himselfe Thou art a God that hidest thy selfe hee seemes as a stranger in his owne Church to be as a way-faring man as the Prophet saith he takes no notice of his Church and their afflictions hee seemes not to take them to heart nor to pitty his Church Oh! but this is but for a time and for tryall Can a mother forget her childe Isai. 49. Put case she should yet will not I forget thee God hides himselfe but a while to try the graces of his children and to give way to the enemies to let his children to see their corruptions his wise dispensation And these desertions wee must be acquainted with God seemes to be away from his children yet he is with them and supports them with invisible strength Hee seemes to bee with wicked men in prospering them in the world that they have al at their wil in outward things yet he is farre from them hee withdrawes himselfe in spirituall things they have no grace no sound inward comfort And he seemes opposite to his children hee leaves them outwardly in regard of assistance and friends but they have an invisible inward presence of the spirit to support and strengthen them therefore measure not desâ—ertions Gods being or not being with us by outward respects for so he is with the enemies of the Church oft-times and not with his children But hee is with his in the sweetest manner supporting of them when they are in darkenesse and see no light of Gods countenance yet they have so much light though they thinke they see it not as makes them trust in God Let him that is in darknesse and sees no light trust in the name of God Therefore as I said it is a principle pregnant for comfort and use if God be with us he is with us in life and death for whom he loves he loves everlastingly from everlasting to everlasting If this be so what shall wee doe to God againe what is the best evidence to know that God is with us There is a relation betweene God and his he is so with them as that they are with him likewise in all passages Doth he chuse them they in time chuse him Whom have I in heaven but thee and there is none in earth that I desire in comparison of thee Doth hee call them they answer Doth hee justifie and free them from their sinnes they make that answer of faith that Peter speakes of I doe beleeve Lord help my unbeliefe they have faith to lay hold upon the forgivenesse And likewise if God be with them they can delight in Gods presence Can God delight to bee present with them that have not grace to delight in him Gods children maintaine their communion with him in all the sanctified meanes they can they are afraid to breake with God Therefore those that to please and give content to others and for base ends will displease their God it is a heavie signe that God as yet hath not shewed himselfe in his gracious mercy in Christ Iesus to them If God be with us wee will be of his side and his enemies shall be our enemies and his friends our friends Hee that claimes this that God is with him he will say I will bee with God and for God God hath two things in the world that wee must have a care of his Church and his cause take them out of the world the world is but a hell upon earth a company of miscreants prophane godlessâ— impudent poysonfull creatures take away the cause of God Religion and the people that are begotten by Religion and what is the rest of mankind The world would not stand but be all upon heapes for a company of sinfull wretches that will have their wills but it is for the Church and people of God that the world stands Now hee that hath God with him and he is in termes with God that they are friends as Abraham was the friend of God he will side with God and Religion Gods cause shall bee his cause and Gods people his people hee will cleave to Gods side as the safest if hee may have never so much prâ—ferment in the world hee will not joyne with Antichrist hee will not betray the cause of Religion if hee might have a world for it Why because he knows if God be with him who can be against him God hath given us understanding and grace to maintaine friendship with him to haâ—e common friends and common enemies Therefoâ—e if we stand not for God let us never talke of Gods presence with us Hee will bee present to confound us to overthrow us and pursue us to Hell but not graciously present without wee labour to maintaine the cause of Religion as farre as wee may God is with us if â—â—e be with him 2 Chron. 15. if wee be with God to take his part hee will be with us to protect and defend us to guide and comfort us and to give issue to all our affaires Not that our being with him is the prime cause of his being with us but it is an evidence to know whether hee be with us as wee make profession when as farre as our callings will suffer wee be with him and maintaine his cause Againe If wee would know whether we be with God and hee with us aske conscience whether it bee with thee for conscience is Gods Vicar Is conscience with thee dost thou not sinne against conscience What conscience saith God saith and what it forbids God forbids especially when it is enlightned by the word doth conscience speak peace to thee from the Word then thou art with God and God is with thee Especially in the great point of justification doth conscience speak peace to thee in the blood of Christ is thy heart sprinkled with it that it is not as the blood of Abel that cries for vengeance haâ—t thou a spirit of faith to beleeve that Christ shed his blood for thee in particular then thou art with God and he with thee because God hath sprinkled the blood of Christ upon thy heart What course shall wee take to keep God comfortably with us Looke thou be in covenant with him and not onely at large in covenant but looke that continually upon all occasions thou renew thy covenant for sometimes Gods children may be in covenant they may be his children yet because they renew not their covenant especially after some breaches God is not with them so comfortably as hee would to free them from their enemies as wee see in the case of the Benjamites Gods people sometimes may have the worst though they be in covenant because they have committed some sin and have not renewed their peace and covenant with God Therefore if we would make a comfortable use of this truth that God is with us and would finde him so in our affaires and businesse let us renew our covenant upon all occasions and
that hath not learned the first lesson in the Gospel to deny himselfe he is a wretched slave to the Devill in his best part and power his lusts imprison his will and affections his wit that should devise how hee should be happy for for eternitie it is onely a drudge to his base lusts There are a company of men that are the shame and blemish of the Gospel that set their wits a worke onely how to devise to satisfie their base lusts and then the issue and conclusion of all this is eternall misery and in the meane time the expectation of misery in terrours of conscience This is the estate of every man till he be translated by the Spirit of God to a better condition in Christ that he spends out his time in a base and miserable thraldome worse then the thraldome of the Israelites in Egypt or in Babylon And it is so much the more fearefull because men are insensible of it like Bedlams that make nothing of their chaines that laugh in their chaines A franticke man when he is bound in chaines he laughs when they that are about him weepe at his misery so you have men frolicking in sin they will sweare at liberty and besot themselves at liberty and corrupt their consciences even for base trifles they thinke they are in no bondage they doe all wondrous chearefully and well when as indeed the more chearefully and readily any man performes the base service of sinne the more he is in bondage Freedome is opposite to bondage notwithstanding such is the nature of sinne that the more freely we doe it the more we are bound because the more freedome we have the more we are intangled wee runne into guilt upon guilt till after guilt comes execution an eternall separation from the presence of God and an adjudging to eternall torments for ever So that it is a false judgement that the world hath they thinke great men happy men why They doe as they list I they may doe so and oft times they take the liberty to doe so they will be under no Lawes they are so farre from obeying the Law of God that they are loath to be hampred with the Lawes of the State or with any Lawes but they will be above all A miserable condition why the more will a man hath in evill the more miserable for the more freely and with lesse opposition hee tangleth himselfe let his place be never so great the deeper he sinks in rebellion and the deeper hee sinks into guilt upon guilt which will all come to a reckoning at the houre of death and day of Judgement So the men that we admire and envie most out of simplenesse and want of judgement they are the most miserable creatures in the world if they be out of Christ and have not grace for they have nature let loose in them without restraint and nature being under the captivitie of sinne becomes out of measure sinfull in such The lesse a man is curbed either from Lawes above him or the Law within him to check him the more wretched man he is for the deeper hee goes in rebellion and sinne the deeper his torment shall be afterward Great persons have a great priviledge what is that they shall be greatly tormented that is all the priviledge that I know if they be naught Those that shake off all bonds any earthly priviledge and prerogative is so farre from exempting them from misery that it makes them more miserable for unlesse they have grace to use those things that might be an advantage to better things they sinke deeper and deeper into sinne and so into terrours of conscience first or last and by consequence to damnation Oh it is a fearefull condition to be the greatest Monarch in the world and not to be in Christ and under the Law of the Spirit of life in Christ they are the objects of pitty above all kinde of men to truely judicious soules that know out of Gods truth and by the light of the Spirit what is to be judged of the state of men You see then what kind of misery it is that naturall men are under being under the Law of sinne To declare it a little further for men will hardly thinke it is such a bondage to be under sinne Therefore I beseech you doe but consider how sinne tyrannizeth where it gets strength see it in some instances The covetous worldly man that is under the Law of that lust he hath the law of other lusts but that is predominant see how it tyrannizeth it takes away his rest the use of Gods blessings the good things he hath given him to enjoy it makes him in thrall to the creature Wee see it in carnall pleasure Amnon when he lusted after his sister Thamar it tooke away his rest And how doth this base affection tyrannize in some men it makes them forget their bodies so that they overthrow their health and hasten death temporall it hurts the naturall man it makes them forget their credit it makes them forget their soules it makes them stinke by living in that carnall noysome sinne The judicious Heathen were sensible of it by the strength of naturall judgment yet sinne where it is in any strength uncurbed it so tyrannizeth that it makes men forget both health and life and credite and estate in this world that they come to nothing What should I speake of forgetting life eternall and damnation they have no faith to beleeve that but such is the tyrannie of sinne that it makes them forget things sensible that by experience after they see how dearely they have bought their base pleasures with the losse of credite and health and comfort with the losse of the estate that God hath trusted them withall in this world Take a man that is under the base Law of ambition a proud person see how it tyrannizeth over him it makes him forget blood and kinred all the bonds of nature he will kill his brethren to make his way as you know in our owne Stories such Tyrants if there were not Stories enow in this kind daily experience shewes it Where the Law of ambition and pride raignes it makes the heart wherein this Tyrant sets up his Throne to forget all bonds whatsoever of nature and justice You know whose speech it was If the Law must be violated it must be for a Kingdome but men will doe it for farre lesse we see what men will doe for a base place to command others in this world when they are conscious of their owne ill courses and commanding corruptions and all to give way to the base affection of ambition A touch is enough of these things for experience witnesseth and goes along with me All men that are not in Christ they have some predominant sinne either some base sinne or some more refined sinne and lust that keepes them from Christ and salvation and this tyrannizeth over them And this
sanctified judgement and a mighty power to raise the soule to cast it selfe so upon Gods mercy in Christ. So that besides the obtaining saluation by Christ there must be a grace to apply it and this faith doth Faith is said to doe that that Christ doth because faith layes hold upon Christ what faith doth Christ doth and what Christ doth faith doth therefore it hath the same actions applyed and given to it that Christ hath Faith is said to save us you know it is Christ that saves us but faith layes hold on Christ that saves us faith purgeth the heart and overcomes the world Christ by his Spirit doth all this but because faith wrought by the Spirit is such a grace as layes hold on the power of Christ it goes out of it selfe to Christ therefore what Christ doth faith is said to doe So then the Law of the Spirit of life in Christ not onely freed Christ himselfe by his Resurrection but likewise by the same power whereby hee raysed himselfe he rayseth our hearts to beleeve what hee hath done both in his state of humiliation and exaltation and makes all that Christ did ours The Spirit of life in Christ Iesus working faith in us and by faith other graces doth free us from the Law of sinne and death Christ doth it and faith doth it and grace which issues from faith doth it subordinately Christ doth it by way of merit and by his Spirit working faith in us to lay hold upon whatsoever Christ hath done or suffered as if we had done it our selves so it frees us from the law of sinne and death because it layes hold of the freedome wrought by Christ for us But besides and next to faith there is a Spirit of sanctification by which we are free from the commanding law of sinne and death But to cleare all this consider there is a freedome in this life and in the life to come from sinne and from death A freedome in this life in calling in justification in sanctification and in the life to come a freedome of glory There is a freedome in effectuall calling by the minâ—sterie of the Gospel the Gospel being preached unfolded faith is wrought whereby wee know what Christ hath done for us and wee see a better condition in Christ then we are in by nature seeing by the Spirit of God the cursed estate wee are in we are convinced of sinne in our selves and of the good that is in Christ and hereupon wee are called out of the thraldome wee are in by nature by the Spirit of Christ and the Word of God unfolding what our condition is for man by nature having selfe-love in him and that selfe-love being turned the right way he begins to thinke I doth the Word of God say I am a slave to sinne and damnation the Word of God can judge better then my selfe and then the Spirit of God sets it on with conviction that undoubtedly this is true And together with the cursed kingdome and slavery that I am under there is discovered a better state in Christ for the Gospel tells us what we are in Christ freed from hell and death and heires of heaven oh the happy estate of a Christian to be in Christ The Gospel with the Spirit discovering this a man is called out of the cursed estate he is in by nature to the fellow-ship of Christ by faith which is wrought in this calling so that now he comes to be a member of Christ by faith so that whatsoever Christ hath or is or hath done or suffered it is mine by reason of this union with him by faith which is the grace of union that knits us to Christ and the first grace of application So there is the first degree of liberty and freedome wrought by the Spirit of God together with the Gospel in effectuall calling The second is in justification that faith and beleefe in Christ that was wrought in effectuall calling it frees me from the guilt of my sinnes For when the Gospel in effectuall calling discovers that Christ is such a one and that there is such an estate in Christ and there is faith wrought in me then that faith layes hold upon the obedience of Christ to be mine For Christ in the Gospel offers his obedience to be mine as if I had done it in mine own person whatsoever Christ did or suffered is mine for he is made of God to be Wisedome righteousnesse sanctification and redemption to be all in all the Gospell sets him forth to be so Now faith laying hold of Christ to be made of God all in all obedience righteousnesse c. whatsoever is needfull hereupon this faith justifies me hereupon I come to be free from the guilt of my sinnes because my sinnes were laid upon Christ Christs death was the death of a surety it was as if I had dyed my selfe and more firme thus I come to be free in justification for what my surety hath done I have done Againe there is a freedome in sanctification that is when a man beleeves that Christ is his and that his sufferings are his then the same Spirit that discovers this to be mine it workes a change and alteration in my nature and frees me from the dominion of sinne The obedience of Christ frees me from the condemnation of sinne and the Spirit of sanctification frees me from the dominion of sinne This is the freedome of sanctification which faith layes hold on Whosoever hath not the Spirit of Christ is none of his Christ as a head derives to me the holy Spirit to sanctifie my nature and of his fulnesse we receive grace for grace so the Spirit of sanctification in Christ frees me from the dominion of sinne and death It is said here that by Christ we have spirituall liberty and freedome not from sinne and death but from the law of sinne and of death It is one thing to be freed from sinne and death and another thing to be freed from the law of them for wee are not indeed freed from sinne and death but from the law of sinne and death that is from the condemning power of sinne that though sinne be in us yet it doth not condemne us and though we die yet the sting is pulled out death is but a passage to a better life So I say in Justification wee are freed from the condemning power of sinne and in sanctification from the commanding power of sinne When we are knit once to Christ we have the obedience of Christ ours in justification and the holinesse of Christ is derived to us as from the head to the members in sanctification and so we are freed from the law of sin To understand this a little better the same Spirit that sanctified the naturall body the humane nature of Christ wherby he became bone of our bone and flesh of our flesh the same Spirit doth sanctifie the mysticall body of Christ
of the excellency of spirituall things then spirituall practice will follow And undoubtedly the reason of the prophane conversation of the world it comes from hidden atheisme that men make no better choyce than they do that they draw not neare to God let them say what they will it proceeds from hence I prove it thus when men are convinced of good things they will do good for conviction is the ground of practise and when men do not take good courses it is because they are not convinced of the best things Therefore men that sweare and blaspheme that are carnall bruit persons at that time Atheisme rules in their hearts that they beleeve not these things in the book of God to be true Can the swearer beleeve that God will not hold him guiltlesse that takes his name in vaine that a curse shall follow the swearer and the whoremonger that whoremongers and adulterers God will judge and so the covetous and extortioners they that raise themselves by ill means shall not enter into the Kingdom of heaven can men beleeve this and live in the practise of these sinnes if they did beleeve these things indeed as the word of God sets them downe if they did beleeve that sin were so bitter and so soule a thing as the word of God makes it certainly they would not therefore it comes from a hidden Atheisme Indeed there is a bundle of Atheisme and infidelity in the heart of man and we cannot bewaile it too much In the best there are some remainders of it as this holy man so foolish was I and as a beast before thee when he thought of his doubting of Gods providence Therefore considering that the cause of all ill practise is that we are not spiritually convinced of the contrary that sinne is a naughty and bitter thing nor are wee sufficiently convinced of the best things let us labour more and more to be soundly convinced of these things Now nothing will do this but the holy Ghost as yee have it Iohn 16. Christ promiseth to send the Comforter the holy Ghost and he shall convince the world of sinne that is hee shall so set sin before the eyes of mens soules that they shall know there is no salvation but in Christ hee shall convince them of unbeliefe that horrible sinne they shall have it presented so to them that they shall beleeve presently upon it This the holy Ghost must do But the holy Ghost doth it in the use of meanes therefore it must be our wisdome to heare and pray and meditate much that God would vouchsafe his spirit to perswade us to convince our understanding to convince us of all our false reasonings against good things that there may not a vile imagination rise in our hearts contrary to divine principles It is good to draw neare to God therefore it is good to come to the Sacrament which is one way of drawing neare to God Let us be so convinced of it that it is not only a necessary but a comfortable and sweet duty to have communion with God for will we suffer for Christ if wee will not feast with him What shall wee say of those therefore that are so farre from drawing neare to God when they have these opportunities that they turne their backs They cleane thwart this blessed man here he saith It is good for me to draw neare to God nay say they it is good for mee to have nothing to do with God nor Christ no not when he comes to allure mee Now hee is come neare us indeed that wee might come neare him because wee were strangers to God and could not draw neare to him simply considered God became man Emmanuel God with us that he might bring us to God Christ is that Iacobs ladder that knits heaven and earth together Christ God and man knits God and man together this was the end of his incarnation and of his death to make our peace to bring those neare that were strangers nay enemies before and of our part and portion in the benefit of his death we are assured in the Sacrament Therfore let us draw neare to our comfort with chearefulnesse for his goodnesse that we have these opportunities Let us draw neare to God to have our faith strengthned and our commuion with him increased Only let us labour to come with cleane hearts God will be sanctified in all that come neare him Let us know that we have to deale with a holy God and with holy things and therefore cast aside a purpose of living in sinne let us not come with defiled hearts for then though the things be holy in themselves they are defiled to us let us come with a resolution to renew our covenant and come with rejoycing that God stoups so low to use these poore helps that in themselves are weak yet by his blessing they are able greatly to strengthen our Faith FINIS KING DAVIDS EPITAPH OR An Epitome of the life and death of King DAVID In three Sermons By The late learned and reverend Divine RICHARD SIBBS Doctor in Divinitie Master of Katherine-Hall in Cambridge and sometimes Preacher at Grays-Inne Luke 1.74 75. That we being delivered from our enemies might serve him in holinesse and righteousnesse before him all the dayes of our lives 2 Sam. 14.14 For we must needs die and are as water spilt upon the ground LONDON Printed by E. P for Nicholas Bourne and Rapha Harford KING DAVIDS EPITAPH Acts 13.36 For David after in his owne Generation he had served the Counsell or will of God he fell asleep and was laid to his Fathers and saw corruption THe words are part of a Sermon of blessed Saint Paul wherein he proves out of the old Testament Psal. 16. that David prophesied of Christ and not of himselfe David saw corruption but hee of whom David spake saw no Corruption therefore David was not the Messias He shewes that the things there spoken do no way agree to David but to the Messias who saw no corruption For David after hee had served his owne Generation fell asleep and saw corruption In generall observe this One of the best wayes to understand the Scriptures is to compare the old Testament and the new together That which was spoken and fore-told of Christ in the old Testament and fulfilled in the New that must needs bee true Christ is the true Messias why It was fore-told so of him in the old Testament and accomplished in the new therefore Christ is the true Messias comparing the prophesie and the event together For the old and new Testament make up but this syllogisme He that should be so and so as was prophesied Born of a Virgin that should come at such a time in the later end of Daniels weeks c. he is the true Messias But Christ was such a one hee was borne of a Virgin came at such a time he saw no corruption for hee rose the third day therefore Christ
but they either resist them or quench them and wrong and grieve the Spirit as Saint Paul saith Greive not the Spirit of God whereby you are sealed to the day of redemption Ephes. 5. Men speake or doe somewhat that grieves the Spirit of God in them their conscience being enlightned by the Spirit tels them that they have done that which is naught yet notwithstanding for this or that advantage to please this or that company they will speake or doe that which is ill and then the Spirit that was given in some measure before is grieved at this carnall and sinnefull liberty Therefore if yee would be guided by the Spirit of Christ take heed of all these and of such like courses Another meanes whereby we may come to obtaine the Spirit is Prayer to bee guided by the Spirit of Christ next to Christ himselfe our Saviour is the most excellent thing in the world therefore it is worth the begging and getting Luke 11.13 How much more shall your heavenly Father give his holy Spirit to them that aske him Insinuating that wee can aske nothing greater then the Spirit A man that hath a sanctified judgement next the forgivenesse of his sins through Christ hee begs nothing more then the Spirit to witnesse the favour of God in Christ and to fit him for other favours especially to fit us for the world to come God can give nothing greater nor we can beg nothing greater if wee have sanctified judgements then the Spirit of God therefore let us have a high esteeme of the holy Spirit of the motions of it and out of an high esteeme in our hearts beg of God the guidance of the Spirit that he would leade us by his Spirit and subdue our corruptions that wee may not bee lead by our owne lusts and so consequently by Satan that leads us by our owne lusts in the way that leads to perdition So much for that I will put my Spirit c. And he shall shew judgement to the Gentiles After Christ was fully furnished as he was furnished with the Spirit of God and with a commission from Heaven from Father Sonne and Holy Ghost having this high commission and gifts for it by the Spirit he fals upon his office presently we are never fit for any thing till wee have the Spirit and when we have the Spirit it is active and vigorous and working He shall shew judgement to the Gentiles What is meant by judgement here By judgement is meant lawes hee shall declare his lawes his truth and together with declaring the truth of the Gospell which is his Evangelicall law hee shall declare it in the soule and bow the neck of the inward man to the obedience of this his judgement Christ then by himselfe and his Apostles and Ministers shall declare his truth which is the scepter of his governement to the Gentiles and not onely declare it as Princes doe their lawes by Proclamations and Statutes c. but hee shall declare it to the heart by his Spirit Now in the hebrew language ordinarily wise governement is called judgement hee shall declare judgement that is his manner of governement he shall declare it by his Spirit and cause our Spirits to submit to it And indeed grace is called judgement in the phrase of Scripture the grace of sanctification because it is agreeable to judgement to Gods law it is agreeable to it and wrought by it in the soule and it is the best judgement for grace whereby the soule is subject to the judgement and law and rule of God it must needs be the best judgement because it is agreeable to Gods judgement grace judgeth aright of things and subdues all things the affections and inward man to it selfe But why is the word of God called judgement It is called so frequently in the Psalmes and in other places of Scripture because the truth of God shewes what God doth judge Judgement is originally in God who is the first truth and the first good the first truth judgeth best of truthes what is light and what is darkenesse what is truth and what is error what is good and what is ill what is safe and what is dangerous all will grant that God is the first light and the firâ—t truth therefore hee doth originally judge of the difference of things for even as in the creation he put an eternall difference betweene light and darkenesse and severed things that were in the confuseâ— Chaos and established an orderly world that Heaven should be above and earth below that one thing should be above another and all in judgement So in the governing of man-kinde he shewes his judgement by his word and that word shewes how God judgeth of things Lawes shew judgement what is to be done and what is not to be done The Gospell shewes Gods judgement what he will have us beleeve and hope for and how wee must carry our selves in way of thankefullnesses if we doe this then the Gospell the word of God judgeth what shall become of us wee shall be saved if we doe the contrary the word againe judgeth what our state shall be wee shall be damned so it is called judgement because it judgeth what is good and what is ill and because it determineth what shall become of us if we obey or disobey Hereupon it is that the word of God is a glasse wherein we may see our owne condition infallibly what will become of us the Word of God judgeth thus he that lives in such and such sinnes shall come to this end God will inflict these and these judgements upon him Iudgement in the first place is you shall doe this and this because it is good Iudgement in the second place is because you have not done this this shall befall you so the Evangelicall judgement of the Gospell is this He that repents and beleeves shall not perish but have everlasting life but he that armes and furnisheth his heart to rebellion he shall perish in his sinnes He that believeth not is condemned allready the wrath of God hangs over his head So from this that Gods truth is called judgement we may know how to judge of our selves even as God judgeth in his Word wee may see our owne faces and conditions there hee that is a man of death may see it in the Word and he that is appointed for happinesse may there see his condition Againe not onely the Word of God the Gospell which is out of us in the booke of God is called judgement but the worke of God in the soule Sanctification is called judgement hence we may observe what is the most judicious course in the world the most judicious frame of soule when it is framed to the judgement and truth of God being the first truth When a man is sanctified and set in a holy frame it is from a sanctified judgement the flesh is subject to the Spirit heere is all in a gratious
goods I give to the poore c. when grace is planted in the soule when the soule hath tasted once of better things there will be a meane and base esteeme of earthly things the more the soule feeds on heavenly things the lesse respect it hath to temporall things The soule is a finite Essence and it cannot spend it selfe on all things the more it runs into severalls the more shallow it is to others as in a streame when it is cut into many channels it runs weakely in the severall whereas it runs strongly in the maine so it is with the soule when it is scattered as the poore Israelites were about the land of Aegypt to gather straw to gather these perishing earthly things it is weake to heavenly things it hath little strength to those but when the course of it is wholy bent to those there are but weake or no desires running to these earthly things when once the soule of a Christian hath had a true taste and relish of the things of Heaven it lookes with a despising eye upon whatsoever is heere below when once it hath tasted of Christ then especially it growes out of relish with poyson then away with Popery away with false doctrine away with hypocrisie and formality in religion Againe secondly wee may know that wee have tasted Christ and fed on him and on the good things that are by him when wee are strengthened by our feeding when wee are strengthened to duties strengthened against tentations and against corruptions Thou saist thou beleevest on Christ and hast made him thine own what comfort and strength feelest thou by Christ art thou able to encounter a tentation art thou able to resist a lust art thou able to performe holy services If there be no strength in thee but every tentation turnes thee over and thou yeeldest to every base lust where is Christ canst thou beleeve Christ to be thy King and yet suffer thy lusts to beare sway in thee canst thou beleeve that Christ is a Priest that died forthy sinnes and yet cherishest and lovest sinne canst thou beleeve that Christ is in Heaven and that thou art in heavenly places with Christ and yet hast no minde of heavenly things but art carried away with every earthly thing No thou hast not yet tasted how good and gracious the Lord is thou hast not yet relished the heavenly Manna the soule that feeds on Christ is strengthened from spirituall reasons and supernaturall grounds and divine principles drawne from Christ to duty so that it is enabled even with a holy violence to doe any thing for Christs sake for the soule reasons thus Christ gave himselfe to death for mee I will therefore if need be give my selfe to death for him Christ thought nothing too deare for mee I will thinke nothing too deare for him this pride this vanity that I am tempted to these were the speares that were the death of my Saviour thus the soule fetches reasons from the death of Christ to strengthen it against temptations to strengthen it to duty and so for the matter of comfort after meate hath beene received wee are refreshed if the soule be sweetly refreshed with the comforts that are to be had in Christ and in the Word of Christ it is a signe wee have tasted Christ those that have trembling and discouraging hearts and soules that cannot rest nor receive comfort it is a signe they have not rightly tasted Christ Come unto mee saith Christ all yee that are weary and heavie laden and yee shall finde rest to your soules in Christ there is rest out of Christ there is no rest and so likewise those that have corruptions bearing sway in them it is a signe they have not so much as touched Christ for if they had but touched Christ hee would stop the issue of their corruptions the poore woman in the Gospell as soon as she had touched Christ her bloudy issue was stayed so upon the least touch of Christ by faith there will be an abating of corruption Thirdly in the bodily life we know after a good meale the desire and appetite is satisfied so the soule that tastes of Christ it hath sweet satisfaction and contentment O the sweet satisfaction that a Christian soule hath above a Heathen A Christian that hath Christ need not goe out of him for any thing it hath fullnesse and satisfaction in him in all estates both in life and in death dost thou finde Christ and the priviledges and prerogatives we have by him dost thou finde the Word of Christ and the promises of the Word fully and sufficiently satisfie thee then it argues that thou hast fed on Christ for Christ being received by faith into the soule gives it fullnesse and contentment Lastly to name no more as men if they have the grace of God in their hearts will give thankes for their bodily food so it is an evidence that we have fed on Christ when our hearts and tongues are enlarged to praise God for Christ for the comforts and contentment and satisfaction that we finde in him and in religion therefore Saint Paul begins his Epistle to the Ephesians with Blessed bee God the Father of our Lord Iesus Christ who hath blessed us with all spirituall blessings in heavenly place in Christ. And Saâ—nt Peter being led by the same blessed Spirit his heart being full his mouth is full of thankes Blessed be God the Father of our Lord Iesus Christ who hath begotten us againe to an inheritance immortall that fadeth not away reserved for you in the heavens for you that are reserved by faith to salvation so undoubtedly the soule that tasts the sweet comforts of Religion in Christ will be much in sweet inlargements of heart in thanksgiving it cannot be otherwaise it is an universall reason the more beleeving a soule is the more thankefull a soul is where there is no praise there is no faith Thus you see how we may try whether we have tasted and relished whether wee have fed upon the food that endures to everlasting life or no. Taste is the most necessary sense of all saith a wise searcher of the mysteries of Nature our life is maintained by taste Every creature sees not every creature heares not but every creature hath taste you may judge of your selves by your taste and relish and if once you have tasted and relished Christ all the world cannot perswade you to fall from him if all should say there were no sweetnesse in Religion that it were better to be a worldling c. you would defie it you would never beleeve it there is no disputing against what a man tasts if all men should say sugar were sharpe if J once tasted it I would say otherwise Labour for the meate that endures to everlasting life The Arguments enforcing this act upon the object to labour for Christ are that he is food and food that endures and food that endures to everlasting life Let me from these
doe more then twenty Sermons when God teacheth and chastizeth too when together with teaching there is correction then it is effectuall And this is the reason of Gods course why when nothing else will doe he humbles his people with afflictions because hee cannot otherwise teach them Affliction withdrawes that which is the fuell of sinne for what doth our sinnefull disposition feed on upon pleasures and vanities upon the honours of this life and riches c. Now when affliction either takes these things away or imbitters them if we have them then that which sinne carried us to and that we fed our owne base earthly lusts with being gone when a man is stripped of these he begins to know himselfe what he is he was drunke before I deeme a man in prosperity little better then drunke he knowes neither God nor himselfe nor the world he knowes it not to be as a vaine world he knowes not himselfe to be vanity to be an empty creature except he consist in God and make his peace with him he knowes not God to be â—uch a holy God and such an angry God for sinne but when affliction comes and withdrawes and strips him of those things that made him fierce against God then he begins to know God and to tremble at the judgements of God when he begins to smart he begins to know himselfe to be a mad man and a foole and a sot he did not know himselfe before in his jollity and then he knowes the world indeed as a vaine world Blessed be that affliction that makes us know a gratious and good God and the creature to be a vaine creature and our selves out of the favour of God to be nothing You see what afflictions will doe God doth use to breake men as men use to breake horses they ride them over hedge and ditch and over plowed lands uneven grounds and gall them with the spurre and with the bit and all to make them tractable and then afterward they ride them gently and meekely and rather so then otherwise So God is faine to carrie his children over plowed lands he is faine to breake them in their wickednesse to bring their waies upon their heads hee is faine to gall them and humble them every kinde of way that they may carrie him that he may bring their spirits under him that he may leade them in the waies that leade to their owne comfort Let us never murmure therefore at Gods hand but willingly yeeld at the first what doth a stubborne horse get but the spurre and stripes and what doth a man get that stands out when God comes to humble him by affliction and intends his good nothing but more stripes To come to the parts We are all as an uncleane thing c. Heere first you see there is an humble confession I will not inlarge my selfe in the point of humiliation but speake a little because this is the day of humiliation the occasion is for humiliation all this is to bring us low to humble 〈◊〉 to make us know our selves Without humiliation Christ will never be sweete unto us and the benefit of health c. will never be precious to us I meane by humiliation when God humbles us and we humble our selves when we joyne with God when Gods humbling of us and our humbling of our selves goe together then mercy is sweet and favour and protection is sweete when God powres his judgements on others and spares us Now humiliation it is either reall or inward or verball Reall humiliation indeed that is our humbling our selves by fasting especially when it is joyned with reformation of our wicked waies or else it is a mockery of God as it is in Isaiah 58. to hang downe the head for a while and in the meane time to have a hard heart to shut up our bowells to our brethren but that is a reall kinde of humiliation when we thinke our selves unworthy of the creatures of meate or drinke of any refreshing for this humiliation of fasting is a kinde of profession though we speake not so that we are unworthy of these things But all is nothing without inward humiliation of the soule verball humiliation is in words as we shall see after in confession and it must come from inward humiliation of spirit Therefore considering it is here the first disposition of Gods people let us labour to work upon our selves those considerations that may make us humble I will hâ—â—â—e a few First to bring our selves to the glasse of the Law examine our selves how short we have been of every Commandement But especially bring our selves to the Gospell we hope to be saved by Christ and have we mourned for our sinnes as one mourneth for his first borne Our sinnes have wounded Christ. Have we preferred Christ in our thoughts above all the things in the world have they all beene dung to us Have we had that blessed esteeme of the gratious promises of the Gospell and the prerogatives therein set foorth that they have been so precious to us that we have undervalued all to them as S. Paul did A base esteeme of the Gospell is a great sinne How shall we escape if we neglect so great Salvation Put case we be not enemies to the Ministery and to holinesse of life expressed in the Gospell as many cursed creatures are yet a base esteeme and undervaluing in our thoughts is a thing punisheable How shall we escape if we neglect so great Salvation Have we walked worthy of the dignity we are called to by the Gospell Have we carried our selves so in spirituall things as to rule our base lusts Have we been carefull of private Prayer to offer our selves to God as Priests Are we not pressed in S. Pauls Epistles To carry our selves worthy of our profession and have we done so Let us bring our carriage and see how proportionable it is to Gods advancing of us in these glorious times of the Gospell and this will bring us on our knees We are ashamed of a little unkindnesse to men But when we consider how unkind we have been to God that thought not his deare Sonne and Heaven and happinesse too much for us besides other favours that he protects and cloaths and feeds us every day and yet we have not been answerable these considerations would humble us proportionable to our carriage to men Can we be ashamed to offer an unkindnesse to men and are we not ashamed cannot we be abased with this that we have carried our selves so towards God It comes from Atheisme and infidelity of heart that either we beleeve not these things to be good or else that we haue not our part and portion in them could we ever be so dead and dull hearted else Againe that we may be humbled let us call to minde now in this day of Humiliation our speciall sinnes we may soone know them our consciences and our enemies
some part of the light of the understanding and takes away some freedom of the will it darkens the judgement more and more and enthralls the will and affections and bindes a man more and more to the just sentence of God That as it is Prov. 5. the sinner is tied with the bonds of his owne sinnes he is under the chaines of an habituated wicked course of life as well as of the sinne of nature which is the spring of all This is the miserable state of man and these chaines of his sinnes reserve him to further chaines Even as the Devill is reserved in chaines that is in terrours of his conscience which as chaines bind him till he be in Hell the place he is destinated to so we being in the chaines and bondage vexed with our sinnes we are at the same time in the chaines of terrours of conscience the beginnings of Hell and reserved to chaines of damnation and death world without end It is another manner of matter our estate by nature then it is usually taken for If men had but a little supernaturall light to see what condition they are in till they get out into Christ Jesus they would not continue a minute in that cursed estate And we have deserved to be cast into this estate by reason that we left our subordination and dependance upon God which being creatures we should have had Therefore we turning from God to the creature God punisheth our rebellion to him with rebellion in our selves because we withdrew our subjection from him that therefore there should be in us a withdrawing of the subjection of sinne and of the whole soule to God So this captivitie to and giving up to sinne in us it is penall and sinfull but as it comes from God it is meerely judiciall Therefore we have it oft in the New Testament in Rom. 1. 2 Thess. The Gentiles because they would not entertaine the Truth that they might have had by the light of Nature God gave them up to their sinnes And then the Christians after the Apostles times they set slight by the good Word of God the Gospel therefore God gave them up to beleeve lyes It was sinne in them but as God gave them up it was justice So this captivitie and giving men up to their owne lusts it is justice as it comes from God it is a horrible judgement it is worse then to be given up to the Devill himselfe for by being given up to our lusts we encrease our damnation To be given up to be tormented of the Devill it is not such a mischiefe as this spirituall captivitie under sinne we are guiltie our selves of our owne thraldome And this will encrease both the shame and the punishment The shame that a man shall say in Hell afterward I have brought my selfe hither I had meanes enow prohibitions enow I had sometimes chastisements of God sometimes motions of his Spirit sometimes one helpe from God sometimes another yet notwithstanding I brake through all oppositions that God set betweene me and the execution of my lusts and to Hell-ward I would and hither I have brought my selfe So that indeed the greatest part of Hell torment the shame of them especially it will be that men have brought themselves by their owne wits and carnall lusts thither And indeed all the wit a carnall man hath that is not sanctified by Gods Spirit it is to worke himselfe to miserie to be a drudge to his lusts that sets all the parts he hath on work not how he may serve God and be happie in another world but how he may proule provide for his owne carnall lusts This is the estate of all men by nature they are under sinne under the power of sinne the blind judgement leades the blind affections and both fall into the ditch into Hell The fearefulnesse and odiousnesse of this condition to be in prison and thraldome and bondage to all kind of sinne naturall actuall it will appeare further by this That being in subjection to our base lusts by consequence we are under the bondage of Satan for he hath power over death by sinne because he drawes us to sinne and then accuseth us and torments us for sinne By sinne we come to be under his bondage so that we are under the fearefull captivitie of the Devil while we are under the captivitie of sinne for all the power that he hath over us it is by sinne he is but Gods executioner for sinne First God gives him power to draw us to sinne to punish one sinne with another and then he suffers him to accuse and to torment us afterward What a fearfull bondage is this that being under sinne we are under Satan We are servants to our enemie as God threatned his people that they should serve their enemies but this is a greater judgement to be slaves to this enemie This is the condition of every sinner To be a slave to a mans enemie it is a judgement of judgements yet nothwithstanding this is the case of every man by nature he is a servant to his enemie to Satan and his owne lusts He is a right Cham a servant of servants for Satan useth him as the Philistims did Samson he puts out his eyes he puts out his judgement his wits he besots him and so he goes blind in Satans blind worke and businesse he is in a Maze all his life long till at length he sinke into Hell So this is the aggravation of a mans estate by nature he is a slave to his enemie You know blessed Zacharie saith Luke 1. That being delivered out of the hands of our enemies we might serve him without feare in righteousnesse and holinesse all the dayes of our life There is no wicked man but he is acted by the Devill oh that we would consider of it we thinke we are led onely by our owne lusts and sinnes as men but untill a man be in Christ he is ruled by the command of the Prince of the Aire and in 2 Tim. 2 he is ruled by Satan according to his will Even as a Bird in a snare it may move up and downe but it is still in the snare and he that hath it there cares not he knowes he hath it safe and he goes about to catch other birds So when we are in our lusts and follow them the Devil hath us in his snare he is secure of us and goes about getting more and more still the Devill acts and moves and leads all carnall men But how chanceth it that they doe not know and perceive it It is because he goeth with the streame of their owne corruptions Indeed we must make some limitation of this In some cases the Devill doth not move carnall men they are better then the Devill would have them be for the good of the Common-wealth and State but yet take them as they stand in relation to Religion they
that it may be bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh For before wee come to heaven Christ must not onely be bone of our bone c. that is in his Incarnation but wee must be bone of his bone c. that is wee must have natures like Christ not onely flesh and blood for so a reprobate hath flesh and blood as Christ hath but wee must have his Spirit altering and changing our nature that instead of a proud disobedient rebellious nature now it must be a holy and humble and meeke nature together with humane frailty for that we carry about with us then the Spirit of life derived from Christ makes us bone of his bone For indeed in his humane nature being bone of our bone and flesh of our flesh hee made us bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh he became man that we might partake of the divine nature being partakers of the divine Spirit So that now the Spirit of life in Christ when we are knit to him is a Spirit of sanctification altering our natures and working in our hearts a disposition like Christs that wee judge as Christ judgeth and chuse as Christ chuseth and ayme at Gods glory as Christ did For there is the same mind in us that was in Christ Philip. 2. In our proportion growing still more and more to conformity with Christ till we be in heaven till Christ be all in all 1 Cor. 15. When he will change our nature to be holy as his owne Besides this liberty from sinne and death in this life there is a glorious liberty and freedome thaâ— we have by the Spirit of Christ when we are dead for then the Spirit of life that raised Christs dead body will raise our bodies and that Spirit of Christ that raiseth his body and raiseth our soules in this world from sinne to beleeve in him will raise our dead bodies The same vertue and power that workes in Christ workes in his members this is called The glorious libertie of the Sonnes of God Then wee shall be freed indeed not onely from the law of sinne but from sinne it selfe and not onely from the law of death but death it selfe and wee shall live forever with the Lord. Christ then shall be all in all by his Spirit Christ will never leave us till hee have brought us to that glorious freedome wee are freed already from sinne and death he hath set us in heavenly places together with himselfe now In faith we are there already but then wee shall be indeed Thus you see how we come to have the law of the Spirit of life in Christ to free us from the law of sinne and death and all the passages of it You see here that there is law against law The Law of the Spirit of life in Christ against the law of sinne and death I beseech you consider that God hath appointed law to countermand law the Spirit of Christ to overcome sinne in us not onely in justification but in sanctification oh let us therefore comfortably thinke there is a Law above this Law I have now cold dead base affections but if I have the Spirit of Christ he can quicken and enliven me hee will not onely pardon my sinne but by the Law of his Spirit direct guid and command me a contrary way to my lusts And this is an Art of spirituall prudence in heavenly things whensoever wee are beset with dangers to set â—reater then that against it The Devill is an Angell but we have a guard of Angels about us The Devill is a Serpent but we have a braâ—en Serpent that cures all the stings of that Serpent We have Principalities and Powers against but we have greater Principalities and Poâ—ers for us The Law of life against the law of sinne and death We have a law of our lusts tyrannizing over us and enthralling us it is true but then there is a Law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus to overcome and subdue that law of our lusts if so be that wee use the prerogatives wee have if we use faith and goe to God and Christ in whom are all the treasures of grace Hee is the treasury of the Church of his fulnesse we receive grace for grace Are we troubled with any corruptions goe to the Spirit of liberty in Christ and desire him to set us at liberty from the bondage and thraldome of our corruptions And remember what Christ hath done for us and where hee is now in heaven let us raiâ—e our thoughts that wee may see our selves in heaven already that wee may be ashamed to defile our bodies and soules with the base drudgery of sinne and Satan that are sanctified in part in this world and shall be glorified in heaven Certainely faith would raise our soules so we betray our selves when being once in the state of grace we are inâ—hralled basely to any sinne For sinne shall not have dominion over you because you are under grace saith the Apostle Being under grace if wee doe 〈◊〉 use our reasoning and use faith and exercise the grace we have given us wee cannot be in thrall to corruptions Wee shall have remainders to trouble us put not to 〈◊〉 and reigne and domineere For sinne 〈◊〉 beares â—way but when wee betray our selves and either beleeve not what Christ hath done for us or else exercise not our faith A Christian is never overtaken basely but when hee neglects his priviledges and prerogatives and doth not stirre up the grace of God in him Learne this then when we are troubled with any thing set Law against Law set the Law of the Spirit of life in Christ against all oppositions whatsoever and let the temptation â—â—e where it will let it lie in justificatiâ—â— as when wee are tempted by Satan to despaire for sinnes for great sinnes oh but then consider the Law of the Spirit of life in Christ hath freed me from the law of sinne and of death Christ was made sinne to free me â—rom sinne Consider that Christ was God-man hee satisfied divine Justice the blood of Christ cleanseth us from all sinne though they be as red as crimson Thus set Christ against our sinnes in justification when the guilt of them â—â—oubles our soules And so likewise when wee are set on by base lusts set against them the power of Christ in sanctification What 〈◊〉 I now a member of Christ one that professeth my selfe to be an heire of heaven there is a Spirit of life in Christ my head there is a Law of the Spirit of life in Christ that is there is a commanding power in his Spirit and that Spirit of his is not onely in the head but in the members If I goe to him for grace I may have grace answerable to the grace that is in him grace that will strengthen me with his power be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might Ephes. 6.
and in Christ I can doe all things by his Spirit though in my selfe I can doe nothing And so in deadnesse and desolation of Spirit when the soule is cast downe with discomfort let us thinke with our selves the Spirit of life in Christ is a quickening Spirit if I can beleeve in Christ he hath freed me from the guilt of sinne and hee hath by his Spirit given me some little inlargement from the dominion of my corruptions why should I be cast downe I am an heire of heaven ere long Satan shall be trodden under my feet ere long I shall be free from the spirituall combate and conflict with sinne that I am now encountred with therefore I will comfort my selfe I will not be cast downe overmuch In the houre of death let us make use of this freedome of the Spirit of life in Christ Iesus from the law of sinne and death When the time comes that there must be a separation of soule and body oh let us thinke with our selves Now I must dye yet Christ hath dyed and I must dye in conformity to my head and here is my comfort the Law of the Spirit of life hath freed me from the law of death it hath freed me from spirituall and eternall death So that now through Christ death is become friendly to me death now is not the death of me but death will be the death of my misery the death of my sinnes it will be the death of my corruptions death now will be the death of all that before troubled me but death will be my birth day in regard of happinesse Better is the day of death then the day of birth When a man comes into this life he comes into misery but when he dies hee goes out of misery and comes to happinesse so that indeed wee never live till we dye wee never live eternally and happily till then for then wee are freed from all misery and sinne Blessed are they that dye in the Lord they rest from their labours they rest from the labours of toyle and misery they rest from the labours of sinne from all labours whatsoever Blessed are they that dye in the Lord and of all times then blessed more blessed then before they rest from their labours and then begins their happinesse that shall never end So you see what comfort a Christians soule sprinkled with the blood of Christ may have if it goe to God in Christ and begge of Christ to be set at liberty from all enemies to serve God in holines and righteousnesse I speake too meanely when I say the Law of the Spirit of life hath fâ—â—ed us from 〈◊〉 and death this is not all the Spirit of life not onely frees us from ill but advanceth us to the contrary good in every thing wherein this freedome is For we are not onely called out of misery but to a Kingdome wee are not onely freed from sinne but intitled to heaven in justification and in sanctification we are not onely freed from corruption but inabled by the holy Spirit of liberty to run the wayes of Gods Commandements and make them voluntary to serve God chearefully zealous of good workes wee are not onely freed from the command and condemnation of sinne and â—he rigour of the Law but we have contrary dispositions ready and willing and voluntary dispositions wrought by the Spirit of Christ to every thing thâ—â—â—s good And so wee are not onely free from death and misery for so things without life are they suffer no misery but wee are partakers of everlasting life and glory the liberty of glory Gods benefits are compleat that is not onely priuative freeing us from ill but positive implying all good because God will shew himselfe a God he will doe good things as a God fully For the Law of the Spirit of life not onely frees us from the law of sinne and of death but writes the Law of God in our hearts he not onely frees us from the law of death but advance us to everlasting life to the glorious life we have in heaven to live for ever with the Lord oâ— happy condition of a Christian if wee could know our happinesse Let us often meditate deepely of Christ and of our selves in him let us see all our ill in him and all our good in him see death overcome and sinne overcome by his death hee being made a curse for us see the Law overcome hee being made under the Law for us when the wrath of God vexeth and terrifieth us see it upon him Hee sweat water and blood in the Garden It made him crie out My God my God why â—ast thou forsaken me See all that may trouble us in him as our Surety And all the good wee hope for see it in Christ first whatsoever he hath in his naturall body it is for his mysticall body for hee gave his naturall body for his mysticall God in the world to humble us exerciseth us with troubles and calamiâ—ies as he did Christ wee must be conformable to our heâ—d but consider the poyson and sting of all ills wee need to feaâ—e is swallowed up and taken away by Christ. And as I said let us see all our good in him wee are sonnes in him raysed 〈◊〉 him blessed in him set in heavenly places with him and shall be follow-heires and Kings with him for wee are his members his Spouse the wife shall enjoy the same condition as the husband whatsoever hee hath she shall have What a comfortable estate is this I we can feare no ill nor want no good whatsoever hee hath it is for us hee was borne for us hee dyed for us hee is gone to heaven for us for us and our good hee did and suffered all these things We cannot exercise our thoughts too much in these meditations The Lords Supper is a Sacrament of union and communion hence it hath its name and by receiving the Sacrament our Communion and union with Christ is strengthned What a comfort then is it to thinke if I have fellowship with Christ it is sealed by the Sacrament when I take the Bread and Wine at the same time I have communion with the Body and Blood of Christ shed for my sinnes and as Christ himselfe was freed from my sinnes imputed to him and by his Resurrection declared that hee was freed so surely shall I be freed from my sinnes So that this Communion taking the Bread and Wine it seales to us our Communion and fellowship with Christ and thereupon our freedome from sinne and from the Law and sets us in a blessed and happy estate Wee should labour therefore by all meanes to strengthen our union and Communion with Christ and amongst the rest reverently and carefully attend upon this blessed Ordinance of God for the body of Christ broken doth quicken us because it is the body of the Sonne of God My flesh is meate indeed and my blood is drinke indeed and hee