Father will send in his Name the Comforter which is the holy Ghost whom the Father will send in my Name he shall teach you all things and bring all things to your remembrance whatsoever I have said to you Joh. 14.26 I hope I have in this set open a large doore of sweet comfort to every poore soule groaning under the burden of sinne I will now the Lord assisting come to point of tryall of which as briefe as I may I have hitherto endeavoured all along to discover a Christians priviledges he hath by Christ with some directions what a Christian is to doe in himselfe to get an interest in this Christ I am now come to give you some Signes or Evidences by which you may know whether as yet Christ be yours or no they shall be but few and short the Lord help me in the discovery and you in the faithfull examination of the ground upon which your building stands and there will arise abundance of sweet and full comfort to all our Soules Signe 1. The first Signe whereby a Christian may know he hath an interest in Christ is a sound and sincere love to Christ for Christ alone It 's not enough to love Christ for the Loaves so Christ hath lovers and followers too many to love Christ because you outwardly thrive and get by Christ Christ finds fault with this Joh. 6.26 It is not enough to love Christ with the Loaves with the world this also Christ cannot away with this will not doe yee cannot doe it Mat. 6.24 but Christ will be loved for himselfe he will have all your love and have you love him onely that is to love him above all more then all Christ would not have any thing here below to stand in computition with him if any thing must be parted with let it be any thing all things save Christ Goods Friends Life are all to he left for the love of Christ when they cannot stand together This is the meaning of thoâ—e two Scriptures Mat. 10.37 Luk. 14.26 Now if you solemnly and seriously aske your hearts they will tell you whether you love a naked Christ a despised Christ I say your hearts will in some measure tell you how they are disposed what longings have you after Christ what inquires doe you make after Christ what delight have yee in the Saints â—ow doe yee prize the Ordinances what soule-meetings have you with Christ what sweet communion have â—ou with Christ Object But you will say who can doe this Aâ—sw I answer every Christian may doe this nay I say further every true Christian doth doe this in a greater or lesser degree what is prayer but the soules discourse with God and Christ by the help of the holy Ghost what is the Word and preaching but a declaration of the mind of God to us Love these and love Christ neglect these and you care not for Iesus Christ Now then have these taken thy heart and ravished thy soule are these the cause of thy rejoycing and the want of these thy sorrow doest thou prize the Word of God above all the Words wealth doest thou love to follow Christ under all contempts canst thou rejoyce in Christ and account thy interest in him to be dearer to thee then all other honours and priviledges I say here are infallible signes of a sincere love to Christ when you can love any thing for Christ and all things for Christ and onely for Christ can you love Christians as they are Christs Ordinances as they are Christs doe you the more love Christians where there is the more of Christ in them do you the more love pure Ordinances as they are the more agreeable to the mind of Christ certainly unlesse you can doe this unlesse your hearts close with Christ in these I can give you no hopes that you either love Christ or have any interest in Christ This is not my owne rule but the rule of Iesus Christ this is not my word but the Word of Iesus Christ In one place Iesus Christ propounds a brotherly love to be a knowne signe of being in him By this shall all men know that yee are my Disciples if yee have love one to another Ioh. 13.35 the other place is Joh. 14.15 If yee love me keep my Commandements that is if you will make it appeared and manifest that you love me let it be knowne by your obedience in walking according to the rule I have given you to observe you see how strict Christ is and therefore it is not good for us to depart from Christ's rule from what he warrants us in I say againe for I cannot say it too often for the Lords sake take heed that you deceive not your selves in the cleering up your Evidences for Heaven your right to Christ you must not thinke because you live in the ayre of the Gospell amongst Christians and Ordinances and Bibles that this can make you Christians and intitle you to Christ no no it 's not faint prayers will bring a man to Heaven every one that saith Lord Lord shall not enter into the Kingdome of heaven but he that doth the will of my Father which is in heaven Mat. 7.21 Christ requires acting doing his will as well as confession of him nay it 's not barely a civill and strict life will bring a man to Heaven The Scribes and Pharisees went farre in this and yet fell short and therefore did Christ propound this seasonable Caution Except your righteousnesse exceed the righâ—eousnesse of the Scribes and Pharisees yee can in no wise enter into the Kingdome of Heaven Mat. 5.20 Nay I must goe a little further yet it s not barely your partaking of the Seales of the Covenant doth put you into Covenant it 's not in plainer words your being baptized and receiving the Lords Supper which makes you Christians and interests you in Christ you may doe all these and yet doe nothing you may perish for all To this it is considerable which Paul writes to the Church at Galatia you may see what a stirre they kept about Circumcision Now to stint the strife and take them from their faâ—se bottomes the Apostle tels them plaine it is neither one nor the other will bring them to Heaven it 's onely the worke of faith by love For saith Paul in Iesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing nor uncircumcision but faith which worketh by love Gal. 5.6 all these outward priviledges advantageth a soule nothing unlesse it can sensibly close with Christ in a full perswasion of the love of Christ to the soule in the great worke of Redemption and that it selfe have a pâ—rt therein but if the soule can thus trust Christ and hence really love Christ againe it may assuredly rest upon it it hath an inteâ—est in Christ This is the first signe of a reall love to Christ Signe 2. Secondly the soule that hath an interest in Christ will trust Christ with all the soule that hath an
reliefe in the Gospel I will then begin there I must tell you that wicked men who have no right no interest in Christ have no right to any thing that is Gods I meane no such right as savingly to doe them good to be bettered by them and I will instance in some parâ—â—culars and explaine them apart 1. Wicked men who are out of Christ have no proper right to the common câ—eatuâ—es I say thâ—y have no good â—ight to doe them good take what creatures you will but I will instance in two sorts of creatures and by those you you may conceive of the râ—â—h of the â—â—st â—iâ—st wicked men â—ave no right to those creatures which sustaines life not to their very victuals which they put in their bâ—llies They have them indeed but it is with a curse as iâ— plaine by that Propheâ—â—ck speech of David Psal. 69.22 and cited by Paul Rom. 11.9 The words aâ—e these Let their Table become a snaâ—e before them and that which should have beene for their welfare let it become a trap That is let them not have a sanâ—tified use of the creatures brought to their Tables and then they must needs be as so many snares A caâ—nall man cannot bridle nâ—ture but it will fall into excesse of Ryot Druâ—kennesse or Gluttony I sâ—y hence it is that so many dishonour God and abuse him yea destroy bodies and soules by and in the abuse of the creatures Drunkennesse and Gluttony are certaine signes of a man unregenerate The man you see guilty of these you may say iâ— not a chriâ—tiaâ— as yet he he hath no right no interest in Christ he is in a sad condâ—tion And if you will descend into other nay any thing which God hath appoyntâ—d for the good of his owne people as wivies children servants friends or what you will Saith the holy Ghost Let that or thâ—se very things be trape That is the expression and you know a trap is to destroy So by this â—ule the faithfull Ministers and Preachers the greatest gift that ever God gave to his people next to Jesus Christ are but traâ—s to wicked men the very preaching of the Word hurts them it carries thâ—m deeper into hell then though they had never Sermon for now after this they have nothing to plead for themselves These are Jesus Châ—ist own words If I had not come and spoken 〈◊〉 on him they had not had sin That is coâ—paâ—â—tively but now the word hath beene revealed they have no cloake nothing to excusâ— or plead for theiâ— sins Ioh. 15.22 The word was not sent to the wicked onely for the cleaning of Gods justice and their further condemnation They have not a proper right to it but the Word and Ministers was chiefly for the Elects sake God hath his precious Saints dispersed into all Kingdomes and Countries and therefore the Apostles must goe preach iâ—to all Nations Mat. 28.19 But the maine end of Gods endowing his Ministers with variety of parts and imployments was for the good of Saints The Apostle Paul is cleare in it for when he would magnifie the love and care of Christ in the greatest gift which now he desires to bestow upon the Saintâ— is this And he gave some Apostles and some Prophets and some Evangelâ—sts and sâ—me Pastors and Teachers Ephe. 4.11 And to what end thinke you were all these given It followes in the first word of the next verse for the perfecting of the Saints And if you doe but observe the Dedication or direction of all Pauls Epistles and so the other Apostles all to the Churches all to the Saints in Christ Iesuâ— I will amongst all gâ—ve you one or two that you may be fullier perswaded of the Saints privileâ—geâ— by being in Châ—ist First see the words of Paul writing to the Church of Câ—rinth 1 Epist. 1 chap. vers. 12. Paul called to be an Aâ—â—stâ—e of Iesus Christ c. unto the Church of God which is at Corinth and who are those Churâ—h mâ—mbâ—â—s To them that are saâ—ctified in Christ Iesus called to be Saiâ—â—s c. So againe in his Epistle to the Ephesians this is his direction Paul an Apostle of Iesus Christ by the will of God to the Saints which are at Ephesus and to the faithfull in Christ Iesus Ephâ— 11. That the Saints are in the eye of Christ he is still looking upon them therefore the Apostles and faithfull Ministers of Christ have their hearts with the Saints where ever they be whether present or absent the Saints are cared for they are daily mentioned at the Throne of Grace The Saints priviledges more then others they above others and so much for the first particular In the second place wicked men and women who have no trust in Christ have â—o right to the Sacraments the ordinances of the Lords Supper and baptisme do not belong to them they hurt and harm them in the use of them by usurpers I would faine have a wicked man who hath no true saving-faith and sowe no interest in Christ to use one Text in all the Bibleâ— which gives him a right to these holy ordinances and yet an unbeleever For my part I know not a letter in the Scripture which gives the least allowance to any such but much to the contrary Paul is very exact noting out the Israel of God Rom 9. puts a difference both in persons and priviledges They are not all Israâ—l that are of Israel Neither because they are the seed of Abraham are they all children But in Isaac shall thy seed be called vers. 6.7 And these are the true Israelites indeed to whom pertaineth the Adoption and the glory and the Covenants and the giving of the Law and the service of God and the promises vers. 4. There is no great difficulty in the Apostles expressions but yet he cleares it and puts it out of all dispute in another place Gal. 3.16 Now saith the Apostle To Abraham and his seede were the promises made He saith not and to seeds as of many but as of one and to thy seede which is Christ The Apostle here writing to the revolting Galathians takes them up sharply for leauing the faith and hanging upon the Law plainly shewing that beleevers are the seed of Abraham vers. 7. Yet least after all they should stil rest in security out of some unbottomed and false hopes of being Abraham's seed Paul declares who they are as if he should say indeed the promises were made to Abraham to his seed all thingâ— that are contained in these promises are the priviledges of Abrahams seed but yet not to all his seed neither When God made the Covenant to Abraham hee did not say to thy seeds for so many would have been contained but of thy seed Gen. 17.10 which is Christ All the promises and all the priviledges in the promises belong only to Christians as they are beleevers and truâ—t God upon his promises Church-ordinances are the Churches belonging to the
thus the Apostle goes on but saith he the fruit of the spirit is love joy peace long-suffering gentlenesse goodnes faith meeknesse temperance ver. 22 23. Here is a Saint-like frame indeed but how comes this thinke you surely all this is but the effect of obedience for it presently followes and they that are Christ's that have an interest in him have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts ver. 24. that is they that are in Christ that have an interest in him have given up themselves wholly to him and by the guidance of the Spirit and the power of Christ's death the power of sinne in their nature is subdued the sinfull affections and lusts arising thence are kept in and kild I beseech you be faithfull to your souls in examining your selves by this Signe of all other actions cannot be covered they will tell you whose you are you are not to doe any thing nor speak any thing nay if once you be Christ's you dare not transgresse the command of Jesus Christ let it be what it will in never so small a thing if a christian discerne it to be against Jesus Christ he will rather dye then doe it when once a christian gives up himselfe to Christ to be married to Christ he is no longer his own he is now under the command of Jesus Christ if now the devill or a lust bid such a christian doe this or that the christian will presently say did Jesus Châ—ist command me did he bid me doe it if Jesus Christ give me but a word I am ready or else I dare not this is the third signe whereby a christian may know he hath a right to Christ Signe 4. A fourth signe whereby a christian may know he haâ—h an interest in Christ is when he he will own Christ own his cause and people in the worst of times it is not much to own Christ own Religion and associate with christians when all these are countenanced and in credit but here 's the tryall of love the faith and obediance of a christian when he will take up the Crosse and follow Christ when he will yet keep on after Christ through wet and dry as the Proverb is it 's a signe a christian hath much of Christ when he will yet own Christ though others forsake him when he keeps his walking with Christ though he goe alone as Paul did 2 Tim. 1.15 chap. 4.16 when he will follow his profession though he must let goe his life as the three children did Dan. 3. and many precious Saints have done and now doe it would but take up time to urge insâ—ances doe you but make good use of this little and it will doe you much good the Lord hath now brought us unto trying times and Jesus Christ doth now say who is on my side who what now will you venture for Christ â—nd his cause and his people doth your hearts tell you that Religion is dearer to you then esiates then life then the best blood in your bodies doe you pray for the prosperity of Christ's cause will you stand for it and owne it what condition soever it 's in doth not the ebbings and flowings of Christs cause bring you to it and cast you from it the Lord knowes there it more of this latter sort then the former abundance follow Christ's Cause for their owne ends and these will fall off when their ends faile but let me tell you none but christians can suck to Christ under difficulties the spirits and hearts of others are up and down as their objects are the principles by which they are carried it 's onely the christian who lives by faith that stands to Christ his cause and people at all times this is the fourth signe Signe 5. The fift and last signe whereby a christian may rest assured of his interest in Christ is his desire to be with Christ in his glory when a soul hath once got a relish a taste an earnest of the inheritance in Heaven it 's full of longings and desirings after glory take such a soule nothing takes it up nothing takes it off Jesus Christ alone is all in all you may offer such a one the gold of Ophir the treasures of India the wealth of the world the Crownâ— of Kings but all this takes not it affect not no saith the soule Christ is my treasure Christ is my crown of rejoycing you may proffer what you please but still the soule will say as once Paul did I count all things but losse for the excellency to be comâ—ared to the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord Phil. 3.8 talk what you will of parts and prililedges yet when all is done this was Pauls conclusion but Christ is all in all Col. 3.11 of al the things in the world Paul found but one case wherein it was disputable whether he might desire â—o live in the flesh and that 's such a one as many would not imagine they would think it almost the lest matter of all but it 's this here was Pauls case he was at a stand whether it was better for him to live in the flesh to promote the Gospell or to dye and goe to Christ in his glory Paul was in a sweet condition come life come death and that made the difficulty the greater for to me to live is Christ and to dye is gain Phil. 1.21 that is if I live I shall be comforted in the work of Christ and if I dye I shall reigne with Christ yet what I shall chuse I wot not for I am in a streight betwixt two ver. 22 23. Paul was now between doing the work of Christ and going home for his wage to Christ it put faithfull Paul hard to it to satisfie the scruple of his own conscience and when all is done he answers with a distinction for his own part this is his resolution for himselfe he holds for Heaven having a desire to depart and to be with Christ which is farre better ver. 23. the latter part But then on the other side as Paul had a respect unto the worke he was in the preaching o the Gospell unto the flock of Christ his life was better and more necessary for them neverthelesse to abide in the flesh is more needfull for you ver. 24. here then is an example for you to try your hearts by truly when this is seriously considered it 's no wonder to see so many loath and so few willing to dye alas the reason is easily given they have no interest in Christ they have no acquaintance with God they know not what shall become of their souls when they dye againe the feares and terrours of death strike deep and speaks terrible things to them Jesus Christ hath not taken away the sting of death for them it bites deep it amazes them death being but the gate of hell to let them now feele those torments which in life and prosperity they would not feare but on