Gospel-Holinesse OR The saving Sight of GOD. Laid open from Isa 6. 5. Together with The glorious Priviledge of the Saints From Rom. 8.4 5. Both worthily opened and applied By that Faithful Dispenser of the Mysteries of Christ WALTER CRADOCK late Preacher at Alhallowes the Great in London 2 Cor. 3.18 But we all with open face beholding as in a glasse the glory of the Lord are changed into the same image from glory to glory even as by the Spirit of the Lord. Rom. 10.3 For they being ignorant of Gods righteousnesse and going about to establish their own righteousnesse have not submitted themselves unto the righteousnesse of God Published and allowed by the Author's consent LONDON Printed by M. Simmons and are to be sold by Joseph Blaik-lock at his House in Ivie-lane 1651. To the Reader THESE Sermons being exactly penned from the Authors own mouth are now brought to publique view though when he preached them had not the least thought to suffer them to be Printed but since they were thus prepared to come abroad into the world the Pious Author finding so much of the sweetnesse of Christ in viewing of them could not turn his backe upon them As for this godly Author his worth and excellency is so eminently known it would be vanity in me to speake any thing in relation to his praise let this and other of his owne works praise him Yet thus much I shall say that I doe verily believe that he preached these Choise Lectures from the bosome of Jesus Christ that these things were the very experiments of his owne soule and the lively actings of the spirit of God within him What he hath seene and heard hee hath declared that we might have fellowship with him whose fellowship is with the Father and the 1 Iohn 1. 3. Sonne and therein shall our joy be full These Sermons are not cloathed with humane Art quaint expressions eloquent speculations but choose rather to come forth in the nakednesse of truth not with the enticing words of mans wisdome but in the demonstration of the spirit and of power here is nothing to fill thy head with barren notions fruitlesse opinions or meer speculations but here is that to fill thy heart with the glory of God the life of Christ and light of his spirit I shall in a few words hint out what thou shalt find in these ensuing discourses First a glorious discovery of a saving sight of God in Christ When Moses desired to see Gods face the Lord himselfe tels him that no man can see his face and live Yet the Lord proclaimed his mercie his patience his goodnesse his truth and his justice before him Now where was Moses all this while he was in the clift of the rock Now verily that Rock was Christ we see the glory of God in Christ per speculum as it were in a glasse Christ is that glasse in which wee see the image of the Fathers glory and that as with open face Christ is called the 2 Cor. 3. 18. Heb. 1. 3. brightnesse of his Father's glory so that the brightnesse of Gods glory is manifested by Christ as the Sunne is manifested by it's boames wee cannot see the Sunne in Rotà in his Charret or circumvolution but by it's beames so the Fathers glory is revealed Tanquam per radios ac splendorem as it were by beames and brightnesse shining most excellently in Christ The Apostle saith God who hath commanded light to shine out of darknesse hath shined in our hearts to give the light of the knowledg of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ God is known by Christ as a man is known by his face it is only hee that came from the bosome of the Father that can open the secrets of his bosome and reveale the glory and brightnesse of Gods face unto us Secondly this glorious sight of God is that that humbles the soule Because mine eye hath seen thee saith Job I abhor my selfe in dust and ashes The greatest piece of self-denyall is to discard our own righteousnesse and formality 1. Mans fleshly righteousnesse is the great idoll of the world every one is ready to fall downe unto it and call it blessed This is Anti-Christ comming forth in the habit of Christ being arrayed and decked with gold precious stones and pearls whereby the Nations are deceived but when wee know the righteousnesse of the Lord wee shall cast away our owne righteousnesse and as the Prophet speakes say unto it get yee Isa 30. 22. hence 2. Formality is in no lesse esteeme among us then the former what is the Religion of most people but a meere forme without any life or power at all Astronomers tell us that the upper Planets have their Stations and Retrogradations as well as their direct Motions So 't is with most in their Religion sometimes they move forwards sometimes backward sometimes stand at a stay and thus they tread always in one circle or round turning like a doore upon the hinges but never from off the place where they were As for most mens hearing praying fasting what is it but as a taske performed so coldly that there is no principle of divine life in it and thus they goe on but are never at their journeys end Men commonly use what they should enjoy and enjoy that they should use they will use the Lord whom they should enjoy and they will enjoy their duties and performances that they should only use and thus they starve their soules by formality in religion The third thing we may take notice of is the righteousnesse of Christ commended to us before the righteousnesse of Adam Most of the worlds righteousnesse proceedes from the principles of the old Adam which is corrupt and fleshly what is this but to be born of Ishmael the son of the bond-woman to come unto Mount Sinai in Arabia viz. the Covenant of works but Jerusalem which is above is free which is the mother of all the first-born of God viz. the Covenant of grace Vain man thinks to climb to Heaven by his own righteousnesse when alas it is but of the first Adam naturall weake and fleshly All the wisdome knowledg invention of man as Tongues Arts and Sciences as Philosophy Logicke Rhetoricke c. All these are but to repaire those reliques of the first Adam's corrupted principles of reason and understanding therefore if wee goe to patch up a righteousnesse of these we doe but build what the Lord will have destroyed But that which is able to restore us is an establishment of the righteousnesse of Christ upon our hearts by the participation of the divine nature Christ performs all righteousnesse for his Saints and then works all righteousnesse in them The divine will of God is righteousnesse now Christ is that divine will brought forth in a Saint working after the Lords owne pleasure The Civill law doth account Elephants and Camels to have the nature of wild beasts though they
the originall God hath put this treasure As we find in naturall things Pearles are in the shels of little fishes and the shell is worth nothing So though we be little worth God hath made the preaching of the Gospell by us the way to bestow these glorious priviledges He will make known himself in Christ the same that shall be for ever hereafter which only the Saints enjoy and this is by the word And it is by the Spirit as it is in 2 Cor. 3. VVhere And by the Spirit the spirit is there is liberty where it is not there is a vaile over the heart and minde that none can take a-away but the spirit of God Where the spirit is there is liliberty What is that When a man hath the Spirit he is freed from that Vaile his eyes are opened as he saith after we that are S t s we have no vaile but we behold with pen face the glory of God Through the Gospel we see Christ and through Christ the Father the glory of the Lord but how By the spirit of the Lord that is the Spirit of the Lord uncovers the face and annoints the eyes Therefore the Spirit is called Oyntment because he annoints the eyes and he is called Eye-salve Revel 3. he helps us to see So thus you have a little for it is an unspeakable thing and therefore we can only speak a little aloofe afarr off that you may know that there is such a thing but it is God himselfe that must bestow it on you and me I will add one more particular because I find it in the Scripture concerning this seeing of God I finde it is spoken of 3 wayes or as it were in 3 pathes First the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ when The Father shews us Christ we were dead in sins and when we saw nothing at all the Father shews us Christ Before we have any thing to doe with Christ actively the Father hath many things to doe on us passively as Christ saith Joh. 17. Father all that were thine thou gavest them to me Before Christ comes the Father is making the match and commending his Sonne to us when we are meerly passive in it For that is a generall rule a man never acts but by Jesus Christ therefore let men talke what they will God may doe what he will passively on me but I am not to acts at all till Jesus Christ come but I say passively the Father was woing us to his Son and no man saith Christ comes to me except the Father draw him and those that have learned and are taught of the Father come to me Joh. 6. 45. That I say is one sight that a poore sinner hath a sight of the Excellency of Jesus Christ Now it may be if thou look back and consider how God did deale with thee at the first thou canst remember when many times Jesus Christ was presented to thee in his excellencie sometimes more sometimes lesse and thou sawest him an excellent person and wouldest have given a world for him and didst account it a heaven and happinesse to enjoy him Now whence was this but that the Father was willing to make the match between his Son and thee and shewed this excellency of him Secondly I finde on the other side in Scripture Christ shews us the Father that the Son Christ gives us to see the Father for the Father is not seene all this while thou seest not who shews thee that Excellency thou seest Christ before and wouldest give a world for him but thou knowest not who opened the Window it is the Father and then Christ only shews the Father that is after thou art married to Christ and Christ will shew thee thy Friends When Christ hath married the Soule he will shew it what riches is in him what grace righteousnes and goodnesse and saith Christ I have a Father and I am willing that you should be acquainted with him and know him so Christ leads us to the Father that is that Christ speaks Joh. 14. Ye know me and ye know the Father And saith he hast thou seene me and not known the Father he that hath seene me hath seene the Father for wee see the Father through Christ that is all the knowledge we have of the Father for the Father is another person just like Christ he is invisible no eye ever saw him but through Christ that is I see what pitty and love and grace and goodnesse is in Christ and such is in the Father There are no two things in all the creation of God that are so like one another as the Father is to Jesus Christ so that as though I know one Egg I may know another yet two Eggs are not comparable or to be mentioned for likenesse as the Father is to Christ So that if a man have perfect understanding of Christ he will have also of the Father Thirdly both these though the one be passive and Both done by the Spirit the other active that now I must looke with mine owne eyes that Christ hath put in my head to see the Father though the Father shewed Christ to me when I was blind and dead I say both are done by the Spirit of God who is called sometimes the spirit of God and sometimes the spirit of Christ and Christ saith the spirit shall take of my things and shew them to you So the Spirit from the one and the other makes manifestations So you have seene a little towards the opening of this glorious priviledge that the Saints have of seeing God in this world The manner how the Saints see God There are 4 or 5. things more which the Scripture speaks of our seeing of God and which the Saints finde by experience I shall but briefly touch them I have told you that a Saint sees God but in part 1 They see but a part and yet a Saint sees but a part of God as it were at any time He sees not God fully in any thing and yet he sees but a part as it were of God almost at any time that is the Lord doth not discover al his glory to any Saint at once but somtimes the Lord reveales to his child and lets him see his glorious power in such a way as no carnall man ever shall Another while he lets him see the glory of his Justice and that it may be ravisheth him for a time Another while God sheds his love into his heart and sets that before him God might shew himselfe at once he might shew himselfe fully if he pleased but this is his manner and dealing as we see in the Scriptures and as the Saints finde generally in Experience That is one thing Then secondly in this sight of God though the 2. What they see is amiable Lord shew but part of himselfe at once sometimes it may be a greater part then at an other time yet that part be it what it
doe saith grace you shall mourne bitterly when you have done grace is at the heeles of it and grace overtakes it some way or other And in case he fall into the sin grace calls over him and cries out of the heart and when he hath done the sinne grace mournes it followes it oppsing till it be done and when it is done grace weeps over it It is not so with a wicked man that hath an enlightned Difference between Saints and Hypocrites conscience he may have a word or two and if that be not heard then farewel and then the Devill works effectually that is the difference between sin working in a Saint and in a wicked man The Devill works effectually in a wicked man that is he finisheth his work the Devill finisheth his worke in a Sinner but he doth not in a Saint The Devill never works in a Saint but grace overthrows it one way or other either before it be done or it overthrowes it when it is done The Devill sifted poore Peter and foiled him at the first but afterwards he wept it out there is much in this This is enough to discover an impure heart if you be a Drunkard or a VVhoremonger or a Backslider or a worldly Professor thou art a man that hath never seene God for thou hast an impure heart There is one thing briefly that I desire you to thinke on 2 It changeth them to the same image Againe whosoever hath seene God a second expression of it is this he is translated into the same image with God to that which he seeth As you have it 2 Cor. 3. ult Saith the Apostle All we with open face that is al the Saints we behold as in a glasse the glory of the Lord and are changed into the same image from glory to glory even as by the Spirit of the Lord. We behold the glory of the Lord and are changed into the same image from glory to glory I was going to tell you the last time how the sight of God hath a twofold impression upon us I forgot the last and it will not be unseasonable to mind you of it now The first was I told you it works in us a disposition snitable to what we see in God if God be great it makes me little if he be just it makes me feare if he be faithfull it makes me trust if he be good it makes me love him and the like Now the Second is this Whatsoever a Saint sees in God it works some resemblance in him of what he sees not a proportionablenesse for greatnesse in God and feare in me that suits God is great and I feare him But here I say it works a resemblance in a kinde As when I see the greatnesse of God it works and raiseth my Spirit to a holy greatnesse if I see holinesse in God it makes me holy there is nothing in God that is seene but it works a Resemblance except it be humility of which I shall shew the reason after All the Attributes in God become graces in you goodnesse in God makes you good but your goodnesse is a grace and his is an Attribute But only I say humilitie the glory of God makes me humble the glory of God makes me not proud and high but low and humble But every other thing in God makes me frame my heart and life just like God Creatures resemblances of spirituall things And there is no wonder in this we see in the Creatures for the Creatures are a resemblance of spirituall things The Creatures are so cast by God as that they might be fit resemblances and expressions of spiritual things in his word Jacobs sheep only by the working of fancie by looking upon the rods it made them conceive If fancy work so as that looking upon any thing it could make such an impression much more faith looking upon such a glorious object as God that hath such fulnesse in him shall make the soule like that it sees Therefore in Joh. 1. 14. Saith the Apostle We have seene his glory as the glory of the only begotten sonne of God full of grace and truth and of his fulnesse we all receive grace for grace VVe saw his glory and of that fullnesse of glory we receive grace for grace as the VVax receives letter for letter from the Seale or as the child receives lymb for lymb from the Parent so we receive grace for grace from Christ There is never a grace that we see in Christ but the seeing it with a spirituall eye works and creates such a grace in our Soules Therefore I pray consider of this whether you Triall of a right sight of God have had such a sight of God that when you see this it hath framed your soules according to God that you are like him If you say you see God and it is only a drie speculation that leaves you proud and carnall and malicious and high minded and froward and the like without working on you what you see in God you may justly suspect it not to be right A third expression I find in 1 Joh. 4. 12. Whosoever 3 A right sight of God works love to our Brethren hath seene God loves his Brother No man hath seene God at any time if we love one another God dwelleth in us and his love is perfected in us I told you before that to see God and to dwell in God are taken for one another As he saith after verse 15. VVhosoever shall confesse that Jesus is the Sonne of God God dwelleth in him and he in God and verse 16. He that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God and God in him No man hath seen God at any time but he that loveth his brother God dwelleth in him What is that That is he hath seen God For as I said they are all one dwelling in God and seeing of God Therefore looke to that whether God have wrought in you a heart Spiritually and purely to How Saints should be loved love the Saints as Saints not to love them that they may love me or to love them because they have a great deale of credit that they may report well of me or to love them carnally but whether I frame my heart to love the Saints as Saints as elect persons chosen of God and Members of Christ and as he beares the image of Christ on his soule if I love not my Brother surely I have never seene God therefore it is said 1 Joh. 2. 11. He that hateh his Brother is in darknesse he walketh in darknesse and knoweth not whether he goeth What darknesse Compare it with the first chap. verse 6 7. that darknesse is opposite to Fellowship in light with God and Christ If a man love not his Brother let him be a wise man let him be a Scholler let him repeat Sermons c. he is in darknesse and goes he knowes not whether for a man goes he knows not whether that hath
not seene God he goes in darknesse and must wander for ever more Looke a little on your hearts and aske the question concerning your conversation whether you love the people of God or no That is the third thing Then fourthly which depends upon this whosoever 4 Fellowship with the Saints hath seene God rightly as he loves the Saints so he hath Gospell fellowship with the Saints I say he hath Fellowship with the Saints 1 Joh. 1. 7. For there is a discourse concerning this seeing of God Truly saith John verse 3. Our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ and these things we write unto you that your joy may be full But if we say we have Fellowship with him and walk in darknesse we lye and doe not the truth If we say we have fellowship with him and walke in sinne But if wee walke in the light as he is in the light we have fellowship one with another and the bloud of Jesus Christ his Whence the Fellowship of Saints is Son cleanseth us from all sinne Understand me I meane not here by fellowship and I suppose it is not meant here fellowship of neighbourhood or fellowship of the family or fellowship of the same City no nor being of the same outward visible Church I thinke that is not meant though that be not contrary But VVe have fellowship one with another What is that That is when I have seene God and have had fellowship with God and his sonne Jesus Christ I have a spirituall fellowship with all that have seene God with me that is the ground of the fellowship and communion I have with others is in that they have seene God as well as I and the impression of God is cleare on their spirits and manifested in their lives Therefore for People to have fellowship with Fellowship on wrong grounds others in this or that respect because they jump with them in this or that opinion or in this or that way this is not the Fellowship spoken of by John and by Paul Philip. 1. 4 5. But this Fellowship is a higher thing the spiritual communion we have one with another upon spirituall grounds because of the Spirit of God dwelling in us Therefore examine your selves by this Have you any fellowship with the Saints Is not the Fellowship of divers of you why should I aske the question I know it is so with Drunkards and Malignants those that raile against godlinesse those that blaspheme God and his People this is the Fellowship of many And it may be others of you have fellowship with Professors but it is carnall that is it is grounded on carnall respects it is not because they have seene God and you have seene him also and therefore you have Fellowship together That is another thing A fifth thing I find that I will but touch That whosoever hath seene God they are very desirous 5 Desire to bring others to the light to bring all others into the same light that they have seene O! how oft doth Paul upon every occasion concerning his vision how oft doth he repeat it at large in the acts of the Apostles how he had seene God! And so here John when he had seene the glory of God he writes to them he delivers the message to them and he would bring them also to the light to walke in the light as he did Beloved a man that hath seene God once truly he looks upon all the world as People walking in Hell in a hell of darknesse the course of mankind in this world is but as a Hell to him Therefore to see People walke in such grosse darknesse and God having broken in a little Window into his soule he cannot choose but bring others to the light Therefore I never believed nor doe believe Christians should be ready to teach others when People among us it may be they are godly I leave them to the Lord that professe they see a great deale of light and they see God more then others and yet for the expression of it we see they withdraw and goe aside and they thinke it not fit to teach carnall men it may be they will teach one another three or foure or five Not as though I blamed teaching let us teach one another any how so we may edifie one another in the Lord publickly or privately but when there is a spirit in People that they will not communicate the light as much as they can that other poor sinners may see it I suspect that light that it is not from God for whosoever sees the Light rightly he will doe his utmost Endeavour to bring others into the Light 6 It enableth to suffering as in But lastly I find that whosoever hath seene God truly that sight of God will make him able to goe through any hardship any suffering any affliction whatsoever in the service of God As in Heb. 11. 27. Moses forsooke Aegypt and regarded not the wrath Moses of the King but endured saith the text Why did he Did he not know what the wrath of the King was No doubt but he saw what a Tyrant he was and he saw much cruelty living in the House but he endured as seeing him who is invisible he saw God and so he was able to goe through all And so Stephen that blessed man that was full of the Stephen holy Ghost Acts 7 When he had preached unto them saith the text they were cut to their hearts and gnashed on him with their teeth and he being full of the holy Ghost looked stedfastly to Heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus Christ standing on the right hand of God When they gnashed their teeth he looked up to heaven saw God and Christ at his right hand It may be there was somthing that was extraordinary but it is a worke that is ordinary Behold saith he I see the Heavens opened and the Sonne of man standing on the right hand of God Then they cryed out and stopped their eares and stoned him and he called on God and said Lord Jesus receive my spirit and kneeled downe and cried Lord lay not this sinne to their charge See how Stephen was calling on God and praying for his enemies and giving up his Spirit to God when they were gnashing with their teeth and stoning him as if they had been mad yet he goes through it quietly Whatsoever pretences men have this is the Why some Professors avoid suffeing reason why many Professors are so wise that they will never suffer persecution let the world turne which way it will they will not want distinctions to waue persecution the truth is they wave it because they have not seene God if they had they would carry themselves innocently and prudently and then let what would come Thus briefly I have shewed you how you may know whether you have seene God aright or no. Now lastly in a few words because you
evill thought shee what kind of good and evill shee goes to this sublime conceit and so was lost Now sayth Paul I am afraid of you least the Devill should beguile you so I am loath to offend you for I had rather win 4. To het the comfort of our priviledges you or else I could instance in twenty or forty conceits and distinctions of things Ideas that are above the simplicity of the Gospell and that is enough to make us leave them because they are above the simplicity of the Gospell and the excellency of the Gospell is not in those Ideas but in knowing the power of plaine things as the death of Jesus Christ Every man in Jerusalem knew the death of Christ but to know the power of that death keepe close to the simplicity of the Gospell Another thing is this you that have knowne a little of the spirit of God and have inlarged hearts and enlightned eyes Let not God rest till thou find the comfort and power of what thou knowest O we know that the righteousnesse of the law by Christ is fulfilled in us and the like but we have not the full comfort of such a truth and many others We know Christ hath paid our debt and that we are one with him as he is one with the Father but we have not the power and the comfort of these things Beloved for thy comfort know that Paul in a Pauls condition sort was in thy condition Phil. 3. Not as though I had attained or apprehended but I would apprehend him of whome I am apprehended and I would know the vertue of his death and the power of his Resurrection Paul saw something that he did not fully apprehend but he would feele more of the power of Gospell spirituall truthes and if he saw that he wanted it much more we O doe not content your selves to have an old frozen knowledge of Gospell truths whereby you are able to proove that men are legallists and that men are under Mount Sinai and yet have cold and frozen hearts cold truths without life therefore thinke of minding God of this Then lastly labour to take heed that you be 5. Not to fall back from the light of the Gospell not by any meanes bewitched so as to fall back from that little light in the Gospell that you have received it is an easie thing so to doe I doe beleive and it is my comfort and will be when I am farr from this place that the Lord hath enlightened diverse of you to know the Gospell to know Jesus Christ a little clearer Now I know not whaâ— the Lord may doe for you but I say it is wonderous easie you may under one quarter of a yeares fleshly Preaching lose that that you have been under two or three yeares Preaching a getting I have knowne after a quarter of a yeares buylding up of my soule in the knowledg of Christ and the setling of my faith and assurance I have heard one Sermon that hath routed and dasht all that work in my soule Therefore I beseech you beware faith is a tender thing especially the light we have that is but very weake and very tender therefore sayth Paul Who hath bewitched you you foolish Gallatians before whome Jesus Christ hath been lively painted As the word signifies Christ was drawne lively before the Gallatians and yet they did fall If Paul that was an Apostle and had the spirit of God in such a measure laying open the spirit of Christ and yet his people did goe back to Moses and to Sinai the Lord help and uphold us Therfore stand fast in your liberty in Jesus Christ This is all in short I have to say to you for that I hope you will lay up these words Now I have a few words of advice and counsell Vse 5. How those that walk after the flesh may come to walk spiritually to those poor souls that do yet in a great measure walk according to the flesh in one fashion or other Their religion is a fleshly Religion from old Adam and according to the law in a great measure Now the Question is what shall they doe that they may be spirituall Christians that they may walke according to the spirit I will only name a few things 1. Study the difference between the two Testaments The first is this I would desire you to endeavor to studie much the difference between the two Testaments the new and the old I meane not the two Bookes but the two Testaments that we read of in Heb. 8. Heb. 9. Whereof the one is faulty and the other is excellent the one is done away the other remaines Studie the difference between them for thereby you lay the foundation of your Gospell happinesse for there is the misery of many Professors and will be their misery if they should live a thousand yeares they jumble both Testaments without knowledge and distinction and so they will never be better Another thing that I would exhort you to is 2. To prize the spirit this to prize the spirit of Christ more then you doe There is nothing in the Gospel but it is a Mystery you cannot know it but by the spirit and there is no duty in the Gospell to be done that can be done but by the power of the spirit We may doe many things in the law by the strength of old Adam in the Gospell we can doe nothing but the spirit is all And that is the reason I think for I speake according to the grace given me why people now are left so bare and poore and confused and know not which way to goe or what to doe they doe not prize the spirit of God Many men extoll Learning mightily and it is Learning extolled to the disparagement of the spirit accounted almost Heresie to commend the spirit of God There are many men I and many Professors that doe not love to heare a man in a few modest words to commend the spirit of God but all must be by studie and reading and learning and for the spirit of God it is a plaine meere Cypher and there is an end But my life on it if I had a hundred I would say so they shal be beholding to the spirit of God and extoll him before they be taught spiritually they shall be willing to lay downe all their learning as I have seene a learned godly man of late even with the Plow-boy I do not say but that learning is good for some Learning of what use it is uses and God may blesse it to help a man to expresse what he knowes the better but as I told you Adam must die he cannot by it come to know one jot of the spirituall meaning of God in the Gospell or one jot of power or assurance to be happie or to doe any thing for God towards this all learning is not worth a straw therefore labour to extoll the spirit And
set God saith David at my right hand that I might not sin against him that is I will keep God in my eye The Eye of God is a meanes to keep a man from sin for who will sin in the eye of God therefore saith God to Abraham walk before me and be perfect The Servant may doe ill behind his Masters back but walk before me and then thou wilt be upright therefore when men sin they are said to leave God but saith David I have set God at my right hand that I might not sinne against him I will alway see God as I see a man that walks at my right hand Thirdly if there be such a sight of God to be Use 3. Highly to prise the preaching of the Gospell enjoyed in this world and that by his word and Spirit me thinks this might teach you highly to prize and esteeme the preaching of the Gospell the word of Christ Truly beloved if you doe not look on the Gospell with a spirituall consideration to a carnall eye it is the poorest and driest and most beggarly thing in the world for there are none that have more weaknesses then the dispensers of it It is a thing that should fill men with admiration to consider what it is to have poore creatures to doe the work of God that have a world of weaknesses more then other men who are more exact in their wayes as Lawyers and Tradesmen c. To a carnall eye the preaching of the Gospell is a dead drousie thing a man shall heare many things that he heard before and be taught till he sleep and be tyred out unlesse he look on it with a spiritual eye As the East-India Merchant when he sees such a shell he considers what is in it there is a glorious Pearle in it and for that he goes many a Mile So doe you consider that the preaching of the Gospell by poore and weake meanes it is that shell that Cabinet wherein these glorious treasures are found therefore esteeme it and prise it highly look on it with reverence look for the Pearle in it prise it and praise God for it It may be some of you that are sleepy Why men see not the excellency in the Gospel creatures may say I cannot tell that there is any such thing in it others are so sottish to this day that they no more know nor understand what we have bin doing in the preaching of the word these 12. moneths then a Post It is not because the treasure is not here but you shal see the reason 2 Cor. 4. 4. the reason why you see it not is because The God of this world hath blinded your eyes that the light of the knowledge of the glory of God should not shine upon your Soules God shines upon one mans Soule and not upon another another sees nothing but a poor Preacher full of weaknesses so he gos away remembers little or nothing or it may be sleeps all the while Beloved for the Lord Jesus sake trifle not It makes me tremble to consider seriously how those decrees that are infinite and innumerable that were before the beginning of the world are to be opened when we preach the word yonder man and yonder woman we know not whether of them belong to God or the Devill but when we preach the decree is opened there is a poor man or a poore woman that belongs to life it makes him a new creature another is as very a Sot at the yeares end as at the beginning who would not tremble when God threatens to seale up your condition by it O! it is a glorious thing the Gospell Look to it you sottish people that are like the Foole in the Proverbs that tell him a tale and when you have done he will aske what is the matter or as a man asleep that knows nothing what he hath been doing For the Lords sake consider what we are doing and what the Gospell is and what it is to have one day of the Son of man it is a very strange word in Luk. 17. 32. consider of it thou poore sottish creature When Christ was demanded of the Pharisees when the Kingdome of God should come he answered them The Kingdom of God commeth not with observation Neither shall they say lo here or lo there for behold the Kingdome of God is within you or among you And he said unto his Disciples the dayes will come when ye shall desire to see one of the dayes of the Sonne of man and ye shall not see it And yet he saith after they shall see the day of the Son of man We are to consider the sonne of Man the Lord Jesus Christ hath two sorts of dayes He hath one 2 Sorts of dayes of the Sons of man day that every wicked man shall see when they shal be eating and drinking as in the dayes of Noah When the Son of man shall come to judge according to my Gospel as Paul preacheth according to the Gospel The day of judgement that you have here preached That is one day of the Son of man And thou that wilt not receive Christ thou shalt have thy belly full of that day it will be a terribble day a day of blacknes and darknes when the earth shall reele as a drunkard and the heavens shall be gathered together as a scrowle and the world shall be on fire and thou shalt be at thy wits end it will be a terrible day the Lord deliver thee from that day But the Son of Man hath another day that is The day of grace the day of grace the day wherein the Son of man in the preaching of the Gospell would bestow grace upon thy Soule Why doth he call that the day of the Son of man more then the other He delights more in it he delights not in the death of a sinner This is that sweet day that Jesus Christ delights in to offer himself to thee and to lay before thee life and salvation by his death These things were not written for them only but for us also Remember the day will come when thou shalt desire to see one day of the son of Man but shalt not see it Thou wilt say O that I had one such day as we have now in this place when the Preacher told me of seeing God and Christ O that I had but one day but one motion in my heart by the Spirit that I had then and yet I sotted it out and did forget it O that God would smile as he did then but it shall not be Therefore the Lord help you that you doe not trifle out your salvation as abundance in this Nation and in this Citty doe between sottishnes and formalitie Abundance of People heare the word but here is abundance of formalitie few men consider with whom they have to do when they heare the word of God and what the busines is but in a trifling manner
and catcht at that Thy brother Benhadad is alive So we come with Ropes about our necks poore damned creatures and God comes in infinite wisedome and makes promises and a humble heart will take them and blesse God for any promise be it never so generall and not stand so nicely as proud people doe This shews a humble heart therefore examine if this be so with thee Fourthlie a humble heart in matter of justification it appeares by this that as it is content to have a righteousnesse in another 4. To renounce our owne righteousnes And secondly to hold it upon a bare word If God give more he will take it if not he will hold it upon his bare word And thirdly he will take the most generall word So fourthly he will wholly renounce and throw away his owne righteousnesse and as Paul did call it duâ—g and dogs meat So I may be found saith he in Jesus Christ Now a proud heare would have Jesus Christ only to sâ—der his owne righteousnesse and Jesus Christs together he would have Christ only to make up a little what is lacking in him to make out what is wanting There are many men that goe a great way in the pofession of religion but being pretty honest civil men before they will never be brought to renounce their owne righteousnesse Now Jesus Christ will never mend the heart by patching it but either he will make it wholly new or the Devill shall have all he will have the heart to have his righteousnesse wholly or none at all now a man must throw away all there must be nothing kept as in the practise of Saul there must be no buts for men to say but we have some good things and it is great pitty to throw away all What all my prayers and all my humiliations and all my fastings all good for nothing to make dung and dogs meat I Paul speaks as if his righteousnesse had been a chaine and a burthen Lastly a humble heart a humble man or woman 5. Notwithstanding our sins and want of preparation will do all this and he will doe it let his sinfulnesse be never so great or let his preparations be never so little There is a great deale of pride in mens hearts they will not receive grace and salvation of God because of the greatnesse of their sins There is no man that talks of the greatnesse of his sinns with a spirit of unbeliefe but it proceeds from pride When a man talks of his great sinns and therefore he is afraid to believe that is from pride for the greater a mans sins are the sooner he would believe if he had a humble heart Depart from me Lord saith Peter for I am a sinfull man He had more need to have said come to me Lord for I am a sinfull man And then if his preparations be never so little Men thinke that they could believe if they were qualified and had such preparations It is as if they should say I will get so much and then I should be but a little beholding to Christ halfe the worke is done There must be no stay for want of preparation when the Lord calls when the Lord offers Christ well that is one thing that you may trye your humiliation by your carriage towards God in respect of his justifying grace or the righteousnesse of Christ that justifies or Gods righteousnes which is the object of justification and that you see in those five things The second thing is this you may trie if your 2 By our carriage to God in his truths revealed hearts be humbled if you consider your carriage towards God in respect of his will or in respect of his truths that he manifests to you from time to time For here is the difference a humble heart will submit to every truth of Christ as farre as it is revealed Therefore it is said Rom. 8. 6. The carnall minde is enmity against God for it is not subject to the law of God nor can be A carnall mind is enmity against God It is not only an enemy but enmity it selfe And he doth not only say it will not but it cannot be subject to the Law that is to the will of God Beloved a proud heart or a heart that is not Proud carnall men humbled it will not submit to the Truth of God but it will alway doe one of these three things The first is this he is not willing to know all the 1. Are not willing to know all the truths of God truths of God he is not willing to know them for hee knowes if hee doe know them hee must doe them Hee thinkes it safer to bee ignorant of the truth then obey the truth and some have been ready to say if I know the will of God I must doe it But here is the question whether thou be willing to know the will of God A man that is not truly humbled alwayes when he heares spirituall truths that come to rule him he wisheth as a godly man saith that either the minister were dumb or that he were deafe for it is a burthen to him He is like those People in Isay 30. 10. The rebellious People that Isaiah was troubled with This is a rebellious people lying children children that will not heare the Law of the Lord. Which say to the seers see not and to the Prophets prophesie not unto us right things speak unto us smooth things prophesie deceits This was and is the language of the hearts of carnall Christians they say to the seers see not They wish that the Preachers could not finde out those truths that are so contrarie to nature and that crosse their corruptions they wish that Preachers would take other texts and handle other Doctrines that were more pleasing and smooth as Job sayth Job 21. They prosper and their children dance and there is the timbrell and the harpe and they say to God depart from us for we desire not the knowledge of thy wayes We are not enemies to it we doe not fight against it we allow Preachers to be there but truely we desire not the knowledge of thy wayes this is the language of a proud heart Now is there in you such a heart that though Saints willing to know all Gods truths you know that you shall be saved and goe to Heaeven as an honest man once said yet have you a desire to know every truth though you suffer never so much persecution for it There is a humble heart It is so and it will be so as we see in that blessed man Eli 1 Sam. 3. 17. you know what a blessed humble man he was and when there was a Vision that Samuell saw that was for his ruine and the ruin of his House and the Lord had called Samuell and shewed him the Vision Eli calls him and said VVhat is the thing the Lord hath said I pray thee hide it not from me Samuell was
not willing to tell him being but a child he knew by his countenance it was not good tydings yet saith he I pray thee hide not from me what God hath told thee God doe so to thee and more also if thou hide any thing from me of all the things that he said unto thee O Blessed man he was willing to know it though it were a sore message that the Lord would take away the Preisthood and he should breake his neck and his Sons should be slaine in the Warrs So Cornelius Act. 10. 33. When Peter came to preach Wee are here all in the presence of God to heare all things that shall be commanded us of God We are not here that we may please our owne humours and suit our owne lusts but to heare all let it be rough or smooth with us or against us we are here to heare all that the Lord will say Canst thou say so when thou commest before the Lord and hearest the Word I am here to heare all the Lord will say Beloved I wish it were so but I seare that of all the People in England there are many in this Cittie that it may be are good People abundance of them and yet we are willing to learne nothing in the world but what we like and we crumble the bread of our salvation as children doe their bread and butter who eate one bit themselves and throw the rest to the dogs So many proud carnall sprits take a part of the word and they say that was a good note of Master such a ones and such a ones and so you call mens words and that was a good doctrine and pick out this and that and goe and tell it I never saw nor I thinke never any under the Cope of Heaven such spirits that doe so basly mince the Word of God and crumble it and take one piece and throw two away Therefore looke to that an honest heart will heare all that the Lord will say and be glad too that is one thing A second thing is this a proud carnall heart 2. A proud heart makes cavils against the truth that is not truly humbled it will appeare by this that if he cannot choose but know the truths of God as many times he cannot but he must know it if he live under the word God will make some men know it whether they will or no then the next worke of a proud heart will be to raise up cavils against the word and to make Pleas against the truth of God and arguments as much as may be when it comes in unto him Just as one man saith as we doe with a common enemy it we can we will keep him out of the country and it is safest to doe so So he will keepe out the truth if he can but if the truth come and he begin to see it and sees that it is the will of God then his next course is to levy forces to raise armes and thinks to put it out he thinks to put out the light that God hath put into his soule 2 â—â—m 3. 8. Men of corrupt minds men of rotten minds that like Jannes and Jambres resist the truth There is no mention of Jannes and â—ambres in the Old Testament but it is generally thought by learned men that the meaning is this When Moses came to Pharaoh at any time to speake of the things of God and of the will of God and that the People of Israell must goe free and he did worke miracles and that light came to Pharaoh to convince him presently he sent for Jannes and Jambres that were Southsayers and made them help him get arguments against Moses and they would argue like Moses to keep out the truth So carnall People when light comes into the soule and they cannot resist it this is their ordinary course to goe to their carnall neighbours like themselves or to a carnall Priest or Minister if they have any and get as many arguments as they can and then they will say the other was a Phancie it is not right it will not hold and so never leave till they get it out of their coasts as the Gadarens dealt with Christ Thirdly and lastly if he cannot doe this if he 3. A proud heart will shift off Gods truths cannot beat it out by violence he will endeavour to escape the edge of the toole by some shift he will use his wits and goe to pollicy and see if by any shift he can escape the power of the truth If he cannot beat it off he will labour to escape the power and the edge of it As a man that is in debt that is under an execution or an outlarie if he can he will keep far enough from the Sergeants and if they come he will shut his doore and keepe them off or if they come to take him he will throw them off But if they say if you stirre we will knock you down or kill you then he will say why I meane to pay and such a man knows it and he will give them faire words that so he may avoid the power and authority of the Law from comming upon him So carnall men desire to be ignorant of those truths that all their life time are contrary to them and if truths come in upon them they consult with all their carnall Neighbours and friends to get it out and if all will not doe then they goe to their shifts As for instance suppose a truth should come upon one of your soules that thou that art a drunkard or a whoremonger c. unlesse thou be borne againe thou shalt never enter into heaven and this truth hath seized on thee and God hath set it on thy soule that a man cannot get it out and then he goes to his shifts he saith it is true I must be borne againe or else I shall be damned but saith he I hope I was borne againe in baptisme and I hope that was a washing away of my sins And so put it on another it may be this truth comes into his soule that every man that lives in any knowne sinne shall be cast out of the Kingdome of God and of Christ 1 Cor. 6. Know ye not that neither Drunkards nor Swearers nor revilers nor extortiouers shall inherit the Kingdome of God and of Christ Suppose God set this truth home to thy soule It is true saith the man but I hope God hath given me repentance for it and all is well He hopes God hath given him repentance and he goes on in sinne then God comes and tells him that if he had repented he would leave his sinns and amend his course then saith he I hope I shall repent hereafter I shall repent sometime or other though I do not now If God tell him againe the day of salvation will be past and the doore will be shut and repentance will come too late then he shifts it off and saith I hope
in it though it be not alwayes true for a man may loose himselfe sometimes in afflictions more then in another condition As Jonah he was a godly man yet very unlike himselfe when God corrected him and had taken away his Gourd but ordinarily such as the man is so he will be in affliction The Lord in the Prophet Ezekiel compares affliction to a boyling seething pot you know if you put meat into a pot and though it be not so cleane washed if you put no fire under it the water will be cleare but if you put fire under then you shall see the scum and Afflictions as fire filth come up Afflictions are called Gods fire because usually the scum and the dross that is in us which otherwise lies hid is then seen and afflictions are called trialls they trie what is in us And truely of all corruptions there is none there is no froth in the soule of man that will appeare sooner or more in afflictions then the pride of his soule the loftinesse of his soule This was the reason why Satan would have God to give him leave to Why Satan desired to tempt Job tempt Job because I know sayth he that Job is a devout man but he Serves not God for nought I warrant you if you put him in the fire of affliction you shall see a great deale of drosse in Job he will storme and rage and fume you would quickly see the pride of his heart Saith God thou shalt have him doe what thou wilt with him trie him if he be so and doubtlesse though it be said a good while In all this Job sinned not yet Job sinned before the end and there is a great deale of Jobs pride to be seen from the beginning of the Book to the end Well then I say in afflictions thou mayest know thy owne and I mine Therefore let us not speake of things we know not but speake of our owne afflictions the afflictions and corrections that thou art wont to fall into and that are thine whether it be sicknesse or weaknesse or a bad Husband or a wanton Wife or an ill Neighbour thou knowest them best now by thy carriage under those thou shalt finde how far God hath bestowed on thee this grace of humiliation But you will say how shall I know that whether Quest my heart be humbled by my carriage in my afflictions I will give you ten instances of the carriage of Answ Ten instances of the carriage of a humble heart in afflictions 1. A humble heart seeth God in the affliction a humble heart in any affliction that shall be laid upon him as First of all if thy heart be humbled whatsoever thy affliction is or whatsoever is the Instrument that afflicts thee thou wilt presently and clearly see God in it That is one thing thou wilt see that instrument whatsoever he is in the hand of God a proud heart doth usually looke upon the creature he looks upon the man upon the troublesome Neighbour upon the gracelesse Child upon the unreasonable Husband c. but a humble heart presently sees God As in Isa â—0 We see those that corrected the Saints there the King of Assiria he is said to be the Axe in Gods hand he is said to be the rod and the staffe and the Axe An Axe cannot cut without some hew with it and a staffe cannot beat without some hold it and a rod cannot whip unlesse some take it in their hand A humble heart let the affliction be what it will and the Instrument be what it will it sees all as a rod or as a staffe that is a little heavier or as an Axe that is heavier and sorer then that but all in the hand of God I will give you a common knowne instance 2 Sam. 16. 5. There was a man whose name was Shimei he comes against David and casts stones at him and Shimei cursed David and said come out come out thou bloudy man of Beliall Tuvir Belial Thou son of Belial The proper description of a wicked man a man that doth not grow in goodnesse it is ordinarily read thou son of Beliall This man cursed David in Vers 9. Then said Abishai the son of Zerviah unto the King why should this dead dog curse my Lord the King Let me goe over I pray thee and take off his head He beeing of a proud spirit calls him dog and did not see God ordering the tongue of Shimei But what saith David What have I to doe with you ye sons of Zerviah so let him curse because the Lord hath said unto him curse David who shall then say wherefore hast thou done so It had been an easie thing for a King to take off the head of a single man that cursed him but he reasoned with himselfe and saw that the Lord had commanded Shimei to curse David and therefore saith he why should I meddle with him Shimei calls him bloudy man because he had taken the Kingdome and succeeded Saul but David calls to minde the bloud of Uriah that the other thought not of It is true thought he I tooke away the life of Uriah that thou mindst not and God hath sent yonder man to call my sin to remembrance therefore you sons of Zerviah I will not meddle with you nor doe you meddle with him let him alone So if thou be a humbled man whatsoever the Instrument be if the spirit of God hath humbled thy heart presently thou wilt looke upon God God hath made yonder Neighbour vex me and when thou commest home perhaps thy Husband raves and railes God hath stirred up the passion of my Husband and made him doe thus against me This is one thing that I finde frequent in the Scriptures to be an act or an expression of a humble heart in the time of afflictions Nay I find carnall and Heathenish people have strange expressions 2 Kings 17. 26. The people of Israel were carried captive and there came lions and devoured the people of Assiria that came to dwell there and the people goe home and say The God of the Land hath sent Lions among us because we know not the manner of the God of the Land how many of us that are called Christians when things fall out we fall foule with the Instrument with the rod or the Axe or the staffe this or that man did this or that when the very Heathen could say the God of the Land hath sent Lions much more should a Christian whose heart God hath humbled That is one instance A Second thing is this you shall discerne and 2. He hath high thoughts of God see a humble heart in afflictions by the high and reverend and pretious thoughts that he hath then of God A humble heart hath glorious thoughts of God in the lowest condition As for instance he sees there glorious things in God in his affliction that makes him thinke reverently and honourably and dearely as David sayth of
but allas what simple people are we in the Countrie we know not what belongs to the Globe and compasses So a Christian when he is in affliction he doth not say God doth he knows not what and he plagueth me but sayth he God hath wisdome and love in all this only I am a simple poore creature that know not this So now there are two things I would have you to observe First if you have humbled hearts you will see God in the affliction And then you will have reverent and high thoughts of God in respect of his justice and his love and wisdome towards you In the third place a soule that is humbled I meane all this while as far as it is humbled it 3. A humble soule quietly submits in affliction doth quyetly and silently submit unto the Lord in all his afflictions that the Lord may doe with him what he will and truly he hath reason enough and it cannot be otherwise if he see God in the Instruments and see such thoughts of justice and love and wisdome in God he cannot but quyetly submit this will follow As you know in 1 Sam. 3. When God told Ely that he was comming to cut off his house and his Priesthood and his Sonnes Sayth he It is the Lord let him doe what semeeth good in his eyes It is the Lord I will not suffer my heart to grumble but it is the Lord and I will submit A man would have thought he had not offended he did chide his Sonnes and told them Ye doe not well but he should have corrected them they were wicked men and because he was too Indulgent to them God sent him word that he would cut them off both him and his Sonnes yet saith he It is the Lord let him doe what seemeth good in his eyes Nay let a man be never so stout otherwise in The stoutest heart humbled will submit to God his naturall constitution let him be of never so strong and sturdie a spirit yet iâ— he have this grace if he have the spirit of humiliation he shall notwithstanding submit like a Lambe when the Lord laies his hand on him I will give you one place to prove this Isa 29. 1. 2. Woe to Ariel to Ariel the City where David dwelt let them kill sacrifice yet I wil distresse Ariel What is that That is the Lion of God God calls Jerusalem the Lion and the Lion of God you know the Lion is a stout creature It is said of Saul and his Servants that they had hearts like Lions hearts And the Lion of God that adds somthing to it yet when the Lord coms upon this Lion of God Thou shalt sayth the Lord be brought downe mark that expression in Vers 4. Thy speech shall be low to the dust and thy voyce as one that hath a familiar spirit and thy speech shall whisper out of the dust Though thou be like a Lion that roares thou shalt goe and whisper in the dust and thy voyce shall be as one that hath a familiar spirit Thou shalt peepe or chirp as it is in the Originall The Lord will make a Lion to chirp and make a Lyon lye low in the dust and whisper And if you compare Lam. 3. 28. There is an expression that doth a little more cleare it It is good for a man to beare the yoak in his youth He shall sit alone and keep silence because he hath borne it he shall put his mouth in the dust if there may be hope When it is a man that is humbled he will put his mouth in the dust he will submit and lie downe if there may be hope though he know not whether there be or no this is plentifull in Scripture in every place the people of God though they were afflicted never so soare and did abide it never so long yea those that had humble hearts they used to submit patiently and quietly to it I held my peace and was dumb because it was thy doing sayth David Psal 39. Trie your hearts by these things how you are in afflictions doe you see God in the Instruments What kind of thoughts have you of God for as the mind is so is the man have you high reverent pretious thoughts of God And doe you submit can you stoop and quench the boylings of your hearts and the stirringe of your spirits Can you say as Eli did It is the Lord let him doe as he will He hath taken one child let him take the rest if he please he hath taken one of my Familie let him take more if he will He hath taken away some of my Trading let him take all if he will This is the frame of heart of a humble man In the Fourth place a humble soule that is savingly 4. A humble heart envies not the prosperity of others humbled in his afflictions for of such I speak all this while in the greatest afflictions that befall him he doth not use to envie the prosperity of others that frame of a humble heart I find in Jam. 4. 5. Pride and envie are as it were Synonomies they seem as it were the same thing The Scripture saith not in vaine the spirit that is in us lusteth after envy But he giveth more grace wherefore he saith God resisteth the proud but giveth grace unto the humble He makes pride and envie one and the same And indeed so it is you shall never see them severed you shall never see a proud heart but it is envious Now one that is humbled is not so as you shall see Psal 37. David indeed was tempted to it but the Lord delivered him from it And in Psal 73. He speaks of the prosperity of the ungodly they flourished in the World and increased in riches and sayth he Verily I have cleansed my heart in vaine for all the day long I am plagued and whipped and chastned every morning It is a strange thing sayth he see how yonder wicked man flourisheth and prospers and for my part I am as sure to be whipped every morning as I am of my break-fast as they say But if I should say so sayth he I should offend against the Generation of thy Children I thought so till I went into the Sanctuary of God and then he understood their end and his owne folly indeed it was Davids weaknesse and it was that which his heart was not throughly humbled for as it should Therefore you see proud people in the Prophesie of Malachi Chap. 3. He more plainly describes them Vers 13. Your words have been stout against me sayth the Lord. They had stout words and stouter hearts for alway the heart is worse then the words You have said it is in vaine to serve God and what profit is it that we have kept his Ordinances and that we have walked mournfully before the Lord of hosts Mark what doe we get by walking mournfully and by obeying the Commandements of God And now we call
you and I have asked had we been in their condition O that God would deliver us that he would shew us an Iland where we might never be troubled more many of us would have done this out of weaknesse but what doe they doe Vers 29. And now Lord behold their threatnings And what then They doe not say Lord deliver us from their threatnings But grant unto thy servants that with all boldnesse they may speak thy word By stretching forth thine hand to heale and that signes and wonders may be done by the name of the holy child Jesus Lord say they thou hearest their threatnings and we feare that our base hearts will be fearfull and so we shall be loath to Preach the Gospell of Christ and to doe signes and wonders as thou hast commanded therefore good Lord give us boldnesse This is the carriage of an honest holy heart So you have it of Paul ordinarily in Phil. 1. 13. There he was in bonds And in Vers 19. He doth implicitly desire the Prayers of the People for him VVhat to doe For I know sayth he that this shall turne to my Salvation through your prayers and the supply of the spirit of Jesus Christ according to my earnest expectation and my hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed but that with all holdnesse as alwayes so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body whether it be by life or by death I doe not pray you Phillippians that you would pray that God would bind the hands of Nero that he may not put me to death or that he would open the Prison gates to let me out but I pray that in nothing I may be ashamed but that with all boldnesse as alway so now Christ may be magnified in my body I care not whether it be by life or by death so God may be glorified that if I live I may doe good there and if I die I may die as a Saint and a Christian So in Ephes 6. 18. I beseech you sayth he give your selves much to prayer above all things and pray for me VVhat to doe That utterance may be given me that I may open my mouth boldly to make knowne the Mysteries of the Gospell for which I am an Ambassador in bonds that therein I may speak boldly as I ought to speak He was in bonds and he desires them not once to pray that God would break his bonds O but pray that I may open my mouth boldly I find feare comes upon me many times feare of Cesar and feare of the Sword and feare of putting me to death therefore Pray that I may open my mouth boldly This is the carriage of a heart that is truly humbled Another a Seaventh thing is this a humble 7. A humble heart more carefull of benefit then comfort in afflictions heart he is alway more carefull to reape benefit from afflictions then to fetch comfort to himselfe in afflictions A proud heart is altogether for comfort he will doe any thing for comfort As Saul he will goe to the VVitch if need be for to fetch comfort but he studies not how to pertake of Gods holinesse by his afflictions Eightly to draw to a conclusion a humble 8. He neglects not Gods commands in afflictions heart doth not remit one jot of his obedience to the commands of God notwithstanding all his afflictions Proud dogged spirits I have oft observed it in my selfe and others there are some hearts that will not serve God and take paines for him otherwise then when the Lord dandleth them and cockers them and feeds them with white bread and if he doe not they will give over their callings and sit mopeing in their Closets there are diverse VVomen and other Professors that will sit mopeing in their Chambers a whole week together and why Because God hath laid such afflictions upon their spirits they will doe nothing for God all the businesse of their generall and particular callings must lie at six and seavens they will doe nothing for God when his hand is on them Now a humble heart as Job said in another case Though he kill me yet will I trust in him So sayth a humble heart let him kill me yet I will obey him I believe that he loves me there is a designe of a great reach in it there is the glory of God and the wisdome of God and the greatnesse of God in it Let him doe his work let him doe what he will and by Gods helpe I will doe my work in my generall and particular calling notwithstanding all the task that he layes on me I will not abate any thing of the obedience I am to bring in Another thing is this a humble heart alway 9. Hee sticks close to the Covenant in afflictions sticks closer to the Covenant of God in affliction then otherwise and the more the Lord will afflict him the more he will stir up his soul as Isaiah sayth to lay hold upon the Covenant As a loving child the more you whipp him the more he will endeavour in love to close with you and cling to you and catch the rod in a reverent manner in a loving way so a humble heart will get to God in affliction and lay hold upon him And this was the fault as Isay sayth of that people Isa 64. VVhen the Lord had layd his hand on them and suffered others to be Lords over them Sayth he V. 7. There is none that calleth upon thy name that stirreth up himselfe to take hold of thee for thou hast hid thy face from us and hast consumed us because of our iniquities Here was a great affliction on them they were consumed and God had hid his face yet there was none that did stir up himselfe to lay hold on God out of the pride of their owne hearts A proud heart alwayes goes from God in affliction As we see Judas he went not to God but to the halter and Caine he went to the Land of Nod when God was angrie he went to buyld Townes he did not goe to God and lay hold upon the Covenant so Saul he goes to Endor to the VVitch in stead of going to God and laying better hold of the Covenant So a proud heart departs from God and growes further off and looser from God whereas alway in afflictions a humble heart sticks closer to God and gets better hold of his blessed covenant Another thing is this that in afflictions a humble 10. A humble heart apt to pray in afflictions heart desires in nothing to be troubled but in every thing to make his requests knowne with thanksgiving and that implies two things First he doth not restrayne prayer as Jobâ— 1. To make requests friends sayd to him Thou art a wicked man for thou restraynest prayer before God in thy afflictions And indeed if they had sayd true of Job he had been so he had been proud at the least proud people they will not
likenesse of sinfull flesh like one of us and he hath fulfilled the law of God and condemned sin therefore there is no sin to condemne us nor no jot of the law that is not fullfilled therefore we are just and righteous and cleare There is no condemnatiom to them that are in Christ Jesus For God hath sent his son to condemne sin c. Now in this fourth Verse it is more particularly expressed That the righteousnes of the law might be fullfilled in us who walke not after the flesh but after the spirit I shall not orderly goe over to shew the Coherence distinctly as I might but breifly as I can come to those lessons that the Lord is to teach us That the righteousnesse of the law might be fullfilled in us c. There are in the words two things Here is a great priviledge as any can be to have the righteousnesse of the law fullfilled in us And here are secondly the parties that have the benefit of this priviledge Those that walke not after the flesh but after the spirit Concerning the priviledge to understand the words a little That the righteousnesse of the law might be fulfilled in us That the law might be fully satisfyed in poynt of righteousnesse that the law might have such a righteousnesse which indeed the law requires that it might have a full and compleat righteousnesse in us So that breifly these are the lessons which I shall open from hence which I desire that our souls may feed upon First that The law requires of every man a righteousnesse to fulfill it Or that Every man is bound to get him a righteousnesse to fulfill the law of God Every man is bound to fulfill the law of God That is one thing The second lesson will be this that The law is perfectly fulfilled or satisfied in all true beleivers And thirdly that All those that are true beleivers or that have these priviledges they are those that walke not according to the flesh but according to the spirit These are the three lessons I shall speake of I say first The law requireth a righteousnesse from every Doct. The law requires a perfect righteousnesse man to fulfill it Or Every man is bound to fulfill the law of God That is the first thing The grounds of that are these I shall but touch them First because that God made man man was his creature and the Lord was his soveraigne and Reas 1. From Gods soveraignty when God made all Creatures you know hee made Lawes for them hee made a Law for the Sunne and Moone and Starres c. and every thing goes according to the law that God determined for it Now when God made man who was but his creature though he were a more excellent creature he made a law for him this blessed law of God which is in his booke here the Covenant of works as it was sometimes called therefore as all other creatures were bound to goe in their course and keep their peculiar laws that God layd on them so man also was bound to keepe the law of God that God made for him Another thing is this that besides the soveraigntie 2. From mans covenant with God of God that might impose a law upon him there was secondly a compact between God and man and so there was a kind of bargaine for God layd that law upon man and Adam as a publike person he undertooke to keepe that law by a contract or bargaine If God as it were had had no right before to lay it on him yet now man undertooke it by way of bargaine to keep the law of God Adam first did it and might have done it and afterwards the people of Israell professe to doe it All these words we will doe we will keepe them That is another reason whereby it appeares that every man and woman in the World is bound to fulfill the law of God Thirdly another thing is this if you consider 3. Nothing can exempt man from it what there is that might free a man from keeping a law that is layd upon him you shall see that there are none of those things that can help him in this As First of all our laws many times are repealed 1. It is not repealed and that law that a man was bound to keepe a few yeares agoe he is bound to protest against now as the Service-booke the common prayer c. There is that penaltie now for using it as there was for not using it a few yeares since now it is not so with the law of God Heaven and Earth shall passe away but one jot or tittle of the law shall not passe That law is an eternall law there is no repealing of it Then Secondly you know Judges and Law-givers 2. The Law-giver cannot be bribed among men may be corrupted and bribed and may be brought to dispense with their owne laws nay sometimes to goe against their owne laws but God is a just God and when his owne son the son of his love did take upon him to be borne under the law and to be a suretie for man he endured the smart of the law and was dealt with as if he had been another Then there is no evasion or escaping among 3. There is no escaping men there is If a man breake the law and goe into another Countrie he is cleare and free but here is no escaping one cannot goe away VVhither shall I goe from thy presence sayth David where Psal 139. shall I hide my selfe from thee A man can goe no where but the law of God will be on him So that every man and woman in the World are still bound to fulfill the whole law of God or to get a righteousnesse a perfect righteousnesse to satisfie the law of God Now there are but three wayes in the World 3. Wayes to fulfill the law to fulfill the law of God Eyther a man must doe it in his owne person as 1. In a mans owne person most men doe besides Papists more or lesse they will goe and doe their best and doe the good leave the evill and performe duties and they think by their doing to keepe the law Or else secondly by suffering that is partly in 2. By suffering this World and afterwards in Hel for that is the businesse of Hell for Hell is nothing but the place where people are fulfilling the law of God What doth Caine and other wretches doing in hell They are paying the debt fulfilling the law of God to eternity by suffering because they did not fullfill it by doing while they were here That is the reason that they are in Hell for ever because they can never pay the debt therefore they must abide there for ever for if it could be supposed that they could give a compleat righteousnesse that might satisfie the law they should stay in Prison no longer they should be in Hell no more Then
the creatures and God whether men or Devills Now then if I can say though I be a sinfull man yet Jesus Christ hath fullfilled the law the law hath a full righteousnesse to a farthing then I know I am one with God he is wholly for me and I for him and all the enemies of my Salvation are conquered Now if the Lord would open your eyes to understand the hope of your calling the glorious condition you are brought into you would not walke so weakly and poorly and sadly and dejectedly that every thing should cast you downe but you would goe on and trample all the World under your feet we should be above men and Deviils and the World and every thing if we did but understand to what a glorious estate God hath called us in this World through Jesus Christ Therfore a man reflecting upon his justification as he may looke upon himselfe and account himselfe something so he may account death and Hell and all subdued and he may account that the law cannot demand a farthing of him That wheras the breach of the law kept us from communion with God that being taken away we are as righteous as if we had never fallen O glorious condition There Paul Ephesians 1. He prayes that they might know the riches and hope of their calling That is that they might understand what this glorious calling is that God hath called us to That is a second lesson we should learne hence First seeing the righteousnesse of the law is fulfilled in us we should learne how to buyld our Justification aright how to lay the Foundation of it And Secondly we should endeavour to get out spirits raysed like people that are freed from the law Thirdly and there I shall end for this time Vse 3. To conforme our hearts and lives to the will of God being freely and fully justified by the grace of Jesus Christ this should follow to any one that understands it that therfore we should study and learn to conform our selvs in our hearts lives out of love to the will of God There comes in holinesse and there it comes in amayne and never before all before is nothing but bungling but then it comes rightly We should I say conforme our selves to the example and to the rule of Jesus Christ in his Gospel And that you may understand that you must know that every man in this World Three rules to one of which all men are conformd hath a rule to walke by And there are but three great rules and all men doe and must conforme to one of these three For there is no man that doth an action but it is in reference to a rule Now you have one rule in 1 Pet. 1. 14. As 1. Mens lusts obedient Children not fashioning your selves according to the lusts of your former Ignorance Which shews that once they did conforme themselves they did fashion themselves unto their lusts but sayth he now God hath justified you you must not conforme your selves to your lusts Most of man kind make their lusts their rule which the Prophet calls in Scripture to doe that which is right in their owne eyes To doe what is their mind what they like in their owne mind and as that worthy Dr PRESTON sayth they think when they are in their beds what place they shall goe to and where they shall spend their time and when they are up they doe that which is right in their owne eyes what they have a lust to when they have a lust to be drunk they will be drunk when they have a lust to be filthy they will be filthy when they have a lust to be idle or a lust to be malicious against their Neighbours they will be so So that the stirrings of their lusts are their rule and their whole life is nothing but a transforming them from one lust to another Sayth Peter you must not doe so but as Obedient Children if God have justified you if Christ have fulfilled the law perfectly for you that you can dare sin and Hell and Satan and tread all under feet doth it become you to fashion your hearts and lives to your lusts Is that a good rule no you must not doe so Another rule is this World Rom. 12. 2. Be not 2. The World conformed to this World It is the coppy of many men the Looking-glasse that they dresse themselvs by every day how to square it in the World how to keep their port with their Neighbors and Gentlemen they converse with and with great men that have command of them and with their fellow Officers c. And so women how they may goe brave as their Neighbours doe and get credit in their eyes So most people their maine rule is they care not whether it please God and conforme them to his son at all so they can keep correspondensie with the World Now you must not doe so for 3. The example and rules of Christ they are yet in their sins poore wretches therefore let them conforme to their lusts and they that are of the World let them conforme to it But since God hath redeemed you from the wicked World by the blood of his son and hath brought you to this condition and bestowed glorious and unspeakable priviledges on you you should conforme your selves to the Image and example of Jesus Christ and to the rules of Jesus Christ in the New Testament in all your actions and wayes You cannot write without looking on your coppie the best Saint cannot write one line without viewing and looking on his coppie for every letter For all your actions you are to have two things in your eye that you may doe the action right and carrie your selves right Eyther eye Jesus To look on Christs example Christ and his example how would Christ have done if he had beene here What did Christ doe in the like case in the Gospell So by eying that there will be a power as in Jacobs sheep by beholding the rods the spirit of God will convey a power looking upon the picture that is before us that is Iesus Christ to transforme us into his likenesse Or secondly think of the rules of Jesus Christ To look on Christs rules the rules of the new Testament this blessed word have frequent recourse to the spirituall rules of the new Testament that should be your coppy When any case comes follow not your lusts and act not according to the wisdome of the flesh to say this or that I will doe but consider what is your rule you walke by another rule What have I to doe what such a man and such a man doth but what is my rule how must I carry my selfe As for instance when you come among people Severall Gospell rules that rejoyce for any mercie what is the rule Rejoyce with them that rejoyce and weep with them that weep It may be a man hath received great unkindnesse and
doing whatsoever is within or without man it springs from one of these two rootes that is it is either from Old Adam I meane not nature in you but it flowes from Adam that was once in Paradise or else from the New Adam Christ Jesus For there were but two men that ever in the World were publique persons that were the Fountaine of the Only two publike persons the two Adams principles and proceedings of mankind Adam in Paradise naturall Adam and the Lord Jesus Christ the spirituall Adam All mankind was made after the Image of the first Adam We have borne the Image of the earthly Adam 1 Cor. 15. And indeed all the Saints shall beare the Image of the Heavenly Adam too hereafter at the least Now both these Adams are as two springs in a hill conveying their streames to two rivers they are springs from whence arise all the thoughts and imaginations and actions and proceedings all the wisedome and righteousnesse whatsoever is in us it springs eyther from the second Adam the Lord Jesus planted in the soule or else it flowes from Old Adam from naturall Adam that is in us Therfore they are called the roots the Lord Jesus is called the roote of Jesse Why so Because all the new creation all the worke of grace all the principles and thoughts and actions of a Saint so farr as they are of grace they rise from the new Adam the Lord Jesus Christ Therfore I say to understand this a little in generall before I goe further A man that walks according to the flesh who is he A man that walks according to any thing of Old Adam whether it be good or evill And usually in the new Testament it is taken for the good 1 Cor. 1. There flesh is taken for the good of old Adam when a man walks according to the wisdome of Adam according to naturall wisdome and according to the righteousnesse of Old Adam that is done by us or when we walke according to the sins and lusts and corruptions of Adam for both are put together and all makes but flesh and whole flesh strives against whole spirit Now I say take it in a generall sense to walke after the flesh is not only to walk sinfully and carnally but when a man walks though devoutly and righteously in the eye of the World yet if it be after the principles of Old Adam if he doe not walke by a principle planted in him from the new Adam the Lord Jesus Christ all this is but flesh Now then for a man to walk according to the To walk according to the Spirit what spirit What is that All his principles spring from the root of Jesse from the spirit of the Lord Jesus all his actions are upon another ground Now I say all the principles and actions of every man and woman in the World springs from one of these Therefore it is convenient and necessary that you consider how the two Adams are the two springs of all mankind the two pillars as it were upon which God hath layd all mankind and all that is done in the World and those that walk after the one walk after the flesh and those that are after the other walk after the spirit So much in generall Now more particularly by walking after Three things meant by walking according to the flesh the flesh in this place there are Three things meant The first thing meant by walking after the flesh according as most of our godly and learned translate 1. To walk according to the corruption of nature it is when a man walks according to the dicttates and suggestions of corrupt nature So flesh is taken for Originall sin that is that corruption of nature that is prone to every evill and that is an enemy to all good So a man that walks according to the flesh is when the course and bent of a mans soule and life goes after sin though he doe some good sometimes yet when his course is that way that is his continuedness and contentednesse is after sin this is to walk after the flesh First when it is his continued course for walking is not a step or a leape or a stride but walking is a thing of many paces So it is called a goeing from iniquitie to iniquitie Rom. 6. And then there is in walking contentedness and sweetness a man is not sayd to walke when he is tyred or when he goes in danger but walking it is pleasant to all young and old So when he saith they that walk according to the flesh that is not only when men are overtaken by lusts and sin but people that in their ordinarie course goe with a great deale of contentment in evill wayes But though this be true that this is comprehended Which is not the mayne scope here in walking after the flesh yet this is very lame and short of the full and whole meaning of this place I say it is not the maine nor cheife meaning of this place it is not primarily nor principally meant this is a truth and it will follow as a necessary consequence as I shall shew anon and I doubt not but the Apostle meanes it when he sayth we walk not according to the flesh because in Rom. 6. He takes a great deale of paines in that poynt but I think this is not the cheife meaning My Reasons are these First because I find that the very scope of this 1. The Apostles scope is otherwise learned Epistle is different if not almost contrarie to this his scope is not to quarrell with them for want of doing good works and for walking in sinfull works but the scope of it is to beat them off from their owne works and to bring them to Christ and therfore he sayth Abraham was justified without works he all along disparageth their works as they did them Therfore I think he doth not goe so farr from his text or from his scope as to make this the maine businesse their sanctification or holiness the not walking in evill or the walking in good works Secondly this cannot be the cheife scope of 2. These things must follow which are contrary to the Gospell the place because if you take these words They that walk after the flesh in this sence that is those that follow sinfull courses if you take them so that none but such as walk holily have a right to Jesus Christ and his righteousnesse Or if you take them in this sence that they only that walk in a holy life can come to know that they have the righteousnesse of Christ fullfilling the law for them neyther of these can hold For the first that no man can have to doe with 1. That none have to doe with Christ but those that walk holily Christ or his righteousnesse but that man that walks according to the spirit that walks in a holy way and not in sinfull courses this is contrarie to the streame
plant Christ and the principles of Christ in their hearts and I feare that there is not one in ten but will miscarrie in the remooving as you find it often with your Trees when you remove and transplant them I say abundance of those Professors will come to nothing for when the feare of Hell and damnation is gone from their conscience when the Whip is gone they will turne the grace of God into Wantonnesse Nay some will turne downe right Enemies and persecuters of the Gospell as the Pharisees and of those that would come in in all probabilitie in removing and translating them from the law to the Gospell there is not one in ten but would turne the grace of God into wantonnesse and there goes all their Religion The way to Heaven is narrow our Lord Christ saith and I think it will be found far more narrow then we conceive of it Therfore as another godly man sayth we are exceedingly mistaken in judging of Professors we looke upon them and those that begin to amend from their sins we call them Professors But this Professors to be judged by their principles is the true way of judging that there are but two roots in the World the old Adam and the new Adam There are but two Covenants Sinai and Jerusalem there are but two wayes of walking after the flesh and after the spirit after the law and after the Gospell Now I judge him to be a Saint and a beleiver and God calls and ownes him as a Saint though he be weake and be not so glorious in the eye of the World as many formall Professors yet if I see any principles of the Gospell in him if there be a little of Christ in him in power though it be but in a little measure and he can pray but little and he cannot keepe fasting dayes and dayes of Humiliation so plausibly as many that make a Trade of it in this Cittie yet if that prayer and repeating and reading and hearing or preaching or whatsoever it be if it flow from the Lord Jesus Christ as a naturall man knowes naturall things soone Saint knowes another the spirit of God knowes the things of God It is true we all of us have a great deale of flesh The best have somwhat of old Adam in them and there is somewhat of good old Adam as well as of corrupted Adam but surely we ought not to conceive him to be a Saint let him be never so glorious in the eye of the World and in the performance of duties if there be not somwhat of Christ in him You may see a poore despicable creature and see a great deale of Christ in him and on the other side you may see great Professors that are Ringleaders of others and yet there is not a jot of Christ in them but all is old Adam scrued up in his brave parts and all is but Flesh a little more Resined and he that is Flesh and all that is Flesh cannot inherite the Kingdome of God Looke to your selves seriously especially you that are most emynent that think best of your selves that are ancient Professors unless you look to your selves you may take a great deale of pains and when all comes to all after all your praying fasting and repeating and preaching you may be found to be nothing in the world but men that walk according to the Flesh that is according to the refined and well educated principles of old Adam you may be Ishmaeils and be built upon Mount Sinai when all is done Therfore I say we may hence learne to judg How to judg who are Saints and who not rightly of Persons who are Saints and who are not who are the Children of God and who are not For in most things we doe not judg rightly we doe not judg as God judgeth We usually judg of men and things according to naturall wisdome or according to some distinctions and desinitions that we have of things in that naturall divinitie we have As for instance If a man leave his drunkennesse and whordome and come up to some kind of holinesse in his lips in appearance if he come to heare Sermons and repeat them and pray a little in his Familie that man we call a Saint a godly man and it may be he may be so and it may be not so Now the way that God judgeth of all men is as they are the Children oyther of the old or of the new Adam and not according to such a proportion of strictness in their lives for the Pharisees went beyond many weak Professors in common righteousnesse And this should be a mayne ground of our Ground of fellowship with others communion and fellowship and delight in others whether in Churches or otherwise It should not be grounded on this if such a man be of my opinion in such things if he agree with me he is for me and another that agrees with another he is for him These kind of communions will proove nothing but faction in the end But the true communion is when Saints together keepe fellowship Church fellowship or other upon spirituall grounds That is when Christ in his soule and Christ in myne close together this is the maine ground that makes communion and fellowship whatsoever comes in besides that is additionall but if there be a communion of people without this I say it will proove but faction but walking according to the Flesh I should shew now what course we should take to bring our selves to spirituall walking And Secondly what they should doe that God hath brought up in some measure to this condition But I must leave that till God give another opportunitie SERMON IIII. Rom. 8. 4. That the righteousnesse of the law might be fullfilled in us who walke not after the flesh but after the spirit THERE were three Lessons that the Lord did Teach us from these words The First is implied in the begining of the Verse that Every man is bound to get him a righteousness to fulfill the law of God And Secondly that All those that rightly beleive in Christ have in them a righteousnesse perfectly to fulfill it And Thirdly that Those that thus beleive and have this great priviledg for it is the Foundation of all others they are knowne or described by this they walk not after the Flesh but after the spirit The two former I have finished I entred upon the third the last day I opened it at larg and prooved it to you and came to make one Use of it That from hence we may learne how to judg of Use How to judge who are Saints and who are not Persons how to judg of those that are Saints and those that are not Saints not according to some kind of holynesse they may come up to but according to the principles they walk by eyther as they walk according to the Flesh or according to the spirit For I told you there be diverse Profesors among
to keep the Garden that he should come in no more Just so now since Adams fall the Lord hath set a Sword as it were to keep men from all the principles of Adam that those things shall never please God any more Or I may say of it as Josuah speakes of Jericho when hee had pulled down and destroyed it Cursed be the man that buildeth this Citty any more So when God pulled downe Adam for sin the Lord layd that curse upon him that he should never be a blessing that way any more God would never looke on him or any thing that should come from him any more God would bethink himselfe of another way but that way he would not meddle with But now this is our fault wee are still going to build Jericho againe We are every man more apt to righteousnesse then to sin such a righteousnesse as it is we are apt to goe and build up the ruines of old Adam when we goe about the service of God and to doe any thing for him or as the people of Israel Deut. 1. God bids them arise and goe into Canaan and then they would not but by and by they would goe and then God tells them they should never goe So the time was that we might have gone the way of old Adam when God made him righteous if we had continued so it had been well and the more we had endeavoured to be righteous that way the more blessed we had been But now we are fallen and God hath cursed Adam to dye now any one that goes that way is cursed that goes about to repaire those old ruines no saith God doe not now anger me in seeking to be holy in that way as old Adam was We must labour now to goe a new way and get the new Adam Jesus Christ into our soules This is the reason why as it is cleare in 1 Cor. Why godly men dye as well as other 15. men must dye why godly men must dye as well as the wicked It is appointed to all men to dye Why so The reason is this because God in Paradise condemned old Adam wholly to dye therefore Flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdome of God no peice of old Adam therefore he being a publike person and we being in him that curse must be fulfilled and wee must dye All that belongs to old Adam must dye one time or other Nolens volens Therefore as we beare the Image of old Adam though we have some beginnings of new Adam yet because we have the disposition of old Adam I speake not of sin but of naturall Adam wee are earthly as Adam was therefore we must lay downe this flesh and body because of that great curse in Paradise that Adam should dye and all that are of him But you will say why then doth not corruption Quest that is a part of old Adam dye in the wicked in Hell You say whole Adam corrupt Adam and naturall Adam must dye Now the wicked in Hell they have sin and corruption World without end for Caine is a murderer and Judas is a Traytor to this time It is true that corrupt Adam in the Saints must Answ Sin remaining in the wicked in Hell it is a curse dye but that comes not by the curse but it is by Christ and is a blessing and that corrupt Adam sinfull Adam lives for ever in them in Hell it is a part of the curse for to live in sin is to dye properly Now in that wee shall have this flesh and blood dissolved and shall have naturall wisedome and the like all dashed out therein wee are common with them that is of the curse though God after by an after game as we may speake with reverence turned it to a blessing But for the dying of corruption in us that is the blessing of Jesus Christ and no curse It is a curse to live in sin therefore though Adam be wholly to dye yet the wicked continue in sin World without end even in Hell I meane there are the sins of the heart at the least And in those places of the New Testament I conceive the holy Ghost alludes to this as that in Rom. 8. They that walke after the flesh shall dye Why doth he not say the plague of God shall come on them but they shal dye It is as if he had said doe you not remember that God threatned a curse in Paradise to flesh and he that walkes after that shall dye for God hath sayd Flesh and Adam shall dye And so Rom. 7. Who shall deliver mee from this body of death that is from this body that God hath condemned to dye Therefore I say whatsoever springs in us and comes from us from old Adam it is a dead thing that God cursed even in Paradice and therfore cannot be acceptable to him Take the best piece of old Adam and offer it to God and it is as that strange fire that Nadab and Abihu offered it cannot please God Let me give you one chiefe instance that makes Divinity mistaken my heart bleed when I think of it That thing that you call Divinity or those that you call Divines they are good words of themselves for John is called the Divine But that which you call Divinity which is the great Idoll of the World it is nothing but old Adam a kind of godlinesse learned in a naturall way a man learned after the old Adam as we learne Logick or other things in the Universities and such a one comes and scatters this among people and this you call Divinity and he is a Divine and yet this is abominable to God And that is the reason why there are many Divines that Preach excellently and yet God curseth it Why It is old Adams wisedome and invention and brave parts but God curseth the soule he curseth that Fig tree that it shall bring forth no more O Beloved that we would not suffer our selves as children I had almost sayd as fooles to be carried on wheeling in a profession of Religion and to think it enough to carry it plausibly in duties in observing fast dayes and dayes of humiliation c. But that thou and I may be content to let all the Professors in the Towne to goe before us that way let them be more gallant Professors in outward performances in all they doe let it be thy care and mine to gleane the spirit of God after them let people say there is such a man made such a brave peice of worke and such a man prayed excellent well and prayed so long let us passe by these things and if I can doe a little from the spirit of Jesus Christ and if God will frame my heart from the Lord Christ and his spirit to speake a few words to my Father this is all I care for And so for other things Therfore I beseech you let this sinck into you VVhy men are proud of their duties That makes you
is weake there is so much weaknesse and earthinesse and frailty sometimes a mans heart is right for God yet his head akes or his stomack is full of wind or he is weary and wants sleep there is some frailty or other This is all earthly Adam all this shall be gone and this kind of body and soule shall be altered and changed to the Image of the blessed second Adam we shall put off our earthynesse as well as our sinfulnesse and have his blessed compleat Image Now how glorious that shall be as you never The glory of Saints in Heaven unspeakable saw the first Adam but onely by hear-say and by reading of the Word of God so you have not seen the second Adam but you may partly know by the manifestation of his glory on earth you have heard much of his glory We saw his glory as of the onely begotten Son of God we shall then see him Phil. 3. 19. Our conversation is in Heaven from whence we look for the Saviour the Lord Jesus Christ who shall change our vile bodies He meanes vile not onely in respect of sinfulnesse but of dustinesse of earthynesse and weaknesse that they may be like his glorious body according to his mighty working whereby he is able to subdue all things to himselfe that is according to his usuall manner of working he can doe what he will in Heaven and Earth We cannot conceive what an Imnge we shall have upon our bodies and soules but according to his wisedome and mighty power whereby he is able to subdue all things he will doe it Therefore let me tell you this I finde few or Saints formerly had more lively expectations of glory by Christ none that have those live by expectations in these times of that glory that is to be revealed that the Saints of old had See how they speake of it What manner of love is this that we should be called the Sons of God But yet it doth not appeare what we shall be for we shall be like him And gird up the loynes of your minds be sober and watch for the glory that shall be revealed The Saints heretofore more then halfe their hearts were in Heaven before hand That is the meaning of that Our conversation is in Heaven Just as you see men that goe a long journey or as you see people that have been plundered that are returning to their owne homes their conversation is there halfe a yeare before their hearts and their thoughts are there and they wish they were there and think the time long and are thinking what they will doe and what they will be when they come there So our conversation is in Heaven the Saints doe so long after the glory that is to be revealed in the day of adoption and redemption of our bodies that the most part of them is there already Now we doe not consider of this because the new Jerusalem is not yet come into our hearts We have not that Gospel-temper and frame of spirit that the Saints had before That which remaines is a little to shew you what your duty is that the Lord hath brought up to walk according to the spirit And two or three words I have to shew you how you should every one endeavour to attaine to it or to attaine it more and more But I shall leave that till the after-noone SERMON V. Rom. 8. 4. Who walke not after the flesh but after the spirit IT is the Foundation of all our happinesse to have the righteousnesse The foundation of a Christians happinesse of the law fulfilled in us for thereby we are exempted from all misery freed from all our enemies and therby we are made capable to enjoy all happinesse and blessednesse For all the misery that man suffers here and hereafter is because he hath not a righteousnesse to fulfill the law And therefore whatsoever man or woman it is that the Lord hath bestowed this great priviledge upon they must needs be in a blessed condition Now that we may know whether we are of that number the Apostle tells us that they that have this priviledge they walk not according to the Flesh but according to the spirit which was the last thing I was upon I told you what was meant by walking after the flesh and what by walking after the spirit I gave the Reasons of it and made two or three Uses There are two things remaine which I shall endeavour to speake of at this time First you that have received the spirit of God Vse 4. Exhortation to those that have the spirit how to walke and in some measure doe walk according to the spirit and not according to the flesh that the new-Jerusalem from Heaven is in some measure come into your hearts I will give you a few Exhortations from the Lord how you should carry your selves That is the first thing I shall doe and that shall be in four or five short words The first is this that the Lord having called 1. Not to abuse this liberty you to this glorious free estate to this free condition that you would take heed of abusing your liberty that you would take heed of turning the grace of God into wantonnesse as many doe And by that I meane but two things That you would take heed of using your liberty as an occasion for the flesh And Secondly of using your liberty so as to give offence to your Brethren or indeed to any I say first beware of using your liberty for an occasion 1. Not to use it as an occasion to the flesh to the flesh That you shall have Gall. 5. 13. For Brethren sayth the Apostle you have been called to liberty only use not your liberty for an occasion to the flesh but by love serve one another The Apostle shewes them in that Epistle the glorious condition and estate that they were in through grace And here in this Verse there are two things that he tells them the one is implied it is worth observing yee are called to liberty That The Gospell brings liberty is there is a freedome there is a liberty in the Gospell in diverse things that did seeme to be sinfull when ye were under the law for else what sence can you make of this ye are called to liberty onely use not your liberty for an occasion to the flesh For we find that the people under the law eyther they made the law stricter or looser then it was And there is no man in the World that walks according to the law but he makes many lawes to himselfe that Christ hath not made Now when the Gospell coms in clearly all those lawes that you made of your owne head vanish Ye are called to liberty that is you see more freedome you are not bound to every thing that before you were Before you must not smile it was a sin if you seemed to laugh or smile and a hundred such things Now
if any of you have a mind to learning goe on I discourage you not from it learning is a thing in another Element take paines and dilligence to be learned it is good to doe so But if thou wilt be a Gospell Christian thou must thank the spirit of God for all Sayth Paul for all his learning I am not sufficient to speake a good word and he was a learned man that Festus sayd Much learning had made him mad Beza in his Comment upon 2 Cor. 11. Where the Apostle sayth Are they Hebrews so am I. Are they Jewes so am I. Sayth he I never read in any Latine or Greek Author so much eloquence and elegancie of speech as Paul hath there and yet he Professeth he could not think a good thought for all he was learned so much much lesse doe a good worke The will of God not knowne till we extoll the spirit As long as thou keepest the spirit an underling as a Cypher as many of the clergie and learned men they extoll learning to the Heavens and many of them upon purpose to despight the spirit of God as long as they doe so they shall never know the will of God We are not debtors to the flesh but we must be debtors to the spirit if we will have one true thought of Jesus Christ O prayse the spirit and prize the spirit If you have any thought of Christ thank the spirit if you have any glimps of him in your soules worth any thing prayse the Spirit That is the reason that the Saints in the Booke How Saints of Old spake of the spirit of God speake not of the spirit of God without some speciall epithite of commendation Guid me by thy HOLY spirit and sayth another thy BLESSED spirit and thy GRACIOVS spirit and the spirit of GRACE sayth another They never speake of it without some word that shewed their love to it and their high esteeme of it When the Lord shall come and his spirit shall be advanced in the hearts of men we shall have glorious times and never before that and those times will come I remember Calvin on those Prophesies in I say and Joell The SVN shall be darkned and the MOONE shall be turned into blood in that day Sayth he the meaning is all the excellencie that a man naturally hath his learning and endowments in the dayes of the Gospell when the spirit shall come with his light when God shall exalt the spirit The Sun shall be turned into darkenesse and the Moone into blood Men shal not so much esteem learning from Books but learned and great men and Schollers shall come to one classis and one rank and forme with simple people all waiting on God by his VVord through the spirit A man can take his Boy from Schoole that hath his Lattine and Greeke and send him to the Universitie and he assures himselfe that he shall be as good a Minister as his other Sonne that it may be hath served the spirit seaven yeares this is our way and a hundred more whereby we basely slight and disdaine the spirit of God and doe not honour him and therefore he will not honour us Thirdly if ever you will be true Gospell Saints 3. To be led by the spirit you must suffer your selves to be lead by the spirit of God That phrase you find oft in Rom. 8. Gal. 5. If you live in the spirit walk in the spirit be lead by the spirit We are not complementary to commend the spirit of God c. But give it scope to lead us You must heed more what the spirit of God saith unto you and what he works on you If there come a place of Scripture in your mind heare and consider whether the spirit of God hath not put it in thy mind and would have thee studie it and would have thee compare Scriptures And when thou commest to doe any action whatsoever not so much to advice with this man or that man but what sayth the spirit I meane according to the light of the Scripturs harken to that more then what all the World faith Therefore I have knowne some men that in their whole lives have often mist the will of God in circumstantiall things usually it may be for a yeare or two or three and they have mist it againe in another thing and in another thing And when they have examined how this comes about they can say if they had hearkned to the spirit of God they had not done so but they hearkned to men and so went against the dictates of the spirit in their conscience they would heare what this man said and what the other man did But now the spirit will say to them you see I would have shewed you the right way but you would not give me scope but made a Cypher of me And for my one particular I doe not yet see how I should ever have mist the will of God since I knew him if I had hearkned to the spirit of God if I had but observed so much light as the spirit had put into my heart Now we Ballance the spirit with this mans example and with the other mans opinion and so come home by Weeping Cross Therefore give scope to the spirit I meane not against the word or above the word but still I meane the spirit of God working according to the Scriptures and no otherwise Another thing and a speciall one is I wish you for the mysteries of the Gospell to study the 4. To studie Scriptures without mens glosses Scriptures in the simplicity of them without the glosses of Men For a man in extremity must doe that that a man that is not in extremity would not doe We have brought our selves in such slavery to Men that we must take that course that another sober man should not I meane thus when ever we goe to look for any truth of God for the will of God we have notions in our minds before hand according to the times and places we live in As concerning Baptisme what need I goe to the Scriptures saith one we have it in such and such Mens Writings And so we forestall the will of God that we are blinded and cannot see it Therefore if you will see the wil of God I wish you for a while at least to look on the naked Three uses of other Books besides the Scriptures Scriptures And for my part I know but three uses to be made of other Books As first there is this use of Books you have 1. To set forth Scripture in diverse languages Books that will read the Scriptures in diverse languages and shew the Originall and open the tongues now when I see a word in English and doubt of the meaning of it then I will goe to the Greek or Hebrew as God hath endowed me with knowledge Then there is another use of Books when I 2. To open one Scripture by another
read one single Scripture it may be I have a book that will point out halfe a dozen Scriptures to open one Scripture by And it may be I have some books that take 3. To presse Scriptures on the soule some Scripture and presse it upon my soule as Doctor Prestons and other godly books But to take books and say Jerome thinks this and Austin that and fill our heads with notions they blind us that we cannot see the will of God Therefore in reading of Scriptures there should Difference in the learning of Christians and others be this difference from our reading of other Books I meane in respect of age When we are Children and young we use not Spectacles it may be at twenty or thirty or fourty yeares old we can read without Spectacles but when we come to fifty or sixty then we can see nothing but through Spectacles It should be just contrary with us when we are Christians When we are young we usually never read the Word of God but through the Spectacles of mens glosses but when we are older Christians and stronger Saints we should learne to read better without Spectacles wee should daily make lesse use of Mens Books and more of Gods Book That whereas before a man turned over twenty Authors upon a point Now he can goe humbly to God with his Bible and without Spectacles he can see what the will of God is Therefore lay aside Spectacles sometimes and onely take the spirit of God and compare Scipture with Scripture that you may come to know the mind of Christ Shall I name one thing more If you would 5. To be borne againe come to be spirituall Gospel-Saints you must be borne againe you must be borne from above A Gospell-profession is Jerusalem from above and there are none that can come into Jerusalem that is from above but those that are borne from above Therefore marke our Saviours reasoning John 3. Nicodemus asks Christ which was the way to Heaven And he tells him Verily thou must be borne againe or thou must be borne from above or else thou canst not see it Nichodemus wonders why hee must be borne from above saith he Shall I goe into my Mothers belly c. Saith Christ marvell not wonder not why should he not wonder at such a strange speech Here is the reason That which is borne of flesh is flesh therefore think it not strange that I say thou must be borne againe So I say whatsoever you do by the power of nature by your owne wisedome by your owne righteousnesse or your owne strength all comes but to this but to flesh and whatsoever comes of flesh is flesh Flesh cannot bring out the spirit no more then a thorne can bring out Grapes as Christ speak Therefore wonder not that thou must be borne from above that is thou must have the Lord from above to beget thee againe You have every one been borne once you must be borne once more you must have a new creation in you the Lord must create new strange properties and dispositions that no flesh and blood is able to comprehend Lastly take the councell of the Holy Ghost 6. To pray for the spirit of wisedome and revelation and that is in Ephes 1. 16 As Paul prayed for them so doe thou pray for thy selfe and there is all the reason in the World that thou shouldest I cease not sayth he to give thanks for you making mention of you in my Prayers that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ the Father of glory would give to you the spirit of wisedome and revelation in the knowledge of him Pray for the spirit of wisedome and revelation in the knowledge of Christ Sleight not these words because some wicked men abuse them and others reproach them but because Paul saith so pray that the Lord would give thee the spirit of wisedome and revelation So much concerning the directions I had to give you There is one word of Information and with Vse 6. The true ground of persecutions and divisions that I will conclude From what I have said before concerning the flesh and the spirit learne this instruction more hence to see what is the true ground of all persecution nay even of all the divisions that are among us Men may pretend what they will and deceive themselves but all the strife and persecution in the World is meerly between the flesh and the spirit between the old and the new Adam There are two Princes in this World and these are contrary the one to the other The flesh lusteth against the spirit Old Adam seeks to get up and the new Adam will have him downe Therefore you shall have these two in every Towne in one Church in one Family in one soule and wheresoever they are the flesh lusteth against the spirit and the spirit against the flesh and these two are contrary Are contrary what is that That is there is no true contrariety between any things in the World but between the old Adam and the new between the flesh and the spirit Now by Flesh I meane not onely corruption but whole flesh fleshly wisedome The wisedome of old Adam is enmity against the wisedome of the new the righteousnesse of old Adam is quite contrary to the righteousnesse of the new this is the cause of persecution Let people pretend what they will you shall see godly men persecuted you may see Christ in their soules as clearly as the Sun and people keep a coile about Independency and Presbytery but the truth is it is old Adam in those that persecute and the new Adam in the other a man with one eye may see it There are many pretences but all the strife is between the old Adam and the new For to give a little illustration take Gospell godly Saints that have the spirit of God in them they agree well enough they will not strive sometimes they may differ a little but for the generality they live well enough together nay take some Gospell Saints that are filled with the spirit of God and the knowledge of Jesus Christ in these times and in this City which is the center of all division and they cannot attest divisions they cannot make a partie and give rayling for rayling and strife for strife they cannot but love their enemies and bless them that blaspheme them As James sayth Whence come all wars You think they come from your zeale for your way and yours for your way but it is from your lusts The flesh lusteth against the spirit and the spirit against the flesh It is from old Adam And I was going to say but I will but name it Cause of Saints weakness This is the cause also of the weaknesse generally that is among you It is not wickednesse that troubles a Saint but weaknesse it is not positive ills but weaknesse And whence is this weaknesse Because he walks after the flesh The spirit is powerfull but the
Old and new the Apostle We know no man after the flesh yea though we have knowne Christ after the flesh yet know we him so no more therefore if any man be in Christ he is a new creature old things are passed away All the things of the Flesh are old things the things of the Spirit of God are new things Therfore in the Acts the Athenians desired to know that new strange doctrine that Paul brought What was this new doctrine Only the things concerning the Spirit of God the other things are old things Gal. 2. 18. there the things of the flesh are described to be the things That Paul destroyed and built up that Paul destroyed and the things of the Spirit the things that Paul sought to build up 1 Cor. 7. 32 33. The things of the flesh are called the things of the world but the things of the Spirit are called there the things of the Lord The married The things of the world and of the Lord. cares for the things of the world but the unmarried for the things of the Lord. Philip. 2. 20. The things of the flesh are called our owne things and the things of the Spirit are called the things of Jesus Christ Saith the Apostle I have no man like minded who will naturally care for your state Mark that expression it is well worth observing in these self-seeking times We may well say so now if Paul said so then I have no man like minded who will naturally care for your estate A man can hardly find a Professor in a multitude that will naturally and freely care for the state of others of the Saints The things that are a mans owne and that are Jesus Christs For saith he All seeke their owne and not the things that are Jesus Christs all seeke their owne things the things that make for old Adam that make for the Flesh and for mans selfe Joh 6. 27. the things of the Flesh are called meat that perisheth and the things of the Spirit meat endureth to everlasting life Luk. 10. 41. they are called many things perishing and induring meat and the things of the spirit are called one thing Martha Martha thou art cumbred about many Many and one thing things for indeed there are many distracting businesses in the things of the world therefore in Mat. 13. when the seed was sowen among thornes it is said the deceitfulnesse of riches and pleasures and the lusts of other things who knowes how many it may be a thousand two thousand other things the things of the flesh are endlesse but the things of the Spirit are called one thing the ruinous building of old Adam is going into a thousand pieces but there is but one Jesus Christ and in Trouble and peace the things of Jesus Christ there is a greater union then in the things of the Flesh and old Adam In Luke 19. they are called the things of trouble and the things of the Spirit the things that belong to our peace O that thou hadst known in this Vaine and excellent thy day the things that belong to thy peace In Jerem. 2. 8. they are called things that doe not profit vaine things and the things of the spirit in Phil. 1. 10. they are called excellent things that ye may be able to know the things that are excellent that is the things of the Spirit of God and to conclude this Philip. 4. 8. speaking of the things of the Spirit saith he whatsoever things are true whatsoever things are just whatsoever things are honest whatsoever things are pure whatsoever things are lovely whatsoever things of good report these things do These are the things of the Spirit of God Then impure things dishonest things dishonourable things unjust things unlovely things these are the things of the flesh Thus much in generall according to the description The things of the flesh in perticular of the things of the flesh in Scripture But now in perticular I will summe up the things of the Flesh or of old Adam one or other of which Fleshly men doe wholly mind to these three heads The first is to establish their owne righteousnesse 1. To establish mans owne righteousnesse by the law to procure to themselves justification by their works This is the master-peice of old Adam for I told you that man is more prone to this then to sinne though he be prone to that also and old Adam works stronger towards his righteousnesse such as it is in a forbidden way then to sinne Therefore it is said Rom. 10. 3. They being ignorant of Gods righteousnesse went about to establish their owne righteousnesse went about to establish their owne righteousnesse He speaks there of the Jewes The word in the originall is they went to make it stand just as a tottered house that every blast is ready to throw downe and it must be underpropped on this side on that side to keepe it up So every fleshly man in the world this is halfe his worke to make the Babel of his owne righteousnesse to stand he is alway peicing and patching and doing some good worke he is wishing and woulding or in one fashion or other to make up a good estate against the latter day Therefore that was the question Act. 2. and Luke 3. and it is the grand question of all mankind What shall we doe to be saved and we see when they came to Christ it was alway with this Master what shall I doe to be saved As if he had said I know it must be by doing and I am willing to goe about it to frame some kinde of righteousnesse or other Therefore in Joh. 6. say they What shall we doe to work the works of eternall life saith Christ This is the worke of God to believe he takes them off Now this is one thing whereby you may know what it is to be a fleshly man and to minde fleshly things when people mind and cast projects and wayes to procure righteousnesse to themselves or justification to their soules any other way then only by the Lord Jesus Christ Men may be as it were drunke sometimes and mind neither heaven nor hell but there is no fleshly carnall man when he is his owne man but he thinks there is some good worke or other that he must doe either giving or lending or building an Almes-house or giving to the poore or somewhat to get him a righteousnes But remember thou art a carnal man and all thy minding and all thy thoughts this way are but according to the flesh and those that are after the flesh must dye it was the first and the greatest curse that ever was in the world when God said to old Adam he must dye it is a generall rule all old Adam must dye either thou must get that peice of old Adam that is in thee to dye or thou shalt dye with it one of the two Then another thing that is
c. The Lord helpe thee to looke to this SERMON VIII Rom. 8. 5. For they that are after the flesh doe minde the things of the flesh but they that are after the spirit the things of the spirit I Have spoken of these words in generall and now I will according to the strength that God shall give me speak of them a little in partiticular that seeing those that enjoy this great priviledg to have the law fulfilled in them are those that walke not after the flesh but after the Spirit That we may find whether we walke after the flesh or after the spirit I would urge it a little further and that according to the Apostles method He pitcheth upon the mind and the mind not simply considered but as it is acting and setting forth the mind in minding therefore as he takes the chiefest facultie to judge the rest by so I will take the chiefest act in that facultie that so you may judge of the rest by that one and so keep to the Apostles method Now the chiefest act of the mind doubtlesse The chiefe act of the mind is the reasoning part of the mind There are many acts in the mind as it understands it thinks it imamagines but especially the reasoning part It belongs to the mind to reason concerning things and reason is the chiefest part and is called and accounted by Schollers the chiefest part of man and therefore they say that man is a reasonable creature Now I say if we will find out by the Scriptures what we are whether we be according to the flesh or according to the spirit for there is the hinge of it we must examine it by the mind not by the mind simply as it is a faculty but the mind acting and exercising And if we speak of the exercise of it let us take the reasoning part of it that is he best part for of all the acts of the mind the reasoning is the strongest and that that most immediatly flowes from the understanding therefore if the reasoning of the soule be carnall the whole soule is so and if the reasoning of it be spiritual the whole soule is spiritual that was one thing that did move me to pitch upon that it being the chiefest Besides I find that the Apostle in 1 Cor. 5. 16. How Paul distinguisheth Saints and others he distinguisheth those that walke according to the flesh from those that walke according to the spirit by the reasoning part for saith he Henceforth know we no man after the flesh yea though we have knowne Christ after the flesh yet now henceforth know we him no more We doe not saith he henceforth walke according to the flesh and we know it by our knowledge we do know things not according to the flesh but according to the spirit if Christ himselfe were here we would not looke upon him with a fleshly eye What this knowledge is you may see in the verses before For the love of Christ constraineth us because we thus judge we thus reason that if one dyed for all then were all dead and that he dyed for all that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves but unto him which dyed for them and rose againe We know saith he that we are spirituall and not fleshly by our judging of things by our reasoning of things for thus we judge or thus we reason that if one man dyed for all that is did dye for others then surely we all are dead And we reason further that if one man did dye for us and we are suffered to live we should imploy our life not for our selves but for him that dyed for us This kind of reasoning we have that walke after the Spirit and not after the Flesh therefore I will pitch upon that And the rather because the Lord hath been pleased for ends best knowne to him to keep that in my mind and to fix it so on my thoughts that I could not passe it by and I usually judge in such cases that God doth often doe it for your sakes And therefore according to this method wee shall observe this Doctrine or this lesson that Doct. Carnall men guided by fleshly reasoning Those that are according to the flesh or that walke according to the flesh are swayed and guided by fleshly reasonings and those that are according to the Spirit are swayed and ruled by spirituall reasonings True Gospell Beleivers are ruled and swayed with spirituall reasonings and all carnall fleshly men are ruled by carnall fleshly reasonings For such as the mind is so is the whole man and if your reasoning be right then I dare say that all the acts of your mind are right for that is the cheifest you may judge of all the acts of your mind by your reasoning and therefore we cull out that for the triall of the rest I say carnall men are swayed and led with fleshly reasonings and spirituall men with spirituall reasonings And this is the most distinguishing Character that I know in the Booke of God betweene a Christian and another man And as the Lord presents it unto me I shall a little open unto you these termes reasoning spirituall reasoning and fleshly reasoning That you may understand these you must conceive that there are three sorts of mindes in the World and therefore there be three sorts of reasonings Three sorts of minds For our Reasonings are according as the minde is There is first a corrupt mind as you have it 1. Corrupt Ephes 4. The old man that is corrupt that is to speake in your language or according to your thoughts a sinfull mind a mind that is exercised about sinfull things When a mans mind is an evill one simplie evill Secondly there is a naturall mind 1 Cor. 2. at 2. Naturall the latter end it is called there the naturall man where I would have you observe by the bye that the mind is called the man there the naturall man that is the naturall mind The naturall man knoweth not the things of God that is the naturall mind for a man is denominated by his excellentest part which is his mind as I told you before And there is also the spirituall mind which is 3. Spirituall called there the spirituall man The spirituall man judgeth all things that is the spirituall mind judgeth all things for it is the mind properly that doth judge and the man is said to judge because he hath the mind or the mind is in the man according Three sorts of reasonings to these three sorts of minds flow forth sorts of reasonings One is corrupt reasoning and that is when men 1. Corrupt doe reason meerly sinfully according to that in 1 Cor. 15. The Apostle useth their carnall phrase Let us eate and drinke for tomorrow we shall die Now here was a kind of reasoning in this here was an argument to morrow we expect to die that is shortly therefore let us
which the other cannot doe That is the reason that a godly man in a Committee or a few in the Army or Parliament they can tell how farr other men will goe and how farre their principles will carry them towards God or any good worke Who sit to be imploid in publick matters therefore I would to God this poore Kingdome would be wise at last that if there be any businesse that requires wisedome either in Parliament or Army or Committee or Citty that they would put in godly men they have their darke Lanthornes they can see through things and will not be taken with chaffe as others may you see how God hath prospered and blessed them and how they have continued constant Therefore I say henceforth let us not in any place or businesse looke so much to our kindred or Neighbours or carnall relations but that God would teach us to choose godly men in all places they are the only wise men and can judge of all others and are judged of none if we doe not thus I feare we may repent it when it is too late SERMON IX Rom. 8. 5. For they that are after the flesh doe minde the things of the flesh but they that are after the spirit the things of the spirit YOU know the last point we named to you from these words was this that True Gospell Beleivers are ruled and swayed with Spirituall reason and all carnall fleshly men are ruled by carnall fleshly reason I opened it to you I told you there are three minds spoken of in Scripture And as there are three minds so there are three sorts of acts or reasoning Corrupt reasoning Naturall reasoning Spirituall reasoning I premised three things before I could come to proove the Doctrine The first was this that there is excellent reason in all godlinesse there is reason and the best reason as I shewed you at large and made two or three uses of it Now to goe forward a little the second thing breifly that I must premise before I proove this lesson it is this that The reasonings of the Soule are the highest Second thing premised and excellentest acts of the mind As the mind or understanding is the highest facultie of the soule so the reasonings of the mind The reasonings of the mind are the highest acts of it are the most excellent and most immediate acts of the mind The mind is Christs or the Devills cheif Throne If Christ be in the soule he keeps his Pallace in the mind if the Devill be in the soule he keeps his Garrison in the mind So the reasonings of the mind are the cheife strength of the mind the immediate flowings of the mind The whole acts of the soule are like the New River it comes to LONDON and then you have Conduits to receive it and those send it to Wooden Pipes and those send it to Leaden Pipes and so to your Kitchins and Sellars so the soule the mind is as the New River the reasoning of the soule that is the Conduit that receives it first from the reasoning it comes to the will and affections and then it goes out into the actions so the reasonings of the mind are the first and cheifest and supreame part of all the actions thereof Therefore if the mind be naught the whole soule is naught if the reasonings be naught the whole soule and life is naught also But because I would passe from that the use of it in a word is this that Hence we see the reason why the wisest men the most rationall men are usually the worst men because Use The most rationall men without grace the worst they have more strength of reason then other men the reason being corrupt and naught the stronger that reason is the worse the man is Therfore if I have a child or a friend that is a wicked man if he be not made a good man I wish he may never be very rationall or reasonable because the stronger his reason is being corrupt the man ill he is in his will and affections When men are mad with reason many of the vulgar are mad without Men mad with reason reason they will hate a thing upon here say O such a one is an Independant and this and that but when men are mad with reason when they have wicked reason they are mad to purpose they are mad with a vengeance as we say And that is the reason that the Apostle saith that the Lord hath not chosen many wise nor many Noble but simple people and simple things God doth not ordinarily doe it As now in the Army fighting abroad usually they doe not take great strong Garrisons but little pettie ones are taken to and againe daily So not many wise men are called God takes some great strong Garrisons for it is a strong Garrison of the Devill when a great Davils strongest garrisons learned man is without the spirit of God it is like Ports mouth c. fortified strongly God may take away the weapons of the Devill and the Principall Ordnance he hath is carnall reasoning but God doth it not ordinarily It was a saying of a godly man and a rationall one too he shooke his head and said I wish many times in the yeare that I were deprived of this reason that is in me that I might be wholly without reason that there might be liberty for faith to work He meant that naturall reason comes in and hinders faith and crosseth spirituall reason Reason is so troublesome if it be carnall and naturall and unsanctified that the more any man hath of it the more enemy he is to God Therefore O that God would unbewitch and undeceive you and all the people of England that you would not make men your guides as they are indued with Learning or reason but the spirit of God Goe to any Parish or Towne or place and talk with any man about Heavenly things and ask him why he doth thinke thus He will say we have a Learned Doctor in the Parish and he saith so and he doth so The Lord hath said that our Sun shall be turned into darknesse and our Moone into blood That is all these glorious naturall things shall be dashed in the last times and God will exalt his spirit since God hath promised it let us expect it observe what man in the parish hath most of the spirit of God and of spirituall reason and heare him and be advised by him and say of your great Doctors and learned men if God be not in them by his spirit the more Learning and the more reason they have the more enemies they are to God and therefore I will have nothing to 3. The reasonings of the mind the cheife distinguishing Character doe with them There you have two things The third thing I shall premise is that the reasonings of the mind are the cheife distinguishing Character of a man by which principally above all things one is