God Now the natural man is not able to judge of things above the principles of Nature The Apostle tells us No man knows the things of a man but the spirit of man which is in him 1 Cor. 2. 11. The things of man are all created things man is therefore said to be as it were 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a little world or an Epitome or Compendium wherein all created things are described as in a Map or short Abridgement Now the principle of reason in mans heart is able to search out the hidden things of nature But this large principle of man is too narrow to search into the things of the Spirit so saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 2. 11 12 14 15. The things of God knoweth no man but the Spirit of God The Spirit searcheth the deep things of God And again he saith The wisdome of the Spirit is but foolishness to the naturall man And why so because saith he Spiritual things are spiritually discerned that is they are to be understood in a spiritual sense to which mans carnal reason cannot reach But now saith he the spirituall man discerneth all things so that divine things are onely known by the Spirit 't is the Spirit of all Truth that leads into all Truth Then 't is not all Maximes and Rules 't is not Sy 〈…〉 gistical Reasonings and Disputes 't is not Books an◠Treatises 't is not all Systems and Bodies of Divinity that can reveal the secret mysteries of Truth but it is the work of the Spirit for the mystery of Christ is not meerly letter and form without but a quickning Spirit within us Yet 6. We are taught that there is a most profound spiritual reasoning in godliness and that it is the highest act of the minde which is the highest faculty of the soul The minde of a Saint is Gods Throne and the motions of the minde or the reasonings thereof is nothing but Christ swaying the soul according to his good pleasure It 's true that reason as 't is in man is a most imperfect and weak light and falls short of the light of God being depraved and mixt with much darkness and so is unsuitable to judge divine things but reason considered in its height and excellency is no other then Jesus Christ and the Spirit then so much as reason hath of the light of God so much it hath of Jesus Christ Then the most excellent the most supreme and the sublimest reason is in godliness because in it is the greatest clearness certainty and light The Apostle calls it Demonstration now divine reason is demonstration which is an evidencing of things by the clearest surest and most irresistible light that can be Now Christ is this spiritual reason for saith the Apostle that which manifests is light Eph. 5. 13. And what is that light but Christ and his Spirit Thus I have given thee a taste of things to set an edge to thy appetite that thou mayest make a fuller meal of Divine Dainties by reading the ensuing Treatise where thou hast a Table richly spread Now if thou art one of Christs Friends then come and eat of this honey and drink of this wine yea eat and drink abundantly O beloved Here thou mayest eat and not 〈…〉 et here thou mayest drink and not be drunken the more thou earest the stronger will thy appetite be and the more thou drinkest the more wilt thou thirst and yet with the greatest saturation and content To conclude Thou mayest finde much of Christ in this Book but see whether thou canst finde much of him also in thine own heart Now that these things which are here written with Paper and Ink may be written upon the Table of thy soul by the finger of the Spirit is the prayer of him who is Thine in the Service of Christ John Robotham Octob. 24. 1650. SERMON I. Rom. 8. 4. That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit THe main drift of the Apostle in this Epistle is to hold forth Justification by Faith or by Free-grace without the works of the Law And in Chap. 7. the Apostle doth answer an Objection for they might say What then shall we do with the Law if it cannot justifie us There the Apostle tells us that though the Law cannot justifie us yet there are many blessed uses both for Sinners and Saints to make of the Law of which I shall not now speak Now in this eighth Chapter the Apostle draws this conclusion from what he had said before There is therefore from what I have said it is evident that there is no condemnation there is no damnation there is no danger of Hell to them which are in Christ Jesus Now he opens who those are he saith they are those who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit And he gives a reason of it in ver 2. why there is no damnation to those people For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made us free from the law of sin and of death Now he amplifies that in ver 3. For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin condemned sin in the flesh As if he should have said Thus it comes about that we are now free from the law and that there is no damnation to us because saith he that God hath sent his Son in the likeness of sinful flesh like one of us and he hath fulfilled the law of God and condemned sin therefore there is no sin to condemn us nor no jot of the law that is not fulfilled therefore we are just and righteous and clear There is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus for God hath sent his Son to condemn sin c. Now in the fourth Verse it is more particularly expressed That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit I shall not orderly go over to shew the Coherence distinctly as I might but briefly as I can come to those Lessons that the Lord is to teach us That the Righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us c. There are in the words two things Here is a great Priviledge as any can be to have the righteousness of the law fulfilled in us And here are secondly the parties that have the benefit of this Priviledge Those that walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit Concerning the Priviledge to understand the words a little That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us That the law might be fully satisfied in point of righteousness that the law might have such a righteousness which indeed the law requires that it might have a full and compleat righteousness in us So that briefly these are the Lessons which I shall open from hence which I desire
but people that in their ordinary course go with a great deal of contentment in evil wayes But though this be true that this is comprehended in walking after the flesh yet this is very lame and short of the full and whole meaning of this place I say it is not the main nor chief meaning of this place it is not primarily not principally meant this is a truth and it will follow as a necessary consequence as I shall shew anon and I doubt not but the Apostle means it when he saith We walk not according to the flesh because in Rom. 6. he takes a great deal of pains in that point but I think this is not the chief meaning My Reasons are these First because I finde that the very scope of this learned Epistle is different if not almost contrary to this his scope is not to quarrel with them for want of doing good works and for walking in sinful works but the scope of it is to beat them off from their own works and to bring them to Christ and therefore he saith Abraham was justified without works he all along disparageth their works as they did them Therefore I think he doth not go so far from his text or from his scope as to make this the main business their sanctification or holiness the not walking in evil or the walking in good works Secondly this cannot be the chief scope of the place because if you take these words They that walk after the flesh in this sense that is those that follow sinful courses if you take them so that none but such as walk holily have a right to Jesus Christ and his righteousness Or if you take them in this sense that they onely that walk in a holy life can come to know that they have the righteousness of Christ fulfilling the law for them neither of these can hold 1. For the first that no man can have to do with Christ or his righteousness but that man that walks according to the Spirit that walks in a holy way and not in sinful courses this is contrary to the stream of the Gospel Why Because the Gospel all along offers Christ to sinners to the chief of sinners to aliens and to the ungodly 2. Then again if this were so sanctification should be before justification a man must be holy before he should be justified As for the latter sense to wit that the Apostle should mean this that no man can know any other way that the righteousness of Christ did belong to him but onely by not walking after the flesh or by walking after the Spirit this cannot be neither for however we may know a little in a way of sense by our walking yet the main way to know our justification is the same way that we come by justification for Faith is the evidence of things not seen The main evidence whereby I know I am justified is because the word of faith saith so the word tells me and faith evidenceth it that faith that I believe by it shews me that I believe Therefore though I be inconstant in my way of grace that to sense shews me a little yet it doth not solely and chiefly and primarily So that this is the substance of it that that sense which godly reverend men give of this place it is true but it is not all nor the first and the chief part of the meaning of it Secondly flesh in the Scriptures and so here and in divers other places it may be understood concerning the Priviledges those various Prerogatives and Priviledges that the people of God the Israelites had in a natural fleshly way from generation to generation Being born of such Parents of such Tribes they had such priviledges belonging to them they had the Oracles and the Covenants and the Tables c. and this is called flesh and I doubt not but the Apostle had this in his eye Saith he The righteousness of the law is fulfilled in us that walk not after the flesh As if he had said Do not think because you are of the seed of Abraham or because you have the Covenants and Circumcision and that you are born of such Parents that therefore you shall the sooner have this priviledge to have the law fulfilled take heed of that for now it springs from another root and it comes now in a Spiritual and not in a fleshly way as it did before for they had their mercies generally in the Old Testament according to the flesh that is by generation Isaac as he was Abrahams Son and Jacob his Son c. but now it is in a spiritual way Now that flesh is so taken in Scripture I will give you that one place in Phil. 3. 4. Though I might also have confidence in the flesh saith Paul If any man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh I more What doth he mean by flesh here He tells you Circumcised the eighth day of the stock of Israel of the Tribe of Benjamin an Hebrew of the Hebrews as touching the law a Pharisee concerning zeal persecuting the Church touching the righteousness which is in the law blameless As if he had said I had all the priviledges if any man might boast in the flesh I might I am an Hebrew of the Hebrews a Gentleman of the best descent c. So in 2 Cor. 11. 18. Seeing that many glory after the flesh I will glory also ye suffer fools gladly Wherein any is bold I am bold also Are they Hebrews so am I. Are they Israelites so am I. Are they the seed of Abraham so am I. They had priviledges being Israelites more then other people and this is called flesh So I am confident that the Apostle had this in his eye in a special manner when he saith They that walk not according to the flesh And you shall finde that they attributed all priviledges to them because they were Israelites as you see in Mat. 3. say they We are the children of Abraham Saith John Baptist Ye are a generation of Vipers And so in Joh. 8. say they We are free men we are the sons of Abraham saith Christ Ye are of your father the Devil See the Gospel takes away that fleshliness and puts all in another stream and course and way The Apostle aims at that here when he saith Those that walk not according to the flesh As if he had said You shall never have this righteousness to satisfie the law the sooner because you are the Sons of Abraham no more then if you were Scythians or Barbarians Thirdly and lastly the main and chief meaning of this place is this though the other be included when the Apostle saith Those that walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit By flesh here the Apostle means walking according to the old Covenant according to the Covenant of Works in the way of the law and by Spirit is meant walking in the way of faith
or in the way of the Gospel or in the way of Christ There be divers expressions in Scripture that help us to understand it as Rom. 4. 14. it is called They that are of the law that is those that walk according to the law In Gal. 3. there are two or three phrases Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law or by the hearing of faith The walking according to the Spirit is the hearing of faith and it is twice there they that are of faith they that are of faith To be of faith and to walk according to the Spirit is the same to be of the law or of circumcision is to walk according to the flesh In Rom. 10. 5. The righteousness which is of the law saith on this wise The righteousness of the law that is the way of the law that Scripture sets out the way of those that walk according to the Covenant of Works now the way of the law is the same as walking after the flesh and faith he The righteousness of faith saith on this wise that is the grace of the Gospel or the way of faith So the meaning is this we hear of a glorious priviledge that the righteousness of the law is fulfilled in us and there is no man in the world can get it by his own works or in reference to the Covenant of works no not Abraham himself but it is meerly by Jesus Christ Therefore if any of you think to have this righteousness fulfilled in him and go in the old way to Mount Sinai to the Covenant of Works he is deceived he shall never have it but by walking according to the Spirit no man can enjoy this priviledge by a Covenant of works by their own doing by seeking to fulfil the law of God by their own righteousness but they that walk after the Spirit as if he had said Do not mistake me it is a great priviledge to have the law fulfilled for you but it is not by your own strictness and zeal and though some of you go further then others yet none of you can attain the fulfilling of the law that way for all are come short Rom. 3. But it is those that walk after the Spirit that is those that seek it in a way of faith in another not in themselves those that seek it according to the principles and directions of the Gospel Now because I know this Expositions is harsh to many of you though I exclude not the other therefore I shall endeavour to shew you three things First I will prove clearly out of the Scriptures that this is the meaning Secondly I will give you a Reason why that is the chief meaning Thirdly I shall give you a few Reasons why the Apostle saith that they that walk according to the Covenant of works walk according to the flesh and they that go according to the way of faith walk according to the Spirit Concerning the first that flesh is often taken clearly in this sense I will give you some places of Scripture Gal. 3. 3. This I would learn of you Received you the Spirit by the works of the law or by the hearing of faith Are ye so foolish that having begun in the Spirit are you now made perfect in the Flesh We see in Chap. 1. they are called to the grace of Christ through the Gospel Gospel principles were rightly and savingly practised among them and after there came some among them that perverted them and saith he Are ye so foolish that having begun in the Spirit and have had Christ crucified among you that now you will be made perfect by the flesh that now you will go and seek justification by your own works and go about to keep the law c. Another place is in Phil. 3. 4. Though I might also have confidence in the flesh and then he speaks of the priviledges of an Israelite and if you look further ver 7. I count all these loss that I may win Christ and be found in him not having mine own righteousness which is of the law but that which is of the faith of Christ So by the flesh he means the righteousness of the law which he throws away for the righteousness which is of faith Take another place Rom. 10. 5. compared with Rom. 6. 14. saith the Apostle Sin shall not have dominion over you for ye are not under the law but under grace When you were under the law and walked after the flesh sin had dominion over you and you obeyed it Here is a parallel place for saith the Apostle When you were in the flesh the motions of sin by the law did work in your members When you were in the flesh that is when you were under the law then the motions of sin did work but now sin shall not have dominion over you because you are not under the law you are not in the flesh you do not walk according to the flesh And that I suppose is the meaning of that Scripture 2 Pet. 2. 10. The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly and to reserve the wicked to be punished but chiefly those that walk after the flesh in the lusts of uncleanness Now if you take walking after the flesh for sinful wayes it would be the same as if he had said There are divers people that walk wickedly but chiefly they that walk after the flesh for all people naturally walk after the flesh but these were a peculiar people that the Lord would bring judgements on and they walked according to the flesh Who were they They were most of them Jews they were Adams sons that walked in the old Covevenant chiefly they that walk according to the flesh that is the meaning of it or else he would not have said according to the flesh for every man naturally walks according to the flesh So in this Text Who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit and in ver 8. of this Chapter They that are in the flesh cannot please God Now I shall open that by another Scripture Heb. 11. 5. where it said that Enoch pleased God We reade of Enoch Gen. 5. 24. that he walked with God he walked not according to the flesh now saith the Apostle Without faith it is impossible to please God now he that walks in the flesh cannot please God Why so He that goes not in the way of faith by Jesus Christ he cannot please God By believing I please God by walking in the obedience of faith to God I and my works please God Now to please implies one was offended before all my doing cannot please God but my believing presenting to God a perfect righteousness by faith pleaseth God and then all my works are accepted There are two words for it in the Original one signifies to please one that hath been offended another is pleasingness with one that hath not offended as my childe pleaseth me though he have not offended me but the
instruments to sin Shall we turn all this into speculation No certainly there is some eminent reall holiness and power against sin that they had not before therefore saith he What pleasure had you in those things whereof ye are now ashamed those sins that you committed before you are now ashamed of them And let me look a little upon my own soul or appeal to you Take any man or woman that understands what it is to be under the law what it is to walk according to the Covenant of works and according to the flesh and what covenants and resolutions and promises and fastings he had and let him look upon himself what he is now since he hath known a little of Christ and hath known that he is a justified person and that he is dead to the law and the like I appeal to you whether you do not feel a strange power in your souls killing and subduing sin that you never imagined before or almost hoped to have There are some Saints that I know that when they came to know a little of Jesus Christ they have found a power to subdue their sins that they did not hope for in their other condition they were so strong it is an eminent power A poor Saint that sees another tugging and striving and wrastling and bustling with his corruptions he knows that there is a sweet power in his soul that pulls down the highest and proudest imaginations As a godly man saith There is as much difference between a man thaâ— walks after the flesh according to the law and he that walks according to the Spirit as between a man that is in a great Lyter or in a great Boat that is fast upon the Sand and there are it may be a dozen or twenty men tugging and striving to get it off and yet it sticks and another man that is in a Boat upon the water and needs onely to hoist sail and sit down and it is gone he goes with wind and tide So a man that walks according to grace he can go as a childe and speak loving and plain words to his Father and get power over his sins that all the howling and roaring and crying of another a whole year together cannot do It is so and all you that know what grace is know it That is one thing therefore consider this if thou walk according to the Spirit thou art dead to sin that is in respect of the condemnation and guilt of it thou hearest that Christ hath fulfilled the law and that sin is done away And secondly in respect of the power of it thou canst look upon it as a dying gasping thing that must die and thou canst tread on it through the death of Christ Thirdly thou findest no lust so strong in thy soul but thou canst ordinarily bring it down thou canst bring it to the obedience of Jesus Christ another man may throw his cap at his sins and be wishing and woulding all the year long but there are strong lusts in his soul that will not out Therefore saith the Apostle when you walked according to the law the motions of sin brought forth fruit unto death inevitably it will be so Then further you shall find the fruits of walking according to the Spirit I will but name them to you and wish you to consider of them You have many set down in this 8th to the Romans When a man walks according to the Spirit you shall see this is one fruit of it A Spirit of Adoption whereby we cry Abba Father As many as are led by the Spirit of God they are the Sons of God 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 That is one fruit of it as soon as a man comes to walk according to the Spirit he hath not a spirit of bondage any more What is that It is nothing but this a temper of soul like a slave just as you may conceive of a man that is taken Prisoner in Turkie what temper he is of he is glad of a Crust of bread and he fears whipping and beating and it may be killing such is the temper of a mans soul in a spirit of bondage when one is in such a temper that he is alwayes in fear of being whipped and scourged and he hath hard thoughts of God and he fears that he shall prove an hypocrite and the like Now saith the Apostle we have not that spirit but we have the Spirit of Adoption whereby we cry Abba Father that is there is a sweet temper such as is in a loving childe to his dear Father there is a boldness a love and delight and rejoycing and a sweetness c. This is one fruit of it therefore as far as thou art under horrour and moping and howling and crying thou comest short of walking according to the Spirit for thy soul would be alway full of sweetness in the greatest affliction if there were a Spirit of Adoption and under the worst sins thou doest commit though there would be sorrow yet thou wouldest be full of sweetness and joy That is one thing Again another fruit and consequent of it is that the Spirit of God bears witness with our Spirits that we are the children of God If thou wilt be led by the Spirit and walk after the Spirit the Spirit of God will witness with thy spirit that thou art the childe of God What is that the meaning of it is this as I understand the Spirit of God will raise up my spirit to be able to see and know that I am the childe of God for the spirit of a man knows the natural things of a man and no more but the Spirit of God witnesseth with my spirit that I am the childe of God that is he raiseth up my spirit whereby I may see and know that I am the childe of God that as before by my own spirit I was able to know whether I were poor or rich whether I were sick or well whether I were beloved or hated so now my spirit is raised up by the Spirit of God I am able to reflect upon my self spiritually and look upon my self as beloved and chosen and holy and called and justified and this is a spiritual way Thirdly here is another expression of it and that is an earnest hope or expectation of the glory that is to be revealed I finde and observe little of that to be in Professors and I have oft marvelled at it and the reason is Because they have not the Spirit of Adoption and walk not fully according to the Spirit therefore they are not filled with those expectations and those earnest desires that the Saints were ordinarily in the Primitive times Saith the Apostle in this Chapter The creature groaneth and desires to be delivered and not onely they but we our selves which have the first-fruits of the Spirit we groan within our selves
in this world yet the power of Christ hath brought them under when all their Fastings and Humiliations would never do it when they were in that way without the clear knowledge of Christ but when they have come to Christ they have found it done In 2 Pet. 3. you shall finde there men that were carnal men that were as dogs that returned to their vomit yet the common knowledge of Jesus Christ did make them clean from the pollutions of the world and did give them power against their sins what then will the spiritual effectual knowledge of Christ do Therefore never entertain any prejudice against Christ or against his Gospel or against his Spirit and his Wayes for if there be any power in this world it is there all the rest is but a flourish but a shew of mortification when the heart is as full of lusts as a Toad is of poyson There is no true mortification or holiness but what comes from Christ and his holy Spirit SERMON VI. Rom. 8. 5. For they that are after the flesh do minde the things of the flesh but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit IN the former Verse you remember how I shewed you that there was a great priviledge to all true Beleevers which indeed is the chiefe of all Priviledge for it is the inlet of all mercies and the principall deliverance from all evills It is contained in the beginning of Verse 4. That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us In the latter end of the Verse I shewed the person more largely described to whom this priviledge doth belong that is Not those that walk after the flesh but those that walk after the spirit And I have as God enabled me opened the meaning of that to you what it was to walk after the Flesh and what to walk after the spirit Now the Apostle in this fifth Verse goes forward a little more particularly to discover those that have a right to this priviledge by drawing one thing from another The main was They walk not after the flesh but after the spirit I but that is a generall word and how shall we know that Saith he you shall know that also by this They that are after the flesh do mind fleshly things and they that are after the spirit do minde spirituall things You shall know whether you have the righteousness of the law fulfilled in you if you walk not after the flesh but after the spirit And you shall know that also by your minding by the frame of your mindes if you walk after the flesh you will mind fleshly things if you walk after the spirit you will mind spirituall things And then he goes on to prove that also as we see oft in Scripture as in 1 John 5. where one thing is made the mark of another by a gradation there are five or six things and one thing proves another we know that we are the children of God if we keep his Commandements and we know we keep his Commandements by another thing and we know that by another thing So that I say the Scope of the Apostle is to cleare unto the Saints their right title to this great priviledge and also withall to convince those that are carnal that they are without it and to shew them their great miserie in being so for you shall see after how as he discovers them so also he shews their misery he saith they are enmity to God and they that walk after the flesh must dye c. Now that we may go on breifly to handle this a little to you you may take the Doctrine as it lyes here in the words for I will not nor need not frame it otherwise Doct. That those that are after the flesh do minde the things of the flesh Only remember what I said before for it is of great concernment for that great priviledge depends upon this if you have the righteousness of the law fulfilled in you you must be those that walk according to the spirit and not according to the flesh And then would you know that saith the Apostle Those that are after the flesh do minde the things of the flesh and those that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit so let that be the Doctrine or Lesson I will give you but two short words to prove this to you and then to open it as God shall help us Reas 1. The first thing to prove it is this that it must be so because every thing in the world in all the Creation of God doth act according to the nature of its principle from whence it flows As James saith Jam. 3. 11 12. Doth a fountain send forth from the same place sweet water and bitter Can a figtree my Brethren bear olive-berries or can a Vine bear figs You know that a Fig-tree bears Figs and a Vine-tree bears Grapes and an Apple-tree bears Apples and a Pear-tree Pears and every Tree and every thing will work according to its principle Make the tree good saith Christ and then the fruit will be good such as the tree is such will be the fruit such as the fountain is such will be the stream and when a mans principles the frame of his heart is nothing but flesh then of necessity his actions must be fleshly his affections must be fleshly If he have a fleshly minde he must have a fleshly will a fleshly love fleshly hatred a fleshly life fleshly prayers fleshly Sacraments fleshly every thing for every thing must be according to its principle So on the other side where the principle is spiritual there a man will minde spiritual things he will love spiritual things he will do spiritual things he will delight in spirituall things That is one Reason of it Reas 2. And the second is this for I will give you but these two because the chief thing that I intend at this time is the opening of it fleshly carnal men that are after the flesh they must minde fleshly things because they know not spiritual things they understand not spiritual things Or if you will and it may be that word hath something more in it 1 Cor. 2. they perceive not spiritual things they do not ken and perceive them Now you know that a man mindes not I mean look upon it as the acting of the understanding a man cannot minde but what he knows a man cannot think of things he knows not That is the reason to prove that poor ignorant people speak an untruth and deceive themselves when they say we remember God we minde God wheresoever we are and yet they know not God for God is not minded but when he is known As in that place of the Corinthians A natural man cannot perceive the things of the spirit he doth not know Jesus Christ therefore he cannot minde him he doth not know the things of the spirit of God therefore he cannot set his heart upon them Without
Mount Sion OR The Priviledge and Practice OF THE SAINTS Opened and Applied By that faithful Dispenser of the Mysteries of Christ WALTER CRADOCK late Preacher at Alhaâ—â—ws the Great in London Heb. 12. 22. But ye are come unto Mount Sion and unto the City of the living God c. Gal. 4. 26. But Jerusalem which is above is free which is the Mother of us all CAMBRIDGE Printed by M. J. 1673. To the Reader THese Sermons being exactly penned from the Authors own mouth are now brought to publick view though when he preached them had not the least thought to suffer them to be Printed but since they were thus prepared to come abroad into the world the pious Author finding so much of the sweetness of Christ in viewing of them could not turn his back upon them As for this godly Author his worth and excellency is so eminently known it would be vanity in me to speak any thing in relation to his praise let this and other of his own works praise him Yet thus much I shall say That I do verily believe that he preached these choyce Lectures from the bosome of Jesus Christ that these things were the very experiments of his own soul and the lively actings of the Spirit of God within him What he hath seen and heard he hath declared that we might have fellowship with him whose fellowship is with the Eather and the Son 1 Joh. 1. 3. and therein shall our joy be full These Sermons are not clothed with humane Art quaint expressions eloquent Speculations but choose rather to come forth in the nakedness of truth not with the enticing words of mans wisdome but in the demonstration of the Spirit and of power Here is nothing to fill thy head with barren notions fruitless opinions or meer speculations but here is that to fill thy heart with the glory of God the life of Christ and light of his Spirit I shall in a few words hint out what thou shalt finde in these ensuing Discourses 1. Mans fleshly righteousness is the great Idol of the world every one is ready to fall down unto it and call it blessed This is Antichrist coming forth in the habit of Christ being arrayed and decked with gold precious stones and pearls whereby the Nations are deceived but when we know the righteousness of the Lord we shall cast away our own righteousness and as the Prophet speaks say unto iâ— Get ye hence Isa 30. 22. 2. Formality is in no less esteem among us then the former What is the Religion of most people but a meer form without any life or power at all Astronomers tell us that the upper Planets have their Stations and Retrogradations as well as their direct Motions So 't is with most in their Religion sometimes they move forwards sometimes backward sometimes stand at a stay and thus they tread alwayes in one circle or round turning like a door upon the hinges but never from off the place where they were As for most mens hearing praying fasting what is it but as a task performed so coldly that there is no principle of divine life in it and thus they go on but are never at their journeys end Men commonly use what they should enjoy and enjoy that they should use they will use the Lord whom they should enjoy and they will enjoy their duties and performances that they should onely use thus they starve their souls by formality in Religion 3. The third thing we may take notice of is the righteousness of Christ commended to us before the righteousness of Adam Most of the worlds righteousness proceeds from the principles of the old Adam which is corrupt and fleshly what is this but to be born of Ishmael the son of the bond-woman to come unto Mount Sinai in Arabia viz. the Covenant of Works but Jerusalem which is above is free which is the Mother of all the first-born of God viz. the Covenant of Grace Vain man thinks to climb to heaven by his own righteousness when alas it is but of the first Adam natural weak and fleshly All the wisdome knowledge in 〈…〉 tion of man as Tongues Arts and Sciences as Philosophy Logick Rhetorick c. all these are but to repair those reliques of the first Adams corrupted principles of reason and understanding therefore if we go to patch up a righteousness of these we do but build what the Lord will have destroyed But that which is able to restore us is an establishment of the righteousness of Christ upon our hearts by the participation of the divine Nature Christ performs all righteousness for his Saints and then works all righteousness in them The divine Will of God is righteousness now Christ is that divine Will brought forth in a Saint working after the Lords own pleasure The Civil Law doth account Elephants and Camels to have the nature of wilde Beasts though they do the work of tame beasts So Adams righteousness commends not to God we are onely accepted in the beloved 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or ingratiated through that beloved The divine treasures of righteousness are first in Christ and by our union with him we come to enjoy them by way of participation 4. Substantial and reall Holiness set out to be farre more excellent then all empty Forms or meer Professions Holiness is God stamped and printed upon the soul 't is Christ formed in the heart 't is the very image frame and disposition of the holy Spirit within us The Philosopher could say 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That God was but an empty name without vertue so are all our professions of Christ without holiness that being the very marrow and quintessence of all Religion Holiness is something of God in us it proceeds from him it lives in him God can no more be separated from it then the beams from the Sun Holiness is happiness and the more of it we have the more we have of the life and image of God upon us Holiness is nothing but our conformity to God and our being like him to be as he is Holiness is the new frame the new creation the wormanship of the Lord in our hearts it is the Lord building and setting up his own Temple Tabernacle and new Jerusalem within us filling of us with his own glory writing his name in our foreheads by imprinting his own divine image upon us Oh what happiness what sweet delight and harmony of heart what Soul-musick and spiritual joy is there in having our soul wrapt up in the divine life light and beauty of the Lords holiness 5. Thou hast a discovery of the inability of mans carnal principles or reason to judge of spiritual things or the things of God every truth is discovered by principles of light suitable to it self Hence it is that the Apostle tells us of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an animate sensuall or naturall man and of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a spiritual man one enlightned by the Spirit of
of God he faith not by the mercy of God though that be true there is infinite mercy but saith he that God might declare his righteousness in Christ to save us It is a merciful thing for God to give us Christ and to give us hearts to know that Christ and to believe in that Christ it is infinite mercy but now that we are in Christ and united in him as there was mercy so it is righteous and just with God to save us because we are righteous persons Mistake me not I say every poor Saint through Christ is a righteous person a just man I say in and through Christ he hath taken away all our sins and forgiven all our iniquities Coloss 2. So that when God saves believers he doth not onely save them out of mercy but out of righteousness he can do no otherwise therefore it is three times over his righteousness his righteousness his righteousness Rom. 3. And that is a blessed word in Heb. 12. Ye are come to the spirits of just men made perfect I do not conceive that it is spoken of the spirits of men in heaven as many do and no wonder they mistake for I did so for many years That place it looks so like heaven that I took it for heaven it self Ye are come unto mount Sion to the general assembly and Church of the first-born and to the spirits of just men made perfect A man would think it were heaven it self it is called heaven but it is nothing in the world but the glorious estate of the Saints in Jesus Christ under the New-Testament as you may see afterwards Therefore as Christ saith let this word sink into your hearts that if thou be a right believer thou art perfectly just and righteous through Jesus Christ as if thou hadst never sinned against the law of God not by thy own righteousness but by the righteousness of Jesus Christ For what can be said more faith the Apostle The righteousness of the law is fulfilled He doth not say we have a piece of it but it is fulfilled that is to an Iota or tittle the law cannot say Black is thine eye because Christ hath paid and done all that it can demand Now to give you a word or two of the grounds or Reasons to help you to believe this truth to shew you how it comes about It comes about three wayes I mean it will be clear to you three wayes if you consider three things Reas 1. First You must consider that Jesus Christ which is our Surety he was sent of the Father out of his love as a publick person to fulfil the law of God by doing and suffering as a publick person There is much comfort in that Beloved you can never throughly understand your justification unless you study the first Adam what kinde of person Adam was as you may see in Rom. 5. Now the Lord Jesus he came a publick person and he was delivered for our offences as it is said Rom. 4. 25. he did die for our sins That 's one thing Reas 2. Now the second thing that demonstrates this to us is besides his dying as a publick person there is a union made between every poor believer and Christ as really as between Christ and his Father Indeed it is called in Scripture a Marriage because as in a Marriage all the wealth of the Husband is the Wives it becomes hers and she hath a right to it after Marriage so all that is in Christ becomes ours by this union But it is a more real union a closer union by far then that of Marriage it is compared to the union between the Members and the Head now by this union that you may reade of in Joh. 17. all that is ours becomes Christs and all that is Christs becomes ours There are two things Reas 3. Then thirdly we finde that God the Father to whom the debt was owing and whose law this was that we must satisfie he acknowledgeth satisfaction And what can we have more God the Father acknowledgeth that his Son hath satisfied the law and therefore we are freed Now he doth acknowledge it three wayes First You shall have it Mat. 17. compared with 2 Pet. 1. for Peter is much in it We follow not devised fables but we come to speak of the voice in the Mount This is my beloved Son As if he had said This is one main piece of the Gospel we heard a voice when we were with our Master in the Mount saying This is my beloved Son in whom my soul is well pleased That for his person Then a second thing that did shew that he was satisfied was by suffering Jesus Christ after he was arrested and in prison for our debt for Christ was in prison for our debt he was arrested and that according to law he was brought into prison and all our Suits were clapped on his back all our Executions and Outlaries were laid on his shoulders and then the Father let him out of prison being our Surety if he had not paid our debt he had not come out of prison but now the Father lets him out that is the Father suffered him to rise from the dead Therefore we find that our justification is laid more upon the resurrection of Jesus Christ then upon his death as we see in Rom. 4. 25. Who was delivered for our offences and raised again for our justification that is he did die for our sins and was raised again for our justification And in Rom. 8. He that spared not his own Son but delivered him up for us all how shall he not with him give us all things Who is he that condemneth it is Christ that died yea rather that is risen again who is even at the right hand of God who also maketh intercession for us that is his dying for us did satisfie the law but that did not justifie us untill we see that he was risen again and then we see that all the debt is paid because our Surety is gotten out of prison Therefore justification I mean the knowledge of it at least principally ariseth from Christs resurrection Now when I see Christ is risen and gone abroad he is gone out of the grave and gone to heaven I know that the law is fulfilled and the Father is satisfied and the Sergeant the Devil hath nothing to arrest me for all is satisfied all is clear Thirdly and lastly I know God the Father is satisfied for the law it is God the Fathers Writ that he had against us and now we see that all is paid not onely because our Surety is got out of prison for so a man may do that hath not paid a debt but because when he was out of prison he ascended to his Father and the Father made him sit at the right hand of God in the glory of Majesty on high and he hath given him power and authority to rule the world till the day of Judgement Now in
or sword Nay in all these things we are more then conquerors through Christ that loved us Indeed tribulation and hunger and famine they are sad things but these are the least troubles of a Christian these outward miseries Over these we are more then Conquerors saith Paul I can tie my right hand at my back and with my left hand beat all these back I can beat them with a finger Nay I say more Neither death nor life that is more nor Angels nor principalities nor powers nor things present nor things to come nor height nor depth nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. See there how he dares all the Enemies to come upon the Stage and tramples them under feet As in Malachi it is said that in the time of the Gospel they shall tread their enemies as ashes under their feet So there is a place also in 1 Cor. 15. Death is swallowed up in victory As if he had said You that have received Jesus Christ I will tell you news Death is swallowed up in victory O Death where is thy sting O Grave where is thy victory He jeers the grave and death and triumphs over them O death where is thy sting thou thoughtest to overcome me but where is thy sting The sting of death is sin and the strength of sin is the law but thanks be unto God who hath given us victory through Jesus Christ our Lord. He doth not say which will give us victory when we are dead and then we shall be perfect in Heaven it is true then we shall be more perfect but he saith which hath given us victory for the present I have already over come Hell and Death and the Devil for all hangs on the law the law is Gods Writ and the Devil is Gods Sergeant that executes that Writ and Hell is the Prison Therefore if the law be satisfied if the righteousness of the law be fulfilled Death and Hell and the Devil have nothing to do with me So in Rom. 4. 25. Who was delivered for our offences and was raised for our justification And then it follows Chap. 5. 1. Being justified by faith we have peace with God See where the Apostle layes justification And we glory in tribulation knowing that it worketh patience c. We rejoice in tribulation and affliction Why because we are justified by Christs death and resurrection O what kinde of spirits should we have How full of joy and comfort should we be in the greatest tribulation How should we tread all this world under our feet the evils of this world and the comforts of the world How should we insult and triumph over the Devil and over Death and Hell for all their power as I said is from the law and if the righteousness of the law be fulfilled then all our enemies are subdued and all is clear Heaven is open and God is mine and the favour of God is to me For know this that there is no natural inbred hatred in God to his creature there is nothing that keeps the creature from the full enjoyment of God but the law not being satisfied God made a law and we made the breach of it and there falls out the distance between the Creatures and God whether Men or Devils Now then if I can say though I be a sinful man yet Jesus Christ hath fulfilled the law the law hath a full righteousness to a farthing then I know I am one with God he is wholly for me and I for him and all the enemies of my Salvation are conquered Now if the Lord would open your eyes to understand the hope of your calling the glorious condition you are brought into you would not walk so weakly and poorly and sadly and dejectedly that every thing should cast you down but you would go on and trample all the world under your feet we should be above men and Devils and the world and every thing if we did but understand to what a glorious estate God hath called us in this world through Jesus Christ Therefore a man reflecting upon his justification as he may look upon himself and account himself something so he may account Death and Hell and all subdued and he may account that the law cannot demand a farthing of him That whereas the breach of the law kept us from communion with God that being taken away we are as righteous as if we had never fallen O glorious condition There Paul Eph. 1. he prayes that they might know the riches and hope of their calling that is that they might understand what this glorious calling is that God hath called us to That is a second Lesson we should learn hence First seeing the righteousness of the law is fulfilled in us we should learn how to build our Justification aright how to lay the foundation of it And secondly we should endeavour to get our spirits raised like people that are freed from the law Vse 3. Thirdly and there I shall end for this time being freely and fully justified by the grace of Jesus Christ this should follow to any one that understands it that therefore we should study and learn to conform our selves in our hearts and lives out of love to the will of God There comes in holiness and there it comes in amain and never before all before is nothing but bungling but then it comes rightly We should I say conform our selves to the Example and to the Rule of Jesus Christ in his Gospel And that you may understand that you must know that every man in this world hath a rule to walk by And there are but three great Rules and all men do and must conform to one of these three for there is no man that doth an action but it is in reference to a Rule 1. Now you have one Rule in 1 Pet. 1. 14. As obedient children not fashioning your selves according to the lusts of your former ignorance which shews that once they did conform themselves they did fashion themselves unto their lusts but saith he now God hath justified you you must not conform your selves to your lusts Most of mankinde make their lusts their rule which the Prophet calls in Scripture to do that which is right in their own eyes to do what is their minde what they like in their own minde and as that worthy Dr. Preston saith they think when they are in their beds what place they shall go to and where they shall spend their time and when they are up they do that which is right in their own eyes what they have a lust to when they have a lust to be drunk they will be drunk when they have a lust to be filthy they will be filthy when they have a lust to be idle or a lust to be malicious against their neighbours they will be so So that the stirrings of their lusts are their rule and their whole life
misery the spirit is willing but the flesh is weake there is so much weaknesse and earthinesse and frailty somtimes a mans heart is right for God yet his head akes or his stomack is full of wind or he is weary and wants sleep there is some frailty or other This is all earthly Adam all this shall be gone and this kind of body and soul shall be altered and changed to the Image of the blessed second Adam we shall put off our earthiness as well as our sinfulness and have his blessed compleat image Now how glorious that shall be as you never saw the first Adam but onely by hear-say and by reading the word of God so you have not seen the second Adam but you may partly know by the manifestation of his glory on earth you have heard much of his glory We saw his glory as of the only begotten Son of God we shall then see him Phil. 3. 19. Our conversation is in Heaven from whence we look for the Saviour the Lord Jesus Christ who shall change our vile bodies He meanes vile not onely in respect of sinfulness but of dustiness of earthyness and weakness that they may be like his glorious body according to his mighty working whereby he is able to subdue all things to himselfe that is according to his usuall manner of working he can doe what he will in Heaven and Earth We cannot conceive what an image we shall have upon our bodies and souls but according to his wisdome and mighty power whereby he is able to subdue all things he will do it Therefore let me tell you this I finde few or none that have those lively expectations in these times of that glory that is to be revealed that the Saints of old had See how they speak of it What manner of love is this that we should be called the Sons of God but yet it doth not appear what we shall be for we shall be like him and Gird up the loyns of your mindes be sober and watch for the glory that shall be revealed The Saints heretofore more then half their hearts were in Heaven beforehand that is the meaning of that Our conversation is in heaven Just as you see men that go a long journey or as you see people that have been plundered that are returning to their own homes their conversation is there half a year before their hearts and their thoughts are there and they wish they were there and are thinking what they will do and what they will be when they come there So Our conversation is in heaven the Saints do so long after the glory that is to be revealed in the day of Adoption and Redemption of our bodies that the most part of them is there already Now we do not consider of this because the New Jerusalem is not yet come into our hearts we have not that Gospel-temper and frame of spirit that the Saints had before That which remains is a little to shew you what your duty is that the Lord hath brought up to walk according to the Spirit And two or three words I have to shew you how you should every one endeavour to attain to it or to attain it more and more But I shall leave that till the Afternoon SERMON V. Rom. 8. 4. That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit IT is the foundation of all our happiness to have the righteousness of the law fulfilled in us for thereby we are exempted from all misery freed from all our enemies and thereby we are made capable to enjoy all happiness and blessedness for all the misery that man suffers here and hereafter is because he hath not a righteousness to fulfil the law And therefore whatsoever man or woman it is that the Lord hath bestowed this great priviledge upon they must needs be in a blessed condition Now that we may know whether we are of that number the Apostle tells us that they that have this priviledge they walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit which was the last thing I was upon I told you what was meant by walking after the flesh and what by walking after the Spirit I gave the Reasons of it and made two or three Uses There are two things remain which I shall endeavour to speak of at this time Vse 4. of Exhortation First you that have received the Spirit of God and in some measure do walk according to the Spirit not according to the flesh that the New Jerusalem from Heaven is in some measure come into your hearts I will give you a few Exhortations from the Lord how you should carry your selves That is the first thing I shall do and that shall be in four or five short words 1. The first is this that the Lord having called you to this glorious free estate to this free condition that you would take heed of turning the grace of God into wantonness as many do And by that I mean but two things 1. That you would take heed of using your liberty as an occasion to the flesh 2. Of using your liberty so as to give offence to your Brethren or indeed to any I say first beware of using your liberty for an occasion to the flesh That you shall have Gal. 5. 13. For brethren saith the Apostle you have been called to liberty only use not your liberty for an occasion to the flesh but by love serve one another The Apostle shews them in that Epistle the glorious condition and estate that they were in through grace and here in this Verse there are two things that he tells them the one is implied it is worth observing ye are called to liberty that is there is a freedome there is a liberty in the Gospel in divers things that did seem to be sinful when ye were under the law or else what sense can you make of this Ye are called to liberty onely use not your liberty for an occasion to the flesh For we finde that the people under the law either they made the law stricter or looser then it was And there is no man in the world that walks according to the law but he makes many laws to himself that Christ hath not made Now when the Gospel comes in clearly all those laws that you made of your own head vanish Ye are called to liberty that is you see more freedome you are not bound to every thing that before you were Before you must not smile it was a sin if you seemed to laugh or smile and a hundred such things Now you are called to liberty but use it not as an occasion for the flesh that is take not occasion from your liberty to live more sinfully to say you are made free and others are tyed by the law and therefore you will live more carelesly and loosely and sinfully take heed and beware of that There were
knew the death of Christ but to know the power of that death keep close to the simplicity of the Gospel 4. Another thing is this you that have known a little of the Spirit of God and have inlarged hearts and enlightned eyes Let not God rest till thou find the comfort and power of what thou knowest O we know that the righteousness of the law by Christ is fulfilled in us and the like but we have not the full comfort of such a truth and many others We know Christ hath paid our debt and that we are one with him as he is one with the Father but we have not the power and the comfort of these things Beloved for thy comfort know that Paul in a sort was in thy condition Phil. 3. Not as though I had attained or apprehended but I would apprehend him of whom I am apprehended and I would know the vertue of his death and the power of his Resurrection Paul saw something that he did not fully apprehend but he would feele more of the power of the Gospel spirituall truths and if he saw that he wanted much more we Oh do not content your selves to have an old frozen knowledge of Gospell truthes whereby you are able to prove that men are legallists and that men are under Mount Sinai and yet have cold and frozen hearts cold truths without life therefore thinke of minding God of this 5. Then lastly labour to take heed that you be not by any means bewitched so as to fall back from that little light in the Gospell that you have received it is an easie thing so to doe I doe believe and it is my comfort and will be when I am farr from this place that the Lord hath enlightened divers of you to know the Gospel to know Jesus Christ a little clearer Now I know not what the Lord may doe for you but I say it is wonderous easie you may under one quarter of a years fleshly preaching lose that that you have been under two or three yeares Preaching a getting I have knowne after a quarter of a years building up of my soule in the knowledg of Christ and the setling of my faith and assurance I have heard one Sermon that hath routed and dasht all that work in my soule Therefore I beseech you beware faith is a tender thing especially the light we have that is but very weak and very tender therefore saith Paul Who hath bewitched you you foolish Galatians before whom Jesus Christ hath been lively painted as the word signifies Christ was drawn lively before the Galatians and yet they did fall If Paul that was an Apostle and had the spirit of God in such a measure laying open the spirit of Christ and yet his people did go back to Moses and to Sinai the Lord help and uphold us Therefore stand fast in your liberty in Jesus Christ This is all in short I have to say to you for that I hope you will lay up these words Vse 5. Now I have a few words of Advice and Counsel to those poor souls that do yet in a great measure walk according to the flesh in one fashion or other Their Religion is a fleshly Religion from Old Adam and according to the law in a great measure Now the Question is What shall they do that they may be spiritual Christians that they may walk according to the Spirit I will onely name a few things 1. The first is this I would desire you to endeavour to study much the difference between the two Testaments the New and the Old I mean not the two Books but the two Testaments that we reade of Heb. 8. and Heb. 9. whereof the one is faulty and the other is excellent the one is done away the other remains Study the difference between them for thereby you say the foundation of your Gospel-happiness for there is the misery of many Professors and will be their misery if they should live a thousand years they jumble both Testaments without knowledge and distinction and so they will never be better 2. Another thing that I would exhort you to is this to prize the Spirit of Christ more then you do There is nothing in the Gospel but it is a Mysterie you cannot know it but by the Spirit and there is no duty in the Gospel to be done that can be done but by the power of the Spirit We may do many things in the law by the strength of Old Adam in the Gospel we can do nothing but the Spirit is all And that is the reason I think for I speak according to the grace given me why people now are left so bare and poor and confused and know not which way to go or what to do they do not prize the Spirit of God Many men extoll Learning mightily and it is accounted almost Heresie to commend the Spirit of God There are many men I and many Professors that do not love to hear a man in a few modest words to commend the Spirit of God but all must be by study and reading and learning and for the Spirit of God it is a plain meer Cypher and there is an end But my life on it if I had a hundred I would say so they shall be beholden to the Spirit of God and extoll him before they be taught spiritually they shall be willing to lay down all their Learning as I have seen a learned godly man of late even with the Plow-boy I do not say but that Learning is good for some uses and God may bless it to help a man to express what he knows the better but as I told you Adam must die he cannot by it come to know one jot of the spiritual meaning of God in the Gospel or one jot of power or assurance to be happy or to do any thing for God towards this all Learning is not worth a straw therefore labour to extol the Spirit And if any of you have a minde to learning go on I discourage you not from it Learning is a thing in another element take pains and diligence to be learned it is good to do so But if thou wilt be a Gospel Christian thou must thank the Spirit of God for all Saith Paul for all his learning I am not sufficient to speak a good word and he was a learned man that Festus said Much learning had made him mad Beza in his Comment upon 2 Cor. 11. where the Apostle saith Are they Hebrews so am I Are they Jews so am I. Saith he I never read in any Latine on Greek Author so much eloquence and elegancy of speech as Paul hath there and yet he professeth he could not think a good thought for all he was learned so much much less do a good work As long as thou keepest the Spirit an underling as a cypher as many of the Clergie and learned men they extol Learning to the Heavens and many of them upon purpose to despight
spirituall things to take away their peace and crack their communion with God they will see be wise and resist but come and cheat them in worldly things poor creatures they are quiet and part with them as it is the manner of many of you that are rotten Professors and Self-seekers you make it a trade to abuse them but they are quiet they minde spiritual things As a Cut-purse that comes into your shop and a man mindes other things he may easily steal so the poor Saints are made poor and suffering because they minde God and heavenly things or else I tell you if their mindes were not imployed elswhere a Saint could be as cunning and as wise and worldly as thou but thou mayest easily steal any thing from him and cheat and cozen him because his minde is upon other things it is upon Heaven and those blessed things Therefore learn that one thing learn to understand that the main of thy happiness or misery is in thy minde beg of the Lord to give thee a good minde to write his law in thy minde Without knowledge the minde is not good Therefore when the Lord gave the people of Israel up it is said the misery came upon their mindes blindness of heart is hapned to Israel that iâ— blindness of minde there was the main and there is the excellency of the Saints When Paul saw nothing but flesh yet he rejoyced in God in the law of his minde therefore look on it as the fountain of all good and evil if thy minde be fleshly and carnall thou wilt minde fleshly things and love fleshly things and walke fleshly but if the Lord sanctifie thy mind the Lord will give thee sanctified affections SERMON VII Rom. 8. 5. For they that are after the flesh do minde the things of the flesh but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit IN the former Verse I told you the Apostle holds forth unto us a great Priviledge the greatest that I know that a man can have That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us for it doth protect a man from all evils for all evil is founded upon this that a man hath not a righteousness to fulfil the law And he that hath this priviledge it doth lead him to the enjoyment of all good for if a man hath a righteousness to fulfil the law then there is nothing that can keep the Creature from a full enjoyment of his Creator Now this Priviledge being so great the Apostle shews us who they are that are partakers of it who have the actual enjoyment of it for the worst fleshly carnal man may come to be a partaker but he shews who are for the present and saith he they are those that walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit That is a sure way to know and distinguish them but it is a general way and therefore the Apostle draws down some particulars from this general that are more known and easie to be discerned As in 1 John 5. 1. you shall see there the same kinde of reasoning saith the Apostle Whosoever believeth that Jesus is Christ is born of God How shall we know â—haâ— we do believe Every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him How shall we know that we love God We love them that are begotten of God How shall we know that we love them that are born of God If we love God and keep his Commandments And how shall we know that we keep his Commandments They are not grievous and so he goes from a more general to a more particular thing So the Apostle in this place after he had given a general he comes more particularly to shew it They that are after the flesh do minde the things of the flesh but they that are after the Spirit do minde the things of the Spirit As if he had said If you do not know whether you walk in the flesh or in the Spirit I will shew you I will instance in one thing I will pitch upon the best thing that is in a natural man and that is his minde I will instance but in that for you may know the Lion by his Paw you may know the man by his minde for he that is fleshly mindes fleshly things As if he had said If the minde of a man which is his best thing be altogether about fleshly things then his Will is so and his Affections and Actions are so and if the minde of a man be upon spiritual things then his Will is so his Affections his Actions his whole life is so This is the drift and scope of the Apostle Now the Lesson we had in hand the last time from the words it was as I told you the same with the Text here That those that are after or walk after the flesh they do minde fleshly things and those that are after the Spirit do minde spiritual things I gave you two Reasons of it I opened it by answering three Questions I came to make some Use of it and finished onely one which was to see the reason why carnal fleshly people do know so little of the things of God though they have so much means and Ordinances and have time to enjoy them and have ears to hear and Books to reade and yet they know nothing of spiritual things the reason is because they minde them not But I shall now proceed Vse 2. Another word is this from this way and method of reasoning that the Apostle useth here you may learn this That the main and chief misery of a fleshly carnal man is the fleshliness of his minde As the chief happiness of a Christian the choicest piece that is in a Christian is the spiritualness of his minde so the worst piece in a carnal man is the fleshliness of his minde Therefore the Apostle doth pitch upon the worst piece to demonstrate the rest He that is after the flesh mindes fleshly things As if he had said You may easily guess at the rest if the minde be naught You are wonderfully mistaken when you see a little of your misery you complain Oh I have a weak memory when I am hearing spiritual things I think they are written upon my heart but I presently forget it and I am passionate c. and that is all my fault Oh but here is the root thou hast a fleshly minde and therefore there are fleshly thoughts and fleshly actions all proceed from that The minde of a man is either the chiefest Seat for Jesus Christ or the cheifest Throne for the Devil If Christ be in thee there is his Throne in thy minde and if Satan the Prince of darkness be in thee there is his Palace Therefore you shall reade in Luke 12. Christ throws out the strong man the armed man Now what is the royal seat that the Devil hath in a man compare that with 2 Cor 10. You shall see there it
every Regiment in every Company that seek themselves there are but few that are otherwise there are but few that naturally seek the things of God And that you may see what a fearful thing it is that you may look to iâ— you shall see in Chap 3. 18. For many walk of whom I have told you often and now tell you weeping and so in 2 Cor. 12. Beloved I do not reade that Paul did write weeping to the Church about any thing but about this and what was it he wept for They are enemies to the Cross of Christ they were not profane men but Professors Whose end is destruction who minde earthly things whose Belly is their god Who are they who minde earthly things whose Belly is their god They did not fall down on their knees and worship their Belly but they were such as did take more care and pains for their Belly and did rise earlier to look after the things of this life then after the glory of God and their end is destruction notwithstanding all their Profession and you shall know them by this they minde earthly things But our conversation is in heaven from whence we look for the Saviour c. Therefore to conclude this is my meaning that all that are Professors in this self-seeking age wherein one may go with a Candle as the Prophet saith through Jerusalem a man may go with a Candle from Westminster to the Tower to look for a man that naturally minds the things of God and the People of God and the Honour of God and the like And if they be so scarce I beseech you consider what a fearfull thing it is and how the Holy Ghost sets it out here that their end is destruction and Paul speaks of it weeping Therefore let it be thy work now to look to thy minde though thou profess to be a Saint whether it be natural for thee to care for thy self but to do for God but now and then and it may be after many perswasions thou mayest be brought to do something for God and for the people of God but it is natural to thee to look to thy self and to thine own honour and thy own place and preferment c. The Lord help thee to look to this SERMON VIII Rom. 8. 5. For they that are after the flesh do minde the things of the flesh but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit I Have spoken of these words in generall and â—ow I will according to the strength that God shall give me speake of them a little in particular that seeing those that enjoy this great priviledge to have the law fulfilled in them are those that walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit That we may find whether we walk after the flesh or after the spirit I would urge it a little further and that according to the Apostles method he pitcheth upon the minde and the minde not simply considered but as it is acting and setting forth the minde in minding therefore as he takes the chiefest facultie to judge the rest by so I will take the chiefest act in that faculty that so you may judge of the rest by that one and so keep to the Apostles method Now the chiefest act of the minde doubtless is the reasoning part of the minde There are many acts in the minde as it understands it thinks it imagines but especially the reasoning part it belongs to the minde to reason concerning things and Reason is the chiefest part and is called and accounted by Scholars the chiefest part of man and therefore they say that man is a reasonable creature Now I say if we will finde ouâ— by the Scriptures what we are whether we be according to the flesh or according to the Spirit for there is the hinge of it we must examine it by the minde and not by the minde simply as it is a faculty but the minde acting and exercising and if we speak of the exercise let us take the reasoning part of it that is the best part for of all the acts of the minde the reasoning is the strongest and that that most immediately flows from the Understanding therefore if the reasoning of the Soul be carnal the whole Soul is so and if the reasoning of it be spiritual the whole Soul is spiritual that was one thing that did move me to pitch upon that it being the chiefest Besides I finde that the Apostle in 1 Cor. 5. 16. he distinguisheth those that walk according to the flesh from those that walk according to the Spirit by the reasoning part for saith he Henceforth know we no man after the flesh yea though we have known Christ after the flesh yet now henceforth know we him no more We do not saith he henceforth walk according to the flesh and we know it by our knowledge we do know things not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit if Christ himself were here we would not look upon him with a fleshly eye What this knowledge is you may see in the verses before For the love of Christ constraineth us because we thus judge we thus reason that if one died for all then were all dead and that he died for all that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves but unto him which died for them and rose again We know saith he that we are spiritual and not fleshly by our judging of things by our reasoning of things for thus we judge or thus we reason that if one died for all that is did die for all then surely we all are dead And we reason further that if one man did die for us and we are suffered to live we should imploy our life not for our selves but for him that died for us This kinde of reasoning we have that walk after the Spirit and not after the flesh therefore I will pitch upon that And the rather because the Lord hath been pleased for ends best known to him to keep that in my minde and to six it so on my thoughts that I could not pass it by and I usually judge in such cases that God doth often do it for your sakes And therefore according to this Method we shall observe this Doctrine or this Lesson Doct That those that are according to the flesh or that walk according to the flesh are swayed and guided by fleshly reasonings and those that are according to the Spirit are swayed and ruled by spirituall reasonings True Gospel Believers are ruled and swayed with spirituall reasonings and all carnal fleshly men are ruled by carnal fleshly reasonings For such as the mind is so is the whole man and if your reasoning be right then I dare say that all the acts of the minde are right for that is the chiefest you may judge of all the acts of your minde by your reasoning and therefore we cull out that for the triall of the rest I say carnal men are swayed
by a day or a week or an hour or an action see how much in that action of day or hour or week thou art carried clearly upon spiritual reasoning so much of godliness so much of true pure grace there is Look into thy life and actions good or evil that is not a jot matter so much of thy life as is carried upon spiritual reasonings so much godliness there is It is not how much thou fastest or prayest or the like but how much thou art carried by spiritual reasoning As in Egypt they have a Pillar and figures upon it and when Nilus flows up they know by those figures how farr the River riseth higher or lower and accordingly they set their rates on things and accordingly things will be dearer or cheaper Or as by your weather-glasses you know whether it will be rain or fair weather So this Rule would be a weather-glass a Grace-glass and a flesh-glass that is if thou lay up this in thy soul hereby thou mayest know the ebbings and flowings of thy soul whether thou walk better this week then before It may be Lust may drive a man to a good thing but to go to spiritual rationallity that is the essence of a Christian as the other rationallity is the essence of a man Hereby thou mayest know whither thou be nearer to God this week then thou wert the week before or whether thou be further from him Vse 2. The other lesson and a special lesson for you to remember from what I have told you concerning spiritual reasoning is this hence learn why wise men so oft miss the will of God it is a blessed lesson why do we see godly men many times miss the will of God and are quite out in matters of judgement and action and yet are holy and godly men It is not because they reason not rightly concerning such things but because the reason whereby they reason it is more carnal then spiritual As for instance I could name a Book that was written about the Common Prayer not long ago a Book of admirable reason full of rationality and by a godly man too and yet he mist the will of God in it How came it Not because he did not reason rightly but because the reason he reasoned by was natural and not spiritual And so among Ministers they reason things throughly and rightly and draw deductions from them but here they miss they look not what reason they reason by it may be it is natural reason and that may lead to naturals but it cannot to spirituals This is a rare rule for Christians when thou art reasoning and thy thoughts are busie about a case and thou deductest one thing from another but ask thy self I reason but what is this reason I reason by is it carnal or spiritual as men that weigh gold or other things they first heave up the scales to see if they be right we do not do so and therefore we ordinarily miss in this As when a man is in anger he thinks he never speaks better reason than then he speaks powerfully and he thinks every word is Gospel and every word is reason but it is corrupt reason and so it appears to him next day Now any lust may transport a man so let a lust set natural reason on work and a man will reason bravely and rightly but he doth not take up the Scales before and say I judge right but what is it that I judge by A man may say he can judge well of the colour of Cloth by the light of a dark Shop but is that light right a man should examine that And so in the Synod and other places we should see that the reason that we judge things by be spiritual but we take any reason and if it prove natural reason we shall have things go naturally but if it be not spiritual reason we go by we shall never attain to judg of spiritual things SERMON X. Rom. 8. 5. For they that are after the flesh do minde the things of the flesh but they that are after the spirit the things of the spirit BEloved I would willingly end what I had to say to this Text at this time and I doubt not but by Gods assistance I shall do it and therefore I would but only lead you a little because we were driven to break off abruptly that you may understand which way we have been going when the Lord hath been teaching us hitherto from these words I told you the Apostle in the 4th verse had laid down a great priviledge and then he shews who are the partakers of this priviledge They that walk after the spirit and not after the flesh but this is but general and therefore he shews it more particularly by the best part of the man the minde Beloved I have spoken a little in general concerning the minde and to follow the Apostles method I have culd out the chief things in the minde that is the reasoning of the minde from whence I have taught you this Lesson That those that are fleshly they are led and swayed with fleshly reasoning and those that are spiritual they are led and swayed by spiritual reasoning My end is to discover to you whether you have this priviledge or no and therefore in the Apostles method I would bolt it out as far as I could I told you man is a rational creature and no man doth any action but there is some reasoning about it and though the action be never so suddain yet the mind is so quick that it hath some kind of reasoning or other Now for the Explication I told you there was three minds carnal corrupt and spiritual and from those three minds flowed three reasonings corrupt natural and spiritual Now for the further prosecuting of it I told you there were three things I had to premise before hand before I came to prove it One is that there is the best reason in the world in godliness and religion godliness hath in it all along the excellentest the best the profonndest reason that can be this I proved at large godliness is not as some carnal people account it a vain giddy thing but goes all upon reason it is the act of reasoning as they say of Logick and not like our natural Logick from probabilities and the like but it is all upon demonstration that 's one thing I opened to you and we had divers uses then with which I will not now trouble you Now the second thing I was to premise was this That the reasoning of the soul it is the highest act of the minde As I told you the minde is the highest faculty in the soul so the reasoning is the first and strongest and most immediate act of the mind and therefore as the minde is the chiefest seat of Christ if he dwell there or the chiefest garrison of the Devil if he dwell there so the reasonings of the soul are the chiefest weapons of the minde because