there is any wrong done I am sensible the introductive part should have been in some respects otherwise methodiz'd But I am content to let it go as it is tho' I find by the Notes that were brought me that some things were somewhat transpos'd otherwise than was intended in the delivery from a Memory not the most faithful If it do any good it must be from the supply of the good Spirit of God which I admonish all you that read seriously to seek and ask from him who hath promised thereupon it shall be given The very expectation whereof will prevent reading with a vain mind or ill design and the consequent danger of receiving hurt by what you read Your in our common Lord J. H. THE CARNALITY OF Religious Contention Gal. V. xvi This I say then Walk in the Spirit and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh THE last time I spake to you from these Words having largely opened before the Import of Walking in the Spirit I undertook to shew you how the Flesh here is to be understood against the Lusts whereof such walking in the Spirit is the prescribed Remedy In the General you have been told that Flesh is here to be taken morally and in that Latitude as to signifie all sorts of moral Evil or the general Depravedness of our Corrupt Nature For though sometimes in the moral Acceptation the Sense is limited as hath formerly been shewed to grosser Sins in contradistinction to more refined as 2 Cor. 7. 1. and 1 John 2. 16. yet sometimes also it is so far extended as to signifie all Sins as Col. 2. 11. compar'd with Rom. 6. 6. And in this Context it is plain the Apostle comprehends Sins of both these sorts under this one Expression But what particular Evils he more especially intended here to censure and caution these Galatian Christians against under this one Name cannot better be understood than by consulting this Context it self in which tho' we cannot say we have a full Enumeration we have yet very many Instances of the Carnalities against which this Remedy is directed Some of them more gross as we have told you they might be distinguished Adultery Fornication Vncleanness Lasciviousness Idolatory Witchcraft Murther Drunkenness Revellings and some other that may seem more refined not as having less but only a more subtle Malignity in them such as Hatred Vartance Emulation Wrath Strife Seditions Heresies Envyings c. It may here be thought strange that such Sins as these should be animadverted upon in Christian Churches as this Epistle is inscribed to such the Churches of Galatia Chap. 1. 2. so soon after the Gospel was come among them the Apostle himself thought it strange for you find him wondring at it Chap. 1. 5. I marvel that you are so soon removed from him that called you into the Grace of Christ to another Gospel Yea and after that with the Gospel they had received the Spirit too For 't is said Chap. 3. 2 3. This only would I learn of you received ye the Spirit by the Works of the Law or by the hearing of Faith And are you so foolish having begun in the Spirit do you think to be made perfect by the Flesh We are therefore to consider whaâ— sort of Persons and Doctrines they were that had corrupted and depraved those Churches and whereby it will be the more apprehensible by what kind of Insinuations they so far prevailed And we may collect in very great part what they were from divers Passages of this Epistle it self and indeed from this very Context Some would have us think the Persons were of that Sect called Gnosticks from their pretended and highly boasted Knowledge We have no Evidence that this Sect was so early known by this Name but it is very likely they were that sort of Men that were afterwards so called The Characters here given them in this and the other Apostolical Epistles do much agree with what divers of the more Ancient Christian Writers and one Pagan one Plotinus say of that Sect Which Pagan an Interpreter and great Admirer of his would sain have pass for a Christian because living in a time when the Controversie between Christianity and Paganism was at the height he says nothing against Christianity it self but speaks very much against these Pseudo-Christians whom tho' that Author mentions not by that Name this his Interpreter often doth it for him inserting The Gnosticks even when he is but translating into the Body of the Work it self But this less concerns us It is however out of question that this sort of Men very anciently called Gnosticks did highly vaunt their great Knowledge A very tempting specious Pretence Tho' their sublimer Notions about the Aeons c. were Imaginations only Phansie and not Knowledge or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Knowledge misnamed or falsly so called as we may borrow the Apostles Expression 1 Tim. 6. 20. tho' those Inventions were later and could only serve to fill the Minds of their Prosâ—lytes with Wind and Vanity But their Doctrines upon which the Apostle animadverts in this Epistle we may collect from the manifest Scope and Design of it and that was to assert Justification by Faith without the works of the Law which they greatly perverted and Sanctification by the Spirit of Christ or the Doctrine of the New Creature which they even quite subverted With which false Doctrines they conioyned a most impurely vicious Life and Practice falling in much with the Jews in their corrupt Doctrines and with the Pagans in their Licentious Practice Which must be equally tempting to carnal Minds And this may make it appear less strange that all these sorts of Carnality that are here mentioned in this Context from ver 15 to the 21st should in reference to the same sort of Men be so put together For it is evident they were partly a Judaizing and partly a Paganizing sort of Christians as for ends of their own they affected to call themselves They held it lawful for Christians to joyn with Pagans in their Solemnities of Worship which they were wont to Celebrate in the Temples of their Idols It is notorious how gross Impurities and Immoralities were in those days incorporated into the Paganish Worship such as made it sufficiently reasonable that Idolatry should have in conjunction with it Fornication and Adultery Vncleanness and Lasciviousnâ—ss And for the addition of Witchcraft it was not unaccountable there being also Sorceries Magical Rites and Diabolical Incantations observed to have been intermingled with the Sacra of the Pagans And for which these misnamed Christians might have the greater kindness also for the sake of Simon Magus the Father of their Sect by whom the Affectation thereof was transmitted to some of his noted Followers that thought it a glorious thing to vie with their Predecessâ—r in this sort of Excellâ—ncâ— Nor is it alien from this purpose to take notice that those Diabolical Rites are said to have obtained
an amends and that their Praying Tythe of Mint Annis and Cummin would serve in stead of Judgment Faith Mercy and the love of God which they are said to pass over as very light and small matters See Matth. 23. 23. compared with Luke 11. 42. And herein the Apostle Contests with these Galatian Christians not only with Vehemency but with some kind of Wonder that when Gospel Light had come among them and that having known God or rather been known of him as Chap. 4. 9. they should attribute any thing to so beggarly Rudiments as these were that is being circumcised and keeping Days and Months and Years c. the things whereon they laid so great stress And because they did so he tells them in that 4th Chapter That he was afraid that he had bestowed labour in vain among them In Summ therefore he makes it his business to evidence to them that both their Justification and their Sanctification must be conjoyned and arise together out of one and the same Root Christ himself and by Faith in him without the Works of the Law as that which must vitally unite them with him and that thereby they should become actually interested in all his Fulness that Fulness of Righteousness which was to be found only in him and no where but in him and withall in that fulness of Spirit and Life and holy Influence which also was only in him so as that the Soul being united by this Faith with Christ must presently die to Sin and love to God Chap. 2. 19 20. And at the same time when he delivered a Man from the Law as dead to it he became to him a continual living Spring of all the Duty which God did by his Holy Rule require and call for and render the whole Life of such a Man a Life of Devotedness to God And 't is here by the way worth the while to observe how the Apostle himself expounds that Phrase of being dead to the Law by being delivered from it Rom. 7. 1 2 3 4 5 6. And no man can be said to be delivered from any thing as it is a good or an advantage to him but as it is an evil and doth him hurt And the Law hurts no man as a Rule of life But as to one stated under the full Power of it 't is a Barr against that great Blessing of the Spirit Chap. 3. 13 14. which by it's yet abiding Curse it keeps off from him hereby occasioning his continuance in sin and then condemning him for it Whereupon how clear is the Current of the Discourse in these Words viz. By the Law I am dead to the Law that I might live to God I am crucify'd with Christ yet I live q. d. The Law it self hath slain me and killed all my Hopes and Expectations from it The same Law that slew Christ hath slain me I am crucify'd with him which supposes his being in him by that Faith by which he was to live ever after In this Faith stood his Marriage to Christ who succeeds into the room of the Law as the case is stated Rom. 7. 1 2 3 c. They that were settled in reference to each other in the Conjugal state as the Law and the Sinner were upon the death of the one which soever it be the Relation ceases and so the Obligation which depended upon that Relation And thereupon says he The Law it self having given me my deaths wound and killed me as to it in the Article of Dying I joyn my self to Christ and yield to be crucified with him but therein acquire with him a New Life Nevertheless I live And how Not I but Christ liveth in me and the life that I live in the flesh is by Faith in the Son of God who hath loved me and given himself for me And this Life I now thus live is a Life of pure and absolute devotedness to God terminated upon his Interest and Glory as the End of it governed by his declared Will as the Rule of it i. e. In summe 't is an holy Life or as before 't is a living to God Whereupon he so copiously distinguishes Ch. 3. between Jews and Jews those that were born after the Flesh and those born of the Spirit the Sons of the Bond-woman and of the Free as he allegorically speaks signifying the latter only born into this new State of life By all which he shews the connection to be most necessary and inviolable between being justified by Faith in Christ and a life of Holiness So little opposite were these to one another that one and the same Faith was to infer both But now that the large extent of this Holiness of Life might more fully appear the Apostle signifies that it must not only exclude those grosser lusts and works of the flesh but also such as because they might seem somewhat more refined might be reckoned by some less Criminal he therefore inserts divers of this other kind also And the state of the Case did equally require it For it appears as it might well be supposed that so far as any were tainted with the false Notions and with inclinations to the impure practices before mentioned they were filled with animosities with wrath envyings and hatred towards them that had not received the taint and they might have too much place with these back again towards them Whereupon there could not but be very great and high Ferments in these Churches Nothing therefore could be more requisite or seasonable than that several Instances of this sort of Carnality should be put into this Catalogue viz. hatred variance emulations wrath strise c. For they were not to be thought as was said more refined as having less but a more subtle Energy or penetrative power of malignity in them Nor indeed hath Christianity and the Christian Church suffered more by any sort of Evils than by those of this sort Others destroy particular Persons These besides their doing so do more directly hurt the Community and tend to wast and destroy the Church Now as to those grosser Carnalities mentioned in this Context I did formerly say somewhat briefly and so I did as to that which seems the central one among those of this latter sort viz. that of Heresie Which I considered according to what it doth import in it self and did design also to consider it in this its Concomitancy viz. of the things here mentioned in so â—ear conjunction and that are of nearer affinity with it hatred envyings and the like I have indeed been since in some suspence whether I should pursue that intention or no But upon serious consideration and solemn looking up to Heaven for direction I have determined not to let this sort of Carnality pass without just Animadversion For I consider that I speak to a Christian Assembly who must be understood all to profess equal and impartial reverence to the Word of God as to a Revelation come down from Heaven for our
that in 1 Cor. 6. 9 10 11. Such as are mentioned there were before the grossest and vilest of Sinners Fornicators Adulterers Idolaters c. And such saith the Apostle were some of youâ— But ye are washed but ye are sanctified but ye are justified in the Name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God You cannot but be in all these agreed We are agreed that whoever does sincerely Evangelically believe in God through Christ receive Christ is united with him or is in him who doth by serious Repentance turn to God whose Heart is won to love him in Truth as his highest and best Good who is conformed to the Image of his Son and who having been made willing in the day of his Power doth now render a sincere Obedience to him every such one is in a safe state accepted with God has found Grace in his Eyes For no Words of Scripture can be plainer than that they that believe on Christ shall not perish but have everlasting Life John 3. 16. Yea that they have it ver 36. That Life is begun with them which is never to end or which is in the sure way to be continued till it become everlasting That they that repent and turn from all their transgressions their Iniquities shall not be their ruine Ezek. 18. 30. That God hath prepared the things which Eye hath not seen for them that love him and will give them the Crown of Life according to his own Promise 1 Cor. 2. 9. Jam. 1. 12. That Christ doth become the Author of eternal Salvation to them that obey them Heb. 5. 9. That there is no Condemnation to them that are in Christ that walk not after the Flesh but after the Spirit Rom. 8. 1. That it must turn wholly to the praise of the glory of his Grace that God makes them accepted in the beloved Eph. 1. 6. We do all agree That they that do never believe they that never repent they that never love God they that are never brought to obey him that live in Enmity and Rebellion against him to the last breath must needs be in a lost state are never justified never accepted with God are liable unto coming and abiding Wrath and remain under Condemnation John 3. 16 36. Luke 13. 3. Col. 3. 6. We agree That such Faith such Repentance such Love to God such Obedience even in the most entire Sincerity are not to be considered at all as any cause of such a Persons Acceptance with God They do characterize the accepted person but they cause it not they deserve nothing nay they could not if they were perfect No internal Work of the Holy Ghost tho' in this our present state it were most absolutely perfect so as to exclude every thing of sin could be any part of that righteousness that must justifie us before God To suppose that it could would be manifestly to confound the Offices of the Redeemer and of the Holy Ghost It was Christ that was to merit for us the Holy Ghost was never to merit for us It was not the Holy Ghost that died for us nor can his Operations or Productions in us have any causative Influence to the meriting the justified and accepted state of any Person before God They were never meant for that purpose nor have any aptitude or accommodateness thereunto They cannot make us never to have sinn'd nor can at one for our having done so We cannot but be agreed in this for 't is plain and carries it 's own Evidence in it self i. e. Suppose we a Person as soon as he is converted made perfectly free from Sin that very moment by some extraordinary powerful Work of the Holy Ghost on his Soul how shall that expiate for his having been a Sinner Now where there are so great things wherein we agree and we make little of them things that should raise up our Souls and awaken all our Powers unto highest Acts of Love Gratitude and Praise to God and our Redeemer and fill us with wonder and pleasure as oft as we think of them an Indisposition of Mind to take notice of and consider such things so as to improve and use them to the great purposes of the Christian Life as Incentives to the love of God an entire devoting of our selves to him vigorous and diligent serving of him and walking holily and comfortably with him in our daily course through a greater Disposition to contend about we well know not what besides too plainly shews much of that carnal Disaffection which the Apostle doth here animadvert upon There are other things belonging to this same purpose that I find I cannot reach to at this time SERMON II. Gal. V. xvi This I say then Walk in the Spirit and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh I Have begun to shew you by what Indications much Carnality may appear and show it self in and about Spiritual matters As for instance in the controverting yea even in the defending the Truths of the Gospel and intend now to proceed You have heard It does so 1. When Christians who are very far agreed in the most important things make little of the things wherein they are agreed tho' never so great in comparison of the much less things wherein they differ As all serious Christians must be understood to agree in far greater things than it is possible for them to differ in I lately mentioned to you sundry great Agreements that I cannot doubt to be very common with serious and intelligent Christians which I shall not now stay to repeat but add 2. Such Carnality shows it's self when there is too much aptness to lay greater stress than is needful upon some unscriptural Words in delivering Scripture-doctrine Here we may take Carnality as the Apostle doth 1 Cor. 3. 3. While there are divisions among you are you not carnal and walk or act as Men There is more of the Man in it than of the Christian. When we can make a shift to divide about a Word and that in the present Use of it devised only by Man When Words that are meerly of Humane Stamp and used in no such Sence or to no such purpose in Scripture however they may be significant yet too great a stress and weight is laid upon them either by too stiffly adhering to them on the one hand or too vehemently decrying them on the other hand while perhaps and it is a certain and a known case the meaning may be the same on both sides and would be so or would appear to be so if such and such Words were waved and others more understood were chosen and used in the room of them It 's true we are not to think and no Man of Sense can that we are obliged never to use other Words in such matters but such as the Translators of the Bible have hit on in their Version of it as if that must consecrate those Words and leave all other under a Profane