Thus you see the Doctrine opened That Christ hath given himself as a ransome to redeem all beleevers from all iniquity from the transgression of the Law from the guilt of sin and so from the punishment of all sin For the further opening and unfolding of this excellent Point consider with me briefly these four particulars First That all beleevers they are by nature under all Iniquitie when the Text saith That Christ gave himself to redeem them from all iniquitie This implieth that beleevers were under all iniquitie what need Christ give himself to redeem them from that under which they were not You shall finde this evidently declared Rom. 5. 12. By one man sin entred into the world and death by sin and so death passed upon all men for that all have sinned And Ephes 2. 1 2. 3. the Apostle speaking of beleevers he saith of them as well as of others that they were dead in trespasses and sins and that they are by nature the children of wrath as well as others and that they were in time past acted by the Divell and walked after the course of the world according to the Prince of the power of the air the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience And again Rom. 3. 19. all the world is become guiltie before God all men by nature as well beleevers as unbeleevers are all under iniquitie First they are under the transgression of the Law they break the Commandments of God continually Secondly they are under the guilt of that transgression for he that hath the sin must have the guilt Thirdly they are under the punishment that belongeth to the breakers of the Law for he that committeh sin and hath the guilt thereof must needs be lyable to the punishment Here is the first thing considerable Christ gave himself to redeem beleevers from all Iniquitie therefore they are by nature under all iniquitie The second thing to be considered is How beleevers come to be under all iniquitie To this I answer that they are born under the power of iniquitie Psal 51. 5. Behold I was shapen in iniquitie saith a beleever that is David and in sin did my mother warm mee they were warmed in sin and conceived in iniquitie and the Apostle in the place before alledged Eph. 2. 3. telleth us that we that are beleevers were all by nature the children of wrath But you will say Whence is it that beleevers come to bee born under iniquitie vassals to sin slaves to Sathan and exposed to the wrath of God whence cometh this I answer and that in a word onely it cometh thus by their first Father Adam for all mankinde was in Adam in his loynes and Adam in innocencie represented all mankind he stood as a Parliament man doth for the whole country for all that should be born of him so that look what Adam did all his posterity did Now Adam broke the Commandment of God eating that fruit God had forbidden him to eat off he breaking this Commandment all his posteritie brake it upon the breaking of the commandment there cometh a guilt upon him the guilt that came upon him came upon all that were in him and so upon all mankind upon the guilt God layeth a punishment for sin What is that to withdraw that Image of holiness and righteousnesse wherein he was created and to leave him to a contrary Image of unholinesse and unrighteousnesse that was the punishment that God laid upon Adam and this punishment God layeth upon all the posteritie of Adam because they were as truly guiltie of Adams sin as he was whence it commeth that all that are born of Adam are guiltie of eating the forbidden fruit being guilty of that the punishment that is laid upon that sin is laid upon them that holinesse and righteousnesse wherein they were once in Adam created is taken from them and they are left to a contrary Image of Sathan an image of unholinesse and unrighteousnesse Whence it cometh to passe that they are all born under the guilt of sin under the power of Originall corruption slaves to Sathan and the objects of divine wrath Thus you see the second thing how it cometh to passe that all beleevers are under all iniquitie The third thing is How Christ cometh to redeem beleevers from all this iniquitie how Christ by giving of himself could redeem beleevers from all iniquitie I beseech you observe it Christ did it thus Because that which brought beleevers under iniquitie as you have heard was the breaking of Gods Law Christ he cometh and fulfillleth the Law of God and he suffereth all that which the justice of God thought due for the breach of his Law And so Christ doing that which beleevers should have done namely to keep the Law and suffering that which beleevers had deserved by their sins Christ doing and suffering this in the nature of beleevers that is in mans nature so that the same nature that sinned suffered the same nature that was bound to keep the Law did keep the Law in Christ hence it cometh to passe that Christ giving God the full price for their ransome he cometh to redeem them from all iniquitie And that you may yet the better see that Christ by this act of his giving himself thus to be a man to obey all the Law and to suffer all the wrath of God due to sin that he did fully pay the price that might ransome all beleevers consider but in brief these things First God and Christ made a compact or a covenant together God offereth Christ this who was the second person in Trinitie that he would become man and in mans nature fulfill the Law and suffer all that wrath of God that was due for the breach of this Law God promised Christ that hee should acquit and discharge all such as beleeved in him Christ he agreeth to this Covenant and undertakes it after the Covenant was made he came and performed it he became man and gave a perfect price for the full payment of what ever was due God abated him not a farthing the uttermost farthing of that which beleevers were condemned to pay hee paid it he perfectly kept the law he perfectly suffered the uttermost of all that wrath of God that was due to sin And all this was done by Christ who was God all this was done by the Second Person in Trinitie so that now the person obeying the Law of God was infinitely better then the persons breaking the Law of God the person that did suffer the wrath of God was infinitely better then the persons that should have suffered the wrath of God for they were but men but this was the very Son of God So that now God satisfieth God God paid the ransome to God therefore the ransome cannot but be compleat And thus cometh Christ by giving of himself fully paying a price to redeem from all iniquitie all them for whom he paid it that is all that doe beleeve in him It
all those in whom Christ is a death of the bodie of sin and a resurrection in regard of the life of righteousnesse This the Apostle plainly and largely proveth in that place For the further opening of this Point you must consider that there are divers degrees both of the death of sin and of the life of righteousnesse First there is a perfect death of sin when the whole body of sin is altogether destroyed and perfectly rooted out of a man And there is an imperfect death of sin when the whole body of sin and every particular of it is in part and but in part destroyed and rooted out of a man Again on the other side there is a perfect life of righteousnesse when the whole frame of holiness is perfectly and compleatly set up in a man and an imperfect life of righteousnesse when the same frame is in every particular of it yet but imperfectly set up My brethren that I chiefly desire you should mark is this That in the imperfect death of sin and in the imperfect life of righteousnesse there is a kind of perfection in regard of the particular parts both of the body of sin and of the frame of holiness There is no part no member of the body of sin that is not destroyed and supprest onely it is destroyed but in part and not perfectly Every member I say of the body of sin doth in part suffer death Therefore the Scripture calleth it the destruction of the body Rom. 6. 6. Our old man saith the Apostle is crucified with Christ that the body of sin might be destroyed It cannot be said that the old man is crucified or the body of sin destroyed if so be that every part of the old man and every member of the body of sin bee not in some measure destroyed But although every part and particular of the body of sin be destroyed yet here is no part no particular but is still alive and unsubdued even in the people of God Even in them that be in Christ there are the seeds of all corruptions to be found there are the reliques of every kind of sin there are the lustings of every fruit of the flesh and sometime one part of the body of sin sometime another part according as God is pleased to leave them for their tryall doth break out and manifest it self in them So it is also in regard of the life of righteousnesse That same imperfect life of righteousnesse hath in it every part of holinesse so that there is no grace that is not in part quickned no piece of the Image of God that is not in part stamped upon the soul Thereupon it is said That the godly have the seed of God remaining in them that they are partakers of that divine nature that they have the Law of God written in their hearts that they bear the Image of God that they be the children of God None of these things could be said of them if they had not every part and particular of grace and holines in some measure in them yet notwithstanding there is no part no particular of the body and frame of holiness perfectly in them but onely imperfectly and in degrees Thus you see what is here meant by the death of sin and the life of righteousnesse not that which is perfect for that shall never be attained to till after the death of the bodie but that which is imperfect and that is infallibly in all in whomsoever Christ is Yea and not onely one of these but joyntly both of them are imperfectly in all these that are in Christ and therefore the Apostle in the Text joyneth them both together For howsoever we will not now stand to dispute whether the life of righteousnesse be the cause or spring of the death of sin as the coming in of light is the cause of the expulsion of darknesse yet this is sure that they are alwayes inseparable and go together there is no life of righteousness where there is not a death of sin and there is no death of sin where there is not a life of righteousnesse Now then my brethren the sense and meaning of all this Point that I have thus opened and proved to you cometh to thus much That who-ever have Christ in them they have the whole body of sin in every part of it weakned and destroyed and the whole frame of holinesse and righteousnesse in every part of it begun in them though both but in part Give me leave now as briefly as I can to make application First then here you have a cleer locking-glasse wherein you may be able to judge of the faces of the state and temper of your souls I beseech you consider it well and the Lord set it home upon your hearts either you have Christ in you or you have him not in you If Christ be in you then you have this imperfect death of sin and life of righteousnesse but if you have not this then Christ is not in you Be exhorted therefore I beseech you to try your selves by this touchstone But some will say How shall I be able to know whether I have this same death of sin and life of righteousnesse in mee yea or no This is shewen already yet to help you more particularly I will shew you how you may judge of that imperfect death of sin and life of righteousnesse which is to be found in us in this world And first for the death of sin you must know that there is a great deal of difference between the restraint or the sleep of sin and this death of sin Many people deceive themselves with taking the restraining or sleep of sin for the death of sin And indeed many times a sin that is restrained or asleep may appear to others and to a mans self to be more dead then a sin that is dead indeed For this same death of sin that is to be in all those that have Christ in them is not as I said before an utter destruction a plenary and full abolishment of sin but it is onely a weakning a lessening and diminishing thereof Now a sin that is onely weakned and yet stirreth may be more manifest then a sin that is restrained or asleep and stirreth not for the present One that is shut up in a prison cannot do so much in the street as a weak and dying man that is in the streets and one that is asleep cannot doe so much as a weak and dying man that is not asleep Even thus many times sin so long as the sit of restraint or sleep lasteth doth not manifest it self so much as when it is dead with this imperfect death for then it is onely weakned and lessened in the strength of it Therefore I say it concerneth us much to know the difference And I conceive you may know it by the effects of the death of sin which are these First of all where the body of sin is lessened and weakned
discouragement which of all others is the greatest hinderer of our endeavours after holinesse and might happily dis-hearten these Romans from yeelding obedience to this exhortation for they might think with themselves that it was impossible for them to keep sin from reigning in them and therefore it was in vain for them to indeavour to doe what he had exhorted them unto To prevent this discouragement the Apostle in this Verse that I have read unto you annexeth a promise to that his Exhortation and in the name of God asâ—ureth them that they shall attain to that which he had commanded them to labour for He had exhorted them that they should not let sin reign in them and here he promiseth that sin shall not reign over them Before I come to speak of the words as they stand alone by themselves let me observe one thing briefly from the coherence of them with the words going before and that shall be onely this That God commandeth his children to doe nothing but he promiseth to make them able to perform it Whatsoever God hath bid his people doe he hath promised that his people shall doe it It is a Point clear and evident from the Text the Lord here commandeth them that they should not let sin reign in them and here he also promiseth that sin shall not reign over them It is as evident in other places of Scripture I might give you divers instances thereof but that I onely purpose to touch this Point and no more because you see I gather it from the Coherence yet I will name you one or two for the fuller clearing thereof God commandeth his people to fear his name as you have it often in the Scripture and in Jer. 32.39 he promiseth to give them a heart to fear him I will give them saith he there one heart that they may fear me for ever for the good of them and their children after them The Lord commandeth his people to love him to set their hearts upon him My son give me thy heart as you have it in the Proverbs And the Lord promiseth that he will make them set their hearts upon him Hosea 2.14 I will allure her and bring her into the wilderness and speak comfortably to her the word is I will speak to her heart as it is in some of the Margents of your Bibles It is a metaphor alluding to the manner of a man that having a desire to have the conjugall affection of such a maid doth so set himself to allure her and draw her as to bring her heart for to love him so faith the Lord as I have commanded my people to give me their heart I will allure them and speak to their heart so as I will make them set their hearts upon me I need not give you any further instances you see the point is cleare and directly issueth from the coherence of the Text with the foregoing words and by these places and the like you may see the truth of the Doctrine viz. Gods gracious manner of dealing with his Children that he pmiseth to make them able to doe whatsoever it is that he commandeth them to doe And this my brethren is the difference between the Covenant of workes and of grace between the Law and the Gospel In the Law which is the Covenant of workes the Lord commandeth many things but promiseth to helpe them in nothing In the Covenant of grace which is the Gospel the Lord commandeth nothing but he promiseth to make them able to doe it If you aske me the ground or reason of Gods dealing thus with his Children I answer there is a double reason of it The first is Because it is Gods purpose that his children shall obey in some measure all his Commandements It is the purpose of God he hath decreed it from all eternity that his people shall obey his Law not perfectly for that they have done onely in Christ their Head their Husband their Undertaker not legally for that is impossible considering their infirmities but evangelically in uprightnesse though not in perfection In truth though not in measure and degree This the Lord hath decreed from all eternity that his people shall keep his Commandements as you see it promised in Ezek. 36.17 They shall walk in my statutes and keepe my judgements and doe them Now Gods promises they are nothing else but the expression of his eternall purpose to his children so that whatsoever God hath promised to his children that he hath from all eternity purposed to his children God therefore having purposed this that his children shall keep his Commandements in an Evangelicall manner he must make them able to doe it for except God helpe them to performe what he requireth it is not in their power to doe it In regard of obedience to Gods Commandements Gods children are as the world was before it was made when it was nothing there was no power in the world to have a Sunne or Moone to have a Sea or Firmament to have men or beasts because the world was nothing So there is no power in Gods children to obey any Commandement for in regard of obedience to God they are as nothing they are dead in trespasses and sinnes therefore they are said to be created of God unto good workes implying that before they were nothing If therefore God will have it done God must give them a power to doe it Indeed it is true they ought to doe it though they cannot for they had a power once in Adam therefore God may justly require it of them yet they cannot doe it for they are nothing Here is then the first Reason why God hath promised to enable him to doe all that he hath commanded because he hath purposed and resolved that they shall obey him and without his ability they cannot obey him for they are dead in sinnes and trespasses The second Reason is Because God hath for divers wise ends decreed that all the obedience of his children shall come from Christ and by Faith This is expresse in the Scripture to the end that no man might glory in himselfe but that all glorying might be in Christ God hath decreed this that no obedience shall be wrought by any that is acceptable but what shall come from Christ by Faith Now if it come from Christ by Faith then it must come by a promise for there is nothing the object of faith but a promise and a divine promise To the end therefore they may have a promise God hath promised to enable them to all he commandeth that so they by faith resting upon this promise they might come to this obedience by faith and so may have nothing to glory in themselves Here are the two Reasons of the point And so you see the observation cleare that God commandeth his people nothing but he promiseth to make them able to performe it There is onely this caution to be added that howsoever God promiseth to enable his people
to the honour of Christ to the Gospel of Christ In a word what ever is Christs to that faith doth work a love where ever it is so that whosoever hath faith they have in them a love to Christ and to all the things of Christ You may conceive it by this similitude If a woman have with a conjugall affection taken a man to be her husband that same taking of him to be her husband makes her love him and all that is his she loves his name his honour and credit his profit his contentment his ease his safety his person his friends for that same conjugall affection which makes her to take him to be her husband works love in her in all these particulars To beleeve in the Lord Christ is nothing but to take Christ as I said before to be our husband Now if we have taken him to be our husband then we shall love him as a wife loveth her husband There is the second thing Again thirdly a third Propertie of Faith is that in the 1 Thes 5.8 The breastplate of faith and love faith is a Brest-plate there is the third property of faith What is the use of a brestplate A brestplate it doth fence and secure the heart from all danger from all stabbs from all injuries Where there is faith the soul is fenced as it were with a brestplate so that it is neither drawn away from Christ nor wounded with the fierie darts of Satan or temptations of sin My brethren I pray observe it there is no faith where the heart is not in some measure fenced from the wounds of sin and from the insnarements of the world Faith is a brest-plate there is the third Again in the fourth and last place the last propertie of faith that I will name is that in the 1 John 5.4 Whosoever is born of God overcommeth the world and this is our victorie even our faith Observe that place where there is faith there is a victorie and a victorie over the world where ever there is faith there is an overcomming of the world To overcome the world it is not to be overcome of the world it is to persist in setting our chiefest affection upon the Lord Jesus Christ notwithstanding all the devises and attempts of the world either by flattery or by frowns either by favour or by blowes this is to overcome the world Now then where ever there is faith there is a victorie over the world that soul which hath faith in it it hath overcome the world the care of the world was wont to overcome it but now it overcommeth the care of the world it is not so carefull for the world as it is for Christ The feares of the world were wont to overcome it but now it hath overcome the feares of the world it is not so afraid of all the worlds injuries and threats as it is of Christs displeasure The pleasures of the world were wont to overcome it the world runneth after nothing so much as after worldly pleasures is delighted in nothing so much as in some worldly pleasure either of contentment or profit or friends of riches or honours But now the soul that hath faith in it it delighteth in nothing so much as in the comfort of the Spirit in the communion of the Lord Jesus Christ Thus I pray consider it though I speak but briefly of these things yet consider it where ever there is faith there is a victorie over the world before there is faith there the soul is a slave to the world but if once there be faith he is more then conquerour he is not the worlds slave but the world is his the world is trampled under his feet and is a dead flower to him that hath neither beauty nor sweetness in it Thus my brethren they that have these Properties they whose hearts are purified they who work by love they whose hearts are fenced with a brestplate that they cannot bee stollen from Christ nor wounded with sin they that are conquerours over the world they are beleevers And so you see the first thing the Object of this Act of Christ The persons for whom Christ gave himself viz. for them that have a faith purifying the heart for them that have a faith working by love for them that have a faith that is as a brestplate to their soul for them that have a faith that overcometh the world for these Christ gave himself Now we come in the second place to open the second thing that is the Act of Christ the thing that Christ did he gave himself for these beleevers What is meant by giving of himself to give a thing in the generall it is to put a thing out of ones own use and power and freely to bequeath it to the use and power of another this is in the generall to give a thing But here I conceive giving is taken a little more strictly and not so largely viz. that which we call giving a ransome For if you compare with this Text that which you shall find in 1 Tim. 2.6 Who gave himself a ransome for all that is for all sorts and conditions of people so that here by giving himself is meant a giving himself as a ransome Now what it is to give a thing as a ransome you are to know it is this It is to dispose and order a thing so as that it may redeem another out of that distresse wherein he is So then the meaning of these words he gave himself for us is this That the Lord Christ did so dispose of himself that by him there may come a redemption to all beleevers from all that miserie and distresse they are in by nature This is the meaning of the words The words then thus explained this Doctrine doth arise Jesus Christ hath given himself for all that believe I need not stand to prove it it is so plain and evident in the Text onely let me give you one place which is parallel to it Eph. 5.25 Husbands love your wives as Christ loved the Church and gave himself for it By the Church is meant nothing else but the company of beleevers now he so loved the Church that is the company of beleevers that he gave himself for them to be their ransome For the opening of the point that you may see what this Action of Christ was I will shew you the particular things to which Christ gave himselfe for beleevers First Christ gave himself to incarnation to become a man for beleevers Secondly Christ gave himself to a perfect obedience of the Law to work all righteousnesse for beleevers 3. Christ gave himself to suffering to passion for beleevers These I will briefly open and so make use of the Point The First thing to which the Lord Christ bequeathed himself for the sake of beleevers it was for to be a man For the understanding of this you must know that Christ he was as he is God he was not man
you doe not finde your hearts loving Christ above all things if you cannot say of Christ as the Church in the Canticles Oh thou whom my soul loveth if you cannot say that Christ hath more room in your affection that there is more inlargement of heart toward him then to any thing else in the world then you are not yet in the number of them for whom Christ gave himself to redeem them from all iniquitie Therefore I beseech you quicken up your hearts towards Christ Why doth Iniquitie so abound now and the love of so many waxe cold Surely you have forgotten your selves have not you forgotten what Christ hath done how else could your affections be so little so cold towards him Remember what I have opened now unto you Christ gave himself to be a man to obey the Law to suffer the wrath of God and man and that for this end to redeem you from all iniquitie therefore love you the Lord Jesus according as he doth deserve And thus much shall serve for the first end Why Christ gave himself for beleevers That end which concerns beleevers themselves Viz. That he might redeem them from all iniquitie The Second remaineth and that is that which concernes himself But so much for this Time â‚ THE BLESSED INHABITANT OR The BENEFIT of CHRISTS BEING In BELEEVERS By that Reverend Divine THOMAS HOOKER Late Preacher in New England EPHES. 3.17 That Christ may dwell in your hearts by Faith LONDON Printed by G. D. for Francis Eglesfield and are to be sold at the Sign of the Marigold In Pauls Church-yard 1651. The Blessed Inhabitant OR The Benefit of Christs being in Beleevers SERMON II. ROM 8.10 If Christ be in you the body is dead because of sin but the Spirit is life because of righteousnesse THe Apostle Saint Paul having in the first verse of this present Chapter in the very first words of the Verse set down the blessed Priviledges of all true beleevers such as are regenerated and are in Christ he doth afterwards in many Verses lay down the Signs and Tryals whereby he doth discover who they bee that are in that blessed condition and who they bee that are not And amongst others not to stand upon the Coherence it not being necessary for the understanding of this Verse he doth in the words of the Text lay down certain cleer Signs and Tryals whereby people may know whether they are regenerated by Christ and so justified yea or no And that is the Scope and Sum of this Verse If Christ be in you the body is dead because of sin but the Spirit is life because of righteousnesse In the Verse then you have these two things considerable First the state and condition of all justified persons Christ is in them in the first words If Christ be in you Secondly the Signs and Evidences whereby it may bee known whether Christ be in people yea or no in the rest of the Verse the bodie is dead because of sin but the spirit is life because of righteousnesse I begin with the First The state and condition of all persons that are justified They have Christ in them If Christ be in you saith the Apostle supposing thus much That the Lord Christ is in every justified person in every one that is exempted from condemnation The Point is clear and evident in the words of the Text If Christ be in you The like to this you have John 14.20 I am in my Father saith our Saviour to his Disciples and you in me and I in you They are in him and he in them The like also you have John 17.21 23. There our Saviour prayeth That they may be one in us I in them and thou in mee that they may bee made perfect in one Mark I in them and thou in me Look as God the Father is in Christ so the Lord Christ also is in every beleever To this purpose also is that of the Apostle Col. 1.27 The riches of the glory of this mysterie is Christ in you the hope of glory CHRIST IN YOU You see the Point is clear Christ is in every justified person For the further understanding hereof I will let you know in a word or two for I purpose but to touch it how the Lord Jesus Christ is in all justified persons First he is in them as the Housholder or Master of the Family is in his house Therefore the Apostle saith Eph. 3.17 That he doth dwell in our hearts Look as the Master of the Family dwelleth in his house ruling commanding and ordering all things there even so is Christ in them that are justified persons Again he is in them as the food that we receive is in our stomacks Therefore he is often in the Scripture compared to meat and drink because as meat and drink are in us after we have eaten and drunken so is the Lord Jesus Christ also in all them that are justified for their refreshing nourishing and strengthning and preservation of life in them Last of all He is in them as a mans life is in him I live not saith the Apostle Gal. 2.20 but Christ liveth in me Christ is in the soul of a poor sinner that beleeveth as our naturall life is in our bodies as our life doth act and move us being the principle of all those motions that are in us even so is Christ also in all justified persons But you will ask In what respect is it that the Lord Christ is said to be in justified persons I answer Amongst others Christ is said to be in them in these two respects First Because his Spirit is in them By his Spirit I do not mean his humane spirit his soul as he is a man that is proper to himself as every mans soul is but by his Spirit I mean the Spirit of God the Holy Ghost the third Person in Trinitie which is the Spirit of Christ both as he is the second Person in Trinitie so the Holy Ghost proceedeth from him together with the Father and also as he is the Mediatour of his Church so it is his Spirit because he hath merited and as it were purchased it to imploy it and to send it about for the effecting of the salvation of the Elect. Now the Lord Christ is in beleevers by vertue of his spirit because his spirit is in them This the verse before the Text and the verse after plainly prove where the Apostle maketh mention of the Spirit of Christ dwelling in the faithful If the Spirit of God dwell in you v. 9. And If the spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you Verse 11. This is the first Reason why Christ is said to be in justified persons his Spirit is in them Another is Because the vertue efficacie life and operation of Christ is in them as the tree or the root may be said to be in the branches because the life and sap of the tree is put forth in the branches So
my brethren is Christ said to be in the soul of every beleever because the vertue and influence of Christ is working in them as truly as it is in himself onely differing in regard of degrees and perfection Now for the fuller illustration of the Point give me leave in the last place to shew you the means whereby Christ is in all them that are justified They are these two First the grace of Faith For this in-being of Christ in all justified persons is the consequent of their union with him Now by faith they are joyned to Christ and Christ being joyned to them and they to him Christ is in them as well as they in him Therefore in that forenamed place Eph. 3.17 Christ is said to dwell in our hearts by faith Another means is The abiding of Christs word in us John 15.7 If ye abide in me and my words abide in you In the fourth Verse our Saviour had said thus Abide in me and I in you now repeating that again he somewhat altereth it and saith If ye abide in me and my words abide in you I conceive the ground of the alteration is onely this because the abiding of Christs word in people is a means whereby Christ doth abide in them By the words of Christ I take it is meant the Gospel of Christ with all the commandments instructions and promises that are contained in it Now when this Word of Christ doth abide in people which it doth when understood remembred practised and observed by this means Christ is said and made to abide in them The words of Christ are as so many plants which he doth ingraft into a poor soul as we doe ingraft Cions into a stock Therefore the Apostle calls it the ingrafted word which is able to save your souls Jam 1.21 Now look as the stock cometh to have the nature and to bear the fruit of the Cion by having the Cion implanted and ingrafted into it even so by ingrafting the word of Christ into us we come to have the sap and life of the Spirit of Christ and consequently Christ himself to abide in us For the further understanding of the Point you must in the last place know That however the Lord Christ is in all justified persons yet he is not wholly and compleatly in them not so as to exclude sin and Satan out of them Christ is in them and sin and Satan are in them also so that Christs dwelling in them is but imperfect yet notwithstanding it is perfecting and in the end shall be consummate and then Christ shall onely be in them and sin and Satan altogether shut out This serveth my brethren to teach us all which is the readiest and surest way to become justified persons and partakers of Christ and all his priviledges to wit to get Christ to be in us In vain dost thou hope for any Christian priviledge in vain dost thou indeavour after any thing that is necessary to salvation if by faith Christ is not brought to be in thee People doe oft trouble themselves many waies but most are ignorant or negligent of this way whereas our hope of happinesse of the forgivenesse of our sins our labours and endeavours after heaven are all in vain if we doe not labour by beleeving to get the Lord Jesus Christ to be in us Many conceit that Christ will be for them but he will be for none but for them in whom he is I mean not now to dispute whether Christ be for us or in us first but this is sure he will be for none but such as he is in also Therefore saith the Apostle Col. 1.27 Christ in you the hope of glory The Connexion is to be observed Christ the hope of glory but Christ in you implying that as we must have no hope but Christ and therefore Christ is called our hope so we can never have Christ to be our hope if we have not Christ to be in us Learn this therefore I say above all things to labour to be joyned to Christ by a lively faith that so you may come to have him in you and then he shall be for you and never till then Thus much for the first thing The condition of all such as are justified They have Christ in them Now for the second which is the main thing the Apostle aimeth at the Evidences or Signs whereby it may be known who have Christ in them Yee have them in the next words The body is dead because of sin but the Spirit is life because of righteousnesse Give me leave first to open the words unto you By Sin you know is meant the transgression of Gods law the going beside the rule of Gods Commandment either in neglecting what is enjoyned or in doing what is prohibited this is sin By Righteousness also must be meant the contrary to this For howsoever righteousness is sometime in the Scripture taken strictly for the observation of those duties that concern men which the second Table injoyneth yet sometime it is taken largely for the observation of the whole Law of God and all duties concerning God and us and thus it is usually taken when as it is not joyned with something else that doth restrain it Here it is opposed to sin and therefore as by sin is meant the going beside the Commandment of God so by righteousnesse is meant the observation or doing of the Commandment of God Thus you see what is meant by sin and what by righteousnesse But it is more difficult to know what is meant by the bodie and what by the Spirit The bodie is dead because of sin but the spirit is life because of righteousnesse I take it here by the bodie is meant the bodie of corruption the bodie of sin that same Original corruption that is in all of us by nature It cannot be understood of the natural body because of the opposition to spirit for by the spirit here cannot be understood our soul or our spirit for it cannot be said that any mans spirit or soul is life to righteousnesse it may be said that it is enlivened to righteousness but it cannot be said to be life to righteousnesse therefore seeeing by the spirit the soul of a man cannot be meant I thinke it is clear that by the the body the bodie of man cannot be meant But by the body I conceive as I said is meant the body of sin for so Saint Paul calleth it Rom. 6.6 That the bodie of sin might be destroyed Now this Originall corruption is called a bodie in these respects 1. Because that it commeth to us by propagation from the parents of our bodies 2. To expresse the baseness of it for our bodies are but base and vile as Saint Paul calleth them Phil. 3.21 3. To expresse the fadingness of it for that is our comfort as our naturall bodies are mortall so the body of sin originall corruption is also mortall to all the Saints Therefore it is called flesh
there no sin can command the whole soul but howsoever it may command part of the man yet there is no part that will be wholly commanded by it This Saint Paul expresly sheweth Rom. 7. from the 15. verse to the end of the Chapter It is true saith he with my flesh that is with my unregenerate part for by flesh there he doth not mean his bodie but the naturall part both of soul and bodie I serve the law of sin but with my minde that is with the regenerate part of soul and bodie I serve the Law of God Whereever there is a death of sin there will be a part in every part of a man that will not be subjected or commanded by any sin This I take to be the meaning of that 1 joh 3. 9. Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin for his seed remaineth in him and hee cannot sin because he is born of God That is so far as he is born of God that same part in him which is the seed of God the off-spring of God it cannot sin sin cannot command that though it command all the rest Thereupon it is called the divine nature and the spirit because as the Spirit and the divine nature will not be masterd by corruption so the regenerated part of a man will not be commanded by any sin whatsoever Secondly which is indeed a fruit of the former and a further expression of it where there is this death of sin there sin is never committed with full consent delight and purpose of heart They that have sin alive in them drink down iniquitie like water and draw sin unto them as it were with cart-ropes And that I conceive the Psalmist meaneth by departing wickedly from God Psal 18. 21. They that have sin dead in them imperfectly may depart from God but they doe not wickedly depart from him not with full consent content delight and purpose of heart And the Apostle saith Rom. 8. 5. They that are after the flesh doe minde the things of the flesh A man that hath sin dead in him may commit sin but hee doth not minde sin We may conceive what this minding is by this similitude When a woman that is with child strongly longs after something she doth minde that thing How her mind is continually upon it her ele her heart her fancis her thoughts her whole self as it were is taken up with it Thus is it with those that have sin alive in them their particular corruptions are minded by them they doe with full gale post after the satisfying their lusts They are said to make provision for the slesh to fulfill the lusts thereof Rom. 13. 14. But now they that have sin dead in them doe never commit sin with the full bent of their spirit with the full consent and delight of their will but there is ever an antipathy to the sin a with-drawing from the corruption something that doth lust against it as well as something that doth lust after it Thirdly he that hath sin dead in him is freed from many particular sins that he did formerly commit Rom. 7. 5. When we were in the flesh that is when sin was alive in us the mations of sins which were by the law did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death While sin is alive it is perfectly fruitfull but when it is dead the fruitfulness thereof is much lessened Such saith the Apostle were some of you 1 Cor. 6. 11. implying that now they were not such though formerly they had been There is in the regenerate a ceasing of many though not of all the actions of sin The power of sin in them is weakned therefore the fruitfulness of sin must needs be diminished There is a great alteration wrought in their wills and affections in their thoughts words and actions in their generall and particular calling in their duties towards God and man They do not bring forth so many fruits of sin as they were wont at least they doe now for the ordinary course of their lives refrain from bearing the fruit of such sins as are grosse or scandalous Fourthly the godly in whom sin is dead doe not onely cease bearing the fruits of grosse and scandalous sins but oftentimes though not perpetually are able to deny and forbear the committing of any particular sin even those that are most naturall to them most strong in them that are wont to catch them on a sudden and to prevail over them even those the godly have power oftentimes to resist and overcome A man that is in the flesh that hath sin alive in him is described Ephes 2. 3. to be such a one as doth fulfill the desires of the flesh and therein appeareth the life of sin when the desires of the flesh are alwaies fulfilled But now on the other side the imperfect death of sin appeareth in this that not onely some of the desires of the flesh are never fulfilled but even all the desires of the flesh are alwayes more or lesse crossed and not fulfilled And this I take to be the meaning of that Gal. 5. 17. The flesh lusteth against the Spirit and the Spirit against the flesh and these are contrary the one to the other so that you cannot doe the things that you would I suppose that latter clause You cannot doe the things that you would is not onely meant of the Spirit that by the flesh the Spirit is disabled to doe the things that it would but it is also meant of the flesh that by reason of the Spirit the flesh cannot doe the things it would that look as sometimes the remnants of the flesh doe hinder the Spirit that it cannot doe as it would so also the beginnings of the Spirit do hinder the flesh that in nothing it is able to do the things it would This is a fourth Effect whereby the weakning of corruption doth appear That sin is not able to work in us that which it would no not in any particular whatsoever but in those sins that are most naturall many times there is a denying of them and a forbearing to commit them and to fulfill the desires of them Now to these you must in the last place add that which is a propertie accompanying all of them and is the last particular whereby the death of sin appeareth and that is That this same weakning and lessening of corruption discovered in these Effects that I have opened unto you is both universall and also durable and permanent First it is universall there is not onely a weakning and lessening of corruption in some parts but in all And herein it differeth from all counterfeit death of sin in which there may be a weakning of some sins yet not of all but though some happily be weaker then they were others are as strong as ever But where-ever this death of sin is indeed there sin is universally weakned and this also will appear in all the particulars and parts
thou finde that God commandeth thee much and thou doest little but yet thou art in a condition wherein the Lord hath promised so thou wilt use the means and trust upon him to make thee able in an acceptable manner to doe all that he biddeth thee doe Doth the Law threaten doth the Law curse yet thou art in a condition wherein neither the threatning nor curse of the Law shall ever reach thee to condemnation Findest thou mighty rebellions in thy nature against the Law of God yet thou art in a condition wherein is promised a new nature which shall be made conformable and subjected to the Law of God What should make thee therefore hang down thy head Sharply are such Christians to be reproved that being in Christ lead lives as if they were out of Christ Doest not thou make the world to thinke that that is false which Christ saith That his yoke is easie and his burthen light If Christs yoke be easie and his burthen light why is it saith the world that the servants of Christ walk so disconsolately and complain of heavie burthens You shall find an exhortation of the Apostle in 2 Cor. 6.1 We beseech you that you receive not the grace of God in vain There is a double receiving of Gods grace in vain The one is when as Gods grace is offered and preached to people and out of love to the world and to their sins they slight it and will not receive it Another receiving the grace of God in vain it is when as people have entertained the grace of God and have entred into Covenant with Christ and yet notwithstanding doe not take the comforts that the grace of God affordeth them This is also a receiving the grace of God in vain This is thy case whoever thou art that art a beleever and yet notwithstanding doest not make melodie in thy heart and triumph over thy enemies What have the redeemed of the Lord to doe but to praise the Lord What have the members of Christ to doe but to rejoyce in Christ Doe you thinke when the Lord giveth that Commandement Phil 4. Rejoyce alwaies in the Lord and again I say rejoyce he doth not bid them rejoyce in riches in friends in honours in pleasures c. this is worldly this is damuable but he biddeth us rejoyce in the Lord in the priviledges we have by Christ through the New Covenant of Grace he biddeth us rejoyce and always rejoyce Do you thinke I say when God gave you that Commandment he had forgotten the state in which he left you that he had left you under the power of many sins subject to many failings unable to perfect obedience Doe you thinke I say again that God forgot the condition wherein he left you No God knew well enough what state he left you in that you are as Israel mingled with the Canaanites and yet he biddeth you to rejoyce why so There is ground enough for your rejoyceing because you are not under the Law but under grace and if under grace surely there is ground enough for your rejoycing notwithstanding all your failings Consider therefore then my brethren I beseech you doe not you receive the grace of God in vain doe not you slight as it were and not make use of the grace of God which thus administreth matter of rejoycing in all conditions to you that are in Christ when as you walke so lumpishly because of sin formerly committed or because of corruptions that for the present lie upon you Indeed I deny not but it becommeth Christians to mourn and they that doe not mourn shall never rejoyce in the day of judgement and the people of God are mourners in Zion Yet what kind of mourning There is a double sorrow A godly sorrow and a worldly sorrow A godly sorrow is this when as a soul melteth into tears upon the consideration of his sins and wants because he beleeveth that God through Christ will accept him notwithstanding them all this sorrow the more of it the better this sorrow melloweth the heart softneth the heart makes it frameable to the impressions of the word of God But now the other sorrow which is a worldly sorrow when as a soul is beaten out of heart because of sin formerly committed because of mighty corruptions that doe annoy him to mourn without hope and confidence of acceptance this is worldly sorrow and causeth death this is altogether unbeseeming Christians Receive now this sharp reprehension and be humbled for it and labour to remember your condition You are not come to mount Sinai but to mount Zion You are not under the Law but under Grace Therefore rejoyce in the Lord alwaies and be so cheerfull that the world may see that the service of Christ is a sweet service Here is the second Use The third is for Instruction to them that are not in Christ to such of you as remaine yet in your naturall estate The condition of them that are in Christ is this they are not under the Law but under Grace Thy condition who art not yet in Christ is just the contrary thou art not under grace but under the Law There are none that doe more assume to themselves the priviledges of grace then they that are not under grace You shall have your profane Wretch your painted Civillian your formall Hypocrite men that are dead in trespasses and sinnes that are servants to sinne while with full consent they obey sinne in the lusts thereof yet you shall have these challenge to themselves the priviledges of the Covenant of grace you shall have one swear an Oath and when he hath done say God forgive me you shall have another say I am a great sinner but I hope God will be mercifull to me Another I cannot keep the Commandements but I hope God will accept me thus these wretches that are in the gall of bitternesse and in the bond of iniquity they claime the priviledges of grace But I would have them know so many of you as have no evidences that you are translated out of the state of nature and ingrafted into Christ by his holy Spirit that you are not under grace but under the Law What is that You are in such a condition wherein nothing but perfect obedience shall stand you in stead If you pray as well as you can yet if you doe not pray as perfectly as God commanded in the Law you shall never be heard If you keep all the Commandements of God and faile but in one yet you shall be damned there is no accepting of imperfect obedience of you because you are not under Christ but under the Law And I tell thee this the Saints of God shall commit greater sinnes and goe to Heaven when thou lesser and goe to Hell Peter forsweareth his Master with an Oath and Curse and yet he is pardoned thou shalt not sweare and curse or deny Christ for the ordinary matter and shalt be damned Saul yeeldeth God imperfect
Abraham That man that not onely enjoyeth the Priviledges of the Church but yeeldeth the obedience of faith according to the Word of God revealed and walketh in obedience that man alone shall be blessed with faithfull Abraham Two points may be hence raised but I shall hardly handle them both therefore I will passe over the first onely with a touch and that lieth closely couched in the Text That Faith causeth fruitfulness in the hearts and lives of those in whom it is Mark what I say A faithfull man is a fruitfull man Faith inableth a man to be doing Ask the Question By what power was it whereby Abraham was inabled to yeeld obedience to the Lord The Text answereth you They that walke in the footsteps not of Abraham but in the footsteps of the faith of Abraham A man would have thought the Text should have run thus They that walk in the footsteps of Abraham that is true too but the Apostle had another end therefore he saith They that walk in the footsteps of the faith of Abraham implying that it was the grace of faith that God bestowed on Abraham that quickned and inabled him to every duty that God required of him and called him to the performance of So that I say the Question being Whence came it that Abraham was so fruitfull a Christian what inabled him to do and to suffer what he did Surely it was faith that was the cause that produced such Effects that helped him to perform such actions The Point then you see is evident Faith is it that causoth fruit Hence it is that of almost all the actions that a Christian haah to doe faith is still said to be the worker If a man pray as he should it is the prayer of faith Jam. 5.15 If a man obey as he should it is the obedience of faith Rom. 16.26 If a man war in the Church militant it is the fight of faith 1 Tim. 6.12 2 Tim. 4.7 If a man live as a Christian and holy man he liveth by fasth Gal. 2.20 Nay shall I say yet more if he die as he ought he dieth by faith Heb. 11.13 These all died in faith What is that by the power of faith that directed and ordered them in the course of their death furnished them with grounds and principles of aflurance of the love of God made them carry themselves patiently in death I can say no more but with the Apostle 2 Cor. 13.5 Examine your selves whether yee bee in the faith Why doth not the Apostle say Examine whether faith be in you but whether yee bee in the faith His meaning is that as a man is said to be in drinke or to be in love or to bee in passion that is under the command of drinke or love or passion so the whole man must be under the command of faith as you shall see more afterwards If he pray faith must indite his prayer If he obey faith must work If hee live it is faith that must quicken him and if he die it is faith that must order him in death And wheresoever faith is it will doe wonders in the soul of that man where it is it cannot be idle it will have footsteps it sets the whole man on work it moveth feet and hands and cies and all parts of the bodie Mark how the Apostle disputeth 2 Cor 4.13 We having the same spirit of faith according as it is written I beleeved and therefore have I spoken we also believe and therefore speak The faith of the Apostle which he had in his heart set his tongue a going If a man have faith within it will break forth at his mouth This shall suffice for the proof of the point I thought to have pressed it further but if I should I see the time would prevent me The Use therefore in a word is this If this be so then it falleth soul and is a heavie Bill of Indictment against many that live in the bosome of the Church Go thy wayes home and read but this Text and consider seriously but this one thing in it That whosoever is the son of Abraham hath faith and whosoever hath faith is a walker is a worker by the footsteps of faith you may see where faith hath been Will not this then I say fall marvellous heavie upon many souls that live in the bosome of the Church who are confident and put it out of all Question that they are true beleevers and make no doubt but that they have faith But look to it wheresoever faith is it is fruitfull If thou art fruitlesse say what thou wilt thou hast no faith at all Alas these idle Drones these idle Christians the Church is too too full of them Men are continually hearing and yet remain fruitless and unprofitable whereas if there were more faith in the world we should have more work done in the world faith would set feet and hands and eies and all on work Men go under the name of professors but alas they are but Pictures they stir not a whit Mark Where you found them in the beginning of the yeer there you shall find them in the end of the yeer as profane as worldly as loose in their conversations as formall in dutie as ever And is this faith Oh faith would work other matters and provoke a soul to other passages then these But you wil say May not a man have faith and not that fruit you speak of May not a man have a good heart to God-ward although he cannot find that abilitie in matter of fruitfulnesse My brethren be not deceived Such an opinion is a meer delusion of Satan whereever faith is it bringeth Christ into the soul Mark that Whosoever beleeveth Christ dwelleth in his heart by faith Eph. 3.17 And If Christ be in you saith the Apostle the body is dead because of sin but the spirit is life because of righteousness Rom. 8.10 If Christ be in you that is Whosoever beleeveth in the Lord Jesus Christ dwels in such a man by faith now if Christ be in the soul the bodie cannot be dead but a man is alive and quick and active to holy duties ready and willing and cheerfull in the performance of whatsoever God requireth Christ is not a dead Saviour nor the Spirit a dead Spirit The second Adam is made a quickning spirit 1 Cor. 15.45 And wherever the Spirit is it works Effects suteable to it The Spirit is a Spirit of puritie a spirit of zeal c. and where it is it maketh pure and zealous c. When a man will say he hath faith and in the mean time can be content to be idle and unfruitfull in the work of the Lord can bee content to be a dead Christian let him know that his case is marvellously fearfull For if faith were in him indeed it would appear yee cannot keep your good hearts to your selves where ever fire is it will burn and where ever faith is it cannot be