found in this Relation as to take away the bitternesse of all other dispensations and providences though in other respects very averse Our Chroninicles tell us of King Edward the first when he was in forraigne parts newes was brought him at once both of the death of his father and of his son The King was exceedingly struck into sadnesse at the relation but especially at the death of his father For saith he I may have more sons but never another father We may have more friends and more estates if we lose our friends or estates but we can have no more fathers if we once lose our God we shall never have such a Father as he lose him once and all is gone Am not I said Elkanah to Hannah better to thee then ten sons Well may God say to us Am not I better to you then ten thousand sons and ten thousand times ten thousand estates All sweetnesse concenters in this Relation God is our Father we are his Children But there may be a great deal of wealth and honour 5. It is a safe estate and freedome and sweetnesse and yet no safety may attend this condition This is a safe estate that is the commendations of it This honour and riches and freedome and sweetnesse they shall all continue The servant he abideth not in the house for ever but the son abideth ever saith our Saviour Joh. 8. 35. Therefore fear not little flock saith Christ It is your Fathers pleasure to give you the Kingdome Nothing shall intervene so as to hinder a son from the Inheritance It is his Fathers good pleasure and his will shall stand to give them a Kingdome in the issue So it is clear that this is an high priviledge What use shall we make of it First examine whether we be thus preferred yea or Vse 1 no. It is that which almost every one in the visible Church Examine our selves wherher we be sons or not pretendeth to be a son and daughter of God It is therefore worth the while to try whether the Lord Jesus Christ hath made us partakers of this priviledge It is a use both for the assurance of the Saints and for the discarding of Hypocrits that are but pretenders to it They favour even those men of whom Christ saith You are of your father the Devill They pretend sonship to God Joh. 8. 41. We say they be not born of fornication we have one Father even God And yet Christ saith to them ye are of your father the Devill We are of God say they ye are of your father the Devill saith Christ One way to try this and the onely one that I will name is by the spirit of adoption If we be sons then God hath sent forth into our hearts the spirit of adoption by which we cry Abba Father This ye have expressely laid down in so many words Gal. 4. 6. Because ye are sons God hath sent forth the spirit of his Son into your hearts crying Abba father Wheresoever there is sonship there will be crying Abba Father Crying implyeth fervency of spirit as Why cryest thou to me faith God to Moses when he was in a great strait at the Red-sea Because both the profane persons and formall professors will put on for a share before we can break the childrens bread we must discard them from the comforts of this If crying Father and if praying argue my sonship Formality and Prophaneness reproved then I am a son saith the profane person for I say my prayers ever and anon Alas what is this to the purpose Thy praying is but craving yea thy praying is but houling in God's esteem Isa 7. 14. They have not cryed to me with their hearts when they houled upon their beds How irksom is the houling of dogs to the ears of men such is that which profane persons call Praying in the ears of God The truth is their praying is but a driving of contradictions because their life all the while giveth their tongue the lie Our Father saith the profane person which art in heaven and in the mean while he serveth his father the devill which is in hell Hallowed be thy Name so say his lips but in the mean time he dishonoureth God in swearing and lying and whoring and drinking and prophaneness Thy kingdom come and in the mean while he opposeth the Kingdom of Christ in his heart and in the lives of his Saints and doth what he can to hinder the comming of it Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven and in the mean while he doth the will of Satan that will which the damned do in hell Give us this day our daily bread seemingly acknowledging that he receiveth all even his outward mercies from God and in the mean while perhaps sacrificeth to his own net commending his own skill for the estate he hath gotten Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive them that trespasse against us and in the mean while he goeth on in malice and envy sinning to his very hour of death as it were Lead us not into temptation in the mean while he tempteth the devill to tempt him He cryeth Deliver us from evill and delivereth himself up to evill while he saith so He layeth the reins upon the neck of his lusts that run away with him into all mischief Call you this praying I but saith the formall professor I pray and that frequently not in distress onely but haply keep a constant course of prayer Surely I must go for a child of God That we be not deceived let us consider It is one thing to draw nigh with the heart and another thing to draw nigh with the lips You know the complaint of Isaiah compare two places together Isa 1. 15. When ye so read forth your hands I will hide mine eyes from you and when you make many prayers I will not hear you And yet he complaineth of them by Isaiah Isa 4. They make many prayers and yet none heareth that prayer Why Because Isa 29. 13. This people draw near to me with their mouths but remove their hearts far from me Therefore they pray and their prayers are no prayers because their hearts are not in them I will not deny but many a formall professor may have attained to the gift of prayer but that which I make an argument of Sonship was a spirit of prayer the spirit of adoption by which we cry Abba Father What that is ye may see Zach. 10. 12. I will pour out upon Jerusalem the spirit of grace and supplication How worketh that They shall look upon me whom they have pierced and mourn for me as one mourneth for his onely son Wheresoever the spirit Spirituall Prayer looks up to Christ of prayer is there will be a looking up to Jesus Christ in all our devotions The spirit of Adoption that commeth from the Son guideth to the Son and taketh us along with him in all our addresses to God They that
would have their voices to resound will make choice of Rocky places which send forth the best Eccho This Rock the Lord Jesus Christ is he that maketh our prayers to return with a blessing into our own bosoms You shall have many men that go to devotion and leave Christ behind them What a poor devotion is here The spirit of prayer is alwaies accompanied with Evangelicall humility with a mourning that floweth from our looking to Christ I know there is a great deal of legall sorrow in formall professors Men may go blubbering to hell without true repentance But here is a mourning that floweth from a looking up to Christ Where there is a spirit of Adoption men will speak from feeling which floweth from the apprehension of Christ and the certainty of God's grace in him Now this spirit of Adoption argueth Sonship But then commeth in the poor weak Believer and saith Object I am undone The other plead for themselves without a cause and he pleadeth as much against himself without a cause I cannot find such enlargement in prayer Surely the Spirit of Adoption is not in me if it were I should cry Abba Father with more importunity All Believers are not alike gifted there may be a gift of Answ prayer where there is not a spirit of prayer and a spirit of prayer where there are but poor gifts Haply thou canst onely chatter with Hezekiah like a Crane and Swallow yet consider whilst thou canst not speak there are two Spokes-men for thee the consideration whereof may render A Believer hath two Spokesmen to stand for him thee confident of success even in thy devotions how weak soever they be The lispings and stammerings of a child God liketh better then all the Oratory in the world The Spirit of God is in thee and the Blood of Christ is for thee The Spirit and We know not what to pray for as we ought but the Spirit maketh intercession in us And God knoweth the meaning of the Spirit and heareth the least whispers of his own Spirit in the soul of a poor Believer And then The Blood of Christ that speaketh better things than the blood of Abel the Blood of of Christ As Christ saith of himself it may be said of this Blood Father I know thou hearest me alwaies But I pass now from matter of Triall and I come now to matter of Exhortation All Dignity ye Use 2 know calleth for Duty Such as are partakers of this Priviledge To exhort to Duties of being the children of God they are obliged to certain Duties that flow from hence First Obedience The sons of Jonadab they were obedient 1. To Obedience to the commandment of their father Jer. 35. I set before the sons of the family of the Rechabites pots ful of wine and cups and I said unto them Drink wine But they said We must drink no wine for Jonadab the son of Rechab our father hath forbid us saying Drink no wine you nor your sons for ever Neither build houses nor sow seed nor plant ye vineyards but dwell in tents all your daies that ye may live all your daies upon the face of the earth where ye are inhabitants So we have hearkned to the voyce of Jonadab the son of Rechab our father in all that he commanded us So we drank no wine all our daies we nor our wives nor our sons nor our daughters When God hath said Drink not of the world's cup taste not of the world's dainties lest you surfeit on them it becommeth an obedint child to say My Father hath commanded me I dare not drink when he is tempted to the enjoyment of any unlawfull pleasures Mal. 3. 17. Ye read there of a son that serveth Indeed the best service God hath done him is by his sons all other services are little worth in comparison I will spare him as a man spareth his own son that serveth him The son goeth naturally and ingenuously about his father's work he doth it kindly much more kindly than a servant will that doth it onely for his wages Therefore of old they were wont to set their children to the work The chief work lay in husbandry We read of Rachel's keeping her father's sheep Gen 29. 6. and so of Jacob keeping his father in law's sheep Would we approve our selves children of God we must do the works of God Our Saviour beateth off the Pharisees from their plea upon this ground We are the children of Abraham say they If ye were saith Christ then would you do the works of Abraham Abraham believed in me No man can ever approve himself the child of God that doth not abound in the work of the Lord. The second Lesson is for Imitation Ephes 5. 1. Be ye 2. For Imitation followers of God as dear children It is naturall to children to imitate their parents look what the father doth the child is apt to learn the same If we be dear children we must be followers of God and walk in love as Christ hath loved us Blessed are the mercifull they shall be called the children of God Why Because that maketh it appear they follow God And so Be ye holy saith Peter 1 Pet. 1. 15 16. As he which hath called you is holy so be ye holy in all manner of conversation Because it is written Be ye holy for I am holy Thirdly We should learn from hence this Lesson that is 3. Learn Dependency upon God of Dependency Children hang upon their parents so should we upon God if we will carry our selves as becommeth sons This Argument Christ useth Matth. 6. 22. Take no thought saying What shall we eat and drink and be cloathed with for your heavenly Father knoweth you have need of all these things Leave the care of all these to your Father If ye were Orphans and had no father or if your father were not willing or not able to supply your wants then ye might be carefull but seeing you have an heavenly Father that knoweth all these things cast all your care upon him for He careth for you Doth not he tell us That he that provideth not for his owne family is the worst of Infidells Ye are of Gods family therefore be sure He will provide for you if ye trust Him Fourthly It teacheth us a lesson of Patience Hebr. 12. 4. It teacheth us to be patient 5. Forget not the exhortation which speaketh to you as Children My son despise not thou the Chastisements of the Lord For whom the Lord loveth He chastiseth Faint not under the correction of a Father and because it is from a Father that will lay on no more no longer than the Child standeth in need of it Herein that of our Saviour should be often in our thoughts Joh. 18. 11. The Cup which my Father hath given me shall I not drink it Why every affliction that befalleth me is a Cup out of my Fathers hand and from Him I should
Promise would not have been sure no man durst have trusted himself no not in this thing We know how David and other servants of God have been seduced and fallen But take and receive Christ and he will be thy Saviour here is the way for assurance As put case you come to a beggar and say Do such a piece of service for me and thou shalt have such a reward there ye put him upon a greater difficulty than to give him so much mony So God dealeth with us Believe and thou shalt be saved Receive and thou shalt be saved Thirdly All that truly receive Christ by faith are adopted 3. By Faith we are adopted to Christ ones To as many as received him gave he power to become the sons of God Not by Creation onely as all men are nor by Profession onely as all the Members of the visible Church are nor by Deputation onely as all Magistrates are I have said Ye are gods and the sons of the most high But by Adoption that ye might receive the adoption of sons All that receive Christ are thus adopted For which ye have a clear place Gal. 3. 26 27 28 29. For ye are all the sons of God in Christ Jesus For all ye that are baptized into Christ have put on Christ There is neither Jew nor Grecian there is neither bond nor free there is neither male nor female for ye are all one in Christ Jesus And if ye be Christs then are ye Abraham's seed and heirs by promise It is said by the Apostle Rom. 9. speaking of the Jews that to them belonged the adoption speaking there of a Nationall adoption that belonged to the Jews the onely peculiar Nation of the world that God had then pickt out to glorifie himself among But hereupon the Jews were apt to conceive that none had right to be the sons and daughters of God but those of their Nation What was true of Nationall adoption they used to apply it to Personall and called themselves the children of God because they had Abraham to their father Now saith the holy Ghost here All without any difference that have received Christ they are sons as well as the sons of Abraham by a naturall generation because they are all of Abraham's faith and so come to be heirs of Abraham's seed He telleth them here There is neither Jew nor Greek A believing Greek is as true a child of Abraham yea of God as a believing Jew and much more than an unbelieving Jew that braggeth so much of being Abraham's seed There is neither Jew nor Greek nor bond nor free Christ findeth men in a state of bondage and leaveth them so haply in worldly respects but he maketh them free in respect of God If the Son maketh you free then are ye free indeed There is neither male nor female In some Common-wealths Females are excluded from the chief Dignity as by the Salique Law in France no Woman can inherit a Crown In all Common-wealths they are secluded from many Offices which are proper onely to men But when you come to speak of the Dignity of Adoption Females come in as well as Males Every Believer is a partaker of this high priviledge of being the child of God That is the importance of this word in the Text 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 As many as received him All and every one that receiveth him become the sons of God Fourthly The Adoption of sons is a free gift As many 4. It is the free gift of God that we are adopted sons as received him to them it is given to become the sons of God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He gave them power to become It 's an Ingredient into the very essence of Adoption It must be free So the civill Law defineth Adoption Gratuita est assumptio non habentis jus It is a free Assumption of a person that hath no right to an Inheritance to the partaking of that Inheritance As what right had Moses a poor Hebrew child that was thrown out in an Ark of Bulrushes ready to perish what right had he to that Estate that belonged to Pharaoh's daughter till she adopted him and gave him that So Mordechai adopted Hester There are three things that go to make up a Civill Adoption Three things go to make up Adoption and you shall find them all in this Divine Adoption First There must be an Inheritance which the party is 1. An Inheritance adopted to It is a vain thing to adopt one to nothing To take one and leave him to the wide World when he hath done Adoption supposeth an inheritance That is here even the Kingdom of Glory an Inheritance with the Saints in light Hence it is that that blessednesse which the Saints shall injoy in the state of Glory is called by the Apostle The adoption because it is that which we are adopted to And so I understand that phrase Rom. 8. 23. where Adoption is taken in that sense waiting for the Adoption We which have the first fruits of the spirit we our selves groane within our selves waiting for the Adoption That is for that glory we are adopted to for that Inheritance which God hath promised us Otherwise men which receive the first fruits of the spirit they receive Adoption in this sense But here is a further thing which they have not yet but wait for which is called Adoption even the Consummation of all their hopes the Inheritance in glory Secondly As in every adoption there must be some Inheritance 2. It must be of a party that hath no right to the Inheritance so adoption must be of a party that hath no right to that Inheritance A man is not said to adopt his owne son because nature giveth him a right to his father's estate But if he adopteth it is a stranger Moses was a stranger to Pharoahs daughter Hester though she were akin to Mordecay yet was not his naturall daughter and therefore was adopted by him We are all by nature strangers and a great deal worse enemies to God as well as strangers we have no right no shew of right to the Inheritance for we all have sinned and come short of the glory of God Rom. 3. 23. Thirdly It must be Gratuita Assumptio A free assumption of a person that hath no right and the having no 3. It must be of a person that hath no right right sheweth it to be free And that we are sure is to be found in this Divine Inheritance It is an act of God's free grace nothing moved him but his owne free love God loveth because he loveth and hath mercy on whom he will have mercy See this proceeding from free grace Ephes 1. 5 6. Having predestinated us to the adoption of Children by Jesus Christ to himselfe according to the good pleasure of his Will Here is the good pleasure of God's will the onely ground of our adoption Thus I have run through the four things which
Christ who is the heir of all things The Father hath committed all judgment to the Son And our errand is to beseech you to go over and leave your own father's house and forsake all your lusts and worldly Correspondencies and be married to this Jesus This is the end of our Ministry to perswade men to believe in Christ because we know there is no other Name under Heaven by which we can be saved Acts 4. 12. Neither is there salvation in any other No there is no other Name given under Heaven by which men must be saved We might tell you as they do in the Church of Rome Popery a foppery of Pardons Indulgences and Pilgrimages but this is but to still Children with rattles We might tell you of your own works of praying and reading and giving of Alms but this is but to send you to Hopâ—er and Arpad the Rivers of Damascus for there is no salvation to be had but by Him Therefore the end of our Ministry is that all might believe in him because As there is no other Name but his by which we must be saved So no other way to lay hold upon him but by believing The just they live by faith The Righteousnesse of God is revealed from faith to faith Ye know how it was with the Woman in the Gospell that came to Christ in the crowd and got healing from him No question in such a crowd many touched Christ for He was in the midst of the throng as well as that Woman But none received healing but that woman because she believed that if she could but touch him she should be healed So it is here There is a crowd of Professors that seem to come to and follow after Christ but none receive healing but those that believe indeed and to them cometh a healing vertue Well then if this be the end of all Ministers witnesse-bearing that through them their hearers might believe in Christ First learn from hence to look at these Ministers as Ministers to be accompted publick blessings publick blessings here is one John the Baptist A man sent from God that all through him might believe All that were within the compasse and reach of his Ministry if they were not wanting to themselves might be the better for him That all through him might believe It is no small matter this whatsoever people may make of it the Apostle happily setteth a high price upon it All are yours who in the first place whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas He reckoneth up the Minister as a great part of their goods there Ephes 4. 11 12. speaking of the Ascension of Jesus Christ and setting Him forth as a great Prince he telleth you what gifts He gave Princes are wont in the dayes of their Coronation to give largely to their Subjects Christ was Ascended and Crowned with Glory He led Captivity Captive and was in his Triumph He ascended up on high and gave gifts to men what gifts He gave some Apostles some Prophets and some Evangelists these were gifts indeed They were men of infallible spirits But he gave Pastors and Teachers and Ministers for the edifying of the Body of Christ Secondly seeing this is the end of their witnesse-bearing learn to give heed to their Testimony because they are Their Testimony to be received sent by God on purpose that you through them might believe They are Instruments as of your faith so of your happinesse Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God Rom. 10. 14. The Philosophers make hearing the sense of Discipline The Apostles make it the sense of faith Faith cometh by Hearing Those that cry out of too much preaching are as if they were afraid of too much faith Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God It is the great ordinance that God hath appointed to beget faith in the hearts of men Unbelief came by hearing by Eve's harkening to the Serpent So God will have faith come by hearing that we might beat the Devil at his owne weapon Eve heard the serpent and was drawn aside from God We by hearing of the Ministry of the Gospell are brought home to God As Calvin saith sweetly That we who were deceived by the subtilty of the serpent might be saved by the foolishnesse of God so the Scripture calleth the preaching of the Gospel 1 Cor. 1. 21. It pleased God by the foolishnesse of preaching to save them that believe This is not an arbitrary businesse that ye may take or leave without danger or losse to them that teach you rightly It must cost you dear For out of the witnesses mouths cometh fire to devour their Enemies Revel 11. 5. If any man would hurt them fire proceedeth out of their mouths and devoureth them These Sermons which are so sleighted at present may be as fire in your consciences another day It was the manner under the Law for the Witnesses before a Malefactor was stoned to lay their hands upon his head they were the first men that stoned him Levit. 34. 34. Bring forth him that is to be stoned without the camp and let all that heard him lay their hands upon his head and then let all the congregation stone him This the Witnesses did to make it appear that they translated all the guilt from off themselves and laid it where it ought upon the head of the Malefactor So may Ministers do that come to be Witnesses to the Light they may say as Paul did I have declared to you the whole counsell of God I am free from the blood of all men They that have faithfully preached Christ in any place may safely say We have delivered our own souls and done what in us lyeth to deliver yours if you would believe We come to bear witness to the truth that all men through us might believe So I have done with his Office as it is directly laid down Secondly It is laid down in opposition to a false conceit The Jews falsly conceit John the Messias that the Jews had of John as if he had been the Messias To meet with this He was not that light saith the Evangelist here This conceit of theirs ye shall find Luk. 3. 15. As the people were in expectation and all men mused in their hearts of John whether he were the Christ or no. Now to meet with this and to clear it saith the Evangelist here He was not that light He was a light indeed but not that light He was as Christ himself saith a burning and a shining light he said so of John the Baptist Joh. 5. 35. He was a burning and a shining light and ye were willing for a season to rejoyce in his light There may be a Candle that is not lighted a Candle may be lighted and burn and yet give but a small light But here John was a burning light and a shining light too Therefore the greater wonder perhaps why it is said here He was not
it was the first so it is the most Excellent of the visible Creatures and putteth an excellency into other things What is it that maketh pretious stones and Jewells of so much value but because Christ the true light they are so light-some above other things The Sun Moon and Stars differ one from another in glory but all are glorious because all Lightsome Therefore light is fit to set forth Christ by who is Excellently super-Eminent He delighteth to compare himself to such things as to the Sun to the bright Morning-star to pretious stones and is often called the Light in scripture Only in this place there is an Epithite given to the Light That is The true Light 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The true Light in four respects First because Undeceiving Light Secondly because Reall Thirdly because Underived Fourthly because Supereminent First The true light because undeceiving in opposition 1. The undeceiving Light in opposition to false light to false and deceitfull In that sense ye find the word used by Joseph's brethren when they came into Egypt and were taken for spies Gen. 42. 11. Joseph had said ye are spies to see the nakednesse of the Land ye are come No say they we are all one Man's sons we are true men thy servants are no spies True in opposition to deceitfull So Christ is called the true light in opposition to all the false lights of the Gentiles They had their Idols and Balaams And so all naturall men to this day have their Lights but they be false ones The naturall man's light is the Ignis fatuus It is lightsome indeed but he that followeth the light of it is lead into ditches and boggs such is false light which the Creatures afford it leadeth to sorrow Man may hope for cheering but he shall lye down in sorrow for all that Isaiah 5. ult Behold all ye that kindle a fire and compasse your selves about with sparks walk in the light of your fire but ye shall lye down in sorrow because these are deceitfull lights But Christ is the true Light because whosoever followeth him is lead to everlasting happinesse Joh. 8. 12. I am the Light of the World he that followeth me shall not walk in darknesse but shall have the light of Life Secondly True light because a Reall light True in 2. Reall in opposition to Ceremoniall types and shadowes opposition to Ceremoniall types and shadowes As true that is undeceiving in opposition to the false light of the Gentiles So true that is reall in opposition to the Ceremonies of the Jews So it is opposed to Ceremonies 1 Joh. 17. The law came by Moses grace and truth by Jesus Christ Where it is commonly thought that Grace is opposed to the Morall Law and Truth to the Ceremoniall The Jews had their light much light shined in Ceremonies and Types of old But Christ was the true light because he was the Substance of all these Col. 2. 17. which are all shadows of things to come but the body is Christ Thirdly The true light because underived True is 3. Underived in opposition to borrowed c. sometimes opposed to Borrowed Communicated Participated from another Thus Christ is called The true God and so God The true God in opposition not onely to Idols that have no Deity in them but to Magistrates who are called gods by derivation of their Authority from another 1 Joh 5. 20. We know that the Son of God is come and hath given us understanding that we may know him that is true and we are in him that is true even in his Son Jesus Christ This is the true God but Magistrates they are gods but gods by derivation and so not true gods But Jesus Christ is the true light in this respect because he borroweth not his light Some of authority they say are light Ye are the light of the world Joh. 5. Ephes 5. Ye were darknesse but now are ye light How Light in the Lord. Christ hath light in him You are a borrowed light he is an underived light and so The true light Fourthly True because super-eminently true in opposition 4. Super-eminently true in opposition to Common and Ordinary to ordinary and common So he saith Joh. 6. 55. My flesh is meat indeed it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 truly meat and my blood is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 truly drink that is not ordinary not common but super-eminently meat and drink Joh. 15. 1. I am the true Vine not an ordinary common Vine but a super-eminent one because his Blood is more cherishing than Wine And so The true Light a super-eminent light more excellent than the naturall light in many respects If the naturall light be cheering why Christ is so much more light refresheth the eye Christ refresheth the soul more abundantly Doth the naturall light penetrate and search into the most secret corners Christ doth more search into the heart and spirits of men to discover what is hidden there The hidden things of darknesse are made manifest by light The hidden things of God are manifested by Christ even the great mysteries of the Gospel Is the light of the Sun able to shine upon dunghills and not receive defilement from them Christ doth so much more He searcheth into filthy hearts and receiveth no defilement from them Therefore the true Light because not ordinary What shall we learn from hence Why to make out after Christ and that upon this ground because he is the true light Who is there that is not desirous of light Truly saith Solomon Eccles 11. 17. the light is sweet and a pleasant thing it is for men to behold the Sun Christ is light true light Christ is sweet truly sweet A pleasant thing it is for men to lay hold upon the Sun of righteousness no true pleasure can be had any where else If we find a dark room in a house we say This is a melancholly room It is the saddest condition in the world for The saddest misery to lose our Communion with Christ Exod. 10. 21 22. Act. 27. 20. men to want this light nothing is worth the grieving for in comparison of this being out of Christ or having lost fellowship with Christ A sad condition it was for the Egyptians to be three daies in a palpable darkness and for Paul and his fellowes to be diverse daies and nights without the light of the Sun and Moon and Stars What is it for men and women to continue for many years without God and Christ in the World Suppose a room were never so full of the most curious Pictures if there be not windowes to let in light the Pictures lose their lustre So let men have beauty strength and never so good parts all these without the light of Christ in their souls are neither beautifull nor lovely nor of any worth at all Ye should therefore learn to thank God for this great Gift that he hath bestowed his Son upon us that
together every one hath its use The lower Story bears up those above it and the upper story keeps the lower from being warped There is use of all and so it is of the members of Christ Therefore one should not slight and contemn another God delights to order things so Though thou maist excell another in diligence perhaps yet there is one thing or other wherein happily he may excell thee For instance It may be thou art a better Proficient in the School of Christ then such a one but perhaps he was begotten into the School of Christ before thee that is his honour Paul accounted it the honour of some Professors that they were in Christ before him and had got the start of him in that Rom. 16. 7. Salute Andronicus and Junia my Kinsmen and my fellow Prisoners who are of note amongst the Apostles who also were in Christ before me He valued them in that respect though he was a Christian of greater parts yet they were in Christ before him therefore he durst not contemn them It may be thou hast been in Christ before such a one yet the party may live more upon Christ since he was in him then thou hast done Thou hast a greater stock of habituall grace but he is a better Husband with that little stock he hath It may be thou art as aboundant in pains as he but God hath given him better successe then to thee in his pains that so thou maist have something still to value this labour For It may be thou hast more assurance then such a believer hath it is that that puffeth thee up but stay It may be he whom thou contemnest may have as much of faith as thou hast of assurance That is no paradox It is possible one of lesse degree of faith may have a higher degree of assurance for the present because assurance dependeth not upon the degree of believing but upon the degree of discovered light God may come in betimes with discovered light to one that hath lesse habituall grace We have received the spirit not of the Law but of God by which we know the things that are freely given us of God Therefore assurance depends upon the light not upon the grace Let this serve in the second place to be a spurre to improvement 2. We are all to improve our spirituall graces We have all received therefore have all something to be accountable for I beseech you saith Paul that ye receive not the grace of God in vain 2 Cor. 6. 1. If Christ giveth a gift it is to some end And what is the end why improvement so saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 12. 7. The manifestation of the spirit is given to every man to profit withall that is every Christian Man and Woman hath something in Him or her which manifesteth their having the spirit of God Therefore it is called the manifestation of the spirit And said to be given to every man but here is the end to profit withall What Talents a man hath received he must not hide in a Napkin As it is in the naturall body That which every member receiveth it is for the good of the whole The stomack that takes in meat but not for it selfe alone but to nourish the body The feet they move too and from not for themselves alone but to carry the body The hand that worketh not for it selfe alone but to maintain the body And so it is in the mysticall body of Christ as the Apostle telleth you clearly 1 Pet. 4. 7. As every man hath received the gift even so minister the same one to another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God Here is manifold grace And so dispenced as every man hath received a gift and as a good steward The steward receiveth the money that is put into his hand not to put up into his owne purse but for the good of the whole family Men have received that they may dispence Therefore I say seeing we all have received we are all bound to be usefull in our severall places within We should all some way or other be usefull to the Church of Christ our severall sphears not all of the same way but all in some way to be usefull to the Church of Christ This doth not open a gap to confusion it doth not open the Pulpiâ—-doors to every one that may say himself to be gifted but it calls upon every one in his sphear to do service to God in his Church We are like so many Actors upon a Stage in the acting of a Comedy he is not commended that acts the greatest part but he that acteth his own part best be it the part of a King or of a Servant either short or long if he act that part well there lyeth the matter of his praise and the Servant may have more commendation for that part he acteth than the King if he doth it well So it is here He that acteth his own part well shall have Well done good and faithfull servant As in the naturall Matth. 25. 23. body there is a distinction of members as in Musick the Harmony is made up of different Sounds and Tunes they have the Base and Mean and Treble If all were Treble where were the Base and if all Base where were the Mean The Harmony is made up from the consent of all these So there is an harmony made up in the Church of God but it is from the variety of gifts that God bestowes upon them And the Treble hath its commendation in Musick as well as the Base And as in Painting your dark colours add to the beauty of the Picture and deserves praise if well cast as well as the fairest colour in the whole Piece So many Christians of obscure parts in comparison in the conjunction of the whole do add to the beauty of the whole The next is The Participation I will speak a little of 2. Participation that Have received The Observation from hence is this namely That whatsoever Observ endowment any man is partaker of he hath but received it Before I told you Every one hath received now Whatsoever any one partakes of it is but received Of his fulness have we all received and grace for grace 1 Cor. 4. 7. What hast thou that thou hast not received Name the thing if thou canst that is good if it be good it is received What hast thou that thou hast not received Go from the one end of the work of grace to the other and you shall find all received Begin where grace beginneth at the Understanding and those good thoughts that God puts into the minds of men by which he turneth the mind about for the Understanding is the great Wheel Those thoughts thou hast received as the Apostle tells you 2. Cor. 3. 5. Not that we are sufficient of our selves to think any thing as of our selves our sufficiency is of God From good thoughts in the Understanding
the Ceremoniall Law then that began to vanish when Christ who was the substance came now that even the Ceremoniall Law was added because of Transgression is proved in that All of the rights of Ceremonies was such as implied guilt and sin yea it did not onely imply our guilt but our misery For the blood was to be poured out to shew what we all deserved even to be made sacrifices to the wrath of God and fuell for the fire of Hell But if ye will understand it of the Morall Law for it taketh in both Then thus you must distinguish between the matter and substance of the Law and the Ministry of Moses The Morall Law for the matter of it is perpetuall Morrall Law perpetuall to the end of the World It was before Moses and will be after Moses even to the end of the World But then if you take the Law as it implieth the Ministry of Moses In that respect there was a ceasing of the Law when the seed came because all those Mosaecall appendixes to the Morall Law they then began to vanish As namely to the second Commandement the whole Ceremoniall Law was an Appendix to that The fourth Commandement the seventh daies Sabbath was a Type of Christ resting in the grave the seventh day from the Creation So as for the matter it remains though as for the Ministry of Moses there is an end of that The great place is urged of those out of the Romans Rom. 7. 6. Now we are delivered from the Object Law that being dead wherein we were held that we should serve in newnesse of the spirit and not in the oldnesse of the letter If we be delivered from the Law then we have nothing to do with it after we have received the Gospell of Christ that is the Objection Understand the Answer read the beginning of the Chapter and ye shall see in what sense he saith We are delivered Answ from the Law namely from the Law as an Husband begetting sin upon our souls The Law had a provoking power to stir up Concupiscense in Men. Now saith he we are delivered from the Law in this sense because we are under another Husband namely under Christ In which respect it is said in this Epistle Chap. 6. 14. That we are not under the Law but under grace namely not under the provoking power of the Law That place may seem Object to have some difficulty in it Rom. 10. 4. Christ is the end of the Law for righteousnesse to every on that believeth If Christ be the end of the Law Then the Law ended when Christ came This is the Objection but of this we must distinguish a threefold end Finis Abolitionis Finis Adimpletionis Finis Intentionis An end of Abolition That which kills a man a sword Answ or poyson that is his end because it kills him Finis interficiens three-fold Secondly An end of Impletion As the end of the Law is charity What is that Love is the fulfilling of the Law Thirdly Finis Intentionis That is the scope of a thing that is at which it aims now Christ is the end of the Law What is that not the abolishing end For he himselfe tells you He came not to destroy the Law but to fulfill it He is an end in these two latter senses not in the first He is the scope of the Law and the fulfilling of the Law and in both these senses The end of the Law for righteousnesse to every one that believeth First He is the scope of the Law The Ceremoniall Christ the scope of the Law law that aimed at Christ and the Morall law aimes at Christ too because it driveth men out of themselves to seek for a Saviour 2 Cor. 3. 13. speaking of the vail that was upon Moses his face Not as Moses which put a vail over his face that the children of Israel could not stedfastly look to the end of that which was abolished What was the end of the Law Saith he the Israelites were not able to understand Christ at whom the whole law aimed there was a vail upon their face so as in the Leviticall Rites and Ceremoniall precepts they could not see Christ they could not look to the end of all those Leviticall Rites which are now abolished And this vail when they come to be Converted shall be taken away Thus He is the end that is the scope of the Law Secondly He is the end that is the fulfiller of the Christ the fulfiller of the Law Law Look what righteousnesse the law required that Christ fulfilled and so satisfied the law to the utmost both in the precepts and curse of it Well Is it so may some say If Christ hath thus fulfilled Object the law there is so much the lesse need why we should observe it because our surety hath done it already for us This will have no great weight if we consider that Answ Christ and we are to observe the Law to different ends Indeed there would be some strength in the Reason if we should affirm we are to observe the Law to the same end that Christ observed it We observe the Law to testifie our thankfulnesse to Christ for the salvation we have by him Christ obey'd the Law to testifie obedience for us Therefore we are bound to obey so much the more because Christ obeyed it Now Christ indured the punishment due to our sins therefore we that are in Christ are not liable to punishment properly so called but yet to affliction under another notion as Chastisements though Christ hath indured the Curse for us And so in active obedience we are to Imitate Christ to do as He did I will name one place more that is 1 Tim. 1. 9. Knowing Object ing this that the Law is not made for a righteous man but for the lawlesse and disobedient for the ungodly and sinners Therefore a person justified saith the Objector hath nothing to do with the Law For the meaning of this place take it clearly thus First Ye cannot understand this place absolutely as if Answ whosoever is righteous had nothing to do with the Law for ye know Adam in his Innocency had a Law given him This therefore cannot be denyed Look how far a man is righteous he hath a principle within him that even without a Law it will constrain him to obey The love of Christ constraineth us saith the Apostle As far as a man 2 Cor. 5. 14. walks according to this principle so far he doth not come within the compasse of the Law as to the penalty of it A Law 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it doth not lye against a righteous man That is the property of the word As when it is said The ax is laid 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to the root of the tree to cut it down The Law is not laid to a righteous man to condemn him As we say in Suits at Law A Suit lyeth against such a man in
in me Duties say It is not in us Ordinances say We cannot give it Why It must come only from Jesus Christ Therefore the spirit of God usually letteth souls see an utter impossibility of salvation by any other than by Christ Fifthly It supposeth after all this a due apprehension 5. It supposeth pardon in and through Christ of a probability of obtaining pardon and grace in and through Christ And this setteth the soul a moving towards him and is an inducement as to the humble soul Lament 3. 29. To lay its mouth in the dust if so be there may be hope As to those Mourners in Joel Joel 2. 14. Who knoweth if God will return and repent and leave a blessing behind him Here is indeavour arising from probability So the Ninevites in the prophesie of Jonah Jonah 3. 9. Who can tell if God will turn and repent of his fierce wrath that we perish not Faith putteth it to the venture and putteth it selfe upon the free grace of God in Christ for Four grounds of probability to obtain pardon mercy as having a probability founded upon these four grounds of obtaining pardon First Upon the abundant goodnesse of God of which you 1. The aboundant goodness of God read Psal 130. 7. Let Israel hope in the Lord Why for with the Lord is mercy and with him is plenteous redemption There is abundant mercy and plenteous redemption with God therefore Israel may hope This appeareth to be the mercy of an Infinite God therefore he can pardon and take away the sins of a finite Creature here is one ground Secondly Probability of successe It is founded upon the 2. The powerfull Mediation of Jesus Christ powerfull Mediation of Jesus Christ Hebr. 7. 25. He is able to save to the uttermost those that come to God by Him seeing he ever liveth to make Intercession for them His blood like a mighty Ocean is able to overflow as it were the mighty Rocks as well as the lowest Sand. The Sun of Righteousnesse is able to scatter the thickest Clouds as well as the slenderest mists Thirdly Upon the free and gratious breathings of the 3. The free breatheings of the holy Ghost Holy Ghost Joh. 3. 8. The wind bloweth where it listeth thou hearest the sound thereof and knowest not whence it cometh nor whither it goeth So it is with the Spirit It hath breathed in others and may breathe in thee when it pleaseth him And therefore the soul resolveth hopefully to wait on God till the Spirit shall be pleased to breathe upon him and to that end it seeketh him in all the means wherein he is wont to breathe because the soul knoweth it is just that the Spirit of God should not breathe in any if he be not sought in all If they neglect some one means the influence of Grace may be with-held If any one of the Pipes be cut the water cometh not home to the Cistern And God is wont to convey grace to us by so many Ordinances as by so many Pipes if one Ordinance be neglected it is just with God to withdraw his grace If a soul will hear but not pray if he neglecteth any one Ordinance God may refuse to breathe Therefore the soul groundeth probability upon the free breathings of the Spirit Fourthly Upon the example of many that have been 4. Upon the example of many converted before converted before It seeth the example of the perishing of a multitude of sinners in the story of the Ninivites and of a multitude of sins in the story of Mary Magdalen and knoweth the story of mercy Such were some of you but ye are washed and cleansed and sanctified by the Lord Jesus Christ in the Spirit of God These are the apprehensions which our Saviour Christ supposeth All these more or lesse in an ordinary course taken with limitation Secondly There are certain acts of the Will which the 2. It supposeth severall Acts of the Will receiving of grace includeth which are specially these two First a present chusing of Christ upon Conjugall tearms Secondly a trusting on him for ever after First Receiving of Christ includeth in it a present chusing 1. Receiving Christ includeth our chusing him for our Husband of Christ for our Husband upon Conjugall tearms I take that Metaphor as most easie to expresse it by because he is received under many notions and under this amongst others As a Wife receiveth the Man in marriage so the Soul receiveth Christ It is a Choice and present Choice and a present Choice upon Conjugall tearms This is an act of the Will Chusing belongeth to the Will When the Will is enabled by the Spirit of Christ to choose him for his All in all and to make a present choice of him they are tearms not of the Future but of the Present Tense that make a Marriage It is not I promise to make thee my Wife in time to come that maketh a Contract but I do take thee to my Wife this is to make a Marriage It is not to take Christ when I am rich or older but it must be a present chusing of him that maketh the Match And it must be upon honourable tearms such as a woman taketh the husband upon so as to forsake father and mother and cleave to the husband Christ did so for us and we must do so for Christ Christ forsook his Father in some sense and came and emptied himself forsook Heaven and came down to us The Word was made flesh and dwelt amongst us that so he might be wedded to his Church upon earth There is something like that we have to do for Christ the Soul must forsake all for Christ As it is said of the Spouse Psal 45. 10. Hearken O daughter and consider and encline thine ear forget also thine own people and thy father's house So shall the King desire thy beauty There must be a forsaking of our former lusts and former waies and former carelesnesse a leaving of all to cleave to Christ That you may understand it better allude to that of Hos 14. 3. Ashur shall not save us we will not ride upon horses neither will we say any more to the works of our hands Ye are our gods For in thee the fatherlesse findeth mercy Ephraim shall say What have I to do any more with Idolls So when the Soul cometh to close with Jesus Christ The Law shall not save us we will not rest upon our own Duties our services shall not be our Saviours the means of grace shall not be our Mediators What have we to do any more with Idells and the lusts of our former ignorance and intemperancy and wantonnesse c Here a choosing of Christ supposeth a separation from all things else and a cleaving to him Being joyned to the Lord we are one spirit as the Apostle's phrase is cleaving to him so as to be subject to him that is on conjugall tearms on which Christ is to
be received Ephes 4. 24. Therefore as the Church is subject to Christ so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing We should choose his Yoke as well as his Crown his Spirit to guide us as well as his Blood to redeem us to be subject to him as well as to be protected by him This is the first thing included in the receiving of Christ namely a present choosing of Christ upon Conjugall tearms Secondly Trust in him for ever after as our God so saith 2. To trust in him for ever after as our God the Text 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to trust that is Continue to believe in his name because every one that hath received him continueth to believe continueth to trust and to rely upon him and stay himself upon his God and to lean upon his Beloved as the phrase is in the Canticles As a woman that hath got an husband hath one to trust to for provision and direction and protection If David's wives be taken away he will rescue them if Ahasuerus his wife be in danger of Haman's plots her husband will relieve her The Soul before marriage to Christ was liable to all old debts the Law had a saying to her the Devill had a plea against her but now she is married all is laid upon Christ No action lies against the wife Now the soul hath an husband and accordingly she trusts in Christ and sendeth the Devill to Christ her Husband for an answer Thus you see what it Supposeth and Includeth Thirdly See what it Produceth namely Certain Effects 3. It supposeth certain Effects to witnesse the truth of the former Acts. 1. Receiving Christ produceth Love that bear witnesse to the truth of the former Acts to make it appear there were true Apprehensions in the Understanding and true Acts in the Will and they are diverse First The true receiving of Christ wheresoever it is it produceth a Prizing Love in the first place It is impossible but that the soul which hath received Christ indeed should prize him and love him because of the beauty and excellency in him 1 Joh. 4. 16. compared with vers 19. We have known and believed the love that God hath given to us Then followeth We love him because he first loved us Where there is a knowing and believing of God's love to us there will be a reciprocall love from us to God To him that believeth in Christ Christ is pretious It is not onely a love but a prising love 1 Pet. 2. 7. To you therefore which believe he is pretious They that have received Christ indeed will set a price upon him howsoever others value him Judas though he did converse with him not having received him by faith What a price setteth he upon him the price of a Slave thirty pieces of silver the very price that was to be given by a man that had bought a slave to be his servant a goodly price The Jews that bought him and Judas that sold him make no more of Christ but thus Now take the Soul which hath indeed received him and knoweth what is in him such a soul will not set Christ to sale no not upon any tearms Offer her Preferments Estates and Kingdoms and Worlds A goodly price for Christ the soul will say No he is infinitely more worth then all these To you that believe Christ is pretious because ye have received him Secondly It produceth a watchfull Fear Whensoever 2. It produceth a watchfull fear the soul receiveth Christ it will be afraid to lose him Having received a Kingdom that cannot be moved saith the Apostle Heb. 12. ult let us have grace to serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear One would think all fear were now over No fear so much the more The Gospel that is the Kingdom of Heaven which is often so called in Scripture and it is a Kingdom that cannot be moved The Law that was taken away but the Gospell that cannot be moved no alteration of that We must never look for another Gospel than what is evidently laid down in Scripture A man that hath received this Gospel hath received Jesus Christ in it For this Manna commeth down in the dew of heaven Christ in the ministry of the Gospel And having received this Kingdom we shall not be moved Having received Jesus Christ let us serve him with reverence and god'y fear saith the Scripture There will be a fear where there hath been a receiving of Christ Kisse the Son Serve him with fear and rejoyce with trembling Psal 2. 11 12. I will allude to Act. 3. 11. ye read there in the foregoing Verse of a Creeple that was healed by Peter and John And immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength and he stood up and praised God What doth the man mean now to leave his leaping and skipping and come and clasp about Peter and John In all likelihood because he was afraid when they were gone his lamenesse would return again to him Such a disposition there is in every soul that receiveth Christ it is sensible of its having received health and strength and comfort from him Now lest his former lamenesse should return lest the lusts of his former ignorance should again prevail and those terrours of conscience under which it lay should come again the soul is desirous to hold Christ so as never to let him go Not that a soul that hath once received Christ can lose him for ever but because though it cannot wholly lose his presence yet it may lose a great deal of its comfortable communion which it had with Christ and God in him Therefore there will be a watchfull fear lest we should lose those sweet embracements which we have had from Christ Thirdly This receiving of Christ in truth produceth a 3. It produceth a spirituall life spirituall life He that hath the Son hath life he that hath not the Son hath not life 1 Joh. 5. 12. Men are now other kind of creatures than before they have motion from another principle then they had before As where there is life the soul setteth the body a working So when the soul hath Christ it receiveth life and motion and appetite and sense and grouth from him This true receiving of Christ produceth Fourthly As there is a prising Love a watchfull Fear and 4. I◠produceth fruit to God a Spirituall life so It produceth fruit to God Every soul that hath received Christ is more or lesse a fruitfull soul and doth not render fruit to it self as formerly but to God aiming at him and his glory in what it doth And this followeth upon the former I told you It was receiving of Christ upon Conjugall tearms as a woman receiveth an husband And this you must know that Christ hath alwaies issue by his wives The Lord Jesus hath no barren Spouse Every one that receiveth Christ for an husband he hath issue by her that soul bringeth forth fruit