subordination to God and sowen a perpetual discord and enmity between them this hath conquered all mankind and among the rest even the elect and chosen of God these whom God had in his eternal Council predesâ—inated to life and salvation sin brings all in bondage and exerciseth the most perfect tyranny over them that can be imagined makes men to serve all its imperious lusts and then all the wages is death it binds them over to Judgment Now this sedition and rebellion being arisen in the world and one of the most noble creatures carried away in this revolt from allegiance to the Divine Majesty the most holy and wise Council of Heaven concludes to send the Kings Son to compesce this rebellion to reduce men again unto obedience and to destroy that arch traitor sin which his nature most abhoâ—s And for this end the Son of the great King Jesus Christ came down into the world to deliver captive man and to condemn conquering sin There is no object that God hath so pure and perfect displeasure at as sin therefore he sent to condemn that which he hates most and perfectly he hates it to condemn sin and this is expressed as the errand of his coming 1 Ioh. 3.5 8. to destroy the works of the devil all his wicked and hellish plots and contrivances against man all that poyson of enmity and sin that out of envy and malice he spued out upon man and instilled into his nature all these works of that Prince of Darkness in enticing man from obedience to rebellion and tyrannizing over him since by the imperious laws of his own lusts in a word all that work that was contrived in hell to bring poor man down to that same misery with devils all that Christ the only begotten Son of the great King came for this noble businesse to destroy it That Tower which Satan was building up against Heaven and had laid the foundation of it as low as hell this was Christs business down among men to destroy that Babylon that Tower of darkness and confusion and to build up a Tower of light and life to which Tower sinners might come and be safe and by which they might really ascend into Heaven Some do by these words for sin understand the occasion and reason of Christs coming that it was because sin had conquered the world and subjected man to condemnation therefore Jesus Christ came into the world to conquer sin and condemn it that we might be free from condemnation by sin And this was the special cause of his taking on flesh if sin had not entered in the world Christ had not come into it and if sin had not erected a Throne in mans flesh Christ had not taken on flesh he had not come in the likenesse of sinful flesh So that this may administer unto us abundant consolation If this was the very cause of his coming that which drew him down from that delightful and blessed bosome of the Father then he will certainly do that which he came for he cannot fail of his purpose he cannot misse his end he must condemn sin and save sinners And truly this is wonderful love that he took sin only for his party and came only for sin or against sin and not against poor sinners He had no commission of the Father but this as himself declares Ioh. 3.17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world but that the world through him might be saved As one observes well Christ would never have hinted at such a jealousie or suggested such a thought to mens minds had it not been in them before but this we are naturally inclined unto to think hard of God and can hardly be perswaded of his love when once we are perswaded of our enmity Indeed the most part of the world fancy a perswasion of Gods love and have not many jealousies of it because they know not their own enmity against God but let a man see himself indeed Gods enemy and it is very hard to make him believe any other thing of God but that he carries a hostile mind against him and therefore Christ to take off this perswades and assures us that neither the Father nor he had any design upon poor sinners nor any ambushmâ—nt agâ—inst them but mainly if not only this was his purpose in sending and Christs in coming not against man but against sin not to condemn sinners but to condemn sin and save sinners O blessed and unparallel'd love that made such a real distinction between sin and sinners who were so really one Shall not we be content to have that wofull and accursed union with sin dissolved Shall not we be willing to let sin be condemned in us and to have our own souls saved I beseech you beloved in the Lord do not think to maintain alwayes Christs enemy that great traitor against which he came from Heaven Wonder that he doth not prosecute both as enemies but iâ— he will destroy the one and save the other O let it be destroyed not you and so much the more for that it will destroy you Look to him so iniquity shall not be your ruine but he shall be the ruine of iniquity but if you will not admit of such a division between you and your sins take heed that you be not eteâ—nally undivided that you have not one common lot for ever that is condemnation Many would be saved but they would be saved with sin too Alace that will condemn thee as for sin he hath proclaimed irreconciliable enmity against it he hath no quarter to give it he will never come in terms of composition with it and all because it is his mortal enemy therefore let sin be condemned that thou may be saved It cannot be saved with thee but thou may be condemned with it The word for sin may be taken in another sense as fitly a sacrifice for sin so that the meaning is Jesus Christ came to condemn and overthrow sin in its plea against us by a sacrifice for sin that iâ— by offering up his own body or flesh And thuâ— you have the way and means how Christ conquered sin and accomplished the business he was sent for It was by offering a sacâ—â—fice for sin to expiat wrath and to satiâ—fie justice The sting and strength of death is sin and the strength of sin is the Law as the Apostle speaks it 1 Cor. 15.55 we had two great enemies against us two great tyrants over us sin and death Death had past upon all mankind not only the miseries of this life and temporal death had subjected â—ll men but the fear of an eternal death of an everlasting separation from the blessed face of God might have seized upon all and subjected them to bondage Heb. 2.15 But the strength and sting of that is sin it is sin that arms death and hell against us take away sin and you take away the sting the strength of death it
greatest fear is death not so much because of it self but chiefly because of that eternity of unchangeable misery that naturally it transmitts them unto Now it is only Christian Religion possessing the heart that aâ—mes a man compleatly against the fear either of death it self or the consequents of it it giveth the most powerful consolation that not only overcometh the bitternesse and taketh out the sting of death but changeth the nature of it so far as to make it the matter of triumph and gloriation There is something here supposed the worst that can befall a Christian it is the death of a part of him and that the worst and ignoblest part only the body is dead because of sin Then that wâ—ich is opposed by way oâ— comfort to counterballance it is the life of his better and more noble part And besides we have the fountaâ—ns both of that death and this life mans sin the cause of bodily death Christs righteousnesse the fountain of spiritual life Of death many have had sweet meditations even among these that the light of the Word hath not shined upon and indeed they mâ—y make us ashamed who prosesse Christianity and so the hope of the resurrection from the dead that they have accounted it only true wisdom and sound Philosophy To meditat often on death and made it the very principal point of living well To be alwayes learning to die and have applyed their whole studies that way neglecting present things that are in the by have given themselves to search out some comfort against death or from death Yea some have so profited in this that they have accounted death the greatest good that can befall man and perswaded others to think so Now what may we think of our selves who scarce apprehend mortality especially considering that we have the true fountain of it revealed to us and the true nature and consequents of it All men must needs know that death is the most universal King in the world that it reigns over all ages sexes conditions nations and times though few be willing to entertain thoughts of it yet sooner or later they must be constrained to give it lodging upon their eye lids and suffer it to storm the very strongest tower the heart and baâ—â—er it down and break the strings of it having no way either to flee from it or resist it Now the consideration of the general inundation of death over all mankind anâ— the certain approâ—ching of it to every particular mans door hath made many serious thoughts among the wise men of the world But being destitute of this heavenly light that â—hineth to us they could not attain to the original of it but have conceived that it was a common tribute of nature and an universal Law imposed upon all mankind by nature having the same reason that other mâ—tations and changes among the creatures here below have and â—o have thought it no more strange thing then to see other things dissolved in their elements Now indeed seeing they could apprehend no other bitter ingredient in it it was no wonder that the wisest of them could not fear it but rather wait and expect it as a rest from their labours as the end of all their miseries But the Lord hath revealed unto us in his Word the true cause of it and so the true nature of it The true cause of it is sin sin entred into the world and death past upon all for that all have sinned Rom. 5.12 Man was created for another purpose and upon other conditions and a Law of perpetual life and eternal happinesse was past in his â—avours he abiding in the favour and obeying the will of Him that gave him life and being Now sin inteâ—posing and separating between man and God loosing that blessed knot of union and communion it was this other law that succeeded as a suitable recompence Thou shall die It is resolved in the Council of Heaven That the union of man shall be dissolved his soul and body separated in just recompence of the breaking the bond of union with God This is it that hath opened the sluce to let in an inundation of misery on mankind this was the just occasion of that righteous but terrible appointment It is appointed that all men once should die and after death cometh to Iudgment Heb. 9.27 That since the body had inticed the soul and suggested unto it such unnatural and rebellious motions of withdrawing from the blessed fountain of life to satisfie its pleasure the body should be under a sentence of deprivement and â—orfeitour of that great benefite and priviledge of life it had by the souls indwelling and condemned to return to its first base original the dust and to be made a feast of worms to lodge in the grave and be a subject of the greatest corruption and rottennesse because it became the instrument yea the incitement of the soul to sin against that God that had from Heaven breathed a spirit into it and exalted it above all the dust or clay in the world Now my beloved do we not get many remembrances of our sin Is not every day presenting our primitive departure from God our fiâ—st separation from the fountain of life by sin to our view and in such sad and woeful effects pointing out the hainousnesse of sin Do you not see mens bodies every day dissolved the tabernacle of earth taken down and the soul constrained to remove out of it But what influence hath it upon â—s what do the multiplied funeralls work upon us It may bâ— sorrow for our friends but little or no apprehension of our own mortality and base impression of sin that separats our souls from God Who is made sadly to reflect upon his original or to mind seriously that statute and appointment of Heaven in that day thou shalt die It is strange that all of us fear death and few are afraid of sin that carrieth death in its bosome That we are so unwilling to reâ—p corruption in our bodies and yet we â—re so earnest and lâ—borious in sowing to the flesh Be not deceived for you are dayly reaping what you have sowen And O that it were all the harvest but death is only the putting in of the sickle of vengeaâ—ce the first cut of it But O to think on what follows would certainly restrain men and cool them in their fervent pursuits after sin SERMON XXVIII Rom. 8.10 The body is dead because of sin but the Spirit is life because of righteousnesse THE sting of death is sin and the strength of sin is the Law saith our Apostle 1 Cor. 15.56 These two concur to make man mortal and these two are the bitter ingredients of death Sin procured it and the Law appointed it And God hath seen to the exâ—ct execution of that Law in all ages for what man liveth and shall not taste of death Two only eâ—caped the common lot Enoch and Elias for they pleased God and God took them
and besides it was for a pledge that at the last day all shall not die but be changed The true cause of death is sin and the true nature of it is penal to be a punishment of sin take away this relation to sin and death wants the sting But in itâ— fiâ—st appointment and as it prevails generally over men aâ—uleaâ—a est mors it hath a sting that pierceth deeper and woundeth soâ—er then to the dissolution of the body it goeth in to the innermost paâ—â—s of the soul and wâ—undeth that eternally The truth is the death of the body is not either the first death or the last death it is rather placed in the middle between two deaths and it s the fruit of the first and the root of the last There is a death immediatly hath ensued upon sin and it is the separation of the soul from God the fountain of life and blessedness and this is the death often spoken of you who were dead in sins and trespasses c. Eph. 2.1 Being past feeling and alienated from the life of God Eph. 4.18 19. And truly this is worse in it â—elf then the death of the body simply though not so sensible because â—pirituâ—l the corruption of the best pâ—â—t in man in all reason is worse then the corruption of his worst part but this death which consists especially in the losse of that blessed communion with God which made the soul happy cannot be found till some new life enter or else till the last death come which adds infinit pain to infinit losse Now the death of the body succeeds thiâ— souls death and that is the separation of the soul from the body most suitable seeing the soul was turned from the fountain spirit to the body that the body should by his command return to dust and be made the most defiâ—ed piece of dust Now this were not so grievous if it were not a step to the death to come and a degree of it introductive to it But that statute and appointment of Heaven hath thus linked it after death comes Iudgment Because the soul in the body would not be sensible of its separation from God but was wholly taken up with the body neglecting and miskenning that infinit losse of Gods favour and face therefore the Lord commands it to go out of the body that it maythen be sensible of its infinit loss of God when it is separated from the body that it may then have leasure to reflect upon it self and find its own surpassing misery and then indeed infinit pain and infinit losse conjoyned eternal banishment from the presence of that blessed Spirit and eternal torment within it self these two concurring what posture do you think such a soul will be into There are some earnest of this in this life when God reveals his terrour and sets mens sins in order before their face O how intolerable is it and more insupportable then many deaths They that have been accquainted with it have declared it the terrours of God are like poysonable arrows sunk into Jobs spirit and drinking up all the moisture of them Such a spirit as is wounded with one of these darts shot from Heaven who can bear it not the most patient and most magnanimous spirit that can sustain all other infiâ—mities Prov. 18.14 Now my beloved if it be so now while the soul is in the body drowned in it what will be the case of the soul separated from the body when it shall be all one sense to reflect and consider it self This is the sting of death indeed worse then a thousand deaths to a soul that apprehends it and the lesse it is apprehended the worse it is because it is the more certain and must shortly be found when there is no brazen serpent to heal that sting Now what comfort have you provided against this day what way do you think to take out this sting Truly there is no balm for it no Physitian for it but one and that the Christian is only acquainted with He in whom Christ is he hath this soveraign antidot against the pâ—yson of Death he hath the very sting of it taken out by Châ—â—st death it self killed and of an mortal enemy made the kindest friend And so he may triumph with the Apostle O death where is thy sting O grave where is thy victory Thanks be to God in Iesuâ— Christ who giveth us the victory 1 Cor. 15.55 The ground of his triumph and that which a Christian hath to oppose to all the sorrows and pains and fears of death mustred against him is threefold one that death is not real a second that is not total even that which is and then that it is not perpetual This last is contained in the next vers the second expressed in this vers and the first may be understood or implyed in it That the nature of death is so far changed that of a punishment it is become a medicine of a punishment for sin it is turned into the last purgative of the soul from sin and thus the sting of it is taken away that relation it did bear to the just wrath of God And now the body of a Christian under appointment to die for sin that is for the death of sin the eternal death of sin Christ having come under the power of death hath gotten power over it and spoiled it of its stinging vertue he hath taken away the poysonable ingredient of the curse that it can no more hurt them that are in Him and so it is not now vested with that piercing and wounding notion of punishment though it be true that sin was the first in-lett of death that it first opened the slâ—ue to let it enter and flow in upon mankind yet that appointment of death is renewed and bears a relation to the destruction of sin rather then the punishment of the sinner who is f`orgiven in Christ And O how much solid comfort is here that the great reason of mortality that a Christian it subject unto is that he may be made free of that which made him at first mortal Because sin hath taken suâ—h possession in this earthly tabernacle and is so strong a poyson that it hath infected all the members and by no purgation here made can be fully cleansed â—ut but there are many secret corners it lurks into and upon occasion vents it self therefore it hath pleased God in His infinit goodnesse to continue the former appointment of death but under a new and living consideration to take down this infected and defiled tabernacle as the houses of leprosie were taken down under the Law that so they might be the better cleansed and this is the last purification of the soul from sin And therefore as one of the Ancients said well That we might not be eternally miserable mercy hath made us mortal Justice hath made the world mortal that they may be eternally miserable but to put an end to this misery
Christ. Here is a blessed message to condemned lost sinners who have that sentence within their breasts vers 1. This was the end of Christs coming and dying that he might deliver us from sin as well as death and the righteousnesse of the Law might be fulfilled in us and therefore he hath given the holy Spirit and dwels in us by the Spirit to quicken us who are dead in sins and trespasses O! what consolation will this be to souls that look upon the body oâ— death within them as the greatest misery and do groan with Paul O miserable man that I am c. Rom. 7.24 This is held forth to vers 17. But because there are many grounds of heavinesse and sadnesse in this world therefore the Gospel opposes unto all these both our expectation which we have of that blessed hope to come whereof we are so sure that nothing can frustâ—at us of it And also the help we get in the mean time of the Spirit to bear our infirmities and to bring all things about for good to us vers 28. And from all this the believer in Jesus Christ hath ground of triumph and boasting before the perfect victory Even as Paul doth in the name of believers from vers 31. to the end Upon these considerations he that cryed out not long ago O miserable man who shall deliver me doth now cry out Who shall condemn me The distressed wrestler becomes a victorious triumpher the beaten Souldiour becomes more than a Conquerour Oh that your hearts could be perswaded to hearken to this joyful sound to embrace Jesus Christ for grace and salvation how quickly would a song of triumph in him swallow up all your present complaints and lamentations All the complaints amongst men may be reduced to one of these three I hear the most part bemoaning theâ—selves thus Alace for the miseries of this life this evil world Alace for poverty for contempt for sickness Oh miserable man that I am who will take this disease away who will shew me any good thing Psal. 4. any temporal good But if ye knew and considered your latter end ye would cry out more ye would refuse to be comforted though these miseries were removed But I hear some bemoaning themselves more sadly they have heard the Law and the sentence of condemnation is within them the Law hath entred and killed them Oh! what shall I do to be saved Who will deliver me from the wrath to come What is alâ— present afflictions and miseries in respect of eternity Yet there is one moan and lamentation beyond all these when the soul finds the sentence of absolution in Jesus Christ and gets its eyes opened to see that body of death and sin within that perfect man of sin diffused throughout all the members then it bemoans it self with Paul Oh miserable man who shall deliver me from this body of death Rom. 7.24 I am delivered from the condemnation of the Law but what comâ—ort is it as long as sin is so powerful in me Nay this makes me often suspect my delivery from wrath and the curse seing sin it self is not taken away Now if ye could be perswaded to hearken to Jesus Christ and embrace this Gospel O! what abundant consolation should ye have what a perfect answer to all your complaints they would be swallowed up in such a triumph as Pauls are here This would discover unto you a perfect remedy of sin and misery that ye should complain no more or at least no more as these without hope You shall never have a remedy of your temporal miseries unlesse ye begin at eternal to prevent them Seek first the kingdom of God and all other things shall be added unto you seek fiâ—st to flee from the wrath to come and ye shall escape it and beside the evil of time-afflictions shall be removed first remove the greatest complaints of sin and condemnation and how easie is it to answer all the lamentations of this life and make you rejoice in the midst of them You have in this verse three things of great importance to consider The great and precious priviledge the true nature and the special property of a Christian. The priviledge is one of the greatest in the world because it s of eternal consequence and soul concernment the nature is most divine he is one that is in Jesus Christ and implanted in him by faith his distinguishing property is noble sureable to his nature and priviledges he walkes not as the world according to his base flesh but according to the spirit All these three are of one latitude none of them reaches further than another that rich priviledge and sweet property concenters and meets together in one man even in the man who is in Jesus Christ whoever enters into Jesus Christ and abideth in him he meets with these two Justification and Sanctification these are no where else and they are there together If ye knew the nature and properties of a Christian ye would fall in love with these for themselves but if theâ—e for your own sakes will not allure you consider this incomparable priviledge that he hath beyond all others that ye may â—all in love with the nature of a Christian. Let this love of your selves and your own wel-being puâ—sue you in to Jesus Christ that ye may walk even as he walked and I assure you if ye were once in Christ Jesus ye would love the very nature and walking of a Christian no more for the absolution and salvation that accompanies it but â—or its oâ—n sweetnesse and excellency beyond all other Ye would as the people of Samaria no moâ—e believe for the report of your own neceâ—â—â—ty and misery but ye would believe in Jesus Christ and walk according to the Spirit for their own testimony they have in your consciences Ye would no more be allured only with the priviledges oâ— it to embrace Châ—istianity but ye would think Christianity the greatest priviledge a reward â—nto it self Pietas ipsa sibi merces eâ—t Godlinesse is great gain in it self though it had not such sweet consequents or companions That you may know this priviledge conâ—â—der the estate all men are into by nature Paul expresses it in shoâ—t Rom. 5. By the offence of oÌ„ne judgemnt came upon all unto condemnation and the reason of this is by one man sin came upon all and so death by sin for death passed upon all because all have sinned vers 18.12 Lo then all men are under a sentence of condemnation once This sentence is the curse of the Law Cursed is every one that abideth not in all things commanded to do them If ye knew what this curse were ye would indeed think it a priviledge to be delivered from it Sin is of an infinite deserving because against an infinite God it s an offence of an infinite Majesty and therefore the curse upon the sinner involves eternal punishment O! what weight is in that word 2 Thes. 1.9 Ye
grounds he comes not right If the most holy man come not in among ungodly sinners if he do not walk upon the grounds of his own extream necessity and Christs sufficiency he cannot come to Jesus Christ. There is a conceit among people which if it were not so common as it is I would not mention it it is so ridiculous How can I come to Christ so unclean and so guilty nothing but condemnation in me if I were such and such I would come to him Alace there can nothing be imagined more absurd or contrary even to sense and reason If thou wert such and such as thou fancies a desire to be thou would not come to Christ thou needed him not that which thou pretends as a reason why thou should not come is the great reason pressed in the Gospel why thou should come What madness is this I am so unclean I will not come to the fountain to wash Wherefore was the fountain opened but for sin and uncleanness and the more uncleanness the more need and the more need the more reason to come Necessity is a great errand and our eâ—rand is a sufficient warrand I am pursued by the Law I have condemnation within me and nothing but condemnation well then come to Christ Jesus the City of Refuge where no condemnation is Wherefore was this City appointed but for this end I beseech you every one who useth those debates and taketh a kind of delight in them know what they mean how they wrong your own souls how they dishonour Christ and so God the Father nay how foolish and ridiculous they are that if it were not your perplexity indeed they deserved no answer but a rebuke or silence I have seen people take delight in moving objections against the truth yea and studying earnestly how to object against any answers given from the truth Alace thou medles to thine own hurt thou art upon a way which shall never yeeld thee any comfort but keep thy soul from establishment as a wave tossed up and down If ye believe not but dispute ye shall not be established But I would speak a word to these that have believed that have fled for refuge to Christ Oh! it concerns you most of alâ— men to study to know this condemnation that ye are delivered from that ye may be thankful and may keep closs within this City I say there is no man within the world should have moe thoughts more deep and earnest meditations on the curse and wrath of God then these who are delivered from them through Christ and my reason is that ye may know how great a salvation ye have received how great a condemnation ye have escaped and may henceforth walk as these who are bought with a price Your Creation makes you not your own but his because he gave that being but your Redemption should make you twice more his and not your own because when that being was worse than if it had not been at all he made it over again so ye are twice his first he made you with a word but now he hath bought you with a price and that a dear price his blood Again the keeping this curse alwayes in your view and sight and application of it unto your sins will make much imployment for Christ O how will ye often â—â—ee into that City I think they are the greatest enemies of Jesus Christ and his grace who would have a believer have no more use of the Law I know not who can use the Law if he do it not I know not who can apply it unto Christ the end of it but he Certainly he hath not only use of the commands as a rule of obedience but the curse also not to make him fear again unto bondage no no but to make him see alwayes the more necessity of Jesus Christ that he may take up house in him and dwell in him SERMON III. Vers. 1. That walk not after the flesh but c. IT is difficult to determine which of these is the greatest priviledge of a Christian that he is delivered from condemnation or that he is made to walk according to the Spirit and made a new creature whether we owe more to Christ for our Justification or Sanctification for he is made both to us But it is more necessary to conjoyn them together than to compare them with other the one is not more necessary to be delivered from wrath than the other to walk according to the Spirit I think it were an argument of a soul escaped condemnation to have the great stream and current of its affections and endeavours towards Sanctification not that they may be accepted of God but because they are accepted of God It is not said there is nothing condemnable in those that are in Christ but there is no condemnation to them There is indeed a body of death and law of sin within them a nature defiled with Oâ—iginal pollution and many streams flowing from it which the sprinkling oâ— the blood of Christ in Justification doth not take away If any man say there is no sin in him he is a liar and the truth is not in him But heâ—e is the grace and meâ—cy of God in Jesus Christ that removes the curse where the sin is that takes away the condemnation where all worthy of condemnation is And thus the souls Justification is parallel to Christs condemnation there was in him nothing condemnable no sin no guile in his mouth yet there was condemnation to him because he was in stead and place of sinners our iniquities was laid on him not in him he who knew no sin was made a curse for us that we might be made the righteousness of God in him So then the soul that flyeth in to Jesus Christ his righteousness though it have in it all that deserveth condemnation yet there is no condemnation to it because his righteousness is laid upon it and Christ hath taken away the curse The innocent Son of God was condemned therefore are guilty sinners absolved The curse was applied unto him who had no sin but only was made sin or sin laid on him and therefore the sentence of absolution from the curse is applyed unto them who have no righteousness but are made the righteousness of God by free and gracious imputation This I speak because of many unsavoury and unsound expressions in this loose generation that there is no sin in the justified that Justification removes it closs as if it had never been at all I say as the condemnation of Jesus Christ did not blot out his innocency and holiness within him but only Justice considered him in that account as a transgressour who yet was the holy and spotless Lamb of God in himself so likewise the justification of a sinner before God doth not remove or blot out the very corruption and defilement of our natures but only scrapes out our names out of the roll of his debtors as having
and by his power obtain this supream authoâ—y of life and death Now having his authority established in hiâ— person the next work is to apply this purchase actâ—ally to conâ—er this liâ—e and therefore he hath almighty power to raise up dead sinners to creat us again to good works to redeem us from the tyâ—anny oâ— sin and satan whose slaves we are He hath a spirit of liâ—e which he communicats to his seed he breaths it into these souls that he died for and dispossesseth that powerful corruption that dwells in us Hence it comes to passe that they walk after the Spirit though they be in the flesh because the powerful Spirit of Christ hath entered and taken possession of their spirits Isa. 59.20 21. Let us not be discouraged in our apprehensions of Christ when we look on our ruinous and desperatâ— estate let us not conclude it is past hope and past his help too We do proclaim in the name of Jesus Christ that there is no sinner howsoever justly under a sentence of death and damnation but they may in him find a relaxation from that sentence and that without the impairing of Gods justice and this is a marvelous ground of comfort that may establish our souls 1 Iohn 1.9 even this that law and justice is upon Christs side and nothing to accuse or plead against a sinner that imploys him for his Advocat But know this also that you are not delivered from death that you may live under sin nay you are redeemed from death that you may be freed from the law of sin but that must be done by his almighty Spirit and cannot be otherwayes done I know not whether of these is matter of greatest comfort that there is in Christ a redemption from the wrath of God and from hell and that there is a redemption too from sin and corruption which dwells within us but sure I am both of them will be most sweet and comfortable to a believer and without both Christ were not a compleat Redeemer nor we compleatly redeemed Nâ—itheâ— would a believing soul in which there is any measure of this new law and divine life be satisfied without both these Many are miserably deluded in their apprehensions of the Gospel they take it up thus as if it were nothing but a proclamation of freedom from misery from death and damnation and so the most part catch at nothing else in it and from thence takes liberty to walk after their former lusts and courses this is the woful practical uâ—e that the generality of hearers make of the free intimation of pardon and forgiveness of sin and delivery from wrath they admit some general notion of that and stops there and examines not what further is in the Gospel and so you will see the slaves of sin professing a kind of hope of freedom from death the servants and vassals of corruption who walk after the course of this world and fulfill the lusts and desires of their mind and flesh yet fancying a freedom and immunity from condemnation men living in sin yet thinking of escaping wrath which dreams could not be entertained in men if they did drink in all the truth and open both their ears to the Gospel if our spirits were not narrow and limited and so excluded the one half of the Gospel that is our redemption from sin There is too much of this even among the children of God a strange narrowness of spirit which admits not whole and intire truth it falls out often that when we think of delivery from death and wrath we forget in the mean time the end and purpose of that which is that we may be freed from sin and serve the living God without fear And if at any time we consider and busie our thoughts about freedom from the law of sin and victory over corruption such is the scantness of room and capacity in our spirits that we loss the remembrance of delivery from death and condemnation in Christ Jesus thus we are tossed between two extreams the quick-sands of presumption and wantonness and the rocks of unbelief and despair or discouragement both of which do kill the Christians life and make all to fade and wither But this were the way and only way to preserve the soul in good case even to keep these two continually in our â—ight that we are redeemed from death and misery in Christ and that not to serve our selves or to continue in our sins but that we may be redeemed from that sin that dwells in us and that both these are purchased by Jesus Christ and done by his power the one in his own person the other by his Spirit within us I would have you correcting your misapprehensions of the Gospel do not so much look on victory and freedom from sin as a duty and task though we be infinitly bound to it but rather as a priviledge and dignity conferred upon us by Christ Look not upon it I say only as your duty as many do and by this means are discouraged from the sight of their own infirmity and weakness as being too weak for such a strong party but look upon it as the one half and greater half of the benefite conferred by Christs death as the greater hall of the redemptiâ—n which the Redeemer by his office is bound to accomplish He will redeem Israel from all his iniquities with him is plenteous redâ—mpâ—ion Pâ—al 130.7 8. This is the plenty this is the sufficiency of iâ— that he redeems not only from misery but from iniquity and that all iniquities I would not desire a believers soul to be in a better posture here-away then this to be looking upon sin inâ—dwelling aâ— his bondage and redemption â—rom it as freedom to account â—imâ—elf in so far free as tâ—e free Spirit of Christ enters and wâ—ites that â—â—ee Law of love and obedience in his heart and blots out these base characters of the law of sin It were a good temper to be groaning for the redemption of the soul and why doth a believer groan for the redemption of the body but because he shall then be freed wholly from the law oâ— sin and from the presence of sin I know not a greater argument to a gracious heart to subdue his corruption and strive for freedom from the law of sin then the freedom obtained from the law of death nor is there any clearer aâ—gument and evidence of a soul delivered from death then to strive for the freedom of the Spirit from the law of sin there jointly help one another freedom from death will raise up a Christians heart to aspire to a freedom and liberty from sin And again freedom from sin will wiâ—ness and evidence that such a one is delivered from death When freedom from death is an inducement to seek after freedom from sin and freedom from sin a declaration of freedom from death then all is well and indeed thus it will be in some meaâ—uâ—e with every soul
the flesh all your time never once seriously to rise up in the consideration of eternity or lift up your heads above temporal and earthly things and yet in the close to ascend unto Heaven No no do not deceive your selves you must go forward this life and eternity makes one straight line either of ascent or descent of happinesâ— or misery and since you have bowed down alwayes while in the body there is no rising up after it forward you must go and that is downward to that element which you transformed your spirits into that is the earth or below the earth to hell your spirits hath most affinity with these and down they must go â—s â— stoâ—e to the earth But if you would desire to have your spirits ascending up to heaven when they are let out of this prison the body take heed which way they turn bend and strive while here in the body If your struglings be to be upward at God if you have discovered that blessedness is in him and if this be the predominant of your spirit that carries it upward in desires and endeavours and turns it off the base study of satisfying the flesh and the base love of the world if thy soul be mounting alost on these wings of holy desires of a better life then can be found in any thing below certainly the motion of thy spirit will be in â— straight line upward when thou leaves thy dust to the earth Anâ—els waits to carry that spirit to that bosomâ— of Christ where it longed and liked most to be but devils do attend the souls of most part of men to thrust them down below the earth because they did still bend down to the earth SERMON XVII Rom. 8.5 For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh c. THough sin hath taken up the principal and inmost Cabinet of the heart of man though it hath fixed its Imperial Throne in the spirit of man and makes use of all the powers and faculties in the soul to accomplish its accursed desires and fulfill its boâ—ndless lusts yet it is not without good reason expressed in Scripture ordinarily under the name of flesh and a body of death and men dead in sins are said to be yet in the â—lesh The reason is partly because this was the rise of mans first ruine or the chiefest ingredient in his first sin his hearkning to the suggestions of his flesh against the clear light and knowledge of his spirit The Apple was beautiful to look on and sweet to the taste and this engâ—ged man thus the voluntary debasement and subjection of the spirit which was breathed in of God unto the service of that dust which God had appointed to serve it hath turned into a necessary slavery so that the flesh being put in the Throne cannot be cast out and this is the righteous judgment of God upon man that he that would not serve so good and so high a Lord should be made a drudge and slave to the very dregs of the Creation Partly again because the flesh hath in it the seeds of the most part of these evil fruits which abound in the world the most part of our corruptions have either their rise or their increase from the flesh the most part of the evils of men are either conceived in the flesh or brought forth by it by the ministry and help of our degenerat spirits And truly this is it that makes our returning to God so hard and difficult a work because we are in the flesh which is like stubble disposed to conceive flame upon any sparkle of a temptation there are so many dispositions and inclinations in the body since our fall that are as powerful to carry us to excess and inordinatness in affection or conversation as the natural instincts of beasts do dâ—ive them on to their own proper operations You know the flesh is oftâ—n times the greatest impediment that the spirit hath because of its lumpishness and earthly qâ—ality how willing would the spirit be how nimble and active in the wayes of obedience if it were not â—etarded dulled and clogged with the heavy lump of our flesh The spirit indeed is willing but the flesh is weak saith Christ Matth. 26.41 Truly I think the great reâ—issness negligence weaknesâ— fainting of Christians in their race of Christianity ariseth ordinarily from this weight that is carried about with them that is must be some extraordinary impulse of a higher spirit to drive us on without wearying And because of this indisposition of the flesh we are not able to bear much of Gods presence in this life it would certainly confound mortality if so much were let out of it as is in Heaven no more then a weak eâ—e can endure to behold the Sun in its brightness Anâ— then the flesh as it is the greatest retardment in good it is the greatest incitement to evil it is a bosome-enemy that betrays us to Satan it is near us and connatural to us and this is the great advantage Satan hath of a Christian he hath a fâ—iend within every Christian that betrays him often You know the most part of temptationâ— from without could have no such force or strength against us if there were not some predisposition in the flesh some seeds of that evill within if they were not presented with some suitableness to our senses and they being once engaged on Satans side they easily draw the whole man with them under a false colour and pretence of friendship therefore they are said to war against the soul 1 Pet. 2.11 And they are said easily to beset us Heb. 12.1 Truly it is no wonder that the enemy storm our City when the out-works yea the very Ports of the City are possessed by traitors no wonder Satan approach near the walls with hiâ— temptations when our senses our fleshly part is so apt to receive him and ready to entertain all objects without difference that aâ—e suitable to affect them You see then how much power the flesh hath in man so that it is no wonder that every â—atural man hath this denomination one after the flesh one carnal from the predomining part though the worst part Every man by nature till a higher birth come may be called all flesh all fashioned and composed of the flesh and after the flesh even his spirit and mind fleshly and earthly sunk into the flesh and transformed into a bruitish quality or nature Now the great purpose of the Gospel is to bring alongs a deliverer unto your spirits for the releasing and unsettering of them from the chains of fleshly lusts This is the very work of Christianity to give liberty to the captive souls of men and the opening of the prison to them that are bound Isai. 63.1 The souls oâ— men are chained with their own fleshly â—usts and if at any time they can break these grosser chains aâ—â—ome â—iner spirits have escaped out of the vilest
character of all our evidences and rights for Heaven disowns many as bastards and dead members withered branches and certainly according to this word He will judge you the word that I have spoken shall judge you in the last day O that is a heavy word you have the very rule and method of proceeding laid down before you now which shall be punctually kept at that great day Now why do you not read your ditty and condemnatory sentence here registred If you do not read it now in your consciences he will one day read it before men and Angels and pronounce this I know you not for mine you are none of mine But if you would now take it to your hearts there might be hope that it should go no further and come to no more publick hearing there were hope that it should be repealed before that day because the fiâ—st entry of the Spirit of Christ is to convince men of sin that they are unbelievers and without God in the world and if this were done then it were more easie to convince you of Christs righteousnesse and perswade you to embrace it and this would lead in another link of the chain the conviction of judgement to perswade you to resign your selves to the Spirits rule and renounce the kingdom of Satan this were another trinity a trinity upon earth three bearing witnesse on the earth that you have the Spirit of God Vers. 10. All the preceeding verses seem to be purposly set down by the Apostle for the comfort oâ— Christians against the remnants of sin and corruption within them â—or in the preceeding Chapter he personâ—â—â— the whole body of Christ militant shewing in his own exâ—mple how much sin râ—mains in â—he â—â—lieâ—t in this life and this he rather instances in his own person then another that all may know that matter of continual sorrow and lamentation is furnished to the chiefest of Saints and yet in this chapter he propounds the consolation of Christâ—â—ns more generally that all may know That these priviledges and immunities belong even to the meanest and weakest of Christians that as the best have reason to mourn in themselves so the worst want not reason to rejoice in Jesus Christ. And this would alwayes be minded that the â—mplest grounds of strongest consolation are general to all that come indeed to Jesus Christ and are not restricted unto Saints of such and such a grouth and stature the common principles of the Gospel are more full of this milk of consolation if you would suck it out of them then many particular grounds which you are laying down for your selves God hath so disposed and contrived the work of our sâ—lvation that in this life he that hath gathâ—red much in some respect hath nothing over that is to say hath no more reason to boast then another but will be constrained to sit down and mourn over his own evil heart and the emptiness of it and he that hath gathered lesse hath in some sense no want I mean he is not excluded and shut out from the right to these glorious priviledges which may expresse gloriation and rejoycing from the heart that there might be an equality in the body he maketh the stronger Christian to partake with the weaker in his bitter things and the weaker with the stronger in his sweet things that none of them may conceive themselves either dispised or alone regarded that the Eunuoh may not have reason to say I am a dry tree Isa. 56.3 For behold the Lord will give even to such a place in his house and a name better then of sons and daughters The soul that is in sincerity aming at this walk and whose inward deâ—ires â—â—irrs after more of this holy Spirit he will not refuse to such that name and esteem that they dare not take to themselves because of their seen and selâ— unworthinesse Now in thiâ— vers he proceeds further to the fruits and effects of sin dwelling in us to enlarge the consolation against that too Now if Christ be in you the body c. Seeing the word of God hath made such a connexion between â—in and deâ—th and death is the wages of sin and that which is â—he 〈◊〉 compence of enmity and rebellion â—gainst God the poor tâ—oubled soul might be ready to conceive That is the body be adjudged to death for sin that â—he rest of the wages shall be payed and sin haviâ—g so much dominion as to kill the body that it should exerce its full power to destroy all seing we have a visible character of the curse of God engraven on us in the mortality of our bodies it may look with such a visage on a soul troubled for sin as if it were but earnest of the full curse and weight of wrath and that sin were not fully satisfied for nor Justice fully contented by Christs ransome Now he opposes to this misconception the strongest ground of consolation If Christ be in you though your bodies must die for sin because sin dwelleth in them yet that spirit of life that is in you hath begun eternal life in your soulâ— your spiâ—its are not only immortal in being but that eternal happy being is begun in you the seeds of it are cast into your souls and shall certainly grow up to perfection of holiness and happiness and this through the righteousnesse of Christ which assureth that state unto you The comfort is it is neither total for it is only the death of your bodie nor is it perpetual for your bodies shall be raised again to life eternal vers 11. And not only is it only part and for a season but it is for a blessed end and purpose it is that sin may be wholly cleansed out that this tabernacle is taken down as the â—eprous houses were to be taken down under the Law and as now we use to cast down Pest-lodges the better to cleanse them of the infection It is not to prejudge him of life but to install him in a better life Thus you see that it is neither total nor perpetual but it is medicinal and profitable to the soul it is but the death of the body for a moment and the life of the soul for ever SERMON XXVII Rom. 8.10 And if Christ be in you the body is dead because of sin c. THis is the high excellency of Christian Religion that it contains the most absolute precepts for an holy life and the greatest comforts in death for from theâ—e two the truth and excellency of Religion is to be measured if it have the highest and perfectest rule of walking and the chiefest comfort withall Now the perfection of Christianity you saw in the rule how spiritual it is how reasonable how divine how free from all corrupt mixture how transcending all the most exquiâ—ite precepts and laws of men deriving a holy converâ—ation from the highest fountain the Spirit of Christ and conforming it to the highest pattern the will of God And
Christ hath continued our mortality Else he would have abolished death it self if he had not meant to abolish sin by death and indeed it would appear this is the reason why the world must be consumed with fire at the last day and new Heavens and earth succeed in its room because as the little house the body so the great house the world was infected with this leprosie so subjected to vanity and corruption because of mans sin therefore that there might be no remnant of mans corruption and no memorial of sin to inteâ—upt his eternal joy the Lord will purify and change all all the members that were made instruments of unrighteousness all the creatures that were servants to mans lusts a new form and fashion shall be put on all that the body being restored may be a fit dwelling place for the purified soul and the world renewed may be a â—it house for righteous men Thus you see that Death to a Christian is not real death for it is not the death of a Christian but the death of sin his greatest enemy it is not a punishment but the enlargement of the soul. Now the next comfort is that which is is but partial it is but the dissolution of the lowest part in man his body so far from prejudging the immortal life of his spirit that it is rather the accomplishment of that Though the body must die yet eternal life is begun already within tâ—e soul for the Spirit of Christ hath brought in life the Righteousnesse of Christ hath purchased it and the Spirit hath performed it and applyed it to us not only there is an immortal being in a Christian that must survive the dust for that is common to all men but there is a new life begun in him an immortal well being in joy and happinesse which only deserveth the name of life that cometh never to its full perfection till the bodily and earthly house be taken down If you consider seriously what a new life a Câ—â—istâ—â—n is â—â—â—aâ—lated unto by the operation of the Holy Ghost and the ministration of the word it is then most active and lively when the soul is most retired from the body in meditation the new life of a Christian is most perfect in this life when it carrieth him the furthest distance from his bodily senses and is most abstracted from all sensible engagements as you heard for indeed it restores the spirit of a man to its native rule and dominion over the body so that it is then most perfect when it is most gâ—thered within it self and disingaged from all external intanglements Now certain it is since the perfection of the soul in this life consists in such a retirement from the body that when it is wholly separated from it then it is in the most absolute state of perfection and its life â—cts most purely and peâ—fectly when it hath no body to communicat with and to entangle it either with its lusts or necessities The Spirit is life it hath a life now which is then best when furthest from the body and therefore it cannot but be surpassing better when it is out of the body and all this is purchaâ—ed by Christs righteousnesse As mans disobedience made an end of his life Christs obedience hath made our life endlesse He suffered death to sting him and by this hath taken the sting from it and now there is a new statute and appointment of Heaven published in the Gospel whosoever believeth in Him shall not perish but have eternal life Now indeed this hath so intirely châ—nged the nature of death that iâ— hath noâ— the most lovely and desirable aspect on a Christian that it is no more an object of fear but of desire amicable not terrible unto him since there is no way to save the passenger but to let the vessel break he will be content to have the body splitted that himself that is his soul may escape for truly a mans soul is himself the body is but an earthly tabernacle that must be taken down to let the inhabitant win out to come near his Lord the body is the Prison-house that he groans to have opened that he may enjoy that liberty of the sons of God And now to a Christian death is not properly an object of patience but of desire rather I desire to be dissolved and be with Christ Phil. 1.23 He that hath but advanced little in Christianity will be content to die but because there is too much flesh he will desire to live but a Christian that is riper in knowledge and grace will rather desire to die and only be content to live he will exercise patience and submission about abiding here but groanings and pantings about removing hence because he knoweth that there is no choice between that bondage and this liberty SERMON XXIX Rom. 8.10 The body is dead because of sin but the Spirit is life c. IT was the first curse and threatning wherein God thought fit to comprehend all misery Thou shalt die the death in that day thou eatest though the sentence was not presently executed according to the letter yet from that day â—orward man was made mortal and there seemeth to be much mercy and goodness of God interveening to plead a delay of death it self that so the promise of life in the second Adam might come to the first and his posterity and they might be delivered â—rom the second death though not from the first Alwayes we bear about the markes of sin in our bodies to this day and in so far the threatning taketh place that this life that we live in the body is become nothing else but a dying life the life that the ungodly shall live out oâ— the body is a living death and either of these is worse then simple death or destruction of beeing The serious contemplation of the miseries of this life made wise Solomon to praise the dead more then the living contrary to the custom of men who rejoyce at the birth of a man-child and mourn at their death yea it pressed him further to think them which have not at all been better then both because they have not seen the evil under the Sun this world is such a Chaos such a masse of miseries that if men understood it before they came into it they would be far more loath to enter into it then they are now afraid to go out of it And truly we want not remembrances and representations of our misery every day in that children come weeping into the world as it were bewailing â—heir own misfortune that they were brought forth to be sensible subjects of misery And what is all our life-time but a repetition of sighs and groanâ— anxiety and satiety loathing and longing dividing our spiâ—its and our time between them How many deaths must we suffer before death come for the absence or losse of any thing much desired is a sepâ—ration no lesse gâ—ievous to the hearts of men
then the paâ—ting of soul and body for affection to temporal peâ—ishing things unites the soul so unto them that there is no parting without pain no dissolution of that continuity without much vexation and yet the soul must suffer many such tortures in one day because the things are perishing in their own nature and uncertain What is sleep which devours the most part of our time but the very image and picture of death a visible and daily representation of the long cessation of the sensitive life in the grave and yet truly it is the best and most innocent part of our time though we accuse it often there is both lesse sin and lesse misery in it for it is almost the only leniment and refreshment we get in all our miseries Iobâ—ought â—ought it to asswage his grief and ease his body but it was the extremity of his misery that he could not find it Now my beloved when you find that which is called life subject to so much misery that you are constrained often to desire you had never been born you find it a valley of tears a house of mourning from whence all true delight and solid happiness is banished seing the very Officers and Serjeants of death are continually surrounding us and walk alongs with us though unpleasant company in our greatest contentments and are putting marks upon your doors as in the time of the Plague upon houses infected Lord have mercy upon us and are continually bearing this motto to our view and â—ounding this direction to our earâ— cito procul diu to get soon out of Sodom that is appointed for destruction to fly quickly out of our selves to the refuge appointed of God even one that was dead and is alive and hath redeemed us by his blood and to get far off from our selves and take up dwelling in the blessed Son oâ— God through whose flesh there is accesse to the Father seing all these I say are so why do not we awake our selves upon the sound of the promise of immortality and life brought to our ears in the Gospel Mortality hath already seized upon our bodies but why do ye not catch hold of this opportunity of releasing your souls from the chains and setters of eternal dâ—ath Truly my beloved all that can be spoken of torments and miseries in this life I suppose we could imagine all the exquisite torments invented by the most cruel tyrants since the beginning to be combined in some one kind of torture and would tâ—â—n stâ—etch our imagination beyond that as far as that which is compoâ—ed of all torments surpasseth the simplest death yet we do not conceive nor expresse unto you that death to come Believe it when the soul is out of the body it is a most pure activity all sense all knowledge and seing where it is dulled and dampished in the body it is capable of so much grief or joy pleasure or pain we may conclude That being loosed from these stupifying earthly chains that it is capable of infinit more vexation or contentation in a higher anâ— purer strain Therefore we may conclude with the Apostle that all men by nature are miserable in life but infinitly more miserable in death only the man who is in Jesus Christ in whose spirit Christ dwells and hath made a temple of his body for offering up reasonable service in it that man only is happy in life but far happier in death happy that he was born but infinitly more happy that he was born mortal born to die for if the body be dead because of sin the spirit is life because of righteousnesse Men commonly make their accompts and calculat their time so as if death were the end of it truly it were happinesse in the generality of men that that computation were true either that it had never begâ—n or that it might end here for that which is the greatest dignity and glory of a man his immortal soul it is truly the greatest misery of sinful men because it capacitats them for eternal misery But if we make our accompts right and take the right period truly death is but the beginning of our Time of endlesse and unchangeable endurance either in happinesse or misery and this life in the body which is only in the view of the short-sighted sons of men is but a strait and narrow passage into the infinit ocean of eternity but so inconsiderable it is that according as the spirit in this passage is fashioned and formed so it must continue for ever for where the tree falleth there it lyeth There may be hope that a tree will sprout again but truly there is no hope that ever the damned soul shall see a spring of joy and no fear that ever the blessed spirits shall find a winter of grief such is the evennesse of eternity that there is no shadow of change in it O then how happy are they in whose souls this life is already begun which shal then come to its Meridian when the glory of the flesh falls down like withered hay into the dust the life as well as the light of the righteouâ— is progressive its shining more and more till that day come the day of Death onâ—y worthy to be called the present day becâ—â—se it brings perfection it mounts the soul in the highest point of the Orb and there is no declining from that again The spirit is now alive in some holy affâ—ctions and motions breathing upwards wrestling towards that point the soul is now in paâ—t united to the fountain of life by loving attendance and obedience and it iâ— longing to be more clâ—â—ly united the inward senses are exercisâ—â— about spiritual thingâ— but the burden of this clayie mansion dotâ— much dull and damp them and proves a great Remora to the spiriâ— the body indispoâ—es and weakens the soul much its life as in an Infant though a reasonable soul be there yet overwhelmed with the incapacity of the organs this body is truly a prison of restraint and confinement to the â—oul and often loathsome and ugly through the filthinesse of sin But when the spirit is delivered from this necessary burden and impediment O how lively is that life it then lives then the life peace joy love and delight of the soul surmounts all that is possible here further then the highest exercise of the soul of the wisest men surpasses the bruitish-like apprehensions of an infant and indeed then the Christian comes to his full stature and is a perfect man when he ceaseth to be a man How will you not be perswaded beloved in the Lord to long after this life to have Christ foâ—med in your hearts foâ— truly the generality have not so much as Christ fashioned in their outward habit but aâ—e within daâ—knâ—sse and eaâ—thinesse and wickednesse and without impiety and prâ—fanity will you not long for this life for now you are dead while you live as the Apostle speaks of widows that live in pleasure
raised up Christ the very first fruits of all the rest so that Christs resurrection is a sure pledge and token of yours and both together are the main basis and ground work of all our hope and salvation the neglect and inconsideration whereof makes the most part of pretended Christians to walk according to that Epicurean principle let us eat and drink for to morrow we shall die as if there were no life to come they withold nothing from their carnal minds that can satisfie or please their lusts But for you who desire a part in this resurrection and daâ—e scarcely believe so great a thing or entertain such a high hope because of the â—ight of your unworthinesse as ye would be awaked by this hope to righteousnesse and to sin no more vers 34. of that Chap. So you may encourage your selves to that hope by the resurrection of Christ for it is that which hath the mighty influence to beget you to a lively hope 1 Pet. 1.3 Look upon this as the grand intent and special design of Christs both dying and rising again that he might be the first fruits to sanctifie all the lump Nevertheless it is not he defect of your bodies for they are often a great impediment and retardment to the spirit and lodgeth the enemy within their walls when he is chased out of the mind by the Law of the Spirit of life but it is the great design of God through the whole work of redemption and the desert of Christ your head and therefore you may entertain that hope but take heed to walk worthy of it and that is if we have this hope let us purifie our selves let us who believe that we are risen with Christ set our affections on things above else we dishonour Him that is risen in our name and we dishonour that Temple of the Holy Ghost which he will one day make so glorious SERMON XXXI Rom. 8.11 But if the Spirit of him that raised up Christ from the dead c. AS there is a twofold death the death of the soul and the death of the body so there is a double resurrection the resurrection of the soul from the power of sin and the resurrection of the body from the grave as the first death is that which is spiritual then that which is bodily so the first resurrection is of the Spirit then the second of the body and these two have a connexion together therefore saith the Apostle Iohn Blessed are they who have part in the first resurrection for on such the second death hath no power but they shall be Priests to God c. Rom. 20.6 Although death must 〈…〉 their bodies yet the sting wherein the strength of it lyes is taken away by Christ that it hath no power to hurt him whose spirit is raised out of the grave of sin and truly it is hard to tell which is the greatest change or the most dificult to raise a Body out of corruption to life or to to raise a Soul out of sin to grace But both are the greatest changes that can be and shadowed out under the similitude of the greatest in nature for our conversion to God is a new birth a new creation and a resurrection in Scripture style and so both require one and the same power the almighty power of his Spirit you who were dead in sin hath He quickned c. O what a notable change it maketh them no longer the same men but new creatures and therefore it is the death of sin and the resurrection of the soul for as long as it is under the chains of darknesse and power of sin it is free among the dead it is buried in the vilest sepulchre old graves and these full of rottennesse and dead mens bones are nothing to â—xpresse the lamentable case of such a soul and yet such are all by nature whatsoever excellency or endowment men have from their birth or education yet certainly they are but apparitions rather then any real substance and which is worse their bodies is the sepulchre of their souls and if the corruption of a soul were sensible we would think all the putrifactions of bodily things but shadows of it And therefore no sooner is there any inward life begotten in a soul but this is the very fiâ—st exercise of it the abhorrency of the soul upon the sight and smell of its own loathsomnesse Now there is no hope of any reviving though all the wisdom and art of men and Angels were imployed in this businesse there is nothing able to quicken one such soul untill it please the Lord to speak such a word as he did to Lazarus Arise come forth and send his Spirit to accomplish his word and this will do it when the Spirit cometh into the soul he quickeneth it and this is the first â—esurrection O blessed are they who have part in this whose souls are drawen out of the dungeon of darknesse and ignorance and brought â—orth to behold this glorious light that shineth in the Gospel and raised out of the grave of the lusts of ignorance to live â—nto God henceforth for such they have their part in the second resurrection to life for you see these are conjoyned If the Spirit dwell in you He shall raise you c. You see here two grounds and reasons of the resurrection of the body Christs rising and the Spirits indwelling now I find these in Scripture made the two fountains of all Christianity both of the fiâ—st and second resurrection The â—esurrection of Christ is an evidence of our Justification the the cause of our quickening or vivification and the ground and pledge of our last resurrection and all these are grounds of strong consolation The first you have Rom. 4.25 Christ died for our sins and rose for our Iustification and the vers 34. of this Chap. Christ is dead yea rather that is risen again who then shall condemn Here is a clear evidence that He hath payed the debt wholly and satisfied Justice fully since He was under the power of death imprisoned by Justice certainly he would not have won free if he had not payed the uttermost farthing therefore his glorious resurrection is a sure manifestation of his present satisfaction it is a publick acquittance and absolution of him from all our debt and so by consequence of all he died for for their debt was laid upon him and now He is discharged and therefore the believing soul may tremblingly boast who shall condemn me for it is God that justifieth Why because all my sins were laid on Christ and God hath in a most solemn manner acquited and discharged him from all when he raised him from the dead and therefore he cannot and none other can sue me or prosecute a plea against me since my Cautioner is fully exonered of this undertaking even by the great Creditor God himself But then his resurrection is a pawn or pledge of the spiritual raising of the soul
THE SINNERS SANCTUARY OR A discovery made of those glorious priviledges offered unto the penitent and faithful under the Gospel Unfolding their freedom from death condemnation and the Law in fourty Sermons upon Romans Chap. 8. By that eminent Preacher of the Gospel Mr. Hugh Binning late Minister at Govan Heb. 11.4 And by it he being dead yet speaketh Isaiah 38.16 O Lord by these things men live and in all these things is the life of my spirit so wilt thou recover me and make me to live Zanch. Thes. 3. de Dispens c. Dispensare solet Christus hanc salutis gratiam per Sermonem veritatis hoc est per Evangelium salutis nostrâ— EDINBVRGH Printed by George Swintown and Iames Glen and are to be sold at their Shops in the Parliament-yard Anno Dom. 1670. Christian Reader EXperience hath proved that few Posthumous Works are perfect most of them being lame for their parts and almost all of them wanting the last touch of the Authors Pen and the lustre thereby given for publick view besides that there is a general aversation in them that survive to mix with the Genius of the dead This little Piece upon the eighth Chapter to the Romanes labour under all these disadvantages being imperfect as to parts by the immature death of the Author and for ought I know never designed for publick view could not have the last touch of his Pen Neither hath his Genius appeared in another person to pursue his Work yet because many imperfect Writings have been useful to the Church of Christ and have provoked others with holy emulation to pursue the perfecting of things well begun observing also the universal acceptance that another imperfect Piece of the same Authors hath found with all who have seen it I have been perswaded to let these go to the worlds view not doubting but they shall find the same acceptance and be through the blessing of God rendered profitable to the Christian Reader P. G. SERMON I. Upon Romanes VIII Vers. 1. There is therefore now no condemnation c. THere are three things which concur to make man miserable sin condemnation and affliction Every one may observe that man is born unto trouble as the sparks flie upward that his dayes here are few and evil he possesses moneths of vanity and wearisome nights are appointed for him Job 5.6 7. and 7.3 He is of few dayes and full of trouble Job 14.1 Heathens have had many meditations of the misery of man's life and in this have out-stript the most part of Christians We recount amongst our miseries only some afflictions and troubles as poverty sickness reproach banishment and such like they again have numbred even these natural necessities of men amongst his miseries to be contiâ—ually turned about in such a circle of eating drinking and sleeping What burden should it be to an immortal spirit to roll about perpetually that wheel We make more of the body than of the soul They have accounted this body a burden to the soul they placed prosperity honour pleasure and such things which men pour out their souls upon amongst the greatest miseries of men as vanity in themselves and vexation both in the injoying and losing of them But alace they knew not the fountain of all this misery sin and the accomplishment of this misery condemnation They thought trouble came out of the ground and dust either by a natural necessity or by chance but the Word of God discovereth unto us the ground of it and the end of it the ground and beginning of it was mans defection from God and walking according to the flesh and from this head have all the calamities and streams of miseries in the world issued it hath not only redounded to men but even to the whole creation and subjected it to vanity ver 20. of this Chapter Not only shalt thou O man saith the Lord to Adam eat thy meat in sorrow but thy curse is upon the ground also and thou who was immortal shalt return to that dust which thou magnified above thy soul Gen. 3.17 But the end of it is suitable to the beginning the beginning had all evil of sin in it and the end hath all evil of punishment in it These streams of this lifes misery they run in to an infinit boundless and bottomless ocean of eternal wrath If thou live according to the flesh thou shalt die It is not only death here but eternal death after this The miseries then of this present life are not a proportionable punishment of sin they are but an earnest given of that great sum which is to be payed in the day of accompts and that is condemnation everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and the glory of his power Now as the Law discovers the perfect misery of mankind so the Gospel hath brought to light a perfect remedy of all this misery Jesus Christ was manifested to take away sin and therefore his Name is Iesus for he shall save his people from their sins This is the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world Iudgment was by one unto condemnation of all but now there is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Iesus so these two evils are removed which indeed have all evil in them He takes away the curse of the Law being made under it and then he takes away the sin against the Law by his holy Spirit He hath a twofold vertue for he came by blood and water 1 Iob. 5.6 7. by blood to cleanse away the guilt of sin and by water to purifie us from sin it self But in the mean time there are many afflictions and miseries upon us common to men Why are not these removed by Christ I say the evil of them is taken away though themselves remain Death is not taken away but the sting of death is removed death afflictions and all aâ—e overcome by Jesus Christ and so made his servants to do us good The evil of them is Gods wrath and sin and these are removed by Jesus Christ. Now they would be taken away indeed if it were not good they remained for all things work together for the good of those that love God ver 28. So then we have a most compleat deliverance in extent but not in degrees Sin remains in us but not in dominion and power wrath sometimes kindles because of sin but it cannot increase to everlasting burnings Afflictions and miseries may change their name and be called instructions and tryals good and not evil but Christ hath reserved the full and perfect delivery till another day which is therefore called the day of compleat redemption and then all sin all wrath all misery shall have an end and be swallowed up of life and immortality ver 23. This is the sum of the Gospel and this is the substance of this Chapter There is a threefold consolation answerable to our three-fold evils There is no condemnation to those that are in
groundless opinions never to question the matter is to leave it alwise uncertain If ye would judge your selves according to the Scriptures many of you have the marks and characters of these who are kept without the City and are to have their part in the lake of fire Is there no condemnation for you who have never condemned your selves Certainly the more you are averse to condemn your selves this sticks the closser to you You are not all in Christ all are not Israel who are of Israel many nay the most part are but said Christians have no real union with Christ or principle of life from him your love you carry to your selves makes you easily believe well of your selves know that self-love can blind the eyes and make you apprehend that God loves you also Nay every one readily fancies that to be which he desires to be I beseech you consider if you have any ground for your hopes and confidences but such as these that will not bear out alwayes It would be no disadvantage to you to have your hope shaken that in stead of a vain presumption you may have the Anchor of hope which shall be fixed within the vail I think one thing keeps men far from the Kingdom of God because they know not that they believe not in him we had gained much ground on you by the Word if we could perswade you that ye believe not and have not believed from the Womb. We might then say to you as Christ to his Disciples ye believe in God believe also in me Ye have given credit to God the Judge and Law-giver pronouncing a curse on â—ou and a sentence that ye have hearts desperatly wicked now believe also in me the Redeemer Ye have believed God in the Law in as far as ye have judged your selves under sin and wrath now believe Me in the Gospel that brings a ransome from wrath and a remedy for sin It s this very unbelief that is the original of the woâ—lds perishing unbelief of the Law ye do not consider ye are under the condemnation of it ye do not believe that ye have not yet â—ed to Jesus Christ to escape and these two keeps souls in a deep sleep till judgement awake them But unto every one of you I would give this Direction Let not examination of what you are hinder you from that which is your chief duty and his chief commandment to believe in him I know many Christians are puzled in the matter of their interest and alwise wavering because they are more taken up with that which is but a matter of comfort and joy then that which is His greatest honour and glory I say to consider the precious promises to believe the excellâ—â—cy and vertue of Jesus Christ and love him in your souls and delight in him is the weightiest matter of the Gospel to go out of your selves daily into his fulness to endeavour new discoveries of your own naughtiness and his grace this is the new and great commandment of the Gospel the obedience of it is the most essential part of a Christian-walk Now again to know that ye do believe and to discern your interest in Christ this is but a matter of comfort and of second concernment Therefore I say when ever ye cannot be clear in this ye should be alwise exercised in the first For its that we are first called to and if Souls were more exercised that way in the consideration and belief of the very general truths and promises of the Gospel I doubt not but the light of these would clear up their particular interest in due time these things ye ought to have done and not to leave the other undone It is still safest to wave such a question of interest when its plunging because it puts you off your special duty and its Satans intent in it It were better if ye do question presently to believe and abide in him till it were put out of question SERMON IV. Vers. 1. That walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit CHrist is made to us of God both righteousness and sanctification And therefore these who are in Christ do not only escape condemnation but they walk according to the spirit and not according to the flesh These two are the sum of the Gospel there is not a greater argument to holy walking then this there is no condemnation for you â—â—â—ther is there a greater evidence of a Soul escaped condemnation then walking â—ccording to the Spirit We have spoken something in general of the evidence that may be had of a mans state from his walking and the Spirits work in him we would now speak of the conjunction of these two and the influence that that priviledge hath on this duty and something of the nature of this description who walk not after the flesh but after the spirit In the creation of man man was composed of soul and body there was a right order and subordination of these suitable to their nature in his soul he reached Angels above in his body he was like the beasts below and this part his flesh was a servant to the Soul that was acted and affected according to the desires and motives of the Soul Now sin entring as it hath defaced all the beauty of the creation as it hath misplaced man and driven him out from that due line of subordination to God his Maker for he would have been equal to God so it hath perverted this beautiful order in men and turned it just contrary hath made the servant to ride on horses and the prince to walk on foot This is the just punishment of our first sin Adams soul was placed by creation under the sole command of its Creator above all the creatures and his own senses but in one sin he proudly exalted himself above God and lamentably subjected himself below his senses by hearkening to their perswasion he saw it was good and tasted it and it was sweet and so he ate of it What a strange way was this to be like God he made himself unlike himself liker the miserable beasts Now I say this is the deserved punishment of man his soul that was a free Prince is made a bond slave to the lusts of his flesh flesh hath gotten the Throne and keeps it and lords over the whole man Now therefore it is that the whole man unregenerat is called flesh as if he had no immortal spirit Iohn 3.6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh and this Chap. vers 8. here a description of natural men they that are in the flesh Because flesh is the predominant part that hath captivat a mans reason and will Nay not only the grosser corruptions in a man that have their use and seat in his flesh and body are under that name but take the whole nature of man that which is most excellent in him his Soul and Spirit his Light and Understanding the most refined principles of his
are swelled above ordinances I fear they be monstrous Christians A man is composed of a spirit and a body acted and quickned by that spirit without either of these he is not a compleat man So I say he is not a Christian that doth not worship God in the spirit and in truth both and it is not Religion that excludes either the inward soul-communion with God or the outward ordinance and appointment of God But alace this may be our complaint we come and worship God and drawes nigh with our bodies but our hearts are far removed Here is the death of many's worship the soul is separated from the body of it there are but pictures and images of Christians we have mouths and faces of Saints but O! how little of divine-affection or of soul-desires breaths in us We are denyers of the power of godliness by resting in a form and this is the great sin of this generation the essentials the vital-spirits of Christianity are exhausted and some dry bones like an Anatomy of a Christian remains behind I beseech you gather your spirits to this spiritual-walking they only can follow the Spirit your bodies are earthly and lumpish and the way is all upward to the holy hill Look inwardly and measure your selves so outward appearance is no just measure retire â—ithin your souls and engage them in this exercise and enter them to this motion and your spirits will sweetly and surely act your bodies and externals in all matters of godliness SERMON VI. Vers. 1. Who walk not after the flesh c. IT is one of the greatest mysteries in a Christians practice to joyn these two together which the Gospel hath conjoined justification and sanctification and to place them in their due order There is much miscarrying in both these either they are sepâ—rated or misplaced But the truth is they cannot really be except they be jointly yet often it falls out that in mens apprehensions and endeavours they are disjoined This then were the argument of a living and believing Christian to joine the study of holinesse with the exercise of â—aith in Christ for remission of sin and righteousnesse and not not only to joyn it but also to derive it from that principle There is both an union between these and an order established in Scripture The most part of these that professe the Gospel are of two sorts they do either divide holinesse from imputed righteousnesse or Christs righteousnesse from holinesse I do not say that any man truly seeks to be covered with the righteousnesse of Jesus Christ and to have his sins freely pardoned but he will also study to walk before God in all well-pleasing but the truth is many do pretend and profess to seek salvation and forgivenness in Christs blood and have the mercy of God and merits of Christ alwayes in their mouth who yet declare by their conversation that they do not so much as desire or purpose to seek after holinesse I do not speak of these who are Antinomians in profession but of a great multitude in the visible Church who are more really Antinomians to wit in practice then most part of professed Antinomians You hear all of free grace and free redemption in Jesus Christ of tender and induring mercies in God and this you take for the whole Gospel and presently upon the notion of mercy and grace you conclude unto your selves not only immunity and freedom from all the threatnings of the Word and from hell but likewise ye proclaim secretly in your own hearts a liberty to sin so much the more securely the door of mercy cast open in the Gospel and the free accesse to Christ manifested therein through the corruption that is within us proves the very occasion of many's giving indulgence to their lusts of delaying reformation and turning to God You all professe that you seek to be justified and saved by Jesus Christ yea you perswade your selves to be escaped condemnation by Christ Now then conjoyn that profession and perswasion with your walk and O! how contrary you may find them to one another your saith is vain for ye are yet in your sins Tit. 2.11 12. The grace of God appearing to some men effectually teacheth them to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts and to live righteously soberly and godly c. But if we may conjecture your teaching by your walking it seems the notion of grace and the Gospel that is formed in your minds hath taught you another doctrine to a vow ungodliness and follow worldly lusts Is there so much as a shadow of this spiritual walking in many I confesse it is natural for every man to seek his own righteousnesse and it is the arm of God that must bow men to submit to Christs imputed righteousnesse yet the most part of men seem to be so far from seeking any righteousnesse that they are rather seeking the fulfilling of their own carnal lusts working wickedness with greediness not caring how little they have to put confidence into and yet certain it is that how much forever a man attains to of a form of Religion or civil honesty he is ready to put his trust in it and to lean the weight of his soul upon it But seiâ—g this is natural to you all to seek heaven by doing and working I wonder that ye do no more how do ye satisfie your consciences in the expectation of heaven who take so little pains in Religion and are so loose and profane in your conversation I wonder seing ye have it naturally engraven in your hearts to establish your own righteousnesse that ye labour not to have more of it to fill your eye withall But again on the other hand there are some men who have a form of Religion and labour to be of a blamelesse conversation among men that possibly perswades themselves they are seeking holinesse and walking spiritually but alace you may find it but a painted and seeming Religion that is an abomination in the sight of God because it is to them all the ground of their acceptation before God If ever this question was moved in some of you What shall I do to be saved You have condescended on such a walk such a profession for the answer of it It is natural to all even these who have least apperance of godlinesse to seek heaven by doing Gods will these that have no more to speak of then their Baptism or receiving the Lords Supper or attending well the solemn assemblies will ground their hope of salvation on those things How much more will civil and honest men commonly so called who pray and read and professe godlinesse how much more I say will they establish that which they attain to as the ground of their confidence before God Now this is a general unknown ill that destroys the world and yet few are convinced of it how hard it is to be driven out of our selves and to seek life in another O! know that it is in a
even the language of our hearts when we tell you that ye are born heirs of wrath and slaves of sin and satan heâ—e is the secret whispering of hearts we be Abrahams seed we were never in bondage to any We be baptized Christians we have a Church State have the priviledges and liberties not only of Subjectâ— in the State but of Members in the Church why sayest thou we are bond-men I would wish ye were all free indeed but that cannot be till ye know your bondage Consider then I beseech you that you may be free subjects in a State and free members in a Church and yet in bondage under the law of sin and death This was the mistake that was a ground of presumption in the Jews and occasioned their stumbling at this Stone of salvation laid in Sion you think you have Church-priviledges and what needs more Be not deceived you are servants of sin and therefore not free There are two sorts or rather two ranks of persons in Gods house Sons and slaves the son abides in the house for ever the slave but for a time when the time expires he must go out or be cast out The Church is Gods house but many are in it that will not dwell in it many have the outward liberties of this house that have no interest in the special mercies and loving kindnesse proper to children The time will come that the most part of the visible Church who are baptized and have eaten with him at his Table and had a kind of frienâ—ship to him here shall be cast out as bondmen and Isaac only shall be kept within the child of the promise The house that is here hath some inward Sanctuary and some utter Porches many have accesse to these that never enters within the secret of the Lord and so shall not dwell in the house above It is not so much the business who shall enter into the holy hill but who shall stand and dwell in it The day of Judgement wâ—ll be a great day of excommunication O how many thousands will be then cut off from the Church of the living God and delivered over â—o satan because they were â—eally â—nder his poweâ— while they were Church-mebers and Abrahams sons Let me tell you then that all of us were once in this state of bondage which Christ speaks of He that committeth sin is the servant of sin John 8.34 and the servant abids not in the house for ever So that I am aâ—raid many of us who are in the visible Church and stand in this Congregation shall not have liberty to stand in the assembly of the fiâ—st-born when all the Sons are gathered in one to the new Ierusalem sin hath a right over us and it hath a power over us and theâ—efore it is called a law of sin theâ—e is a kind of authority that it hath over uâ— by vertue of Gods Justice and our own voluntary consent The Lord in his righteouâ—nesse hath given over all the posterity of Adam for his sin which he sinned as â— common person representing us he hath given us all over to the power of a body of death within us Since man did choose to depaâ—t from his Lord he hath justly delivered him into the hands of a strange Lord to have dominion over him The transmitting of such an original pollution to all men is an act of glorious justice As he in jusâ—iâ—e gives men over to the lusts of their own hearts now for following of these lusts Contrary to his will so was it at first by one mans disobedience mâ—ny were mâ—de sinners and that in Gods holy righteousnesse sin entred into the World and had permission of God to subdue and conquer the World to it self because man would not be subject to God But as there is the justice of God in it so there is a voluntary choice and election which gives sin a power over us we choose a strange lord and he lords it over us We say to our lusts Come ye and rule over us we submit our reason our conscience and all to the guidance and leading of our blind affections and passions we choose our bondage for liberty and thus sin hâ—th a kind of law over us by our own consent it exerciseth a jurisdiction and when once it is installed in power and clothed with it it is not so easie again to put it out of that throne there is a conspiring so to speak of these two to make out the jurisdiction and authority of sin over us God gives us over to iniquity and unrighteousnesse and we yield our selves over to it Rom. 6.16.19 we yield our members servants to iniquitie a little pleasure or commodity is the bait that ensnares us to this we give up our selves and joyn to our idols and God ratifies it in a manner and passeth such a sentence Let them alone he sayes go ye every one and serve your idols Ezek. 23. since ye would not serve me be doing go serve your lusts look if they be better masters then I look what wages they will give you Now let us again consider what power sin hath being thus cloathed with a sort of authority O! but it is mighty and works mightily in men It reigns in our mortal bodies Rom. 6.12 here is the throne of sin established in the lusts and affections of the body and from hence it emits laws and statutes and sends out commands to the soul and whole man Man choose at first to hearken to the counsel of his senses that said it was pleasant and good to eat of the forbidden fruit but that counsel is now turned into a command sin hath gotten a scepter there to rule over the spirit which was born a free Prince sin hath conquered all our strength or we have given up unto it all our strength any truth that is in the conscience any knowledge of God or Religion all this is incarcerated detained in a prison of unrighteous affections sin hath many strong holds and bulwarks in our flesh and by these commands the whole spirit and soul in man and leads captive every thought to the obedience of the flesh You know how strong it was in holy Paul Rom. 7. what a mighty battel and wrestling he had and how near he was to fainting and giving over How then must it have an absolute and soveraign full dominion over men in nature there being no contrary principle within by nature to debate with it it rules without much controlment there may be many convictions of conscience and sparkles of light against sin but these are quickly extinguised and buried Nay all these principles of light and knowledge in the conscience do oftentimes strengthen sin as some things are confirmed not weakned by opposition unequal and saint opposition strengthens the adversary as cold compassing springs makes them hotter So it is here sin takes occasion by the command to work all manner of concupiscence Rom. 7.8 Without the Law sin is
and all for life will a man give Death imports a destruction of being which every thing naturally seeks to preserve But O! what a dreadful life is it worse then death when men will chose death rather then life O! how terrible will it be to hear that word Hills and mountains fall on us and cover us Men newly risen their bodies and souls meet again after a long separation and this to be their mutual entertainment one to another the body to wish it were still in the dust and the soul to desire it might never be in the body Surely if we had so much grace as to believe this and tremble at it before we be forced to act it there were some hope if we could perswade our selves once of this that the wayes of sin all of them how pleasant how profitable soever whatsoever gain they bring in whatsoever satisfaction they give that they are nothing else but the wayes of death and goe down to the chambers of hell that they will delude and deceive us and so in end destroy us If we might once believe this with our heart there were some hope that we would break off from them and choose the untroden paths of Godlinesse which are pleasantnesse and peace However this is the condition of all men once to be under sin and under a sentence of death for sin It s the unbelief of this and a conceit of freedom that securely and certainly destroyes the world by keeping souls from Jesus Christ the prince of life But there is a delivery and that is the thing expressed in the words there is freedom from both attainable and I think the very hearing of such a thing that there is a redemption from sin and misery possible yea and that some are actually delivered from it This might stir up in our hearts some holy ambition and earnest desire after such a state how might it awake our hearts after it but this is the wofulnesse of a natural condition that a soul under the power of sin can neither help it self nor rightly desire help from another because the will is captive too this makes it a very desperat and remedilesse businesse to any humane expectation because such a soul is well pleased with its own setters and loves its own prison and so can neither long for freedom nor welcom the Son who is come to make free But yet there is a freedom and delivery and if ye ask who are partakers of it the text declares it to you even these who are in Iesus Christ and walk according to the Spirit of Christ. These all and these only who finding-themselves dead in sins and trespasses under the power and dominion of sin and likewise under the sentence of death and condemnation begin to lift up their heads upon the hope of a Saviour and to look unto their Redeemer as poor prisoners whose eyes and looks are strong intreaties and in stead of many requests such as give an intire renounce unto their former wayes and prevailing lusts and give up themselves in testimony of their sense of his unspeakable favour of redemption to be wholly his and not their own There are some souls who are free from the dominion of sin and from the danger of death some who were once led about with divers lusts as well as others who walked after the course of this world and fulfilled the desires of the flesh and were children of wrath as well as others but now they are quickned in Christ Iesus and have abandoned their former way they have another rule another way another principles their study is now to please God and grow in holinesse the wayes they delighted in in former times are now loathsome they think that a filthy puddle which they drank greedily of and now it s all or their chiefest grief and burden that so much of that old man must be carried about with them and so this expresseth many groans from them with Paul waâ— is me miserable man who shall deliver me Such souls are in a manner to speak so half redeemed who being made sensible of their bondage groan and panâ— for a Redeemer The day of their compleat redemption is at hand all of you are witnesses of this that there are some thus freed but they are signes and wonders indeed to the world their kinsmen their acquaintance their friends and neighbours wonder what is become of them they think it strange they walk not and run not into that same excess of riot with them But whosoever thou art that is escaped from under the slavery of sin wonder at the world that doth run so madly on their own destruction think is strange that thou ran so long with them and that all will not run in these pleasant wayes with thee think it strange that thou runs so slowly when so great a prize is to be obtained an immortal and never fading Crown If mortifying and crucifying the lusts of the flesh if dying to the world and to thy self seem very hard and unpleasant to thee if it be as the plucking out of thine eye and cutting off thine hand know then that corruption is much alive yet and hath much power in thee but remember that if thou can have but so much grace and resolution as to kill and crucifie these lusts without foolish and hurtful pity if thou canst attain that victory over thy self thou shall never be a loser thou cannot repent it afterward To die to our selves and the world to kill sin within O! that makes way to a life hid from the world one hour whereof is better than many ages in sinful pleasure Quicken thy self often with this thought that there is a true life after such a death and that thou canst not passe into it but by the valley of the death of thy lusts remember that thou dost but kill thine enemies which embrace that they may strangle thee and then stir up your self with this consideration the life of sin will be thy death better enter heaven without these lusts then go to hell with them SERMON IX Vers. 2. For the Law of the Spirit of life in Christ Iesus hath made me free c. THat which makes the delivery of men from the tyranny of sin and death most diâ—â—icult and utterly impossible unto nature is that sinners have given up themselves unto it as if it were true liberty that the will and affections of men are conquered and sin hath its impeâ—ial throne seated there Other conquerours invade men against their will and so they rule against their will they contain men in subjection by fear and not by love and so when ever any occasion offers they are glad to cast off the yoke of unwilling obedience But sin hath first conquered mens judgement by blinding it putting out the eye of the understanding and then invaded the affections of men drawn them over to its side and by these it keeps all in a most willing obedience Now
that is quickned by this new Law of the Spirit of Life for its the entry of this that expells its contrary the Law oâ— sin And indeed the Law must enter the command and the pâ—omise must enter into the soul and the affections of the soul be enlivened thereby or rather the soul changed into the similitude of that mould or else the having of it in a book or in ones memory and understanding will never make him the richer or freer A Châ—istian looks to the patern of the Law and the word of the Goâ—pel without but he must be changed into the image of it by beholding it and so he becomes a living Law to himself The Spirit writes these precepts and practices oâ— Christs in which he commands imitation upon the fleshly tables of the heart And now the Law is not a rod above his head as above a slave but it s turned into a Law oâ— love within his heart and hath something like a natural instinct in it all that men can do either to themselves or others will not purchase the least measure of â—â—eedom from predominant corruptions cannot deliver you from your sins till this free Spirit that blows where he pleases come It s our part to hoise up sails and wait for the wind to â—â—e means and wait on him in his way and oâ—der but all will be in vain till this stronger one come and cast out the strong man till this arbitrary and free wind blow from heaven and fill the sails SERMON X. Rom. 8.3 For what the Law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh God sending his own Son c. THE greatest design that ever God had in the world is certainly the sending of his own Son into the world and it must needs be some great busines that drew so excellent and glorious a person out of Heaven the plot and contrivance of the world was a profound piâ—ce of wisdom and goodness the making of men after Gods image waâ— done by a high and glorious counsel Let us make man after our image there was some thing special in this expression importing â—ome peculiar excellency in the work it self or some special depth of design about it But what think you of this consultation let one of us be made man after mans image and likeness that must be a strange piece of wisdom and grace Great is the mystery of godliness God manifested in the flesh No wonder though Paul cryed out as one swallowed up with this mystery for indeed it must be some odd matter beyond all that is in the creation wherein thâ—â—e are many mysteries able to swallow up any understanding but that in which they were first formed This must be the chief of the works of God the rarest piece of them all God to become man the Creator of all to come in the likeness of a creature he by whom all things were created and do yet consist to come in the likeness of the most wretched of all Strange that we do not dwell more in our thoughts and affections on this subject either we do not believe it or if we did we could not but be ravished with admiration at it Iohn the beloved Disciple who was often nearest unto Christ dwelt most upon this and made it the subject of his preaching that which was from the beginning which we have heard and seen and handled c. Ioh. 1.1 He speaks of that mystery as if he were imbracing Jesus Christ in his arms and holding him out to others saying Come and see This divine mystery is the subject of these words read but the mystery is somewhat unfolded and opened up to you in them yet so as it will not diminish but increase the wonder of a believing soul. It is ignorance that magnifies other mysteries which viâ—ifie through knowledge but it is the true knowledge of this mystery that makes it the more wonderful whereas ignorance only makes it common and despicable There are three things then of special consideration in the words which may declare and open unto you something of this mystery Fiâ—st what was the ground and reason or occasion of the Sons sending into the world next what the Son being sent did in the world And the third for what end and use it was What fruit we have by it The ground and reason of Gods sending his Son is because there was an impossibility upon the Law to save man which impossibility was not the Laws fault but mans defect by reason of the weakness and impotency of our flesh to fulfill the Law Now God having chosen come to life and man having put this obstruction and impediment in his own way which made it impossible for the Law to give him life though it was first given out as the way of life therefore that God should not fail in this glorious design of saving his chosen he choosed to send his own Son in the likeness of flesh as the only remedy of the Laws impossibility That which Christ being sent into the likeness of flesh did is the condemning of sin in the flesh by a sacrifice offered for sin even the sacrifice of his own body upon the crosse He came in the likeness not of flesh simply for he was really a man but in the likeness of sinful flesh though without sin yet like a sinner as to the outward appearance a sinner because subject to all these infirmities and miseries which sin did first open a door for Sin was the in-let of afflictions of bodily infirmities and necessities of death it self and when the floods of these did overflow Christs Humane Nature it was a great presumption to the world who look and judge according to the outward appeaâ—ance tâ—at â—in was the â—lâ—ce opened to let in such an inundation of calamity Now he being thus in the likeness of a sinner though not a sinner he for sin that is because of sin that had entered upon man and made life impossible to him by the Law by occasion of that great enemy of God which had conquered mankind he condemned sin in his flesh he overthrew it in its plea and power against us he condemned that which condemned us overcame it in judgment and made us free by sustaining the curse of it in his flesh he cut off all its plea against us This is the great work and business which was worthy of so noble a Messenger his own Son sent to conquer his greatest enemy that he hates most And then in the third place you see what benefite or fruit redounds to us by it What was the end and purpose of it vers 4. That the righteousness of the Law might be fulfilled in us that seing it was impossible for us to fulfill the righteousness of the Law and so became impossible to the Law to fulfill our reward of life it might be fulfilled by him in our name and so the righteousness of the Law being fulfilled in us by
sin and so die for it yet by this means he hath condemned sin by being condemned for sin by this means he hath overcome death and the grave by coming under the power of death and so is now alive for ever to improve his victory for our salvation and by taking on our sinâ— he hath fully abolished the power and plea of them as the goat that was sent to the wilderness out of all mens sight was not to be seen again Truly this is the way how our sins are buried in the grave â—f oblivion and removed as a cloud and cast into the depths of the Sea and sent away as far as the East is from the West that they may never come in judgment against us to condemn us because Christ by appeasing wrath and satisfying Justice by the sacrifice of himself hath overthrown them in judgment and buried them in the grave with his own body You see then my beloved a solid ground of consolation against all our fears and sorrows an answer to all the accusations of our sins here is one for all one above all You would have particular answers to satisfie your particular doubts you are alwayes seeking some satisfaction to your consciences besides this but believe it all that can be said besides this atonement and propitiation is of no more vertue to purge your consciences or satisfie your perplexed souls then these repeated sacrifices of old were Whatsoever you can pitch upon besides this it is insufficient and therefore you find a necessity of seeking some other grace or qualification to appease your consciences even as they had need to multiply sacrifices but now since this perfect and full propitiation is offered up for our sins should not all these vain expiations of your own works cease Truly there is nothing can pacifie Heaven but this and nothing can appease thy Conscience on earth but this too If you find any accusation against you consider Christ hath by a sacrifice for sin condemned sin in his own flesh the marks of the spear of the nails of the buffettings of his flesh these are the tokens and pledges that he encountered with the wrath due to your sins and so hath cut off all the right that sin hath over you If thou can unseignedly in the Lords sight say that it is thy souls desire to be delivered from sin as well as wrath thou would gladly flee from condemnation thâ—n come to him who hath condemned sin by suffering the condemnation of sin that he might save these who desire to flee from it to him SERMON XIV Rom. 8.4 That the righteousness of the Law might be fulfilled in us c. GOD having a great design to declare unto the world both his justice and mercy towards men he found out this mean most suitable and proportioned unto it which is here spoken of in the 3. vers to send his own Son to bear the punishment of sin that the righteousness of the Law might be freely and graciously fulfilled in sinners And indeed it was not imaginable by us how he could declare both in the salvation of sinners we could not have found out a way to declare his righteousnesse and holinesse which would not have obscured his mercy and grace nor a way to manifest his grace and mercy which would not have reflected upon his Holiness and Justice according to the letter of the Law that was given out as the rule of life he that doth them shall live in them and cursed is every one that doth them not c. Wâ—at could we expect if this be fulfilled as it would appear Gods truth and holinesse requires then we are gone no place for mercy if this be not fulfilled that mercy may be shewed in pardoning sin then the truth and faithfulnesse of God seems to be impaired This is the strait that all sinners would have been into if God had not found such an enlargement as this how to shew mercy without wronging Justice and how to save sinners without impairing his faithfulnesse Truly we may wonder what was it that could straiten his Majesty so that he must send his own Son so beloved of him and bruise him and hide his face from him yea and torment him and not let the cup pass from him for any intreaties might he not more easily have never added such a commination to the Law Thou shalt die or more easily relaxed and repealed that sentence and past by â—he sinner without any more then exacted so heavy a punishment from one that was innoncent Was it the satisfaction of his Justice that straitned him and put a necessity of this upon him But truly it seems it had been no more contrary to righteousnesse to have past over the sinner without satisfaction then to require and take it off one who was not really guilty The truth is it waâ— not simply the indispensible necessity of satisfying Justice that put him upon such an hard and unpleasant work as the bruising of his own Son for no doubt he might have as well dispensed with all satisfaction as with the personal satisfaction of the sinner but here the strait lay and here was the urgency of the case he had a purpose to declare his justice and therefore a satisfaction must be had not simply to satisfie righteousnesse but rather to declare his righteousnesse Rom. 3.25 Now indeed to make these two shine together in one work of the salvation of sinners all the world could not have found out the like of this to dispense with personal satisfaction in the sinner which the rigour of the Law required and so to admit a sweet moderation and relaxation that the riches of his grace and mercy might be manifested and yet withall to exact that same punishment of another willingly coming in the sinners place to the end that all sinners may behold his righteousnesse and justice and so this work of the redemption of sinners hath these Names of God published by himself Exod. 34.6 7. to Moses engraven deeply upon it mercy and goodnesse spelled out at length in it for love was the rise of all and love did run alongs in all yet so as there is room to speak out his holiness and righteousness and justice not so much to afright sinners as to make his mercy the more amiable and wonderfull I know not a more pressing ground of strong consolation nor a firmer bulwark of our confidence and salvation then this conjunction of Mercy and Justice in the business there might have been alwayes a secret hink of jealousie and suspition in our minds when God publisheth mercy and foregiveness to us freely O! how shall the Law be satisfied and the importunity of justice and faithfulness that hath pronounced a sentence of death upon us answered Shall not the righteous Law be a loser this way if I be saved and it not satisfied by obedience or suffering how hard would it be to perswade a soul of free pardon that sees such
heaven and earth to be so busied abroad to know other things and then to know and consider nothing of that which of all things most nearly concâ—rns us our selves what shall it profite a man if he gain the whole world and lose his soul for that is himself And what shall it proâ—â—t to know all and not know his soul to be every where but where he ought to be Well a Christian is one called home from vain impertinent diversions one that is occupyed most about his soul and spirit how to have all the disorders hâ—â—â—â—ds in himself ordâ—rd all these distempers cured all these defilements washed this is the business he is about in this world to wash his heart from wickedness Jer. 4.14 To cleanse even vain thoughts and shut up from that ordinary repair his own heart he is about the inclosing it to be a garden to the welbeloved to bâ—ing forth sweet fruits he is about the renewing of it the adorning of it with the new man against that day of our Bridegrooms appearing and bringing him up to celebrate the marriage Though he be in the flesh yet he is most taken up with his Spirit how to have it restored to that primitive beauty and excellency the Image of God in it how to be cloathed with humility and to put on the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit that he accounts his beauty how to rule his own spirit that he accounts only true fortitude and thinks it a greater vassalage and victory to overcome himself then his enemy and esteems it the noblest revenge not to be like to other men that wrong him he is occupyed about the highest gain and advantage viz to save his spirit and soul and accounts all loss to this to bring Jesus Christ into the heart that is the jewel he digs for and esteems all duâ—g in comparison of it If you be Christians after the Spirit no doubt you are busied this way about your spirits For others they are busied about the flesh to make provision for its lusts and there needs no other mark to know them by Alas poor souls that you have never yet adverted that you have spirits immortal beings within you which must survive this dust this corruptible flesh What will you do when you cannot have flesh to care for when your spirits can have nothing to be carried forth into but must eterternally dwell within the bosome of an evil conscience and be tormented with that worm the bitter remembrance of the neglect of your spirits and utter estrangement from them while you were in the body then you must be confined within your own evil consciences and be imprisoned there for ever because while yet there was time and season you were alwayes abroad and every where but within your own hearts and consciences and is not that a just recompence Then again as Christianity descends from the Father of spirits into the spirit of a man to lodge there for a while it doth at length bring up the spirit of a man and unites it to that eternal Spirit and so as the Original was high and divine the end is high â—oo It issues out of that fountain and returns with the heart of man to imbosome it self in that agâ—in And truly this is the great excellency of true Religion above all these things you are busied about that it elevats the spirit of a man to God that it will never rest till it have carried it above to the fountain-spirit Our spirits are sparks and chips to speak so with reverence of that divine beeing but now they are wholly immersed and sunk into the flesh and into the earth by sin till grace come down and renew them and extract them out of that dung-hill and purifie them and then they are as in a state of violence alwise striving to mount upwards till they be embodied or rather inspirited so to speak in that Original spirit till they be wholly united to their own element the Divine Nature You know Christs Prayer Ioh 17. that they may be one as we are one I in them and they in me that they may may be made perfect in one v. 22 23. then spirits have attained their perfection then will they rest from their labours when they are one with him this is the only Center of spirits in which they can rest immoveable You find all the desires and affections of the Saints are as so many breathings upward pantings after union with him and longings to be intimatly present with the Lord therefore a Christian is one after the spirit groaning to be all spirit to have the earthly house of this tabernacle dissolved and to be cloathed upon with that house from heaven He knows with Paul that he is not at home though he be at home in in the body because the body is that which separats from the Lord which partition wall he would willingly have taken down that his spirit might be at home present with the Lord 2 Cor. 6.1 c. Who knoweth saith Solomon the spirit of a man that ascends upward and the spirit of the beast that goeth downward to the earth Eccles. 3.21 Truly the natural motion of mans spirit should be to ascend upward to God who gave it When this â—rail and broken Vessel of the body is dissolved into the Elements the higher and purer nature that lodged within it should flee upwards to Heaven even as the spirit of the beasts being but the prime and fiâ—er part of the body not different in nature from the earth naturally falls down to the earth with the body and is dissolved into the Elements But I think the consideration of that woful disorder that sin hath brought into the world that all things in man are so degenerated and become bruitish both his affections and his conversation that carnal and sensual lusts have the whole dominion over men I say the serious and earnest view of this might make a man suspect and call in question whether or not there be any difference between men and beasts whether or not there be any spirit in the one of an higher nature then in the other Truly it would halâ— peâ—swade that there is no immortal spirit in man else how could he be such a beast all his time serving diverse lusts Can it be possible might one think that there is any spirit in men that can ascend to heaven when there is no motion thither to be observed among men I beseech you consider this the spirit must either ascend or descend when it goes out of the body as now in affection and endeavour it ascends or descends while it is in the body there is an indispensible connexion between these what way soever the spirit aims at which way soever it turns and direct its flight thither it shall be constrained to go eternally Do you think my Beloved while you are in the body to bow down your selves to the Earth to descend unto the service of
the power is put in his hand and resigned to him for where he dwells he must rule as good reason is He is about the greatest work that is now to do in the world the repairing and renewing of the ruines and breaches of mans spirit which was the fiâ—st breach in the Creation and the cause of all the rest He is about the cleansing and washing this Temple and we may be perswaded that he who hath begun this good work will perform it untill the day of Christ till we be presented blameless and without spot to our husband Phil. 1.5 6. and this is the grand conâ—olation of believers that they have this presence assured to them by promise that the Spirit is fixed here by an irreovcable and unchangeable Covenant or donation and will not wholly depart from them though he may withdraw and leave you comfortless â—or a season Isa. 59.21 Therefore I would shut up all in a word of exhortation to you that since we have the promise of so noble and happy a guest you would apply your selves to seek him and then keep him to receive him and then retain him It is true that he must first prevent uâ— for as no man can say that Iesus is the Christ but by thâ— Spirit of God so no man can indeed pâ—ay for the Spirit but by the Spirits own intercession within him Where God hath bestowed any thing of this Spirit it is known by the kindly and fervent desires after more of it Now since we have such a laâ—ge and ample promise Ezek. 36.27 Ioel 2.28 of the pouring out of the Spirit and that in as absolute and free a manner as can be imagined and this renewed by Christ and confirmed by his Prayer to the Father for the performance of it Ioh. 14.16 17. and then we have a sweet and affectionat promise propounded in the most moving and loving manner that can be Luk. 11.13 where he encourageth us to pray for the Spirit and that from this ground that our Heavenly Father who placed that natural affection in other fathers towards their children whereby they cannot refuse them bread when they cry for it He who was the Author of all natural affection must certainly transcend them infinitly in his love to his childâ—en as the Psalmist argues Shall not he that planted the ear hear and he that formed the eye see So may a poor soul reason it self to some confidence Shall not He who is the â—ountain of all natural love in men and beasts have much more Himself and if my â—ather will not give me a stone when I seek bread certainly he will far lesse do it Therefore if we being evil know how to give good things to our chilren how much more shall our Heavenly Father give his Spirit to them that ask him Alas that we should want such a gift for not asking it my beloved let us enlarge our desires for this Spirit and seek more earnestly and no doubt affection and importunity will not be sent away empty Is it any wonder we receive not because we ask not or we ask so coldly that we teach him in a manner to deny us qui tiâ—ide rogat I may say frigide docet negare ask frequently and ask confidently and His heart cannot deny O that we could lay this ingâ—gement on our own hearts to be more in Prayer Let 〈◊〉 presse our selves to this and we need not presse Him albeit the first grace be wholly a surprisal yet certainly he keeps this suitable method in the enlargements of grace that when he gives more He enlargeth the heart more after it He openeth the mouth wider to ask and receive and according to that capacity so is His hand opened to fill the heart O why are our hearts shut when his hand is open Again I would exhort you in Jesus Christ to intertain the Spirit suitably and this shall keep Him To this purpose are these exhortations Grieve not the Spirit Eph. 4.30 and quench not the Spirit 1 Thes. 5.19 There is nothing can grieve Him but sin and if you intertain that you cannot retain Him He is a Spiâ—it of holinesse and He is about the making you holy then do not marr him in his work labour to advance this and you do him a pleasure If you make his holy Temple an unclean cage for hateful birds or a Temple for Idols how can it but grieve him and if you grieve the Spirit certainly the Spirit will grieve you will make you repent it at the heart Please him by heaâ—kning to his motions and following his direction and he shall comfort you His office is to be a spring of consolation to you but if you grieve him by walking in the imagination of your hearts and following the suggestions of the Flesh His enemy no doubt that spring will turn its channel another way and dry up for a season toward you It is not every sin or infirmity that grieves Him thus if so be that it grieve thee but the intertaining of any sin and mâ—king peace with any of his enemies that cannot but displease Him and O what losse you have by it You displease your greatest friend to please your greatest enemy you blot and bludder that seal of the Spirit that you shall not be able to read it till it be cleansed and washed again Now if any man have not this Spirit of Christ he is none of his he is not a Christian take this alongs with you who aim at nothing but the external and outward shew or visible standing in the Church if you have not this Spirit and the seal of this Spirit found on you Christ will not know you for his in that day of his appearing SERMON XXVI Rom. 8.10 And if Christ be in you the body is dead because of sin c. GODS presence is his working his presence in a soul by his Spirit is his working in such a soul in some special manner not common to all men but peculiar to them whom he hath chosen Now his dwelling is nothing else but a continued familiar and endlesse working in a soul till he have conformed all within to the Image of His Son The soul is the office-house or work-house that the Spirit hath taken up to â—rame in it the most curious piece of the whole Creation even to restore and repair that Master-piece which came last from Gods hand ab ultima manu and so was the chiefest I mean the Image of God in righteousness and holinesse Now this is the bond of union between God and us Christ is the bond of union with God but the Spirit is the bond of union with Christ. Christ is the peace between God and us that makes of two one but the Spirit is the link between Christ and us whereby he hath immediat and actual interest in us and we in Him I find the union between Christ and a soul shadowed out in Scripture by the nearest relations among creatures for
refreshment of it and yet this may not be had they shall seek death and it shall flee from them Now my beloved I would desire this discourse might open way for the hearty and cordial intertainment of the Gospel and that you might be perswaded to awake unto righteousness and sin no more 1 Cor. 15.34 Be not deceived my brethren flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God Certainly if you have no other image then what you came in the world withall you cannot have this hope to be conformed one day to the glorious Body of Christ What will become of you in that day who declare now by the continued vent of your hearts that this holy Spirit dwells not in you and alas how many are such Oh pity your selves your souls and bodies both If for love to your bodies ye will follow its present lusts and care only for the things of the body you act the greatest enmity and hostility against your own bodies Consider I beseech you the eternal state of both and your care and study will run in another channel And for you who have any working of the Spirit in you whether convicing you of sin and misery and of righteousness in Christ or sometimes comforting you by the word applyed to your heart or teaching you another way then the world walks into I recommend unto you that of the Apostles 1 Cor. 15.58 Wherefore my brethren be stedfast c. alwayes abounding in the work of the Lord knowing your Labour is not in vain SERMON XXXII Rom. 8.12 Therefore brethren we are debters not to the flesh to live after the flesh c. ALL things in Christianity have a near and strait conjunction it is so intire and absolute a piece that if one link be loosed all the chain falls to the ground and if one be well fastned upon the heart it brings all alongs with it some speak of all truths even in nature that they are knit so together that any truth may be concluded out of every truth at least by a long circuit of deduction and reasoning but whatsoever be of that certainly Religion is a more intire thing and all the parts of it more nearly conjoyned together that they may mutually enforce one another Precepts and promises are thus linked together that if any soul lay hold indeed upon any promise of grace he draws alongs with it the obligation of some precept to walk suitable to such precious promises There is no encouragement you can indeed fasten upon but it will joyn you as nearly to the commandment and no consolation in the Gospel that doth not carry within its bosome an exhortation to holy walking Again on the other hand there is no precept but it should lead you straight way to a promise no exhortation but it is invironed before and behind with a strong consolation to make it pierce the deeper and go down the sweeter Therefore you see how easily the Apostle digresseth from the one to the other how sweetly and pertinently these are interwoven in his discourse The first word of the Chapter is a word of strong consolation there is no condemnation to them that are in Christ and this like a flood carries all down with it all precepts and exhortations and the soul of a believer with them and therefore he subjoyns an exhortation to holy and spiritual walking upon that very ground and because commandments of this nature will not float so to speak unlesse they have much water of that kind and cannot have such a swift course except the tide of such encouragements flow fast therefore he openeth that spring again in the preceeding words and letteth the rivers of consolation flow forth even the hope of immortality and eternal life and this certainâ—y will raise up a soul that was on ground and carry him above in motion of obedience and therefore he may well in the next place stir them up to their duty and mind them of their obligation Therefore brethren we are debters not to the flâ—sh To make this the more effectual he drops it in with affection in a sweet compellâ—â—ion of love and equality Brethren There is nothing so powerful in perswation as love it will sweeten a bitter and unpleasant reproof and make it go down more easily though it maketh lesse noise than threatnings and severity and authority yet it is more forcible for it insinuats it self and in a manner surpriseth the soul and so preventeth all resistance as when the Sun maâ—e the traveller part with his cloak whereas the wind and rain made him hold it faster so affection will prevail where authority and terrour cannot it will melt that which a stronger power cannot break the story of Elijah 1 King 19. may give some representation of this the Lord was not in the strong wind nor in terrible earth-quake nor yet in the fire but in the calm still voice The Lord hath chosen this way of publishing his grace in the Gospel because the sum of it is love to sinners and good-will towards men he holds it forth in the calm voice of love and these who are his ambassadors should be cloathed with such an affection iâ— they intend to prevail with men to engage their affections O that we were possessed with that brotherly love one towards anotâ—er for the salvation one of another especially that the Preachers of the Gospel might be thus kindly affectioned towards others and that ye would take it thus the calling you off the wayes of sin as the act of the greatest love But then consider the equality oâ— this obligation for there is nothing pressed upon you but what lyeth as heavily upon them that presseth it this debt binds all O that the Ministers of the Gospel could carry the impression of this on their hearts that when they perswade others they may withall perswade themselves and when they speak to others they may sit down among the hearers If an Apostle of so eminent dignity levelleth himself in this consideration Therefore brethren we are debters how much more ought Pastors and Teachers come in the same rank and degree of debt and obligation with others Truly this is the great obstruction of the successe of the Gospel that these who bind on burdens on others do not themselves touch them with one of their fingers and while they seem serious in perswading others yet withall declare by their carriage that they do not believe themselves what they bear upon others so that preaching seemeth to be an imposture and affections in perswading â—f otheâ—â— to be borrowed as it were in a scene to be laid down again out of it But then again there is a misconceit among people that this holy and spiritual walking is not of common obligation but peculiar to the preachers of the Gospel Many make their reckoning so as if they were not called to such high aims and great endeavours but truly my beloved this is a thing of common concernment
is no other thing then what we owe to our selves and to our own natures so to speak for truly there is a conâ—ormity and suitablenesse of some things to the very nature of man that is beautiful some things are decent and becomes it other things are undecent and uncomely unsuitable to the very reasonable beeing of man so that they put a stain and blot upon it Now indeed there is nothing can be conceived more agreeable to the very constitution of mans nature then this that the far better and more excellent part should lead and command and the baser and earthly part should obey and follow that the flesh should minister and serve the spirit Doth not even Nature it self teach it and yet no heavier yoke is put upon us then what our own nature hath put upon 〈◊〉 already which indeed is wonderful and certainly this wonderful attempering of his Laws unto the very natural exigence of the spirit of man make the transgression of them so much the more hainous Now all these three forementioned bonds do joyntly bind on this Law upon man in general they oblidge strongly to subjection and obedience to the will of God but particularly they have a constraining influence upon this living after the spirit not after the flesh our very creation speaks this forth when God made man after his own Image when he beautified the spirit of man with that divine similitude and likenesse in that he breathed a spirit from Heaven and took a body out of the dust and then exalted that heavenly piece to some participation of his own nature Doth not all this cry aloud upon uâ— that the order of creation is now dissolved that the beauty of it is maâ—â—ed that all is turned up â—ide-down when mens passions and senses are their only guiâ—s and the principles of light in their conscience are choakt and â—â—iâ—â—led Doth not all this teach us plainly that we should not live after the flesh that we owe not so much to this bruitish part as to enthrone it and impower it over us that it were the vilest Anarchy and most intoleâ—able confusion and usurpation to give it the power over uâ— as most men do that there can be no order or beauty in man till the spirit be unfettered from the chains of fleshly lustâ— and restored to the native dignity and preheminency and so keep the body in subjection And indeed Paul was so 1 Cor. 9.27 I keep my body in subjection and beat it down because it is an imperious slave an usurping slave and will command if not beaten and kept under Again Christ hath put a bond upon us to this very same he hath strengthned this obligation with a neâ— cord in that he gave his precious life a ransome for the souls of men this was the principal thing he payed for the body only being an accessory and appendix to the soul for it is said The redemption of the soul is precious and ceaseth for ever Psâ—l 49.8 and What can a man give in exchange for his soul Mark 8.37 For what material thing can equalize a spirit Many things may be had more preciouâ— and fine than the body but all of them have no proportion to a spiritual being Now then in that so dear a ransome and so infinit a pâ—ice must be given for the spirit of man it declares the infinit worth and excellency of it above the body and above all visible things and here indeed the greatest confirmation that can be imagined God hath valued it he hath put the soul of man in the ballance to find something equal in weight of dignity and worth and when all that is in Heaven and Earth is put in the other scale the soul is down-weight by far there is such distance that there is no proportion only the life and blood of his own Son weighs it down and is an overvalue and thus in our redemption we have a visible demonstration as it were of the infinit obligation of this Law not to live after that contemptible part our flesh but to follow after the motions and directions of an enlightned spirit not to spend our thoughts care and time upon the body and making provision for the lusts thereof as most men do and all by nature aâ—e now inclined to do but to be taken up wiâ—h the immortal preciouâ— Jewel that is within how to have it 〈◊〉 and cleansed from all the filth that sin and the flesh hath cast 〈◊〉 and restored to that native beauty the image of God in righteousness and holiness If you in your practice and affectiâ—n 〈◊〉 the scales otherwise and make the body and things of the body â—uppose the whole world down-weight in your affection and imagination you have pâ—ainly contâ—adicted the just measuâ—e of the Sanctuary and in effect you declare that Christ died in vain and gave his life out of an errour and mistake of the worth of the soul you say he needed not have given such a price for it seing every day you weigh it down with every triffle oâ— momentany fleshly satisfaction Lastly the Spirit binds this fast upon us for the soul of man he hath chosen for his habitation and there he delights to dwell in the heaâ—t oâ— the contrite and humble and this he intends to beautifie and garnish and to restore it to that primitive excellency it once had The Spirit of man is neaâ—er his nature and more capable of being conâ—oâ—med unto it and therefore his peculiar and special work is about our spirits first to enlighten and convince them then to reform and direct them and lead them and this binds as foâ—cibly and constraineth a believer certainly to â—esign himself to the Spirit to study how to order his walk aâ—ter that diâ—ection and to be more and more abstracted from the satisfaction of his body else he cannot choose but gâ—ieve the Spirit his bâ—st friend which alone is the fountain oâ— joy and peace to him and being grieved cannot but grieve himself next Now my beloved conâ—â—der if you owe so much to the flesh whether or not it be so steadable and profitable unto you and if you think it can give you a sufficient reward to compense all your pains in satisfying it go on But I believe you can â—eckon no good office that ever it did you and your expectation is lesse what fruit have you of all but shame and vexation of conscience and what can you expect but death the last fruits of it whaâ— then do you owe unto it are you debters to its pleasure and satisâ—â—ctiâ—n which hath never done you good and will do you eternal hurt consider whether you are so much bound and oblidged to it as to lose your souls for it one of them must be and whether or not you be not more oblidged to God the Father and his Son Iesus Christ to live after the Spirit though for the present it should be painful to beat down your body You
are debters indeed but you owe nothing to the flesh but stripes and mortification SERMON XXXIV Rom. 8.13 For if ye live after the flesh ye shall die but if ye through the Spirit c. THough the Lord out of his absolute Soveraignty might deal with man in such a way as nothing should appear but his supream Will and Almighty Power he might simply command obedience and without any more perswasions either leave men to the frowardnesse of their own natures or else powerfully constrain them to their duty yet he hath chosen that way that is most suitable to his own wisdom and most connatural to mans nature To lay out before him the advantages and disadvantages and to use these as motives and perswasives of his Spirit for since He hath by his first creation implanted in mans soul such a principle as moveth it self upon the presentation of good or evil that this might not be in vain he administers all the dispensation of the Law and Gospel in a way suitable to that by propounding such powerful motives as may incline and perswade the heart of man It is true there is a secret drawing withall necessary the pull of the Fathers arm and power of the Holy Ghost yet that which is visible or sensible to the soul is the framing of all things so as to engage it upon rational terms it is set between two contraries death and life death which it naturally abhoâ—reth and life which it naturally loveth an even ballance is holden up before the light of the conscience in which obedience and sin are weighed and it is found even to the convincing of the spirit of man that there are as many disadvantages in the one as advantages in the other This was the way that God used fiâ—st with man in Paradise you remember the terms â—un to what day thou eats thou shalt die he hedged him in on the one side by a promisâ— of life on the other by a threatning of death and these two are very rational restraintâ— â—uited to â—he â—oul of man and in the inward principles of it which are a kind of instinct to that which is appâ—ehenâ—ed good or gainfull Now this vers â—uns even so in the form of words If ye live after the flesh ye shall die you see thiâ— method is not changed under the Gospel for indeed it is natuâ—al to the spiâ—it of man and he hath now much more need of all such peâ—swasions because there is a great change of mans inclination to the woâ—st side all within is so disordered and perverse that a thousand hedges of perswasive grounds cannot do that which one might have done at fiâ—st then they were added out of superabundance but now out of necessity then they were set about man to preserve him in his natural â—â—ame and inâ—linations but now they are needfull to change and alter them quite which is a kind of creation therefore sayeth David creat in me a new spirit and therefore the Gospel abounds in vaâ—ieâ—y of motives and inducementâ— in greater variety oâ— far moâ—e powerâ—ul inducements then the Law Heâ—e is that grâ—aâ— peâ—swasiâ—n tâ—kâ—n fâ—om the infinit gain or lâ—sse of â—â—e â—â—ul of man which is any thing be able to prevail this must do seing it is seconded wiâ—h some natural inclination in the soul of man to seek its own gain Yet there is a diâ—â—erence between the nature of such like promises and threatningâ— in the fiâ—st covenant and in the second In the fiâ—st covenant though life was freely promised â—et it was immediatly annexed to perâ—ect obedience as a consequent â—eward oâ— it it was fiâ—stly pâ—omised unto compleat â—ighteousnesse of mens persons But in the second covenant firstly and principally liâ—e eteâ—nal grace and glory is promised to Jesus Christ and his â—eed antecedent to any condition or qualification upon their part and then again all the promises that run in way of condition as he that believeth shâ—ll not perish c. If ye walk after the Spirit ye shall live these aâ—e all the consequent fruits of that absolute gracious disposition and resignation of grace and life to them whom Christ hath chosen and so their believing and walking and obeying cometh in principally as parts of the grace promised and as witnesses and evidences and confirmations of that life which is already begun and will not see an end Besides that by vertue of these absolute promises made to the seed of Christ and Christs compleat performance of all conditions in their name the promises of life are made to faith principally which hath this peculiar vertue To cary forth the soul to anothers righteousnesse and sufficiency and to bottom it upon another and in the next place to holy walking though mixed with many infirmities which promise in the first covenant was only annexed to perfect and absolute obedience You heard in the preceeding vers a strong inducement taken from the bond debt and duty we owe to the Spirit to walk after it and the want of all obligation to the flesh Now if honesty and duty will not suffiâ—e to perswade you as you know in other things it would do with any honest man plain equity is a sufficient bond to him yet consider what the Apostle subjoynes from the dammage and from the advantage which may of it self be the Topickes of perswasion and serves to drive in the nail of debt and duty to the head if ye will not take with this debt ye owe to the Spirit but still conceive there is some greater obligation lying on you to care for your bodies and satisfie them then I say behold the end of it what fruit you must one day reap of the flesh and service of sin If ye live after the flesh ye shall die but then consider the fruit you â—hall reap of the Spirit and holy walking ye shall live It is true the flesh may flatter you more for the present but the end of it will be bitter as death amplâ—ctitur ut strangulet the flesh imbraces you that it may strangle you and so if you knew all well you would not think you owed it any thing but enmity and hatred and mortification If your duty will not move you let the love of your selves and your souls perswade you for it is an irrepealable statute The wages of sin is death Every way you choose to fulfill the lusts of your flesh and to make provision for it neglecting the eternal welfare of your souls certainly it shall prove to you the tree of the knowledge of good and evil it shall be as the forbidden fruit which in stead of performing that was promised will bring forth death the eternal separation of the soul from God Adam's sin was an Breviary or Epitome of the multiplied and enâ—arged sins of mankind you may see in this tragedy all your fortuns so to speak you may behold in it the flattering insinuations and deceitful promises of sin and Satan who is a liar
and murderer from the beginning and murdered man at first by lying to him you find the hook covered over with the varnished bâ—it of an imaginary life and happinesse satisfaction promised to the eye to the taste and to the mind and upon these inticements man bewitched and withdrawn from his God after these vain and empty shadows which when he catched hold upon he himself was caught and laid hold upon by the wrath of God by death and all the miseries before it or alter it Now here is the Mapp of the World for all that is in the world is but a larger volume of that same kind the lust of the eyes the lust of the flesh and the pride of life Albeit they have been known and found to be the notablest and grossest deceivers and every man after he hath spent his dayes in pursuit and labour for them he is constrained to acknowledge at length though too late that all that is in the world is but an imposture a delusion a dream and worse yet eveâ—y man hearkens after these same flatteries and lies that hath cast down so many wounded and made so many strong ones to fall by them every man trusts the world and his own flesh as if they were of good report and of known integrity and this is mens misery that no man will learn wisdom upon others expences upon the woâ—ul and tragical example of so many others but go on as confidently now after the discoverie of these deceivers as if this were the first time they had made such promises and used such fair words to men Have they not been these six thousand years almost deluding the world And have we not as many testimonies of their falshood as there hath been persons in all ages before us After Adam hath tasted of this tree of pleasure and found another fruit growing on it that is death should the posterity be so mad as to be medling still with the forbidden tree and therefore forbidden because destructive to our selves Know then and consider beloved in the Lord that you shall reap no other thing of all your labours and endeavours after the flesh all your toyling and perplexing cares all your excessive pains in the making provision for your lusts and caring for the body only you shall reap no other harvest of all but death and corruption Death you think that is a common lot and you cannot eschew it however nay but the death here meant is of another sort in respect of which you may call death life it is the everlasting destruction of the soul from the presence of God and the glory of his powerâ— it is the falling of that infinit weight of the wrath of the Lamb upon you in respect of which mountains and hills will be thought light and men would rather wish to be covered with them Rev. 6.16 Suppose now you could swim in a River of delights and pleasures which yet is given to none for truly upon a jâ—st reckoning it will be found that the anxiety and grief and bitteâ—nâ—sse that is inteâ—mingled with all earthly delights â—wallows up the sweetnesse of them yet it will but carry you down ere you be aware into the Seâ— oâ— deâ—th and destruction as the fish that swim and sport for a while in Iordan are carried down into the dead Sea of Sodom where they aâ—e presently suffocated and extinguished or as a Malefactor is carried through a pleasant Palace to the Gallows so men walk thâ—ough the delights of their flesh to their own endlesse torment and destruction Seing then my beloved that your sins and lusts which you are inclined and accustomed to will certainly kill you if you inteâ—tain them then nature it self would teach you the Law of self-defence To kill ere you be killed to kill sin eâ—e it kill you to mortifie the deeds and lusts of the body which aboâ—nd among you or they will certainly mortifie you that is make you die Now if self love could teach you this which the love of God cannot perswade you to yet it is well for being once led unto God and moved to change your course upon the fear and apprehension of the infinit danger that will ensue ceâ—tainly if you weâ—e but a little aâ—quainted with the sweetnesse of this life and goodnesse of your God you would find the power of the former aâ—gumenâ— Ã debito from debt and duty upon your spirit let this once lead you in to God and you will not want that which will constrain you to abide and never to depart from Him If you mortifie the deeds of the body you shall live as sin decayes you increase and grow as sins die your soulâ— live anâ— it shall be a sure pledge to you of that eternal life and though this be painful and laborious yet consider that it is but the cutting off of a rotten member that would corrupt the whole body and the want of it will never mâ—im or mâ—tilat the body for you shall live perâ—ectly when sin is perfectly expired and out of life and according aâ— sin is nearer expiring and nearer the grave your souls are neaâ—â—â— that endlesse life If this do not move us what can be said nâ—xt What shall he do more to his Vineyard SERMON XXXV Rom. 8.13 14. But if ye through the Spirit do mortifie the deeds of the body ye shall live Vers. 14. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God they are the sons of God THE life and being of many things consists in union separat them and they remain not the same or they losse their vertue It is much more thus in Christianity the power and life of it consists in the union of these things that God hâ—th conjoyned so that if any man pretend to one thing of it and neglect the other he hath really none of them and to hold to the subject in hand there are three things which joyned together in the hearts of Christians have a great deal of force the duty of a Christian and his reward and his dignity his worke and labour seems hard and unpleasant when considered alone but the reward sweetens it when it is joyntly believed his duty seems too high and his labour great yet the consideration of the real dignity he is advanced unto and priviledge he hath received will raise up the spirit to great and high attempts and to sustain great labours Mortification is the work and labour life eternal life is the reward following the Spirit is the Christians duty but to be the son of God that is his dignity Mortification sounds very harsh at first the hearts of men say It is a hard saying who can bear it And indeed I cannot deny but it is so to our corrupt nature and therefore so holden out in Scripture the words chosen to press it express much pain and pains much torment and labour it is not so easie and trivial a business to forsake sin or subdue it as many think
of his children from necessities strength perfected in weaknesse grace sufficient in infirmities hath some greater glory then strength and grace alone Thereâ—ore he hath chosen this way as most fit for the advancing his glory and moâ—t suitable for our comfort and edification to give us but little in hand and environ us with a crowd of continued necessities and wants within and without that we may learn to cry to him as our Father and seek our supplies â—rom him and withall he hath not been sparing but liberal in promises of hearing our cryes and supplying our wants â—o that this way of narrow and hard dispensation that at first seems contrary to the love and bounty and riches of our Father in the perfect view of it appears to be the only way to perpetuat our communion with Him and often to renew the sense of His love and grace that would grow slack in our hearts if our needs did not every day stir-up fresh longings and his returns by this means are so much the more refreshing There is a time of childrens minority when they stand in need of continual supplies from their Parents or Tutors because they are not entered in possession of their inheritance and while they are in this state there is nothing more beseeming them then in all their wants to addresse to their Father and represent them to Him and it is fit they should be from hand to mouth as you say that they may know and acknowledge their dependance on their Father Tâ—uly this is our minority our presence in the body which because of sin that dwells in it and its own natural weaknesse and incapacity keeps us at much distance with the Lord that we cannot be intimatly present with him Now in this condition the most natural the most comely and becoming exercise of children is to cry to our Father to present all our grievances and thus to intertain some holy correspondence with our absent Father by the messenger of prayer and supplication which cannot return empty if it be not sent away too full of self-conceit This is the most natural breathing of a child of God in this world it is the most proper acting of his new life and the most suitable exspiration of that Spirit of Adoption that is inspired into him since there is so much life as to know what we want and our wants are infinite therefore that life cannot but beat this way in holy desires after God whose fulnesse can supplie all wants this is the Pulse of a Christian that goeth continually and there is much advantage to the continuity and interruptednesse of the motion from the infinitenesse and inexhaustednesse of our needs in this life and the continual assaults that are made by necessity and temptation on the heart But ye have received the Spirit of Adoption whereby we cry c. He puts in his own Name in the latter parr though theirs was in the former part When he speaks of a donation or priviledge he applies to the meanest to shew that the lowest and most despised creature is not in any incapacity to receive the greatest gifts of God and then when he mentions the working of that Spirit in way of intercession because it imports necessity and want he cares not to commit some incongruity in the Language by changing the Person that he may teach us that weaknesse infirmities and wants are common to thebest and chiefest among Christians That the most eminent have continual need to cry and the lowest and obscurest believers have as good ground to believe the hearing and acceptance of their cryes that the highest are not above the weakest and lowest ordinanceâ— and that the lowest are not below the comfort of help and acceptation in him Nay the growth and increase of grace is so far from exempting men from or setting them above this duty of constant supplication that by the contrary this is the just measure of their growth and altitude in grace as the degrees of the hight of the Water of Nilus in its overflowing are a sure sign of the fertility or barrennesse of that year so the overflowings of the spirit of Prayer in one gives a present account how the heart is whether barren and unfruitful in the knowledge of Jesus Christ or fruitful and lively and vigorous in it It is certain that contraries do discover one another and the more the one be increased that is not only the more incompatible and inconsistent with the other but gives the most perfect discerning of it When grace is but as twi-light in the soul and as the dawning of the day only grosse darknesse and uncleanesse is seen but the more it grow to the perfect day the more sin is sin and the more its hated wants are discovered that did not appear and therefore it exerciseth its self the more in opposition to sin and supplication to God To speak the truth our growth here is but an advancement in the knowledge and sense of our own indigencey It s but a further entry into the idolatrous Temple of the heart which makes a man see daily new abominations worse then the former and therefore you may easily know that such repeated sights and discoveries will but presse out more earnest and frequent cryes from the heart and such a growth in humility and faith in Gods fulnesse will be but as oyl to feed the flame of supplication For what is Prayer indeed but the ardency of the affection after God flaming up to him in cryes and requests To speak of this exercise of an holy heart it would require more of the spirit of it then we have but truly this is to be lamented that though there be nothing more common among Christians in the outward practice of it yet that there is nothing more extraordinary and rare even among many that use it then to be acquainted with the inward nature of it Truly the most ordinary things in Religion are the greatest mysteries as to the true life of them we are strangers to the soul and life of these things which consists in the holy behavior and deportment of our Spirits before the Father of Spirits These words give some ground to speak of some special qualifications of prayer and the chief principle of it The chief principle and original of prayer is the Spirit of adoption received into the heart It is a businesse of a higher nature then can be taught by precepts or learned by custome and educationâ— there is a general mistake among men that the gift of prayer is attained by learning and that it consists in the freedom and plenty of expression But O! how many Doctors and disputers of the world that can defend all the articles of faith against the opposers of them Yet how unaquainted are they with this exercise that the poor and unlearned and nothings in the world who cannot dispute for Religion yet they send up a more â—avory and acceptable sacrifice and sweet