of grace for the ground of all our spiritual life as if ever we would be able to say we are begotten to a new Inheritance we must be able and are able to say we have some word of Promise which hath wrought this in our soules which hath bowed us to looke to Christ and to cleave to him for strength and increase and groweth in grace For it is true indeed The Workes of the Law may indeed cut us off from some bad wayes but when it hath don so it leaves us there leaves us in an estate wherein we would not give offence and would not displease men that are grave and wise And this we may reach unto without respect to the glory of God or any inward regard of his holy feare but when as we are quickned to live by vertue of some Promise then the love of God constraineth us to live to obedience and good ends then our respects can reach heavenly and spiritual ends And therefore observe this as of necessary use for any man that as he would be loath to be deceived in a counterfeit peece of money so much more let him be carefull in the main points of his everlasting estate on this depends our having or not having of life And therefore it behooves us to bee sure that we be not disappointed in this great mystery of godlinesse and consider seriously upon what your hopes and confidence was bred and whence it was grounded Quest You will say But is it not ordinary that the Word of the Law doth humble and cast downe the heart and spirit before God and cut them off from all confidence in the flesh before they come to lay hold of the promise of grace in Christ Answ True it is so indeed That ordinarily some word of the Law some word of conviction prevailes with the heart and makes him in sence of sinne say to his Christian friends what shall I doe to be saved this is true but yet this is not it that makes him a new man in Gods sight it may reach to the reformation of his outward man and to the alteration of sundry of his former courses which no meanes else could have reclaimed but yet this makes him not live a spiritual life until he be not onely humbled by the Law but in some measure brought on to look after the promise of grace in Christ and to long after them and to say and desire oh that I had but my part in this or that promise what a mercy of God would that be to me could I but lay hold upon them but thereupon the soule of a Christian doth stand poring and plodding and wistly gazeing upon them till in the end the very sight of a promise hath so seasoned us with a spirit of faith that we begin not only to long after that promise but to cleave to it and in time come to receive it into our hearts and come to imbrace it to rejoyce in it to acknowledge it and finde our happinesse and life and comfort to bee wrapped up in it A third cause of our spiritual life A third cause of Spirituall life Is the Spirit of grace that which is borne of the spirit is spirit whatever is borne of the flesh and no more is but carnall but that which is borne of the spirit is spirit Joh. 3.6 there is a shedding abroad the spirit of Gods grace in the heart of man that makes him of another spirit he is not the same man that he was before his spirit was changed his inclination and disposition is changed For Spirit is nothing else but the inclination and disposition the habit of it the spirit of wisdome is an habit or inclination to Wisdome the Spirit of grace is an habit of Grace the Spirit of prayer is an inclination or an habit of Prayer they are severall words but all meane the same thing Be renewed in the spirit of your mindes that is bee renewed in the inclination and disposition of your minde Epb. 4.23 And not only be renewed in the mind or judgement or understanding of a man but there must be a renewall of the whole soule of a man the disposition and inclination of the whole must be changed and altered Caleb and Ioshua was of another spirit they could judge of things otherwise then other men could doe other men not renewed in the spirit of their mind have no alteration but the truly regenerate they see a great change they never saw the danger of their sinnes before nor ever before judged themselves for their sinnes but now their spirit and soule and affection is changed and now a spirit of feare and love and care and every affection is altered now a man is turned quite off from earthly things so farre as they hinder him in the enjoyment of his Spirituall life and now we are set upon the things of God so as that he that is borne of God to a Spirituall life is become a new Creature and old things are past away 2 Cor. 5.17 He hath a new mind and a new heart new affections new Language and new employments that he was never wont to doe before now he can read Gods Word and conferre with Gods people about the things of God and can instruct others and fashion himselfe to a new mould and all upon the renewall of the spirit of his minde so that if you see that God hath put another spirit into you then ever you had before so as not only this or that part but the whole man is changed and put into another frame that though there be still a taste of the Old man yet the frame both of the body and soule is of another mould and all things are become new in some measure then you live a new life indeed else it is not a perfect change though this and that alteration bee wrought in you By these causes you may clearly discerne whether God hath given you a new life or no consider it therefore I beseech you how doe you now finde your hearts apt to speak when you speak of that estate you are in Are you in your Closets wont to say That time was when you have been thus and thus led in the vanitie of your minde and the hardnesse of your heart and custome of sinne but when it pleased God who called you by his grace when it pleased God then it tooke place you had been in good company before and had used many meanes but never any thing would worke but when it pleased God then it wrought and from that day to this it hath been so and so with me It is a good signe to you if withall you can recall that such or such a word of promise it pleased God to pitch your soules upon you have long looked and waited for salvation but in the end it pleased God to wrap up your soules in life by such a promise and if you can call to minde that such a promise
yours untill he blesse Magistrates give Ministers a doore of utterance that they may speake savingly and powerfully to the soules of their Hearers so as that as it were you may weary God and prevaile with him to arise and give you your desire Wherefore is it thinke you that Christ calls prayer knocking but for this very end to manifest unto us that when we continue praying we continue knocking and we make as a loud noyse at Heaven gates as any man that knocks at your house doores and God so esteemes the nature of prayer Matth. 7.7 For to him that knocketh it shall bee opened So that if God doe but give us hearts to knock and to be instant and constant in prayer for that is knocking if we be fervent and persevering in prayer and spring from our feeling and sence of want of the blessing and what comfort it would be to us to obtaine it and give him no rest untill we receive at his hands what we aske of him to him that thus knocketh it shall be opened So did the Woman of Syrophenitia she knockt hard at our Saviours doore of mercy have pitty have mercy upon me and when at the first Christ answers her not a word she then cryes out againe Lord helpe me and when thereupon he tells her he was not sent to her but to the lost sheep of the house of Israel Did shee then leave off No she would not be put off when he then told her it was not meet to take the childrens bread and to cast it to doggs Shee said Truth Lord but yet the doggs eate the crumbs that fall from the table Why then saith our Saviour be it unto thee even as thou wilt Like as a man that is weary of a Petitioner As if he should say Why if thou beest so importunate that thou wilt have no deniall if it must be so why goe thy way and be it unto thee even as thou wilt And when God gives us so to pray as not to give over we may know for a certaine God intends to give us a gracious answer in all the desires of our soules and this is to pray according to Gods will Now to speake of the second part of the Doctrine and that is the reason why a prayer thus made is ever granted pray well and speed well Reas 1 First because in praying according to Gods will God doth but fulfill his owne will in fulfilling yours as this is the will of God that all those things that are lawfull for us to aske and expedient for us it is his will that wee should pray for them it is Gods will that we should pray with submission to Gods will that we should pray humbly and feelingly and constantly now if we have prayed according to the will of God then his will must needs be done and his will is that now our wills should be fulfilled This reason is taken from the faithfulnesse of God in the promise and from the suitablenesse of Gods will to ours when we so pray Reas 2 Secondly It is taken from the mighty power of the name of Christ whensoever we use his name in prayer not in lip labour but when we pray in sence of our owne unworthinesse and in some measure of Childe-like confidence the prayers that we now make is the prayer of Christ and him the Father heareth alwaies Jo. 11.42 Now if Christ give us to use his name looke whatever petition we put up and use his name in it it is now the prayer of Christ for looke as if any of you should send your childe or servant to any of your neighbours to desire such or such a favour from them you send them but the petition is yours they desire it in your name and if you send him and bid him use your name and then you are sure it will be granted and if he should deny your childe or servant of such a petition that he askes in your name in denying him he denies you so that God cannot deny the petition you aske in Christs name for him he heareth alwayes and all such petitions he hath promised to heare The word of promise you heard before and it is full to this purpose Joh. 16.23 Verily verily I say unto you He takes his owne truth to witnesse it as a solemne asseveration Whatsoever ye shall aske the Father in my name he will give it you And therefore Aske in my name that you may receive If therefore the Lord Jesus Christ doe but give us this encouragement that we faithfully give up our selves to become his and in sence of our owne unworthinesse to aske any thing at Gods hands And we come to the Father as being set a worke by Christ and beseech him to answer us in this and that mercy and cannot give over till he receive our prayers and reach us an answer of them then the promise stands good Aske and you shall receive Reas 3 Thirdly It is taken from Gods acceptance not only of Christ but of the Spirit the Holy Ghost also for that is much to be considered for there is no prayer that is so wrought in this sort nor any prayer thus put up in sence and feeling and breathing of the Spirit in the name of Christ but it is the prayer of the Holy Ghost himselfe and God that knowes the meaning of the Spirit he hearkens to all the requests of the Spirit Rom. 8.26 27. The Spirit it selfe makes intercession for us so that these prayers are not only received and gratified because they are put up in the name of Christ but also because the Spirit it selfe makes intercession for us according to the will of God and God knowes the meaning and voyce of his owne Spirit God knowes that without this we could never be fervent for any spirituall blessing according to the will of God our dead hearts would soone make dead worke of it if there were no spirit in our prayer but our owne if our flesh be weake we shall soone have done and therefore when God sees us pray thus feelingly are not willing to leave him til he answer us in our desires then God knowes there is a mighty power of a spirit that speaks in us and God cannot deny the intercession of his spirit And further to strengthen this point Christ himselfe tels us that he will pray in our behalves for us for the Lord Jesus Christ himselfe sits at Gods right hand making intercession for us John 16.26 At that day yee shall aske in my name and I say not unto you that I will pray the father for you for the father himselfe loveth you because you have loved me c. And the Apostle sweetly expresseth how the Lord Jesus prayes for us Rom. 8.34 Who is he that condemned it is Christ that dyed yea rather that is risen againe who is even at the right hand of God who also maketh intercession for us so that the Lord Jesus Christ takes
pour out our souls to God in any spirituall affection then we know we have this unction the Holy Ghost came and opened our mouthes and healed our lips and made us pray affectionately and feelingly and that is a great light to the hearing of our petitions for a prayer well made is never ill heard and therefore you know what is said Psalm 10.17 Thou preparest the heart to pray and thou hast heard the desire of the poor How shall a poor Christian know that his desire is heard Why thou hast prepared the heart to pray If God prepare our hearts then he will cause his eare to heare these alwaies accompany one another That is something that this unction doth it works in all our hearts to pray according to Gods will and to pray in the name of Christ and so satisfies us Secondly This Spirit of God that we receive from the holy one it is also a spirit of faith that inwardly perswades us that God hath indeed heard us and that he will doe for us whatsoever we desire and will sometimes evidently beare witnesse of it to the heart of a man Maâ— 11.24 What thing soever ye desire when ye pray beleeve that ye shall receive them and ye shall have them We must beleeve that what we have said to God he will certainly doe it and the spirit of faith will come and say to the heart God in heaven saith Amen to it he gives out a fâ—at let it be done Psal 6.8 David was in a grievous affliction both in bodily affliction and spirituall desertion as in the beginning of the Psalme He cryed out day and night God had forsaken him and his soule was sore vexed but thou O Lord how long c. And now away from me all ye mine enemies for the Lord hath heard my petition and he will accept me so that even while he is in bitter complaints and grievous mourning while he is yet speaking this unction comes and reveales to him Gods acceptance of him and therefore now he encourages himselfe and casts a defiance upon all the troubles of his soule he lookes at them all as vanishing away like snow before the Sun and now he comforts himselfe therein And this oftentimes and usuall when the soule makes use of Gods Ordinances and Priviledges which himselfe hath granted that surely God hath heard our requests he never refuseth to grant that prayer which he stands to heare for this purpose is that you read of the good woman Hannah 1 Sam. 1.15 to 18. Ely suspected she was in some distemper but saith she I have poured out my soule before the Lord. She prayed feelingly and fervently and faithfully not words but her soule before the Lord she had prayed with her whole heart and her soule did raise up it selfe heaven-ward the strength of her desire was set upon that and he then said The Lord give thee favour in his eyes and grant thy request which was as if this answer had come from heaven for God doth reveale himself in his Ordinances She looked at him as the high Priest and so a Type of the Messiah and she tooke it as a voyce from heaven and the text saith She went home and looked no more sad God hath set it on and spoken comfort to her heart so as that her faith was established she saw the voyce of God in it and went home resolved upon it and takes such encouragement to her selfe from thence as to feare no more in that kinde When Gods spirit gives us to pray affectionately and to beleeve confidently then we know we have our petitions we are perswaded of it But besides this cofident perswasion this followes there is another worke of faith and that is a constant wrastling against all discouragements that falls between our requests and the accomplishment of our petitions Famous is that story of the woman of Syrophenicia Matth. 15. from 23. to 29 you know the manifold discouragements she met with she prayes and at first God gives her no audience answers her not a word she prayes againe and then he gives her a deniall to grant her any such request and tells her plainly It is not sutable to his calling and therefore he may not apply himselfe unto her yet she is not discouraged with this which is very much but she followes him still and though yet reproached and called a dogge yet she is not discouraged but out of the word of reproach gathers some hope of comfort if she be a dogge why then let her have that which belongs to doggs let her have but the crums that fall from the childrens table Shee is not discouraged with all the difficulties that lay in her way nothing shall cut her off from importunity and when he could forbeare no longer he then tells her O woman great is thy faith be it unto thee even as thou wilt To shew you that if the Holy Ghost doe but give a Christian soule so much resolution and confidence as not to give over praying till God be pleased to give over answering It is a good signe this spirit of faith will certainly prevaile at length All things are possible to them that beleeve and not only possible but certaine Thirdly There is a third worke of this Spirit and that is this it workes as it is a spirit of hope and that moves a man to waite upon God that though God should tarry long and he should pray heartily for such and such requests to be granted in such a case as this our spirits would be sad and uncomfortable and give over and be ready to say Wherefore should I waite on the Lord any longer as that prophane Prince said 1 King 6. last having been long prest with Famine he in the end burst forth with this This evill is of the Lord why should we waite on him any longer our foolish hearts soone grow impatient and we cannot dance after attendance upon God and therefore in this case though flesh and bloud be short winded and soone weary yet the truth is this unction when it workes in us a spirit of hope it still waites upon God it sets it selfe to waite upon him and is very well contented to stay Gods leisure though he should tarry very long Psal 62.1 Psal 130.4 5. and 2 last he sets both morning and evening watch for him and he is well contented to waite for him and Psal 123.1 2 3. Our eyes waite upon the Lord our God so that when God gives us a spirit of waiting then doth he certainly seale up unto us the granting of our petitions for when a man attends at the Court for an answer upon his petition if the King bid him attend it is a good signe he meanes to grant him his request else he would have rejected it but a wise Prince if he see a man come in good sort and desire a reasonable request of him that such a thing is according to his Princely will and he bids
CHRIST THE Fountaine of LIFE OR Sundry Choyce SERMONS on part of the fift Chapter of the first Epistle of St. JOHN PREACHED By that Learned judicious Divine and faithfull Minister of Jesus Christ Mr. JOHN COTTON B. D now Preacher at Boston in New-England Christus Vita Via est Scriptura Christi Published according to Order LONDON Printed by Robert Ibbitson and are to be sold by George Calvert at the signe of the half Moone in Watling street neer Pauls Stump MDCLI The Contents CReatures broken Cisters without Christ Pag. 2 Men cannot redeeme themselves ibid First part of the worship of Christ viz. in the minde and judgement p. 6 To prize Christ is to worship him p. 7 Christians worship Christ in their mindes p. 8 Moses honours the reproaches of Christ ib Naturally men desire to know the worth of blessings p. 9 He that hath Christ is inquisitive to know all the vertue that is in Christ ib Two parts of the worship of Christ is in the will and affections ib Deep measure of worshipping of Christ p. 10 Christ when more truly worshipped p. 11 Sweetest frame of spirit ib Third part of worshipping of Christ p. 12 Universall obedience ib If we cannot enjoy the liberty of the Ordinances but with sin against our soules in this case the Ordinances of God are to be neglected and omitted p. 22 The life of Christianity is not a life of wisdome and graces but of faith p. 29 A third way of having Christ is by Covenant p. 31 Extent of the Covenant on Gods part p. 33 God a Fountaine of goodnesse to his servants ib Extent of the Covenant on our part p. 34 Covenant three-fold ib Covenant of Salt p. 35 A fourth way of having of Christ p. 39 Christ received as into a temple three wayes p. 40 Second way of receiving of Christ p. 44 The third way of receiving Christ ib How to know whether you have truly embraced Christ p. 45 First thing considered in having Christ as a Son p. 46 True love to Christ wherein it is p. 53 Christ united to us and we to him by a three-fold spirit p. 59 A three-fold conformity between Christ and his p. 60 The first conformity wherein it consisteth ib The second conformity p. 61. The third conformity p. 63 The second worke of the Spirits liberty p. 65 Liberty from feare of sinne ib Naturall property of a Son p. 66 Liberty from power of sinne p. 67 Freedome from sins service p. 68 A Servants care in perseverance of Christian duties brings priviledge of peace to his soule p. 69 The third signe he that hath the Sonne hath him for his Prince pag. 74 To have Christ for a Saviour requires two things p. 75 Christ a Saviour from sin as well as from distresse p. 79 An hard matter to be willing to be saved by Christ p. 80 Christ saveth as a Prince p. 81 Christ our Prince in two things p. 82 Rebellious thoughts p. 83 Christians differenced by their thoughts ib Good thoughts continue for ever p. 85 Summe of all laid downe p. 88 Three sorts of signes of Spirituall life p. 92 First cause of Spirituall life ib John the first and the thirteenth opened p. 93 The second cause of Spirituall life p. 94 That the Promises belong to every true Christian p. 95 Ground of the point p. 96 A third cause of Spirituall life p. 98 Signes of Spirituall life from the effects of it p. 101 Life of Justification ib Inward peace flowes from pardon of sin ib That every sinner as soone as his sin is pardoned hath an unconceiveable peace in his soule p. 102 Second effect of the life of Justification ib Property of Spirituall life p. 105 Love of God a signe of Spirituall life ib Life of Sanctification p. 109 Joy and griefe in the soule sanctified at once p. 110 Joy and feare p. 111 Joy in affliction p. 113 Patience without forbearance ib Meeknesse and strictnesse at once p. 114 Modesty mixed with magnanimity p. 115 Psalme the 24. the 7. verse opened p. 116 Psalme 149. verse 6. expounded p. 118 The seventh combination of graces p. 119 Diligence in worldly businesse and yet dead to the world ib Love of Enemies p. 102 Effects of Sanctification signes of spirituall life p. 127 First effect motion ib Lightnesse of spirit p. 128 What is required to a Spirituall duty p. 129 Of common gifts p. 130 Causes of deadnesse of heart p. 132 Remedies against deadnesse p. 133 Second signe of spirituall life ib John 6.35 explained p. 134 First a soule longs after Christ in the Ordinance ib Strength and sweetnesse in the Ordinance p. 135 Third particular applying of the Word p. 136 Fourth conformity to the Word in every thing ib Growth in grace p. 138 Repentance the best purge p. 140 Fourth effect of the life of Sanctification ib Fifth signe life propagates it like p. 142 Three properties of life first warmth p. 144 Knowledge warme p. 145 John 5.32 expounded ib 2. Where there is life there is breath p. 146 3. Spiritual warmth digesteth Gods Ordinances p. 148 4. Spiritual warmth heateth others ib Power of sinne p. 153 Plyablenesse of spirit p. 158 James 3.17 expounded ib So much sweetnesse so much life p. 159 Danger of being out of Christ p. 161 Jer. 13. last opened p. 162 Esa 44.11 explained p. 165 Procure Christ for our selves and others p. 172 Motives to get Christ p. 172 Meanes of having Christ p. 174 What help Johns Epistles yeelds to beleevers p. 179 The bane of Congregations that have no means of preaching p. 184 Note the miserable case of Congregations that have but bare reading p. 186. Carnal men have benefit by the Word p. 187 Three reasons or signes of grace p. 189 Knowledge what p. 190 Rome an Harlot ib Mighty power in the Scriptures preached p. 199 Reading the Word p. 200 Examination of things heard ib Repetition of the word blessed p. 201 Meditation on the Word p. 202 Property of a faithfull Minister p. 203 Faith profitable to all things p. 205 Infidell practice of Papists ib Mighty power in meditating upon the Word p. 206 Kings must read the Word of God daily p. 207 To pray according to Gods will in two things 1. Aske things lawfull 2. aske in Christs name 1. To aske in Christs name requireth humility p. 211 212 First second third fourth acts of humility p. 212 213 First second third fourth acts of faith in prayer p. 213 214 First to pray in the spirit is to pray feelingly 2. Fervently 3. Perseverance p. 218 219 Advocate what p. 228 Partiall eye Censorious eye Malicious eye wanton eye p 243 244 245 Mantle of wisdome p. 248 Mantle of of faithfulnesse ib Mantle of compassion p. 249 CHRIST the FOUNTAIN of LIFE SERMON I. 1 JOHN 5.12 He that hath the Son hath life and he that hath not the Son hath not life THese words containe the Third part of the record that God bare of
give where and to whom he will 3 And for a third ground why eternall life cannot bee given by any but by Christ is taken from the invincible difficulty of the passage to eternall life from the hand of death and the grave there is no redemption What man is he that can deliver his soule from the hand of the grave Psal 49. And if the soule be severed from the body no man can quicken his owne soule that is beyond the power and reach of the creature death is the passage to eternall life and this passage is of invincible difficulty for a man to dye and then to translate himselfe from death to life is far beyond the capacity of the creature and therefore saith our Saviour I am the resurrection and the life Joh. 11.25 and hee speakes of it formally and properly as if he should say being risen from the dead my selfe I rise my selfe and therefore raise up others also so that if you looke at the invincible difficulty of it you shall see that it onely is the Lord Jesus that can give eternall life it is a signe of an hypocrite when with Simon Magus we thinke this gift may be bought with money Reas 2 It is taken from the good pleasure of the Father whom it hath pleased that in Christ all fulnesse of life should dwell Col. 1.19 And when he which is our life shall appeare wee shall appeare with him 1 Cor. 1.30 And therefore since God hath concluded and shut up all the springs of life in Christ and out of Christ there is nothing but death the good pleasure of the Father hath determined this point that he having given us this eternall life in his Son there is no deriving life from any fountaine but only from the Son Vse If upon our having or not having of Christ depends our having or not having of life then from hence you see an evident ground of triall of every one of our estates whether we be alive or dead would any man know whether he have or not have life consider then whether you have or not have Christ And from hence you may discerne three grounds of triall to discerne whether we have Christ or no. First consider what it is to have a Christ Secondly what it is to have the Son Thirdly what signes there be of life and hereby wee shall have direction whether we have Christ or no and by this we may informe our selves aright in this particular This point containes in it the pith and marrow of Christianity so far as any comfort of it may redound to us First then let us consider what signes the Holy Ghost hath given us of our having of Christ We are said to have Christ four wayes in Scripture First by the honour or service or worship of him Secondly in some sense wee are said to have Christ by purchase Thirdly by way of Covenant Fourthly by way of free acceptance when God offers him First a man is said to have God or to have Christ that worships him and the very worshipping of him is the having of him so you read Exod. 20.3 Thou shalt have no other gods but me it is the expresse words of the Commandement And by having of God there he meanes thus much Thou shalt worship no other gods but me worship me and thou hast me worship any other and thou hast another god and not me So have the Lord Jesus Christ by worshipping of him and you have him fully Psal 45.10 11. He is the Lord thy God and worship thou him implying that as God hath set over his Son to us to be our Lord so we must receive accept and worship him this is that which Moses and the people of Israel sung He is my God and is become my salvation Exod. 15.2 He is my God and he is my Fathers God and therefore I will exalt him So that to set up and exalt God in our hearts and lives and to worship him is all one this sets up the Lord to worship him is to be our God Now a little better to understand this point that you may conceive what this worship of Christ is you are to conceive that worship is performed to Christ in minde in heart in life both in our obedience that wee performe in our life in suffering and patience which wee yeeld to God in our lives by all this we worship Christ and so have him 1 Part of the worship of Christ viz. in the mind and judgement First in our mindes we then indeed worship Christ when we have him in high estimation The worship and honour that we owe to Christ is to have him in high esteem Cant. 5 10. She the Spouse there may well call him her beloved Christ is my Christ when he is to me the chiefest of ten thousand Psal 89.6 Who among the sonnes of the mighty can be likened to the Lord. And Exod. 15.11 Who is a God like unto thee When the soule of a man doth esteem of Christ above all other things in the world when there is nothing that the soule so prizes as the Lord Jesus Christ then the soul hath him and herin lies the difference between spiritual earthly things you have an high esteem of an earthly thing and yet have it not a man may highly prize a good bargain and yet have it not but no man sets an high price upon Christ but hee that hath him spirituall things we wholly neglect untill we have them and when we have them then there oisn-thing with us comparable to them untill a man have his portion in the word of God it is but a thing of small value to him and so the Spirit of Gods grace and the blood of Christ untill a man have it it is but a light vaine thing to him yea till he have the Lord Jesus himselfe no spirituall thing is of any value with him but so soone as ever the heart begins to prize Jesus Christ as the chiefest of all the blessings that ever God bestowed upon the sonnes of men and if the soule thinke To prize Christ is to worship him that had he but his part in Christ he were the happiest man in the world in thus prizing him he worships him and in worshipping him hee hath him Now you must conceive that all worship stands in advancing another with the debasing of our selves we humble our selves that we may advance another Now if our debasement to them be such as is not compatible to a creature as when we subject our heart and spirits to them this is divine honour Now that soule that exalts the Lord Jesus Christ as the highest in his owne esteem he debases himself to the dust in his spirit before him John 1.27 It is the speech of John Baptist speaking of the Lord Jesus Christ He that commeth after me is preferred before me whose shooe latchet I am not worthy to loose This is a true worshipping of Christ when in
this point there are three Cases in which money must be layed out or else Christ cannot be had and in refusing to lay out money we refuse life in him 1 Case First when the Lord by some speciall command requires it as was the case of the young man in the Gospel there was a speciall commandement given to him not given to every man nor to every rich man nor scarce any man in ordinary course now adayes yet then given to him and now to stick for money and rather lose eternall life then his goods in such a case as this he loseth his life in Christ and upon the same poynt or the like broke Ananias and Saphira it was the common resolution of the Church of God in that Age to sell all that they had and to give to the poore and to live after the same rate that other men did a like proportion to every man and to distribute faithfully to every man as every man had need and as the Apostle saw cause and when they come and keep back part of the price for which their possessions was sold you see how bitter a curse from the presence of the Lord fell upon them they were cut off from the Congregation of Gods people and it is much to be feared cut off from the Lord Jesus Christ and from all hope of eternall life and to stand as a terrible example to the whole Church of God to shew what a dangerous thing it is to stand upon termes with Christ and not to part with money for him they could not have fellowship with the people of God unlesse they parted with all they had and live upon the common distribution but this case is not alwayes But secondly there is another time namely when in case of persecution the market of Christ goes at so high a rate that a man cannot have Christ with any comfort in his soule or peace to his Conscience or purity of heart or life unlesse he hazzard all his estate or a good part of it In buying and selling of a precious commodity a good Chapman wil have it what ever it cost him So Christ is sometimes at an higher and sometimes at a lower rate but whatever he costs him he will have him it is spoken in commendation of the Hebrews that they suffered joyfully the spoyling of their goods Heb. 10.34 to shew you that sometimes it comes to that passe that unlesse a man be content to part with all his goods he cannot have the recompence of reward the Lord Jesus Christ to his soule and therefore the Servants of God have been content to loose all that they had and willing to resigne up all for the maintaining the integrity of their spirits and the purity of their hearts and lives in the presence of God and then let all goe they can suffer the spoyle of all joyfully 3 It is in case that by Gods providence you be cast to live in such Congregations where you cannot have the Ordinances of God but at a great charge as it is the case of many places that unlesse they be at charge for the Ministery of the Gospel it cannot be had then we must communicate freely that way then be not deceived God is not mocked for what a man sowes that shall he also reap Gal. 6.6 7 8 Where the Apostle doth encourage men at such a time as this when the Gospel cannot be had but at great charge then lay out liberally for the Gospel of Christ and he calls it A sowing to the Spirit as a man that layes out his money for an earthly commodity for a good bargaine he reapes corruption so he that sowes of the Spirit shall of the Spirit reape life everlasting When a man layes out his money unto Spirituall ends to obtaine the free passage of the Ordinances of Christ to enjoy the liberty of the Gospel he thereby sowes to the Spirit and shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting for this is the blessing promised unto it such as so sow shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting so that when a man out of a good and honest heart and an hungering desire after Gods Ordinances shall be willing to be at charge for them he hath this promise made to him and it shall be fulfilled He shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting But yet when a man hath layed out his money for this end if he then thinke his money is worthy of Christ he gets him not but this is the first way of having Christ by way of Purchase a seasonable laying out our money for him as God requires it Secondly Christ is to be purchased not so much by money as chiefly this purchase must be made by parting with all those many and strong Lusts and Corruptions and sinfull rebellions of heart by which we keep off Christ from comming into our hearts this is that which the Prophet Esay directs us to Esa 55.7 Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts c. where he tels us what we must give for Christ for sinne is neither money nor moneys worth but he makes a good bargaine that parts with his sins though he should get no Christ for his parting with them He speakes of the first and principall part of the life of a Christian man the life of his Justification that springs from pardon of sinne let a man forsake those sins and lusts that he hath been most carried captive with let a wicked man forgoe his thoughts and wayes both his secret and open sins and let him then turne to God and he will abundantly pardon then God will receive him graciously to the justification of life This is the thing that we must doe this was the point upon which sundry of them that have been hopefull for Religion have broken off from Christ and Christ from them they have forsooke him and he left them Jehu stuck upon this very point he would goe a great way but when it comes as he thinkes to hazzard his title to the Crowne then he will set up the golden Calves when he saw that all must be parted with rather then he would forgoe that without which he could not maintaine his Kingdome he would rather loose Christ then venture the losse of that 2 King 10.29.31 He regarded not to walke in all the Commandements of the Lord and then as he cut short with God in reformation and did not fulfill to walke after the Lord therefore God cut Jehu short of all the hopes of grace that ever he might have attained to vers 32. so that if we cut at a scanting with God and will part with some lusts and corruptions but not with others then will God cut you short of all your hopes of eternall life and it was upon the same termes that Herod fell short of Christ Mar. 6.10 Luk. 3.18 he had done many things according to Johns Ministry but when God would cut him short of Herodias
parts and all the good common gifts of grace which are found sometimes in good nature and sometimes in the children of the Church we must part with them all that we may win Christ 1 Cor. 3.18 If any man among you seem to be wise in this world let him become a foole that he may be wise who ever would be a wise man as a wise man he cannot be if hee have not his part in Christ he must lay aside his serious and sad deliberation and communication with flesh and blood and all things in the way of God that he thinkes will be prejudiciall if any man be so wise as to see this and that danger in a Christian course let him become a foole else he shall never become a Christian if a man will be content to forsake all for Christ he must first be a foole and be content to bee counted a foole and heare every carnall man to count him a foole And I speak not onely of carnal and civill wisdom that that only is to be denyed in this case but common graces which many times choakes all the hypocrites in the bosome of the Church they are commonly choaked upon this point upon these things they trust and doe therefore verily beleeve that this and that interest God hath in them and they in God because they have received such and such gifts from him and this is the case formerly mentioned Matth. 7.22 23. they pleaded their spirituall gifts though common gifts and such as may be found in workers of iniquity they prayed to God a common gift and they prophesied in his name they had prophetical gifts some measure of the spirit of ministery and they were able to cast out devills in Christs name now when as men do trust upon these and settle themselves upon such a change truly hereby they loose that power in Christ which else they might have had It s a wonder to see what a change propheticall gifts will work in a man 1 Sam. 10.10 12. he there Saul had a spirit of prophesie came upon him and the people wondred at it it works a strange change in a man and so in the next chap. the 19 and 23 ver he prophesied til he came at such a place so that you shall see a man that is trained up in any good order though sometimes given to loose company when once God begins to poure into him any spirituall gift to inlighten his mind and to inlarge his affection that hee begins to have some love to and some joy in the Word and some sorrow in hearing of the Word and some comfort in meditation Its wonder to see what a change this will work in the spirit he forthwith begins to abandon his loose courses and sets himselfe to a more strict course then hee begins to see his acquisite learning is but a small matter to edification hee prizes his spirituall gifts and hee is able now to doe much and when a mans heart is thus changed by propheticall gifts it workes in a man such confidence in his soule that he thinkes all the Congregation shall perish before he can perish and if Ministers may be thus deceived by common gifts and graces how much more may their poor hearers bee deceived when they by hearing the Word find such comfort and illumination and inlargements that they thereby finde a great change wrought in them and yet if ministers may bee so much deceived in presuming vainly of their good estate which was not so then much more common Christians Should any man presume at Foelix his trembling Act. 24.25 At Jehues zeale 2 King 10.16 At Ahabs humiliation 1 King 21.28 29. At Herods joy in hearing you know what became of all these those be graces of God though but common graces and if the Prophets were deceived may not these be deceived also that have neither Christ nor any part in him and therefore a man that would bee sure not to goe without Christ nor without life in him he must not trust in any spirituall gift he hath received though his mind be enlightened sometimes to feare sometimes to joy to humiliation to inlargement to zealous reformation yet rest in none of these for these you may have and yet want Christ and life in him common graces may and will deceive you a man may have all these and yet not prize Christ at his cheifest good he may have all these and yet not worship him Notwithstanding all these there may bee some iniquity in their hands for which cause God will not shew mercy to them See and observe if in the midst of all these you do not worke some iniquity they were workers of iniquity alwayes at the best Matth. 7.23 you may be workers of iniquity notwithstanding all these and therefore consider if there be not some veine of pride and hypocrisie and covetousnesse that cleaves fast to your hearts which you allow your selves in which if you doe these very gifts will bee your ship-wracke your anchor will breake and your ship will bee carryed away and you fall downe in destruction but see that your hearts bee cleane and see that there bee not an ill thought or way that you allow your selves in and if so then your heart will lay hold upon God and you will prize Christ and then it is a signe those gifts you have are not in hypocrisie for in an hypocrite they are alwayes found with some sinne which if a man doe not willfully shut his eyes against hee may see for our Saviour speakes of such a sinne in them as the rest of the people of God may know them to be counterfeits from verse 15 to 23. You shall know them by this doe men gather grapes of thornes or figges of thistles have not they their ill haunts but put away these from you if you mean to have Christ Fifthly If we would have Christ and life in him we may have him in Justification but not in growth of Sanctification if you part not with confidence in the saving graces of Gods Spirit you must not looke to be justified by them for if you doe you wil discover them not to be sanctified graces nor the fruits of them the fruits of saving grace Christ shall profit you nothing if you looke to be saved by the righteousnesse of the Law Gal. 5.3 4. If therefore we thinke that for these graces sake God accepts us truly we loose the things that we have wrought and for all that we have received we have no part nor portion in the Lord Jesus Christ neither Abraham nor David hath whereon to 〈◊〉 Rom 4.4.18 But blessed is the man to whom the Lord imputeth no sinne and in whose spirit there is no guile Therein stands our blessednesse when the Lord imputes not sinne to us but if we looke to be justified either by the gifts of grace we have received or by the workes and acts of grace that we have performed we shall certainly fall
Look what grace any where you see in Christ the resemblance of it is stamped upon every child of God by the spirit of Christ Hence it comes to passe that which is worth your observation those who have Christ they doe reason from the nature of Christ to justifie the temper of their owne spirits and the course of their own lives as is the Apostle Pauls owne Argument in 2 Corin. 1.17 18 19. Some of the false Apostles tooke up an Argument against the Apostle Paul to prove his levity and inconstancy and forgetfulnesse and how doth he free himselfe did I use lightnesse no saith he our words toward you was not yea and nay and thus he reasons from Christs nature The Sonne of God who was preached among you was not yea and nay but yea and amen Now he which establisheth us with you is Christ c. So that looke as Christ is yea and amen the faithfull and true witnesse of God what he speakes he confirmes and fulfills in due season Now saith he when Christ was preached among you it was not an uncertain Christ carryed about with lightnesse and unsettlednesse but what is once gone out of his lips It is yea and amen Therefore make account that God that hath poured the same spirit upon us hath established us together with you To shew you that by reason of the participation of the spirit of grace there is such a spirit in us as that you may argue all these the nature of Christ the nature of the Gospell and the nature of the frame of grace in the hearts of Gods people to be all alike they do mutually shew the face one of another in the frame and carriage one of another That as Christ is yea and amen so is the Gospell and such are they that beleeve the Gospell and are established by the Gospel in Christ Jesus v. 21.2 And he hath sealed us and given us the spirit in our hearts the same spirit of Christ that breathed in the Gospell and in the Preachers of the Gospell and the beleevers of it is yea and amen in them all a spirit of truth and innocency and gravity and purity whatsoever is the spirit of the one is the spirit of them all So that this is an evident signe that wee have Christ when we have the spirit of Christ when you may reason alike the one from the other though in us it be the weaker by reason of a spirit of corruption found in us and not in Christ Yet this is an evident argument of the stabillity and gravity of our hearts which though in regand of weaknesse we might think the Apostle might have been excepted against yet because there is no weaknesse in a child of God but if he have Christ his heart is in the same condition with Christ and with the Gospel also therefore he may comfortably argue a likenesse between them what he speakes that he thinkes in his heart and it is the desire of his soul that it may be effected And though he may be hindred yet his heart is still the same and he was by no meanes to bee taxed of any lightnesse because he did not performe his word the fault was not his levity his spirit was the same but some occasion fell out otherwise by the providence of God And so it is with every child of God if he have Christ the spirit of a Christian is ever the same if there should be any inclination to lying and inconstancy the frame of the spirit is altered but the true bent and frame of a Christian is to be one with Christ as Christ is one with him 2 Now as there is a likenesse and conformity The second conformity and unity in nature between Christ and a child of God so there is also in us a conformity to Christ in his Offices The meaning is Whosoever hath the Son he hath the offices which the Sonne hath As he was both King Priest and Prophet to God his Father so are we Rev. 1.6 As Kings to rule over all our lusts and to rule all those whom God commends to our Government according unto God As Kings to get victory and to conquer over the World and to over-wrastle any difficulty as we meete with As Kings anoynted with the spirit of a King of a royall spirit though not invested with fulnesse of glory till the last day yet of an heroyicke noble spirit can easily over-look all earthly drudgery and resist any enemy we meet with And Priests also we are so as we are able to offer up sacrifices of prayer and thanksgiving to God A broken and an humble heart is a Sacrifice much set by of God Psalm 51.17 and Phil. 2.17 offered upon the sacrifice and service of your faith We are now inabled to go to God and to offer up praises to him which are as insence before him and in offering up any other sacrifice of an holy life we are Priests unto God the Father And so are we also Prophets Acts 2.17 hee poures out his spirit in a rich and plentifull measure he poures out his spirit upon all flesh whence it comes to passe that the servants of God understand many secrets of Gods counsell Psalm 25.14 and whence also it comes to passe that many a godly man by the same spirit discernes many secret hidden mysteries and meanings of the Holy Ghost in Scripture more then ever he could by any reading or instruction and many times discernes some speciall work of the spirit of God which inables them to fore-see some speciall blessings most usefull for their spirituall estate and so leads them on to many good things which they did little thinke of and so makes them of Propheticall spirits and bowes them to teach others also to lead on others of their neighbours in the wayes of God And now I say that as these be the Offices of the Lord Jesus Christ so there is no child of God that hath the Son but he hath all these in him hee is now a man of a royall and Priestly and Prophetical spirit And you are hereby I meane by the spirit not onely called to these Offices but inabled to discharge them For that is the difference between a Christian in heart and a Christian in appearance fall short of ability to performe these Offices And as there is this conformity to the Nature and Offices of Christ in them that have the Sonne So Thirdly The third conformity there is a conformity in their Estates you know Christ waded through an Estate of humiliation and exaltation These bee the main Principles of Religion that looke as it was with Christs estate it was sometime the time wherein hee was humbled in this world all the course of his life was a time of humiliation and that unto the very death or else his state of exaltation in heaven that then when he was most mortified then was he most glorified triumphing openly and mightily shewing
a spirit of liberty to have the heart set free from all feares it is the summe of all security he hath redeemed us That we might serve him without feare all the dayes of our lives Luk. 1.74 75.78 We are free from feare of Death and Hell and of the World and we doe not feare what flesh can doe unto us Psal 3.5 6. his meaning is That the feares of men should not breake his sleep but he would walke in a child-like confidence before God and man and he would lye him downe quietly and sleepe securely though ten thousand had compassed him round about and the like you read Psal 56.3 What time I am afraid I will trust in thee And vers 11. In God will I put my trust I will not be afraid what man can doe unto me It is an usuall phrase with David and the usuall frame of the spirits of Gods people and this kinde of holy tranquillity of heart and liberty to walk with even nesse and comfort of soule against all the feares of this and another world this kinde of inward liberty from all feare Naturall property of a son is the naturall property of a Sonne a sonne never greatly feares ill measures from his Father all his care is to approve himselfe to his Fathers will and then he knowes his Fathers care is more for his owne provision and protection then his owne can be and if at any time he fall short of doing his Fathers will he makes his peace with his father upon as good termes as he can and there he rests but this is his fathers will and you need not possesse him of that and if he be a sonne he will looke for protection from his father A childe of God knowes his heavenly Father will support him and he feares not what sinne and Hell and the Grave and Death can doe unto him he feares not persecution nor sword nor famine the Lord is with him and he feares none of them I am perswaded saith Paul that in all these we are more then conquerours Rom. 8.37 38. this is the liberty of the spirit of a sonne Now as there is by the Spirit in the heart of the Childe of God liberty from all feare of sinne Liberty from power of sin so he hath liberty from all the power and dominion of sinne he is not subject to the dominion and bondage of sinne sinne hath not that power over him as to carry him captive to it but he walkes at liberty Psal 119. and therefore at liberty because he is not under the law but under grace Rom. 6.14 And notable is that speech in Chap. 8.2 The law of the spirit of life which is in Christ Jesus hath freed me from the law of sinne and of death The spirit of life viz. That spirit of life which hath a legall power in it a power like a law and hath a ruling power over me as the law hath and in both these respects called A Law of God A kinde of spirituall life because there is a lively spirit in him And this law of the Spirituall life of Grace hath freed me set me at liberty from the law and trade of sinne and of death sinne and death set him a course and trade which this Law of the Spirit of life hath set him free from so as that he is but a bungler in sin now not now learned in the law of sinne as sometimes he hath been but the Law of the Spirit of life hath freed him from the skill of sinne and from the command of sinne the law of sinne hath had a soveraigne power over him but now he is freed from the act and trade of sinne and now he walkes at liberty even from the dominion and usurpation of sinne time hath been when nothing would withhold him and he could have followed evil company and unlawfull games they were as lawfull to him as to any and he had no power to resist them but now the Law of the Spirit of life hath helped him against them all this is another part of the spirit of liberty a liberty from the bondage and dominion of sinne and it is a marvellous comfortable liberty indeed many a vallourous spirited man hath so little feare of death that he rushes upon the Pikes as the Horse into the Battell as if it were their meat and drinke but yet he wants this liberty he is not at liberty from feare of danger by the redemption of the Lord Jesus Christ but as Aristotle saith valiant because ignorant of the danger And besides such a naturall man though he be of a magnanimous spirit in respect of fear of danger yet such a man is often captivated of many base lusts and sinfull courses and is not able to resist ill counsell nor ill company whereas a godly man is free from all these free from the bondage and dominion of sinne and all the law of sinne he looks at it as a cobweb-law which hee may easily breake through and accordingly doth so and overcomes all his former sinfull lusts Freedome from sins Service Thirdly There is another frame of this spirit of liberty as it is the Spirit of the Sonne it frees us from the service of men 1 Cor. 7.23 Not that it forbids civill subjection not so to make men free but if God have called you a servant live as a servant 1 Cor. 7.12 to 20. but use your liberty the rather if you can but if you must needs be a servant then know that he that is a servant is the Lords free man but be not ye the servants of men that is though you owe and doe your bodily service to men yet towards God walk at liberty and if thy labour be great and thy reward little yet doe thy service and looke for more wages at the hand of Christ Col. 3.23 then from men in serving men serve Christ and therefore goe about your Masters service not with eye service but in singlenesse of heart serving the Lord and not men in serving of men they do faithfull and diligent service to the Lord and therefore they do it willingly and not grudgingly but in much quietnesse of spirit and are more free for Christian duties and have more quiet time for seeking God then ever after 1 Cor. 7.22 He that is married careth for the things of the world And it is true he that is most free is but a servant to Christ but a free servant though But he that is a servant is the Lords free-man the meaning is not only to doe the worke of his owne service with a free spirit but he is not onely a free man when he is most bound but then hee goes about the service of God with much more liberty of spirit then when he is his own man It is oft times wonder to see servants being called what care they will have of Christian dutyes what time they will steal to call upon God and to examin
doing and this is a great measure of liberty that a Childe of God can tell how to make an advantage of all the afflictions he meets with in this world these things doe but serve his turne and afterward he wil say he could have missed none of them so that this is a second worke of the spirit of the Sonne it is a spirit of liberty Onely take this word for a Conclusion And that is thus much Examine now and try whether you have the Son or no which you may know by your having or not having the spirit of the Son Say then have you the spirit of the Son viz. have you that spirit of the Lord Jesus Christ that makes you to be of one and the same nature with him of the same Offices and same Estate with him can you find this in truth and that with comfort and honesty you may reason this is the frame of my spirit such is the Spirit of Christ And such is the spirit of the godly and if in any thing you faile your spirit is against it do you find that you are in some measure invested with a royall spirit that you can over-come your selves and the temptations of this world and are you able to offer up spirituall sacrifice to God of prayer and praises And doe you finde a spirit of Prophesie shed abroad into you that makes you sensible of and privie to the secret paths of God Doe you finde that Christ was most glorious when he was most humbled and so are you and when you enjoy outward blessings your hearts are not puffed up with them these are not the goodly stones that your hearts and eyes are set upon but you have greater matters then these to minde then I say it is the very Spirit of Christ that makes you to dye with Christ as well as Christ to dye for you he may dye for many men but he only dyes with those that are brought on to the fellowship of his grace if a Spirit of Christ so knit you together that he is yours and you are his then you have the Sonne because you have the spirit of the Sonne because you are sonnes God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Sonne into your hearts but now if there be no proportion no conformity to Christ in holinesse and righteousnesse not patient and meek as he is And though we be not such yet we allow our selves in not being such and are ever and anon starting aside from him And if we have not his Offices nor rule over our lusts nor over the world and we can neither pray nor prophesie and shew forth no spirituall life in our lives cannot deny our selves that wee may shew forth the hidden man of the heart then consider that for the present we have not yet Christ because we have not the spirit of Christ And also if we be not yet free from the fear of death And take no care to be free from the dominion and power of sinne but sinne hath still a power over us like a law and are not yet free from the service of men but as our Masters and Governours say so it must be if we yet know not how to rule men for our own advantage we have not yet received the spirit of Christ wee cannot tell how to serve our Masters with liberty of spirit we know not how to make advantage of them SERMON VI. 1 JOHN 5.12 He that hath the Son hath life and he that hath not the Son hath not life IT now remaines that we come to shew what it is to have the Sonne by a spirit of prayer but of this we shal have further occasion to speak in the 14 15 and 16 verses and therefore we shall leave it now and speak to it then You may remember we said there was three notes to discern whether we had the Son no. The first was if we desired not Christ for his benefits but cheifly for himselfe The second was If we have received the spirit of the Sonne We now come to speake of a third signe a point more easie to be gathered then the former but though most common yet not to be neglected but being well applyed will bee of speciall use to the edification and salvation of the hearers for every truth in his place is divine and precious The third signe He that hath the Sonne hath him for his Prince And therefore the next note is this He that hath the Son he hath him not only for a Saviour but for his Lord and the Prince A point which upon sundry occasions hath been touched but now to speake of it more fully There is no man that hath the Son but as he hath him for his Saviour so he hath him for his Prince Acts 3 3â— Him hath God exalted with his right hand whom they slew a Prince and a Saviour so that he that hath Christ hath him not only as a Saviour but as a Prince to whomsoever he is a Saviour to them he is also become a Prince it were a wonderfull dishonour to him to save them whom he doth not rule to save them from the power of the grave and to leave them still in their sinnes and unbroken off from their evill wayes it were much dishonor to him It is a dishonour to parents to have children and to have them untaught and unmannerly And God hath given the life blood of his owne Son to purchase us unto himselfe and therefore he would not onely save us but rule us or else we shall never have him for our Saviour So that here is two points to be opened Point 1 First Hee that hath the Sonne hath him for his Saviour Point 2 Secondly Hee that hath the Sonne hath him also for his Lord. It is an usuall saying every man would have Christ for a Saviour but rare are those that will have him for their Ruler and Governour But though the saying be true in respect of the common conceit of men yet in truth I say they are but rare Christians that wil have him for a Saviour so far off are they from desiring him as their Lord. For two things there be that goe to the having of Christ for a Saviour To have Christ for a Savior requires two things First He that will have Christ for a Saviour must look up to him for salvation in all his wayes and distresses we have other Saviours but not him if we looke for salvation else-where Esa 40.22 Look unto me all ye ends of the earth and be ye saved there is no God nor Saviour besides me therefore look to me and be ye saved So that if a man wil have God for his Savior he must look to him from one end of the earth to the other we are at the utmost corner of the earth and if we will be saved we must looke up to the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation as David looked towards the Temple at Jerusalem for salvation
your soules did cleave unto then are you indeed borne to a Spirituall life because you are right bred bred of a Promise and of the holy will and pleasure of God but if you finde your selves to be of another frame and you are bowed to walke with God and to reforme your course of life by outward bounds this is not so safe but if your whole man universally be bowed to a godly holy frame and all things are become new new friends new affections new desires if you finde such an universall change then you are right bred Christians and indeed no Christians are right bred but such Christians but if you make a great stirre about the great Reformation that is wrought in you and it is from the good inclination and disposition you have alwaies had you ever had a good minde and in the end you thanke God you have reformed such and such evils as you have been blamed for time was when you could have freely played at Cards and Dice but since then you see the vanity of it Note this and you take better courses and doe now consort your selves with wel ordered and stayed company you had alwaies a good minde to be better but you could not doe it suddenly and so in the conclusion your reformation is but a good inclination or disposition of your minde and if you see that much good hath been wrought upon you by the counsell of such and such friends and by the good example of such and such wise and discreet friends and if you find that there is some strange change in your carriage your course of life is much altered you are not so light and wanton as you were but you take a farre more grave and wise and stayed course and to much better purpose both for Church and Common-wealth wherein you live now I say if you shall goe on and looke for that Spirituall life which only springs from Christ Jesus and wil lead on to eternall glory and therefore rests not in any reformation of your selves till you finde there be such an inward and whole change wrought in you which the heart is wont to speake of to the praise of Gods grace it was Gods will else it could never have been wrought and you could not speak of it till now and you never rest satisfied in such a change as a word of reproofe or counsell that hath wrought such a change or reformation in you that stayed in the outward man or in some affections till you found your hearts to sanctifie the name of Gods grace in the acknowledgement of the word of Promise and of the Spirit of grace making you new that you may bee able to say that in very deed you have Christ and with Christ life and that life which will never decay but wil hold to all eternity And therefore now to speake something of the signes of the life of our Justification Therefore a second sort of signes Signes of spirituall life from the effects of it is taken from the effects of Spirituall life you see what is the causes of it as the good pleasure of God the word of promise and the Spirit of grace these be the first sort of signes Now a second sort of signes is from the effects and fruits of life and herein take notice of some fruits of your life of Justification Life of Justification it is a principall part of our Spirituall life to have our sins forgiven Blessed is the man whose iniquity is pardoned and to whom the Lord imputeth no sinne Psal 32.1 2. And therefore it is that forgivenesse of sinne is called justification then God accounts us righteous and this is called Justification of life Rom. 5.18 because in the pardon of our sins is our life As when a Malefactor by the Law is condemned he is by the Law a dead man and if his Pardon come his pardon is his life and it is so indeed So is it in this case the pardon of our sins is the very life of our soules and if God give us to finde that life there is no feare of the life of our Sanctification or Consolation c. The first effect then that flowes from the pardon of our sins is some inward peace of Conscience Inward peace flowes from pardon of sins some inward refreshment and satisfaction yeelded to the heart that it could never attaine to before for sinne may be pardoned in the sight of God and yet that pardon is not manifested and declared to my soule untill God vouchsafe me some measure of peace and a manifestation of the free pardon of my sins I can have little rest it is a notable saying Rom. 5.1 Being justified by faith we have peace with God through Jesus Christ A man justified is one that hath his sins pardoned for what was it that all our life time before made us afraid of Gods displeasure and we had much disquietnesse about our estates Oh the sinne of our soules that we had committed all our life long the sinne committed many a day agoe that now lay heavie upon our soules and the want of pardon lay as heavie as our sins but now if God come and say Thy sins are pardoned then followes a sweete tranquility of peace in the soule A matter that Philosophers have talked of to quiet the minde to lull men asleep and with applying remedies did stupisie for a while and take off the heavie burthen or the sence of the burthen rather then the burthen it selfe but so soone as ever God pardons sinne there is shed abroad a spirit of peace in our soules and sometimes in that unspeakable measure as that it passeth the understanding of a man to conceive Note this Phil. 4.7 But I doe not so conceive that every Christian as soone as ever his sinne is first pardoned hath such an unconceiveable peace in his soule but he findes a great deale of ease sometimes as if you had thrown a Milstone from off his body notable is that expression in Esa 32.17 The work of righteousnesse shall be peace and the effect of righteousnesse quietnesse and assurance for ever He speakes of that righteousnesse whereby we stand righteous before God and the imputation of Christs righteousnesse to our soules The worke of righteousnesse shall be peace from this worke and effect you may gather what the causes of it is blessed are such it is quietnesse and assurance for ever Not that there is an everlasting sence of that peace for the sence of it is sometimes obscured for want of watchfulnesse and want of experience in the wayes of godlinesse and sometimes through the buffetings of Sathan or desertions from the hand of God and so many times our peace may be over-clouded and the sence of it taken away but the worke of righteousnesse is peace if sinne be pardoned peace will follow upon it and the fruit of this righteousnesse is quietnesse and assurance for ever the heart
also The life of Justification you heard hath these three effects or fruits in the heart Peace Quietnesse and Assurance for ever Care to keepe our conscience pacified in some measure carefull to maintaine that peace we have had so much ado to get And also love of God according to the abundance of sin that hath been pardoned to us We are now speaking of the effects of life and now to speake of the effects of the life of our sanctification Life of Sanctification Hee that hath the Son hath life not only in the pardon of his sin but he hath likewise the graces of Gods spirit which are the life of sanctification A frame of grace wrought in the soule which is the life of holinesse Now because Sanctification is found partly in the heart and partly in the life Let me now shew you some such effects of spirituall life as are found in the heart of a Christian And breathe forth themselves in his life by those habits and gifts which are principally within And the sum of what I shall now say is thus much There are certaine variety of the graces of God in themselves so different and opposite As that in nature they are seldome compatible to one person at one and the same time or least of all to be found in one and the same businesse And yet are found where ever the heart of a man is sanctified by the Spirit of grace where you have the life of sanctification in a Christian you shall finde variety of graces in them some of them of such diversity and opposition one to another that in nature the like temper is not to be found in one person at the same time and in the same businesse They are certaine kind of conjugations or companions of grace so fitted and joyned together in the heart of a man as that nature is not able to compact such sanctified affections unto such uses upon any occasion much lesse able to bring them forth upon any occasion they are so different in themselves to name some of them in particular First if you looke at the grace of God as it workes in the heart Ioy and griefe in the soule sanctified at once and exercises it selfe in the conversion of a sinner you shall finde that when the soule discernes any life of grace in its heart that sin is now pardoned and God is pleased to frame it anew and to give it a new life at that time the heart is taken up with these two contrary effects it is both inlarged with no small measure of joy that ever God should redeeme him from such a desperate condition as his soul lay in and yet withall full of grief of heart that ever he should have so much displeased that God that hath done so much for him and so plaine as that you shall evidently discerne the voyce of your own joy from the voyce of your owne griefe I know not better how to instance in it then to fetch a resemblance from the returne of the Children of Israel from captivity to Ierusalem read Psal 126.2 3 4. When God turned the captivity of his people this was their affection then was their mouth filled with laughter and their tongue with singing c. Now the same people that so rejoyce to see themselves redeemed by the Arme of the Lord when they doe rejoyce to see themselves set at liberty from the captivity they doe at the same time as sadly grieve and weepe to consider the unkindnesse they have put upon God and their unworthinesse of such a mercy from him as you may read Jer. 50. 4 5. speaking of the same people and of the same time their return from the captivity and he tels you They shall come going and weeping shall they goe and seek the Lord God and aske the way to Zion with their faces thitherward If the Psalmist speakes of it he saith they were out of and beyond themselves for joy as in a comfortable dreame the newes seemed to be too good to be true and they rejoyced with exceeding great joy and if the Prophet Jeremy speake of the very same people and the same time and the very same action he tells you They goe to Jerusalem weeping they goe to seek the Lord and aske the way to Zion they rejoyce at the greatnesse of the mercy and weep in sence of their unworthinesse of it And truly this kinde of combination shall you finde stirring in every soule that is converted to God when the pardon of its sin is sealed to its heart it breeds a certaine kind of inward joy and comfort in the Lord that hath thus graciously pardoned their iniquity and yet more abundantly mourning for the evils it hath so displeased God with nor is there any mourning so deeply woundeth the soule as that which ariseth from the sight of Christ crucified then the soule mournes full bitterly Zach. 12.10 He wil mourne exceedingly to thinke that he should deale so unworthily against that God that hath all this while had such wonderfull thoughts of peace towards him This is the first combination of graces that is found in the soule after sinne is pardoned and the heart restored to a new life for wee spake before of prizing Christ in our judgements by certaine preparative graces but now we speak of that kind of life of sanctification which puts forth it selfe after some sence of our justification this life of the mixture of joy and mourning beares witnesse to our life of sanctification Secondly in the worshipping of God in those duties of the life of sanctification 2. Joy and feare you shall finde another combination of mixed affections the like of which are not and cannot be found in nature and that is joy and feare according to Psal 2.11 Serve the Lord with feare and rejoyce with trembling A Christian man when he is in a good frame and the life of grace most stirres in his spirit he never comes to an holy duty but with some holy fear and trembling before God before whom he then stands and yet there is no duties he goes about with more comfort and joy then those when his heart is not dead It is true a dead hearted Christian comes to good duties like a Beare to a stake while they are in such a temper if they can shun duties they wil but take the heart of a Christian when it is alive and then they are a willing people Psal 110.3 they come with some inward gladnesse of heart it is the joy of their spirits to heare of an opportunity when they may heare the Word and pray or performe any duty acceptable to God but how when their hearts are most joyful and they goe about duties most willingly yet then most awfully for take you a Christian when he comes unwillingly his heart is not much affected with feare and trembling but then he is most awfull when his heart is in the best frame towards holy duties these
doe enjoy this life of holinesse In the sixth place you shall have modesty mixed with much magnanimity Modesty mixed with magnanimity which is rarely found in men indued only with Morrall or Civill gifts but in nature the more modest the lesse magnanimous But a Christian the more modest he is the more magnanimous look at Paul and touching the righteousnesse which is of the Law he is indued with many carnall priviledges according to the Law but now all these are but losse and drosse and dung that he might win Christ all his good parts of nature and all his common gifts of grace yet all of them but drosse and dung this was the modest spirit of Paul a man who sometimes saith of himselfe He was not inferiour to the very chief Apostles 2 Cor. 12.11 yet againe saith he I am nothing there is his magnanimity When he is opposed and vilified by the false Apostles what hath Paul forgot his modesty now that he knowes not how to submit himselfe nor to compare himselfe with his equals No but though chiefe of the Apostles yet am I nothing He lookes at every thing he had as nothing This I am but yet I am nothing He sometimes calls himselfe the least of all the Apostles 1 Cor. 15.9 10 and yet other whiles not inferiour to the very chiefe of them Sometimes he calls himselfe the least of all Saints Eph. 3.8 and yet sometimes not inferiour to the very chiefe Apostles and this he had learned he had been instructed thus to deny himselfe he desired that he might know nothing but Christ and him crucified See the noble spirit of this selfe-deniall servant of God sometimes whey the Magistrates had done him wrong see then how he stands upon his priviledges he complaines they had beaten him a Roman being uncondemned Act. 16.9 and when they heard this they would have sent him away privately nay let them come and fetch him out See now a man of a great and magnanimous spirit though a man as fit to put up wrongs as any man yet when he sees the glory of God is interested in his person and his calling or his cause is called in question then he knowes how to stand upon his worth and if in such a case he sustaine open wrong then he will plead the liberty of a Subject whereas at another time he would have done more to a farre lesse man then a Magistrate He is become all things to all men that he might save some every way so gentle that you may turn him about your hand any way but else he wil stand upon his worth and not inferiour to the very chief Apostles those that are greatest and chiefest such who seemed to be pillars he is not inferiour to any of them the greatest of them all equall to the best of them if not before them all and yet laboured more then they all 1 Cor. 15. last to shew you the marvellous modesty of the spirit of grace a work incompattible to nature but is found only in a spirit of holinesse and there only they are combined together in the same person at the same time and in the same businesse with the same breath he can tell you He is not inferiour to the very chief Apostles and yet I am nothing Notable is that expression of David to this purpose My eyes are not lofty nor my heart haughty but I have behaved may selfe as a weaned childe Psal 131.1 2 Now you would thinke if a man were such a weaned humble creature he could not tell how to speake nor to take any great things in hand but when he comes to speake to that Psal 24.7 opened you shall marke the frame of his spirit Psal 24.7.9 Stand open ye everlasting doores and be ye lift up ye everlasting gates that the King of glory may come in When he lookes at earthly things yea the best of them his heart is so weaned from them that he knowes not how to have an high thought weaned even from a Kingdome as a childe from the breast and yet the same soule that is thus weaned and thus meane in his owne eyes when he comes to spirituall matters it is wonder to see the height of his spirit these things are too low and too shallow for him hee knowes not how to close with nor to content himselfe with such poore things as these be Crownes and Scepters and Dignities his heart was weaned from them all all of them things too low and too meane for him to be exercised about now be ye lift up ye gates and he meanes the heart and conscience of a man the affection of his soul lift up these to the wayes of God he would now be of an higher straine so that a man would wonder at this though the matter be great and high every way farre above all earthly things yet notwithstanding he lookes at them all as matters fit for his heart to be raised up unto he lookes at the favour of God and the blood of Christ and pardon of sinne the Kingdome of glory he lookes at all these high matters as fit objects for his heart to be set upon His eyes were not haughty and he did not exercise himselfe in great matters concerning earthly things and yet was it not a great matter to be King of Israel yet is it not a greater matter to be the Sonne of God then to be the Son in Law to a King but his eyes are not haughty he doth not exercise himselfe in such things as these be but yet he exerciseth himselfe in greater matters then these things are and therfore when as Christian men are thought to be of shallow weake spirits and know not how to carry on end matters in this world yet when they come to spirituall matters there they can tell how to set their hearts a work about such matters about the inheritance of the Kingdome of Heaven about the favour of God and the light of Gods countenance these be great matters when they come to have the eye of God upon them they can looke for the glory of his presence and the fellowship of the Angels and they can discourse and tell you of great blessings that God hath layed up for them in Christ then they can exercise their hearts in such great matters Psal 149.6 Let the high praises of God be in their mouthes what a strange speech is there Psal 149.6 expounded for a man that sometimes said Great matters are too high for him yet now as it is in the Originall High things the high glorious things of God the great things of God the magnanimous things of God the high praises of God the high Majesty of God the high praises and thanksgiving of God let them be in their mouthes the mighty power of God let that be in their lips and a two-edged sword in their hands Hee speakes of a word of Prophesie and instruction to the people the word is called
the sword of the Spirit whereby Kings are bound in chaines and Lords in Iron bonds and such honour have all the Saints he would have all the Saints of God to invest themselves with this honour that they might speake of such glorious excellent things as their words might be like to a two-edged sword to cut asunder the hearts of great Princes to bring Kings and great Lords in chaines of horrour and anguish of soule and conscience such chaines as out of which there is no redemption but by the high words of the Saints by the high promises of God to speake peace to the soules of Princes but let the high threatnings of God be in their mouthes the high Commandements of God in their mouthes and those wil binde Kings in chaines and Lords in fetters of Iron and then let the high promises of God the spirituall promises of grace be in their mouthes to set Princes at liberty and to teach their Senatours wisedome A strange kind of combination in the Spirit of grace wrought in such hearts they can call upon their hearts to be lifted up to the high things of God nothing then too great for them to exercise themselves in no Mercies nor Judgements too great no not the unsearchable counsell of God the depths of the Mysteries of God nothing is too high for them it will be prying and looking into the secret counsells of God and yet both together with most modesty when the soule is most lifted up in the wayes of God yet at the same time he lookes at himselfe as nothing and yet notwithstanding so far forth as God will be pleased to reveale it to him hee will bee searching into the deepe things of God and yet all this will hee doe with a very modest spirit Thus you have seene six combinations severally of the gracious affections that are not to bee found in nature no not set upon civill objects much lesse upon spirituall but upon civill objects they cannot be so combined together Seventhly The seventh combination of graces there is another combination of vertues strangely mixed in every lively holy Christian And that is Diligence in wordly businesses and yet deadnesse to the world such a mystery as none can read but they that know it For a man to rise early and goe to bed late and eate the bread of carefullnesse not a sinfull but a provident care Diligence in worldly busines and yet dead to the world and to avoid idlenesse cannot indure to spend any idle time takes all opportunities to be doing something early and late and looseth no opportunity go any way and bestir himselfe for profit this will he doe most diligently in his calling And yet bee a man dead-hearted to the world the diligent hand maketh rich Prov. 10.4 and you read of the godly woman that she riseth while it is yet night Prov. 31.27 And of this ye read Prov. 15.13 and 18 19.27 Now if this be a thing which is so common in the mouth of the holy ghost and you see was the practice of the greatest women then upon the earth the greatest Princes in those times the more gracious the more diligent and laborious in their callings you see it will well stand with the life of grace very diligent in worldly businesse And yet notwithstanding the very same souls that are most ful of the worlds businesses the more diligent they be in their callings yet the same persons are directed to be dead with Christ Col. 3.1 2 3. Set not your affections upon things below but on things that are above for we are dead with Christ Meaning dead to all these earthly things and all the comforts here below they are not our life but our life is hid with Christ in God and therefore to this world are we dead And Paul therefore so speakes of it Gal. 6.14 The world is crucified to me and I unto the world the very same men that are so crucified to the world yet the spirits of those men though their affections be in heaven yet their labours are in the earth Phil. 3.20 Our conversation is in heaven but our imployments is here upon the earth diligently taking paines in our callings ever very busie in outward imployments Observe the Ante learne her wayes and be wise Prov. 6. be busie like Antes morning and evening early and late and labour diligently with their hands and with their wits and which way soever as may be the best improvement of a mans tallent it must be imployed to the best advantage and yet when a man hath laboured thus busily yet his heart and mind and affections are above he goes about all his businesse in obedience to Gods Commandement and he intends the glory of God and he thereby sets himselfe and his houshold at more liberty for the service of God in their places and so though hee labour most diligently in his calling yet his heart is not set upon these things he can tell what to doe with his estate when he hath got it Say not therefore when you see two men labouring very diligently and busily in the world say not here is a couple of worldlings for two men may do the same businesse and have the same successe and yet a marvellous difference between them the heart of the one may be dead to these things he looks at them as they be indeed but crums that fall from the childrens table he lookes not at them as his cheifest good but the bread of life the spirituall food of his soule that is the thing which he cheifly labours after another man places his happinesse and felicity in them and makes them his cheifest good and so there is a manifest difference between them So then you see seven combinations of graces that are in the life of holinesse and all of singular use in this kind Eightly the last vertue is a single one and that is love of enemyes Love of Enemies I say unto you love your enemies Matth. 5.44 that you may be the children of your heavenly Father Love your enemies This very grace whereby we doe love our enemyes it hath a contrary worke to nature for naturally this we shall finde to be the frame of our hearts towards our enemies we are cold and undisposed to doe any good office unto them very hard and cold and frozen towards them Those who are our enemies we take no pleasure in them but now in such a case as this the love of a Christian will come and warme the heart and thaw this cold frostinesse that is in our soules whereas before a man was cold toward his Enemies his heart now begins to reflect upon him in pitty and compassion and instead of hardnesse his heart now melts and is made soft within him to see what ill measures it could have put upon its enemies But on the contrary side the same hatred in a man that is towards his enemyes it makes a man of an hot
distemper with boyling in heat of wrath against his enemies he is all upon it to doe him any harme his heart is full of hot and bitter wrath so as that love which was as heat and fire to thaw and warme cold and hard hearts when it comes to the fire of wrath it is as it were cold water and allayes that heat and bitternesse and harshnesse which else our hearts are subject to This is the nature of love as it is the nature of water to coole hot distempers and as it is the nature of fire to thaw and soften hard frozen spirits so though it be but as one intire grace Yet in the act it puts forth a kind of variety of worke whereby one would thinke it did crosse it selfe but it doth not but doth all by the life of Christ thus you see what the effects of the life of sanctification is in the heart of a man after that God hath begun to roote the life of justification in us and hee discernes that God hath wrought a change in him and then these severall graces though in themselves and worke one opposite to another yet in a Christian heart they can meet and joyne together And therefore now doe but lay this to heart he that hath the Sonne hath life Will a Christian say how shal I know that I have that life in having of which I may know I have Christ Why do but consider with thine owne soule not now of the life of thy justification but hast thou found that ever God did fill thy heart with joy so as thy soule hath said the Lord hath done great things for my soule whereof he hath made me to rejoyce and hast thou found that when thou hast most rejoyced in the wonderfull mercy of God then hath thy heart most melted before the Lord thy God And thou hast been ashamed and confounded within thy selfe and never open thy mouth against God any more Doest thou see that the more God reveales Christ to thee who was crucified for thy sake the more bitterly thou moanest for thy wickednesse then it is a strong evidence of life and peace in thy soule were it not the mighty power of the life of Christ in thee thou couldest have had neither of both these graces much lesse combined together to worke the same thing at one and the same time if therefore God hath helped you to looke at the great mercy of God with joy and yet with shame and bitter mourning that ever thou shouldest dishonour such a God certainly God hath vouchsafed thee life and such a life as in which thou shalt live You shall have many a soule that is marvellously comforted in hearing the word rejoyce exceedingly in what they heare and goe home and say such a word was good and very comfortable and never man spake like that man and he never thought before that there was so much to be found in the word as now he conceives there is But now if this were the joy of Gods Elect if it were such a joy as would not vanish away like lightning in the aire a flash of joy it would sinke downe into the heart and leave so much the more deeper impression mourning by how much the more it hath had joy I grant that sometimes the joy of Gods owne servants may soone vanish away but it was never knowne that the joy of a living Christian did so soone vanish and depart away but that when it did most abound in the heart it did cause inward mourning and if not weeping yet an affection of greife and sorrow of soule that ever we have so displeased God the more God hath been mercifull to us the more are we shamed of ourselves inwardly grieve for our shamelesse carriages If therefore you only finde joy in hearing that may deceive you it is not the shortnesse of the continuance that argues the unsoundnesse of the joy but the want of this combination that will argue the falshood of it if God yoake not spirituall joy with spirituall mourning then suspect your joy for it doth not accompany salvation unto life And in very deed this you shall find to be true the joy of living soules in Christ though that oftentimes bee soon gone yet it leaves this spirit of mourning which keeps possession for it and that many times for a long time and you may read your comfort in the sorrow that it hath left behind for there is as much cause of comfort in this sorrow as in the joy when you had it when you see your soules can mourne unfeignedly for that you see so good a God to such a wretch this very comfortable sorrow that is left in thy heart is an undoubted pledge that it is not a vanishing joy the power and work of it lasts long and wil abide in the soule for ever a man will in such a case mourne for his sin while he lives If you have therefore found your joy mixed with sorrow it is right else it is but a fading hypocriticall and false joy Againe further how doe you finde your heart affected with the duties of Gods worship Doe you come to duties marvellous unwillingly that if you could avoyd it you would not keep such duties in your house and if it must needs be you put it upon any body rather then upon your selfe you may be a living Christian but your heart is in a dead frame at that time and if it be alwayes so with you you never did truly live but if you finde your spirits at least your hearts comming on most willingly to Christian duties that you performe them like Free-will offerings not free so as without warrant from Gods Word but free in respect of grace Doe but observe thus much it may be you may come off freely before God because hee hath given you spirituall gifts and you can quit your selves well in the performance of them and that makes you come the more boldly but consider if the more willingly you come to Christian duties the more trembling your heart goes about them the more the soule is prepared the more it feares before the Lord and the more lowly the spirit is and awfull in the sight of God if a man can serve the Lord with joy and trembling together then the service you perform to God is heavenly and spirituall and lively and such as in which you live they come from a living heart and the sacrifice is lively and acceptable and argues you have life and therein you have Christ the God of peace but if a man have only feare in a duty but no joy or joy but no feare his heart is not in a good frame we must bring a better frame of heart before God then so before we can say that we have the life of sanctification Againe for another signe How doe you finde your selves in your tribulations are they altogether matter of burden and wearinesse to your hearts Have you no
joy in them Have you many afflictions in inward or in outward man and no comfort in them It is an uncomfortable signe to you the life of sanctification is not so shed abroad in your hearts that you may gather you have life but if you finde that in the multitude of your thoughts within you Gods comforts delight your soule Psal 94.19 20. In the midst of sorrow you finde some comfort if your life in Christ makes your saddest times joyfull and comfortable to you and so in outward afflictions though afflictions may seeme to be grievous yet waite a while and you shall see the more weight and burthen that lyes upon thee and the more thy afflictions for Christ hath abounded so hath thy consolation abounded much more 2 Cor. 1.6 Againe observe your carriage with men it is good to be patient when you meet with evill doers 2 Tim. 2. last yet notwithstanding not so patiently as to beare with them in every thing that is evil to allow them in any sin no if God give you place and opportunity shew some kinde of zeal to cleanse them from their evils and this may well stand with your patience be patient in things that concerne your selfe but beare not with them that are evil in their evil deeds Againe doe but observe the frame of your spirit in the things that you suffer Are you meeke and gentle and flexible that is a good vertue but how are you in the things of God Are you stiffe and unmoveable there 1 Cor. 15. last that though they may perswade you very farre in any reasonable thing concerning man Note but in things concerning God you will not baite any thing of the peace of your Conscience for any mans pleasure are you unmoveable in such a case both these together doe very well stedfast and yet soone perswaded such an heart as is thus mixed and knowes how to temper and frame his spirit according to God he is a living soule and hath life and Christ the Prince of life Againe thou art a modest Creature and thinkest meanly of thy selfe and art weaned from this world it is a vertue but how is it coupled for God couples every grace with another grace that they may poyse one another as Christ sent out his Disciples by two and two together so all the graces of the Spirit joyne one with another they ballance one another that he may not be too high on the one side nor too low on the other but that all things may be carried according to God and therefore thou art modest it is well but hast thou withall an high and a lofty spirit that if it be heavenly matters thou art to be exercised in they cannot be too high for thee Let a man tell thee of State matters comming before Princes and tell thee of nobility thou art ashamed and knowest not how to set about such things as those be but tell thee of an inheritance in the Kingdome of glory and the making it sure to thee in a way of Gods grace Tell thee of pardon of sinne and of the Spirit of grace and the riches of the precious promises of God and thy heart can looke at these highly then thou art of a magnanimous spirit then is thy modesty in outward things well coupled but he whose spirit is most lofty should be most humble couple them together and they well suit one another when they goe hand in hand righteousnesse and peace goe together modesty and magnanimity humility and courage goe together they make an amiable set of grace where-ever they are so coupled if it be of things concerning thy selfe thou hast not an heart to stand out against any man of place but he may bow thee round about but if they wrong thee so farre as Gods honour is interested in the thing thou canst then stand upon thy lawfull rights and if therein thou be impeached thou canst come off with this thou art not inferiour to the chiefe Apostles and yet art nothing nor art able to doe any thing Againe looke at thy worldly businesse art thou diligent in thy Calling it is well and you say Cursed is he that doth the worke of the Lord negligently and the work of his Calling is the worke of the Lord. But how stands thy heart affected in the midst of thy businesse Is thy heart dead to the world goe not about it with a worldly heart goe not about it for profit sake but because God sets thee about it And you are more free to the service of God and to doe more good this is the life of sanctification And lastly if God give us hearts so abundant in love that it both thawes our cold and stiffe hearts towards our poore Brethren and also puts a watery temper to coole the wilde-fire of our wrath towards our enemies it is a mighty power of the Spirit of grace to turne it selfe so many wayes for the right ordering and framing of a Christian in the course of his sanctification these be comfortable signes of our life of sanctification SERMON IX 1 JOHN 5.12 He that hath the Son hath life and he that hath not the Son hath not life NOw we come to speake of such effects of the life of Sanctification Effects of Sanctification signes of spiritual life as shew themselves in the lives of Christians by observing of which in our selves we may know we have Christ and life in him Now these effects are suitable to the effects of naturall life and they are principally five The first is motion 1 Effect motion when a creature is able to move it self unto the duties of its place it is an effect of naturall life when it is able to move it selfe in its place then it is said to live such or such a life if you see a Creature stirres and moves not further then by the help of another then you say it lives not but if it stirre of it selfe then you say it lives Nor is it strait way alive if it move unlesse it be in its place for you see earthly things will move downward if they be upward and light things will move upward but these are out of their places they are rather moved then themselves doe move when they are out of their place and it is not so much from a power of moving but rather an affection to rest then a power to move themselves And further suppose they should move themselves meet it is they should move themselves to such actions as argues as argue this and that life which they expresse suppose a Tree moves it selfe and nourish it selfe and grow and that in its place yet it doth not move it selfe to see nor heare and beasts that doe move themselves to see and heare yet they cannot move themselves to acts of Reason and men that can move to acts of Reason yet cannot move themselves to any spirituall duty and work of grace so that that motion which argues the life
of the soule is a power to move it selfe and in its place unto spirituall duties that is the true nature of the life of sanctification doe you therefore see a creature no further moving it selfe then according to its lightnesse You shall sometimes have men to move themselves out of their levity come to an eminent duty in the pride of their natures Note and will lift themselves up to some duties but this is not out of an inward principle but out of the lightnesse of their spirits desire to be above Lightness of spirit will move them to this and that duty and rather move from hence then from any inward principle of grace and so sometimes creatures out of their heavinesse and basenesse of minde will be doing spirituall duties but as the one doth them to be seen of men and performe the meere letter of the duty and in the pride of his heart not out of any inward affection to such duties so there be others that for profit sake will move themselves basely unto spirituall duties as Christ said of his Hearers they followed him for loaves Joh. 6.26 so that it is one thing to move to such or such a businesse or to be stirring about such duties out of an inward affection to the duty and inclination of heart and love of such a worke and another thing to be carried to such workes out of an inward levity of nature or because by such duties a man may excell others and goe beyond his neighbours and it is one thing to be acting and stirring in spirituall duties out of an inward love to them and another to performe them out of a base respect to the profit and pleasure that may be found in them in outward peace and rest as sometimes the case so stands that if a man doe betake himselfe to spirituall duties he shall perhaps finde the more favour in the eyes of men and to please authority if it take the better side and so from an heavie basenesse of their hearts to such regards they will have respect unto spirituall duties but these doe not move but as heavie things move downward and light things upward a stone will move downward and fire upward Absolom had a marvellous strong affection to be doing 2 Sam. 15.4 he tels them every man should have justice if he was but made King in the Land so all Israel desired after him but Absolom was now out of his place but as soone as ever he got into the place hee desired the first thing he intended was to cut off his Fathers life an act of the greatest rebellion that ever could be done so that men out of their places are apt to be stirring and moving but it is but either from the basenesse or lightnesse of their hearts Note this O that I were but in my Masters place saith a servant I would have duties performed in such time and place and when they come to be in place and might order and command their families then they grow as bad as their Masters and it may be worse but this are we apt to doe when we are out of our places apt to be moving but it s not true life because only that which moves in its place that only lives and yet further A thing may move in its place and yet move from some kind of outward respects as a Watch or a Clock it moves but it is from the weight that lyes and hangs upon it and so it is rather a violent motion then a naturall So is it many times with men the weight of the Law or the weight of the authority of Governours doth so carry them an end in those waies they walke in that they goe through with it and yet it is but from an outward principle from some outward weights that hangs upon them but yet suppose men should be doing in their places as Jehu was he was mighty in his place and was very much against Baal and destroyed the house of Ahab and his children and his friends but yet notwithstanding though this was all in his calling he had a speciall Calling given him of God to that end What required to a spirituall duty but though you should performe duties in your places as a tree though it move in its place upward yet it puts not forth so many a man may doe good duties in his place and yet be wanting in the graciousnesse and spirituality of them Now to make a duty spirituall requires not only that it should be for the better a good worke but that it should be wrought First in sence of our owne insufficiency without Christ and yet so as that by and from Christ we are able to doe it Secondly that we have some respect to the Word of God for our warrant Thirdly that in all we doe we have respect to the glory of God in all our performances I live by the faith of the Son of God Gal. 2.20 The just shall live by his owne faith As if he should say he no further puts forth a worke of spirituall life further then he denies his owne ability so farre hee lives by his faith and depends upon Christ for supply in every duty he goes about whether he pray preach or receive Sacraments or be diligent in his Calling or in his carriage towards any that stand in relation to him so farre as we are sensible of our owne failings and therefore doe depend upon him for strength these are not such as come from common graces Common gifts but doe accompany sanctification to life It is true if men be invested with common gifts they may be acted and moved to many duties in their places and put out very sweet affections to the duty and yet doe it rather out of the power of their owne strength and rather for their owne glory and applause then from any dependance upon Christ so that spirituall life hath the Lord Jesus for its root and the Word for its warrant and for its rule to walke by Psal 119.6 Then shall I never be ashamed when I have respect unto all thy Commandements All such actions will be accpptable to God and serviceable to men and also aime at the glory of God for the end that is their last end and all such other ends as are sub-ordinate unto that the building up of Gods Kingdome Zach. 7.5 6 7. When ye did eate did ye it unto me saith the Lord nay did ye not doe it to your selves Hos 7.14 They have not cryed unto me with their heart when they howled upon their beds Did you desire in your prayers to bring in any service to God to tend to his honour and glory And did you debase your owne soules before him that you might finde help from him Or did you not this to your selves or for your owne deliverance and redemption and freedome from such bondage and other miseries that lay upon you so that if God see men goe
about such duties meerly for themselves they are wanting of this spirituall life So then doe but lay these things together doe you finde a man that is desirous to be doing good duties but is it to please others or is it out of the bonds of authority that lyes upon him Doe you see them have affection to duties but out of their place and calling or in their calling they doe such duties but rather out of their own strength then from the strength of Christ and not out of a conscionable respect to all the Commandements of God or if it be from outward principles and to wrong ends the glory of God not sought after nor tending to the building up themselves nor others in grace all these are such as men may be carried to doe from outward respects they may doe something that one would thinke would argue life but all the duties they doe by their owne strength is like a Spider that weaves a webbe out of her owne bowels we follow not the rule of the Word exactly but are ever wheeling about to our owne ends and to those respects that concerne our selves rather then to the glory of God and the Churches good it is true no man that hath common graces men that have gifts of preaching and gifts of praying may love to act and move them or any other zealous gift but yet notwithstanding you shal finde this to be true that till the heart be sanctified by the life of Christ we ever detaine all the graces of God in unrighteousnesse as the Romans and Gentiles did detaine the truth of God in unrighteousnesse Rom. 1.18 So we by a spirit of ypocrisie detaine all the graces of God in unrighteousnesse and in Hypocrisie whereas God hath given us every grace and the manifestation thereof to edifie himselfe and to glorifie God withall We wonderfully magnifie our selves withall and make our selves goodly in the eyes of men we are full of our selves and thinke we have this and that in us that will serve our turne and reach our owne ends this is not a life of grace but is indeed a dead worke all that we doe and therefore rest not in any such kinde of life and motion But if you finde an inward inclination of soule to Spirituall duties and to those duties in speciall that are pertinent to your place and if they be not within the compasse of your calling you dare not reach unto them and in your calling you do them not out of desire to be seen of men but you are doing good duties out of a sence of your owne inability to reach any duty in your calling much lesse of Gods service and in them all you observe every commandement of God and the ends you aime at are singly that God may be glorifyed and that God may see you and not man that good may be done by you in your places in Church and Family and Commonwealth and that thereby others might be brought on to God and his Kingdome increased this very motion and inclination of your hearts is an argument that you have a stirring spirit to spiritual duties and this is spirituall life in Christ And therefore by how much the more God shall give you an heart to bee doing your works and duties in this order so much the more comfort you shal gather to your souls that undoubtedly Christ hath shed abroad his spirit in you by which you are able to doe that which else you could not have reached unto Quest You say unto me may not a good Christian man have his heart so dead that he is unfit to pray or preach or to instruct his Family or for the duties of his calling fit and good for nothing And is a soule in such a case as this altogether void of spirituall life and sanctification is there not sometimes a kind of a coath come upon a Christian that so benumbs his spirit that he performes no duties at all but if he might have his owne mind he would not pray at all nor receive Sacraments Is not this sometimes the case of Christian and will you say that such an one is a dead soule because he is altogether listlesse and dead-hearted to move to any spirituall duty Answ It is true there may fall such a deadnesse upon the heart of Christian men that they are both unable and unwilling to any spiritual duty Which commonly God leaves his servants unto when he hath found them acting and moving in their own strength and upon their detaining of the graces of God in unrighteousnesse Causes of deadnes of heart and diverting them rather to their own praise in the world then the edifying of the people of God or the glorifying of his own name when God sees we are much of our selves and thinke we can doe much by the strength of grace we have received then God is wont to leave us cold and dead so as we know not in the world what to doe nor are we willing to do any thing The very presence of a duty and the thoughts of it is an horror to such soules in such cases we have been too busie in our own strength and too mighty in the grace we have received and rather aimed at our selves then at him and then no marvaile if God leave us to a world of deadnesse But when God hath thus by this meanes let us see that all our life is in him and that we are dead hearted further then we have life from him then God is wont not to faile but to help us thus farre at the least to looke with a wist and a sad eye upon the forlornnes of our estates and to cry out of our selves O what dead hearted Creatures and dull spirited things are we and bemoane our selves as Paul did Rom. 7.18 I see that in me that is in my flesh Remedies against deadnesse dwels no good thing Sometimes I have a minde to doe good duties but I finde that I have no strength to performe Paul comes to Macedonia and he had an open doore a faire calling to preach but he had no heart to it because he found not Titus his brother there Now when this is the case of a Christian man that he is strait and dead hearted he groanes under the burthen of it and he lookes at it with sad countenance and sees he is not well but is ready to complaine of it now this sence and complaint of deadnesse and using the best meanes to raise himselfe up out of this deadnesse this is an action of Spirituall life It is an act of Spirituall life for a man to be sensible of his owne deadnesse which in time workes the soule of a Christian to a more constant dependance upon Christ for life and makes him more observeable of the Word and more ingenuous and sincere in looking at the glory of God and the Churches good more then his owne and by how much the more we come to this passe and
though at the first it may be weake yet it growes to that temper by which it may propagate and the life of grace is most strong in this regard it no sooner moves and feeds or growes in any measure or begins to expell any ill matter but it will have a minde to be fruitfull begetting its kinde and that is above naturall life a Christian is most apt and ready to draw on others to be like himselfe As soone as ever the woman of Samaria saw that Jesus was indeed the Messiah and found true sweetnesse in him the very same houre she runs into the Towne and tells her neighbours Come see a man that hath told me all that ever I did Joh. 4.29 Is not he the Christ and when they came and saw it they said We beleeve not because of thy Word but because we have heard him our selves and we know that this is indeed the Christ This is the proper nature of true life as soone as they are truly begotten they beget others of their owne kinde not but that sometimes a Christian soule hides himselfe long before he be well setled but when he truly discernes that he lives and is conscious to himselfe that God will be gracious to his soule then he desires to propagate the like grace unto others Joh. 1.41 to 46. when one had found Christ they call others to come and see Psal 51.10 Then shall I teach transgressors thy wayes and sinners shall be converted to thee to shew you that if God will but worke a cleane heart in David and renew a right spirit within him and his broken bones may be recovered and if God shall be pleased to establish him with his free spirit and he may be once againe assured of the pardon his sins then will he teach others the wayes of God if he be once converted himselfe he will draw on as many others as he can Thus you have five signes of spirituall life SERMON X. 1 JOHN 5.12 He that hath the Son hath life and he that hath not the Son hath not life WE are now in the next place to see how we may discerne life by the properties and adjuncts of it you heard before of the effects of life now of the properties and qualities of this life by discerning of which we may know that we have life There be three properties or qualities of life Three properties of life 1. Warmth First where ever there is life there is some warmth 2 King 9.34 when the Prophet had laine upon the childe and had done so seven times at length the breath of the childe began to wax warme a signe that life was a restoring and thereby the Prophet discerned that life began to returne into the body of the childe because warmth returned and so is the presence of the Spirit of grace and the union of it with the soule and body of a man it makes a man fervent and warme Fervent in spirit Rom. 12.11 and therefore it is that it is resembled unto fire Matth. 3.11 The Holy Ghost shall come downe upon you as it were with fiery tongues and shall warme and heate you with whatever duties God shall call you to 1 Thes 5.19 Quench not the Spirit now quenching belongs to fire a signe therefore that the spirit is of a fervent nature so farre forth as it is capable of any quenching and destroying by the Sons of men and 2 Tim. 1.6 Stirre up the gifts of grace in you as if yee stirred up the embers of the fire so stirre up and kindle the gifts of God which is in you blow them up into a kindling flame so that all these things expresse thus much That since the Spirit of life which is in Christ Jesus and from him communicated to his Members is a spirit of heat therefore wheresoever there is warmth there is life if no warmth nor heat there is no life and as our spirits begin to wax warme so we grow to life in Christianity Notable is that expression in Luke 24.22 Did not our hearts burne within us while he talked with us of the Scriptures to shew you that there is a power in the Word to convey such a measure of the Spirit of grace to the Hearers as that their hearts begin to glow within them and to convey some heat and warmth into them when the Word is powerfully applyed to the soule For the further opening of this point you shall see it in some things principally which are ever found in some measure in the spirits of Christian men that have any life in Christ First that which is wonderfull and is indeed no where found but in them their very knowledge is warme Knowledge warme which in all other men is cold knowledge is but an empty speculation brings forth no great matter of heat but in a Christian his knowledge is full of heat Zeale must be according to knowledge knowledge is no knowledge without zeal and zeale is but a wilde-fire without knowledge Rom. 10.2 So if Christians have a knowledge of God but no zeale there is no saving life in that knowledge it is not the knowledge of Gods people Notable is that speech of our Saviour Joh. 5.35 speaking of John He was a burning and a shining light not only a shining light to give cleare instruction in the knowledge of the Messiah and the true meaning of the Law but withall a burning light Joh. 5.3 expoundeâ— so as that he had a notable power when Hypocrites came before him to burne them up Mat. 3.12 And so where ever he came he did not only shew them what they should doe what shall we Publicans doe and what shal we Souldiers doe Luk. 3.3 to 15. but he did burne up not only those who were professed enemies to the wayes of grace but all those that he found in Hypocrisie he burnt them all up where ever he came and if he did not finde out their lusts he would kindle a fire in them he warmed Herod in such sort as that he was constrained to doe many things according to Johns Ministery Mark 6. and so shall you finde it in all the Servants of God that according to their life if there be true life there is true burning though sometimes their burning is not so strong as their life yet there is heat and fervency of spirit mixed with their knowledge that if they know the Will of God they are inflamed and their knowledge of Christ will not suffer them to be barren and unfruitfull 2 Pet. 3.18 So that the knowledge which a Christian man hath is such as by which he will doe what he ought to doe if he see sinne in his brother he will not suffer it to lye there Levit. 19.17 If he see any thing amisse in his brother that he sees not in himselfe he will be helpfull to him where the Spirit of grace is lively they will not suffer their brethren to rest in sinne much lesse
themselves and therefore this is the warmth of this knowledge it both burnes up their owne lusts like chaffe and all the sinfull distempers that we see in the lives and wayes of our Brethren this is one part of the heat of a Christian soule that his knowledge is a warme knowledge Look what he knowes he thinkes he must doe whereas another man knowes many things but he doth them not but a Christian if he know it to be the Will of God he must doe it And that is the reason why Gods servants are many times counted very busie as indeed the fire is ever very busily working no creature in the house so busie as the fire is and so the knowledge of Gods people makes them to be so busie in doing and therein they expresse the life of Christ Secondly 2. Where there is life there is breath where ever is true life there is this warmth a warmth in their breath both in the Naturall and Spirituall body in this Naturall body while we live it is warme and so long as we live we breath more or lesse it is but for a little time if at all breath be intercepted it may be in some suddaine fits but ordinarily if it tarry long it is a signe of death but if there be life there is breathing and that breathing is warme some warme breath comes from him that is alive And truely so shall you finde it in your spirituall life If there be any true life in the heart of a Christian soule there is alwayes some kind of warm breathing there is some measures of warmth in his prayers the prayers of an hypocrite ir alwayes but lip-labour and accordingly lust labor the words vanish away in the aire but there is ever more or lesse some kind of warmth-in the prayers of Gods servants according to what the Apostle speakes Rom. 8.26 even then when we know not what to pray for nor how to pray as we ought then the spirit helpes our infirmities that when we sometimes cannot bring out a word to God the heart is ful sometimes of anguish and discouragement in respect of inward desertions or temptations and outward afflictions but yet though in such a case we be not able to tel what to pray for yet there is ever in a Christian soule something that makes him seeke to God and the very sighs of such a soule come from ome warmeth of spirit within him The scalding sighs and deep groanes of the soule they come from a spirit of life and warmth in Christ Jesus Therefore though it be true there be many cold prayers that Gods servants do put up yet there is some kind of sighs and groans that springs from them which argues some heat and life in them And so is it As they breath thus to God-ward so doe they breath one to another so that if they speake of the things of God they speake not of God and his Word lightly and wantonly or loosely as those that have no affection to them but if they speak of the Word of God of his threatnings promises or of any of his commandements or any of the workes of his providence they speake not of them coldly as those that took no pleasure in them but if they speake of any of the things of God they speake with some reverence and desire after them and settling a confirmation in them they have love to the word and rejoyce in it and stand in awe and in feare of it and they exercise their hearts and wits about it when at any time they speak of the things of God so that there is some kind of warmth in the expression of a Chirstian in some savoury affection whereby he esteemes of the things of God above what is found in an hypocrite Thirdly Spiritual warmth digesteth Gods Ordinances There is a certaine kind of warmth by which the soule doth not only affect the Ordinances of God but by which it doth in some measure digest them there is no living man wanting some such measure of heat as makes him able to digest some kind of dyet though not alwayes strong meate especially if he be in any measure of health and that is no small measure of heate Psal 119.20 the very longing desire it alwayes hath to Gods Judgements was it that even made his soule to breake within him and so to pant after Gods Word and his presence in his Ordinances Psalm 42.1 there was a kind of panting and longing and eager desire after God by which it comes to passe that the soule of a Christian closes with God in his Ordinances and turnes them into nourishment within himselfe and so is more strongly and inwardly bent towards God in the ways of his grace whereas a dead spirit is flat and hath no affection to the word no affection to Gods presence no list to the things of this nature Fourthly things that are warm put them together and they are the more warm 4. Spiritual warmth heateth others but put cold clogs and peeces of wood together and they are never a whit the warmer but if you take but two or three of them things that are well kindled and they will set all a fire that comes nigh them though ready before to goe out for want of supply if you lay two or three warme brands together they will kindle one another And truly so it is among Christians take you a Christian that hath this spirituall warmth in him though almost benumbed for want of good company and good conference and breathing forth of Gods spirit and grace in the soule Yet if he meet with two or three like himselfe they presntly begin to kindle one another And the breath of such Christians is like bellows to blow up sparkes savoury and sweet expressions of their hearts and edifie themselves by their mutuall fellowship one with another Yea and sometimes they grow so warme by this means as that they are fit to admonish one another to exhort and to comfort and if need require to rebuke one another as occasion serves 1 Pet. 4.8 Have fervent love one to another above all things have fervent love among your selves this is a speciall thing love among Christians by which love they so kindle one another to such deep respects to God and the wayes of his grace and so burne one out of another much sinfull folly and frailety which will be in them that are so loose one to another and raiseth them up to that power of godlinesse which sometimes they had grown up unto and now almost lost for want of often joyning together for by so doing they do what they can to put out the fire when Satan means to put out the light and life of Religion out of both Church and Commonwealth hee layes one Christian in one corner and another in another that they shall when they list go to bed and sleep and then a lazy spirit shall come upon them and so they
lye till they be dead in trespasses and sins But above all things have fervent love among your selves forsake not the fellowship you have one with another as the manner of some is Heb. 10.25 26. Love covereth a multitude of sins So as that though there was much evill in Christians before yet their very lying together doth burn out all that superfluity of naughty stuffe that hangs about the servants of God 1 Pet. 1.22 see that ye love one another with a pure heart and fervency of spirit This warmth in Christians it is found in these foure things And thus you see the properties of this life Quest You say but if this were always found in Christian men how comes it to passe then that the servants of God do many times finde their hearts so cold in their prayers and appetite so little to the word and so unprofitable under it How should a man heare so much and profit so little if a man aid digest the word and is it not a common complaint of Christians how much they hear and how little they profit Yea and will not some Christians say he profits nothing at all no not any thing And is it so many times that Christians come together and they are little edification one to another very little profit sit together and talke of matters that little edifie but rather corrupt the spirits one of another how is it then that you say where ever there is life there is heat so such as makes them more lively in Christian duties And it might be objected that Luke 24.32 Did not our hearts burn within us c. A sign that till he came to them and came into conference with them and did rub them up they were very cold hearted and dull spirited and went on their way with much darknesse of soule without life and strength of soule until he came to put life into their spirits Answ It is true many times Gods servants are very cold and benumbed and a cold spirit growes upon them exceedingly so as that they scarce feele any life breathing in their knowledge or prayers or appetites to the Word or love to their Brethren little warmth in any of these partly through want of supplying the life of Gods grace with fit nourishment whereby the heart should grow warme As naturall fire if it be not supplyed with new fewell it will goe out and partly sometimes by pouring cold water upon it which is as much as in us lyes to dampe the fire And we doe power cold water upon this life of grace when we admit of any sinfull lusts in our soules those do marvellously eate out all that life and heate of spirit that sometimes we had in our hearts and sometimes by an excessive use of worldly things which without a very spiritual mind doth clog the soule as much as if you should throw cold water upon a fire it will damp it very much so is this case men sometimes walke in worldly businesses with worldly affections and sometimes give leave to distempered lusts and sometimes neglect to put any fewell to the fire of grace but as soone as ever they find the heart well warmed with some good Sermon or a good Prayer or Conference or the like they thinke this fire wil never goe out and so they begin to neglect it and so either the fire goes quit out or else is so damped as that you can discerne no life no savour or power of Religion there And therefore such a thing may befall Gods servants they may grow dul hearted one way or other as you have heard But yet thus much let me say though this sometimes do befal the spirits of Gods people yet even then when they want burning and chafeing and stirring up there is something in them that argues some life and where is some life there is some heat so much life as there is so much heat is there so much as you take away of your Christian heat so much life you take away And therefore for these two Disciples that went to Emaius It is said when they were talking one with another they were talking of Jesus Christ and upon all the things that befell him in his passion And said Christ to them ver 17. What manner of communication is this and what is the matter that you are thus sad what was it that made them sad was it not an affection of griefe for all the evills done to their Saviour that was life of grace and some heate there was in them that their spirits should be so troubled to see their Elders and Princes and all the people to cry out so bitterly against the Lord Jesus Christ and not to leave him till they had crucified him there was some sad expression came from them upon that occasion And so though it left the outward man sad yet there was something in the heart though full of doubting through unbeleife what this Christ was and what this would come to we hoped this was he that should redeem Israel c. then Christ began to put a little warmth into them by saying ought not Christ to suffer these things v. 24 25. and so he opens to them the Scriptures spoken of himselfe and these words put new life into them and did blow up the spirit and heat of that decaying life which was overwhelmed with griefe and care their hearts was heated yet So that take you a Christian man when he is even in the most disordered framelook how much he hath lost of his spiritual heat so much of his true life if he have left to be warm so much life hath he lost and if his warmth be smoothered his life is smoothered for the present And even as life will shew it selfe in the very sad face of the heart and dejection of spirit that they fall into and sometimes in the deepe sighs and groans of the heart which in such a case it sometimes will breake forth into So a Christian soule when his heate is most damped there is a sad face in his spirit that he discerns all is not well with him his spirit is benumbed his heart in his own thoughts is frozen within him It is a burden to him and a matter of sadnesse to his spirit and therefore hee doth expresse himselfe sometimes with many sad and deep sighs and groanes about his forlorne and lost estate and yet sometimes you shall have his heart even then when his heart is most cold which is worse then the former for you shall sometimes have a Christian soule not onely not affected with sadnesse 〈◊〉 this when his life is smothered within him but vanish away in much empty carnall delights and contentments and rejoycing in those comforts which have no life at all in them A Christian man that hath his life so deaded may come not onely to have nothing left but sadnesse of heart to behold it but hee may loose his sadnesse too and even
many times conveys such a spirit of grace into us as gives us power to receive Christ what power had the Cripple to stand much lesse to walke Act. 3.6 7. he had no power to walke and it had been a vaine speech to him if there had not been a power in it to convey strength into him by his breath and the Lord Jesus working in it which did convey such strength into him as that presently he did walke And truly so is it with the Servants of God those that shal be saved we speake not in vaine to them the word that we speake conveyes spirit and life into them then they begin to receive life in him and are glad that they may finde Christ and for other men it leaves them without excuse if they do not use the meanes God appoints them to use And the means God prescribes to us are these Means of having Christ First as ever thou wouldest have Christ labour wisely to ponder upon and consider how dead thou art without Christ for thou shalt never find life by Christ unlesse thou find thy selfe lost without him Luke 10.10 Christ came to seek and to save that which was lost If thou seest thy self lost Christ will seek thee up be fully satisfied of this in thy judgement and mind that unlesse thou hast Christ thou hast no life and therefore mourn and pray The whole need not the Physitian but them that are sicke Matth. 9.12 13. See thy selfe a sinner and a perishing creature unlesse Christ seeke thee up Secondly Take this meanes as ever you desire to have life in Christ if thou knowest any sin by thy selfe thou art much to blame in thy selfe if thou dost not by any meanes wash thy hands of it Note this cleanse thy selfe from it There are many sins which a man lives in which he might avoid by very common gifts which would he renounce God would not be wantng to lead him on to further grace John 3.18 19. This is condemnation that light is come into the world and men love darkenesse rather then light 2 Cor. 6.17 18. touch no unclean thing meddle not with vain company and have nothing to doe with the unfruitfull workes of darkenesse and then I wil be a father to you and you shall be my Sons and Daughters if wee would but abhor that which we know to be nought God promiseth to receive us And it is the same that you read Esay 1.16 17 18. to shew you that if men do begin to learn to be better if they cease to doe evill and learn to do well if they acknowledge their sins in the sight of God God wil so sprinkle the blood of Christ upon them as that their great sins shal be forgiven them and upon the same termes men might feed upon the paschal Lamb Exo. 12.15 they must put all leaven out of their houses purge out therefore the old leaven and ye shall become a new lumpe 1 Cor. 5.7 8. purge out the old and ye shall be new creatures in Christ purge out the leaven of maliciousnesse and wickednesse and whatever is sinfull before God away with it touch no uncleane thing and Esa 55.7 Let the wicked forsake his wickednesse and the unrighteous his thoughts and then I am a God ready to pardon I will forgive all your iniquities Thirdly Seeke the Lord while he may be found call upon him while he is nigh Esa 55.7 8. Seeke him and your soule shall live God is abundantly ready to pardon c. How shall I seeke him no man hath a desire to seeke but that which he hath a desire to finde and therefore hunger and thirst after him as it is in the first verse of that Chapter desire nothing so much as thy part in Christ and besides endeavour to finde him in the meanes vers 3. Heare and your soules shall live hearken diligently to the Word of God It is a notable promise that in Prov. 8.34 Blessed is the man that heareth me watching daily at the posts of my gates for he that findeth me findeth life Consider there is no man that heares Christ but hee findes him and if he finde him he shall have life by him And therefore how much cause have men to straighten themselves a little in their worldly businesse to heare daily for who so findeth me findeth life and he that hears me findes me Heare therefore diligently and your soules shall live Shake off all drowsinesse of flesh and spirit and be desirous to receive Christ in his Word that is spoken to you and so seeke him in calling upon him ver 7 8. Call upon him while he is nigh And when is he nigh Every day if you stay longer then the present day you have no further opportunity offered you call upon God now and wrastle with him in your prayers that that which you have heard may be life and the length of your dayes Vse 4. To teach every soule that hath already found Christ and yet complaines thou hast a dead heart and a dull minde an heavie spirit heavie affections nothing lively cannot expell thy corruptions cannot beget others to God and art not active in spirituall workes then if thou finde a want or decay of life then seeke for Christ againe labour for more Christ and thou shalt have more life rest not in having a good measure of grace for thou wilt finde a world of deadnesse and weaknesse in beginnings of grace but as thou wouldest have any further measures of life so looke for further measures of Christ for Christ dispenseth himselfe to us in measure by little and little and use the same meanes to increase him as thou didst to get him at the first see thy selfe lost without him and thirst after him and heare diligently and call earnestly upon him for more strength use Christ and have Christ use grace and have grace grow up in the use of him and thou shalt grow up in the possession of him and therefore as you have received Christ so walke in him Col. 2.7 8. As if that were the way to get more rooting in Christ labour to live by faith and walke to the glory of Christ and by the rules of Christ and by that meanes you will be more built up rooted and established in him Vse 5. Of comfort to every soule that hath any part in Christ thou hast life in him and that in abundance and favour with God having him thou hast life Prov. 8.34 35. They that hate me love death if you seek not Christ you seeke death and mischiefe and destruction to your owne soules and yours vers last and therefore as you desire to finde Christ seeke him and having found him rejoyce in him that God hath given you to finde him and then walke as those that desire for ever to have him as not to change your portion by any meanes If you have Christ you have enough and if you sit loose to Christ for the enjoyment