Sun of the water now let this mind be in you which also was in Jesus Christ a heavenly mind Eighthly The Lord Christs mind was a zealous mind a servent mind in 2 Joh. 17. Christ was zealous there in driving them out of the Temple that made his fathers house a den of Thieves He was zealous against the Traditions Doctrines and Practises of the Scribes and Pharisees the zeal of thy house hath eaten me up saith he a zealous mind he had Mat. 15. he was zealous against the tradition of the Elders and in Mat. 23. he was zealous against the Scribes and Pharisees woe to you Scribes Pharisees Hypocrites often he pronounces woe to them he had a zealous mind against all was corrupt and wicked So how zealous was Christ against the Churches for failings Rev. 2.2 3 4 5. I know thy works and thy labour and thy patience and how thou canst not bear them which are evil and thou hast tryed them which say they are Apâ—stles and are not and hast found them lyars and hast born and hast patience and for my name sake hast laboured and hast not fainted He commends them for what was good first Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee because thou hast left thy first love I have somewhat against thee Ephesus thou hast left thy first love Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen and repent and do thy first works or else I will come unto thee quickly and will remove thy Candlestick out of his place except thou repent Here 's the zeal of Christ I 'le come and I 'le come quickly and I 'le come and put out the Candle and break the Candlestick I will come and lay you waste though you be a Church if you dont return to your first works and first love The Lord had a zealous mind and spirit against declensions against declensions in love and grace and the like so in Heb. 5.7 who in the dayes of his flesh when he had offered up Prayers and Supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save O how zealously did Christ Pray when he prayed till the blood trickled down Christ had a zealous mind Now let this mind be in you also to have a zealous mind against traditions superstitions against declinings in Grace against Apostacy and things of that nature Ninthly the Lord Christ had a peaceable and a quiet mind in Mat. 11. saith Christ learn of me for I am meek he had a quiet and a meek mind and Mat. 12.19 he shall not strive nor cry neither shall any man here his voice in the streets he shall be meek and quiet and peaceable it 's said of Seraiah in Jeremiah that he was a quiet Prince much more of Jesus Christ there was no striving no bitterness no contention and the like but peaceable and quiet he was Now let this mind be in you which also was in Christ Jesus a meek a quiet a peaceable mind the Ornament of a meek and a quiet spirit is of great price saith the Apostle Peter speaking of Godly women such a spirit had Christ a quiet and a meek spirit and let this be in Christians and in Churches Tenthly the mind of the Lord Jesus Christ it was a submissive mind a submissive mind to his Fathers will whatever hard thing he should meet withall though he met with the hardest thing that was immaginable yet Christ was submissive unto it in Luke 22.42 Father if thou be willing remove the Cup from me nevertheless not my will but thine be done There was a cup prepared for Christ that never was the like cup for any to drink a a cup that had so much gall so much of the wrath of God a cup wherein all the guilt of our sins were and all the merit and desert of them this cup Christ must drink well saith he Father seeing I must drink it not my will but thy will be done So that the Lord Christ had a submissive mind to any hard and severe providence We are apt to stumble and quarrel and keep a do if things go cross to our wills and cannot bear them and say Lord not my will but thy will be done But let this mind be in you which was in Christ Jesus a submissive mind to the providences of God to drink the bitterest cup that he shall order out for you Eleventhly the Lord Christ had a Compassionate mind he was full of bowels of compassion and very tender hearted Mat. 15.32 Then Jesus called his Disciples unto him and said I have Compassion on the multitude because they continue now with me three dayes and have nothing to eat and I will not send them away fasting least they saint in the way O I pitty them I have compassion on them I would not have them faint in the way and so afterwards in Mat. when some came and cryed to him that he would shew them mercy saith the Text Christ had compassion on them Mat. 20.3 4. he was wonderful compassionate Heb. 4.15 We have not an High-Priest which cannot â—e tâ—uched with the feeling of our Infirmities the Lord Christ doth feel the infirmities of every member of his body and in Heb. 2.17 It behoved him to be made like unto his Brethren that he might be a merciful High Priest He is sensible of our ignorances and infirmities weakness ful of bowels compassions Why then let this mind be in you which also was in Christ Jesus a compassionate a merciful mind he was the good Samaritan which had compassion when neither the Priest nor the Levite would Twelfthly Lastly the Lord Christ had a loving mind a mind full of love a forgiving mind he â—ad such love as he could cover sins and forgive sins Eph. 5.2 walk in love as Christ also hath loved us O Christ hath loved us loved us and washed us in his own blood loved us and lay'd down his life for us loved us dearly and strongly loved us even above himself well saith he let this mind be in you which also was in Christ Jesus walk in love as Christ hath loved us And he loved us so as to forgive those that wronged him though they wronged him exceedingly took away his garments took away his credit took away his liberty took away his life Father forgive them they know not what they do Luke 23.34 and therefore he appoints or commands Mat. 5.44 I say unto you love your Enemies bless them that curse you do good to them that hate you and pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you Christ did so let this mind be in you which also was in Christ Jesus Thus you see what mind was in Christ Yet to reduce things to these four particulars First to have the mind of Christ is to have the same thoughts in you that Christ had Christ had no ill thoughts in him but rebuk'd ill thoughts why think you evil in your hearts as it is in Psal 139.17
to believe And that should be one great request of our soules dayly that God would enable us to believe and that he would work Faith in us why it's the gift of God and he is a giving God he gives liberally and upbraids not he will not upbraid you with your unbelief but if you will come and beg Faith in God and power to work that grace in you he is ready to do it in the 17. of Luke say the Disciples Lord we believe encrease our faith so say you Lord work faith in my soul I can never please thee nor get any good unless thou work faith in me and that in Joh. 6.45 Every man therefore that hath heard and learned of the Father cometh unto me O hearken to the Fathers teaching in the Gospel the fathers revealing of Christ and discoveries he hath made and receive every truth he hath given out concerning Jesus Christ and then he that hath heard and learned of the Father cometh unto the Son O pray unto the Father to speak to your hearts and to teach your souls that so you may come to Jesus Christ and believe in the Son and have all those great things that are to be had by him Christians ought to be of Christs mind Phil. 2.5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus THe Apostle Paul writes to the Church of Philippie and notwithstanding they were precious Christians and a choice Church yet they had need of exhortation and quickning up to their duty and by strong arguments he presses them here to many duties If therefore there be any consolation in Christ if any comfort of love if any fellowship of the spirit if any bowels and mercies fulfil ye my joy that ye be like minded having the same love being of one accord of one mind And so in the third and fourth verses he exhorts them to duties and in this verse Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus here 's nothing difficult in the words We read in Scripture of the mind of God Jer. 19.5 neither came it into my mind saith God we read of the mind of the spirit Rom. 8.27 he that searcheth the heart knoweth what is the mind of the spirit and here we read of the mind of Christ let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus Now the word mind in Holy writ doth signifie sometimes the heart Acts 20.19 serving the Lord with all humility of mind that is with all humility of heart and Deut. 18.6 If a Levite come c. with all the desire of his mind Desire is in the heart and so mind here notes the heart Sometimes it signifies the understanding as in 2 Cor. 3.14 Their mind was blinded speaking of the Jews that is their understandings were blinded Sometimes it signifies the thoughts of the heart Prov. 29.11 A fool uttereth all his mind that is all he thinks all the thoughts of his heart Sometimes it signifies the will 1 Pet. 5.2 feed the flock of God which is among you taking the oversight thereof not by constraint but willingly not for filthy lucre but of a ready mind that is with your wills willingly and cheerfully Sometimes it s put for the affections and the affecting of those affections 2 Cor. 7.7 he was comforted in you when he told us your earnest desire your mourning your fervent mind towards me that is your fervent affection towards me Mind signifies the affections And the affecting of a thing Rom. 8.5 Those that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh that is their affections do affect the things of the flesh Lastly Mind in Scripture doth signifie the aims and intentions of a man Pro. 21.27 The Sacrifice of the wicked is abomination to the Lord how much more when he bringeth it with a wicked mind that is with a wicked intention When the intentions and aims of a man are wicked then his Sacrifice is much more abomination So that in all the senses the word mind is used in Scripture and all these may be taken in here for the heart and the understanding and the thoughts and the will and affections and the intentions now the point that I will commend unto you is onely this Doct. That Churches and Christians should be of the same mind that the Lord Jesus Christ is of 1 Cor. 2.16 saith the Apostle there speaking of himself and the Church of Corinth We have the mind of Christ We have Christs understanding Christs heart and the like so in 1 Pet. 4.1 arm your selves likewise with the same mind let the same mind be in you Now it may be said is it possible for any Church or any person to have the mind of Christ First I answer we must aim at it to have the mind of Christ Christ is the Copy written for us to aim at The Scripture doth hold out perfect rules and perfect patterns unto us which dont note our perfection but helps our imperfection that we which are imperfect should reach to perfection aim at the mind of Jesus Christ Secondly I answer we are to have the same mind in kind though not in degree a new born Babe is of the same kind that a man is though he be not come to that degree and state of a man Q. Well now what is the mind of Christ A. In general I say the whole Gospel is the mind of Christ the whole word of God there you have Christs mind and Gods mind But that 's large we will therefore come a little more close and what I find by searching the Gospel I shall give you in particulars First Christ's mind was a Publick mind not a private Domestick selfish mind he did not seek nimself but he sought the good of others saith the Apostle in the verse before my Text Look not every man on his own things but every man also on the things of others Christ had a publick mind and would have a publick mind in us Christ neglected himself to do good to others he sought not his own cred it nor his own pleasure or preserment and advantage when they would have made him a King he denyed himself Joh. 6.14 The Lord Christ did nothing for himself but all for us he came from heaven for us he took our nature upon him for us he Preach'd for us I and he suffered for us Dan. 9.26 Messiah shall be cut off but not for himself He was cut off by death but not for himself but for us So that the Lord Jesus Christ he had a publick mind a publick spirit a publick heart he became poor for us 2 Cor. 8. He pleaved not himself Rom. 15.3 So then let this mind of Christ be in you to have a publick mind for the publick good to act for others and not a selfish mind altogether for self Secondly The Lord Christ had a pure mind the Scripture speaks of a defiled mind Tit. 1.15 Those that believe not
they are members of Christ they are members of Christs body and they should be of the mind of the head the members are ruled and governed by the head now all true Churches and Christians are the members of Christ Eph. 4.15 But speaking the truth in love may grow up into him in all things which is the head even Christ O speak the truth in love saith he or truth it in love and grow up in him in Christ in all things which is the head you must grow up into his mind because ye are members and he is the head so in 2 Col. 7. Rooted and built up in him and stablished in the faith stablished in the Doctrine of Christ abounding therein with Thanksgiving Why because we are members of Christ we should therefore grow up in the faith of Christ and in the doctrine and mind of Christ Thirdly We should be of the same mind with Christ because the Lord Christ became like unto us therefore we should be like unto him v. 7. and was made in the likeness of men and so in Rom. 8.3 For what the Law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin condemned sin in the flesh Christ was like us in the likeness of sinful flesh and condemned sin in the flesh now what a vast distance was there between Christ and us when Christ was in Heaven the Son of God had not he came down from Heaven and taken our nature upon him and been made like unto us we could never have been made like unto him for he must take away that black Image and corruption of our nature and deformity that we might be made like unto him now the Lord Christ having done thus we should be like unto him upon that account and if we be not of his mind we shall never come to be like him 1 Joh. 3.2 3. beloved now are we the Sons of God and it doth not yet appear what we shall be but we know that when he shall appear we shall be like him for we shall see him as he is Then shall we be perfectly like him and every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself even as he is pure If you have hope to be perfectly like him hereafter you must be of his mind here and purifie your selves even as he is pure so that upon that account that Christ became like unto us in our nature we should be of his mind that we may be like unto him in his nature Fourthly we should be of the same mind with Jesus Christ because if we be not of his mind we shall be of an evil mind we shall be either of the worlds mind and the worlds mind is bad enough it lyes in wickedness or of the Devils mind and that 's worse or of the flesh's mind and that 's worst of all for the Devil and the world work by our flesh now saith the Apostle to be carnally minded is death and the carnal mind is enmity unto God it is not subject unto God neither can it be Now if you be not of Christs mind you are either of the worlds mind or the Devils mind or the flesh's mind and that 's death and will end in death eternal and you cannot please God Fifthly we should be of the same mind that Christ is because this is a way to keep us from falling into errors and corrupting opinions and from damnable Heresies and the like those have Christs mind will admit of nothing but truth they will not admit of the spirit of Antichrist and the spirit of errors of which you read 1 Joh. 4.3 6. There 's the spirit of Antichrist and the spirit of errors now if men be of Christs mind they will never admit of those errors and Antichristian Doctrines The Doctrine of Antichrist is the worshipping of Images now if you have Christs mind you will never worship Images Babes keep your selves from Idols Antichrists mind is that Priests must not marry if you be of Christs mind Marriage is honourable in all and it will never admit of that Doctrine So transubstantiation that 's Antichrists mind but if you be of Christs mind you will never admit of that Acts 3.20 He shall send Jesus Christ which before was Preached unto you whom the heavens must receive until the times of restitution of all things he shall send him he dont send him wherever the Sacrament is and there turn the bread into Christs flesh and the wine into Christs blood but he shall send Jesus Christ which before was Preached unto you whom the heavens must receive until the times of restitution of all things here 's the mind of Christ now and those that have the mind of Christ will not receive the mind of Antichrist So invocation of Saints that 's the mind of Antichrist an erroneous and a damnable Doctrine but here 's the mind of Christ Joh. 16.23 Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name not in Maries name or Peter's name or this or that Saints name but in Christs name So for the Popes Supremacy and the Lordliness of his Prelates if you have Christs mind you will never entertain any thing of that Luke 25. and he said unto them the Kings of the Gentiles exercise Lordship over them and they that exercise authority upon them are called Benefactors But ye shall not be so but he that is greatest among you let him be as the younger and he that is chief as he that doth serve What you my Disciples and you to have Supremacy you to have the Titles of Lords and Holy and Gracious and the like it shall not be so among you here 's the mind of Christ so in 1 Pet. 5.3 Neither as being Lords over Gods Heritage but being ensamples to the Flock no Lordliness no domâ—nion power greatness nor glorious titles and the like here 's the mind of Christ so that if we have the mind of Christ we shall be kept from eâ—rors So all traditions and ordinances of men and impositions inventions of men Mat. 15.9 In vain they do worship me teaching for Doctrines the Commandments of men That 's a vain worship which is worshipping in vain and v. 6. ye have made the Commandments of God of none effect by your traditions So in 2 Col. 20. wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the Rudiments of the world why as though living in the world are ye subject to ordinances c. after the Commandments and Doctrines of men Here 's the mind of Christ you must not be subject to ordinances and impositions of men and their additions to the worship of God but have the mind of Christ and you will admit of nothing but what is from Christ Sixthly we should be of Christs mind because it is the way to union to meeken and sweeten spirits and to make harmony between all sorts and to much unity Isa 11.6