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ID Title Author Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) STC Words Pages
A52407 Twenty sermons preached upon several texts by James Nalton ; published for publick good. Nalton, James, 1600-1662. 1677 (1677) Wing N124; ESTC R28705 269,750 474

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first work of his Conversion and it is called A Passive Humiliation because the Sinner is wholly Passive and doth nothing at all conducing to his Conversion and of this the Text speaks of Secondly There is An Active Humiliation and this is that whereby a Sinner humbles himself before God of this you read 2 Chron. 12.7 They have humbled themselves therefore I will not destroy them Now it is not this latter I am to speak of this to speak properly is nothing but the act of renewed Repentance but I am to speak of the first namely that whereby God in the first work of Conversion lets a man see the need that he hath of Jesus Christ and it may be thus described Passive humiliation is a work of the Spirit of God whereby a poor Sinner being stricken with a sense of his sin and fear of wrath doth fly out of himself and closeth with Jesus Christ I say It is a work of the Spirit of God because it is the Spirit that convinceth of sin and by convincing of sin he humbles the Soul and hence it is the Spirit of God in the first work of Conversion is called the spirit of bondage Rom. 8.15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear but ye have received the Spirit of Adoption whereby we cry Abba Father Why is it called the spirit of bondage not because the Spirit of God brings the Soul into bondage for the Spirit of God is a free Spirit Psalm 51.12 Vphold me with thy free Spirit and where the Spirit of God is there is liberty But he is called a Spirit of bondage because he discovers to us our bondage and lets the Sinner see the bondage and slavery wherein he is miserably captivated under sin and Satan A man before the work of Conversion is wrought thinks himself a Free-man We are Abrahams Seed and were never in bondage to any how sayest thou we shall be made free John 8.33 But now the Spirit of God comes and lets a man see himself in the glass of Gods Law whereby he discovers sin to be out of measure sinful and it lets him see himself in the glass of Conscience and so comes to the Sinner and says to him just as Nathan did to David Thou art the man thou art he that lieth under the guilt of sin and under the wrath of God and under the condemnation of the second death therefore look to it When the Spirit of God lets a man see himself and his bondage and that state of wo and misery in which he is then he confesseth he is in the gall of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity Again I say in the description of it that the poor Sinner is stricken with the sense of his sin and with the fear of wrath Before a man is humbled he is just like a man in a dead sleep in a drunken sleep he hears not he fears not he feels not like the Drunkard that Solomon speaks of Prov. 23.34 35 Yea thou shalt be as he that lieth down in the midst of the Sea or as he that lieth upon the top of a Mast they have stricken me shalt thou say and I was not sick they have beaten me and I felt it not when I shall awake I will seek it yet again But when once the Spirit of God comes to strike the Sinner to the purpose now sin is revived and Conscience awakened and convicted as the Apostle Paul saith I was alive once without the Law alive in my own apprehension alive without the spiritual knowledg of the Law but sin revived and I died Rom. 7.9 Then the Law shewed me I was but a dead man O Conscience now began to be awakened and convicted Sense of sin brings with it a fear of wrath and hence it is that the spirit of bondage is called a Spirit of fear 2 Tim. 1.7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear but of Power of Love and of a sound mind And this fear doth awaken a man and leave some kind of impression upon the spirit of a man so that he is awakened and looks out for help out of himself Again I say A Sinner thus stricken with the sense of his sin flyes out of himself and flyes to Jesus Christ That is he despairs of all hope and help in himself I dare say he was never a true Believing Sinner that was not a despairing Sinner understand me thus There is a Religious desperation as well as a damning-desperation I say a Sinner that is stricken with the sense of his sins despairs of help in himself this is an holy despair whereby a man renounceth all hope of help in himself and flyes to Jesus Christ This is a certain Rule The less a man trusts in himself the more he trusts in a Saviour That 's the first thing What this Humiliation is A second Question to be satisfied is this Whether the like measure of humiliation be wrought in all those that are brought home to Jesus Christ I answer No some have more and some have less according to the different tempers of mens spirits some men are more froward and some are more ingenious those that are openly prophane stout stubborn Sinners they usually have a great measure of humiliation but now those that are more flexible have a less measure of humiliation to the first God comes like a mighty rushing wind to the second sort he comes like a still wind in a more mild and melting way sometimes God breaks in upon the Sinners heart with open violence as he did upon St. Paul when he was smitten down to the ground Acts 9. Sometimes again God opens the heart without any noise as he did the heart of Lydia Acts 16. Sometimes God suffers a Sinner to lie long under the spirit of bondage those especially that he hath appointed for some special use and service to himself as the Timber that is appointed for some special service lies long a soaking before it be made use of Sometimes again Sinners are set free from Legal terrors suddenly now this is the least measure of Humiliation wrought in those that are brought home to Jesus Christ to make sin odious and loathsome to a man and to make a man fly out of himself to Jesus Christ There is a twofold Passive humiliation 1. A Legal Humiliation 2. An Evangelical Humiliation The Legal humiliation is that which consists in Legal terror and fear of wrath and the sense of Gods wrath and horror of Conscience and fear of Hell-fire Secondly There is an Evangelical humiliation and that consists in the operation of Gods blessed Spirit convincing a man of sin when the Spirit of God convinceth the Sinner and by convincing him empties him of himself and by emptying him fits him for a Saviour Legal humiliation Pray mark though it makes a greater noise yet it is not always absolutely needful for all persons which I prove thus It is not a grace
Secondly The Gospel may be said to reveal salvation in this regard because it is a means of conveying the spirit of grace into the soul who is the applier of this Salvation Hence it is the Gospel is called the Ministration of the Spirit 2 Cor. 3.8 How shall not the ministration of the spirit be rather glorious And you read in Acts 10.44 that while Peter was preaching to Cornelius and his Company the Holy Ghost fell upon them While Peter yet spake these words the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word so that the Holy Ghost was dispenced to them in the preaching of the Gospel Thirdly The Gospel may be said to reveal salvation in that it is an Instrument of begetting faith in the soul which is the hand whereby we lay hold on this salvation Faith comes by hearing of the Gospel Rom. 10.17 Fourthly The Gospel is ordained by God to be an Instrument of Regeneration and Sanctification and of Edification Of Regeneration 1 Cor. 4.15 For though you have ten thousand Instructors in Christ yet have you not many Fathers for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the Gospel And then it is the Instrument of our Sanctification too in John 17.17 Sanctifie them by thy truth saith our Saviour for thy word is truth And it is the Instrument of our Edification or building us up in our most holy faith Acts 20.32 And now Brethren I commend you to God and to the word of his grace that is the Gospel which is able to build you up and to give you an inheritance among them that are sanctified Now then if the Gospel be the Instrument both of our Regeneration Sanctification and Edification it must needs be also the Instrument of our Salvation that is for the first Quaery How the Gospel may be said to reveal Salvation Because it reveals Jesus Christ who is the Author of this Salvation and it is an Instrument of conveying the spirit of Grace into the heart who is the applier of this Salvation and works faith which is the hand whereby we lay hold on this Salvation and it is the Instrument of working Regeneration Sanctification and Edification in us and therefore must be the Instrument of our Salvation The second Quaery is this But is the knowledg of Salvation revealed only by the Gospel may some say Does not the Law also reveal Salvation Does not the Law say Do this and live To this I answer Though the Law may be said in some sense to reveal the knowledge of Salvation Yet there is a very great difference between the Laws revealing and the Gospels revealing it and that in these two respects especially First the Law does not reveal the knowledg of salvation so clearly Secondly The Law does not reveal the knowledg of Salvation so effectually First The Law does not reveal the knowledg of salvarion so clearly for it reveals it only in types and shadows and resemblances therefore the Apostle says Heb. 10.1 The Law having the shadow of good things to come and not the very image of the things He compares the Law to a shadow it had a shadow of good things to come For example The Law told us indeed of a Saviour that was to come into the World and the Law told us of the blood of Jesus Christ but it was typified in the multitude of those bloody Sacrifices that were offered from day to day and it told us of heaven and the heavenly inheritance but it was but obscurely it was shadowed out by an earthly Canaan or the Land of promise whereas now the Gospel brings in Jesus Christ fully and clearly exhibited it brings in Jesus Christ as the Day-star from on high which does enlighten us and the Son of Righteousness that does dispel all those clouds and shadows that were in the Ceremonial Law The Gospel does as it were draw the Curtain that now we may with open face behold as in a glass the glory of the Lord 2 Cor. 3. last verse therefore the Law does not discover the knowledg of salvation so clearly Secondly The Law does not discover the knowledg of Salvation so effectually True the Law hath told us of Salvation but it doth not shew us the means whereby we may attain it the Law shews us the way but it does not help us to walk in the way the Law hath commanded us to obey but it gives us no strength to perform therefore the Apostle says The Law was weak because of our flesh Rom. 8.3 For what the Law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin condemned sin in the flesh Again The Apostle tells us expresly Heb. 7.19 The Law made nothing perfect The Law could never bring Man to Heaven never was mortal man saved by the Law It is true indeed it required obedience but it gave us no strength to perform that obedience it exacted obedience upon the penalty of a dreadful curse but it did not enable us to avoid that curse for it s said Cursed be he that continueth not in all the words of this Law to do them Deut. 27.26 And it 's said the man that doth them shall live in them Gal. 3.12 Lev. 18.5 I but the Law gave no strength to do what it did enjoyn I but now the Gospel reveals the knowledg of Salvation more effectually because as it commands us to obey so it gives us strength to perform the Law commands but it is the Gospel that helps us How doth it help us it helps us thus Because it directs us to Jesus Christ by whom we may have strength Surely shall one say in the Lord have I righteousness and strength Isa 45.24 And says the Apostle I can do all things through Christ that strengtheneth me Phil. 4.13 I but here it may be objected Does not the Apostle say That the Gospel is the savour of death unto death as well as the savour of life unto life 2 Cor. 2.16 Now if the Gospel be the savour of death unto death then how can it be said to bring Eternal Salvation To this I answer When the Gospel is said to be the savour of death unto death it is not spoken because the Gospel does kill and condemn simply and in its own nature but through the corruption of mens hearts that do not obey it but do reject it that do resist it A Kings pardon you know does not kill any by it self but by the contempt of a Malefactor that does reject it and so the pardon may double the Malefactors guilt and bring upon him a more speedy and fearful execution So here the Gracious pardon of God that is tendred in the Gospel does not kill or condemn any in it self or in is own nature but through the contempt of those that do disregard it in this regard not simply but accidentally through the corruptions of mens Hearts and Natures in this regard