c. Notes wherby we may know that we have the Spirit 609 6â—0 c. All good in us from the Spirit 624 Hence learne to give the Spirit his due 633 634 c. FINIS Excellency of the GOSPEL above the LAVV. 2 COR. 3. 17 18. Now the Lord is that Spirit and where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty But wee 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. THe Apostle beginneth this Chapter with the commendation of his Ministry having beene put upon it by their undervaluing of him yet so as together with himselfe he commendeth them as his best and onely Testimoniâ—l and Letters of commendation vers 2. and so maketh way for himselfe to fal into a more set and large commendation of the glorious Gospell it selfe whereof God hath made him so able a Minister to them vers 6. And because the excellency of any thing is best commended by comparing and setting by it something else that excels in it selfe and yet is exceeded by it therefore he carrieth along his commendation of the Ministery of the Gospell through the whole Chapter by comparing it with the Law and the Ministery of the Old Testament This comparison is made by the Apostle First more briefly in laying down some distinct properties and prerogatives of the Gospell wherein it excelleth the Law vers 6. as 1. that this was the Minâ—stery of the New Testament that of the Law of the Old 2. and not of the letter as the Law was but of the Spirit 3. nor of death for the Letter killeth but of life for the Spirit qaickeneth And then by Inferences drawne from these properties thus briefly summed up the Apostle more largely illustrates the transcendent Glory of the Gospell and howfarre it exceedeth the glory of the Law although it be granted the Law be glorious As 1. if that which was but a ministration of the Letter written and ingraven in sâ—ones was glorious verse the seventh that is if the litterall notions and bare knowledge of the Law which like so many dead words or Characters maketh no aâ—â—eration at all but leaueth their hearts hard and stony like the Tables on which the law was written which remained stones still If this was glorious even the litterall â—â—owledge of the Law as 〈◊〉 was both in the Jewes own account of themselves and in the judgement of the Nations amongst whom they liued How shall not the ministration of the Spirit bee rather glorious verse the eighth the meaning whereof is largely explained in the third Verse where the Corinthians are said to be an Epistle written not with inke or dead Letters but with the Spirit of the living God which kind of writing leaveth not the heart a heart of stone as the dead writing of the Law did but changeth it into a heart of flesh and maketh such a through alteration in the wholeman as the writing within in the Tables of their hearts is knowne and read of all men so that their lives and conversations being answerable to that spirituall and gracious writing of Christ in their hearts they are manifestly declared to be the Epistle of Christ and therefore such a Ministry as this is by which the Spirit of the living God is received and no by the Law Gal. 3. 2. which is a Spirit of glory and worketh gloriousthings both in the hearts and lives of men must needs be rather glorious 2. Another Inference wee have in the 9. verse if the ministration of condemnation be glorious that is if that word which concluded men under sinne and pronounced the sentence of death upon them bee glorious much more doth the ministration of righteousnesse exceed in glory For it is more glorious to pardon than to condemne to give life than to destroy It is the glory of a man to passe over an offence Prov. 19. and in God it is called the riches of his glory Rom. 9. 23 The Law which was made glorious in terrifying condemning and stopping the mouthes of men in so much as they had not a word to say for themselves hath no glory by reason of the glory of the Gospell that excelleth even in this respect that it bringeth such a righteousnesse as by the merit whereof and satisfaction given by it we are justified and have peace towards God notwithstanding the utmost rigour of the Law 3. The Apostle argueth further verse the eleventh if that which is done away was glorious as the old Covenant is which was made old by the comming of the New Heb. 8. and by it removed as a thing growne weake and shaken Heb. 12. much more that which remaineth which is the New Covenant which cannot bee shaken but shall remaine and is the everlasting Gospell Rev. 14. is more glorious as Gods last works exceed the former and taketh away the remembrance of them in comparison as when hee createth New heavens and a New earth the former shall not be remembred nor come into minde Esa. 65. 4. There is another excellency of the Gospell above the Law which the Apostle addeth and insisteth upon it more largely then upon all the rest and that is the comfortable plainnesse and perspicuity of the Doctrine and Ministry of it verse the twelfth Seeing we have such hope wee use great plainnesse of Speech In which it excelled the Ministry of Moses which was in much difficulty and obscurity and that in a threefold respect layd downe in the 13 14 and 15 verses 1. The Matter of it was terrible tending to the shame confusion of face and condemnation of the hearers insomuch as they were notable to stand before him nor stedfastly to behold his face it was such a dazling and amazing light that shined in his Ministry 2. The Manner of delivery was in obscure and darke expressions that the Children of Israel could not see to the end of that which is abolished that is they could not see the drift and scope of his Ministery by reason of the Types and Shadowes which was the vaile hee put upon his face 3. Their minds were blinded there was a vaile upon their hearts which is evident by experience in the Jewes at this day who so cleave in their affections to Moses and to the Shadowes and Ceremonies of his Ministry that they reject the scope and end of it which is Jesus Christ crucified And they can doe no other for although the vaile that was upon Moses face by removed as it is by the doctrine of the Gospell which sheweth us in all possible plainnesse what the drift and meaning of Moses was in all those Types and Ceremonies yet untill the Gospel in the Spirit and efficacy of it commeth home to their hearts and taketh off the vayle that is upon their hearts also that is untill their naturall blindnesse and obstinacy be taken away which cannot be but is
rather increased by the Law for although Moses bee read yet untill this day remaineth the same vayle untaken away the Jewes will unavoydably abide in their Ignorance and bondage Now in opposition to this darknesse and obscurity of the Law in all those respects the Apostle exalteth the Gospell in this high and excellent privilege of it That it is plaine and evident and full of demonstration and that the light of it is not terrifying and amazing but sweet and comfortable so that wee may with much liberty and boldnesse of Spirit looke constantly upon the great glorious things set before us in it although it be no other but the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ. And there is moreover such an efficacy and working power in this Ministery of the Gospell as it will not suffer men to remaine the same without alteration as they did under Moses Ministery though hee was read daily but it will change them even into the Image of Jesus Christ and the carry them on still in that Image and likenesse from one degree of glory to another after a most admirable and spirituall manner of working This speciall excellency and prerogative of the Gospell is laid downe in the two last verses of this Chapter which are the words upon which wee shall more largely insist in the following discourse Vers. 17. Now the Lord is that Spirit and where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty The Lord is that Spirit that takes away the vaile that is spoken of before Hee sets downe what Christ is by what he doth Christ is that Spirit because he gives the Spirit And then a sweet effect of the Spirit of Christ Where the Spirit of Christis there is liberty The Spirit here is not taken for the person of God as if the Holy Ghost had said The Lord is a Spirit and not a bodily thing though that be a truth And as it is not meant naturally so not personally Christ is that Spirit as if Christ were the holy Ghost that were a confusion of persons nor as restrained to the third person the holly Ghost is the Spirit Neither as some heretofore would have it to shew that the Spirit is Iehovah God It is neither to shew that Christ is God nor that the Spirit is God nor that Christ is the holy Ghost But it is meant in regard of a speciall dispensation The Lord is that Spirit that is the Lord Iesus Christ who is the Lord of his Church by marriage office c. is that Spirit that is hee 1. hath the Spirit in himselfe eminently and 2. dispenseth and giveth the Spirit unto others all receiving the Spirit from him as the common root and fountaine of all spirituall gifts First he was that Spirit as having the holy Ghost in himselfe as man the holy Ghost filled the Humane Nature and made it spirituall The Spirit is all in all in the Humane nature of Christ and whatsoever hee doth he doth as it were being full of the Spirit in himselfe He gives the Spirit as God and receives it as man so hee both gives and receives the Spirit proceedeth from the Father and the Sonne as God but the Spirit sanctified Christ as man as it did in the Virgins womb the holy Ghost sanctified that blessed masse of his body it sanctified him and filled him with all graces and gifts whereupon it is said he received the Spirit without measure that is in â—bundance Christ hath the Spirit in himselfe in a more eminent excellent manner than all others and it must needs be so for these reasons 1. From the neere union betweene the Humane naâ—ure and the Divine they â—re one person therefore â—here is more Spirit in Christ than in all creatures â—ut them together then in all the Angels and all men because the Divine nature is nearer to Christ then it is to the Angels or to any creature 2. Christ hath the Spirit without measure both in regard of extention and intention as we say he hath all graces in all degrees even next to an infinite all others have it in their measure and proportion 3. The Spirit doth rest upon Christ invariably in other men that have the Spirit it ebbes and flowes it is sometimes more and sometimes lesse there be spirituall desertions not onely in regard of comfort but in regard of grace though not totally but the Spirit rests â—n Christ eternally in a full â—easure and therefore you have it thus in Esa. 11. 2. The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him the Spirit of Wisedome and Vnder standing the Spirit of Counsell and might c. 4. By reason of his place or offices in relation to the Church as Head Husband King Priest Prophet c. the Head is made by nature the seat of the more noble faculties as of Seeing Hearing Understanding Iudgeing and is furnished accordingly with greater plenty of spirits for the ruling and governing the whole body so Christ is the head of the Church and the governement of all the world is laid upon him and all excellencies are derived from him unto all his members as from the Root life is derived unto all the branches and therefore he must needs have the Spirit in greatest abundance his fulnesse of the Spirit is as the fulnesse of the fountaine ours is but as the fulnesse of the Cisterâ—â— hee hath grace in the Spring wee have it but in the Conduit his graces are primitive ours derivative we have nothing but what wee have received therefore it is sayd hee hath the oyle of gladnesse powred upon him above his fellowes Hee hath his name from Annoynting Christ. Hee was annoynted that is separated and ordained to the office of Mediaâ—orship by annoynting not properly that is with any materiall oyle but with the Spirit this was in regard of his Humane nature onely but it was above his fellowes that is above all Kings and Priests for they are his fellowes in regard of titles hee was above them all for all have their annoynting from him therefore he is the King of Kings and the Prophet of Prophets c. Also above all his fellowes as we take his fellowes for Christians they are his fellowes I goe to my God and your God c. he is the first borne amongst them and in all things hee hath the preeminence 5 Hee is to be as the patterne we are to follow him wee are predestinated to be conformed to â—im and to grow up to that fulnesse which is in him and in thiâ— respect there is cause why hee should have the Spirit and all the graces of it is greater abundance that hee might exceed all even Christians of greatest growth and perfection hee is to bee a patterne and example to all to the strongest as wel as to the weake Eveâ— Paul himselfe who was 〈◊〉 Leader to others for the excellency of the grace 〈◊〉 Christ that was in him 〈◊〉 a follower of Christ Be 〈◊〉 followers
of mee as I am of Christ. Q. When did this fulnesse of the Spirit come upon Christ when had hee it Ans. There was a fulnesse of the Spirit powred out upon Christ in the union of the Humane nature with the Divine Vnion and Vnction went together there was annoynting of the Spirit together with the union of the Spirit 2. There was a more full manifestation of the Spirit in his Baptisme when the holy Ghost fell on him in the shape of a Dove then he received the Spirit hee was to enter into the Ministâ—ry of the Gospell the Spirit of the Lord God was upon him because hee had anoynted him to Preach good tidings unto the meek c. Esa. 61. 1. 3. But the fullest degree of declaration and manifestation of the Spirit upon Christ was after his Resurrection after he had satisfied fully for our salvation then the stop of his glory was taken away For to worke our salvation there was a keeping backe of the glory of Christ from his Humane nature that hee might bee abased to suffer for us when hee had fully suffered for us that stay of his glory his abasement was taken away and then nothing appeared but all glory and Spirit in Christ. All things were put under his feet and he was set upon his Throne as a glorious King His Priestly Office appeared in his death his Propheticall Office before his death but then hee appeared to be King and Lord of all in the Resurrection Thus wee see how Christ is that Spirit that is hee is full of the Spirit in regard of himselfe Secondly he is that Spirit in regard of his dispensations towards his Church and Children The Lord is that Spirit that is 1. of all truths and 2. of all persons to give life and quickning to them First of truths what is the scope of the whole scriptures but Christ from the first Promise of the blessed Seed The Seed of the woman shall break the Serpents head to the end of the book What is all the Scriptures without Christ The Law is a dead letter yea and so is the Gospell too without Christ hee is that Spirit which gives life unto all the Scriptures Moses without Christ is but a shadow without a body or a body without a soule Take away Christ what was the Brazen Serpent What was the Arke What were the Sacrifices What is all Is not Christ all in all these The Kings and Prâ—ests and 〈◊〉 they were types of Christ all the Promises they were made and fulfilled in Christ the Law Ceremoniall aymed at Christ the Law Morall is to drive us to Christ Christ is the Spirit of all and the Scripture without Christ it is but a meere dead thing it is but a shell without a kernell as it is to the Iewes at this day 2. Christ is that Spirit in regard of persons quickning them hee is an universall Principle of spirituall life infusing it into al his Church and Children Christ is alwayes with his Church from the beginning of the world and will bee to the end It was no losse to the Church that Christ in his bodily presence lâ—ft it for hee left them the Comforter his Spirit by which he wrought greater workes after his Ascension than hee did before He is annoynted with the oyle of gladnesse and grace above his fellowes but all was for his fellowes whatsoever he is or hath all is for his Church and Children for us he was borne for us he was given hee is a King a Priest a Prophet for us he dyed for us he rose againe for us And he doth all he doth toward the Church as hee hath the Spirit and by the Spirit The Father is the first in the Trinity from whom all comes and the Son by whom all things are but the holy Ghost is the immediat worker of all things next the creature all things are applied from God the Father through the Sonne by the Spirit what Christ wrought and what the Father in wisdome devised was applyed by the Spirit and so the framing of us to be fit for such a glorious condition as wee have by Christ is also by the Spirit And this is the reason why Christ giveth the Spirit to those to whom hee purposeth to give faith or love or to worke any gracious worke For where Christ saveth he doth it not onely by merit and satisfying the wrath of God for us but also by sanâ—tifying and effectuall working in us that he might be a perfect Saviour Now the Essentiall vigour and operative Principle in all things either wrought by or from the Father or the Sonne is the Spirit As in Man there is his will from which he resolveth and purposeth there is wisedome and understanding by which hee proceedeth and then there is a vigorous power in man by which he executeth and doth all so is it in this working of God the Father plotteth and determineth of what is to be done the Sonne who is the wisdome of the Father dispenseth what the Father willeth the holy Spirit the power of both finisheth and worketh all upon us and therefore hee is called the power of the highest Luk. 1. 35. Whatsoever works come from God to the creature in generall and are wrought in the world as works of Creation and providence are immediately by the holy Spirit nakedly considered as the third person comming from the Father and the Sonne And in those speciall workes wrought in his Church and on his Children all things commeth from the holy Ghost but not simply considered as the third person but as hee is the Spirit of Christ that is first sanctifying and filling the Humane Nature of Christ and then sanctifying and filling us Christ could not give the holy Ghost immediately to us wee being in enmity with God and separated from him through our sinnes but he must first take it to himselfe who having by his death and sufferings reconciled us to his Father and purchased the Spirit for us may now dispense and give forth his Spirit to us If we had stood in Adam wee should not have received grace so as now we doe for we should have received it from the first Adam but as from a man now wee receive it not from meere man but which is much more from the second Adam who is God-man nay Adam himselfe received not his grace after so glorious a manner as we doe for he received it from the Spirit nakedly considered as the third person in the Trinity and as all other creatures received their excellencies but wee receive it from the holy Spirit which doth not onely proceed from the Father and the Son but commeth as it were through our owne nature which was marvellously united to God the Sonne and made one with him unto us and worketh in us The first Adam was a living soule the last Adam was a quickning Spirit he quickened himselfe when he was dead and hee
works where it is Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is Liberty I will name the instance that I gave before that I may the better goe on we say the sunne is heate and influence not that it is so for they bee accidents but the sunne appeares to us for our comfort in heate and influence therefore we call it by that name we say of a man he is all spirit so Christ is all spirit the sunne is all light and where the light and heate of the sunne is there is fruitfulnesse so Christ is all spirit and where the spirit of Christ is there is spirituall liberty It were expense of time to no purpose to tell you of the divers kinds of liberty in a word liberty is that that all desire but our miscarriage is in the meanes of it the way to attaine to it here we see whence to have it from the spirit of Christ liberty is a sweete thing especially liberty from the greatest enemies of all if outward liberty be such a sweete thing liberty from tyranny and base servitude it is a thing that mans nature delights in and the contrary man as a man abhorres and hee hath not the nature of a man that doth not abhorre it what shall we thinke then of the liberty of the spirit from the great enemies that daunt the greatest Monarches in the world liberty from the anger of the great God and liberty from Sathan Gods executioner liberty from the terrour of conscience from the feare of death and hell and judgement what shall wee thinke of liberty in these respects therefore we speake of great matters here beloved when wee speake of liberty Now liberty is either Christian or Evangelicall You may thinke this a nice difference but there is some realty in it Christian liberty is that that belongs to all even to those before Christ though they have not the terme of Christians yet they were members of Christ Christ was head of the Church Yesterday and to day and for ever Evangelicall liberty is that that is more appropriated to the times of the Gospell since the comming of Christ now the liberty that belongs to Christians as Christians is perpetuall from those grand enemies the greatest enemies of all spirituall and inward liberty In Evangelicall liberty besides that there is another outward liberty from the ceremoniall and morrall law and such like and a liberty from the restraint of the law the Iewes were under many restraints that under the Gospell in this time wee are not I speake therefore of liberty as it runnes through all ages of the Church not of Evangelicall meerely since the time of Christ where the spirit is both these liberties are now since the comming of Christ now in that the holy Ghost saith here where the spirit of Christ is there is liberty it supposeth that We are in bondage before wee have the spirit of Christ. That is a supposed ground and truth and indeed so it is for out of Christ wee are slaves the best of us all are slaves in Christ the meanest of all is a free man and a King out of Christ there is nothing but thraldome wee are under the kingdome of the devill when he cals us we come wee are in thraldome under the wrath of God under the feare of death and damnation and all those spiritual enemies that I neede not mention they are well enough knowne to you by often-repetition there is no man but he is a slave till hee be in Christ and the more free a man thinks himselfe to be and labours to be the more slave hee is for take a man that labours to have his liberty to doe what he list he thinkes it the happyest condition in the world and others thinke it the best condition to have liberty not to be tyrannized over by others It is the disposition of mans nature without grace they account it a happinesse to have their wils over all other but the more liberty in this the more slavery Why The more liberty that a man hath to doe lawlessely what he wil contrary to justice equity the more he sins the more he sinnes the more he is inthrawled to sinne the more he is inthrawled to sin the more he is in bondage to the devill and becomes the enemy of God therefore if a man would picke out the wretchedest man in the world I would picke out the greatest man in the world if he be naught that hath most under him hee hath most liberty and seekes most liberty and accounts it his happinesse that hee may have his liberty this is the greatest thraldome and it will prove when he dyes and comes to answer for it the greatest thraldome of all therefore the point needes not much proofe that if wee be not in Christ wee are slaves as Augustine saith in his Booke De civit Dei hee is a slave though he domineere and rule A man till he be in Christ is a slave not of one man or of one lord over him but he hath so many lords as hee hath so many lusts There are but two Kingdomes that the Scripture speaks of that is the kingdome of Sathan and darknesse and the Kingdome of Christ all therefore that are not in the Kingdome of Christ in that blessed liberty they must needes be shoaled under the other kingdome of Sathan This is a ground therefore I speake shortly of it as an insentive and provocation to stirre us up to get into Christ to get the Spirit of Christ that we may have this spirituall liberty or else we are al slaves notwithstanding all our civill liberties whatsoever they be Now where the Spirit of Christ is there is liberty there is freedome from that bondage that we are in by nature and which is strengthened by a wicked course of life for though we be all slaves by nature borne slaves yet notwithstanding by a wicked course of life we put our selves into bonds and tangle our selves so many sins and so many repetitions of sinne so many cords the longer a man lives the greater slave he is Now when the Spirit of Christ comes it frees us from all both from the naturall and from the customary slavery Now this liberty is wrought by Christ and applyed by the Spirit what Christ workes hee makes it ours by his Spirit which takes all from Christ as Christ doth all by the Spirit so the Spirit takes all from Christ all the comfort it hath is from reasons taken from Christ from grounds from Christ and doctrines from Christ but yet both have their efficacy Christ as the meritorious cause and the Spirit as the applying cause The spirit discovers the state of bondage we are in by nature and it discovers withall a more excellent condition and as it discovers so likewise the spirit of God brings us to this state by working faith in that that Christ
Againe in the fourth place the reasons inducing are all from Christ for we are not only changed by power but by reason there is the greatest reasons in the world to be a christian and to come out of the state of nature when our understanding is enlightned to see the horrible state of nature with the angry face of God with it and then to have our eyes opened at the same time to see the glorious and gracious face of God in Iesus Christ here is the greatest wisedome in the world to come out of that cursed state to a better now the reasons of this change are fetched from Christ that by knowing Christ we know by reflection the cursed state out of him and to see the glorious benefits by Christs redemption glorification these set before the eye of the soule and then the heart wrought upon by these reasons if Christ gave himselfe for me shall not I give my selfe to Christ Paul hath his heavenly Logicke Christ dyed for us that we might live to him so we have the merit of the Spirit from Christ the derivation of the Spirit from Christ as a head and the patterne of grace from Christ and the inducing reasons all from Christ in this changing to his Image Againe in that Christ is the Image to which wee are changed let us learne if we would see any thing excellent and comfortable in our selves see it in Christ first there is nothing comfortable in man but it is in Christ first as the first Image the first receiver of all Christ Iesus himselfe if wee would see the love of God see the love of God in Christ our head first in him that is Gods beloved if we would see the gifts that God hath blessed us with spirituall blessings but it is in Christ we have it from our head first if we would see Gods favour This is my beloved Sonne in whom I am well pleased I am well pleased in him and in all his that are one misticall body with him if we would see comfortably our ill done away our sinnes removed see it in Christ abased in Christ crucified and made a curse see them all wiped away in the crosse of Christ If we would see glory upon the removall of our sinnes see it in Christ first he is first risen and therefore wee shall rise he is ascended and sits in heavenly places therefore we ascend and sit in heavenly places with him all that we have or looke to have comfortable in us see it in the first patterne and platforme in Christ the reason is cleare in Rom. 8. We are elected and predestinate to be conformed to the Image of his Sonne we are predestinate to bee conformed to Christ in all things to be loved as hee is to bee gracious as he is to rise to be glorious to be freed and justified afterward from all our sins as he our surety was wee are ordained to be conformable to him every way In a word the flesh of Christ it was holy it was a suffering flesh and then a glorious flesh now it is glorious so our nature must be like this Image it must be sanctified flesh by the same Spirit that sanctified the masse that hee was made of in the wombe it must be suffering flesh in conformity to him for the flesh that he tooke was suffering flesh and he had a Kingdome of patience before he had a Kingdome of glory so we must goe through a Kingdome of patience to the Kingdome of glory then upon conformity in holinesse with Christ comes our conformity in glory when wee are content to be conformed to Christ in our suffering flesh then wee shall be conformed to Christ in our glorious flesh for our flesh must be used as his was it must be holy and patient and suffering and then it shall be glorious so in all things we must looke to Christ first hee must have the preheminence Beloved of all contemplations under heaven there is no contemplation so sweete and powerfull as to see God in Christ and to see Christ first abased for us and our selves abased in Christ and crucified in Christ and acquitted in Christ and then rayse our thoughts a little higher see our selves made by little and little glorious in Christ see our selves in him rising and ascending and sitting at the right hand of God in heavenly places see our selves by a Spirit of faith in heaven already with Christ what a glorious sight and contemplation is this If wee first looke upon our selves what we are we are as branches cut off from the tree as a river cut off from the spring that dyes presently what is in us but we have it by derivation from Christ who is the first the spring of all grace the summe of all the beames that shine upon us we are as branches cut off therefore now to see Christ and our selves in Christ this transformes us to bee like his Image it is the sweetest contemplation that can be We see this change is wrought by beholding the beholding the glory of God in the Gospell it is a powerfull beholding for saith he we are changed by beholding to the Image of Christ sight workes upon the imaginations in bruite creatures as Labans sheepe when they saw the party coloured roddes it wrought upon their imaginations and they had lambes sutable will sight worke upon imagination and imagination worke a reall change in nature and shall not the glorious sight of Gods mercy and love in Christ worke a change in our soule is not the eye of faith more strong to alter and change than imagination naturall certainely the eye of faith apprehending Gods love and mercy in Christ it hath a power to change the Gospell it selfe together with the Spirit hath a power to change wee partake by it of the divine nature This glasse of the Gospell hath an excellencie and an eminencie above all other glasses it is a glasse that changeth us when wee see our selves and our corruptions in the glasse of the law there we see our selves dead the law findes us dead and leaves us dead it cannot give us any life but when we looke into the Gospell and see the glory of God the mercy of God the gracious promises of the Gospell wee are changed into the likenesse of Christ whom wee see in the Gospell it is an excellent glasse therefore that hath a transforming power to make beautifull such a glasse would be much prized in this proud world such a glasse is the Gospell Therefore let us bâ—â— in love with this glasse above all other glasses whatsoever nothing can change us but the Gospel the Gospell hath a changing power as you have it Isay 11. there the Lyon shall feede with the Lambe c. For the whole earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord the knowledge of Christ lesus is a changing knowledge that changeth a man even from an untractable fierce creature
nothing but earthly things wee are under the seale of Gods judgement he hath sealed us up to a darke state from darkenesse of judgement to the darkenesse of hell without repentance therefore let us take heed how we live in a dull and dead condition under the glorious Gospell or else how cursed shall we be the more wee are exalted and lifted up above other people in the blessings of God this way the more we shall bee cast downe Woe be to Châ—razin c. and Heb. 2. How shall wee escape of we â—â—glectâ— so great Salvation I beseech you let us take heed how we triâ—le away our time these precious times and blessed opportunities for if wee labour not to get out of the state of nature into the state of grace and so to be changed from glory to glory God in justice will curse the meanes we have that â—n hearing wee shall not heare and seeing we shall not see and he will secretâ—y and insensibly harden our hearts it is the curse of all curses when we are under plenty of meanes to grow worse and duller oh take heede of Spirituall judgements above all others tremble at them they belong to reprobates and cast-awayes Let us labour for hearts sencible of the mercies of God in Christ and labour to bee transformed and moulded into this Gospell every day more and more That that hath beene spoken shall bee sufficient for this time and for this whole Text. FINIS A comparison 〈…〉 the Law and the Gospell The Explication of the words 1. Christ hath the Spirit in himselfe Christ hath the Spiriâ— in greater measure than any other When the fullest manifestation of the spirit in Christ was 2 Christ giveth the Spirit 1. To all truths and Ordinances 2 To all persons that are spirituall Why Christ worketh all by the Spirit Christ communicateth the Spirit to uâ— divers wayes as 1. Of influence 2. By way of merit 3. By way of example Christ giveth the Spirit in greatest abundance after his Resurrection Ephes. 4. 10. Why the Ordinances of God are no more effectuall unto us Iohn 6. 63 Formality is the sin of this age Comfort that Christ hath â—ulnes of the Spirit Why Christians are so dark spirited Motives to stirre us up to get the Spirit Rom. 8. 13. The Spirit the soule of the soule How to know if we have the Spirit 1. It 's working The spirit compared to fire 1. It is active 2. It transformes things 3. It carries upwards 2. It is convincing Ioh. 16. To convince what 3. It makes us like Christ. Directions to get the Spirit 1. Labour to know Christ. Why there was so little spirit before Christs time Why so little spiâ—rit in Popery 1. The knowledge of Christ makes life and death comfortable 2. Not to trust to any performance without Christ. 3. Be careful in use of meanes The Spirit workes liberty Liberty desired of all men Liberty two fold 1. Christian. 2. Evangelicall We are in bondage without the Spirit The more liberty without Christ the more slavery Aug. de civit Dei Two kingdomes Sins bonds Liberty wrought by Christ applyed by the Spirit How the Spirit workes liberty By conviction By Faith By Love Christ redeemeth two wayes 1. By Price 2. By strong hand All that Christ redeemes he frees by his Spirit 1. Because we are saved as men 2. We are freed to be friends with God 3. We cannot love God â—lse 4. Because we must be fitted for heaven The Spirit sets us at liberty in all the course of salvation 1. In our first calling 1. The heart must answere Gods call Ioh. 9. 25. Psal. 27. 2. We must practise that we answere 2. Liberty in justification No benefit by Christ without union Double worke of faith The heart fuâ—l of fearâ—s without the Spirit Why men of great parts without grace are full of feares 3. In Sanctification Sanctification springs from justification Liberty of disposition Christians esteeme basely all things but Christ. Double principle in a Christian Liberty in in Sanctification to conflict not from it Comfort against the dulnesse of the flesh Double hindrance of good duties Rom. 8. 2. Christians Kings over their lusts Freedome from the consequents of sinne Freedome to good things Vse of the lâ—w before and after we be in Christ. Liberty of judgement and will Freedome of will Naturall 2. Ability to good Luther The Spirit puts a new life in us And then applies it to action The Spirit in conversion doth more then perswade The worke of the Spirit takes not away freedome The Spirit preserves the soule in its manner of working Rules concerning liberty 1. When it is done with advisment of reason All heate comes through light 2. A power to argue on both sides 3. There is a power to choose many things The Angels determined to that that is good Difference in the liberty of the two Adams Greatest liberty not to have liberty to sinne Imperfection to have power to good and evill Outward liberty 1. Of Preaching the Gospell 2. Of Discipliue Spirituall liberty comes by outward liberty Yeere of Iubile in preaching of the Gospell Enemies of the Gospell enemies to spirituall liberty Psal. 2. The Gospell the kingdome of God why A good signe of spiritual liberty Liberty of glory Rom. 8. To labour for the Spirit that sets us at liberty Attend upon the Ordinances of God The comfort of Spirituall liberty In outward restraint In sickenesse In death In all wants â—â—gnes of Spirituall liberty 1. Liberty from the dominion of any one sinne One sinne inthralls as well as many Simil. Simil. 2. Freedome to good duties Psal. 110. Christian annointed Forced duties without liberty Hypocrites have forraine motives 3. Courage against opposition The Spirit victorious Rom. 8. 4. Boldnesse with God Carnall men sinke in extreaminty Abba Father the voyce of Sonnes Proud Rebels die desperately Three degrees in the way to heaven Of Nature Vnder the Law State of liberty Mat. 11. 28. Difference of men in extremity Want of boldnesse shewes want of freedome 5. Freedome in regard of the creature Two sorts of wicked men 1. Such as Lord it over others 2. That respect their private gaine Reason an inferiour light to grace A Christian in dependant in respect of other men Why carnall men hate those that are Spirituall Christians the onely great men Where the Spirit is there is liberty not licentiousnesse A Christian a free man and a servant What carnall men judge liberty The tyranâ—â— of lusts Not to grieve the Spirit Cyprian The Spirit is grieved With uncleane courses Malice and canckor Pride Sinnes against conscience Hinder our liberty In Prayer It hinders boldnesse with men Goe to Christ to free us from corruption Avoyd â—ccasionâ— The office of Christ by his Spirit Difference betweene the Law and the Gospell In the number no envy in Spirituall things In the evidence Efficasie Foure excellencies in the covenant of grace since Christ. Freedome Clearnesse Intention Extention
quickeâ—s all his members too first hee receives the Spirit himselfe and the same Spirit that filled and sanctified his humane nature the samâ— Spirit sanctifieth his Church which hee loves even as himselfe as he loveth that his owne humane nature which the holy Ghost sanctified so doth he love his owne mysticall body his Church being mystically united to him and sanctifieth it by the same Spirit Christ dispenseth his Spirit unto us as Head of his Church and this he doth in divers respects 1. As he is God by way of immediate influence he powreth it out upon us as the prime and pricipall cause and this he doth as God not as man for the Man-hood cannot worke above it selfe it cannot doe the worke of God it cannot worke grace or give the Spirit 2. As he is Man considered as joyned together with the God-head by way of merit and satisfaction he procureth the Spirit to bee given powred out which is done by the Father and the Sonne on all those who are beloved in the Sonne so that the Spirit is given by Christ with the Father as Mediator Meritoriously for hee by suffering and satisfying procured the gift Christ himselfe is the first gift yea the greatest that ever was given the giving of Christ to dye to satisfie the wrath of God and to obtaine eternall life Next to 〈◊〉 maine gift is the gift of the Spirit in which is the seed of all gifts and graces and this we have by his Merit and Mediatorship Yet this wee must likewise remember that although Christ be sayd to give the Spirit as he doth yet the holy Spirit giveth it selfe too for there is such an unity in the Trinity of consent and nature that though the Father and the Sonne send the Spirit yet the Spirit comes of his owne selfe though the Father and the Sonne give the Spirit yet the Spirit giveth himselfe 3. Wee have the Spirit from Christ not onely by way of Merit but in some kind by way of Example hee is the exemplary cause of all graces in us looking to whom wee are transformed as wee shall see afterwards from glory to glory For when wee consider that Christ hath done so much for us as to save us and redeeme us and dye for us this begetteth a love in us to Christ and makes us often to thinke of him and desirous to imitate him as wee usually doe such as we love and highly esteeme of The dispensation of the Spirit is in most abundance after the resurrection of Christ as hee appeared in himselfe then to bee most spirituall and glorious after he rose againe so then being as the Sun in its full height and perfect beauty casteth his beames most plentifully abroad and that for these reasons 1. Because then hee having finished the worke of Redemption and satisfied the wrath of God fully and given contentment to Divine Justice and accomplished all by his death there was nothing to hinder the blessed gift of the Spirit It is sayd that before the holy Ghost was not given because Christ was not glorified The gift of the holy Ghost especially depends upon the glorifying of Christ when he had fulfilled the worke of Redemption and was raised to glory God being pacified gave the holy Ghost as a gift of his favour 2. Then againe after his Resurrection and Ascension he did give the holy Ghost more abundantly than before to his Church because now hee is in heaven and hath the advantage of the place being exalted on high As that glorious creature the Sunne by the advantage it hath being placed in the heavens above us is able to shine upon the greatest part of the earth at all times and wee need not call the Sunne downe from its place to come into our houses or fields or gardens no where it is seated in its proper place or orbe it hath the best opportunity in most abundance and largest extent to send downe heat and light and influence to inferiour things So Christ doth his Church more good now he is in heaven from whence he sends the Spirit then hee could doe if hee were below because though his Humane nature be confined in heaven his person is every where and being ascended now farre above all heavens he giveth gifts more liberally and plentifully insomuch as he filleth all things Eph. 4. hee enlargeth the tents of his Gospel and hath taken in a greater people to himselfe We see in Winter when the Sunne is low and neare the earth all things are dead and cold but when the Sunne in the Spring commeth to over-top us to bee in a higher point above us wee see how all things put a new garment upon them there is a new vigour and freshnesse in them so there was more abundant vigour of the Spirit when Christ came in the Flesh his vertue appeared much more every way then before But when this blessed Sonne of righteousnesse was advanced and seated at the right hand of his Father where his Nature was perfectly inriched and perfectly adorned with all kind of graces whatsoever in the highest glory of them his influence of light and heat now beginneth to be increased and the efficacy and working of it to bee felt every where The glorious beams of the Sunne beganne to be scattered and the light of the Gospel to shine to a greater number of people now there was no respect of persons whether Jew or Gentile bond or free male or female all was one the Commission was enlarged to all Mark 16. Goe preach the Gospell to every Creature and with the Word the Spirit went and was received and those that were added to the Church even such as should be saved were many thousands Thus have wee opened the meaning of the words and shewed how Christ is that Spirit both in respect of the Spirits being eminently in him and his giving of it and spirituall gifts by it all the vigour and life and influence we have that is spirituall and supernaturall and above the ordinary course is from the Spirit and whatsoever the Spirit hath or doth for us is done as sent from Christ in whom the Spirit is in all fulnesse Now wee shall shew how many wayes the consideration of these truths will be profitable and usefull to us in the course oâ— our lives and for the comfort of our spirits Vse Christ is the Spirit of the Scriptures of all Truths of all Ordinances Wee may be this bee able to reconcile the Scriptures one place with another where they sâ—eme to contradict The Law is said to be a 〈…〉 a ministr ation of condemnation c. 2. Cor. â— but in the 19. Psal. there it is sayd The Law of the Lord is perfect converting the soule c. These places are thus reconciled The Law is said to be dead so it is without Christ without the Spirit which quickneth and so is â—he Gospell too even a savour of death and so
are the Sacraments also as well as the Word dead Ordinances if Christ be not in them The Law is sayd to be perfect and to convert the soule so it doth when the Spirit goeth along with â—t as it did ordinarily before Christ came in the flesh as in Davids time but after Christ was come who was the substance of those shadowes they became beggerly Rudiments as in Pauls time and the Spirit did not worke with them but with the Gospel the hearing of Faith Gal. 3. 2. Vse And we may understand likewise from hence what the reason is that an Ordinance at one time differeth so much from it selfe at another time in respect of the life and comfort of it as we often find even in our owne experience as also why the same Ordinance be it the Word or Sacrament c. at the same time is profitable to one and another hath no benefit at all by it This is from the presence or absence of Christ who is that Spirit What is the reason that Wine or Aqua-vitae doth more refresh and strengthen then common water It is of the same substance of the same colour that other water is but there is more spirit in it all things worke answerable to the spirits that is in them So what is the reason that â—he reading or hearing of â—he same thing affecteth one â—nd not another at all the â—ubstance of the thing is the â—ame but the spirit is not â—he same the spirit goeth with the one and not with â—he other Wee grant that our negligence in preparation and attention our pride and earthly-mindednesse our want of faith to mingle with the Word these or â—he like may be causes why wee are many times sent â—mpty away yet this still â—ust be observed as a most â—vident truth that all the efficacy and fruit of any Orâ—inance dependeth upon Christs being present in it who is that Spirit that quickneth 〈◊〉 most powerfull meanes that ever was ordayned for our good will be dead and heartlesse if hee be not there by his Spirit to put life into it It may seemâ— strange what Iohn saith chap. 6. The flesh profiteth nothing The flesh of Christ our nature which Christ tooke and in which so much was wrought for us which is the greatest Ordinance o◠〈…〉 this flesh profiteth not nor will there be any benefit of it if it be not applied unto us spiâ—â—â—ually for it is not the flesh simply considered but as by it and with it we receive the Spirit of Christ which Spirit quickneth and maketh the flâ—sh oâ— Christ meat indeed As iâ— is with the flesh of Christ 〈◊〉 with all other ordinanâ—es the Scriptures profit â—othing preaching profitâ—th nothing the Sacraâ—ents will profit nothing â—â—here is none of these will 〈◊〉 meate indeede unlesse 〈◊〉 spirit of Christ quicâ—â—en them Therefore we ought to 〈◊〉 with all the ordiâ—â—nces of God a desire â—â—at Christ would joyne â—â—is spirit and make them â—ffectuall wee ought to â—ome to the ordinances in 〈◊〉 dependance upon Christ â—or a blessing upon them 〈◊〉 for his presence in â—â—em who is the life and â—cope of all and then wee â—hould not finde such dulâ—esse and deadnesse in them It is the sinne oâ— this age this formality it is the sinne of those thaâ— have any thing in them set desperate drunkardâ— and roarers and such wretches a side as plainely discover themselves to be acted by the spirit oâ— the Devill take them thaâ— conforme themselves iâ— any fashion to religion the killing sinne that they lyâ— under is this same deaâ— formality they will heare a Sermon now and then looke on a booke and iâ— may be pray morning and evening but never looke up to the living and quickning spirit Iesus Christ so that all they doe is dead and loathsome like salâ— that hath no savour What is the best liquor if it hath lost its life and spirit but flat and unsavory and blood when the spirits are out of it what is it but loathsome goare so are all their performances even like sacrifices that had no fire in them the Lord loathed such sacrifices as he did Cains and so hee doth all our flat and livelesse services yea and our persons too being as Iude saith fleshly and not having the spirit Vse 3 What neede is there that we should sanctifie all we take in hand by prayer when we goe to heare a Sermon when wee take up the Bible to reade a Chapter alone by our selves or in our families we should lift up our eyes and hearts and voyces to heaven we should say to Christ Lord joyne thy Spirit be present with us without thee thy Word is dead our hearts are dead and will harden under the meanes and darken in the light and we shall fall under the heavie condemnation of these secure and formall times if thou leavest us Vse 4 Christ is sayd to be that spirit to send the spirit as God and to receive it as man in fulnesse and that for our sakes it is a point of much comfort that there is such abundance of Spirit in our nature in Christ and for the behalfe of the Church that wee have a fulnesse to receive of It was a comfort to Iosephs brethren and that family that Ioseph was full of honour and rules the second in the kingdome therefore they should want nothing that was good in Egypt is it not a comfort for Christians to know that Christ is the spirit that he hath the spirit to give the spirit of wisedome in all straights the spirit of truth to keepe us from all errours the spirit of strength for all services the spirit of comfort for all afflictions hee that is their Lord hath abundance of spirit in him and for them therefore when we want any grace or gift of the spirit wee should goe to Christ for God doth all by Christ Christ doth all by the spirit desire Christ that hee would vouchsafe his spirit to rule us counsell us comfort us and strengthen us Therefore in our emptinesse as indeede we are empty creatures of our selves let us goe to Christ for the spirit he hath received that fulnesse for us desire him that out of his fulnesse he would vouchsafe to give unto us It is the reason why Christians are so dead and so dull and so darke in their spirits they doe not first consider themselves and then goe to Christ we should all in all exigents whatsoever make use of this our great high Treasurer the great high Steward of heaven and earth of this our Ioseph the second Person in heaven he is at the right hand of God and all to fill his Church with his spirit our comfort is now that our strength and comfort lyes hid in Christ that is neere to us as man and neere to God as God he is betweene the Father and us he is neere the Father as being of the same nature with him hee is neere us
a free Spirit the sonne doth not duties to his father out of constraint and feare but out of nature the spirit alters our nature and disposition it makes us sonnes and then we doe all freely God doth inlarge the hearts of his children they can deny themselves in a good worke they are zealous of good workes it is the end of their redemption as it is Tit. 2. We are redeemed to be a peculiar people zealous of good workes for then we have a base esteeme of all things that hinder us from freenesse in Gods service as worldlinesse c. what doth a Christian when hee seeth his gracious liberty in Chrst the love of the world and worldly things he is ready to part with all for the service of God he is so free hearted that hee can part with life it selfe Paul saith of himselfe My life is not deare to me so I may finish my course with joy as we see in the Martyres and others how free they were even of their very blood What shall wee thinke of those therefore that if we get any thing of them it must bee as a sparkle out of the flint duties come from Christians as water out of a spring they are naturall and not forced to issue so farre forth as they are spirituall I confesse that there is remainders of bondage where the Spirit sets at liberty for there is a double principle in us while we live in this world of nature and grace therefore there will be conflict in every holy duty the flesh will draw backe when the spirit would be liberall the flesh will say oh but I may want When the Spirit would bee most couragious the flesh will say but there is danger in it so that there is nothing that we can doe but it must be gotten out of the fire we must resist yet notwithstanding here is liberty to doe good because here is a principle that resists the backewardnesse of the flesh In a wicked man there is nothing but flesh and therefore there is no resistance and we must understand the nature of this Spirituall liberty in sanctification it is not a liberty freeing us altogether from conflict and deadnesse and dulnesse and the like but it is a liberty inabling us to combate not freeing us from combate it is a liberty to fight the battells of the Lord against our owne corruptions not freeing us from it that is the liberty of glory in heaven when there shall be no enemie within or without Therefore let not Christians be discouraged with the backwardnesse and untowardnesse of the flesh to good duties if we have a principle in us to fight against it to inable us to fight against our corruptions and to get good duties out of it in spight of it it is an argument of a new nature God will perfect his owne beginnings and subdue the flesh more and more by the power of his spirit We see our blessed Saviour what a sweete excuse hee makes for his Disciples when they were dead hearted and drowsie when they should have comforted him in the garden oh saith he The spirit is willing but the flesh is weake Indeede there is a double hinderance in Gods people when they are about holy duties sometimes from their very mould nature considered not as corrupted the very mould without the consideration And then consider it as it is made more heavie and dull be the flesh and corruptions in them as there be invincible infirmities and weakenesses in nature sometimes deadnesse after labour and expense of spirits creepes in invincibly that a man cannot overcome those necessities of nature so that the spirit may be willing and the flesh weake the flesh without any great corruption God lookes upon our necessities as the father saith free me from my necessities as we see Christ made an excuse for them It was not so much corruption though that were an ingredient in it as nature in it selfe Christ saw a great deale of gold in the Oare therefore wee see how he excuseth them therefore when wee are dull let us strive Christ is ready to make excuse for us if our hearts bee right The spirit is willing but the flesh is weake I speake this for the comfort of the best sort of Christians that thinke they are not set at liberty by the Spirit be-because they finde some heavinesse and dulnesse in good duties as I said there is sinne in us while we live here but it reignes not after a man hath the Spirit of Christ the Spirit of Christ maintaines a perpetuall combate and conflict against sinne it could subdue sinne all at once if God saw it good but God will humble us while wee live here and exercise us with spirituall conflicts therefore God sees it sufficient to bring us to heaven to set up a combate in us that we are able by the helpe of the Spirit to fight Gods battles against the flesh so that the dominion of sinne may be broken in us and excellently saith Paul Rom. 8. 2. The law of the spirit of life in Christ Iesus hath freed me from the law of sinne and of death The law of the Spirit of life that is the commanding power of the Spirit of Christ that commands as a law in the hearts of Gods people it frees us from the law that is from the commanding power of sinne and death so that the dominion and tyranny of sinne is broken by the Spirit of Christ and so we are set at a gracious liberty in some respects wee are under grace therefore sinne shall not have dominion over us as the Apostle speakes Againe by the Spirit of Christ in Sanctification we are made Kings to rule over our owne lusts in some measure not Kings to be freed altogether from them but Kings to strive against them It is a liberty to fight and in fighting to overcome at last When the Israelites had a promise that God would give their enemies into their hands the meaning was not that hee would give them without fighting a blow but I will give them into your hands you shall fight and be of good comfort in fighting you shall overcome so this liberty of Sanctification it is not a liberty that we should have no combate with our corruptions but a gracious liberty to keepe them under till by subduing them by little and little we get a perfect victory what greater incouragement can a man have to fight against his enemie then when he is sure of the victory before he fights of finall victory you see then how the Spirit brings a liberty into the soule it brings us out of that cursed kingdome of Sathan and sinne it brings us out of the curse of God and the law in justification and it brings us from the dominion and tyrannie of sinne by a Spirit of Sanctification But this is not all that is in liberty for the Spirit doth not onely free â—s
where these outward liberties are it is a signe that God hath an intendment to set men at Spirituall liberty Those therefore that are enemies of the dispensation of the Gospell in the ministery they are enemies to spiritâ—all liberty and it is an argument that a man is in bondage to Sathan when hee is an enemy any way of the unfolding of the Word of God for it is an argument that he is licentious that he will not be called to Spirituall liberty but live according to the flesh when he will not heare of the liberty of the Spirit as you have some kinde of men that account it a bondage Let us breake their bonds and cast away their coards why should we be tyed with the Word and with these holy things it is better that wee have no preaching no order at all but live every man as he would though they speake not so in words yet their lives and prophane carrige shew that they regard not outward liberties and that argueth that they are in spirituall bondage and that they have no interest in spirituall liberty because they are enemies of that whereby spirituall liberty is preserved Therefore the Gospell is set out by that phrase The Kingdome of God not onely the Kingdome of God set up in our hearts the Kingdome of the Spirit but likewise where the Gospell is preached there is the Kingdome of God why because with the dispensation of divine truth Christ comes to rule in the heart by the outward kingdome comes the spirituall kingdome they come under one name Therefore those that would have the spirituall kingdome of God by grace and peace to rule in their hearts till they reigne for ever in heaven they must come by this doore by the ministery by the outward ordinance the ordinance brings them to grace and grace to glory and it is a good and a sweete signe of a man spiritually set at liberty brought out of the kingdome of Sathan and freed from the guilt of sinne and from the dominion of sinne which is broken in Sanctification when we can meekely and cheerefully submit to the ordinance of God with a desire to have his spirituall thraldome discovered and to have spirituall duties unfolded and the riches of Christ layd open when hee heares these things with a tast and relish and a love it is a signe God loves his soule and that he hath interest in spirituall liberty because he can improve the Charter of his soule so well Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty And besides this liberty in this world there is a liberty of glory called the liberty of the Sonnes of God The liberty of our bodies from corruption the glorious liberty in heaven when we shall be perfectly free for alas in this world we are free to fight not free from fight and we are free not from misery but free from thraldome to misery but then we shall be free from the encounter and incombrance all teares shall be wiped from our eyes wee shall be free from all hurt of body in sickenesse and the like and free from all the remainders of sinne in our soules that is perfect liberty perfect redemption and perfect adoption both of body and soule And that we have by the spirit too for where the Spirit of God is there is that to in this world in the beginnings of it for beloved what is peace of conscience and joy in the holy Ghost is it not the beginnings of heaven is it not a Grape of the heavenly Canaan is not the Spirit that wee have here an earnest of that inheritance an earnest penny and an earnest is a peece of the bargaine it is never taken away but is made up with the bargaine therefore when by the Spirit we have the beginnings of grace and comfort we have the beginnings of that glorious liberty and it assures us of that glorious liberty as sure as we have the earnest for God never repents of his bargaine that he makes with his children grace in some sort is glory as we see in the next verse because grace is the beginning of glory it frees the soule from terrour and subjection to sinne from the thraldome of sinne so the life of glory is begunne in grace we have the life of glory begunne by the Spirit this glorious life Vse 1 If we have all these blessed liberties in this world and in that to come by the Spirit then we should labour to have the Spirit of Christ or else we have no liberty at all and labour every day more and more to get this spirituall liberty in our consciences to have our consciences assured by the Spirit that our sinnes are forgiven and to feele in our consciences a power to bring under sinne that hath tyrannized over us before let us every day more and more labour to finde this spirituall liberty and prize dayly more the ordinances of God sanctified to set us at liberty attend upon spirituall meanes that God hath sanctified wherin he will convey the Spirit there were certaine times wherein the Angell came to stirre the waters of the poole so the Spirit of God stirres the waters of the Word and Ordinances and makes them effectuall attend upon the ordinances of God the Communion of Saints c. and the Spirit of God will slide into our soules in the use of holy meanes there is no man but hee findes experience of it he findes himselfe raysed above himselfe in the use of holy meanes The more we know the Gospell the more we have of the Spirit and the more Spirit we have the more liberty we enjoy If we prize and value outward liberty as indeede we doe and wee are naturally moved to doe it how should wee prize the Charter of our spirituall liberty the Word of God and the promises of Salvation whereby wee come to know all our liberty where we have all the promises opened to us the promise of forgivenesse of sinnes of necessary grace the promise of comfort in all conditions whatsoever therefore let us every day labour to grow farther and farther both in the knowledge and in the taste and feeling of this Spirituall liberty Vse 2 Oh beloved what a blessed condition it is to have this spirituall liberty doe but see the blessed use and comfort of it in all conditions for if a man hath the Spirit of God to set him at Spirituall liberty in all temptations either to sinne he hath the Spirit of God to free him from temptation or if temptation catch hold on him for sinne he hath the Spirit of God to flye too the blood of Christ to shew that if he confesse his sinnes and lay hold on Christ he hath pardon of sinne and the blood of Christ speakes better things than the blood of Abel it speakes mercy and peace if hee by faith sprinkle it upon his soule if he know the liberty of justification
he is above all and seeth all beneath him therefore the greatest men in the world are holy men they are above all other men and without usurpation they passe a censure upon the course and state of other men though they be never so great howsoever the Image of God is upon them in regard of their authority and the like yet in their dispositions they are base and slaves to their corruptions and to Sathan they are not out of the base rancke of nature Now a man that is a child of God hee is taken into a better condition and hath a spirituall liberty in him hee judgeth all things and is judged of none they may call him this and that it is but malice and a spice of the sinne against the holy Ghost but their hearts tells them he is otherwise he shall judge them ere long for The Saints shall judge the world therefore Christians should know and take notice of their excellency where the Spirit of God is there is liberty to judge all things as farre as they come within their reach and calling to judge aright of all things therefore we should know how to maintaine the credite of a Christian that is to maintaine a liberty independant upon all but God and other things with reservation as farre as they agree with conscience and religion thus we see how we may judge of this liberty Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty He doth not say licenciousnesse to shake off all governement for by too much licenciousnesse all liberty is lost but where the Spirit of God is there is liberty for a true Christian is the greatest servant and the greatest freeman in the world for he hath a Spirit that will yeeld to none in things Spirituall he reserves a liberty for his judgement yet for outward conformity of life and conversation he is a servant to all to doe them good love makes him a servant Christ was the greatest servant that ever was he was both the servant of God and our servant and there is none so free the greater portion of the Spirit the more inward and Spirituall freedome and the more freedome the more disposition to serve one another in love and to doe all things that a man should doe outwardly all things that are lawfull we must take heede of that mistake not this Spirituall liberty it stands with conformity to all good lawes and all good orders and there is a great mistake of carnall men for want of this they thinke it liberty to doe as men list it is true if a man have a strong and a holy understanding to be a good leader to it but it is the greatest bondage in the world to have most freedome in iâ—l as I sayd before those that are most free in ill are most slaves of all for their corruptions will not suffer them to heare good things to bee where good things are spoâ—en to accompany with those that are good their corruptions hath them in so narrow a custodie some kinde of men their corruptions are so malignant and binding that they will not suffer them to be in any opportunity wherein their corruptions may be restrayned at all but they hate the very sight of persons that may restraine them and all lawes that might restraine them Now this is the greatest slavery in the world for a man to have no acquaintance with that that is contrary to his corrupt disposition Well new Lords new Lawes as soone as ever a man is in Christ and hath Christs Spirit he hath another law in his soule to rule him contrary to that that there was before before he was ruled by the law of his lusts that carried him whither he would but now in Christ he hath a new Lord and a new law and that rules him according to the regiment of the Spirit The Law of the Spirit of life in Christ hath freed me from the Law of sinne and of death Vse 4 Againe seeing where the Spirit of God is there is this sweete and glorious liberty let us take heede by all meanes that we doe not grieve the Spirit when wee finde the holy Ghost in the use of any good meanes to touch upon our soules oh give him entrance and way to come into his owne chamber as it were to provide a roome for himselfe as Cyprian saith Consecra habitaculum c. enter into thy bed chamber consecrate a habitation for thy selfe so let us give him way to come into our soules when hee knockes by his sweete motions Wee that live in the Church there is none of us all but our hearts tell us that we have ofâ—en reâ—isted the holy Ghost weâ— might have beene saved if we had not beene rebellious and opposite Grieve not the Spirit by any meanes Quest. How is the Spirit grieved Ans. Especially these two or three wayes Answ. The Spirit being a Spirit of holinesse is grieved with uncleane courses with uncleane motions and words and actions he is called the holy Spirit and he stirres up in the soule holy motions like himselfe he breathes into us holy motions and hee breathes out of us good and holy and savory words and stirres us up to holy actions Now when we give liberty to our mouthes to speake rottenly to sweare I am ashamed almost to name that word when we give liberty to such filthinesse is not this a grieving of the Spirit if we have the Spirit at all If wee have not a care to grieve our selves doe we not grieve all about us therefore take heed of all filthy unholy words thoughts or carriages it grieves the Spirit Then the Spirit is a Spirit of love take heede of cankor and malice wee grieve the Spirit of God by cherishing cankor and malice one against another it drives away the sweete spirit of love therefore make conscience of grieving the Spirit he will not rest in a malicious heart who is the Spirit of love Againe the Spirit of Christ wheresoever it is it is joyned with a spirit of humility God gives grace to the humble it empties the soule that it may fill it it empties it of what is in it of windy vanity and fills it with it selfe therefore those that are filled with vaine high proud conceites they grieve and keepe out the good Spirit of God for wee should empty our soules that the Spirit of God may have a large dwelling there or else we grieve the Spirit in a word any sinne against conscience grieves the Spirit of God and hinders spirituall liberty because Where the Spirit of God is there is liberty would we preserve liberty we must preserve the Spirit if we sinne against conscience wee hinder liberty every way we hinder our liberty to good duties when a man sinnes against conscience hee is dead to good actions conscience tells him why doe you goe about it you have done this and that
its owne likenesse but now the Gospell which is the ministry of the Spirit it hath a transforming changing power into the likenesse of Christ whom it preacheth we are changed From glory to glory it is a graduall change not all at once but from glory to glory from one degree of grace to another for grace is here called glory we are changed from the state of grace till he come to heaven the state of glory And then the cause of all It is by the Spirit of the Lord The Spirit runnes through all it is by the Spirit of the Lord that we behold it is the Spirit of the Lord that takes away the vayle it is by the Spirit that we are changed from glory to glory Thus you see how many wayes the administration of the covenant of grace now is more excellent than the administration of the Covenant of grace was then In a word iâ— hath foure excellencies especially as First liberty and freedome from the bondage of ceremonies and of the law in a great part they had little Gospell and a great deale of Law mingled with it we have much Gospell and little Law wee have more freedome and liberty And thereupon we have more clearenesse wee see Christ more clearely with open face wee behold the glory of the Lord. And thirdly there is more intentiâ—n of grace the spirit workes more strongly now even to a change the ministery of the Gospell hath the Spirit with it whereby wee are changed from the hearâ—roote inwardly and thorowly And lâ—stly in the extension it is more large Wee all Gentiles as well as Iewes Behold c. Hence let us seriously and fruitfully consider in what excellent times the Lord hath cast us that we may answer it with thankfullnesse and obedience God hath reserved us to these glorious times better then ever our forefathers saw There are three mâ—ine parts of the Text our communion and fellowship with God in Christ wee all now in a glasse Behold the glory of the Lord. And then our conformity thereupon by beholding we are changed into the same Image The third is the cause of both the cause why wee bâ—hold the glory of God and why by beholding we are changed from glory to glory it is the Spirit of God This Text hath many theames of glory all is glorious in it there is the glorious mercy of God in Christ who is the Lord of glory the Gospel in which wee see the grace of God and of Christ The glorious Gospell the change by which wee are changed a glorious change from glory to glory and by a glorious power by the Spirit of 〈◊〉 Lord all here is glorious Therefore blessed be God and blessed be Christ and blessed be the Spirit and blessed be the Gospell and wee blessed that live in these blessed and glorious times but to come to the words But we all as in a glasse c. The happinesse of man consists especially in two things In Communion with In Conformity to God The meanes how to attaine them both are laid downe in this Verse I shall speake of them in order First of our communion with the chiefe good And then of the conformity wrâ—ught upon that communion And in the Communion first of Gods discovering of himselfe by his Spirit And then of our apprehension of him by beholding We all with open face behold the glory of the Lord c. In the glasse of the Gospell we see Christ and in Christ the glory of God shining especially of his mercy The point then here is that The grace and free mercy of God is his glory Now in our falne estate the glory of God is especially his mercy shining in Iesus Christ. What is glory Glory implyeth these things First excellency nothing is glorious but that that is excellent Secondly evidence and manifestation for nothing is glorious though it be excellent if it appeare not so therefore Light is said to bee glorious because the rayes of it appeare and runne into the eyes of all as it were and therefore we call things that are glorious by the name of Light illustrissimus and Clarissimus tearmes taken from light because where glory is there must be manifestation thus light it is a creature of God that manifests it selfe and other things Thirdly victoriousnesse in glory there is such a degree of excellency as is victorious and convincing that it is so indeed conquering the contrary that opposeth it Light causeth darkenesse to vanish presently when the Sunne which is a glorious creature appeares where are the Starres And where are meaner men in the appearance of a glorious Prince they are hid the meaner things are shaddowed by glory Againe usually glory hath with it the suffrage and approbation of others or else it hath not its right end that is why doth God create such glory in nature as Light and such like but that men may behold the Light and why are Kings and great men glorious at certaine times but that there bee beholders if there were no beholders there would bee no glory Now to apply this to the point in hand The glory of the Lord That is his attributes especially that of grace mercy and love in Christ that especially is his excellency And there is an evidence and manifestation of it it appeares to us in Christ The grace of God hath appeared Christ is called grace hee is the grace of God invested and cloathed with mans nature when Christ appeared the grace and mercy and love of God appeared Then againe it is victorious shining to victory over all that is contrary For alasse beloved what would become of us if there were not grace above sinne and mercy above misery and power in Christ Iesus above all the power in Sathan and death And then they have a testimony of all that belong to God for they have their eyes opened to behold this glory and by beholding are transformed from glory to glory as we shall see after So that whatsoever may be said of glory may bee said of this glory whence all other glory indeed is derived The glory of the Lord. By the glory of the Lord then is meant especially the glory of his mercy and love in Iesus Christ. The severall attributes of God shine upon severall occasions they have as it were severall theaters whereon to discover their glory In Creation there was power most of all in governing the world wise providence In hell justice in punishing sinners But now to man in a lapsed estate what attribute shines most and is most glorious Oh it is mercy and free grace If grace and mercy were hid our state being as it is since the fall what were all other attributes but matter of terrour to thinke of the wisedome and power and justice of God would adde aggravations hee is the more wise and powerfull to take revenge on us
as being of the same nature with us so being a Mediatour in office and being so fit for a Mediator in nature what a comfort is this Indeed there is no comming to God no entercourse betweene God and us immediately but betweene God-man and God and us who is the Mediatour betweene God and us hee comes betweene in Christ we goe to God in our flesh in our nature and in Christ and from Christ and by Christ we have all grace and comfort from Christ we have all as God together with the holy Ghost and the Father and wee have all in Christ as a head and husband and we have all through Christ as mediator by his merit therefore wee should goe to Christ every way Vse 5 Let us labour to bee in Christ that we may get the Spirit it is of great necessity that wee should have it Above all things next to redemption by Christ labour for the spirit of Christ. Christ is our Saviour not onely by merit and satisfaction but by efficacy and grace that is as hee hath purchased us for his people by his blood so hee will subdue our corruptions and rule us by his Spirit For first Hee that hath not the Spirit of Christ is none of his those that have not the efficacy of the spirit in them to rule them shall not have benefit by his death to reconcile them for these goe alway together Christ as a King to rule and as a Priest to dye He came by blood and by water to satisfie and to sanctifie Secondly there is a necessity of the Spirit that we may be new Creatures it was the Spirits brooding upon the Chaos that brought forth all so the Spirit must sit upon our soules before any change will be made Now there is a necessity that wee bee changed and that wee bee new or else wee can never bee inhabitants of the new heavens and the new earth we must have the Spirit of God therefore Zech. 4. 6. as in the materiall Temple It s not by might or by power but by the Spirit So in rearing up spirituall Temples it is not by strength of wit or parts but by the Spirit therefore the Spirit is necessary for us even as our being in grace is necessary The holy Apostles wee know till the Spirit came more abundantly upon them what darke creatures they were but when the holy Ghost was come upon them how full of life and light and courage they were that the more they suffered the more they might suffer So it will bee with Christians the more spirituall they grow the more lightsome and couragious the more strong the more lively and vigrous to all duties the holy Ghost is the substantiall vigour of all creatures what soever all the spirituall vigour of every thing comes from the holy Spirit and the holy Spirit from Christ. For nothing can worke above it selfe nature cannot worke above nature That which elevates nature above it selfe and sets a spirituall stampe and puts divine qualities upon it is the Spirit of God That divine quality is called Spirit There is the flesh and the spirit all in us is flesh by nature and what soever is spirituall and divine commeth from the Spirit and therefore it is called Spirit you see therefore a necessity of the working of the Spirit even as there is a necessity to bee new creatures and to bee spirituall If we will be spirituall wee must have it from him that is first spirituall the Spirit himselfe that is the principle and fountaine of all that is spirituall Thirdly wee are called oft times to doe and suffer such things as are above nature and therefore wee must have a spirit above nature when wee feele sin to beleeve the forgivenesse of sinnes when wee see death to beleeve life everlasting and when wee are in extremity to beleeve God present with us to deliver us to beleeve contraries in contraries is a strange almighty worke of faith by the works of the Spirit It is above the work of nature to dye to end out dayes with comfort and to resigne up our soules for nature sees nothing but darknesse and desolation in the grave and destruction 〈◊〉 nothing can make a man comfortable in death but that which rayseth him above nature the Spirit of God Now these things and many such like we must do and suffer if we be Christians and therefore wee must have the Spirit to enable us to doe all The spirit is to the soule as the soule is to the body what is the body without the soule a caâ—kâ—ssâ— a loathsome dead thing what is the soule without the spirit a Caos of darknesse and confusion Well how shall we know whether we have the spirit of Christ or no We may know it partly by that I sayd before The Spirit is a vigorous working thing and therefore all three persons take upâ—n them the name of Spirit but the Holy Ghost especially because he is the spirituall vigour The Spirit is an operative thing the spirits are the quintessence and extraction of things that is nothing but operation God that is nothing but a pure act is said to be a spirit those that have the spirit of God are full of act and vigour the spirits of dull creatures are active when they are exâ—racted shall the spirits of bodies bee vigrous and shall not the Holy Ghost be vigrous that is a substantial vigour therefore if a man have the Spirit of God in him it will worke in him it is very operative Therefore it is compared to fire in diverse respects for first Fire it is of a working nature it is the instrument of nature if we had not fire what could we worke all Fabrickes and all things are done by Fire especially mettalls they are framed and made mallyable by fire So the Holy Ghost it is a working thing and softneth the heart and makes us mallyable it makes us fit for the impression of all good Secondly Fire againe though bodies be darke it makes them lightsome like it selfe Iron is a darke body but if the fire penetrate it it makes it lightsom We are darke creatures of our selves if we have the Spirit it makes us light Againe Fire it makâ—s chearefull and it ascends upward if a man have the Spirit of God his conversation will be upward his conversation will bee heavenly he minds the things of God he doth not grovel here below so in diverse such respects the Holy Ghost is compared to Fire and hath such effects in us in some sort wee finde our understandings enlightned and our selves quickened and carryed up to be above nature in holy and heavenly actions and then it is a good signe that we have the Spirit of Christ. A part will follow the whole as we see a part of the earth it falls to the center because all the earth is heavy all the whole earth fals down to the Center and
therefore every little clod will doe it so Christ our head that hath abundance of the Spirit is in Heaven and if we have the spirit we will follow him and minde the things where Christ is Where the Spirit of Christ is likewise it convinceth as it is Iohn 16. that is it brings a cleare evident conviction with it that the truth of God is the truth of God It is no doubtfull thing therfore when a man stâ—ggers in the truth in this and that course whether he should doe this or that it is a signe hee hath not the spirit or that he hath it in a very little measure because the Spirit is a convincing thing as light it convinceth a man he doth not doubt of that that he seeth at noone day so that that a man seeth by the Spirit he is convinced of when a man doubts and wavers whether hee should take a good course or a bad and wavers it is a signe he is carnall and hath not the Spirit of God for if hee had the Spirit it would convince him and set him downe you must take this course if you will bee saved That is said to convince that saith more for a thing then any thing can say against it Now when a man hath the Spirit of God he can say more for God and for good things and good wayes then all the devils in hell by discouragement can say against them Therefore when a man cannot say any thing for God and for good causes to purpose he hath not the spirit of God the spirit of God would so convince him that hee should answer all cavils and objections The argument is wondrous large I give you but a tast to know whether the Spirit of Christ be in you or no. In a word if Christ bee that spirit and have infused the spirit into us it will make us like him it will transforme us into his likenesse it will make us holy and humble and obedienâ— as hee was even to the death these things mighâ— bee largely followed buâ— we have occasion to speaâ— of these in other portioâ—â— of Scripture therfore that yee may get the Spirit of God take these directions We must goe to Christ studdy Christ if wee will have the Spirit studdy the Gospell of Christ what is the reason that before Christ there was so little spirit in comparison there was but a little measure of the knowledge of Christ the more Christ is discovered the more is the spirit given and according to the manifestation of Christ what he hath done for us and what hee hath the more the riches of Christ is unfolded in the Church the more the Spirit goes along with them The more the free grace and love of God in Christ alone is made knowne to the Church the more Spirit there is and againe backe againe the more spirit the more knowledge of Christ for there is a reciprocall going of these two the knowledge of Christ and the Spirit What is the reason that in Popery the Schoolemen that were witty to distinguish that there was little spirit in them they savoured not the Gospell they were wondrous quick in distinctions but they savoured not the matters of grace and of Christ it was not fully discovered to them but they attributed it to satisfaction and to merits and to the Pope the head of the Church c. They divided Christ they knew him not and dividing Christ they wanted the Spirit of Christ and wanting that spirit they taught not Christ as they should they were darke times as themselves confessed especially about nine hundred and a thousand yeares after Christ because Christ was vayled then in a world of idle ceremonies to darken the Gospell and the victory of Christ that the Pope made who was the Vicare of Sathan these were the Doctors of the Church then and Christ was hid and wrapped in a company of idle traditions and ceremonies of men and that was the reason that things were obscure Now when Christ and all good things by Christ and by Christ onely are discovered the vaile is taken off now of late for these hundred yeares in the time of reformation there hath beene more spirit and more light somenesse and comfort Christians have lived and dyed more comfortably why because Christ hath beene more knowne and as it is with the Church so it is with particular Christians the more they studdy Christ and the fulnesse that is in Christ and all comfort in him alone to be had Wisedome Righteousnesse Sanctification and redemption the more men grow up in the knowledge of Christ the more they grow spirituall and the more spirituall they grow the more they grow in the knowledge of Christ therefore if wee would have the spirit let us come neere to Christ and labour to know him more who is the fountaine of all that is spirituall Then againe if wee would be spirituall let us take heed we trust not too much to dead things without Christ to have a kinde of Popery in the worke done to thinke that reading and hearing and receiving the Sacrament and that the government of the Church will doe it as if it were as man would have it put case there were all these which are excellent good things but what are all these without the spirit of Christ a man may bee dead with all these though he heare never so much and receive the Sacrament never so often if a man goe not to Christ the quickning spirit in this manner Lord these and my soule too are dead things without thy spirit therefore quicken me joyn Christ with all our performances without which all is nothing and then he will be spirituall to us And when wee goe to Christ for the spirit as we must beg it if wee will have it God will give the holy Ghost to them that aske him remember that we use the meanes carefully reading and hearing and holy communion of Saints because though these without the spirit can doe nothing yet the spirit is not given but by these these are the golden conduites of the spirit of Christ no man is ever spirituall but they are readers and hearers and conferrers of good things and attenders upon the meanes of Salvation because God will worke by his owne tooles and instruments therefore it is sayd Revel 1. That Iohn was full of the spirit upon the Lords day Let a Christian sanctifie the Sabbath as he should doe he will be in the Spirit on the Lords day more than on other dayes Why Because then he is reading and hearing and conferring and in some spirituall course and the more a man on the Lords day is in a spirituall course the more he is in the spirit Iohn was in the Spirit on the Lords day so much for those words The Lord is that Spirit And where the Spirit of the Lord is there is Liberty VVE see here what the Spirit
and as hereafter he shall finde to his cost you shall not neede to bid him come out of his conversation and condition and worldly course that he is in all this will follow where there is conviction of Spirit therefore the first worke of the Spirit in Spirituall liberty is to convince us of sinne and misery and then to worke as I sayd an answere of the soule and an obedience of the whole man this I will not bee long in being a cleare point Where the Spirit is there is liberty againe in matter of justification there is a liberty and freedome of conscience from sinne and the curse of sinne and all the danger that followes upon sinne by the Spirit Object But you will say the liberty of justification is wrought by Christ wee are justified by the obedience of Christ and the righteousnesse of Christ is imputed to us Answ. It is true Christ is our righteousnesse but what is that to us except wee have something to put it on except we be united to Christ what good have wee by Christ if Christ bee not ours if there be not a spirituall marriage what benefit have we by him if we have not him to pay our debt for his riches to bee ours and our debt to bee his there must be a union first Now this union is wrought by the Spirit it is begun in effectuall calling from this union there comes to bee a change his righteousnesse is mine as if I had obeyed and done it by my selfe and my debts and sinnes are his this is by the Spirit because the union betweene Christ and mee is by the Spirit for whatsoever Christ hath done it is nothing to me till there be a Vnion and then freedome is by the Spirit likewise because the Spirit of God workes faith in me not onely to unite and knit me to Christ but faith to perswade me that Christ is mine and that all his is mine and that my debts are his this supernaturall hand of faith the Spirit workes to lay hold upon Christ and then to perswade me for the Spirit is a lightsome thing and together with the graces it tells mee the graces it workes As reason besides reason it tells me that I use reason when I doe it hath a reflex act so the Spirit of Christ it hath a reflex act upon it selfe for being above reason it doth not onely lay hold upon Christ it doth not onely doe the worke but it tels me that I doe so when I doe therefore it not onely tells me that Christ is mine when I beleeve but it assures mee that I doe beleeve it carries a light of its owne I know the light by the light and reason by reason and faith by faith together with the reflex act joyning with it so that the reflect act joyning with it so that the Spirit is the cause of liberty in justification in that respect as it is a meanes of union whereupon there is a passage of all that is Christs to be mine and mine to be Christs and likewise it assures me that I doe beleeve when I doe beleeve without errour for the Spirit is given me to know the things that I have by Christ not onely to know the priviledges by Christ but the graces of Christ. And beloved unlesse the Spirit should doe it it would never be done for the soule of man is so full of terrours and feares and jelousies that except the Spirit of God witnesse to my spirit that God is reconciled in Christ and that Christs righteousnesse is mine I could never be perswaded of it for the soule it alway thinkes God is holinesse it selfe and I am a masse of sinne what reason have I to thinke that God will bee so favourable to such a wretch to such a lumpe of sinne as I am were it not that God the Sonne hath satisfied God the Father God hath satisfied God and the Spirit certifies my conscience so the Spirit that searcheth the deepe things of God that knows whâ—â— love is in the brest of God and therefore he searcheth the heart hee searcheth the heart of God and he searcheth my spirit except the Spirit should tell me that God the Sonne hath satisfied and God the Father will accept of the satisfaction of God the Sonne I should never bleeve it therefore God must stablish the heart in a gracious liberty of justification as well as that God the Sonne hath wrought it It is no wonder that men of great parts without grace are full of terrours and despaire for the more parts and wit a man hath without the Spirit of God the more hee disputes against himselfe and entangles himselfe with desperate thoughts but when the Spirit is brought to speake peace to the soule in Christ and makes the soule to cast it selfe on him for salvation then Gods Spirit is above the conscience though conscience be above all things else yet God is above conscience and can still the conscience and the Spirit tells us that God the Father is reconciled by the death of God the Sonne and when God witnesseth what God hath wrought then conscience is at peace Thus we see how the Spirit sets us at liberty in the great matter of justification So likewise in the matter of holy life in the whole course of a holy life Where the Spirit of Christ is there is liberty and freedome from the slavery of sinne for there the understanding is freed from the bondage of ignorance and there the will is freed from the bondage of rebellion there the affections likewise and the whole inward and outward man is freed but this liberty of holinesse inherent liberty it doth spring from the liberty that wee have by justification by the righteousnesse of Christ whereby we are perfectly righteous and freed from all the title that Sathan hath in us wee are freed from the curse of God from the Law are inabled in a course of Sanctification to goe on from grace to grace the Spirit of Christ comes after justification for whom God gives forgivenesse unto hee gives his Spirit to sanctifie them the same Spirit that assures mee of the pardon of my sinne sanctifies my nature where the Spirit is of sanctification it breakes the ruling power of sinne before then the whole life is nothing but a continuall sinning offending of God but now there is a gracious liberty of disposition a largenesse of heart which followes the liberty of condition when a man is free in state and law from wrath and from the sentence of damnation then he hath a free and volentary disposition wrought to serve God freely without feare or constraint When a man is under the bondage of the Law when he is under the feare of death being armed with a sting whatsoever he doth he doth it with a slavish minde where the Spirit of God is there is the Spirit of adoption the Spirit of Sonnes which is
from all that is ill from sinne but from that that followes it there is some ill that followes as feare and terrours of conscience c. they follow sinne and death and wrath and such like the subjection to these now where the Spirit of God is it frees from the ill consequents from the tayle that followes sinne where the Spirit is it frees us from feare for the same Spirit that tells us in justification that God is appeased the same Spirit frees us from the feare of damnation and death and judgement from the terrours of an evill conscience being sprinkled with the blood of Christ we are freed from feare And it frees not onely from the feare of ill things but it shewes immunity and freedome to good liberty implies here two things a freedome from ill from a cursed condition and likewise a liberty to a better a liberty from ill and to good we must take it in the just latitude because the benefits of Christ are compleate not onely privative but positive not onely to free us from ill but to conferre all good to us as much as our nature is capable of as much as these soules of ours are capable of they shall be made free and glorious and happy in heaven God will leave no part of the soule unfilled no corner of the soule empty by little and little he doth it as we shall see in the next verse when we are called out of Sathans kingdome we are not onely called out of that cursed state but we are made free of a better kingdome we are mede the members of Christ we are infranchised and so in justification we are not onely freed from damnation from the justice and wrath of God but likewise wee can implead our righteousnesse whereby we have title to heaven which is a blessed priviledge and prerogative we are not onely free from the curse of the law but likewise wee have other gracious prerogatives and priviledges we are not onely freed from the dominion of sinne but we are likewise set at liberty by the spirit to doe that that is good wee have a voluntary free spirit to serve God with as great chearefulnesse as we served our lusts before and as we are freed from the rigour and curse of the law so we have prerogatives to good answerable we are now by the Spirit set at liberty to delight in the law to make the law our councellour to make the Word of God our councellour that that terrified and affrighted us before now it is our direction even as he that was a severe Schoolemaster to one in his under yeares after when hee comes to yeares becomes a wise Tutor to guide and direct him so the law that terrified and whipped us when we were in bondage till we be in Christ it scares us to Christ that law after comes to bee a Tutor to tell us this we shall doe to councell us and say this is the best way and wee come to delight in those truthes when they are discovered to us in the inward man and the more we know the more wee would know because wee would please God every day better so that besides freedome from that that is ill and the consequents of ill there is a blessed immunity and prerogative and priviledge that is meant here by liberty For Gods workes are compleate we must know when he delivers from ill he advanceth to good his workes are full workes alwayes he doth not things by halves therefore wee have through Christ and by the Spirit not onely freedome from that that is ill but advancement to all that is comfortable and graciously good And one thing give me leave to touch which though it bee more subtile yet it is usefull that the text puts mee to speake of Where the Spirit of God is there is liberty of the inward man liberty of judgement and liberty of will where the Spirit of God is not there is no liberty no free will a little to touch upon that That which we call free will it is either taken for a naturall power and indowment that God hath put upon the soule and so the will is alway free in earth and in hell the divils will is free so free to evill there is the naturall freedome for freedome it is a dowrie upon the will invested upon the will that God never takes from it to doe it freely that is upon reason that it sees be it good or evill so I meane not freedome but I take freedome for ability and strength to that that is good for any liberty and ability to that that is good is onely from the spirit and the defence of Luthers and others that wrote of this freedome is sound and good that the will of man is slavish altogether without the Spirit of God Where the Spirit is there is liberty Liberty as it is taken for power and ability to doe good In a word there is alway a liberty of the subject of the person a liberty of the understanding but not of the object to this or that thing a liberty to supernaturall objects comes from supernaturall principles nothing moves above its owne spheare nothing is acted above its owne activity that God hath put into it now a naturall man can doe nothing but naturally for nothing can worke above it selfe by its owne strength no more than a beast can worke according to the principles of a man therefore the soule of man hath no liberty at all to that which is spiritually good without a supernaturall principle that rayseth it above it selfe and put it into the ranke of supernaturall things First the Spirit of God puts a new life into the soule of a man and then when hee hath done that it preserves that life against all opposition and together with preserving that life it applyes that inward life and power it hath put into it to particular workes for when wee have a new life yet wee cannot doe particular actions without the exciting power of the Spirit of God the Spirit stirres up to every particular thing when the soule would be quiet of it selfe the moving comes from the Spirit of God as every particular moving in the body comes from the soule so the Spirit it puts a new life it applyes that life it applyes the soule to every action Where the Spirit of God therefore is not there is no liberty to any supernaturall action but where the Spirit of God is there is liberty It followes both the negatively and affirmatively there is a liberty of will to that that is good so then this riseth from hence againe that where the Spirit of God is efficatious and effectuall in his working there it robbes not the soule of liberty but perfects that liberty You have some Divines too many indeede that hold that the holy Ghost onely workes by way of perswasion upon the soule and by way of mooving as it were without
but he doth not enter into the soule nor alter and change the soule hee doth not worke upon the soule as an inward worker but onely as an outward intreater and perswader and allurer propounding objects and with objects perswasions and allurements this is too shallow a conceite for so deepe a businesse as this for the Spirit works more deepely than so it puts a new life into the soule it takes away the stony heart and gives a fleshly heart those phrases of Scripture are too weighty to fasten such a shallow sence upon them onely as to intreate them to be converted as a man would intreate a stone to be warme and to come out of its place he might intreate long enough but the Spirit with that speech it puts a new life and power and then acts and stirres that power to all that is good Object Oh say they which is their maine objection here is a prejudice to the liberty of the will this is to overthrow the nature of man Answ. Oh by no meanes this is no prejudice to the liberty of the will for the Spirit of God is so wise an agent that he workes upon the soule preserving the principles of a man it alters the judgement by presenting greater reasons and further light than it saw before and then it alters the will that we Will contrary to that wee did before by presenting to the will greater reasons to be good than ever it had to be ill before then the soule chooseth freely of its owne will any thing when it doth it upon discovery of light and reason with advisement and reason then the soule doth things freely when iâ— doth them upon the designment of reason when judgement tells me this is good Now when the Spirit changeth the soule it presents such strong reasons to come out of that cursed estate I am in and to come to the blessed estate in Christ that the will presently followes that that the understanding presents as the chiefe good of all here the freedome is preserved because the will is so stirred by the holy Ghost as that it stirres it selfe being stirred by the holy Ghost and upon this ground it sees a better good So that grace takes not away liberty no it stablisheth liberty though we hold that in effectuall grace the Spiriâ— of God workes upon the soule throughly yet notwithstanding wee preserve liberty because we say that the soule works of its owne principles notwiâ—hstanding grace because the Spirit of God acts and leades the soule according to the nature of the soule the Spirit of God preserves things in the manner of doing of things it is the manner of doing of the reasonable creature to doe things freely therefore the Spirit working upon the soule it preserves that Modus though it worke effectually upon the soule and the more effectually it workes upon the soule the more free the soule is because it seeth reason to doe good therefore the more we give to the Spirit in the question of grace and nature the more we stablish liberty and prejudice it not Where these three or foure rules are observed there liberty is preserved though there be a mighty working of the holy Spirit As. First where the will chooseth and makes choise and inclines to a thing with the advisement of reason alway that must be or else it is not a humane action now when the Spirit of God sets the will at liberty a man doth that he doth with full advisement of reason for though God worke upon the will it is with inlightning of the understanding at the same time and all grace in the will comes through the understanding as all heate upon inferiour things it comes with light so that though heate châ—rish the earth it comes with light so all the worke upon the soule is by the heate of the Spirit but it comes from the light of the understanding so the freedome of the soule is preserved because it is with light Againe where freedome is there is a power to apprehend other things as well as that it doth to reason on both sides I may doe this or that for that power to reason on both sides is proper to the soule alway now grace takes not alway that power to reason on both sides for when a man is set at liberty from the base slavery of ill to doe good he can reason with himselfe I might have done this and that if I would be damned so that the judgement is not bound to one thing onely but the judgement tells him hee might have done otherwise if he would but he sees hee must doe this if hee will not bee damned Againe where there is liberty and freedome there is an enlaâ—gement to understand more things then one or else there were no freedome and though the soule bee determined to chuse one thing and not many yet of it selfe it hath power to choose many things to make this cleere a little some creatures are confined to one thing out of the narrownesse of the parts they have some are confined to one thing out of the largenesse of parts these seeme contrary but thus I will give this instance to make it cleere the creature that is unreasonable is alway confined to one manner of working because they want understanding to worke in a diverse manner birds make their nests and Bees make their hives alwayes after one manner because of their narrownesse that they have not choyse Now when the Spirit sets a man at liberty to holy things he is confined to good especiall this is in heaven this is out of largenesse of understanding apprehending many goods and many ills and that good that hee conceives to be the best good out of a large understanding he is determined to that one so that though the Spirit of God take away as it were that present liberty that a man cannot doe ill it will not suffer him to be so bad as he was yet it leaves him in a state of good to doe a multitude of good things And then though it confine him to a state of happinesse that he cannot will the contrary yet here is no liberty taken a way because it is done out of strength of knowledge not out of narrownesse because there is no more things for him to judge but out of largenesse telling him this is the best of all and carries all the soule after it the glory of heaven robbes not a man of is power What is the reason they are determined eternally to that that is good Is it for want of understanding that the Angels choose not ill No they know what ill is by speculation but there is a strength of understanding to know that that is good and the understanding where it hath a full light it carries the will to choose therefore where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty notwithstanding all objections to the contrary the Spirit takes
not away nay it strengthneth the liberty of the soule it is an idle objection and a great stay of many that are willing to be deceived oh if grace confine a man determine him as the word is sway him one way perpetually that hee holds on to the end and leaves him not at liberty to his will this confining and swaying one way it is an abridging him of his liberty c. No for it comes not from weakenesse of understanding but from strength of understanding and it is perfect liberty to doe well therefore on the contrary it is so farre from abridgeing the liberty of the soule that it cannot doe ill or that it cannot but persevere to doe good that â—t is the strength of liberty For I would know whether the first Adams liberty were greater or the liberty in heaven the second Adams liberty our liberty in grace or that in glory the liberty of the first man was that he might not sinne if hee would the liberty of Christ was that he could not sinne at all which thinke you was the chiefe he that could not or hee that might sinne if hee would was there not a more gracious and blessed liberty in Christ than in Adam when he might not sinne if he would Is this a worse liberty then when a man cannot sinne so when the Spirit of God beares that sway over the soule and takes away that potentiallity and possibility to sinne that a man cannot sinne because hee will not his will is so carried by the strength of judgement this is the greatest good I will not moove out of this circle if I goe out of this I shall be unhappy and this is the greatest liberty of all What doe we pray in the Lords prayer but for this liberty Thy will bee done that is take me out of my owne will more and more conforme my will to thine in all things the more I doe so the more liberty I have the strength of that petition is that we may have perfect liberty in serving God The greatest and sweetest liberty is when wee have no liberty to sinne at all when we cannot sinne it is greater chastity not to have power to resist to be impregnable in continence and sobriety when there is such a measure of these graces as they are not to bee overcome it is greater strength than when they may be prevailed over so men mistake to thinke this the greatest liberty to have power to good or evill that is the imperfection of the creature man was at the first created free to either good or evill of himselfe that he might fall of himselfe this was not strength but a thing that followed the creature that came out of nothing and that was subject to fall to his owne principles againe but to have the soule stablished that it shall not have freedome to ill it is so stablished in good it hath the understanding so englightned and the will so conâ—irmed and strengthned that it is without danger of temptation that is properly glorious liberty and that is the better endowment of both so that we see it cleerely that grace takes not away liberty but establisheth it Now besides this inward spirituall liberty that we have by the Spirit there is an outward preserving liberty that must bee a little touched and that is two fold A liberty of preaching the Gospell and a liberty of discipline as well call it of government that is in the Church of God and should be at least in all places because wee are men and must have such helpes Now these are liberties that the Spirit bestowes upon the Church wheresoever there is an inward spirituall liberty men are brought into the Church by the liberty of the Gospell and preserved by government there must be a subjection to Pastors there must be teaching and some discipline or else all will be in a confusion Now this inward liberty is wrought by the liberty of the Gospell Quest. What is the liberty of the Gospell Ans. When there is a blessed liberty in the Church to have true liberty opened the Charter of our liberty Quest. What is the Charter of our liberty Answ. The Word of God when the Charter and Patent of our liberty is layd open in laying it open we come to have interest in those liberties therefore the liberty of the Temple the liberty of the Church of the Word and Sacraments and some order in the Church with it it brings in spirituall liberty and preserves it it is as it were the bonds and sinewes of the Church Now where the Spirit of God is with the Gospell there is this liberty of the Gospell there are the doores of the Temple and Sanctuary set open as blessed be God this kingdome hath had with the Spirituall liberty there is an outward liberty of the Tabernacle of God and the house of God that wee can all meete to heare the Word of God and to receive the Sacraments that we can all meete to call upon God in Spirit and in truth and these outward liberties beloved are blessed liberties for where God gives these outward liberties hee intends to bestow and to convey Spirituall liberty how shall we come to Spirituall liberty without unfolding the Charter the Word of God therefore Christ hath established a ministery Apostles and Doctors and Pastors to edifie the Church to the end of the world and therefore wee see where there is no outward liberty of unfolding the Word where there is no outword liberty of the ministery there wants this inward liberty for God by the preaching of the Gospell sets us at liberty Againe when Christ preached the Gospell first it was the yeere of Iubile Now in the yeare of Iubile all servants were set at liberty and those that had not sold their inheritances might recover them againe if they would this Iubile was a type of the Spirituall liberty that the Gospel sets us at those that have served sinne and Sathan before if they will regard the gracious promises of the Gospell they may of slaves of sinne and Sathan become the free men of Iesus Christ. But in those times some would be servants still and would not be set at liberty their eares were boared for perpetuall slaves and it is pitty but their eares should be boared for everlasting slaves that now in the glorious Iubile of the Gospell resolve still to be slaves When a Proclamation of liberty was made to come out of Babylon all that would many would sticke there still so many are in love with Egypt and Babylon and slavery it is pitty but they should bee slaves but those that have more noble spirits as they desire liberty so they should desire spirituall liberty especially and here you see how to come by it Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty and where the ordinance of God is that is the ministery of the Spirit there is the Spirit
and make use of it what a blessed liberty is this when wee have sinned In restraint of the outward man if ever God restraine us to humble us what a blessed thing is this that the Spirit is at liberty and that is the best part of a man a man may have a free conscience and minde in a restrayned condition and a man may be restrayned in a free state in the guilt of sinne bound over to the wrath of God and bound over to another evill day a man in the greatest thraldome may have liberty what a blessed condition is this So in sickenesse to consider that there is a glorious liberty of the Sonnes of God and a redemption of body as well as of soule that this base body of mine shall bee like Christs glorious body that there is a resurrection to glory the resurrection will make amends for all these sicknesses and ills of body what a comfort is it to thinke of the resurrection to glory And to when death comes to know that by the blood of Christ there is a liberty to enter into heaven that Christ by his blood hath opened a passage to heaven And so in all necessities to thinke I have a liberty to the Throne of Grace I am free of heaven I am free of the company of Saints in earth and in heaven too I am free to have Communion with God I have a freedome in all the promises what a sweet thing is this in all wants and necessities to use a spirituall liberty to have the eare of God as a favourite in heaven not onely to be free from the wrath of God but to have his favour to have his eare in all our necessities what a blessed liberty is this that a man may goe with boldnesse to the throne of grace by the Spirit of Christ Beloved it is invalluable there is not the least branch of this spirituall liberty but it is worth a thousand worlds how should we value it and blesse God for giving Christ to wroke this blessed liberty and for giving his spirit to apply it to us more and more and to set us more and more at spirituall liberty for both the Father and the Sonne and the holy Ghost all joyne in this Spirituall liberty the Father gives the Sonne and he gives the Spirit and all to set us free It is a comfortable and blessed condition Vse 3 But how shall we know whether we be set at liberty or no because all will pretend a liberty from the law and from the curse of God and his wrath in justificaâ—ion and though it be the foundation of all I will not speake of that but of that that alwayes accompanies iâ— a liberty of holinesse a liberty to serve God a liberty from bondage to lusts and to Sathan Therefore Wheresoever the Spirit of God is there is a liberty of holinesse to free us from the dominion of any one sinne we are freed to serve him in holinesse all the dayes of our lives where the Spirit therefore is it will free a man from thraldome to sinne even to any one sinne for the Spirit discovers to the soule the odiousnesse of the bondage for a man to be a slave to Sathan who is his enemy a cruell enemie what an odious thing is this Now whosoever is in thralled to any lust is in thraldome to Sathan by that lust therefore where this liberty is there cannot be slavery to any one lust Sathan therefore cares not how many sinnes one leaves if he live in any one sinne for hee hath them in one sinne and can pull them in by one sinne as children when they have a bird they can give it leave to flye so it bee in a string to pull it backe againe so Sathan hath men in a string if they live in any one sinne the Spirit of Christ is not there but Sathans Spirit and he can pull them in when hee will The beast that runnes away with a coard about him he is catched by the coard againe so when we leave many sinnes and yet notwithstanding carry his coards about us hee can pull us in when hee lists such are prisoners at liberty more than others but notwithstanding they are slaves to Sathan by that and where Sathan keepes possession by one sinne and rules there there is no liberty for the Spirit of Sanctification where it is is a counterpoyson to the corruption of nature and it is opposite to it in all the powers of the soule if suffers no corruption to get head Againe where this liberty from the Spirit is there is not onely a freedome from all grosse sinnes but likewise a blessed freedome to all duties an inlargement of heart to duties Gods people are a voluntary people those that are under grace they are annointed by the Spirit and the Spirituall annoyntment makes them nimble Christian is nothing but annointed now he that is truely annoynted by the Spirit is nimble and quicke and active in that that is good in some degree and proportion one use of annoynting is to make the members nimble and agile and strong so the Spirit of God is a Spirit of chearefulnesse and strength where it is therefore those that finde some chearefulnes and strength to preforme holy services to heare the Word to pray to God and to performe holy duties it is a signe that this comes from the Spirit of God the Spirit sets them at this liberty because otherwise spirituall duties are as opposite to flesh and blood as fire and water When we are drawne therefore to duties as a Beare to stake as we say with forraigne motives for feare or out of custome with extrinsicall motives and not from a new nature this is not from the Spirit this performance is not from the true liberty of the Spirit for the liberty of the Spirit is when actions come off naturally without force of fâ—are or hope or any extrinsicall motive a childe needes not extrinsicall motives to please his father when hee knowes he is the child of a loving father it is naturall so there is a new nature in those that have the Spirit of God to stirre them up to duty though Gods motives may helpe as the sweete incouragements and rewards but the principall is to doe things naturally not for feare or for giving content to this or that man Artificiall things move from a principle without them therefore they are artificiall clockes and such things have weights that stirre all the wheeles they goe by and that moove them so it is with an artificiall Christian that composeth himselfe to a course of religion he moves with weights without him he hath not an inward principle of the Spirit to make things naturall to him and to excite and make him doe things naâ—urally and sweetely Where the Spirit of God is there is freedome that is a kinde of naturall freedome not forced nor
he is shackled in his performances he cannot goe so naturally to prayer and to hearing conscience layes a clogge upon him hee is shackled in prayer especially he hath not liberty to the throne of grace how dares hee looke to heaven when hee hath grieved the Spirit of God and broken the peace of his conscience what communion hath he with God so it hinders peace with God a man cannot looke Christ in the face as a man when hee hath wronged another man he is ashamed to looke on him so the soule when it hath runne into sinnes against conscience it is ashamed to looke on Christ and to goe to God againe therefore any sinne against conscience grieves the Spirit and hinders all sweete liberty that was before it takes away the degree of it It hinders boldnesse with men for what makes a man couragious in his dealings with men a cleere conscience let it be the stoutest man in the world let him maintaine any lust against conscience it will make him so farre a slave for when it comes to the crossing of that lust once then you shall see he will even betray all his former stoutnesse and strength if a man be covetous and ambitious he may be stout for a time but when he comes to bee crossed it will take away all liberty that a man hath to cherish any sinne In a word to preserve this liberty let us goe to Christ from whom wee have this liberty complaine to him when wee finde any corruption stirring goe to the Lord in the words of S. Austine and say Now Lord free me from my necessities I cannot serve thee as I should doe nor as I would doe I am inthralled to sinne but I would doe better I cannot doe so well as I would free mee from my necessities complaine of our corruptions to God as the woman in the Law when â—he complayned if she were assaulted she saved her life by complaying so let us complaine to Christ if we finde violence offered to us by our corruptions I cannot by my owne strength set my selfe at liberty from this corruption Lord give mee thy Spirit to doe it set me more and more at liberty from my former bondage and from this that hath inthralled me so complaine to Christ and desire him to doe his office Lord thy office is To dissolve the workes of the devill And goe to the Spirit it is the office of the holy Ghost to free us to be a Spirit of liberty now desire Christ and the holy Ghost to doe their office of setting us at Spirituall liberty and this we must doe in the use of meanes and avoyding of occasions and then it will be efficatious to preserve that Spirituall liberty as will tell our consciences that wee are no hypocrites and that will end in a glorious liberty in the life to come And let this be a comfort to all poore strugling and striving Christians that are not yet set at perfect liberty from their lusts and corruptions that it is the office of the Spirâ—t of Christ as the King of the Church it is his office by his Spirit to purge the Church perfectly to make it a glorious spouse at last he will doe his owne office and besides this liberty of grace joyned with conflict in this world there is another liberty of glory when I shall bee freed from all oppositions without and from all conflict and corruption within It is called The liberty of the Sonnes of God Rom. 8 and those that looke not more and more for the gracious liberty to be free from passions and corruptions here they must not looke for the glorious liberty in heaven but those that live a conflicting life and pray to Christ more and more for the Spirit of liberty to set up a liberty in us these may looke for the liberty of the Sonne of God 〈◊〉 will be ere long when wee shall be out of reach and free from corruption when the Spirit of God shall be all in all Now our lusts will not suffer the Spirit to bee all in all but in heaven he shall there shall be nothing to rise against him This that hath beene spoken shall suffice for that 17. verse The Lord is the Spirit and where the Spirit of the Lord is there is 〈◊〉 I proceede to the next verse which I purpose to dwell more on VERSE XVIII But we all as in a glass with open face behold the glory of the Lord and are changed into the same Image from glory to glory as by the Spirit of the Lord. AS the Sunne riseth by degrees till he come to shine in glory so it was with the Sonne of righteousnesse hee discovered himselfe in the Church by little and little the latter times now are more glorious than the former and because comparisons give lustre the blessed Apostle to set forth the excellency of the administration of the covenant of grace under the Gospell he compares it with the administration of the same covenant in the time of the law and in the comparison prefers that administration under the Gospell is more excellent Now besides other differences in the Chapter he insists upon three especially they differ in Generality Evidence Efficacie First in regard of the generalitie We all now with open face c. Moses onely beheld the glory of the Lord in the Mount but We all not all men but all sound Christians that have their eyes opened all sorts of beleevers behold this glory In Spirituall things there is no envie every one may be partaker in solidum intirely of all Envie is in the things of this life where the more one hath the lesse another hath it is a matter of glory and excellencie the more are partakers of Spirituall things the Iewes rejoyced that the Gentiles should be called and wee now rejoyce in hope and should rejoyce mervelously if we could see it effected that the Iewes should be taken in againe the more the better Wee all And then for evidence We behold with open face that is with freedome and boldnesse which was not in the time of the law for they were affraid to looke upon Moyses when hee came downe from the Mount his couâ—â—enance was so majesticall and â—â—â—rible but We all with open face freely boldly and cheerâ—fully looke upon the glory of God in the Gospell the light of the Gospell is an alluring comâ—â—rting light the light of the law was dazelling and terrifying As in a Glasse they beheld God in a glasse but it was not so cleere a glasse they beheld him as it were in the water wee behold him in Christâ—ll we see God in the glasse of the Word and Sacraments but they in a worâ—â— of Ceremonies Chrisâ— was to them swadled and wrapped up in a great many types And then for the power and efficacie the Gospell is beyond the law the law had not power to convert to change into
in it but see both these wrapped and knit together indissolvable our Salvation and Gods glory wee hinder Gods glory if we beleeve not his mercy in Christ to us so at once we wrong our selves and him and wee wrong him not in a meane attribute but in his mercy and goodnesse wherein hee hath appointed to glorifie himselfe most of all and therefore I beseech you let us yeeld to him the glory of his mercy and let us thinke that when wee sinne wee cannot glorifie him more then to have recourse to his mercy when Sathan tempts us to runne from God and discourageth us as hee will doe at such times then have but this in your thoughts God hath set himselfe to bee glorious in mercy above all other attributes and this is the first moving attribute that stirres up all the rest and therfore God will account himselfe honoured if I have recourse to him let this thought therefore be as a City of refuge when the avenger of blood followes thee flee presently to this sanctuary thinke thus let not mee deny my selfe comfort and God glory at once Where sinne abounds grace abounds much more Though sinnes after conversion staine our profession more then sinnes before conversion yet notwithstanding goe to the glorious mercy of God still to seventy times seventy times there is yet mercy for these we beseech you bee reconciled saith Saint Paul to the Corinthians when they were in the state of grace and had their pardon before let us never be discouraged from going to Christ. Oh but I haue offended often and grievously What saith the Prophet My thoughts are not as your thoughts but as high as the Heavens are above the earth c. Therefore howsoever amongst men oft offences breed an eternall allyenation yet notwithstanding with God it is not so but so oft as we can have Spirit to goe to God for mercy and spread our sinnes before him with broken and humble hearts so often we may take out our pardon Compare Exod. 33. with Exod. 34. Moses in Chap. 33. had desired to see the face of God there was some little curiosity perhaps in it God told him that none could see him and live to see the face of God in himselfe must be reserved for heaven we are not proportioned for that sight But in the next Chapter there he shewes himselfe to Moses and how doth he shew himselfe and his glory to Moses The Lord the Lord gracious mercifull long suffering cloathed all in sweete attributes he will be knowne by those names now then if wee would know the name of God and see God as hee is pleased and delighted to discover himselfe to us let us know him by those names that he proclaimes there shewing that the glory of the Lord in the Gospell especially shines in mercy and as I said before it must bee glorious mercy that can satisfie a distressed conscience how soever in the time of ease and peace we thinke a little mercy will serve the turne but when conscience is once awaked it must be glorious and infinite mercy must allay it And therefore those that finde their consciences any thing wounded with any sinne stand not out any longer with God come and yeeld lay downe your weapons there is mercy ready the Lord is glorious in his mercy in Iesus Christ it is a victorious triumphing mercy over all sinne and unworthinesse whatsoever Looke upon God in the face of Iesus Christ as you have it in 2 Cor. 4. 6. God who commanded Light to shine out of darkenesse hath shined in our hearts to give us the Light of the knowledg of God in the face of Iesus Christ. In the face of Christ God is lovely lovelinesse and excellency is in the face above all the parts of the body The Glory of God Wee are never in such a condition as we ought to be except grace be glory to us and when is grace glory to a sinner Oh when he feeles the weight and burthen of his sinne and languishing desires Oh that I might have a droppe of mercy then grace is glory not onely in Gods esteeme but in the eye of the sinner indeed we are never soundly humbled till grace in our esteeme be glory that is till it appeare excellent and victorious I beseech you remember it we may have use of it in the time of desertion How is this grace of God in Christ conveyed to us yet nearer By the Gospell As in a glasse The Gospell is the good Word of God Heb. 6. It reveales the good God to us and the good Christ it is a sweete word for Christ could doe us no good without the word if there were not an obligation a covenant made betweene God and us the foundation of which covenant is the satisfaction of Christ if there were not promises built upon the covenant of grace whereby God hath made himselfe a debtor what claime could a sinfull soule have to Christ and to Gods mercy but God hath bound himselfe in his word therefore the grace of God shines in Christ and all that is in Christ is conveyed to us by the word by the promise The Gospell then is a sweete word You know that breeding promise of all others Gen. 3. The seed of the woman that repealed and conveyed the mercy of God in Christ to Adam So the continuance of that and all the sweet and gracious promises bud from that all meete in Christ as in a cenâ—er all are made for him and in him he is the summe of all the promises all the good things wee have are parsels of Christ Christ he is the word of the Father that discovers all from the bosome of his Father therefore he is named the Word the Gospell is the word froÌ„ him Christ was discovered to the Apostles and from the Apostles to us to the end of the world by his Spirit accompanying the ordinance so the Myrrour wherein we see the glorious mercy of God is first Christ God shines in him and then there is another glasse wherein Christ is discovered the glasse of the Gospell thus it pleaseth God to condiscend to stoope to us poore sinners to reveale his glory the glory of his mercy fitly and sutable in a Saviour God-man God incarnate God our Brother God our Kinsman and to doe it all yet more familiarly to discover it in a word and then to ordaine a Ministery together with the Word to lay open the riches of Christ for it is not the Gospell considered nakedly but the Gospell unfolded by the Ministery Christ is he great Ordinance of God for our Salvation the Gospell is the great Ordinance of God to lay open the unsearchable riches of Christ the casket of this Iewell the treasury of his treasure the grace and love and mercy of God are treasured in Christ and Christ and all good things are treasured in the Gospell that is the rich Myne and the Ministery of
the Gospell layes open that Myne to the people Nay God yet goes further hee gives his holy Spirit with the Ministery it is the Ministery of the Spirit that howsoever there are many that are not called and converted in the Gospell yet the Spirit of God is before hand with them There are none under the Gospell but the Spirit gives them sweete motions hee knockes at their hearts he allures and perswades them and if they yeeld not it is because of the rebellion of their hearts there is more grace of the Spirit offered then is entertained so that the mouthes of men shall bee stopped thus God descends and Christ and grace the Gospell the Ministery the Spirit all in way of love to us that we may doe all in a way of love to God againe it should therefore worke us to doe all with ingenious hearts to him againe The Gospel is the glasse wherein wee see this glory Christ indeed in some sort is the glasse for wee cannot see God out of Christ but he is a terrifying sight but in the glasse Christ wee can see God as we see the Sunne in the water If we cannot see the Sunne in his glory that is but a creature how can we see God himselfe but in some glasse therefore we must see him in Christ and so his sight is comfortable And in the dispensing of the Gospell especially in the Preaching and unfolding of the word the riches of God in Christ are unfolded and not onely unfolded but the Spirit in unfolding conveyes the sence assurance and perswasion thereof unto us There is such a connexion betweene the Evangelicall truth of God and Iesus Christ that they have both one name to insinuate to us that as wee wil be partakers of Christ so it must bee of Christ as hee is revealed in the Gospell not in conceites of our owne the Word is truth and Christ is truth they have the same name for were there never so much mercy and love in God if iâ—were concealed from us that wee had nothing to plead that wee had not some title to it by some discovery of it in his will the Word and the seale of the Word the Sacraments for the Sacrament is but a visible Word they make one entyre thing the Word and Sacraments the one is the evidence the other the seale what comfort could wee take in it Now his will is in the promise wherein there is not onely a discovery of what he doth or will doe but hee hath ingaged himselfe If we beleeve wee shall not perish but have life and Come unto me and bee refreshed saith Christ every one that thirsts come and be satisfied and now wee may claime the performance of what hee hath spoken and bind him by his owne word he cannot deny himselfe so now we see him comfortably in the glasse of the Word and Sacraments These three goe together the glory of God Christ the foundation of all grace in the covenant of grace and then the Gospell of grace the Gospell of the Kingdome the Gospell of life that discovers the gracious face of God shining in Christ we have Communion with God through Christ with Christ through the Gospell therefore in the Gospell we behold as in a glasse the glory of God This is sutable to our condition while we are here below we cannot see divine things otherwise than in a glasse that sight of God that we shall have in heaven immediately without the Word and Sacraments that is of a higher nature when our natures shall be perfect but while we live here wee cannot see God but in Christ and we cannot see him but in the Word and Sacraments such is the imperfection of our sight and such is the luster and glory of the object the glory of God that we cannot perfectly see it but in a glasse God saith to Moses None can see me and live his meaning is none can see me as I am none can see me immediatly and live if we would see God and the glory of God immediately without a glasse we must see it in heaven we must dye first we must passe through death to see God face to face as he is then not as he is but more familiarly than we can now then God will represent himselfe so as shall be for our happinesse though not simply as he is for he is infinite and how should finite comprehend infinite we shall apprehend him but not comprehend him while we are in earth therefore we must bee content to see him in a glasse which is the Gospell especially unfolded Now in this word glasse in which we see the glory of God is implyed both A Perfection And some Imperfection Perfection because it is as a cleare Christall glasse in regard of the glasse that was before for those under the law saw Christ in a glasse of Ceremonies and as I sayd before there is difference betweene ones seeing his face in water and in a Christall glasse so then this implies perfection in regard of the former state Againe in regard of heaven it implyes imperfection for there we shall not see in a glasse sight in a glasse is imperfect though it be more perfect than that in water for we know out of the principles of learning and experience that reflections weaken and the more reflections the more weake when wee see a thing by reflection we see it weakly and when we see it by a second reflection from that we see it more weakely when we see the sunne on the wall or any thing that is light it is weaker than the light of the sunne it selfe when a man seeth his face in a glasse it is a weaker representation than to see face to face but when we see the sunne upon the wall reflexing upon another wall the third reflexion is weaker than the first the more reflections the more weake so here all sight by glasses is not so powerfull as that sight and knowledge which is face to face in heaven that is the reason that S. Iames saith that hee that seeth his face in a glasse is subject to forget what is the reason that a man cannot remember himselfe when he seeth his face in a glasse so well as he can remember another mans face when he seeth it because he seeth himselfe onely by reflection therefore it is a weaker presentation to him and the memory and apprehension of it is weaker when he seeth another face to face hee remembers him longer because there is a more lively representation it is not a reflection but face to face So there is imperfection in this sight that wee have of God while wee are here as in a glasse it is nothing to that when we shall see face to face without the Word and Sacraments or any other Medium which sight what it is we shall know better when we are there we cannot now discover it it is a part of heaven to know
what apprehensions we shall have of God there but sure it is more excellent than that that is here therefore this implyes imperfection We consist of body and soule in this world and our soules are much confined and tyed to our sences imagination propounds to the soule greater things than the sences so God helpes the soule by outward things that worke upon the sences sence upon the imagination and so things passe into the soule God frames his manner of dealing sutable to the nature he hath created us in therefore he useth the Word and Sacraments and such things whereby hee makes impressions upon the very soule it selfe And this indeed by the way makes Spirituall things so difficult as they are oft times because wee are too much inthralled to imagination and sence and cannot abstract and raise our minds from outward sensible things to spirituall things therefore you have some all the dayes of their life spend their time in the barke of the Scriptures and they are better than some others that are all for notion and out side such things as frame to the imagination and never come to know the Spirit of the Scriptures but rest in outward things in languages and tongues and such like whereas these things leade further or else they come not to their perfection the Scripture is but a glasse to see some other excellencies in it We see as in a glasse Now the use of a glasse among us especially is two fold It is either to helpe weakenesse of sight against the excellencie of the object when there is a weake sight and an over excellent object then a glasse is used or some polite and cleare body as we cannot see the sunne in it selfe the eye is weake and the sunne is glorious these two meeting therefore together we helpe it by seeing the Sunne in water as in an eclipse if a man would judge of an eclipse he must not looke on the sunne but see it in water and there behold and discerne these things so to see the glory of God in himselfe it is too glorious an object our eyes are too weake how doth God helpe it he helpes it by a glasse by God manifest in the flesh and by the Word and Sacraments whereby we come to have Communion with Christ to apply this more particularly Now that we are to receive the Sacrament conceive the Sacraments are glasses wherein wee see the glory of the love and mercy of God in Christ for take the bread alone as it doth not represent and figure better things and what is it and take the wine alone as it doth not represent better things and what is the wine but an ordinary poore creature Oh but take them as they are galsses as things that convey to the soule and represent things more excellent than themselves so they are glorious ordinances take a glasse as a glasse it is a poore thing but take the glasse as it represents a more excellent thing than it selfe so they are of excellent use so bread and wine must not be taken as naked elements but as they represent and convey a more excellent thing than themselves that is Christ and all his benefits the love and mercy and grace of God in Christ and so they are excellent glasses therefore I beseech you now when you are to receive the Sacrament let your mindes be more occupied than your sences when you take the bread thinke of the body of Christ broken and when you thinke of uniting the bread into one substance thinke of Christ and you made one when the wine is powred out thinke of the blood of Christ powred out for sinne when you thinke of the refreshing by the wine thinke of the refreshing of your spirits and soules by the love of God in Christ and of the love of Christ that did not spare his blood for your soules good how doth Christ crucified and shedding his blood refresh the guilty soule as wine refresheth the weake Spirits thus consider them as glasses where better things are presented and let your mindes bee occupied as well as your sences and then you shall be fit receivers as in a glasse We behold c. God when he made the World this glorious frame of the creatures and all their excellencies he created light to discover it selfe and all other excellencies for light is a glorious creature it discovers it selfe it goes with a majesty and discovers all other things good and bad whatsoever and together with light God created sight in man and other sences to apprehend the excellencie of the creation what were all this goodly frame of creatures the sunne and moone and starres and glory of the earth if there were not light to discover and sight to apprehend it by Is it so in this outward creation of the old heavens and old earth that must be consumed with fire and is it not much more in the new creation there is excellent glory mervailous glory wondrous grace and Christ c. must there be light and must there not be an eye to discover this surely there must therefore it is sayd here We behold God puts a Spirituall eye by his Spirit into all true beleevers whereby they behold this excellent glory this glorious grace that God may have the glory and wee the comfort those are the two maine ends God intends his owne glory and our Salvation there must be a beholding how should he have glory and wee comfort unlesse all were conveyed by spirituall sight Well then the Spirit creates and workes in us Spirituall sences with Spirituall life there are Spirituall sences sight and taste and feeling sight is here put for all We behold There are many degrees of sight it is good to know them therefore I will name some of them We see God in his creatures for The heavens declare the glory of God they are a booke in folio there God is layd open in his creatures that is a goodly sight but what is this to the knowledge of him in his will to us what he meanes to us the creatures discover not what he meanes to us Besides therefore the sight of God in the creatures there is a sight of God in his will in his Word and promises there we see what he is his grace is revealed in Christ and what his good will to us is and his will from us what he will doe to us and what he will have from us againe there wee see him as a spouse sees her husband in a loving letter which concernes her selfe we see him as the heire sees a deed made to him with an inheritance he sees with application it is not a bare sight but a sight with seeling and discovery of a favour so the sight in the Word and Sacraments it is a higher sight there was a sight of Christ when he was in the flesh when hee was covered with the vaile of our flesh upon
of faith that is the best picture and representation that can bee it is skarce worth spending so much time as to con fute that foolery to have any grace wrought in the heart by such abominable meanes as that is as they use it take it at the best it is but a bastardly helpe and bastardly meanes breed a bastardly devotion for will God worke grace in the heart by meanes of mans devising If pictures bee any teachers they are teachers of lyes saith the Prophet and in the Church of God till Pastors and Teachers became Idols Idols never became Teachers then came the Doctrine of Idols teaching of simple people when Idols became teachers a thousand yeares after Christ. So that the best picture to see Christ in is the Word and Sacraments and the best eye to see him with is the eye of Faith in the Word and Sacraments keepe that cleare and we need no crucifixes no such bastardly helpes of bastardâ— ly devotion devised by proud men that would not be beholding to God for his Ordinances But a touch is almost too much for such things that are so cleare to men that have spirituall eyes in Gal. 3. See what Saint Paul saith what his judgement was Oh foolish Galathians before whom Christ hath been painted and cruciâ—ied how was he painted nothing but by the preaching of Christ crucified in the Gospell and the riches of Christ in the Gospell and in the Sacraments laid open doe you thinke there were any other crucifixes in the world then With open face The manner of this beholding is with open face there must be a double vayle taken away before we can behold the glory of God the vayle of obscurity and the vayle of slavery the vayle of ignorance and infidelity within and the vayle of the things themselves these two vayles are both taken a way before we can with open face behold the glory of the Lord the inward vayle is taken away by the Spirit of God illuminating our understandings and giving us a Spirit of faith the outward vayle of the obscurity of the things is taken away by the teaching and ministery of the Gospell having that helpe to know the meaning of the Scriptures so that now in these glorious times of the Gospell both the vayles are taken away that we may behold without hinderance the glory of God shining in the Gospell for now we enjoy the ministery of the Spirit the Spirit is effectuall to shine in our hearts and then we have the gifts of men outward gifts whereby the vayle of ignorance is â—aken away in regard of the things themselves the things are unfolded If the things of themselves be darke or if they be lightsome and there be no sight within or if there be sight and that sight be vayled there can be no seeing but now to Gods elect he takes away all these vayles he shines in wardly and gives outward light in the helpe of meanes and yet not withstanding while we live here there is alwayes some obscurity and darknesse for the vayle of the Scriptures is not quite tooke away there is some darkenesse of the Scriptures and likewise the vayle of ignorance and infidelity is not altogether taken away there are some remainders of ignorance of infidelity and hardnesse of heart but yet in a great measure it is taken away here and shall by little and little tooke away till wee come to see God face to face in heaven With open face Coverings had two uses in the Iewish state They had a use of subjection therefore the Women had their vayles in token of subjection And they had a use likewise of obscurity to hinder the offensive lustre of that that is glorious therefore Moses put a vayle on his face when he came downe from the mount now in Christ Iesus in the Gospell both these vayles are taken away in some respects the vayle of subjection and slavery so farre as it is a slavery is taken away the Spirit of Christ workes liberty as I sayd before now wee serve God as Sonnes and not as servants any longer the vayle of subjection is taken away onely there is a spouse like filiall subjection the servile subjection we are freed from And then the vayle that hid the things is taken away too so now with open face we behold the glory of the Lord now the things themselves Christ and the gracious promises of grace and glory and comfort they are clearely layd open without any vayle how comes it then that we see them not there is a vayle over our hearts the more shame for us that when the things are unvayled wee should have a vayle upon our hearts of ignorance and unbeleefe therefore if any beleeve not it is because The god of this world hath blinded their eyes where the meanes of Salvation are and Christ layd open in the meanes if men doe not beleeve the fault is not in the things for they are unvayled they are discovered and layd open the fault is in us there is a vayle over the heaâ—t there is a cloud of ignorance and unbeleefe that keepes the heart from beholding the glory of the mercy of God in Christ. With open face We see the glory of God with boldnesse in the Gospell we goe boldly to God Christ takes us by the hand and leades us to his Father we have boldnesse and accesse to God through Christ by the Spirit as S. Paul teacheth in diverse places God is not terrible to us now in Christ Gods nature is Fatherly and sweete to us Christ in the Gospell is our head therefore wee goe boldly to God in Christ and Christ by his Spirit brings us to his Father we may boldly lay open our soules in prayer and all our complaints before him as to a Father we come not as malefactors to a judge as slaves to a Lord but as children to a father as a wife to her spouse with open face in the Gospell wee behold God that is with boldnesse we goe to him the Gospell by shining upon us takes away a Spirit of feare and bondage the more we see Christ the lesse feare the more love the lesse feare the more we see the grace of God in Christ it diminisheth a Spirit of feare and puts into us a Spirit of love and boldnesse for it presents to us in Christ full satisfaction to divine justice that when we offer Christ to the Father whom he hath sent and sealed for us God cannot refuse a Saviour of his owne sending and sealing and appointing to satisfie his justice therefore wee goe boldly to the throne of grace it is a mervailous priviledge that wee see God clearely in the Gospell with open face with a Spirit of boldnesse the vayle of ignorance being taken away for the sight of God to a conscience that is naturall and is not convinced of the mercy of God by the Spirit it is a terrible sight a guilty conscience
cannot see a man but it trembles it cannot see a judge without trembling and will not the trembling conscience the guilty soule flee from the face of God a pace that trembles at the sigâ—t of a man What is so contrary as the nature of God to the nature of man out of Christ the unholy impure and uncleane nature of man to the pure holy nature of God if Christ had not taken our nature and sanctified it in himselfe and satisfied justice in it what boldnesse could this uncleane nature of ours have had to goe to the holy Godâ— let us I beseech you be wrapped up in admiration of the singular love of God to us especially in the dayes of the Gospell that now we see in a glasse in a cleare glasse the love of God in Christ and with open face boldly we may goe to God Sometimes when the soule is bold in sinne it weakeneth boldnesse and faith and makes us looke upon that object that our sinnes hath deserved upon a wise God for howsoever we may behold his glorious face in Christ yet if we behold sinne against conscience God will hide himselfe Christ will hide his face and hide the promises and leave us to terrours of conscience and the soule shall not apprehend his gracious face in Christ but that correction that our sinne hath deserved God hath power over the soule and makes the soule apprehâ—nd what objâ—ct he will and he presents to a bold soule that runnes into sinne what it deserves hell for the present there is no terrours to the terrour of a Christian that is bold in sinne till God shine upon him in his grace againe sinnes against conscience especially wasting sinnes weaken faiâ—h that wee cannot goe so boldly to God therefore those that say when they sinne against conscience that all the cause of their griefe is because they doe not conceive the free mercy of God they are ignorant of Gods wayes God is wise and though hee pardon sinne as sinne is pardoned in heaven before it be pardoned in the conscience they shall never be pardoned in thy conscience till God have made thy conscience smart for it and God will let wrath into thy conscience and thy faith shall stagger it is a sinne for faith to stagger it should not doe so but it will â—remble and quake till wee have humbled our selves before God What is the way after wee have had boldnesse and sweete familiarity with God and it hath beene interrupted by sin how shall we recover our selves Surely to apprehend our sinnes to be pardonable in Christ and that God is an everlasting Father and that the covenant of grace is everlasting and that there is mercy in Israâ—ll for this thing and the conceite of mercy must worke our hearts to griefe and shame that is certaine for marke in the Gospell Come unto me all ye that are weary and heavy laden hee cals us when we find our consciences afflicted and tormented Hee came to save that which was lost by the blessed power of the Spirit the blood of Christ is as a fountaine for Iudah and Ierusalem to wash in and the blood of Christ purgeth us from sinne and Christ bids us for daily trespasses aske pardon daily therefore conceive goodnesse in God still an everlasting current of mercy and this must work upon us griefe and shame and recover and strengthen our faith againe for Gods children after breaches arise the stronger rather then ever they were before but this onely by â—he way we see here how Gods glorious grace is conveyed to us and what is wrought in us to apprehend it a spirituall eye to see it in the glasse of the Gospell and with open face wee behold it wee may goe boldly to the throne of grace I beseech you let not this priviledge be forgotten this priviledge of the Gospell what is the glory of the times we live in but Gods face discovered in Christ in the Gospel faith is wrought in us to apprehend this to see Gods face openly and that we may come boldly with Benjamin our elder brother come with Esaus garments come with Christ and wee cannot be too bold remember alway there must be a reverent familiarity because hee hath Majesty mixed with his bowels of mercy both are mixed together beames and bowels so our carriage to him must bee loving and familiar as he is full of bowels of mercy but then he hath Majesty a reverent familiarity is fit for a father and for so gracious and so sweete a God therfore that phrase wee see in the Scriptures We goe boldly and cry Ab. ba Father Father is a word of reverence that is we goe boldly to God in Christ open our wants as to a Father with love and reverence as it is said here with open face let us not forget this priviledge We all Here is the generality Wee all before in Moses time hee alone went into the Mount and saw God but now We all â—ewes and Gentiles where the Gospell is Preached Wee all Therefore you see here the Church is enlarged by the comming of Christ. And it was a comfort to Saint Paul and to all good Christians to thinke of the inlargement of the Church by taking in the Gentiles as it will be a comfort hereafter to thinke of the inlargeing of the Church by taking in the lewes againe The more the better in religion Why is it a priviledge for many that we all because in matters of grace and glory there is no envy at all all may share without prejudice all cannot be Kings here upon earth nor all cannot bee great men because the more one hath the lesse another hath but in Christ and in Religion all may be gracious God respects every one as if there were none but them hee respects all as one and one as if there were none but he every man in solidum as Civillians expresse it entirely enjoyeth Christ as if there were none but he he is to all as one and to one as if there were none but hee there is no envy as I said in grace and glory where all may share alike and that is the reason why it is alway comfortable to thinke of community in Religion it is joyned with comfort And indeed so it is matter of comfort to see a communion of many in one for what is the misticall body of Christ Iesus but many members joyned in one body under one gracious and glorious head and therefore it is a deformed sight to see fraction and disunion it is that the divell rules in divide rule it is fit for the devill God and Christ rule in union the same Spirit of God that knits the members to the head by faith knits the members one to another in love and all grace is derived from the head to the members as they are united to the body if there be therefore disunion there is no grace conveyed so farre as there is
heaven and how can wee doe that except we befitted for it the Church is the fitting place for glory we enter into heaven in the Church here we are hewed and squared here if we bee not holy here wee shall never enter into heaven there must be a change begun here if ever it bee perfected in heaven no uncleane thing shall come there as soone as ever Sathan an Angell of light sinned he was tumbled out of heaven it will brooke no uncleane thing no uncleane thing shall ever come there againe therefore our nature must be altered sutable to that place and glorious condition before we come to heaven except we be new borne we cannot enter into the Kingdome of God there is direct Scripture for it Beloved this is forgot men trust to the grace and mercy of God and looke not after a châ—nge and this holds many from imbracing the Gospell in the truth of it from knowing Christ as the truth is in him they heare they must be changed which they are unwilling to they beleeve that God is mercifull and that Christ dyed c. they snatch so much of the Gospell as may serve to build them up in selfe-love so farre they thinke all is well but when they see such grace as must teach them to deny ungodlinesse and worldly lusts and such grace as must change and alter them this they cannot brooke they are content to goe to heaven if they may have it in a way to hell in maintaining their corruptions being proud and covetous and worldly as they are this must not be of necessity there must be a change Nay I say more beside the former reasons the soule that truely desires mercy and favour desires alwayes power against finne pardon and power goe together in Gods gift and in the desire of a Christians soule there is no Christian soule but hee desires the grace of sanctification to change him as much as the grace of pardon for he lookes upon corruption and sinne as the vilest thing in the world and upon grace and the new creature as the best thiâ—g in the world there is no man changed but he hath those apprehensions of sanctification Remember this against some weake conceites likewise that would have all the change in justification they rent Christs Offices as if he were all Priest and not a King to governe as if he were righteousnesse and not sanctification as if he had merit to dye for us and to give us his righteousnesse and no efficacy to change our natures as if in the covenant of grace God did not write his law in our hearts but onely forgive our sinnes hee doth both in the covenant of grace and where God makes a combination we must not breake it efficacy and merit justification and sanctification water and blood goe together there must bee a change but to follow the point a little further There must be change because no holy action can come from an unchanged power and faculty actions spring from powers and faculties they are sutable to them therefore there must bee a change in the powers and faculties of the soule before there be a change in the life and conversation these three follow in nature The forme and living and being of things and powers And action issuing from the power so in the life of grace and sanctification there is a power and ability to beleeve in God and to be holy and to love God and then the actions of love Spring from that power we live and then we have a power to move in nature being and life and moving goe together so if wee have a being in grace we have a power to move I beseech you therefore consider the necessity of a change of the inward man of the powers faculties of the soule can the eye see without a power of seeing or the eare heare without a faculty of hearing can the soule performe sanctified actions without a sanctified power it is impossible And especially the alteration and change is in the will which some would have untouched they would have it free those that would have no more given to grace than needes must but grace workes upon the will most of all divinity rules the will especially for the bent of the will makes a good or a bad man and the desires of the will carry the whole man with it we are as the bent is of our will we are as the choyse of our will is if the choyse and bent and by as be the right way by the Spirit it is good if the will bee not inclined and wrought to goe the best way there is no worke of grace at all though all grace come in through the understanding enlightned that is the first yet it goeth into the will it passeth through the understanding into the will and it puts a new taste and rellish upon the will and affections Well you see therefore that the grace wrought in the Gospell it is not a meere perswasion and intreaty c. but a powerfull worke of the Spirit entring into the soule and changing it and altering and turning the bent and inclination of the will heaven-ward whereas by corruption of nature turnes the soule downeward to things below when the Spirit of God entreth into the soule it is not onely by meere outward perswasion to leave it to the liberty of will but it altereth the taste of the will the soule is carried up and is shut to things below it useth the world as though it used it not we must have great conceites to the worke of grace the Scripture hath great words of it it is an alteration a change a new man a new creature new birth c. we see the necessity of a change Againe another reason is this God where he cals and dignifies he also qualifies Princes cannot qualifie those they rayse but God whom he advanceth to glory he fits and qualifies for glory where he bestowes his mercies and favours to life everlasting he calls to great matters and hee also changeth them If Saul were changed when he came to bee a King in regard of a new quality shall wee thinke that God will call any to the participation of his glorious mercy in Christ in pardoning their sinne and accepting them to life eternall but he will change them No whosoever he calls to glory he changeth and altereth their dispositions to bee fit for so glorious a condition as a Christian is called to there must bee a change Proud men love not to heare of this it is a prejudice to their former authority what I that was accounted a wise man now to be a foole I that was accounted so and so to alter all my frame and course and to turne the streame another way the world will say I grow madde I say because grace altereth and changeth all Old things are past away and all things are become new those that are carnall and
spirit of the world and the devill get out this by all meanes or else Christ will not owne us at the day of judgement hee will not looke upon us he cannot abide to see us if we have not his image wee must beare the image of the second Adam as wee did the image of the first Againe the law of God that was written in Adams heart it is expressed and coppyed out there see our selves there see all the curses there see our selves guilty of the breach of every commandement if wee understand the law spiritually that desire of women and revengefull thoughts are murther and adultery understand the law spiritually and see our selves in that glasse see our selves utterly condemned this will make us flye to the glasse of the Gospell that we may be changed into the Image of Christ. There is another image that we more desire to be changed into we are transformed into the likenesse of the world cast into the mould of the times we labour to have those opinions that the times have and those wayes of getting and rising to preferment that the world hath and to have that carriage and disposition every way that the world hath and so frame to the spirit of the world in al things that so wee may not be observed by others and crossed in our pleasures and preferments and profits wel this desire to be transformed into the likenesse of the world to have the spirit of the world what will it come to in the end The world shall bee condemned if wee will bee condemned with the world let us labour to bee transformed into the opinion of the world and to goe with the streame and the errours of the time if we desire to be damned The world must bee condemned it is the kingdome of Sathan wherein hee rules therefore there is no image or likenesse for us to be transformed into if we will bee saved and have comfort but the Image of Christ and can wee have a better likenesse to be transformed into then the image of him by whom wee hope to be saved then to be like him from whom wee hope for so great a matter as Salvation is Againe that wee may be changed into the likenesse of Christ let us fix our meditations upon him and we shall find a change we know not how insensible as those that stand in the Sunne for other purposes they find themselves lightned and heate so let us set our selves about holy meditations and we shall finde a secret insensible change our soules will be altered and changed wee know not how there is a vertue goes with holy meditation a changing transforming vertue and indeed we can think of nothing in Christ but it wil alter and change us to the likenesse of it selfe because we have all from Christ can wee thinke of his humility and not be humble can wee thinke was God humble and shall base woâ—â—es be proud shall I bee fierce when my Saviour was meeke can a proud fierce heart apprehend a sweete meeke Saviour No the heart must bee sutable to the thing apprehended it is impossible that a heart that is not meeke and sweetened and brought low should apprehend a loving and humble Saviour there must be a sutablenesse betweene the heart and Christ As hee was borne of a humble Virgin so he is borne and conceived in a humble heart Christ is borne and conceived and lives and growes in every Christian and in a humble and lowlâ— heart made like him by his Spirit that is the wombe The heart that is sutable that is the heart that hee is formed in Againe to be changed into this image when we are once in the state of grace let us looke to the remainder of our corruptions the best of us shall see that that will make us looke after Christ look to our world limindednes to our passions to our rebellions to our darkenesse and deadnesse of spirit and then goe to Christ Lord thou hast appointed Christ to be a head to be a full vessell that of his grace wee might have grace for grace hee was annoynted with the oyle of gladnesse above his fellowes but for his fellows I am earthly minded hee is heavenly I am full of rebellions of lusts all is at peace in him the Image of God is perfect in him and hee is a head to infuse grace a head of influence as well as of eminence he is not onely above me but he hath all grace for me therefore goe to Christ I need thy heavenly mindednesse and some portion of thy meekenesse of thy spirituall strength I am weake and darke and dead shine on me thou haste fulnesse for mee so goe to Christ and draw upon every occasion vertue and life from Christ our head this is to know what is meant by being transformed to Christ our head There are two conformities beloved exceeding comfortable to us and wee must meditate on both First Christs conformity to us he was transfigured into our likenesse he became man in love to us not onely man but in the forme of a servant base man he tooke mans nature and mans base condition Phil. 2 here is the ground of our comfort that Christ tooke our forme hee transfigured himselfe to our basenesse and shall not we labour to be transformed to be like him that out of love stooped so low to bee like us let us but thinke of this beloved our blessed Saviour tooke our nature on him pure and holy by his Spirit he followed sinne to death he was conceived and lived and dyed without sinne to satisfie for sinne and now by his Spirit hee cleanseth out sinne he pursued and chased out sinne from his conception in all the passages of his life so we should be like him drive away sin get the Spirit that our nature in us may be as it was in him holy and pure and spirituall shall he be conformed to us and shall not we conforme to him many such reasons and considerations there bee to moove us to be changed into the Image of Christ. Christ in this worke of changing is all in all for first of al by Christs death and satisfaction to divine justice we have the Spirit of God that doth all for the Spirit is the gift of Gods love next to Christ the greatest Now Christ having reconciled God God being reconciled gives the Spirit our sinnes being forgiven the fruite of Gods love is the Spirit so wee have the Spirit by the merit of Christ. Againe we have it from Christ as a head derived unto us we have the Spirit for Christ and from Christ Christ receives the Spirit first and then he sendsit into our hearts so for Christs sake and from Christ as a head we have the Spirit Againe from Christ we have the patterne of all grace whatsoever to which wee are changed the patterne of all grace is from Christ he begins to us in every grace
to be tractable sweete and familiar so that the knowledge of God in Iesus Christ you see it is a transforming knowledge and changeth us into the Image of Christ to the likenesse of Christ. Especially upon this ground that when wee looke upon Christ and God in Christ we see our selves there in the love of Christ and in the love of God and thereupon wee are moved to be changed to Christ not by seeing Christ alone or by seeing God in Christ alone but by seeing Gods love in Christ to us and Christs love to us for the Spirit of faith which is given together with the Gospell it sees Christ giving himselfe for me and sees God the Fathers love in me in Christ and giving me to Christ when the Spirit of faith with this appropriation seeth God mine in Christ and seeth Christ mine and sees my selfe in the love of God and in the love of Christ hereupon the soule is stirred up from a holy desire to bee like Christ Iesus that loved me so much and to be conformable to God all I can For if the person be great and glorious and our friend too there is a naturall desire to be like such to imitate them and expresse them all we can Now when wee see our selves in the love of God and Christ out of the nature of the thing it selfe it will stirre us up to be like so sweete and gracious and loving a Saviour There are three sights that hath a wondrous efficasie and they goe together God sees us in Christ and therefore loves us as we are in Christ. Christ sees us in the love of his father and therefore loves us as hee sees us in his fathers love Wee see our selves in Christ and see the love of God to us in Christ these three sights are the foundation of all comfort God gives us to Christ and sees us as given to him in his election Christ sees us as given of the Father as you have it Iohn 17. And loves us as wee are loved of the Father and then sees us as his owne members and wee by a Spirit of Faith see Christ and see our selves in Christ and given to Christ by the Father hereupon comes a desire of imitation and expression of Iesus Christ when we see our selves in Christ God lookes upon us in Christ and we looke upon our selves in Christ and when we looke upon the mercy of God in Christ it kindleth love and love kindleth love as fire kindleth fire Fire hath that quality that it turnes all to it selfe Now the meditation of the glorious love of God in Christ it workes love and love is an affection of changing love transformes as fire doth the love of God warmes us and wee are fit for all impressions as things that are warme Iron is a dull and heavy thing yet when it is warmed it is bright and plyable and hath as much as may be of the nature of fire imprinted upon it so our dead and dull and unflexible and unyeelding soules become mallyable and flexible by the love of Christ shining upon them his love transformes them and kindles them so here is the way how the glory of Gods love in Christ transformes us because the discovery of the bowels of mercy in God towards us kindles love to him and that being kindled it workes likenesse for love to greatnesse transformes us it workes a desire to be like those that are great where there is dependance there is a desire to be like even among men much more considering that God so loves our nature in Christ and that our nature is so full of grace in Christ as it is the love of God in Christ that hath done so much for us it breedes a desire to be like Christ in our disposition all wee can By looking to the glory of God in Christ wee see Christ as our husband and that breedes a disposition in us to have the affections of a Spouse wee see Christ as our head and that breedes a disposition in us to be members like him Quest. How shall wee know then that wee see God in Christ and the glory of God in the Gospell comfortably Answ. Hath this sight a transforming power in thee to the Image of Christ to make thee like him if it have not a transforming power it is a barren empty contemplation that hath no efficacy or comfort at all so farre as the sight of Gods love in Christ breedes conformity to Christ so farre it is graciour and comfortable see therefore whether thou art transformed to the Image of Christ if there be not a change there is no beholding of Christ to speake off no man ever sees the mercy of God in Christ by the eye of faith but he is changed For beloved as there must be a change so it is in this order from beholding the mercy of God in Christ for can you imagine that any soule can see it selfe in the glasse of Gods love in Iesus Christ that it should see in the Gospell Christ and in him God reconciled unto him in particular but that soule out of the apprehension of Gods love in Christ will love God againe and be altered and changed It is impossible such a sight therefore whereby we see our selves in this glasse as when we looke in a glasse and see our owne Image we see our owne selves in Christ and the love of God such a sight altereth and changeth alway it works love and love is the worker of imitaiton for what doth make one labour to expresse another in their disposition carriage and conversation Oh it is love as children imitate their Parents love is full of invention and of this kinde of invention that it studdies to please the person loved as much as it can every way hereupon we come to be desirous to be like Christ because we see the glory of Gods mercy shining in Christ. The adversaries of the grace of God they fall foule upon us because we preach justification by the free mercy and love of God in Christ Oh say they this is to dead the spirits of men that they have no care of good workes Beloved can there bee any greater insentive and motive in the world to sanctification to expresse Christ and to studdy Christ then to consider what favour and mercy wee have in Christ how we are justified and freed by him by the glorious mercy of God in Christ there cannot be a greater therfore we see here they depend one upon another by seeing in the glasse of the Gospell the glory of God we are transformed from glory to glory An excellent glasse the Gospell is by seeing Gods love in it wee are changed The Law is a glasse too but such a glasse as Saint Iames speakes of that when a man lookes into it and sees his duty he goes away and forgets all the Law discovers our sinne and misery Indeed it is a true glasse if wee looke there
because it is carryed with the current of nature but in age it is more refined that that is that knowledge they have is more pure and more setled and that love and affection is more refined there is lesse selfe-love and that zeale they have it is joyned with more heavenly discretion there is lesse wild fire there is lesse strange fire with though there be lesse heate of nature that it doe not worke in outward demonstrations to the eye of the world yet it is more refined and pure so grace growes thus likewise in the purity and perfection of it Not altogether pure for somewhat will sticke to our best performances savouring of the worst principle in nature for as we carry flesh and spirit alway so that that comes from them will savour of corruption yet lesse in a growne Christian that is a father in Christianity than in another From glory to glory Grace is glory in regard of the state before the least degree of grace is glory in regard of the state of nature but grace is not glory properly till it come to a growth grace is not glorious so in comparison to other Christians that are growne in regard of the state of nature grace is glory take it in the lowest for is not this a glory for a man to be taken into the fellowship of Christ to be the Sonne of God and an heire of heaven to have Angels for his attendants to be begotten by the glorious Gospell the Word of God that imortall seede whatsoever thing is about a Christian it is glorious is not he glorious that hath God the Father and God the Son the Lord of glory and the holy Ghost the Spirit of glory and the glorious Gospell and glorious Angels for his attendants every thing is glorious in a Christian in every Christian there is this so grace is a kinde of glory but notwithstanding wee must not content our selves with that grace is then especially glory when it comes to growth we must labour that grace may appeare what is glory properly glory is excellency and victory over the contrary with manifestation excellency manifested Now a man is sayd to bee glorious in grace when his grace comes to be excellent in view and victorious over the contrary with publick manifestation Vse 1 Now this we ought to labour for though grace be glory in respect of the former estate yet in the ranke of Christians wee ought to be glorious that is more and more gracious both In regard of God that God may have the more glory from us the more grace the more esteeme from him because we resemble him And in regard of Christ Iesus the more glorious we are the more wee resemble him Let us labour to be more and more glorious in regard likewise of the Church whom we shall benefit more the more we grow in grace the more we shall prevaile with God by our prayers who prevayled more with their prayers than Moses and such men Againe when grace is glorious that is with victory and full manifestation the more we are fit to give a luster and light that others seeing it may glorifie God to draw others to the love of grace when they see grace glorious now grace is then glorious in us that others may be incouraged when wee can resist strong temptations when we are not like children carried away with the winde of every doctrine this is a glorious thing when a Christian can hold his owne in the worst times when it is a witty thing to be a Christian as Hillary sayd in a time of schisme it required a great deale of wit to be a Christian it requires a great deale of wit and studdy to hold a man on in Christianity And for a man to bee strong against temptations and the world whether it frowne or fawne that hee cares for neither but holds his owne is not this a glorious thing when a man shall carry himselfe as a Lyon breake through oppositions in ill times and fall square cast him as you will in all conditions here is a glorious Christian therefore though grace be glory that must not content us but wee must labour to have such a measure of glory as that we may be glorious in our owne ranke is it not a glorious thing when a man can breake through doubts and feares that trouble other folke too much as the sunne is sayd to be in glory when he is gotten on high there are many clouds in the morning but when the funne is gotten to his height at noone day hee scatters all so a Christian is in his glory and exaltation when he can scatter doubts and feares and terrours that trouble other weake beginning Christians therefore when we are troubled with scruples with this and that we should labour to get out of them that grace may be glorious to shew that we have gotten such a light and such a convincing knowledge and that wee are so rooted in faâ—th and grace that the Spirit of Christ in us hath broken through all these clouds and mists and made us glorious From glory to glory Our glory it is not like a torrent that runs a maine for a time and after is dryed up for ever grace it is a continuing and an increasing thing it continues still as the streame that it is fed with is an ever-living spring so is grace it is fed with the grace in Christ and he is a never-dying spring a fountaine for that grace in him is fed with his divinity therefore there must be a perpetuall Spring in Christ so where Christ hath opened a spring in the heart hee will feede that grace perpetually Vse 2 Let none be discouraged that have grace begun in them God will goe on with his own grace when hee hath begunne a good Worke hee will finish it to the day of the Lord Though grace be little at the first yet it shall not stay there it growes up we know not how but at last it is glorious indeed for till grace be growne it is little discerned from other things as betweene weeds and herbes there iâ— little difference when they be green till they be growne grace is little at the first as a graine of Mustardseed Ierusalem is not built in a day as wee say of Rome you have some that are a weaker sort of Christians that are good they would faine be in Canaan as soon as ever they are out of Egypt and I cannot blame them but hereupon they are discomforted as soone as ever they have grace in them they would have their pitch presently out of spiritual covetousnesse Oh that I had more knowledge and more victory c. these desires are good for God puts not in vaine desires into the hearts of his children but they must be content to be lead from glory to glory from one degree of grace to another Christ himselfe grew more in favour with God and man as that
little stone grew to a mountaine Dan. 2. so we must bee content to grow from grace to grace there is a graduall proceeding in the new creature wee must not be presently in Canaan God will lead us through the wildernesse through temptations and crosses before wee come to Heaven many because they see they are farre short of others that are stronger Christians therefore they thinke they have no grace at all Therefore let those that are on the growing hand though they bee short of many that are before them let them not be discouraged with their over-little beginnings for it is Gods Ordinance course in this world to bring his children by little and little through many stations as they were led in the wildernesse from standing to standing and from place to place so God brings his children by many standings to Heaven and it is one part of a Christians meekenesse to subject to Gods wisedome in this kinde and not to murmure that they are not so perfect as they would be or as they shall be but rather to magnifie the mercy of God that there is any change in such defiled and polluted soules that hee hath vouchsafed any spirituall light of understanding any love of good things that the bent of their affections are turned to a contrary course then they were before that God hath vouchsafed any beginnings rather magnifie his mercy then quarrell with his dispensation that he doth not this all at once and indeed if we enter into our owne hearts it is our fault that wee are not more perfect but let us labour to be meeke and say Lord since thou hast ordained that I shall grow from glory to glory from one degree of grace to another let me have grace to magnifie thy mercy that thou hast given me any goodnesse rather then to murmure that I have no more and bee content in the use of meanes and indeavour to grow further though wee have not so much as others have Nay wee may not be discouraged because of the weaknesse of grace but we may not be discouraged with a seeming interruption in our spirituall growth God sometimes works by contraries hee makes men grow by their puttings backe and to stand by their falls sometimes when God wil have a man grow hee will suffer him to fall that by his fall he may grow in a deeper hatred of sinne and in jealousie over his owne heart and a nearer watchfulnesse over his owne wayes that he may grow more in love with God for pardoning of him and grow more strong in his resolution for the time to come that he may grow more in humility none growes so much as those that have their growth stopped for a time Let none be discouraged when they find a stop but consider that God is working grace in another kind the Spirit appeares in one grace when it doth not in another it grows in one grace when it doth not in another sometime the Spirit will have us grow in humility as the juyce of the herbes runnes to the roote in the Winter it is in the leaves in the Spring it is in the seede in Autumne as the life sometime appeares in the plant in one part and sometime in another so the Spirit of God appeares sometime in humility sometime in joy sometime in spiriâ—uall strength and courage Let none bee discouraged over much when they finde a stoppe for there is no interruption of spirit altogether and this little interruption is like a sickenesse that will make them grow and shoote up more afterwards it spends the humours that hinders growth there is such a mystery in the carrying of men from glory to glory that it makes men more glorious sometimes by base sinnes I would have no man discouraged therfore indeed God will worke so that hee shall wish he had not given him occasion to shew his strength in his weakenes his glory in his shame but God where hee hath begunne he will go through with the worke and will turne all to good And to incourage us here grace begunne hath the same name as grace perfect both are glory why doth God call them by one name To incourage Christians he tels them that if it be begunne it is glory not that it is so properly but if it be begunne it shall never end till it come in Heaven therefore God stiles grace in all the latitude from the highest to the very beginnings by the same name to incourage Christians if they be within the doore of the Temple though they be not so farre as those that are in high and glorious places yet they are going thither to incourage Christians to know that unavoydably and undefesably they shall come to perfection of glory if it be begunne and God lookes not on Christians as they are in their imperfections and beginnings but that that in time hee meanes to bring them to he intends to bring them to glory therfore he gives grace the stile of glory As in the creatures God looked not on the seedes of trees as such but he looked on them as seedes that he meant to make trees of and when God lookes upon his children he lookes not on them as they are children but as they shall be perfect men Doth the wisedome of God looke on the seedes of trees as he intends to make them trees and doth he not looke upon Christians that are babes in grace as he intends to make them men to come to the perfect stature of Christ he viewes us at once in our beginnings and perfections all is presented at once to him therefore he gives one name to the whole state of grace grace and glory all is glory I beseech you therefore if there be any goodnesse any blessed change in us let us be comforted for he that hath brought us to the beginnings of glory will never faile till hee hath brought us to perfect glory in heaven and there our change shall rest there is no further change there when we are once in our element For even as God when he made man he rested from all his worke upon the Sabboth man was his excellent peece so the Spirit of God will rest sanctifying and altering of us when we are once in Heaven in that eternall Sabboth then wee shall neede no changes from glory to glory wee shall for ever be filled with the fulnesse of God till which time there is no creature in the world so changable as a Christian. For first you see hee was made in Gods Image and likenesse in his state of standing After he fell there was a change to his second state of sinne After the state of fall there is a change to the state of grace After that from one degree of grace to another in this world till hee dye and Then the soule is more perfect and glorious but at the last when body and soule shall be united there shall bee no more change there
Spirit of God workes upon the soule by the meanes of grace by gracious habits and qualities wrought for he doth not worke upon the soule immediately before he alter and change the soule the Spirit workes upon the sâ—ule by altering and changing of it and when it hath altered the soule then it joynes with the soule and alters and changeth it according to the Image of Christ more and more still I beseech you in your dayly practise all learne this that you trust not too much to any outward performance or taske to make Idols of outward things people when they would change their dispositions and bee better they take a great deale of pâ—ines in hearing and reading and praying all these are things necessary but they are dead things without the Spirit of Christ therefore in the use of all those outward things whatsoever they be looke up to â—hrist that is the quickning Spirit that sends the Spirit into our hearts the Spirit must enliven and give vigour to all these things and then somewhat will be done in religion in hearing and reading and praying and receiving the Sacrament Therefore in all these looke to the Spirit first hee laboureth in vaine that relieth not wholly upon the Spirit of God that trusts not to a higher strength than his owne it must be a higher strength than our owne that must worke any good in our soules either grace or comfort or peace and therefore in the use of all things as the proverbe is oculos ad coelum c. let the eye bee to heaven when the hand is at the sterne at the same time and then we shall be transformed and changed by the Spirit of God Know that in all meanes alway the spirit is the principle efficient blessing cause of all and therefore before we set upon any thing that is good wherein we looke for any spirituall good desire God by his holy Spirit that hewould â—loath what shall be sayd words are winde without the Spirit the Spirit must goe with the ordinances as the Arteries goe together with the Veines You know in the Veines in the body there are Arteries that goe with them they convey the spirits the veynes convey the blood that is a dull thing without the Spirits of it selfe if there were no Spirits in the Arteries what would the blood in the veines be nothing but a heavie uncomfortable humour but the Arteries that come from the heart the fountaine of life being joyned and conveying the spirits they quicken the blood that comes from the Liver so the veines and arteries joyne together to make the blood cheerefull The Word and truth of God are like the blood in the veines there is a great deale of matter in them but there is no life at all there must the Spirit goe along with them to give life and quickning to the Word to cloath those divine truthes with the Spirit and then it workes wonders not else Paul spake to Lydia Ast. 16. but the holy Ghost opened her heart the Spirit hath the key of the heart to unlocke and open the heart we speake to the outward man but except the inward man be opened by the Spirit of God and unlocked all is to no purpose therefore let us pray for the Spirit of this changing all is by the Spirit of the Lord. It is in mysticall Christ even as it was in naturall Christ all his grace was from the holy Ghost as man for though he were conceived of the holy Ghost he was annoynted by the hâ—ly Ghost he was sealed by the holy Ghost he was lead by the holy Ghost into the wildernesse he offered himselfe by the Spirit he was raysed by the Spirit he was full of the Spirit As it was in Christ naturall so it is in Christ mysticall that is in the Church all is by the Spirit as he was conceived in the wombe by the Spirit so we are conceived to be Christians by the Spirit the same Spirit that sanctified him sanctifieth us but first the Spirit by way of Vnion sanctifieth us by knitting us to him the head of all and then unction comes after union annoynting after union then the Spirit when he hath knit us to Christ workes the same annoynting that he did in Christ. Therefore we are called Christians of Christ not onely partakers of the naked name but of the annoynting of Christ that annoynting that runnes downe the head of our spirituall Aaron to the skirts to every poore Christian. All change all comfort all peace is from the Spirit of Christ therefore give him the glory of all if wee Finde any comfort in any truth it comes not from us but from his Spirit and wee must goe upward to him againe as all descends from heaven from the Father of lights and from the Spirit of God so all must ascend againe yeeld him the prayse of all And one worke of the Spirit is to carry our soules up for the Spirit as it comes from heaven to change us so it carries us up againe to view and to imitate Christ to be where Christ is as water when it is to be carryed up it is carryed as high as the spring head from whence it came so the Spirit comming from Christ it never leaves changing and altering of us till it have carryed us to Christ againe therefore as it is the work of the Spirit to carry us to Christ so let us desire it may carry us before hand for the good worke begun in us in thankefulnesse that we may begin heaven upon earth all is from the Spirit of Christ. A man now in the state of grace must looke for nothing from himselfe for as we are saved altogether out of our selves by Christ the mediator so the fitting for that glorious Sâ—lvation that we have purchased by Christ it is by the Spirit the working of our salvation is by God and the assurance of it to our soules is by the holy Ghost by the witnesse of God sealed to us and the fitting and preparing and changing and sanctifying of us it is by the holy Ghost all is out of us in the covenant of grace wherein God is a gracious Father in Christ all is out of us in regard of the spring The worke indeed is terminated in us the Spirit of God alters our understanding will and affections but the spring is out of us as in Paradise those foure streames that watered Paradise that runne through it yet the head of them was out of Paradise in another part of the world so though the worke of the holy Ghost the streames of the Spirit runne through the soule and water it yet the spring of those graces the holy Ghost is out of us and Christ the roote of Salvation is out of us for God in the covenant of grace will not trust us as in Adam God trusted us with grace hee had grace in his owne keeping if he would he might have stood he had
us is according to the Image of Christ that we may be like Christ so Christ is the beginning and the end and Christ is all hee workes from Christ and to Christ. Let us examine therefore if wee have the Spirit of Christ whether it change us and examine if wee have the Spirit from what reasons and grounds it changes us and then wee may upon some comfortable grounds say we have the Spirit indeed If we have not the Spirit how shall we come to have the Spirit what meanes must wee use to get it In a word this Chapter excellently sets out that for the Gospell is called the Ministery of the Spirit for the opening of the love of God in Christ which is the Gospell is the Mynistery of the Spirit why because God hath joyned the Spirit with the publishing and opening of these mysteries therefore study the Gospell and heare unfolded divine Evangelicall truthes the more wee heare of the sweete love of God in Christ the more the Spirit flowes into the soule together with it the Spirit goes together with the Doctrine of the Gospell which is called the ministery of the Spirit Therefore let us delight in hearing Evangelicall poynts the love of God opened in Christ. A civill morall man Oh he is taken mightily if hee heare a morall witty pollitique discourse that toucheth him and he is in his element then What is this to the Gospell this hath its use Oh but the Spirit goes with the opening of the Gospell with Evangelicall points and if our hearts were ever seasoned with the love of God these points of Christ and the benefits and priviledges by Christ they will affect us more then any other things in the world that is one meanes to studdy the Gospell to heare the truths of the Gospell opened where the Spirit workes Againe the Spirit of the Lord it is given to us usually in holy community the Holy Ghost fell upon them in the Actes when they were gathered together and surely wee never finde sweeter motions of the Spirit then now when wee are gathered at such times about holy businesse as this day wee never find the Spirit more effectuall to alter and change our soules then at such times Where two or three are gathered together I will be in the midst of you but by the Spirit saith Christ warming and altering and changing the soule For God infâ—seth al grace in communion as we are members of the body mysticall those that have â—ullen spirits a spirit of separation that scorne all meetings they are carryed with the spirit of the devill and of the world they know not what belongs to the things of God It is the meeâ—e spirit that subjects it selfe to the Ordinance of God the Holy Ghost falls usually upon men when they are in holy Communion And in Luke 11. there God will give the Holy Ghost to all that begge him pray for the holy Ghost as the most excellent thing in the world he shal be given to them that begge him as if he should say there is nothing greater then that and God will give him to them that aske him Therefore come to God and in any thing wee have to doe empty our selves and beg the Spirit for the more a man empties him of his owne confidence in regard of holy performance of duties the more wee wil desire to be filled with the fullnesse of the Spirit and this sense of our owne emptines will force prayer Therefore know that of our selves wee can doe nothing holily that may further our reckoning but by the Spirit doe all things therefore in a sense of our owne emptinesse and begge the Spirit As likewise when wee are framed by the Spirit to obedience those that obey the motions of the Spirit the Spirit joynes morâ— and more closely with their soules God gives his Spirit to them that obey him those that obey the first motions of the Spirit they have further degrees What is the reason that men have no more Spirit in the Ordinances The holy Ghost knockes at their hearts and would faine have entrance and they resist it as Stephen saith now the Holy Ghost is willing to enter upon the soule but he is resisted therefore if you will have him more and more let us open our soules that the King of glory may come in the Spirit is willing to enter especially in holy assemblies saith Saint Iohn I was on the Lords day I was in the Spirit that is as if he were drowned in the Spirit on the Lords day when we are about holy exercises we are never more in the Spirit than then let us open our soules to the Spirit and then we shall find the Spirit joyning with our soules the Spirit is more willing to save us and to sanctifie us then wee are to entertaine him Oh that we were willing to entertaine the sweete motions of the Spirit our natures would not be so defiled and we so uncomfortable as we are there are none of us all but wee finde comfortable motions in holy exercises thus wee may get the Spirit of the Lord that doth all that illuminates and sanctifieth and ruleth and rests in us Vse 4 And let us learne I beseech you hence to give the third glorious person the Holy Ghost his due since wee have all by the Spirit let us learne to give the Spirit his due and learne how to make use of the worke of the Spirit there are severall workes of the Spirit you see here what the Spirit doth We all the Spirit unites us together it is a Spirit of union it knits all together by one faith to God all meete in God the Father reconciled and we all are joyned together by love wrought by the Spirit With open face who takes away the vayle wee are all vayled by nature the Spirit takes away the vaile from our eyes and from the truth what is the reason the Gospell is so obscure the Spirit takes not away the vaile it teacheth not by the Ministery or else it takes not away the vaile from the eyes the Spirit takes away the scales from our eyes and the Spirit in the ministery takes away the obscurity of the Scriptures all those that wee call graces the free gifts the ministeriall gifts they are the gifts and the graces of the Spirit and they are for the graces of the Spirit skill in tongues and in the Scriptures and in other learning are given to men that they may take away the vaile from the the Scriptures that they may be lightsome and then when the Spirit is given he takes away the vaile from the soule by his owne worke and then with open face we behold the glory of the Lord What doth open our eyes to see when the vaile is taken off the Spirit wee have no inward light nor sight but by the illumination of the Spirit all light in the things and all sight in us it is by
the illumination of the Spirit And then the change according to the Image of Christ this is altogeâ—her by the Spirit of Christ it is altogether from the holy Ghost Christ baptiseth With the Holy Ghost and with fiâ—e and Christ came By blood and by water by blood to dye for us and by water by his Spirit to change us and purge and cleanse us all is by the Spirit Christ came as well by the Spirit as by blood This change and the graduall change from glory to glory all is by the Spirit therefore wee should not thinke altogether of Christ or God the Father when we goe to God in prayer but thinke of the worke of the Spirit that the holy Ghost may have his due Lord without thy Spirit my body is as a thing without a soule a dead loathsome stiffe unapt carkasse that cannot stirre a whit and so my soule without the operation of thy holy Spirit it is a stiffe dead unmoveable thing and therefore by thy Spirit breath upon me as thy holy Spirit in the creation did lye upon the waters and brood as it were all things there lying upon the waters it fashioned this goodly creature heaven and earth this Mundus so the Spirit of God lying upon the waters of the soule it fashions all graces and comforts whatsoever they are all is wrought by the Spirit in the new creature as all in this glorious fabricke of the world was by the Spirit of God Let the Spirit of God therefore have due acknowledgement in all things whatsoever And what are we to looke to mainely now the knowledge of God the Father and his love to us shining in Christ all is in Christ and if we would have any thing wrought in us any alteration of our natures let us begge the Spirit that we may have the discovery of the love of God in Christ the Spirit attending upon the Gospell And because we have all these aboundantly in these latter times of the Church in the second spring of the Gospell in the reformation of religion after our recovery out of Popery there is a second spring of the Gospell oh belovd how much are we beholding to God never since the beginning of the world was there such glorious times as we enjoy Wee see how the holy Apostle doth preferre these times before former times when the vayle was upon their eyes and when all was hid in ceremonies and types and such things among the lewes Now saith he we behold the glory of God and are changed by the Spirit from glory to glory To conclude all therefore consider that the glory of the times and the glory of places and persons all is from the revelation of Christ by the Spirit which hath the Spirit accompanying it the more God in Christ is layd open the more the times and places and persons are excellent What made the second temple beyond the former Christ came at the second temple therefore though it were baser in it selfe yet the second Temple was more glorious than the first what made Bethelem that little City glorious Christ was borne there what makes the heart where Christ is borne more glorious than other folke Christ is borne there Christ makes persons and places glorious What makes the times now more glorious than they were before Christ what made the least in the Kingdome of heaven greater than Iohn Baptist he was greater than all that were before him and all that are after him are greater than he because his head was cut off he saw not the death and resurrection of Christ and the giving of the holy Ghost he saw not so much of Christ so that the revelation of Christ and the love of God in Christ it is that that makes times and persons and places glorious all glorious because the vayle is taken away from our eyes we see Christ the King of glory in the Gospell flourishing and the love of God manifested and by the Spirit of God the vayle is taken away inwardly as well as outwardly now for a fuller discovery of Christ than in former times comes the glory of the times now there are more converted than in former times because the Spirit goes together with the manifestation of Christ what is the reason that this Kingdome is more glorious than any place beyond the Seas because Christ is here revealed more fully than there the vayle is taken off and here we see the glory of God with open face which changeth many thousands from glory to glory by the Spirit of God that accompanies the revelation of the Gospell Is there any outward thing that advanceth our Kingdome before Turkey or Spaine c. No thing their government and riches and outward things are as much as ours if not more the glory of places and times are from the revelation of Christ that hath the Spirit accompanying of it that Spirit changeth us from glory to glory our times are more glorious than they were a hundred yeeres or two before why because we have a double revelation of Christ and of Antichrist we see Christ revealed and the Gospell opened and the vayle taken off we see Antichrist revealed that hath masked under the name of head of the Church and hath seduced the world Now this double revelation challengeth acknowledgement of these blessed times what should all this doe but stirre us up to know the time of our visitation to thankfulnesse to blesse God that hath reserved us for these places and Countries that we live in to cast our times to be in this glorious light of the Gospell to be borne in what if we had beene borne in those darke Egyptian times of Popery our lives had not beene so comfortable Now we live under the Gospell wherein with open face we see the glory of the mercy of God in Christ the unsearchable riches of Christ opened and discovered to us And together with the Gospell the ministery of the Spirit goeth the Spirit and those that belong to God thousands by the blessing of God are changed from glory to glory Certainely if we share in the good of the times we will have hearts to thanke God and to walke answerably that as wee have the glorious Gospell so we will walke gloriously that we doe not by a base and fruitlesse life dishonour so glorious a Gospell I beseech you let us thinke of the times else if we be not the better for the glorious times if the vayle be not taken away we are under a fearefull judgement The god of this world hath blinded our eyes doe wee live under the glorious light and yet are darke that wee see no glory in Christ we see nothing in religion but are as ready to entertaine Popery as true religion is this the fruite of the long preaching of the Gospell and the vayle being taken off so long certainely the God of this world hath cast the dust of the world into our eyes that we can see
Three parts of the Text. Happinesse of man in two things Doct. The mercie of God his glory Glory what Excellency Evidence Victory Witnesse Severall attributes shine on severall occasions All attributes terrible without mercie Why men are enemies to Gods free grace The glory of God in the Gospell greater than that in Adam The glory of God in Gospell above that in Creation Gods glory to man more than to Angels 1 Cor. 14. The glory of Gods mercy shineth in Christ. To imbrace this mercy God joynes our good with his glory To admire the love of God We may glory in Gods love without danger Glorious mercy will satisfie conscience Comfort from Gods mercy How we may looke at our owne Salvation How to thinke of mercy in temptation Often offences exclude not from mercy How God shewed Moses his glory Exhortation to accept mercy When we account grace glorious Necessity of the Gospell God condescends in giving the Gospell Motions of the Spirit in men unconverted God must be seene in some glasse God hath ingaged himselfe by his promise We cannot see Divine things but in a glasse Sight weak here perfect in heaven Our soules helped by our sences What makes spirituall things difficult Vse of a glasse To helpe weake sight Sacraments glasses Degrees of sight In the creatures In the Word Of Christ in the flesh Of faith Faith compared to sight It is the noblest sence It is largest It is the surest It is most working Vse How to keepe the eye of the soule cleare To â—ixe it on the object Remoove hinderances Inward Outward Spirituall sight presered by hearing The best glasse to know Christ in The vayle tooke away But in part Two fold use of a vayle Why men see not though the Gospell be unvailed Boldnesse in the Gospell Feare taken away by the Gospell Boldnesse in sinne weakneth boldnesse of faith How to â—ecovâ—r boldnesse with God Comfort in community in Religion To labour for union Necessity of a chang Simil. Reasons why our nature mâ—st be changed Because naturally we are opposite to God Simile Change double We cannot â—lse be fitted for heaven Every true Christian desires it A change in Sanctification as well as justification We can performe no holy action else The change especially on the will God qualifies whom he dignifies All good in Christ opposite to the ill in Adam Why the 〈◊〉 of Gods children is unâ—ltâ—rable Why Christ changeth us into his Image He is a powerfull head and husband We are predestinate to his likenesse Christs end is to destroy sathans work in us We could have no communion with Christ else To stuâ—â—dy Christ. Christs carriage Toward his friends To weake Christians To those that had but seeming grace To his Father To himselfe To his enemies To the Devill To Hypocrites How to reade the life of Christ in the Gospell The more we are like Christ the more beloved of God And of one another Simil. Who keepe Christ alive in the world How we come to be like Christ. How we are dead and risen with Christ. Three things comfortable to us in Christs death Whence hatred of sinne proceedes How to know if we be changed to Christs Image Most desire to be changed into the likenesse of the world Meditate on Christ. The sight of remainder of sin Christ all in all in changing us The gift of the Spirit For Christ. From Christ. The patterne of all grace from Christ. The reasons of this câ—ange from Christ To see all that is good and comfortable in Christ first This change wrought by beholding The excellencie of the glasse of the Gospell Vpon what ground we are changed by beholding Three efficatious sights How to knoW if we see the glory of God as we ought Love workes imitation Repentance a turning If there were not a change God would be forsworne Foure degrees of the glory of a Christian. Sin makes us shamefull Glorious comforts in religion Growth in grace glory The glory of the soule in heaven Of bodie and soule at the resurrection Grace is glory It is Gods image Mans perfection Terible to al opposites Wisedome Humility Selfe deniaâ—l Boldnesse with God Love Hope The glorious condition of a Christian. Difference betweene a Christan and another man Why the world despise those that are gracious From blindnesse of carnall men From Saints infirmities It is but a forced contempt We must be conformed to Christ. Grace in others either imitated or envied The excellency of Christians above others Two sorts of carnall men To labour for grace that we may be glorious No man glorious but a Christian Oppose this glory to the base esteem of carnall men Comfort our selves in the disparagements of the world To know whether we have grace by our esteeme of it In himselfe In others The state of grace and glory both goe under one name Heaven must be begun here Comfort that grace and glory have the same name Difference betweene the state of the godly and wicked Grace glorious when it is in strength Grace of a growing nature From our disposition From Gods purpose Simil. Grace more refined in aged Christians The least degree of grace glory in respect of the state of nature To labour for strength of grace Priviledges of growth in grace Not to be discouraged in the weaknesse of grace God leads his by degrees to heaven It is our owne fault that we are not more perfect Not to be discouraged in seeming interruption of spirituall growth The least beginnings and the perfection of grace have the same name and why Simile No change in Heaven Why we are not brought to perâ—â—ction here Not to â—â—are death Degrees in the glory of a Christian. A part of heaven to know the glory of it To trâ— the truth of our graces Christians grow when they thinke they doe not Why God brings us on by little and little Not to decay in grace Christians compared to the best things A â—icked man cannot desire heaven Account must be givâ—n for examples To beare the reproach of Christ. Vse 7. To be thankfull for glory beforehand In our head By Faith In the first fruites The workâ— of the whole Trinity in mans salvation Doct. Doct. Not to rest too much in outward performances The Spirit quickens all ordinances The Word and Spirit compared to the blood and arterieâ— The Spirit in Christ naturall and mysticall In the state of grace we must looke for nothing from our selves Comfort in want of goodnesse in us When men trust their owne strength they fall Whether we have the Spirit It openeth the eyes of the soule It discovers Gods love It sanctifieth Slander of the Papists He promotes sâ—nctification The Spirit a Counsellor It abides It changeth by reasons from Christ How to get the Spirit By hearing the Gospel In holy Communion Prayer To give the Spirit of God his dâ—e Whence the glory of times and places is Why more are converted now than formerly The danger of unprofitablenesse under meanes Spirituall judgements â—errable