christ why what doth that concerne Jesus Christ I answer it will make it appeare that all that thou hast is from the blood of Christ and the blood of Christ is better than all the blessings you doe enjoy and they are all nothing without this for it is the death of the Lord Iesus Christ that ads a seasoning vertue to all the good things thou hast so that these are not good to us neither doe they worke good to us but that they are given to us in and by the Lord Jesus Christ for were they not given us in Christ there is such venome and gall in our sinnes and the wrath of God it selfe which slides thorow all the good things here below that it makes all the morsels gravell in the belly In a word the blood of Christ takes away the venome and indignation of Gods curse which otherwise would bring a plague upon what wee have and what we doe enjoy how many rich and honourable are there if the Lord let but in a veine of vengeance into their consciences all their riches and honours are base and worth nothing what 's that to me if I bee rich and a reprobate honoured and damned and the wrath of God to pursue me therefore without the death of Christ all these things are but curses to us the world is a prison and the creatures are our enemies and every one of our actions are our witnesses to condemne us and all our comforts are but gall and wormwood to us nay were it not for the blood of Christ your prosperity would be your ruine your beds your graves and your comforts your confusion and therefore that they are not so and that thou hast any comfort from these goe blesse God for it and say Lord it is through thy blood that I have received any blessing upon these blessings Lord I might have drunke the cup of thy wrath when I drunke this beere I might have eaten my bane when I eat my meat I blesse thy Name blessed Redeemer for thy love it is thy blood that hath purchased these things for me if you have received from any thing here below any good at all looke up to Christ and blesse his Name for it and say if this meat be so sweet then what is the blood of Christ therefore love Christ by all means let all your words be words of love and all your labour be the labour of love and all your thoughts bee thoughts of love and muse of love and speake of the treasures of mercy and let all your affections be full of love and all your workes be love and lift up his Name and say all ye that see my conversation that I walke so comfortably blesse his Name for it the blood of Jesus Christ hath done all this for me I was a wretched creature but the blood of Christ hath overpowred this rebellious heart of mine honour him and lift him up and say my heart was hard and filthy and my soule was destitute of all good and my sinnes many yet now I have some evidence of the love of God blessed bee his Name for it the blood of Christ hath done this for me muse of him speake for him worke for him and doe all for him in all miseries and troubles sorrowes and vexations temptations without and terrours within love Jesus Christ therein though these befall thee yet the venome and poyson of them is gone and they are sweetned unto thee thy prison is libertie thy contempt is advancement in all the things thou hast love Jesus Christ that hath procured these and now if you will not love Jesus Christ let mee aske you whom will you love nay whom else can you love answer mee will you love your friends that are deare unto you or your Parents that doe provide for you or your wife that is loving and mercifull to you you will love these as there is good cause you should but love Christ more than all these If you will love a friend or a father then much more Christ that is the Author of all and the continuer and preserver of all a friend would be an enemy but that the blood of Christ frames his heart A wife would rather bee a trouble than a helpe but that the blood of Christ orders her therefore I say with Paul 1 Cor. 16.22 If any man love not the Lord Iesus Christ let him bee Anathema Maranatha aske your neighbours if they love not the Lord Jesus Christ Let that soule bee accursed untill the comming of Christ to judgement Curse him all yee Angels in Heaven and all yee Devils in Hell Curse him all yee creatures and let this curse remaine upon him untill the comming of Christ unto judgement and let these curses bee sealed downe upon him for ever and when you are come to the end of all this will bee the plague and the curse of all that you had Christ and mercy rendered to you once and you would not receive it therefore since Christ hath thought nothing too good for us even his life and blood and was content to part with the sense and feeling of the sweetnesse of the love of God the Father thinke nothing too good for Christ but love him in all things and by all means the Lord grant wee may FINIS