hath no force or power to hurt man but death being the wages due for sin Rom. 6.23 all the certainty and efficacy in the wages flowes from this work of darkness sin But Now the strength of sin is the Law this puts a poysonable and destructive vertue in the sting of sin for it is the sentence of Gods Law and the justice and righteousness of God that hath made so inseparable a connexion between sin and death this gives sin a destroying and killing vertue Justice arms it with power and authority to condemn man so that there can be no freedom no releasment from that condemnation no eschewing that fatal sting of death unless the sentence of Gods Law which hath pronounced thou shalt die be repealed and the justice of God be satisfied by a ransome And this being done the strength of sin is quite gone and so the sting of death removed Now this had been impossible for man to do these parties were too strong for any created power the strength of sin to condemn may be called someway infinit because it flows from the unchangeable law of the infinit justice of God now what power could encounter that strength except that which hath infinite sterngth too Therefore it behoved the Son of God to come for this business to condemn sin and save the sinner And being come he yokes first with the very strength of sin for he knew where its strangth did ly and so did encounter first of all with that even the justice of his Father the hand writing of ordinances that was against us for if once he can set them aside as either vanquished or satisfied he hath little else to do Now he doth not take a violent way in this either he doth it not with the strong hand but deals wisely and to speak so with reverence cunningly in it he came under the Law that he might redeem them who were under the Law Gal. 4.4 force will not do it the Law cannot be violented justice cannot be compelled to forgo its right therefore our Lord Jesus chooseth as it were to compound with the Law to submit unto it he was made under the Law he who was above the Law being Law-giver in mount Sinai Acts 7.38 Gal. 3.19 he cometh under the bond and tye of it to fulfil it I came not to destroy the Law but to fulfil it Mat. 5.17 he would not offer violence to the Law to deliver sinners contrary to the commination of it or without satisfaction given unto it for that would reflect upon the wisdom and righteousness of the Father who gave the Law But he doth it better in an amicable way by submission and obedience to all its demands whatsoever it craved of the sinner he fulfils that debt he satisfies the bond in his own person by suffering and fulfils all the Commandments by obedience And thus by subjection to the Law he gets power over the Law because his subjection takes away all its claim and right over us therefore it is said that he blotted out the hand-writing of ordinances which was against us by nailing it to his cross and so took it out of the way Col. 2.14 having fulfilled the bond he cancell'd it and so it stands in no force either against him or us thus the strength of sin which is the Law is removed and by this means sin is condemned in the flesh by the suffering of his flesh it is fallen from all it's plea against sinners for that upon which it did hang viz. the sentence of the Law is taken out of the way so that it hath no apparent ground to fasten any accusation upon a poor sinner that flees in to Jesus Christ and no ground at all to condemn him it is wholly disabled in that point for as the Philistines found where Sampsons strength lay and cutted his hair so Christ hath in his wisdom found where the strength of sins plea against man lay and hath cutted off the hair of it that is the hand-writing of ordinances which was against us This is that which hath been shadowed out from the beginning of the world by the types of Sacrifices and Ceremonies All these offerings of Beasts of Fowls and such like under the Law held â—orth this one sacrifice that was offered in the fulness of time to be a propitiation for the sins of the world and something of this was used among the Gentils before Christs coming certainly by tradition from the Fathers who have looked afar off to this day when this sweet smelling sacrifice should be offered up to appease Heaven And it is not without a spâ—cial Providence and worthy the remarking that since the plenary and substantial One was offered the custom of sacrificing hath ceased throughout the world God as it were proclaiming to all men by this cessation of Sacrifices as well as silence of Oracles thâ—t the true atonement and propitiation is come already and the true Prophet is come from Heaven to reveal Gods mind unto the world There were many ceremonies in sacrificing observed to hold out unto us the perfection of our atonement and propitiation They laid their hands on the beast who brought it to signifie the imputation of our sins to Christ that he who knew no sin was made sin for us that we might be made the righteousness of God in him And truly it is worth the observation that even those sacrifices for sin were called sin and so the word is used promiscuously in Leviticus to point out unto us that Jesus Christ should make his soul sin Isa. 53.10 that is a sacrifice for sin and he made sin for us that is a sacrifice for sin When the blood was poured out because without shedding of blood no reconciliation Heb. 10. the Priest sprinkled it seven times before the Lord to shadow out the perfection of that expiation for our sins in the vertue and perpetuity thereof Heb. 9.26 that he should appear to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself to put it away as if it had never been by taking it on him and bearing it And then the High Priest was to bring in of the blood into the holy place and within the vail and sprinkle the Mercy Seat â—o shew unto us that the merit and efficacy of Christs blood should enter into the highest Heavens to appease the wrath of God Our High Priest by his own blood hath entered into the holy place having obtained eternal redemption for us Heb. 9.12 And truly this is that sacrifice which being offered without spot to God pacifies all ver 14. Sin hath a cry cryeth aloud for vengeance this blood silenceth it and composeth all to savour and mercy It hath so sweet and fragrant a smell in Gods account that it fills Heaven with the perfume of it He is that true scape-goat who notwithstanding that he did bear all the sins of his people yet he did escape alive albeit he behoved to make his soul a sacrifice for
and besides it was for a pledge that at the last day all shall not die but be changed The true cause of death is sin and the true nature of it is penal to be a punishment of sin take away this relation to sin and death wants the sting But in itâ— fiâ—st appointment and as it prevails generally over men aâ—uleaâ—a est mors it hath a sting that pierceth deeper and woundeth soâ—er then to the dissolution of the body it goeth in to the innermost paâ—â—s of the soul and wâ—undeth that eternally The truth is the death of the body is not either the first death or the last death it is rather placed in the middle between two deaths and it s the fruit of the first and the root of the last There is a death immediatly hath ensued upon sin and it is the separation of the soul from God the fountain of life and blessedness and this is the death often spoken of you who were dead in sins and trespasses c. Eph. 2.1 Being past feeling and alienated from the life of God Eph. 4.18 19. And truly this is worse in it â—elf then the death of the body simply though not so sensible because â—pirituâ—l the corruption of the best pâ—â—t in man in all reason is worse then the corruption of his worst part but this death which consists especially in the losse of that blessed communion with God which made the soul happy cannot be found till some new life enter or else till the last death come which adds infinit pain to infinit losse Now the death of the body succeeds thiâ— souls death and that is the separation of the soul from the body most suitable seeing the soul was turned from the fountain spirit to the body that the body should by his command return to dust and be made the most defiâ—ed piece of dust Now this were not so grievous if it were not a step to the death to come and a degree of it introductive to it But that statute and appointment of Heaven hath thus linked it after death comes Iudgment Because the soul in the body would not be sensible of its separation from God but was wholly taken up with the body neglecting and miskenning that infinit losse of Gods favour and face therefore the Lord commands it to go out of the body that it maythen be sensible of its infinit loss of God when it is separated from the body that it may then have leasure to reflect upon it self and find its own surpassing misery and then indeed infinit pain and infinit losse conjoyned eternal banishment from the presence of that blessed Spirit and eternal torment within it self these two concurring what posture do you think such a soul will be into There are some earnest of this in this life when God reveals his terrour and sets mens sins in order before their face O how intolerable is it and more insupportable then many deaths They that have been accquainted with it have declared it the terrours of God are like poysonable arrows sunk into Jobs spirit and drinking up all the moisture of them Such a spirit as is wounded with one of these darts shot from Heaven who can bear it not the most patient and most magnanimous spirit that can sustain all other infiâ—mities Prov. 18.14 Now my beloved if it be so now while the soul is in the body drowned in it what will be the case of the soul separated from the body when it shall be all one sense to reflect and consider it self This is the sting of death indeed worse then a thousand deaths to a soul that apprehends it and the lesse it is apprehended the worse it is because it is the more certain and must shortly be found when there is no brazen serpent to heal that sting Now what comfort have you provided against this day what way do you think to take out this sting Truly there is no balm for it no Physitian for it but one and that the Christian is only acquainted with He in whom Christ is he hath this soveraign antidot against the pâ—yson of Death he hath the very sting of it taken out by Châ—â—st death it self killed and of an mortal enemy made the kindest friend And so he may triumph with the Apostle O death where is thy sting O grave where is thy victory Thanks be to God in Iesuâ— Christ who giveth us the victory 1 Cor. 15.55 The ground of his triumph and that which a Christian hath to oppose to all the sorrows and pains and fears of death mustred against him is threefold one that death is not real a second that is not total even that which is and then that it is not perpetual This last is contained in the next vers the second expressed in this vers and the first may be understood or implyed in it That the nature of death is so far changed that of a punishment it is become a medicine of a punishment for sin it is turned into the last purgative of the soul from sin and thus the sting of it is taken away that relation it did bear to the just wrath of God And now the body of a Christian under appointment to die for sin that is for the death of sin the eternal death of sin Christ having come under the power of death hath gotten power over it and spoiled it of its stinging vertue he hath taken away the poysonable ingredient of the curse that it can no more hurt them that are in Him and so it is not now vested with that piercing and wounding notion of punishment though it be true that sin was the first in-lett of death that it first opened the slâ—ue to let it enter and flow in upon mankind yet that appointment of death is renewed and bears a relation to the destruction of sin rather then the punishment of the sinner who is f`orgiven in Christ And O how much solid comfort is here that the great reason of mortality that a Christian it subject unto is that he may be made free of that which made him at first mortal Because sin hath taken suâ—h possession in this earthly tabernacle and is so strong a poyson that it hath infected all the members and by no purgation here made can be fully cleansed â—ut but there are many secret corners it lurks into and upon occasion vents it self therefore it hath pleased God in His infinit goodnesse to continue the former appointment of death but under a new and living consideration to take down this infected and defiled tabernacle as the houses of leprosie were taken down under the Law that so they might be the better cleansed and this is the last purification of the soul from sin And therefore as one of the Ancients said well That we might not be eternally miserable mercy hath made us mortal Justice hath made the world mortal that they may be eternally miserable but to put an end to this misery
THE SINNERS SANCTUARY OR A discovery made of those glorious priviledges offered unto the penitent and faithful under the Gospel Unfolding their freedom from death condemnation and the Law in fourty Sermons upon Romans Chap. 8. By that eminent Preacher of the Gospel Mr. Hugh Binning late Minister at Govan Heb. 11.4 And by it he being dead yet speaketh Isaiah 38.16 O Lord by these things men live and in all these things is the life of my spirit so wilt thou recover me and make me to live Zanch. Thes. 3. de Dispens c. Dispensare solet Christus hanc salutis gratiam per Sermonem veritatis hoc est per Evangelium salutis nostrâ— EDINBVRGH Printed by George Swintown and Iames Glen and are to be sold at their Shops in the Parliament-yard Anno Dom. 1670. Christian Reader EXperience hath proved that few Posthumous Works are perfect most of them being lame for their parts and almost all of them wanting the last touch of the Authors Pen and the lustre thereby given for publick view besides that there is a general aversation in them that survive to mix with the Genius of the dead This little Piece upon the eighth Chapter to the Romanes labour under all these disadvantages being imperfect as to parts by the immature death of the Author and for ought I know never designed for publick view could not have the last touch of his Pen Neither hath his Genius appeared in another person to pursue his Work yet because many imperfect Writings have been useful to the Church of Christ and have provoked others with holy emulation to pursue the perfecting of things well begun observing also the universal acceptance that another imperfect Piece of the same Authors hath found with all who have seen it I have been perswaded to let these go to the worlds view not doubting but they shall find the same acceptance and be through the blessing of God rendered profitable to the Christian Reader P. G. SERMON I. Upon Romanes VIII Vers. 1. There is therefore now no condemnation c. THere are three things which concur to make man miserable sin condemnation and affliction Every one may observe that man is born unto trouble as the sparks flie upward that his dayes here are few and evil he possesses moneths of vanity and wearisome nights are appointed for him Job 5.6 7. and 7.3 He is of few dayes and full of trouble Job 14.1 Heathens have had many meditations of the misery of man's life and in this have out-stript the most part of Christians We recount amongst our miseries only some afflictions and troubles as poverty sickness reproach banishment and such like they again have numbred even these natural necessities of men amongst his miseries to be contiâ—ually turned about in such a circle of eating drinking and sleeping What burden should it be to an immortal spirit to roll about perpetually that wheel We make more of the body than of the soul They have accounted this body a burden to the soul they placed prosperity honour pleasure and such things which men pour out their souls upon amongst the greatest miseries of men as vanity in themselves and vexation both in the injoying and losing of them But alace they knew not the fountain of all this misery sin and the accomplishment of this misery condemnation They thought trouble came out of the ground and dust either by a natural necessity or by chance but the Word of God discovereth unto us the ground of it and the end of it the ground and beginning of it was mans defection from God and walking according to the flesh and from this head have all the calamities and streams of miseries in the world issued it hath not only redounded to men but even to the whole creation and subjected it to vanity ver 20. of this Chapter Not only shalt thou O man saith the Lord to Adam eat thy meat in sorrow but thy curse is upon the ground also and thou who was immortal shalt return to that dust which thou magnified above thy soul Gen. 3.17 But the end of it is suitable to the beginning the beginning had all evil of sin in it and the end hath all evil of punishment in it These streams of this lifes misery they run in to an infinit boundless and bottomless ocean of eternal wrath If thou live according to the flesh thou shalt die It is not only death here but eternal death after this The miseries then of this present life are not a proportionable punishment of sin they are but an earnest given of that great sum which is to be payed in the day of accompts and that is condemnation everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and the glory of his power Now as the Law discovers the perfect misery of mankind so the Gospel hath brought to light a perfect remedy of all this misery Jesus Christ was manifested to take away sin and therefore his Name is Iesus for he shall save his people from their sins This is the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world Iudgment was by one unto condemnation of all but now there is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Iesus so these two evils are removed which indeed have all evil in them He takes away the curse of the Law being made under it and then he takes away the sin against the Law by his holy Spirit He hath a twofold vertue for he came by blood and water 1 Iob. 5.6 7. by blood to cleanse away the guilt of sin and by water to purifie us from sin it self But in the mean time there are many afflictions and miseries upon us common to men Why are not these removed by Christ I say the evil of them is taken away though themselves remain Death is not taken away but the sting of death is removed death afflictions and all aâ—e overcome by Jesus Christ and so made his servants to do us good The evil of them is Gods wrath and sin and these are removed by Jesus Christ. Now they would be taken away indeed if it were not good they remained for all things work together for the good of those that love God ver 28. So then we have a most compleat deliverance in extent but not in degrees Sin remains in us but not in dominion and power wrath sometimes kindles because of sin but it cannot increase to everlasting burnings Afflictions and miseries may change their name and be called instructions and tryals good and not evil but Christ hath reserved the full and perfect delivery till another day which is therefore called the day of compleat redemption and then all sin all wrath all misery shall have an end and be swallowed up of life and immortality ver 23. This is the sum of the Gospel and this is the substance of this Chapter There is a threefold consolation answerable to our three-fold evils There is no condemnation to those that are in
subordination to God and sowen a perpetual discord and enmity between them this hath conquered all mankind and among the rest even the elect and chosen of God these whom God had in his eternal Council predesâ—inated to life and salvation sin brings all in bondage and exerciseth the most perfect tyranny over them that can be imagined makes men to serve all its imperious lusts and then all the wages is death it binds them over to Judgment Now this sedition and rebellion being arisen in the world and one of the most noble creatures carried away in this revolt from allegiance to the Divine Majesty the most holy and wise Council of Heaven concludes to send the Kings Son to compesce this rebellion to reduce men again unto obedience and to destroy that arch traitor sin which his nature most abhoâ—s And for this end the Son of the great King Jesus Christ came down into the world to deliver captive man and to condemn conquering sin There is no object that God hath so pure and perfect displeasure at as sin therefore he sent to condemn that which he hates most and perfectly he hates it to condemn sin and this is expressed as the errand of his coming 1 Ioh. 3.5 8. to destroy the works of the devil all his wicked and hellish plots and contrivances against man all that poyson of enmity and sin that out of envy and malice he spued out upon man and instilled into his nature all these works of that Prince of Darkness in enticing man from obedience to rebellion and tyrannizing over him since by the imperious laws of his own lusts in a word all that work that was contrived in hell to bring poor man down to that same misery with devils all that Christ the only begotten Son of the great King came for this noble businesse to destroy it That Tower which Satan was building up against Heaven and had laid the foundation of it as low as hell this was Christs business down among men to destroy that Babylon that Tower of darkness and confusion and to build up a Tower of light and life to which Tower sinners might come and be safe and by which they might really ascend into Heaven Some do by these words for sin understand the occasion and reason of Christs coming that it was because sin had conquered the world and subjected man to condemnation therefore Jesus Christ came into the world to conquer sin and condemn it that we might be free from condemnation by sin And this was the special cause of his taking on flesh if sin had not entered in the world Christ had not come into it and if sin had not erected a Throne in mans flesh Christ had not taken on flesh he had not come in the likenesse of sinful flesh So that this may administer unto us abundant consolation If this was the very cause of his coming that which drew him down from that delightful and blessed bosome of the Father then he will certainly do that which he came for he cannot fail of his purpose he cannot misse his end he must condemn sin and save sinners And truly this is wonderful love that he took sin only for his party and came only for sin or against sin and not against poor sinners He had no commission of the Father but this as himself declares Ioh. 3.17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world but that the world through him might be saved As one observes well Christ would never have hinted at such a jealousie or suggested such a thought to mens minds had it not been in them before but this we are naturally inclined unto to think hard of God and can hardly be perswaded of his love when once we are perswaded of our enmity Indeed the most part of the world fancy a perswasion of Gods love and have not many jealousies of it because they know not their own enmity against God but let a man see himself indeed Gods enemy and it is very hard to make him believe any other thing of God but that he carries a hostile mind against him and therefore Christ to take off this perswades and assures us that neither the Father nor he had any design upon poor sinners nor any ambushmâ—nt agâ—inst them but mainly if not only this was his purpose in sending and Christs in coming not against man but against sin not to condemn sinners but to condemn sin and save sinners O blessed and unparallel'd love that made such a real distinction between sin and sinners who were so really one Shall not we be content to have that wofull and accursed union with sin dissolved Shall not we be willing to let sin be condemned in us and to have our own souls saved I beseech you beloved in the Lord do not think to maintain alwayes Christs enemy that great traitor against which he came from Heaven Wonder that he doth not prosecute both as enemies but iâ— he will destroy the one and save the other O let it be destroyed not you and so much the more for that it will destroy you Look to him so iniquity shall not be your ruine but he shall be the ruine of iniquity but if you will not admit of such a division between you and your sins take heed that you be not eteâ—nally undivided that you have not one common lot for ever that is condemnation Many would be saved but they would be saved with sin too Alace that will condemn thee as for sin he hath proclaimed irreconciliable enmity against it he hath no quarter to give it he will never come in terms of composition with it and all because it is his mortal enemy therefore let sin be condemned that thou may be saved It cannot be saved with thee but thou may be condemned with it The word for sin may be taken in another sense as fitly a sacrifice for sin so that the meaning is Jesus Christ came to condemn and overthrow sin in its plea against us by a sacrifice for sin that iâ— by offering up his own body or flesh And thuâ— you have the way and means how Christ conquered sin and accomplished the business he was sent for It was by offering a sacâ—â—fice for sin to expiat wrath and to satiâ—fie justice The sting and strength of death is sin and the strength of sin is the Law as the Apostle speaks it 1 Cor. 15.55 we had two great enemies against us two great tyrants over us sin and death Death had past upon all mankind not only the miseries of this life and temporal death had subjected â—ll men but the fear of an eternal death of an everlasting separation from the blessed face of God might have seized upon all and subjected them to bondage Heb. 2.15 But the strength and sting of that is sin it is sin that arms death and hell against us take away sin and you take away the sting the strength of death it
greatest fear is death not so much because of it self but chiefly because of that eternity of unchangeable misery that naturally it transmitts them unto Now it is only Christian Religion possessing the heart that aâ—mes a man compleatly against the fear either of death it self or the consequents of it it giveth the most powerful consolation that not only overcometh the bitternesse and taketh out the sting of death but changeth the nature of it so far as to make it the matter of triumph and gloriation There is something here supposed the worst that can befall a Christian it is the death of a part of him and that the worst and ignoblest part only the body is dead because of sin Then that wâ—ich is opposed by way oâ— comfort to counterballance it is the life of his better and more noble part And besides we have the fountaâ—ns both of that death and this life mans sin the cause of bodily death Christs righteousnesse the fountain of spiritual life Of death many have had sweet meditations even among these that the light of the Word hath not shined upon and indeed they mâ—y make us ashamed who prosesse Christianity and so the hope of the resurrection from the dead that they have accounted it only true wisdom and sound Philosophy To meditat often on death and made it the very principal point of living well To be alwayes learning to die and have applyed their whole studies that way neglecting present things that are in the by have given themselves to search out some comfort against death or from death Yea some have so profited in this that they have accounted death the greatest good that can befall man and perswaded others to think so Now what may we think of our selves who scarce apprehend mortality especially considering that we have the true fountain of it revealed to us and the true nature and consequents of it All men must needs know that death is the most universal King in the world that it reigns over all ages sexes conditions nations and times though few be willing to entertain thoughts of it yet sooner or later they must be constrained to give it lodging upon their eye lids and suffer it to storm the very strongest tower the heart and baâ—â—er it down and break the strings of it having no way either to flee from it or resist it Now the consideration of the general inundation of death over all mankind anâ— the certain approâ—ching of it to every particular mans door hath made many serious thoughts among the wise men of the world But being destitute of this heavenly light that â—hineth to us they could not attain to the original of it but have conceived that it was a common tribute of nature and an universal Law imposed upon all mankind by nature having the same reason that other mâ—tations and changes among the creatures here below have and â—o have thought it no more strange thing then to see other things dissolved in their elements Now indeed seeing they could apprehend no other bitter ingredient in it it was no wonder that the wisest of them could not fear it but rather wait and expect it as a rest from their labours as the end of all their miseries But the Lord hath revealed unto us in his Word the true cause of it and so the true nature of it The true cause of it is sin sin entred into the world and death past upon all for that all have sinned Rom. 5.12 Man was created for another purpose and upon other conditions and a Law of perpetual life and eternal happinesse was past in his â—avours he abiding in the favour and obeying the will of Him that gave him life and being Now sin inteâ—posing and separating between man and God loosing that blessed knot of union and communion it was this other law that succeeded as a suitable recompence Thou shall die It is resolved in the Council of Heaven That the union of man shall be dissolved his soul and body separated in just recompence of the breaking the bond of union with God This is it that hath opened the sluce to let in an inundation of misery on mankind this was the just occasion of that righteous but terrible appointment It is appointed that all men once should die and after death cometh to Iudgment Heb. 9.27 That since the body had inticed the soul and suggested unto it such unnatural and rebellious motions of withdrawing from the blessed fountain of life to satisfie its pleasure the body should be under a sentence of deprivement and â—orfeitour of that great benefite and priviledge of life it had by the souls indwelling and condemned to return to its first base original the dust and to be made a feast of worms to lodge in the grave and be a subject of the greatest corruption and rottennesse because it became the instrument yea the incitement of the soul to sin against that God that had from Heaven breathed a spirit into it and exalted it above all the dust or clay in the world Now my beloved do we not get many remembrances of our sin Is not every day presenting our primitive departure from God our fiâ—st separation from the fountain of life by sin to our view and in such sad and woeful effects pointing out the hainousnesse of sin Do you not see mens bodies every day dissolved the tabernacle of earth taken down and the soul constrained to remove out of it But what influence hath it upon â—s what do the multiplied funeralls work upon us It may bâ— sorrow for our friends but little or no apprehension of our own mortality and base impression of sin that separats our souls from God Who is made sadly to reflect upon his original or to mind seriously that statute and appointment of Heaven in that day thou shalt die It is strange that all of us fear death and few are afraid of sin that carrieth death in its bosome That we are so unwilling to reâ—p corruption in our bodies and yet we â—re so earnest and lâ—borious in sowing to the flesh Be not deceived for you are dayly reaping what you have sowen And O that it were all the harvest but death is only the putting in of the sickle of vengeaâ—ce the first cut of it But O to think on what follows would certainly restrain men and cool them in their fervent pursuits after sin SERMON XXVIII Rom. 8.10 The body is dead because of sin but the Spirit is life because of righteousnesse THE sting of death is sin and the strength of sin is the Law saith our Apostle 1 Cor. 15.56 These two concur to make man mortal and these two are the bitter ingredients of death Sin procured it and the Law appointed it And God hath seen to the exâ—ct execution of that Law in all ages for what man liveth and shall not taste of death Two only eâ—caped the common lot Enoch and Elias for they pleased God and God took them
Christ. Here is a blessed message to condemned lost sinners who have that sentence within their breasts vers 1. This was the end of Christs coming and dying that he might deliver us from sin as well as death and the righteousnesse of the Law might be fulfilled in us and therefore he hath given the holy Spirit and dwels in us by the Spirit to quicken us who are dead in sins and trespasses O! what consolation will this be to souls that look upon the body oâ— death within them as the greatest misery and do groan with Paul O miserable man that I am c. Rom. 7.24 This is held forth to vers 17. But because there are many grounds of heavinesse and sadnesse in this world therefore the Gospel opposes unto all these both our expectation which we have of that blessed hope to come whereof we are so sure that nothing can frustâ—at us of it And also the help we get in the mean time of the Spirit to bear our infirmities and to bring all things about for good to us vers 28. And from all this the believer in Jesus Christ hath ground of triumph and boasting before the perfect victory Even as Paul doth in the name of believers from vers 31. to the end Upon these considerations he that cryed out not long ago O miserable man who shall deliver me doth now cry out Who shall condemn me The distressed wrestler becomes a victorious triumpher the beaten Souldiour becomes more than a Conquerour Oh that your hearts could be perswaded to hearken to this joyful sound to embrace Jesus Christ for grace and salvation how quickly would a song of triumph in him swallow up all your present complaints and lamentations All the complaints amongst men may be reduced to one of these three I hear the most part bemoaning theâ—selves thus Alace for the miseries of this life this evil world Alace for poverty for contempt for sickness Oh miserable man that I am who will take this disease away who will shew me any good thing Psal. 4. any temporal good But if ye knew and considered your latter end ye would cry out more ye would refuse to be comforted though these miseries were removed But I hear some bemoaning themselves more sadly they have heard the Law and the sentence of condemnation is within them the Law hath entred and killed them Oh! what shall I do to be saved Who will deliver me from the wrath to come What is alâ— present afflictions and miseries in respect of eternity Yet there is one moan and lamentation beyond all these when the soul finds the sentence of absolution in Jesus Christ and gets its eyes opened to see that body of death and sin within that perfect man of sin diffused throughout all the members then it bemoans it self with Paul Oh miserable man who shall deliver me from this body of death Rom. 7.24 I am delivered from the condemnation of the Law but what comâ—ort is it as long as sin is so powerful in me Nay this makes me often suspect my delivery from wrath and the curse seing sin it self is not taken away Now if ye could be perswaded to hearken to Jesus Christ and embrace this Gospel O! what abundant consolation should ye have what a perfect answer to all your complaints they would be swallowed up in such a triumph as Pauls are here This would discover unto you a perfect remedy of sin and misery that ye should complain no more or at least no more as these without hope You shall never have a remedy of your temporal miseries unlesse ye begin at eternal to prevent them Seek first the kingdom of God and all other things shall be added unto you seek fiâ—st to flee from the wrath to come and ye shall escape it and beside the evil of time-afflictions shall be removed first remove the greatest complaints of sin and condemnation and how easie is it to answer all the lamentations of this life and make you rejoice in the midst of them You have in this verse three things of great importance to consider The great and precious priviledge the true nature and the special property of a Christian. The priviledge is one of the greatest in the world because it s of eternal consequence and soul concernment the nature is most divine he is one that is in Jesus Christ and implanted in him by faith his distinguishing property is noble sureable to his nature and priviledges he walkes not as the world according to his base flesh but according to the spirit All these three are of one latitude none of them reaches further than another that rich priviledge and sweet property concenters and meets together in one man even in the man who is in Jesus Christ whoever enters into Jesus Christ and abideth in him he meets with these two Justification and Sanctification these are no where else and they are there together If ye knew the nature and properties of a Christian ye would fall in love with these for themselves but if theâ—e for your own sakes will not allure you consider this incomparable priviledge that he hath beyond all others that ye may â—all in love with the nature of a Christian. Let this love of your selves and your own wel-being puâ—sue you in to Jesus Christ that ye may walk even as he walked and I assure you if ye were once in Christ Jesus ye would love the very nature and walking of a Christian no more for the absolution and salvation that accompanies it but â—or its oâ—n sweetnesse and excellency beyond all other Ye would as the people of Samaria no moâ—e believe for the report of your own neceâ—â—â—ty and misery but ye would believe in Jesus Christ and walk according to the Spirit for their own testimony they have in your consciences Ye would no more be allured only with the priviledges oâ— it to embrace Châ—istianity but ye would think Christianity the greatest priviledge a reward â—nto it self Pietas ipsa sibi merces eâ—t Godlinesse is great gain in it self though it had not such sweet consequents or companions That you may know this priviledge conâ—â—der the estate all men are into by nature Paul expresses it in shoâ—t Rom. 5. By the offence of oÌ„ne judgemnt came upon all unto condemnation and the reason of this is by one man sin came upon all and so death by sin for death passed upon all because all have sinned vers 18.12 Lo then all men are under a sentence of condemnation once This sentence is the curse of the Law Cursed is every one that abideth not in all things commanded to do them If ye knew what this curse were ye would indeed think it a priviledge to be delivered from it Sin is of an infinite deserving because against an infinite God it s an offence of an infinite Majesty and therefore the curse upon the sinner involves eternal punishment O! what weight is in that word 2 Thes. 1.9 Ye
grounds he comes not right If the most holy man come not in among ungodly sinners if he do not walk upon the grounds of his own extream necessity and Christs sufficiency he cannot come to Jesus Christ. There is a conceit among people which if it were not so common as it is I would not mention it it is so ridiculous How can I come to Christ so unclean and so guilty nothing but condemnation in me if I were such and such I would come to him Alace there can nothing be imagined more absurd or contrary even to sense and reason If thou wert such and such as thou fancies a desire to be thou would not come to Christ thou needed him not that which thou pretends as a reason why thou should not come is the great reason pressed in the Gospel why thou should come What madness is this I am so unclean I will not come to the fountain to wash Wherefore was the fountain opened but for sin and uncleanness and the more uncleanness the more need and the more need the more reason to come Necessity is a great errand and our eâ—rand is a sufficient warrand I am pursued by the Law I have condemnation within me and nothing but condemnation well then come to Christ Jesus the City of Refuge where no condemnation is Wherefore was this City appointed but for this end I beseech you every one who useth those debates and taketh a kind of delight in them know what they mean how they wrong your own souls how they dishonour Christ and so God the Father nay how foolish and ridiculous they are that if it were not your perplexity indeed they deserved no answer but a rebuke or silence I have seen people take delight in moving objections against the truth yea and studying earnestly how to object against any answers given from the truth Alace thou medles to thine own hurt thou art upon a way which shall never yeeld thee any comfort but keep thy soul from establishment as a wave tossed up and down If ye believe not but dispute ye shall not be established But I would speak a word to these that have believed that have fled for refuge to Christ Oh! it concerns you most of alâ— men to study to know this condemnation that ye are delivered from that ye may be thankful and may keep closs within this City I say there is no man within the world should have moe thoughts more deep and earnest meditations on the curse and wrath of God then these who are delivered from them through Christ and my reason is that ye may know how great a salvation ye have received how great a condemnation ye have escaped and may henceforth walk as these who are bought with a price Your Creation makes you not your own but his because he gave that being but your Redemption should make you twice more his and not your own because when that being was worse than if it had not been at all he made it over again so ye are twice his first he made you with a word but now he hath bought you with a price and that a dear price his blood Again the keeping this curse alwayes in your view and sight and application of it unto your sins will make much imployment for Christ O how will ye often â—â—ee into that City I think they are the greatest enemies of Jesus Christ and his grace who would have a believer have no more use of the Law I know not who can use the Law if he do it not I know not who can apply it unto Christ the end of it but he Certainly he hath not only use of the commands as a rule of obedience but the curse also not to make him fear again unto bondage no no but to make him see alwayes the more necessity of Jesus Christ that he may take up house in him and dwell in him SERMON III. Vers. 1. That walk not after the flesh but c. IT is difficult to determine which of these is the greatest priviledge of a Christian that he is delivered from condemnation or that he is made to walk according to the Spirit and made a new creature whether we owe more to Christ for our Justification or Sanctification for he is made both to us But it is more necessary to conjoyn them together than to compare them with other the one is not more necessary to be delivered from wrath than the other to walk according to the Spirit I think it were an argument of a soul escaped condemnation to have the great stream and current of its affections and endeavours towards Sanctification not that they may be accepted of God but because they are accepted of God It is not said there is nothing condemnable in those that are in Christ but there is no condemnation to them There is indeed a body of death and law of sin within them a nature defiled with Oâ—iginal pollution and many streams flowing from it which the sprinkling oâ— the blood of Christ in Justification doth not take away If any man say there is no sin in him he is a liar and the truth is not in him But heâ—e is the grace and meâ—cy of God in Jesus Christ that removes the curse where the sin is that takes away the condemnation where all worthy of condemnation is And thus the souls Justification is parallel to Christs condemnation there was in him nothing condemnable no sin no guile in his mouth yet there was condemnation to him because he was in stead and place of sinners our iniquities was laid on him not in him he who knew no sin was made a curse for us that we might be made the righteousness of God in him So then the soul that flyeth in to Jesus Christ his righteousness though it have in it all that deserveth condemnation yet there is no condemnation to it because his righteousness is laid upon it and Christ hath taken away the curse The innocent Son of God was condemned therefore are guilty sinners absolved The curse was applied unto him who had no sin but only was made sin or sin laid on him and therefore the sentence of absolution from the curse is applyed unto them who have no righteousness but are made the righteousness of God by free and gracious imputation This I speak because of many unsavoury and unsound expressions in this loose generation that there is no sin in the justified that Justification removes it closs as if it had never been at all I say as the condemnation of Jesus Christ did not blot out his innocency and holiness within him but only Justice considered him in that account as a transgressour who yet was the holy and spotless Lamb of God in himself so likewise the justification of a sinner before God doth not remove or blot out the very corruption and defilement of our natures but only scrapes out our names out of the roll of his debtors as having
man lying under a sentence of death Cursed is he that abides not in all things c. How then can hâ— escape condemnation Again you speak of walking after the Spirit as proper to the Christian but whose walk is not carnal Who is it that doth not often step aside out of the way and follow the conduct and counsel of flesh and blood Is not sin dwelling here in our mortal bodies Who can say my heart or way is clean Therefore both that priviledge and this property of a Christian seems to be but big words no real thing And indeed I confess the multitude of men hath no other opinion of them but as fancied imaginary thingâ— few believes the report of the Gospel concerning the salvation of elect ones and few understands what this spiritual walking is many conceive it is not a thing that belongs to men who are led about with passions and affections but rather to Angels or Spirits perfected However we have in these words an answer to satisfie both objections He grants something implicitely and it is this it is true indeed Christians are under a twoâ—old Law captives and bondmen to these A law of sin in their members bringing them in subjection to the lusts of the flesh Sin hath a powerful dominion and tyranny over every man by nature it hath a sort of right and power over him and likewise every one was under a law of death the Law of God cuâ—sing him and sentencing him to condemnation because of sin these two were joynt conquerours of all mankind But saith he there is a delivery from this bondage freedom is obtained to believers by Jesus Christ and so there is no condemnation to them that are in Christ and so they walk not after the leading and direction of that law of sin within them but after the guiding of our blessed Tutor the Spirit of God If you ask how this comes to pass by what authority or law or power is this releasement and freedom obtained Here it is by the Law of the Spirit of life which is in Christ. Christ is not an invader or unjust conquerour he hath fair Law for what he doth even against these Laws which detains unbelievers in bondage There is a higher and later Law on his side and he hath power and strength to accomplish his design He opposes Law unto Law and life unto death and spirit unto flesh a Law of Spirit unto a Law of sin and flesh a Law of life unto a Law of death In a word the Gospel or Covenant of Grace unto the Law or Covenant of Woâ—ks the powerful and living Spirit of grace that wrought mightily in him is set â—â—re-against the power of sin and Satan in us and against us the one gives him right and title to conquer the other accomplisheth him for the work and by these two are believers in Jesus Christ made free-men who were bond-men That then which we would speak from these words is the common lot of all men by nature viz. to be under the power of sin and sentence of death the special exemption of believers in Christ and immunity from this or delivery from it and then the true ground and cause of this delivery from that bondage which three are contained in the words It is a purpose indeed of a high nature and of high conceâ—nment to us all our life and death is wrapt up in this you may hear maâ—y things more gladly but if ye knew it none so profitable Therefore let us gather our spirits to the consideration of these particulars As the first all men are under the bondage of a twofold Law the law of sin within them and the law of death without them Man was created righteous but saith the wise man he found out many inventions a sad invention indeed he found but misery and slavery to himself who was made free and happy His freedom and happiness was to be in subjection to his Maker under the just and holy commands of his Lord who had given him breath and being it was no captivity or restraint to be compassed about with the hedges of the Lords holy Law no more then it is a restraint on a mans liberty to have his way hedged in where he may safely walk that he may keep himself within it from pits and snares on every hand But alace if we may say alace when we have such a redemption in Jesus Christ. Adam was not content with that happiness but seeking after more liberty he sold himself into the hands of strange lords first sin and then death Other lords besides thee O Lord have dominion over us Isa. 26.13 This is too true in this sense Adam seeking to be as the Lord himself lost his own lordship and dominion over all the works of Gods hands and became a servant to the basest and most abominable of all even that which is most hateful to the Lord to sin and death And this is the condition we are now born into Consider it I pray you we are born captives and slaves the most noble the most ingenuous and the most free of us all Paul speaks of it as a priviledge to be born free to be free in mans Common-wealth It is counted a dignity to be a free Citizen or Burgess of a Town Liberty is the great claim of people now a dayes and indeed it is the great advantage of a people to enjoy that mother and womb-priviledge and right But alace what is all this to be free-born in a civil society it is but the state of a man among men it reaches no further then the outward man his life or estate But here is a matter of greater moment know ye what state your souls are in your souls are incomparably more worth than your bodies as much as eternity surpasseth this inch of time or immortality exceeds mortality your souls are your selves indeed your bodies are but your house or tabernacle ye lodge into for a season Now then I beseech you ask whether ye be born free or not if your souls be slaves ye are slaves indeed for so the Evangelist changeth these Matthew saith in ch 16. â—6 What hath a man gained if he lose his soul And Luke 9.25 saith What hath he gained if he lose himself Therefore you are not free indeed except your souls be fâ—ee What is it I pray you to enjoy freedom among men I aâ—k you what are ye before God whether bond or free this is the business inâ—eed The Phariâ—ees pleaded a claim to the liberty and priviledge of being Abrahams sons and children and thought they might hence conclude they were Gods children But our Lord Jeâ—us discovers this misâ—ake when he tells them of a freedom and libeâ—ty that he came to proclaim to men to purchase to them and bestow on them they stumbled at this Doctrine What say they talkest thou to us of making us free we were never in bondage for we be Abrahams chilâ—ren This is
even the language of our hearts when we tell you that ye are born heirs of wrath and slaves of sin and satan heâ—e is the secret whispering of hearts we be Abrahams seed we were never in bondage to any We be baptized Christians we have a Church State have the priviledges and liberties not only of Subjectâ— in the State but of Members in the Church why sayest thou we are bond-men I would wish ye were all free indeed but that cannot be till ye know your bondage Consider then I beseech you that you may be free subjects in a State and free members in a Church and yet in bondage under the law of sin and death This was the mistake that was a ground of presumption in the Jews and occasioned their stumbling at this Stone of salvation laid in Sion you think you have Church-priviledges and what needs more Be not deceived you are servants of sin and therefore not free There are two sorts or rather two ranks of persons in Gods house Sons and slaves the son abides in the house for ever the slave but for a time when the time expires he must go out or be cast out The Church is Gods house but many are in it that will not dwell in it many have the outward liberties of this house that have no interest in the special mercies and loving kindnesse proper to children The time will come that the most part of the visible Church who are baptized and have eaten with him at his Table and had a kind of frienâ—ship to him here shall be cast out as bondmen and Isaac only shall be kept within the child of the promise The house that is here hath some inward Sanctuary and some utter Porches many have accesse to these that never enters within the secret of the Lord and so shall not dwell in the house above It is not so much the business who shall enter into the holy hill but who shall stand and dwell in it The day of Judgement wâ—ll be a great day of excommunication O how many thousands will be then cut off from the Church of the living God and delivered over â—o satan because they were â—eally â—nder his poweâ— while they were Church-mebers and Abrahams sons Let me tell you then that all of us were once in this state of bondage which Christ speaks of He that committeth sin is the servant of sin John 8.34 and the servant abids not in the house for ever So that I am aâ—raid many of us who are in the visible Church and stand in this Congregation shall not have liberty to stand in the assembly of the fiâ—st-born when all the Sons are gathered in one to the new Ierusalem sin hath a right over us and it hath a power over us and theâ—efore it is called a law of sin theâ—e is a kind of authority that it hath over uâ— by vertue of Gods Justice and our own voluntary consent The Lord in his righteouâ—nesse hath given over all the posterity of Adam for his sin which he sinned as â— common person representing us he hath given us all over to the power of a body of death within us Since man did choose to depaâ—t from his Lord he hath justly delivered him into the hands of a strange Lord to have dominion over him The transmitting of such an original pollution to all men is an act of glorious justice As he in jusâ—iâ—e gives men over to the lusts of their own hearts now for following of these lusts Contrary to his will so was it at first by one mans disobedience mâ—ny were mâ—de sinners and that in Gods holy righteousnesse sin entred into the World and had permission of God to subdue and conquer the World to it self because man would not be subject to God But as there is the justice of God in it so there is a voluntary choice and election which gives sin a power over us we choose a strange lord and he lords it over us We say to our lusts Come ye and rule over us we submit our reason our conscience and all to the guidance and leading of our blind affections and passions we choose our bondage for liberty and thus sin hâ—th a kind of law over us by our own consent it exerciseth a jurisdiction and when once it is installed in power and clothed with it it is not so easie again to put it out of that throne there is a conspiring so to speak of these two to make out the jurisdiction and authority of sin over us God gives us over to iniquity and unrighteousnesse and we yield our selves over to it Rom. 6.16.19 we yield our members servants to iniquitie a little pleasure or commodity is the bait that ensnares us to this we give up our selves and joyn to our idols and God ratifies it in a manner and passeth such a sentence Let them alone he sayes go ye every one and serve your idols Ezek. 23. since ye would not serve me be doing go serve your lusts look if they be better masters then I look what wages they will give you Now let us again consider what power sin hath being thus cloathed with a sort of authority O! but it is mighty and works mightily in men It reigns in our mortal bodies Rom. 6.12 here is the throne of sin established in the lusts and affections of the body and from hence it emits laws and statutes and sends out commands to the soul and whole man Man choose at first to hearken to the counsel of his senses that said it was pleasant and good to eat of the forbidden fruit but that counsel is now turned into a command sin hath gotten a scepter there to rule over the spirit which was born a free Prince sin hath conquered all our strength or we have given up unto it all our strength any truth that is in the conscience any knowledge of God or Religion all this is incarcerated detained in a prison of unrighteous affections sin hath many strong holds and bulwarks in our flesh and by these commands the whole spirit and soul in man and leads captive every thought to the obedience of the flesh You know how strong it was in holy Paul Rom. 7. what a mighty battel and wrestling he had and how near he was to fainting and giving over How then must it have an absolute and soveraign full dominion over men in nature there being no contrary principle within by nature to debate with it it rules without much controlment there may be many convictions of conscience and sparkles of light against sin but these are quickly extinguised and buried Nay all these principles of light and knowledge in the conscience do oftentimes strengthen sin as some things are confirmed not weakned by opposition unequal and saint opposition strengthens the adversary as cold compassing springs makes them hotter So it is here sin takes occasion by the command to work all manner of concupiscence Rom. 7.8 Without the Law sin is
God unbelief and disobedience Now what became of all this work you may know the generality of all ranks have rebelled against that Lord and Prince and withdrawn from his allegiance and revolted unto the same lusts and wayes these same courses against which we had both by our profession of Christianity and solemn oaths engaged our selves and so men have voluntarily and heartily subjected themselves unto the laws of sin and desires of the flesh Hence is the beginning of our ruine because we would not serve our own God and Lord in our own land therefore are so many led away captive to serve strangers in another land therefore we are like to be captives in our own land because we refused homage to our God and obeyed strange lords within therefore are we given up to the lust of strangers without I would have you thinking and that seriously that there are worse masters you serve then these you most hate and that there is a worse bondage whereof you are insensiâ—le then that you fear most you fear strangers but your greatest evil is within you you might retire within and behold worâ—e masters and moâ—e pernicious and mortal enemies to your well-being Tâ—is is the case of all men by nature and of all men as far as in nature sin ruling commanding in them and lording it over them and they willingly following after the commandment and so oppressed and broken in judgement If you could but rightly look upon other men you might see that they who are servants oâ— diverse lusts are not their own men so to speak they have not the command of themselves Look upon a man given to drunkenness and what a slave is he whither doth not his lust drive him let him bind himself with resolutions with vows yet he cannot be holden by them shame before men losse of estate decay of health temporal punishment nay eternal all set together cannot keep him from fulfilling the desires of that lust when he hath opportunity A man given to covetousness how doth he serve that idol how doth he forget himself to be a man or to have a reasonable â—oul within him he is so devoted to it and thus it is with every man by nature there may be many petty little gods that he worships upon occasion but every unrenewed man hath some one thing predominant in him unto which he hath sworn obedience and devotion The man most civilized most abstract from the grosser outward pollutions yet certainly his heart within is but a temple full of idols to the love and service of which he is devoted There is some of the fundamental laws of satans kingdom that rules in every natural man either the lust of the eyes or the lust of the flesh or the pride of life every man sacrificeth to one of these his credit and honour or his pleasure or his profite Self whatever way refined and subtillized in some yet at best it is but an enemy to God and without that sphear of self cannot a man act upon natural principles till a higher spirit come in which is here spoken of Oh! that you would take this for bondage to be under this woful necessity of satisfying and fulfilling the desires of your flesh and mind Eph. 2.2 many account it only liberty and freedom therefore they look upon the laws of the spirit of life as cords and bonds and consult to cast them off and cut them asunder but consider what a wretched life you have with your imperious lusts The truth is sin is for the most part its own punishment I am sure you have more labour and toyl in fulfilling the lusts of sin then you might have in serving God mens lusts are never at quiet they are continually putting you on service they are still driving and dragging men headlong hurrying them to and fro and they cannot get rest what is the cause of all the disquiet disorder confusion trouble and wars in the world from whence do contentions arise come they not hence saith Iames 4.1 even of the lusts that war in our members It is these that trouble the world and these are the troublers of Israels peace these take away both inward peace domestick peace and national peace These lusts Covetousness Ambition Pride Passion Self-love and such like do set nation against nation men and men people and people by the ears These multiply businesses beyond necessity these multiply cares without profit and so bring forth vexation and torment If a man had his lusts subdued and his affections composed unto moderation and sobriety O what a multitude of noysom and hurtful cares should he then be freed from what a sweet calmness should possess that spirit Will you be perswaded of it Beloved in the Lord that it were easier to serve the Lord then to serve your lusts that they cost you more labour disquiet perplexity and sorrow than the Lords service will that so you may weary of such masters and groan to be from under such a law of sin But if that will not suffice to perswade you then consider in the next room if you will needs serve a law of sin you must needs be subject to a law of death if you will not be perswaded to quite the service of sin then tell me what think you of your wages The wages of sin is death that you may certainly expect and can you look and long for such wages God hath joyned these together by a perpetual ordinance they come in the world together sin entered and death by sin and they have gone hand in hand together since and think you to dissolve what God hath joyned Before you go further and obey sin more think I pray you what it can give you what doth it give you for the present but much pain and toyl and vexation in stead of promised pleasure and satisfaction Sin doth with all men as the devil doth with some of his sworn vassals and servants they have a poor wretched life with him they are wearied and troubled to satisfie all his unreasonable and imperious commands he loadens them with base service and they are still kept in expectation of some great reward but for the present they have nothing but misery and trouble and at length he becomes the executioneâ— and perpetual tormenter of them whom he made to serve him such a master is sin and such wages you may expect Consider then what your expectation is before you go on or engage further death We are under a law of bodily death therefore we are mortal our house is like a ruinous lodge that drops through and one day or other it must fall sin hath brought in the seeds of corruption in mens nature which dissolves it else it had been immortal But there is a worse deâ—th after this a living death in respect of which simple death would be chosen rather men will rather live very miserably then die nature hath an aversation of it skin for skin
and all for life will a man give Death imports a destruction of being which every thing naturally seeks to preserve But O! what a dreadful life is it worse then death when men will chose death rather then life O! how terrible will it be to hear that word Hills and mountains fall on us and cover us Men newly risen their bodies and souls meet again after a long separation and this to be their mutual entertainment one to another the body to wish it were still in the dust and the soul to desire it might never be in the body Surely if we had so much grace as to believe this and tremble at it before we be forced to act it there were some hope if we could perswade our selves once of this that the wayes of sin all of them how pleasant how profitable soever whatsoever gain they bring in whatsoever satisfaction they give that they are nothing else but the wayes of death and goe down to the chambers of hell that they will delude and deceive us and so in end destroy us If we might once believe this with our heart there were some hope that we would break off from them and choose the untroden paths of Godlinesse which are pleasantnesse and peace However this is the condition of all men once to be under sin and under a sentence of death for sin It s the unbelief of this and a conceit of freedom that securely and certainly destroyes the world by keeping souls from Jesus Christ the prince of life But there is a delivery and that is the thing expressed in the words there is freedom from both attainable and I think the very hearing of such a thing that there is a redemption from sin and misery possible yea and that some are actually delivered from it This might stir up in our hearts some holy ambition and earnest desire after such a state how might it awake our hearts after it but this is the wofulnesse of a natural condition that a soul under the power of sin can neither help it self nor rightly desire help from another because the will is captive too this makes it a very desperat and remedilesse businesse to any humane expectation because such a soul is well pleased with its own setters and loves its own prison and so can neither long for freedom nor welcom the Son who is come to make free But yet there is a freedom and delivery and if ye ask who are partakers of it the text declares it to you even these who are in Iesus Christ and walk according to the Spirit of Christ. These all and these only who finding-themselves dead in sins and trespasses under the power and dominion of sin and likewise under the sentence of death and condemnation begin to lift up their heads upon the hope of a Saviour and to look unto their Redeemer as poor prisoners whose eyes and looks are strong intreaties and in stead of many requests such as give an intire renounce unto their former wayes and prevailing lusts and give up themselves in testimony of their sense of his unspeakable favour of redemption to be wholly his and not their own There are some souls who are free from the dominion of sin and from the danger of death some who were once led about with divers lusts as well as others who walked after the course of this world and fulfilled the desires of the flesh and were children of wrath as well as others but now they are quickned in Christ Iesus and have abandoned their former way they have another rule another way another principles their study is now to please God and grow in holinesse the wayes they delighted in in former times are now loathsome they think that a filthy puddle which they drank greedily of and now it s all or their chiefest grief and burden that so much of that old man must be carried about with them and so this expresseth many groans from them with Paul waâ— is me miserable man who shall deliver me Such souls are in a manner to speak so half redeemed who being made sensible of their bondage groan and panâ— for a Redeemer The day of their compleat redemption is at hand all of you are witnesses of this that there are some thus freed but they are signes and wonders indeed to the world their kinsmen their acquaintance their friends and neighbours wonder what is become of them they think it strange they walk not and run not into that same excess of riot with them But whosoever thou art that is escaped from under the slavery of sin wonder at the world that doth run so madly on their own destruction think is strange that thou ran so long with them and that all will not run in these pleasant wayes with thee think it strange that thou runs so slowly when so great a prize is to be obtained an immortal and never fading Crown If mortifying and crucifying the lusts of the flesh if dying to the world and to thy self seem very hard and unpleasant to thee if it be as the plucking out of thine eye and cutting off thine hand know then that corruption is much alive yet and hath much power in thee but remember that if thou can have but so much grace and resolution as to kill and crucifie these lusts without foolish and hurtful pity if thou canst attain that victory over thy self thou shall never be a loser thou cannot repent it afterward To die to our selves and the world to kill sin within O! that makes way to a life hid from the world one hour whereof is better than many ages in sinful pleasure Quicken thy self often with this thought that there is a true life after such a death and that thou canst not passe into it but by the valley of the death of thy lusts remember that thou dost but kill thine enemies which embrace that they may strangle thee and then stir up your self with this consideration the life of sin will be thy death better enter heaven without these lusts then go to hell with them SERMON IX Vers. 2. For the Law of the Spirit of life in Christ Iesus hath made me free c. THat which makes the delivery of men from the tyranny of sin and death most diâ—â—icult and utterly impossible unto nature is that sinners have given up themselves unto it as if it were true liberty that the will and affections of men are conquered and sin hath its impeâ—ial throne seated there Other conquerours invade men against their will and so they rule against their will they contain men in subjection by fear and not by love and so when ever any occasion offers they are glad to cast off the yoke of unwilling obedience But sin hath first conquered mens judgement by blinding it putting out the eye of the understanding and then invaded the affections of men drawn them over to its side and by these it keeps all in a most willing obedience Now
what hopes are there then of delivery when the prisoner accounts his bondage liberty and his prison a palace what expectation of freedom when all that is within us conspires to the upholding that tyrranous dominion of sin against all that would cast it out of its usurpation as if they were mortal enemies Yet there is a delivery possible but such as would not have entered in the heart of man to imagine and it is here expressed the Law of the Spirit of Life c. this declares how and by what means we may be made free Not indeed by any power within us not by any created power without us sin is stronger then all these because its imperial seat is within far without the reach of all created power there may be some means used by men to beat it out of the out-works of the outward man to chase it out of the external members some means to restrain it from such gross out-breakingâ— but therâ— is none can lay â—iedge to the soul wiâ—hin or sâ—orm the undeâ—standing and will where it hath its pâ—incipal residence its inaccessible and impregnable by any humane power no intreaties or perswasions no terrors or threatnings can prevail it can neither be stormed by violence nor undermined by skill because it is within the spirit of the mind Untill at length some other spirit stronger then our spirit come till the Spirit of life which is in Christ come and bind the strong man and so make the poor soul free You heard that we were under a law of death and under the power of sin now there is another Law answering this law and a power to overcome this power You may indeed ask by what law of authority can a sinner that is bound over by Gods Justice unto death and condemnation be released Is there any law above Gods Law and the sentence of his Justice The Apostle answers that there is a Law above it a Law after it the Law of the Spirit of Life Jesus Christ opposes Law unto law the Law of life unto the law of death the Gospel unto the Law the second Covenant unto the first Thus it is then Iesus Christ the eternal Son of God full of grace and truth did come in mans stead when the law and sentence of death was past upon all mankind and there was no expectation from the terms of the first Covenant that there should be any dispensation or mitigation of the rigour of it he obtains this that so many as God had chosen unto life their sins and their punishment might be laid on him and so he took part of our flesh for this end that he might be made a curse for us and so redeem us from the curse Thus having satisfied Justice and fulfilled the sentence of death by suffering death him hath God exalted to be a Prince and Saviour and the head of all things In compensation of this great and weighty work given him by his Father all judgment is committed to him and so he sends out and proclaims another Law in Sion another sentence even of life and absolution unto all and upon all them that shall believe in his Name Thus you see the law of death abrogated by a new Law of life because our Lord and Saviour was made under the law of death and suffered under it and satisfied it that all his seed might be freed from it and might come under a life-giving law so that it appears to be true that was said at first there is no condemnation to them that are in Christ there is no Law no Justice against them But then another difficulty as great as the former is in the way though such a law and sentence of life and absolution be pronounced in the Gospel in Christs Name yet we are dead in sins and trespasses we neither know nor feel our misery nor can we come to a Redeemer as there was a law of death above our head so there is a law of sin within our hearts which rules and commands us and there is neither will nor ability to escape from under it It is true life and freedom is preached in Christ to all that come to him for life to all that renounce sins dominion is remission of sin preached But here is the greatest difficulty how can a dead soul stir rise and walk how can a slave to sin and a willing captive renounce it when he hath neither to will nor to do Indeed if all had been purchased for us if eternal life and forgiveness of sins had been brought near us and all the business done to our conâ—ent and that only wanting if these had been the terms I have purchased life now rise and embrace it of your selves truly it had been an unsuccessful buâ—ineâ—â— Christ had lost all that was given him if the moment and weight of our salvation had been hung upon oâ—r acceptation Tâ—erefore it is well provided foâ— this alâ—o that there should be a power to overcome this power a spirit of life in Christ to quicken dead sinnerâ— and â—aise them â—p and draw them to him And so the second Adamâ—ath â—ath this prerogative beyond the fiâ—st that he is only a living soul in himself but a quickening spirit to all that aâ—e given him of the Father 1 Cor. 15.45 So then as Christ Jesus hath law and right on his side to free us from death so he hath vertue and power in him to accomplish our delivery from sin as he hath fair law to loose the chains of condemnation and to repeal the sentence past against us without prejudice to Gods justice he having fully satisfied the same in our name so he hath sufficient power given him to loose the fetters oâ— sin from off us When he hath pay'd the price and satisfied the Father so that justice can crave nothing Yet he hath one adversary to deal with Satan hath sinners bound with the cords of their own lusts in a prison of darkness and unbelief Jesus Christ therefore comes out to conquer this enemy and to redeem his elect Ones from that unjust usurpation of sin to bring them out of the prison by the strong hand and therefore he is one mighty and able to save to the uttermost he hath might to do it as well as right to it Consider then my beloved these two things which are the breasts of our consolation and the foundation of our hope we are once lost and utterly undone both in regard of Gods justice and our own utter inability to help our selves which is strengthned by our unwillingness and thus made a more desperat busineâ—s now God hath provided a suitable remedy he hath laid help on one that is mighty indeed who hath almighty power and by his power he fiâ—st conflicted with the punishment of our sins and with his Fathers wrath and hath overcome discharged and satisfied that and so hath purchased a right unto us to give salvation to whom he will be conquered
and by his power obtain this supream authoâ—y of life and death Now having his authority established in hiâ— person the next work is to apply this purchase actâ—ally to conâ—er this liâ—e and therefore he hath almighty power to raise up dead sinners to creat us again to good works to redeem us from the tyâ—anny oâ— sin and satan whose slaves we are He hath a spirit of liâ—e which he communicats to his seed he breaths it into these souls that he died for and dispossesseth that powerful corruption that dwells in us Hence it comes to passe that they walk after the Spirit though they be in the flesh because the powerful Spirit of Christ hath entered and taken possession of their spirits Isa. 59.20 21. Let us not be discouraged in our apprehensions of Christ when we look on our ruinous and desperatâ— estate let us not conclude it is past hope and past his help too We do proclaim in the name of Jesus Christ that there is no sinner howsoever justly under a sentence of death and damnation but they may in him find a relaxation from that sentence and that without the impairing of Gods justice and this is a marvelous ground of comfort that may establish our souls 1 Iohn 1.9 even this that law and justice is upon Christs side and nothing to accuse or plead against a sinner that imploys him for his Advocat But know this also that you are not delivered from death that you may live under sin nay you are redeemed from death that you may be freed from the law of sin but that must be done by his almighty Spirit and cannot be otherwayes done I know not whether of these is matter of greatest comfort that there is in Christ a redemption from the wrath of God and from hell and that there is a redemption too from sin and corruption which dwells within us but sure I am both of them will be most sweet and comfortable to a believer and without both Christ were not a compleat Redeemer nor we compleatly redeemed Nâ—itheâ— would a believing soul in which there is any measure of this new law and divine life be satisfied without both these Many are miserably deluded in their apprehensions of the Gospel they take it up thus as if it were nothing but a proclamation of freedom from misery from death and damnation and so the most part catch at nothing else in it and from thence takes liberty to walk after their former lusts and courses this is the woful practical uâ—e that the generality of hearers make of the free intimation of pardon and forgiveness of sin and delivery from wrath they admit some general notion of that and stops there and examines not what further is in the Gospel and so you will see the slaves of sin professing a kind of hope of freedom from death the servants and vassals of corruption who walk after the course of this world and fulfill the lusts and desires of their mind and flesh yet fancying a freedom and immunity from condemnation men living in sin yet thinking of escaping wrath which dreams could not be entertained in men if they did drink in all the truth and open both their ears to the Gospel if our spirits were not narrow and limited and so excluded the one half of the Gospel that is our redemption from sin There is too much of this even among the children of God a strange narrowness of spirit which admits not whole and intire truth it falls out often that when we think of delivery from death and wrath we forget in the mean time the end and purpose of that which is that we may be freed from sin and serve the living God without fear And if at any time we consider and busie our thoughts about freedom from the law of sin and victory over corruption such is the scantness of room and capacity in our spirits that we loss the remembrance of delivery from death and condemnation in Christ Jesus thus we are tossed between two extreams the quick-sands of presumption and wantonness and the rocks of unbelief and despair or discouragement both of which do kill the Christians life and make all to fade and wither But this were the way and only way to preserve the soul in good case even to keep these two continually in our â—ight that we are redeemed from death and misery in Christ and that not to serve our selves or to continue in our sins but that we may be redeemed from that sin that dwells in us and that both these are purchased by Jesus Christ and done by his power the one in his own person the other by his Spirit within us I would have you correcting your misapprehensions of the Gospel do not so much look on victory and freedom from sin as a duty and task though we be infinitly bound to it but rather as a priviledge and dignity conferred upon us by Christ Look not upon it I say only as your duty as many do and by this means are discouraged from the sight of their own infirmity and weakness as being too weak for such a strong party but look upon it as the one half and greater half of the benefite conferred by Christs death as the greater hall of the redemptiâ—n which the Redeemer by his office is bound to accomplish He will redeem Israel from all his iniquities with him is plenteous redâ—mpâ—ion Pâ—al 130.7 8. This is the plenty this is the sufficiency of iâ— that he redeems not only from misery but from iniquity and that all iniquities I would not desire a believers soul to be in a better posture here-away then this to be looking upon sin inâ—dwelling aâ— his bondage and redemption â—rom it as freedom to account â—imâ—elf in so far free as tâ—e free Spirit of Christ enters and wâ—ites that â—â—ee Law of love and obedience in his heart and blots out these base characters of the law of sin It were a good temper to be groaning for the redemption of the soul and why doth a believer groan for the redemption of the body but because he shall then be freed wholly from the law oâ— sin and from the presence of sin I know not a greater argument to a gracious heart to subdue his corruption and strive for freedom from the law of sin then the freedom obtained from the law of death nor is there any clearer aâ—gument and evidence of a soul delivered from death then to strive for the freedom of the Spirit from the law of sin there jointly help one another freedom from death will raise up a Christians heart to aspire to a freedom and liberty from sin And again freedom from sin will wiâ—ness and evidence that such a one is delivered from death When freedom from death is an inducement to seek after freedom from sin and freedom from sin a declaration of freedom from death then all is well and indeed thus it will be in some meaâ—uâ—e with every soul
himself and fittest to declare himself But then there is yet a higher rise of the mystery or a lower descent of God for it s all one God descending is the wonder ascending he sent his Son mans admiration is already exhausted in that but if there were any thing behind this which follows would consume it in the flesh If he had sent his own Son might he not have sent him in an estate and condition suitable to his glory as it became the Prince and Heir of all things him by whom all were created and do subsist Nay but he is sent and that in a state of humiliation and condescendency infinitly below his own dignity That ever he was made a Creature that the Maker of all should be sent in the form of any thing he had made O! what a disparagement there is no such distance between the highest Prince on the throne and the basest beggar on the dung-hill as between the only begotten of the Father who is the brightness of his glory and the most glorious Angel that ever was made And yet it would be a wonder to the World if a King should send his son in the habit and state of a beggar to call in the poor and lame and blind to the fellowship of his Kingdom It had been a great mystery then if God had been manifested in the nature of Angels a great abasement of his Majesty But O! what must it be for God to be manifested in the flesh in the basest naughtiest and most corruptible of all the Creatures even the very dâ—egâ— of the Creation that have sunk down to the bottom All flesh is graâ—s and what more withering and fading even the flower and perfection of it Iâ—a 40.6 Dust it is and what baâ—er Gen. 18.27 and corruption it is and what viâ—er 1 Cor. 15.44 and yet God sent his Son in the flesh Is this a manifestation nay rather it is a hiding and obscuâ—ation of his glory it s the putting on of a dark vail to eclipse his brightnesse yet manifested he is as the intendment of the work he was about required manifested to reproach and ignominy for our sin This is one and a great point of Christs humiliation that he took not on him the nature of Angels but the seed of Abraham Heb. 2.16 But yet to compleat this mystery more the Son descends a third step lower that the mystery may ascend so much the higher in the likeness of flesh not so but in the likeness of sinful flesh If he had appeared in the prime flower and perfection of flesh in the very goodliness of it yet it had been a disparagement if he had come down as glorious as he once went up and now sits at the right hand of the Majesty on high if he had been alwayes in that â—eâ—plendant habit he put on in his transfiguration that had been yet an abasement of his Majesty but to come in the likeness of sinful flesh though not a sinner yet in the likeness of a sinner so like as touching his outward appearance that no eye could discern any difference compassed about with all these infirmities and necessities which are the followers and attendants of sin in us a man of sorrows and acquainted with griefs a man who all his life time had intimat acquaintance and familiarity with grief grief and he were long acquaintance and never parted till death parted them nay not only was he in his outward estate subject to all these miseries and infirmities unto which sin subjects other men but was something beyond all his viâ—age more marr'd then any mans and his form more then the sons of men Isa. 52.14 and therefore he was a hissing and astonishment to many he had no form of nor comeliness in him and no beauty to make him desirable and therefore his own friends were ashamed of him and hid their faces from him he was despised and rejected of men Isa. 53.2 3. Thus you see he comes in the most despicable and disgraceful form of flesh that can be and an abject among men and as himself speaks in Psal. 22.6 a worm and not a man a reproach of men and dispised among the people Now this I say is the crowning of the great mystery of Godliness which without all controversie is the mystery in all the world that hath in it most greatnesse and goodnesse combined together that is the subject of the highest admiration and the fountain of the sweetest consolation that either Reason or Religion can afford The mysteries of the Trinity are so high that if any dares to reach at them he doth but catch the lower fall it is as if a worm would attempt to touch the Sun in the Firmament But this mystery is God coming down to man to be handled and seen of men because man could not rise up to Gods highnesse it is God descending to our basenesse and so coming near us to save us It is not a conâ—ounding but a saving mystery there is the highest truth in it for the understanding to contemplat and admire there is the greatest good in it for the will to choose and rest upon It s contrived for wonder and delight to Mâ—n and Angels these three which the Angelick song runs upon are the Jewels of it Glory to God peace on Earth and good will towards men SERMON XII Rom. 8.3 For what the Law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh God sending his own Son c. OF all the works of God towards man certainly there is none hath so much wonder in it as the sending of his Son to become man and so it requires the exactest attention in us let us gather our spirits to consider of this mystery not to pry into the secrets of it curiously as if we had no more to do but to satisfie our understandings but rather that we may see what this concerns us and what instruction or advantage we may have by it that so it may ravish our affections I believe there is very palpable and grosse ignorance in thousands of the very thing it self many who professe Jesus Christ know not his Natures or his glorious Person do not apprehend either his highness as God or his lowness as man But truly the thing that I do most admire is that these who pretend to more knowledge of this mystery yet few of them do enter upon any serious consideration about it for what use and purpose it is though it be the foundation of our salvation the chief ground of our faith and the great spring of our consolation yet to improve the knowledge of it to any purpose of that kind is a thing so rare even among true Christians that it is little the subject of their meditation I think indeed the lively improvement of this mystery of godliness would be very effectual to make us really what we are said to be that is Christians There is somthing to this purpose 1
perplexing doubts that they do not only an injury to your own souls but they are of a more bloody nature if they hold good they would cut off the life and salvation of all believers and which is worse they will by an unavoidable consequence conclude an Ante-chriâ—tian point that Christ is not come in the flesh I beseech you unbowel your evils that you may abhor them This may strengthen our faith and minister much consolation in another consideration too that which is laid down Heb. 2.17 and 4.15 that he was partaker of our nature and in all things like unto his brethren that so he might be a merciful High Priest able to succour us and touched with the feeling of our infirmities What strong consolation may be suckt out of these breasts when it was impossible that man could rise up to God because of his infinit highness and holiness behold God hath come down to man in his lowness and baâ—eness he hath sent down this ladder from heaven to the earth that poor wretched sinner may ascend upon it it is come down as low as our infirm weak and frail nature that we may have easie coming up to it and going up upon it to heaven Therefore his flesh is called a new and living way because a poor sinner may be assured of welcome and acceptation with one of his own kind his Brother he was not ashamed to call us brethren flesh of his flesh and bone of his bone this may make boldness of accesse that we have not God to speak to or come to immediatly as he is cloathed with glory and majesty and as the Jews heard him on Mount Sinai and desired a Mediator between him and them but that that great Prophet promised to them hath come and we have him between us and God as low as we that we may speak to him riding upon an ass a low ass that every one may whisper their desires in his ear and yet as high as God that he may speak to God and have power with him Truly this is a sweet trysting place to meet God in that no sinner may have any fear to come to it to this treaty of peace and reconciliation How may it perswade us of that great priviledge that we may become the sons of God when the Son of God is become the Son of man John 1.11 12. Truly though it be hard to be believed that such as we should become the Sons of the great King yet it is nothing so strange as this that the eternal and only begotten Son of the great God should become the Son of wretched man that highness will be easily believed if we consider this lowness It will not be so hard to perswade a soul that there is a way of union and reconciliation to God of being yet at peace with him if this be pondered that God hath married his own nature with ours in one person to be a pledge of that union and peace And then how much quickening and comfort may it yeild us that he was not only a man but a miserable man and that not through any necessity but only the necessity of love and compassion he had enough of mercy to save us as God he had enough of love and compassion as man but he would take on misery too in his own person that he might be experimentally merciful to us Certainly the experience of misery and infiâ—mity must superadd some tenderness to the heart of our High Priest But though it did not help him to be more pitiful yet it was done for us to help us to have more confidence in him and boldness to come unto him What an encouragement is it for a poor man to come unto once poor Jesus Christ who had not where to lay his head He knows the evil of poverty and he choosed to know it that he might have compassion on thee With what boldness may poor afflicted and despised believers come to him why because he himself had experience of all that and he was familiarly acquainted with grief and sorrow therefore he can sympathize best with thee Let us speak even of sinful infirmities thou art subject to that there might be a suitableness in him to help thee he came as nigh as might be he was willing to be tempted to sin and so he knows the power that temptations must have over weak and frail natures but sin he could not for that had been evil for us Let this then give us boldness to come to him I would desire to perswade you to humility from this according to the lesson Christ gives us Matth. 11.29 Learn of me I am meek and lowly and the Apostle makes singular use of this mystery of the abasement of Majesty to abate from our high esteem of our selves Phil. 2.3 4 5 6. O should not the same mind be in us that was in Christ. God abased and man exalted how unsuitable are these think you God lowly in condition and disposition and man though base in condition yet high in his disposition and in his own estimation What more mysterious then God humbled And what more monstrous then man proud Truly pride it is the most deformed thing in a man but in a Christian it is monstrous and prodigious If he did humble himself out of charity and love who was so high and glorious how should we humble our selves out of necessity who are so low and base and out of charity and love too to be conformed and like unto him Nature may perswade the one but Christianity teacheth the other to be lowly in mind and esteem every one better then our selves to be meek patient long-suffering reason may perswade it upon the consideration of our own baseness emptiness frailty and nothingness But this lesson is taught in Christs School not from that motive only the force of necessity but from a higher motive the constraint of love to Jesus Christ Learn of me Suppose there were no necessity of reason in it yet affection might be a stronger necessity to perswade conformity to him and following his example who became so low and humbled himself to the death even for us SERMON XIII Rom. 8.3 And for sin condemned sin in the flesh THE great and wonderful actions of great and excellent persons must needs have â—ome great ends answerable to them wisdome will teach them not to do strange things but for some rare purposes for it were a folly and madness to do great things to compass some small and petty end as unsuitable as that a Mountain should travel to bring forth a Mouse Truly we must conceive that it must needs be some honourable and high business that brought down so high and honourable a person from Heaven as the Son of God it must be something proportioned to his Majesty and his wisdom and indeed so it is There is a great Capital enemy against God in the world that is sin this arch rebel hath drawn man from his
the flesh all your time never once seriously to rise up in the consideration of eternity or lift up your heads above temporal and earthly things and yet in the close to ascend unto Heaven No no do not deceive your selves you must go forward this life and eternity makes one straight line either of ascent or descent of happinesâ— or misery and since you have bowed down alwayes while in the body there is no rising up after it forward you must go and that is downward to that element which you transformed your spirits into that is the earth or below the earth to hell your spirits hath most affinity with these and down they must go â—s â— stoâ—e to the earth But if you would desire to have your spirits ascending up to heaven when they are let out of this prison the body take heed which way they turn bend and strive while here in the body If your struglings be to be upward at God if you have discovered that blessedness is in him and if this be the predominant of your spirit that carries it upward in desires and endeavours and turns it off the base study of satisfying the flesh and the base love of the world if thy soul be mounting alost on these wings of holy desires of a better life then can be found in any thing below certainly the motion of thy spirit will be in â— straight line upward when thou leaves thy dust to the earth Anâ—els waits to carry that spirit to that bosomâ— of Christ where it longed and liked most to be but devils do attend the souls of most part of men to thrust them down below the earth because they did still bend down to the earth SERMON XVII Rom. 8.5 For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh c. THough sin hath taken up the principal and inmost Cabinet of the heart of man though it hath fixed its Imperial Throne in the spirit of man and makes use of all the powers and faculties in the soul to accomplish its accursed desires and fulfill its boâ—ndless lusts yet it is not without good reason expressed in Scripture ordinarily under the name of flesh and a body of death and men dead in sins are said to be yet in the â—lesh The reason is partly because this was the rise of mans first ruine or the chiefest ingredient in his first sin his hearkning to the suggestions of his flesh against the clear light and knowledge of his spirit The Apple was beautiful to look on and sweet to the taste and this engâ—ged man thus the voluntary debasement and subjection of the spirit which was breathed in of God unto the service of that dust which God had appointed to serve it hath turned into a necessary slavery so that the flesh being put in the Throne cannot be cast out and this is the righteous judgment of God upon man that he that would not serve so good and so high a Lord should be made a drudge and slave to the very dregs of the Creation Partly again because the flesh hath in it the seeds of the most part of these evil fruits which abound in the world the most part of our corruptions have either their rise or their increase from the flesh the most part of the evils of men are either conceived in the flesh or brought forth by it by the ministry and help of our degenerat spirits And truly this is it that makes our returning to God so hard and difficult a work because we are in the flesh which is like stubble disposed to conceive flame upon any sparkle of a temptation there are so many dispositions and inclinations in the body since our fall that are as powerful to carry us to excess and inordinatness in affection or conversation as the natural instincts of beasts do dâ—ive them on to their own proper operations You know the flesh is oftâ—n times the greatest impediment that the spirit hath because of its lumpishness and earthly qâ—ality how willing would the spirit be how nimble and active in the wayes of obedience if it were not â—etarded dulled and clogged with the heavy lump of our flesh The spirit indeed is willing but the flesh is weak saith Christ Matth. 26.41 Truly I think the great reâ—issness negligence weaknesâ— fainting of Christians in their race of Christianity ariseth ordinarily from this weight that is carried about with them that is must be some extraordinary impulse of a higher spirit to drive us on without wearying And because of this indisposition of the flesh we are not able to bear much of Gods presence in this life it would certainly confound mortality if so much were let out of it as is in Heaven no more then a weak eâ—e can endure to behold the Sun in its brightness Anâ— then the flesh as it is the greatest retardment in good it is the greatest incitement to evil it is a bosome-enemy that betrays us to Satan it is near us and connatural to us and this is the great advantage Satan hath of a Christian he hath a fâ—iend within every Christian that betrays him often You know the most part of temptationâ— from without could have no such force or strength against us if there were not some predisposition in the flesh some seeds of that evill within if they were not presented with some suitableness to our senses and they being once engaged on Satans side they easily draw the whole man with them under a false colour and pretence of friendship therefore they are said to war against the soul 1 Pet. 2.11 And they are said easily to beset us Heb. 12.1 Truly it is no wonder that the enemy storm our City when the out-works yea the very Ports of the City are possessed by traitors no wonder Satan approach near the walls with hiâ— temptations when our senses our fleshly part is so apt to receive him and ready to entertain all objects without difference that aâ—e suitable to affect them You see then how much power the flesh hath in man so that it is no wonder that every â—atural man hath this denomination one after the flesh one carnal from the predomining part though the worst part Every man by nature till a higher birth come may be called all flesh all fashioned and composed of the flesh and after the flesh even his spirit and mind fleshly and earthly sunk into the flesh and transformed into a bruitish quality or nature Now the great purpose of the Gospel is to bring alongs a deliverer unto your spirits for the releasing and unsettering of them from the chains of fleshly lusts This is the very work of Christianity to give liberty to the captive souls of men and the opening of the prison to them that are bound Isai. 63.1 The souls oâ— men are chained with their own fleshly â—usts and if at any time they can break these grosser chains aâ—â—ome â—iner spirits have escaped out of the vilest
in lesser things and shall we be mad self-willed and refractory in the greatest thing that concerns us eternally O! unbelief is that which will condemn the world the unbelief of this one thing that the walking aâ—â—er and minding of the flesh is mortal and deadly Though all men confesse with their tongues this to be a truth yet it is not really believed the deep inconsideration and slight apprehension of this truth makes men boldly to walk and violently to run on to perdition Did you indeed believe that eternal misery is before you at the end of this way and would you be so cruel to your selves as to walk in it for any allurement that is in it Did you really believe That there is a precipice into utter darkness and everlasting death at the end of this alley would the pleasure and sweetness of it be able to inâ—atuat you and besott you so far as to lead you on into it like an Ox to the slaughter and a fool to the correction of the stocks It is strange indeed thou you neither will believe that death is the end of these things nor yet can you be perswaded that you do not believe it there is a twofold delusion that possesses the hearts of men one is a dream and â—ancy of escaping death though they live in sin another is a dream and fancy that they do believe that death is the wages of sin We might wonder how they consist together if we did not find it by so many experiences Your way proves that you do not believe it that death is the end of it and then your words evidence that you do not believe That you are unbelievers of that O! how desperat is the wickedness and how great is the deceitfulness of the heart The false Prophet that is in every mans bosome deceives him that it may destroy him As Satan is a liar and murderer and murders by lying so the heart of man is a self-murderer and self-destroyer and that is done by lying and dâ—ceiving There is some lie in every â—in but there is this grosse black fundamental lie at the bottom of all sin A conceit of immunity and freedom from death and hell a strong imagination of escaping danger even though such a way be chosen and walked into as of its own nature inevitably leads to destruction And there is something of this bloody murdering flattery even in the hearts of Christians therefore this Apostle gives us an antidot against it and labours often to purge it out by stirring up that knowledge they have received Know you not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the Kingdom of God 1 Cor. 6.9 Be not deceived God is not mocked for what a man soweth that he shall reap he that soweth to the flesh shall reap corruption c. Gal. 6.7 8. O! that you might listen to this word to this watch word given you and stop your course at least for a season to think what shall be the latter end know ye not that such shall not inherit the Kingdom know you not that the way to heaven lyes upward know you not that your way lyes downward towards the flesh and the earth are you so far demented as to think to come to Heaven by walking just downward in the lusts of the flesh Truly this is the strongest and strangest inchantment that can be that you think to sow one thing and reap another thing to sow darkness and reap light to sow corruption and reap incorruption Is that possible in nature to sow nettle-seed and think to â—eap barley or wheat Be not deceived O that you would undeceive your poor deluded souls and know that is as natural for Death and Hell to grow out of sin and walking after the flesh as it is for every seed to yeeld its own fruit and herb Do you then think to disolve the course and order of nature Truly the flesh is mortal in it self it s ordained for corruption you see what it turns to after the life is out that is an embleme of the state of the fleshly soul after death As you did abase your spirits to the service of the flesh here and all your plowing and labouring and sowing was about it the seed which you did cast in the ground was Fleshly lusts earthly things for the satisfaction of your flesh so you shall reap of the flesh Corruption death and destruction that shall make your immortal spirits mortal and corruptible and subject them to death and corruption with the body as far as they are capable it shall deprive them of all that which is their proper life and refreshment and separat them eternally from the fountain of blessedness and banish them out of Heaven unto the fellowship of devils and Oh! that corruption of the incoruptible spiâ—it is worse then the corruption of the mortall flesh corruptio optimi pessima Now who ever of you is thus far undeceived as to believe your danger and misery and to discern that imbred delusion of your hearts be not discouraged utterly there may be hope of recovery when you see your disease I say if you see that hell is at the end of your way then know that He who sent that voice to call you off that way of death He leaves you not to your own wits to guide you into the right way but He follows with a voice behind you â—aying Here is the way walk in it turn not out of it to the right hand or left and this voice sounds plainly in the Word and it is nothing elâ—e but the sound of the Gospel that blessed sound that invites and allures you to come in to Jesus Christ the way truth and life the true way to the true life All other wayes all other lifes have no truth in them it s but a cloud a fancy that men apprehend and lay hold on But come to this way and it will truly lead thee to the true life eternal life if you flee unto him out of the apprehension of your danger you have a clear way to come to God and as plain a way to attain life and peace Being in Christ you have assurance of not falling into condemnation He is such a way as will hold you in and not suffer you to go out of it again to the way of Death And therefore he will give you a Tutor a guider and directer in this way to life and peace and that is the Holy Spirit to lead in all truth and to guide your feet in the way of his Commandments so that in this new and living way of Christ you shall have both light of the Word to know where to walk and life of the Spirit to make you walk toward that eternal life and thus grace and truth is come by Christ. Indeed you must suffer the mortification of your flesh you must endure the pain of the death of your lusts the cutting off your right hand and plucking out your right
eye which would make offend and stumble in the way but let the remembrance of the life to come sweeten it all when men undergo the hazard of losing life for a little pleasure when for a poor petty advantage men will endure so much pains and trouble O what should eternal life and such a life as the best liâ—e here is but death to it how should it mitigat and sweeten the bitterness of mortification how should it fortifie our spirits to much endurance and patience A battel we must have for these lusts that we disingage from the Devil and the World besides will lay wait for us in this way but when for such small and inconsiderable advantages men will endure all the disadvantage of war of a long war O how should the expectation of this peace which incloses and comprehends all felicity all well-being animat and strengthen us to fight in into the City of life and peace eternal SERMON XX. Rom. 8.7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God and is not subject to the Law of God neither indeed can be UNbelief is that which condemns the world it involves in more condemnation then many other sins not only because more universal but especially because it shuts up men in their misery and secludes them from the remedy that is brought to light in the Gospel By unbelief I mean not only that careless neglect of Jesus Christ offered for salvation but that which is the root of that The inconsideration and ignorance of our desperat sinfulness and irremediless misery without Christ which not being laid to heart seriously makes such slight and superficial intertainment of a Saviour and Redeemer Man is truly miserable and unhappy whether he know it or not but truly it is an accession to his misery that he knows it not that he neither apprehends what he is now by nature nor what he must shortly be made by Justice Indeed if there were no remedy to be â—ound it were a happy ignorance To be ignorant of misery the knowledge and remembrance of it could do nothing but add unto the bitterness of it if a man might bury it in eternal forgetfulness it were some ease But now when God hath in His mercy so appointed it that the beginning of the belief of sin and misery shall in a manner be the end of miserâ— and seing whether men know it or not they must shortly be made sensible of it when there is no remedy to be â—ound then certainly it is the hight of mans misery That he knows and considers it not If we would apply our hearts at length to hear what God the Lord speaks for he only can give account of man to himselâ— we might have a survey of both in these words and the preceeding of our desperat wickedness and of our intollerable misery for the present by nature we are enemies to God and shortly we must be dealt with as enemies as rebels to the most potent and glorious King be punished with death an endless living death Experience shews how hard a thing it is to perswade you that you are really under the sentence of death you will not suffer your hearts to believe your danger left it interrupt your present pleasures of sin Nay you will flatter your selves with the fancied hope of immunity from this curse and account it a cruel and rigorous Doctrine That so many creatures made by God should be eternally miserable or a sentence of it should be past on all flesh Now that which makes us hardly to believe this is the unbelief and deep inconsideration of your sinfulnesse therefore the Apostle to make way for the former adds Because the carnal mind is enmity against God Do not wonder then that your wayes and courses your affections and inclinations bring forth that ghostly and dreadfull end of death seing all these are enmity to the greatest King who alone hath the power of life and death They have a perfect contâ—ariety to His holy Nature and righteous Will not only is the carnal mind an enemy but enmity it self and therefore it is most suitable that the soveraign power of that King oâ— kings stretched out to the vindication of His Holiness and Righâ—eousness by taking vengeance on all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men If rebellion in a State or Monarchy against these petty mortal gods who shall die as men be so hainous as to deâ—erve death by the consent of all Nations how much more shall enmity and rebellion against the immortal eteâ—nal King who hath absolute right and dominion over his creatures as over the clay have such a suitable recompence of eternal death Now my beloved if you once believed this the enmity and opposition of your whole natures to God you could not but fearfully apprehend what might be the issue of it you could not blesse your selves as you do and put the evil day far off but certainly you would be affrighted with the terrour and Majesty of that God you have to do with whom when he awakes to judgment you can neither resist nor escape no standing against his wrath and no fleeing from it out of His Dominions and this would dispose and incline your minds in time to heaâ—ken â—o the treaty of peace which is holden out in the Gospel and to lay down the weapons of your enmity and make peace with Him in His Son the Peace-maker Amity and Unity is the very being and beauty of the world This universe is made up of innumerable different kinds and natures and all these climb and walk together by the bond of peace and concord among themselves and with that One high understanding that directs all and supream will of God that moves all It is that link of union with God that gives and preserves being and beauty in all the creatures as the dependence of the ray upon the Sun or the stream on the fountain makes them what they are which being interrupted they cease to be what they were All things continue as thou hast ordained them for all are thy servants Ps. 119.91 You see then this amity and union of subordination of the creatures to God is not dissolved to this day But woâ—ull and wretched man alone hath withdrawn from this subordination and dissolved this sacred tye of happy friendship which at first he was liâ—ted up unto and priviledged with Amity and friendship you know consists in an union of hearts and wills and a communion of all good things it makes two one as much as two can be by the conspiracy of their affections in one thing and the joynt concurrence of their endeavours to communicat to one another what each hath it takes away propriety and it makes a community between persons Now how happy was that amity how blessed that friendship between God and man Though mans goodness could not extend to God yet his soul united to God by love and delight and all that God had given him returning that to
truly these are but shadows and that is the body or substance and because an union that is mutual is nearest it is often so expressed as it imports an interchangeable relation a reciprocal conjunction with Christ. The knot is cast on both sides to make it strong Christ in us and we in him God dwelling in us and we in Him and both by this one Spirit 1 Joh. 4.13 Hereby we know that God dwelleth in us and we in him by his Spirit which he hath given us You find it often in Iohn who being most possessed with the love of Christ and most sensible of his love could best expresse it I in them and they in me He that keepeth his commands dwelleth in Him and he in Him as the names of married persons are spelled through other so doth he spell out this in-dwelling it s not cohabitation but inhabitation neither that alone singlely but mutual inhabitation which amounts to a kind of Penetration the most intimat and immediat presence imaginable Christ â—welleth in our hearts by faith and we dwell in Christ by love Eph. 17. and 1 John 4. Death bringeth him into the heart for it is the very â—pplication of a Saviour to a sinfull soul. It is the very applying of his blood and sufferings to the wound that sin hath made in the conscience the laying of that sacrifice propitiatory to the wounded conscience is that which heals it pacifies it and calms it A Christian by receiving the offer of the Gospel cordially and affectionatly brings in Christ offered into his house and then salvation comes with him Therefore believing is receiving John 1. the very opening of the heart to let in an offered Saviour and then Christ thus possessing the heart by faith He works by love and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God and God in him Love hath this special vertue in it that it transports the soul in a manner out of it self to the beloved Cant. 1.9 anima est ubi amat non ubi animat the fixing and establishing of the heart on God is a dwelling in Him for the constant and most continued residence of the most serious thoughts and aâ—fections will be their dwelling in the all fulness and riches of grace in Jesus Christ as the spirit dwelleth where he worketh so the soul dwelleth where it delighteth its complacency in God maketh a frequent issue or outgoing to Him in desires and breathings after Him And by means of this same God dwelleth in the heart for love is the opening up of the inmost chamber of the heart to Him it brings in the beloved in to the very secrets of the soul to lye all night betwixt His breasts as a bundle of myrrhe Cant. 1.13 And indeed all the sweet odours of holy duties and all the performing of good works and edifying speeches spring out only and are sent forth from this bundle of myrrhe that lyes betwixt the breasts of a Christian in the inmost of his heart from Christ dwelling in the affections of the soul. Now this being the bond of union betwixt Christ and us it follows necessarily that whoever hath not the Spirit of Christ he is none of His and this is subjoyned for prevention or removal of the misapprehensions and delusions of men in their self-judgings Because self-love blinds our eyes and maketh our hearts deceive themselves we are given to this self-flattery to pretend and claim to an interest in Jesus Christ even though there be no more evidence for it then the external relation that we have to Christ as members of his visible body or partakers of a common influence of his Spirit There are some external bonds and tyes to Christ which are like a knot that may easily be loosed if any thing get hold of the end of it as by our relations to Christ by baptisme hearing the word your outward covenanting to be his people all these are loose unsure knots It is as easie to untie them as to tie them yea and more easie and yet many have no other relation to Christ then what these make But it is only the Spirit of Christ given to us that intitles and interesseth us in Him and Him in us it s the Spirit working in your souls mightily and continually making your hearts temples for the offering of the sacrifice of prayer and praises casting out all idols out of these temples that He alone may be adored and worshipped by the affectionate service of the heart purging them from all filthinesse of flesh and spirit It is the Spirit I say thus dwelling in men that maketh them living members of the true body of Christ lively joyned to the head Christ this maketh him yours and you his by vertue of this He may command you as His own and you may use and imploy Him as your own Now for want of this in most part of men they also want this living saving-interest in Christ they have no real but an imaginary and notional propriety and right to the Lord Jesus for Christ must first take possession of us by His Spirit before we have any true right to Him or can willingly resign our selves to Him and give Him right over us What shall it profite us my beloved to be called Christians and to esteem our selves so if really we be none of Christs shall it not highten our condemnation so much the more that we desire to passe for such and give out our selves so and yet have no inward aquaintance and interest in Him whose name we love to bear Are not the most part shadows and pictures of true Christians bodies without the soul of Christianity that is the Spirit of Christ whose hearts are treasures of wickednesse and deceit and storâ—-houses of iniquity and ignorance It may be known what treasure fills the heart by that which is the constant and common vent of it as our Saviour speakes Matth 15.19 and 12.34 35. Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks the feet walks and the hand works Consider then if the Spirit of God dwelleth in such unclean habitations and dark dungeons certainly no uncleanness or darkness of the house can hinder him to come in but â—t is a sure argument and evidence That he is not as yet come in becausâ— the Prince of darkness is not yet cast out of many souls nor yet the unclean spirits that lodge within these haunt your hearts and are as familiar now as ever Sure I am many souls have never yet changed their guests and it is as sure that the fiâ—st guest that taketh up the soul iâ— darkness and desperat wickedness with imparalelled deceitfulness there is an accurâ—ed trinity in stead of that blessed Tâ—inity the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit and when this holy Tâ—inity cometh in to dwell that other of Hell must go out Now my beloved do you think this a light matter To be disowned by Jesus Christ Truly the word of Christ which is the
character of all our evidences and rights for Heaven disowns many as bastards and dead members withered branches and certainly according to this word He will judge you the word that I have spoken shall judge you in the last day O that is a heavy word you have the very rule and method of proceeding laid down before you now which shall be punctually kept at that great day Now why do you not read your ditty and condemnatory sentence here registred If you do not read it now in your consciences he will one day read it before men and Angels and pronounce this I know you not for mine you are none of mine But if you would now take it to your hearts there might be hope that it should go no further and come to no more publick hearing there were hope that it should be repealed before that day because the fiâ—st entry of the Spirit of Christ is to convince men of sin that they are unbelievers and without God in the world and if this were done then it were more easie to convince you of Christs righteousnesse and perswade you to embrace it and this would lead in another link of the chain the conviction of judgement to perswade you to resign your selves to the Spirits rule and renounce the kingdom of Satan this were another trinity a trinity upon earth three bearing witnesse on the earth that you have the Spirit of God Vers. 10. All the preceeding verses seem to be purposly set down by the Apostle for the comfort oâ— Christians against the remnants of sin and corruption within them â—or in the preceeding Chapter he personâ—â—â— the whole body of Christ militant shewing in his own exâ—mple how much sin râ—mains in â—he â—â—lieâ—t in this life and this he rather instances in his own person then another that all may know that matter of continual sorrow and lamentation is furnished to the chiefest of Saints and yet in this chapter he propounds the consolation of Christâ—â—ns more generally that all may know That these priviledges and immunities belong even to the meanest and weakest of Christians that as the best have reason to mourn in themselves so the worst want not reason to rejoice in Jesus Christ. And this would alwayes be minded that the â—mplest grounds of strongest consolation are general to all that come indeed to Jesus Christ and are not restricted unto Saints of such and such a grouth and stature the common principles of the Gospel are more full of this milk of consolation if you would suck it out of them then many particular grounds which you are laying down for your selves God hath so disposed and contrived the work of our sâ—lvation that in this life he that hath gathâ—red much in some respect hath nothing over that is to say hath no more reason to boast then another but will be constrained to sit down and mourn over his own evil heart and the emptiness of it and he that hath gathered lesse hath in some sense no want I mean he is not excluded and shut out from the right to these glorious priviledges which may expresse gloriation and rejoycing from the heart that there might be an equality in the body he maketh the stronger Christian to partake with the weaker in his bitter things and the weaker with the stronger in his sweet things that none of them may conceive themselves either dispised or alone regarded that the Eunuoh may not have reason to say I am a dry tree Isa. 56.3 For behold the Lord will give even to such a place in his house and a name better then of sons and daughters The soul that is in sincerity aming at this walk and whose inward deâ—ires â—â—irrs after more of this holy Spirit he will not refuse to such that name and esteem that they dare not take to themselves because of their seen and selâ— unworthinesse Now in thiâ— vers he proceeds further to the fruits and effects of sin dwelling in us to enlarge the consolation against that too Now if Christ be in you the body c. Seeing the word of God hath made such a connexion between â—in and deâ—th and death is the wages of sin and that which is â—he 〈◊〉 compence of enmity and rebellion â—gainst God the poor tâ—oubled soul might be ready to conceive That is the body be adjudged to death for sin that â—he rest of the wages shall be payed and sin haviâ—g so much dominion as to kill the body that it should exerce its full power to destroy all seing we have a visible character of the curse of God engraven on us in the mortality of our bodies it may look with such a visage on a soul troubled for sin as if it were but earnest of the full curse and weight of wrath and that sin were not fully satisfied for nor Justice fully contented by Christs ransome Now he opposes to this misconception the strongest ground of consolation If Christ be in you though your bodies must die for sin because sin dwelleth in them yet that spirit of life that is in you hath begun eternal life in your soulâ— your spiâ—its are not only immortal in being but that eternal happy being is begun in you the seeds of it are cast into your souls and shall certainly grow up to perfection of holiness and happiness and this through the righteousnesse of Christ which assureth that state unto you The comfort is it is neither total for it is only the death of your bodie nor is it perpetual for your bodies shall be raised again to life eternal vers 11. And not only is it only part and for a season but it is for a blessed end and purpose it is that sin may be wholly cleansed out that this tabernacle is taken down as the â—eprous houses were to be taken down under the Law and as now we use to cast down Pest-lodges the better to cleanse them of the infection It is not to prejudge him of life but to install him in a better life Thus you see that it is neither total nor perpetual but it is medicinal and profitable to the soul it is but the death of the body for a moment and the life of the soul for ever SERMON XXVII Rom. 8.10 And if Christ be in you the body is dead because of sin c. THis is the high excellency of Christian Religion that it contains the most absolute precepts for an holy life and the greatest comforts in death for from theâ—e two the truth and excellency of Religion is to be measured if it have the highest and perfectest rule of walking and the chiefest comfort withall Now the perfection of Christianity you saw in the rule how spiritual it is how reasonable how divine how free from all corrupt mixture how transcending all the most exquiâ—ite precepts and laws of men deriving a holy converâ—ation from the highest fountain the Spirit of Christ and conforming it to the highest pattern the will of God And
Christ hath continued our mortality Else he would have abolished death it self if he had not meant to abolish sin by death and indeed it would appear this is the reason why the world must be consumed with fire at the last day and new Heavens and earth succeed in its room because as the little house the body so the great house the world was infected with this leprosie so subjected to vanity and corruption because of mans sin therefore that there might be no remnant of mans corruption and no memorial of sin to inteâ—upt his eternal joy the Lord will purify and change all all the members that were made instruments of unrighteousness all the creatures that were servants to mans lusts a new form and fashion shall be put on all that the body being restored may be a fit dwelling place for the purified soul and the world renewed may be a â—it house for righteous men Thus you see that Death to a Christian is not real death for it is not the death of a Christian but the death of sin his greatest enemy it is not a punishment but the enlargement of the soul. Now the next comfort is that which is is but partial it is but the dissolution of the lowest part in man his body so far from prejudging the immortal life of his spirit that it is rather the accomplishment of that Though the body must die yet eternal life is begun already within tâ—e soul for the Spirit of Christ hath brought in life the Righteousnesse of Christ hath purchased it and the Spirit hath performed it and applyed it to us not only there is an immortal being in a Christian that must survive the dust for that is common to all men but there is a new life begun in him an immortal well being in joy and happinesse which only deserveth the name of life that cometh never to its full perfection till the bodily and earthly house be taken down If you consider seriously what a new life a Câ—â—istâ—â—n is â—â—â—aâ—lated unto by the operation of the Holy Ghost and the ministration of the word it is then most active and lively when the soul is most retired from the body in meditation the new life of a Christian is most perfect in this life when it carrieth him the furthest distance from his bodily senses and is most abstracted from all sensible engagements as you heard for indeed it restores the spirit of a man to its native rule and dominion over the body so that it is then most perfect when it is most gâ—thered within it self and disingaged from all external intanglements Now certain it is since the perfection of the soul in this life consists in such a retirement from the body that when it is wholly separated from it then it is in the most absolute state of perfection and its life â—cts most purely and peâ—fectly when it hath no body to communicat with and to entangle it either with its lusts or necessities The Spirit is life it hath a life now which is then best when furthest from the body and therefore it cannot but be surpassing better when it is out of the body and all this is purchaâ—ed by Christs righteousnesse As mans disobedience made an end of his life Christs obedience hath made our life endlesse He suffered death to sting him and by this hath taken the sting from it and now there is a new statute and appointment of Heaven published in the Gospel whosoever believeth in Him shall not perish but have eternal life Now indeed this hath so intirely châ—nged the nature of death that iâ— hath noâ— the most lovely and desirable aspect on a Christian that it is no more an object of fear but of desire amicable not terrible unto him since there is no way to save the passenger but to let the vessel break he will be content to have the body splitted that himself that is his soul may escape for truly a mans soul is himself the body is but an earthly tabernacle that must be taken down to let the inhabitant win out to come near his Lord the body is the Prison-house that he groans to have opened that he may enjoy that liberty of the sons of God And now to a Christian death is not properly an object of patience but of desire rather I desire to be dissolved and be with Christ Phil. 1.23 He that hath but advanced little in Christianity will be content to die but because there is too much flesh he will desire to live but a Christian that is riper in knowledge and grace will rather desire to die and only be content to live he will exercise patience and submission about abiding here but groanings and pantings about removing hence because he knoweth that there is no choice between that bondage and this liberty SERMON XXIX Rom. 8.10 The body is dead because of sin but the Spirit is life c. IT was the first curse and threatning wherein God thought fit to comprehend all misery Thou shalt die the death in that day thou eatest though the sentence was not presently executed according to the letter yet from that day â—orward man was made mortal and there seemeth to be much mercy and goodness of God interveening to plead a delay of death it self that so the promise of life in the second Adam might come to the first and his posterity and they might be delivered â—rom the second death though not from the first Alwayes we bear about the markes of sin in our bodies to this day and in so far the threatning taketh place that this life that we live in the body is become nothing else but a dying life the life that the ungodly shall live out oâ— the body is a living death and either of these is worse then simple death or destruction of beeing The serious contemplation of the miseries of this life made wise Solomon to praise the dead more then the living contrary to the custom of men who rejoyce at the birth of a man-child and mourn at their death yea it pressed him further to think them which have not at all been better then both because they have not seen the evil under the Sun this world is such a Chaos such a masse of miseries that if men understood it before they came into it they would be far more loath to enter into it then they are now afraid to go out of it And truly we want not remembrances and representations of our misery every day in that children come weeping into the world as it were bewailing â—heir own misfortune that they were brought forth to be sensible subjects of misery And what is all our life-time but a repetition of sighs and groanâ— anxiety and satiety loathing and longing dividing our spiâ—its and our time between them How many deaths must we suffer before death come for the absence or losse of any thing much desired is a sepâ—ration no lesse gâ—ievous to the hearts of men
then the paâ—ting of soul and body for affection to temporal peâ—ishing things unites the soul so unto them that there is no parting without pain no dissolution of that continuity without much vexation and yet the soul must suffer many such tortures in one day because the things are perishing in their own nature and uncertain What is sleep which devours the most part of our time but the very image and picture of death a visible and daily representation of the long cessation of the sensitive life in the grave and yet truly it is the best and most innocent part of our time though we accuse it often there is both lesse sin and lesse misery in it for it is almost the only leniment and refreshment we get in all our miseries Iobâ—ought â—ought it to asswage his grief and ease his body but it was the extremity of his misery that he could not find it Now my beloved when you find that which is called life subject to so much misery that you are constrained often to desire you had never been born you find it a valley of tears a house of mourning from whence all true delight and solid happiness is banished seing the very Officers and Serjeants of death are continually surrounding us and walk alongs with us though unpleasant company in our greatest contentments and are putting marks upon your doors as in the time of the Plague upon houses infected Lord have mercy upon us and are continually bearing this motto to our view and â—ounding this direction to our earâ— cito procul diu to get soon out of Sodom that is appointed for destruction to fly quickly out of our selves to the refuge appointed of God even one that was dead and is alive and hath redeemed us by his blood and to get far off from our selves and take up dwelling in the blessed Son oâ— God through whose flesh there is accesse to the Father seing all these I say are so why do not we awake our selves upon the sound of the promise of immortality and life brought to our ears in the Gospel Mortality hath already seized upon our bodies but why do ye not catch hold of this opportunity of releasing your souls from the chains and setters of eternal dâ—ath Truly my beloved all that can be spoken of torments and miseries in this life I suppose we could imagine all the exquisite torments invented by the most cruel tyrants since the beginning to be combined in some one kind of torture and would tâ—â—n stâ—etch our imagination beyond that as far as that which is compoâ—ed of all torments surpasseth the simplest death yet we do not conceive nor expresse unto you that death to come Believe it when the soul is out of the body it is a most pure activity all sense all knowledge and seing where it is dulled and dampished in the body it is capable of so much grief or joy pleasure or pain we may conclude That being loosed from these stupifying earthly chains that it is capable of infinit more vexation or contentation in a higher anâ— purer strain Therefore we may conclude with the Apostle that all men by nature are miserable in life but infinitly more miserable in death only the man who is in Jesus Christ in whose spirit Christ dwells and hath made a temple of his body for offering up reasonable service in it that man only is happy in life but far happier in death happy that he was born but infinitly more happy that he was born mortal born to die for if the body be dead because of sin the spirit is life because of righteousnesse Men commonly make their accompts and calculat their time so as if death were the end of it truly it were happinesse in the generality of men that that computation were true either that it had never begâ—n or that it might end here for that which is the greatest dignity and glory of a man his immortal soul it is truly the greatest misery of sinful men because it capacitats them for eternal misery But if we make our accompts right and take the right period truly death is but the beginning of our Time of endlesse and unchangeable endurance either in happinesse or misery and this life in the body which is only in the view of the short-sighted sons of men is but a strait and narrow passage into the infinit ocean of eternity but so inconsiderable it is that according as the spirit in this passage is fashioned and formed so it must continue for ever for where the tree falleth there it lyeth There may be hope that a tree will sprout again but truly there is no hope that ever the damned soul shall see a spring of joy and no fear that ever the blessed spirits shall find a winter of grief such is the evennesse of eternity that there is no shadow of change in it O then how happy are they in whose souls this life is already begun which shal then come to its Meridian when the glory of the flesh falls down like withered hay into the dust the life as well as the light of the righteouâ— is progressive its shining more and more till that day come the day of Death onâ—y worthy to be called the present day becâ—â—se it brings perfection it mounts the soul in the highest point of the Orb and there is no declining from that again The spirit is now alive in some holy affâ—ctions and motions breathing upwards wrestling towards that point the soul is now in paâ—t united to the fountain of life by loving attendance and obedience and it iâ— longing to be more clâ—â—ly united the inward senses are exercisâ—â— about spiritual thingâ— but the burden of this clayie mansion dotâ— much dull and damp them and proves a great Remora to the spiriâ— the body indispoâ—es and weakens the soul much its life as in an Infant though a reasonable soul be there yet overwhelmed with the incapacity of the organs this body is truly a prison of restraint and confinement to the â—oul and often loathsome and ugly through the filthinesse of sin But when the spirit is delivered from this necessary burden and impediment O how lively is that life it then lives then the life peace joy love and delight of the soul surmounts all that is possible here further then the highest exercise of the soul of the wisest men surpasses the bruitish-like apprehensions of an infant and indeed then the Christian comes to his full stature and is a perfect man when he ceaseth to be a man How will you not be perswaded beloved in the Lord to long after this life to have Christ foâ—med in your hearts foâ— truly the generality have not so much as Christ fashioned in their outward habit but aâ—e within daâ—knâ—sse and eaâ—thinesse and wickednesse and without impiety and prâ—fanity will you not long for this life for now you are dead while you live as the Apostle speaks of widows that live in pleasure
The more the soul be satisfied with eaâ—thly things it is the deeper buâ—ied in the grave of the flesh and the â—urther separated from God Alas many oâ— you know no other liâ—e then that which you now live in the body you neither apprehend what this new birth is nor what the perfect statuâ—e of it shall be afterwards but truly while it is thus you are but walking shadows breathing â—lâ—y and no more A godly man used to calculat the years of his nativity from his second birth his conversion to God in Christ And truly this is the true period of the â—ight calculation of life of that life which shall not see death True life hath but one period that is the beginning of it for end it hath none I beseech you reckon your years thus and I fear that you â—eckon your selves many of you yet dead in sins and trespasses Is that life I pray you To eat to drink to sleep to play to walk to work Is there any thing in all these worthy of a reasonable soul which must survive the body and so cease from such things for ever Think within your selves do you live any other life then this What is your life but a tedious and wearisome repetition of such bruitish actions which are only teâ—minat on the body O then how miserable are you if you have no other period to reckon from then your birth day If there be not a second birth day before your burial you may make your reckoning To be banished eternally from the life of God As for you Christians whom God hath quickned by the Spirit of His Son be much in the exercise of this life and that will maintain and advance it let your care be about your spirits and to hearten you in this study and to beget in you the hope of eternal life look much and lay fast hold on that Life-giving Saviour who by his righteous life and accursed death hath purchased by his own blood both happinesse to us and holinesse Consider what debters ye are to Him who loved not his own life and spared it not to purchase this life to us Let our thoughts and affections be occupied about this high purchase of our Saviours which is freely bestowed on them that will have it and believe in Him for it if we be not satisfied with such a low and wretched life as is in the body He will give a higher and more enduring life and only worthy of that name SERMON XXX Rom. 8.11 But if the Spirit of him that raised up Iesus from the dead dwell in you he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken you c. IT is true the soul is incomparably better then the body and he is only worthy the name of a Man and of a Christian who prefers this more excellent part and imploys his study and time about it and regards his body only for thâ— noble guest that lodges within it and therefore it is one of the prime consolations that Christianity affords that it provides chiefly for the happy estate of this immortal piece in man which truly were alone sufficient to draw our souls wholly after Religion suppose the body should never taste of the fruits of it but die and rise no more and never be awak'd out of its sleep yet it were a sufficient ground of engagement to godlinesse that the life and well-being of the far better part in man is secured for eternity which is infinitly more then all things beside can truly promise us or be able to perform Certainly whatsoever else you give your hearts to and spend your time upon it will either leave you in the midst of your dayes and at your end you shall be a fool or you must leave it in the end of your dayes and find your selves as much disappointed or to speak more properly because when your time is ending your life and being is but at its beginning you must bid an eternal adieu to all these things whereupon your hearts are set when you are but beginning truly to be But this is only the proper and true good of the soul Christ in it most portable and easily carried about with you yea that which makes the soul no burden to it self and helps it to carry all things easily and then most inseparable for Christ in the soul is the spring of a never-ending life of peace joy and contentation in the fountain of an infinit goodnesse and it out-wears time and age as well as the immortal beeing of the soul yea such is the strength of this consolation that then the soul is most closly united and â—ully possessed oâ— that which is its peculiar and satisfying good when it leaves the body in the dust and eâ—capes out of this pâ—iâ—on unto that glorious liberty But yet there is besides this an additional comfort comprehended in the vers read that the sleep of the body is not perpetual that it shall once be awakened and raised up to the fellowship of this glory â—or though a man should be abundantly satisfied if he possesse his own soul yet no man hateth his own flesh the soul hath some kind of natural inclination to a body suitable unto it and in this it differs from an Angel and therefore the Apostle when he expresseth his earnest groan for intimat presence oâ— his soul with Christ he subjoyns this correction not that we desire to be uncloathed but cloathed upon it 2 Cor. 5.1 2 3. If it were possible sayes he we would be glade to have the society of the body in this glory we would not desire to cast off those cloaths of flesh but rather that the garment of glory might be spread over all if it were not needful because they are old and ragged and would not suit well and our earthly Tabernacle is ruinous and would not be fit for such a glorious guest to dwell into and therefore it is needful to be taken down well then here is an overplus and as it were a surcharge of consolation that seing for the present it is expedient to put off the present cloathing of flesh and take down the present earthly house yet that the day is coming that the same cloaths renewed shall be put on and the same house repaired and made suitable to Heaven shall be built up that this mortal body shall be quickned with that same Spirit that now quickens the soul and makes it live out of the body and so the sweet and beloved friends who parted with so much pain and grief shall meet again with so much pleasure and joy and as they were sharers together in the miseries of this life sâ—all participat also in the blessednesse of the next like Saul and Ionathan lovely and pleasant in their lives and though for a time separated in death yet not alwayes divided Now is the highest top of happinesse to which nothing can be added its comprehensive of the whole man and its
raised up Christ the very first fruits of all the rest so that Christs resurrection is a sure pledge and token of yours and both together are the main basis and ground work of all our hope and salvation the neglect and inconsideration whereof makes the most part of pretended Christians to walk according to that Epicurean principle let us eat and drink for to morrow we shall die as if there were no life to come they withold nothing from their carnal minds that can satisfie or please their lusts But for you who desire a part in this resurrection and daâ—e scarcely believe so great a thing or entertain such a high hope because of the â—ight of your unworthinesse as ye would be awaked by this hope to righteousnesse and to sin no more vers 34. of that Chap. So you may encourage your selves to that hope by the resurrection of Christ for it is that which hath the mighty influence to beget you to a lively hope 1 Pet. 1.3 Look upon this as the grand intent and special design of Christs both dying and rising again that he might be the first fruits to sanctifie all the lump Nevertheless it is not he defect of your bodies for they are often a great impediment and retardment to the spirit and lodgeth the enemy within their walls when he is chased out of the mind by the Law of the Spirit of life but it is the great design of God through the whole work of redemption and the desert of Christ your head and therefore you may entertain that hope but take heed to walk worthy of it and that is if we have this hope let us purifie our selves let us who believe that we are risen with Christ set our affections on things above else we dishonour Him that is risen in our name and we dishonour that Temple of the Holy Ghost which he will one day make so glorious SERMON XXXI Rom. 8.11 But if the Spirit of him that raised up Christ from the dead c. AS there is a twofold death the death of the soul and the death of the body so there is a double resurrection the resurrection of the soul from the power of sin and the resurrection of the body from the grave as the first death is that which is spiritual then that which is bodily so the first resurrection is of the Spirit then the second of the body and these two have a connexion together therefore saith the Apostle Iohn Blessed are they who have part in the first resurrection for on such the second death hath no power but they shall be Priests to God c. Rom. 20.6 Although death must 〈…〉 their bodies yet the sting wherein the strength of it lyes is taken away by Christ that it hath no power to hurt him whose spirit is raised out of the grave of sin and truly it is hard to tell which is the greatest change or the most dificult to raise a Body out of corruption to life or to to raise a Soul out of sin to grace But both are the greatest changes that can be and shadowed out under the similitude of the greatest in nature for our conversion to God is a new birth a new creation and a resurrection in Scripture style and so both require one and the same power the almighty power of his Spirit you who were dead in sin hath He quickned c. O what a notable change it maketh them no longer the same men but new creatures and therefore it is the death of sin and the resurrection of the soul for as long as it is under the chains of darknesse and power of sin it is free among the dead it is buried in the vilest sepulchre old graves and these full of rottennesse and dead mens bones are nothing to â—xpresse the lamentable case of such a soul and yet such are all by nature whatsoever excellency or endowment men have from their birth or education yet certainly they are but apparitions rather then any real substance and which is worse their bodies is the sepulchre of their souls and if the corruption of a soul were sensible we would think all the putrifactions of bodily things but shadows of it And therefore no sooner is there any inward life begotten in a soul but this is the very fiâ—st exercise of it the abhorrency of the soul upon the sight and smell of its own loathsomnesse Now there is no hope of any reviving though all the wisdom and art of men and Angels were imployed in this businesse there is nothing able to quicken one such soul untill it please the Lord to speak such a word as he did to Lazarus Arise come forth and send his Spirit to accomplish his word and this will do it when the Spirit cometh into the soul he quickeneth it and this is the first â—esurrection O blessed are they who have part in this whose souls are drawen out of the dungeon of darknesse and ignorance and brought â—orth to behold this glorious light that shineth in the Gospel and raised out of the grave of the lusts of ignorance to live â—nto God henceforth for such they have their part in the second resurrection to life for you see these are conjoyned If the Spirit dwell in you He shall raise you c. You see here two grounds and reasons of the resurrection of the body Christs rising and the Spirits indwelling now I find these in Scripture made the two fountains of all Christianity both of the fiâ—st and second resurrection The â—esurrection of Christ is an evidence of our Justification the the cause of our quickening or vivification and the ground and pledge of our last resurrection and all these are grounds of strong consolation The first you have Rom. 4.25 Christ died for our sins and rose for our Iustification and the vers 34. of this Chap. Christ is dead yea rather that is risen again who then shall condemn Here is a clear evidence that He hath payed the debt wholly and satisfied Justice fully since He was under the power of death imprisoned by Justice certainly he would not have won free if he had not payed the uttermost farthing therefore his glorious resurrection is a sure manifestation of his present satisfaction it is a publick acquittance and absolution of him from all our debt and so by consequence of all he died for for their debt was laid upon him and now He is discharged and therefore the believing soul may tremblingly boast who shall condemn me for it is God that justifieth Why because all my sins were laid on Christ and God hath in a most solemn manner acquited and discharged him from all when he raised him from the dead and therefore he cannot and none other can sue me or prosecute a plea against me since my Cautioner is fully exonered of this undertaking even by the great Creditor God himself But then his resurrection is a pawn or pledge of the spiritual raising of the soul
from sin as the death of Christ is made the pledge of our dying to sin so his rising of our living to God Rom. 6.4 5. These are not meer paterns and examples of spiritual things but assured pledges of that divine vertue and power which he being raised again should send abroad throughout the world for as there are Coronation-gifts when Kings are solemnly installed in office so there are Coronation-mercies triumphal gifts when Christ rose and ascended he bestowed then on the world Eph. 4. And certainly these are the greatest the vertue of his death to kill the old man and the power of his resurrection to quicken the new and by faith a believer is united and ingraâ—ted into him as a plant into a choice stock and by vertue and sap coming from Christs death and resurrection he is transformed into the similitude of both he groweth into the likenesse of his death by dying to sin by crucifying these inward affections and inclinations to it and he groweth up into the similitude of his resurrection by newnesse of life or being alive to God in holy desires and endeavours after holinesse â—nd obedience And thus the first resurrection of the soul floweth from Christs resurrection But add unto this that Christs rising is the pledge and pawn of the second resurrection that is of the body for He is the head and we the members now it is most incongruous that the head should rise and not draw up the members after him certainly he will not cease till He have drawen up all his memâ—ers to him if the head be above water it is a sure pledge that the body will win out of the water if the root be alive certainly the branches will shoot out in Spring-time they shall live also There is that connexion betwixt Christ and believers that wonderful communication between them that Christ did nothing was nothing and had nothing done to him but what He did and was and sufferd personating them and all the benefiâ—e and advantage redounds to them He would not be considered of us as a person by himself but would rather be still taken in with the children as for love he came down and took flesh to be like them and did take their sin and misery off them and so was content to be looked upon by God as in the place of sinners as the chief sinner so he is content and desirous that we should look on him as in the place of sinners as dying as rising for us as having no excellency or privelege incommunicable to us And this was not hid from the Church of old but presented as the grand consolation Thy dead men shall live â—ogether with my dead body they shall rise and therefore may poor souls awake and sing though they must dwell in the dust yet as the dew and influence of Heaven maketh herbs to spring out of the earth so the vertue of this resurrection shall make the earth and sea and air to cast out and render their dead Isa. 26.19 Upon what a sure and strong chain hangs the salvation of poor sinners I wish Christians might salute one another with this Christ is risen and so comfort one another with these words or rather that every one would apply this cordial to his own heart Christ is risen and you know what a golden chain this draweth after it therefore we must rise and live The other cause which is more immediat and will actively accomplish it is the Spirit dwelling in us for there is a suitable method here too as the Lord first raised the Head Christ and will then raise the Members and he that doth the one cannot but do the other so the Spirit first raiseth the soul from that woful fall into sin which killed us and so maketh it a Temple and the body too for both are bought with a price and therefore the Spirit possesseth both but the inmost residence is in the soul and the bodily members are made servants of righteousness which is a great honour and dignity in regard of that base imployment they had once and so it is most suitable that he who hath thus dwelt in both repair his own dwelling-house for here it is ruinous and therefore must be cast down but because it was once a Temple for the Holy Ghost therefore it will be repaired and built again for he that once honoured it with his presence will not suffer corruption alwayes to dwell in it for what Christ by his humiliation and suffering purchased the Spirit hath this Commission to perform it aâ—d what is it but the restitution of mankind to an happier estate in the second Adam then ever the first was into Now since our Lord who pleased to take on our flesh did not put it off again but admits it to the fellowship of the same glory in heaven in that he died he dies no more death hath no more dominion over him he will never be wearied or ashamed of that humane clothing of flesh and therefore certainly that the children may be like the father the followers their Captain the members not disproportioned to the head the branches not different and heterogeneous to the stock and that our rising in Christ may leave no footstep of our falling no remainder of our misery therefore the Spirit of Christ will also quicken the mortal bodies of believers and make them like Christs glorious body This must be done with divine power and what more powerful then the Spirit for it is the spirits or subtil parts in all creatures that causeth all motions and worketh all effects What then is that Almighty Spirit not able to do You have shadows of this in nature yea convincing evidences for what is the Spring but a resurrection of the earth Is not the world every year renewed and riseth again out of the grave of Winter as you find it elegantly expressed Psal. 107. and doth not the grains of seed die in the â—lods beâ—ore they rise to the harvest 1 Cor. 15. All the vicissitudes and alterations in nature give us a plain draught of this great change and certainly it is one Spirit that effects all But though there be the same power required to raise up the bodies of the godly and ungodly yet O what infinit distance and difference in the nature and ends oâ— their resurrections there is the resurrection of life and the resurrection of condemnation Joh. 5.29 O happy they who rise to life that ever they died but O miserable thrice wretched are all others that they may not be dead for ever The immortality of the souls was infinit misery because it is that which eternizes their misery but when this overplus is added the incorruptibility of the body and so the whole man made an inconsumable subject for that fire to seed upon perpetually what heart can conceive it without horrour and yet we hear it often without any such affection It is a strange life that death is the only
refreshment of it and yet this may not be had they shall seek death and it shall flee from them Now my beloved I would desire this discourse might open way for the hearty and cordial intertainment of the Gospel and that you might be perswaded to awake unto righteousness and sin no more 1 Cor. 15.34 Be not deceived my brethren flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God Certainly if you have no other image then what you came in the world withall you cannot have this hope to be conformed one day to the glorious Body of Christ What will become of you in that day who declare now by the continued vent of your hearts that this holy Spirit dwells not in you and alas how many are such Oh pity your selves your souls and bodies both If for love to your bodies ye will follow its present lusts and care only for the things of the body you act the greatest enmity and hostility against your own bodies Consider I beseech you the eternal state of both and your care and study will run in another channel And for you who have any working of the Spirit in you whether convicing you of sin and misery and of righteousness in Christ or sometimes comforting you by the word applyed to your heart or teaching you another way then the world walks into I recommend unto you that of the Apostles 1 Cor. 15.58 Wherefore my brethren be stedfast c. alwayes abounding in the work of the Lord knowing your Labour is not in vain SERMON XXXII Rom. 8.12 Therefore brethren we are debters not to the flesh to live after the flesh c. ALL things in Christianity have a near and strait conjunction it is so intire and absolute a piece that if one link be loosed all the chain falls to the ground and if one be well fastned upon the heart it brings all alongs with it some speak of all truths even in nature that they are knit so together that any truth may be concluded out of every truth at least by a long circuit of deduction and reasoning but whatsoever be of that certainly Religion is a more intire thing and all the parts of it more nearly conjoyned together that they may mutually enforce one another Precepts and promises are thus linked together that if any soul lay hold indeed upon any promise of grace he draws alongs with it the obligation of some precept to walk suitable to such precious promises There is no encouragement you can indeed fasten upon but it will joyn you as nearly to the commandment and no consolation in the Gospel that doth not carry within its bosome an exhortation to holy walking Again on the other hand there is no precept but it should lead you straight way to a promise no exhortation but it is invironed before and behind with a strong consolation to make it pierce the deeper and go down the sweeter Therefore you see how easily the Apostle digresseth from the one to the other how sweetly and pertinently these are interwoven in his discourse The first word of the Chapter is a word of strong consolation there is no condemnation to them that are in Christ and this like a flood carries all down with it all precepts and exhortations and the soul of a believer with them and therefore he subjoyns an exhortation to holy and spiritual walking upon that very ground and because commandments of this nature will not float so to speak unlesse they have much water of that kind and cannot have such a swift course except the tide of such encouragements flow fast therefore he openeth that spring again in the preceeding words and letteth the rivers of consolation flow forth even the hope of immortality and eternal life and this certainâ—y will raise up a soul that was on ground and carry him above in motion of obedience and therefore he may well in the next place stir them up to their duty and mind them of their obligation Therefore brethren we are debters not to the flâ—sh To make this the more effectual he drops it in with affection in a sweet compellâ—â—ion of love and equality Brethren There is nothing so powerful in perswation as love it will sweeten a bitter and unpleasant reproof and make it go down more easily though it maketh lesse noise than threatnings and severity and authority yet it is more forcible for it insinuats it self and in a manner surpriseth the soul and so preventeth all resistance as when the Sun maâ—e the traveller part with his cloak whereas the wind and rain made him hold it faster so affection will prevail where authority and terrour cannot it will melt that which a stronger power cannot break the story of Elijah 1 King 19. may give some representation of this the Lord was not in the strong wind nor in terrible earth-quake nor yet in the fire but in the calm still voice The Lord hath chosen this way of publishing his grace in the Gospel because the sum of it is love to sinners and good-will towards men he holds it forth in the calm voice of love and these who are his ambassadors should be cloathed with such an affection iâ— they intend to prevail with men to engage their affections O that we were possessed with that brotherly love one towards anotâ—er for the salvation one of another especially that the Preachers of the Gospel might be thus kindly affectioned towards others and that ye would take it thus the calling you off the wayes of sin as the act of the greatest love But then consider the equality oâ— this obligation for there is nothing pressed upon you but what lyeth as heavily upon them that presseth it this debt binds all O that the Ministers of the Gospel could carry the impression of this on their hearts that when they perswade others they may withall perswade themselves and when they speak to others they may sit down among the hearers If an Apostle of so eminent dignity levelleth himself in this consideration Therefore brethren we are debters how much more ought Pastors and Teachers come in the same rank and degree of debt and obligation with others Truly this is the great obstruction of the successe of the Gospel that these who bind on burdens on others do not themselves touch them with one of their fingers and while they seem serious in perswading others yet withall declare by their carriage that they do not believe themselves what they bear upon others so that preaching seemeth to be an imposture and affections in perswading â—f otheâ—â— to be borrowed as it were in a scene to be laid down again out of it But then again there is a misconceit among people that this holy and spiritual walking is not of common obligation but peculiar to the preachers of the Gospel Many make their reckoning so as if they were not called to such high aims and great endeavours but truly my beloved this is a thing of common concernment
are debters indeed but you owe nothing to the flesh but stripes and mortification SERMON XXXIV Rom. 8.13 For if ye live after the flesh ye shall die but if ye through the Spirit c. THough the Lord out of his absolute Soveraignty might deal with man in such a way as nothing should appear but his supream Will and Almighty Power he might simply command obedience and without any more perswasions either leave men to the frowardnesse of their own natures or else powerfully constrain them to their duty yet he hath chosen that way that is most suitable to his own wisdom and most connatural to mans nature To lay out before him the advantages and disadvantages and to use these as motives and perswasives of his Spirit for since He hath by his first creation implanted in mans soul such a principle as moveth it self upon the presentation of good or evil that this might not be in vain he administers all the dispensation of the Law and Gospel in a way suitable to that by propounding such powerful motives as may incline and perswade the heart of man It is true there is a secret drawing withall necessary the pull of the Fathers arm and power of the Holy Ghost yet that which is visible or sensible to the soul is the framing of all things so as to engage it upon rational terms it is set between two contraries death and life death which it naturally abhoâ—reth and life which it naturally loveth an even ballance is holden up before the light of the conscience in which obedience and sin are weighed and it is found even to the convincing of the spirit of man that there are as many disadvantages in the one as advantages in the other This was the way that God used fiâ—st with man in Paradise you remember the terms â—un to what day thou eats thou shalt die he hedged him in on the one side by a promisâ— of life on the other by a threatning of death and these two are very rational restraintâ— â—uited to â—he â—oul of man and in the inward principles of it which are a kind of instinct to that which is appâ—ehenâ—ed good or gainfull Now this vers â—uns even so in the form of words If ye live after the flesh ye shall die you see thiâ— method is not changed under the Gospel for indeed it is natuâ—al to the spiâ—it of man and he hath now much more need of all such peâ—swasions because there is a great change of mans inclination to the woâ—st side all within is so disordered and perverse that a thousand hedges of perswasive grounds cannot do that which one might have done at fiâ—st then they were added out of superabundance but now out of necessity then they were set about man to preserve him in his natural â—â—ame and inâ—linations but now they are needfull to change and alter them quite which is a kind of creation therefore sayeth David creat in me a new spirit and therefore the Gospel abounds in vaâ—ieâ—y of motives and inducementâ— in greater variety oâ— far moâ—e powerâ—ul inducements then the Law Heâ—e is that grâ—aâ— peâ—swasiâ—n tâ—kâ—n fâ—om the infinit gain or lâ—sse of â—â—e â—â—ul of man which is any thing be able to prevail this must do seing it is seconded wiâ—h some natural inclination in the soul of man to seek its own gain Yet there is a diâ—â—erence between the nature of such like promises and threatningâ— in the fiâ—st covenant and in the second In the fiâ—st covenant though life was freely promised â—et it was immediatly annexed to perâ—ect obedience as a consequent â—eward oâ— it it was fiâ—stly pâ—omised unto compleat â—ighteousnesse of mens persons But in the second covenant firstly and principally liâ—e eteâ—nal grace and glory is promised to Jesus Christ and his â—eed antecedent to any condition or qualification upon their part and then again all the promises that run in way of condition as he that believeth shâ—ll not perish c. If ye walk after the Spirit ye shall live these aâ—e all the consequent fruits of that absolute gracious disposition and resignation of grace and life to them whom Christ hath chosen and so their believing and walking and obeying cometh in principally as parts of the grace promised and as witnesses and evidences and confirmations of that life which is already begun and will not see an end Besides that by vertue of these absolute promises made to the seed of Christ and Christs compleat performance of all conditions in their name the promises of life are made to faith principally which hath this peculiar vertue To cary forth the soul to anothers righteousnesse and sufficiency and to bottom it upon another and in the next place to holy walking though mixed with many infirmities which promise in the first covenant was only annexed to perfect and absolute obedience You heard in the preceeding vers a strong inducement taken from the bond debt and duty we owe to the Spirit to walk after it and the want of all obligation to the flesh Now if honesty and duty will not suffiâ—e to perswade you as you know in other things it would do with any honest man plain equity is a sufficient bond to him yet consider what the Apostle subjoynes from the dammage and from the advantage which may of it self be the Topickes of perswasion and serves to drive in the nail of debt and duty to the head if ye will not take with this debt ye owe to the Spirit but still conceive there is some greater obligation lying on you to care for your bodies and satisfie them then I say behold the end of it what fruit you must one day reap of the flesh and service of sin If ye live after the flesh ye shall die but then consider the fruit you â—hall reap of the Spirit and holy walking ye shall live It is true the flesh may flatter you more for the present but the end of it will be bitter as death amplâ—ctitur ut strangulet the flesh imbraces you that it may strangle you and so if you knew all well you would not think you owed it any thing but enmity and hatred and mortification If your duty will not move you let the love of your selves and your souls perswade you for it is an irrepealable statute The wages of sin is death Every way you choose to fulfill the lusts of your flesh and to make provision for it neglecting the eternal welfare of your souls certainly it shall prove to you the tree of the knowledge of good and evil it shall be as the forbidden fruit which in stead of performing that was promised will bring forth death the eternal separation of the soul from God Adam's sin was an Breviary or Epitome of the multiplied and enâ—arged sins of mankind you may see in this tragedy all your fortuns so to speak you may behold in it the flattering insinuations and deceitful promises of sin and Satan who is a liar
who only think it easie because they have never tryed it It is a Circumcision of the foreskin of the heart and you know how it disabled a whole City Gen. 34. and how it enraged the heart of a tender mother Exod. 4 26. It is the incision or cutting off a member and these the most dear and precious be it the right hand or right foot which is a living death as it were even to kill a man while he is alive It is a new birth and the pains and throws of the birth are known Regeneration certainly hath a travelling pain within it in so much that Paul travelled in pain till it were accomplished in these Galat. 4.19 Though men conceive sin in pleasure yet they cannot be rid of that deadly burden without throws and pain and to half this work or to be remiss and negligent in it is â—s foolish and unwise as for a child to stay long in the place of breaking forth as the Lord complains of Ephraim Hos. 13.13 He is an unwise son for he should not stay long in the place of breaking forth of children It is one of the greatest follies not to labour by all means to be rid of the inâ—umbrances of sin Much violence offered to it and a total resignation of our selves to God may be great pain but it is short pain then the pleasure is greater and continues But now Christians lengthen their pain and draw out their crosse and vexation to a great extent because they deal negligently in the businesse they suffer the Canaanites to live and these are thorns and briers in their sides continually Then this businesse is called Mortification as the word is here and Col. 3.5 which imports a higher degree of pain for the agonies of death are terrible and to hold it out yet more the most painful and lingering kind of death is chosen to expresse it Crucifiction Gal. 5.24 Now indeed that which makes the forsaking of sin so grievous to flesh and blood is the engagements of the soul to it the onenesse that is between it and our natures as they are now fallen for you know pain ariseth upon the dissolution or division of any thing that is continued or united and these things that are so nearly conjoyned it is hard to separat them without much violence And truly as the Kingdom of Heaven suffers violence so we must offer violence to our selves to our lusts and inclinations who are almost our selves And if ye would be truly Christians this must be your businesse and imployment to cut off these things that are dearest unto you to cast out the very idols your hearts sacrifice unto and if there be any thing more one with you than another to endeavour to break the bond with that and to be at the furthest distance with it It is easie to perswade men to forsake some sins and courses that they are not much inâ—lined to and find not much pleasure or profit by them You may do that and be but dead in sins but if you aim at true mortification indeed you would consider what are the chief idols and predominant inclinations of your heart and as to set your self impartially against all known sin so particularly against the most beloved sin because it interrupts most the communion of God and separates from youâ— Beloved and the dearer it be the more dangerous certainly it is But to encourage and hearten you to this I would have you look back to that former victory that Christ hath gained in our name and look about you to the assistance you have for the present the Spirit to help you Truly my beloved this will be a dead businesse if you be not animated and quickned by these considerations that Christ died to sin and lived to God and that in this He was a publick person representing you that so you may conclude with Paul I am crucified with Christ Gal. 2.20 We are buried with him by baptism into his death Rom. 6.4 Consider that mystical union with Christ crucified and life shall spring out of his crosse out of his grave to kill sin in you That the great businesse is done already and victory gained in our head this is our victory even faith Believe and then you have overcome before you overcome and this will help you to overcome in your own persons And then conâ—ider and look round about to the strong helper you have the Spirit If ye through the Spirit mortifie c. Stronger is he that is in you then he that is in the world though he doth not vent all his power to you yet you may believe that there is a secret latent vertue in the seed of grace that it cannot be wholly overcome or conquered and there is one engaged in the warfare with us who will never leave us nor forsake us who of set purpose withdraweth his help now and then to discover our weaknesse to us that we may cleave the faster to Him who never letteth sin get any power or gather any strength but out of wisdom to make the final victory the more glorious in a word he leads us through weaknesses infirmities faintingâ— wrestlings that his strength may be perfected in weaknesse that when we are weak then we may be strongest in Him 2 Cor. 12 9. Our duty then is to follow this Spirit wheresoever he leadeth us Christ the Captain of our Salvation when he went to Heaven he sent the Spirit to be our guider to lead us thither where he is and therefore we should resign and give up our selves to His guidance and direction The nâ—ture of a creature is dependence so the very essence of a Christian consists in dependence and subordination to the Spirit of God Nature it self would teach them that want wisdom to commit themselves to these that have it and not to carry the reins of their own life themselves Truly not only the sense of our own imperfection of our folly and ignorance in these things that belong to life should make us willing to yeeld ourselves over to the Spirit of God as blind men to their leader as children to their nurses as orphans to their Tutors but also because the Spirit is made our Tutor and leader Christ our Father hath left us to the Spirit in his latter-will and therefore as we have absolute necessity so he hath both willingnesse and ability because it is his office O Lord I know saith Jeremiah the way of man is not in himself it is not in him that walketh to direct his steps Jer. 10.23 O! it were a great point of wisdom thus to know our ignorance and folly and this is the great qualification of Christs Disciples simple as children as little children as void of conceit of their own wisdom Mark 10.15 And this alone capacitats the soul to receive the impressions of wisdom as an empty table is fittest to write upon so a soul emptied of it self whereas self-conceit draweth a number of
of hâ—s Law surâ—ound when your Conscience accuâ—eth and God condâ—mneth it may be too late and out of date Alas then wâ—at will you do who now put your conscâ—ence by and will not hearken to it or be put in fear by any thâ—ng can be represented to you we do not desiâ—e to put you in feâ—r where nâ—â—ear is but where there is infinit cause of â—ear and when it is possible that fear may introduce faith and be the forerunner oâ— these glad tidings that will compose the soul We desiâ—e only you may know what bondage you are really into whether it be observed or not that you may fear lest you be enthralled in the chains oâ— everlasting daâ—knesse and so may be perswaded to flee from it before it be irrecoverable Wâ—at a vain and empty sound is the Gospel of liberty by a Redeemer to the most paâ—t who do not feel their bondage Who believes its report or care much for it because it is necessity that casts a beauty and lustâ—e upon it or takes the scales off our eyes and opens our closed ears Now for you who either are or have been detained in this bondage under the feaâ—ful apprehension oâ— the wrath of God and the sad remembrance oâ— your sins know that this is not the prime intent and grand businesse to torment you as it were before the time there is some other more beautiful and satisfying structure to be raised out of this â—oundation I would have you improve it thus to commend the necessity the absolute necessity of a Redeemer and to make him beautiful in your eyes Do not dwell upon that as if it were the ultimat or last work but know that you are called in this rational way to come out of your selves into this glorious liberty of the sons of God purchased by Christ anâ— revealed in the Gospel Know you have not received the spirit of bondage only to fear but to drive you to faith in a Saviour and then you ought so to walk as not to return to that â—ormer thraldome oâ— the â—ear of wrath but believe his love SERMON XXXVII Rom. 8.14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God they are the sons of God Vers. 15. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear but ye have received the Spirit of adoption whereby we cry Abba Father THE liâ—e oâ— Christianity take it in it self it is the most pleasant and joyful life that can be exempted from these fears and cares these sorrows and anxieties that all other lives are subjâ—ct unto for this of necessity must be the force and efficacy of true Religion iâ— it be indeed true to its name to disburden and ease the heart and fill it with all manner of consolation Certainly it is the most rich Subject and most compleatly â—urnished with all variety of delights to enteâ—tain a soul that can be imagined Yet I must confess while we consult with the experience and practice of Christians this bold assertion seems to be much weakned and too much ground is given to confirm the contrary misappreheâ—sions of the world who take it to be a sullen melancholick and dâ—â—consolat life attended with many â—ears and sorows It is alas too evident that many Christians are kept in bondage almost all their lâ—fe-time through fear oâ— eteâ—nall death how many dismall representations of sin and wrath in the souls of some Christians which keep them in much thraldom at least who is it that is not once and often brought in bondage aâ—ter conversion and made to apprehend feaâ—fully their own estate who hath such constant uninterrupâ—ed peace and joy in the holy Ghost or lyes under such direct beams of divine favour but it is sometimes eclipsed and their souls fillâ—d with the darknes of horrour and terrour and â—ruly the most part taâ—â—e not so much sweetness in Religion as makeâ— them uncessâ—nt and unwearied in the wayes of Godliness yet not withstanding of all this wâ— must vindicat Christianity it self and not impute these things unto it which are the infirmities and faults of the followers of it who do not improve it unto such an use or use it so far as in it self it is capable Indeed it is true that oâ—ten we are brought to fear again yet withall it is certain that our allowance is larger and that we have received the Spirit not to put us in bondage again to fear but rather to seal to our hearts that love of God which may not only expell fear but bring in joy I wish that this were deeply considered by all of us that there is such a life as this attainâ—ble that the word of God doth not deceive us in promiâ—ing fair things which it cannot perform but that there is a certain realiâ—y in the life of Christianity in that peace and joy tranquility and serenity of minâ— that is holden out and that some have â—eally found it and do find it and that the reason why all of us do not find it in expeâ—ience is not because it is not but because we have so little apprehension of it and diligence after it It is strange that all men who have pursued satisfaction in the things of this life being disappointed and one generation witnessing this to another and one person to another that notwithstanding men are this day as fresh in the pursuit of that as big in the expectations as ever and yet in this business of Religion and the happiness to be found in it though the Oracles of God in all ages have testified from Heaven how certain and possible it is though many have found it in experience and left it on record to others yet there is so slender belief of the reality and certainty of it and so slack pursuit of it as if we did not believe it at all Truly my beloved there is a great mistake in this and it s generally too all men apprehend other things more â—easable and attainable then personal holinesse and happinesse in it but truly I conceive there is nothing in the world so practicable as this nothing made so easie so certain to a soul that really minds it Let us take it so then the fault is not Religions that these who professe it are subject to so much fear and care and disquieted with so much sorrow it is rather because Christianity doth not sink into the hearts and souls oâ— men but only puts a tincture on their out-side or because the â—aith of divine truths is so supeâ—ficial and the consideration oâ— them so slight that they cannot have much efficacy and influence on the heart to quiet and compose it Is it any wonder that some souls be subject again to the bondage of fear and terrour when they do not stand in aw to sin Much liberty to sin will certainly embondage the spirit of a Christian to fear Suppose a believer in Jesus Christ be exempted from the hazâ—rd of condemnation yet he
that is quickned by this new Law of the Spirit of Life for its the entry of this that expells its contrary the Law oâ— sin And indeed the Law must enter the command and the pâ—omise must enter into the soul and the affections of the soul be enlivened thereby or rather the soul changed into the similitude of that mould or else the having of it in a book or in ones memory and understanding will never make him the richer or freer A Châ—istian looks to the patern of the Law and the word of the Goâ—pel without but he must be changed into the image of it by beholding it and so he becomes a living Law to himself The Spirit writes these precepts and practices oâ— Christs in which he commands imitation upon the fleshly tables of the heart And now the Law is not a rod above his head as above a slave but it s turned into a Law oâ— love within his heart and hath something like a natural instinct in it all that men can do either to themselves or others will not purchase the least measure of â—â—eedom from predominant corruptions cannot deliver you from your sins till this free Spirit that blows where he pleases come It s our part to hoise up sails and wait for the wind to â—â—e means and wait on him in his way and oâ—der but all will be in vain till this stronger one come and cast out the strong man till this arbitrary and free wind blow from heaven and fill the sails SERMON X. Rom. 8.3 For what the Law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh God sending his own Son c. THE greatest design that ever God had in the world is certainly the sending of his own Son into the world and it must needs be some great busines that drew so excellent and glorious a person out of Heaven the plot and contrivance of the world was a profound piâ—ce of wisdom and goodness the making of men after Gods image waâ— done by a high and glorious counsel Let us make man after our image there was some thing special in this expression importing â—ome peculiar excellency in the work it self or some special depth of design about it But what think you of this consultation let one of us be made man after mans image and likeness that must be a strange piece of wisdom and grace Great is the mystery of godliness God manifested in the flesh No wonder though Paul cryed out as one swallowed up with this mystery for indeed it must be some odd matter beyond all that is in the creation wherein thâ—â—e are many mysteries able to swallow up any understanding but that in which they were first formed This must be the chief of the works of God the rarest piece of them all God to become man the Creator of all to come in the likeness of a creature he by whom all things were created and do yet consist to come in the likeness of the most wretched of all Strange that we do not dwell more in our thoughts and affections on this subject either we do not believe it or if we did we could not but be ravished with admiration at it Iohn the beloved Disciple who was often nearest unto Christ dwelt most upon this and made it the subject of his preaching that which was from the beginning which we have heard and seen and handled c. Ioh. 1.1 He speaks of that mystery as if he were imbracing Jesus Christ in his arms and holding him out to others saying Come and see This divine mystery is the subject of these words read but the mystery is somewhat unfolded and opened up to you in them yet so as it will not diminish but increase the wonder of a believing soul. It is ignorance that magnifies other mysteries which viâ—ifie through knowledge but it is the true knowledge of this mystery that makes it the more wonderful whereas ignorance only makes it common and despicable There are three things then of special consideration in the words which may declare and open unto you something of this mystery Fiâ—st what was the ground and reason or occasion of the Sons sending into the world next what the Son being sent did in the world And the third for what end and use it was What fruit we have by it The ground and reason of Gods sending his Son is because there was an impossibility upon the Law to save man which impossibility was not the Laws fault but mans defect by reason of the weakness and impotency of our flesh to fulfill the Law Now God having chosen come to life and man having put this obstruction and impediment in his own way which made it impossible for the Law to give him life though it was first given out as the way of life therefore that God should not fail in this glorious design of saving his chosen he choosed to send his own Son in the likeness of flesh as the only remedy of the Laws impossibility That which Christ being sent into the likeness of flesh did is the condemning of sin in the flesh by a sacrifice offered for sin even the sacrifice of his own body upon the crosse He came in the likeness not of flesh simply for he was really a man but in the likeness of sinful flesh though without sin yet like a sinner as to the outward appearance a sinner because subject to all these infirmities and miseries which sin did first open a door for Sin was the in-let of afflictions of bodily infirmities and necessities of death it self and when the floods of these did overflow Christs Humane Nature it was a great presumption to the world who look and judge according to the outward appeaâ—ance tâ—at â—in was the â—lâ—ce opened to let in such an inundation of calamity Now he being thus in the likeness of a sinner though not a sinner he for sin that is because of sin that had entered upon man and made life impossible to him by the Law by occasion of that great enemy of God which had conquered mankind he condemned sin in his flesh he overthrew it in its plea and power against us he condemned that which condemned us overcame it in judgment and made us free by sustaining the curse of it in his flesh he cut off all its plea against us This is the great work and business which was worthy of so noble a Messenger his own Son sent to conquer his greatest enemy that he hates most And then in the third place you see what benefite or fruit redounds to us by it What was the end and purpose of it vers 4. That the righteousness of the Law might be fulfilled in us that seing it was impossible for us to fulfill the righteousness of the Law and so became impossible to the Law to fulfill our reward of life it might be fulfilled by him in our name and so the righteousness of the Law being fulfilled in us by