Jesus surely he is farre from the life of Christ that doth not live to Christ that mans life is of a base corrupt and earthly originall the energy operation and intendment of whose living is not to exalt and make Christ glorious he alone truly understands the end of Christs death that makes Christs glory the end of his life and thus runs the charge of the Apostle to the Romanes Yeeld your selves unto God as those that are alive from the dead and your members as instruments of righteousnesse unto God Yeeld your selves to God as souldiers to their Captaine as servants to their Master to fight for God to worke for God to doe all for Gods glory let every faculty of the soule and member of the body even whatsoever belongs unto you be dedicated unto God and imployed in the worke and service of God that service which is not universall is hypocriticall he alone is a perfect servant that puts the whole man upon the service of the Lord as all the rivers come from the sea and returne and empty themselves into the sea Thus must we returne to God and empty our selves and all that we have into God prostrate it all under Gods feet and put it all upon the service of the Lord as Moses lest not a hoose behind him in Egypt but carried all out that he might sacrifice to the Lord of whatsoever the Lord would have thus we must not love a hoofe of our hearts thoughts loves desires behind us upon sinne and the world but take of all and sacrifice all to God and his service we must with the Baptist be willing to decrease that Christ may increase to become vile and of no esteeme with men that Christ may be exalted we must with the Macedonians give our selves to the Lord. We must give our understandings to know God our wils to chuse God our imaginations to thinke upon God our memories to remember God our affections to feare trust love and rejoyce in God our eares to heare Gods word our tongues to speake God praise our hands to worke for God and all our substance to the honour of God CHAP. III. ANd a holy and gracious Christian doth thus deny himselfe and put himselfe and all that he hath under Christ 1. In regard of that carnality vanity basenesse earthlinesse unworthinesse corruption and uncleannesse which he sees and feeles in his owne flesh in his owne affections ends and counsels He sees there is an emptinesse in himselfe that his owne flesh is an empty house wherein dwelleth no good and wherein is no sufficiency to the performance of any good duty he sees that his owne heart is a City full of treason deceitfull above measure and not to be trusted he feeles a law in his members rebelling against the law of his mind as Rebeckah felt the twinnes in her wombe striving the one against the other he discernes that his owne wisedome is foolish an empty lamp a bleare-eye a false light he discernes that he is brutish and hath not the knowledge of the holy he sees much uncleannesse within himselfe many spots in his soule he sees that he is like Jacobs flocke spotty coloured like Noahs Arke wherein are many uncleane beasts among the cleane like the field in the parable wherein are many teares among the wheat he sees how he is yet in part carnall and sold under sin not fully freed and discharged from the strength and working of sinne he discernes an unhappy pronenesse in his heart to consult with flesh and bloud and to propose bie and sinister low and base ends and having the sight sence and sorrowfull experience of all this he denyes himselfe as Jacob having experience of the deceitfulnesse of Laban grew weary of him denyed him his service and went forth from him Thus a gracious man having experience of the corruption and deceitfulnesse of his owne heart and flesh growes weary of himselfe denyes himselfe goes out of himselfe commeth unto Christ and puts himselfe wholly under Christ and as the Evangelist said of Christ that knowing what was in man he would not commit himselfe unto man so sanctified man knowing what is in himselfe he will not commit himselfe unto himselfe he will not trust himselfe with himselfe he denyes his owne wisedome he becomes a foole in his owne apprehension and seeks to Christ to be made wise unto salvation he looks upon his owne righteousnesse as rotten ragges and comes to Christ for justification he considers his owne weaknesse and comes to Christ as the Gibeonites came to Joshuah to rescue him from his enemies he is experienced in the vanity of all other helpers and therefore comes to Christ as the diseased woman whom the Physitians could not cure that Christ may heale his spirituall maladies Man is ever so much the more strong and powerfull in the worke of self-denyall by how much the more clearly he discernes the carnality and basenesse of his owne heart and counsell He that knowes how subject he is to miscarry when he leanes upon himselfe will readily put himselfe and all that he hath under Christ 2. In regard of the holy strong and constant bent and inclination of the heart of a gracious Christian unto Christ As every thing moves towards its proper centre and is at no rest untill it comes to that so doth the sanctified soule incline and move to Christ the true centre of the soule and resteth not untill it comes to Christ and hath the fruition of Christ there is in a gracious soule such a principle of grace such a communication of Christ such a sutablenesse between the soule and Christ such a fervent and operative love towards Christ such a vehement longing after Christ that it mightily moves to Christ as the rivers to the sea that nothing but Christ can answer it quiet and content it there is in the soule such a blessed residence such a powerfull and gracious energy and operation of the Spirit of Christ that as the wheeles in Ezekiels vision moved wheresoever the living creatures moved because the Spirit of the living creatures was in the wheeles so the soule moves after Christ because the Spirit of Christ is in the soule this makes it pant after Christ as the Hart after the water brookes this makes it thirst for Christ as the dry ground for waters this makes it follow hard after Christ as the childe with cryes and teares after the father going from it this makes it cry for Christ as sometimes Rachel did for children O give me Christ or else I dye and as David thirsted and his worthies burst through the army of the Philistines for water out of the wels of Bethel so the soule thirsting for Christ breakes through all the armies of opposition to come to Christ to refresh it selfe with Christ now it denies all leaves all passeth through
By the trouble which remaining and rebelling lusts are unto the soule of man If they be troublesome to the soule as the Canaanites to Israel as thornes in our sides and prickles in our eyes as diseases in our flesh and burthens on our backs as rebels and mutinous persons in a common-weale are a trouble to the common-weale Though we are not fully freed from yet we have truly denyed them when sinne is not sweet as wine but bitter as gall to our palate not pleasant as bread but troublesome as gravell to our teeth not pleasing as the wife of a mans bosom but offensive as a contentious and quarrelsome inmate there the lusts of a man are denyed they doe not raigne and beare dominion they have not the full and peaceable possession where they are a trouble Paul was one that had in a very high measure denyed himselfe yet he complaines of sinne as of a law in his members rebelling against the law of his mind and sometimes leading him captive yet this being a trouble to him as a dead member to the body as a mote to the eye as a thorne to the foot the Lord comforts him with the sufficiency of his grace My grace is sufficient for thee 2. By the godly griefe and sorrow of the heart of man for the lusts yet remaining and making warre within him When the presence and opposition of corruption makes man to sorrow as a woman in travell untill his soule is delivered and discharged of them to mourne as the Israelites lift up their voice and wept because the Canaanites continued among them and to grieve for the presence of sinfull lusts in his heart as Sarah was grieved for the presence of the daughters of Heth in her house When a mans sorrow is continually before him because sinne is continually within him such a man may assure himselfe of his self-denyall He that hath a continuall godly sorrow for his sinne is not under the dominion of sinne true repentance argues an infallible denyall of corrupt and carnall affections 3. By a holy gracious and constant Contestation against the lusts which remaine within him He that feeles the Spirit the regenerate part striving against the flesh as Rebeckah felt Jacob striving against Esau in her wombe He that fights against his lusts as Joshuah against the Amalekites he that makes warre against his corruptions as the house of David against the house of Saul and prevailes and increaseth his strength as the house of David did may ascertaine himselfe of freedome from the Lordship and power of his corruptions He that warres against sinne makes no provision for sinne any more then a man doth for the enemy against whom he wages warre He that warres a good warfare against Satan the world and his owne lusts holding faith and a good conscience is a blessed conquerour hath won the conquest though much assaulted by Satan and his owne corruptions It is not mans being assaulted by his lusts but mans yeelding to his lusts which argues absence of self-denyall 4 By mans humbling himselfe for his want of humility and tendernesse and softnesse of heart freely confessing the pride self-love and high thoughts which he discerneth in himselfe shaming and loathing himselfe for the obstinacy haughtinesse and deceitfulnesse of his heart as David considering and feeling the pride and rebellion of Absalon went weeping with his head covered and his feet bare So man that feeles the pride and rebellion of his heart must mourne humble and abase himselfe before the Lord for it the hypocrite is proud of his humility the sincere man is abased and ashamed for the remainders of pride which he discerneth in himselfe The state of him that is exalted with his gifts is very dangerous the state of him that is made vile in his owne eyes with the sence of his corruptions is hopefull and gracious It is a blessed argument of self-denyall when the sence of a mans secret self-love and lurking corruption doth abase him in his owne apprehension pride and self-love have no dominion as long as the soule is moved to humiliation by the sight and sence of them He that abhorres abases and humbles himselfe because his heart is not more humble is undoubtedly truly humbled though his humility want some perfection 5. By mans frequent and fervent prayer to be freed and throughly purged from all pride self-love and sinister respects He cannot be a lover and servant of sinne that prayes feelingly fervently and constantly against his sinne If Moses hands be lifted up the Amalekites will fall If the heart be constantly lifted up in holy and gracious prayer unto God proud lusts and self-respects will fall prayer will surely bring them downe and worke the heart to a very humble and gracious frame The Church prayed and Peter was set free from his fetters from the souldiers and Herods prison holy and earnest prayer hath a very forcible operation to worke the soule to spirituall freedome from all sorts of evill to make it truly sincere and humble both in the inward disposition secret intention and outward execution of every action Certainly mans prayer is but lip-labour no cordiall prayer but vaine babling words of custome or of ostentation if they make not the heart sincere and humble He that knowes the holy humble constant and earnest way of his heart in secret prayer with God may assure himselfe of his self-denyall before God CHAP. XII AS Self-denyall is a holy and gracious worke of Gods Spirit a lively and honourable character of a true Christian the prostrating of mans selfe and all that he hath under Christ The seeking and exalting of Christ above all is the crowne and glory of a Christian so self-seeking and self-exaltation is a very shamefull and dangerous evill an evill indeed very common Most men sowing to the flesh and not to the Spirit to themselves and not to Christ Men generally moving and tending in their understandings wils thoughts and affections to themselves as rivers to the sea levelling the arrowes of their endeavours to some carnall marke of their owne and not to the honour of Christ All saith the Apostle seeke their owne all comparatively in respect of the paucity of others seeke their owne their owne profit their owne ease their owne pleasure their owne honour they confine themselves within themselves they seeke themselves and not the things which are Jesus Christs The honour of Christ the edification of the Church of Christ the propagation and welfare of the Gospell they seeke not this they mind not this they intend not they are all given said the Prophet of old to their covetousnesse to the minding and seeking of themselves their owne low base and unworthy ends from the highest of them to the lowest and from the Priest unto the people Self-seeking like the deluge overslowes the whole world few then addressed themselves unto the Arke few
disguised himselfe and went into the battell as a common man when yet he was indeed the King of Israel Thus many disguise themselves enter the profession of Christ as if they were humble and mortified men when yet they are Kings for their pride self-conceit and high opinion of their owne worth their change is onely in appearance not in truth outwardly they have sheeps cloathing the shew of sanctity humility and self-denyall inwardly they are ravening wolves Though they know themselves to have Lyons teeth yet like the Locusts in the Revelation they put on the haire of a woman and the face of a man they pretend much love to God much curtesie and kindnesse unto man and yet they truly love neither God nor man they draw nigh with their lips but their heart is farre from God they fast from bodily food with the Pharisees but they feast and feed their soules with pride they hang downe their heads with them in the Prophet like a bulrush but their hearts stand upright these are nothing humbled their denyall is not cordiall sincere and true it is onely superficiall formall and seeming as the Devill appeared in the likenesse of Samuel but was not Samuell so these appeare in the likenesse of penitent mortified humble men men dead to the world yet in truth they are not so therefore the Apostle saith of such they seeme to be religious As a painted man seemes to be a man and yet is no man but a rotten post as an exhalation seemes to be a bright and shining Starre and yet is no Starre but a vanishing vapor as he in Solomon made himselfe rich and yet had nothing Of such our Saviour saith they appeare righteous before men As whited sepulchers appeare beautifull outward but are within full of dead mens bones and of all uncleannesse as Ixion in the fable embraced a cloud in stead of Juno so many under the Gospell take the shadow in stead of the substance of self-denyall 6. By denying himselfe Sinisterly and politickely to deceive others to insinuate himselfe into others to accomplish some earthly project with the more facility As the Gibeonites came to Joshuah with old shooes and old garments and rent bottles as if they had come a long journey and thus politickely drew Joshuah to make a league with them In like sort many pretend self-denyall mortification the putting off the old man to procure the favour of Gods servants to increase their worldly profits to accomplish their owne sinister ends oftentimes men bring about and finish most mischievous designes and enterprises under a pretence of godlinesse mortification humility and meeknesse Simeon and Levi cloake the massacring of the Sichemites with the conscience of Circumcision Herod intending to kill Christ pretends the worship of Christ Iezabel plotting the death of Naboth proclaimes a fast ordaines a day of humiliation the Crocodile first weeps upon man and then kils and makes a prey of him Such Crocodiles are these men who under a pretence of teares repentance and self-denyall deceive and make a prey of their brethren 7. By denying himselfe vain-gloriously many men doe much and goe outwardly very farre in the way of self-denyall for the praise of men Iacob to get Isaacks blessing put on Esau's clothes and some men to get the blessing of mens applause and praise put on the outward habit of truly mortitied men the Pharisees were very liberall in their almes very frequent in their prayers very severe in outward appearance in their fastings and all this they did to be seen of men to gaine the praise of men for this men may and doubtlesse some doe give their goods to the poore and their bodies to the prison to the fire Wherefore else doth the Apostle say If I give my goods to the poore and my body to be burned and have not Love I am nothing Vaine men are carried by their self-love to suffer martyrdome as true love carries Gods children Gods glory carries his children to suffer death that God may be honoured and to this pride and vain-glory carryes some men that their name may be magnified Many who will suffer nothing for God out of true love and affection will suffer much for themselves out of an ambitious humour of vaine boasting and ostentation They that care little for a name with God that doe nothing for Gods approbation will many times doe much for a name with men for mens praise and commendation He that doth not humble and abase himselfe that God may be exalted is deceitfully humbled 8. By denying himselfe Temporarily to walke heavily with Ahab for a few dayes to bow downe the head for a day with the bulrush is an hypocriticall and counterfeit self-denyall false denyall may bow and bring a man very low as Nebuchadnezzars tree was brought to a stump but as that stump was bound with bands of brasse and yron fast tyed and not rooted up and therefore sprung and sprouted up againe thus many men are very deeply humbled for the present but their inward lusts not being truly mortified and plucked up by the roots but fast bound up within them they sprout and spring againe after some dew of temporall ease and peace hath a little distilled and dropt upon them they returne againe with the dog to the vomit and with the Sow to the mire That self-denyall which is not constant and increasing is built upon a false foundation He never truly denyed himselfe for God that doth not abide and hold out to the end with God the hypocrite is off and on he changeth like the clouds sometimes moving low and sometimes mounted on high sometimes following the Sunne and sometimes moving against the motion of the Sunne The hypocrite will not alwayes delight himselfe in the Almighty he will not alwayes call upon God whatsoever pretence of piety or love he make towards God like Orpah to Naomi yet as she forsooke Naomi so will he forsake the Lord but the meeke shall increase his strength the truly humble and mortified man shall hold out and abide to the end as his other works so his self-denyall shall be more at last then at first the longer he liveth in the estate of grace the more his lusts are mortified the more his owne wisedome will thoughts affections desires and carnall ends and purposes are denyed CHAP. XI IT may be yet further here demanded how a man may comfort himselfe touching the truth of this holy and gracious worke of self-denyall finding and feeling many lusts yet remaining and rising up within him and rebelling as the Apostle saith against the law of his mind sometimes captivating overswaying and leading him away to the minding and seeking of himselfe and serving of his owne base affections To this I answer that in this case and estate a man may comfort himselfe and assure himselfe of the truth of his self-denyall 1.
good that riches honours pleasures are much to be desired and that the fulfilling of their owne lusts is very pleasant and therefore they bow downe the shoulders to beare the commands and injunctions of the creature and all the impositions of the flesh and become servants unto tribute To these they pay the tribute of distracting thoughts of tormenting cares of carnall confidence of inordinate love and of hard service and base servitude worshipping and serving as the Apostle saith the creature more then the Creator And for this cause Saint Paul stileth covetous self-seekers Idolaters because their self-seeking doth alienate them from God and drawes that love and confidence joy and delight which they should place in God to the creature and that service which they should imploy for God and that subjection which they should yeeld to God they bestow about and yeeld unto the creature and their owne lusts And as they are Idolaters for their prostration of themselves to the creature and their owne corrupt affections so they are Idols For the exalting of themselues above God minding intending and seeking themselves and not God they adore and serve themselves and not the Lord his s servants yee are saith Saint Paul to whom ye obey Self-seekers obey not God but themselves they conforme not themselves to the rules of Gods word but to the dictates of their owne hearts they propose not the glory of God but their owne ends and therefore they serve and adore themselves and not God Self-seeking excludes the soule of man from all communion with the true God and carries it to the world as to a false God and so proves a double abomination in the sight of God 10. Self-seeking is ever attended with self-loosing He that seekes himself and not Christ loseth both himself and Christ He that seeks himselfe takes a false rule to direct him erreth in his seeking and therefore loseth in stead of finding He builds his worke upon a false foundation and therefore sinks in stead of standing like the house built upon the sand in the Parable He puts himselfe out of Gods service and therefore misseth his great Lord and Masters wages He levels all his arrowes to a false marke and therefore like an Archer that shoots below the marke he shoots in vaine He leaves out God God is not in his thoughts he takes not God with him he takes not Gods counsell to guide him Gods power to assist him Gods blessing to make his undertaking prosperous and successefull and therefore in stead of a blessing the curse attends and waits upon him He intends not God but himselfe and therefore God leaves him to himselfe to prove the Author and workman of his owne ruine Present self-seekers and self-gainers prove in the event the greatest self-losers The last end and issue never answers the expectation of self-seekers their labour like the labour of the Ostritch is in vaine The Ostritch leaveth her egges in the dust the foot crusheth them and the wilde beast breaketh them Self-seekers lay all their labours in the dust all their care desire all their industry and endeavour is about the things which are here below they lay all their egges in the dust and all their labours at last are crusht and brought to naught Rahel had hard labour but the birth of her belly proved the death of her body Self-seekers have hard labour they labour like a woman in travell but their birth proves their death their gaine turnes to their losse their pleasure to their torment their honour to their shame Against such the Lord denounceth woe in stead of joy shame in stead of glory and desolation in stead of exaltation Woe saith the Lord to him that coveteth an evill covetousnesse to his house that he may set his nest on high that he may be delivered from the power of evill Thou hast consulted shame to thy house by cutting off many people and hast sinned against thy soule For the stone shall cry out of the wall and the beame out of the timber shall answer it Woe to him that buildeth a Towne with bloud and stablisheth a City by iniquity Behold is it not of the Lord of Hoasts that the people shall labour in the very fire and the people shall weary themselves for very vanity Very great and shamefull are the losses which wait on self-seekers their riches proves their poverty their refuge becomes their ruine and their exaltation their shamefull downfall Very great is that mans unhappinesse who in the prophane neglect of God and Christ Jesus labours to fill and furnish himselfe with earthly abilities Self-seekers build on false promises and feed themselves with deceitfull expectations The Lord turnes their imaginary calme into a tempestuous storme their devised paradise into a troublesome wildernesse and their intended crowne into reall shame The last event of their undertaking doth ever crosse their first intention that which is unlawfully sought and gotten proveth the instrument of mans great discomfort and trouble He that labours for himselfe and not for God and Christ Jesus is vaine in his labours like him that builds on the sand his house sinketh as fast as he erects it Like him that weaves a piece of cloth in or over the fire the fire burnes it as fast as he weaves it Losse vexation shame and ruine is the recompence and portion of self-seeking The estate of him that hath nothing is farre more pleasant blessed and comfortable then of him that hath a great abundance by self-seeking Of such the Lord saith by the Prophet declaring the vanity perill and perniciousnesse of their labours they have sowne the wind they have laboured in vaine as he that casteth forth an empty hand strives to sow but sowes not and they shall reape the whirlewinde their harvest the fruit of their labours shall be more troublesome then their first undertakings they that will be rich saith the Apostle they whose bent and inclination is to themselves and to the world who chiefly mind themselves and things earthly fall into temptation and a snare and into many foolish and hurtfull lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition Most wretched and uncomfortable is the gaine of self-seeking Satan hath great advantage against them they expose themselves to many temptations they lay themselves open to his arrowes to wound them the world like a snare intangles them their lusts grow strong within them and get Lordship over them and they make shipwracke of soule and body splitting the ship of their soules upon the rocke of worldly riches and what they supposed should have been a staffe to sustaine them becomes a burthen oppressing them and what they thought would have been a spring refreshing them becomes a Sea swallowing and utterly consuming them There is no other cause of self-seeking but inbondagement to Satan inthralment to the world servitude to corruption separation from God self-condemnation from mans owne conscience
Such a man is sicke of the least sinne he complaines of it he strives against it the Law of his mind strives against the Law of his members as Jacob strove against Esau so doth the spirituall part in him strive against the carnall and fleshly part and as the living fountaine strives against and works out the mud which fals into it so doth he that hath Christ living in him worke out the vaine thoughts which fall into his mind and the carnall lusts which rise in his soule and is never at rest untill he hath cleared himselfe of them as Sarah was at no rest untill she had freed her house of the bond-woman and her sonne Nothing is so displeasing to him that lives the life of grace as that which displeaseth Christ his choisest care is to keep his heart a cleane house for Christ to dwell in and to make his soule the plenary possession of Christ that Christ may dwell and reigne alone there he allowes himselfe in no sinne as a chaste wife allowes of no strange lover in her heart his soule is entire with Christ hating what Christ hateth loving what Christ loveth expelling daily more and more whatsoever doth oppose Christs kingdome within him he is as impatient of sinne in his soule as of a moate in his eye as a loyall Subject of a traitor in his house as a King of a forraine enemy in his Kingdome If sinne doe but once beginne to shew it selfe he raiseth all his forces to drive it out and is at no peace untill he hath emptied himselfe thereof 5. By mans assuming and taking to himselfe that which is most sutable and best agreeing with Christ. Every life drawes unto it selfe that which is most sutable and most agreeable thereunto on that it feeds with that it is maintained and therein it delights Thus he that hath Christ living in him takes unto himselfe that which suites and agrees with Christ in this he delights on this his soule feeds As his life is a spirituall life so he drawes to himselfe spirituall food and exerciseth himselfe in spirituall duties he desires like a new borne babe the sincere milke of the word as his food and to dwell in the house of the Lord as in the banquetting house of his soule where the ordinances of God are unto him as a feast of marrow and of fat things and of wines well refined upon the Lees Nothing so fits and suites with the soule where Christ lives as the word and other ordinances of Christ therefore such men desire this as their appointed food pant after this as the chased Hart after the water-brooks and long for it as the dry ground doth thirst for waters This is the food which maintaines the life of grace in their soules this is that wherein their life delights it selfe as in its proper element this is sweeter then the honey or the honey-combe this is better then thousands of gold and silver he hides it in his heart as good seed in good ground he suffers it to worke upon him as fire upon the mettall purifying him and working a gracious change within him he exerciseth himselfe in duties of godlinesse he takes upon him Christs yoake applies himselfe to Christs precept walks in all the ordinances of Christ he lives not to himselfe but to the Lord he delights himselfe in the meditation of Christ the doing of Christs will is his meat and drinke and thus drawing to himselfe what is most sutable and agreeable most pleasant and delightfull unto Christ he makes it manifest that he lives by Christ living in him 6. By mans feeding nourishing and strengthening himselfe by the ordinances of Christ The living man in whom is life and health doth not onely eat but gathers strength by his eating The man in whom Christ lives doth not onely use the meanes of grace but is perfected in grace by them Many there are who are frequent in the use of Gods ordinances and yet for want of spirituall life and an inward gracious digestive faculty they are as a man in an Atrophy that eats much and yet is leane and meager as if he had eat nothing Like the leane Kine in Pharaohs dreame that eat up the fat and yet were as leane and ill-favoured as if they had not eaten at all of whom Saint Paul saith they are alwayes learning and yet never come to the knowledge of the truth but they in whom Christ lives doe thrive by use of Gods ordinances they grow in grace as a childe by the mothers milke as a field by the dew they increase in knowledge as a Scholler in learning they waxe strong in saith as a Tree in roots they grow fervent in love as a fire in heate by the multiplication of wood they abound and are full of goodnesse as a Tree planted by the waters side is greene and flourishing and full of fruit and this is a comfortable argument and evidence of Christ living in us when we thrive by the meanes of grace and are filled with all those fruits of righteousnesse which are to the praise and glory of God in the day of Christ Jesus 7. By the sweetnesse of Christ to the soule of man Life is sweet to the living Christ is more sweet to them in whom he lives honours are sweet to the ambitious pleasures to the voluptuous and wealth to the covetous but Christ surpasseth all sweetnesse to them that are true Christians As the Apple tree among the trees of the wood saith the Spouse so is my Beloved among the sonnes I sate downe under his shadow with great delight and his fruit was sweet to my tast All the fruits of Christs Prophecye Priesthood and Kingdome his death resurrection and all the benefits of them communicated to the Spouse by the Gospell on which she feedeth by faith to the revivement and refreshing of her soule are very sweet unto her Christ is all sweetnesse to true beleevers the knoweledge of Christ is sweet to their understandings as the light is sweet unto the eye the meditation of Christ is sweet to their imagination as the meditation of the husband is sweet unto the wife the love of Christ is sweet unto their soules as the wine is sweet unto the palate The word of Christ is sweet unto their eares as a joyfull sound his mouth is sweet and altogether lovely The presence of Christ is sweet unto them as the presence of the bridegroome unto the bride The Spouse affirmes of him that his cheekes are as a bed of spices as sweet flowers and his lips like Lillies dropping sweet myrrh declaring the surpassing sweetnesse which beleeving and holy soules doe find in Christs manifestation of himselfe and in the gifts and comforts which he communicates to them by the Gospell The more cleare and strong sweet and comfortable apprehensions we have of Christ the greater is our assurance of Christs living in us 8. By the spirituall
the word of God they were without God as Israel being without a preaching Priest and without Law is said to have been without the true God He that is without the word is also without God 2. They were without the knowledge of God as the blinde is without the Sun they walked in the vanity of their minde having their understanding darkened being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them 3. They had false opinions of God their apprehensions of God were corrupt and carnall that which they apprehended was not the true God but an Idoll their foolish heart was darkened and they changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an Image made like to corruptible man And as an Idoll is nothing of no divine power and vertue so the Apostle reputeth their opinions and adorations of God as nothing and saith they were without God Not God but an Idoll is the object of superstitious odoration 4. They knew not beleeved not loved not adored not God in Christ God is no where rightly and truly knowne and served but in Christ whatsoever is adored out of Christ is an Idoll and not God He that is without Christ is without God no man comes to God that makes not Christ the way no man knowes God that beholds him not in the face of Christ He that denyes the Sonne hath not the Father saith Saint John And thus they were without God in the world and hence observe That Man in his corrupt and carnall estate is altogether estranged from God he hath nothing of God within him God doth not shine into his heart God lives not graciously in his soule God works not powerfully and savingly upon him He hath no spirituall commerce and communion with God he is estranged from the thought of God God saith the Psalmist is not in all his thoughts he thinks not upon God as upon the Creator that formed him as upon the rocke that supporteth him as upon the King commanding him as upon the Moderator dispensing and ordering him and all things else as upon the Judge rendring to every man according to his works but all his thoughts are that there is no God no God beholding observing registring and judging the wayes and works of man The soule of every carnall man is overwhelmed with Atheisme running headlong into all impiety as if there were no God to punish him he is alienated from the feare of God he is full of dishonourable low and unworthy apprehensions of God ready to say with Pharaoh Who is the Lord that I should obey his voice I know not the Lord. He thought the God of Israel inferiour to the Idols of Egypt he was so puffed up with his worldly fulnesse that he thought himselfe sufficient of himselfe without God Corrupt and carnall man through his ignorance pride and prophanenesse hath a very base opinion of God and most shamefully sleights and undervalues God He sets his mouth against the Heavens he speaks reproachfully against the Law and Doctrine of God delivered from Heaven against the authority and dominion of God whose Throne is in Heaven against the Saints and faithfull servants of God whose spirituall originall is from Heaven against Gods worship and Religion which is of a heavenly institution Of all this he speaks basely and presumptuously this he treads and tramples under feet and inthrals it to his proud and sinfull lust he is alienated from the knowledge and beliefe of God either he hath an opinion that there is no God as the foole in the Psalmist hath said in his heart there is no God The foole the man in whom the light of grace shineth not in the lamp of whose soule the oyle of saving knowledge burneth not he hath said in his heart resolved and concluded with himselfe that there is no God of wisedome discerning the wayes of men no God of Justice taking vengeance upon men for their impieties Or if he thinke there is a God he beleeves not that he is such a God as indeed he is so glorious in his Essence in his Attributes in his Persons and in his works so holy in his wayes so faithfull in his promises so gracious to his servants and so severe against his enemies and therefore such men say unto God Depart from us for we desire not the knowledge of thy wayes what is the Almighty that we should serve him and what profit shall we have if we pray unto him God the chiefest good is of no esteeme with them that are empty of all spirituall good Holy and religious services are in their opinion the most frivolous and fruitlesse undertaking who are altogether corrupt and carnall Mans prophane and base sleighting and undervaluing of God and the wayes worship and service of God openly proclaime mans miserable and cursed ignorance of God mans unhappy and sinfull Alienation and estrangement from God Carnall mans wretched and soule-destroying estrangement from God is moreover manifest described in such characters that he that runs may reade it As 1. By carnall mans enmity and opposition against God and his contrariety to God as contrary as death to life darkenesse to light evill to good bitter to sweet The carnall minde saith Saint Paul is enmity against God opposing God sighting against God It is not subiect to the Law of God neither indeed can be It breakes the bands and casts away the cords of Gods Law as Sampson sometimes burst his withes as the man in the Gospell possessed with an uncleane spirit plucked in sunder the chaines and breake in peeces the fetters which tyed him neither could any man tame him Thus the carnall man possessed by Satan and his owne uncleane and prophane spirit breaks all the chaines and fetters of Gods Law no Minister no friend no counsell no perswasion no comination can tame him and make him humble and subject to the Law of God but he rebelleth against the light he shutteth his eyes and will not see he stoppeth his eares and will not heare and is altogether contrary unto God God is light but he is darknesse God is holy perfectly absolutely infinitely holy but he is corrupt and altogether filthy God is good the fountaine of all goodnesse but he is evill a root of bitternesse all the thoughts and imaginations of his heart are only and altogether evill God is a God of knowledge perfectly knowing himselfe and all things else but carnall man neither knowes God nor himselfe God is a God of love he loves himselfe and them that beare his Image but the carnall man hates God and all them that are like God he loves evill and hates good God is a God of truth a true and faithfull God the carnall man is full of hypocrisie and deceit his heart is deceitfull above measure God delighteth himselfe he taketh pleasure in them that feare him he delighteth in them that are upright in the way To the