Member and cut off from the Body for so doing And so much was mutual Kindness and Charity to be the distinguishing Character of Christ's Church that our Saviour declar'd Joh. 13.35 That by this should all men know his Disciples that they had love one for another â—hurch 〈◊〉 into â—â—dy â—esus â—its suâ— Head And now Lastly It only remains to compleat this my Explication of Christ's Church to shew you That this whole Society of Men call'd forth out of the World to such Duties and Priviledges as has been spoke is to be United into one Body as has been declar'd under Jesus Christ its supreme Head Every Society of Men must have some supreme Head to keep it both in Being and Order and Christ is so much to all Intents and Purposes the Head of the Church that there is no respect in which any thing is the Head of the Body in which Christ is not in like manner the Head of the Church 〈◊〉 Poâ— Head â—â—urch And First There is the Political Head in every Kingdom which is the Prince that gives Laws to his People and Heads and Protects them against their Enemies And such a Head is Christ in that Spiritual Kingdom the Church of God Whom the Father having Raised from the Dead did put all things under his Feet and gave him to be Head over all things to the Church which is his Body Eph. 1.20 21 22 23. And therefore pursuant to this Power which was Given him in Heaven and in Earth to give Laws to Mankind did he Commission his Disciples and send them forth into the World to Proclaim his Laws to Teach all Nations Baptizing them in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever he had Commanded them assuring them withal that Lo he would be with them always even unto the End of the World Matth. 28.18 19 20. that is That he would be ever with 'em to Head and Protect 'em against their Adversaries Secondly There is also a Domestick Head viz. the Husband in respect of the Wife and so likewise is Christ the Head of the Church and he is the Saviour of the Body Eph. 5.23 And indeed the Holy Spirit does love to Represent him as such a Head as also by the Title of a Shepherd over the Flock to signify the Gentleness of his Government and the Sweetness and Goodness of his Laws tending all for the Good of those he Governs And Thirdly There is the Natural Head of the Body which is the Fountain of Life and Spirit from whence it is deriv'd into all the Parts of the Body to enable and enliven all the Members thereof to discharge their several Offices and Duties And in Allusion to this â—ist the â—al 〈◊〉 of the â—h is Christ said to be the Mystical Head of the Church from whom all the Body by Joynts and Bands having Nourishment ministred increaseth with the Increase of God Col. 2.19 And thus I have at length sufficiently in order to my Design of Explaining this Article Wherein I was made a Member of Christ shew'd you What kind of Body the of Church of Christ is And by the By from what has been said it does appear That the Church of Christ is a Spiritual Kingdom put up in the World by God The Church of Christ a spiritual Kingdom on purpose to reduce Man to his due Allegiance to his Maker and to destroy the Dominion of Satan which he had so long Usurpt over Mankind It is a Kingdom as it consists of inferior Governours and Subjects combined together by special Laws of Allegiance to the Sovereign King of Kings and Lord of Lords and by Priviledges granted by that Supreme Head and Governour to such his Subjects and therefore it is so often in the Scripture call'd a Kingdom But you see withal it is a Spiritual Kingdom by the Nature and Design of which God is to Rule in the Hearts and Spirits of Men and therefore it is all over the New Testament call'd the Kingdom of God the Kingdom of Christ For Christ does Reign and Rule therein by his Gospel as the Laws of that Kingdom over the Spirits of Men and those are the People or Subjects of this Kingdom who own him for their King and his Gospel for the Laws of this Kingdom and who do give themselves up wholly both Body Soul and Spirit to be Governed by those Laws And the Church is also often call'd in the Holy Scripture the Kingdom of Heaven for indeed it is not a Kingdom of this World supported with outward State and armed Forces in order to promote and to secure from those who would Invade 'em our temporal Interests If my Kingdom were of this World then would my Servants fight that I should not be deliver'd to the Jews Joh. 18.36 but it is a Kingdom or Society of Men associated together and Listed to Fight under Christ the Great Captain of our Salvation against much more formidable Enemies than any Earthly Potentates Even against Principalities and Powers against the Rulers of the Darkness of this World against spiritual Wickedness in high Places Eph. â— 12 that is against the Devil and his wicked Angels who would despoil us of our Heavenly Inheritance Listed I say to fight under Jesus Christ the Great Captain of our Salvation for so he is call'd Heb. 2.10 and to our Comfort who are to fight under him he has already Spoiled these Principalities and Powers and has made a shew of them openly upon the Cross triumphing over them in it Col. 2.15 So that our Work is in a great measure already done under his Conduct for he himself has divested the Devils of much of their Power he has thrown 'em out of their Temples silenc'd their Oracles and does daily by his Assistances enable us to Foil ' em So that the Church of Christ you see is a Spiritual Kingdom But yet notwithstanding that this Society the Church But yet notwithstanding a Visible Society is a Spiritual Kingdom both as its Laws are Spiritual reaching to the Government of the Inward Man and also as it is a Body Listed under a Spiritual King to fight against Spiritual Enemies Yet however from what has been said it does appear that the Church or Kingdom of Christ is a Visible Society of Men consisting of such who make an Outward and Visible Profession of Allegiance to Christ having visibly by an Outward Sacrament Enter'd into Covenant with him and being such as do visibly Communicate together in his Holy Ordinances And therefore it is not only of such who by an inward real and true Faith are United to Christ that the Church and Kingdom of God in this World does consist but of all those outward Professors of Christianity who by the Sacrament of Baptism have Enter'd into Covenant with God Such indeed as besides an outward Covenanting which is certainly necessary are Renew'd withal to
Subjection to Right Reason which is called Crucifying of the Flesh with its Affections and Lusts Gal. 5.24 and mortifying our Earthly Members Col. 3.5 Thus must the whole Corrupt Nature be Restor'd as near as it can to its first Constitution and that Divine Likeness wherewith it was at first stamp'd The Image of God must be Restor'd as far as it can in â—his Corrupt State Thus I say it must be Restor'd as near as it can for as long as we are in this Mortal State some Relicks of Sin and Corruption will still remain within us so that even in the Regenerate Nature The Flesh lusteth against the Spirit and the Spirit against the Flesh and these are contrary the one to the other so that we cannot do the things that we would Gal. 5.17 That is we cannot without the Resistance and Opposition of our Fleshly Nature act in Obedience to the Spiriritual and Renewed Nature so long as we are here on this side the Grave but the most Holy Persons that are have their Graces allayed with a mixture of Sin and Corruption The most Universal Knowledge is not free from Ignorance and Error the Will which is most complying with the Commands of God has sometimes its contrary Velleities or Wouldings the Affections which are most Refin'd are sometimes Inordinate and Earthly so that every Faculty of our Nature and every Action we do have some mixture of Sin and Frailty In a word we cannot attain whilst here on Earth to these degrees of Perfection wherein we were first Created But the Image of God which is restored to us in our Regeneration tho' it have not the Perfection of Degrees yet it must indispensably have the Perfection of parts It must be Renew'd to a perfection of Parts tho not Degrees as Divines do distinguish that is we must have an Universal Inclination to all that is Holy Just and Good and an Universal Aversion from all Sin And we must have our selves actually Adorn'd with all Divine Graces and Holy Dispositions and we must actually forsake every known Sin And then tho' something of Humane Frailty will mix it self in the Exercise of all our Vertues yet through the Mercies of God the Father in Christ his Son it will be graciously dispens'd withal So that thus you see when the whole Nature of Man in every part and faculty thereof is Chang'd Repair'd and Renew'd according to the Happy Constitution and Subordination of the several Faculties one to another wherein Man was at first Created and consequently when the Divine Image which is now defac'd is in some good measure restor'd when thus we shall have put on the New Man Eph. 4.24 partake of the Divine Nature 2 Pet. and be conformed ro the Image of his Son Rom. 8.29 then can we be truly said to Renounce the Flesh 2. To Renounce the Flesh is to be Converted in the whole Bent and Inclination of the Soul toward God 2. To Renounce the Flesh is to be Converted in the whole Bent and Inclination of the Soul towards God Smith's Select Discourses p. 374. 430. This is the true Property of the Regenerate Nature to be exalted above all Worldly Things and to be carried out in Love and Affection towards God The Soul says a Learned and Pious Author is a more vigorous and puissant thing when it is once Restor'd to the possession of its own Being than to be bounded within a narrow Prison of Sensual and Bodily Delights but it will break forth with the greatest Vehemence and Ascend upwards towards Immortality For it is only true Religion that teaches and Enables Men to die to this World and to all Earthly Things and to rise above the Sphere of Sensual and Earthly Pleasures which darken the Mind and blind it that it cannot enjoy the brightness of Divine Light so that whereas the Fleshly Mind never minds any thing but Flesh and never rises above the Outward Matter but always creeps up and down like Shadows upon the Surface of the Earth and if it begin at any time to make any faint Essays upwards it presently finds it self laden with a weight of Sensuality which draws it down again Holy and Religious Souls being toucht with an Inward Sense of the Divine Goodness and Beauty are mov'd swiftly after God and as the Apostle expresses himself forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forth to those things which are before they press towards the Mark for the Prize of the high Calling of God in Christ Jesus that so they may attain to the Resurrection of the Dead In short therefore whereas there is now a continual Conflict betwixt the Flesh and the Spirit the Flesh Lusting against the Spirit and the Spirit against the Flesh we must never cease Mortifying and Subduing all the Motions of Corrupt Nature tending downward towards the Creature till they be brought in Subjection to the Power and Influence of God's Holy Spirit which alone can lift up our Hearts and Affections to God and Heavenly Things THE XXI Lecture First That I should Renounce the Devil and all his Works the Pomps and Vanity of this wicked World and all the sinful Lusts of the Flesh IN order to the full Explication of these Words the sinful Lusts of the Flesh The sinful Lusts of the Flesh what Having already shew'd you First what is meant by the Flesh and in what sense and how far we must Renounce the Flesh 2. I am now to give you in like manner the full Meaning and Importance of the sinful Lusts of the Flesh and to shew you in what sense and how far we are to Renounce them And as by the Flesh is meant the whole Unregenerate Nature of Man Soul as well as Body in its State of Corruption and as it Acts contrary to the Holy Will and Spirit of God so proportionably by the sinful Lusts of the Flesh must be understood all the Faculties and Powers of this Corrupted Nature as they carry us out to commit Sin as well the Faculties of the Soul the Understanding and Will as the Bodily Powers viz. the Affections Lusts and Appetites These are all of 'em in their own Nature the Effects of God's Workmanship and were pure as they came forth of his hands But ever since the Fall of Adam they are wofully Corrupted and there is none of these Faculties or Powers either of Soul or Body but may be called a sinful Lust of the Flesh Every Faculty and Power of Soul and Body is properly enough term'd a Lust as it Craves and Desires its Object And they are all of 'em sinful Lusts of the Flesh just as the whole Unregenerate Nature was said to be Flesh that is either First as those several Faculties of the Soul do move downwards from God and Heavenly Things Immediately and Inordinately towards the Creatures Or Secondly as the Inferior and Bodily Powers the Affections Lusts and Appetites do disorderly Rebel against the Superior Faculty of
is our Happiness as we are Members of Christ's Church to be under the Direction of Nor can any thing be better contrived for the Happiness of Men Its Laws aâ—â— excellently contrived for the good Order and Happiness of Mankind with relation to themselves or others than what the Laws of our Saviour do directly tend to As to our selves they do so powerfully tend to mortify our Lusts and Appetites those Rebels to our own Reason to moderate our Passions and Affections which so violently rack and disturb our own Breasts and they are excellently fitted also to make us so Humble and Self-denying so Temperate and Sober so Chast and Pure as Men on Earth would appear to be Angels come from Heaven were the Laws of Christ universally followed And lastly as to Others such Justice and Uprightness such Charity and Kindness such Quiet and Peaceableness does Christianity incline Men to upon which account the State of the Gospel is represented as that In which nothing should destroy nor hurt in the holy Mountain Isa 11.9 And let me also add such Prudent and Fatherly Care of Children Servants and Dependants do the Laws of Christ prescribe as would make a Heaven here upon Earth were they universally Obey'd I say were they universally Obey'd And yet to add to all this Excellency of Christ's Government and Laws over us already seen so Powerful is our Obedience to all these Laws Enforc'd by those mighty Principles and Motives of Christianity And are Enforc'd by most powerful Principles and Motives viz. The Articles of our Christian Faith I mean so very Perswasive and Forcible are the Motives which Christ does give us to the Practise of these Vertues beyond what was in any Reasons and Motives which the Philosophers or even Moses did give the Gentiles or the Jews to be in any degree Vertuous that this is another addition to our Advantage in having Christ for our Supreme Head and Law-giver and in being Members of Christ's Church In a word so Honourable to God so Perfective of our own Natures and so Beneficial to mankind are the Laws of Christ and so well is our Obedience secur'd to 'em by those Principles he has taught us that this very Thing does speak our exceeding Great Priviledge in being Members of Christ and under his Conduct and Government as our supreme Head and Law-giver But especially this Advantage will appear to be very Great if we consider How that together with those most excellent Laws that he has given us he has also appointed us most Edifying and comfortable Ordinances Another Branch of this first Part of a Christian's Priviledge are most Edifying and Comfortable Institutions and Ordinances to conduct us to Heaven Now by Divine Institutions and Ordinances I do mean those positive Appointments and Observations which he has given his Church and all the Members thereof for their Improvement in the Knowledge and Practice of his Holy Religion and Laws And that which our Great Law-giver has done of this Nature is this He has Ordain'd solemn and set Days viz. The Christian Sabbaths for his own Service He has Order'd that publick Assemblies of all Christians should be held upon those Days He has Authoriz'd and Commanded the Publication and Preaching of his Laws at those publick Assemblies He has appointed that Common Prayers Supplications and Thanksgivings for Divine Grace and Assistance to Enable us to perform these Laws then Preacht and for other Mercies should be jointly put up to him by all Christians on those solemn Days and publick Assemblies And lastly he has Enjoin'd therein the use of Sacraments as means of Conveying such Grace and Assistance and also as Oaths and Obligations upon us to be Obedient to those Laws All which are the Priviledges that do belong to the Members of Christ's Visible Church And if we compare 'em with what others want of this Nature they are indeed most singular Favours vouchsafed only to such as are Members thereof and which Aliens and Strangers have no Right nor Admittance to And consider'd in themselves they are most admirable Advantages towards the Observation of God's most Holy Laws and in order to a Holy and Good Life I. â—lick Orâ—ances the â—viledge of â—ry Memâ— of Christ's â—rch First I say All these foremention'd Priviledges do belong to the Members of Christ's Church to such as have been Baptized and profess themselves to be Christians To understand which Rights and Priviledges the better you must know that as there are Two sorts of Members in the visible Church so there are Two kinds of Priviledges that belong to each sort as One rightly states this Matter each having those Priviledges which are proper and peculiar to 'em according to the relation they bear to the Head and their Fellow-members First There are Members only by Foederal or Covenant Holiness such are only Born of Water when by Baptism they are United to Christ and the Church and took upon them the Profession and Practice of the Christian Religion Now the Priviledges that do belong to these are of the same make with their Church-Membership Outward and consisting only in outward and publick Communion with the Church in Word and Ordinances Secondly There are Members by Real and Inherent Holiness such as are not only Born of Water but of the Spirit also when by the inward Operation of the Holy Ghost their Souls are Renew'd after the Image of God and made Partakers of a Divine Nature And the Priviledges that do belong to these are not only the foremention'd Ones but together with them others that are suitable to their more spiritual Relations Inward and such as consist in the special and particular Care and Protection of God and in the more plentiful Measures of his Grace and in the more sensible Comforts of his Holy Spirit according to that of our Saviour Mat. 25.29 Vnto every One that hath or Improveth those Talents of Grace he has received shall be given and he shall have abundance So that these latter and more peculiar Priviledges indeed do not belong to every Member of the visible Church but to those only who are sincere in their Profession of Christianity and who by their more than ordinary Piety are become Dear to God But then as to Outward Priviledges it is not only the Duty but it is the Priviledge which of Right belongs to Every Member of Christ's Church to Observe the Lord's Day to be Present in the Publick Assemblies to Join in the Common Prayers and even to Partake when of Age of the Lord's Supper So we find Acts 2.41 42. That the whole Three Thousand Souls who received the Word and were Baptized continued stedfastly in the Apostle's Doctrine and Fellowship and in breaking of Bread and in Prayers True it is such is that more than ordinary Regard that the Church of Christ has for the Lord's Supper that most solemn Ordinance in the Christian Religion that when any Member becomes Scandalous for
any Sin he is to be Suspended from Communion in that till he amends Scandalous Members to be suspended from the Lord's Supper So it is order'd in the Rubrick before the Communion Service that if any be an open and notorious Evil-Liver so that the Congregation be thereby Offended The Curate having Knowledge thereof shall Call him and Advertise him that in any-wise he presume not to come to the Lord's Table until he hath openly declared himself to have truly Repented and Amended his former Naughty Life that the Congregation may thereby be saisfy'd which before were Offended And the same Order shall the Curate use with those betwixt whom he perceiveth Malice and Hatred to reign not suffering them to be Partakers at the Lord's Table till he Knows them to be Reconciled But otherwise till a Member become Notorious and Scandalous for his Evil Principles or Practices he may claim the Right to be Admitted to the Lord's Supper for even Judas himself before he Betray'd our Saviour did Partake with him at the first Institution of the Supper as you will find Matth. 26.25 26. So that as to the Outward Institutions and Ordinances of Christ they are Priviledges you see that do belong to all the Members of Christ's Church to all such as have been Baptized and Profess themselves to be Christians And now Secondly If we compare but these Outward Priviledges of God's Holy Ordinances with what others do want of this Nature they are indeed most singular Favours vouchsafed only to such as are Members of Christ's Church and which Aliens and Strangers have no Right nor Admittance to I. Christian Ordinances are a singular Favour which Aliens and Vnbelievers do not nor have any Right to enjoy For alas The Infidel part of the World whether Jews Turks or Pagans have none of these Divine Ordinances amongst ' em They neither Know the Lord's Day nor Hold any Assemblies thereon for the Instruction in his Laws neither do they Profess Belief in nor Pray to the One True God Father Son and Holy Ghost and they are utter Strangers to our Holy Mysteries And hence it comes to pass that those miserable People continue still in Blindness Ignorance and Barbarity remain perfect Slaves to Satan and their own Brutish Lusts and for the most part of 'em are degenerated into such Inhumanity Cruelty and Brutality that Tygers Wolves and Vipers the most Devouring and Venemous Creatures in the World are not so mischeivous to Mankind as that Part thereof who either know not or contemn God's Holy Ordinances are one to another So true it is what Solomon has Observ'd Prov. 29.18 that Where there is no Vision or no Word and Ordinances of Divine Revelation the People perish Which brings me Lastly To consider What excellent Priviledges they are in themselves II. They are excellent Advantages consider'd in themselves And that they are upon Two accounts First As being most admirable Advantages towards the Observation of God's most Holy Laws Secondly As being exceedingly comfortable to those who Enjoy ' em I. â—onducing â—htowards 〈◊〉 Edificaâ— And First Divine Ordinances are most Excellent Priviledges as being most admirable Advantages towards the Observation of God's most Holy Laws and in order to a Holy and Good Life For why In these Holy Ordinances we have all the Means both Outward and Inward afforded for our Conversion As to the Outward you have the very Scriptures themselves the Body of those Holy Laws publickly Proclaim'd and Read out to you the Scripture it self I say Which was given by Inspiration of God and is profitable for Doctrine for Reproof for Correction for Instruction in Righteousness that the Man of God may be perfect throughly furnished unto all good works 2 Tim. 3.16 17. In these Holy Ordinances again you are not left to the Deceits and Whispers of a private Spirit but you have the Doctrine of the Church collected into a Form of sound Words and containing all that is necessary whether as to Faith or that Love which is in Christ Jesus or which is required in the Christian Religion 2 Tim. 1.13 You have this Collected I say partly by the Apostle's themselves and partly by others the wisest and best Divines out of the Holy Scriptures and propos'd to you as a Rule to walk by And moreover you have the Ministers of Christ constantly Applying both to your direction The Ministers of Christ I say who as his Ambassadors do Pray you in Christ's stead to be Reconciled to God 2 Cor. 5.20 Again In these Holy Ordinances you do not wrestle with God for his Mercies in the strength only of your own private Prayers but you have your Devotions mingled with the concurrent Prayers of all God's People and so by your joint Forces after an humble but powerful manner do Besiege Heaven for the joint and united Prayers of Christians have above all others the Promise of a Gracious Answer Matth. 18.20 Our Saviour assuring us there that Where Two or Three are gather'd together in his Name there he will be in the midst of them And lastly You receive herein from the Blessed Sacrament of the Body and Blood of Christ that Food which is necessary to the Nourishment of the Soul as Meat is to the Strength of the Body the same Blessed Saviour of the World assuring us as you will see John 6.55 and the 63. compar'd together that His Flesh is Meat indeed and that his Blood is Drink indeed And then as to the Inward Means of performing God's Laws viz. The Grace and Assistance of his Holy Spirit this as it is absolutely necessary to enable our Weakness in this our faln State so it is no otherwise to be expected than in the Use and Ministry of Divine Ordinances as shall be presently seen In a word The outward Ordinances and Institutions of the Gospel together with the Holy Spirit accompanying them are the only ordinary Means of Conversion Some may pretend to be above Ordinances but Experience tells us that accordingly as Men do slight and neglect 'em accordingly do they decay in Grace and Vertue and when once they begin wholly to lay them aside they become perfectly Graceless and are given up to a Reprobate Mind as is daily seeni in such as make nothing of Profaning the Lord's Day and do totally lay aside Prayers and Sacraments â—ost comâ—ble to Souls of those who enjoy them Secondly And they are not more Profitable and Edifying than they are Comfortabler to the Spirits of all Pious Souls who Enjoy ' em Holy David was a most eminent Instance of this My Soul thirsteth for God for the living God when shall I come and appear before God Psal 42.2 See what earnest Longings he had for the publick Service And I was glad when they said unto me let us go to the house of the Lord Psal 122.1 And Psal 65.4 he expresses his sense of this Matter thus Blessed is the man whom thou choosest and causest to
approach unto thee that he may dwell in thy Courts he shall be sasisfy'd in the goodness of thy house even of thy holy Temple Alas the inestimable Priviledges and Advantages of Divine Ordinances as the Benefit of the Heat and Light and all other common Mercies are never sufficiently valued till most wanted They are seldom sufficiently valued till most wanted In the abundance of 'em we slight 'em but when depriv'd of 'em we see we cannot live the spiritual Life without ' em This is most significantly Express'd Amos 8.11 12. Behold the days come saith the Lord God that I will send a famine in the land not a famine of bread nor a thirst for water but of hearing the words of the Lord. And they shall wander from Sea to Sea and from the North even to the East they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the Lord and shall not find it You see here that the Famine of Bread is nothing in comparison with the Famine of the Word and Ordinances I will send a famine in the land not a famine of bread nor a thirst of water but of hearing the words of the Lord which is a much sorer Famine for it is a Famine which will starve the Soul And when they are deprived of the Word and Ordinances then shall they wander from Sea to Sea and from the North even to the East thâ—y shall run to and fro to seek the word of the Lord and shall not find it And accordingly we may always observe this Difference in Men's Esteem of those excellent Advantages In the outward Peace and Prosperity of the Church when the Church Doors are always open and Prayers and Sacraments constantly Administred then how many that live near the House of God shall seldom come at it and how will others Profanely pasâ— by it even in time of Divine Service And how do People when it is Plentiful loath this Heavenly Manna But when Persecution at any time arises and the Church Doors are shut up and Divine Ordinances are forbid upon Pain of Death how then shall you see those very same Persons go many Miles and with the utmost hazard of their Lives Assemble themselves together and take the greatest Comfort imaginable in Enjoying ' em This the Experience of all Ages does Confirm And God grant our present Neglect of his Holy Institutions and Ordinances may not provoke him to teach us also how to Value and Esteem the Priviledges and Advantages of 'em by depriving us thereof And thus I have at length shew'd you how that the First Great Priviledge which does peculiarly belong to all the Members of Christ's visible Church as they are the Members of such a Society is a most Reasonable and Excellent Body of Religion and Laws together with most Profitable and Edifying Institutions and Ordinances given and appointed us by Him our supreme Head and Governour to Conduct us to to Heaven And now it is time to proceed and to shew you how that Secondly The Second general Prâ—viledge bein to Members Christ's â—rch is a â—cient meaâ— of divine â—â—ce and â—stance â—ved from 〈◊〉 the Head and Convey'd by his Ordinances to Enable us to Conform our selves to his â—gion and to Obey his Laws We enjoy thereby a great Measure of Divine Grace and Assistance derived down from him our Head and Convey'd by those his Ordinances to Enable us to Conform to his Religion and to Obey his Laws The mystical Body of Christ is often compar'd in Scripture to the natural Body of Man and that as for many others so for this very good Reason that as in the natural Body every Part partakes of Life and Sense and Motion from the Head so do we by being Baptized Members of Christ of Grace and Help from him our Head From whom all the Body by Joints and Bands having Nourishment ministred Increaseth with the Increase of God Col. 2.19 〈◊〉 the same â—ns that â—â—st is Vâ—d to his â—â—bers is â—ce Conâ—d down 〈◊〉 him as â—â—d to â—â—e Memâ—â— Now it is easy to conceive how Christ as a Political Head should give Laws to his Spiritual Kingdom the Church and how as such he should Head and Protect it and every Member thereof against its Enemies But the difficulty with some is to conceive how as from a Mystical Head Divine Grace and Assistance should be Convey'd down from him to us his Members But it is but to consider what those Joints and Bands are which Unite us to Christ as our Head and we may then easily conceive how we shall have Nourishment ministred unto us till we Increase with the Increase of God For whatever are the means of Uniting us to him the same are the means also of Conveying the Influences of his Holy Spirit down upon us 〈◊〉 first Meâ—n of Vâ— betwixt â—ist and Members 〈◊〉 be each â—â—ber's Vâ— to the â—â—olick â—â—ch And the First great means of Uniting cach Member to Christ must be its Union to the Catholick Church the Body of Christ not Cutting himself off from it either by Renouncing his Covenant with God or by causlessly separating from the Communion of that Sound and Orthodox Part of the Church whereof he is an immediate Member and by not giving just Occasion to the Officers of Christ's spiritual Kingdom the Church to Excommunicate or Cut him off for so doing For it is Just with the Mystical Body the Church as it is with the natural Body of Man If a Leg or an Arm should be Cut off from the Body by a Man 's own Hand or by the King's Officers it cannot receive Nourishment from the Head and for lack thereof must soon Die And so in the Church of Christ a Heretick that for denying the Faith and Sacraments and a Schismatick who for breaking the Communion shall be Cut off from the Church cannot ordinarily expect to receive Supplies of Grace from Christ the mystical Head which by Keeping the unity of the Spirit in the bond of Peace he might But it is not sufficient in order to its deriving Life from the Head that a Member be United to the Body only and to any of its Parts but it is moreover particularly necessary that it should be United also to those principal Parts of the Body where the Blood and Spirits are form'd and from whence they are Convey'd to every single Member And therefore II. Vnion to 〈◊〉 Lawful â—ernours 〈◊〉 Teachâ— of the â—â—ch A Second means of Uniting each Member to Christ the Head and so of Conveying spiritual Supplies of Grace down from him to such a Member is its Unity to those Lawful Governours and Teachers which Christ has Appointed in the Church by Joining with 'em in the same Fundamental Doctrines of Christianity and by holding Communion with 'em in the same Holy Worship of God The Lawful Governours and Teachers in the Church of Christ are the principal Parts in the Mystical Body as the Heart the Liver and
the Brain are in the Natural For as in the Natural from these principal Parts are sent forth that Portion of Blood and Spirits which give Life and Strength to every single Member so from Christ's Ministers is Communicated to all the Members of the Mystical Body that Nourishment which maintains the spiritual Life in them All this may be fairly gather'd from Eph. 4.11 12 13. He gave some Apostles and some Prophets and some Evangelists and some Pastors and Teachers for the perfecting of the Saints for the work of the Ministry for the Edifying of the Body of Christ till we all come into the unity of the Faith and the knowledge of the Son of God unto a perfect Man unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ In which Words the Ministers of Christ's Church whether Extraordinary as Apostles and Evangelists or Ordinary as Pastors and Teachers are said to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for the Holding and Knitting together the Church and that from them each Member does immediately receive that Nourishment of sound Doctrine whereby he grows up to be a Perfect Man in the Knowledge and Practice of true Religion And indeed the Graces of the Holy Spirit are Convey'd by those Ordinances which they only have power to Administer which brings me Lastly To shew how III. The use of Christ's Institutions and Ordinances that next to the being United to the Church and its principal Parts the Ministers of Christ therein the great Bonds of Union to the Head and means of Conveying his Grace to the Members are the Sacraments and other Holy Offices and Ordinances appointed for that Purpose and of which the Ministers of Religion are the only Dispensers For just again as in the Body Natural there are Nerves that Branch from the Head through the Body conveying the Animal Spirits to every Member thereof so in the Mystical Body the Church there are the Ordinances of Sacraments Preaching Publick and Common Prayers and such like Holy Offices Administred by Persons set apart for that Purpose to be the Conveyances of those ordinary Supplies of his Holy Spirit which he thinks necessary to preserve that Member in Health and Vigour So that thus at length you see how that in keeping in Union with the mystical Body of Christ his Church and with its Lawful Governours and Teachers and in the use of Sacraments and other Divine Ordinances those Conduits and Conveyances of of his Holy Spirit to us we shall have spiritual Life and Strength and Vigour derived down to us from Christ our spiritual Head in like manner as in the natural Body of Man the Animal Life and Strength and Vigour is derived down to all the parts of the Body from the natural Head And this is a most singular Priviledge if compar'd with that little or nothing of this Nature which others who are not Members of Christ's Church do enjoy and also it will pear to be a most exceeding great Advantage if consider'd in it self And First If we compare our Happiness with Others I. Divine Grace a most singular Priviledge if compared we shall find it the peculiar Advantage of Christianity which no other Law nor Doctrine so much as pretends to that it not only clearly teacheth us and strongly perswadeth us to so excellent a Way of Life but provideth also Divine Help and Assistance to Enable us to Practice it If God would have Ordinarily 〈◊〉 what oâ— enjoy of Nature and in the way of a Constant Dispensation imparted so excellent a Gift to any to be sure it would have been to the Jewish Church but we are told Joh. 1.17 That the Law was given by Moses but that Grace came by Jesus Christ that is the Graces and Gifts of his Holy Spirit as well as other Mercies and Favours so that tho' Moses deliver'd Legal Precepts it is by Jesus Christ we shall have the Assistance whereby we shall be Enabled to attain unto Holiness And as to that Measure of Grace afforded to Holy Men under the Law whatsoever it were it was through him the Promised Messiah and in Vertue of that Covevenant of Grace Confirmed with Abraham before the Law but the more constant Influences of the Holy Spirit and the fuller Measures thereof are derived from him down upon us now under the Gospel And because of that more plentiful Measure of Grace and Spirit Communicated unto us from Christ under the Gospel does the Apostle call the Gospel the Ministration of the Spirit in Opposition to the Law which he styles the Ministration of Death 2 Cor. 3.8 9. And does therefore so assuredly promise himself Success in his Ministry ver 5 6. Such trust have we in Christ to Godward not that we are sufficient of our selves to think any thing as of our selves but our sufficiency is of God who hath made us able Ministers of the New Testament or Covenant not of the Letter but of the Spirit where the Gospel is styl'd the Spirit as for other Reasons so for this in the Judgment of the Learned Dr. Hammond that Grace which is the Gift of the Spirit is now join'd to the Gospel which was not to the Law In a word and to speak in the Words of a Learned Author Other Laws for want of this are in effect Ministeries of Condemnation Racks of Conscience Parents of Guilt and of Regret Reading hard Lessons but not Asss isting to do after them Imposing heavy Burthens but not Enabling to bear them But our Law of the Gospel is not such it is not a dead Letter but hath a quickning Spirit accompanying it it not only soundeth through the Ear but stampeth it self upon the Heart of him that sincerely doth Embrace it it always carrieth with it a sure Guide to all Good and a safe Guard from all Evil. II. exceedâ—â—dvanâ—â—â—nsiderâ—◠〈◊〉 self And this Advantage as it is proper to our Religion So it is exceeding considerable in it self The Advantage is that every Member in Christ's Body in what Station soever he be shall have sufficient Supplies of Grace derived down from Christ our Head proportionable to his Necessities by those moans of Conveying it which Christ has appointed for that Purpose I say every Member in Christ's Body â—e Memâ—â— Christ Supplies â—tionaâ—â— their â—n in â—hurch in what Station soever he be For As we have many Members in one Body and all Members have not the same Office so we being many are one Body in Christ and every one Members one of another Rom. 12.4 5. that is there are different Members in the Church of Christ some are to be Governours and Teachers of Others and accordingly must be Endow'd with a Spirit of Government and Gift of Teaching and others are of a more private Capacity in the Church of Christ whatever they may in other Respects and their Business is to keep a Conscience void of Offence both towards God and Man and faithfully to discharge their Duties to God
Divine Nature whereby he is a Partaker of the Life and Likeness of God himself should Entitle God to be also a Father and such who are so Regenerated and Renew'd his Children And accordingly in the Holy Scripture we find that such a derivation of Strength and Grace from the Word and Spirit of God does Entitle those who are Renew'd thereby to be Children of God St. Paul not only attributing to the Ministry of the Word a Power of Begetting in Christ 1 Cor. 4.15 But withal expresly assuring us that As many as are led by the Spirit of God are the Sons of God Rom. 8.14 So that he is undoubtedly a Child of God whoever giving himself up to the Guidance of God's Word and Spirit is thereby Sanctify'd wholly in his own Spirit Soul and Body 1 Thes 5.23 so as to sudue and mortify every Lust and every naughty inordinate and worldly Desire And indeed every truly Regenerate Child of God does do so such a One does by the power of the Word and in the use and strength of that Grace that God does afford him subdue and mortify every Lust and every naughty inordinate and worldly Desire So we are expresly told 1 Joh. 3.9 Whosoever is Born of God doth not commit Sin for his Seed remaineth in him and he cannot sin because he is horn of God that is a sanctify'd Child of God does really hate Sin the very Temper and Bent of his Soul is against it and as to living in any gross and wilful Sin he cannot without much Reluctancy force himself to it his renew'd Nature is so much contrary thereto Such I say is every Regenerate Child of God and such indeed in a peculiar manner â—ch indeed in a peâ—ar manâ— and in 〈◊〉 highest â—e the â—ldren of â—l and in the highest and strictest sence of the Word that it can be apply'd to a meer Man is a Child of God But then all who are the Children of God either in the sence of Scripture or of your Catechism are not actually thus Regenerate As to the sence of Scripture it is plain as will presently appear that every One who bears the Relation of a Child to God is not Dutiful to his Father â—ut every â—â—d of God â—t actualâ— Regeneâ— either in sence of â—â—ture of your â—chism which is in Heaven no more than all Children are to their Natural Parents It is a monstrous Thing indeed that any Child should be Undutiful to so good and gracious a Father but it is too true that too many are so Hear O Heaven and give ear O Earth for I the Lord have spoken I have nourished and brought up Children and they have rebelled against me Isa 1.2 And as to the meaning of a Child of God here in your Catechism it is also plain tht it is not only such as are Renew'd in the Spirit of their minds and do imitate God that are there to be understood for every One who is Catechized is requir'd to Answer that In his Baptism he was made a Child of God whereas many Catechumens are not actually as yet Renew'd and really Converted and by their own Fault many will never be so that a Child of God by spiritual Regeneration and a God-like Imitation expresses rather the Duty of every One what he ought to be than the Notion and Nature of a Priviledge which many may Enjoy who in the mean time are not over Dutiful So that a Child of God by spiritual Regeneration or a God-like Imitation is a meaning of the Word as much too narrow to be the sence of it here in your Catechism as a Child by Creation was too wide To proceed then Fourthâ—â— Child â—od as 〈◊〉 in the â—hism is one who by Verâ—â—f a Coâ—â—t Relaâ— Fourthly There are the Children of God by Vertue of a Covenant Relation and also by Adoption who are neither all the Sons of God by Creation nor yet on the other side such onely as are Renew'd in the Spirit of their Minds and do imitate God But they are all those who have been Baptiz'd into the Covenant of Grace and have been Incorporated into Christ's Church and who do profess the true Religion and themselves the Servants of the True God Thus before the Law Gen. 6.2 the whole House and Posterity of Seth are call'd the Sons of God as on the contrary the Posterity of Cain are call'd the Daughters of Men. They are there call'd the Sons of God because that in the Family of Seth â—was the â—â—n of a 〈◊〉 of God 〈◊〉 the 〈◊〉 the Worship of the True God was continued and establish'd from which the Posterity of Cain had Revolted And so likewise under the Law the whole Body of the Children of Israel are call'd the Children of God Deut. 14.1 and that for this Reason â—der the 〈◊〉 as it follows ver 2. because they were a Holy people unto the Lord and the Lord had chosen them to be a peculiar people unto himself above all the Nations that were upon the Earth They were a Holy people unto the Lord not all of 'em by an inward and real Change in their Natures but by a Foederal Holiness and by reason of their separation from the rest of the Idolatrous and wicked World by a Holy Covenant Alas as to their inward Holiness this very Body of Men who were call'd the Children of God are said Deut. 32.5 to have Corrupted themselves and to have not the spot of Children but to be a very froward Generation Children in whom is no Faith ver 20. But their outward Relation to God continued notwithstanding and that whole Body of People being in Covenant with God were styl'd thereupon his Children And under the Gospel likewise Vnder the Gospel all that are Members of the Church and in Covenant with God are styl'd his Children Thus 2 Cor. 6.16 17 18. you will find that with Relation to all those concerning whom God declar'd He would be their God and that they should be his People which are the express Terms of the Covenant betwixt God and all Christians as you will see Heb. 8.10 and with Relation to all those whom he commanded to Come out from among the Gentiles and to be separate and not to touch the unclean thing that is not to Partake in their Idolatry which is the very Description of the Members of Christ's Church I say with Relation to all these he declar'd he would be a Father unto 'em and that they should be his Sons and Daughters And such are called Sons by Adoption Also a Child of God as meant in the Catechism is every One who is so by vertue of Adoption concerning whom it is said Gal. 4.4 5. When the fulness of time was come that God sent forth his Son made of a Woman made under the Law to Redeem them that were under the Law that we might receive the Adoption of Sons Now this word Adoption is much used in
squeamishly Refuse â—he Objection â—rom Rom. 7 â—leared But that you may not make Shipwrack of a good Conscience by falling into the usual Mistakes about the sense of this place you are to know that St. Paul's design in this 7th to the Romans being to Represent the Ill Condition of the Jews as under the Law of Moses which only Enlightn'd their Minds so far as to Convince 'em of many things to be Sins which otherwise they could not have known to be such but gave no power to 'em to overcome those Lusts because the Jews could not bear such a Charge against themselves and their Law he does suppose himself in the case of a mere Jew and personating such a one does accordingly argue as from experience against the Converting power of the mere Law of Moses which was destitute of those Assistances afforded in the Gospel And this is a Scheme and Figure of Speech usual with this Apostle in many other places Thus for their sakes he did transfer in a Figure those things to himself which could not be personally spoken of him 1 Cor. 4.6 And nothing is more usual than the same way of speaking amongst Men especially in Reproofs and such cases as would be ill Resented to be downright charg'd withal but when we say We do so and so under this disguise it is usual with more Success and less Offence to Disparage and Correct very Ill Practices But that St. Paul should speak it of himself when he tells 'em That he saw another Law in his Members warring against the Law of his Mind and bringing him into Capiivity to the Law of Sin which was in his Members and that with the Mind he did serve the Law of God but with the Flesh the Law of Sin is contrary both to what he affirms elsewhere of himself and of those who are truly Regenerate For of himself he affirms Rom. 8.2 That the Law of the Spirit of Liâ—e had made him free from the Law of Sin and Death And Ver. 1. he says of those who are in Christ Jesus and to whom Condemnation does not belong and who are consequently Regenerate that they walk not after the Flesh We must Renounce the Flesh and all â—ts Sinful Lusts so as to have an Averâ—ion an Antiâ—athy in our hearts thereunto but after the Spirit And Gal. 5.24 it is said that they who are Christs have Crucify'd the Flesh with the Affections and Lusts In short therefore and to draw towards a Conclusion we must not content our selves in this great Work of Renouncing ALL the sinful Lusts of the Flesh that we have our Minds enlightned so as to know what we ought to do whilst our Affections and bodily Powers do remain Rebellious against the Dictates of our Minds and Consciences But we must have our whole Natures possess'd with an Aversion an Antipathy from the very Heart against all Sin and we must have both the Mind Will and Affections nay the very Lusts and Appetites fully bent against it And we must have on the contrary a hearty Love and Disposition to all Vertue wrought in all the same Faculties both of Soul and Body VVe must be Renewed in the Spirit of our Minds and put on the New Man which after God is Created in Righteousness and true Holiness Eph. 4.23 24. And when a Person is thus inwardly Chang'd throughout in all the Faculties and Powers of Soul and Body it is then only that he can be truly said to be a New Creature a New Man And this indeed This the hard Part. to become thus Renew'd in the Spirit of our Minds so as to have the Heart and Affections set against Sin and sinful Pleasures as well as the Mind Convinc'd of the Evil of 'em is the hard Work This is certain that it is not possible for any Man to work so great a Change in his Nature of himself but it is the Spirit of God that must Assist wonderfully in the doing of it And indeed That we may be said sincerely and throughly to Renounce the Flesh and ALL its sinful Lusts that Renovation of our Corrupted Nature wherein this Renuntiation does consist must be such as is wrought in us by the Spirit and Grace of God This I say because it is very possible for a Man to be Chang'd from some sensual Courses to an utter hatred thereof and yet remain in God's Eyes a Carnal and Vnregenerate Man and the reason is because his Change proceeds not from any Inward Vital Principle of Vertue but from some prudential Methods in the management of his Pleasures as some the most sensual Epicures that live shall become at length temperate and sober because their Constitutions will not bear a Debauch but as the Spirit of God had nothing to do in the Change so in their Hearts and Minds they remain still to be sensual And others again you shall meet who have a full Conviction in their Minds and Consciences through the preaching of the Word of the Evil of Sin and yet in their Affectiens they Love it and their Lusts and Appetites Rebelling against the Reason of their Mind will have it and their Wills do finally chuse it so that these Persons with the Mind do serve the Law of God but with the Flesh the Law of Sin as St. Paul in that much mistaken Chapter Rom. 7.25 does represent as was now shew'd you the Case of the Carnal Jew abiding only under the Conviction of the Law But where the Spirit of God works the Change that Person is Sanctify'd wholly and the whole Spirit and Soul and Body will be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ 1 Thes 5.23 So that such a Person shall effectually Renounce the Flesh and All its sinful Lusts both of the Inward and of the Outward Man And accordingly as we will draw nigh to God and have him draw nigh to us we must cleanse our hands and purifie our hearts and not be double-minded James 4.8 We must through the help of his Grace Cleanse our selves from all Filthiness of Flesh and Spirit perfecting Holiness in the Fear of God 2 Cor. 7.1 We must be always I say in the perfecting of one degree after another our Holiness and that Image of God which we lost by our Fall for the subduing of All our Lusts must be the Work of Time and it is not of a sudden that we can get an intire Conquest over 'em ALL. But if in our Strivings against 'em we find our selves still more and more to get ground upon 'em we are in a hopeful Condition In a Word therefore Brethren we are Debtors not to the Flesh to live after the Flesh for if ye live after the Flesh ye shall die but if through the Spirit ye do Mortifie the Deeds of the Body ye shall live for as many as are led by the Spirit of God they are the Sons of God Rom. 12.13 14. The Reason of having enlarg'd so
Jesus Acts 19.5 that is into the Belief that Jesus is the Christ or Mediatour between God and Man for this is the great Fundamental Doctrine of Christianity as the Apostle tells us 1 Cor. 3.11 assuring us that Other Foundation can no Man lay than that Jesus is the Christ And he that denyeth that Jesus is the Christ is the great Liar and an Anti-Christ 1 Joh. 2.22 But whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is Born of God 1 Joh. 5.1 that is is Adopted into the Christian Church and Family â—II â—njoy the â—ledges 〈◊〉 Gospel Fifthly And as Christians are a Society of Persons call'd out of the World to Repentance Faith and Gospel-Obedience so to the Enjoyment of those Inestimable Priviledges of the Gospel viz. 1. Most Reasonable and Excellent Laws given by a most Great and Gracious Governour to Conduct 'em to Heaven Laws writ in their Minds and in their Hearts Heb. 8.10 that is Laws which are for the most part the very Dictates of natural Reason 2. They are such as are Priviledg'd with having great Measures of Divine Grace and Assistance to enable 'em to Obey those Laws for whereas the Law was given by Moses Grace and Truth came by Jesus Christ Joh. 1.17 and is the Priviledge of the Church of Christ under the Gospel 3. They are such who have Assurance of Pardon of Sins upon their Repentance for the Transgression of those Laws for with Respect to those of the Christian Church God is pleas'd to say Heb. 8.12 I will be Merciful to their Vnrighteousness and their Sins and Iniquities will I remember no more And lastly As to the Eternal Life and Happiness Christ does assure us Joh. 17.2 that The Father has given him Power over all Flesh that he should give Eternal Life to as many as are given him or are given him out of the world ver 6. that is that he has a Power of conferring the Rewards in Heaven to as many as come within the Pale of the Church if they do withal live in Obedience to its Laws and Constitutions Thus is the Church of Christ a Society of Men call'd forth of the World as to a most Holy Profession and Calling so to the Enjoyment of most singular Priviledges Church â—h who 〈◊〉 End of â—ncorpoâ—â—nto one 〈◊〉 and of â—g God 〈◊〉 their Sixthly And they are such Who to the End of being Incorporated into One Society and of having God to be their God and they themselves his People have Enter'd into Covenant with him It is the Royal Charter granted by the King to the Members of a Corporation or City whereby they have certain Priviledges granted them from the King and wherein they are Tied to discharge certain Duties to him and to One another that makes 'em of a confus'd Multitude to become a Corporation or regulated Society And those who stand out and will not accept of those Priviledges nor oblige themselves to their several Duties shall not be reputed of that Corporation nor receive any Advantages from it And so it is here with that Society which is call'd the Church of Christ It is the Covenant of Grace granted us by the King of Heaven wherein we have the most inestimable Priviledges those contain'd in the Gospel graciously Ensur'd unto us and most reasonable Duties both to God and Man required of us that do embody and join us into one Spiritual Society the Church and those who will not Enter into such a Covenant with God are Aliens from the Commonwealth of Israel and Strangers from the Covenantts of Promise having no hope and without God in the world Eph. 2.12 But those who have join'd themselves in Covenant with Him are No more Strangers and Forreigners but Fellow-Citizens with the Saints and of the Houshold of God ver 19. And as by being United in one Covenant Christians are Incorporated into one Society so by the same Means it comes to pass also that they have God to be their God peculiarly and they become his People Thus Heb. 8.10 This is the Covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days that is in the time of the Gospel I will be to them a God and they shall be to me a People It is the Nature of all Covenants to Unite the Parties Covenanting together and to give to each Party an Interest in the other I entred into Covenant with thee and thou becamest mine Ezek. 16.8 So that by having Enter'd into Covenant with God we are Entitled to his particular Protection and Care over us and we give to him thereby a new and stronger Claim to our Obedience Seventhly I. In Baptism And Christians are thus Enter'd into Covenant with God and thereby made Members of Christ's Church in their Baptism For as all the Members of a Corporation are not usually made Members of that Society without some certain Solemnities so it pleased God that no One should be Enter'd into Christ's Church and be made a Partaker of the Priviledges of it without that outward Rite of Baptism for so we find that when our Saviour sent his Apostles to Found and Build the Church they receiv'd as a Commission to call forth out of the World a Church by the Preaching of the Gospel So an Appointment to Incorporate all Men therein by Baptism Go and Teach all Nations Baptizing them in the Name of the Father of the Son and of the Holy Ghost Matth. 28.19 And hence 1 Cor. 12.13 it is said That we are all Baptiz'd into one Body or admitted by Baptism into one Church Eighthly And they are Appointed to Renew the same II. To Renew it at the Lord's Supper by Feasting often together at the Lord's Supper This was anciently and is still the usual Method of Uniting more closely together the Members of any Society or Corporation their Feasting often together at one common Table and for this Reason amongst others it is that the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper is Appointed in the Church of Christ So the 1 Cor. 10.17 it is said That we being many are one Bread and one Body for we are all Partakers of that one Bread Ninthly And now upon all these foremention'd Accounts The Church one Body the Church of Christ is One Body Thus Eph. 4.4 5 6. There is one Body and one Spirit even as ye are all called in one Hope of your Calling one Lord one Faith one Baptism one God and Father of all who is above all and through all and in you all where you see that because all Christians are call'd out of the World into one Hope of their Calling or to the Enjoyment of the same Priviledges to one Faith or to Believe one God Father Son and Holy Ghost exprest here by one Spirit one Lord one God and Father of all and because Incorporated by one Baptism or by the Use of the same Sacraments that therefore they are one Body The Covenant of Grace that great
Charter whereby we are Incorporated into one Society is One and the same amongst all Christians containing the same Duties to be perform'd by all and promising to every One that performs those Conditions the same Priviledges And all Men are every where admitted and continued in it by the same Sacramental Solemnities and therefore the Church founded upon and Incorporated by that Covenant must needs be One. â—divided 〈◊〉 several â—icular â—es and â—ches Tenthly This one Body or Society the Church true it is is Subdivided into several particular Bodies or Churches both for the convenience of Discipline and Government and also for the convenience of Divine Worship For the convenience of Government it was anciently divided into Diocesan Churches wherein because no one Man is able to Govern so vast a Body I. 〈◊〉 the conâ—ence of â—ernment 〈◊〉 Diocesan â—ches as is the whole Church of God each Bishop had his particular Flock arising out of one City and the Parts adjoyning to Oversee and to Govern Hence we read Rev. 2. and 3. chap. of the Church of Ephesus the Church of Smyrna the Church of Pergamus the Church of Thyatira the Church of Sardis the Church of Philadelphia and the Church of Laodicea all which were so many Cities in the Lesser Asia and the Bishops of those Churches are Styl'd the Angels of those Churches in those Second and Third Chapters of Revelations And the Elders or Bishops of these Churches probably it was that St. Paul sent for to meet him at Miletus Act. 20.17 and to whom he gave that solemn Charge ver 21.28 To take heed unto themselves and to all the Flock over the which the Holy Ghost had made them Overseers to feed the Church of God that is to Govern and Teach the Church of Christ which he had Purchased with his own Blood And as for the Convenience of Government the Church of Christ was anciently divided into Diocesan Churches in which Constitution of the Church each City has its Bishop to govern and direct the Affairs of the Church II. â—r the conâ—ence of â—ship into â—ticular â—gregatiâ— So for the Convenience of Divine Worship and because all the Members of a City and the Parts adjoyning could not meet together in the same Place was each Bishop's See farther divided into particular Congregations and Assemblies under the Care of its respective Pastors Hence as to the Church of Corinth we gather that as it was but one Church in regard it had but one Bishop or Governour for St. Paul directs his Epistle thus Vnto the Church of God which is at Corinth 1 Cor. 1.2 yet in that one Episcopal Church being there were several Congregations met together for the Worship of God we read 1 Cor. 14.34 of Churches in the Plural Number and this particular Order of the Apostle about the Decency of Divine Service in those particular Churches or Congregations Namely that Women should keep Silence in the Churches Thus true it is the Church which is but one Body is Subdivided into several particular Bodies or Churches both for the convenience of Discipline and Government and also for the convenience of Divine Worship But however United by one Covenant into one Body But however those several particular Churches were Vnited into one Body by one Covenant for the Church of Corinth the Church of Ephesus Smyrna c were all called to the same Holy Profession and Calling to the same Faith in God and to the same Priviledges of Grace Pardon and Happiness as the whole Church and were admitted into that same Covenant by the same Sacraments as the whole Catholick Church was by which means They kept the unity of the Spirit in the bond of Peace Eph. 4.3 And each of those particular Congregations also in the Church of Corinth for Instance were United also to the Church of God in that City by holding no other than the Doctrine Establish'd in that Church And by being United thereby to that particular Part of Christ's Church they were United also to the whole Body of Christ and made up but one Body For as the Body is one and hath many Members and all the Members of that one Body being many are one Body so also is Christ or the Christian Church for by one Spirit we are all Baptized into one Body whether we be Jews or Gentiles whether we be Bond or Free and have been all made to drink into one Spirit 1 Cor. 12.12 13. So that the Church of Christ you see tho' divided into many Branches or Members is but one Body in the whole because United in and by One and the same Covenant of Grace And also in the Eleventh Place As also by holding Communion with each other in Hearing the Word in Common-Prayers Sacraments and in affording to each other mutual Assistances Because all the several particular Churches are to Hold Communion with each other Now as to that Communion which the Members of Christ's Church held with one another in the Apostle's Times and sure their's must be a Pattern of Church-Communion we are told Act. 2.42 that it consisted in this That They continued stedfastly in the Apostles Doctrine and Fellowship and in breaking of Bread and in Prayers They continued stedfastly in the Apostles Doctrine that is they continued constantly and also steddily without swerving aside by Separation in Hearing the Apostles Teach They continued also stedfastly in Breaking of Bread and in Prayers that is they Join'd constantly and frequently in the same Prayers and Sacraments And lastly They continued stedfastly in the same Fellowship by which is principally meant in the Original both here and in several other Places of the Scripture that Communication of charitable Assistances that all the Members did afford each other according to their several Wants and Necessities For whether any Sister-Church were under Persecutions or any particular Christians did labour with Want the other Members of the Body did Communicate to the Relief of either And the Apostle did also appoint that to be done in the Christian Assemblies when they met together to Communicate in Hearing Prayers and Sacraments ordering that The first day of the Week which was the Day of their Publick Assemblies every one should lay by him in store as God had prospered him to this Purpose 1 Cor. 16.2 So that if One Member suffered all the Members suffered with it and there was no Schism in the Body but the Members had the same care one of another 1 Cor. 12.25 26. In a word Such was the Communion which the Members of the Church held with each other in those Days which made it one Church that there was no such thing as any separate Meetings from those of the Apostles and their lawful Successors the Bishops and Pastors of the Flock set up under the Pretence of better Edification and for more pure Administrations of Ordinances No no sooner did any attempt to make such a Schism but he was accounted a Gangreen'd
their Neighbour and Themselves And whatever I say those several Duties are which arise from their several Stations in the Church they shall have a competent measure of Divine Grace Enabling them to discharge ' em They shall not have Gifts that are necessary to the Discharge of other's Offices but not of their own that is a private Christian call'd to no Office in the Church is not to expect nor ought to pretend to have received Gifts of Government and Teaching in a publick Ministerial way For God is not the Author of Confusion but of Peace in all the Churches of the Saints 1 Cor. 14.33 But every Member of the mystical Body by keeping himself United to the Head in such ways as has been shew'd shall have such Graces and Assistances derived down to him from Christ who is that Head as are necessary and proper for him And that too in such Measures and Proportions And also in such Measures as according to different Times and Occasions in the Church are wanting as according to the different Times and Occasions in the Church are wanting Thus in the first Plantation of the Gospel when the Work was so Extraordinary that there was need of Miracles to convince the Jews of the Insufficiency of Moses's Law and the Gentiles of the Falshood of the Pagan Superstition then did Christ bestow upon his Apostles divers Extraordinary Gifts viz. Of Miracles Prophecy discerning of Spirits divers kind of Tongues and the Interpretation of Tongues 1 Cor. 12.10 And as to all Christians in general as the Malice of Satan did then most violently rage against the Church Persecuting to the Death those who would not Renounce Christ and his Religion so all the Christians in those Times were very extraordinarily Strengthen'd no doubt to Resist such strong Temptations But now that the Church is Establish'd and the Truth of Christianity already Prov'd and Believ'd God does assist the Ministers of Religion only with the ordinary Graces of his Spirit in the discharge of their Ministry And as to Lay Christians therefore except it be when the Orthodox are call'd out in any Part of the World as sometimes they are to this Day to suffer for the Truth they receive no other than ordinary Assistances But this both Ministers and People are sure to do in the use of those Means that Christ has Appointed in his Church for that Purpose so very considerable on many accounts are the Priviledges that do belong to the Members of Christ's Church THE Seventh Lecture Wherein I was made a Child of God THE Preliminary Questions and Answers of your Church Catechism as I have already told you do give you a general Account of the whole Covenant of Grace And these Words Wherein I was made a Member of Christ being the First of those invaluable Priviledges made over to us in this Covenant on God's Part I have already explain'd and open'd to you what they do Import The next of those Priviledges made over to us in the Covenant of Grace is exprest in these Words Wherein I was made a Child of God in order to make you sensible of the Vastness of which Priviledge also First I will shew you what is meant in Scripture and here in your Catechism by a Child of God Secondly What an inestimable Priviledge accordingly it is to be a Child of God â—hat is â—â—t in the â—chism by â—hild of 〈◊〉 And first let us Enquire What is meant both in Scripture and here in your Catechism by a Child of God To understand which we must Enquire into the several meanings of this Phrase in the Holy Scriptures and then in which of those Sences it is to be understood here in your Catechism when every Catechumen is taught to Answer that In his Baptism he was made a Child of God And as to the several Acceptations of this Phrase in the Holy Scriptures I. 〈◊〉 the Son â—od by an â—nal Geâ—â—ion First In the highest most natural and most proper meaning of the Word there is He who is the Son or Child of God by an Eternal Generation viz. Our Saviour Jesus Christ who being Begotten of God the Father from all Eternity in a peculiar inconceivable and inexpressible manner so as to be Co-equal Co-eternal with the Father himself is call'd the Onely Begotten Son of God Joh. 3.16 But then being he is in so peculiar and high a manner the Son of God as infinitely to exceed that wherein any one else whether Angels or Men can be call'd his Sons he cannot in any measure be meant here by a Child of God which signifies a Priviledge common to many as will be presently shew'd â—ot every â—by Temâ—â— Creaâ—â— which is â—ence too 〈◊〉 Secondly There are those who are the Sons of God by a Temporal Creation and such are Reasonable Creatures both Angels and Men both being call'd the Sons of God as you will see Job 1.6 and Luk. 3.38 And that both upon the account of the manner of their Production which was by the immediate Power of God and because of their Spiritual and Immortal Natures in which both do so immediately resemble God But this is an Acceptation too wide That which is meant here by a Child of God is a Priviledge which all Men in the World do not enjoy but is the Favour which is granted to a selected Body of Men who are separated from the rest of the World Behold what manner of Love the Father hath bestowed upon us that we shoould be called the Sons of God 1 Joh. 3.1 Thirdly III. Nor such only who are Children of God by spiritual Regeneration which is a Sence too narrow There are those who are the Children of God by Spiritual Regeneration by being renew'd in the Spirit of their Minds and by being Created anew in Righteousness and true Holiness And these are such Who have put off concerning the former Conversation the Old Man which is corrupt according to the deceitful Lusts and who have put on the New Man which after God is created in Righteousness and true Holiness Eph. 4.22 23 24. They are such who are Born not only of Water but also of the Spirit that is who have not only been Baptized into the Christian Church but have been Sanctify'd by the Holy Spirit and have their whole Natures and Dispositions so altered for the Better that from Vicious and Ungodly they are chang'd to Vertuous and Holy Dispositions and Inclinations And such a vast Change wrought in our Natures by the Word and Spirit of God may very justly give those who Enjoy it the Title of the Children of God for if in the way of Natural Generation the Communicating of a Principle of Life and of suitable Operations does found the Relation and Title of a Father there is as good Reason why in Regeneration the deriving such Holy and Heavenly Dispositions and Powers from the Word and the Spirit of God to the Soul as give to a Man a
or a Charmer or a Consulter with familiar Spirits or a Wizard or a Necromancer for all that do these things are an Abomination unto the Lord and because of these Abominations the Lord thy God doth drive them out from before thee For these Nations which thou shalt possess hearken'd unto Observers of Times and unto Diviners A Second sort of those Diabolical Sins II. Such as express more of the Devil's Temper than others viz. Pride which may be more particularly stiled the Works of the Devil are those which Express more of the very Natural Temper and Disposition of Satan than others And such are Pride Envy and Malice That Pride is the very Temper of Satan may be gather'd from 1 Tim. 3.6 He was Tempted by that Glorious Condition in which he was Created to conceive highly of his own Dignity and Greatness and Merits and to have tow'ring and ambitious Thoughts of Usurping to himself a greater Power and larger Province perhaps than God had given him and for this his Pride and his Rebellion the Effect of it he was cast out of Heaven and Excluded the Blessed Mansions of the Poor in Spirit whose is the Kingdom of Heaven Matth. 5.3 And it does therefore concern every One of you to take care of harbouring in your Breasts the least Degrees of Pride and Vanity and of being Exalted in your own Minds upon the account of any thing you Enjoy above others whether a more flourishing Condition in the World or greater Success in your Affairs or upon the account of your greater Skill and Knowledge Lest being lifted up with Pride you fall into the Condemnation of the Devil as it is in the now cited Place of Timothy And indeed Pride in whatever ways it shews it self ought most carefully to be Subdu'd and Mortify'd as a Sin most truly Diabolical for it is to be consider'd That tho' the Devil be the first Author of all Sin and instigates to every Kind yet there are many which Satan himself cannot commit As for Instance He cannot be Drunk nor commit Lewdness and the like himself because these are committed only in and by the Body whereas he is a Spirit but yet he is Naturally Proud and Ambitious And therefore tho' those other as being more visible and sensible are more Scandalous in the Eyes of Men yet this more Spiritual Wickedness Pride and Ambition and a Pharasaical Censoriousness and Thinking more Highly of One-self and more Disrespectfully of Others than is meet are more truly Diabolical and have more in their Nature of the Devil's Temper And as Pride so Envy Envy is another of the Devils Qualities The Devil through his Pride and Rebellion having lost that high Station and Dignity he once enjoy'd in Heaven and seeing Man exalted to a Capacity of obtaining a Share in that Glory and Happiness from which he is excluded He is possest with the utmost Envy both towards God and Man Envying God the Service of us his Creatures and us both the Happiness of serving so Good a Master and those infinite Rewards which will be given us for our faithful Service and Obedience to him And from this his Envy proceeds that Rancourous Malice Malice also wherewith he is ever since Acted so as to be continually Contriving how to do us the greatest Mischief from whence he is called our Adversary the Devil 1 Pet. 5.8 Envy and Malice are indeed the very Natural Temper and Disposition of Satan so that he seems to be wholly made up thereof 'T was Pride as One said made him Envious his Envy that made him Spiteful and Malicious all which together make him a Devil And therefore as you would not appear to have something Diabolical in your very Natures Let all Bitterness and Wrath and Anger and Clamour and Evil-speaking be put away from you with all Malice and be Kind one to another Forgiuing one another even as God for Christ's Sake hath Forgiven you Eph. 4.31 32. III. Such as are more the practice of Satan himself than other Sins viz. Murder Lastly There are some Sins more the Devil 's own Practice than others and do therefore deserve to be more particularly Styl'd the Works of the Devil And there are these Three Apostacy Murder and Lying which are expresly mention'd as his own Sins in that One remarkable Place of Scripture Joh. 8.44 The Devil was a Murderer from the beginning and abode not in the Truth because there is no Truth in him When he speaketh a Lie he speaketh of his own for he is a Liar and the Father of it He was a Murderer from the beginning He delights in humane Gore and no doubt the vast Slaughters of Men which have been made in Bloody Wars have been through the Instigation of Satan stirring up Ambitious Princes unjustly to Invade their Neighbours Countries that he might Glut his Appetite with Blood And for the same Reason he Oblig'd the Pagans his Worshipers to offer Men in Sacrifice to him And there is no Duel fought but he is first at the making of the Challenge and then at the Murderer's Elbow to direct the fatal Thrust In these last sort of Murders he hopes to do Two Works at once to destroy both Body and Soul in one instant and to be sure he will never fail being present where he can to all Intents and Purposes so effectually do the work of a Destroyer as he is styl'd Revel 9.11 Apostacy He abode not in the Truth Hereby is denoted his Apostacy and Falling off from God and his Service another of Satan's principal Works of Sin And if any of you who have given up your Names to Christ to be his Disciples and Followers should hereafter instead of Renouncing the World the Flesh and the Devil as you have solemnly Professed in your Baptism give your Selves up to the Service of Satan of Mammon and of your filthy Lusts why you will be reckon'd amongst those that are Apostates from God and are turned aside after Satan 1 Tim. 5.15 Nay and if you should fall off from the Truth as it is here Profest in this Church of which you are Members to any Heretical Doctrines you will Imitate Satan in his Apostacy who abode not in the Truth â—â—ng and â—â—â—ially Caâ—â—iating and Evil-speaking When he speaketh a Lie he speaketh of his own for he is a Liar and the Father of it A Lie was that whereby he deceiv'd and ruin'd Man at first 〈◊〉 shall not surely dye said Satan Gen. 3.4 So contrary to what God himself had Threaten'd our First Parents in case they should Eat of the forbidden Fruit And it is by erroneous and false Doctrines which as Tares he sows in the Field of the Church whereby he has undone so many Souls ever since You must therefore Abhor a Lye or Speaking that which you do not Know to be exactly agreeable to the Truth of Things as you will not make your Selves Children of such a Father the Devil
therefore I shall bespeak such in the words of St. Peter 2 Epist 3.17 18. Ye therefore Beloved seeing ye know these things before beware lest ye also being led away with the Error of the Wicked fall from your own stedfastness but grow in Grace and in the Knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ In a word and to summ up in short what has been spoke on this Point I have at length shew'd you that next to the Destroying and Perverting of whole Churches the Devil 's great Industry is to gain over to his Party or to Tempt to the Commission of some grievous Sin such Persons as are more than ordinarily Eminent for their Rank or Quality their Order or their Piety in the Church of God And this being so since such are the great Mark of Satan it concerns those excellent Persons who are eminently Great or Good that they do especially and above all other Men absolutely and entirely and utterly Renounce and Resist all and every the Temptations of Satan so as not to yield to any of ' em Such are to look upon themselves as the great Commanders in the Church Militant who are to lead and to go before others in the Battles of the Lord against Sin and Satan but if any such should Cowardly Give back in the day of Battle and Temptation they put a stumbling Block and are an occasion to fall in their Brothers way Rom. 14.13 And what says our Saviour in such a Case Matth. 18.6 7. Whoso shall offend One of those little Ones which Believe in him that is discourage and drive from the Christian Practice by his scandalous Life any the meanest of his Disciples It were better for him that a Mill-stone were hanged about his Neck and he were drowned in the Depth of the Sea Woe unto the world because of Offences he adds It must needs be that Offences come but Woe to that Man by whom the Offence cometh So much it concerns Persons Eminent in any Kind that they be Good as well as Great THE Thirteenth Lecture First That I should Renounce the Devil and all his Works the Pomps and Vanity of this wicked World and all the sinful Lusts of the Flesh HAVING shew'd you Who the Devil is and What are his Works of Sin and how we must Absolutely Renounce both him and them And as to that other great Work of his his Tempting of us to Sin having shewed you First By what Methods he over-threw the whole Race of Mankind at first and Secondly how he does still Endeavour the Ruine of the Church of Christ and especially Thirdly of those who are most considerable for their Rank or Order or Piety therein I am now Lastly Lastly what Temptations Satan levels against all Persons indifferently consider'd in order to a more full Display of that great Work of the Devil his Tempting us to Sin to discover to you some of the more remarkable Temptations at leastwise whereby he applies himself to all Persons indifferently consider'd in the Church of Christ be they High or Low to draw them into sin In the former Attempts upon all Mankind upon the Church of God and upon those considerable and leading Persons therein whose Fall sweeps Multitudes along with 'em into Sin and Ruine Satan shew'd more of his Ambition and Pride as in setting up for a Dominion in direct Opposition to God's So in waging a War with the greatest Bodies of Men and the most considerable Leaders in the Church Militant But in these his latter Attempts upon particular Persons whereby that Spirit appears not content to Foil greater Numbers but moreover pursues his Victory to the picking up here and there every particular Stragler he expresses more of his Inveterate Malice in that he is so wholly bent upon Mischief and Destruction as to stick at no Pains and to leave no Methods untry'd whereby he may destroy every particular Soul amongst the the Sons of Men. And indeed the Devil's Temptations are the more dangerous The Devil's Temptations not easily known to be his nor always distinguishable from those of the World and the Flesh which are â—nag'd and â—ected by 〈◊〉 in that they are not easily known when they are his and cannot always be distinguisht from such as the World and our own Flesh do give us for which Reason at the motion of these two latter we do those things without Fear which if we knew the Devil had a Hand in we should tremble at the Thoughts of Committing And indeed it is but seldom the Devil does immediately by himself actuate any One to do Evil but generally he makes use of the World and our own Flesh as his immediate Instruments to move us to it Whilst he himself stands behind the Curtain managing and directing those our other Enemies to take their Advantages against us However so far as the Scripture does discover to us any Methods of Temptations to be his â—ome of the â—st considerâ—e of his â—thods of â—mpting us â—covered we may safely ascribe 'em unto him And some of the more considerable and dangerous of 'em I will lay before you As First The Devil does miserably delude People into his Power by letting 'em alone to be Obedient to God in some Particulars the better to detain 'em perfect Slaves to himself in others I. â—e permits 〈◊〉 not furâ—r some in â—artial Oâ—ience to â—d in some â—rticulars 〈◊〉 better to â—ain them â—fect Slaves himself in â—ers This is call'd a Dividing between God and Mammon Matth. 6.24 And indeed amongst the manifold Delusions of Satan there is not a more fatal and mischievous One to the Souls of Men than the Hypocrisy of a partial and Ununiform Obedience which the Devil does willingly enough allow us in I say The Devil does willingly enough allow Persons to be partially or in part Obedient for when this Cunning Deceiver cannot prevail on some to be meer Libertines to throw off all the Bonds and Ties of Religion to be as Outragious in Profaneness Impieties Villanies Whoredoms and all sort of Wickednesses as some of his Black Disciples are he is then willing to Compound the matter with such and so that they will be his a little he 'll contentedly allow 'em to be God's very much Knowing very well that if we hold out One disloyal Fort against God retain but One Rebel-Lust and give not up the whole Man unto Christ it will as certainly Condemn us tho' not to so great Degrees of Punishment as if we were wholly Devoted to Satan and gave our selves up to follow all our Brutish Lusts the word of God assuring us that Whosoever shall keep the whole Law and offend in Point is guilty of all Jam. 2.10 And our Saviour declaring to us that he will not be serv'd by Halves nor endure the Devil to share with him in his Kingdom over us Ye cannot serve God and Mammon Luk. 16.13 Thus the Devil knows it is his Interest to allow
Men to be partially Obedient to God â—his a most â—al Deluâ—n when â—ne Sins onâ— of a scanâ—lous Name â—e exchangâ— for contraâ— Vertues â—t with the â—etention of â—pieties of 〈◊〉 higher Naâ—re And There is not a more fatal and mischievous Delusion of Satan than this is especially when the partially Obedient exchanges some Sins of a scandalous Name for their contrary Vertues but lives notwitstanding in other Impieties of a higher Nature I say when he changes some particular Sins only of a scandalous Name as his former Debaucht and Lewd Course of Life for a quite contrary One of Temperance and Chastity He now assures himself it was by the motion of God's Holy Spirit he is become a new Man as he thinks and that he is now infallibly safe Thus have I often known those of the Sect of Quakers who have formerly been loose and riotous Livers Triumph very much in their present State as certainly from God because they no sooner became of this way but they ceas'd to be Drunkards and Swearers and lewd Companions and the like Whereas alas The deluded Wretch has but Exchang'd some gross Sins of a more scandalous Name for other Impieties of a higher Nature For now instead of the former more Carnal Sins he has receiv'd into his Heart the more Spiritual and Devilish Ones of Pride and Haughtiness and Contempt of others being so far from in Honour preferring other Men that he will not give the least Honour to whom Honour is due He now decries the Inspir'd Writings of God as a dead Letter and Blasphemously entitles every foolish and deceitful Imagination of his own corrupt Heart to the motion of the Holy Spirit preferring the latter infinitely before the former Nay he now denies all the great Principles of Christianity the Divinity Sufferings and Satisfaction of Christ with the Resurrection of the Body as most of our present Quakers do and so is turn'd meer Deist at the best And now who that considers this can think otherwise but that the Vnclean Spirit went out of that Man only to return into the House from whence he went out and to take with himself seven other Spirits more wicked than himself that they entering in and dwelling there the last State of that Man might be worse than the first Matth. 12.43 44 45. This is certain Such the most Irreclaimable of all Sinners the most Irreclaimable of all Sinners are those who have exchang'd some ill Practices for others equally Wicked and for impious Principles for such do fix themselves in a full Perswasion that their present Way is of God seeing it is contrary to the former which was undoubtedly the Way of Satan Whereas in Truth both their former ill Practices and their present evil Temper and Principles are the Children of the same Father tho' unlike to one another in outward Features So fatal a Delusion it is of the Devil 's to allow Sinners in performing a kind of Partial Obedience to God nay to further 'em perhaps in the throwing off some sensual and grosly scandalous Courses that he may more securely detain 'em Servants and Slaves to himself in the less discernible sins of spiritual Wickedness Secondly Another usual Policy of the Devil 's II. By putting plausible Names upon the worst of Sins under that disguise he does cheat Persons into a good Opinion of 'em and then to commit ' em in corrupting of our Manners is to Put plausible Names upon the worst Sins and under that disguise to cheat Persons into a good Opinion of 'em and then to commit ' em And he had the Impudence to Tempt even our Saviour himself in this manner He would have had him to throw himself headlong from the Pinnacle of the Temple alledging that God would give his Angels charge concerning him and in their hands they should bear him up Matth. 4.6 And this no doubt he would have him believe was a Trusting in God And in like manner by a Satanical Device the Presumption of some that they are the Elect is call'd their Faith by which they shall be Justified Rioting and Drunkenness is call'd good Fellowship and to be easily withdrawn into it the Effects of good Nature Covetousness Griping and Extortion is term'd a providing for One's own which he that does not do is worse than an Infidel And on the contrary to be Prodigal and Profuse is to be Hospitable and Charitable Spite Malice and Revenge is call'd a Hating of of other Men's Sins And the most bitter and fierce Contentions nay the most cruel and bloody Persecutions a Zeal for God and true Religion and when that Temper is justly expos'd to Hatred and Abhorrence then a Lukewarmness and a meer Indifferency in matters of Religion whether Truth or Heresy prevails Gallio's caring for none of those things is styl'd the calm and sweet Temper and Spirit of the Gospel Thus does Sin pass in the World currantly under the mask of Vertue Sin in that disguise gets Reputation amongst Men. Vice appearing in its own Colours is so odious a thing that no One but must be ashamed to own it But being adorn'd by the Cunning of Satan with Titles of Respect and in the shews of Vertue it is lookt upon with no evil Eye but gets Approbation and Reputation amongst Men. But the Devil gets a Passport for several Sins into the World not only by giving 'em the Name of Vertues But III. 〈◊〉 changing 〈◊〉 Nature â—everal Diâ—e Graces 〈◊〉 that they â—enerate inâ—â—very great â—s Thirdly By changing the Nature of several divine Graces and Vertues so that they degenerate into very great Sins It being much the Devil's Policy to Transport Persons out of that Moderation wherein Vertue does for the most Part consist into that Excess which much resembles it but is really exceedingly sinful and hurtful to Men's Souls This we gather to be the Devil's Policy from 2 Cor. 2.11 where the Apostle advises the Corinthians to Forgive at the last that Incestuous Person amongst 'em whom they had deservedly Excommunicated and to receive him to the Communion of the Church being he had Humbled himself and Repented and that Mercy he would have 'em shew him lest Satan should get an Advantage over 'em For we are not ignorant of his Devices says he that is lest the too long continuance of the Punishments they inflicted upon the Penitent Offender might be made use of by Satan to the hurt and ruine of the Church by hightning their Zeal against Sin into an Irreconcilableness to the Sinner And indeed there are many Sins and Vertues so near in their Nature that the Passage from one to the other is hardly discernible insomuch that by the Art of Satan we easily slide from one to the other As Obstinacy in standing out against all Conviction concerning the Truth is easily mistaken for Constancy in the Faith and the Love of our selves for the Love of God But especially that Zeal for God's Glory
now mention'd a most Excellent Grace in it self is often and that easily Transported into Cruelty as we see it was in St. Paul who out of a Zeal for the Law Beyond measure persecuted the Church of God and wasted it Gal. 1.13 Thus by changing the Nature of several Divine Graces and Vertues so that they become very great sins does Satan easily betray us into them â—ins thus â—aken are â—om Reâ—ed of And what is worse Sin thus mistaken for Vertue is hardly ever afterwards Repented of for whereas Sin when it appears barefac'd and in its own Colours and is known to be so is an ugly Monster and is no sooner Committed but it scares the Conscience into Grief Anguish and Repentance when it is thus mistaken for real and true Vertue it is not only securely and without the least Reluctancy and Remorse committed but is confidently Glorify'd in and the Sinner grows Proud of those Villanous Practices for which he ought to humble himself in Sackcloth and Ashes IV. â—y putting â—vices upon â—ertaking â—erities â—ater than 〈◊〉 can go â—o ' with â—esign that â—n they â—w weary â—eof they 〈◊〉 together with those their voluntary Severities throw all Religion aside as too Burdensom and not at all Practicable Fourthly It is a most destructive Policy of Satan To put New Beginners in the Spiritual Life upon greater Severities and Strictnesses in Religion than they are capable of on purpose that when they grow weary thereof and cannot go through with they may together with those their voluntary Severities throw all Religion aside as too burdensom and not at all practicable This we gather to be a Policy of Satan's from that Prudent Advice of St. Paul's 1 Cor. 7.5 which he gives to Marry'd People that Except it be with consent for a time that they might give themselves to Fasting and Prayer they should not prescribe to themselves too long Abstinences from one another lest Satan should Tempt them for their Incontinency so we Translate it but the Word in the Original signifies want of Ability to Contain or Abstain Which Inability or Weakness to go through any voluntary and under taken Piece of Discipline is an occasion of Temptation and will be an Advantage to the Tempter by which when he does at any time Attempt such a Person he may probably enough Overcome Which Inability or Weakness I say to go through any voluntary and undertaken Piece of Discipline as of long Fastings and Watchings at such set Hours of the Night or the Performance of certain Vows which some do lay upon themselves these tho' they may be serviceable to promote a spiritual Life if discreetly and advisedly undertaken by a Person and with a just Consideration had to his own Ability and Circumstances yet they are greater Severities than what many can go through with and when impos'd upon themselves by such they give occasion to Satan to Tempt 'em to throw off those voluntary Services together with all Religion as not Performable by Flesh and Blood or by any thing short of Angels Whereas indeed it is not the Substantials of Religion such as our Saviour prescrib'd whose Yoke is easy and whose Burden is light Matth. 11.30 that are so but those Accessories and Appendages to it which some do indiscreetly and without regard to their own Capacities and Circumstances lay upon themselves And here it may be useful to let you know what a Great Master in the spiritual Life observes Bona de Discretione Spirituum Cap. 6. The difference between God's Ordering and the Devil's Management of Men in these Matters concerning the difference between God's Ordering and the Devil's Management of Men in these matters God begins with us at low Degrees and gently leads us from an imperfect to a perfect State He has regard to Persons and their Age and imparts one degree of Wisdom to the Aged another to Youth one to Beginners another to the Perfect But the Devil on the contrary observes no Order but darts into our Souls unseasonable Heats and forthwith suggests Excesses in Devotion He perswades such immediately to undertake immoderate Fastings and Watchings and to mortify the Body by intolerable Penances And these Burdens because they lay upon themselves without measure they are not able to bear and then their Strength being broke and the Vigour of their Minds abated they do at length backslide into meer Indifferency and Looseness And yet to see the crooked Windings of this wily Serpent as much as he is for screwing Persons up to Excesses in Religion Fifthly Satan by Injecting of evil Thoughts into our Minds to disorder and disturb our Devotions is very Industrious to Vnhallow and Spoil those Services whereby we shall most really and immediately and directly Honour and Glorify our Maker and Benefit our own Souls V. By injecting of Evil Thoughts into our Minds at our Devotions to unhallow those Services whereby we do really and most immediately glorify God and benefit our own Souls The Devil being a Spirit can find an Entrance into our Spirits by ways which we are not sensible of And being Diving Worship is the chief of all our Services we pay to our Maker as being that wherein we do most immediately and directly of all others Glorify God and derive down Blessings upon our own Souls if rightly perform'd the Devil is therefore too too buisy about us when we are at our Devotions to unhallow and spoil ' em Thus we read Job 1.6 that when the Sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord Satan came also amongst them And so likewise Zechar. 3.1 we find that when Joshua the High-Priest stood before the Angel of the Lord Satan stood at his Right-hand to Resist him And the Best of Christians also who upon other Objects of far less Concern and at other times can fix their Minds steddily do often complain that sometimes in their Prayers they are strangely broken and the Intention of their Minds frequently taken off by odd Thoughts roving Fancies and far fetcht Imaginations This sure cannot happen but by the importunate Urgency of some malicious Spirit who is marvellously Industrious to let and hinder us in nothing more than in this most Glorious and Beneficial Service of our Prayers and Praises to Almighty God And thus he hinders the Efficacy of the Word And hence also in the Hearing of the Word does he either bring a Drowsiness upon the Hearers so that even at the very instant we the Ambassadors of Christ are Proclaiming to sinful Men those gracious Terms of Reconciliation sent to them by us from the infinite Majesty of Heaven They will even sleep all the time of its Delivery or he will endeavour to possess their Minds with such vain wandring and worldly Thoughts that the Seed sown for want of their Attention can never take Root in their Hearts And this not attending to and not considering what you are about and what you hear is expresly affirm'd
the â—onscience â—nd have â—ffled all the Methods of â—od's Grace 〈◊〉 Reclaim â—m these are â—metimes eâ—en in this â—ife abanâ—on'd by God 〈◊〉 be acted by â—â—e Devil who seem to be wholly abandon'd by God and yielded up to Satan to be Tempted by him at his Pleasure and they are such Who in a long Course of many damning Sins that lay wast the Conscience have baffled all the Methods of his Grace to reclaim them and have resisted and grieved his Holy Spirit so long till Grace be wholly withdrawn from them Such are called Children of Disobedience Eph. 2.2 which in the Phrase of Scripture does signify Persons extreamly Disobedient and of such it is said in the same Verse that the Evil Spirit worketh in them He does act them as the Soul does the Body and does hurry them into such vicious Extravagancies and to commit such outragious Impieties that they seem to be Devils Incarnate Thus did the Devil enter into Judas Luk. 22.3 after he had formerly Baffled all the good Admonitions of our Saviour to reclaim him from his Thievery and other Villanies and at length spur'd him on to commit the Blackest Crime that ever was heard of even to Betray the Lord of Life into the Hands of his Enemies And there are many ungodly Wretches now a-days who do seem to sin with so much Enmity and Despite against God that it is hard to say whether they are not Devils in Humane Shapes But it is the same thing they have sinn'd themselves to that Degree that God has given them up and the Devil seems to Animate them And lastly so â—e Witches Magicians â—nd Conjuâ—rs who â—ave Coveâ—anted away â—th Body â—oul to the â—evil on â—ondition he â—ill be for â—me time at â—eir Beck to â—ecute their â—ile and maâ—cious Purâ—ses A Third sort of Persons abandon'd by God and that utterly to the Power and Management of Satan to actuate them as he pleases Are Witches and Magicians or Conjurers such as was that Woman of whom we read 1 Sam. 28. And these are a sort of miserable Wretches so far forsaken of Grace and the Fear of God that they have expresly Covenanted away both Body and Soul to the Devil on Condition he will be at their Beck to Execute their vile and malicious Purposes For Envy Malice and Revenge seems to be the Soul that animates these Children of the Devil or else the Pride and Vanity of doing Wonders and an insatiable Curiosity of knowing those secret Things to come which belong to God alone to know has put 'em upon making such a Contract with Satan And these wretched Miscreants sure must be suppos'd to be utterly shutout from the least Glimpse of God's Favour and cast out of his Protection and to be wholly under the Power of the Devil The thing is self-evident so as not to need any Pains to make it appear And in all Probability they have also their Eternal Damnation seal'd in this World Even before they go hence and be no more seen And thus I have at length shew'd you as before Who the Devil is and what are his Works of Sin and how you are to Renounce both him and them So I have now laid open before you as fully as I could not indulging meer Conjecture but fetching my Discoveries from the Holy Scripture from which alone we can learn any thing of Certainty in such a dark Subject I say I have fully laid before you those manifold Methods of Temptation whereby he did and does still Attempt First The whole Race of Mankind Secondly The Church of Christ Thirdly The most Considerable and Leading Persons therein and Lastly Every single and individual Person indifferently amongst us Vpon the geâ—eral View of â—he Works of â—he Devil both of Sin and Temptation it does appear his Drift is no less than to usurp God's Throne and to draw the whole Race of Mankind into the same Cursed Rebellion against the Majesty of Heaven with himself And upon the general View of what has been said it does appear that the whole Drift of that wicked Spirit and of all his Works both of Sin and Temptation is no less than to Usurp God's Throne and to put up a Dominion in Opposition to his and to draw the whole Race of Mankind into the same Cursed Rebellion against the Majesty of Heaven owning him the Devil for their Lord and Master 'T is indeed a thing almost incredible that a Creature could possibly be guilty of such impudent Pride and Ambition as to justle God as it were out of his Throne and to Arrogate to himself the Homage of all the Creatures but yet it appears to be plainly so by his Tempting even of the Son of God himself to Worship and Adore him and in his Plying him so diligently with one Temptation after another never letting him rest till he saw there was no Hopes He perceiv'd that his Coming into the World was to Destroy his Kingdom and therefore he first Attacks him in the Wilderness thinking he had him at an Advantage after a long Fast of Forty Days and that in his Hunger he would do any thing to get Bread And when our Saviour alledg'd his sufficiency in God alone without material Bread he then takes him up into the Holy City and setteth him on the Pinacle of the Temple bidding him if he were so confident of God's Protection and Preservation of him to cast himself down from thence and no doubt he would order his Holy Angels to receive him And when in that also he was Repuls'd Satan try'd him farther yet and taking him into an exceeding high Mountain where he gave him a Visionary View of all the Riches Glory and Splendor of the World and proffer'd him that if he would Fall down and Worship him that is Desert the Service of the God of Heaven and coming over to him would Propagate and Promote his Kingdom and do Homage himself and cause all others to do the like to him This if he would do Satan Promis'd him all these Things would he give him Thus like a Politick Prince who would Bribe with Riches and Honours and Preferments the General of another's Army to come over to him and to Betray into his Power all his own King's Subjects So did the Devil Tempt our Saviour the Great Captain of our Salvation to Revolt himself from God and to bring over the whole Church along with him So infinitely Bent is Satan upon the Dishonour of God and our Slavery and Ruine which as it is enough to rouze us up to make a most diligent Enquiry till we fully discover all the Arts and Methods whereby he would Accomplish it So it will I hope sufficiently Justify my having been so long in laying before you Who the Devil is and what are his Works both of Sin and Temptation Lastly And now it remains only to shew you What it is and how we must renounce this great Work of the Devil his
the King of Heaven and deliver'd them by his Ambassadours the Preachers of his Word No the End of all Pleasure as well as of Recreations is to render us not less but more vigorous and lively in the Service of God and the proper Business of our Calling Which brings me Lastly To consider Recreative Pleasures and to shew you what they are in what sence and how far we are to Renounce those sort of Pleasures Now these are meerly of a middle and of an indifferent Nature Recreative Pleasures of a miâ—â—le and indifferent Nature They are neither wholly Mental nor altogether Bodily Pleasures but may be either And they are neither necessarily Good nor Evil but either one or other according as they are used For when the Mind has been long intent upon Study and Meditation it may be very convenient to Vnbend it by giving our selves some bodily Diversion as Walking Riding or other innocent Recreation And when the Body has been long fatigued and wearied with Labour it is requisite to give it Ease and it is no wise hurtful either to Soul or Body to fall into a chearful provided it be an innocent Conversation And indeed the moderate use of innocent Pleasures and Recreations is both useful and necessary It enlivens Nature brisks up our Spirits and renders us more able to set again about serious Business and Employment For to intermix no Gratifications nor Diversions with our more serious Affairs makes the Mind unactive dull and useless But Recreations the most innocent of 'em are to be moderately and sparingly us'd The most Innocent thereof are to be sparingly used by every Christian for he that shall much indulge himself in the allowed Pleasures of the World shall quickly bring himself into a Frame of Spirit that will not easily endure Patience Self-denial and Mortification and other the more difficult and considerable Parts of Religion Ease and Diversions soften the Sinews dissolve the Nerves and are apt to render us Nice and Delicate and Effeminate a Temper the most unsuitable for any Souldier because it will utterly indispose him for Military Severities Ease and Pleasure therefore must be warily Indulg'd to by the Souldier of JESUS in whose Warfare there are both Conflicts and Severities far surpassing the hardest which other Wars engage us in No if you will become Excellent in Religion nay keep but within the Bounds of Innocence you must innure your selves much to Christian Severity and Reservedness and the most harmless of this World's Delights are to be more rarely us'd than is commonly thought of He that constantly eats a full Meal will not endure a Day of Fasting and he that does not sometimes deny himself in lawful Enjoyments will be hardly able to Resist a Temptation to immoderate Gratifications But however no Man should make Sports his Business nor Pastimes his Employment no more than Cordials his Drink nor Sauces his Meat To every thing there is a season and a time to every purpose under Heaven there is a time to weep as well as a time to laugh a time to mourn as well as a time to dance Eccl. 3.1.4 And therefore such who think they have nothing else to do with their Time must consider that they have that precious Talent given 'em to greater Ends than to wast it in Divertisements Nay and those whose Ample Fortunes in the World put them above the common Condition of Mankind and are not to eat of their Bread in the sweat of their Brows need not live by a Profession and a Calling would do well to consider that the greatest part of their Time ought to be laid out in doing Good in the World in being Useful and Beneficial to the Society whereof they are Parts and Members In enquiring into the Necessities of their poorer Brethren in contriving Ways and Means both to Employ and Relieve ' em And above all in promoting Religion and the Honour of God amongst Men so far at least as their own Authority and Power reaches whether in their Families or amongst their Tenants Neighbours and Dependants And these are Employments which will yield both Satisfaction here and will be rewarded with eternal Joys hereafter These are Employments and Pleasures both and which Pleasures seldom do will turn to good Account hereafter And thus I have at length finisht all that I think necessary to say to you concerning Renouncing either the World in general or those particular Good things into which it is divided viz. The Riches Honours and the Pleasures of it There was great variety of useful Matter to be consider'd under these several Heads and therefore I have been the longer upon 'em I shall be more short upon the rest The next of which are Secondly The Evils of the World viz. Poverty Disgrace and Afflictions The Evils of the World are Poverty Disgrace Affliction These are opposite to the other Goods and they are Instruments whereby Satan our great Adversary does Attack us when the other fail him as is eminently seen in the Case of Job Chap. 1 2. But these are not so successful to Ruine us as those which are call'd the Good things of the World commonly are There is less Variety in the ways wherein these do Tempt us And we do not open the Gates of our Souls to these as we do to the Enjoyments of this World But do rather fortify our selves against them However there is Temptations in these also and I will consider 'em as briefly as I can and how they are to be Resisted by us To proceed then First As to Poverty and Afflictions for I shall not consider these Two altogether apart the Temptations that either give us being much the same These indeed instead of Temptations to Sin and Hindrances to Vertue do very often prove Mortifiers of Vice and the great occasions of a Holy Life Poverty and Afflictions instead of Temptations to Sin and Hindrances to Vertue do very often prove Mortifiers of Vice and the great occasions of a holy Life For besides that in a State of Adversity and Want we are not so subject to Pride Insolence and a Contempt of Religion nor so liable to Luxury Ambition and Covetousness and many other Sins which are too often the Effects of a prosperous and flourishing Condition The divers sorts of Afflictions and Adversities as Sickness Loss of Goods and of Friends Poverty and Want and the like are naturally Advantagious and do mightily tend to the Encrease of many the most precious Graces in the sight of God as might be easily made appear These wean us from the World and instead of Setting our affections on things below they do cause us to put our affections on things above Seeing the Vanity Emptiness Transitoriness and great Inconstancy of this World's Enjoyments we are apt to thirst after those Permanent Certain and Everlasting Joys prepared in Heaven for us When Afflictions and Want and all other Hopes and Expectations fail us we do
an Eternity of Woe and Misery His Mercy is sufficiently satisfied in laying no Tyrannical Impositions upon us as Satan and all false Gods have done upon their superstitious Votaries It is yet a farther Demonstration of his Mercy that our vertuous Performances tho' they are their own Reward here yet they shall be also abundantly Recompenced hereafter He does moreover let us see his Mercy in his long Forbearance of us notwithstanding that by our numberless Provocations we do Grieve his Holy Spirit But he has given us the greatest Discoveries of his Mercy beyond what could ever enter into the Hearts of Men to expect when he gave his own Son to be an Atonement and Expiation for our Sins that his Justice might not proceed against us and when he sent him to us with a Covenant of Grace as an Act of Pardon proposing to us not only a perfect Reconciliation with our offended God but infinite Rewards in Heaven if we would return to our due Obedience and Pay him no other but a reasonable Service I think this is sufficient for Mercy to do and if such immensurable Mercies will not win upon us it is time that as severe a Justice should then take place for we are to consider God as the supreme Governour of Men and Justice is as necessary an Attribute in Government as Mercy Nor is his Severity in Punishing the Sins of a short Life with an Eternity of Woe and Misery but what is agreeable to his Justice and Wisdom as supreme Governour of the World It is necessary in all Governments that the Laws thereof should be enforc'd with such Penalties as shall be sufficient to deter People from the Transgression of those Laws And therefore the Penalties being future it is necessary they should be vastly Great to Over-balance the Profits or Pleasures of Sin which are present It may seem hard indeed at first sight in Humane Governments that a Person for Clipping a Peice of Silver which bears the Image and Superscription of Caesar or for Stealing it from another should forfeit not only his Goods and Chattels but also his Life it self but yet since upon the Temptations of present Profit bad Men will adventure to commit such Facts and the Authority of Laws cannot otherwise be kept up nor Men's Rights and Properties preserv'd It is not thought by the Honest Part of Mankind Inconsistent with the Wisdom and Justice of Governours to inflict even such Punishments as extend to the loss of Life It is these alone are sufficient to Out-weigh the present Consideration of Profit to the Offender and effectually to move him to live in Obedience to Government and therefore these as great as they be are esteem'd but Just and Equal So here in the Government of God over us The Pleasures and Profits of Sin to compass which Men will Transgress the Laws of Heaven are but short true it is but yet being present and the Punishments Threaten'd to 'em being apprehended by most Sinners to be at a great distance they are therefore generally prevailing and Men for that Reason do venture to Transgress the Laws of God a Thing of worse Consequence than the Violation of Humane Ordinances and therefore it is no other than what can be expected from the Justice and Wisdom of the supreme Governour of the World to inflict such infinite and eternal Punishments In short Divine Vengeance as well as Humane must be such as will Over-balance the Reasons and Motives to Sin And the Pleasures and Profits of Sin being present and the Divine Punishments not taking place but in another World according to the Fundamental Rules and Reasons of Government they must be Infinite and Eternal and all little enough or otherwise they will not be sufficient to secure our Obedience to the Laws of Heaven So that there is no Strength in this Argument of Sinful Men against the Justice of Eternal Torments in the behalf of their Lusts whereby they would perswade you as well as themselves into a most dangerous Security and with-draw you from or slacken you in your Duty Secondly Nor are the Duties of our Religion hard Sayings which no Man can bear II. That the Duties of Religion are hard Sayings which no man can bear as they will likewise plead All the Duties enjoin'd us in the Gospel respect either God our Neighbour or our Selves Those to God as we find 'em laid down in pure and undefiled Christianity undefiled I say with the Inventions of Men are no superstitious senseless and uncouth Observances so much the matter of all other Worships besides the Christian but are all of 'em indeed a most reasonable Service Those which respect our Neighbour are no other than Acts of Justice Peace and Charity the contrary of which would destroy Humane Society or make us Beasts of Prey one to another And as to those Duties we owe to our selves why they are no other than that we should truly and justly Value our selves neither overmuch by Pride nor too little by letting base Lusts to reign over us or the inferiour Part of our Nature to Domineer it over our Reason and Understanding the Superiour and in all Equity the governing Part of us And what is there hard in all this that we should Quarrel with our Duty except we count it hard that God who has made us reasonable Creatures would not suffer us to Transform our selves into unreasonable Brutes Thirdly And this is a sufficient Answer also to that other Pleading of sinful Men That they are made of Flesh and Blood and therefore sure God will not require Men upon the Forfeiture of Salvation if they do not to Mortify the Flesh III. That they are made of Flesh and Blood and that therefore sure God will not require Men upon the Forfeiture of Salvation if they do not to mortify the Flesh For these Men who Plead thus ought to consider that they consist of Soul and Spirit as well as of Flesh and Blood and as the Soul is Superiour and the Governing Part within us So it is highly Reasonable it should have the Obedience of the Other And this is all the Mortification which Religion puts the Flesh to It would keep it in Subjection to the Dictates of right Reason and that is all And tho' this Mortification of the Flesh is to be exercis'd by Imposing some Severities sometimes upon the Body as by Fasting and Watching c. Yet this is no more to be complain'd of than that Refractory Children and Servants and Subjects must be sometimes kept up under Discipline as there shall be occasion Nay but Lastly say these Men God has set us in a World full of Temptations and abounding with sensual Delights and Pleasures and he therefore who has Plac'd us in it sure will not Command us upon Pain of Damnation to Overcome those strong Temptations and to Deny these Pleasures of the World Lastly that God has set us in a World full of Temptations and
Sins that have their residence in the Mind only So that the whole Man as he is by Nature and all the Faculties of his Soul as well as Body as they are unregenerate and till they are sanctified by the Spirit and Grace of God come under this one Title of the Flesh But 2. The Flesh is the whole Man not as he was Created by God but as he is now in the State of Corrupted Nature 2. The whole Man not as created by God but as he is now in the State of Corrupted Nature No Humane Nature as it came out of God's Hands was of another Frame and Constitution to what it appears to be now in its Natural State and Condition God made Man upright but he sought out many Inventions Eccl. 7.24 He has found out many ways to crook and bend down towards the Earth that Upright Nature which God once gave him 3. Then the Flesh is the whole Vnregeaerate Nature of Man as it is spoil'd as to its Original Frame and Constitution and as it is inordinately converted in all the Tendences of Soul and Body and of all the Faculties and Powers thereof towards the Creature 3. As spoil'd in his Original Frame and Constitution as despoil'd of the Image of God and as inordinately tending towards the Creature In order to the more perfect Understanding of which Matter we must in the first place enquire what was the Original Frame and Constitution of Man In what the Image of God wherein he was created at first consisted And how that in all the Faculties and Powers of Soul and Body his whole Bent and Inclinations were originally Heavenward for by thus comparing the upright Nature of Man as it was at first Created with what it now is in this State of Corruption we shall be able clearly to apprehend what is meant by the Flesh the important Subject of our present Enquiry And now as to the Original Frame and Constitution of our Nature The Original Frame and Constitution of Humane Nature what wherein God made us it seems to have been this He gave Man a Faculty of Understanding whereby he could Contemplate upon and Know in an Extraordinary Measure the wonderful Nature and Perfections of his Creator his Amazing Works of Creation his Surprizing Works of Providence and thereby was able to discover the Good and Evil in any Objects that were presented to him Next he plac'd in his Bosom another wonderful Faculty called Conscience which is the practical Judgment in every Man whereby his own Mind out of that vast Treasure of useful Knowledge did dictate to him what was Good and to be Chosen what was Evil and to be refus'd by him and upon which Choice of Good and Rejecting of Evil its Office was to give its Testimony of Well-done to the Good and Faithful Servant to his unspeakable Comfort and Satisfaction Next in the Upright Nature of Man as it bore upon it the Image and Likeness of God there was plac'd a Will which of it self is a blind Faculty and chuses and refuses according to the Information of others And in the State of Innocence it was entirely complying with the Dictates of Reason and Conscience And to descend from the Rational to the Inferior and Bodily Powers It was the Divine Goodness did implant in our Natures those which we call the Passions and Affections in a Man which are principally these Admiration Love and Hatred And it was to very Excellent Purposes that these were given us The Use of Admiration was as to Things which should offer themselves to our Approbation if Good that we might put a true value upon them according to their Worth if Bad that we might despise 'em according to the Vanity and Evil we should find in ' em And as to the two other principal Passions of Love and Hatred God's Design in implanting in our hearts the former was to move and stir us up with Vigour and Activity to pursue whatever we should find good and convenient to us And the Passion of Hatred was put into our Natures that we might avoid on the contrary whatever might be found Hurtful and Offensive And it was no other than the Divine Goodness which in the Nature of Man did place certain Appetites and Lusts Every particular Man had even at his first Creation Appetites to Food and Sustenance in order to preserve his own Being in Life and Health And Cupidity or the Inclinations of the Sex to each other was in order to the Multiplication of Mankind This now was the Original Frame and Constitution of Man And in the Perfection Order and Purity of all the Faculties and Powers of Soul and Body according to this Original Frame and Constitution did the Image of God in which he was at first Created The Image of God wherein Man was at first Created what consist So long as the whole Nature of Man was perfect in all parts the Understanding quick in discerning momentous and weighty Truths the Conscience faithful in Dictating Right ways the Will entirely Obedient to the Directions of Conscience and Reason so long as the Affections were only plac'd upon worthy Objects and the Lusts and Appetites were always under the Power and Government of Right Reason so long as Man remained in this State the Image of God continued unsullied And so long as he continued thus it is plain also that the whole Bent and Inclination of the Soul was towards God The Bent and Inclination of the Soul towards God what that to him it did point in all its Motions and did fix upon him as the End of all its Actions and did love him with the intensest degrees of Affection And that even the Bodily Part was perfectly compliant with the Soul in serving it entirely and solely to that End So that thus you see what was the Original Frame and Constitution of Man In what the Image of God wherein he was created at first consisted And that in all the Faculties and Powers of Soul and Body his whole Bent and Inclinations were Heaven-ward But now in the Unregenerate Nature all this Excellent Frame and Constitution is broken This Image of God is defac'd and all the Faculties and Powers of Soul and Body instead of Inclining towards and Centring upon God and Heavenly Things tend downwards towards the Creature 1. In the Unregenerate Nature I say That Excellent Frame and Constitution wherein Man was Originally Created is now broken 1. In the Vnregenerate Nature of the Originall Frame and Constitution of Man wherein he was Created is broken So that instead of that Harmonious Subordination of the Inferior Faculties to the Superior instead of the Wills being subject to the Dictates of the Understanding and the Affections being subject to the Commands and Sovereignty of the Will and the Lusts and Appetites being Obedient to Right Reason and a well-inform'd Conscience instead of this the whole Order and Frame of Humane Nature is now
if you through the Spirit do mortifie the Deeds of the Body ye shall live for as many as are led by the Spirit of God they are the Sons of God and so Heirs of Eternal Life so necessary it is as ever we expect the Favour of God and future Happiness to subdue the Flesh and all its Lusts and Appetites its Passions and Affections all our fond and foolish Imaginations and false Prejudices and whatever else within us which savours of Carnality to the Power and Conduct of Right Reason enlightned by the Word and Spirit of God To this purâ—ose of keepâ—ng under our Fleshly Lusts â—t was that our Reason was given us And to this purpose it is that our Reason was given us That Excellent and Divine Faculty was not certainly bestowed upon us to such Vile and Base Purposes as to purveigh for a filthy Carcass which shall consume ere long in Stench and Rottenness but to nobler and better Purposes you may be sure viz. to Govern and Manage the Animal part of us our Flesh and to render it serviceable and useful to Reason and Religion The best Philosophers amongst the Heathens the Platonists do call the Mind that Divine part of us 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Charióteer and compare it to a Rider and the Body or Flesh and all its Troop of Affections or Passions of Lusts and Appetites they compare to so many rude and wild Horses that must be Manag'd and Tam'd and kept in goood order and render'd Serviceable and Useful to the Mind and Reason Now so it is as a well-order'd and Manag'd Horse may sometimes stumble and start aside tho his Rider keep a very strait Rein and a weary hand upon him So in this corrupt and depraved State of our Natures our Fleshly Lusts will sometimes at leastwise even in the most Regenerate have some small tendencies some Imperfect Velleities and Wouldings towards Evil Things But if we shall take due care to keep so watchful an Eye and wary an Hand over 'em as presently so soon as we perceive any Evil Motion and Tendency to curb and restrain it and not willingly nor wilfully to indulge any Evil Inclination we shall by the Gracious Acceptance and Favour of God be accounted good Managers of that hard Province the Renouncing or Subduing of our Fleshly Lusts If in the general course of our Lives we act like Men endowed with Reason and Grace we shall be pardon'd all our Unwilling and Unavoidable Infirmities III. And Lastly 3. To Renounce ALL the Sinful Lusts of the Flesh what I shall have done this point when I have shew'd you what is meant by Renouncing ALL the sinful Lusts of the Flesh and in what sense and how far we must Renounce 'em ALL. And by Renouncing ALL the Sinful Lusts of the Flesh can be understood no less than that we must Indulge no part nor Faculty of our Corrupt Nature in the Transgression of any of God's Commandments All Men are not alike Addicted to Sin but according as their Temper and Inclinations do differ accordingly are they more or less given some to one Vice some to another Thus some are Naturally High-minded and these disdaining to Think in the common Road or to submit their Judgments to commonly receiv'd Opinions are always starting new Notions and broaching New Heresies Some again will be Orthodox enough in their Opinions but being Persons of warm Constitutions and Sanguine Complexions they cannot help it they 'll say their being overcome by the Pleasures of Sense The whole Herd of Unregenerate Sinners are not made up of such as are all over wicked But some are more particularly in their own Nature addicted to be Covetous some to Revenge and others to Lust and the like And then when these their Natural Dispositions are strengthen'd as is usual by long Accustom'd Habits of Indulgence to some such Complexional Vices it becomes a very difficult Work utterly to Renounce such Sinful Lusts of the Flesh But however difficult it is There must be no one Fleshly Lust suffer'd to Reign in us there must be no Indulgence to any one Fleshly Lust nor must there be any Vitious Inclination suffer'd to Reign in us for the Wrath of God is revealed from Heaven against all Vngodliness and Vnrighteousness of Men Rom. 1.18 And whosoever shall keep the whole Law says St. James and yet offend in one point that is shall allow himself in the Indulgence of any one Sinful Lust he is guilty of all James 2.10 shall be as surely punish'd as he who had liv'd in a breach of all And indeed our Business is particularly to set our selves in opposition to those Lusts Our business is particularly to oppose Lusts of Temper and Constitution which arise from our particular Temper and Constitution and to subdue them And also to break off those Habits whereby these Natural Inclinations and proneness to some particular Sins have grown strong upon us And this is that which is called Matth. 5.29 30. A Cutting off the Right Hand and a plucking out of the Right Eye whâ—ch Divorcing of our selves from our beloved Lusts because it is so difficult to go about and so few have the Courage to do it effectually it is therefore said That the Gate of Heaven is strait and that many of those who shall seek to enter in shall not be able Luke 13.24 Now this is hard Doctrine to the Carnal Man This because it is a hard Doctrine to the Carnal Man is much Evaded who is wedded to his Lusts and has no mind to part with ' em Such therefore are for finding out all the Evasions possible to shift off the necessity of such a sorrowful Separation as dreadful almost to 'em as that of Soul and Body And because they find St. Paul himself a Regenerate Person no doubt owning that he found a Law that when he would do good evil was present with him and that he delighted in the Law of God after the Inward Man but that he saw another Law in his Members warring against the Law of his Mind and bringing him into Captivity to the Law of Sin which was in his Members so that with the Mind he did serve the Law of God but with the Flesh the Law of Sin Rom. 7.21 22 23 25. Because I say they find even St. Paul expressing himself as they think as unable to Resist the Temptations of Fleshly Lusts and that all that he was able to do was in his Mind and Conscience to disapprove of that which the prevailing power of Lust within him forc'd him to commit They do therefore conclude that provided it be with Reluctance and some Counter-Strivings against their Lusts that they do yield thereto that they are in a Regenerate State however tho in the Issue they do comply therewith and consequently that it is not of such necessity to Renounce ALL but that the Inferior Appetites may be Indulg'd what the Mind and Reason do