making any peace with it Therefore now try and search whether thou hast this Spirit of the living God acting in thee carrying up thy soul to actions of life and power If thou art inspired by the Spirit of God then take it for ever granted that these effects will follow 3. The Spirit of God is an operative Spirit it acts in the soul spiritual things it begets its own likeness in the soul it molds the soul in the new mold of Obedience to the Commands of God The spirit of God works in the soul these operative Acts. First It works Faith 2. It makes the soul live by Faith 3. It drives him to see all in Christ and nothing in himself 1. It works faith in the soul to believe that there is no way to come to God but by Christ and that it is the work of God to draw the soul to him John 6. 29. 2. This Faith will work up the soul to lay hold on him it will cause the soul to reach forth it self to Christ to see him to be the Son of God and to trust and relie on him for life 3. The Spirit of God doth by Faith work a mortifying of sin as it is in Rom 8. 10. If Christ be in you the body is dead because of sin Where these works of the Spirit of God come it operates it carries the soul to a new frame of life He that is in Christ is a new creature saith the Apostle 2 Cor. 5. 17. This work of Faith lifts up the soul to that spiritual Combat between the spirit and the flesh I see saith Paul a law in my members warring against the Law of my minde It is by this work of Faith that all the Saints hold out in this warfare that they still continue a Resolution against sin to kill that and to bring every lust into subjection Secondly It makes the soul live by faith that is it makes him as it were see feel and enjoy all the Riches of God in the Lord Christ you may in part see in the 11. to the Hebrews what it is to live by faith It is to cast thy self with a full confidence upon God and Christ for life and salvation To live by faith is to do these three things 1. To put credit and confidence in God that what is looked for we shall enjoy 2. To look for our happiness only in Christ and not in our selves 3. To rest satisfied as if we already had our desire to live by faith is to credit what God sayes to Rely on him to trust him with confidence that whatsoever he hath promised to us his poor creatures he will make good Heaven and earth shall pass away saith Christ but not one jot or title of my word or promise shall fail It is to cast our selves on God and Christ believing that he will and is fully able to save even to the utmost in every condition 2. Again to live by Faith is to live by something without our selves it is to see all in Christ and nothing in our selves it is to look on our own righteousness as dung and wholly to submit to the righteousness of Christ as you also may see in Phil. 3 8 9 10. 3. To live by Faith is to rest satisfied in every dispensation of God that all is for the best to us and to look on all things as if they were already done according to Gods promise or our own desire so that our content may be in every thing as well as if we had all things All things are yours saith Paul you are Christs and Christ is Gods there is a full enjoyment of all 4. The Spirit of God works also by direction directing of every soul whom it hath wrought the former effects in to do the will of God to walk in the wayes of his Commandments whispering in every soul and saying This is the way walk in it This duty thou must do and that evil thou must leave undone And therefore examine thy self doest thou not finde the Spirit of God telling thee thou must perform Duties of holiness and refrain the evil of sin if not I dare say thou art yet in thy sins 5. The Spirit of God works also by assisting us to do that which it directs us to it never directs us to do a Duty and leaves us No it stay by us and enables us to go thorow it and not only so but even with sighs to God for us which cannot be by us uttered it helps our infirmities Rom. 8. 26. Examine thy soul when didst thou ever go to God by prayer or any Duty else that this Spirit was not ready to assist thee and to thy comfort take notice of this for time to come and thou shalt finde this truth if ever thou hast had this work on thee 6. God closes up all our comfort in this life in this last degree of his working that is by a full witness of his Spirit that we are his sons and daughters And this is a very high enjoyment indeed yet no higher then all the Saints do enjoy and indeed thou art not a Saint till thou hast this Witness in thy soul And this the Apostle Paul affirmeth in Gal. 4. 6 7. Because ye are sons God hath sent the witness of his spirit to testifie it to you and therefore ye are no more servants Again in 1 Joh. 3. 2. Now are we the sons of God And in Joh. 1. 12. He gives all that through faith lay hold on him power to be his sons God doth evidence to all the Saints their interest in Christ and this is to them a sure Record as 1 Joh. 5. 7. 8. This is the new name and the white stone spoken of in Rev. 2. 17. which none knoweth save he that hath it This is that earnest which Paul tells the Ephesians of in chap. 1. 14. And this also you may see in Phil. 1. 13. and 4. 30. After you believed you were sealed with the holy Spirit the which Spirit you see is that which seals all the Saints to the day of Redemption and all this is given to the Saints to assure them that God is their Father and Christ their Husband as the Spouse in the Text doth witness And yet further take notice how God doth this great work he gives the Spirit as the earnest of our Inheritance as a man gives one pound or one shilling in earnest to pay a thousand so the Lord gives his Spirit in earnest of enjoying his presence in Heaven for ever And the soul that hath this Earnest may be sure that as God is God he shall have the whole sum made good to him And that all the Saints may know this is true God will set a seal on their souls to confirm them and therefore thou mayest say on good grounds if thou hast this seal and this earnest that thou canst not miss of Christ Again the Spirit assures us by working in us a fruitfulness
cannot be denied The first Question is Who is the Godly man and how shall we know him Ans Thou shalt know a godly man assuredly by these nine particulars both that he is a godly man and wherein his godliness consists and he may know himself also by these marks First a Godly man is a Converted man he is new-born his Nature is changed Every man must be a new Creature before he can be godly and this Christ tells us in Joh. 3. 3. Thou canst not see the Kingdom of God nor any thing that pertaineth to godliness except thou art New-born that is except God come in by his power and give thee the sight of all thy sins and as it were break thy heart at the sight of them and give thee true and unfeigned Repentance and that he shew thee thy lost and undone condition as thou art in thy self for ever and that he hath caused thee to lay hold on the Lord Jesus Christ for life and to give up thy self to be governed and guided by him I say except thou hast felt this work upon thy soul thou art not a godly man and thou seest it is truth Christ himself said so to Nicodemus and if thou wilt believe what he saith let this be granted And yet further the Apostle Paul tells us that if any man think or say that he is a godly man or in Christ and be not a new Creature he is a lyar And this you may see by comparing 2 Cor. 15. 17. with 1 Joh. 1. 6. If you say you have fellowship with God or that you are godly and are not new Creatures but walk in your old darkness then you see the word saith you are lyars And although this be indeed the work of God alone and that it be only between God and the soul yet this is for ever a true Note that thou canst not be a converted man but it must appear in thee it did so in the godly men of Old when Saul was converted in the 9. of the Acts you may see how it did appear to the world that God had called him and now he was not ashamed to profess that which he had so much despised Now Paul began to learn how to live godly in Jesus Christ And because this first mark is the wheel as it were which turns the whole work give me leave to come as neer thee as possibly and ask thee this Question art thou a changed man hast thou a new nature is thy heart possessed with godliness art thou indeed a godly man Then tell me how camest thou to be so Did not God work thee over by shewing thee the ugliness of sin canst thou not remember the time when to be assured of the love of God in Christ was worth ten thousand worlds and was it not the love of Christ that hath constrained thee to follow God If this be truly to be found in thee I do assure thee that thou art a son or daughter of God But if thou hast received that which thou enjoyest either by tradition or education or else by some flashes of comfort upon any other ground whatsoever I tell thee thou art but an hypocrite thou art not a godly man You shall see an example of this in Acts 16. 29 30. When the power of God comes then the poor sinner trembleth and O then what shall I do to be saved It is the work of God to shew the sight of sin in its colour that drives him to see the want of a Saviour then Christ is desirable and not before not untill God begin to work on him and therefore whosoever thou art that thinkest thou art a godly man and hast not been thus changed thou deceivest thy soul There are many nay most of the people in this land that are even utterly lost here for alas they think that they are godly because of some moral excellencies that are in them and so even from the Priest unto the people many are deluded To all such persons I shall present that Lesson of Christ John 3. ver 3. to 8. And as Christ said to him so say I to you Marvail not at this for it is a truth of God and if ever thou see the Kingdom of God thou must be acquainted with it therefore stifle not thy conscience which tells thee thou art not yet such a one as hath been thus changed and therefore now mark the godly man and thou shalt finde him to be such a one as I tell thee of But when God is working on his Saints you look on it as a poor contemptible thing and many of you have mocked as you did at those poor Saints of God whom the Devil and wicked men together called by a nick-name of Puritans you would not be such for a world such poor despised creatures as they were Well you must know that of such is the Kingdom of God they were godly men And so now at this day they that are begotten again by the Spirit and power of God they are the godly men indeed A godly man is a new man and you shall see it in his life I warrant you he hath given sin farewell It may be he was a Drunkard a Swearer and what not But now what is he Canst thou discern no change Is it not apparent that he hath put off the old man as Paul saith Eph. 4. 22 23 24. This old man must be put off and the new man put on assure thy self whosoever thou art that thou art not a godly man until it be done in thee A godly man is a cleansed a washed man Tit. 3. 5. his filth is done away in the blood of Christ Rev. 1. 5. A godly man his scarlet sins are made white in the blood of Christ Rev. 7. 14. A godly man is a new man his affections are new he hath a new mind he is renewed by the Spirit of God yea in some measure he is sanctified 1 Cor. 6. 11. The Spirit of God now dwels in him and acts him in spiritual acts Oh how his mind is now taken up about that infinite love of God in sending the Lord Christ to die for him and how is his desire now after Christ Give me Christ saith he whatever I want all is dung to him as Paul saith in comparison of Christ now he can see the nothingness of all things below the enjoyment of God in the Lord Jesus A godly man his heart is much taken with the righteous commands of God there is nothing grievous to him as Iohn saith 1 Joh. 5. 3. Wouldst thou know a godly man then take notice wherein he is imployed thou shalt find him imployed for his God in acts of holines thou shalt find him much in holy duties thou shalt find him fitting himself for the Bridegroom that he may go in with him into the marriage-chamber and whilst thou seest rugged and hot-spirited men gnashing at one another about carnal priviledges and empty shels thou shalt
Eph. 4. 25. And grow up unto him who is thy head as in Eph. 4. 15. Thus much for the first Question The second thing is A holy Conversation what it is and the happiness that comes by it 1. What is a holy conversation A holy conversation is this When a man walks in the ways of God and godliness then he is said to have a holy Conversation as in 2 Pet. 3. 11. The Saints of God they are called to it as we see in 1 Pet. 1. 15 16. Our God is holy saith the Apostle and therefore ye ought to be so in all manner of Conversation that is as if he had said O ye Saints your God is a holy God and cannot endure sin especially in you therefore be ye holy that is be ye obedient unto your God do what he hath commanded you be ye godly call upon your Father walk in his ways let thy conversation be in heaven as the Apostle saith in Eph. 3. 20. A holy conversation is a heavenly conversation I shall not stand here any longer in regard I have laid down nine particulars whereby a godly man may be known I shall proceed to the benefits that come by a holy life and conversation you shall finde them to be many As 1. Thy Communion with God and the Lord Christ if thou live a holy life God will delight in thee to do thee good and will shew thee his salvation Psa 50. 23. and will have Communion with thee God is Light and therefore he will not have communion with darkness as Paul saith in 2 Cor. 6. 15 16 17 18. 2. The Saints will love and own thee if thou live a holy life then thou wilt have the benefit of their Communion otherwise if thou live ungodly they will not own thee Consider the benefit of this what it is to be owned among the Saints and servants of the Lord. 3. Thou will finde comfort in the course of thy life when the judgments of God fall on the wicked for disobeying his Commands and that they know not whether to flie from his hand and that the Lord say to such unprofitable servants get you from me into utter darkness for ever as in Matth. 25. 30. Of what benefit will this holy life be to thee that when thy Lord Christ cometh he shall finde thee doing his will as in Matth. 24. 46. 4. At the time of death thou wilt finde a benefit indeed when thou canst say as Christ said I have finished thy work which thou gavest me to do Joh. 17. 4. And I have glorified thee on earth What thinkest thou will it be of no value then that thou hast lived holy Thou mayest see of what worth the Apostle Paul makes it in 2 Tim. 4. 6 7 8. My departure is at hand but here is my comfort I have fought a good fight I have finished my course and kept the faith Henceforth there is laid up for me a Crown of righteousness and for all them that love the appearing of Jesus Christ 5. And lastly After death thou shalt finde that God intends to judge the world by thy conversation in 1 Cor. 6 2 3. Nay even the Angels shall be Judged by it thou hadst need be holy indeed what a shame will it be to thee that thou hast lived fruitless and carnal when God shall open every mans book and shall judge the world and angels by thy life of what comfort will it be that thou haft been holy If it be so then let all that are Saints endeavor to outstrip one another in a holy life and conversation and that they all watch and have their Lamps ready with oyl to meet the Bridegroom Matth. 25. Read and consider this for the Lord Christ will come when we are not aware and as a thief in the night and as lightning that is soon come so will the Lord Christ Matth. 24. all the chapter Thirdly What it is to have a true fellowship with God Christ and the Saints and the blessedness and comfort it brings to those that have it First What this fellowship is with the Father and the Son as the Apostle John speaks of in his 1. Epist. ch 1. ver 2. 3. To have fellowship with God and Christ is a very high fellowship indeed Our fellowship is with the Father and the Son saith the Apostle that is God and Christ have given themselves with their treasures unto us and we are made partakers of the Divine nature of God and Christ dwels in the Saints as you may see 1 Joh. 4. 13. They dwell in them by the spirit and the Saints they dwell in God and Christ their very life is in God Here is a neer one-ness indeed this fellowship is worth much it is to live in the bosom of God it is to be very nearly acquainted with God God speaks by his Spirit to the Souls of his Saints I am your God and Father Come unto me in my Son and I will hear you The Saints they bring the Lord Christ with them and come into the presence of God and there they make their minds known unto him they lay their souls open before him and then the Lord drops in some refreshing and sends the soul away with sweet content And this is the fellowship the Saints have with God and Christ Before I go any further I shall speak a word or two by way of advice to the Saints and it is this Is it indeed such a neerness that you have with God and the Lord Christ Let this then advise you that you behave your selves with holy reverence Is the holy God so near you and the Lord Christ in you Dear friends how ought you to carry your selves then in the presence of your God and Lord God expects reverence from you as you see in Psal 89. 7. Look to your hearts that they wander not from God when you come into his presence and that you walk holily with your God where-ever you are Consider I say the great neerness that is between God and you and let the consideration of it drive away all carnal delights that thou mayest delight in thy God to have fellowship with him Secondly What is it to have fellowship with the Saints To have fellowship with them is to be partners in the same enjoyment I shall draw a comparison here of fellowship in outward things And although indeed spiritual things should be compared with spiritual things yet this will much open the word Fellowship and make it plain There are many things to be observed in fellowship amongst men that deal together as 1. They give in their names 2. They promise to hazard all alike 3. They bring in every man his share 4. They send all away to Sea 5. They patiently wait for a Return 6. When it returns they receive the profit For the first the Saints all give in their names to follow the Lord Christ and the wayes of God together 2. They promise to hazard all