answer to those Jewes which thought themselves not to be under bondage because they were Abrahams seede in the flesh our Saviour tels them this externall interest did not make them free-men For sayes hee notwithstanding this you are under sinne Vers 34. Who ever commits sinne is the servant of sinne and your fleshly interest in Abraham doth not acquit you from the bonds and servitude of sinne but if the Sonne have made you free then are you free indeed As if Christ had said Abraham could not beare your sins and the wrath of God due to them for you and therefore you are in bondage still but what the Son bears he makes them perfectly free from for whom he beares it Christ came to save those that were lost And he tels us when he gave up the ghost upon the Crosse that the worke was finished And in John 17.4 I have glorified thee on earth Joh. 17.4 I have finished the worke thou gavest mee to doe Christ tels his Father that he had lost no glory in sending him upon the worke of Redemption for says he I have finished that worke thou gavest me to doe which was to worke out a perfect Redemption for his people Isa 61.1 To give liberty to the captive and to open the prison doores Isa 61.1 If this bee a truth as doubtlesse it is that what-ever Christ hath borne for a believer that a believer is fully redeemed from then it will be worthy a Saints best serious consideration in searching the Scriptures and in the Spirit giving eare to heare and heart to consider what they say Christ hath borne for us First I finde by that 2 Cor. 5.21 that Christ hath born sinne for us For he hath made him to be sin for us who knew no sinne that we might be made the righteousnesse of God in him The text speaks in the abstract He was made sinne for us There cannot be a fuller expression there is the act God making Christ to be sinne for us or taking all sinne off from us and laying it upon him as was typified under the law in the Scape-goate which went into the Land of Forgetfulnesse Now the issue and effect of this act followeth in the Text That we might be made the righteousnesse of God in him This expression is as full as the former the holy Ghost expresseth the sinner for whom Christ was made sinne to be as fully acquitted from sinne as Christ is made sinne Marke the words made the righteousnesse of God in him so perfectly righteous that God ownes the soule as one with himselfe righteous as being one with Christ who is the righteousnesse of God Now the soule that is thus righteous must needs be acquitted from all finne the righteousnesse of God and the condemnation for sinne is as light and darknesse which cannot be together in one soule If Christ once come into a soule and tels that soul by his Spirit that he hath borne all its sins and so makes the soule to believe in the free grace of God and to rest upon Christ as his righteousnesse that soule is as fully in the fight of God acquitted from sin as Christ was by God made sinne for it This soule stands before God compleate in Christ not having spot nor wrinckle in it All that can be said is said in this That soule for whom Christ was made sin is thereby made the righteousnesse of God in him So that Christ having borne the sinne the soule never more beares that in his owne person before God but doth alwayes stand both before the throne of justice the throne of grace as fully cloath'd with Christ his righteousnesse as Christ upon the Crosse was with his sinne Isa 53.6 The Lord hath laid upon him the iniquities of us all Iniquity is one with sin here now then read this truth with an eye and heart of faith that what Christ hath borne for us we are fully delivered from and then will the glory of free grace be lifted up and our soules made to rejoyce with joy unspeakable and full of glory in believing Secondly Christ hath fulfilled the Law and borne the curse of it for his people Gal. 4.4 5. Christ was made under the law to redeeme his people from all that in the law which was weight and burthen from the curse of the law Gal. 3.13 From the reigning and condemning power of it he hath satisfied and keeps the law fully for us In Gal. 4.5 6. there Christ hath redeemed us to the liberty of sons the spirit of adoption reigning in our consciences and conversations above the letter of the law so that in Rom. 8.2 3 4. There the Apostle tells us That by vertue of the law of the spirit of life in his union with Christ Jesus hee had freedome from the law of sin and death That law of commandement by which sinne revived and the soule dyed he was delivered from by the spirit of life in Christ Jesus For sayes he what the law could not enable the soule to doe because of the weakenesse of the flesh that did God by sending his Sonne in the flesh and for sinne condemned sinne in the flesh that is condemned our sinnes and satisfied his law and justice for them all in the death of Christ So that now the righteousnesse of the law is fulfilled by Christ for us who walke not after the flesh but after the spirit The law was fulfilled and had its accomplishment in Christ that is the law in the letter and the soule now through union with Christ is taken up to live in the law of the spirit of life that is the spirit of God lives in the soule and is a law and a life to it not only teaching but leading the soule into all truth it is the law of the spirit and so the law of life it is the law of love and so the law of life Nay it is God himselfe displaying his love and reigning by his Spirit in the souls and consciences of his people and so it is the law of the spirit of life and all this to the soules of his people in Christ Jesus Gal. 5.18 But if yee be led by the Spirit yee are not under the law A soul which lives not and acts not upon Christ in the Spirit so farre as as he doth not he is under the law of sinne and death in all hee doth but it is a certaine deliverance from the law of the flesh in our conversations and the law of the letter in our consciences is to be ledde by the spirit of Christ and to walke in that spirit Ephes 5.8 9. For yee were sometimes darknesse Ephes 5.8 9. but now are yee light in the Lord walke as children of the light For the fruits of the Spirit is in all goodnesse c. They were never without the letter yet sometimes darke saith the Text but the light of the Lord in which the redeemed of Christ should walke
me and so hath taken all my sinnes and the punishment due to sinne from mee And as he was made sinne for me so am I made righteousnesse before God to all eternity in him hee is the full satisfier of divine justice for mee so that I am compleatly righteous in the righteousnesse of God in him thus doth the Spirit seale and roote and ground and establish a soule by faith in Christ And in this assurance it is that the Saints have accesse by one Spirit unto the Father Ephes 2.18 as in Ephes 2.18 In this assurance the soule runnes with holy boldnesse and throwes it selfe into the bosome of his Father In this spirituall light the soule sees that there is nothing but Christ betweene him and his Fathers bosome and this Christ to be him that hath taken all sinne punishment due to the sins of his people on himselfe so that there is not the least tittle of them to stand between God and the soule nothing but Christ betweene and this Christ stands only as the way to the Fathers bosome not to keepe out as the Angel with his sword at the entrance of the garden but to carry home and to present spotless to his Father so that God may truly say of us we have his righteousnesse in Christ Ephes 1.13 14. For further proofe looke into that Ephes 1.13 14. There the Apostle having spoken of the secrets of God his election and predestination according to his purpose in Christ in whom after yee believed yee were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise which sayes he is the earnest of our inheritance plainly making the Spirit to be the seal and the earnest of a Saints inheritance It was from this seale that Job could say I know that my Redeemer liveth and that I shall behold him with these eyes And so the Apostle I know sayes he if this earthly tabernacle were dissolved I should have a building not made with hands eternall in the Heavens And thus the soule is carryed above all feares under the spirit of bondage by living upon God and Christ in the spirit of Adoption bearing witnesse to the soule that it is the childe of God and so filling the soule with God that it is quiet add established and lives boasting in God as the Apostle Paul in Rom. 8. the latter end Who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods elect who shall condemne or separate from the love of God in Christ nothing not life nor death nor any thing shall be able to dee this How knew he this why he tels you in vers 16. The Spirit of God did bear witnesse of this to his spirit And thus the soul through the seale of the Spirit quitely waites for his period in a state of grace till he be swallowed up into the fulnesse of that glory which is by the same Spirit sealed up for it as in Gal. 5.5 We through the Spirit waite saith the Apostle yea and not only wait but waite satisfied under possession the soule is satisfied with a fulnesse of eternall life as in John 4.14 There is the Spirit powred forth into a satisfying of the soul that it thirsts no more after any thing but God and is satisfied with God for it is a well of water springing up to eternall life I shall satisfie my selfe with thus much in the proofe of the first head namely the sealing worke of the Spirit of God in a Saint or a Saint sealed up to the eternall love of God by his Spirit By this we should examine our assurance of Gods love Vse whence we fetch it whether from within or from without whether from externall duties and priviledges or from an internall seale we seee it is Gods end in giving his Spirit that by it Saints may be sealed up to the day of Redemption and that we may thereby know we are his children And this wee finde to be in the experience of the Apostle Paul and other Saints Now let us aske our soules doth our assurance rise from the witnesse of the Spirit of God to our spirit Truly we shall never be established in our spirite till we come to this pitch If we live only upon those graces that flowe from the Spirit it will be a very uncertaine life for our own hearts can best witnesse how many ebbings and flowings of the fruits of the Spirit is within us Now if Gods love ebbe and flow to us as our love doth to him how changeable shall wee make God to be and how unsetled must our spirits needes be sayes God my love is unchangeable and to assure you of it I give you my Spirit to beare witnesse with your spirit that yee are the children of my love God gives his Spirit that we may looke on himselfe which is unchangeable he loves because he will love and as we can give no reason of his love so God gives no period to his love And when once the soule of a Believer comes thus to live on God himself by his spirit then he is an established soul But I hasten to the second head namely a Saints walking and working in the Spirit or the Spirit ruling and reigning in a Saint and this I gather from the 14. and 15. verses of John 14.17 There is the spirit of Truth dwelling and being in a Saint John 14.17 and the Saint knowing of this possession Here is a being and abiding a possession that leads to a ruling and a reigning The Spirit in a Saint is Christ in a Saint now Christ is a Saints head to rule in him and reigne over him And in verse 26. the Spirit puts forth an act of its Soveraignty teaching all things a Saint acting knowingly acts from the Spirit that teaches And in John 16.13 14. There is a further discovery what the Spirit shall doe when it hath possessed a soule why it makes discoveries of Christ to the soule for he shall receive of mine and shew it unto you and thereby you shall be guided into all truth And as a Saint is elected into God and Christ so the holy Spirit dwelling in him he lives in and to God and Christ possessing all fulnesse in God and Christ and making all his performances from God and Christ And thus he walkes and workes in the Spirit Rom. 8.1 2 3 4 5 6.9 10 11. and the Spirit rules and reignes in him This Rom. 8.1 2 3 4 5 6 9 10 11. speaks very exactly of a Saints walking in the Spirit and the Spirit reigning in a Saint They that are in Christ Jesus saith he walke not after the flesh but after the spirit And in verse 2. he tells us he acts only in Christ and lives by the law of the Spirit in Christ Jesus which hath freed him from the law of sinne and death As if hee should say all my duties and performances it is Christ living and acting by his Spirit in mee For saith he in the 3d verse
Lord Jesus If we make duties our object 't is too low they are not our life but the fruits of life A man doth not live because he acts but he acts because he lives The Apostle desires to know nothing but Christ and him crucified and plainly speaks this not to be found in his owne righteousnesse but in Christs Ephes 2.8 9 10. For by grace are yee saved through faith and that not of your selves it is the gift of God Not of workes least any man should boast for wee are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto good workes which God hath before ordained that we should walke in them Marke it here is workes as the fruits of our life and interest in Christ and the reason is given in the first words namely the great design of God for his own glory that all may spring from grace Now this is our interest in Christ and the life and sweet of all this will fill our soules when in the Spirit we looke on Christ as our life This may invite every soule to cast it selfe on Christ as its life and rest on him Let the soule that is the worst of sinners in its owne eye remember this it is of grace that we are saved and Christ is the great gift of Gods free-grace The Prodigall when hee said there was bread enough in his Fathers house doubtlesse eyed Christ There is in Gods eye price enough blood enough righteousnesse pure enough which makes life full enough for Christ is all this Rom. 8.33 34. Who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods elect It is God that justifies Who is be that condemneth it is Christ that dyed yea rather that is risen againe who is even at the right hand of God who also maketh intercession for us The Apostle here makes a challenge but he doth it upon a sure gound namely God justifying a soule through its interest with Christ in his death resurrection and intercession This treasure is laid up in God for thee poore soule that sayest thou hast no worthinesse of thy owne It is the will of God that the ends of the earth should looke up to Christ so that those might have milke and honey freely which have no price nor no money of their owne Poore soule I will give thee one Text to live upon for ever Ephes 2.4 5. But God who is rich in mercy for his great love wherewith he loved us even when we were dead in sins hath quickened us together with Christ By grace yee are saved Make thy condition worse then this if thou canst to be dead in sins And then know this God is rich in mercie his love is exceeding great it exceeds the greatnesse of thy sins This love is so great that it can take soules dead in sins and quicken them together with Christ and if you will know the reason of all this it is by grace that we are saved What canst thou say now poore doubting soule All life is without thy selfe it is by grace that thou art saved If thou canst not see thy selfe worthy why yet see God is gracious It is not Gods designe to looke out worthy soules but to take unworthy soules and magnifie his grace on them It will be no presumption but faith and obedience to rest on Christ to such an end as to magnifie the free-grace of God when wee rest on Christ as our life wee doe as much as in us lies justifie and magnifie that free-grace which gave Christ to be our life And on the contrary when wee will not rest on Christ wholly as our life till wee have wrought up some qualifications in our selves we deny this gift of God and our like to be from free-grace The Text speaks plainly it is of grace that we are saved Oh let God have the glory of his grace for the life of our soules lies in it there is no other way to enjoy interest in Christ but to lay hands on him as the gift of grace and it appeares that a Christ-lesse soule is a dead soule Is it better to be dead soules then to have life meerely from grace If not oh then honour grace let Christ be our life though we are wholly dead in our selves yet cast thy selfe upon Christ as the gift of Gods free-grace for thy life But in the last place If Christ be only a Saints life and a Saint enjoyes this as he lives upon Christ in the Spirit Then let this teach us always at the throne of grace to be pleading the promise of the Father the Son to powr out the holy Spirit upon us and not rest satisfied without the Spirit in any or in all externals not in a bare literall knowledg no nor a Christ only in the flesh but only to know God and Christ and to live on them in the Spirit To know truths as they are in Jesus is to know them in the Spirit of Jesus and this is our Saviours owne promise John 14.26 That when the Comforter which is the holy Ghost comes he shall teach you all things We are therefore seeking something below Christ and so apt to deifie a form because we know so little of Christ in the Spirit In John 7.38 39. There is a glorious promise of the full powrings forth of the Spirit upon believers He that believes on me as the Scripture hath said out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water But this spake hee of the Spirit which they that believe on him should receive I know nothing but this promise is the interest of all believers it is worth the pleading at the throne of grace The Apostle Rom. 8. tels us what use Saints make of the Spirit They walke by it above the flesh he cals it the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus which hath made us free from the law of sinne and death this is the spirit that dwels in a Saint and shall raise him up at the last day In the 11. verse this Spirit is Gospel-administration Saints interest under the Gospel thus Saints worship God in the Spirit John 4.23 But the houre commeth and now is when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth A Saint is wholly carried up to Christ his life by the Spirit and all the acts of his life is the workings of the Spirit in him Gal. 5.5.16 17 18. There the soule waites for the righteousnesse of Christ by faith through the Spirit and when he comes to walke in God and to live up his interest in Christ it is all through the Spirit and it is only through the Spirit of God in them that dead creatures are made living Ordinances The institution is doe this in remembrance of me Now it is the Spirit which gives an ordinance to this life Our Saviour tels us in John 6.63 The flesh profiteth nothing nor the word it is the Spirit that quickens and makes alive The reason is cleare God
and Christ is in the Spirit now to enjoy God in his originall love with Christ in all hee is as the fruits of this love this is our life and this can only be in the Spirit Oh then it concerns us to plead our interest as children for the spirit of Adoption as it is in Rom. 8.14 15 16. It is the breathings of the Spirit which makes dead bones to live Ordinances and soules will be both dead without Christ in the Spirit it is expedient to goe sayes Christ to send the comforter and it is as needfull that he give the Spirit without it we can never have fellowship with the Father nor the Sonne in whom only our joy our life and our glory will be full In this Spirit only can wee live upon Christ as hee is the bread of life and our bread of life CHAP. VI. Christs reigne by his Spirit is the Saints liberty from bondage Gal. 4.5 6. To redeeme them that were under the law that we might receive the adoption of sonnes And because yee are sonnes God hath sent forth the spirit of his Sonne into your hearts crying Abba-Father THE Apostle Paul in almost this whole Epistle makes it his businesse and designe to discover to Saints their liberty in Christ and as it appeares by the Apostles writing to them in the foregoing chapter and in this These Saints to which he did more particularly write lay under legall principles and moved with legal spirits now for a remedy of this to them and all Saints after them in these two verses the Apostle holds forth Christ under a double capacity namely Justification and Sanctification to the Believer And in both a perfect freedome from the law so far as it is freedome to be delivered from it The first of these two verses holds out Christ justifying of his people in the redemption of his blood from what ever the law could accuse them of or charge upon them The latter verse holds forth the fruits of this redemption or indeede a part of this redemption it selfe Namely this That because we are sonnes God hath sent forth the spirit of his Sonne into our hearts crying Abba Father Either of these two parts are worthy a Saints study and admiring for ever I shall lay the foundation of what shall follow in this Point Namely that it is part of the Redemption of the bloud of Christ to a believer that no law should command or rule in the conscience or spirit of a believer but the Law of love the spirit of Adoption is here given forth to that very end that in it the soule may keep its communion close with God and Christ and be alwayes able to cry Abba Father In the proofe of this we must consider the first and second Adam as wee were in the first Adam we lay under a law of Creation and a Covenant of workes as creatures to obey our Creator and in obeying to have life doe and live but transgresse and die In the day thou eatest thereof thou shalt die the death But in the second Adam the Lord Christ the Covenant we are under is not of workes but of grace the law is not in the letter but in the spirit not written in Tables of stone but in the hearts of his people by his Spirit as appeares clearely where the Covenant of Free-Grace is recorded as in Jer. 31.33 34. and in Heb. 8.10 In both places God doth not only covenant to be our God reconciled to us not imputing sin and iniquity to his people any more but also to put his Law in our inward parts and to write it in our hearts so that this way he will teach and rule in the hearts of his people under that covenant of which Christ is the Mediator God is a Spirit and when he promiseth to write his law in our hearts wee must understand him thus the workings of his spirit in the hearts of his people Letter shall be turned into spirit Christ shall be a King as well as a Saviour and as a spirituall King so his law and his government spirituall that the Lord Christ and his Father may appeare one in this great engagement of teaching and ruling in the hearts of his people by the Spirit let us looke into Christs promise Joh. 14.15 16 17.26 Jo. 16.13 14. Here the Lord Christ promiseth to performe that Office of his intercession to God for us that he would make good his owne covenant and give his spirit to comfort lead and guâ—de the soules of his people Now the making good of Gods covenant and the efficacy of Christs intercession for this spirit to rule in the hearts of his people every soule in its owne particular can best cleare up the faithfulnesse of God and Christ But the Apostle Paul in the power of the spirit sets it out at large in Rom. 8.2 3 4 5.9 10 11.14 15.26 27. Observe the exprestious of the holy Ghost in the second verse For the law of the â—pirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and 〈…〉 is mention of a double law and as distinct each from other as life and death the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus and the law of sin and death I looke on these two as that which depends on the two Covenants that of Workes and that of Grace or as it is else-where expressed the Law of the first and second husband which is the first and second Adam Now whilst the first Adam is alive in the conscience the conscience is kept under his law which is thus the law of sin and death as it makes known sin and the wages of sin which is death but sin saith the Text is not imputed where there is no law Rom. 5.13 and in Rom. 6.23 the wages of sin is death And then in Rom. 7. beginning the Apostle saith this law hath dominion over the conscience so long as the first husband lives From these places I judge I am not mistaken in the interpreting the law of sin and death but that the holy Ghost clearly meanes that law of Creation doe and live or the bare Letter of command in the conscience Only let us consider what is meant by the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus which I understand thus That through that union the soule of a believer hath with Christ it is made spirituall Christ in his Kingly Office in throned in the conscience and the the soule resting in the bosome of Christ as a dutifull Spouse in the bosome of her beloved husband and his law is the law of the spirit of life that law which is life it selfe and turnes letter into spirit One thing more I would explaine my self in that is how I understand the holy Ghost in this freedome that the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made to a believer from the law of sin and death by the spirit of life I understand Christ
in the spirit Now the freedome the Lord Christ hath made for the soules of believers from this law of Creation under the Covenant of workes It is double Namely from the condemning power the ruling or reigning power of the law in the conscience Of the first of these there is the least scruple and not being so fully within that I desire to hold to I shall wave it and keep only to the latter Namely how Christ hath freed the. Believer in his conscience from the ruling or reigning power of the law of creation in the letter only For light in this consider the 4th verse of Rom. 8. and so forward taking in the latter part of the 3. verse it wil appeare to be the designe of God in sending Christ in the the flesh that Christ in the Spirit might rule in the soules and spirits of his people God sending his Sonne in the likenesse of sinfull flesh that the righteousnesse of the law might be fulfilled in us who walke not after the flesh but after the spirit That is to walke after the rule which is not the flesh but the Spirit and so goes on to shew the difference betweenâ— flesh and spirite making it all along a part of our redemption in Christ to live in the Spirit making the Spirit our light and our life our rule and our strength In Rom. 8.14 There the Apostle speaks plainly and makes it a demonstration of our sonne ship to be ruled by the Spirit For as many as are ledde by the Spirit of God they are the sonnes of God Hee speakes in verse 16. following of the seale of the Spirit But here he speaks distinctly of the ruling power of the Spirit that hath power of a man to lead the man as it pleaseth and that is the terme here sonnes of God led by the Spirit of God that this Spirit is sufficient to rule the consciences of believers wee may plainly see in Rom. 6.14 Sinne shall not have dominion over you for you are not under the law but under grace I know not what can be more plaine then this here is a promise sinne shall not have dominion over us And the reason given is that part of the redemption of Christ to the soule of a believer from the ruling power of the law to the ruling power of the spirit of grace Marke the inference therefore sinne shall not have dominion over you because sinne shall not find you under the ruling power of the law in your conscience which affords no stâ—ength against it but sinne shall finde you under the law of the spirit of grace which is in Christ the law of life to the soule and death to sinne therefore sinne and death shall be swallowed up of victory in you by the spirit of Christ as it was for you in the death of Christ Sinne hath its repulse in the soule from the change of the law that rules the law of sinne and death turned into the law of spirit and life I can doe all things through Christ that strengthens me saith the Apostle I am not delivered from the dominion of sinne because I have the light of the law of creation to discover sinâ— but I am under the law of the spirit of life and grace not only to discover but to destroy sinne Sin hath not dominion because that which opposes it is Christ not I. Thus I have endeavoured to let you understand that light God hath given mse in this part of the redemption of his blood for his Sonne to deliver us from the ruling power of any law in our consciences but the law of love in the spirit of life But that I may be rightly understood I desire you to remember a clause that I laid down in the beginning where I endeavored to open these verses the clause is this That the Believer in the blood and spirit of Christ hath a perfect freedome from the law so farre as it is freedome to be delivered I laid it so downe that I might have here roome to distinguish betweene the ruling power of the law and the matter and substance of the law In the first sense the ruling power of the Law I doe really believe from what hath beene delivered already and some further reasons that I shall discover That the conscience of a believer is by the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus made free from the law of sinne and death But for the second part the matter or substance of the law which I take to be the whole revealed will of God and is in its utmost power and purity written in the heart of every believer Not only the whole revealed will of God in his word made flesh and dwelling among us but made Spirit and dwelling in us Thus to give you a little light I shall be more full in what followes give me leave to adde some further reasons to prove the former thing As first If the law in the letter be the rule in the conscience of a Believer then Moses not Christ must be the King for sayes the Text Moses was faithfull in his house as a servant but Christ as the sonne Moses may rule till Christ comes but as Christ had none to help him in the work of redemption no more will he in the work of ruling Secondly If Moses be to rule where Christ hath redeemed where is the making good of Gods Covenant to write his law in our hearts what benefit in the promise of the comforter that spirit of truth to lead into all truth Thirdly If the law rule and Moses be King the strength must be in our selves to obey for neither Moses nor the law in the letter can give any strength If either could Christ hath dyed in vaine and if strength be in our selves then Gods designe in sending Christ is lost which is to justifie his people freely by his grace so as there may be no roome for flesh to boast in not the law of works but the law of faith to be pleaded as appears in that third chapter to the Romans Lastly If the Law be to rule in the spirits of Gods people then obedience to that law must quiet satisfie the hearts of Gods people Now as the Apostle in Gal. 3.2 This only would I learne of you Received yee the Spirit by the workes of the law or by the hearing of faith So say I and appeale to the consciences and experience of every Saint that tasts the joyes of life in God received it you by the the workes of the Law or in the seale and workings of the spirit of life in which you are freed from the law of sinne and death So I shall come to that second part the matter and substance of the law Under this comprehend the whole revealed will of God in his word but to distinguish betweene that part of Gods word more distinctly known by the ten commandements from any other part of the revealed will
of God in his word but to the eye of a believer beholding God and every part of his revealed will in Christ all is alike In the beginning was the Word and the Word was God That was spoken of Christ now the Believer alwayes beholding God in Christ which is his originall word and the Scripture only Christ written out in the Spirit doth behold God in his originall and in his written word in every part of it one so that every part is of like beauty and pretiousnesse to the soule of a believer Having opened my selfe thus farre I shall doe it farther and declare that to have any hope left to live as sinfull nature pleases casting the revealed word of God behind their backs and under a notion of redemption to deny the Redeemer to talk of free-grace and to trample grace under foote to deny the Lord that bought them in walking as doe others that know not Christ This is so far from entring into my thoughts from that freedome I have pleaded for all this time that if I should name this and call it darknesse I should call it Aegyptian darkenesse so farre from freedome that it is bondage beyond expression The second of the Ephesians sets it out best in these termes The power of the Prince of the Aire ruling in the children of disobedience But that freedome I plead for is the power of the Lord of glory ruling by his Spirit in his children of light and life My aime is not to take away that holy just and good law of God out of the conscience of a believer but as God doth with his people in the new Covenant and in Christ the mediator of it establish them in a better covenant Heb. 8. upon better promises so would I only hold out the matter of the law taken out of the hand of Moses which was but a servant and established in the heart of Christ which is the Son and by the Son in the spirit of light and life written in the heart and conversation of every believing soule And lesse then this I thinke is not in the covenant of the Almighty when he convenants to put his law in our inward parts and to write it in our hearts For my authority in this I shall say as the Apostle Paul in the 3d of Rom. the last vers when in the greatest part of the chapter he hath pleaded this very cause that I doe he concludes in these words Doe we then make void the law through faith God forbid Yea we establish the law So that it is cleare the law of life that makes us free from the law of sin and death which is Christ living by his Spirit in the conscience is not to make void but to establish upon better promises from a law of death to be a law of life Thus much in generall But more particularly I lay downe this as my light that the law is now in the Spirit in the Gospel for a believer to walk by the law is made Gospel as Christ is made flesh the Gospel is both a perfect law of life and righteousnesse of grace and truth why should we separate that which God hath in his free-grace joyned together namely Law and Gospel in one under the government that is given to the childe Jesus Nor is the holinesse or sanctification that God lookes for in his believing Saints such as is falsehood by the law or outward command but by the preaching of faith by which the spirit is given which renewes and sanctifies a Believer and makes him the very law of Commandements in himselfe and his heart the very two Tables of Moses And though the law be a beame of Christ in substance and matter yet we are not to live by the light of one beame now when the Son of righteousnesse is risen himselfe that was a fitter light for those who lived in the regions of the shadow of death it is with the law now or light of righteousnesse as it was with the light in the creation when that which was scattered was gathered into one body of light So Christ now being revealed holinesse and righteousnesse as well as grace and love is revealed in him and and gathered up in him The word is now flesh and dwels amongst us and we behold his glory as the glory of the only begotten sonne full of truth as well as grace is in substance by the Spirit set downe 2 Cor. 3.16 17 18. verses There is the vaile taken away in turning to the Lord. There is Christ held forth to be the Spirit and the spirit of liberty to his people but observe the fruits of this liberty it is from sinne not to sinne but we all with open face beholding as in a glasse the glory of the Lord are changed into the same image from glory to glory even as by the Spirit of the Lord or of the Lord the spirit so it is in the margine Thus is Christ that Sunne to us which warmes us in the very shining upon us the Believer works walks and lives under the Gospel as beholding his perfect redemption wrought in Christ and so brings forth the power of this redemption and salvation through the spirit of Adoption freely working to the praise of his free-grace and freely obeying from the life of this redemption doing every thing in love because of his love shed abroad in our hearts and neither taking in judgements hell or damnation nay not heaven or glory to force on the worke or quicken the duty but doing all from the spirit of life in Christ Jesus except when corruption or temptation hindereth the freenesse and spiritualnesse in the duty A Spirit at this pitch is Christ and his beloved both met in his garden of spices and by feeding on the honey in the honey-combe Christ fils the soule with himselfe and delights himselfe in that fulnesse that is himselfe So the soule in communion with Christ in the Spirit sees it selfe compleat in Christ so joyes in its Masters joy alwayes satisfying it selfe in that love that is Christ himselfe and is able to trumpet out its glory to the world My beloved is mine and I am his This is Christ and his office branches setting about God alwayes feeding on the banquet of love and fitting under the benner of love God beholding every elect soule in Christ the soule beholds God in Christ and Christ beholds himselfe and all his in God and this vision in one spirit swallowes up all into one God beholds every elect soule as Christ Christ beholds every branch in him as of him beholding us in that glory we shall have with him when he appeares in his fulnesse of glory and the believing soule in the Spirit beholding its justification sanctification and redemption and Christ one in eternall love the soule is in this light transformed into this love that is God himselfe so sees nothing of God but what is all God such a soule knowes no divided Christ
the law of God though with the flesh the law of sinne The Lord Christ he ruled and governed in the mind of Paul and he doth acknowledge it for he thankes God through Jesus Christ he served the law of God with his minde and so beares witnesse to this truth that where Christ commands and governes there Gods law is obeyed And the same Apostle in the next chapter Rom. 8.2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death As if he had said I was in bondage under the law of sin in the condemning and the reigning power of it till Christ came to command in my soule by his Spirit and then I found deliverance so that now I can say It is not I but Christ that lives in mee The olde man the law of sinne was in command till Christ came but now we that were sometimes darkenesse are made light in the Lord and that light is the light of life and the love of Christ shed abroad in our hearts is both roote strength to a new life So the same Apostle I can doe all things through Christ that strengthens me Though the new creature be a worke too hard for my flesh yet it is not too hard for Christ in the Spirit Nay it is the certaine and the constant worke of the Lord Jesus to make the new creature Hee is made to us of God Sanctification as truly as Redemption so this is an undeniable truth That if any man be in Christ he is a new creature In this meditation there is much to informe us exceeding usefull for a christians knowledge As first it informes all of the holinesse and purity of God that though his grace call pitty and pardon the worst of sinners yet his purity will imbosome no soule but in Christ and in Christ he makes them new creatures The Lord Christ himselfe tels us in one Text That no man commeth to the Father but by him And this Text tels us That if any man be in Christ he is a new creature So that such souls as come and lye downe in the bosome of God come through Christ in whom they are made new creatures as God in himselfe is that perfection to whom there can be no addition so he is that perfect purity which cannot have communion with any impure thing God is that light which discovers all darkenesse and that fire which burneth up all drosse so that if filth approach his presence his light discovers it it cannot be hid from him all thoughts and things are alwayes naked before his presence and his fire consumes it for God out of Christ is a consuming fire truly he knows not God which saith in his heart that God and Belial may live together Our God is a God of glory and the glorious God he is not a God which hath eyes and seeth not eares and heareth not hands and handleth not exclude sinne and then there is nothing he is not he is the all of all the first the fountaine and the fulnesse of all but sinne so that God is so infinitely pure that he is all but what is impure hee is pure in the fountaine and the fountaine of purity Purity flowes only from God and that only returnes to God nothing but purity can dwell in God for God is pure And if thus then secondly this informes us of the riches of Gods free-grace which hath not only given us a justifying but also a sanctifying Jesus That Christ should not only deliver his Elect from the condemning power but also from the reigning power of sin not only deliver from the justice of God in satisfying Justice for them but so carrying them in his owne righteousnesse into the bosom of God where he biddeth them all eate my beloved feed abundantly and be satisfied A Saints life is bound up in God his blessednesse is to have communion with God Now considering the purity of God and the impurity of fallen man if free-grace had not made Christ our way and our Sanctification as our Redemption we could never have been blessed in communion with God If the bosome of God be a place of rest If the love of God be the foode of eternall life If that glory at Gods right hand be more exceeding and eternall weight of glory Oh then what riches is that riches of free-grace which hath given all this freely and Jesus Christ in whom wee have these and all the fulnesse of glory not only freely but full and that to all eternity If this be the fruit of grace then surely it must be rich glorious grace the fountaine must needs be precious the streames are so full of glory If we be saved sanctified and glorified meerely by grace then it must be rich grace that gives forth so richly to all eternity Thirdly this informes us of the sad and miserable condition of prophane carnal wretches the fruit of such lives tels us plainly that Christ is none of their roote The fruits of darknesse are discovered by the light but cannot be the proceeding or issue of the light The flesh hath workes as proper to it and floweth as naturally from it as any the Spirit hath And the Apostle Paul in Rom. 8.5 6 7 8. Ephes 5.8 9. Gal. 5.17 to the end doth discover both the rootes and the fruits of flesh and Spirit which are as clearely to be distinguished between as light and darknesse and is in no nearer union then the seede of the Serpent and the seede of the woman If any man be in Christ he is a new creature olde things are passed away behold all things are become new Truly this is but sad tidings for such poore soules that are yet old creatures not yet renewed in the spirit of their minds It speaks very loud and plainly to them that they are not yet united to Christ for were they in him he would soon make them new creatures The Apostle Paul in Ephes 4.17 18 19. speaking of the Gentiles Walking in the vanity of their minds having their understandings darkned being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance and blindnesse of their hearts who being past feeling had given themselves over unto all lasciviousnesse to worke all uncleannesse with greedinesse In vers 20. But ye have not so learned Christ As if hee had said such a life as that is the proper fruit of a naturall condition a man out of Christ for Christ he teacheth no such things but on the contrary as in verse 22 23 24. of that Chapter Christ he teacheth To put off concerning the former conversation the olde man which is corrupt according to the deceitfull lusts and to be renewed in the spirit of our minds and to put on the new man which after God is created in righteousnesse and true holinesse It is sad indeed for poor soules to gather that which sinne and Sathan is the roote and to please it selfe
that glories glory in this That he understandeth and knoweth me that I am the Lord which exercise loving kindnesse judgement and righteousnesse in the earth This Scripture is a full proofe to the thing in hand both in the Negative and in the Affirmative First in the Negative not to glory in any thing out of God or besides God not in Wisdome Power Riches or any other thing of that nature any thing below God himself is too low for the people of God to glory in if you will glory here is a subject fit for your glory namely God to understand and know him to bee the Lord which exercises loving kindnesse judgement and righteousnesse in the earth he that truly knowes God may glory in God who is the onely fit object of glory God is so glorious that hee makes the foolish things of the world to confound the wise weak things the mighty and despised things to bring to naught things that are Therefore wisdome power riches nobility in the world are not proper subjects for a Saint to glory in no God is the onely and single vubject of his peoples glory and when you finde them glorying it is in the Lord as in the 30. verse of this chapter the Apostle glories in this that through the freegrace of God Christ is made to his people wisdome righteousnesse sanctification and redemption his glory is in God and Christ Christ as the gift and God as the giver Christ made of God and so forth This is my glory Gods wisdome righteousnesse sanctification and redemption Christ is all this to Saints of the free grace of God Therefore be that glories let him glory in the Lord. His selfe is nothing but Christ as the gift of God his All and his Glory So the same Apostle in Galat. 6.15 God forhid that I should glory save in the crosse of our Lord Jesus Christ Hee tels them there be such which make a fair shew in the flesh that would have them to be circumcised that they might not suffer persecution But sayes the Apostle tell not me of these poore low shifts or glory for in Christ Jesus neither circumcision not uncircumcision availeth any thing but a new creature And in another place Christ in us the hope of glory I can glory in none of these empty outsides and shadowes of things it is the new Creature Christ in me the crosse of Christ the redemption of free grace the eternall love of God that I can glory in or make the subject of my glory as in that most remarkable place Eph. 2.8 9. For by grace are yee saved through faith and that not of your selves it is the gift of God not of works lest any man should boast Mark it and we shall find here is a sure provision to keep all the glory upon Gods head so that who ever glories must glory in God Why because the whole matter of salvation comes of by and from the free grace of God yea even faith the hand that layes hold of the free grace of God is also the gift of Gods free grace worke selfe is wholly excluded because God will have no flesh to boast or glory in his sight or in any thing but himselfe Therefore God who is rich in mercy for his great love wherewith he hath loved us even when we were dead in sinnes hath quickned us together with Christ therefore it is by grace that we are saved He loved us when we lay in our blood when no eye pitied us his love is first to us and from hence he makes a covenant of free grace to be our God and that we shall be his people that he will put his law in our hearts and teach his people by his own Spirit What doth all this prove but thus much That God alone is and ought to be the onely subject of his peoples glory and we shall find the Apostle Paul in this first of the Ephesians not onely in the precept but in the practice of this thing blessing of God and glorying in God in the third verse Blessed be the Lord God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who hath blessed us with all spirituall blessings in heavenly places in Christ Observe it he blesses and glories in God he mentions nothing to glory in but God in Christ God in himselfe when he speaketh of chusing electing love and glory he doth it in Christ verse 4. Chosen us in him before the foundation of the world and so forward in the fifth verse Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himselfe according to the good pleasure of his will verse 6. to the praise of the glory of his grace wherein he hath made us acceptable in the beloved And in the seventh verse according to the riches of his grace verse 8. wherein he hath abounded towards us in all wisdome and prudence Thus the Apostle spends the whole chapter in declaring the glory of the full love and free grace of God to his in Christ he is in a very glorious frame of spirit full of glory and blessing but God is the subject of all his glory and blessing So we may find him in his triumphing Chariot That Rom. 8. verse 1. No condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus and walk after the Spirit in which there is freedome from the law of sinne and death 33. Nothing to be laid to the charge of Gods elect which God justifies and that nothing can separate from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Gods love is the subject the Apostle glories in it was the love of God and so everlasting unchangeable love it was justification by the free grace of God therefore above condemnation Mark it God is the subject of his glory God justifies and God loves So in Rom. 11. latter end O the depth of the riches both of the wisdome and knowledge of God how unsearchable are his judgements and his wayes past finding out For of him and to hins and through him are all things to whom be glory for ever Amen The Apostle finds all to be in God and God the onely subject for him to glory in and give glory to What ever God doth himselfe is the glory of all his workes and God is a depth of riches wisdome and knowledge he is unsearchable in his judgements and his wayes are so full of glory that man cannot trace them he is so pure a glory that he can bee discerned by no light but his own 2 Cor. 2.14 But the naturall man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God for they are foolishnesse unto him neither can hee know them because they are spiritually discerned God is so greaâ— a glory that he darkens all glory besides himselfe so that nothing but himselfe can be a discovery of himselfe and this the Apostle declares as the glory of God he is an unsearchable and more exceeding and eternall weight of glory Therefore sayes hee
sting and Death under victory bereaved of its sting Death is a generall subject it concernes all flesh for it reacheth puts a period to all flesh truly as this other Scriptures holds it forth it is a very weighty subject and is worthy of the most serious meditations and considerations of all dying flesh that is in this life but clay wals and prisons to immortal soules such fraile buildings Death shal certainely cracke and leave in the grave til they be crumbled to dust from whence they were taken but the weight of Death lies not barely in this as it puts a period to the being and breathing of all flesh but in the sting of death which is sin and the strength of sin which is the law and under these considerations the Apostle takes it in this Scripture and in vers 55. puts a holy triumphing question O Death where is thy sting Not that hee was ignorant what was the sting of Death for in the very next verse he tels us what is the sting of Death and the strength of that sting but hee puts the question to let Death know that in the free-grace of God through Jesus Christ he had victory over him As if he had said Death I know that sinne is thy sting and the law is the strength of sinne but this I know in the Spirit of God that Christ hath born my sins fulfilled the law and satisfied divine justice for my soule so that now Death thou hast no sting in thee for me Christ in taking sin from me hath taken thy sting from thee so that now Thanks be to God which giveth me victory through my Lord Jesus Christ I can with glory put this question to thee O Death where is thy sting Death shal certainly sit in the bosome looke in the face and close the eyes of all flesh but whether in this presence Death appeares a friend or an enemie whether with or without his sting this is the great maine thing to be enquired after to be resolved in this the soule must look up to Christ behold Death first in him To be more distinct upon this weighty subject take some particular heads and observations from the words First That union with Christ gives Death to sinne gives satisfaction to the law and victory over Death The Apostle doth acknowledge that sin is the sting of Death and that the law is the strength of sin but notwithstanding hee blesseth God for victory over Death through our Lord Jesus Christ so as that which giveth victory over Death must be the death of sin and the satisfaction of the law and that is saith the Text our Lord Jesus Christ union with propriety and interest in Christ Christ by dying for his elect body did not only save them from their sinnes in being made sinne for them 2 Cor. 5. last and redeemed them from the curse of the law being made a curse for them Gal. 3.13 But did thereby give us victory over Death Christ by taking away sin bereaves Death of his sting by which Christ conquers Death for all that have union with him and interest in him so that through Christ that loved us wee are conquerours over Death Death where it hath no sting can have no victory but the death of sinne is victory over Death Christ he overcomes sinne and Death by dying he dyes for his people and his conquest over Death was for them for whom he dyed so that a believing soule looking upon Death through Christ doth triumph as the Apostle here O death where is thy sting And doth with Christ reigne over Death as an enemie destroyed and put under his feete vers 25 26. The believing soule in its union with Christ is above Death as Christ is above it not but that the bodies of Saints shall for a time sleepe in the grave but Death being without its sting is in that but a servant to put Gods children to bed for a time till corruption shall have put on incorruption and mortality hath put on immortality and then shall be brought to passe the saying that is written Death is swallowed up in victory The 2d. Observation is this That such as dye not in union with Christ they dye under the sting and victory of Death Death is as I may say death only in the sting when the sting appeares in Death then and then only hath death a grim countenance it is sinne that puts the terrour into Death but when the sting of sinne was taken away the Apostle could glory in and over Death but to Christ lesse soules Death comes in its full power It is appointed for all men once to dye and after death to come to judgement Now to a Christ-lesse soule death and sin appeares together and the sting of Death which is sin will goe along with the soule to judgement this makes death to be dreadfull to such poore soules and here Death is not a servant to lay the body to sleepe but a Jayler to bring soule and body in sinne before the just and righteous Judge to a soule out of Christ it is death to thinke of appearing before a righteous and holy God but when Death comes and the soule must certainly appeare before this tribunall this is death indeed a thousand deaths in one to such a soule it is death to live because the sentence will be goe you cursed this shall be your curse you shall live for ever out of the presence and glorious enjoyment of the everliving holy glorious God the sting of death is sinne Where death and sinne meets in one soul there death stings to death and then it is truly death because it hath its sting and there sinne hath its strength the law of God to accuse and the curse of that law to condemne to all eternity thus is Death in strength to Christ-lesse soules soules not in union with Christ I intend not in this meditation to take in all the parts of this subject for then I should be very large Nor shall I in this place take into consideration how Christ hath delivered his people from sinne and the curse of the law though both are proper to this Scripture because I have done it in some other parts of this booke I shall take that for granted and confine my meditations to that which I judge to be chiefe upon the Apostles spirit in this Scripture which is namely this The glory and excellency of Saints as we may glory in and triumph over Death through our Lord Jesus Christ First a Saint through Christ may glory over death in the very nature of it Death here is no death the sting being taken away it hath as it were lost its nature it is changed it is not what it was at first it is the nature of Death to devoure and destroy that appeares by the sting which is sin but through Christ Death is bereaved of this power having lost its sting in stead of a destroyer
Ephes 2.8 Every saved soule is a child of free grace and its salvation the gift of God in the fifth verse of that Chapter Verre 5. Even we who were dead in sins hath he quickned us together with Christ there is all in one state of death and all in one state of life and the originall of this life he brings in a parenthesis by grace ye are saved love is in God the originall of it to all alike and it never degenerates from this first principle till it comes through the muddy hearts of fallen creatures and we so much degenerate from God and from love Joh. 17 23◠latter part as we live below this love in the Originall John 17.23 latter part our Saviour there prayes that the world may know that God loves Saints as he loves him And hast loved them sayes Christ as thou hast loved me thus is Christ and Saints in one originall love And if head and Member then surely Member and Member All true Saints lye in this one womb the originall love of God Ephes 4.4 5 6. And thus all Saints are of one Body one Calling have one Lord one God and Father of all the originall love of God makes this Onenesse in all the Saints and speakes very strongly this thing That there should be a uniting of affections amongst all Saints upon the interest of Saints Secondly Reason or Consi ∣ deration 2 consider as Saints our onenesse in union with Christ the rock from whence we are all hewen whom God hath chosen to manifest to us his eternall love and to make us capable of enjoying the fulnesse of that love this union our Saviour speakes to in John 17.23 I in them and they in me that they might be made perfect in one Consider Saints perfection lies in this union surely their affections should flow from this union A Saints compleatnesse is in Christ Coloss 2.10 Vnion with Christ hath all the Arguments of love in it For there is the beauty the fulnesse and the compleatnesse of Christ upon such a soule The excellency of Christ seemes to have but little beauty in such an eye or heart as cannot love upon the naked interest of a Saint Ephes 2.5 If Christ bee enough to gain thy love whole Christ is the interest of every Saint every beleever is quickned together with Christ who in all is for eternall interest alike to all that the Father hath given him His blood equall redemption and satisfaction his righteousnesse is as compleat a robe to all his members as to any where Christ is the Head every Member is compleat in him Christ is Head to the whole elect beleeving Body the Foot hath as good an interest as the Hand or Eye God is no respecter of persons he chuses meerly of his own grace and that grace fils every soule with the fulnesse of him that is the fulnesse of the Godhead bodily So that through that free full grace every soule is compleat in him if this union ingage not love it can be no spirituall object which will doe it for the fulnesse of the Godhead bodily is in Christ and Saints are one with Christ every beame of the love and glory of God shines through Christ Whence is it then that union with Christ takes not all the affections Surely Christ bath but little love from such a soule that findes not this Argument enough to perswade him to love his brother that is one with him in Christ and lives up to his union with Christ bearing his Image Faith workes not lower effects then flesh and blood doth refined affections make stronger and purer motions then the highest piece of simple Nature can doe Now flesh and blood will act thus high I must love he is my brother we had one womb to be conceived in I must love hee is my child he beares my Image surely faith workes higher then this spirituall affections make stronger and purer motions upon union and relations then carnall can doe motion from affection made in the soule by a light of this interest He is my brother one womb of love conceived us both we are both builded upon one Rock of Ages this love out-beats the pulse of carnall affections though it beats very strong love to God and Christ is in the bottome of this motion and carries it strongly on 1 John 4.20 If a man say I love God and hateth his brother he is a lyar if there bee love to God and Christ there will be love to every soul that is in communion with Christ Thirdly Reason or Consi ∣ deration 3 consider the onenesse of Saints in the ingagement of God to all namely his covenant of free grace in which all his people have equall interest it is free from God and so equally full to all God freely ingages to be our God and that we shall be his people and that he will freely forgive our iniquity and remember our sins no more God makes this new covenant to all the new creation to the whole body of his elect in Christ which as the holy Ghost tels us in Ephes 2.10 That we are his workmanship ereated in Christ Jesus unto good workes There is not any soule hath any thing to plead for his eternall life but meere grace and this is the free ingagement of God to every soule that he hath given to Christ this is the sure mercies of David this that better Covenant 't is made in God and cannot be broken And in all this glorious interest all the Saints are one there is not a beame of this glory from God that takes in one Saint and shuts out another The weakest beleeving soule may as truly say God is my God in his covenant of free grace as the strongest beleever Fourthly consider Reason or Consi ∣ deration 4 the onenesse of that way which God and Christ hath chosen to manifest their love and their will to all Saints namely the holy Spirt John 14.17.26 Hete is a generall promise to all Saints that they shall be taught all things and this shall be by the holy Ghost the Spirit of Truth whom the Father will send in Christs Name and he shall dwell with them and shall be in them What ever truth of God any Saint hath learned in truth he hath received it from this Spirit of truth Though God as a free agent gives to his children as it pleaseth him to one more light to another lesse but all receive of this one Spirit and this I take to be that one Baptisme spoken of in the 4. Eph. 4.5 Ephefians 5. Jesus Christ administring himselfe by this one Spirit to all his Children by which they come baptized into Christ into his death and have put on Christ Rom. 6.3 4 Rom. 8.14 Rom. 6.3 4. And are led by the Spirit Rom. 8.14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God they are the sous of God To be led by the Spirit
the bare law of Commandement could not raise mee up to holy walking For flesh which was my owne strength that was weake but God having made up that in his Son Now sayes hee the righteousnesse of the law is fulfilled in us who walke not after the flesh but after the spirit And shewes in the 5th verse what it is to walke after the flesh and what after the spirit and in the 6. verse tells us flesh and spirit is the way of life and death but in the 9th verse he shewes who are in the Spirit namely those in whom the spirit of God dwels And sayes plainly that those which have not the Spirit are none of Christs And in the two next verses shewes if Christ lives in a soule by his Spirit then the body of sinne dyes There is a reigning power indeed the whole body of sin killed by the Spirits dwelling and reigning in a Saint and now all the action and motion of such a soule is from God The soule now in all its wants can have accesse to God through Christ in the spirit as in Ephes 2.18 and in Ephes 3.16 17 18. Ephes 2.18 Ephes 3.16 17 18. John 17.38 39. By the spirit in the inward man the soule is an established soule and a knowing soule and so is enabled to act for God in the Spirit John 7.38 39. There is a promise to believing soules of being so filled with the Spirit that there shall be flowings forth Out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water And this saith the 39th verse is spoken of the spirit which they that believe in him should receive Now what is the end of this fulnesse of the Spirit but that it should rule and reigne in a Saint and that a Saint should walke and act in it In Rom 6.14 There is a promise sin shall not have dominion over the Saints and the reason is given because saith he you are not under the law but under grace Christ is your sanctification and his spirit of grace shall deliver you from the dominion of sin In 1 Cor. 2.14 15. There a Saints knowledge is spiritual and so dstinguished from the world and this spirituall knowledg living in action in a Saint We shall finde in 1 Cor. 12.11 in the former part of the Chapter the Apostle speaks of spiritual gifts acting diversly in severall Saints but all these workings are from one and the same Spirit so as it is the Spirit that doth all in the Saints In 2 Cor. 3.16 17 18. There is a soule made light by having the vaile taken from its eyes and in that light beholding God saith the Text is changed into his Image Now marke it all this is by the spirits living in a soule A soule living upon God in the spirit hath the vaile taken away and lives in a glorious vision of God by which the soul is changed into the Image of God and this is by the Spirit of the Lord saith the end of the 18. Verse And so in 2 Cor. 5.14 15 16 17. There is a new creature made by the love of Christ which constrained the soul from the powerfull operation of the Spirit wherefore henceforth saith he wee know no man no not Christ himselfe after the flesh No How then Why in the spirit that spirit that sheddes the love of Christ in our hearts and thereby constâ—aines us to live in him that died for us and in whom wee are dead to the flesh but alive in the spirit And thus the Spirit acts the new creature So in Gal. 5.16 17 18 22 25. Verses There is an exhortation to walke in the spirit by which a saint is delivered from obedience to the lusts of the flesh though the flesh lusteth against the spirit yet saith the 18. Verse If yee be led by the spirit yee are not under the Law and in the 22. Verse shewes the fruits of the Spirit and concludes in the 25. Verse If you live in the spirit then walke in the spirit making all a Saints life and action to be in the spirit I will only touch one particular of the life of a Saint out of this generall namely his worship and shew you how all that is in the Spirit for a Saint worshiping God in the Spirit take first John 4.23 24. Which is our Saviours Answer to the woman of Samarias Question in the 20 Verse she as one without the Spirit questions about the places of worship going as far as an eye of nature could carry her to externalls but the Lord Christ in the 21 Verse tells her Woman the houre cometh when neither in this mountaine nor in Jerusalem shall yee worship the father your light is onely in externalls and you worship you know not what and then preaches himselfe to her Salvation is of the Jewes as if he had said God will have his people onely worship him and that in the Spirit for the time comes and now is when the true worshipers shall worship God in the spirit and gives the reason of it for saith he God is a spirit and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth This truth is very fully confirmed in Phil 3.3 false teachers in the foregoing Chapter would have brought the Saints under the law of works a gaine and the yoake of circumcision but the Apostle in this 3. Verse tell us those are the circumcision which worship God in the spirit As if the Apostle had said these false teachers endeavour to bring you under a formall worship and to make you debtors to the law of worâ—s againe But we are above it and we are to live in the Spirit and to worship in the Spirit in the 1 Pet. 2.5 There the Apostle tells you who they be that are sit for communion with God they be living stones alive in the Spirâ—t and acting in the Spirit to offer up spirituall sacrificâ— to God by Jesus Christ I but when is a man a living stone fit to offer up the sacrifice sâ—e that in 1 Joh. 2.27 But the anâ—inting whâ—ch yee have received of him abides in you and the same anointing teacheth you all thinâ—s and is truth and is no lye and even as it hath taught you yee shall abide in him Then is a man a visible Saint a living stone fiâ— to worship God and to have communion with him when he hath received the Vnction of the Spirit by which he is taught of God to woâ—ship in the Spirit and in truth This truth is not taught of man but of God and therefore it abides in him thus you see he that worships God truly worships him in the Spirit What a Spirituall Saint is What a Saint is not First he is more than a Morall-man he that is lesse than a morall-man is a beast and he that is at the heigh of a morall-man is but meerly a man a fine civiliz'd peice of clay loving himselfe and therefore doth â—ot devoute another because
refreshes the City of God namely to eye God in all his dispensations to us as a Father of love to his children doth God lay us upon beds of sicknesse and leade us through a wildernesse of afflictions in this life yet behold now are we the sonnes of God and in all this God is a loving Father and all his dispensations are filled and managed to us by and with his love Now I even now from all eternity and to all eternity are we the children of God There may be many times when it may be truly said we doe not act as the children of God but there is no time when it can be truly said that an elect soule is not the childe of God for now even before all time were we sonnes though yet we enjoy not the fulnesse of our interest as sons If you object and say must I apply this time now when I sinne must I then looke on my selfe as a childe of God I answer yes we must and no time more needfull then that I shall demonstrate this truth under these considerations First that according to the law of the Gospel and the Covenant of free-grace there is no other way left to restore a soule fallen in sinne but beholding our interest in the free love of God and so in Christ the great gift of his love that dyed for us is risen againe and now lives for us and makes continuall intercession for us at Gods right hand in glory If sin be the wound what shall be the cure but free-grace If self slay selfe who shall make us alive but Christ as wee are united to him in the love of God Whether shal we goe from the rock of ages to find relief in so sad a state and how shall we justifie it at the throne of grace if we flye to duty and possibly under such a notion as this to fit us for Christ and for mercy will free grace approve of this Is not the law of boasting excluded by the law of faith And what advantage poore soule will it be to thee when thou art stung with sin that fiery Serpent to looke on thy duties will one sin cure another No Christ is the balme of Gilead It is only looking upon thy interest in God and Christ that will restore thy soule It is nothing but looking upon Christ who was typified by that brazen Serpent in the wildernesse which can fetch out the sting of the fiery Serpent of sinne If we looke to the cause in our hearts that keepes us below ous interest poring upon a duty to relieve us under a sinning condition Wee shal finde the cause to be unbeliefe and now poore soule tell me is not this the top of all sinne Unbeliefe makes a soule deny the Lord that bought it it undervalues the Covenant of free-grace the soule must have no life till it have something of it selfe to live upon if unbeliefe may rule and truly this is the workings of our hearts when in a sinning state we doe not eye and improve our interest as we are the children of God by improving our interest in God as our Father by the Spirit The poore soule that sinnes and is within the Covenant of grace can looke upon that love of God which made Christ to be made sinne for us and wee the righteousnesse of God in him 2 Cor. 5 last That soule which eyes its interestin God and Christ hath by vertue of it in the Spirit power over sinne in all points Sin shall not condemn Rom. 8.1 There is no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus So in the reigning power of sin Sinne shall not have dominion over you for you are not under the law but under grace Rom. 6.14 But if a soul decline Christ and its interest in the love of God for its object under a sinning state goe whither it will sinne will revive and the soule shall dye This is the first demonstration of the truth That no other object but our interest in God and Christ is able to restore a sinning soule to life againe all other objects besides this encreaseth sinne in the soule and there is no object but this can carry the soule above sin A second demonstration why an elect soule should under a sinning state looke on its interest in God and Christ is this Because no other object but this can destroy the sin Sin will reigne till Christ reigne and one Text sayes Christ is made to us of God wisdome righteousnesse sanctification and redemption It is in the great defigne of God to glorifie his free-grace that Christ should sanctifie us not our selves So the Apostle Rom. 8.10 And if Christ be in you the body is dead because of sinne The power of sin dyes only where Christ lives So the same Apostle 2 Cor. 5.17 Therefore if any man be in Christ he is a new creature Olde things are passed away all things are become new It is only the presence of Christ that overcomes the old nature in man and slayes the old corruptions goe to what poole you will to be cleansed of your corruptions they will be all helpelesse in themselves If we goe to Duties and to Ordinances wee may lye there all our dayes and never have a cure of this evill of sin till Christ the Angel of the Covenant come and trouble the waters I and hee must put them in too with his owne hand of love all the cure must lye upon his hand This is the top of our glory that we are meerely passive Christ and free-grace is only active in all that concernes the good and welfare of our soules what cause then hath a sinning soule to looke of his interest in God Christ since there lies all his reliefe it is Sathans counsell wee take in so doing the mind and will of God is that wee should looke upon him whom we have pierced when we mourne I deny not any soule to melt into evangelicall teares over the least sin that lives and moves in it only be sure of this that when thou lookest on a living sin that thou lookest on it through Christ that dyed for it and lives for thee This will make kindly child-like mourning over sin and sweete stedfast resting on the free grace of God This is the meaning of the holy Ghost in 1 John 1 2. And if any man sinne we have an Advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the righteous And he is the propitiation for our sinnes As if the holy Ghost had said a sinning soule hath no whither to flye for reliefe but to his interest in Christ and to look up to God through him for says the holy Ghost he is our only Advocate with the Father to plead for us in such desperate cases he can plead his righteousness to be curs and the propitation that he hath made for us and there is no other pleader either at the barre of Justice or the throne of grace but Jesus Christ There
or parted God every tittle of revealed truth which is Christ written out by the Spirit it is all God and Christ in one and this Spirit that reveales Christ to the world in the word and to the believer in his soule this Spirit is God too that so all within the soule is God all about the soule is God and all comes from the soule is God and this is the freedome the believer in his conscience hath from the law in the letter it is not destroyed but established It is taken out of the hand of Moses the servant and put into the hand of Christ the Sonne it is not made void but fulfilled for us and in us who walke not after the flesh but after the spirit Now behold the Law in its glory changed from law to Gospel from letter to spirit from Moses to Christ from death to life from an angry God to a loving Father as it is Gospel so it is Spirit 't is Christ yea it is God himselfe On the glory of that Law which is God not only declaring the mind will of God but in the spirit of love filling the soule with strength to obey from whence we find Christ in the Gospel calling upon those that love him to keepe his Commandements God Christ and the Spirit being in the Law it becomes the law of life when the law had in it but a naked demonstration what a Creator might justly require of a fallen creature but gave no strength it is held forth under the termes of the law of sinne and death by which it had not that glory to invite a poore soule to looke on it because the soule could see nothing but its death in it but as Christ being made under the law to redeem them that were under the law hath satisfied his and our Father fully in it for us so hee hath turned this law into his law of love into Gospel into Spirit into himselfe and his Father Now this law hath that beauty which allures and takes every beleeving soule nature turned into grace it is now meate and drinke to a believer to doe the will of God in the Spirit First This will let us truly to understand who they be that be Antinomians Those that deny the Law if I may judge I should say it is those that would keepe it in the hand of the servant out of the Sonne what can be a greater denying of it then to keepe it in the Letter out of the Spirit to rob it of that glory which is God and Christ in the Spirit What soule dare put it selfe under the Law out of Christ when in so doing it makes it selfe a debter to the whole law And as the Apostle in Gal. 3.10 11. sayes So many as are under the workes of the law are under the curse of the law and under that law which can never justifie before God Now to keepe the law in such a state as this is will make every soule shun it not daring to come under it as seeing nothing but death in it Sathan is the soules greatest enemy in darkning it with legall principles that it sees not Christ so are those the greatest enemies to the holy just and good law of God that would pul that nature of Christ in his Spirit from it and leave it still the law of the letter in the hand of Moses when God and Christ hath made it Gospel-law the law of love in the Spirit The law may here complain as the Spouse did of those watch-men that rent her vaile those that rend Christ from the law rend the beautifull vaile the glory of the law from it These holds forth the law dead like Lazarus in the grave stinking and those that follow it weeping Or as Pharoah to the children of Isael doubling the tale of bricks and giving no straw what glory is there in this But those that hold out the Law in the Spirit holds it not only forth as a law that lives but a law that gives life so farre from requiring the tale of bricke to be doubled and give no straw that in every duty it brings Christ in whence we are able to doe all things This makes it plainely appeare who they be which deny the law and may justly be distinguished by the name of Antinomians Againe this exhorts Saints that seeing it is part of the redemption of the blood of Christ That no law but the law of love the spirit of life in Christ should rule or reigne in the conscience of a believer To take the counsell of the Apostle in Gal. 5.1 Stand fast therefore in that liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free and be not entangled againe with the yoake of bondage God hath not given nor Saints received the spirit of bondage againe to feare but the pirit of adoption whereby we cry Abba Father This is the life of our lives to live in the spirit It is the great promise of the Gospel to give the Spirit This would I know when doth the soule feast but when God spreads tables of love and in the Spirit bids us eate my beloved eate abundantly and be satisfied Nature teaches the outward man to stand for liberty oh then what should grace doe how should this stirre us up to stand for that liberty which is our life loose this and loose all your spirituall life in a moment doe but once looke on the law out of Christ and it will be with us as those in 2 Cor. 3.15 But even to this day when Moses is read the vaile is upon their hearts This vaile will be a vaile of darknesse that the soule shall not see Christ in propriety in any of his offices benefits or merits If any or all these be deare oh then stand fast in this liberty wherewith Christ bath made us free This is that freedome the Sonne hath made which is freedome indeed But if the Sonne make us not free then are we bond men to eternity If thy heart be hard looke on him whom you have piereed and then shall it be evangelically melted If sinne sting thy conscience looke on him that is is lifted up which the brazen Serpent typified this is our freedome and Christs prerogative the governement is on his shoulders he is that King and his Spirit that Law which is only to reigne in the conscience of his people Why should not our soules count deare of that which is so deare to Christ and all his people This is that glory Christ will not give to another therefore this is that glory wee should only give to Christ Oh then admire and extoll for ever this glory of the riches of the free-grace of God in Christ that hath freely given this state of grace this glorious state to us that were by nature the children of wrath as well as others It doth not yet appear what we shall be so that more glory shall be then is yet revealed but our soules must confesse that
which doth appeare is more glory then wee can expresse Sure then it is our duty to admire and extoll the riches of this free-grace which hath freed us from the law of sinne and death translated us from the power of darkenesse to the Kingdome and government of his deare Sonne enthron'd Christ in our hearts and written his holy law there in his Spirit Oh let us extoll this God in the fruits of the Spirit which is love joy peace long suffering gentlenesse goodnesse faith meekenesse temperance against which there is no law Thus I shall conclude This is our freedome so to live in the Spirit as to be led by the Spirit CHAP. VII Saints are compleat before God in their union with Christ Coloss 2.9 and part of the 10. vers For in him dwels all the fulnesse of the God-head bodily and yee are compleat in him THIS portion of Scripture is a part of Pauls Epistile to the Church of God at Colosse it is the very center of all those sweete comforts that the holy Ghost hath dropped downe in this Epistle Nay sure I am it holds forth the corner-stone of all the building A Saints perfection and the reason of it is the subject-matter of this Scripture The reason stands first in reading as a foundation is laid before a sure building The Apostle holding forth a Saints compleatnesse sets before it Christ fulnesse From these drops we may observe these two points First That a Saint hath no compleatnesse in the sight of God Observ 1 but as it is united to Christ And secondly That as a Saint is one with Christ Observ 2 so he stands compleat before God in Gods owne fulnesse First That a Saint hath no compleatnesse in the sight of God but as it is united to Christ To prove this First observe the scope of the holy Ghost in this Scripture For in him which is Christ dwels all the fulness of the God head bodily Here the holy Ghost takes in the God-head in all the fulnesse of it and centers it in Christ and so makes out the Saints perfection in union with him As if he had said all fulnesse in perfection dwels in Christ as the fountaine or the body and is so in you as you are in him hee filled for you you filled in him hee compleat as one with God you compleat as one with him as Christ sayes himselfe I in the Father and you in me Mark it till the holy Ghost had center'd all fulnesse in Christ hee mentions no compleatnesse for a Saint which points at this truth had not Christ been full for us wee had never beene compleat and when he doth mention the Saints compleatnesse he doth it inclusively compleat in him This is not only full mercy but also it springs from pure love it is free-grace that wee are compleat in him for free-grace sees no compleatnesse but in him Thou art my beloved Sonne sayes God speaking of Christ in whom I am well pleased And in another place I beheld the travell of his soule and am well pleased I never met with any mention of God being well pleased and satisfied but Christ was Alpha and Omega all in all in it This which is already laid down makes a fair way for such a quere as this is Pray wherein lyes the compleatnesse of a Saint what are the parts or substance of Saints compleatnesse or fulnesse To this I answer it will be best discerned by its contrary The Saints fulnesse and compleatenesse before God in Christ will be most transparent when wee spiritually discern our condition in the first Adam and that will appear in Ephes 2.1 2 3. The Apostle speaking there of a state of nature speaks of a person dead in sins and trespasses walking according to the course of the wicked world and the will of Sathan that Prince of the Aire fulfilling the lusts of the flesh and so by nature the children of wrath This is the state of a naturall man under the wrath of God separated from the bosome of God and so dead in sins and trespasses a vassall to Sathan led by his will according to the course of the wicked world fulfilling the lusts of the flesh alienated from God Christ from the Common-wealth of Israel breaking every holy law of God so often as Sathan will And then not having Christ made a curse for him lyes under the curse of the law and the wrath of God to all eternity A soule fully delivered from this state and compleatly stated in the bosome of God and in glory with Christ will be acknowledged a full compleatnesse First observe the state of nature drawne into these heads First the wrath of God Secondly vassalage or slavery under Sathan to be led to the fulfilling of lusts at his will And lastly to be dead in sins and trespasses In opposition to these I shall hold out justification sanctification and glorification And in these three heads I shall endeavour to shew how we are compleat in him namely Christ First how Christ is our compleat Justification see this in Rom. 3.20 to the 25. Here Justification exclusively and inclusively is set forth In vers 20. By the deeds of the law no flesh is justified in his sight There the holy Ghost shews where it is not by deeds of the law I under stand our best duâ—â—s the highest performances wee can make to the will of God in this no justification But then looke into the 24. verse and there you shall see Justification lying between or in these two breasts that alwayes flow with eternall life namely the free grace of God and the redemption of the blood of Christ here is free-grace giving Christ to be our redemption and Christ in his blood giving satisfaction to his Fathers justice bringing us to lye down in the bosome of this free-grace which gave him out for us he doth this by being made a curse for us Gol. 3.13 God and Christ are one in this as in all things else for layes the Text He hath made him to become sinne for us that we might be made the righteousnesse of God in him Isa 53.5.11 marke there Christ is wounded for our transgressions bruised for our iniquities the chastisement of our peace laid on him Now marke the issue with his stripes we are healed And God sees the travell of his soule and is satisfied Here is God satisfied our soules healed and all this through the wounds of Christ The whole booke of God his sull of this take for proofe only these two places more Coloss 1.13 14. and then I thinke it will stand fair to view that the clect Sâ—int stands before God for just fication compleat in Christe this is the part of the compleatnesse wee have in Christ and so delivered from the wrath of God for as one Text sayes were there no law there would be no finne if no rule then no transgression so may I say the curse being born and the law satisfied
reason is this To give the World a true discovery of my spirit and light in those things which I count weighty and every truth of them to be of more concernment then a thousand Worlds I cannot tell the thoughts of men concerning my selfe nor will presume to take the place of God to judge the thoughts of any but this I can truly tell that in the following truths I have clearely opened my heart to the view of every Reader and have faithfully given to the World what light God hath given to me in those maine truths and fundamentalls of salvation in which my soule lives and what I can cheerefully dye in the next moment This is all I shall say I blesse the Lord I am single hearted in this worke let men judge of me and it according to to their light I have no other end then this That the eternall loving kindnesse and free grace of God may be lifted up in the World and that all his people may know how good a God hee is I confesse these truths of God were in my soule like new Wine in old Bottles my flesh could imprison them no longer and now they are abroad give me leave Reader with them to give thee a word of caution If thou beest spirituall and understandest these truths of God in the spirit and findest them sweet then blesse the Lord let thy heart praise him and thy eye be singly set on him overlooke the creature wholy unlesse it be to glory in the Lord that hath magnified his free grace to so weake a one as my selfe is I acknowledge the truths to be Gods and revealed by his spirit of truth so that the beauty of them must center no where but in him but all the failings and weaknesses from first to last are mine the fruits of my flesh and darknesse I beseech you let God have his due glory though you blame me for my failings let not my weaknesses prejudice any soule against the precious truths of God I trust there is nothing but what are truths of God though weakly managed and if any one amongst those many thousands more descerning eyes then mine shall finde out any thing that is not so I trust if in a spirit of love and meeknesse it be made knowne to me I shall blesse God for that soule and honour his truth by acknowledging my owne errours And to the scorner I shall onely say this I wish you could singly scorne me in it and not God then would your sinne be the lesse and so would my sorrow too for God hath carried me above your scornes and were not your sinnes increased by it the care of either side would be but very small Let me deale plainely with you you wrong your selves not me for I can both live and dye full of joy and rest in the love of God though you shall please your selves in scorning and deriding me and all the returne I shall make to this will be to pity your darknesse and to pray the Lord to give you the light of his spirit by which you may truly know him and Jesus Christ which he hath sent and then I know you will be new creatures I shall hold you no longer in the porch but open every doore of the house that you may both read and see the truths of God made knowne by his spirit to the weakest and one as unworthy as any of his Servants Rob Tichbourne The Contents of the severall Chapters contained in this Booke LOVE to all SAINTS shews union with Christ By this shall all men know that ye are my Disciples if yee love one another John 13.35 What Christ hath borne for Saints they shall never beare themselves For as many as are of the workes of the law are under the curse for it is written cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the booke of the law to doe them But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God it is evident for the just shall live by faith And the law is not of faith but the man that doth them shall live in them Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law being made a curse for us for it is written cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree There is neither Jew nor Greeke there is neither bond nor free there is neither male nor female for yee are all one in Christ Jesus And if ye be Christs then are yee Abrahams seed and heirs according to promise Gal. 3.10 11 12 13.28 29. Gods Children have his Spirit to walk and work in For as many as are led by the Spirit of God they are the sonnes of God For yee have not received the spirit of bondage again to feare but yee have received the spirit of adoption whereby we cry Abba-Father The Spirit it selfe bearing witnesse with our spirit that we are the children of God Rom. 8.14 15 16. Gods love giveth Saints to know they shall appeare like Christ Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us that we should be called the sonnes of God Therefore the world knows us not because it knew not him Beloved now are we the sons of God and it doth not yet appeare what we shall be but we know that when hee shall appeare we shall be like him for wee shall see him as he is 1 John 3.1 2. Christ is the foode of living soules I am that bread of life John 6.48 Christs reigne by his Spirit is the Saints liberty from bondage To redeeme them that were under the law that we might receive the adoption of sons And because ye are sons God hath sent forth the spirit of his Son into your hearts crying Abba-Father Gal. 4.5 6. Saints are compleate before God in their union with Christ For in him dwels all the fulnesse of the God-head bodily and yee are compleat in him Coloss 2.9 Free-grace in God justifieth redeemeth through Christ Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus Rom. 3.24 Christ and the new creature are unseparable Therefore if any man be in Christ hee is a new creature 2 Cor. 5.17 Vanity and vexation of spirit compasseth all things under the sunne I have seene all the workes that are done under the Sun and behold all is vanity and vexation of spirit Eccles 1.14 A Saints excellency is to have no will in himselfe but the will of God Saying Father if thou be willing remove this cup from me neverthelesse not my will but thine be done Luke 22.42 No man exceedes another in excellency but by received mercies For who maketh thee to differ from another and what hast thou that thou didst not receive 1 Cor. 4.7 None but God can be a proper subject for a Saint to glory in He that glorieth let him glory in the Lord 1 Cor. 1. part of the 30. vers Saints have victory through Christ over Death and by faith glory
the man that is not discerned or not esteemed nay very naturall relations upon this account come to be forgotten O the hideous effects of these fleshly wayes which destroyes all that is good of outward and inward man O that the streames of our contentions might be turned and our strivings to exceed may bee built upon a better foundation then a bare form of godlinesse even upon the power of godlinesse let us strive to exceed in holinesse and humility who shall be most like to our head and be made most conformable to the death of Christ A fine piece of Nature may talke up much of Christ and contend much for Gospel-formes but it is onely the workings of the Spirit by which a soul doth live up much of Christ Circumcision or uncircumcision it avails nothing but the new creature and it is spirituall worship that God requires John 4.24 John 4.24 God is a Spirit and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and truth And in Rom. Rom. 8.14 8.14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God they are the Sonnes of God This Spirit discovers the mind of God to his people in every form he would have them to receive but it also carries the soule through and above every forme to live upon God himselfe Gal. 5.22 23. and in the power of godlinesse Gal. 5.22.23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love joy peace long-suffering gentlenesse goodnes faith meeknes temperance and so forth And in the 25 verse If you live in the Spirit also walk in the Spirit It is not a bare talking either of Form or Spirit but a living up to God in the Spirit the fruits of which is love and so forth ambition to exceed in these fruits of the Spirit is that which God will own and crown it is safe and sweete diving into these deepes these be heights and breadths and depths and lengths indeed but God is to be found in them all so that there is no feare of miscarying but empty formes without God become our ruine I may truly say with the Prophet that we give our money for that which is not bread when we spend the zeale of our spirits in contending for formes of godlinesse I shall ever account best of that which leaves most of God and least of selfe behinde it And truly my experience tels me that when my thoughts and affections have travelled most through this pleasant path of God in the Spirit and the power of godlinesse this hath been the effect of it God hath in a good measure dispossessed the old man in me and giuen possession to the new man the Lord Jesus Now this experience begets this advice that our hearts and affections should be more pitched upon the power of godlinesse and doubtlesse wee shall finde that power in it as to engage our affections one to another by which the world will know us to be Christs Disciples And lastly this may comfort us when we consider those that hate us purely for godlinesse-sake looke upon them under this consideration they are not Christs Disciples nor can they in such a worke be owned or helped by him They may boast of their horse-men and Chariots but all their strength is weakenesse for they engage without God nay they engage against God and that makes them lighter then vanity and Saints in their sufferings are followers of Christ and contend in his might God is his peoples strength and their portion for ever Let us love our brethren then and not feare our enemies Love to God and Saints and suffering for the spirituality and the power of godlinesse are two undeniable witnesses that we are Disciples and followers of Christ CHAP. II. What Christ hath born for Saints they shall never bear themselves Gal. 3.10 11 12 13 28 29. For as many as are of the workes of the law are under the curse for it is written cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the booke of the law to doe them But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God it is evident for the just shall live by faith And the law is not of faith but the man that doth them shall live in them Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law being made a curse for us for it is written cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree There is neither Jew nor Greeke there is neither bond nor free there is neither male nor female for yee are all one in Christ Jesus And if yee be Christs then are ye Abrahams seede and heirs according to promise THe generall scope of the Apostle in these verses The scope I humbly conceive to be this namely to empty the creature of all hopes or possibility ever to attain a happy and blessed condition in it selfe out of Christ in which worke he strips the soule of all externall priviledges and dutieâ— in point of Justification and then makes Jesus Christ to be all in all to every redeemed soule The former part of this tenth verse is a positive conclusion that whoever is under the workes of the law for life is also under the curse of the law for death that is he which chooseth to be approved and justified in the fight of God from the workes of his owne hands and heart The sense must also be condemned before God in the failings and imperfections of those workes The latter part of this verse is a full proofe to the position laid downe in the former part of it If all things in the booke of the Law be not done and fulfilled then the curse of the Law attends and seizes upon every such soule as would live by the works of the Law Deutr. 27.26 Deut. 27.26 Cursed be he that confirmes not all the words of this law to doe them That soule which would fetch life from the workes of the law must performe all or hee loseth all hee hath done and his eternall soule with his dying duties The observations which I have received from hence is this That God hath not made a separation of the workes of the law from the curse of the law Observ 1 to that soule which would live by them And if God hath not man cannot this is that state of bondage spoken of in Gal. Gal. 4.9.23.30 31. 4.9.23.30 31. Those are children of the free woman whom Christ hath made free If the Sonne have made you free you are free indeed And those are children of the bond-woman that are obliged to any thing that is holy in their owne strength without Christ There is no soul free from these bonds but those which are bound up in the armes and cords of Christs love and this is the redemption which Christ made of his elect body when hee was in the flesh made under the law to redeeme them that were under the law to the adoption of Sonnes Gal. 4.4 5. Christ
was made under the curse of the law in the 13. verse of Gal. 3. The curse and the worke of the law was not separated to Christ when hee came to satisfie justice no more is it to any soule In the 11. verse is a second position of the Apostle which is also a confirmation of the former The position is this That no man is justified by the law in the sight of God the demonstration of this truth followeth in the end of the same verse and in the 12. verse which shews First that God never intended life by the law Gal. 3.21 If there had been a law which could have given life verily righteousnesse should have been by the law this is plaine it is not Gods meaning that righteousnesse should be by the law because he hath not given such a law out of Christ which is able to give life Ephes 2.8 For by grace yee are saved through faith Ephes 2.8 and that not of your selves it is the gift of God All salvation is of grace wholly out of our selves God had another end in giving the law then that the soules of his people should worke life from it and this end is fuller of glory to his own grace and of safety to our eternall soules namely that sin might become exceeding sinfull and grace to be exceeding riches of grace The Apostle tels us he had not known sinne but by the law and had there been no law there had beene no transgression If no transgression had been nor any sin known then the glory of free grace had not beene lifted up as now it is If the law had not discovered sinne the soule had never known the want nor the worth of a crucified Jesus who is the great gift of the free grace of God and a perfect eternall Redeemer of a poore lost soule Secondly As God never intended life to fallen man by the workes of the law Levit. 18.5 Gen. 2.10 so man can never gaine life by the workes of the law Levit. 18.5 Gen. 2.10 There must be a perfect doing of all the statutes and judgements of the Lord by every soule that meanes to live in them and have life from them It is not a tittle lesse then keeping the whole law which can advantage any soule that seekes life from it So as that soule which in it selfe cannot keepe the whole law shall never gain life by the workes of the law Gal. 2.16 Gal. 2.16 The Apostle there speakes positively twice that no man is justified by the workes of the law and that by the workes of the law no man shall be justified This is such a standing truth that nothing which either is or can be done shall contradict it The second observation is this Observ 2 That the law of works condemns every soule in the first Adam but justifies no soule The law speaks only thus doe and live which to fallen man is nothing but the language of death Rom. 7.8 9. A righteous law to an unrighteous soule gives life to the sinne but death to the soule Observe the Text When the Commandement came sinne revived and I dyed By the command sinne became exceeding sinfull A soule fallen from God can in it selfe make no other use of the knowledge of Gods righteous law but to sinne against it consult the Text in this case But sinne taking occasion by the commandement wrought in me all manner of concupiscense As if he had said When once God discovered his holy law that sinfull nature and unholinesse that is in me made use of it by way of opposition to run into all manner of concupiscence though the law of creation justifies a holy Creator yet it condemnes a fallen unholy creature By the workes of the law shall no man be justified in his sight but that soule which lives upon them shall be accursed and condemned in the want of one tittle there lies a curse a condemnation in the law to fallen man but no possibility of being justified by it in the sight of a holy just God But now that we may not be as soules without hope though he strips us here of all our owne righteousnesse and leaves us by nature under the curse of the law yet in the next verse hee shewes us a perfect redemption from the curse of the law by Christ who was made under the law to beare the curse and to fulfill the law for us And here I shall be a little more large then in what hath gone before for I have found by experience that the more cleare knowledge a soule hath in this point the more is the free grace of God with the comfort and safety of a poore soule advanced In this 13. verse the Apostle layes down a third position namely That every elect soule is redeemed from the curse of the law through or by Christs being made a curse for us Deut. 21.23 The Text speaks plainly thus he that is hanged is accursed it is a paralell place with the end of this 13. verse Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree Thus Christ was made a curse now that Christ was thus made a curse for us for his elect body which was under the law Gal. 4.4 5. looke into that Gal. 4.4 5. where the Text saith That when the fulnesse of time was come God sent his Sonne made of a woman made under the law to redeeme them that were under the law that wee might receive the adoption of sonnes None can doubt but that Christ is here meant by the Sonne of God and then the Text speaks plainly that God in the fulnesse of his owne time sent Christ in the flesh made under the law to redeeme his elect body that were under the workes and the curse of the law and to bring them to receive the adoption of sons and in this worke Christ was made a curse for us The first observation from hence is this That what-ever Christ hath borne for a believer that a believer is fully redeemed from It is the Apostles owne argument in this place for sayes he Christ being made a curse for us wee are thereby redeemed from the curse And the same Apostle in Rom. 8.32 33 34. Rom. 8.32 33 34. hath the same Argument If God delivered Christ up to death to dye for us then we are delivered and Christ having dyed for us who shall lay any thing to our charge It is God that justifies and Christ that dyed Christ had not dyed but that God might justifie Christ had not been made a curse for us but that God in justice might acquit us from the curse So in the two first verses of Rom. 8. There is no condemnation to them that are in Christ And the law of the spirit of life in Christ makes the soul free from the law of sinne and death And in John 8.36 Joh. 8.36 If the Son therefore shall make you free you shall be free indeed This is our Saviours
is the light of the Spirit Now we have all this freedome because the Son hath made us free by bearing those burthens for us and what Christ hath borne for a believer that a believer is fully redeemed from Thirdly Christ hath borne the punishment due to sinne for us See this in Isa Isa 35 4 5.8.10 11. 35.4 5.8.10 11. Observe the Text. Surely he borne our griefes and carried our sorrowes Hee was wounded for our transgressions he was bruised for our iniquities the chastisement of our peace was upon him and with his stripes we are healed For the transgressions of my people was he smitten It pleased the Lord to bruise him and to put him to griefe to make his soule an offering for sinne and he shall see of the travell of his soule and be satisfied I know not how fuller expressions should be made to set out this thing That Christ hath borne the punishment due to sin for the believer as fully as he hath the sinnes themselves With his stripes we are healed that is the punishment of our sins which he did beare for us so that as the wrath of God due to sinne we shall never beare them again for what Christ hath borne for us he hath delivered us from the bearing of it in our owne persons otherwise Christ dyed in vaine and this Text is not made good if we be not healed by his stripes Now if the punishment be not taken from the believer as well as the sinne how is the wounds of that soule healed by the stripes that Christ bore for it And if any shall say God made Christ to beare the believers sinnes but the believer must beare the punishment due to those sins though Christ was wounded bruised and chastised for them Such an affirmation will beare very hard upon the justice of God and question that truth of our Saviour upon the crosse that he had finished the worke of redemption part of which is the punishment as well as the sinne I verily believe when Christ bore the curse of the law he did beare the punishment due to all the sinnes of all his people and though I doe believe that God chastiseth every child whom hee loveth yet those chastnings are the fruits of his love and not of his wrath Christ hath borne all that in being made a curse for us Lastly Christ hath borne death for us as it is the wages of sinne 1 Cor. 15.53 to the end By which meanes death is swallowed up of victory The sting of death which is sinne and the strength of sinne which is the law have lost themselves their strength when they entered into Christ so that now a believer can blesse God that through Christ he hath victory over death sin hell law and grave and why so Why because Christ hath gone through he hath borne and overcome all these for us and wee are more then conquerours through Christ that strengthens us We are more because none of these can conquer Christ but he hath to all eternity overcome them for us This sting of death is swallowed up of victory for it is buried in the wounds of Christ but Christ is risen and is at the right hand of God and because he lives we live also John 14.19 Joh. 14.19 The second observation is this Observ 2 What-ever the free grace of God hath taken off from his Elect and laid upon Jesus Christ that his divine justice neither can nor will at any time to all eternity lay upon the elect soule againe This is justice sutable to his covenant of grace in the 31. of Jer. 34. For I will forgive their iniquities Jer. 31.34 remember their sinnes no more The faithfull God engages himselfe to remember his peoples sins no more and to make it good he layes them upon Christ which satisfieth his justice and carryeth our sins into the land of Forgetfulnesse Doe but observe how Gods justice as well as his mercy is engaged to make good this his owne covenant of grace For the law of creation that was doe and live self could not doe therefore selfe must dye Now surely the law of grace is not stricter then the law of creation so that Christ having fulfilled the whole law and performed every tittle of his Fathers will for us the justice of God is engaged to acquit Christ who hath paid the utmost farthing in him to acquit us for whom he hath made this full satisfaction As it was free grace in God to make us one with Christ so it is compleate justice that wee live in Christ who hath dyed for us And what ever Christ as the gift of free grace hath borne for us God in justice will never lay upon his elect in Christ again Whoever will deny this must deny God to be just and his covenant of lesse value then the covenant of a faithfull man his grace neither free nor full grace Christ not a compleat Saviour and then his death of no effect Now looke backe upon this truth and you shall behold sin the curse of the law punishment due to sin from the law of creation and death with its sting in it all borne by Christ for his elect body so that they shall never beare any of them more in their owne persons then glory in the free grace of God and the full redemption of Jesus Christ Thirdly Observ 3 Observe here the exceeding love that Christ shewes to those poore soules which his Father hath given him That hee would take upon himselfe the curse of the law the punishment of sinne due to fallen man and all this to redeeme them which his Father had given him though they lay under sin law punishment and death It had been great love and condiscention in Christ being God only to have taken our nature though he had never taken any thing else But then what love is this to take our sins and all that followed sin upon him Hee hath borne that weight for us which would have pressed us to hell if we had lain under it in our owne strength Rom. 5.8 These are heighths and breadths and depths and lengths of love Rom. 5.8 This commends love indeed to choose to beare all evill to deliver the sinner from it and by the same act to involve the sinner into all good Fourthly Observ 4 Observe from hence the glorious condition of a soule in union with Christ hee is taken up into the glory of God the bosome of his love he lives because Christ lives and as Christ lives above sin above a condemning reigning law above the punishment of sin and above death as it is the wages of sin above all that is below God Our fellowship saith the Text is with the Father and the Sonne and these things we write unto you that your joy may be full It is a life in the spirit above the flesh a feasting upon the fat things in Gods house and a resting upon the full
in Christ so as to be ever well pleased with it and to delight in it 2 Cor. 5.21 For he hath made him to be sinne for us who knew no sin that we might be made the righteousnesse of God in him God hath made Christ the foundation of his eternall love when hee beholds the travell of his soule he is well pleased which he doth in every soule he hath united to him The third Gospel-truth is this That a Saint doth then only truly and properly enjoy his life when be lives by faith upon God and Christ in the Spirit It is not enough to know the rule of the law in the letter and some of the worke of the law in our lives to know all the formes of Gods worship under the law and Gospel To know and to be under all these is nothing when ignorant of the knowledge of God through Christ in the Spirit Knowledge in all the former substracted from the latter is but to know that we are under the chaines and the power of darkness Our life consists neither in circumcision or uncircumcision but in the new creature Christ living in us and we in Christ The life that we now live 't is by the faith of the Sonne of God by faith feasting and satisfying our soules upon the love of God in Christ the Spirit that teacheth and leadeth the soule into all truth even the God of truth and there the Spirit teacheth the soule to read God to be a God of love and so to enjoy him and live in him through Christ as a God of grace and a faithfull God that will keepe Covenant with his people and not impute sinne to that soule for whom Christ hath dyed Our life shall be for ever with God and in God enjoying nothing but God and all of God in heaven this is truly our life now as we are one with Christ only the clouds of mortality darkens it and so farre as we live upon God through Christ in the Spirit so farre and no farther doe we truly enjoy life in any condition and what we strive for here below is not our life nor truly worth our contending for all the weary pursutes of the heart of man which center not in Christ must wither before they come to their journeyes end for they have no life to carry them through A childe of God can finde no rest but the bosome of his Father and no way to that rest but Christ the great gift of his Fathers love so that God and Christ is both the way and the end of a Saints rest that is enjoying fulnesse of blisse in God who is all in all to all his people Gospel truths should be teaching to Gospel-Saints and these truths accompanied with the spirit of truth may first teach and informe all Saints where our life and interest lies namely in God and Christ God opening the bosome of his love and giving us Jesus Christ Jesus Christ giving out his blood his life and all that God requires to satisfie justice and to make a compleat redemption Christ putting on our flesh and taking upon him the curse due to us and all to this end to be Mediatour to stand betweene a displeased God and a poore soule to become sinne for us that wee might become righteousnesse in him Our life lyes neither in the workes of the Law nor the formes of the Gospel but in that love which gave Christ to be made under the Law to fulfill the Law for us and in that Jesus which is the Lord and the life of the Gospel the Gospel is glad tidings which is Christ crucified The highest forme is but a darke representation a cloud without light if Christ which is the light of life be not in it 'T is God in Christ that is our life Let us not turn againe to the beggerly rudiments under which we shall be in bondage but in the Lord of glory to live only upon God in Christ who is the true light and life of Saints to seeke life in any thing else is to seeke the living amongst the dead Again These Gospel-truths should teach and exhort Gospel-Saints to beleeve in God he is a God of grace and he is a faithfull God he makes good his covenant of grace that our sinnes and iniquities hee will remember no more to charge them upon the believer for hee hath fully charged them upon Christ and hath satisfied his justice to the full in Christ And hence it is that by way of comfort our Saviour in John 14.1 bids us to beleeve in God through him Yee believe in God believe also in me that is looke upon the covenant of God and all the promises of God made good in me believe that what my Father hath given me to doe I have finished it all the worke of your redemption and what ever God hath laid upon me shall never more be laid upon you though it made me sweat drops of blood and at last give up the Ghost yet I have finished the worke I conquered by yeelding and overcame by dying and I am risen again to beare witnesse of my victory over sinne death hell law and grave for you and thus I would have you to believe in mee and in God who gave me out of his bosome of love to be all this to you Distrust of these trutths is to put a question upon the faithfulnesse of God and the fulnesse of Christ God promises to pardon freely Christ undertakes to satisfie fully now a doubt of either is unworthy in him that is an heir of both In the next place me-thinkes this cals for much love from Saints to God and Christ Oh how should we love God that hath freely given us Christ and with him all things The great God of heaven and earth had no greater gift then Christ to give and him he hath freely given us and in Christ himselfe his Spirit his Kingdome and his glory too Who would not love a heart so full of love as Gods heart is How can wee chuse but love a hand so full of love as Gods hand is What ever may justly command or invite love it is in the heart and hand of God there are mercies free and full in God at his right hand is fulnesse of joy for evermore Love had its first conception in the heart of God we love him because he loved us first The glory of his love is the rise of our love the piece-meales of beauty and glory which we earnestly seeke and pursue after in the creature they all center in God what ever it is that might be taking to oul affections that is in its primitive glory as it is in God and truly did we see God by an eye of faith as we do things below with an eye of sense the brightnesse of his glory would darken all lower glories and all the streames of our affections would runne into God who is the fountaine and originall of all love and lovelinesse
David had great glimmerings of this glory when he called upon his soule to blesse the Lord Psalm 103. Blesse the Lord O my soule and all that is within mee blesse his holy Name And so all the Psalme through Hee had discerned God in the glory of his love and he could doe nothing but blesse and praise God because he loved God When a soule once tasts God in his love it can relish no love besides Gods love If this soule have any blessing and praise in its heart and lips he layes them all upon God David spends severall Psalmes upon this subject of blessing and praising God about the 103d Psalm and so forward now the ground of all this is he was in love with God Wee know by the temper of our owne hearts how apt man is to praise that hee loveth love takes delight to spend it selfe in setting forth that it loves So doth David here he summons up all the strength of his soul to set forth the beauty and the glorious excellency of that God whom he loved love it makes the strongest of all motions it will not only say much for God but it will doe and suffer much for God and truely me-thinkes Gods love may justly chalenge love from his people in all the properties of it for God hath put forth his love to his people in all its properties as it is the full and free love of God Secondly O love Christ that hath redeemed us out of the hands of all our enemies that wee might serve him without feare hee that hath taken away all ground of feare may justly command all love Though Christ hath not left feare to bring soules to serve him yet love hath such a commission from the hands of Christ If you love mee keepe my Commandements the love of Christ constrained him to dye for us Oh how should that love constraine us to live to him there is nothing but God and Christ worthy of our love and if they have all our affections our actions will soone follow My people saith God is a willing people in the day of my power that is when his love over-powers the heart it soone commands all the actions That soule which loves Christ makes no dispute who shall command it Love is cords to draw and legges to carry the soule to all the revealed will of Christ It is Christs way to deliver his people from all their enemies and to leade them by his owne love And truly these are speaking arguments to Saints to love Christ And indeed these Gospel-truths afford much consolation to all the people of God why should wee not now be alwayes looking upon the originall love of God and Christ the rocke of Ages who is the great gift of his love and so rejoyce for ever Though selfe be nothing yet Christ is all though the Law condemne us yet Christ made under the Law saves and acquits us Now we may looke upon sinne and all our enemies drowned in the red Sea of Christs blood and lying upon the shoare of his flesh dead for an eye of faith to behold Now wee may see death swallowed up of victory and triumph with the Apostle in Rom. 8. latter end What shall separate 1 Cor. 1.31 'T is the word of truth Hee that glorieth should glory in the Lord. We may now glory in all God his justice as wel as his grace There is nothing in God but what a believing soule may glory in it may through Christ come with as much rejoycing to Gods barre of Justice as to his Throne of grace for Christ is our compleatnesse at both Hee presents the soule to God as that soule which God gave to him and for whom hee hath given himsele John 17.10.6.23 and so presents the soule perfect in himselfe If Christ be enough Saints have enough to rejoyce in If his blood satisfie Gods Justice to the full as doubtlesse it doth God is well pleased when he sees the travaile of his soule Isa 53.10 then it should quiet our consciences If Christs righteousnesse be perfect in Gods eye it should be so in ours and we should rest and rejoyce in it If Christ be the way to his and our Fathers bosome of love we should blesse that love which made him our surer way and seeke no other way but Christ If Christ be Gods way to convey all his loving kindnesse and glory to our poore soules surely then wee should rest in Gods wisdome and rejoyce in his love This is eternall love it had no beginning with time nor can it have any time to end it is what God is the same yesterday to day and for ever No soule can out-live his love or dye that is in his love therefore there is a foundation to that exhortation in Phil. 4.4 Rejoyce in the Lord alway and againe I say rejoyce The end of Christs bearing our sorrowes was that we might be made partakers of his joy he therefore tooke our flesh our sinnes and was made under the Law and the curse of the law for us that we might be taken up into the fulnesse of God and himselfe to all eternity to be heirs of God and joynt-heires with Christ Ephes 2.6 7. And hath raised us up together with Christ and made us to sit together in beavenly places in Christ Jesus that in the ages to come hee might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindnesse towards us through Christ Jesus Mark it therefore hath he made us one with Christ that to all eternity we might be filled with the exceeding riches of his grace and kindnesse to us that is that he might fill us with himselfe Oh what a glorious life is a Saints when by faith he eyes his interest in God and Christ he may then rejoyce indeed A perishing world can neither give to nor take from this more exceeding and eternall weight of glory All our dying dayes are in this life and shall soone have an end In heaven it will be alwayes day there is nor can be neither night nor death where God Christ is Heaven is that home where every one is an heir and every heir in full possession God is all to all with all and in all to all Eternity CHAP. III. Gods children have his Spirit to walke and worke in Rom. 8.14 15 16. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God they are the sonnes of God For yee have not received the spirit of bondage againe to feare but yee have received the spirit of adoption whereby wee crie Abba Father The Spirit it selfe bearing witnesse with our spirit that we are the children of God IN this whole Chapter we find the Apostle full of assurance of the love of God in Christ to him that hee is above all condemnation as he is one with Christ and from hence he is full of joy and holy boasting and as full of exhortation to holy walking with God in the Spirit And I conceive these
cannot fin but it must be without excuse A carnall man may sin I could doe no better in my owne strength I but a Saint cannot plead so he hath Christ for his strength why then in the Spirit of God let Saints consider what a course of sin would be in them it is little less then proclaiming Christ a sinner for a Saint is looked upon to live act in Christ and that Christ doth all in him Oh then if the glory and honour of God and Christ be deare to us how can we that are delivered from sin live any longer to it It is impossible that we can love Christ and sin too therefore where Christ lives by his love he constrains the death of sinne The exhortation is to Saints to live in the Spirit and that is trampling upon all below God and Christ and behold our selves heirs of that glory and co-heirs with Christ in that glory that is God and Christ to all eternity CHAP. IIII. Gods love giveth Saints to know they shall appear like Christ 1 John 3.1.2 Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us that we should be called the Sons of God Therefore the world knowes us not because it knew not him Beloved now are we the sons of God and it doth not yet appeare what wee shall be but wee know that when hee shall appeare we shall be like him for we shall see him as he is GOds love in the manner of it in making of us his sonnes is here by the holy Ghost set forth with a behold and truly none but such as have received the holy Ghost can behold it It is too bright a glory for any but a spiritual eye to look on therefore the world knowes not Gods children the heires of glory because they know not him the Lord of glory Spirituall objects are only discerned by spirituall eyes and such are here called to behold the originall love of God which hath made us one with Christ in him sonnes of his love and heires of his glory There lyes very much in these two verses I shall only for methods sake put them into two generall heads and make observations from them The first is this That at the glorious appearance of Christ will come the fulnesse of a Saints glory as hee is united to Christ The second generall head is this That this fulness will be the fulnesse of Christ for we shall be like him see him as he is To the first head That at the glorious appearance of Christ will come the fulnesse of a Saints glory as he is united to Christ By this glorious appearance of Christ I understand that appearance when he shall come to judge the world when he shall give the damned their full portion and his children theirs for then sayes the Text wee shall be made like him and see him as he is which is a state of perfection I shall now endeavour to prove this first generall head First take this paralell Scripture as a proofe Colos 3 3 4. For yee are dead and your life is hid with Christ in God When Christ who is our life shall appeare then shall yee also appeare with him in glory Here Christ is said to be a Saints life there is our union with him and at his appearance then we appeare in fulnesse of glory That soule which is one with Christ is united to him in his death and in his life We are dead with Christ sayes one Text and this Text sayes wee are alive in Christ Nay Christ is our life so that when Christ manifests his owne glory he manifests our glory as we are united to him Wee may reade the will of Christ in this point of our glory with him in John 17.24 Father I wil that they also whom thou hast given me be with me where I am that they may behold my glory which thou hast given me To behold the glory of Christ is to be swallowed up into the glory of Christ yea into Christ himselfe for his glory is not to be beheld out of himselfe and then doth the fulnesse of a Saints glory appeare when he doth come to behold Christ aâ— he is united to him in his fulnesse of glory So likewise Rom 8 17. And if children then heirs heirs of God and joynt-heirs with Christ If so be that we suffer with him that we may be also glorified together The Apostles scope is to shew that in our union with Christ we are heires of glory joynt-heirs with Christ and so have joynt-interest in his glory so that when the fulnesse of Christs glory appeares then the fulnesse of our glory appeares The holy Ghost doth fully cleâ—â—e this point and shews wherein this glory lies in that 1 Thes 4.16 17. For the Lord himselfe shall descend from heaven with a shout with the voyce of the Arch-Angel and with the trumpe of God and the dead in Christ shall rise first Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meete the Lord in the aire and so shall we ever be with the Lord. This place speakes of that comming and appearing of Christ which I mentioned in the beginning and it clears this point fully that we shall appear with Christ in glory sayes the Text and so shall wee ever be with the Lord not only appeare with him in glory but also abide for ever with him and so be filled with the fulnesse of his glory These Scriptures instead of many more which might be produced will fully serve to make proofe of the first generall head The second generall head proves it selfe it hath in it a double proofe that our fulnesse is the fulnesse of Christ For first sayes the Text wee shall be like him Now nothing but ouâ—uâ—ion with Christ can make us like Christ to be filled with his fulnesse And another Text sayes Of his fulnesse meaning Christs we received and grace for grace The second proofe in the Text is We shall see him as he is Now Christ is so beight a glory that he can be seene in no light but his owne he is the expresse Image of his Father and the brightness of the glory of God so that his brightnesse darkens all other glories and is discerned in nothing but himselfe I shall now make some observations of this Scripture and these generâ—ll heads And the first observation shall be this namely That a Saints â—oorst condition is in this world When the world shall end then shall all the clouds of the people of God be blown over and the brightnesse of Christs appear and we like him sayes the Text. I when the little world that we carry about us in this body of sinne and death shall give up the ghost then shall a harvest of gaine come in as the holy Ghost tels us in that first Chapter of Paul to the Philippians vers 21. Though to live be Christ yet to dye is gaine Though
for the same strength because hee well knew there was no other strength sufficient to this glorious worke The same Apostle in Heb. 12.2 sets a high value upon Christ and makes him all in this worke of grace and gives it us in direction to looke unto Jesus the author and finisher of faith did we thus eye Christ and value him as he is we should not so often look below him goe in our own strength to finish faith that it might be the author of Christ for so we doe when we will not close with Christ till wee have qualified our selves nor thinke free-grace enough in it selfe till we have such such qualification in us which we think to be sit for grace if not worthy of grace Truly I know no worthinesse of our own that free-grace cals a sit subject for it to work its owne glory out of I find God mentioning his grace under this confideration loving us when we lay in our blood no eye to pâ—tty uâ— grace lives when all help below is dead Now such thoughts as these are exceedingly below Christ that is our life Is this a true value of Christ who hath done suffered pardon'd purchased so much for us as he hath That when we are in streights to goe to duty for relâ—ef and not to the God of duties who is the life of soul duties Is not this matter of reproof to those foolish Galatians which began in the spirit would end in the flesh I thinke there is not any piece of the olde man in Saints that darkens more of the glory of Gods free-grace and damps more of the comforts of his people then this doth to goe any whether but to Christ in streights must needs put a dishonour upon him and be an undervaluing of him for doth it not imply thus much the thing we seeke after is not to be had in Christ or not so soone in Christ as in duties or at least that it is not only to be had in Christ but it is all one whether we goe to him or not now all these are conceptions of the olde man in us when through the Spirit we looke upon Christ as our life we shall see all fulnesse in him grace enough to pitty to pardon and to die for us Righteousnesse enough to cloath us and to present us spotlesse to the pure eyes of his Fathers glory Power enough to take us out of Sathans hands and to defend us from all enemies and all evill Wisdome enough to make us wise in him to guide and to governe us that our conversations may be like children of light and heires of glory Goodnesse enough to supply all wants in us and to give out fulnesse of his owne grace to us yea and happinesse enough to satisfie our soules to all eternity and the soule sayes Christ is enough yea he is all and whether should I goe but to him he hath the words of eternall life in him yea he is my eternall life this is the frame of such soules as doe truly prize Christ as their life A third observation is this Observ 3 That if Christ be a Saints life then a Saint only enjoyes his life as be lives upon Christ in the Spirit When I thus mention Christ I doe it as he doth it himselfe I and my Father am one saith Christ and as I am in the Father so are you in me We are one with Christ through the love of God and enjoy this life through the Spirit of God In John 6.63 Christ tels us it is the Spirit that quickeneth the flesh profiteth nothing As if hee had said what ever you enjoy of mee as your life it is through my Spirit 't is not the fruits of your own flesh 't is what comes from me that is spirit and life to you Our Saviour cleares up this truth in his discouse with that woman of Samaria in John 4.23.24 But the houre commeth and now is when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth for the Father seeketh such to worship him God is a Spirit they that worship him must worship him in spirit and truth And in another Text the naturall man discernes not the things of God nor cannot because they are spiritually discerned The Spirit only reveales the hidden things of God so the Apostle in Gal. 5.16.18 For we through the Spirit waite for the hope of righteousnesse by faith This I say then walke in the Spirit and yee shall not fulfill the lusts of the flesh but if yee be led of the Spirit yee are not under the law In the beginning of this Chapter the Apostle exhorts them to stand fast in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made them free and in these verses he tels them what this liberty is namely to live upon Christ in the Spirit So likewise in Ephes 3.16 17 18 19. That he would grant you according to the riches of his glory to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inward man that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith that yee being rooted and grounded in love may be able to comprehend with all Saints what is the breadth length and depth and heigth and to know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge that yee may be filled with the fulnesse of God The sum of the Apostles prayer is in short this That they might live upon Christ as their life to know his love in all the demonstrations of it which is above humane knowledg but he begins thus in verse 16. That they might be strengthened with all might by his spirit in the inward man Hee layes downe this as the foundation As if the Apostle had said Who ever lives on Christ by faith knowing and enjoying his love in the breadths lengths depths and heights of it must doe it by his Spirit that only can make true discoveries of Christ and our interest in him This is the proper office of the Spirit as he is the comforter promised we may see this in Ephes 4.30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God whereby yee are sealed unto the day of redemption Our interest in Christ as he is all to us is sealed up to us in the Spirit it is not a fleshly formall historicall knowledge of Christ in which wee can live on him as our life but it is to know him and enjoy him in the Spirit which is a lively knowledge of Christ and an enjoying of Christ as our life A Fourth Observation may be this If Christ be a Saints life Observ 4 then a Saint should take beed of doing any thing that is against Christ You cannot wounde Christ but you wounde your own lives Christ is your life and if hee looke backe on thee as he did on Peter when he denyed him thou wilt soone reele the wound in thy owne bosome if this truth tâ—ke place in any soule let it then consider how deare every soule is to Christ he
that toucheth you saith Christ toucheth the Apple of my eye so deare are Saints to Christ and Christ so tender of them And in another place our Saviour saith who ever offends one of these little ones his Saints it were better that a mal-stone were hanged about their necks and that they were cast into the Sea So dangerous is it to wounde Christ in his people O that this present age could spiritually receive this truth that when they wouâ—â—de Christ in his people they wounde their owne lives the sad experience of persons and nations which have died of these woundes might be enough to warne this present age from wounding the children of God if God would give them spirituall understanding Shew me any example where the spirituall peâ—ple of God were made the Butt for any Nation or person to shoot at but that the arrowes flew backe and wounded the heart that shot them even unto death These sad undertakings hath ruined so many Kings and Kingdomes this Mountaine will overturne all the World for worldlings will be alwayes engaging against spiritual Saints the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent will be at variance till they be parted as fare asunder as heaven and hell but the seed of the woman shal prevaile As Christ for a saint so Christ in a saint shal be a conquerer and though thou maist wounde Christ in a saint yet if free-grace make not a cure that wounde will be thy death thou art in staken poore soule if thou thinkest thou layest all thy blowes upon the Saint thou ami'st at No Christ he bâ—ares the blowe and thou must reckon with him for them This truth makes the present age to have a sad and a pale countenance in my eye I cannot thinke they will live long that hath so many of these wounds in their soules there is not a more deadly path that sinfull man travels in than this when he woundes deepest he kills himself sure 't is weightie worke Saints should be doublely careful that Satan lead not them into it upon any pretences whatsoever Christ will let such know it is ill requitall for his woundes that they wounde their brethren and so him in them A Fift and Last observation shall be this If Christ be only a Saints life then here wee may observe the sad condition of a Christlesse soule It is a dead soul dead in sinnes and trespasses walking according to the course of the world and the Prince of the power of the aire and by nature the child of wrath as it is in Ephes 2.1 2 3. If Christ be not made sinne for thee thou bearest thy owne sinne and must also beare the sting of sinne which is eternall death and then thou art a dead soule indeed Joh. 10 9. Christ speakes in these words I am the doore by me if any man enter in he shall be saved Now that soule which comes not in at this Doore never comes into the bosome of God where onely is salvation and therefore a Christlesse soule must needs be in a miserable condition for farther proofe to this take that Job 3. last And be that believeth not the Sonne shall not see life but the wrath of God abideth on him If this makes not up a condition fully miserable to have the wrath of God abiding on a soule I know not what doth and this is the state of every Christlesse soule though it may have a name to live yet in the account of God such a soule is certainly dead for as God is the fountaine of life so he hath made Christ the way to this fountaine and if God looke upon any soule out of Christ he lookes on it as a dead soul and when we come to see things as they are we shall see them as God sees them a Christlesse soule to be a dead soule This may be useful to Saints First to exhort Saints to eye Christ as their life Joh. 6.15 I am the living bread which came downe from heaven if any man eate of this bread he shall live for ever So our Saviour againe in Joh. 14.19 Because I live yee shall live also In both places Christ speakes our life to be in interest with him and that we should eye this interest and feed on this bread of life in 2 Cor. 5. last For he hath made him to be sin for us who knew no sin that wee might be made the righteousnesse of God in him So in 1. Cor. 1.30 But of him are yee in Christ Jesus who of God is made unto us wisdome and righteousnesse and sanctification and redemption Mark it how the holy Ghost sets out all our life in Christ that wee might looke on it by faith our interest in Christ as he was made sin for us and we the righteousnesse of God in him and as he is made of God wisdome righteousnesse sanctification and redemption to us what is the end of God in this thus to hold out our interest in Christ as our life in the parts and whole of the it But that we should glorifie that grace which hath made Christ thus to be all to us by looking upon Christ as he is our life The Prophet Isaiah in Chap. 53.5.10 11. verses beares witnesse to this truth and carries on the same designe in shewing Saints the originall love of God in making Christ to be our interest of life Hee holds forth Christ as hee was wounded for our transgressions bruised for our iniquities the chastisement of our peace laid on him so that with his stripes we are healed God making Christs soule an offering for sinne and in the beholding of the travell of Christs soule is fully satisfied I say Christ is thus held forth in his word that we should so looke upon him in the Spirit In Gal. 3.13 it is thus written Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law being made a curse for us This is a precious and safe object thus to looke on Christ what a life of heavenly joy will come into our soules in beholding Christ thus as our life Christ hath borne the curse himselfe and layes nothing but the blessing upon us He beares all the stripes and cloaths us with his owne righteousnesse hee leaves not a tittle of wrath for an elect soule to beare for he bears every stripe and all the curse himselfe till God acknowledge himselfe fully satisfied with the travell of his soule Ephes 2.13 But now in Christ Jesus yee who sometimes were afarre off are made nigh by the blood of Christ Christ so beares all the curse and takes away all the wrath of God that he by his blood brings the soule neere to God into the bosome of God so that such a soule is a happy soule In every condition if it be Christ to live 't is gain to dye Phil. 1.21 This is an object fit for precious Saints eternall soules to look on we are too earthly in our object when we look below the
in the Margin things to gird about them and here they rest content they saw their nakednesse a great advantage truly but having girded themselves with fig-leaves they knew no want of God for in verse 8. when they heard the voyce of God and that in the coole of the day they hid themselves from the presence of the Lord amongst the trees of the garden and when God came so neere to them as they were falne to confesse the reason why they fled from his presence they acknowledged they were afraid verse 10. Compare these first appearances of nature in our first parents after their fall with the experiences of our owne naturall hearts and others and it will appeare in all that is miserable what exact Images we are by nature of these our first parents They were naked so are all by nature of any righteousnesse to stand in the sight of God they knew they were naked so doth many a desperate finner whose conscience fâ—ies in his face but the remedy they sought was only an apron or girdle of fig-leaves So doth our naturall hearts licke their woundes whole and cover their nakednesse by legall and formall duties and performances girding our loines strengthening our hearts in them and covering our nakednesse so as the eye of man cannot discerne it and in this posture as our first Parents hid themselves amongst the trees of the garden from the presence of the Lord so we shrowd our selves under publick externall Ordinances after the fashion of the world and resting in beggerly rudiments to defend us from the presence of an angry God and yet not withstanding all this when God comes close to the soule though it hath girt it selfe about with fig-leaves it s owne righteousness yet it is not established but doth confesse in all the actions under such a state it was afraid because of its nakednesse and this feare doth inflame the misery of it and causeth it to fly and hide it self from the presence of God here is the first buddings of nature and truly it is an exact miserable condition for it is wholely in selfe and wholely out of God the reliefe this soule findes is in flying from and being out of the presence of God now sure I am every Saint experienced of Gods love will call this state a state compleatly miserable knowing that all its life happinesse lies in a close communion with the bosom of God a continual beholding of his face in Christ yet this state thus compleatly miserable is not Adams alone but all his seede in him of which by nature is all the world as is fully expressed in verse 23. of this 3. Chap. of the Romans For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God The misery of this state of nature may be farther amplified in coÌ„fidering thar Antipathy that is in all to that holy just and good law of God and that impossibility which is in man to performe it one place saith speaking of the law it is that which neither we nor our fore-fathers could beare we could not stand under it to justifie our selves by it The Apostle in Rom. 3.9 to vers 19. speaks plainly this generall evill state by nature and the fruits of it in many particulats in oppolition to all the laws of a holy God And in vers 19. speaks plainly that the Law makes all the world guilty and so makes his inference in the 20th verse that none can be justified by the deeds of the law and then he gives his reason for it which is this For sayes hee by the law is knowledge of sinne Gods pure nature discovers the impure nature of fallen man so in the following verses speaks of a blessed and a justified state for a poor soul under another head But all this speakes the miserable irrecoverable lost state of a naturall man in himselfe the fruits of this tree of nature we may see in that 2d of Ephes the three first verses Though it be a dead tree yet at beates fruit but it is the fruit of death trespasses and sins walking in them according to the course of this world and the power of the Prince of the Aire that spirit which workes in the children of disobedience who are by nature the children of wrath Any of these particulars rightly understood and set home upon the spirit of a man will make it crye out as the Apostle O wretched man that I am and in me that is in my flesh is no good But certainly if ever we come to see that sinke and masse of sin and corruption that is in us by nature and that wages of sinne which is death wee shall then acknowledge if ever God discover his thoughts of eternall love to us that it is all free-grace The second demonstration of the point is To consider a Saint under a state of grace in Christ the second Adam To take this in the beginning as it stands in the word let us turne backe to that 3d of Gen. 15. where Christ is promised in the seed of the woman and what to doe to breake the head of the Serpent that is to kill and overcome him The Apostle in 1 Cor. 15.21 sayes be must reigne till he hath put all his enemies under his feete And in this conquest over his owne and his peoples enemies hee doth the will of his Father we have his owne word for it John 4.30 This doth exceedingly set forth the free grace of God that when he found all man-kinnde in a state of rebellion so soone as ever he had enquired into the fault hee makes a promise of the Lord Christ in whom the state of a poore soule is better then in innocency As if the Lord had said Adam though thou didst run from me was affraid because thou wert naked yet now establish thy heart in beholding my fulness which is thy cloathing cast from thee the workes of thy owne hands that fig-leave righteousness thou hast begirt thy selfe with and lay hold on the workings forth of my eternal love in this promise of Christ The Serpent hath been too hard for thee when he found thee in thy own strength but I will give out Christ that great gift of my love and he shall as he is one with me from eternity in my everlasting power and fulnesse make warre with the Serpent and in that warfare though the Serpent shall bruise his heele wound his flesh yet he shall breake the head of the Serpent and overcome him This must needs be free-grace to make such a promise to fallen Adam and his posterity that ranne from the presence of God and were content with fig leaves for a covering of their nakednesse You may see in nature there is as little desire of Christ and his righteousnesse as there can be of discerning for here is a flying from the presence of God and a satisfying it selfe with its owne righteousnesse and certainly this righteousnesse is nothing but menstruous rags that
is that state in which God loves a soul though it lyes in its blood so as no eye but Gods can pitty it and is not this free-grace then Let us consult with the covenant of grace and see if it be not free-grace Jer. 31.31 32 33 34. The engagements in it are from God and thereupon God freely engages himself to make a man eternally happy in his love God engages himselfe to be our God and we shall be his people that hee will forgive our iniquities and that he will remember our sins no more and that he will put his law in our hearts and write it in our inward parts What soule can discern this in the Spirit but he must acknowledge God in the riches of his free-grace In Heb. 7.19 The holy Ghost speaks plainly that the law makes nothing perfect but the bringing of a better hope As if he had said it is free-grace not the deeds of the law that perfects any soule That soul which is compleat before God it must be in him namely Christ And sayes another Text If the Sonne hath made you free you are free indeed which implies there is no freedome or compleatnesse but in Christ Now Christ sayes the Text is the redemption of the free-grace of God and that the Apostle knew full well when he desired to know nothing but Christ and him crucified In Rom. 8. The Apostle glories in the free-grace of God It is God that justifies sayes he and Christ that hath dyed Who shall condemn As if he had said free-grace hath magnified it selfe to me in which I am safe so that none can condemn and in this I glory And the same Apostle in Rom. 5.2 makes mention of the accesse that Saints have by faith into the grace wherein they stand If we look into the 53d. of Isa we shall there finde particulars of much of that grace of God under which wee are namely the sufferings of Christ for us The Text sayes plainly He bore our griefes and carryed our sorrowes and he was wounded for our transgressions bruised for our iniquities and the chastisement of our peace was upon him and it is by his stripes that we are healed and his soule was made an offering for our sins and that God beheld the travell of his soule and was satisfied This is a state of grace indeed for if wee compare this with 2 Cor. 5. the last we shall see there a plaine discovery of the design of Gods free-grace says the Text he was made sin for us who knew no sin that we might be made the righteousnesse of God in him The Lord which had no sinne of his owne had never been made sinne nor had he born sin with all the punishments due to them but for this end and designe of God namely that fallen sinners in the first Adam might be his righteousness in the second Adam the Lord Christ Now surely this is a state of grace to be the righteousnesse of God in Christ Rom. 10.4 The Apostle tels us Christ is the end of the law for righteousnesse to every one that believeth And this salvation is of the free-grace of God wee have this righteousnesse freely of his grace Gal. 2.16 By the workes of the law shall no man be justified Gal. 3.10 For as many as are of the workes of the law are under the curse But in vers 13. of that Chapter Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law being made a curse for us In short this is the state of grace Christ made ours and we his he made sinne for us and bearing all punishment due to sin for us satisfied Gods justice and made a redemption to a perfect state of innocency in him Thus Christ hath taken all that is ours and given us all that is his his blood to cleanse us his righteousnesse to perfect us in the sight of God his Spirit to guide us to lead us into all truth and to doe all our works in us Gal. 5.16 17 18. and at last to resign us up to his Father to enjoy fulnesse of glory with him to all eternity Now reade all this backeward and forward and behold the heights the breadths the depths and lengths of it and then you will find it all the free-grace of God and sure I am every soule which in the Spirit comes to know and behold himselfe thus fully justified will give God the glory and acknowledge it to be freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Jesus Christ This gives all to know that Gods way in justifying of his people is through Christ the great gift of his free-grace not of workes sayes the Text no not from good meanings or from good doinge all good in a Saint arises from his one-nesse with Christ in whom both persons and duties are justified by the free-grace of God It is not our externals makes our beauty in the sight of God not our getting into fellowship with the Saints and enjoying Ordinances and priviledges with them but our fellowship with Christ I in you and you in me saith Christ And the Spouse my beloved is mine and I am his I herein lyes the glory and the interest of a justified one Christ sayes to his Come yee blessed of my Father and the Father sayes yee are compleat in him Here is God making a soul from all eternity one with Christ and pronouncing him for ever justified in the blood and righteousnesse of Christ Oh then when you have but a thought of standing justified before God lay downe all but Christ If you have an eye to duties looke on them as the fruits of Christ in you by whom you are justified of the free-grace of God you may looke on duties as the fruits of your Justification but none but Christ as the roote and foundation of it Secondly It should beget admiration in considering Gods giving freely such eternall love and lovelinesse to his elect Saints though by nature they hated him Let us aske our soule in the truth of that word which tels us God loved us before we loved him and that he chose us we did not choose him what struglings hath our natures made against his love shed abroad in our hearts Oh then what vild hearts had we before he dropped love into them yet to us God doth not only drop drops of love but hee gives us all his love and to witnesse it he gives Christ the sonne of his loue which knew no sinne to be made sinne for us that we might be made the righteousnesse of God in him the perfection of righteousnesse Oh here is love making lovelinesse here is Christ given to a soule which is infinite love and being found in his righteousnesse is made perfect lovely without spot or wrinkle sayes the Text compleate in him Can we consider this and not admire it wee can as men admire that we can give no reason for Oh then let us admire this love of God which surpasses all our
for the good of others and therefore lookes on it as his duty and that he is obliged by the law of Christ shed abroad in his heart to become all things lawfull to all men that hee may gaine some Againing and not a destroying worke is in his eye and this makes him indeed and in truth to lye low at the feete of the weakest Saint and this he doth from a spirituall consideration how that he stands justified to all eternity by the free-grace of God through the redemption that is in Jesus Christ for wee are justified freely by the grace of God through Jesus Christ CHAP. IX Christ and the new Creature are unseparable 2 Cor. 5. former part of vers 17. Therefore if any man be in Christ hee is a new creature THE Apostle doth in this Scripture as in all other like a good and faithfull servant make it his whole businesse and design to advance his Masters glory the Lord Jesus Christ A new creature is the most glorious object that the world affords and the Apostles care is to hold that forth in all its glory namely in Christ A creature in Christ is a new creature indeed and a new creature is in Christ indeed As if the Apostle had said there is not any man who is in Christ what ever he was before but by vertue of that union he is made a new creature though before a wilde Olive yet so soone as ingrafted into Christ the tree of life hee brings forth good fruit As you cannot gather grapes from thornes nor figs of thistles no more can the members of Christ be barren or bring forth briers or thistles in stead of the fruits of the Spirit which is love joy c. Christ is the Saints fountaine that is united to him out of whom can flow no bitter water Hee that is borne of God sins not so far as the new birth is in him though there be a law in the members in the flesh of Saints which serves the law of sin yet with the law of their mindes they serve the will of God so that you shall finde Saints in this frame complaining of selfe and admiring of God condemning of self and justifying of God the remainder of the old man in me that is my selfe my flesh saith a Saint but the new creature that is Christ in me the hope of glory that is the King of glory come into my soule and displaying the glory of his presence there that is Christ in me and I in Christ in whome I am made a new creature therefore if any man be in Christ he is a new creature and if any man be a new creature it is Christ in him That there may appeare Method in what followeth take this one generall Observation Namely That being in Christ and the new creature are inseperable they alway gee together If in Christ then a new creature and if a new creature then in Christ as it is impossible to be a new creature before united to Christ so it is as impossible to be truly in Christ and not to be a new creature as those dead bones could not live before God had united them covered them with skin and breathed life into them For testimony to this truth take in the Apostle Paul in Rom. 8.10 And if Christ be in you the body is dead because of sin but the spirit is life because of righteousnesse He gives us this truth as it were upon his experience as if he had said I have found this that ever since I have bin in union with Christ the body of sin hath bin a dying the spirit of life hath carried me forth to the fruits of righteousnesse I am dead now to the commands of sin and flesh by which I have formerly binned captive and am made alive in my spirit to the workes of righteousnesse and if you aske me a reason of this it is Christ in me And iâ— Christ be in you it will be so with you too your bodies will be dead to the commands of sin and your spirits alive in the fruits of righteousnesse you will finde Christ a living Christ the second man from heaven heavenly and as a living Christ so hee makes life where ever he comes and the life he brings is heavenly Christ makes the new creature therefore can never be without the new creature What hath its being from Christ cannot be without Christ Now the new creature hath its being from Christ it could not be but in Christ and by Christ so that it must needs follow it is alwayes with Christ where Christ is there is the new creature indeed the new creature is nothing else but Christ possessing himselfe of a soule living in it and reigning over it by his spirit as Satan doth in the meere naturall man A Saint he dies with Christ and he lives with Christ Christ dies for him and lives in him and wee shall finde the Apostle Paul in Gal. 2.20 making this confession and acknowledgment I am crucified with Christ neverthelesse I live yet not I but Christ liveth in me and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the son of God who loved me and gave himself for me He doth acknowledge himselfe to be dead crucified to himselfe in the death of Christ and then laies hold of another life but it is out of selfe by faith in Christ this is my very life now whilst I am in the flesh saith he and truly this my life is Christ in me it is not I but Christ that lives in me that faith which is in me is not selfe but Christ as if he had said my life is a new life and that life is the new creature and that new creature is Christ in me I am that Temple which you see Christ lives in but Christ is the life of that Temple Without me saith Christ you can doe nothing True Lord saith Paul but through thy strength I can doe all things as if Christ had said you cannot be new creatures till you be in me and I in you I finde that true saith Paul for in me that is in my flesh there is no good But I have also experimented this truth if once in thee I can be no longer an old creature as he tells us in Gal. 1.15 16. So soone as ever God had called me by his grace to reveale his sonne in me that I might preach him among the heathens immediately I obeyed and did not stand to confer with flesh and blood Not to see by his old eyes nor to act upon his old principles flesh and blood must no longer teach and lead Paul when God had called him by his grace and revealed Christ to him as if Paul should say I am now united to the Lord Jesus and I cannot but be a new creature the Kingdome of God is within me and it will burst out it is like new wine in old bottles as my flesh was
sayes the weake man to the strong I thought if I could have stood upon your legges I might have stood strongly but now I find that strength is weaknesse and the worm of vanity is at the roote of that tree which knowes it till it dies Aske the rich man if a pillow stuffed with gold could make him sleep nay doth not his bags of gold keepe him awake Aske the great man whether all his greatnesse could satisfie his spirit nay is not the spirit of Haman there which is restlesse if Mordecay bow not his knee aske him that hath conquered all the World what hee wantt and he will tell you he wants more worlds to conquer After asking let us come to offering set dainty and delicious food in the abundance of it before a ficke and a lost stomack and bid it eate to satisfie he will tell you hee is best satisfied for in stead of loving he loaths it Then set it before a strong and healthy stomach and bid him eate and be satisfied he eates to satisfie till he destroyes both health and stomach so that he which eates not is not satisfied with emptinesse nor he which doth eate made glad by his fulnesse for both conditions are under the Sun and there is vanity in them man lives not by bread alone nor by any thing below God for all things under the Sun are vanity Offer a man that gaspeth for breath goodly buildings and glorious apparell no sayes he my coffin and my winding-sheet is of nearest relation to my conduion they must be my apparrel and my dwelling your offer is vanity I now finde the world to be such but vanity will not satisfie my living soule which is now bidding adieu to my dying bodie the worlds vanities may dazell and deceive a man that lives in pleasure but they can never please nor satisfie the eye heart that is going to sleep the sleep of death and lie downe in the bed of the grave the whele world is but a world of vanity and therefore to all that rest upon it must first or last prove vexation of spirit the proofs of this truth are a cloud of witnesses Every moment of our passing through this wildernesse of the World brings forth sinne Now because what is written for our instruction it will be wisdome in all to make use of this truth which the Wise man holds out to us upon his owne experience and which all Saints in their experience must and do beare witnesse to And first we may improve it thus It giveth us a discovery of the fruitlesse labours and contentions of all those that labour and cond contend meerely for the World in part or in whole For if this be truth that all things under the Sunne be vanity then it must needs be fruitlesse labour and contention which if it attain what it seekes yet findeth nothing but varity and in it vexation of spirit If this were truly set home upon our spirits by the Spirit of God Sathan would have fewer to worship him upon that temptation which he assaulted our Saviour with in shewing him the World in all its glory As wee come more to know God in the spirit so that we by that spirit know the world in its vanity and emptinesse then shall we labour and contend lesse for the vanities of the World and the World of vanities then shall we see the vanity of our laborious contending for that which is but vanity till then wee shall be laying out our money for that which is not bread and our spirits for that which profits not for till God gather up our spirits by his Spirit to himselfe the World will hold us and all that while wee are but wrapt up in the armes of vanity and dandled upon the knees of death for all things under the Sunne are vanity all that is below God is too low for a Saint to labour after or contend for This truth not only concernes those worldlings that are buried alive in the world but it may make Saints blush yea the best of Saints to consider how they have stretched forth their hands to graspe the wind and opened their hearts to let in vanity and upon this regard have been ready to conclude 't is good to be here let us build Tabernacles And so have labored to blow up this bladder of vanity with these pleasing imaginations to our flesh of honour profits pleasures of this world till God prick the bladder and let out this wind so that then wee see it vanity But truly so much of this old man as is in Saints makes a very uncomely sight that heirs of glory joynt-heirs with Christ in glory such as have a more exceeding and eternall weight of glory prepared for them waits to swallow them up to all eternity should be pursuing after vanity it best becomes Saints to be always upon the wing of faith for heaven above those vanities there is no footing in the World for a Saint the World is an ocean of uncertain waves that goeth one way the other way as the wind drives them so that the Dove can have no rest for the sole of her foote till she comes to the Arke from whence she went out a Saint shall find rest in nothing but in God his originall it is vanity in all to pursue vanity but especially in Saints for their lives are hid with Christ in God It is great folly for an empty stomacke to sucke in the winde for its satisfaction and this title wee may give to the wisedome of the wisest worldling which makes the Prodigals choise to feede on huskes if he could have had enough of them this winde may fill but it can never satisfie but sure this is exceeding folly in Saints who have bread enough in their Fathers house and their treasure in Heaven to have their hearts any where but in Heaven where their treasure is And it is much to the dishonour of God who is the glorious and satisfying interest of his people that they should be running to empty Cisterns when hee himselfe is an eternall fountaine of love life and exceeding glory to them and doubtless Saints in truth are very tender of the glory of God these children of love are much in love with their Fathers glory it grieves their spirits to see prophane wretches dishonour him but it doth exceedingly wound them if they be found actors in such a worke themselves and if so then wee should be very watchfull lest wee be under the fruitlesse labour and contentions of those that labour contend for the World in part or in whole If this truth were spiritually understood surely Saints would be more carelesse of the worlds frownes and lesse solicitous for their smiles and favours their best gifts and their sowrest lookes are all comprehended under this terme vanity and hee that hath their smiles hath no less of vanity then he that hath their frowns for they are vanity themselves and
As if the Lord Christ had said My work and will is bound up in God and it is my joy and content to be doing his worke and fulfilling his will And in the fifth of John verse 30. I seek not my own will but the will of my Father which hath sent me I pursue the businesse that I came about to perfect the will of him I came from from John 6.38 For I came downe from heaven not to doe my owne will but the will of him that sent me so that in all these Scriptures it appeares that Christ owneth nor doth no will but the will of God Now as it was the Lord Christs work to doe the wil of God in all things so is it Saints duty in conformity to Christ their Head to be willing and doing no other will but the will of God If the Lord Christ will allow in himselfe no other will but the will of God then certainly he will not doe it in his members it is both the duty and priviledge of Saints to be made conformable to Christ their Head As the branches in the vine receive that sap which cometh from the root and bringeth forth such fruit as that fap produceth so is it with Saints united to Christ they have their lise and fruit from union and he owneth them to be united to him that heare the word of God and doe it Luke 8.21 This is so cleare a truth so much of God in it that I cannot doubt but it carries its proofe and commission with it into the bosomes of all such as owne God and Christ so that the improving will be more edifying then the proving Therefore confider the second head namely That so farre as Christ liveth in any soule it is the dâ—sire of such a soul that the whole will of God and no other but the will of God may be done in all times and things What Christ is in himself that he is in his members he is in himself one with the wil of God so where Christ lives in any soule so much Christ so much onenesse with and conformity to the will of God Such a soul speaks in Christs strength and so speakes Christs language to God Not my will but thy will be done There is in the best of Saints on earth as in Paul a double Law one in the members and another in the minde one of the flesh and another of the spirit but as that Apostle Rom. 7. last Through Christ he served God with the mind Where Christ possesseth there God is obeyed if he lives and reignes in any soule that soule so farre knowes no will to obey but the will of God and if any part of that man know any other will it is the fleshly part which Christ hath not fully subdued to himself but where Christ liveth there he suffers no other will but the will of God to beare rule And as the fire of Gods Spirit doth consume the lusts of the flesh in Saints so doth the will of such Saints runne more and more into the wil of God they are lost unto themselves and found in God they will and doe every day lesse of Selfe and more of God they are crucified with Christ to the world and the world to them and the life that they then live is by the faith of the Son of God in conformity to the will of God Christ makes the desires shapes and formes the will in such soules as he lives in to God and God is sure to have that which Christ new makes For it is his businesse to doe his Fathers worke When ever Christ new makes or makes the new creature in any soule his end is to make for God and to lift up his own name in lifting up God for he telleth us in the 17. of John verse 21 22. That himselfe and his Father are one and as there is but one will in God and Christ so there is onely that one will in every soul that Christ powerfully liveth in so farre as he doth live in it by his Spirit For it is the property of the Spirit as fire to burn up and consume all but substance what ever is drosse is consumed where that holy fire comes now all flesh and selfe is drosse both in will and work and that the Spirit burnes up and leaves nothing remaining in such a soule where it liveth so farre as it hath overcome but the substantial and holy wil of God And from hence it is that any soul comes to be changed in its desires because it is changed in it selfe or more properly out of it selfe from flesh to spirit from selfe to Christ from its own wil to the wil of God But now if any shall object and say This is a hard saying who can beare it This makes Christianity to be such a burthensome thing as the world reports it to be that a man must be alwayes crossing and denying himselfe of any will or content of his own so as by this rate the way to heaven is to have no pleasure upon earth To this I answer It is ignorance of God and his wayes that makes this objection this sounds like the answer of Nieodemus to our Saviour in the third of John verse 4. when Christ had been shewing him the necessity of regeneration and spake in the Spirit to him of being born again he understood not the Spirit and as he understood him so answered him in the flesh How can a man be born when he is old Can he enter the second time into his mothers womb and be born Christ spake in the Spirit but Nicodemus understood him onely in the flesh and therefore judgeth it hard or impossible that there should be a regeneration or new birth though Christ had told him the necessity of it So doe all that are ignorant of God and his wayes thus conclude of him as they understand him so that when he speakes in the Spirit and they understand him in the flesh they conclude according to the light they are under that what is impossible with man is so with God to them because they have no other knowledge of God but in the flesh But let such as are spirituall consider First God gives what he commands and then commands what he gives God that commands to be worshipped and obeyed in spirit gives his Spirit to worship and obey him in God is no hard master he takes not up where he layes not down he covenants freely and makes it fully good to put his law in the inner parts of his people and to write it in their hearts Jerem. 31.33 And to give them his Spirit of truth to dwell with them and be in them and to teach them all things John 14.17.26 Now none but a fleshly understanding can condemne God for a hard master and his will swallowing up our will to be a joylesse comfortlesse burthensome thing when as hee gives his Spirit to doe that in us which hee requires of
wil also glory through the free-grace of God in this that Christ is made his Righteousnesse and Justification so that hee stands compleate before God in him Free-grace made Christ sinne for me sayes this soule that I might be made the righteousnesse of God in him 2 Cor. 5. last Jesus Christ in the designe of Gods free-grace hath borne sinne death hel law and curse for me that I am for ever acquitted from the condemning reigning or devouring power of any or of all these Now sayes this soule tel me you that understand Is nor this God of free-grace the only subject of a Saints glory Nay I wil tel you more God himselfe is the fulnesse of his peoples glory to all eternity hee lets the Worldlings for a little time to glut themselves with the World but himselfe is the free the full and eternal glory of his people in the Ages to come even to all eternity hee is filling his people with the exceeding riches of his grace and kindnesse in Christ Jesus Ephes 2.7 God doth to all eternity set open his bosom and not give to such as are heirs of himselfe flagons but oceans of love and glory It must needs be glory if it be Gods love Now this I and more then this more then eternity can tel is the free-grace of God therefore let him that glorieth glory in the Lord for he is God the only fountaine and fulnesse of free-grace But if any should object and say if grace be thus free in God to elect call justifie sanctifie and glorifie his people meerely of his free-grace why then did Christ take flesh and in the flesh satisfie the utmost of Gods justice for the sinnes of his people It seemes to appeare that God was satisfied in his justice he had the debt paid how then doe you make it grace To this I answer that in its proper place I shal make use of this argument to clear up the glory of God in the exactnesse of his justice but it doth no ways diminish the freeness of his grace to us for it is free-grace that made Christ to be the satisfaction of divine justice for our sinnes and that God satisfies his owne justice in himselfe doth no more make his grace not to be free then the making his Covenant in himselfe could keepe that from being free that justice is satisfied makes it ful redemption to us but that God doth it in Christ which is wholly out of our selves keeps it very exactly to bee the redemption of free-grace Wee are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Rom. 3.24 That God doth satisfie his justice in Christ it is that through him we might be made partake is of the redemption of his grace it is grace redeemes and just fies by Christ but Christ the gift of Gods grace cannot diminish his grace that which God gives his people through Christ though he satisfies his justice in the way yet he magnifies the freenesse of his grace in the work A third particular is this The riches of Gods mercy The Apostle Paul glories in God upon this very consideration in Ephes 2.4 But God who is rich in mercy for his great love wherewith hee loved us and so forwards God to manifest his great love wherewith he loved his people bestowes on them the riches of his mercy namely his eternal love his free-grace his beloved Sonne and in him election calling justification sanctification and glorification and his holy spirit in these now this will be acknowledged to be rich mercy many doe pretend to be givers though they have nothing but what they first receive but none I am sure but blasphemers can pretend to be givers of such rich mercies as these God is the onely fountaine and giver of these more exceeding and eternall weights of glory Nay that which Worldlings make their God namely the World it was created by him and for him and though it be a curse to them that know no other God yet every piece and parcell of it sanctified is a blessing and a rich mercy of God to his chosen people love makes all conditions to be rich mercy of God to them It was a rich mercy to a darke world to say let there be light and it was so but then how rich is God in mercy when he makes known his eternall love and shines through the wounds of Christ by his owne spirit into a darke soule and bids the soule be of good cheere its sinnes are forgiven It stands compleat in Christ and is an heire of God a joynt-heire with Christ however men may slight the riches of these spiritual mercies whilst they are glutting their soules with the World yet let them remember the time is not farre off when death shall close their eyes and their soules sit upod their trembling lips and then a glimpse of a reconciled God in Christ will be found a rich mercy The Apostle cals the love of God heights and breadths depths and lengths of love Hee takes in all that hee could reckon up to shew the exceeding riches of it God is the fulnesse of glory and the fountaine of mercy therefore his mercies must needs be rich and full of glory So then as riches of mercy is a subject of glory let him that glorieth glory in the Lord. In the next place Consider the faithfulnesse of God in making good of his promises God is a free God in all his promises he onely ingages himselfe no soule can ingage God for to receive all from God and yet to oblige God is a contradiction the first is a truth of God what the latter is I leave the Reader to judge But as God is free in all his promises the whole workings of God in the world is an ample testimony to this truth and faithfulnesse of God but yet for more particular proofe take two or three Scriptures First Gods promises at the fault of the first Adam to give the Lord Jesus Christ the second Adam in Gen. 3.15 That the Seed of the Woman namely Christ should bruise the Serpents head This Serpent is the Devill Now to the making good of this promise the whole word of God and the salvation of his people is a full testimony For another great promise take that of Gods giving his Spirit to his people to teach them and to lead them into all truth and by which he doth write his Law in the hearts and inward parts of his people Jer. 31.33 John 14.26 Now how God doth make good this promise such as be truly spirituall can give in their testimony and I doubt not but God hath many thousand such witnesses in the world though such as know him not doe blaspheme and scoff at him in scoffing at his Spirit in his people yet Saints in truth will tell you that they in themselves are darknesse and God is onely light and it is the Spirit of God in them that is their light that they know
it becomes a servant not only to God but to Saints also Death is through Christ a servant to all Saints to waite on them till they have finished their worke on Earth in the will of God and then layes them to rest in the dust It waits till all the worke be done and then doth its worke in the appointment of God resting the weary body from its labours cracking the clay walls that the thirsting soule may meete its Beloved in perfection of glory so meet as never to part more but to be for ever with the Lord to behold the love of God in glory and be for ever swallowed up in the glory of that love Death which in it selfe is grim and frightfull is through Christ to a Saint welcome and pleasing because it comes without a sting and hath no other businesse but to serve Gods end in freeing both soule and body sets the foule free from the body of death and the body from a weary and toilesome life Death is but a sleep in which the body lyes till at the glorious appearance of Christ it riseth incorruptible the nature of death is through Christ but to be our Fathers messenger to bring us home that we may see his reconciled face in glory and enjoy the mansions prepared for us that wee may tast the love of his heart know him in himselfe reape the full harvest of all our hopes possessing glory above the life of faith our feasting in heaven will be fruitions not a crown of glory in promise only but in possession the joyes the hopes the desires of a gracious soule in all his life is by death brought in at once the joy of this soule is that the day drawes nigh in which the body shall be dissolved and it shall be with Christ It hopes to meete its beloved in perfect glory and never part more it desires to be absent from the body and present with the Lord and in all this death is through Christ a servant to a Saints death hath all its poyson in its sting and Christ taking away the sting from death hath quite changed the nature of it Death with its sting kils where it conquers but Death without its sting only changes the body of Saints from wormes to cold clay So Job hee waited all the dayes of his appointed time till his change came by death Saints change their place but not their company whereas before they lived in God now they live with God Saints on earth have communion with God and Christ in the Spirit and Saints in heaven have the same company but in greater glory Death changes our place of communion but not those wee have communion with Saints on Earth live upon love tokens from God and Christ sent to them by the Spirit but in Heaven upon the originall and fulnesse of all that love here by the Spirit we read the love and kindnesse of God and Christ in a Covenant of free-grace and many gracious promises but in heaven we taste of love in the fountaine in the very bosome of God and Christ to all eternity here wee glory that glory waits for us in heaven there our glory is to be swallowed up into glory and to be made glorious in the fulnesse of that glory In this Saints glory over the nature of death it doth not kill them but change them from a cloudy to a more exceeding and eternall weight of glory And as for the bodies of Saints it may be said of them as Christ did of the Rulers daughter shee is not dead but sleepeth Death changes them in this their sleep is something longer then at other times yet they are not dead but sleepe for Christ is the life of Saints And because Christ lives they live also John 14.19 Their clay is colder in this sleepe then in others and by degrees crumbles into dust here is a change indeed and it is no more for this corruptible must put on incorruptible and this mortality must put on immortality and then it will fully appeare that death is swallowed up in victory 1 Cor. 53 54. The nature of Death is changed by Christs taking the sting away from being the King of terrours it becomes the messenger of glad tidings Death is now so free from terrours that it brings tidings of the greatest joy to Saints it tels the Spouse of Christ she shall goe and be for ever in her beloveds armes Your wildernesse days are accomplished in which you went many times to the Watchmen to enquire for your Beloved and you found them in the darke as well as your selfe but now you shall finde your Beloved and be filled with his love and live in the light of the Lord for ever Death tels the children of God hee is come to fetch them home to their Fathers house yea to their Fathers Kingdome in which they shall all reign with him They shall be as children under-age no longer they shall now possesse the mansions prepared from eternity to eternity not only have all teares wiped from their eyes but to live for ever in the beholding and enjoying perfection of glory Death brings glad tidings both to body and soule it tels the body head you shall ake no more stomacke you shall be sicke no more heart you shall tremble and be affraid no more flesh you shall bleed and smart no more I am come to put an end to all these feares and troubles God will looke you up in the cabinet of the earth that you may there sleep in peace till Christ raise you incorruptible and carry you into glory And to the soule sayes Death you shall have no more time for sinne and vanity perfect holinesse to eternity shall now swallow you up I come only to put an end to sinning dayes you shall now groane under sinne no more that body which held you and was subject to temptations shall now goe to sleepe in the dust till the tempter be chained up in eternall darkenesse in stead of mourning under sin you shall now for ever glory over sin your feares shall end so shall your faith for in stead of the evidence of things not seene you shall both see enjoy the heighths breadths depths and lengths of the love grace kindnesse faithfulnesse and glory of that God you have believed in Feare not me sayes Death I come from your Father so as you mâ—y be sure I have no commission to hurt you Christ your beloved Huâ—band Brother Head and Redeemer tooke care that I should not be able to hurt you for he tooke my sting from me before I should come unto you I am come without a sting to tell you God and Christ loves you but that is not all my errand they love you so well that they can suffer you no longer to be out of the full enjoyment of their love and I am sent to cracke the clay walls which is your prison that you may flye home and be at rest there your rest
shall be as high as heaven and filled with God where no troubles can ever reach you nor no power be able to unrest you this is the true nature of death to Saints Christ having taken sin from them which is the sting of death so that in all this and exceedingly more may believing Saints glory in the very nature of death Secondly a Saint through Christ may glory over Death in the time of it though it be uncertain in the time of its comming yet that hinders not a Saints glory For a beleeving Saint knowes when ever death comes it shal be without a sting and this made the Apostle to glory in Phil. 1.21 For me to live is Christ and to dye is gaine If death stay longer before it comes yet I can glory in the length of time For to me to live is Christ and in the strength of Christ I can wait patiently all the dayes of my appointed time till in the wil of God my change shal come And if death be at hand and settle it selfe in my bosome the next moment yet herein I have glory For to die is gain A beleeving Saint can tell Death he hath his time as wel as his work appointed him you have both your time and your power given you by my Father and though to me it is a secret when your time shal be yet in the Spirit of God this is revealed to me when ever you come the love of God my Father comes with you and your work shal be to have me home that I may feed upon the bankets of love for ever Therefore sayes such a soule I feare not the time of your comming but wait patiently for it in the wil and Spirit of God yet in all that time thirst earnestly to be dissolved and to be with Christ The uncertain time of death may justly be sad and amazing to such as have their good things and their portion of good onely in this world and that by terme of life for here Death crops all in a moment and they are left empty though their barnes be full as the foole in the Gospel But to such a foule whose lise is hid with Christ in God and when Christ who is its life shall appeare wee shall then appeare with him in glory Here the uncertain time of death can be no disadvantage because Christ to this soule is eternal life so that it lives certainly and eternally with Christ in God Gol. 2.3 4. it hath a certain life and therefore can glory in it and over the uncertain time of death 2 Cor. 5.1 For wee know that if our earthly House of this Tabernacle were dissolved wee have a building of God an house not made with hands eternall in the Heavens Though we know not the time of dissolution to this earthly Tabernacle yet this we know when it shall be it will be a time of advantage for wee leave a tabernacle that may and must be dissolved to possesse a building of God an eternal Mansion house in heaven Therefore sayes a beleeving soule Death I can glory in thy time Christ hath made thee my friend by taking my sins which was thy sting away from thee and now I long and earnestly desire to see thy face O death my friend If I must waite yet a few dayes or yeares before the appointed time shall come for thee to lay my weary body asleep in the dust yet I doe see the beauty of my Fathers will in that but if thou beest at hand thou art truly welcome if the next moment bee thine for me it is a blessed moment the moment of my first entrance into the full fruition of blessednesse this thy time is the time of wiping all teares from my eyes and revealing all glory to my soule of putting an end to all misery and the beginning of joyes without end thy time is my triumphing my waited hoped longed for moment I did tell the World that scorned me that I was an heire of glory had mansions and a crowne prepared and waited for me in my Fathers glory and art thou now come O death to fetch me home to bring me to Christ my head with whom I shall for ever possesse that glorious inheritance which I have gloried in this is a blessed time and moment in which I be held thy face thou art not come before thou art welcome I have nothing to stay me here I have waited long for thee my God and Father is in Heaven so is Christ my beloved there perfection purity is onely there my treasure is there so is my heart also and art thou now come to set mee cleere of this corrupt empty perishing World that I may bee onely there and for ever there O blessed be the Lord that thou art come thy time is a welcome time a time of deliverance from sinning in the body and the body of sinne thy moment puts an end to all howers of temptation and though the men of the World may trample over my clay yet my soule shall tryumph in reall glory above this imaginary glory thus may a beleeving soule glory over death in the time of it Thirdly A beleeving Saint through Christ may glory over the feares of death What ever feares there be in death they are onely to Christlesse soules for soules in Christ may glory over them all because to them death hath no sting as first the grand feare in death is this that it may prove eternall the haling of soule and body out of the World to come before the righteous Judge of quicke and dead where it shall receive this sentence Goe you cursed into eternall fire prepared for the Devill and his Angels for ever This is more then a feare for it is really so to Christ lesse soules where death comes with his sting in him but when the sting is gone this feare is gone too and the beleeving soule in Christ may glory over death as it is bereaved of his sting and so over death in this great feare the Scripture tels us It is appointed for all men once to dye and after death to come to judgement That is to come before the righteous Judge but the description which the Word of Gâ—d giveth us of that day is that there shall be a right hand and a left to distinguish betweene the Sheepe and the Goates on his left hand Depart from me you cursed into everlasting fire prepared for the Devill and his Angels so to the Sheep on his right hand he will say Come you blessed of my Father inherite the Kingdome prepared for you from the foundation of the World 25. Mat. latter end The feare in death is a seare of judgement but the judgement day is a blessed day to all the members of Christ 't is that day when soule and body shall meet againe to be blessed for ever in inheriting of the kingdome prepared for them it is the day of the bodies full redemption and eternall nuptiall with the
hath laid the bodies of Saints in the dust there is the end of his office and when the grave hath swallowed up the corruption of those bodies then its worke is done too but then Christ hath an eternall wo ke in his hands to raise it a spirituall body that the fulnesse of his redemption may be made up so as that soule and body both may be filled with the fulnesse of his redemption and in this worke Christ commands both death and grave to give up their dead bodies and then he spirits his owne sutable to that eternall life which they are to possesse The Scripture tels us That Christ is risen from the dead and become the first fruits of them that slept 1 Cor. 15.20 That is Christ is first in the resurrection but so as hee is the first fruits a testimony of resurrection to all that sleepe and in Rom. 8.11 the Apostle telleth us That the same power which raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken our mortall bodies by his Spirit So in 1 Thes 4.16 For the Lord himselfe shall descend from heaven with a shout with the voyce of the Arch-Angel and with the trumpe of God and the dead in Christ shall rise first I mention these Scriptures to shew the victory that Saints have in Christ over death and grave and to me they give full satisfaction and ample proofe in them to the thing in hand that neither death can hurt nor grave hold so much as the body of a Saint in Christ but on the contrary that the very bodies of Saints have victory over death in dying and that Saints have exceeding cause to glory over death under this consideration as well as all or any of the former I shall next take into consideration in some few particulars the benefits and advantages that believing Saints through Christ have by death both in our soules and bodies I will begin with the bodies First Death freeth us from all the naturall infirmities and diseases of our bodies One complaines that winde makes a torturing tumult all his body over the bowels and the body full and they fill the head so that there is no free part Another he complains that fluxe of water hath filled his veins chil'd his bloud and num'd his joynts so that aches are in all his bones A third complains that gravell lyeth in his reines teares his kidneyes and stops his bladder so that his whole life is as it were upon the torturing racke there be many more complainers besides these which goe from man to man to make their moane and begge their help for a little ease though but for a little time which sometimes they finde but often returne from fellow-creatures as miserable as they came but when Death comes without his sting he makes a perfect cure of all sorrowes and paine for ever among creatures wee seeke ease with teares but death hee brings full and lasting ease and wipes away all teares from our eyes Death puts an end to hunger and thirst to cold and nakednesse to labour and wearinesse in short to all wants and to all woes the grave is quiet it is the only piece of quiet earth that man can meete withall though a little above the grave on the earth there be cryings out and complainings yet the grave is quiet nothing can disturb the rest and quiet of that bed it is not capable of disturbance therefore exceeding usefull to rest in this I assure you is a greater benefit then all the living World enjoyes beside Crownes have their crosses States their crackes all persons and things their wants every person state condition and thing under the sinne wrapped up in vanity all wants are buried no where but in the grave of death The body of man never bids adiew to all want til it be embraced in the arms of death and laid to rest in that quiet center of the earth but when death comes without its sting it brings this certaine benefit and advantage with it A second benefit and advantage of the body of Saints in death without its sting is this It takes from the worlds scorne and cruelty When the bodies of Saints are in the grave Worldlings must seeke some other object for their slander scorn or cruelty they will finde no sap or moisture in the dust of Saints to feede these lusts withall the derision and persecution of Gods deare Saints on Earth is the pastime and practise of sinning soules like the flye that sports it selfe about the candle till shee have burnt her wings but God hath his time to ease his people of this burthen and if not before yet certainly and fully when death comes is this worke effected Saints whilst they live in the bodie are with their spirits above the worlds scornes and cruelties but when death comes then the body gets beyond them too so that here is another benefit in death it freeth them from the scorns of fools and the cruelty of cruell men The wicked worldlings counts a Saint to be the only troubler of the people and place wherein hee lives but when death comes to a Saint he is very willing to leave the world their portion and their elbow-roome hee is not desirous to trouble them any longer all he desires is a little earth to lye downe to sleepe in and that the world is content withall wishing that al the rest were there too this is a benefit which a Saint with submission to the wil of God desires many an houre before it comes he is as willing to be at home in his owne inheritance as the worldling is to have him out of his now death crownes these longing in Saints and brings in the harvest of many prayers which the spirit hath made for this very thing so that in these and many more particulers is death beneficial and advantageous to the body of Saints But I shal mention two generals in which death without its sting is through Christ exceeding advantagious and benificous to the soules of beleeving Saints First It delivers them from a body of sinne a place of temptations and darknesse which is the whole complaint of Saints whilst they are in the flesh the Apostle Paul complaines of the Law in his members which rebelled against the Law of his minde and of the body of death how often doth the Prophet David pray to be kept from temptations and to be inlightned in his darknesse that God would shew him the way he should walke in and make his pathes straight Saints desire to be uncloathed of the body of flesh because they are capable of sinning in that body any it is a body which tempts to sinne and in which the soule is under much darknesse And therefore groanes within our selves waiting for the adoption to wit the redemption of our body 8. Rom. 23. It is very sweet to bee delivered from temptations that they get not the upper hand so as to lead the soule captive at their will
but to be above the reach of all temptations where we can never possible be tempted more how exceeding precious and glorious is this a Saint would if it were in his power give the whole World so that he might never sinne more it must hten needs be of great advantage to him to be carryed above the reach of any temptation to sinne you shall never meet a Saint at the throne of grace but his breathings are Lord inlighten me in thy will make thy minde clearer and clearer out unto me by thy spirit leave me not in the darknesse of my owne flesh now then how precious must it needs be to this soule to be taken out of all clouds to have all clouds even the clouds of the flesh done away so that not the least shaddow of darknesse doth remaine Why all this and much more is the advantage of a Saints soul in the death of its body for this death without the sting of sinne is death to the body of sinne that it can be no more a body to sinne in it separates light and darknesse the soule and body that both might goe to their proper place and then the soule complaines no more of darknesse it is darke clay that hinders the soules light when it is quit of that it is perfect in light and this makes Saints so thirsting to shake off the rags of flesh their clouds of darknesse their places of temptation and their sinning body now when death comes he satisfies all these thirstings fils up all these desires and accomplisheth the present designe of God concerning the fleshly body in which the precious soules of beleeving Saints are through Christ aboundantly benifited and advantaged but this is not all the benefit and advantage which death without its sting through Christ bringeth to the soules of beleevers There is another generall which is this The soule ip now taken us into the perfection of Gods eternal love free grace full glory everlasting purity and thus to be for ever with the Lord. When I say this comes in with death I meane it is then so perfected as it could be never so before for the bodies of Saints must bee sowne in corruption before they can rise in incorruption and the soule is never perfect till it be quit of the corruptible body and this evill World but this being once accomplished Then the soule in God and God in the soule makes up perfection to all eternity the soule hath now no let to full injoyment of his Masters joy it is now a childe of full age nothing can hinder him in possessing his full inheritance in his Fathers love and glory The mansions prepared from all eternity are now possessed to all eternity the love which lay hidd in our Fathers heart and was too great to be revealed in the World is now spred open to the soule and the soule is bid eate my beloved O drinke abundantly and be satisfied this feast of love will hold out for ever eternity cannot exhaust it it is the love of God this is the supper of the Lambe slaine before the foundation of the World in the designe of Gods free grace this mystery is now revealed and the soules of Saints filled with the glory of it Saints in Heaven are in the light of the Lord and all filled with the Lord their Light perfection is there the portion of every soule Christ hath given up the Kingdome to his Father and God is the perfection and fulnesse of all his Children this perfection of glory is Gods end in redeeming his elect that we might be heires of God fellow-heires with Christ in his eternall love full glory and everlasting purity never to know sinne or sorrow more to be above the breathings of any defilement or the buddings of any vanity what we shall then possesse will bee nothing but all God it will be all God and alwayes God God will bee the light of our eyes the life of our soules the excellency of our glory the sweet of our sweets and the perfection of our purity in Heaven Heaven is the presence of God the full perfect glorious and the eternall presence of God will be our Heaven when death hath layd our dying bodies asleepe when the corruptible sleepes away its corruption the incorruptible soule possesseth a crowne incorruptible and full of glory so that the time of death without its sting is through Christ to a Beleever of great benefit and advantage both in soule and body Saints in Christ ought to improve the joyes and consolations which comes from the free grace of God to their soules amongst which I am sure this truth is very eminent and therefore ought to be well improved and first this calls upon beleeving Saints to whom through Christ death when ever it comes wil be without the sting of sinne that they should not have sadd or hard thoughts of death we should not make feare in our flesh or spirits to be the associate of the thoughts of death there is no cause for it the sting being taken away by this needlesse and unbeleeving feare of death in Saints we doe prejudice our selves and bring an evil report upon our friend First wee prejudice our selves for through a feareful fancy of evil and danger in death we many times doe what we should not and leave that undone which we ought to doe how many stretch their consciences to doe that which they have no rule for and otherwise would not doe but that they feare it may cost them their lives if they should not and how much duty is neglected upon this very consideration upon a feare in doing to lose or indanger life the feare indeed is to meet with death in doing therefore chuse rather to omit duty but it is safe and blessed through Christ to meet death in duty sad and hard thoughts of death I verily beleeve doe much prejudice Saints in their streight and even walking with God through this wildernesse it were happy if in reading wee could read our owne hearts But secondly These fleshly feares of Saints bring an evill report upon death which through Christ is our real friend it is very imbecomming Saints to scandalise any out that we should do this to death who is so real a friend to us and the messenger of such glad tidings as what hath gone before proveth him to be this is very disingenious if Saints looke upon him with a feareful eye he wil then be taken for an enemy to all the World for to others hee commeth with his sting so as they have just cause to feare but to Saints death is a reconciled friend in Christ and we doe him injury when ever we looke upon him as other nay truly we dishonour Christ to feare death after hee hath conquered him the redemption of Christ for his people is so ful that they may and ought to serve him without feare the victory over death is part of the redemption of Christ so that
now feare of death is no lesse then diffidence of that Redemption therefore Saints should be very watchful that they harbour no sad nor hard thoughts of death because in so doing wee dishonour a true friend nay Christ that made death thus to be our friend In the next place this cals upon Saints that when death comes to sit in our bosomes wee should bid him truly welcome and give him the entertainement of a friend that is be truly joyful to see him let him finde by the joy of our hearts that he is welcome to our besomes let his countenance be pleasing to us for though hee be pale death to our flesh yet that flesh shall be a gainer by its palenesse and finde nothing in death but a quiet rest til it shal put on incorruption But to the spirit death is a messenger from God and Christ of glad tydings and the feet of those which bring glad tidings should be beatiful to us let death when he comes finde he is a long looked for friend that he is not come before he is welcome but should have beene welcome if hee had come much sooner that thou takest him for so good and so real a friende that thou art heartily willing to goe with him and to leave all thy friends in the flesh that thou hast kept them company but til he comes and now art willing to leave them all to goe with him Saints may wel bid death welcome as a friende for Christ is in him and the love of Christ when Christ tooke sinne from Saints which was the sting of death he gave them love in the roome of sinne so as before we had sinne in all now we have love in all and though death to Saints have not the sting of sinne yet it hath the love of Christ and is worthy to bee bidd welcome and entertained with gladnesse when hee commeth But in the next place This calleth loude to Saints that they beleeve strongly in that love of Christ who hath taken away the sting of death which is sinne and thereby made death that was an original enemy to be a true and constant friend the Scripture teleth us 1 Cor. 15.26 The last enemie that shall be destroyed is death Now death as an enemy to Saints is destroyed in the death of Christ for his sting which is his enmity is taken away by Christ that I inferre is this Saints have much cause to beleeve strongly in that love the strength of which hath overcome all enemies for us Christ hath overcome death the last of enemies why should we ever then feare the fading of that love which hath left no enemies to make us afraide Saints feares are of their owne creating for what ever might have beene a true cause of feare hath beene under Christs destroying for he hath destroyed all enemies and where no enemy is there is no true ground of feare what remaines then Why nothing but a firme and lasting foundation of faith the love of Christ is a strong foundation for a Saint to beleeve strongly in what should we feare death is our friend the love of Christ hath made him so the breakings forth of this love is ground sufficient to banish all feares if death be no enemy then there is no enmity betweene death and us for death is the last destroyed enemy and the love of Christ hath destroyed that enmity Saints have many that hate them but none that can hurt them take this for proofe death is a Saints friend there can bee no greater testimony of love then the destroying of enemies for no man will destroy the enemies of him that he is an enemy to himselfe enmitie would make enemies it is onely love that destroyes them and this love is Christ to his people his love is so great that he will leave us no enemy that is no person persons or things shall ever be able to destroy a Saint then surely Saints may and ought to beleeve strongly in the love of Christ let worldlings know their nailes are too short to scratch out this love their strength too weake to shake this eternall foundation if they suck our bloods they may choak themselves but doe us no hurt for through the love of Christ Saints are conquerers over death Saints may believe strongly on the love of Christ for a worse enemy then the World shall never be able to destroy them even sinne for Christ hath destroyed sin and in that death for all that believe in him so as a Saint triumphs over death in the want of its sting is in the love of Christ which hath taken away sin and this is that love which the soules of Saints should believe in and rest strongly upon Saints need not fear they cannot lay more upon this love then Christ is able and willing to beare nay then he hath born already for he hath borne all the transgressions iniquities sinnes griefes sorrowes stripes and chastisements of his people Isâ— 53. So that hee hath redeemed his from the whole of sin and believing Saints may not feare to venture their soules in all upon the love of Christ nay doubtlesse it is the duty of Saints to live believing strongly in the love of Christ which hath put Death to death and overcome all enemies for them But in the fourth place Saints should make this improvement of these truths to waite upon God patiently in believing Death will assuredly come and deliver them from all their troubles in the flesh Faith made Job to waite patiently all the dayes of his appointed time till his change did come There is an appointed time in which the change shall come and beyond that time it shall not stay There can be no loss of faith in this thing for death waits upon our Fathers will and shall certainly come at his appointed time I confesse it is hard for Saints that are heires of heaven and know it willingly to stay longer out of heaven and their Fathers imbracings and in that time to be in a body of sin and a sinful world to beare the infirmities of the body with the scornes slanders persecutions of the World yet remember that this is the fulfilling of the will of our God and all this time death our friend is a comming every moment bringeth this longed for blessing nearer and nearer and we cannot tell but it may be at the doore that death may be in the next moment is the worlds feare let it be a Saints joy and serve to quench immoderate thirst here is this to answer all feares it will certainly come and cannot be farre off Christ longeth more for us then we doe or can doe for him and though we thinke him long yet he that shall come will come and will not tarry Remember the body is made of brittle earth it will be soone cracked or moulder away it cannot by its constitution last long the word of truth calleth him a foole that counted upon many yeares when
reason and can never be apprehended but by an eye of faith why any should be vessels of wrath and not we or why wee vessels of honour when others are vessels of dishonour If you can give me no reason then admire this love this free love this full and eternall love Oh what beloved like our beloved that could love such wretches as we and so love us as to make us one with himselfe to all eternity this is only fit to be admired by Saints First This cals upon Saints to trust God and to live upon him by faith Secondly To love God and Jesus Christ which hath thus loved us Lastly To lye low at the feete of God and the weakest Saints Oh trust God who is like him to be trusted Which hath forgiven us freely and justified us freely and fully when God might have glorified his Justice in our damnation but hath freely chosen to glorifie his grace in our salvation Oh for a Saint to distrust God how unworthy it is of that love and free-grace by which we stand justified in his sight for ever If God should argue with us thus what doe you distrust me Doe you thinke I either am or will be wrath with you Why I have made you one with Christ and I can as well be in wrath with him as with you What should I do more I have cleansed you in the blood of my Sonne and cloathed you with my owne righteousnesse and do you thinke I can now be wrath with you Surely then you think me unjust may God say I have told I you am satisfied in Christ and how can I as a just God satisfie my wrath on you again Nay I have put my Spirit into your hearts by which you have come to me crying Abba-Father and yet doe distrust me Surely it is your flesh and not my Spirit in you which creates these hard thoughts of me I say if God should argue thus with us who should be able to answer him God is a gracious God to us a God of free-grace oh then live on the free-grace of this gracious God what though thon canst not see those qualifications in thee that would perswade thee to love thy enemie were they in him yet measure not God by thy selfe he is a God of infinite free-grace his ways are past finding out Now if he tels and perswades thee by his spirit he loves thee believe it this love was from eternity and shall abide to eternity enquire no reason God is above thy reason live on him by faith If God tell thee he hath laid thy iniquities on Christ and the griefe and punishment due to them and that he stood as the sinner in thy roome because thou mightest for ever stand righteous in him I say if God tell a poore soule this in the Gospel those glad tidings of peace oh then goe not backe to Sathan and thy owne heart to find reason of this love qualification sutable to this love before thou wilt believe Gods word but lie downe at the feete of God and cast thy selfe at the throne of his free-grace for there is thy salvation believe that the reasons is in himselfe and the sutable qualifications shall spring from communion with himself and the Lord Christ in the Spirit Secondly Oh love God and Jesus Christ which hath and doth thus love us oh that our hearts did truly say there is no beloved like our beloved Who will shew us any good says one Text. Why soule wilt thou not love those that shew thee good Oh then love God Christ in whom is all thy life and all the good of it bound up what ever may engage love it is all in God and Christ there is the fulnesse of riches and glory and mercy and beauty and pleasures and honours and all that the vastest soule can desire to be found in fellowship with the Father and the Son If there were no other argument but this to love him it were enough because he loved us and gave himselfe for us The Father gave him and he willingly became sinne for us and hee tels us the end that we might be made the righteousnesse of God in him Oh that now in the beholding of this love we might be changed to his Image to be love as God is love Lastly Oh lye low at the feete of God and the weakest Saint when we looke upon all our glorious inheritance as Heires and Co-heirs with Christ yet remember it is all of free-grace 'T is of grace wee are saved out of the jawes of hell What hast thou which thou hast not received you shall finde it in the design of God to exclude boasting As in Rom. 3.27 Let not the wise man glery in his wisdome the rich man in his riches nor the strong man in his strength but let him that glorieth glory in the Lord For truly a Saint hath no glory but as he is in God and Christ The Apostle Paul desired to know nothing but Christ and him crucified and only to be found in his righteousnesse this was his his glory and sayes he If I boast I will boast of the Crosse of Christ Hee had according to the outward man learning and honour and much to boast of but this is selfe and hee throwes it downe at the feete of God and will only glory as he is one with Christ And truly when a soule can say my beloved is mine and I am his hee hath spoken all at once and this glory of the Sunne puts out the light of the Starres and now all that is selfe is nothing I sayes Paul in me that is in my flesh in all that is my selfe there is no good Thus is a Saint living on the free-grace of God nothing in himselfe but all in Christ and from hence he comes to prize the weakest Saint he looks on him as hewed out of the same Rock as an heir of the same glory as a soul created in that free-grace that himself is and so argues thus he is my brother and though he be weake and I strong yet I must not boast but beare not boast over him but beare him in my armes If I have more gifts they are al for the edification of the body not to discourage the least member but to help all and therefore sayes he my bosome shall be a bed for my brother to rest in And if hee may see further on my shoulders I will lye downe at his feete that he may get up If I have gifts it is to beare the burthen of the weake Gifts truly sanctified heithens Christ but they humble a Saint Christ discovers himselfe by them and the Saint in beholding Christs fulnesse doth see his owne emptinesse and so owns and admires God but abases and denies himselfe The soule argues thus that justifying grace I have from Christ it is for my selfe and I rest in it but my sanctifying grace those gifts and fruits of the Spirit they are in me