hold of us no vital act of faith can be exercised till a vital principle be first inspired of both these bonds of Union we must speak distinctly and first of the first Christ quickening us by his Spirit in order to our Union with him of which we have an account in the Scripture before us You hath he quickened who were dead in trespasses and sins in which words we find these two things noted Viz. 1. The infusion of a vital principle of grace 2. The total indisposedness of the subject by nature First The infusion of a vital principle of grace you hath he quickened These words hath he quickened are a supplement 1. made to clear the sense of the Apostle which else would have been more obscure by reason of that long Parenthesis betwixt the first and the fifth verses for as the * Illud 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 regitur à 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 v. 5. est igitur hoc loco hyperbaton synchysis 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quae est species 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 cujus quidem anomaliae causa est 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 interjectio sententiae prolixioris Piscator Pooles Synop. learned observe this word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 you is governed of the verb 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hath he quickened verse 5. so that here the words are transposed from the plain grammatical order by reason of the interjection of a long sentence therefore with good warrant our Translators have put the verb into this first verse which is repeated verse the fifth and so keeping faithfully to the scope have excellently cleared the Syntax and order of the words Now this verb 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hath he quickened imports the first vital act of the spirit of God â—…or his first enlivening work upon the soul in order to its Union with Jesus Christ for look as the blood of Christ is the fountain of all merit so the Spirit of Christ is the fountain of all spiritual life and until he quicken us i. e. infuse the principle of the divine life into our souls we can put forth no hand or vital act of faith to lay hold upon Jesus Christ. This his quickening work is therefore the first in order of nature to our Union with Christ and fundamental to all other acts of grace done and performed by us from our first closing with Christ throughout the whole course of our obedience and this quickening act is said verse the fifth to be together Ex Christo conjuâ—…cto nobiscum ut capite cum membris profluunt in nos omnia beneficia in quorum numero est vivificatio Rolloc in Loco with Christ either noting as some expound it that it is the effect of the same power by which Christ was raised from the dead according to Eph. 1. 19. or rather to be quickened together with Christ notes that new spiritual life which is infused into our dead souls in the time of our Union with Christ for it is Christ to whom we are conjoyned and united in our regeneration out of whom as a fountain all spiritual benefits flow to us among which this vivification or quickening is one and a most sweet and precious one Zanchy Bodius and many others will have this quickening to comprize both our justification and regeneration and to stand opposed both to infernal and spiritual death and it may well be allowed but it most properly imports our regeneration wherein the Spirit in an ineffable and mysterious way makes the soul to live to God yea to live the life of God which was before dead in trespassis and sins in which words we have Secondly In the next place the total indisposedness of 2. the subjects by nature for as it is well noted by a * Non vocat hic semi mortuos aut aegrotos ac infirmos sed prorsus mortuos omni fa ultatebene cogitandi aut agendi destituti Rolloc in Loc. learned man The Apostle doth not say of these Ephesians that they were half dead or sick and infirm but dead wholly altogether dead destitute of any faculty or ability so much as to think one good thought or perform one good act you were dead in respect of condemnation being under the damning sentence of the Law and you were dead in respect of the privation of spiritual life dead in opposition to Justification and dead in opposition to regeneration and sanctification and the fatal instrument by which their Souls dyed is here shewed them you were dead in or by trespasses and sins this was the Sword that kill'd your souls and cut them off from God Some do curiously distinguish betwixt trespasses and sins as if one pointed at original the other at actual sins but I suppose they are promiscuously used here and serve to express the cause of their ruine or means of their spiritual death and destruction this was their case when Christ came to quicken them dead in sin and being so they could not move themselves towards Union with Christ but as they were moved by the quickening Spirit of God Hence the observation will be this Doct. That those Souls which have Union with Christ are quickened with a Supernatural principle of life by the Spirit of God in order Doct. thereunto The Spirit of God is not only a living Spirit formally considered but he is also the Spirit of life effectively or causally considered and without his breathing or infusing liâ—… into our souls our Union with Christ is impossible It is the observation of learned Camero that there must be Observandum est unionem unitionem inter se disserre unio est rerum actus qui formae rationem habet nempe actus rerum unitarum quâ unitae sunt unitio autem actus significat causâ—… efficientis c. Camero de Eccles p. 222. an Unition before there can be a Union with Christ. Unition is to be conceived efficiently as the work of Gods Spirit joyning the believer to Christ and Union is to be conceived formally the joyning it self of the persons together we close with Christ by faith but that faith being a vital act presupposes a principle of life communicated to us by the Spirit therefore it 's said Joh. 11. 26. whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never dye the vital act and operation of faith springs from this quickening Spirit so in Rom. 8 1 2. the Apostle having in the first verse opened the blessed estate of them that are in Christ shews us in the second verse how we come to be in him The Spirit of life saith he which is in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the Law of sin and death There is indeed a quickening work of the Spirit which is subsequent to regeneration consisting in his exciting recovering and actuating of his own graces in us and from hence is the liveliness of a Christian and there is a quickening act of the Spirit in our
have lived Vassals to your sins and dyed at last in your sins but the fruit efficacy and benefit of Christs death is yours for the killing those sins in you which else had been your ruine Fifthly Believers have Communion with Christ in his life and resurrection from the dead as he rose from the dead so do they and that by the power and influence of his vivification and resurrection 't is the Spirit of life which is in Christ Jesus that makes us free from the Law of sin and death Rom. 8. 2. our spiritual life is from Christ Eph. 2. 1. and you hath he quickened who were dead in trespasses and sins and hence Christ is said to live in the believer Gal. 2. 20. Now I live yet not I but Christ liveth in me and it is no small priviledge to partake of the very life of Christ which is the most excellent life that ever any creature can live yet such is the happiness of all the Saints the life of Christ is manifest in them and such a life as shall never see death Sixthly To conclude Believers have fellowship with Jesus Christ in his glory which they shall enjoy in heaven with him they shall be ever with the Lord 1 Thes. 4. 17. and that 's not all though as one saith it were a kind of heaven but to look through the keyhole and have but a glimpse of Christs blessed face but they shall partake of the glory which the father hath given him for so he speaks Joh. 17. 22 24. and more particularly they shall sit with him in his throne Rev. 3. 21. and when he comes to judge the world he will come to be glorified in the Saints 2 Thes. 1. 10. So that you see what glorious and inestimable things are and will be in common betwixt Christ and the Saints His Titles his righteousness his holiness his death his life his glory I do not say that Christ will make any Saint equal with him in glory that 's impossible he will be known from all the Saints in heaven as the Sun is distinguished from the Stars but they shall partake of his glory and be fill'd with his joy there and thus you see what those things are that the Saints have fellowship with Christ in Secondly Next I would open the way and means by which 2. we come to have fellowship with Jesus Christ in these excellent priviledges and this I shall do briefly in the following Positions Position 1. First No man hath fellowship with Christ in any special saving Position 1. Soli verè fideles sunt membra Christi idque non quatenus homines sed quatenus Christiani nec secundum primam generationem sed secundum reg nerationem Polanus Syntag. lib. 6. cap. 35. priviledge by nature howsoever it be cultivated or improved but only by faith uniting him to the Lord Jesus Christ 't is not the priviledge of our first but second birth This is plain from Joh. 1. 12 13. But to as many as received him to them gave he power to become the sons of God even to as many as believed on his name who are born not of flesh nor of blood nor of the will of man but of God We are by nature children of wrath Eph. 2. 3. we have fellowship with Satan in sin and misery the wild branch hath no communication of the sweetness and fatness of a more noble and excellent root until it be ingraffed upon it and have immediate Union and coalition with it Joh. 15. 1 2. Position 2. Believers themselves have not an equal share one with another in all the benefits and priviledges of their Union with Christ but in Position 2. some there is an equality and in others an inequality according to the measure and gift of Christ to every one In Justification they are all equal the weak and the strong believer are alike justified because it is one and the same perfect righteousness of Christ which is applied to the one and to the other so that there are no different degrees of Justification but all that believe are justified from all things Acts 13. 39. and there is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus Rom. 8. 1. be they never so weak in faith or defective in degrees of grace But there is apparent difference in the measures of their Sanctification some are strong men and others are babes in Christ 1 Cor. 3. 1. the faith of some flourishes and grows exceedingly 2 Thes. 1. 3. the things that are in others are ready to dye Rev. 3. 2. It 's a plain case that there is great variety sound in the degrees of grace and comfort among them that are joyntly interested in Christ and equally justified by him Position 3. The Saints have not fellowship and communion with Christ in the fore-mentioned benefits and priviledges by one and the same medium Position 3. but by various mediums and ways according to the nature of the benefits in which they participate For instance they have partnership and communion with Christ as hath been said in his righteousness holiness and glory but they receive these distinct blessings by divers mediums of communion we have communion with Christ in his righteousness by the way of Imputation we partake of his holiness by the way of infusion and of his glory in heaven by the beatifical Vision Our Justification is a relative change our sanctification a real change our glorification a perfect change by redemption from all the remains both of sin and misery Thus hath the Lord appointed several blessings for believers in Christ and several channels of conveying them from him to us by imputed righteousness we are freed from the guilt of sin by imparted holiness we are freed from the dominion of sin and by our glorification with Christ we are freed from all the reliques and remains both of sin and misery let in by sin upon our natures Position 4. That Jesus Christ imparts to all believers all the spiritual Position 4. blessings that he is filled with and with-holds none from any that have Union with him be these blessings never so great or they that receive them never so weak mean and contemptible in outward respects Gal. 3. 27. Ye are all the children of God by faith in Jesus Christ. The salvation that comes by Christ is stiled the common salvation Jude 3. and heaven the inheritance of the Saints in light Col. 1. 12. There is neither Greek nor Jew saith the Apostle Circumcision nor uncircumcision Barbarian Scythian bond or free but Christ is all and in all Col. 3. 11. he means there is no priviledge in the one to commend them to God and no want of any thing in the other to debarr them from God let men have or want outward excellencies as beauty honour riches nobility gifts of the mind sweetness of nature and all such like ornaments what is that to God he looks not at these things but respects
thy delight as once they were but thy shame and sorrow This is a comfort that thy case is not singular but more or less the same complaints and sorrows are found in all gracious souls through the world and to say all in one word This is the comfort above all comforts that the time is at hand in which all thâ—…se defects infirmities and failings shall be done away 1 Cor. 13. 10. When that which is perfect is come then that which is in part shall be done away For ever blessed be God for Jesus Christ. And thus I have finished the third general Use of Examination whereby every man is to try his interest in Christ and discern whether ever Christ hath been effectually applied to his soul. That which remains is a Use of Lamentation Wherein the miserable and most wretched state of all those to whom Jesus Christ is not effectually applied will be yet more particularly discovered and bewailed The Thirty first SERMON Sernâ—… EPHES. 5. 14. Wherefore he saith Awake thou that sleepest and rise from the dead and Christ shall give thee light Text. Of the state of Spiritual Death and the misery thereof THis Scripture represents unto us the miserable and lamentable state of the unregenerate as being under the power of spiritual death which is the cause and in-let of all other miseries From hence therefore I shall make the first discovery of the woful and wretched state of them that apply not Jesus Christ to their own souls The scope of the Apostle in this Context is to press believers to a circumspect and holy life to walk as children of light This exhortation is laid down in ver 8. and pressed by diverse arguments in the following verses First from the tendency of holy principles unto holy fruits and practices ver 9 10. Secondly from the convincing efficacy of practical godliness upon the consciences of the wicked ver 11 12 13. It awes and convinces their consciences Thirdly from the co incidence of such a conversation with the great design and drift of the scriptures which is to awaken men by regeneration out of that spiritual sleep or rather death which sin hath cast them into And this is the Argument of the Text Wherefore he saith Awake thou that sleepest c. There is some difficulty in the reference of these words Some think it refers to Isa. 26. 19. Awake and sing ye that dwell in the dust Others to Isa. 60. 1. Arise shine for thy light is come c. But most probably the words neither refer to this or that particularly but to the drift and scope of the whole Scriptures which were inspired and written upon this great design to awaken and quicken souls out of the state of spiritual death And in them we are to consider these three things more distinctly and particularly 1. The miserable state of the unregenerate they are asleep and dead 2. Their duty which is to awake and stand up from the dead 3. The power enabling them thereunto Christ shall give thee light First The miserable state of the unregenerate represented under the Notions of sleep and death both expressions intending 1. one and the same thing though with some variety of Notion The Christless and unregenerate world is in a deep sleep a spirit of slumber senselesness and security is fallen upon them though they lie exposed immediately to eternal wrath and misery ready to drop into hell every moment Just as a man that is fast asleep in a house on fire and whilst the consuming flames are round about him his fancy is sporting it self in some pleasant dream this is a very lively resemblance of the unregenerate soul. But yet he that sleeps hath the principle of life entire in him though his senses be bound and the actions of life suspended by sleep Lest therefore we should think it is only so with the unregenerate the expression is designedly varied and those that were said to be asleep are positively affirmed to be dead on purpose to inform us that it is not a simple suspension of the acts and exercise but a total privation of the principle of spiritual life which is the misery of the unregenerate Secondly We have here the duty of the unregenerate which is to awake out of sleep and arise from the dead This is their great 2. concernment no duty in the world is of greater necessity and importance to them Strive saith Christ to enter in at the strait gate Luke 13. 24. And the order of these duties is very natural First awake then arise Startling and rousing convictions make way for spiritual life till God awake us by convictions of our misery we will never be perswaded to arise and move towards Christ for remedy and safety Thirdly But you will say if unregenerate men be dead men to what purpose is it to perswade them to arise and stand up 3. The very exhortation supposes some power or ability in the Quamvis verba videntur velle primum excitari surgere deinde illuminari tamen intelligendum est vi lucis Christi excitari eum surgere Roll. in Loc. unregenerate else in vain are they commanded to arise This difficulty is solved in this very Text though the duty be ours yet the power is Gods God commands that in his word which only his grace can perform Christ shall give thee light Popish Commentators would build the power of free will upon this Scripture by a very weak argument drawn from the order wherein these things are here expressed which is but a weak foundation to build upon for it is very usual in Scripture to put the effect before and the cause after as it is here so in Isa. 26. 19. Awake and sing ye that dwell in the dust But I will not here intangle my discourse with that controversie that which I aim at is plain in the words viz. DOCT. That all Christless souls are under the power of Spiritual death Doct. they are in the state of the dead Multitudes of testimonies are given in Scripture to this truth Eph. 2. 1 5. You hath he quickened who were dead in trespasses and sins Col. 2. 13. And you being dead in your sint and the uncircumcision of your flesh hath he quickened together with him with many other places of the same importance But the method in which I shall discourse this point will be this First I will shew you in what sence Christless and unregenerate men are said to be dead Secondly what the state of spiritual death is Thirdly how it appears that all unregenerate men are in this sad state And then apply it First In what sense are Christless and unregenerate men 1. said to be dead men To open this we must know there is a threefold death viz. Death 1. Natural 2. Spiritual 3. Eternal Natural death is nothing else but the privation of the principle of natural life or the separation of
spiritualiter per ipsum regeneratos Sicut deâ—…ictum Ade non nocet nisi suis in eo quod sui sunt Sic nec gratia Christi prodest nisi suis in eo quod sui sunt as the Condemnation of the First Adam passeth not to us except as by generation we are his so grace and remission pass not from the Second Adam to us except as by regeneration we are his Adams Sin hurts none but those that are in him and Christs blood profits none but those that are in him how great a weight therefore doth there hang upon the effectual application of Christ to the Souls of men and what is there in the whole world so awfully solemn so greatly important as this is Such is the strong consolation resulting from it that the Apostle in this context offers it to the believing Corinthians as a superabundant recompence for the despicable meanness and baseness of their outward condition in this world of which he had just before spoken in ver 27 28. telling them though the world contemned them as vile foolish and weak yet of God Christ is made unto them wisdom and righteousness sanctification and redemption In which words we have an Enumeration of the chief priviledges of believers and an Account of the method whereby they come to be invested with them First Their priviledges are enumerated namely wisdome righteousness sanctification and redemption mercies of 1. Quatuor Christo â—…logia hic adscribit quae totam ejus virtutem quicquid ab ipso bonorum recipimus complectuntur Calv. in loc inestimable value in themselves and such as respect a fourfold misery lying upon sinful manâ—… viz. Ignorance guilt pollution and the whole 〈◊〉 of miserable consequences and effects let in upon the nature of men yea the best and holiest of men by sin Lapsed man is not only in deep misery but grossly ignorant both that he is so and how to recover himself from it Sin hath left him at once senseless of his state and at a perfect loss about the true remedy To cure this Christ is made to him Wisdome not only by improvement of those treasures of wisdome that are in himself for the benefit of such souls as are united to him as an head consulting the good of his own members but also by imparting his wisdome to them by the Spirit of illumination whereby they come to discern both their sin and danger as also the true way of their recovery from both through the application of Christ to their souls by faith But alas Simple illumination doth but increase our burden and exasperate our misery as long as sin in the guilt of it is either imputed to our persons unto condemnation or reflected by our consciences in a way of accusation With design therefore to remedy and heal this sore evil Christ is made of God unto us righteousness compleat and perfect righteousness whereby our obligation to punishment is dissolved and thereby a solid foundation for a well settled peace of conscience firmly established Yea but although the removing of guilt from our persons and consciences be an inestimable mercy yet alone it cannot make us compleatly happy for though a man should never be damned for sin yet what is it less than an hell upon earth to be under the dominion and pollution of every base lust it's misery enough to be daily defiled by sin though a man should never be damned for it To compleat therefore the happiness of the redeemed Christ is not only made of God unto them Wisdome and righteousness the one curing our ignorance the other our guilt but he is made Sanctification also to relieve us against the dominion and pollution of our corruptions he comes both by water and by blood not by blood only but by water also 1 Joh. 5. 6. purging as well as pardoning how compleat and perfect a cure is Christ But yet something is required beyond all this to make our happiness perfect and entire wanting nothing and that is the removal of those doleful effects and consequents of sin which notwithstanding all the forementioned priviledges and mercies still lye upon the souls and bodies of illuminated justified and sanctified persons For even upon the best and holiest of men what swarms of vanity loads of deadness and fits of unbelief do daily appear in and oppress their souls to the imbittering of all the comforts of life to them And how many diseases deformities pains oppress their bodies which daily moulders away by them till they fall into the grave by death even as the bodies of other men do who never received such priviledges from Christ as they do For if Christ be in us as the Apostle speaks Rom. 8. 10. the body is dead because of sin Sanctification exempts us not from mortality But from all these and whatsoever else the fruits and consequences of sin Christ is Redemption to his people also this seals up the sum of mercies this so compleats the happiness of the Saints that it leaves nothing to desire These four wisdome righteousness sanctification and redemption take up amongst them all that is necessary or desirable to make a soul truly and perfectly blessed Secondly we have here the method and way by which the Elect come to be invested with these excellent priviledges 2. the account whereof the Apostle gives us in these words Who of God is made unto us in which expression four things are remarkable First That Christ and his benefits go inseparably and undividedly together 't is Christ himself is made all this unto us we can have no saving benefit separate and apart from the person of Christ many would willingly receive his priviledges who will not receive his person but it cannot be if we will have one we must take the other too yea we must accept his person first and then his benefits as it is in the marriage Covenant so 't is here Secondly That Christ with his benefits must be personally and particularly applied to us before we can receive any actual saving priviledge by him he must be made unto us i. e. particularly applied to us as a sum of money becomes or is made the ransome and liberty of a Captive when it is not only promised but paid down in his name and legally applied for that use and end when Christ dyed the ransome was prepared the sum laid down but yet the elect continue still in sin and misery notwithstanding till by effectual calling it be actually applied to their persons and then they are made free Rom. 5. 10 11. reconciled by Christs death by whom we have now received the attonement Thirdly That this application of Christ is the work of God and not of man Of God he is made unto us the same hand that prepared it must also apply it or else we perish notwithstanding all that the father hath done in contriving and appointing and all that the son hath done in executing and accomplishing the
design thus far And this actual application is the work of the Spirit by a singular appropriation Fourthly and Lastly This expression imports the suitableness of Christ to the necessities of Sinners What they want he is made to them and indeed as money answers all things and is convertible into meat drink rayment physick or what else our bodily necessities do require so Christ is virtually and eminently all that the necessities of our souls require bread to the hungry soul and cloathing to the naked soul. In a word God prepared and furnished him on purpose to answer all our wants which fully hits the Apostles sense when he saith Who of God is made unto us wisdome and righteousness sanctification and redemption The sum of all is Doct. Doct. That the Lord Jesus Christ with all his precious benefits becomes ours by Gods special and effectual Application There is a twofold Application of our redemption one Primary the other Secondary the former is the Act of God the Father applying it to Christ our Surety and virtually to us in him the later is the Act of the holy Spirit personally and actually applying it to us in the work of conversion the former hath the respect and relation of an example model or pattern to this and this is produced and wrought by the vertue of that What was done upon the person of Christ was not only virtually done upon us considered in him as a common publick representative person in which sense we are said to dye with him and live with him to be crucified with him and buryed with him but it was also intended for a platform or Idea of what is to be done by the Spirit actually upon our souls and bodies in our single persons As he dyed for sin so the Spirit applying his death to us in the work of mortification causes us to dye to sin by the vertue of his death and as he was quickned by the Spirit and raised unto life so the Spirit applying unto us the life of Christ causeth us to live by spiritual vivification Now this personal secondary and actual application of redemption to us by the Spirit in his sanctifying work is that which I am engaged here to discuss and open Which I shall do in these following Propositions Propos. 1. The Application of Christ to us is not only Comprehensive of our Justification but of all those works of the Spirit which are known Propos. 1. to us in Scripture by the names of regeneration vocation sanctification and conversion Though all these terms have some small respective differences among themselves yet they are all included in this general the applying and putting on of Christ Rom. 13. 14. Put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ. Regeneration expresses those supernatural divine new qualities infused by the Spirit into the Soul which are the principles of all holy actions Vocation expresseth the terms from which and to which the soul moves when the Spirit works savingly upon it under the Gospel call Sanctification notes that holy dedication of heart and life to God our becoming the Temples of the living God separate from all prophane sinful practices to the Lords only use and service Conversion denotes the great change it self which the Spirit causeth upon the soul turning it by a sweet irresistible efficacy from the power of Sin and Satan to God in Christ. Now all these are imported in and done by the Application of Christ to our souls for when once the efficacy of Christs death and the vertue of his resurrection come to take place upon the heart of any man he cannot but turn from Sin to God and become a new creature living and acting by new principles and rules So the Apostle observes 1 Thes. 1. 5 6. speaking of the effect of this work of the Spirit upon that people Our Gospel saith he came not to you in word only but in power and in the Holy Ghost there was the effectual application of Christ to them And you became followers of us and of the Lord ver 6. there was their effectual call And ye turned from dumb Idols to serve the living and true God ver 9. there was their conversion So that ye were ensamples to all that believe ver 7. there was their life of Sanctification or dedication to God So that all these are comprehended in effectual application Propos. 2. The Application of Christ to the souls of men is that great project Propos. 2. and design of God in this world for the accomplishment whereof all the Ordinances and all the officers of the Gospel are appointed and continued in the world This the Gospel expressly declared to be its direct and great end and the great business of all its officers Eph. 4. 11 12. And he gave some Apostles and some Prophets and some Evangelists and some pastors and teachers till we all come in the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God to a perfect man unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ i. e. the great aim and scope of all Christs Ordinances and officers is to bring men into Union with Christ and so build them up to perfection in him or to unite them to and confirm them in Christ and when it shall have finished this design then shall the whole frame of Gospel Ordinances be taken down and all its officers disbanded The Kingdom i. e. this present oeconomy manner and form of Government shall be delivered up 1 Cor. 15. 24. what are Ministers but the Bridegrooms friends Ambassadors for God to beseech men to be reconciled when therefore all the elect are brought home in a reconciled state to Christ when the marriage of the Lamb is come our work and office expire together Propos. 3. Such is the Importance and great concernment of the personal application of Christ to us by the Spirit that whatsoever the father hath Propos. 3. done in the contrivement or the Son hath done in the accomplishment of our Redemption is all inavailable and ineffectual to our Salvation without this It is confessedly true that Gods good pleasure appointing us from eternity to Salvation is in its kind a most full and sufficient Impulsive cause of our Salvation and every way able for so much as it is concerned to produce its effect And Christs humiliation and sufferings are a most compleat and sufficient meritorious cause of our Salvation to which nothing can be added to make it more apt and able to procure our Salvation than it already is yet neither the one or other can actually save any Soul without the Spirits application of Christ to it for where there are divers social causes or concauses necessary to produce one effect there the effect cannot be produced until the last cause have wrought thus it is here The Father hath elected and the Son hath redeemed but until the Spirit who is the last cause have wrought his part also we cannot be
our righteousness Jer. 23. we dare not set the servant above the master we acknowledge no righteousness but what the obedience and satisfaction of Christ yields us his blood not our faith his satisfaction not our believing it is the matter of our justification before God Secondly We dare not yield this point lest we undermine all the comfort of Christians by bottoming their pardon and peace upon a weak imperfect work of their own Oh how tottering and unstable must their station be that stand upon such a bottom as this what ups and downs are there in our faith what mixtures of unbelief at all times and prevalency of unbelief at some times and is this a foundation to build our justification and hope upon debile fundamentum fallit opus if we lay the stress here we build upon very loose ground and must be at a continual loss both as to safety and comfort Thirdly We dare not wrong the justice and truth of God at that rate as to affirm that he esteems and imputes our poor weak faith for perfect legal righteousness we know that the judgement of God is always according to truth if Ergo quia fides Christum justitiam nostram recipit gratiae dei in Christo omnia tribuit ideo fidei tribuitur justificatio maxime propter Christum non ideo quia nostrum opus est Confess Helv. 〈◊〉 the justice of God requires full payment sure it will not say it 's fully satisfied by any act of ours when all that we can do amounts not to one mite of the vast summ we owe to God So that we deservedly reject this opinion also Thirdly And for the third opinion that it justifies as the Condition of the new Covenant though some of great name and worth among our Protestant Divines seem to go that way yet I cannot see according to this opinion any reason why repentance may not as properly be said to justifie us as faith for it is a condition of the new Covenant as much as faith and if faith justifie as a condition then every other grace that is a condition must justifie as well as faith I acknowledge faith to be a condition of the Covenant but cannot allow that it justifies as a condition And therefore must profess my self best satisfied in the last opinion which speaks it an instrument in our justification it is the hand which receives the righteousness of Christ that justifies us and that gives it its value above all other graces as when we say a Diamond Ring is worth one hundred pounds we mean not the Gold that receives but the stone that is set in it is worth so much faith consider'd as an habit is no more precious than other gracious habits are but consider'd as an instrument to receive Christ and his righteousness so it excels them all and this instrumentality of faith is noted in those phrases 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rom. 3. 28. and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rom. 3. 22. by faith and through faith And thus much of the nature and excellency of saving faith The Seventh SERMON Serm. 7. JOH 1. 12. Text. But as many as received him to them gave he power to become the sons of God even to them that believe on his name THe Nature and Excellency of saving faith together with its relation to justification as an Instrument in receiving Christ and his righteousness having been discoursed doctrinally already I now come to make application of it according to the nature of this weighty and fruitful point And the Uses I shall make of it will be for our 1. Information 2. Examination 3. Exhortation And. 4. Direction First Use of Information And in the first place this point yields us many and great 1. Use. and useful truths for our Information as Infer 1. Is the receiving of Christ the vital and saving act of faith Infer 1. which gives the soul right to the person and priviledges of Christ Then it follows That the rejecting of Christ by unbelief must needs be the damning and soul-destroying sin which cuts a man off from Christ and all the benefits purchased by his blood If there be life in receiving there must needs be death in rejecting Christ. There is no grace more excellent than faith no sin more execrable and abominable than unbelief faith is the saving grace and unbelief is the damning sin Mark 16. 16. He that believeth not shall be damned See Joh. 3. 18 36. and Joh. 8. 24. And the reason why this sin of unbelief is the damning sin is this because in the justification of a sinner there must be a cooperation of all the Concauses that have a joint influence into that blessed effect As there must be free grace for an impulsive cause The blood of Christ as the meritorious cause so of necessity there must be faith the Instrumental cause to receive and apply what the free grace of God designed and the blood of Christ purchased for us For where there are many social causes or concauses to produce one effect there the effect is not produced till the last cause be in Act. To him give all the prophets witness that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remissions of sins Acts 10. 43. Faith in its place is as necessary as the blood of Christ in its place 't is Christ in you the hope of glory Col. 1. 27. not Christ in the womb nor Christ in the grave nor Christ in heaven except he be also Christ in you Though Christ be come in the flesh though he dyed and rose again from the dead yet if you believe not you must for all that dye in your sins Joh. 8. 24. and what a dreadful thing is this better dye the death of a dog better dye in a ditch than dye in your sins if you dye in your sins you will also rise in your sins and stand at the bar of Christ in your sins you can never receive remission till first you have received Christ. O cursed unbelief which damns the soul dishonours God 1 Joh. 5. 10. sleights Jesus Christ the wisdome of God as if that glorious design of redemption by his blood the triumph and master-piece of divine wisdome were meer foolishness 1 Cor. 1. 23 24. frustrates the great design of the Gospel Gal. 4. 11. and consequently it must be the sin of sins the worst and most dangerous of all sins leaving a man under the guilt of all his other sins Infer 2. If such a receiving of Christ as hath been described be saving and justifying faith Then faith is a work of greater difficulty Infer 2. than most men understand it to be and there are but few sound believers in the world Before Christ can be received the heart must be emptied and opened but most mens hearts are full of self righteousness and vain confidence this was the case of the Jews Rom. 10. 3. being ignorant of Gods righteousness and
furious beasts of prey Tantaene animis coelestibus ira O how repugnant are these practices non secus ac Cum duo conversis inimica in praelia tauri Frontibus 〈◊〉 with the study of mortification which is the great study and endeavour of all that be in Christ They that are Christs have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts So much for the order of the words the words themselves are a proposition wherein we have to consider both The 1. Subject 2. Predicate First The Subject of the proposition they that are Christs 1. viz. true Christians real members of Christ such as truly Vere Christiani qui ad Christum pertinent qui se ei dedâ—… regendâ—…s Pol. Synopsis belong to Christ such as have given themselves up to be governed by him and are indeed acted by his Spirit such all such persons for the indefinite is equipollent to a universal all such and none but such Secondly The predicate theâ—…â—…ve crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts by flesh 〈◊〉 are here to understand carnal 2. concupiscence the workings and motions of corrupt nature and by the affections we are to understand not the natural but the inordinate affections for Christ doth not abolish and destroy but correct and regulate the affections of those that are in him and by crucifying the flesh we are not to understand the total extinction or perfect subduing of corrupt nature but only the deposing of corruption from its regency and dominion in the soul its dominion is taken away though its life be prolonged for a season but yet as death surely though slowly follows crucifixion the life of crucified persons gradually departing from them with their blood so it is just so in the mortification of sin and therefore what the Apostle in this place calls crucifying he calls in Rom. 8. 13. mortifying if ye through the Spirit do mortifie 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 if ye put to death the deeds of the body but he chooses in this place to call it crucifying to shew not only the conformity there is betwixt the death of Christ and the death of sin in respect of shame pain and lingring slowness but to denote also the principle means and instrument of mortification viz. the death or cross of Jesus Christ in the vertue whereof believers do mortifie the corruptions of their flesh the great arguments and perswasives to mortification being drawn from the sufferings of Christ for sin In a word he doth not say they that believe Christ was crucified for sin are Christs but they and they only are his who feel as well as profess the power and efficacie of the sufferings of Christ in the mortification and subduing of their lusts and sinful affections And so much briefly of the parts and sense of the words The Observation followeth DOCT. That a saving interest in Christ may be regularly and strongly inferred and concluded from the mortification of the flesh with Doct. its affections and lusts This point is fully confirmed by those words of the Apostle Rom. 6. 5 6 7 8. 〈◊〉 if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection knowing this that our old man is crucified with him that the body of sin might be destroyed that henceforth we should not serve sin for he that is dead is freed from sin now if we be dead with Christ we believe that we shall also live with him Mark the force of the Apostles reasoning if we have been planted into the likeness of his death viz. by the mortification of sin which resembles or hath a likeness to the kind and manner of Christs death as was noted above then we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection and why so but because this mortification of sin is an undoubted evidence of the union of such a soul with Christ which is the very ground-work and principle of that blessed and glorious resurrection and therefore he saith vers 11. Reckon ye also your selves to be dead indeed unto sin but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord q. d. reason thus with your selves these mortifying influences of the death of Christ are unquestionable presages of your future blessedness God never taking this course with any but those who are in Christ and are designed to be glorified with him the death of your sin is as evidential as any thing in the world can be of your spiritual life for the present and of your eternal life with God hereafter Mortification is the fruit and evidence of your union and that union is the firm ground-work and certain pledge of your glorification and so you ought to reckon or reason the case with your selves as the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 there signifies Now for the stating and explicating of this point I shall in the doctrinal part labour to open and confirm these five things 1. What the mortification or crucifixion of sin imports 2. Why this work of the Spirit is expressed by crucifying 3. Why all that are in Christ must be so crucified or mortified unto sin 4. What is the true evangelical principle of mortification 5. How the mortification of sin evinces our interest in Christ. And then apply the whole First What the mortification or crucifixion of sin imports 1. And for clearness sake I shall speak to it both negatively and positively shewing you what is not intended and what is principally aimed at by the Spirit of God in this expression First The crucifying of the flesh doth not imply the total abolition of sin in Believers or the destruction of its very Neg. 1. Mortificari carnem non est eam ita perimi ut aut prorsus non sit aut nulla prava in homine desideria commoveat quod in corpore mortis bujus non contingit c. Estius in loc being and existence in them for the present sanctified souls so put off their corruptions with their bodies at death this will be the effect of our future glorification not of our present sanctification it doth exist in the most mortified Believer in the world Rom. 7. 17. it still acteth and lusteth in the regenerate soul Gal. 5. 17. yea notwithstanding its crucifixion in Believers it still may in respect of single acts surprize and captivate them Psal. 65. 3. Rom. 7. 23. This therefore is not the intention of the spirit of God in this expression Secondly Nor doth the crucifixion of sin consist in the suppression of the external acts of sin only for sin may reign over the souls of men whilst it doth not break forth into their lives in gross and open actions 2 Pet. 2. 20. Mat. 12. 43. Morality in the Heathens as Tertullian well observes did abscondere sed non abscindere vitia hide them when it could not kill them many a man shews a white and fair hand who yet hath a very foul and black
the soul from the body James 2. 26. The body without the spirit is dead Spiritual death is the privation of the principle of spiritual life or the want and absence of the quickening spirit of God in the foul the soul is the life of the body and Christ is the life of the soul the absence of the foul is death to the body and the absence or want of Christ is death to the soul. Eternal death is the separation both of body and soul from God which is the misery of the damned Now Christless and unregenerate men are not dead in the first sense they are naturally alive though they are dead while they live Nor are they yet dead in the last sense eternally separated from God by an irrevocable sentence as the damned are but they are dead in the second sense they are spiritually dead whilst they are naturally alive and this spiritual death is the fore-runner of eternal death Now spiritual death is put in scripture in opposition to a two-fold spiritual life Viz. 1. The life of Justification 2. The life of Sanctification Spiritual death in opposition to the life of Justification is nothing else but the guilt of sin bringing us under the sentence of death Spiritual death in opposition to the life of sanctification is the pollution or dominion of sin In both these fen ses unregenerate men are dead men but it is the last which I am properly concerned to speak to in this place and therefore Secondly Let us briefly consider what this spiritual death is which as before was hinted is the absence of the quickening 2. spirit of Christ from the soul of any man That soul is a dead soul into which the spirit of Christ is not infused in the work of regeneration and all its works are dead works as they are called Heb. 9. 14. For look how it is with the damned they live they have sense and motion and an immortality in all these yet because they are eternally separated from God the life which they live deserves not the name of life but is every where in scripture stiled death So the unregenerate they are naturally alive they eat and drink they buy and sell they talk and laugh they rejoyce in the creatures and many of them spend their days in pleasures and then go down to the grave This is the life they live but yet the scripture rather calls it death than life because though they live yet it is without God in the world Eph. 2. 12. Though they live yet it is a life alienated from the life of God Eph. 4. 18. And therefore while they remain naturally alive they are in scripture said to remain in death 1 John 3. 14. and to be dead while they live 1 Tim. 5. 6. And there is great reason why a Christless and unregenerate state should be represented in scripture under the notion of death for there is nothing in nature which more aptly represents that miserable state of the soul than natural death doth The dead see and discern nothing and the natural man perceiveth not the things that are of God The dead have no beauty or desirableness in them Bury my dead said Abraham out of my sight neither is there any spiritual loveliness in the unregenerate True it is some of them have sweet natural qualities and moral excellencies which are taking things but these are as so many flowers decking and adorning a dead corpse The dead are Objects of pity and great lamentation men use to mourn for the dead Eccles. 12. 5. Man goeth to his long home and the mourners go about the streets But unregenerate and Christless souls are much more the Objects of pity and lamentation How are all the people of God especially those that are naturally related to them concerned to mourn over them and for them as Abraham did for Ishmael Gen. 17. 18. O that Ishmael might live before thee Upon these and many other accounts the state of unregeneracy is represented to us in the notion of death Thirdly And that this is the state of all Christless and unsanctified persons will undeniably appear two ways 3. 1. The causes of spiritual life have not wrought upon them 2. The effects and signs of spiritual life do not appear in them and therefore they are in the state and under the power of spiritual death First The causes of spiritual life have not wrought upon them There are two causes of spiritual life 1. Principal and internal 2. Subordinate and external The principal internal cause of spiritual life is the regenerating spirit of Christ Rom. 8. 2. The law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death 'T is the spirit as a regenerating spirit that unites us with Christ in whom all spiritual life originally is John 5. 25 26. Verily I say unto you that the hour is coming and now is when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God and they that hear shall live for as the father hath life in himself so hath he given to the son to have life in himself As all the members of the natural body receive animation sense and motion by their Union with their natural head so all believers the members of Christ receive spiritual life and animation by their Union with Christ their mystical head Eph. 4. 15 16. Except we come to him and be united with him in the way of faith we can have no life in us John 5. 40. Ye will not come unto me that ye may have life Now the spirit of God hath yet exerted no regenerating quickening influences nor begotten any special saving faith in natural unsanctified men whatever he hath done for them in the way of natural or spiritual common gifts yet he hath not quickened them with the life of Christ. And as for the subordinate external means of life viz. the preaching of the Gospel which is the instrument of the spirit in this glorious work and is therefore called the word of life Phil. 2. 16. this word hath not yet been made a regenerating quickening word to their souls Possibly it hath enlightned them and convinced them it hath wrought upon their minds in the way of common illumination and upon their consciences in the way of conviction but not upon their hearts and wills by way of effectual conversion To this day the Lord hath not given them an heart opening it self in the way of faith to receive Jesus Christ. Secondly The effects and signs of spiritual life do not appear in them for First They have no feeling or sense of misery and danger I mean no such sense as throwly awakens them to apply Christ their remedy That spiritual judgment lies upon them Isa. 6. 9 10. And he said go and tell this people Hear ye indeed but understand not and see ye indeed but perceive not make the heart of this people fat and their ears heavy and
shut their eyes Secondly They have no spiritual motions towards Christ or after things that are spiritual all the Arguments in the world cannot perswade their wills to move one step towards Christ in the way of faith John 5. 40. Ye will not come unto me Were there a principle of spiritual life in their souls they would move Christ-ward and heaven-ward John 4. 14. it would be in them a well of water springing up into eternal life The natural tendency of the spiritual life is upward Thirdly The unregenerate have no appetite unto spiritual food they savour not things that are spiritual they can go from week to week and from year to year all their life time without any communion betwixt God and their souls and feel no need of it nor any hungerings nor thirstings after it which could never be iâ—… a principle of spiritual life were in them for then they would esteem the words of Gods mouth more than their necessary food Job 30. 12. Fourthly They have no heat or spiritual warmth in their affections to God and things above their hearts are as cold as a stone to spiritual Objects They are heated indeed by their lusts and affections to the world and the things of the world But O how cold and dead are they towards Jesus Christ and spiritual excellencies Fifthly They breathe not spiritually therefore they live not spiritually were there a spiritual principle of life in them their souls would breath after God in spiritual prayer Acts 9. 11. Behold he prayeth The lips of the unregenerate may move in prayer but their hearts and desires do not breath and pant after God Sixthly They have no cares or fears for self-preservation which is always the effect of life the poorest fly or silliest worm will shun danger the wrath of God hangs over them in the threatnings but they tremble not at it Hell is but a little before them they are upon the very precipice of eternal ruine yet will use no means to avoid it How plain therefore is this sad case which I have undertaken here to demonstrate viz that Christless and unregenerate souls are dead souls The uses follow Inference 1. If all Christless and unregenerate souls be dead souls then how Inference 1. little pleasure can Christians take in the society of the unregenerate Certainly 't is no pleasure for the living to converse among the dead It was a cruel torment invented by Mezentius the Tyrant to tie a dead and living man together The pleasure â—…t solent vitia alibi connata in propinqua membra perniciem Juam efflare sic improborum vitia in eos derivantur qui cum illis vitae babent consuetudinem Tertul. advers Valentin of society arises from the harmony of spirits and the hopes of mutual enjoyment in the world to come neither of which can sweeten the society of the godly with the wicked in this world 'T is true there is a necessary civil converse which we must have with the ungodly here or else as the Apostle speaks we must go out of the world There are also duties of relation which must be faithfully and tenderly paid even to the unregenerate But certainly where we have our free election we shall be much wanting both to our duty and comfort if we make not the people of God our chosen companions Excellently to this purpose speaks a Modern Author Art thou a godly master when thou takest a servant into thine house choose for God as well as thy self A godly Gurnals Christian armour part 2. p. 256. servant is a greater blessing than we think on he can work and set God on work also for his masters good Gen. 24. 12. O Lord God of my master Abraham I pray thee send me good speed this day and show kindness unto my master and sure he did his master as much service by his prayer as by his prudence in that journey Holy David observed while he was at Sauls Court the mischief of having wicked and ungodly servants for with such was that unhappy King so compassed that David compares his Court to the prophane and barbarous heathens among whom there was scarce more wickedness to be found Psal. 120. 6. Wo is me that I sojourn in Mesheck that I dwell in the Tents of Kedar i. e. among those who were as prodigiously wicked as any there and no doubt but this made this gracious man in his banishment before he came to the Crown having seen the evil of a disordered house to resolve what he would do when God should make him the head of such a Royal family Psal. 101. 7. He that worketh deceit shall not dwell within my house he that selleth lies shall not tarry in my sight Art thou godly show thy self so in the choice of husband or wife I am sure if some and those godly also could bring no other testimonial for their godliness than the care they have taken in this particular it might justly be called into question both by themselves and others There is no one thing that gracious persons even those recorded in scripture as well as others have shewn their weakness yea given offence and scandal more in than in this particular The sons of God saw that the daughters of men were fair Gen. 6. 2. One would have thought the sons of God should have looked for grace in the heart rather than beauty in the face but we see even they sometimes turn in at the fairest sign without much enquiring what grace is to be found dwelling within Look to the rule O Christian if thou wilt keep the power of holiness That is clear as a sun beam written in the scripture be not unequally yoked together with unbelievers 2 Cor. 6. 14. Inference 2. How great and wholly supernatural marvellous and wonderful is Inference 2. that change which regeneration makes upon the souls of men It is a change from death to life Luke 15. 24. This my son was dead and is alive again Regeneration is life from the dead The most excellent life from the most terrible death 'T is the life of God reinspired into a soul alienated from it by the power of sin Eph. 4. 18. There are two stupendious changes made upon the souls of men which justly challenges highest admiration viz. That 1. From sin to grace 2. From grace to glory The change from grace to glory is acknowledged by all and that justly to be a wonderful change for God to take a poor creature out of the society of sinful men yea from under the burden of many sinful infirmities which made him groan from day to day in this world and in a moment to make him a compleat and perfect soul shining in the beauties of holiness and filling him as a vessel of glory with the unspeakable and unconceivable joyes of his presence to turn his groanings into triumphs his sighings into songs of praise This I say is marvellous and yet the former
change from sin to grace is no way inferiour to it Nay in some respect beyond it for the change which glory makes upon the regenerate is but a gradual change but the change which regeneration makes upon the ungodly is a spiritual change Great and admirable is this work of God and let it for ever be marvellous in our eyes Inference 3. If unregenerate souls de dead souls what a fatal stroke doth death give to the bodies of all unregenerate men A soul dead in sin and Inference 3. a body dead by vertue of the curse for sin and both soul and body remaining for ever under the power of eternal death is so full and perfect a misery as that nothing can be added to make it more miserable 't is the comfort of a Christian that he can say when death comes non omnis moriar I shall not wholly die there is a life I live which death cannot touch Rom. 8. 13. The body is dead because of sin but the spirit is life because of righteousness Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first Resurrection on such the second death hath no power As death takes a believer from amidst many sorrows and troubles and brings him to the vision of God to the general assembly of all the perfected saints to a state of compleat freedom and full satisfaction so it drags the unregenerate from all his sensitive delights and comforts to the place of torments It buries the dead soul out of the presence of God for ever 'T is the king of terrours 't is a serpent with a deadly sting to every man that is out of Christ. Inference 4. If every unregenerate soul be a dead soul how sad is the case of Hypocrites Inference 4. and temporary believers who are twice dead These are those cursed trees of which the Apostle Jude speaks Jude v. 12. Trees whose fruit withereth without fruit twice dead plucked up by the roots The Apostle alludes unto dying trees Trees that are dying the first time in the spring they then fade decay and cast their leaves when other trees are fragrant and flourishing But from this first death they are sometimes recovered by pruning and dressing or watering the roots But if in Autumn they decay again which is the Critical and Climacterical time of trees to discover whether their disease be mortal or not if then they wither and decay the second time the fault is ab intra the root is rotten there is no hope of it The husbandman bestows no more labour about it except it be to root it up for fewel to the fire Just thus stands the case with false and hypocritical prosessours who though they were still under the power of spiritual death yet in the beginning of their profession they seemed to be alive They shewed the world the fragrant leaves of a fair profession many hopeful buddings of affection towards spiritual things were seen in them but wanting a root of regeneration they quickly began to wither and cast their untimely fruit However by the help of ordinances or some rouzing and awakening providences they seem to recover themselves again but all will not do the fault is ab intra from the want of a good root and therefore at last they who were always once dead for want of a principle of regeneration are now become twice dead by the withering and decay of their vain profession Such trees are prepared for the severest flames in hell Mat. 24. 51. Their portion is the saddest portion allotted for any of the sons of death Therefore the Apostle Peter tells us 2 Pet. 2. 20 21. For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ they are again intangled therein and overcome the latter end is worse with them than the beginning For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness than after they have known it to turn from the holy Commandment delivered unto them Double measures of wrath seem to be prepared for them that die this double death Inference 5. If this be so then unregenerate persons deserve the greatest lamentations Inference 5. And were this truth heartily believed we could not but mourn over them with the most tender compassion and hearty sorrow If our husbands wives or children be dying a natural death how are our hearts rent in pieces with pity and sorrow for them what cries tears and wringing of hands discover the deep sense we have of their misery O Christians is all the love you have for your relations spent upon their bodies Are their souls of no value in your eyes is spiritual death no misery Doth it not deserve a tear The Lord open our eyes and duly affect our hearts with spiritual death and soul miseries Consider my friends and let it move your bowels if there be bowels of affection in you whilst they remain spiritually dead they are useless and wholly unserviceable unto God in the world as to any special and acceptable service unto him 2 Tim. 2. 21. they are uncapable of all spiritual comforts from God they cannot taste the least sweetness in Christ in duties or in promises Rom. 8. 6. They have no beauty in their souls how comely soever their bodies be 't is grace and nothing but grace that beautifies the inner man Ezek. 16. 6 7. The dead have neither comfort nor beauty in them They have no hope to be with God in glory for the life of glory is begun in grace Phil. 1. 6. Their graves must shortly be made to be buried out of the sight of God for ever in the lowest hell the pit digged by justice for all that are spiritually dead The dead must be buried Can such considerations as these draw no pity from your souls nor excite your endeavours for their regeneration Then 't is to be feared your souls are dead as well as theirs O pity them pity them and pray for them in this case only prayers for the dead are our duty who knows but at the last God may hear your cries and you may say with comfort as he did This my son was dead but is alive was lost but is found and they began to be merry Luke 15. 24. The Thirty second SERMON Sermon 32. JOHN 3. 18. Text. But he that believeth not is condemned already The Condemnation of unbelievers opened and applied because he hath not believed in the Name of the only begotten Son of God CHrist having discoursed Nicodemus in the beginning of this Chapter about the necessity of regeneration proceeds to shew in this following discourse the reason and ground why regeneration and faith are so indispensably necessary viz. Because there is no other way to set men free from the curse and condemnation of the Law The curse of the Law like the fiery serpents in the wilderness hath smitten every sinner with a deadly stroke and sting for
of glory Col. 1. 27. So then destroy this Union and with it you destroy all our fruits priviledges and eternal hopes at one stroke Fifthly The Mystical Union is a most Efficacious Union for through this Union the divine power flows into our 5. souls both to quicken us with the life of Christ and to conserve and secure that life in us after it is so infused Without the Unition of the soul to Christ which is to be conceived efficiently as the Spirits act there can be no Union formally considered and without these no communications of life from Christ to us Eph. 4. 16. And when there is that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or effectual working of the spirit of life in every part which he there speaks of as who should say the first bublings up of the new life a spiritual vitality diffused through the soul which ere while was dead in sin yet still this Union with Christ is as necessary to the maintaining as before it was to the producing of it For why is it that this life is not again extinguished and wholly suffocated in us by so many deadly wounds as are given it by temptations and corruptions surely no reason can be assigned more satisfying than that which Christ himself gives us in John 14. 19. because I live ye shall live also q. d. whilst there is vital sap in me the root you that are branches in me cannot wither and dye Sixthly The Mystical Union is an indissoluble Union there is an everlasting tye betwixt Christ and the believer and herein also it is beyond all other Unions in the world death dissolves the dear Union betwixt the husband and wife friend and friend yea betwixt soul and body but not betwixt Christ and the soul the bands of this Union rot not in the grave what shall separate us from the love of Christ saith the Apostle Rom. 8. 35 38 39. he bids defiance to all enemies and triumphs in the firmness of this Union over all hazards that seem to threaten it It is with Christ and us in respect of the Mystical Union as it was with Christ himself in respect of the hypostatical Union that was not dissolved by his death when the Natural Union betwixt his soul and body was nor can this mystical Union of our souls and bodies with Christ be dissolved when the Unions betwixt us and our dearest relations yea betwixt the soul and body are dissolved by death God calls himself the God of Abraham long after his body was turned into dust Seventhly It is an honourable Union * Apex capâ—…t vertex â—…obilitatis est Christus sine quo nibil est iâ—… toto hoâ—… sublunari orbe terraruâ—… nobile cujus solium est coelum cujus scabelluâ—… est terra terra â—…nquam in qua hâ—…rum omnis cognatio nobilitas sita-est collocata divinis illius pedibus substernitur Laurent Humâ—…redus de noâ—…ilitate lib. 2. p. 176. yea the highest honour 7. that can be done unto men the greatest honour that was ever done to our common nature was by its assumption into Unity with the second person hypostatically and the highest honour that was ever done to our single persons was their Union with Christ mystically To be a servant of Christ is a dignity transcendent to the highest advancement among men but to be a member of Christ how matchless and singular is the glory thereof and yet such honour have all the Saints Eph. 5. 30. we are members of his body of his flesh and of his bones Eighthly It is a most Comfortable Union yea the ground 8. of all solid comfort both in life and death whatever troubles wants or distresses befal such in this is abundant relief and support Christ is mine and I am his what may not a soul make out of that If I am Christs then let him take care for me and indeed in so doing he doth but care for his own he is my head and to him it belongs to consult the safety and welfare of his own members Eph. 1. 22 23. he is not only an head to his own by way of Influence but to all things else by way of dominion for their good how comfortably may we repose our selves under that cheering consideration upon him at all times and in all difficult cases Ninthly It is a fruitful Union the immediate end of it is 9. fruit Rom. 7. 4. we are married to Christ that we should bring forth fruit to God all the fruit we bear before our ingrafture into Christ is worse than none till the person be in Christ the work cannot be Evangelically good and acceptable to God we are made accepted in the beloved Eph. 1. 6. Christ is a fruitful root and makes all the branches that live in him so too Joh. 15. 8. Tenthly and Lastly It is an enriching Union for by our 10. Union with his person we are immediately interessed in all his riches 1 Cor. 1. 30. how rich and great a person do the little arms of Faith clasp and embrace All is yours 1 Cor. 3. 22. all that Christ hath becomes ours either by communication to us or improvement for us his Father Joh. 20. 17. his promises 2 Cor. 1. 20. his providences Rom. 8. 28. his glory Joh. 17. 24. it's all ours by vertue of our Union with him Thus you see briefly what the Mystical Union is Next we shall improve it Inference 1. If there be such a Union betwixt Christ and believers oh then what transcendent dignity hath God put upon believers Infer 1. Si vis vir virtutis appellari indue te Christum qui est Dei virtus sapientia in omnibus adjungâ—… te domino ita ut 〈◊〉 câ—…â—…o spiritus fias tunc vir virtutis essicieris Orig. Hom. in Numb 31. Well might Constantine perfer the honour of being a member of the Church before that of being head of the Empire for it is not only above all earthly dignities and honours but in some respect above that honour which God hath put upon the Angels of glory Great is the dignity of the Angelical nature they are the highest and most honourable species of creatures they also have the honour continually to behold the face of God in Heaven and yet in this one respect the Saints are preferr'd to them they have a Mystical Union with Christ as their head of influence by whom they are quickned with spiritual life which the Angels have not It is true there is an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or gathering together of all in heaven and earth under Christ as a common head Eph. 1. 10. he is the head of Angels as well as Saints but in different respects to Angels he is an head of dominion and government but to Saints he is both an head of dominion and vital influence too they are his chief and most honourable subjects but not his Mystical members they are as the Barons and
poured out many prayers and tears to the Lord for them you have cryed for them as Abraham for his Son O that Ishmael might live before thee O that this poor husband wise child brother or sister might live in thy sight and still you see they contain at one rate carnal dead and senseless well but yet give not up your hopes nor cease your pious endeavours the time may come when the Father may draw as well as you and then you shall see them quit all and come to Christ and nothing shall hinder them They are now drawn away of their own lusts they are easily drawn away by their sinful Companions but when God draws none of these shall withdraw them from the Lord Jesus What is their ignorance obstinacy and hardness of heart before that mighty power that subdues all things to it self Go therefore to the Lord by prayer for them and say Lord I have laboured for my poor relations in vain I have spent my exhortations to little purpose the work is too difficult for me I can carry it no farther but thou canst O let thy power go forth they shall be willing in the day of thy power Infer 6. If none can come to Christ except the Father draw them then surely none can be drawn from Christ except the Father leave Infer 6. them that power which at first drew them to Christ can secure and establish them in Christ to the end Joh. 10. 29. my Father which gave them me is greater than all and no man is able to pluck them out of my Fathers hand When the power of God at first draws us out of our natural state to Christ it sinds us not only impotent but obstinate not only unable but unwilling to come and yet this power of God prevails against all opposition how much more is it able to preserve and secure us when his fear is put into our inward parts so that we dare â—…t depart we have no will to depart from him Well then if the world say I will ensnare thee if the Devil say I will destroy thee if the flesh say I will betray thee yet thou art secure and safe as long as God hath said I will never leave thee nor for sake thee Heb. 13. 5. Infer 7. Let this engage you to a constant attendance upon the ordinances Infer 7. of God in which this drawing power of God is sometimes put forth upon the hearts of men Beloved there are certain seasons in which the Lord comes nigh to men in the Ordinances and Duties of his worship and we know not at what time the Lord cometh forth by his Spirit upon this design he many times comes in an hour when we look not for him when we think not of him I am found of them that sought me not Isa. 65. 1. it's good therefore to be found in the way of the Spirit had that poor man that lay so long at the pool of Bethesda reasoned thus with himself so long have I lain here in vain expecting a cure it 's to no purpose to wait longer and so had been absent at that very time when the Angel came down he had in all likelihood carryed his disease to the grave with him How dost thou know but this very Sabbath this Sermon this prayer which thou hast no heart to attend and art tempted to neglect may be the season and instrument wherein the Lord may do that for thy soul which was never yet done upon it Infer 8. To conclude how are all the Saints engaged to put forth all the Infer 8. power and ability they have for God who hath put forth his infinite almighty power to draw them to Christ God hath done great things for your souls he hath drawn you out of the miserable state of sin and wrath and that when he let others go by nature as good as you he hath drawn you into Union with Christ and Communion with his glorious priviledges O that you would henceforth imploy all the power you have for God in duties of obedience and in drawing others to Christ as much as in you lies and say continually with the Church Draw me we will run after thee Cant. 1. 4. Thanks be to God for Jesus Christ. The Fifth SERMON Serm. 5. EPHES. 2. 1. And you hath he quickened who were dead in trespasses Opening that work of the Spirit more particularly by which the soul is enabled to apply Christ. and sins IN the former Sermons we have seen our Union with Christ in the general nature of it and the means by which it is effected both external by the preaching of the Gospel and internal by the drawings of the Father We are now to bring our thoughts yet closer to this great mystery and consider the bonds or ligaments by which Christ and believers are knit together in a blessed oneness And if we heedfully observe the Scripture expressions and ponder the nature of this Union we shall find there are two bands which knit Christ and the soul together viz. 1. The Spirit on Christs part 2. Faith on our part The Spirit on Christs part quickening us with spiritual life whereby Christ first takes hold of us and faith on our part when thus quickened whereby we take hold of Christ accordingly this Union with the Lord Jesus is expressed in Scripture sometimes by one and sometimes by the other of these means or bonds by which it is effected Christ is sometimes said to be in us so Col. 1. 27. Christ in you the hope of glory and Rom. 8. 10. And if Christ be in you the body is dead because of sin and other times it is expressed by the other bond on our part as 1 Joh. 5. 20. we are in him that is true even in his son Christ Jesus and 2 Cor. 5. 17. if â—…ny man be in Christ he is a new creature The difference betwixt both these is thus aptly expressed by a late Author Christ is in believers by his Spirit 1 Joh. 4. 13. the believer is in Christ by faith Joh. 1. 12. Christ Mount Pisgaâ—… p. 22 23. is in the believer by inhabitation Rom. 3. 17. the believer is in Christ by implantation Rom. 6. 35. Christ is in the believer as the head is in the body Col. 1. 18. as the root in the branches Joh. 15. 5. believers are in Christ as the members are in the head Eph. 1. 23. or as the branches are in the root Joh. 15. 1 7. Christ in the believer implyeth life and influence from Christ Col. 3. 4. the believer in Christ implyeth Communion and fellowship with Christ 1 Cor. 1. 30. when Christ is said to be in the believer we are to understand it in reference to Sanctification when the believer is said to be in Christ it is in order to Justification Thus we apprehend being our selves first apprehended by Jesus Christ Phil. 3. 12. we cannot take hold of Christ till first he take
scarce any thing that affects and melts the hearts of Christians more than this comparative consideration doth when they consider vessels of Gold cast away and leaden ones chosen for such noble uses So that it 's plain enough to all wise and humble souls that this new life is wholly of supernatural production Fifthly and lastly I shall briefly represent the necessary antecedency of this quickening work of the Spirit to our first closing with Christ by faith and this will easily let it self into your understandings if you but consider the nature of the vital act of faith which is the souls receiving of Christ and resting upon him for pardon and salvation in which two things are necessarily included viz. 1. The renouncing of all other hopes and dependencies 2. The opening the heart fully to Jesus Christ. First The renouncing of all other hopes and dependencies whatsoever Self in all its acceptations natural sinful and moral is now to be denyed and renounced for ever else Christ can never be received Rom. 10. 3. not only self in its vilest pollutions but self in its richest ornaments and endowments but this is as impossible to the unrenewed natural man as it is for rocks or mountains to start from their Centre and fly like wandering Atomes in the air nature will rather choose to run the hazard of everlasting damnation than escape it by a total renunciation of its beloved lusts or self-righteousness this supernatural work necessarily requires a supernatural principle Rom. 8. 2. Secondly The opening the heart fully to Jesus Christ without which Christ can never be received Rev. 3. 20. but 2. this also is the effect of the quickening Spirit the Spirit of life which is in Christ Jesus sooner may we expect to see the flowers and blossoms open without the influence of the Sun than the heart and will of a sinner open to receive Christ without a principle of spiritual life first derived from him and this will be past doubt to all that consider not only the impotence of nature but the ignorance prejudice and aversations of nature by which the door of the heart is barr'd and chain'd up against Christ Joh. 5. 40. so that nature hath neither ability nor will power or desire to come to Christ if any have an heart open'd to receive him 't is the Lord that opens it by his almighty power and that in the way of an infused principle of life supernatural But here it may be doubted and objected against this position Quest. If we cannot believe till we are quickened with spiritual life as you say and cannot be justified till we belive as all say then it will follow that a regenerate soul may be in the state of condemnation for a time and consequently perish if death should befall him in that juncture To this I return that when we speak of the priority of Sol. this quickening work of the Spirit to our actual believing we rather understand it of the priority of nature than of time the nature and order of the work requiring it to be so a vital principle must in order of nature be infused before a vital act can be exerted First make the tree good and then the fruit good and admit we should grant some priority in time also to this quickening principle before actual faith yet the absurdity mentioned would be no way consequent upon that concession for as the vital act of faith quickly follows the regenerating principle so the soul is abundantly secured against the danger objected God never beginning any special work of grace upon the soul and then leaving it and the soul with it in hazzard but preserves both to the finishing and compleating of his gracious design Phil. 1. 6. First Use of Information Infer 1. If such be the nature and necessity of this principle of divine Infer 1. life as you have heard it opened in the foregoing discourse then hence it follows That unregenerate men are no better than dead men So the Text represents them you hath he quickened who were dead in trespasses and sins i. e. spiritually dead though naturally alive yea and lively too as any other persons in the world There is a threefold consideration of objects Viz. 1. Naturally 2. Politically 3. Theologically First Naturally to all those things that are natural they are alive they can understand reason discourse preject and contrive as well as others they can eat drink build plant and suck out the natural comfort of these things as much as any others So their life is described Job 21. 12. They take the Timbrel and Harp and rejoyce at the sound of the Organ they spend their â—…ays in Wealth c. and James 5. 5. ye have lived in pleasure upon earth as the fish lives in the water its natural element and yet â—…is natural sensual life is not allowed the name of life 1 Tim. 5. 6. such persons are dead whilst they live 't is a base and ignoble life to have a soul only to salt the body or to enable a man for a few years to eat and drink and talk and laugh and then dye Secondly Objects may be considered Politically and with respect to such things they are alive also they can buy and sell and manage all their worldly affairs with as much dexterity skill and policy as other men yea the children of this world are wiser in their generation than the children of light Luke 16. 8. The intire stream of their thoughts projects and studies running in that one Channel having but one Liberet me deus ab homine unius tantum negotii Bern. design to manage they must needs excel in worldly wisdom but then Thirdly Theologically considered they are dead without life sense or motion towards God and the things that are above their understandings are dead 1 Cor. 2. 14. and cannot receive the things that are of God their wills are dead and cannot move towards Jesus Christ Joh. 6. 65. their affections are dead even to the most excellent and spiritual objects and all their duties are dead duties without life or spirit This is the sad case of the unregenerate world Infer 2. This speaks encouragement to Ministers and parents to wait in hopes of success at last even upon those that yet give them Infer 2. little hope of conversion at the present the work you see is the Lords when the Spirit of life comes upon their dead souls they shall believe and be made willing till then we do but plough upon the rocks yet let not our hand slack in duty pray for them and plead with them you know not in which prayer or exhortation the Spirit of life may breathe upon them can these dry bones live yes if the Spirit of life from God breathe upon them they can and shall live what though their dispositions be averse to all things that are spiritual and serious yet even such have been regenerated when more sweet
and promising natures have been passed by and left under spiritual death It was the observation of Mr. Ward upon his Brother Mr. Daniel Rogers who was a man of great gifts and eminent graces yet of a very bad temper and constitution Though my Brother Rogers said he have grace enough for two men yet not half enough for himself It may be you have pray'd and striven long with your relations and to little purpose yet be not discouraged How often was Mr. John Rogers that famous successful Divine a grief of heart to his relations in his younger years proving a wild and lewd young man to the great discouragement of his pious friends yet at last the Lord graciously changed him so that Mr. Richard Rogers would say when he would exercise the utmost degree of charity or hope for any that at present were vile and naught I will never despair of any man for John Rogers sake Infer 3. How honourable are Christians by their new birth they are born not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of Infer 3. man but of God Joh. 1. 13. i. e. not in an impure or meer natural way but in a most spiritual and supernatural manner they are the off-spring of God the children of the most high as well by regeneration as by adoption which is the greatest advancement of the humane nature next to its hypostatical union with the second person Oh what honour is this for a poor sinful creature to have the very life of God breathed into his soul all other dignities of nature are trifles compar'd with this this makes a Christian a sacred hallowed thing the living temple of God 1 Cor. 6. 19. the special object of his delight Infer 4. How deplorable is the condition of the unregenerate world in no better case than dead men Now to affect our hearts with the Infer 4. misery of such a condition let ut consider and compare it in the following particulars First There is no beauty in the dead all their loveliness goes away at death there is no spiritual beauty or loveliness in any that are unregenerate 't is true many of them have excellent moral homilitical vertues which adorn their conversations in the eyes of men but what are all these but so many sweet flowers strewed over a dead Corpse Secondly The dead have no pleasure nor delight even so the unregenerate are incapable of the delights of the Christian life to be spiritually minded is life and peace Rom. 8. 6. i. e. this is the only serene placid and pleasant life when the prodigal who was once dead was alive then he began to be merry Luke 15. 24. they live in sensual pleasures but this is to be dead while alive in Scripture reckoning Thirdly The dead have no heat they are as cold as clay so are all the unregenerate towards God and things above their lusts are hot but their affections to God cold and frozen that which makes a gracious heart melt will not make an unregenerate heart move Fourthly The dead must be buried Gen. 23. 4. bury my dead out of my sight so must the unregenerate be buried out of Gods sight forever buried in the lowest hell in the place of darkness for ever Joh. 3. 3. Woe to the unregenerate good had it been sor them they had never been born Infer 5. How greatly are all men concerned to examine their condition Infer 5. with respect to spiritual life and death It 's very common for men to presume upon their Union with and interest in Christ this priviledge is by common mistake extended generally to all that profess Christian religion and practise the external duties of it when in truth no more are or can be united Praesumendo sperant sperando pereunt Ames to Christ than are quickened by the Spirit of life which is in Christ Jesus Rom. 8. 1 2. O try your interest in Christ by this rule if I am quickened by Christ I have Union with Christ. And First If there be spiritual sense in your souls there is spiritual life in them there are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 senses belonging to the spiritual as well as to the animal life Heb. 5. 14. they can feel and sensibly groan under soul pressures and burdens of sin Rom. 7. 24. the dead feel not moan not under the burdens of sin but the living do they may be sensible indeed of the evil of sin with respect to themselves but not as against God damnation may scare them but pollution doth not hell may fright them but not the offence of God Secondly If there be spiritual hunger and thirst it 's a sweet sign of spiritual life this sign agrees to Christians of a day old 1 Pet. 2. 2. even new born babes desire the sincere milk of the word if spiritual life be in you you know how to expound that Scripture Psal. 42. 1. without any other interpreter than your own experience you will feel somewhat like the gâ—…awing of an empty stomach making you restless during the interruption of your daily communion with the Lord. Thirdly If there be spiritual conflicts with sin there is spiritual life in your soul Gal. 5. 17. not only a combat betwixt light in the higher and lust in the lower faculties nor only opposition to more gross external corruptions that carry more infamy and horror with them than other sins do but the same faculty will be the seat of War and the more inward secret and spiritual any lust is by so much the more will it be opposed and mourned over In a word the weakest Christian may upon impartial observation find such signs of spiritual life in himself if he will allow himself time to reflect upon the bent and frame of his own heart as desires after God conscience of duties fears cares and sorrows about sin delight in the society of heavenly and spiritual men a loathing and burden in the company of vain and carnal persons O but I have a very dead heart to spiritual things 'T is a sign of life that you feel and are sensible of that deadness Ob. and beside there 's a great deal of difference betwixt Sol. spiritual deadness and death the one is the state of the unregenerate the other is the disease of regenerate men Some signs of spiritual life are clear to me but I cannot close with others Ob. If you can really close with any it may satisfie you though you be dark in others if a child can't go yet if it can suck Sol. if it can't suck if it can cry if it can't cry yet if it breath it is alive The Sixth SERMON Serm. 6. JOH 1. 12. Describing that Act on our part by which we do actually and effectually apply Christ to our own souls But as many as received him to them gave he power to become the sons of God even to them that believe on his name NO
going about to establish their own righteousness have not submitted themselves to the righteousness of God Mans righteousness was once in himself and what liquor is first put into the vessel it ever afterward savours of it 't is with Adams posterity as with Bees which have been accustomed to go their own hive and carry all thither if the hive be removed to another place they will still flye to the old place hover up and down about it and rather dye there than go to a new place So it is with most men God hath removed their righteousness from doing to believing from themselves to Christ but who shall prevail with them to forsake self nature will venture to be damned rather than do it there is much submission in believing and great self denyal a proud self-conceited heart will never stoop to live upon the stock of anothers righteousness Besides it is no easie thing to perswade men to receive Christ as their Lord in all things and submit their necks to his strict and holy precepts though it be a great truth that Christs yoak doth not gall but grace and adorn the neck that Jugum Christi non deterit sed honestat colla Bern. bears it that the truest and sweetest liberty is in our freedom from our lusts not in our fulfilling them yet who shall perswade the carnal heart to believe this and much less will men ever be prevailed withal to forsake father mother wife children inheritance and life it self to follow Christ and all this upon the account of spiritual and invisible things and yet this must be done by all that receive the Lord Jesus Christ upon Gospel terms yea and before the soul hath any encouraging experience of its own to balance the manifold discouragements of sense and carnal reason improved by the utmost craft of Satan to dismay it for experience is the fruit and consequent of believing So that it may well be placed among the great mysteries of godliliness that Christ is believed on in the world 1 Tim. 3. 16. Infer 3. And then Thirdly hence it will follow that there may be more true and sound believers in the world than know or dare conclude Infer 3. themselves to be such For as many ruine their own souls by placing the essence of saving faith in naked assent so some rob themselves of their own comfort by placing it in full assurance Faith and sense of faith are two distinct and separable mercies you may have truly received Christ and not receive the knowledge or assurance of it Isa. 50. 10. Some there be that say thou art our God of whom God never said you are my people these have no authority to be call'd the sons of God others there are of whom God saith these are my people yet dare not call God their God these have authority to be call'd the sons of God but know it not They have received Christ that 's their safety but they have not yet received the knowledge and assurance of it that 's their trouble the Father owns his child in the Cradle who yet knows him not to be his Father Now there are two reasons why many believers who might argue themselves into peace do yet live without the comforts of their faith and this may come to pass either from First The inevidence of the premises Secondly Or the weighty importance of the conclusion First It may come to pass from the inevidence of the premises Assurance is a practical Syllogism and it proceeds thus All that truly have received Christ Jesus they are the children of God I have truly received Jesus Christ Therefore I am the child of God The Major proposition is found in the Scripture and there can be no doubt of that the Assumption depends upon experience or internal sense I have truly received Jesus Christ here usually is the stumble many great objections lye against it which they cannot clearly answer as Light and knowledge are necessarily required to the right 1. Ob. receiving of Christ but I am dark and ignorant many carnal unregenerate persons know more than I do and are more able to discourse of the mysteries of Religion than I am But you ought to distinguish of the kinds and degrees of Sol. knowledge and then you would see that your bewailed ignorance is no bar to your interest in Christ. There are two kinds of knowledge 1. Natural 2. Spiritual There is a natural knowledge even of spiritual objects a spark of nature blown up by an advantagious education and though the objects of this knowledge be spiritual things yet the light in which they are discerned is but a meer natural light And there is a spiritual knowledge of spiritual things the teaching of the anointing as it 's call'd 1 Joh. 2. 27. i. e. the effect and fruit of the Spirits sanctifying work upon our souls when the experience of a mans own heart informs and teacheth his understanding when by feeling the workings of grace in our own souls we come to understand its nature this is spiritual knowledge Now a little of this knowledge is a better evidence of a mans interest in Christ than the most raised and excellent degree of natural knowledge as the Philosopher truly observes praestat paucula de meliori scientia degustasse quam de ignobiliori multa one drachm of knowledge of the best and most excellent things is better than much knowledge of common things So it is here a little spiritual knowledge of Jesus Christ that hath life and savour in it is more than all the natural sapless knowledge of the unregenerate which leaves the heart dead carnal and barren 't is not the quantity but the kind not the measure but the savour if you know so much of the evil of sin as renders it the most bitter and burdensome thing in the world to you and so much of the necessity and excellency of Christ as renders him the most sweet and desirable thing in the world to you though you may be defective in many degrees of knowledge yet this is enough to prove yours to be the fruit of the Spirit you may have a sanctified heart though you have an irregular or weak head many that knew more than you are in hell and some that once knew as little as you are now in heaven in absoluto facili stat aeternitas God hath not prepar'd heaven only for clear and subtil heads a little sanctifified and effectual knowledge of Christs person offices suitableness and necessity may bring thee thither when others with all their curious speculations and notions may perish for ever But you tell me that Assent to the truths of the Gospel is 2. Ob. necessarily included in saving faith which though it be not the justifying and saving act yet it is presupposed and required to it now I have many staggerings and doubtings about the certainty and reality of these things many horrid atheistical thoughts which shake the
cannot believe till God hath opened your eyes to see your sin your misery by sin and your remedy in Jesus Christ alone you find this act of the Spirit to be the first in order both of nature and time and introductive to all the rest Acts 26. 18. To turn them from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God As faith without works which must be a consequent to it is dead so faith without light which must be an Antecedent to it is blind faith is the hand by which Christ is received but knowledge is the eye by which that hand is directed Well then hath God opened your eyes to see sin and misery in another manner than ever you saw it before for certainly if God have opened your eyes by saving illumination you will find as great a difference betwixt your former and present apprehensions of sin and danger as betwixt a painted Lion upon the wall or sign post and the real living Lion that meets you roaring in the way Secondly Conviction is an Antecedent to believing where this goes not before no faith can follow after the Spirit first convinces of sin then of righteousness Joh. 16. 8. So Mark 1. 15. repent ye and believe the Gospel believe it O man that breast of thine must be wounded that vain and frothy heart of thine must be pierced and stung with conviction sense and sorrow for sin thou must have some sick days and restless nights for sin if ever thou rightly close with Christ by faith 't is true there is much difference found in the strength depth and continuance of conviction and spiritual troubles in converts as there is in the labours and travailing pains of women but sure it is the child of faith is not ordinarily born without some pangs Conviction is the application of that light which God makes to shine in our minds to our particular case and condition by the conscience and sure when men come to see their miserable and sad estate by a true light it cannot but wound them and that to the very heart Thirdly Self-despair or a total and absolute loss in our selves about deliverance and the way of escape either by our selves or any other meer creature doth and must go before faith So it was with those believers Acts 2. 37. men and brethren what shall we do they are the words of men at a total loss it is the voyce of poor distressed souls that saw themselves in misery but knew not saw not nor could devise any way of escape from it by any thing they could do for themselves or any other creature for them and hence the Apostle uses that emphatical word Gal. 3. 23. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. shut up to the faith i. e. as men besieged and distressed in a garrison in time of a storm when the enemy pours in upon them through the breaches and over-powers them there is but one sally-port or gate at which they can escape and to that they all throng as despairing of life if they take any other course Just so do mens convictions besiege them distress them beat them off from all their holds and intrenchments and bring them to a pinching distress in themselves shutting them up to Christ as the only way of escape Duties cannot save me reformation cannot save me nor Angels nor men can save me there is no way but one Christ or Condemnation for evermore I thought once that a little repentance reformation restitution and a stricter life might be a way to escape wrath to come but I find the bed is too short and the covering too narrow all is but loss dung dross in comparison with Jesus Christ if I trust to those Aegyptian reeds they will not only fail me but pierce and wound me too I see no hope within the whole Horizon of sense Fourthly Hence come vehement and earnest crys to God for faith for Christ for help from heaven to transport the soul out of this dangerous condition to that strong rock of salvation to bring it out of this farious stormy Sea of trouble where it 's ready to wreck every moment into that safe and quiet harbour Christ. O when a man shall see his misery and danger and no way of escape but Christ and that he hath no ability in himself to come to Christ to open his heart thus to receive him but that this work of faith is wholly supernatural the operation of God How will the soul return again and again upon God with such crys as that Mark 9. 24. Lord help my unbelief Lord enable me to come to Christ give me Christ or I perish for ever what profit is there in my blood why should I dye in the sight and presence of a Saviour O Lord it is thine own work and a most glorious work reveal thine arm in this work upon my soul I pray thee give me Christ if thou deny me bread give me faith if thou deny me breath it 's more necessary that I believe than that I live O Reader reflect upon the days and nights that are past the places where thou hast been conversant where are the bed-sides or the secret corners where thou hast besieged heaven with such crys if God have thus inlightned convinced distressed thy soul and thus set thee a mourning after Christ it will be one good sign that faith is come into thy soul for here are certainly the Harbingers and fore runners of it that ordinarily make way for faith into the souls of men Secondly If you would be satisfied of the sincerity and truth 2. Mark of your faith then examine what Concomitants it is attended with in your souls I mean what frames and tempers your souls were in at that time when you think you received Christ. For certainly in those that receive Christ excepting those into whose hearts God hath in a more still and insensible way infused faith betime by his blessing upon pious education such concomitant frames of Spirit may be remarkt as these following First The heart is deeply serious and as much in earnest in this matter as ever it was or can be about any thing in the world This you see in that example of the Jaylor Acts 16. 29. he came in trembling and astonished it is the most solemn and important matter that ever the soul had before it in this world or ever shall or can have how much are the hearts of men affected in their outward straits and distresses about the concernments of the body their hearts are not a little concern'd in such questions as these What shall I eat what shall I drink where withal shall I and mine be fed and cloathed but certainly the straits that souls are in about salvation must be allowed to be greater than these and such questions as that of the Jaylors Sirs what must I do to be saved make deeper impressions upon the heart than what shall I eat or drink Some indeed
Jer. 4. 18. Thy way and thy doings have procured these things unto thee this is thy wickedness because it is great because it reacheth unto thy heart Secondly The Lord doth this to make Jesus Christ most welcome and desirable to the soul. Christ is not sweet till sin be made bitter to us Matth. 9. 12. They that be whole need not a Physician but they that be sick If once God wound the heart of a sinner with the stinging sense of sin then nothing in the world is so precious so necessary so vehemently desired and panted for as Jesus Christ. O that I had Christ if I did go in raggs if I did feed upon no other food all my dayes but the bread and water of affliction This is the language of a soul filled with the sense of the evil of sin Thirdly The Lord doth this to advance the riches of his free grace in the eyes of sinners Grace never appears Grace till sin appear to be sin The deeper our sense of the evil of sin is the deeper our apprehensions of the free grace of God in Christ will be The louder our groans have been under the burden of sin the louder will our acclamations and praises be for our salvation from it by Jesus Christ. To me saith Paul the chiefest of sinners was this grace given 1 Tim. 1. 15. Never doth the grace of a Prince melt the heart of a Traytor as when Tryal Sentence and all preparations for his execution have past before his unexpected pardon comes Fourthly The Lord doth this to prevent relapses into sin In that ye sorrowed after a godly sort what carefulness it wrought 2 Cor. 2. 7. The burnt Child dreads the fire the Bird that is delivered out of the Tallons of the Hawk trembles afterward at the noise of his Bells After such a deliverance as this should we again break thy Commandments Ezra 9. 13 14. Ask a poor penitent soul that hath been in the deeps of sorrow for sin Will you return to your former course of sin again and it sounds in his ears as if you should ask him Will you run into the fire will you go to the Rack again Noâ—…o tanti emere poenitentiam O no it hath cost him dear already Fifthly Lastly This the Lord doth to make them both skilful and compassionate in relieving others that are under like inward troubles None can speak so judiciously so pertinently so feelingly to anothers case as he that hath been in the Haud ignara mali miseris â—…currere disco Dido same case himself this furnishes them with the tongue of the learned to speak a word in season to the weary soul By this means they are able to comfort others with the same comforts wherewith they themselves have been comforted of God 2 Cor. 1. 4. Thus you have had a brief account what the burden of sin is how souls are supported under that burden and why the Lord causes sin to lye so heavy upon the souls of some sinners The improvement of all will be in a double Use viz. of Information and Direction First Use for Insormation Inference 1. Use. Is there such a load and burden in sin What then was the Inference 1. burden that our Lord Jesus Christ felt and bare for us upon whom the dead weight of all the sins of all Gods elect lay Isa. 53. 6. He hath made the iniquities of us all to meet on him Our burden is heavy but nothing to Christ. O there 's a vast difference betwixt that which Christ bare and that which we bear We feel but the single weight of our own sins Christ felt the whole weight of all our sins You do not feel the whole weight that is in any one sin alas it would sink you if God should let it bear in all its aggravations and effects upon you Psal. 130. 2 3. If thou Lord shouldst mark iniquity O Lord who shall stand You would quail and sink presently you can no more stand under it than under the weight of a mighty Mountain But Christ bare all the burden upon himself his understanding was deep and large he knew the extent of its evil which we do not we have many reliefs and helps under our burden he had none we have friends to counsel comfort and pity us all his friends and familiars forsook him and fled in the day of his trouble we have comforts from heaven he had frowns from heaven My God my God saith he in that doleful day why hast thou forsaken me there 's no compare betwixt our load and Christ's Inference 2. If there be such a burden in sin Then certainly sinners will pay Inscrence 2. dear for all the pleasure they find in sin in the dayes of their vanity What one saith of crafty counlâ—…s we may say of Consilia callida prima specie laeta tractatu dura aventu tristia Livy all sins though they seem pleasant in their first appearance they will be found sad in the event they are honey in the mouth but the gall of Asps in the belly they tickle the fancy but rend the conscience O sinner thy mirth will certainly be turned into mourning as sure as thou livest that vain and frothy breast of thine shall be wounded thou shalt feel the sâ—…ing and pain as well as relish the sweet and pleasure of sin O that thou wouldst but give thy self the leisure seriously to ponder those Scriptures in the Margent Prov. 20. 7. Prov. 23. 31 32. Job 20. 12 13 14. James 1. 15. Rom. 6. 21. me thinks they should have the same effect that the hand-writing upon the plaister of the wall had upon that Jovial King in the height of a frolick Dan. 5. 5. Reason thus with thine own heart and thou wilt find the conclusion unavoidable Either I shall repent for sin or I shall not if I shall not then must I howl under the wrath of God for sin in the lowest Hell for evermore If I shall then by what I have now read of the throbs and wounds of conscience I see what this heart of mine this vain heart of mine must feel in this world O how much wiser was the choice that Moses made Heb. 11. 25. the worst of sufferings rather than the best of sin the pleasures of sin which are but for a season Inference 3. Is there such a burden in sin Then the most tender compassion Inference 3. is due debt to souls afflicted and heavy laden with sin Their condition cryes for pity whatever their tongues do they seem to call upon you as Job upon his friends Have pity have pity upon me O ye my friends for the hand of God hath touched me Job 19. 21. and O let all that have felt the wounds and anguish of an afflicted conscience themselves learn from their own experience tenderly to pity and help others 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 luxata membra in suum locum restituere
frame may by the assistance of the spirit of God for which therefore they are bound to pray discern his indwelling and working in themselves Evidence 1. In whomsoever the spirit of Christ is a spirit of sanctification to that man or woman he hath been more or less a spirit of conviction and humiliation this is the order which the spirit constantly observes in adult or grown converts Joh. 16. 8 9. and when he is come he will reprove the world of sin and of righteousness and of Judgement of sin because they believed not on me This you see is the method he observes all the world over he shall reprove or convince the world of sin Conviction of sin hath the same respect unto sanctification as the blossoms of trees have to the fruits that follow them a blossom is but fructus imperfectus ordinabilis an imperfect fruit in it self and in order to a more perfect and noble fruit where there are no blossoms we can expect no fruit and where we see no convictions of sin we can expect no conversion to Christ. Hath then the spirit of God been a spirit of conviction to thee hath he more particularly convinced thee of sin because thou hast not believed on him i. e. hath he shewn thee thy sin and misery as an Unbeliever not only terrified and affrighted thy conscience with this or that more notorious act of sin but sully convinced thee of the state of sin that thou art in by reason of thy unbelief which holding thee from Christ must needs also hold thee under the guilt of all thy other sins This gives at least a strong probability that God hath given thee his spirit especially when this conviction remains day and night upon thy soul so that nothing but Christ can give it rest and consequently the great inquisition of thy soul is after Christ and none but Christ. Evidence 2. As the spirit of God hath been a convincing so he is a quickening spirit to all those to whom he is given Rom. 8. 2. The law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the Law of sin and death he is the spirit of life i. e. the principle of spiritual life in the souls whom he inhabiteth for uniting them to Christ he unites them to the fountain of life and this spiritual life in believers manifests it self as the natural life doth in vital actions and operations When the spirit of God comes into the soul of a man that was dead and senseless under sin O saith he now I begin to feel the weight and load of sin Rom. 7. 24. now I begin to hunger and thirst after Christ and his Ordinances 1 Pet. 2. 2. now I begin to breath after God in spiritual prayer Acts 9. 11. Spiritual life hath its spiritual senses and suitable operations O think upon this you that cannot feel any burthen in sin you that have no hungerings or thirstings after Christ how can the spirit of God be in you I do not deny but there may at some times be much deadness and senselesness upon the hearts of Christians but this is their disease not their nature it is but at some times not alwayes and when it is so with them they are burthened with it and complain oâ—… it as their greatest affliction in this world their spirits are not easie and at rest in such a condition as yours are their spirit is as a bone out of joint an Arm dislocated which cannot move any way without pain Evidence 3. Those to whom God giveth his spirit have a tender sympathy with all the interest and concernments of Christ this must needs be so if the same spirit which is in Christ dwelleth also in thy heart if thou be a partaker of his spirit then what he loves thou lovest and what he hateth thou hatest this is a very plain case even in nature it self we find that the many members of the same natural body being animated by one and the same spirit of life whether one member suffer all the members suffer with it or one member be honoured all the members rejoice with it now ye are the body of Christ and members in particular 1 Cor. 12. 26 27. For look as Christ the head of that body is touched with a tender sense and feeling of the miseries and troubles of his people he is persecuted when they are persecuted Acts 9. 4. so they that have the spirit of Christ in them cannot be without a deep and tender sense of the reproach and dishonours that are done to Christ this is as it were a sword in their bones Psal. 42. 3. If his publick worship cease the assemblies of his people scattered it cannot but go to the hearts of all in whom the spirit of Christ is they will be sorrowful for the solemn assemblies the reproach of them will be a burthen Zeph. 3. 18. Those that have the spirit of Christ do not more earnestly long after any one thing in this world than the advancement of Christs interest by conversion and reformation in the Kingdoms of the earth Psal. 45. 3 4. Paul could rejoice that Christ was Preached though his own afflictions were increased Phil. 1. 16. 18. and John could rejoice that Christ encreased though he himself decreased yet therein was his joy fulfilled Joh. 3. 29. so certainly the concernments of Christ must and will touch that heart which is the habitation of his spirit I cannot deny but even a good Baruch may be under a temptation to seek great things for himself and be too much swallowed up in his own concernments when God is plucking up and breaking down Jer. 45. 4 5. but this is only the influence of a temptation the true temper and spirit of a believer inclines him to sorrow and mourning when things are in this sad posture Ezech. 9. 4. Go through the midst of the City through the midst of Jerusalem and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof O Reader lay thine hand upon thine heart is it thus with thee dost thou sympathize with the affairs and concernments of Christ in the world or carest thou not which way things go with the people of God and Gospel of Christ so long as thine own affairs prosper and all things are well with thee Evidence 4. Where ever the spirit of God dwelleth he doth in some degree mortifie and subdue the evils and corruptions of the soul in which he resides this spirit lusteth against the flesh Gal. 5. 17. and believers through the spirit do mortifie the deeds of the body Rom. 8. 13. this is one special part of his sanctifying work I do not say he so kills and subdues sin in believers as that it shall never trouble or defile them any more no no that freedom belongs to the perfect state in heaven but its dominion is taken away though its
nature but is a pure work of creation The heathen Philosophers could neither understand nor acknowledge the creation of the world because that notion was repugnant to this maxime of reason ex nihilo nihil fit out of nothing nothing can be made thus did they insanire cum ratione befool themselves with their own reasonings and after the same manner some great pretenders to reason among us voting it an absurdity to affirm that the work of grace is not virtually and potentially contained in nature the new Creation in the old Fourthly It was the vertue and efficacy of the spirit of God which gave the natural world its being by Creation Gen. 1. 2. the spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters it hovered over the chaos as the wings of a bird do over her eggs as the same word is rendred Deut. 32. 11. cherishing as it were by incubation that rude mass by a secret quickening influence by which it drew all the Creatures into their several forms and particular natures So it is in the new Creation a quickning influence must come from the spirit of God or else the new creature can never be formed in us Joh. 3. 8. So is every one that is born of the Spirit and ver 6. that which is born of the spirit is spirit Fifthly The word of God was the instrument of the first creation Psal. 33. 6 9. By the word of the Lord were the Heavens made and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth for he spake and it was done he commanded and it stood fast the word of God is also the instrument of the new Creation or work of Grace in man 1 Pet. 1. 23. Being born again not of corruptible seed but of incorruptible by the word of God which liveth and abideth for ever So James 1. 18. Of his own will beg at he us with the word of truth of his own will that was the impulsive cause with the word of truth that is the instrumental cause great respect and honour love and delight is due to the word upon this account that it is the instrument of our regeneration or new Creation Sixthly The same power which created the world still under-props and supports it in its being the world owes its conservation as well as its existence to the power of God without which it could not subsist one moment Just so it is with the new Creation which entirely depends upon the preserving power which first formed it Jude ver 1. Preserved in Christ Jesus and 1 Pet. 1. 5. Who were kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation as in a natural way we live move and have our being in God Acts 17. 28. so in a spiritual way we continue believing repenting loving and delighting in God without whose continued influence upon our souls we could do neither Seventhly In a word God surveyed the first Creation with complacence and great delight he beheld the work of his hands and approved them as very good Gen. 1. 31. so is it also in the second creation nothing pleaseth and delights God more than the works of grace in the souls of his people it is not any outward priviledge of nature or gift of Providence which commends any man to God circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing but a new creature Gal. 6. 15. And thus you see upon what grounds the work of regeneration in man is stiled a new Creature which was the first thing to be opened Secondly Next we must enquire in what respects every soul that is in Christ is renewed or made a new Creature 2. and here we shall find a threefold renovation of every man that is in Christ viz. He is renewed 1. In his state and Condition 2. In his frame and Constitution 3. In his practice and Conversation First He is renewed in his state and condition for he passeth from death to life in his Justification 1 Joh. 3. 14. he was condemned by the Law he is now Justified freely by grace through the redemption which is in Christ he was under the curse of the first Covenant he is under the blessing of the new Covenant he was afar off but is now made nigh unto God an alien a stranger once now of the houshold of God Eph. 2. 12 13. O blessed change from a sad to a sweet and comfortable condition There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus Rom. 8. 1. Secondly Every man in Christ is renewed in his frame and constitution all the faculties and affections of his soul are renewed by regeneration his understanding was dark but now is light in the Lord Eph. 5. 8. his conscience was dead and secure or full of guilt and horrour but is now become tender watchful and full of peace Heb. 9. 14. his will was rebellious stubborn and inflexible but is now made obedient and complying with the will of God Psal. 110. 2. his desires did once pant and spend themselves in the pursuit of vanities now they are set upon God Isa. 26. 8. his Love did fondly dote upon ensnaring earthly objects now it is swallowed up in the infinite excellencies of God and Christ Psal. 119. 97. his joy was once in trifles and things of nought now his rejoycing is in Christ Jesus Phil. 3. 3. his fears once were versant about noxious creatures now God is the object of the fear of reverence Act. 9. 31. and sin the object of the fear of caution 2 Cor. 7. 11. his hopes and expectations were only from the world present but now from that to come Heb. 6. 19. Thus the soul in its faculties and affections is renewed which being done the members and senses of the body must needs be destinated and imployed by it in new services no more to be the weapons of unrighteousness but instruments of service to Jesus Christ Rom. 6. 19. and thus all that are in Christ are renewed in their frame and constitution Thirdly The man in Christ is renewed in his practice and Conversation the manner of operation alwayes follows the nature of beings now the regenerate not being what they were cannot walk and act as once they did Eph. 2. 1 2 3. And you hath he quickned who were once dead in trespasses and sins wherein ye walked according to the course of this world c. they were carryed away like water by the strength of the tyde by the influence of their own corrupt natures and the customes and examples of the world but the case is now altered So in 1 Cor. 6. 11. the Apostle shews believers their old companions in sin and tells them such were some of you but ye are washed but ye are sanctified c. q. d. the world is now well altered with you thanks be to the grace of God for it This wonderful change of practice which is so universal and remarkable in all the regenerate and immediately consequent to their conversion sets
heart Thirdly The crucifixion of the flesh doth not consist in the cessation of the external acts of sin for in that respect the lusts of men may dye of their own accord even a kind of natural death The members of the body are the weapons of unrighteousness as the Apostle calls them age or sickness may so blunt or break those weapons that the soul cannot use them to such sinful purposes and services as it was wont to do in the vigorous and healthful season of life not that there is less sin in the heart but because there is less strength and activity in the body Just as it is with an old Soldier who hath as much skill policy and delight as ever in military actions but age and hard services have so infeebled him that he can no longer follow the camp Fourthly The crucifixion of sin doth not consist in the fevere castigations of the body and penancing it by stripes fasting and tiresome pilgrimages This may pass for mortification among Papists but never was any lust of the flesh destroyed by this rigour Christians indeed are bound not to indulge and pamper the body which is the instrument of sin nor yet must we think that the spiritual corruptions of the soul â—…eel those stripes which are inflicted upon the body see Col. 2. 23. 't is not the vanity of superstition but the power of true religion which crucifies and destroys corruption 't is faith in Christs blood not the spilling of our own blood which gives sin the mortal wound Secondly But if you enquire what then is implied in the Posit 2. mortification or crucifixion of sin and wherein it doth consist I answer First It necessarily implies the souls implantation into Christ and union with him without which it is impossible Errant in ipsa natura mortificationis Christianae nam corporis afflictionem injuriam reputant pro vera mortificatione cum illa non ad carnem praecipue aut inferiorem animae partem sed ad mentem voluntatem maximè pertineat Davenant in Coloss. 256. that any one corruption should be mortified they that are Christs have crucified the flesh the attempts and endeavors of all others are vain and ineffectual when we were in the flesh saith the Apostle the motions of sin which were by the Law did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death Rom. 5. 7. sin was then in its full dominion no abstinence rigour or outward severity no purposes promises or solemn vows could mortifie or destroy it there must be an implantation into Christ before there can be any effectual crucifixion of sin what Believer almost hath not in the days of his first convictions tryed all external methods and means of mortifying sin and found it in experience to be to as little purpose as the binding of Sampson with green Wit hs or Cords But when he hath once come to act faith upon the death of Christ then the design of mortification hath prospered and succeeded to good purpose Secondly Mortification of sin implies the agency of the spirit of God in that work without whose assistances and aids all our endeavours must needs be fruitless of this work we may say as it was said in another case Zech. 4. 6. not by might noâ—… by power but by my spirit saith the Lord. When the Apostle therefore would shew by what hand this work of mortification is performed he thus expresseth it Rom. 8. 13. if ye through the spirit do mortifie the deeds of the body ye shall live the duty is ours but the power whereby we perform it is Gods the spirit is the only successful Combatant against the lusts that war in our members Gal. 5. 17. 't is true this excludes not but implies our endeavours for it is we through the spirit that mortifie the deeds of the body but yet all our endeavours without the Spirits aid and influence avail nothing Thirdly The crucifixion of sin necessarily implies the subversion of its dominion in the soul a mortified sin cannot be a reigning sin Rom. 6. 12 13 14. Two things constitute the dominion of sin viz. the fulness of its power and the souls subjection tâ—… it As to the fulness of its power that rises from the suitableness it hath and pleasure it gives to the corrupt heart of man it seems to be as necessary as the right hand as useful and pleasant as the right eye Mat. 5. 29. but the mortified heart is dead to all pleasures and profits of sin it hath no delight or pleasure in it it becomes its burthen and daily complaint Mortification presupposes the illumination of the mind and conviction of the conscience by reason whereof sin cannot deceive and blind the mind or bewitch and ensnare the will and affections as it was wont to do and consequently its dominion over the soul is destroyed and lost Fourthly The crucifying of the flesh implies a gradual weakning of the power of sin in the soul. The death of the Cross was a slow and lingering death and the crucified person grew weaker and weaker every hour so it is in the mortification of sin the soul is still cleansing it self from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit and perfecting holiness in the fear of God 2 Cor. 7. 1. And as the body of sin is weakned more and more so the inward man or the new creature is renewed day by day 2 Cor. 4. 16. for sanctification is a progressive work of the spirit and as holiness increases and roots it self deeper and deeper in the soul so the power and interest of sin proportionably abates and sinks lower and lower until at length it be swallowed up in victory Fifthly The crucifying of the flesh notes to us the Believers designed application of all spiritual means and sanctified instruments for the destruction of it there is nothing in this world which a gracious heart more vehemently desires and longs for than the death of sin and perfect deliverance from it Rom. 7. 2â—… the sincerity of which desires doth accordingly manifest it self in the daily application of all Gods remedies such are daily watching against the occasions of sin Job 31. 1. I have made a Covenant with mine eyes more than ordinary vigilancy over their special or proper sin Psal. 18. 23. I kept my self from mine iniquity earnest cries to Heaven for preventing grace Psal. 19. 13. keep back thy Servant also from presumptuous sins let them not have dominion over me deep humbling of soul for sins past which is an excellent preventive unto future sins 2 Cor. 2. 11. in that he sorrowed after a Godly sort what carefulness it wrought care to give no furtherance or advantage to the design of sin by making provision for the flesh to fulfill the Lusts thereof as others do Rom. 13. 13 14. willingness to bear the due reproofs of sin Psal. 141. 5. Let the righteous smite me it shall be a kindness these and such like means of
advantage for the mortification of sin in as much as sin being contrary to the new nature and the object of grief and hatred cannot possibly be committed without reluctancy and very sensible regret of mind and actions done with regret are neither done frequently nor easily The case of a regenerate soul under the surprizals and particular victories of temptation 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 cùm ita quis capitur ut nequeat luctari nec se capienti obsistere Sclat being like that of a captive in war who marches not with delight but by constraint among his enemies So the Apostle expresseth himself Rom. 7. 23. But I see another law in my members warring against the Law of my mind and bringing me into captivity unto the law of sin which is in my members thus the spirit of God promotes the design of mortification by the implantation of contrary habits Secondly By assisting those gracious habits in all the times 2. of need which he doth many ways sometimes notably awakening and rouzing grace out of the dull and sleepy habit and drawing forth the activity and power of it into actual and successful resistances of temptations as Gen. 39. 9. How can I do this great wickedness and sin against God Holy fear awakens first and raises all the powers of grace in the soul to make a vigorous resistance of temptation the spirit also strengthens weak grace in the soul 2 Cor. 12. 9. My grace is sufficient for thee for my strength is made perfect in weakness and by reason of grace thus implanted and thus assisted he that is born of God keepeth himself and the wicked one toucheth him not Fifthly The last query to be satisfied is how mortification of sin solidly evinceth the souls interest in Christ and this it 5. doth divers ways affording the mortified soul many sound evidences thereof As Evidence 1. Whatsoever evidences the indwelling of the holy spirit of God in us must needs be evidential of a saving interest in Christ as hath been fully proved before but the mortification of sin doth plainly evidence the indwelling of the spirit of God for as we proved but now it can proceed from no other principle there is as strong and inseparable a connection betwixt mortification and the spirit as betwixt the effect and its proper cause and the self-same connection betwixt the inbeing of the spirit and union with Christ. So that to reason from mortification to the inhabitation of the spirit and from the inhabitation of the spirit to our union with Christ is a strong scriptural way of reasoning Evidence 2. That which proves a soul to be under the Covenant of Grace evidently proves its interest in Christ for Christ is the head of that Covenant and none but sound Believers are under the blessings and promises of it but mortification of sin is a sound evidence of the souls being under the Covenant of Grace as is plain from those words of the Apostle Rom. 6. 12 13 14. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body that ye should obey it in the lust thereof neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin but yield your selves unto God as those that are alive from the dead and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God sor sin shall not have dominion over you for ye are not under the Law but under Grace where the Apostle presseth Believers unto mortification by this incouragement that it will be a good evidence unto them of a new Covenant interest for all legal duties and endeavours can never mortifie sin 't is the spirit in the new Covenant which produces this whoever therefore hath his corruptions mortified hath his interest in the Covenant and consequently in Christ so far cleared unto him Evidence 3. That which is the fruit and evidence of saving faith must needs be a good evidence of our interest in Christ but mortifiâ—… 〈◊〉 sin is the fruit and evidence of saving faith Acts 15. 9. Purifying their hearts by faith 1 John 5. 4. This is the victory whereby we overcome the world even our faith faith overcomes both the allurements of the world upon one hand and the terrors of the world upon the other hand by mortifying the heart and affections to all earthly things a mortified heart is not easily taken with the ensnaring pleasures of the world or much moved with the disgraces losses and sufferings it meets with from the world and so the strength and force of its temptations is broken and the mortified soul becomes victorious over it and all this by the instrumentality of faith Evidence 4. In a word there is an intimate and indissoluble connection betwixt the mortification of sin and the life of grace Rom. 6. 11. Reckon your selves to be dead indeed unto sin but alive unto God through Jesus Christ and the life of Christ must needs involve a saving interest in Christ by all which is fully proved what was asserted in the observation from this Text. The Application follows in the next Sermon The Twenty eighth SERMON Sermon 28. GAL. 5. 24. And they that are Christs have crucified the flesh Text. with the affections and lusts From hence our Observation was DOCT. THat a saving interest in Christ may be regularly and Doct. strongly inferred and concluded from the mortification of the flesh with its affections and lusts Having opened the nature and necessity of mortification in the former Sermon and shewn how regularly a 〈◊〉 â—…interest in Christ may be concluded from it we now proceed to apply the whole By way of 1. Information 2. Exhortation 3. Direction 4. Examination 5. Consolation 1st Use for Information Use 1. Inference 1. If they that be Christs have crucified the flesh then the life Inference 1. of Christians is no idle or easie life the corruptions of his heart continually fill his hands with work with work of the most difficult nature sin-crucifying work which the Scripture calls the cutting off the right hand and plucking out of the right eye sin-crucifying work is hard work and it is constant work throughout the life of a Christian there is no time or place freed from this conflict every occasion stirs corruption and every stirring of corruption calls for mortification corruptions work in our very best duties Rom. 7. 23. and put the Christian upon mortifying labours The world and the Devil are great enemies and fountains of many temptations to Believers but not like the corruptions of our own hearts they only tempt objectively and externally but this tempts internally and therefore much more dangerous they only tempt at times and seasons this continually at all times and seasons beside what ever Satan or the world attempts upon us would be altogether ineffectual were it not for our own corruptions John 14. 30. So that the corruptions of our own hearts as they give us most danger so they must give us more labour our life
they carry no grudge except it be against this enemy sin and yet these are the men who are most suspected and charged of disturbing the times they live in Just as the Wolf accused the Lamb which was below him for pudling and defiling the stream But there will be a day when God will clear up the innocency and integrity of his mistaken and abused servants and the world shall see it was not preaching and praying but drinking swearing prophaneness and enmity unto true godliness which disturbs and breaks the tranquillity and quietness of the times mean time let innocency commit it self unto God who will protect and in due time vindicate the same Inference 6. If they that be Christs have crucified the flesh then whatsoever Inference 6. Religion Opinion or Doctrine doth in its own nature countenance and encourage sin is not of Christ the doctrine of Christ every where teacheth mortification the whole stream of the Gospel runs against sin the doctrine it teacheth is holy pure and heavenly it hath no tendency to extol corrupt nature and feed its pride by magnifying its freedom and power or by stamping the merit and dignity of the blood of Christ upon its works and performances it never makes the death of Christ a Cloak to cover sin but an instrument to destroy it and whatsoever doctrine it is which nourishes the pride of nature to the disparagement of grace or incourages licentiousness and fleshly lust is not the doctrine of Christ but a spurious off-spring begotten by Satan upon the corrupt nature of man Inference 7. If mortification be the great business and character of a Christian then that condition is most eligible and desirable by Christians Inference 7. which is least of all exposed to Temptation Prov. 30. 8. Give me neither poverty nor riches but feed me with food convenient that holy judicious man was well aware of the danger lurking in both extreams and how near they border upon deadly temptations and approach the very precipice of ruine that stand upon either ground few Christians have an head strong and steddy enough to stand upon the pinacle of wealth and honour nor is it every one that can grapple with poverty and contempt A mediocrity is the Christians best external security and therefore most desirable and yet how do the corruptions the pride and ignorance of our hearts grasp and covet that condition which only serves to warm and nourish our lusts and make the work of mortification much more difficult 'T is well for us that our wise Father leaves us not to our own choice that he frequently dashes our earthly projects and disappoints our fond expectations If children were left to carve for themselves how often would they cut their own fingers Inference 8. If Mortification be the great business of a Christian then Inference 8. Christian fellowship and society duly managed and improved must needs be of singular use and special advantage to the people of God For thereby we have the friendly help and assistance of many other hands to carry on our great design and help us in our most difficult business if corruption be too hard for us others this way come into our assistance Gal. 6. 1. Brethren if a man be overtaken in a fault ye which are spiritual restore such an one in the spirit of meekness If temptations prevail and over-bear us that we fall under sin 't is a special mercy to have the reproofs and counsels of our brethren who will not suffer sin to rest upon us Levit. 19. 17. Whilst we are sluggish and sleepy others are vigilant and careful for our safety The humility of another reproves and mortifies my pride The activity and liveliness of another awakens and quickens my deadness The prudence and gravity of another detects and cures my levity and vanity The heavenliness and Spirituality of another may be exceeding useful both to reprove and heal the earthliness and sensuality of my heart Two are better than one but wo unto him that is alone The Devil is well aware of this great advantage and therefore strikes with special malice against embodied Christians who are as a well disciplined army whom he therefore more especially endeavours to rout and scatter by persecutions that thereby particular Christians may be deprived of the sweet advantages of mutual society Inference 9. How deeply hath sin fixed its roots in our corrupt nature that it should be the constant work of a Christians whole life to mortifie Inference 9. and destroy it God hath given us many excellent helps his spirit within us variety of ordinances and duties are also appointed as instruments of Mortification And from the very day of Regeneration unto the last moment of dissolution the Christian is daily at work in the use of all sanctified means external and internal yet can never dig up and destroy corruption at the root all his life long The most eminent Christians of longest standing in Religion who have shed Millions of tears for sin and poured out many thousand Prayers for the Mortification of it do after all find the grudgings of their old disease that there is still life and strength in those corruptions which they have given so many wounds unto in duty O the depth and strength of sin which nothing can separate from us but that which separates our souls and bodies And upon that account the day of a believers death is better than the day of his birth Never till then do we put off our armour sheath our sword and cry victory victory 2. Use for Exhortation If they that are Christs have crucified the flesh c. Then as ever we hope to make good our claim to Christ let us give Use 2. all diligence to mortifie sin in vain else are all our pretences unto Union with him This is the great work and discriminating character of a believer And seeing it is the main business of life and great evidence for heaven I shall therefore press you to it by the following Motives and Considerations 1. Motive And first methinks the comfort and sweetness resulting from Mortification should effectually perswade every believer Motive 1. to more diligence about it There is a double sweetness in Mortification one in the nature of the work as it is a duty a sweet Christian duty another as it hath respect to Christ and is evidential of our Union with him In the first consideration there is a wonderful sweetness in Mortification for dost thou not feel a blessed calmness cheariness and tranquillity in thy conscience when thou hast faithfully repelled temptations successfully resisted and overcome thy corruptions Doth not God smile upon thee conscience incourage and approve thee Hast thou not an heaven within thee whilst others feel a kind of hell in the deadly gripes and bitter accusations of their own consciences are covered with shame and filled with horrours But then consider it also as an evidence of the souls
Med. Consider what the damned suffer for those sins which the devil now tempteth you to commit it hath deprived them of all Med. 5. good all outward good Luke 16. 25. all spiritual good Mat. 25. 41. and of all hope of enjoying any good for ever And as it hath deprived them of all good so it hath remedilesly plunged them into all positive misery Misery from without the wrath of God being come upon them to the uttermost and misery from within for their worm dieth not Mark 9. 44. The memory of things past the sense of things present and the fearful expectations of things to come are the nibblings and bitings of the worm of conscience at every bite whereof damned souls give a dreadful shriek crying out O the worm the worm Would any man that is not forsaken by reason run the hazard of those eternal miseries for the brutish pleasures of a moment 6. Med. Bethink your selves what inexcusable hypocrisie it will be in Med. 6. you to indulge your selves in the private satisfaction of your lusts under a contrary profession of Religion You are a people that profess holiness and professedly own your selves to be under the Government and Dominion of Christ and must the worthy Name of Christ be only used to cloak and cover your lusts and corruptions which are so hateful to him God forbid You daily pray against sin you confess it to God you bewail it you pour out supplications for pardoning and preventing grace are you in jest or earnest in these solemn duties of Religion Certainly if all those duties produce no mortification you do but flatter God with your lips and put a dreadful cheat upon your own souls Nay do you not frequently censure and condemn those things in others and dare you allow them in your selves What horrid hypocrisie is this Christians are dead to sin Rom. 6. 2. Dâ—…ad to it by profession dead to it by obligation dead to it by relation to Christ who died for it and how shall they that are so many ways dead to sin live any longer therein O think not that God hates sin the less in you because you are his people nay Ipsa delicta peccata fidelium odio sunt displicent Deo sed odio simplici non redundanti in personam Davenant in Col. 1. 10. that very consideration aggravates it the more Amos 3. 2. 7. Med. Consider with your selves what hard things some Christians have chosen to endure and suffer rather than they would defile Med. 7. themselves with guilt and shall every small temptation insnare and take your souls Read over the Eleventh Chapter to the Hebrews and see what the saints have endured to escape sin no torments were so terrible to them as the displeasure of God and woundings of conscience and did God oblige them more by his grace and favour than he hath obliged you O Christians how can you that have found such mercies mercies as free pardons as full as ever any souls found show less care less fear less tenderness of grieving God than others have done Certainly if you did see sin with the same eyes they saw it you would hate it as deeply watch against it as carefully and resist it as vigorously as any of the Saints have done before you 8. Med. Consider with your selves what sweet pleasure rational Med. 8. and solid comfort is to be found in the mortification of sin 'T is not the fulfilling of your lusts can give you the thousandth part of that comfort and contentment that the resistance of them and victory over them will give you Who can express the comfort that is to be found in the chearing testimony of an acquitting and absolving conscience 2 Cor. 1. 12. Remember what satisfaction and peace it was to Hezekiah upon his supposed death-bed when he turned to the wall and said Remember now O Lord I beseech thee how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart and have done that which is good in thy sight Isa. 38. 3. 4. Use for Examination In the next place this point naturally puts us upon the Examination and trial of our own hearts whether we Use 4. who so confidently claim a special interest in Christ have crucified the flesh with its affections and lusts and because two sorts of persons will be concerned in this Triall viz. the weaker and the stronger Christians I shall therefore lay down two sorts of Evidences of Mortification one respecting the sincerity and truth the other respecting the strength and progress of that work in confirmed and grown Christians and both excluding false pretenders First There are some things that are Evidential of the truth and sincerity of Mortification even in the weakest Christians as First True tenderness of conscience in all known sins one as well as another is a good sign sin hath lost its Dominion in the soul O 't is a special mercy to have a heart that shall smite and reprove us for those things that others make nothing of to check and admonish us for our secret sins which can never turn to our reproach among men this is a good sign that we hate sin as sin however through the weakness of the flesh we may be ensnared by it Rom. 7. 15. What I hate that I do Secondly The sincere and earnest desires of our souls to God in prayer for heart-purging and sin-mortifying grace is a good sign our souls have no love for sin Canst thou say poor believer in the truth of thy heart that if God would give thee thy choice it would please thee better to have sin cast out than to have the world cast in that thy heart is not so earnest with God for daily bread as it is for heart-purging grace this is a comfortable evidence that sin is nayled to the Cross of Christ. Thirdly do you make conscience of guarding against the occasions of sin Do you keep a daily watch over your hearts and senses according to 1 John 5. 18. Job 31. 1. This speaks a true design and purpose of Mortification also Fourthly do you rejoyce and bless God from your hearts when the providence of God orders any means for the prevention of sin Thus did David 1 Sam. 25. 33. And David said to Abigail Blessed be the Lord God of Israel which sent thee this day to meet me and blessed be thy advice and blessed be thou which hast kept me this day from coming to shed blood and from avenging my self with my own hand Fifthly In a word though the thoughts of death may be terrible in themselves yet if the expectation and hope of your deliverance from sin thereby do sweeten the thoughts of it to your souls it will turn unto you for a testimony that you are not the servants and friends of sin And so much briefly of the first sort of Evidences Secondly There are other signs of a more deep and through Mortification of sin in more
great must that darkness be for now the blind lead the blind and both fall into the ditch The blind judgement misguides the blind affections and both fall into hell O what a sad thing is it that the Devil should lead that that leads thee That he should sit at the helm and steer thy course to damnation The blinding of this noble faculty precipitates the soul into the most dangerous courses persecution by this means seems to be true zeal for God John 16. 2. They that persecute you shall think that they do God service Paul once thought verily with himself that he ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth Acts 26. 9. i. e. He thought he had pleased God when he was imprisoning and persecuting his people as many do at this day it will make a man to sin conscientiously which is a very dangerous way of sinning and difficult to be reclaimed Secondly it is a dreadful Judgement if we consider the Object about which the understanding is blinded which is Jesus Christ and Union with him Regeneration and the nature and necessity thereof For this blindness is not universal but respective and particular A man may have abundance of light and knowledge in things natural and moral but spiritual things are hiâ—…den from his eyes Yea a man may know spiritual things in a natural way which increaseth his blindness but he cannot discern them spiritually this is a sore judgement and greatly to be bewailed Thou hast hid these things said Christ from the wise and prudent and hast revealed them unto babes Mat. 11. 25. Learned and knowing men are ignorant of those things which very babes in Christ understand They are prudent in the management of earthly affairs but to save their own souls they have no knowledge They are able with Berengarius to dispute De omni scibili of every thing investigable by the light of nature yea to open the scripture solidly and defend the doctrines and truths of Christ against his adversaries successfully and yet blinded in the greatmystery of regeneration Blindness in part saith the Apostle is happened unto Israel and that indeed was the principal part of knowledg viz. the knowledge of Jesus Christ and him crucified we see farther than they The literal knowledge of Christ shines clearly in our understandings We are only blinded about those things which should give us saving interest in him about the effectual application of Christ to our own souls Thirdly The dreadful nature of this spiritual blindness farther appears from the consideration of the season in which it befalls men which is the very time of Gods patience and the only opportunity they have for salvation after these opportunities are over their eyes will be opened to see their misery but alas too late too late Upon this account Christ shed those tears over Jerusalem Luke 19. 42. O that thou hadst known at least in this thy day the things that belong to thy peace but now they are hid from thine eyes Now the season of grace is past and gone opportunities are the golden spots of time and there is much time in a short opportunity as there are many pieces of silver in one piece of gold Time signifies nothing when opportunities are gone to be blinded in the very season of salvation is the Judgement of all Judgements the greatest misery incident to man to have our eyes opened when the seasons of salvation are past is but an aggravation of misery There is a twofold opening of mens eyes to see their danger Viz. 1. Graciously to prevent danger 2. Judicially to aggravate misery They whose eyes are not opened graciously in this world to see their disease and remedy in Christ shall have their eyes opened judicially in the world to come to see their disease without any remedy If God open them now it is by way of prevention if they be not opened until then it will produce desperation Fourthly The horrible nature of this Judgement farther appears from the exceeding difficulty of curing it especially in men of excellent natural indowments and accomplishments Joh. 9. 40 41. And some of the Pharisees which were with him heard these words and said unto him Are we blind also Jesus said unto them If ye were blind ye should have no sin but now ye say we see therefore your sin remaineth q. d. The pride and conceitedness of your hearts adds obstinacy and incurableness to your blindness these are the blind people that have eyes Isa. 43. 8. in seeing they see not The conviction of such men is next to an impossibility Fifthly The design and end of this blindness under the Gospel is most dreadful so saith my Text the God of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not lest the light of the glorious Gospel of Christ who is the image of God should shine unto them Answerable whereunto are those words Isa. 6. 10. Make the heart of this people fat and make their ears heavy and Ira est Dei non intelligere delicta ne sequatur poenitentia Cyp. Ep. 3. Percussi sunt animi caecitane ut nec intelligant delicta nec plangant indignantis Dei major haec est ira Cypr. de lapsis shut their eyes lest they see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and convert and be healed So that it is plain this blinding is a praeludium to damnation as the covering of Hamans face was to his destruction When the Lord hath no purpose of grace and mercy to a mans soul then to bring about the damnation of that man by a righteous permission many occasions of blindness befal him which Satan improves effectually unto his eternal ruine among which fatal occasions blind guides and scandalous professors are none of the least they shall be fitted with Ministers suitable to their humours who shall speak smooth things if a man walk in the Spirit and falshood i. e. by an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the spirit of falshood do lie saying I will prophesie to thee of wine and strong drink he shall even be the prophet of this people and the slips and falls of professors shall do the Devil not a little service in this his fatal design Mat. 18. 7. Wo to the world because of offences This shall blind them and harden them to purpose Thus you see what a dreadful Judgement this is a stroak of God upon the soul which cuts off all the present comforts of Christ and Religion from it takes away the bridle of restraint from sin and makes way for the final ruine of the soul. A far greater Judgement it is than the greatest calamity or affliction which can befal us in this world If our names suffer by the greatest reproaches our bodies by the most painful diseases our estates by the greatest losses if God strike every comfort we have in this world dead by affliction all this is nothing compared with
this blinding Judgement of God upon the soul. For they may come from the tender love of God to us Heb. 12. 6. But this is the effect of his wrath they may cleanse sin Isa. 27. 9. but this increases it they often prove occasions of conversion Job 36. 8 9. but this is the great obstruction to it In a word they only wound the flesh and that with a curable wound but this stabs the soul and that with a mortal wound 1st Use of Information Use 1. Inference 1. If this be the case of the unbelieving world to be so blinded by the God of the world how little should we value the censures and Inference 1. slanders of the blind world Certainly they should move no other affection but pity in our souls If their eyes were opened their mouths would be shut they would never traduce Religion and the sincere professors of it as they do if Satan had not blinded their minds they speak evil of the things they know not their reproaches which they let fly so freely are but so many arrows shot by the blind mans bow which only stick in our clothes and can do us no hurt except we thrust them onward by our own discontent to the wounding of our spirits I could almost be proud upon it said Luther that I have got an ill name Superbus fio quod video nomen pessimum mihi crescere Luther Gratias ago Deo meo quod dig nâ—…s sum quem mundus oderit Hieronymus among the worst men Beware Christians that you give them no occasion to blaspheme the name of your God and then never trouble your selves however they use your names If they tread it in the dirt now God as one speaks will take it up wash off all that dirt and deliver it you again clear and shining Should such men speak well of us we might justly suspect our selves of some iniquity which administers to them the occasion of it Inference 2. How absurd and dangerous must it be for Christians to follow Inference 2. the examples of the blind world Let the blind follow the blind but let not those whom God hath enlightned do so Christians never let those lead you who are led blindfolded by the Devil themselves The holiness and heavenliness of Christians was wont to set the world a wondering that they would not run with them into the same excess of riot 1 Pet. 4. 4. But sure since God hath opened your eyes and shewed you the dangerous courses they walk in it would be the greatest wonder of all if you should be the companions of such men and tread in the steps of their examples Christian as humble and lowly thoughts as thou hast of thy self yet I would have thee understand thy self to be too good to be the associate of such men Discamus sanctam superbiam sciamus nos esse illis meliores If they will walk with you in the way of duty and holiness let them come and welcome receive them with both arms and be glad of their company but beware you walk not in their paths lest they be a snare unto you Did they see the end of their way they would never walk in it themselves why then will you walk with them who do see it Inference 3. If this be so let Christians be exact and circumspect in their walking lest they lay a stumbling block in the way of the blind Inference 3. 'T is a great sin to do so in a proper sense Lev. 19. 14. Thou shalt not put a stumbling block before the blind And a far greater to do it in a Metaphorical sense Rom. 14. 13. 'T is the express will of God that no man put a stumbling block or an occasion to fall in his brothers way 'T is an argument of little regard to the honour of Christ or the souls of men so to do O professours look to your steps The Devil desires to make use of you for such purposes The sins of thousands of others who make no profession of godliness will never so fit his purpose for the blinding of those mens eyes as the least slip or failing of yours will do 'T is the living bird that makes the best stale to draw others into the net the grossest wickedness of prophane sinners passeth away in silence but all the neighbourhood shall ring with your miscarriages A righteous man falling down before the wicked is as a troubled fountain and a corrupt spring Prov. 25. 26. The scandalous falls of good men are like a bag of poison cast by Satan into the Spring from whence the whole town is supplied with water You little know what mischies you do and how many blind sinners may fall into hell by your occasion Inference 4. How dangerous a thing is zeal in a wicked man 'T is a sharp sword in a blind mans hand or like high mettle in a blind Inference 4. horse how much hath the Church of God suffered upon this account and doth suffer at this day The world hath ever been full of such blind and blustering zeal which like a hurry-cane overturns all that stands in its way yea as we noted before it makes a man a kind of conscientious persecutor I confess it is better for the persecutor himself to do it ignorantly because ignorance leaves him in a capacity for mercy and sets him a degree lower than the malicious enlightned persecutor 1 Tim. 1. 13. Else it were the dreadful case described in Heb. 10. But yet as it is John 16. 2. these are the fierce and dreadful enemies of the Church of God Such a man was Paul a devout persecutour and such persecution God afterward suffered to befal himself Acts 13. 50. But the Jews stirred up the devont and honourable women and the chief men of the City and raised persecution against Paul and Barnabas and expelled them out of their coasts An erroneous conscience binds as well as an informed conscience and where ever God gives such men opportunity to vent the spleen and rage of their hearts upon his people they will be sure to do it to purpose With other men Gamaliels counsel may have some influence and they may be afraid lest they be found fighters against God but blind zeal spurrs on and saith as Jehu did Come see my zeal for the Lord of hosts O blind sinners be sure of your Mark before you discharge your arrows If you shoot at a wicked man as you suppose him and God finds one of his dear children wounded or destroyed what account will you give of that fact to God when you shall come before his Judgement seat 2d Use of Exhortation This point is very improveable by way of Exhortation Use. 2. Both 1. Unto those who are blinded by the God of this world 2. To those that are enlightned in the knowledge of Christ by the true God First To those who are still blinded by the God of this world to whom the