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
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
one dyed for all then were all dead I dyed to sinne in Christ and if now I live it should not be to my selfe but to Christ 2 Cor. 5.14 15. And to this the love of Christ constraines me For sayes he This I know who ever is in Christ is a new creature Olde things are passed away and behold all things are become new vers 17. And therefore saith he what ever is sinne is the old man and of this he cries out as the Apostle in Rom. 7. O wretched man that I am the law of my flesh rebels against the law of my minde Sin hath lesse entertainment no where then where the love of God by his Spirit dwels perfect love shuts out feare saith the Text and perfect love kils corruption Love to Christ kils and buries sin when legal fear only layes it in a swound it lives againe and possibly kils the legall soule at last but this spirituall man he keepes nothing to himselfe but carries all to God and Christ he lives only in God and Christ and when he finds corruption in himselfe he presently by the spirit layes it downe at the feete of Christ and tels him my glory saith he is to live in thee and what ever is thine and thy glory is to live in mee and in the death of my corruptions Oh then be zealous of thy glory thou hast taken the guilt and punishment of all my corruptions from me Is it not also for thy glory to take the reigne and the power of them from me too Yes saith Christ and I will make my promise good Sinne shall not have dominion over you for you are not under the law but under grace True Lord sayes the soule and I believe it that to live under grace is the only way to keepe sin under me Thus a spirituall soule having a sight of his sinnes of all men hath least feare in point of condemnation because this soule is filled with the perfect love of God which casts out feare but the in-being of this love of God in a soule makes as little love to all the profers of sin as it hath feare of the condemnation of it Sin in all its temptations hath the soonest denyall from such a soule of any for he answers sin thus Sin sayes he The love of Christ constrains me to hate thee This soule tels sin he will but lose his labour in tempting him for sayes he I am not at my owne disposing I have given my selfe up to Christ already and Christ hath taken possession of me and lives in me by his Spirit and for thy temptations I shall carry them to Christ and sure I am thou canst not live in his presence he hath overcome thee for me and he will destroy thee in me Thus the spirit changes a soule from darknesse to light and from the power of Sathan unto God and is made to live in this light which is the light of Gods reconciled countenance in the face of Christ And in this vision of God and Christ the soule is changed into the image of Christ from glory to glory even as by the Spirit 2 Cor. 3d. last This spiritual man as he lives upon God in the spirit so he worships God in the Spirit he knowes neither the Mount nor Hierusalem as his place to worship in he only knows Christ as the proper medium to worship God in and he knowes not Christ after the flesh neither but after the spirit his feasting is with God and upon God he knowes no formes or figure nor externals to make him a rest of he can only rest in the bosome of God and Christ he knowes no fellowship but with the Father and the Son as hee enjoyes God and Christ in Saints so hee hath sweete fellowship with them God is both the light and the life of his worship he makes God his way and his end in his worship This is a Dove that can rest no where but in the Arke Church-fellowship to him without Christ is no more then a selected piece of the darke world the Ordinances if Christ be not in them is to him but as the grave When Christ was risen all his enquiries are where is he whom my soule loves Shew me Christ in a Saint Christ in a Church and Christ in an Ordinance and then you shew me my life and upon this ground I can live and dye with you saith hee This soule can measure all men and things by Christ but Christ by nothing but himselfe that Spirit of Christ which dwelleth in him and thus you have some weake discourses of a spirituall Saint This exhorts Saints to live in the spirit upon God and Christ and to act from the endowings of that spirit as the image of God and Christ It is very plaine it is the interest and priviledge of Gods children to live on himselfe in the Spirit and from that life spiritually to make all its motions Oh why will you live out of God! did you ever finde any beloved like this beloved Did you sinde any thing that is all but God Why God is willing you should live upon all his all and be filled with his fulnesse O come my beloved eate of my banquet of love Drinke O drinke abundantly and be satisfied saith Christ All our sadnesse and complainings arise from our living out of God be it what ever it can be that is the most like God yet if it be not naked and clearly God the soule will be complaining of wants 'T is not duties Church-fellowship Ordinances or any thing that we conceive or propose to our selves which can of themselves give the soule rest it is only a living in and upon God in the spirit Oh let us stand in that liberty with which Christ hath made us free we can stand in none but in Christ and that is the freenesse of grace that we should stand for ever spotlesse and blamelesse in the sight of God through him Again This should stirre up Saints to act in God we have no cause now to act doubtingly If Christ be our strength the Spirit will teach us to pray and to crye Abba-Father for hee is our Father Is corruption too strong for us it is not too strong for Christ we should lay it at his feete And now tell mee believing soule canst thou that livest in the love of Christ live in sin No sayes the soule sin is for the love of it slaine in me by what law even the law of love living by the Spirit in me It is impossible sayes such a soule that I that am dead to sinne should live unto it My life sayes he is hid with Christ in God And it is not I that live now but Christ he lives in me Christ lives and I dye sayes the soule I that is all I my righteousnesse as well as my unrighteousnesse If I mistake not this is the strongest argument against a Saints living in sin that can be why a Saint
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
three verses holds forth the ground and the reason of all these First he fs full of assurance from the testimony of the Spirit of God bearing witnesse with his Spirit as in vers 16. and from hence he is raised up into such full joy and holy boastings by receiving the spirit of Adoption which delivered him from the spirit of bondage and fear and enabled him to crie Abba-Father as in verse 15. Now being thus filled he breaks out into exhortation to holy walking out of the flesh in the Spirit and in verse 14. makes it the character of the sonnes of God to the world their being ledde by the Spirit I may fitly call this portion of Scripture the lively image of a Saint living in God and to God in the Spirit For methods sake I shall set downe two heads upon which I shall hold forth that which God shall give into me upon the meditation of this Scripture The first is the sealing worke of the Spirit of God in a Saint Head 1 or a Saint sealed up to the eternall love of God by his Spirit and that I gather out of the 16th verse and the latter part of the 15th verse The second head is this Head 2 A Saint walking and working in the Spirit or the Spirit reigning in a Saint and this I gather from verse 14. and verse 15. In this worke I shall endeavour to wave all fleshly reasons as a subject above it and keepe my selfe only to the testimony of the word of God And as a foundation to this building I judge it very necessary in two or three Scriptures to shew how wee live under the promise and the powrings forth of this Spirit in Luke 24.49 Lu. 24.49 There our Saviour promiseth to send the promise of the Father so that the certaine comming waas vnder a double promise Joh. 15.25 And in John 15.26 Our Saviour explains who hee meant by the promise of the Father Joh. 16.7 And in John 16.7 The Lord Christ doth fully promise at his going away from the world by his corporall presence that he would send the Comforter which in the last Scripture mentioned is discovered to be the Spirit Now that Christ hath made this promise good take only that one place in Acts 2.1 Acts 2.1 2 3 4. 2 3 4. I shall keep you no longer from the heads propounded but as they are laid downe so prosecute them I begin with the first of them 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 These Scriptures first mentioned are as full a proofe of this as any in the booke of God they tell us plainly in so many words that the spirit of Adoption being received beares witnesse to the spirit of a Saint that he is the child of God and in this assurance so satisfies the soule of a believer that he cries Abba Father that this is the office of the Spirit to seale up a Saints interest in the eternal love of God and his onnnesse with Christ Ephes 4.30 let us consult that place Ephes 4.30 where the Apostle makes it an argument a gainst corrupt or vain worldly discourse in the Saints That you may not grieve the holy Spirit of God saith he whereby you are sealed up to the day of redemption As if the Apostle had argued thus You know saith he the Spirit hath sealed you up to the love of God in Christ yea into all God and Christ all the love of God and all the blood and redemption of Jesus Christ all the righteousnesse of the Sonne the glory of the Father Now for you to be corrupt vâ—ine and worldly in your communication you seeme to deny this seale of the Spirit or your interest in God and so you grieve the Spirit whose proper worke it is to seale you up to God So in Ephes 3.16 17 18 19. Ephes 3.16 17 18 19. wee finde the Apostle praying for the Saints Now let us consider what he prayes for First that they may be strengthned with might by his Spirit in the inward man so as that Christ may dwell in their hearts by faith and that they may be rooted and grounded in love that they might be able to comprehend with all Saints what is the breadth and length and depth heighth and to know the love of Christ which passeth all knowledge that they might be filled with all the fulnesse of God pray marke it Here is Christ dwelling in the heart by faith and the soule rooted and grounded in the love of God and Christ from whence it comes to know in some measure the height and breadth and depth and length of the love of Christ which passes knowledge and so comes to be filled with the fulnesse of God But whence arises all this why look into the 16th verse from being strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inward man This Spirit seales up and beares witnesse to the soule that it is in the eternall love of God in Christ and so in all that satisfaction which Christ hath made to his Fathers justice and hath an interest in all that righteousnesse which Christ hath as the head And thus Christ by his Spirit takes possession of the heart and dwels in it by faith so as he turnes all into Spirit The knowledge is made spirituall he comes to know heighths breadths depths and lengths of love Letter is now turned into Spirit and the soule now neither knows Christ nor any thing of Christ in the flesh but in the spirit Being thus strengthened with might by the sealing of the Spirit the soule is able to unfold the misteries of God Christ in the flesh and can sucke in and feed on the spirit of the word and when it reades the 53. of Isa 4 5 6 10 11. compared with 2 Co. 5. last It can draw out by the Spirit matter for the soule to live on to eternity I sayes a spirituall soule I now see that God hath set Christ in my roome and that Christ hath so really and â—â—lly all my sins imputed to him and all the punishments due to them laid on him that he is said to be made sinne for me and hee was so made sinne that God hath made him to bear all the punishments due to my sinnes Surely he hath borne our griefes and carried our sorrowes He 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 and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquities of us all yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him he hath put him to griefe and his soule is made an offering for sinne And he shall see of the travell of his soule and shall be satisfied for he shall bear their iniquities I sayes the soule now I see in the Spirit and believe that Christ was made sinne for
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
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
as our compleatnesse and Satan the accuser of the brethren cast ouâ— he was made a curse and did bare it and overcame it for us and in it satisfied the holy Law and the just God for us if the remainders of the old Adam strugles and conscience joyne with it to accuse us Christ answers you are not complear in your owne duries but in me I am perfect you can finde no spot nor wrinkle in me and in my perfection lies your compleatnesse So that every believing Saint eyeing his oneness with Christ may triumph as Paul in Rom. 8. latter end Who shall condemne Or what shall separate and conclude as he doth Nothing shall be able to doe it for I am compleat in Christ From all this there runneth great consolation to the children of God Wee have here had a view of that perfection and compleatnesse that God in his free-grace hath given unto us and that the eyes of this pure God will behold us in it to all eternity which is the fulnesse of the God-head dwelling bodily in Christ and we in him he compleat as God we compleate in him justice can lay no more to our charge then to Christ for our compleatnesse of justification is in Christ the wrath of God can as soone rise on Christ as on us for hee is our compleat discharge from wrath having borne the curse for us sinne can no more separate us from God then Christ from God for Christ is our compleat attonement our sinnes being taken from us and laid on Christ Death can no more separate us from God then it hath done Christ he bore all the sting of death for us death is to Saints but a dissolution in the flesh that wee might come home and possesse to eternity that compleatnesse with him What can the soul desire for comfort that lyes not in this Christ is full for us and wee compleat in him If God and Christ be enough for thy soule then satisfie it here here is Gods compleatnesse yea that compleatnesse which is God made our compleatnesse what can our soules judge will be the end of this love Truly it will be love without end that love which hath made us compleate in Christ that love will make us compleate with Christ not only glorious Heires but Heires in glory not only decked as the Kings daughter but lying for ever in the bosome of Christ as his Spouse not only to have visious of the Kingdome but possession of the Kingdome mortality putting on immortality will not be all but there shall be added to it a crown of glory It doth not yet appeare sayes the Tâ—xâ— what wee shall be but when be appeares we shall appeare like him It will be enough surely to be as Christ is Oh then here let our soules ceter no reaching soul can reach after more then is in Christ he is compleat enough to answer all desires to quiet all spirits to fill all hearts to cloath all naked soules hee is bread and bread enough Let us begge a mature steady eye of faith alwayes to behold Christ the fulnesse of the God-head bodily for us and we compleate in him then may we in life and death lift up our heads with joy unspeakable and full of glory in believing Thus to live will be Christ and to dye will be gaine The soule will quietly waite till God loose the body and rejoyce to be dissolved knowing it shall be with Christ the droppings of Heaven will stay the soule quiet here knowing that the compleatnesse and fulnesse of glory that God and Christ is in shall swâ—llow it up to all eternity And thus it is and shall be to be compleat in Christ CHAP. VIII Free-grace in God justifieth and redeemeth through Christ Romans 3. vers 24. Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus THe holy Chost doth confirm and explaine that pofitive truth he layes downe in this verse by some verses going before and after as from the 20. to the 28. In the verse before he tels us all have sinned and come short of the glory of God and therefore stand in need to be justified And in vers 20. he tels us that by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in the sight of God Had the holy Ghost stopped here it had been an addition of misery to a fallen man and the sad cries in the soule of man would have been like those evill spirits to our Saviour that hee was come to torment them before their time But Gods designe is love and the holy Ghost is to proclaime it so that all which goes before is but like the Ministery of John to prepare the way for Christ to breake the clouds that the Sunne of Righteousnesse may appear and that Saints may see by an eye of faith that they are no loosers in that the menstruous ragges of their owne duties should not be a justifying righteousnesse to them in the pure eyes of God but that full justification is given of the free-grace of God through the redemption that is in Jesus Christ In the words is a birth the wombe that gives it forth when it had conceived it and the Midwife from whose hands and sides we receive it and all these infinitly holy and glorious the birth is Justification to a soule that hath sinned and come short of the glory of God the wombe that conceives and brings forth this glorious birth it is the Free-Grace of God and the Midwife from whose hands and sides we receive this is a Christ crucified One observation from these three which is this That all the glorious life of an elect soule delivered from the state of a fallen sinner and made a redeemed Saint is from eternity and to eternity wholely conceived and given forth in and from the wombe of the free-grace of God This is demonstrable under these two heads First in considering a soule under a state of nature Secondly under a state of Grace Or if you will in the first and the second Adam in both which I thinke the exceeding glory of that great wombe the eternall iove and free-grace of God will appeare in taking lost creatures out of the first Adam to make them glorious Saints in the Lord Christ that second Adam I know no other light nor rule but the word and spirit to make out any thing of God to any soule therfore first search the word what light it gives us to discerne our state by nature or the naturall condition of fallen men and women To take this in the beginning of holy writ let us turne to Gen. 3.6 7 8 9 10. Here we finde the fall of our first Parents in which we all fell and the effects of this fall in them They fel by difobeying God in eating the forbidden fruit but then obferve the effects of this fall when they knew their nakednesse the only reliefe they sought was aprones of fig-leaves or as it is
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
discerne nor savour the things of God Thirdly when God brings in the wil of his people to his own will there he changes the objects and the affections of such soules so that the will chuseth God and his will as its centre to rest in That which the Apostle in the third to the Colossians begin exhorts to God by his Spirit works in and enables the soule to it is That such as are risen with Christ should seek those things that are above where Christ sitteth at the right hand of God that our affections should be there because Christ that is our life is there Now when Gods Spirit commeth and possesseth any soule it sets upon this work immediatly carries the soule upward above the world shewes it God and Christ the love of God in Christ shewes it its glorious union with God and Christ here and in glory to all eternity darkens all the world by revealing but one glimpse of this more exceeding and eternall weight of glory and in changing the object the affections soon alter This more exceeding glory carries away the soules love from the world of perishing glory When the Prodigall but considered the fulnesse of bread in his fathers house he soon resolved to leave his empty Trough of Huskes and his swinish company but surely when hee had been embraced in his Fathers Armes and tasted the love in his Fathers bosome when hee had possession of what hee longed for and was in the vision of his Fathers kindnesse and glory hee then quite forgot the Swine and the huskes his affections and wishes did not then runne to obtain enough of them no the object was changed and the affections with it and having been taken up into his Fathers glory he doth not chuse to goe backe and feed with swine any more now he chuseth to centre in God Thus doth God bring in all his prodigals when they have tasted the worlds perishing love then by his Spirit hee makes known his eternall love to them when they have tryed trusted and looked upon the world so long till they finde it empty then he by his Spirit shews them his own fulnesse when they have had the pleasure of sinne for a season and the bitternesse of sinne hath seased upon them with the visage of eternity then God by the same Spirit makes known himself to be a God of grace that pardons freely nothing to move him but his own love and how great that love it he makes manifest by a crucified JESUS and now sayes the soule I know where to centre where to sit downe where to give up my self even into the bosome of Gods love This is Gods way of conquering the soules and wils of his people He alters the object that alters the affections and centres the will in God the object is according to the eye if the eye bee flesh it discernes no object but in the flesh so if the eye be spirituall it spiritualizes every object the Spirit of God enquires for God in all it sees and where God is made the onely object there he is sure to gain the affections for he hath all love and lovelinesse in himselfe and the affections being taken the will goes where ever they go he that lives in love hath his wil in that he loves not in himselfe so the soule that hath his affections drawne into God by his love made known unto it in the Spirit hath no will in it selfe but in God in whom it lives by love Thus God doth sweetly gain and win into himselfe the will of his people by revealing the glory of his grace and love to them in the Spirit till by that Spirit they make choyce of God to give up their wills unto and say as Christ their head Not my will but thy will be done Fourthly God when he gathers in the will of his people to his owne will he gives in higher and fuller joyes and contentments into their soules then ever they had at any time or in all times and things before The Prophet David in Psalm 4. latter end given in light in these truths vers 6. There be many sayes he that say Who will shew us any good Now mark his answer in the same vers Lord list thou up the light of thy countenance upon us As if hee had said doe they enquire for any good Lord doe thou but smile upon us looke graciously on us and there is all good in that nay in vers 7. he tels us his experience of it Thou hast put gladnesse in my heart more then in the time that their corne and their wine encreased This speakes to the very thing here is a time of more fuller joy and gladnesse in the heart of Gods people then under the enjoyments of the World for I judge the termes of Corne and Wine comprehends the whole but observe when is that time why when the Lord lifts up the light of his countenance when God by his Spirit makes knowne himselfe to be their Father in Christ then is the soule filled with gladnesse but in the last verse observe the effects of this upon Davids soule I will lay me downe in peace for thou Lord only makest me dwell in safety As if he had said I will now resigne all up to thee and take my peace in thee and expect my safety from thee thou hast so filled my soule with thy joyes that I cannot leave thee but leave my selfe with thee continue but to lift up the light of thy countenance upon me and then leade me where thou wilt and doe with mee what thou wilt for I will lay all downe before thee my will and my wayes thou shalt be my peace and my safety Observe the working of the Spirit of God in the Apostle Paul's spirit when God had brought over Paul's will to his to goe upon hard and suffering work such a work as he was told he should meete with sufferings in Acts 21. When hee would needs goe to Jerusalem Agabus the Prophetesse prophesies to him that the Jewes should binde him and deliver him to the hands of the Gentiles And in vers 10 11 12. The people besought him not to goe up to Jerusalem but in vers 13. he answers them what meane you to weepe and to breake my heart for I am not only ready to be bound but also to dye at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus As if he had said you only with a fleshly eye looke at the difficulty of the worke you know not the inwaâ—d supply of joy in God that I have to doe this and the whole wâ—ll work of God doe you thinke God is a hard task-master to command bricke and give no straw Doe you thinke the work God gives is more then the strength he gives If so you are mistaken for I am supplyed with joyes and in comes of God not only to goe through binding worke but also dying worke for Christ I goe in Gods strength to doe his
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
A Cluster Of Canaans Grapes BEING Severall experimented truths received through private communion with God by his Spirit grounded on Scripture and presented to open view for publique Edification By Col. ROBERT TICHBOURN 1 Cor. 12.7 The manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withall Matthew 5.15 Neither doe men light a candle and put it under a bushell but on a candlesticke and it giveth light unto all that are in the house 1 Cor. 1.27 But God hath chosen the foolish things of the World to confound the wise and God hath chosen the weake things of the world to confound the things which are mighty Decemb. 25. 1648. Imprimatur Joseph Caryll LONDON Printed by Matthew Simmons 1469. The Author nothaving leisure to attend and correct the Press desires the Reader to be at so much pains as to peruse these Errata and amend what in some places are necessary to be observed to make the sense compleate ERRATA PAge 6. l. 22. leave out and going before blood p. 7. l. 21. for believer r. being for ever p. 22. l. 5. for 35. 53. p. 29. l. 38. for out r. our p. 37. l. 11. for add r. and p. 42. l. 21. for present r. precept p 50. l. 26. for eive r. live p. 58. l. 17. for 35. r. 53. p. 58 l. 20. for sons r. sun p 69. l 28. r. such such p 83. l 14. r. I comprehend and in l. 15. for but r. not p. 84. l. 29. for falshood r. fashioned p. 85. l. 32. for office r. olive p 95. l 32. for ceter r. center p 95 l 36. for he r. thee p 103. l 32. for I have told I you r. I have told you I p 103. l 35. for doe distrust me r. doe you distrust me p 109. l 25. for inful r sinful p 112. l 34. for receive truth r. receive this truth p 121. l 34. for power of their lives r. power of godlinesse in their lives p 125. l. 23. for eyes pursute r eager pursute p 128. l 30. for return r. return of p 131. l 27. for sin r. sun p 135. l 19. for the spirit r. this spirit p 146. l. 1 for constrained r. cōtrived p 163. l 25. for Jews r. Spouse p. 165. l. 2. for but r and p 168. l last r. the workings or God p 182. l 19. for ceasing r. crossing p 18 2. l 27. for you r. he p 183. for rip up r. crye up p 213. l 10. for sure but r. sure none but p 213. l. 27. for upod r. upon p 206. l 5. for fault r. fall p 134. l 16. for body r. other p. 235. l 15. for in his r. or in his p 137. l 14. for give r. have p 239. l 27. for would it r. would if p 240. l 15. for soule ip r. soule is P. 107. l. 20. left out where it is said as those dead bones could not live before God had united them covered them with skin and breathed life into them this should be added no more could they remain dead bones when God had so united them and breathed life into them p. 131. l 7 to he is best satisfied adde not to eate at all To His EXCELLENCY THOMAS Lord FAIRFAX Commander in Chiefe of all the Land Forces under the pay of the PARLIAMENT within the Kingdome of England and Dominion of Wales and the Islands of GARNSEY and JERSEY MY LORD I HAVE observed that Persons engaged by love have used this way to make their acknowledgmēts that when they give their labours to the Worlds view they present them to that hand which hath by kindenesse most obliged them I judge this practice to arise from ingenuity of spirit that where men cannot pay a debt there they wil acknowledge themselves debters Now I beseech your Excellency to give mee leave to take up this practice I am not able to pay the obligements of your Lord-ships love and kindenesse to mee nor in this doe I attempt any higher thing then to acknowledg my selfe your Lord-ships debter for more undeserved favours then any person I know amongst those many thousands that are fellow-debters with mee And if your Excellency shal be pleased to own and accept of this poore acknowledgement I shall declare it to be the fruites of your owne wonted goodnesse my self not at all the lesse but the more your debter I am the more encouraged to Dedicate this to your Lord-ship from the observation that I have made of your spirit to be willing to owne truth and honesty in the lowest person the meanest dress What I here present to your hands I trust will bee found truths by the word and spirit of truth but I confes unto your Lordship it is in a very mean attire without the ornament of humane learning And I expect Worldlings should slight and scorn it upon that account but if they appear truths as truth is in Jesus I am confident they wil be beautiful in your Excellencies eye I have had much struglings between my flesh spirit whether to bury or to bring forth these breathings of God upon my soule The spirit of God hath made them very sweet to me and my spirit judged they might be so to others therefore was I willing to breath them forth but then my flesh objected that the stile was low and meane and that this subject out of my hand would administer matter of scorne from the World and if one of a thousand did value it yet a thousand for one would slight me and it Til it pleased God to cary me above scorn I could not rise to this resolutiō to bring that forth to the World which God by his Spirit had brought into my soule but when I had resolved the world should have it I was not long to seeke in my self of a hand first to present it to but resolved to presume upon your Excellencies exceeding love and goodnesse so as to present it unto your Lordship as the acknowledgement of my reall affections abundant engagements to your Excellency Sir I blesse the Lord I have no base ends in this appearing to the World for if the reasonings of my flesh could have prevailed this had never beene an object for Worldlings scorne And if the Lord shal give you time to read it I hope it wil appeare to your Excellency and to every spiritual eye that shal looke into it that my designe is to lift up something above my selfe Namely God in Christ And finding the same spirit to be in your bosome I am encouraged to dedicate this following Treatise to your Lordship and take that boldenesse as to subscribe my selfe your Excellencies very much engaged and ever faithful servant ROB TICHBURN To the Readers Readers IF you know what you looke for I will tell you what you shall finde that so you may either save your labours or attaine your ends You shall have truth in a meane attire set before your eyes the truths of
God which to a spirituall eye carry their owne beauty but you will finde them without art not adorned with humane learning and so without beautie to a fleshly eye I know you will wonder what I meane to appeare in Print especially in these times when plaine truths from the most of men will finde nothing else but plaine scorne most men having sight but on one side and their stomacks so full of crudities that they cannot beare but vomit up with scorne in the face of him that brings them even saving truths besides you will thinke I cannot bee ignorant but to know that my name will prejudice these truths unto many that live by fancie more then Faith such as will cavill with all truth that comes by a hand they like not and have little other groūds for the truth they take up but that they come by such hands that they at present fancie I confesse I cannot make my selfe so ignorant as not to understand these things nor is it my designe by appearing in Print to make my felfe publike for I expect by it to be the derision of most men nor doe I Print because I thinke the Presse wants worke for I am throughly convinced that much evill hath over spread this Land by those many unsauory Pamphlets and those rending dividing principles which have this way been spread abroad by which the members of Christ have beene scandalized rent and divided and have almost made themselves a pray to the Wilde Boares and the subtle Foxes which have no higher ends but to destroy the tender Vines The reasons why I chuse to render my selfe to the Worlds scorne in this matter and manner are these First In satisfying my conscience in obedience to God in some Scripeures set upon my spirit by himselfe I trust when as my flesh and spirit did contend about this matter And the first is this Freely yee have received freely give Though this was spoken first to the Apostles yet I thinke it doth not exclude any but include every Saint and Disciple of Christ to be free in the giving forth of their knowledge experience and injoyment of God in Christ by his spirit to the World And this is my case What I give I have freely received from the Lord in secret when no eye but his did see me I doe acknowledge it is the free grace of God that makes knowne any title of truth to me and if my heart deceive me not it is the manifesting of his free grace that is my designe in giving forth freely as I receive I shall I trust with much more ease beare the reproaches of the World then I could a concealement of the love of God in Christ In another Scripture I finde that light is not to be put under a bushell but to be held forth that according to its nature it may lighten others and because what Saints have they have received and every talent is to bee improved to the Masters use and the standing rule to Gods people that all things be done to edification and that most which may edifie most therefore in obedience to these Scriptures God hath moulded me into his will and I doe freely cast my selfe upon his love and power to beare up my spirit to carry me through good and evill reports and I hope shall ever esteeme of the Worlds scornes as not worthy of thoughts in that day when God shall manifest his will and worke to me A second reason why I thus appeare is That I might be a Christian Servant to fellow Saints God is as free in giving as he is in saving he gives what hee pleaseth how he pleaseth when he pleaseth and by whom hee pleaseth this I have in some measure experimented of God and thinke it my duty to be a servant to God and to fellow Saints to bring unto them what I have received from him When Saints reveale their knowledge and experience of God they doe thereby confirme strengthen and build up one another in their most holy Faith I know no higher worke that Saints on earth have then this and were it more in practice I doe verily beleeve that the beauty of holinesse and the power of godlinesse would be more transparent but in stead of serving one another this way in the spirit of God we are devouring and destroying one another by an evill spirit of lying and slaundering fomenting unchristian and needlesse jealousies one of another this is either in the beginning or the end of most mens discourses of their printings and it hath beene where I am sure it ought not to be in mens Preachings these tares which the evill man hath sowne amongst the good seed have exceedingly scandalized the Gospell of Christ with the professours thereof and if God delight in this generation hee will exceedingly humile us under this very thing in stead of crucifying Christ in one another Saints should be servants to carry Christ to each other I meane their light in Christ and their experiences of the love faithfulnesse and holinesse of God this would increase love to God and his people in stead of devouring beget imbracings into the bosome and armes of love and faithfulnesse not to bely and scandalize but to honour and vindicate every childe of God A third reason that moves in me is this To stir up those many thousands which this Land affords that are abundantly more able to take up this necessary worke Truly it is sad to see how frothy and light things doe take up the spirits of able and godly men when as this onely thing necessary is as it were quite forgotten not onely dead but buried out of sight I doe beleeve these last seven yeares have brought forth as little of this fruit as any seven yeares before in which men did complaine they durst not send truths abroad least so doing should confine them to prisons had the seven yeares liberty the Presse hath had beene improved in this through the blessing of God it might have left such monuments of God in the World as after ages might have blessed him for I doe beleeve Satan hath hindred much of this worke from appearing by the scandall and reproach of the World which is usually cast upon it truly I found it a very hard thing to get over but when God gave me to understand that The good and comfort of one soule was of greater weight then the reproach of all the World I was immediatly carryed above that temptation and I here mention it to stirre up others to the same worke for doubtlesse God hath many thousand poore Saints in this Kingdome which will gladly gather up those pearles of Divine truths which the Swine of the World trample under their feet if but one soule blesse God in truth for the revealing of these truths though many thousand prophane ones should scorne me to my face yet I shall not lose my end nor repent for my reproaches if God be honoured by them My last
is the interest and prerogative of every childe of God This union runs through all the heires of heaven Gal. 5.22.25 Gal. 5.22.25 Love joy peace long-suffering gentlenesse goodnesse faith all and every of these in any and in all the Saints is the fruits of this Spirit in which every childe of God as a childe of God walkes all these and every branch of holinesse is wrought by one and the same Spirit in every Saint So all gifts and all degrees of gifts flow from one and the same Spirit 1 Cor. 12.4 1 Cor. 12.4 Now there are diversities of gifts but the same Spirit so Eph. 5.9 For the fruits of the Spirit are in all goodnesse and righteousnesse and truth what ever of these is in any Saint and in all the Saints of God it is the fruits of this holy Spirit this is that life and bloud which runt in the veines of all the Saints of God from which all motion and acts of life flowes Through Christ that strengthens me saies Paul I can doe all things so must every Saint say it is Christ in the Spirit that makes all holy motion in the soule This union of the Spirit in Saints in an eternall union though here some have a greater degree of it then others yet in heaven every Saint shall be filled with the fullnesse of it this Spirit is that Spirit which raised Christ from the dead that dwells in all the Saints and shall quicken our mortall bodies as members of Christ our head at that great day when he shall come to judge the world this makes a very close relation in all Saints one to another and speakes very lowd for strong affections A fift Consideration may be this Reason or Consi ∣ deration 5 Phil. 4.4 That Saints when they joy and glory properly as Saints then they have all one joy and glory in this life namely the Lord our righteousnesse Let him that glorieth glory in the Lord Phil. 4.4 And he that rejoyces in the Lord and makes him his joy may rejoyce alwayes This was Pauls spirit he would glory in nothing but in Christ and him crucified A Saint will acknowledge all his springs to be in God so that he hath no spring of joy on glory but what flowes from God which is the fountaine of all the beauty his eyes see of all the sweet his soule tasts and of all the glory his soule makes after or makes mention of God is all in all and to all his people Whom have I in Heaven but thee sayes the Prophet or whom on Earth in comparison of thee Proper joy and glory in all the Saints hath but one proper fountaine and object and that is God himselfe as all the joy and glory of Saints centre in God so should all their love and this will soone teach us to love one another Lastly Consider Reason 6 and last That Saints shall have all one glorious being to eternitie John 17.24 Christ will manifest his love to all eternitie to his people he will have them all as happy as himselfe Then shall wee know indeed the life of our union with Christ and with one another Mothinkes the discovery of that love which hath made this union should beget love in all those that are thus united in the eternall love and glory of God Colos 3.4 Christ is the life and the glory of all his people and at his appearance they all oppeare in glory 1 Thes 4.16 17. This glorious being of the Saints shall be to a beleever with the Lord Oh how should this draw forth our love one to another that we shall ever be with the Lord of love if Saints be one in all these that these comprehend the whole of a Saint then why should we not be one in affection Possibly some may say wee are not all of one judgement Object and therefore cannot be one in affection That I am verily assured is our own not Gods is of the flesh Answ and not of the Spirit Through Christ says Paul I can due all things if wee looke upon one another in Christ then wee shall finde wee can love because in Christ I would aske this question Whether is the greatest argument of love being children â—f one Father or being children of equall growth or stature For I am perswaded this will comprehend all the differences among the Saints namely our state and our growth as child ren in our Fathers house the branches in Christ live and grow because in him shall wee be angry if God who is a free agent gives out more or lesse of himselfe to one brethren then to our selves Growth is as God disponses of himselfe to us What have you that you have not received sayes the Text It was the fleshly argument of Josephs brethren not to love him because they thought him dearer to their Father then themselves and because God would use and honour him above them It is the sinne and shame of Saints to make this the rule of love to their brethren that they are of one judgement at one pitch of light in the discoveries of God and not because he is a brother and beares our Fathers image If God intended to dispence alike to all his Children why then hath he provided milke for babes and stronger meate for stronger Saints And what is the meaning of God when he equires the strong to bear with the weak and to receive them but not to doubtfull disputations If a Saint makes onenesse of judgement to be the rule of his love to his brother he must then make the cause of his dislike to proceede from God because he that is free in giving hath not given equall light to all Let us take heed in this our quarrell wee be not found figbters against God He that makes his judgement to be the foundation of his love to his brethren I doubt he lays a greater weight upon it then the foundation will beare Saints knowledge in this life admits of a mixture wee know but in part and wee see but in part thou seest something of God that another sees not and another sees something of God which thou at present seest not and God beholds much of flesh and darknesse in all Saints Now consider if this glimmering light this knowing in part and this mixture of flesh and spirit be foundation strong enough to lay the weight of our love to Saints upon Spirituall love is of the greatest weight that can be this love is God for God is love so that no foundation is strong enough to beare the weight of this love but God himselfe 2 Cor. 5.16 2 Cor. 5.16 In the foregoing verse Paul lookes upon himselfe and all Saints as dead and alive with Christ and therefore he resolves in this 16. verse to know all Saints as they are in Christ to know no man after the flesh no not Christ himselfe he makes God alone the object and the foundation of his love And
if Saints now did resolve with Paul to know neither Christ nor Saints after the flesh I beleeve our formes and our apprehensions of the wayes of God which have in the best of them so much mixture of fleshly darknesse would not be made the foundation and the bounds of our love one to another I know in Scripture-language but of two seeds in the world The seed of the Woman and the seed of the Serpent Saints are all of one seed though they may differ in light some more in the Spirit and others more in the flesh yet all have the seed of eternall life in them 1 Cor. 1.11 12 13. When the Apostle heard of the contentions that were in the house of Cloé saying that some were of Paul some of Apollo and some of Cephas and some of Christ his answer is this Is Christ divided As if he had said it is your fleshly apprehension that divides you to Paul Apollo and Cephas Did you judge in the Spirit you would see your selves to be one in Christ for Christ is not divided Christ and his people are one as Christ is one with God so are his people one with him Joh. 17.10.21.23 All mine are thine says Christ to his Father and our Father and therefore prayes for a Spiritof union to fall upon all Saints as Saints All that are thine and mine Christs bowells earnes to all his members as members one with himselfe and his Father his heart is not satisfied till they be all with him in glory 24 verse he doth not say Father I will that those which thou hast given me that have the highest light be with me where I am to behold my glory and those of lower light to be kept under the beggerly rudiments of the World but his armes of love doe incompasse all that they all may be one and those which thou hast given me says Christ As if Christ bad said thou art free in thy selfe and mightest choose whom thou pleasest but those which thou hast chosen my heart is fired on them all so that Imust have them all with me in glory Thou wert free in choosing of them and art still a free agent so that thou maist give them light as it pleaseth thee but they have my heart as they are thy gift thou hast given them me and I have given my selfe for them and to this end I dyed for them and live in them that they all might be one in me as I am one in thee Christs love flowes from union in himselfe and not from those apprehensions in Saints which are mixtures of flesh and Spirit he is like his Father he will not quench smoaking flax or break the bruised reed he loves the least of his Fathers image where ever he sees it Christs heart is in the midst of his body he tenders a foote or a hand as well as an eye because it is a member of his body 1 Cor. 12.13 14 15 26 27. And gives it us in charge that as his body we should suffer and rejoyce with every member which must relate to Saints in generall for sayes the 27 verse you are the body of Chrivt and members in particular Every particular Saint is a member of Christ all Saints the body of Christ to be a member of the body a Saint this draws forth Christs love and by this will it appeare that we are Disciples followers of Christ if upon interest in Christ wee love one another By this will all men know that you are my Disciples if you love Saints because of my image and not because of your owne Again consider this if that worldlings finding us contending with and hardly using of our brethren fellow Saints that are below or above our light shall cruelly entreat us will they not have a faire plea to God at the last and great day when God shall lay it to their charge that they have persecuted his Disciples may they not answer Lord we did not know them to be thy Disciples for thou hast told us wee shall know thine by loving one another but we found these contending among themselves their unkindenesse to one another did demonstrate them to be the children of the World not heirs of thy Kingdome and walking like children of the flesh and this world we judged that we might safely lay our iron rods upon them If they should answer thus sure I am this would be as good a reason for the worlds cruelty to us as our differing apprehensions of the mind of God will be for our not loving one another Wee have two examples in the Olde Testament why love and brethren should goe together First Abraham and Lot let not us fall out for we are brethren Secondly Joseph to his brethren in their journey Fall not out by the way for you are brethren To be children of one Father is an argument of love Saints are all in their way to Heaven and Christ is their way the way and the end are both arguments of love The whole current of the Gospel runs this way that which invloves all in one is Christs command Love one another as I have loved you Christ loved us to give us light and life so that light could not be the cause of his love no more should it be the cause of our love for we should love as Christ doth from union with God Thine they were and thou gavest them mee that is enough to Christ if an interest in God he loves them God cals himselfe the God of love and Christ is the manifest testimonie of Gods love now the great testimonie that Saints give to the world of their being in God and Christ is the life of love to God and all that beare his Image even the meanest of his Disciples None can love spiritually and truly but those that live spiritually and truly in God for God is love in the fountaine what ever is love in the streames it is the flowings forth of God into such a soule And the true reason of our little love to Saints as Saints is this our living so much in the flesh and so little in the Spirit so much in a forme of godlinesse and so little in the power of godlinesse laying so much weight upon things that perish and so little upon the rocke of ages and surely when God by the fire of his Spirit shall burn up consume our fleshly principles then will the pantings of our soules be pure like the Spouse in the Canticles Tell me saith shee where is hee whom my soule loveth and this hee was Christ So will our soules say when they seeke an object for their loves tell me where Christ is And if we find Christ in such a soule that is not at our pitch of light and in matter of forme beares not our image yet I have found Christ here and it is hee whom my soule loves so that now my love must runne forth to Christ In this soule is an
object so drawing that all fetters are shaken off and all bolts loosed so that the soule of this Saint runs forth to Christ and every soule in whom Christ lives as it is said in another case the love of Christ constrains This soule can imprison his love no longer the glorious image of Christ hath so overcome it that it can now no longer argue upon forms but give it selfe up to the power of God that now lives in it by the Spirit Let this shame us who professe our selves Saints in all our frowardnesse one to another wee can see a moate in the worlds eye and not a beam in our own If the world like it selfe be froward to us we can be soone sensible and complaine of it when at the same time wee altogether unlike Saints are froward and become thornes in the sides of our brethren and can sooner say 't is impossible to be otherwise then complaine of our base hearts And I may justly feare that many a soule ☜ which but few yeares since would creepe into corners with other Saints to complaine to God of the injustice unkindnesse of the world to them yet now their feete have beene out of the stockes are become the first that lift up their bande against their brethren I know no cause of it but this in afflictions they looked for God in one another and then love lived in them but in prosperity men looke for selfe and forme and that not being found love growes cold I shall not much question that object to be a stranger to God which makes my soule a stranger to love And truly this very thing hath put a vaile upon the glory of all the formes that I have seene uner the Sunne persecution is such a forreigner to heaven that I may safely say what ever brings it into a person or a Nation never came from God and it will beget a pale countenance at the day of death when conscience shall witnesse that Saints have done that to Saints which they judged unjust from the world to them If God by his Spirie set this home upon our hearts it will make us willing to take shame to our selves and to give glory to God and stand admiring that God should not suffer the world to devour us when we have been so ready and so thirsty to devoure one another Truly I am affraid that there is a discontented spirit in some that God hath not suffered us to devour one another It is a very bad spirit that can be angry at the kindnesse of God It is well for us that Gods ways are not like ours nor his thoughts like ours that his wayes should be wayes of love to us when our wayes are not love to him nor his and that he should have thoughts of kindnesse towards us when we have hard thoughts of his kindnesss and are ready to call our deliverances our troubles It is no kindnesse but the kindenesse of God that can save a people against their will but this hath beene Gods way to us oh that it might kindely melt our hearts and forme us into his owne image to be love as God is love to love God and all that beare his image that his kindenesse might eate up all our frowardnesse and his sweet overcome all our bitter then shall wee appeare his Disciples by our love to one another Secondly Let this teach us as Saints to eye all those things wherein wee are one and see if they doe not justly chalenge love from us we are all begotten of one love all hewed from one rock the rocke of Ages all under one Covenant of free-grace all baptized with one and the same Spirit and have all one joy and glory in this life and to eternity Now what but flesh and darknesse can make such rending and willing to rend and devour one another we see not our proper interest to be our Fathers love and darknesse in this makes us to fall out by the way home The more light we have in God the more love it begets to God and our brethren In the froward fits of our flesh wee complaine of new lights as if that were the cause when the true cause is our olde darknesse That which is borne of the flesh is flesh but darkenesse cannot discerne what is borne of the Spirit it is only the things of God or more properly God in every thing which can engage the soule to love Now the naturall man saith the Text he discerns not the things of God and gives the reason of it because they are spiritually discerned God is never seene but in his owne light and when we have spirituall eyes to discern him wee shall see our interest in him and love one another better Thirdly Let our petitions at the throne of grace be for more sensible enjoyment of our Fathers presence though our God be alwayes present and knoweth the secrets of our hearts yet many times we have not eyes to see him for surely were we sensible of our Fathers presence we durst not fall out with our brethren as we do whence is it that Saints miscall one another and then throw dirt in the faces one of another and at last scratch till the blood comes Is it not from hence that we discern not the presence of God our Father Were wee more sensible of the presence of God wee should as Saints see so much of our relation in God that our affections would be swallowed up in God and in one another surely if God be lovely to us his Image will be so too and when we see him and one another in him then will our affections goe kindly out in the Spirit of God one to another If we cannot love when we see the least of Gods image in a Saint it is much to be doubted we love our owne image better then Gods 1 John 5.1 And every one that loveth him that begot 1 Joh. 5 1. loveth him also that is begotten of him God and Christ is the true object of a Saints love 't is a cold and frozen love that doth not melt and yeeld when God and Christ appears Fourthly Let us study God and the power of godlinesse more To study Selfe and Formes will make us carnall and froward but to study God and the power of Godlinesse will in the Spirit make us holy and humble The experience of this present age is a sad but true witnesse of the former of these How full hath Presse and Pulpit and all conference been in contending about Formes and in them I very much doubt Selfe-interest hath been contended for Now look back and read the fruits of these labours hath it not been the cooling of spirituall love the quanching of those flames among Saints and the blowing up of those flames of zeale without knowledge which hath almost consumed the moisture and vigor both of Christianity and Humanity If mens apprehensions differ in a Form though there be much of God in
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
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
is no other name under heaven by which men can be saved but by the name of the Lord Jesus Christ Oh then where should poore sinning soules looke but to their interest in Christ as sons of God and co-heirs with Christ The Prophet Isaiah in Chap. 35.11 speaking in the verse before of Gods bruising and putting Christ to griefe making his soule an offering for our sins saith Hee shall see the travell of his soule and shall be satisfied God is satisfied with no other object but his sons he looks on all his people through him now wee must eye what God eyes the travell of Christ as our publique person and in that object the soule will live and sin will dye God hath lodged the glory of his grace here that all our reliefe should come in and through the Lord Christ He came from the bosome of Gods love upon this designe to be eyes to the blinde legges to the lame and to set the captive and those that are bound in fetters chains free Is not Christ then and the bosome of free-grace that gave him the only object for a sinning soule to looke on for reliefe an experienced soule in these objects will tell you that a glimpes of Gods love in the face of Christ is the only expeller of the being and the reigning of sin in it such experience as this the Apostle speaks of in 2 Cor. 5.14 15. For the love of Christ constrains us because we thus judge that if one dyed for all then we were all dead And that he dyed for all that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves but unto him which dyed for them and rose againe Marke the spirit of the Apostle he eyed his interest as one with Christ in death and life and speaking of sin sayes he love constraines straines me thus to judge that I am dead to sinne and can live no longer to it because Christ is my interest This is an object indeed able to slay sinne in the soule to behold our interest in Christ that love which made this interest constraines our soules thus to judge and thus to act as being dead to sin because we are alive to Christ so that I hope it is clearely made out that a soule in a sinning condition must eye its interest in God as a Father and in Christ as a head and a husband For no other object besides this can either raise a soule fallen in sin or slay that sinne which lives in the soule Therefore the exhortation stands firm and should make its impression on our soules namely that wee should be much in beholding our interest as we are the children of God and as we are fixed with Christ in his eternall love I may safely say this is our duty as well as our priviledge to be alwayes eyeing our interest in the love of God for herein we serve the ends of God in magnifying his grace to us and shedding his love abroad in our hearts This is fully proved in that 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 ye have received the spirit of adoption whereby we crie Abba Father The Spirit it it selfe bearing witnesse with our spirits that we are the children of God Marke it the Spirit is given to beare witnesse of our interest and this is not a spirit of bondage but that free spirit in which we behold our interest as children and sayes the Text cry out Abba-Father If we have received the Spirit it is our duty as well as our priviledge to improve it to this end the constant beholding of our interest as the children of God and in vers 17. of Rom. 8. If children then heirs heirs of God and joynt-heirs with Christ Oh eye this interest as we love our lives let us eye this interest this is our living upon that life which is hid with Christ in God the perfection of which shall be a full enjoyment of God and Christ to all eternity Againe let this perswade us to prize highly and thrust heartily for this most glorious appearance of Christ If our hearts put that day farre from us wee put our highest glory farre from us for till then we are as heirs under age not in full possession for free-grace hath given more and the blood of Christ hath purchased more and heaven containes more glory for us then the world can beare to be revealed but Christ shall come and manifest it all which glory shall consume the world all corruptible things shal dye before it and then soule and body both shall be carried above corruption to be filled and crowned with immortall glory though now we are sonnes yet many times there is such clouds of corruptions and afflictions on us that it hardly appeares what we are much lesse what we shall be Our glory now as children is more then the world can see and when Christ thus appears it shal be more then the world can bear Oh let this bear up our spirits the few moments that are behinde if all in this world be not enough Christ is hard by and he wil bring enough with him Wait cheerfully as those that believe such an appearance of Christ at hand in which we shall appeare in our interest and our union with him Againe let this teach us what value to put upon the world it is too weake a foundation to beare all our glory when we come to possesse our full inheritance as co-heirs with Christ the world will be too narrow to containe it and if it be so then surely the world is not worthy of our love our joy nor our feare That soule which God loves the world is too little for its love God only can and will satisfie that love he makes us love him because he loved us first the flames of love which he kindles in our bosoms he satisfies with that fountain of love which is in his own bosome That soul which hath interest in Christ and waits for his appearance the perishing world is too low a thing for him to rejoyce in But he may always rejoyce in the Lord for there is a sutable portion and truly there is no just cause for a Saint to feare the world when Christ hath undertaken for him at the throne of grace the world must hate us because it hates him whose image wee bear but here is reliefe enough Christ that is our interest in heaven he hath overcome the world for us wee may be encouraged to goe to the Father in Christs name to be kept from the evill of the world but there is no cause why wee should feare that the world shall overcome us for Christ is able and faithfull to preserve all those the Father hath committed to his charge Were the world as little in our affections as it is in our interest we should enjoy it more
and feare it lesse it is our carnality that makes it a King and sets it on the Throne and then we fall down and worship it but God hath made the world our foote-stoole as it is Christs for he is our interest and what is his glory as our head is our glory as his members when the world concerning Saints is mentioned by God it is as an additionall thing but Christ and his righteousnesse is a Saints interest The holy Ghost gives the world this title The meate that perishes but Christ is that portion which endures for ever call not that enough which is not enough for a moment a frowne from God can in a moment darken all the world and a smile from God as soon out-shine all the beauty of the world Oh then Saints let this teach us toknow our ful interest in God and the emptinesse of this empty perishing world Lastly This cals all Saints to rejoyce in the glorious appearance of Christ that will be a day of glory that never will have night the sun that will give give light unto that day will be the Sonne of righteousnesse and the God of grace we shall from that to all eternity never behold nor enjoy lesse glory then God himselfe God filling us and all that glorious company above not only revealing but communicating the fulnesse of his glory to us so that our vilde bodies shall be made like unto his glorious body and the whole soule and body made capable to receive and shall be satisfied with the fulnesse of God all the glory of Heaven shall center in our bosomes and that shall be the feast which the Lamb and his Wife shall keep to all eternity Is not this a fit subject for our joy if such a day as this be at hand Oh then rejoyce all you whose interest is in Christ for every moment in this dying world hastens to this day all the clouds we see in this darke world are flying away that this Sun of Righteousnesse may breake forth in its full splendor and glory the world dyes that we may live things that now appeare they perish to make way for this glorious appearance of Christ and therefore live now upon this not only that we are children but knowing that when hee shall appeare we shall be like him for sayes the Text we shall see him as he is CHAP. V. Christ is the foode of living soules John 6.48 I am that bread of life THESE words they are a cleare and plaine testimony of our Saviour concerning himselfe In verse 33. of this Chapter he tels the Jewes that the bread of God came downe from heaven Joh. 6.33 and giveth life unto the world For the bread of God is he which commeth downe from heaven and giveth life unto the world and then in vers 35. and vers 48. So that we must consider these words under these two heads First Head 1 The Lord Jesus Christ to be that bread which came downe from heaven Secondly Head 2 The Lord Jesus Christ to be that bread which gives life to the world For proofe of this first head we need goe no further then this Chapter in which every testimony to this truth is the witnesse of the Lord of truth even Christ himselfe to that of the 33. verse take the 38. verse of this Chapter For I came downe from heaven not to doe my owne will but the will of him that sent me So in vers 52. I am the living bread which came downe from heaven And likewise in vers 58. This is that bread which came downe from heaven Christ speaking in the verse before this of his Fathers sending him these Scriptures prove the truth But it will be said Object every good and perfect gift comes from above and wherein lies the peculiarity of Christ in this more then in other gifts of God I answer that in the consideration of the next head Answ which is that Christ is the bread of life or that bread which gives life to the world In this I say the peculiarity of Christ comming from heaven will appear Thus is the marrow and the life of all our Saviours discourse in this Chapter as it were center'd in this 48. vers I am that bread of life In verse 33. he calls himselfe the bread of God and the life of the world And in vers 38. he shewes how he came to be the life of the world even by the will of God sent by God and his businesse the worke and the will of God In this 39. and 40. verses he tels us And this is the Fathers will which hath sent me that of all which hee hath given me I should loose nothing but should raise it up againe at the last day And this is the will of him that sent me that every one that seeth the sonne and believeth on him may have everlasting life and I will raise him up at the last day Here our Saviour cleares up whom hee meant by the world namely the elect and chosen of God which are given to Christ by his Father and then declares that his worke is his Fathers will and tels us what it is namely that all which God his Father had given him should have everlasting life in him He tels us how faithfull he will be in this worke so that nothing shall be lost that God hath committed to him and tels us this is the will of God Verse 40. that every soule which hee hath given to Christ should have a discovery of him and believe on him and that in all this wil of God runs the seed of eternal life For that part which is capable of lying downe in the dust to sleepe even that part shal not be lost but shall be raised up at the last day that is the last day of the world which passeth away like a dreame in the night Now if we lay all this together must we not needes acknowledge this truth That Christ is the bread of God the bread of life yea the God of life Our Saviour uses this term of bread indulgently to the weaknesse of our flesh but his work is in the Spirit and if God give us the Spirit with the letter we shal discerne the glory of Christ as he is our life in his own light This appears by our Saviours owne words in vers 63. of this chapter It is the Spirit that quickeneth the flesh profiteth nothing the words that I speake unto you they are spirit and they are life Christs words are spirit life Verse 49. because himself is our spiritual life In vers 49. Christ tels us what he doth mean by this bread of life Your fathers did eate Manna in the wildernesse and are dead As if Christ should say no externals whatsoever is your life you may feede on them all your way in the wildernesse and yet soule and body dye But in the two next verses he speaks plainly what is the bread he meant
vers 50. and 51. This is the bread which commeth downe from heaven that man may eate thereof and not dye I am the living bread which came downe from heaven if any man eate of this bread he shall live for ever And the bread that I will give is my flesh which I will give for the life of the world Here I say Christ demonstrates what is the bread hee meant namely himselfe in the flesh and he becomes this bread of life by giving his life in the flesh for us In the 53 54 55 56. verses of this chapter out Saviour shewes us how that interest in him as a crucified Jesus is our life and that he may fully cleare this out to us he holds forth himselfe not only a crucified Saviour but a living God In verse 57. As the living Father hath sent me and I live by the Father so he that eateth me even he shall live by me Our Saviour's argument seemeth to be thus I live as one in God and you as one in mee And thus is Christ that bread of life or that bread which gives life to his owne in the world Thus much for proof to the two heads that were first laid down I shall now hold out such spiritual observations from what hath gone before as I have received from Christ And the first observation shall be this namely That Christ only is a Saints life By this I mean that every sparke of a Saints life lies in Christ and so in Christ that it is in nothing else in which Christ is not all Christ is so fully and solely a Saints life that take all duties ordinances priviledges and externall advantages whatsoever substracted from Jesus Christ and they are all dead things but like the grave cloaths in the Sepulchre when Christ was risen Our Saviour himselfe beares witnesse to this truth I am the way the truth and the life No man comes to the Father but by me It is a truth so deare to God and Christ that Christ speakes to it in this place as fully as termes can expresse it both in the affirmative and the negative I am the life sayes Christ that is in the affirmative And so the life that no man comes to my Father the fountaine of life but by me there in the negative and affirmative both in the negative exclusive from Christ and in the affirmative inclusive If wee consult that place in John 16.14 where our Saviour speaks of the office of the Spirit and the usefulnesse of it in the hearts of his people we shall find it speak to this thing we have in hand John 16.14 He shall glorifie me for hee shall receiverf mine and shall shew it unto you Marke it the work of the Spirit is to reveal Christ to us as he is our life and so glorifie Christ in shâ—wing him to be our life As if Christ had said the holy Ghost when he comes hee shall shew you your names written in the booke of Life with my blood all your sinnes laid on me and that I have buried them in my owne wounds so that they shall never rise up in judgment more against you my righteousnesse your robe of glory perfect glory in the sight of God my law of love written in your hearts to be the power that shall slay sinne in your lives Thus the Spirit shall glorifie me in shewing you that I am your life in whole and every part of it Christ as hee is one with God is our fountaine of life in all our addresses to God he is our way truth and life For further confirmation take the experience of the Apostle It is not I saith the Apostle but Christ that lives in me and the life that I live it is by the faith of the Sonne of God And in another place Our lives are bid with Christ in God Take this Text for all 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 Marke it here Christ is made all by God to us for what can you call life that is not bound up in some or all of these The 29. verse of that Chapter gives a good and â—ull reason why God made Christ all to his people namely this that no flesh should glory in his presence This reason is so full that the truth stands strong upon it against all gain-sayers grace were nor grace if flesh had any thing in it selfe to glory of in the presence of God our life to be only in Christ preserves as entirely the glory of Gods free-grace as it doth the safety of our soules for that soul that glories in Christ as his life glorifies the free grace of God which gave that life When the Apostle speakes of the acts of life in his soule he makes Christ all for sayes hee I can doe all things through Christ that streng thneth me And the same Apostle in another place sayes he it is meerely of grace that I am what I am so that you see where Christ is made all there free-grace hath the glory of all and this is the great designe of God to all eternity to glorifie his free grace Thus much shall suffice for the first observation That Christ only is a Saints life A second observation is this If it be thus Saints should value and esteeme of Christ as their lives Saints what meane these carnall feares doth not Christ live If the world be nothing is not Christ enough Why feare you so much to loose the meate that perisbes when Christ this bread of life lives for ever cannot you be content the world should bring forth wants why there is no other place of want but that there is bread enough in your Fathers house Heaven only is the proper place of fulnesse doth it not speake an undervaluing of Christ that carnall feare shall possesse our spirits of want when Christ the fulnesse of the God-head bodily is our life portion Nay what mean these stoopings and bendings of our judgements affections services to the world and worldly ends Is not this the end of it to live in their love and esteeme so as to make a portion of perishing things friends of the unrighteous Mammon Saints will this stand with an esteeme of Christ as our life A soule that truly values Christ it pants thus in spirit Let me know truths as they are in Jesus and obey them in the spirit of Jesus God hath made the world my foote-stoole as it is his and I am one with him Christ is only my life and glory I would trample upon my foot-stoole and lie downe in the bosome of Christ who is my life and glory this is a soule that truly values Christ But tell me Saints if we value Christ as our life or portion and our crowne of glory our best and truest friend our faithfull brother and our loving husband one that hath borne all Gods wrath
for us who hath dyed that we might live and whose love is so great that hee cannot live in heaven without us Father I will that those which thou hast given me be with me where I am saith Christ in Iohn 17. If we thus looke on Christ and value him whence is it that we so easily grieve him Ingenuous nature teaches this to be tender of offending them we value and put a price upon their love Doth not grace exceede nature in this Surely it doth Oh then let our lives speak our loves to Christ and our value of him this is the language of the Spouse I charge you O yee daughters of Jerusalem that yee stirre not up nor awake my love till he please Cant. 2.7 Love and value of Christ wrought this frame of spirit in the Spouse she was tender of the pleasure of Christ and improves all her interest among the daughters that Christ might rest his pleasure Is not the Spouse here a type of a godly soule that hath interest in Christ If so then sure her spirit should be ours if we value Christ it will make us tender that he rest his pleasure it is but equall Christ should have rest in us for hee hath travailed for us and trod the wine-presse of his Fathers fury alone Now tell mee Saints doe you thinke Christ can rest and take pleasure in our bosomes when they are so full of worldly love and carnall aimes and ends with pursuites answerable doe we esteeme of Christ when we make him such a bed to lye in can we say we love and value him when we entertaine those in our hearts with him that crucified him namely our lusts Is this entertainment and company for the Prince of glory Oh if wee prize and value Christ that will be only deare to us which is deare to him his rest and his pleasure will be our rest and our joy and what ever wounds Christ will wound us That soule which sees its interest in Christ and values that beholds Christ upon the crosse wounded and bleeding for his sinnes and is so affected with that kindnesse of Christ that when ever hee sees Christ bleed afresh with any fins committed by him the soule is as it were in Christs roome hee is then crucified not to satisfie for his sin for that he sees is fully done by Christ for him and could never have been done but by Christ but the reflection of love and the value of Christ wounds this soule cleane through Christ sayes such a soule travelled as low as Hell to redeeme me for there I was by nature The first Adam left me there and the second Adam only plucked me out and in this travell he sweate drops of water and blood hee tore his way through his owne bowels to redeeme my soule he puts his owne robe of righteousnesse on me and never leaves this pursu it of love till he bring mee into his Fathers and his owne glory and I can never sin against lesse love then this Oh this value of Christ it makes a gracious soule exceeding tender of any thing that may displease Christ whom his soule loveth An experienced soule in the wayes of Christ will tell you it is the hardest travel that ever it went to step a step in the ways of sin after it hath apprchended the love of Christ been taught by the spirit to value that love and I believe if Sathan could speak truth he would confesse it to be the hardest work he hath to draw a soule that beholds Christs love and values that love in any soule Therefore as the only remedy against sin eye Christ love value him But Saints if we thus value Christ as our life and our all whence is it that in time of distresse we seek reliefe of broken cisterns and forsake the fountain of life my meaning is this When under a weake or a wounded state by sin we flye to duties for relief and not to Christ to renew the graces of Christ in us and not to eye our interest in Christ as hee is the gift of free-grace this is an undervaluing of Christ who in Prov. 3.18 is said to be a tree of life those graces you would live on is the fruits of this tree and are only fruits of life as they flow from interest communion with this tree of life doe but consider the folly of our spirits when wee flie from Christ to duties and to the stirring up of gifts and graces in us for our reliefe in such a state for fallen man is a creature that can act no grace in himselfe and grace without the breathings of Christ is as dead as man no grace can act it selfe Take our Saviours testimony to this truth in John 15.4 5. Abide in me and I in you as the branches cannot be are fruit of it selfe except it abide in the Vine no more can yee except you abide in me I am the Vine yee are the branches hee that abides in me and I in him the same brings forth much fruit for without me you can doe nothing Our Saviour in this maine point thinkes it not enough in the comparison he made to shew fully how that all the acts of life in us flows from himself which is our life But he concludes in these plain words without me sayes he you can doe nothing The Spouse of Christ in Cant. 4. last she honors Christ in believing this truth for she cals for the Spirit of Christ to blow upon her garden of spices that they may flow forth The spices here are the graces of a Saint and it is the breathings of Christ in the Spirit that gives them all life no grace hath life in it selfe nor can it act it selfe but Christ he is the life and the motion of every grace as hee is the soule it lives in It is a mistaking Christ and an undervaluing of him when we goe to duties that they may carry us and commend uâ— to God Christ is the only way to God and it is hee only that carries us as living soules to duties and through duties in and by his owne Spirit The Apostle knew this well enough when he made that prayer Coloss 1.11 Be yee strengthened with all might according to his glorious power In verse 10. he makes this petition That ye might walke worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing being fruitfull in every good worke and encreasing in the knowledge of God Hiâ— desire was that the Colossians should live up to Jesus Christ and walke worthy of the Lord. Walking is an act of life and this hee knew was out of themselves and not in any of their externall priviledges or advantages whatsoever therefore he seconds it with this petition That ye might be strengthned with all might according to his glorious power The Apostle here speaks his experience for in another place he doth acknowledg that he did all things through Christ that strengthned him And he prayes here
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
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
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
not able to act the new creature without Christ no more is it able to conceale the new creature now Christ is borne in me I am now led by the Spirit and I walke in the Spirit and the fruits of the Spirit is love joy peace c. And such are they that are in Christ for they have crucified the flesh with the lusts thereof That is Christ in them hath crucified the flesh and they are dead to it so that their life is in the spirit and they both live and walk in the spirit because Christ lives in them and they live and act meerly from Christ Saints in Christ are branches in the Vine And if Christ be the root then holinesse will be the fruit for no other fruit can grow from that roote The demonstration of this truth may be found in the particulars following the first demonstration is this That it is Gods designe from eternity that such as are united to Christ should be made new creatures in Christ that Christ should worke holinesse in Saints and that Saints should worke holily as created unto holinesse in Christ For proofe to this take that full place of Scripture in Ephe. 2.10 For we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto good workes which God hath before ordained that we should walke in them In the foregoing verses he tells us that we are saved meerly of grace and though God makes faith the hand to lay hold upon this free-grace of his in Christ yet that faith is the free gift of God as well as Christ which faith layes hold on so wrappes up all salvation in free-grace and in verse 9. excludes workes wholely upon that account But now least the wicked naturall heart of man should conclude thus my salvation is onely upon free-grace good workes addes nothing to it therefore as my salvation is left to Christ so my conversation is left to my self If I beleeve in Christ for to be saved I may live as I list I say to answer this in full arguing of our naturall hearts the Holy Ghost tells us that though holinesse and good workes are not under the account of jstuification yet that the conversation of Saints in truth is as purely out of their owne hands as their just fication is for saith the Text Wee are his workmanship that is Gods created in Christ Jesus unto good workes which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them The holy Ghost speakes methinkes very fully to this truth in this place that it is ordained and decreed by God from all eternity that such as are saved by Christ should be sanctified in Christ as it was the designe of God from all eternity to save soules meerly of his grace through Christ so is it the same designe of God to sanctifie every soul whom he saves through Christ now this is the decree of God that if any man be in Christ and Christ be his justification that Christ shall be in him and his sanctification so that if any man be in Christ he is a new creature for the one is as fully the design desire of the free grace of God as the other holiness it is the worke of God committed as I may say to the hands of Christ The same Apostle tels us That Christ is made to us of God wisdome righteousnesse sanctification redemption And God carries on this decree of his when he calls a soule to lye in his bosome and to have communion with himselfe through the Lord Christ The Apostle makes it an argument in 1 Thes 4.7 For God hath not called us unto uncleanenesse but unto holinesse His businesse in the fore-going verses is to exhort them to holinesse and to avoid the lusts and concupiscence of the Gentiles which saith he knew not God and makes this the argument to his exhortation for God hath called us to holinesse God hath united us to Christ and in that union he hath decreed that we shall be sanctified as well as saved so that to me this is a full demonstration that if any man be truly in Christ he is a new creature for this is the decree of God from all eternity and shall abide to all eternity A second demonstration of this truth may be this That the teachings of Christ in those that are truly taught by him is to put off the olde man which is corrupt according to the deceitfull lusts of the flesh and to put on the new man which is to be renewed in the spirit of their minds after the image of God in righteousnesse and true holinesse The proofe of this doth appeare in Ephes 4.20 21 22 23 24. But you have not so learned Christ If so be that you have heard him and have been taught by him as the truth is in Jesus That yee put off concerning the former conversation the olde man which is corrupt according to the deceitfull lusts of the flesh and be renewed in the spirit of your minds and that you put on the new man which after God is created in righteousnesse and true holinesse By this Scripture it appeares that such soules as have learned Christ and truths as they are in Jesus they are thereby renewed in the spirit of their mindes so as that the olde man which is after the flesh is put off and the new man put on which is after God created in righteousnesse and true holinesse Christ teacheth with power and his teachings make a change from flesh to spirit and from the carnall conversation of the old man to the image of God in the Spirit according to righteousnesse and holinesse Christ he renewes the mind and the conversation when hee teacheth his teachings reacheth the internals the roote receives life from him so that the fruit is the image of God in righteousnesse and true holinesse not a bare form all professed holinesse but a true holinesse that is holinesse in truth which is in Christ the truth it selfe so that the demonstration is full Christ and the new creature alwayes goe together but as if the Apostle had said there may be many formall carnall wretches that may professe Christ and lay claime to him but this is a standing truth they have not been taught truths as they are in Jesus and for their formality and carnality they have that from the old man what ever they professe of Christ for sure I am they have not so learned Christ his teachings are spirituall and his renewings are in the minde which makes the image of God in righteousnesse and true holinesse in the conversation not only a naked professed holinesse for if Christ then the new creature A third Demonstration may be this That God is light and in him is no darkenesse so that whoever hath fellowship with God and Christ walketh in the light as God is light for proof of this take a Scripture or two 1 John 1.5 6. This is the message which we have heard of him and declare unto you
without workes is dead That is I know not that you believe in Christ if you shew not the fruits of faith for I know Christ is a living Christ and if you live in him then he will appeare in your life It is the life of those which live in Christ to declare Christ to be their life in living him up A Saints glory lyeth in this that Christ is his life and therefore counts it his only businesse to advance the glory of Christ which is his life and his glory Whom have I in heaven bus thee sayes the Prophet David and I have none in earth in comparison of thee So sayes a Saint in truth when I come to heaven God is all my glory now I am on earth God is all my glory I have no other to glory in and no other glory to lift up but God and Christ and God in Christ the free-grace of God making Christ to be wisdome righteousnesse sanctification and redemption to me to be my all and all I am to be his this is a Saints glory here and to all eternity and the declaring this in his life is all his businesse upon earth The Apostle Paul 1 Cor. 15.10 Tels us this By the grace of God I am what I am He had all his life from grace so it is with every true believer grace in God is the fountaine of his life and that grace shed in his heart makes all the motions actions of life therefor this conclusion flows naturally from it that it is the only end and businesse of a Saints life to live up the free-grace of God and Jesus Christ the gift of his grace And the same Apostle in Gal. 2.20 tels us he is crucified with Christ neverthelesse I live yet not I but Christ in me As if he had said I am crucified with Christ to sinne world and selfe and yet I live but it is not to that which I am crucified to in Christ but to Christ for he is my life and all my businesse in the world is to live up him I am dead to all but Christ and what life you see in me it is not my selfe but Christ in me not the olde but the new creature The Apostle in Phil. 1.21 For me to live is Christ In all my life my businesse is to live up Christ This is generall what doe you meane by living up Christ I meane this to be nothing to doe nothing nor desire any thing but in all which the glory of Christ may be lifted up in the beauty of holinesse and the power of godlinesse 1. That the name of the holy God may plainly appeare in all we be doe or desire to doe that in all wee are Holinesse to the Lord may be written upon it But this is yet something in the darke Why then more particularly He that lives up Christ must be single in his heart to Christ the profession of his lips must have its commission from the singlenesse and sincerity of his heart Christ begets his owne image it must be Christ within which truly makes Christ without The more Christ is in any soule the lesse selfe is there and the lesse selfe the more singelenesse of soule and it is the want of this that makes so much profession of godlinesse without the power of it in the world It is easie to talke and professe up a Christ but it is very hard to live up a Christ and follow him where ever hee goes and the reason is this because the soule must be single it must be an unselfed soule that will follow Christ The young man in the Gospel found this a hard thing to sell all and to be unselfed for to follow Christ truly this singlenesse of heart is the rarest thing in the world to be found in these days and it makes me feare indeed that notwithstanding all the large profession of our dayes there is but very little of the power of godlinesse of this living up the Lord Christ in truth and as singlenesse of heart so lowlinesse and meeknesse Learn of me sayes Christ for I am lowly and meeke Who ever lives up a Christ must be lowly and meeke the proud man GOD abhors and truly he knows that God abhorres pride in all but most in himselfe for by knowing GOD hee comes to know himselfe and there findes no cause to be lifted up but to be abased Selfe and Christ are contrarieties both cannot be lifted up at once so that the proud man which lifts up himselfe cannot lift up Christ the proud mans businesse is to hold out himselfe to the world not Christ Pride lifts up it selfe above all others and cannot endure that any other should be lifted up above it therefore the proud man can never live up Christ because hee that truly lives up Christ must not only make him uppermost but all Christ also owns meekenesse as an Embleme of himselfe I am meeke saith Christ and when any soule is most meeke it is most like me this is the constant Associate to a lowly soules meekenesse they goe hand in hand together and Christ goes with them both and where ever they goe they speake Christ to be present It is the meeke soule that lives up Christ the Lambe of GOD Christ had some followers that called for fire from Heaven to ravenge themselves But our Saviour rebukes them and tels them they know not what spirit they were of As if hee had said you doe not in this follow mee my Spirit is meeke but your spirits evill in this If you will live like your Master and live up your Master you must be lowly and meeke Christ in this reproofe speakes to the fiery spirits in all ages what is written is written for our instruction the more heate in the flesh the lesse of the fire of the Spirit the more cruelty the lesse Christ Meekenesse and Temperance are the fruits of the Spirit of GOD Gal. 5.23 And surely that soule lives most of Christ that lives most in the spirit Againe To live up Christ is to be doing good to the soules and bodies of all we meete with as Christ did and as his word exhorts us doe good to all men A Saint should have no eye of revenge to see evill withall but to render good for evill his eye should be to watch over soules and bodies for good to watch over soules where and when he may drop in information exhortation brotherly reproofe and consolation when to cut dead flesh and when to binde up greene wounds and be ready to all this to tell forth its experiences of GOD to others a Saint should so live up Christ that where ever he comes those soules hee meetes with may blesse GOD for him and that of GOD which they learn by him A Saint should be a living monument of Christ in whom may be beheld a Christ crucified in a soul crucified to sinne selfe and world and a Christ risen in a soule risen with Christ
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
the fruit can be no other then the tree is and it is the darknesse of that flesh which is in Saints that keeps them from a cleare discerning of that truth and makes them smile when the world smiles on them and be sad when the world frownes on them Vanity could not unsettle our spirits if vanity were not in them It is that vanity which is in our flesh that puts a value upon the vanity that is in the world but truly it is our exceeding shame that having the Lord to glory in we should glory in any thing but the God of our salvation and having so sure and abiding glory that any frownes from vanity should make the least damp upon our glory Saints are of an eternall glory and substance and therefore should not labour for nor glory in any thing but what is sutable that which will abide for ever and upon this consideration the whole World that lumpe of vanity is cut off at once it withers in the using and certainly dyeth either before or with our flesh it is not able to satisfie either out soules or bodies therefore unworthy to be laboured or contended for by any but especially by Saints that have God to live and delight in Againe the Wise mans discovery is that all things under the Sunne is vanity Carries along with it this counsell that we should use the world as if we us'd it not i. value it no higher then vanity let it be so in our eye and hearts let Gods end in creating of the world be our end in using of it He made the World to serve man and man only to serve himselfe so may we use all things not sinfull moderately and with thankesgiving making the whose Creation our servants and our foot-stoole so that in all and with all we serve our God and live in his bosome of love which is so bright a glory that it swalloweth up all the glory of the World and makes that something or nothing meerly as God appeares in them or not in them God is so perfect a glory that he makes the darkest lanthorn of the creature when he appeares in it to shine glorious and when he withdrawes his presence the Lanthorn is dark again sutable to its owne nature this should the world be in a Saints eye what of God is in the whole or any part of the creation embrace that keep close to that lift up his name his power and his glory in all so use the world as to lift up God above it My meaning is this use all power all place all honours and interest among the sonnes of men to lift up the Name of God This is a pretious spirit indeed that can despise the worlds glory when Gods glory goeth not with it and can rejoyce in the worlds reproaches when in that he may more advance the glory of his God this is to use the world as if we used it not to take it up and lay it downe onely as it may serve the highest end of our Being the lifting up of the glory of our God If there were any thing but vanity in the world I verily perswade my selfe it should have been part of the Saints portion but as it is it is too low a Region for the Saints to live in God giveth full blessings to his children and therefore hath given himselfe to be his peoples inheritance hath done them no injury in binding up the whole world under vanity for it is not their portion it is at most but their Wildernesse footstoole Christ is their Rock of Ages Heaven their more exceeding and eternall weight of glory Saints would soon have low thoughts of the world if their hearts were lifted up to their interest the King and Kingdome of glory it will then appeare that we used it as if we used it not that when we have it it is no part of our life and glory so when it is gone we have no want of it for God is our all and we have at all times all in God It is not the creature which is vanity that maketh a Saints joy but God in the creature and if that vanity vanish away yet the comfort doth not because that is bound up in God who liveth for ever God doth often vary in his dispensations to his children but not in his love which is their life though in reference to the world he leads them through good and bad reports through ficknesse and health high and low honorable and dishenorable esteem of the world yet in all this his eternall love is alwayes the same and Saints knowing this are as full of life and joy in the one condition as in the other because God and his love is their life and joy in all conditions And hence it comes that Saints use the world with so much slightnesse because not any of their life and interest is bound up in it if the Gourd be green and flourish yet God and not that is their life and glory if the Gourd wither and die yet they doe not for they have lost nothing in the Gourds being nothing because God who is all is their all Oh that the Spirit did live more in Saints then should we live more in God and lesse in the world then should wee truly use the world as if we used it not This truth doth also shew us the glorious interest of Saints that have a God to live and glory in though there be vanity in all things under the Sunne Sure it could not but be amazement to that Tyrant to behold the 3 children in the fiery furnace and not consumed And were it well considered it would be as great an amazement to the world to see Saints full of rest joy and peace in their spirits though the world be full of changes and altogether vanity Put these together and we shall finde the cause to be one and the same in Daniel 3. verse 25. The Text telleth us That foure men walked in the midst of the fire and the form of the fourth is like the Sonne of God The Text gives us the reason why the fire could not consume them according to its own nature because the presence of God was there the reason is the same though the Saints have their being among the vanities under the Sunne yet they have their reall being and their life in the bosome of God and his Spirit lives in their bosome so that it is his presence which makes that rest joy and peace that is in their soules A Rock that giveth forth water in a dry and long Wildernesse hath its double beauty such is God to his children in this wildernesse of vanity he is Rock and Water of life both and such as experiment him can tell they have meat to eat such as the world kowes not of and when the world shall be forced to confesse that their food is buskes and not enough neither then can such as have an interest in God
his glory to trust under the shadow of his wings to renounce selfe aims and ends and glory to be wise for Christ and not for selfe to use more piety and lesse policie to look upon all things under the Sunne as vanity not to be so vaine as to spend their precious time and spirits in going about to make perishing things permanent not to build Tabernacles and thinke it is good to be here for the Tabernacle that they build withall is perishing and hath but a few moments to be here Ob therefore be wise and whilst it is called to day close with Christ All things below this Sunne is vanity if you trust the World you 'l finde it so The Wise man he tryed the World and found it so such as love the World will finde it loft love and those that serve the World most will finde they serve nothing but vanity and truly that is a very ill Master the latter end of that service will be worse then the beginning it is great pitty then that the World hath so many servants seeing it is so unfaithful a Master how many is there that serve the world as they should serve God with all their soules their spirits and their strength improving their lives liberties and interests to serve vanity and to lift up flish though in that worke they do their utmost to wound Christ in his Members It is a sad employment to blow up those flames that shall burne him that bloweth it to ashes This is the evils of that worke to serve the interest of the World against the interest of God they digge their owne graves they wound their-owne soules and heighten the fury of those flames which will make them cry out for a drop of water to coole their lungs this work in the end will not only make the heart ake but the conscience roare this worke indeed will prove vanity and vexation of spirit To winde up this subject It is God and Christ only that is worthy to be trusted served loved and delighted in there is vanity in all below God but no vanity at all in God we may trust him for hee is faithfull all that ever have trusted him have found him so witnesse the Israelites at the Red Sea hee bid them by Moses to stand still to trust in him and they should see his salvation and he proved himselfe a faithfull God God is worthy to be served because hee commands that which is worthy the service of a holy soule and then he giveth strength to performe the service he requires He giveth his Spirit both to teach and to lead and his service hath life and glory both in the way and end he spirits the soule and then commands spirituall service this is a service worthy to be owned and obeyed God is also worthy to be loved of all his because he loved us first and that first was when wee lay in our blood and no eye could pitty us He is the originall of our love therefore worthy to be loved by that which floweth from himselfe he hath all lovelinesse in him and therefore worthy to have all loves center in him that which is the fountaine of love may justly claime to be the object of love Saints may well say of God and Christ as the Spouse did of Christ that there was no beloved like her beloved for love and lovelinesse the best way of expressing this is to let God and Christ have all our loves By this we plainly tell that there is no object our eyes can looke on so lovely as God and Christ Communion and fellowship with the Father and the Sonne is a place of delight for the soules of Saints Love takes delight in God and Christ for there is banquets of love and banners of love bosomes of love and words of love electing love and redeeming love justifying sanctifying and glorifying love these are objects of delight indeed here we may feede abundantly and be satisfied but can never be cloyed O be wise then stand aside perishing world away with all those vanities under the Sunne there is a brightnesse out-shines it and a glory that swalloweth it up there is no beauty below God nor any excellency out of God and who ever hath a spirituall knowledge thus of God will by the same light be able to say as the Wise man I have seene all the workes under the Sunne and behold all is vanity and vexation of Spirit CHAP. XI A Saints excellency is to have no will in himselfe but the will of God Luke Chap. 22. vers 42. Saying Father if thou be willing remove this cup from me neverthelesse not my will but thine be done THese are our Saviours words when hee was entering into crucifying worke his flesh would have shrunke but his Spirit bore it up and makes this the result of all the thoughts within him to have no will but the will of God and to desire that no other will should be done and fulfilled but the will of God Christ is the head of Saints and it is the glory of Saints to be made like their head this work is too hard for flesh and blood bâ—â— as it was not too hard for Christ no more will it be for a Saint when Christ is in him though it be hard to learn yet it is very sweete in the attaining the paines of the travell will be swallowed up in the birth of this beautiful man-childe The scope of our Saviour in this Scripture to me seemeth to be this That what ever his flesh might desire yet his Spirit leaves all to God and not any will to be done but Gods will Our Saviour in this doth and so should every Saint in conformity to him resigne up the whole soule and body unto the will of God to be and to doe in all times things according to his will so as that in every thing his will may be done That such as read may the better understand take these two heads as a ground-works of the ensuing treaty First That it is the duty of Saints in conformity to Christ their head to have no will but the will of God Secondly So farre as Christ liveth in any soule it is the desire of such a soule that the whole will of God and no other but the will of God may be done in all times and things And first to the first of these That it is the duty of Saints in conformity to Christ their Head to have no will but the will of God The first Scripture makes this cleare that the Lord Christ our Head would own nor stick to no other will but the will of God If there be in my flesh any thing which is not in thy will let it not be done for he confesseth he came to doe the will of his Father So in the fourth of John vers 34. Christ telleth us That his meat is to doe the will of him that sent him and to finish his work
us And this the Apostle Paul found when hee made that holy boast I can doe all things through Christ that strengthens me I have from God all that I returne to God God hath my will and I have my will spiritualized by God Gods Spirit lives in my will and I thereby live in the will of God that which is impossible with man is not so with God though of my selfe I could not give up my wil to God yet God of himselfe can give me his Spirit and by that swallow up my wil into his When God bid Abrabam leave his Fathers House and goe into a strange Land the whole frame of the designe was against flesh yet God gave him a spirit to goe through with the work Nay when hee commanded him to offer up his sonne his only and his beloved sonne Isaac against which work flesh might have found arguments enough yet to this so exceeding hard work to flesh and blood God gave him in such an abundant measure of faith that he stuck not at it his own will was swallowed up into Gods because God had given him sutable strength to so hard a worke The Apostle speaking of faith tells us 't is the gift of God now if we consult the Scriptures we shall finde Abraham did all these great workes by faith Hebr. 11.8 9 18. so that in one Text he is called the Father of the Faithfull Now if Saints doe the will of God by faith in his Spirit and he gives both faith and the spirit then God is no hard master but a gracious God in commanding what he gives seeing he gives what he commands and it is nothing but ignorance of Gods way and working that begets hard thoughts of God and his wayes Secondly consider God leads his children he doth not drive them he wins and overcomes them by his love he doth not force them but as his love constraines them by converting and changing the Old man into the New God appears in the soft and milde voyce God makes choyce of a meeke Moses to be his messenger to his people to call them out and to lead them after him When God designes he uses if any the very quintessence of meanes to effect his design Now in this design of Gods to bring his peoples wil over to his so that they may be dead to their own will and alive onely to his he makes his love the meanes That is a notable text to this purpose where it is said God was in Christ reconciling the world to himselfe that is God was manifesting his love to his own in the world by Christ and the appearance of that love reconciles them to God that is makes them to have good thoughts of God seeing how he loves them it makes them willing to resign themselves wholly up to him If I would seek a bosome to take up my rest in to resign my self over to so as to be wholly led and ruled by it I would above all things else be sure to chuse a bosome of love one in whom I was sure of a full interest of love for then I could satisfie my selfe that what ever was willed for me or to me it was the best that could be for me because love constrained willed and wrought it for me and we know the commands of love are easie both in the commander and the commanded Now this is Gods way in bringing over his peoples will to his he opens his bosome of love to them hee makes knowne a Christ crucified and in him wisdome righteousnesse sanctification and redemption and in all this his love nay his love as the ground of all this he makes known that he pardons iniquities transgressions and sinnes for his own name sake and he calls himself the God of love the Apostle tells us Ephes 2.8 That it is by grace we are saved that is originall love is all in our salvation Now by the discoveries of Gods love to the soules of his people by his Spirit he overcomes them and whereasbefore they were at enmity with God looking upon God as an enemy as all doe that see God onely in the flâ—sh but the Spirit opening their understandings now they become reconciled to God we love him because he loved us first and trust in him because we see he loved us from all eternity gave Christ and pardon heaven and glory in this love and to resigne up our selves into the bosome of God to be preserved directed and ruled by his love The soule by discerning the love of God in the spirit is convinced that what ever it hath flowes from this love and it is ever best in this love and therefore resignes up all to the love of God its whole will and affections which makes and rules all its motions The love of God God himself when this is used as a meanes it must needs effect its end God cannot be frustrated but what he wills he workes if he wils his love to conquer the love and the wills of his people it shall surely doe it and this is Gods certain and sweet way of melting his peoples will into his own My people sayes God shall be a willing people in the day of my power when God powres forth his Spirit upon any soule and in that Spirit manifests and reveals his own love to that soule then is the day of Gods power upon such a soul and it becomes a willing soule it is melted into Gods will and ownes no wil for it selfe but the wil of God and upon this foundation of love Christ commands his Disciples Joh. 14 15. If yee love me keep my commandement And in the 23 24. If any man love me he will keep my words And he that loveth me not keeps not my sayings as if he had said it is my love shed abroad in your hearts that is your ability to doe my wil and this will demonstrates that I have given you my love if you obey my words God ownes no service but what flowes from love and the fruits of love as the fruits of God for God is love Now I never heard any complaining of the conquest of love Where love overcomes the conquest is so lovely that the overcomed admires but never repines And sure I am that wil in man which is overcome by Gods love to deny it self onely to own God for its directer and commander will be alwayes admiring the power and the glory of that love but never be found repining that it is captivated by the loving kindnesse of God and this is the way of Gods working upon the soules of his people therefore let such as are under the darknesse of the flesh be silent and not say that to have our wils melted into Gods will is a burthensome thing and to be crossing and denying selfe and flesh is to make the way to heaven without joy on earth for so saying they onely discover this that they are in the flesh and neither
work in the light of his countenance and the gâ—ory of his love let me goe whether he wil and into what worke he pleaseth my strength to performe all is himselfe therefore my will shall be his his love is my life in his worke therefore I love only to live in doing his worke and whether his worke for mee be to live or dye God shall choose for me not I for my selfe because hee hath given mee the joyes of his love in which I am able not to be bound only but to dye for the name of the Lord Jesus So the same Apostle 2 Cor. 4.7 to the end tels us of the troubles persecutions and afflictions that himselfe and the other Disciples with him suffered daily for owning and preaching Christ yeâ—â—n vers 16. We faint not but though our outward man perish yet the inner man is renewed day by day For these are light afflictions and but for a moment but the Spirit of God through them carries up our spirits to live upon a farre more exceeding and eternall weight of glory As if he had said in all this hard and suffering worke for God we have more comes in from God then we lay out wee have a full supply of joyes in God so that it is no hard thing to dye day by day in the outward man for the inward man is borne up by a more exceeding and eternall weight of glory So in Rom. 8. latter end What shall separate us from the love of Christ shall tribulation or distresse or persecution or famine or nakednesse or perill or sword No sayes hee this cannot doe it for we suffer all this for the name of Christ Nayin all these things wee are more then Conquerours through him that loved us If we consult with flesh and blood this will be found very hard work for to give up our wills to Gods will-ing but when in the spirit we come as the Apostle to understand the love of God and to live in it to understand aright the tribulations of the World we shall finde that in Gods love wee are more then Conquerors we have more strength then worke we have love enough from God to overcome more tribulation then the world hath and not all these tribulations distresses persecutions famines nakednesses perills and swords nor death nor life nor Angels nor Principalities nor Powers nor things present nor things to come nor height nor depth nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. So that God by his love gives into the soules of his people greater and fuller joyes then they part with in the World when they give up their wils to this will In Phil. 3. the Apostle tels us what value and esteeme he put upon all his externall endowments and enjoyments after God had made known his love to him in Christ he tels us Hee had as much in the flesh to glory in as any other and shews in what circumciz'd the eight day and so forward but in vers 7. What I counted gaine I now count losse for Christ yea doubtlesse and I count all things but losse for the excellency of the knowledge of CHrist Jesus my Lord for whom I have suffered the losse of all things and doe count them but dung that I may winne Christ and be found in him Observe it and we shall find this clearly in the Text that an enjoyment of Christ makes a low esteeme of all things below Christ all his legall righteousnesse hee counts it dung and desires never to be found in it but for ever to be found in Christ It proves the thing in hand that when God makes known himselfe to a soule in Christ and by that brings over its will to his owne will in that God doth not bereave the soule of joyes and contentments but gives in more in giving himselfe then he takes the soule from in taking it out of the world and it selfe and this wee see the Saints acknowledge As Paul here after hee had knowne Christ all but Christ was drosse and dung with him When God gives to his people he gives to them as he requires of them hee gives in the Spirit Gal. 5.22 The fruits of the Spirit is love joy The spirit reveales the love of God to his people and seales them up to that love and this makes joy in God so that all his ways are pleasant and his paths sweet to such soules it is not kâ—lling work to the soule when God comes to winne over the will to himselfe Doubtlesse Abraham had more joyes in God then in his Fathers house otherwise hee would never have left his Fathers house to haue followed God nor have given up his will to the will of God that hee might lead him where hee pleased nor would he have slaine his sonne Isaac the sonne of his love at Gods command if he had not lived in a higher region the bosome of Gods love and if Gods love had not been in his bosome if he had not found more joy and love in God then in Isaac he would never have slaine Isaac to have pleased God No man will crucifie his highest joy therefore it is till Christ come into a soule the World is never crucified because till then the world is the chiefe and highest joy the soule hath so that if Abraham had not had a higher joy then Isaac he could never have beene willing to offer up his will in his sonne Isaac to the will of God It is the union of better and higher joyes that makes a soule forsake its lower joyes and give up it selfe and its will to God The three Childrens choise in chusing Nebuchadnezars fiery furnace rather then to worship his golden Image speaks the truth of this thing for if they had not had a better life in God then in the world they would not have chosen God rather then the world Nay they had so much joy and life in God that they believed the flames of fire could not destroy it therefore they were not carefull to answer the King all their care was to keepe close to God in whom doubtlesse they had a more exceeding and eternall weight of joy and glory otherwise they could never have given up their wills to the will of God in the flames of a fiery furnace So likewise Paul and Silas after they had endured many stripes and were cast into prison and their feete fast in the stockes Acts 16.23 24 25. yet for all this Paul and Silas prayed and sang prayses unto God What doth this speake but that the joyes of God in the soules of his people doe exceede all their sufferings and that though God in conforming the will of his people to his owne will doth bring them into sufferings yet hee giveth greater incomes of his love by his spirit then the affliction needeth that they are not only able to beare them all but to joy in God
of our paines to consider the benefits that doe accrue to the soules of Gods people in having their wils involved into the will of the holy God First This giving up our wils to the will of God it lifts up and magnifies the glory of God in his love power and wisdome upon our own soules and in the World By this Saints declare to all the World that they have found more sweetness in Gods love then in theirs because they have given themselves from the world to be ruled by and satisfied with his love Abraham did this in an eminent manner when he left his Fathers house to follow the will and command of God It speakes plainly this there is most love in God therefore the soule loves alwayes to be with God and to that end hath given it self wholy up to God and that it resteth upon the power of God to defend it and therefore gives up himselfe and his will to Gods worke and leaves his protection in all his worke to Gods power Sure Abraham did so for the Text tels us bee knew not the place to which be went then hee could not know the dangers hee should meete withall but he knew whom he had trusted and under what protection hee was namely the power of the Almighty God to whom hee had committed his owne will and way this also doth much manifest the glory and wisdome of God when his people give up their wils to his what is it but adeclaring Lord wee are folly but thou art wisdome swallow us up into thy selfe that wee may be wise in thy wisdome let our foolish wils appeare no more but thy will and thy wisdome Let Christ be our wisdome lift up thy selfe in us the soule gives up it selfe to God because it would appeare no more in it selfe but in God as Paul not in his owne righteousnesse which is of the Law but in Christ the righteousnesse of God Now doth not this plainly appeare that the soule judgeth Gods love better then all other love His power above all other power and Gods wisdome to exceede all his owne and the wisedome of the World else why doth the soule in its will give up it selfe to the will of God So the Apostle Paul I through Christ can doe all things He would not so much as mention himselfe I have given my selfe up to Christ sayes hee and what is done Christ doth it in me I have found his love his power and his wisdome better then my owne or any besides therefore I have given my selfe up to him and I act in him How exceedingly doth this frame of Spirit declare the glory of God this frame of will to Gods will was in the Disciples Luke 5.5 When Christ bid them cast their nett into the Sea againe they told him They had toyled all night and caught nothing yet neverthelesse at thy word wee will let downe the nett How doth this manifest their love to Christ in obeying him contrary to all their reason and experience of that nights labour also it magnifies the power of Christ As if they had said wee will cast in at thy command for thou hast power to make our labour successefull so it doth the wisdome of Christ thou art wiser then all wee therefore wee will obey not dispute thy commands marke that clause yet neverthelesse at thy word wee will let downe the net As if they had said should wee owne our wills to be our owne we should finde arguments enough in our flesh to dispute thy commands Yet neverthelesse that there be so many fleshly arguments against thy command yet our wils being thine we readily obey this neverthelesse gives the more glory to the love power and wisdome of God A second Benefit of the will of man given up to the will of God is this That it takes the soule off from vain and needlesse pursuits and enquiries and wholly puts it upon seeking after the will of God when the soule is brought to this to seek and have all its light life and strength from God it then seekes no where else so when it hath given it selfe up wholly to be acted and disposed of by God then it lookes for nothing but God to manifest his will in what the soule or body should doe or suffer This single object is a mighty advantage to a beleeving soule how miserably are such poore hearts puzled which have more then this single object to look to for rules to act by such as when God by his providence brings them to a triall that they must act or declare for or against him own him or deny him before men then they have struglings within themselves First to know after the menner of men which is the strongest side and if they find that yet they feare lest it should not continue so they would seemingly own God but yet dare not let goe the arm of flesh they know not how to trust Gods power and wisdome above the power and wisdome of the world and this makes them say one thing one day and another the next this uncertainty and perplexity in mens spirits ariseth from hence that God is not their single object they would doe that which cannot be serve God and Mammon too they are ambidous and would be alwayes uppermost therefore they keep their wils in their own hands that they may as they think be able alwayes to gratifie the strongest party But this makes miserable worke in the soule and altogether unfixes the motions You shall never tell where to have that man that cannot tell where to be himselfe He must turn with the wind and unlesse you can tell where and when the wind will change you shall never know how to find him This is misery enough for any man and it is great pitie that any such man or men should have power to make more miserable then themselves But the misery of this man sets forth the beauty and the benefit of that wil which is wholly given up to God and to whom God is the single object it looks after When God brings forth the soule to discover it selfe to the world it goes to God and begges of him to discover and manifest his will concerning its motion For sayes he Lord thou knowest I have no will of my own my will is in thee thou must discover thy will before I can know or doe my duty Now when the soule is fixed upon this single object it is free from all those poore and low distracting considerations and though he be made to wait a while to know Gods way yet hee waits patiently because he knows he hath pitched upon an object that cannot deceive him and upon a faithfull God that will make known himselfe to him so that both waiting and working hath a setlednesse in it where God is the single object of any soul and God is so when the will of man is brought over to his will it hath then nothing to enquire after but the
will of God and what ever soule hath that singly in his eye shall never want a cleare object for God will never hide himselfe from that heart which he inclines to enquire after him much lesse to such a soule as hath resigned it selfe wholly up to God to see with his eyes to hear with his eares and to work with his hands to know nor doe nothing but Gods will in his Spirit God can never leave that soule to it selfe which hath given it selfe up to God And this is the language of such a soule when as duty worship and service is required of it Shew me the will and command of my God in what you require and I shall soon obey otherwise I must deny what you require untill I see it be the will of my God for there is my will bound up and truly where God appeares not I must deny my selfe to you and all flesh For I am not my own but Gods and cannot act but by the command and in the strength of my God it is not my will nor your will but Gods will that my spirit can yeeld obedience to for God is my single object upon whom I look and from whom onely I can receive light in what I should doe and strength to act according to that light This is a great and glorious benefit which comes into that soule whose will is given up to the will of God it enquires for God and pursues after the knowledge of his will in all things for this is the breathing of his spirit to God Not my will but thy will bee done A third Benefit of our wils given up to Gods will is this It carries the soule resolvedly and stedily to its duty and leaveth the issue and successe to God If God make knowne his will to this soule it doth not protract its obedience till God hath made known unto him in particular what shall bee the issue of that hee requires but makes this conclusion The duty is mine now God hath declared himselfe in it and the successe is Gods it is in a safe hand and I know in the general it shal be good because it is in God and comes from God but let God take his owne time to declare that he hath at present made known his wil concerning my work my enquiry is now at an end and I will obey Queene Hester is an eminent example in this when as God by Mordecai had shewed his wil and her duty in that great and weighty businesse of her interceding with King Ahasuerus for altering of his decree that was to take away the life of Mordecai and all the Jewish Nation though in the performance of this work she must go in to the King without his sending for her which was not according to the law and in which shee hazarded the losse of her life as well as her petition yet duty being made known she resolves to obey though ignorant of the successe shee takes up the duty with these words in her mouth If I perish I perish This is a resolved duty that comes from a stedy soule which hath given it selfe up to God as if she had said If the issue bee to perish I shal willingly take up that when God declares himselfe in it but at the present God hath declared his will that I should goe and that will of God I shall obey though I perish she doth not stay to know the issue before she goes whether perish or not perish but she obeyes the command leaveth it to God in his own time to make known his will in the successe as well as the work whether it it be perishing or not It was a pretious spirit yea it was the spirit of God in her and it is the same spirit that brings over the wil of Saints to the will of God and makes them to be stedy and resolved in their duty It was thus with Paul he could not forbear his going to Jerusalem though his friends begged him with tears and he knew bonds should take hold on him there yet neverthelesse God had declared his will for him to goe and goe he must his will was as Gods will and that manifested his obedience is stedy and resolved So it is reported of Luther that he should say he would goe and preach the Gospel though he met with as many Devils as tiles on the house Difficulties cannot hinder duties in such a soule as hath given it selfe and its will up to God when God doth but declare his will for that is all which such soules look after and when God hath declared that the soule takes it up resolvedly to obey it and casts it selfe and whole worke and wayes upon God that he would own him and his work so as to carry the soule through it according to the glory of his mighty power whereby hee is able to work all things to himselfe and leaves the issue in Gods hand to the same end the glory of his Name saying to God Not my will but thy will be done A fourth Benefit of our wils being surrendred up to the will of God is this It sanctifies and beautifies the life and conversation of Saints with the image and presence of God If the wil of God bee that fountaine which giveth life to all our motion then surely that motion will be the life of God that soul which will take up no practice upon trust but doth try all and make Gods will the touch-stone to try them shall be sure never to be deceived with copper in stead of gold that soule which wil embrace nothing but what God shal first approve of is in a sure way of keeping it selfe pure and undefiled Now this is the frame of Spirit which is in such soules as have given up their wils to Gods wil for their wils being in God they wil be sure to see his will in all they doe they can take up no practice but what they have his precept for and they will give you this for an unanswerable reason They have no wil but what is in God therefore can take up nor obey no worke nor wil but what is the worke and wil of God And such as walk by this Rule sayes the Apostle Peace be to them and to the Israel of God God is such a Rule as can produce no other end and what ever soule takes it work onely from Gods wil must needs be doing the will of God which is in a few words to be holy as God is holy to bring forth the fruits of righteousnesse because what that soule receives is from a righteous God that soule which hath all from God is alwayes with God and the presence of God changes soules into his own image and that soule which hath its wil in God must needs have God in his wil and work which wil certainly make a holy wil and a holy work because both are made by a holy God The new Creature is the most glorious
Governors and governed seeke Gods wil and not their owne both they and the Land would soone be at peace in the righteous wil of God If men did truly enquire after Gods wil that they might loose their owne wils in his the contending for our owne wils would be at an end true rest and peace would come into our soules and this Nation for this is only true rest to rest in God and his wil. But then how excellent is this in that soule which doth in the Spirit of God truly apply it and close with it that hath indeed its wil only in the wil of God and desires nothing to be done for it but the wil of God nor in it but Gods wil nor to it but Gods wil that desires to thinke speake nor doe nothing but Gods wil that hath but this one single object to looke after the wil of God and finding that hath found its joy hope peace riches glory aimes and ends with all the good can be named to that the soule can joy in the Lord alwayes have this hope alwayes lively his peace continually within him his riches constantly by him his glory certaine because above himselfe in the wil of his God and his aimes and ends certainly accomplished because he hath all these in God his wil being only in the wil of God The workings God in the World which perplexes other men satisfies this man because the wil of God is done in them and by them this is indeed the very top-branch of Christianity this was Christs lesson when he was going out of the World and that soule which learns this lesson is going with Christ out of the World I meane not bodily but spiritually not the flesh dying in the World but his spirit dead to the World as Paul crucified to the World and the World to him both agreed hee had as little spirit for the World as the World had satisfaction for his spirit his spirit was bound up in God and that must needes make an excellent soule which hath its all in God and from God its wil so in God that it can wil nothing to be done but the will of God Not my will but thy will be done CHAP. XII No man exceeds another in excelency but by received mercies 1 Cor. Chap. 4. part of the 7th vers For who maketh to differ from another and what hast thou that thou didst not receive THis Scripture is to my understanding one of the most humbling pieces to the flesh and fleshly pride of all men and women that the whole Booke of God affords humility is the generall scope of the Apostle in it and he hath very fitly suited his arguments to his end the Apostle both argues and proves his Argument in this Scripture by way of question This Scripture may fitly be called a paire of questions or a twofold question and it speaks most properly to a paire of grand lusts and sinnes that are in the hearts of all men women by nature Namely pride and peevish repining Now to the finding out and answering of these two in the Apostles language I shall bend my medications And first the proud heart Now if you aske me a definition of a proud heart I shall first answer in generall the tree is knowne by the fruit and the fruits are so many that they cannot be gathered all into so narrow a compasse but so farre as God doth enable mee I shall give light into it by these words following namely A proud heart is a heart lifted up in it selfe despising all that are below it and envying all that are above it Pharoah is a full testimony of this truth Exod. 5.2 when Moses and Aaron went in and told Pharaoh Thus saith the Lord God of Israel let my people goe that they may hold a feast with me in the Wildernesse Mark his answer And Pharoah said who is the Lord that I should obey his voyce to let Israel goe As if hee had said doe you tell mee of the Lord is there any above me that should require this people out of my hands Here is an exact embleme of a man lifted up in himself and despising of all below him and above him too But when God by his judgements had forced him to let his people goe in which God and his people were above Pharaoh see then how full of envy this proud man is to God and his people that hee musters up all his strength to hinder God in his designe and to destroy his people so that Pharaoh is a full proofe to all these particulars of a proud heart That poore wretch Herod was also lifted up in himselfe who when he had made his Oration and the people cryed out the voyce of God and not of man he tooke it to himselfe for that was his end to lift up himself this is the foundation principally of all proud hearts So Nebuchadnezar in Dan. 8.15 when he had threatned Shadrach Meshech and Abednego what hee would doe to them if they should not at his command fall downe and worship the golden Image which he had set up that he would cast them into the fiery fornace And who is that God that shall deliver you out of my bands This is indeed superlative pride the man in his owne thoughts had set up himselfe above God So he that builded Babell tels us his designe that he might say in the conclusion Is not this great Babel that I have built His proud heart was lifted up in himself and that made his worke sutable to his heart to lift up his own name so as he might call Babel which hee had built These also are the proper characters of proud Haman he was so lifted up in himself that if poore Mordecai bow not his knee the man is restlesse despiseth him plots his ruine and with him all the Nation of the Jewes yea even Esther the Queen that was above him The proud man to set up selfe despises and envies all below him and above him a proud heart is boundlesse in seeking to set up it selfe So proud Goliah despised little David thought him fit for nothing but to trample upon These proofes of Scripture with the spirituall discoveries of this sinne in our selves and others hearts and lives wil be testimony enough to prove the definition of a proud heart That a proud heart is a heart lifted up in it selfe despising all below it and envying all above it It wil wel become humble Saints to consider how fully the holy Ghost by the Apostle doth answer and silence this proud flesh and spirit in every part of it and that by way of questions which can receive no answer but in the plucking up of pride by the roots As if the Apostle should say you that are lifted up in your selves and make your boasts of your owne wisdome riches strength power and greatnesse above others come you forth and answer me this question Who maketh thee to differ from
another And what hast thou which thou hast not received Dost thou call the wisdome strength power and greatnesse that God hath bestowed on thee thy owne And is it thy businesse to lift up thy name by these This is thy mistake thy pride is thy owne indeed thou mayest call thy selfe and the first Adam thy owne originall for all sin and evill but God is only the original of all good now if thou exceed theirs in evill it will be no advantage to lift up thy selfe by for the more sinful the more miserable thou art but if thou exceed others in good as knowledge and the like thou hast in this little reason to lift up thy selfe for thou art not the originall that thou gloriest in It is what thou hast received that makes thee to differ from another wilt thou lift up thy selfe as if thou wert ful because God is ful I tell thee O proud man thy difference is from donation thou art more then another because God gives thee more then another not because thou art more in thy selfe therefore shew me a reason why thou art lifted up in thy selfe wilt thou be proud of thy sins for thou hast nothing else of thy owne Nay it is thy sinne to be proud of any thing thou hast received Wilt thou lift up thy selfe in that which is anothers Robbe God of his glory to cover thy owne face with it Nay wilt thou be so wicked as to make thy selfe as it were God His wisdome thine and thy selfe the originall of his gifts Thou forgettest and seemest to deny that thou hast received that which makes thee to differ when as thou goest about to set up thy selfe Againe shew me thy reason why thou despisest all that are below theâ— and enviest such as are above thee is the one too low and the other too high Why consider who 't is that makes the difference in them it is the same powerfull God that maketh thee to differ by what thou hast received more then those below thee and lesse then such as are aboue thee Now thou canst neither despise the one nor envy the other but thou dost it to God in both for the same wonder-working God which makes thee to differ in excellency and glory from them makes them also to differ from thee in the same what thou hast thou hast received so have they when thou canst make one of thy hairs black or white thou mayest have some seeming good to lift up thy selfe and expect other channels to runne into thee but till then be silent and if thou canst not answer these questions who maketh thee to differ from another and what hast thou that thou hast not received Then for shame lay downe thy selfe at the feete of that God from whom thou receivedst all that good and excellency which makes thee to differ from the lowest degree of sinne and misery This Scripture to a proud spirit is like those words of our Saviour to him that came to the marriage feast without a wedding garment Friend sayes Christ how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment And the Text sayes the man was speechlesse So truly I believe will every proud spirit be that God puts to answer these questions have nothing to say but lye silent under this conviction That God is all good and himselfe nothing but a spring of evill From whence comes his pride but in that hee differs not from other flesh in a state of nature and I wish it could be truly affirmed that pride were not in any but such as are in their naturall condition but this I dare affirm that so much pride which is in any man or woman so much of the old Adam is still remaining in that soule for pride is a fruit of the flesh and is that which God hates and sets himselfe against I may say of pride it is the originall of the Devill and there is no sinne in the soule of man or woman which gives the Devill more service then this doth We have in what hath gone before had some weake discoveries of the principles of it If the Spirit of God be our light it will not be lost time nor paines to looke into the practises of those principles in these few following particulars As first The proud man he seekes to raise up himselfe and not in all to lift up God higher then himselfe His worke is all climing worke hee cannot endure to have any man above him this is that hee plots for and acts for namely to lift up his owne name and his owne will He is very industrious to build Babell that hee might say this is great Babell that I have builded He seekes to be uppermost that all law and rule may come from his lips and if this be opposed the man is abundantly enraged as appeares by Nebuchadnezar when his visage was changed by his wrath and be commanded the fiery furnace to be heat seven times â—â—tter then before and that Shadrach Meshech and Abednego should be cast into it because they disobeyed his commands and would not fall down to worship the Image he had set up this very thing is the practise of all proud hearts so farre as they can reach God chaines up such spirits as hee did Sathan from Job but this is properly their hearts and so farre as their chaine will goe they practise the proud man makes use of one step to advance him to another but not in any to lift up God above himselfe for that is a contradiction to the principles he acts by where God is lifted up there the flesh is throwne downe but the proud mans glory is his flesh not God and that is really his businesse where ever he is to lift up himselfe and it is the disquiet ment of his soule when this designe doth not prosper but let such spirits take the Apostles questions to answer Who maketh thee to diffen and what hast thou that thou hast not received Dost thou know thy originall and by what power thy progresse hath been made from step to step Hast thou mounted with thy owne wings climbed up to what thou art with thy owne hands Or hast thou received that by which thou differest from another Looke upon dead bones and tell me if they can live If you say no I say it is your ignorance they can live by the same power you live you that were dead clay live by what you have received so can these dead bones Where the Spirit of God sets home these questions upon any soule it will not onely silence but crucifie this principle and practice of pride in it Secondly a proud mans practice is to keep others under him that he may keep up himselfe to make the comforts of other men the footstoole of his pride to trample others into nothing that he might make himselfe all So did proud Haman in his heart and designe against poore Mordecai and the whole nation of the Jewes Pride is
of that power beyond and contrary to that end hee received it for Otherwise the impositions upon the people of God in the matters of their God and the persecution of them for not obeying men rather then God would finde no footing in the World If pride in men doe not make them act further then they have received Rule and Commission from God his people would not complaine as they doe at the Throne of Grace for being persecuted because the Rule of God is That every man be fully perswaded in his own bosome for whatsoever is not of faith is sin Rom. 14.5.23 But the proud man puts forth his power beyond the bounds which God hath set him and is so cruell that he cannot heare the cryes of the poore people of God which onely plead for Christian forbearance and doe professe in singlenesse of heart as in the presence of God they are ready to obey their commands to the utmost so farre as God shall fully enlighten and perswade them it is his will so that in what they doe they may not sinne through unbeliefe And sure I am nothing but pride and cruelty can stop an eare to these cryes How ugly now must pride needs look to the eye of a godly soul And how doth such a soule observe the folly and cruelty of pride This should make every soule exceeding earnest at the Throne of Grace that the Lord would by the fire of his own holy Spirit destroy the lust of pride in them It is the throne of the Devill O beseech the Lord to destroy that throne it is the very flames of hell in the soule O begge of the Lord to quench them and wholly to extinguish them by his Spirit Pride in the Soule is the Devils Banner of defiance against God O be earnest with the Lord of Hosts to make himselfe in thee a Conquerour over this lust Where pride reignes God abhorres where that is King Christ is an enemy O therefore implore the power of Heaven to keep this under to destroy it and root it out of all its strong holds in the soule All the Devils in Hell without the soule are more easie enemies then pride within the soule that man is a perfect slave which hath pride for his Master and untill the Sonne and Spirit make a soule free it will never bee free indeed We should be therefore often with God beseeching him that Christ may live in us by his Spirit to make us free from the sinne and slavery of pride That soule which begges of God the death of pride in it selfe hath a promise attending its petition for it is according to the will of God God having declared himselfe an enemy to pride O that all Saints were like God in this open declared enemies to pride in themselves and others improving all their interest at the throne of Grace that God would destroy this peece of Selfe and Satan root and branch out of the Soule that neither Fruit nor Branch may ever grow upon it more Againe From this discovery of a proud man in his principles and practises I have learned thus much That if ever I should be called to put power into the hands of any man or men and to entrust all those liberties which I could commit to trust into such hands I would make this a generall rule of all men to avoid a proud man for I would never trust a foole with power nor a cruel man with my liberties and I am sure a proud man is both these so that surely that person or Nation shal never but be miserable that committeth power and trust into such hands such men as single persons are the burthen of a Land but put power in their hands and they will be so farre as their power will reach the ruine of that Land Though men as Gods instruments give a proud man his power yet he soone forgets that he hath received the power by which he differs and so Tyrant like makes use of his power to plucke downe them that set up him and to sacrifice those rights and liberties which he is intrusted to preserve to his own pride this I am sure he can never be true to me that is faulty to God but a proud man is so because in substance he denyes God to be the originall of his power for did he acknowledge himself to receive that by which he differs he would never be proud of his debt and his duty nor use his power contrary to or beyond the rule of God who gives both rule and power It is the humble heart which only hath a hand fit to put power into and to intrust any thing that is deare and precious withal because there is acknowledgements in receiving that wherein it differs this man is most like to be a faithfull Steward to give an account of his trust for he acknowledgeth himselfe to be a Steward a Trustee or indeed a trusted servant for the good and happinesse of them that have trusted him the weight of his work sanctified by the Spirit of God keeps this man humble It is this humble man which will be a blessing to them that trust him Hee that God makes humble is a sit man to make honourable and by putting trust in such hands will Nations and Kingdoms be made happy And now I must crave leave to be plain and single hearted with men in power only in asking them the Apostles questions Who maketh thee to differ from another and what hast thou that thou hast not received Have you more power then others yet remember you have received that power from God as the fountaine from men as the streames and it is onely in what you have received by which you differ from other men and pray remember this your account will be as great as your power because your power is received Let me begge you to consider what is Gods end and mans end in trusting you and putting power into your hands Gods end is his owne glory that you should lift up his Name in all you doe defend his people with all your power to be a defence to all that is praise-worthy and a terrour only to evil doers to make his will your worke not your owne wills a law his Word and Spirit your rule his single glory your end the people of the Covenant of his free-grace your beloved ones that you should establish righteousnesse justice and judgement in the Land which will be the firme end and lasting pillars of peace this is Gods end in giving you power and according to these ends will God have from you an account of your using that power hee hath committed to you and that you have received from him Mans end in putting power into your hands is their owne good that you should by that power defend them in all just and righteous wayes maintaine to them their proprieties and not to diminish but encrease their just liberties such in which all just men may be
happy and no sort of men enabled by your authority to intrench upon or violate the peacefull rights and liberties of others You that are trusted by the whole should have no squint eyes nor ceasing of hands when you give forth your blessings but carry the whole in your hands heart and eye you should be as Melchisedech without Father and Mother related to no party but the whole This is man's end in committing that to your trust which is in their power to commit to trust now who ever casts up this account will finde no cause to be proud of his employment or his power but to lye low at the feete of God for his continuall presence that you may have the strength of Christ to discharge this duty and trust received for nothing lesse will carry any soule wel through his worke The discharge of this trust wil be judged by an impartial Judge before whom all things are naked such as God shall acquit may walk and lye down in peace but if God charge any soule of misusing and abusing this received trust and power it wil be with such a soule as with Belieshazar when he perceived the hand-writing upon the wall his countenance was changed and his thoughts troubled him so that the joynts of his loynes were loosed and his knees smote one against another Yea and conscience will be wounded too that which none can beare will be the weight to presse downe such a miserable soule I judge no persons nor shall I entee into particulars only professe my sadnesse to heare so many complaine some for want of justice others of injustice most men say the eye is not single it is devided into parties so that the whole is neglected all mens mouths are opâ—n and God hath at one time or other made them to discover their hearts but when they rip up 't is some for Paul and others for Apollo and a third for Cephas when intruth all should be for Christ it is this division of the flesh which divides the Land and sowes seedes of warre to destroy this and after Generations if the Lord prevent not by the powrings forth of his Spirit to unite us again in that common roote and head of all Saints the Lord Jesus Christ The Magistrates worke as I humbly conceive to effect this happy union is this singly to eye Christ so as to give forth their power for protection to all that in the beauty of holinesse and the power of godlinesse doe live up his Image leaving Christ his own Throne the consciences of his people this so farre as I can see is according to the trust committed both by God and man I thinke the want of peace doth arise from the want of this righteousnesse justice and judgement to runne downe in the Land and till God give this Spirit and practise amongst his people I shall have but little hopes of lasting Peace for sure I am what ever Peace shall be made upon other terms the foundation will be too weake to beare its burthen so that the building cannot long stand I thinke this is the controversie God hath with all the Nations of the Earth at this day and till God have his will we shall not have peace Oh that all which desire peace would take Gods way to establish it Peace is the common theame of all men but this way of God to it is the practise of very few if any this Peace to some and warre to others protection to some and destruction to others of the people of God is mans peace not Gods for Christ takes care of the whole body the hand and foote as well as the eye and that peace which man makes without God God can and will soone destroy by or without man and if men should prove false to that trust they have received from God and man yet God will never faile his people nor be faithlesse to his Covenant they shall finde him his peoples God not protecting part only but the whole and when men act according to what they have received from God they will doe so too Such as have the present trust have another weighty consideration lyes upon them seriously and in the feare of God consider how many times God hath given you your lives when you have been appointed by men to be a sacrifice to their lusts and in the will and end of these designes the knife hath oftentimes been almost at your very throats when you have not seen nor known it but the All-seeing eye of God hath discovered and his all-powerfull armes prevented for the most pâ—rt in the very nicke of time when cruelty thought to have effected his ends to have made glad their hearts with washing their hands in your blood These life savâ—ng kindnesses of God sure will make deepe impressions upon graciou and nâ—enuous spirits but this is not all you have yet â—urtâ—er to consider how many thousands of those which chose trusted you with their lives temporall liberties and estates have to maintaine you in being for these ends spent their estates denyed themselves of their liberties and have lost their lives Oh looke upon the cripled limbs the bleeding wounds the Widowes and the Fatherlesse Rachel weeping for her children because they are not I have told you before what is the end of aâ—l this both in God and man many thousands have given you their lives already and others goe on still in this selfe denying worke and all they cry for is this that the living may have their just rights liberties and priviledges for which ends only thâ—y have called you and put power into your hands and have obeyed your call to take up arms in which they have laid downe their lives and doe daily drop away that you may be preserved to make good these ends and in them to be a blessing to this bleeding and distressed Land You have had the prayers of Gods people for you at the Throne of grace take heede you returne them not evill for good For if these prayers be once turned against you they will soone overturne you I cannot tell what to call this faithfulnesse kindnesse from God and man to you it is so great but sure I am where it finds unfaithfulnesse in any it will beget a heavy account remember this you act upon received power and must give an account of your Steward-ship the longest day is hard by in a little time death will close your eyes and then you can be no longer Stewards that by which you differ now will leave you then your bones and dust will not be known in the grave from others But you may remember in the beginning I told you that this Scripture by its double question did speak properly to two grand lusts peevish repining as well as pride and I promised to enquire after them both and to apply the Apostles questions by way of answer to them to define a peevish repining heart and spirit I shall do
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
is eternall power and his wisdome eternall wisdome Now tell me if the first Scripture be not a weighty exhortation He that glorieth let him glory in the Lord. Take this as a foundation and carry it all along in your eye That purely what God is in himselfe is the onely matter and subject of his peoples glory For that is the exhortation Hee that glorieth let him glory in the Lord. And I desire to carry soules home to God himself that our soules may drinke the water of life at the fountain of life there it is eternally the same A soule that doth truly and purely glory in God himselfe will tell you that it findes God to be a God of originall eternall love and free grace And therefore sayes this soule Blessed be this God I beleeve all my iniquities are pardoned and my sinnes blotted out by the blood of Christ so they shall never more be remembred or charged against me for the originall love and free grace of God hath laid them all on Christ and he hath given exact satisfaction to the Divine Justice of God so that through eternall love and free grace I am acquitted and just fied in the fight of the eternall holy righteous and pure God and in this eternall love and free grace of God I am united to Christ so that Christ the Wisdome Sanctification and Redemption of God is mine and I am his Christ made sinne for me and I made the righteousnesse of God in him so that when I glory in my redemption I glory in God in his originall love and free grace When I say the Law of God cannot condemne me I doe not affirme that I have kept the Law in my selfe and so glory in the righteousnesse of the Law which is of workes but I glory in the original eternal love of God his free grace that hath made Christ my righteousnesse who hath fulfilled the Law for me and is daily doing it in me by the power of his grace Rom. 6.14 And give me leave to glory then sayes this soule though it bee great things that I glory of so long as God himselfe is the subject of my glory no Legalist can hinder God of the Soveraignty of his original love and free grace so that when God assures any soul of this his salvation and the soule glories in it this soule glories in the Lord. Come and see sayes this soule the glory of the Lord I am saved meerly by the free grace of God his original and eternal love hath plucked me out of sinne self eternal death hell law grav the power of Satan and eternal condemnation and made me one with Christ and heire of himselfe a joynt heire with Christ in eternall glory This is my God sayes the soule all this is the fruits of his love and free grace riches of mercy and faithfulnesse in his covenant and promises the exactnesse of his justice upon Christ is perfection of justification to my soule in union with Christ the perfection of his holinesse righteousnesse and purity is the glory of my soule whose life is hid with Christ in God the baptizing of his holy Spirit in which the elect in Christ are buried with him to sinne makes the resurrection of Christ and the new creature in me sayes this soule And all this is God meerly what God is in himselfe saving justifying and sanctifying glorifying grace all is Gods grace all this is free grace and all this free grace is my God sayes the beleeving soule therefore sayes this soule come O man and taste how good the Lord is Here is Milk and hony freely without price and without money Isai Chap. 55.1 If this soule meets with a beleeving heart it presently holds forth a bleeding Christ and if a soule that argues against its own salvation why sayes this soule consider grace is free your salvation hath no other foundation but the original love and free grace of God God concluded all under sinne that salvation might he of grace No soule since the fall of Adam could ever plead it selfe before God the whole frame of salvation stands upon the free grace of God now you have nothing to argue against but free grace your not being worthy can neuer make God not to be gracious you see nothing lovely in your selves that cannot hinder for God is the original of love you can in no measure keep the Law the Law it was to convince of sinne not to justifie any soule but Christ the gift of free grace he hath satisfied and fulfilled the Law for all his elect say what you can I will answer you sayes this soule with God that is with eternal love and free grace If God should suffer Selfe sayes this soule to have share in salvation I were as miserable as any soule alive for I am as much under sinne in my selfe as any other soule but the glory of my salvation is my God this I beleeve by his Spirit that himselfe is my salvation his own eternal Being is my eternal life his original love and his free grace which is of himselfe is the everlasting salvation of my eternall soule And sayes this soule upon this assurance I am able to goe to God himselfe through Christ by his Spirit to plead my interest in him to plead my salvation to be eternal because it is the salvation of his own originall love and free grace so that it can never faile and come to nothing because in the eternall God and when Satan would shake me out of my assurance I carry him to my God and let Satan know that my salvation standeth not upon my own legges but is the worke of the eternal original love and free grace of my God which is above the reach of Satan because in the very Being of God for God is love and free grace Thus a beleeving soule makes God the onely subject of his glory and from this foundation such a soule can never want a proper subject to glory in Saints would be glad to finde loving kindnesse mercy faithfulnesse justice holinesse righteousnesse and purity amongst men and truly these beames of God in his people makes them very glorious and the want of these is not onely a shame but the misery of this our present age These sparks of God make men truly Noble and the going out of these is the innobility of the times we live in but neverthelesse Gods people are not at a losse for a subject of glory For God is this all this and eternally this in the infinite fulnesse and glory of it Therefore what remaines but to presse home and to take up the Apostles exhortation He that glorieth let him glory in the Lord in the God of Grace and that our names are written in the book of life with the blood of Christ the gift of his grace that we have our inheritance in the New Jerusalem so that if these earthly tabernacles were dissolved we have a building with God an house
soule this day is so farre from administring feare in death to soules in Christ that it is the comfort in which those earthly tabernacles goe to the dust beleeving That what is sowne in corruption shall bee raised in incorruption what is sowne in dishonour shall be raised in glory and what in weaknesse shall be raised in power and though it be sowne a noturall body yet it shall bee raised a spirituall body 1 Cor. 15.42 43 44. So that the feare of eternall death and judgement is wholy taken away from this naturall death where Christ hath taken away away the sting But secondly The men of the World will tell you they are afraid of death because it cuts them off from their Worldly delights they can finde no other fault with the World but that it perisheth coold they injoy it for ever though there be many bryers in this Wildernesse yet they could make their Canaan in it so that they might never be stripped of it but they know when death shall once close their eyes they must bid adue to all their Worldly delights never to see or enjoy them more and upon this consideration as well as the former death is the King of feares and 〈…〉 unto them But it is quite contrary with the soule in Christ he concludes if his hopes and comfort were onely in the World he were of all men most miserable hee blesseth God for every wildernesse mercy but he lives onely in God himselfe it is his joy to looke upon the World as perishing and his body a decaying for the top of his glory and the expectation of his soule is to be dissolved and to be with Christ he counts the worldlings choyce of mercy to be the greatest misery To be ever in the World would bee worse then ten thousand thousands of deaths to his body his pantings are to be absent from the body that he might be fully present with the Lord he doth acknowledge God to be glorious in his footstoole but as an heire of God he thirsts to be in the glory of his throne if you tell him of pleasure and delights in the World his answer is that communion with God is full of pleasure and delight where ever it be but sayes he the World cloudeth these joyes and eclipseth this communion therefore O that I were stript of this dying flesh that I might have full communion and fellowship with God in the spirit that I might drinke freely of the waters of life in the fountaine this soule reckons all the delights and pleasures of the world to be amongst the wise mans vanities and having tasted Christ the bread of life in his Fathers house and in him the love of his Fathers heart can neither feede upon nor delight in the empty buskes of this perishing World if any ambitious worldling telleth him it is very good to be honourable I sayes he If you meane that honour which floweth from being precious in the sight of God and having an interest in his love 43 Isay 4. He gives this one answer to the worldling in all his proposals of pleasure and beauty in this life sayes he God is the beauty of the whole creation as the originall fulnesse of it so that it wholy depends upon his will and that which is our glory is God himselfe who is the glory of Heaven and earth though the World withers yet he is for ever glorious and he is his peoples glory therefore the worldlings feare in death upon this account is not a Saints feare for his glory is out of the World even in God and his delight and affections are in things above not in things on the earth and that because He is risen with Christ his affections are risen before his body is dead the delight of his heart is in Heaven though the flesh of it be in his body 3 Col. 1 2. this soule is crucified with Christ to the World and the World to him 6 Gal. 14. so that neither his joyes nor his feares are with the worldling if death can onely strip him of the World he hath no cause to feare death nay death commeth too late in that for hee through Christ is dead to the World whilst he liveth and is above all the feares of death because his life is hid with Christ in God I but sayes the worldling I am afraid of death because it takes me from all my sweet relations here on earth I must dye to them and they to me it is true indeed but herein the beleeving soule is no looser he leaveth the drops of corrupted creatures love to be swallowed up into the Ocean of Gods power and eternall love he leaveth those broken Cisterns of love which in a little time would leave him and is taken up into the Father and fountaine of love in the glory of love and free grace for ever he now comes to taste love in the originall and readeth it as it was in the heart of God to him from eternity and shall be to eternity in the fulnesse of Gods love so full that there will not be the want of any sweet or relation for all will be made up in God there is no complaining in the streets of the new Jerusalem no want of relations God will be a Father Christ will be a husband Saints glorified our brethren Sisters and asociates to all eternity we shall want no relations in Heaven nor shall any relations there want perfection for all there shall be compleat in Christ and filled with the fulnesse of God we leave a World of wants and it is to possesse a Heaven of fulnesse and glory I but sayes a tender hearted Father or Mother will not my Children my little babes want me Truly no for your worke in the decree of Heaven is done before God suffers death to cut your thread of life and t is our unbeliefe that telleth us it were better either for us or ours that we had more work in the World then God hath appointed us had we more dayes we could not in them make a haire black or white we could not in our selves add that little to our little ones Our Fathers kindnesse will bee our Childrens comfort and hee liveth when wee are dead to them and alive with him the presence of God with our children will be their blessed portion though we be absent to beleeve in this his love and faithfulnesse will be a blessed rest to us and ours we shall leave them well in leaving them with God and need not feare the leaving them when we are going to God death in taking us from our children to carry us home to our Father will advantage us and not disadvantage ours for though he filleth us with all fulnesse of love and glory in Heaven yet he is neverthelesse full but can also fill our children on earth and such as taste of his love and grace have no cause to doubt of the freenesse and fulnesse thereof I but
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
another man should not devoure him decked with his owne accomplishments and glorying in his owne Babel Sarely a spirituall Saint is more than this Yea Secondly he is more than a Form â—ll or Legall Profâ—ssâ—r What is a formall Proâ—essor He is one that lives by sâ—nsâ— and not by faith that is onâ—ly taught of man and not of God that hath all his light from without him from the practice of others and not from the precâ—pts or spirit of God within him One that can see and practise anything which may please all or the most of men he is alwayes learning and never learned because hee is alwayes studying man and never God hee is one which you shall ever finde in the croude where the most are there you shal be sure to finde him If you meet him and tell him of a Christ crucified I but saith he doth any of the Pharisees bâ—lieve in his name he is a man much in worship but the inscription is to the unknown God his eyes are in anothers head and therefore he is led by another to act as a blinde-man no forme comes amisse to him for he is nothing else but forme he is one so ignorant as that hee thinks it a crime for any man to see more than himselfe though he be blind and if the man that sees will not deny his light hee will doe the best he can to pluck out his eyes he is so proud of his chaines of darkenesse that none shall live where hee can rule that will not weare his setters this soule is mother and nurse both to that Brate of hell Persecution of the Saints this man of forme knows no heights bredths depths or lengths above himselfe and if he snatch a peice of the Word of God he only hath it in the letter and so never reaches God in it this is a formall Professor I but what is a legall Professor he is a man seemingly neerer Heaven but if he goe on farther no man farther from it he is a man full of the word in the letter but altogether emptie of it in the spirit he is a man exact in the language of Mount Sinai but cannot pronounce a plaine sillable of the language of Sion he can tell you that God is a just God and a severe Judge a revenger of himself upon sinners but is not able to pronounce God as a Father and a reconciled God in Christ hee is exact to tell you of present duty and transgression but is not able to unfold the mysterie of godlinesse Christ in the flesh if a word of Christ drop out of his mouth it is to tell you what quallifications must fit you for Christ as he thinkes when he hath found a leprous soule of sinne he cannot shew it Christ but sayes he goe wash in the teares of repentance and you shall bee cleane though he never shew him Christ which must wash his repentance if he findes a poore Saint under some affliction he cannot make up the wound by leading the soul to the love of God from whence that affliction came but saith he looke into your selfe inquire for that sin the punishment of which you now lie under God is a just God if you will sin you must beare the indignation of the Lord for it goe fall on your knees weep and fast and pray and vow make God some amends this is all the releife he can give and so he poures oyle into the flame of sorrows and vineger into the bleeding woundes of poore Saiuts This legall soule lives upon his duties and not upon the free grace of God and therefore he can give no other counsel than he hath experience he never tasted in the spirit how good God is and therefore can never speake good to his own soule or any other from God If he speak any good to a soule it is from duties doe and live the effect of all his language I only give this as a word of caution that we hearken not to the councels of such men least we become like those foolish Galatians which began in the Spirit but were like to end in the flesh Let this be enough in the negative what a spirituall Saint is not But then what is a spirituall Saint What a Saint is Why hee is one that lives by faith above sence one that is all in God and nothing in himselfe hee is taught of God to know him he is drawne by God to love him he is perswaded by God to trust in him he is silled with God and lives upon him heis satisefid with God and rejoyces in him he so lives in God that he makes his boast of him as the Apostle Rom. 8. the latter end Who shall condemne nay who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect He is one which in the Spirit is able to looke from eternity to eternity and therein behold that eternall love of God which gave out Christ to manifest his love to us in him and hath made him one with Christ in all his merits righteousnesse and benefits he is able to see into that love and eternall purpose of God that made Christ to be sinne for us that we might be made the righteousnesse of God in him He can see God his Father and in the spirit of Adoption call him Father Hee can read his salvation written in the Covenant of grace He can behold himselfe one in Christ as Christ is in God He assuredly knowes that Christ hath born his griefe and that God hath wounded Christ for his transgressions bruised him for his iniquities laid the chastisement of his peace on him and all this so fully and really as that by the stripes God laid on Christ his soule is healed that God hath made Christe soul an offering for the sinnes of his people and that hee hath beheld the travell of his soule and is well pleased so that now this spirituall man drawes up this conclusion What-ever of sinne and punishment was mine was taken from me and made Christs and he hath fully satisfied for the one born the other so that now from the justice of God I can conclude this that neither of them shall bee laid on mee againe Christs righteousnesse and his glory is so made mine that I stand spotlesse in the one and shall be perfect in the other to all eternity Thus is a spirituall soul-led up to God and made to know his great designe from eternity namely to make Christ his wisdome righteousnesse sanctification and redemption and that in all these hee stands perfect before God in the perfection of Christ This soule lives in the region of Gods love and in Christs righteousnesse and sees himself above all condemnation and yet the least transgression in him discovered to him by the love and Spirit of God melts the poore heart into nothing I see sayes he I am alive in Christ through the eternall love of God and that makes me thus judge that if