Spirit is satisfied in the government of Christ he is reconciled unto all the commands of Christ and he delights in the dominion of Christ and he freely and chearfully resigns up himself unto the Scepter of Jesus Christ Lord saies the Soul here I am rule over me Christ never interests a Soul in himself that he doth not bear the sway in its heart and command the powers of its Soul Psal 110.3 Thy people shall be a willing people in the day of thy power When Jesus Christ makes a willing people that is displays the power of his Grace and brings home a Soul and gives it an interest in himself he subjects the heart unto his Government he makes the Soul freely willing to be ruled by the laws and by the Authority of Christ Jesus no laws seem so desirable unto him as the laws of Jesus no rule no Scepter so pleasant as the Scepter of Christ and all the commands of Christ are chosen by him as being equal righteous holy pleasant and good the Spirit is reconciled to Christ Jesus in the whole of his Gospel Government over the heart of the Christian My Lord and my God saies Thomas these alwaies go together My God and also my Lord. And this particular I ground upon and gather out of my Text he is become the God of my Salvation how shall I know that He is my Lord saies the Prophet I will rejoice in the Lord the title Lord notes Dominion and Soveraignty Now the Soul that is interested in Christ rejoyceth in the Dominion and Soveraignty of Christ Jesus I will rejoice in the Lord I will joy in the God of my Salvation The inference that is drawn from this Scripture for our present purpose is this that the Soul that is interested in Christ will rejoyce in the dominion of Christ or doth receive Christ Jesus as a Lord and as a Lord doth rejoyce in and under him Indeed there may be much weakness in his obedience I don't say that he doth exactly and to a tittle walk up to the rule to fulfill every command of God No I know there is a great deal of weakness in the strongest believer upon earth and through the strength of corruption and the violence of temptation he may sometimes be fovled and born down ay but when he is so still his heart is right and he loves the commands of Christ that he cannot come up to and he honours the rule of Christ and to his utmost makes way for the sway of the Scepter of Christ in his Soul though he may be born down by temptation yet his love remains still unto every command of Jesus Rom. 7.25 I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord so then with my mind I my self serve the law of God but with the flesh the law of sin Saies Paul I am born down I am overcome but I don't justify my self herein but I bless God saies he that my heart is secured my love doth not abate I have not waved a command through my dissatisfaction in it I have not been disobedient to a command because I judged it unreasonable or were dissatisfied in it No but my heart that stands right for those commands that I cannot reach in my life with my mind I my self serve the law of God So Romans 1.9 saies the Apostle For God is my witness whom I serve with my Spirit in the Gospel of his Son so as you see the Spirit that stands clear and is under a constant and full engagement though it may be the life doth not discover that evenness that it should with my Spirit saies he I serve the Lord. It may be said in the case of the temptation of a believer as was said concerning the Spouse I sleep but my heart awâ—kâ—th thus it is with many a poor Soul he may be brought into a sleepy condition and he staggers and stumbles in his way he finds it so difficult but saies he while I sleep my heart awaketh his declensions do not arise from dissatisfaction but his love is reconciled to the command still and he honours those precepts that he is not able to come up to Now Christian bring your condition to this touchstone if thou hast a heart that doth slight the government of Christ and if thou canst not bear the strict rule and dominion of Christ Jesus over thy Soul if that thou hast thy exceptions against the Scepter of Christ Jesus being lifted up in thy heart it is a sign that thou art not yet interested in Christ thou never didst bear rule over them they were not called by thy name I pray remember that that rule that thou despisest is the only saving rule and that power that thou refusest to stoop to is the only saving power the only blessed and blessing power But on the other side if thou canst find that thy heart is open unto the Lord Jesus Christ as he is the Lord as he is invested with all power as the Father hath given all Authority unto him if thy heart be open to him and thou dost love his Laws in their holiness and strictness and his Government and Rule for its closeness and if way be made in thy Soul for the Throne of Christ to be set up it argues thou art interested in Christ for those that are Christ's doth the Lord bear Rule over Fourthly The Soul's Interest in Christ may be known by the distance that the heart standeth in from the power and interest of his former state that Christ Jesus hath overturned The Soul before his coming over to Christ was under the Rule of another Lord and was in subjection to another Interest to the power and interest of sin and that bore sway in his heart and commanded his life he yielded up himself a servant to sin and devoted himself unto the service of sin This the Apostle speaks out Rom. 6.16 17. Know ye not that to whom ye yield your selves servants to obey his servants ye are to whom ye obey whether of sin unto death or of obedience unto righteousness but God be thanked that ye were the servants of sin but ye have obeyed from the heart the form of Doctrine which was delivered to you And in 19 and 20 verses you have it again And says he When you were the servants of sin ye were free from righteousness He doth plainly shew that they were formerly servants to another Interest they were engaged in the service of sin they acted sin as in a service as a servant observes and respects and obeys his Master so doth the natural heart observe respect and obey sin and it is his Lord it hath the commanding power of his Soul and it is a most pleasant service to the sinner though he will find it a sad service in the latter end yet it is a most pleasant and a most delightful service therefore a sinner's walking in sin and gratifying the lusts of the flesh is called his pleasure the pleasures of
you meet with many temptations here and you meet with many afflictions here trial upon trial one following another well under all comfort your selves with the Hope that is laid up in Heaven for you and ballance all your trials and temptations with the Hope that is in Heaven And Use 5. In the last place You that have a Hope laid up in Heaven for you see that you walk answerable to your Hope This is expected of you as the A postle tells you 1 Thes 2.12 That ye would walk worthy of God who hath called you unto his Kingdom and glory See that you walk worthy of the Hope that you have received Have you a Hope laid up in Heaven for you of such great things as we have mentioned a Hope ever to be with the Lord then carry it in a way correspondent to these Hopes in raised frames breathings and longings of heart after God The Hopes of an eternal enjoyment of God in the world to come should fill us with desires after the enjoyment of God here in those means and according to those waies in which he hath promised to let out of himself to his People You should be continually pressing after the enjoyment of God mediately who have the Hopes of the eternal enjoyment of God immediately And says the Apostle 1 Joh. 3.3 He that hath this Hope in him purifieth himself even as he is pure If you have such a Hope then testifie it by laying siege to corruption and by seeking to mortifie the body of sin and death that you bear about you and correspond with your Hopes in pressing after holiness and a growth in all grace for he that hath this Hope and he that hath the Promise of these things will be perfecting Holiness in the fear of God Make it your business therefore to grow in grace and to advance in all Holiness that so you may abound and that yet more and more in the work of the Lord. Christians Freedom FROM Condemnation in Christ Romans 8.1 There is therefore now no Condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit THIS Chapter is as one calls it the Magazine of a Christian's comfort it is the Cabinet where many Jewels are lockt up the Ship where much of his Treasure is imbarqued The Apostle gives out comfort upon comfort unto Believers here 1. In the first part of the Chapter he endeavours to comfort them under the afflictive and discouraging sense that they had of the remaining corruption that did annoy and pester them every day shewing that it was pardoned and done away out of the sight of God 2. He endeavours to comfort them under all their trials tribulations and afflictions that were many and to be many in this world and shews them that there was a weight of glory in reserve that would more than ballance them all 3. He also endeavours to comfort them against their fears of falling away or of God's casting them off shewing of them that nothing shall separate them from the love of Christ And in the close of the Chapter Faith breaks out into an high act and he is able to triumph over all in this world and all the Principalities of Hell and Darkness that were engaged against him shewing that in Christ Jesus he was and all those in his state and condition were more than Conquerors through him that had loved them In the first verse you have a heart-reviving Proposition laid down There is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus In the following verses you have the confirmation of this Proposition For says he the Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the Law of sin and death In ver 9. he makes application of all unto those in Christ Jesus to whom he had written But ye says he are not in the flesh but in the spirit if so be the Spirit of God dwelleth in you All you that have the Spirit of God you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit and therefore there is no condemnation to you and he proposes it in such general terms as that all who have the Spirit may take it up and make application of the comfort thereof to their own Souls The Assertion that he lays down in the Text is no condemination to them that are in Christ Jesus Or a Conclusion that is drawn from the whole Doctrine of our Justification in and by the Righteousness of Jesus Christ of which he had treated in the preceeding Chapters of the Epistle Now this he concludes from it that being accepted in Christs righteousness and being in that justified before God there is now no condemnation for us so as you have in the words 1. This assertion laid down that there is no Condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus 2. A Mark and Character given whereby we may come to know whether we are these to whom there is no condemnation that is such saies he walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit In the Proposition or assertion you may take notice 1. Of the Subjects and they are such as are in Christ 2. Of the Predicate and that is there is no Condemnation to them Some there are that make our being in Christ Jesus our vocation and they construe our Non-condemnation our justification and our walking not after the flesh but after the spirit to set forth our sanctification Condemnation it is the doom or sentence of a just and righteous Judge against an offender Now Non-condemnation it is the contrary hereunto that is to be acquitted to be discharged to have the sentence of death revoked and taken off and this is that that God doth for all those that are in Christ Jesus he revokes the sentence that was gone our against them There is in the Gospel a cancelling of our law obligation to die the Gospel that brings in life and removes the death that the law threatned and denounced against us and so the Proposition from the first part of the verse is this Doct. That all those that are in Christ they are acquitted absolved and discharged by God There is now saies he no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus No condemnation from God no condemnation in Heaven for them God the Father that is in Christ a Father of Mercies and a Father of Forgivenesses he comes and forgives and discharges them There are 3 Courts as I may so say there is the Court of Heaven there is the Court of Conscience and there are the Courts of Men. Now a Child of God may be sentenced in the two latter and yet acquitted and cleared in the former he may be condemning himself he may be drawing up charges against himself he may write nothing but bitterness against himself when he is acquitted before God he may be accused and condemned by Men Jesus Christ was so counted a Sinner numbred amongst Transgressours and yet the
in the overcoming and binding of all enemies that are against thee Let thine enemies be never so strong let the powers of men engage against a poor Soul Jesus Christ hath a power greater then them all and will bind them at his pleasure and will take the prey out of the hands of the terrible let Satan the Prince of darkness put in against a poor creature he shall never be able to take him and carry him Captive for Jesus Christ will secure him because greater is he that is in you then he that is in the world 1 John 4.4 He is greater than the Prince the God of the world now the great power that Jesus Christ hath is a power for you Jesus Christ he is invested with this power as he is Mediator that he might over rule all the enemies of your state vanquish them at his pleasure so as let them for a while tyrannize and vaunt it yet they shall never be able to carry one poor believer to Hell nor out of the dominion power of Gods Grace for all this power that Jesus hath he is intrusted withal for your security And 2. For the over-ruling of all your wants in your state Jesus Christ hath a power and all power that he might supply you in all your occasions necessities it may be the poor believer is discouraged he sees but a little meal in the barrel but a little Oil in the cruise he sees his stock begins to wast he thinks he spends upon the principal and it will soon be all done and how shall he live then the water in the pitcher is almost out and the cake that is baked is almost eaten and the Soul begins to think now it must die ay but Christian this Jesus hath an all-power to answer all thy wants let thy necessities be never so many do but consider who it is that thou hast to deal with it is he that hath the fulness of the earth in his own possession Psal 50.12 If I were hungry I would not tell it thee for the world is mine and the fulness thereof and Psal 89.11 The Heavens are thine the Earth also is thine and as for the world and the fulness thereof thou hast founded it whose is the world I pray In whose hand is it is it not in the hand of your Jesus Hath not a dominion over all creatures for you his mediatory power is for you to be improved for you and to be imployed for you so as let your necessities be what they will they cannot be greater then your Jesus hath a supply by him for and is able to answer You know the thousands of Israel were called to live 40 years in a howling wilderness where there was no plowing nor sowing and yet behold they were alwaies supplied They did but cry unto the Lord when they seemed to be in want and the Lord gave them bread from Heaven and flesh from Heaven and he gave them water out of the Rocks and the fulness of the earth is still in his hand Elijah was in a low condition and did not know what to do and God commands a Raven to feed him and God commanded an Angel to be his Servant All the Creatures they are in covenant for your good I have made saith the Lord a Covenant for you with the Beasts of the field and with the Fowls of heaven and with all Creatures And if God does but command the quails to come and feed the people of Israel they shall do it And if God do but command the Ravens to seed the Prophet he shall not want saies Christ Mat. 16.9 do ye not yet understand neither remember the 5 loaves of the 5 thousand and how many Baskets ye took up They were in a little strait and reasoned among themselves Why saies Christ have you forgotten how I fed so many thousand with 5 loaves and 2 fishes and my arm is not shortned my power is not lessened It is an absolute power an uncontroulable dominion that I have therefore fear not Soul do not weep over your empty bottle do not weep over your lost estate do not weep over your past comforts but look up to the fulness of Jesus he hath enough for your relief he can command of the fulness of the earth into your condition and give it you by what hand he pleaseth And as he hath an uncontroulable power that can rebuke all your enemies and make a supply to you in all your wants So 2. He hath an unexhaustible treasure It hath pleased the Father to put his all-fulness of Grace into him and make him Lord of all that Grace that is to be dispensed to believers in that known place Col. 1.19 It hath pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell All Grace it comes from Christ it is placed in him as the Fountain and he hath the fulness of all Grace for your relief 1. Vnto vital influences And 2. Vnto actual assistance 1. He hath a fulness of all Grace unto vital influences Therefore the second Adam was made a quickning Spirit as the Apostle tells us 1 Cor. 15.45 he hath received life that he might give it unto others the Son of God is said to raise those that were dead he is a living spring of Grace that sends vital Grace into our hearts It is he that doth implant vital principles of Faith of love of patience and of new obedience and makes us new creatures to God and causeth us to live before him and this may be matter of encouragement to those that are yet dead in trespasses and sins those that are yet void of Grace and destitute of spiritual life why Sirs Jesus Christ is a living Spring Jesus Christ is a quickning Spirit and he gives life to those that are dead he is furnished with life by the Father to give life to dead Souls let the dead sinner then hope in Jesus and let him wait upon Jesus he that hath commanded those that have been dead to live can also command thy dead Soul to live he hath still life-power in him and life-grace in him And 2. He hath all grace for actual assistance he is the true Olive that empties of his golden Oil into the hearts of believers hence Christ saies John 15.5 Without me you can do nothing I am the Vine and ye are the branches or I am the Root and ye are the Branches Why Jesus Christ he is an influential root he is a root full of sap and full of nourishment and full of moisture that he does convey to believers for their spiritual growth and improvement by his strength it is that we are able to stand in a day of temptation by his strength it is that we are able to manage spiritual duties O alass a little duty would be too great for us were it not for the strength of Christ Jesus and a little of the grace of Christ Jesus will make a Soul wonderfully strong that
and shall further be glorified upon him and in him I have thought sometimes that many a poor Believer is just as Hagar was when her Bottle was empty and she sate down weeping that now she must die Why she need not fear famishing when there was a well of water near her that she and the Lad might drink their fill Ay but she did not know this well of water to be so near her So the Believer's state is safe and good ay but he does not know it Jesus Christ deals with his People as Joseph did by his Brethren he fed them and nourished them and comforted them a great while but would not discover himself to them that he was Joseph their Brother A Believer that hath an Interest may yet want the evidence of that Interest Thirdly Evidence of Interest is attainable and it is the will of God that Believers should give all diligence to make it clear It is possible that a Soul may come to see his own standing in Christ Jesus and know unto his full satisfaction and rejoycing in all conditions that he is interested in him Many Scripture-Saints have delivered it to us upon record that they did attain to an evidence of their Interest The Spouse in the Cant. did attain an evidence of her Interest Cant. 2.16 My Beloved is mine and I am his Job had a clear sight of his Interest Job 19.25 I know that my Redeemer liveth c. David had his Interest cleared up to him The Lord is my Light and my Salvation whom shall I fear Psal 27.1 Paul was assured of his Interest in Christ 2 Cor. 5.1 2. For we know that if our earthly house of this Tabernacle were dissolved we have a building of God an house not made with hands eternal in the Heavens For in this we groan earnestly desiring to be cloathed upon with our house which is from Heaven And it is the mind and will of God that Believers should give all diligence to clear their Interest 2 Cor. 13.5 Examine your selves whether you be in the faith prove your own selves know ye not your own selves how that Jesus Christ is in you except ye be Reprobates And 2 Pet. 1.10 Wherefore the rather Brethren give diligence to make your calling and your election sure There is the command which implies a possibility of attaining it The possibility of it doth further appear in that the Father and the Son have both sent forth the Spirit to be a Comforter to be a Witnesser to those that are in Christ and his Office it is an Ensuring Office The Spirit he comes being sent forth by the Father and the Son into a poor heart that is full of fears doubts questionings and misgivings and doth settle this Soul in the stedfast belief of his abiding Interest in Christ Jesus and Christ's everlasting relation unto it This you may see Rom. 8.16 The Spirit it self beareth witness with our spirits that we are the Children of God And Ephes 1.13 In whom also after that ye believed ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise And a considerable part of the Scripture is given forth to this end to clear up a Believers Interest in and Relation unto Christ that he may know his standing in him 1 John 5.12 13. There is Life in the Son says he and I write unto you that ye may know that ye have an Interest in the Son and so have life from him and this is that which the Lord's People have gloried in Isa 63.16 Doubtless thou art our Father though Abraham be ignorant of us and Israel acknowledgeth ' us not c. And this is one end of that grand Ordinance of the Lord's Supper to seal and ensure Believers It is not only an Ordinance of Communion but it is a sealing Ordinance wherein the Lord Jesus does come and set upon the heart clearing up the Soul's Interest in himself and telling of him what he hath done for him and sealing all that hath past upon his Soul It is sometimes hereupon made a feast of fat things It is an Ordinance of Joy It is not a converting Ordinance but it is an Ordinance of comfort unto those that are converted being often owned by the Lord as a sealing Ordinance to confirm all that hath formerly past between God and the Soul So as an evidence of Interest is attainable and it is the will of God that Believers give all diligence to make it clear Fourthly The Interest and Relation that one Believer is owned in with Christ is not different in its nature and properties from what every Believer is owned in but all that are interested in Christ are equally interested in him If you speak of the Interest and Relation absolutely it is the same Jesus Christ is not more one believers than he is anothers Jesus Christ hath not given one believer a greater propriety in himself then he hath given another believer but all are equally interested in and related unto Christ all have an equal share in Christ All have an equal standing in Christ in point of interest and relation Indeed if you speak of interest and relation quo ad effectum as we say if you speak of it in reference to improvement and effects there indeed there is a difference between believer and believer One believer may improve Christ more than another and one believer may grow up in Christ more then another and one believer may in point of application and enjoyment possess more of Christ more of the Grace of Christ then another believer doth but they are all equally interested in and related unto Christ Jesus and the interest that one believer hath is as pleadable and as improvable as the interest that another believer hath Jesus Christ is equally a Head and a Husband and a Brother unto all his People and they are equally Members of the same body in point of interest though not in point of growth saies the Apostle in 1 Cor. 6.17 But he that is joyned to the Lord is one Spirit It is spoken in general let him be an Apostle let him be an eminent Saint or let him be a meaner or more obscure Saint let him be a strong believer or let him be a weak believer if he be joyned to the Lord he is one Spirit alike joyned alike related and alike interested Fifthly The believers interest in Christ is abiding and can never be crush't it can never be broken it can never be violated but the evidence of interest though once obtained and seem clear may be obscured and darkned A Christians joy that is passing away it is transient but as to his interest that is inviolable and inseparable none can disunite Christ and the believer being once Gospelly joined So you have it spoken out by the Apostle Rom. 8.35 and so on Who shall separate us from the love of Christ shall tribulation or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or peril or sword No saies he they
ordinances and hence he can make nothing of his condition he cannot say that the work of Grace is so and so wrought in him because he hath not been observant to gather up what hath past upon his Spirit 9. Again Darkness of evidence doth sometimes arise from an ungospel modesty that dares not believe such good things of its self There is a kind of ungospel modesty that some Christians do express wherein they would discover a great deal of unworthiness in themselves and a great deal of lowliness of Spirit but in it they do but deny what Jesus Christ hath done and wrong their own case O to think that Jesus Christ hath been dealing with them and hath made powerful applications of his blood unto them and hath united and reconciled them unto himself O they cannot tell how to believe this of themselves an interest in Christ is a great thing and a heart change is a mighty change I dare not think saies the Soul that the Lord hath done this for me who am so vile and so unworthy and thus the Soul stands reasons against all the experiences that he hath had of God and denies the comforts of it 10. Again In the last place Darkness of evidence doth sometimes arise from peremptory conclusions of the issues of our state upon the reports that sense makes upon all inquiries The reason of our darkness is because we lay the stress of our condition upon sense and upon what we can seel in our selves and not upon a naked venture upon Christ Jesus not upon a Gospel throw upon Christ Jesus whatever be the issue but the Soul goes to its feelings and makes a judgment of its state upon and from them when he can find his heart warmed for Christ when he can find his Spirit under any Gospel enlargement for Christ when he can find his Graces begin to grow and thrive and when he can find speedy returns made unto all his seekings after the Lord then he concludes now all is well here is an interest and behold the fruits of it But now when the Souls Graces are alittle clouded when he misses of that enlargement that sometimes he hath experienced And when he comes under some straitness and when Jesus Christ is a while silent unto his prayers why then he concludes against himself O here is no interest why if I were in Christ Jesus it would be otherwise with me Christ would answer me and Christ would enlarge me and Christ would heighten and brighten my Graces Christ would not leave me in such an uncomfortable condition he would fill me and lift me up and set me on high O surely there is nothing of truth and reality that hath passed upon my Soul Now Christians while you draw up peremptory conclusions of the issue of your state upon the reports of sense in your hearts you will never come to be setled and established while you are in this world conclusions drawn from changeable mutable principles will never be relieving nor comforting to you Well these things briefly may suffice for the second proposal what might be the grounds of a believers darkness in and about their interest and evidence Thirdly We shall proceed unto the third particular and that is this Qu. If it be thus that Believers are often times in the dark in and about their Interest and have not the evidence of their relation in Christ clear what should the Believer do in the interim until the Lord shall be pleased to discover and unfold himself to him and seal and confirm all that he hath done for him and bestowed upon him Ans There are nine or ten particulars that I shall lay down here in way of Direction First In case of darkness of evidence muck the root of faith Or if you will take it thus strengthen and double the direct act of faith when you are not able to put forth a reflex act of Faith There is a direct and there is a reflex act of Faith the direct act of Faith is an act of recumbence it is an act of relyance upon Jesus Christ the reflex act of Faith is the Soul 's glorying and triumphing in Christ Jesus that he hath made a close with Now Christian if thou hast not the assuring act of Faith then be sure that you strengthen Faith in its closing act and in its believing act wherein it rests on Christ Jesus alone go oftener unto Christ and there determine thy Soul and resolve ever to wait upon him and to abide at his footstool the believing act of Faith or the direct act of Faith that I may call the first act and the reflex act of Faith I may call the second act of Faith Now Christian if you be not able to come up to the second act of Faith then be often repeating the first act of Faith be often rolling your Souls upon Christ Jesus and by this means you may come to be assured for the direct act of Faith hath a tendency in it to carry thee up unto a full assurance in Christ Jesus and therefore be often redoubling that act thou doest not know how soon the joy of thy assurance may come in Secondly Upon the darkness of evidence take notice of and rejoyce in the strengthenings and upholdings of the Spirit though for the present you are without the sealings and ensurings of the Spirit Why let it not be a small thing unto thee that though thou art not comforted and though thy Interest is not cleared yet thou art kept waiting upon God Who is it that upholds thee against all thy discouragements Couldest thou hold out of thy self Couldest thou bear up when there seems to be no returns made nothing but discouragements in thy way Thou cryest again and again and hast no return but a seeming repulse who is it think you that upholds you doubtless it is the Spirit of the Lord Who was it that upheld the Woman of Canaan when Christ Jesus did chide her and seem'd to give her a repulse doubtless whilst he seemed outwardly to discountenance her he was secretly upholding and drawing her heart nearer to himself or else she had fainted Now if thou hast had a heart to continue waiting upon God and thy desires and resolutions are still to follow the Lord take notice of these upholds of the Spirit and bless God for these and it may be the Spirit in a little while may go on to assure thee Thirdly Again Upon the darkness of evidence and want of assurance labour to heighten true grace and holiness Strive to encrease to grow in grace for that will be more to thy advantage than to bend thy desires wholly for comfort and for assurance It is a greater mercy for God to give thee a new measure of grace than to give thee a new degree of comfort It is a higher priviledge There is more in grace than there is in comfort for grace hath a more immediate tendency to God's glory
unto those that are companions with you in darkness and pray with them and pray over them and express the affections of your Souls to them in all your remembrance of them and in a little while the Lord may come in for to lead you forth into the company of those whose hearts are made to rejoice and be glad in the light of his countenance and in the evidence of their own interest in Christ SERMON VI. Habakkuk 3.18 Yet I will rejoice in the Lord I will Joy in the God of my Salvation FRom hence we have observed Doct. That there is enough in Christ Jesus alone for the Soul 's full rejoycing and triumph whatsoever his state and condition is in this world We told you in nine particulars what the doubtful Soul should do in the interim until he can clear up his own interest and standing in Christ Jesus We shall only superadd one particular more Tenthly If thou beest Soul stil in the dark in and about thy Interest after narrow and deep searches and enquiries resign up thy self unto the Lord Jesus and stand to his allowance and be willing to work in the dark whilst the Lord shall keep you in the dark Be not your own chusers and carvers in this thing but leave the Lord to chuse for you Indeed we are not to rest satisfied in our spirits without an evidence of our Interest because it is attainable but as to the comfort of our Interest and the Joy and Peace of our Souls upon the Interest we should resign up our selves unto the Lord Jesus and leave him to make the dispose of our state and this is the way to come unto a speedy settlement and assurance But I shall not enlarge here but proceed unto the fourth thing proposed Fourthly And that is to give you some Signs and Evidences of your Interest and standing in blessed Jesus And as we say generally Causes are best known by their Effects Trees are best known by their fruit Life is best known by motion so interest in Christ is best known by the effects of Interest And that you might know what Jesus Christ hath done in you and is doing for you do but consider First In the first place That there is upon the Soul's Interest in Christ a Divine Principle of Life infused into the heart by the Lord Jesus unto whom he is united which becomes the spring of his spiritual motions towards Christ and of his profession of Christ Interest in Christ is a Life-Interest and there is a Divine Principle of Life that upon it is infused into the Soul that becomes the spring of his spiritual motions This Principle of life is variously set out in Scripture sometimes it is called the New Creature If any man be in Christ he is a new creature 2 Cor. 5.17 A New Creature denoteth life sometimes it is set out by the word life He that hath the Son hath life 1 John 5.12 Sometimes it is called the Divine Nature Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious Promises that by these ye might be partakers of the Divine Nature 2 Pet. 1.4 Now there is life in the Divine Nature the Divine Nature infused becomes a Life-Principle in the heart where it is infused and is the spring of its spiritual motions This is set out sometimes by ingraftment as the Syence is ingrafted into the Stock there is a conveyance of life upon the ingraftment and upon the union Thus the Graft or the Syence doth receive sap nourishment from the Root whereby it comes to live Now says Jesus Christ in your spiritual union with him I am the Vine says he ye are the branches John 15.5 He that abideth in me and I in him the same bringeth forth much fruit And Rom. 11.17 And if some of the branches be broken off and thou being a wild Olive Tree be grafted in amongst them and with them partakest of the Root and fatness of the Olive Tree Abraham is only instrumentally here spoken of as God was pleased to own him and honour him to be the Father of all Believers but Christ Jesus is principally and effectually the Root the Stock that Believers are ingrafted into he is the Root that both Abraham and all Believers stand in and grow upon and they partake of the sweetness and fatness of that good Olive Tree Sometimes it is expressed by an incorporation as the Head and the Members do make up but one Body and every Member united unto the Body it doth receive life spirit sense motion and strength from the Head Now says the Lord Jesus Ye are all Members of my Body 1 Cor. 12.12 13. We are all Members of the same Body and so have the same Head from thence is life spirit and grace and nourishment conveyed into every part Now from hence it is that Jesus Christ is called the Life of Believers Gal. 2.20 I live yet not I but Christ liveth in me And Col. 3.4 When Christ who is our Life shall appear c. So as Christ he doth convey and infuse a Principle of Life into the Soul that is interested in himself and upon that account he is called a quickening spirit 1 Cor. 15.45 The second Adam was made a quickening spirit that he might give Life to all those that are united to him and interested in him And this spiritual Life that we receive from Jesus Christ is the Life of our Life and the very Soul of our Soul in all our motions God-ward and it becomes the spring of our spiritual profession and of all our movings towards God The Soul that is interested in Christ is not moved by an artificial spring but he doth act and move from a life spring from a living spring which is the Principle of Divine Life that in his Interest in Christ he receiveth and this it is that puts him on this it is that constrains him this it is that moves and acts him in all his bendings and inclinings God-ward They that are interested in Christ they do desire Christ and move towards Christ upon a Principle of Life so as they cannot be satisfied without Christ 1 Pet. 2.2 As new born Babes desire the sincere Milk of the Word that ye may grow thereby The Babe or Infant does cry after the Breast upon a natural Principle of Life natural Life is the Principle of its crying So doth the Believer move towards and make after Christ from a spiritual Principle of Life and that Principle of Life that he hath received from Christ is the Divine Spring of all his Divine Actions or of his Religious Actings The Soul is not moved only upon a Principle to satisfie and silence his Conscience nor yet to get himself a name to live to make himself honourable among the people that make a profession of Christ nor yet upon the account of any secular advantage but there is a Divine Spring in his Soul of spiritual Life that he hath received from the
delights in and as to all Ordinances he values them not but as he meets with Jesus Christ in them if he finds not Christ in an Ordinance he counts the Ordinance as no Ordinance And if a Lord's Day doth pass without some communion with Christ he counts 't is no day to his Soul And the Gospel of Christ Jesus that he prizes so much it is because it is Christ's Gospel and the Truths of the Gospel that are so dear to to him that he can venture all for it is because they are Christ's Truths Now Christians examine your state and condition by this also what is it that you value your selves by Do you value your selves by your bare professions Do you value your selves by your enlargement Do you value your selves by your gifts Do you value your selves by the name that you have amongst men Those that are in Christ do not value themselves thus but by what they apprehend themselves to be in and to have received from Christ Jesus Thirteenthly Again The Soul that is interested in Christ rises and falls in its spirit according unto the sensible manifestations or withdrawings of Christ in his heart he rejoyces as Christ doth appear and he is saddened as Christ doth withdraw and his joy is coming and going as Christ is coming and going in his heart an appearance of Christ makes day in his heart and the withdrawings of Christ makes night in his Soul When there is a Curtain drawn between Christ and him then he is in the dark and then his Soul sits in sorrow then he is covered over with mourning but upon the return of Christ his Soul leaps within him and he is filled and satisfied as with marrow and fatness Isa 61.10 I will rejoyce in the Lord my Soul shall be joyful in my God Why so because Christ doth appear and puts on something of his own clothing and giveth out something of himself to me he comes as a Bridegroom decketh himself with Ornaments and makes me as his Bride and decks me with his Jewels Now this doth cause me to rejoyce in the Lord and makes me joyful in my God Days of communion and seasons of manifestation they are the festival days that his Soul enjoys and nothing causes so great a damp upon his heart as when Christ draws off This was seen in David he rises and falls in his spirit as were the manifestations or the withdrawings of Christ there Lord says he thy loving kindness is better than life Ay there was his joy and gladness And Lord says he at another time thou didst but hide thy face and I was troubled there was his sorrow for Christ's absence And says the Spouse Cant. 1.2 Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth By kiss here is meant some visible manifestation of Christ unto his Soul some discernable token of his love Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth for thy love saies he is better than Wine Wine you know was to be given to those that were of a heavy heart by Solomons direction Proverbs 31.6 and Psal 104.15 Wine that maketh glad the heart of man and Oil to make his face to shine So as Wine it is to be given to those that are of a heavy heart it is that which is to make joyful and to exhilarate the Spirits Now saies David Lord thy love is better then Wine there is more in a little communication of Christ Jesus then in the greatest refreshment and heart chearing in the world for this love that is better then Wine is not love simply considered but the effects of love in gracicious manifestations as John 14.21 22. He that hath my Commandments and keepeth them he it is that loveth me and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father and I will love him and will manifest my self unto him and saies Judas not Iscariot Lord how is it that thou wilt manifest thy self unto us and not unto the world This love was a love of manifestation now saies he Let him kiss me mith the kisses of his mouth Let love be manifested and this manifesting love is better than Wine O it will make all other things dainties to him and sweets to be bitter in his Spirit this is sweet indeed and an abiding ground of joy and comfort to his Soul upon the evidence of his love and upon the sight of his face and communion with him Now Christians examine your hearts by this if that your joy be determined upon something else then upon Christ and if that the withdrawments of Christ don't cause the greatest sadness unto your Spirits it is a shround sign that you have no interest in Christ But now where Christ Jesus is lookt upon as the very joy of your Souls and you most of all joy in his presence and you are most of all troubled at his departure and at the hidings of his face it is a sign of interest O it is a sign that that Woman doth intirely love her Husband that cannot bear that he should be long absent from her and is most of all pleased in his company so it is a sign that that Soul is married unto Christ Jesus that cannot bear the withdrawments of Christ and that is never so much troubled and tossed and discomforted and afflicted in his Spirit as when Jesus Christ stands behind the Curtain and refuseth to make answer to his Soul when he is crying after him SERMON VIII Habakkuk 3.18 Yet I will rejoice in the Lord I will Joy in the God of my Salvation VVE proposed to give you some notes of evidence whereby you may come to know that this Jesus is your Jesus and that you are interesced in him We have already gone through 13 particulars and shall now proceed Fourteenthly The Soul that is interested in Christ hath constraining abiding endearments in his heart unto Jesus Christ so as no discouragement shall turn him off from Christ but he will cut the way through all opposition to come to the enjoyment of him My Friends if you are really interested in Christ and have upon an interest tasted how gracious the Lord is difficulties in your way to Christ will be no difficulties so you may enjoy him the Soul in Christ will be contented to be reproached for Christ so he may enjoy him and the reproaches that he meets withal in the way of Christ will be no great matter to him so Christ and he may keep together You may see what was the Spirit of an old Testament Saint in Heb. 11.24 25. By Faith Moses when he was come to years refused to be called the Son of Pharaohs Daughter chusing rather to suffer affliction with the People of God then to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season v. 26. Esteeming the reproaches of Christ greater riches then the Treasures of Egypt Persecutions won't part Christ and the real sincere Christian but though he shall be persecuted for Christ yet if Christ and he
convey water into your houses so doth faith receive from the Lord Jesus Christ and convey into your Souls Faith is the great Conduit that Jesus Christ doth send down his grace in into our hearts Faith that deals with Christ in all his royalties of grace and takes life from him and takes comfort from him and peace from him and joy from him and whatsoever the Soul standeth in need of Faith is the life-grace that feeds your Souls and that keeps you living and thriving and that makes you strong in the Lord we are said therefore to stand by faith Rom. 11.20 Well because of unbelief they were broken off and thou standest by faith Faith is a confirming grace it doth build the Soul upon it doth root the Soul in the Lord Jesus Christ and doth receive strengthening confirming assisting grace from Christ according to to the Soul's necessity So as Christians if you would be strong in the Lord you must get your faith strengthened more and more Tenthly The Lord Christ in the dispence of mercy hath great respect unto the glory of his office-fulness and office-faithfulness The Lord Christ in the communications of grace hath not only a respect unto your necessity but also to his own glory and he will dispense in such a way and at such a season and under such circumstances as shall make most for the glory of his office-fulness and office-faithfulness The Lord Jesus Christ therefore he comes in such a way and at such a time as shall most of all publish his glory unto those to whom he comes and before whom he comes When the creature is run into emptiness and hath spent all then doth Jesus Christ open his fountain-fulness In the weakness of the creature does Jesus Christ discover his all-power and in the uncertainty of the creature doth Jesus Christ glorifie his constancy in the darkness of an outward condition doth the Lord Jesus Christ cause his morning Star to arise and shine from on high that gives light to our feet when we know not how to direct our own paths when we have lost all here below and all our comforts have failed us and forsaken us then doth Jesus Christ appear as a friend that stands up in a time of adversity that neither troubles nor crosses nor trials nor temptations shall separate And he chuses this most dismal state to come in that he might glorifie his office-fulness and his office-faithfulness that he might glorifie his office-fulness to let us know it is a never failing fulness it is a fulness that is alwaies running over that is not dry when streams are dry but can fill streams at any time when they are never so dry and empty and then he comes that he may glorifie his office-faithfulness to appear as one that never doth forget his people that can bear all the concerns of his people upon his heart 2 Cor. 1.9 But we had the sentence of death in our selves So the Lord Jesus Christ he comes and discovers himself when the sentence of death is upon our outward mercies and upon all our outward supporters that they are fading dying and falling down under us then doth the Lord Jesus Christ appear as our God Ye had the sentence of death in your selves that ye might trust in the living God The Lord will so appear as his appearance shall be unto the glory of his own Name in the Office that he is placed in by the Father And therefore do but consider what titles Jesus Christ hath put upon himself that are denominative thereof Psal 9.9 The Lord also will be a refuge for the oppressed a refuge in times of trouble A poor distressed Soul that hath no whither to go that is driven off from all his former holds and that hath all his other Wells of consolation dryed up Jesus will be a refuge to such an one and that at such a time And Psal 10.14 The poor committeth himself to thee and thou art the helper of the fatherless And Psal 68.5 A Father of the fatherless and a Judge of the widdow is God in his holy habitation Why says the Soul Now all is gone my Father is gone and my Husband is gone and my Friends that use to comfort me have left me and I am now a miserable creature No says Christ this is my time to appear to shew my self to be a Father to the Fatherless and a Judge of the widdow And Isa 25.4 Thou hast been a refuge from the storm a shadow from the heat when the blast of the terrible one is like a storm against the wall Why Christian do not fear an outward distress then do not fear a low condition do not fear a breaking providence why because Jesus Christ doth then take his time to discover his All to you he will then take his time to discover a Fountain to you that can never be exhausted he is a refuge to the poor and needy And these considerations might be prevailing upon your spirits to gather off your eyes from beholding other objects and place them upon the Lord Jesus Christ where there is a sufficient ground of Joy to us whatever our condition is SERMON X. Habakkuk 3.18 Yet I will rejoice in the Lord I will Joy in the God of my Salvation I Proposed several weighty Considerations to encourage your spirits to be getting up into this Life of Faith I have already gone through Ten and shall now proceed 11. Consider That to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ without the least encouragement of sense is the most noble exercise of Faith and that which doth most please the Lord. To believe in the Lord Jesus Christ when he is breaking of you and when he is frowning upon you and when you have nothing else to live upon this is the most noble exercise of Faith in this life To believe on the Lord Jesus when your heads are lifted up in the world and when your Table is spread and when your Borders are enlarged is no great difficulty but now to live by Faith upon Christ when there is no encouragement in the creature this is the most noble exercise of Faith What! says Sense live by Faith upon Christ when he hath impoverisht me and emptied me of all creature-enjoyments Ay now is the time to exercise Faith and this is the most noble exercise of Faith and that which doth most of all please the Lord Such an exercise of Faith as this was found in Job When the Lord had taken away his estate and taken away his Children says Job Job 1.21 Blessed be the Name of the Lord. There was a great exercise of Faith in that word and such an exercise of Faith was found in David in the case of Ziklag he had a little place given him in the enemies Country where he might live alone but he had it not long before enemies came and smote the place of his habitation and take away his relation and his goods and leave him
nothing but ruines that when he returned he found nothing but emptiness a heap of Ashes What does David do then he exercises Faith upon Jesus Christ and encouraged himself in the Lord his God And this is the exercise of Faith that the Prophet speaks of in our Text and that which he is driving Believers up to When the Figg-tree shall not blossom c. What is here left here is nothing for sense to live upon yet says he I will rejoyce in the Lord I will joy in the God of my Salvation Such a noble exercise of Faith was found in the Woman of Canaan in the midst of all discouragements she had discouragements from the Disciples of Christ they were not so kind to her as they might have been but that was not all but she met with discouragements from the Lord Jesus Christ himself unto whom she made her applications he seems to give her a repulse and checks her forwardness and yet she goes over to the Lord Jesus and in a bold act ventures upon him alone Why Christians whatever are your discouragements from Sense yet in the face of all rebukes to cast your self upon the Lord Jesus and comfort your Souls in his All fulness is the most noble act of Faith that you can put forth 12. The great improbabilities of relief and succour after grace whatever your case is are not answerable to the improbabilities that your Souls were in before grace and Christ Jesus helped you then Christ came thorow them all and with ease removed them to do your Souls good Do but consider you that sit down with your hearts full of discouragement upon the loss of a creature or upon the emptyings of providence do but consider how unlikely and improbable your condition was of help and succour before you did believe on Christ you were then covered over with the shadow of death you were then in a hopeless condition Who had then any hope of you When you were seen marching in the fury of your spirits against the Lord Who would have thought that there were hope in the Lord for you You were at the very brink of Death and at the very brink of Hell there was as it were but a hairs breadth between you and Hell and who would have thought that you should have been recovered And then the Lord Jesus he broke thorough all the improbabilities of your state to save you and do you think that he cannot break thorough all the improbabilities of your present state to comfort you He came leaping over greater mountains of opposition and discouragement and impossibility I mean as to other help I say he came leaping over greater mountains of impossibility in his first dealings with you than there are for him to come thorough in his after-dealings with you Cant. 2.8 The voice of my Beloved behold he cometh leaping upon the mountains and skipping upon the hills These mountains and these hills did lye between Christ and you that were the improbabilities or I may call them the impossibilities of your state as to help and relief in a rational consideration and apprehension Now Jesus Christ he skipt over this mountain and the other mountain that lay in his way and he came unto your Souls to do you good and if Jesus Christ hath done this do you think that he will not do the lesser When you were without grace did he bring grace into your Souls and do you think that he cannot comfort you now when you want comfort Do you think that he cannot bless you with the annexed blessings of your state when he hath brought in the great fundamental blessings of your state Christians you should reason thus I was once ready to die and the Lord Jesus came and saved me I was in a Soul-undone state and Jesus Christ hath set me up and what hath he set up my Soul and cannot he set up my Body Hath he made up the great breach that was upon my spiritual condition and cannot he make up the breaches that are in my outward condition Jesus Christ came and pluckt me out of the fire when I was burning and the fire was so hot that none could take me out but Jesus Christ he came and snatcht me out of the paw of the Lion and the Bear and none could rescue me but he and he that came over all these impossibilities to save you do you think that he cannot make up a breach in the loss of a relation or make up a distress in your outward condition the Lord that hath done the greater can easily do the lesser 13. Again To rejoyce only in visibles and sensibles is to go no further than those may go that have no interest in Christ I pray consider it To have your spirits born up only by sensible supports is not to exceed those that are strangers to Jesus Christ that have not an interest in Jesus Christ as you have For your spirits to rise and fall only as the creature ebbs and flows this is to do no more than a carnal man doth Is this living upon Christ Is this to make Christ your Joy and Christ the Peace and the Comfort of your Life Says Christ in another case To love those that love you and to do good to those that do good to you if you do no more Publicans and Sinners do this The Christian is under peculiar and distinguishing blessings and it is expected that he should peculiarly and distinguishingly live under the distinguishing blessings of his state Matth. 6.31 32. Wherefore take no thought saying What shall we eat or what shall we drink or wherewith shall we be clothed for after all these things do the Gentiles seek Why says Christ to be so thoughtful about our outward condition as others are is to place our selves in common with them Says he After these things do the Gentiles seek It is the case of a Gentile to say when his outward comforts are gone O now must I die now there is no further help for me I must now perish this is the language of a Gentile that hath no interest in Jesus Christ O you that have interest in Jesus Christ what will you take up the language of a Gentile O no! having a God to go to you must live upon that God that you have given up your selves to God doth expect a distinguishing acting under the distinguishing blessings that he hath brought into your condition therefore know that to rejoyce only in visibles is to set your selves in common with those that have no interest in Christ and is not this to dishonour your interest and to reflect upon the Lord of your interest to live in joy when the Creatures are about you and to sit down discouraged when Creatures are taken from you 14. Faith exercised upon the Lord Jesus will have an universal influence upon all other graces in your hearts Christians do but once exercise faith upon the Lord Jesus Christ under a sinking
recoilings and clashings of our will with our condition is a main hinderance unto our rejoycing in and acting Faith upon the Lord Jesus under a sad providence And the great reason why some persons are under such great dissatisfaction in their own spirits that they know not how to bear the troubles of their state is because their wills are not brought to their condition but they go about to bring their condition to their wills and when any thing considerable comes in upon them that doth not suit with their wills it causeth royls disquiets and disturbances of spirit and discomposure of heart and such a Soul will never rejoyce in Christ in an evil day Now Christians if you would get into the Life of Faith you must then bring your will to your condition be what it will own the disposing hand of God that makes the change whatever your change is and yield obedience to the Lord's will that hath the over-ruling power of your state and keep your spirits within the confines of the will of God otherwise a cross or a tryal in your outward condition will make a great alteration in the inward frame of your spirit I will give you a few Instances for the clearing of this Paul was a man that rejoyced and gloried in Christ Jesus when he had almost nothing else left him in this world many times his heart was made sad among the Churches of Christ that he came to make glad and as to losses who met with more says he I was in perils oft and in hunger and in distress and in nakedness and yet this man he glories in tribulations he counted it all joy when he fell into divers tribulations how came this about that this man was got thus into a rejoycing in Christ Jesus when the whole world frowned upon him He tells us Phil. 4.11 12. his will was brought unto his condition I speak not says he in a complaining way in respect of want for I have learned in whatsoever state I am therewith to be content for I know how to want and how to abound Says he if God empties me my will is brought to my condition I am willing to be emptied if the Lord will make me poor and take away what I have I am willing to be made poor my spirit is brought to my condition He that can live in the confines of the will of God will live comfortably and rejoyce in the Lord at all times Another instance for this is Job Job you know was a man that was sorely tryed I think as much as ever man was upon earth now Job's will was brought to his condition and hence came he to rejoyce in the Lord Job 1.21 Now Job's wife's spirit was not brought to her condition she could not tell how to be contented for she said unto him Chap. 2.10 Dost thou still retain thy integrity Curse God and die but he said unto her Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh what shall we receive good at the hand of the Lord and not evil As if he had said It was the Lord that filled me and shall not the Lord empty me We were satisfied when the Lord was filling of us and shall we not be satisfied now the Lord is emptying of us Another instance is that of good old Eli 1 Sam. 3.18 Samuel told him every whit and held nothing from him and he said It is the Lord let him do what seemeth him good Why if the Lord will strip me says he I am willing to be stript if the Lord will take away my Children and take away my comforts and break up my house It is the Lord I am contented if the Lord will do so let him my will is brought to my condition Let him do as seemeth him good So David 2 Sam. 15.26 But if he say thus I have no delight in thee behold here I am let him do to me as seemeth good to him And thus it was with our Lord Jesus the greatest instance of all Father says he not my will but thy will be done Let my Father chuse for me I will not bring my will into competition with his If he will have me to drink off this Cup I will drink it if he will have me to lay down my life I will if he will have all my glory obscured it shall be so if he will have me a man of sorrows his will be done and not my will You do not know Christians what an alteration of heart and what an alteration of life this living in the will of God will make 8. Captivate and throw out all the suggestions of sense and reason upon the rising difficulties of your state If that reason speak over your hearts in a strait and sense give the ruling word over your spirits in your condition it will certainly cause you to repine and murmure and to sin against God Sense and reason are great enemies unto our peace and comfort If sense and reason have liberty to speak and to be heard in your hearts they will certainly lay your spirits under a discouragement and drive you off from the Lord. Thus it was with Israel when they were in the wilderness as soon as they were come out of Egypt where they had their Rivers and their Pools and their Ponds of Water and where they had their Flesh-pots and were fed to the full They came into a howling wilderness into a dry and barren place where they had no Wells of Water where there was no plowing nor sowing then they fell a murmuring and chiding of Moses and said Wherefore hast thou brought us hither into this place to slay us for it is not supposed to be rational that we can live here in this wilderness but if we abide here we must die Numb 11.4 5 6. And the mixt multitude that were among them fell a lusting and all the children of Israel wept again saying Who shall give us flesh to eat We remember the flesh that we ate in Egypt freely the Cucumbers and the Millons c. And Psal 78 19. Yea they spake against God They said Can God furnish a Table in the wilderness And Numb 20.12 Bebold there is no water for the Congregation and they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron and they chod with Moses saying would to God we had died when our Brethren died before the Lord and why have ye brought up the Congregation of the Lord into this wilderness that we and our Cattel should die there and wherefore have ye made us to come out of Egypt to bring us unto this evil place It is no place of sowing seed or of Fields or of Vineyards or of Pomegranats Here you see sense and reason spake over their condition and how did it lay their Souls under discouragement And if you do but review at your leisure the great murmurings of this people when they were in the wilderness it was something or other that sense and
an hundred years old neither yet the deadness of Sarahs Womb. There were unlikelyhoods of this promise ever being fulfilled and if Abraham would have reasoned according to sense why sense would have suggested to him that this promise was a meer fallacy a meer romance that there was no truth no certainty in it what he a hundred years old now a dead man almost his nature quite decayed and Sarah e'en going into the grave almost a dead Woman nature quite decayed in her and what shall Sarah conceive and have a Son 't is not likely nor probable Nay saies reason 't is an impossible thing now here had been a discouragement to his Spirit if he had called in sense and reason and considered and debated the matter therewith but he takes up the promise and believes it upon the bare Word of God upon his bare faithfulness well saies Abraham I am indeed an old Man and Sarah my Wife is an old woman but God hath said I shall have a Child and I believe it here is no hope in nature but I will believe it against hope against all discouragement to my hope I will believe God that hath spoken it is able to perform it surely it shall be so thus Christians when difficulties and discouragements incompass the promise don't dispute with the difficulties that lye in the way but keep your eye upon the faithfulness of God and believe the promise upon Gods bare word alone 13. Again Sute the promise to your present state whatever it be and set it at the head of your trial and then wait for an accomplishment I say single out a promise sutable to your state and set it at the head of your trial at the mouth of your trouble or temptation and then wait upon the Lord for the accomplishment of the promise Thou canst Christian be brought into no condition but there is some promise in the new Covenant that doth sute thy tryal whatever it be there is no burthen laid upon thy back but some promise sutes the burthen now you must single out a promise sutable to your present state and set that at the head of your tryal keep your eye there waiting for the accomplishment of the promise and hereby your hearts will be raised up to glory rejoyce in the Lord alone Suppose that you were in some considerable danger single out some Gospel delivering promise and set that at the head of your danger Suppose Christian that thou hast some great burthen upon thy Spirit single out some Soul reviving promise and set it at the head of thy burthen Suppose that you have met with some extraordinary loss single out some comforting reviving promise some promise of supplies that Jesus Christ hath made and set that at the door where your comfort went out and keep your eye upon the promise of your state and the promise of your present condition and wait upon the Lord for its accomplishment and by this means your hearts will in a little time come to be raised and you will see a new supply ready to come in upon your empty condition 14. Again Propose the communicable Attributes of Christ to your view as under an unchangeable reconciliation and obligation unto you My friends if Christ be yours then all Christ is yours when Christ gave you an interest in himself he made over all himself to you all the Attributes of his eternal glorious nature they are engaged to you they are reconciled to you and they are under an express Gospel Covenant obligation for you Now propose these and keep them in your view Consider the Power of Jesus Christ is under engagement for you Consider the Wisdom of Christ Jesus is engaged to you I speak to every Believer in particular for Christ makes over himself as fully to one Believer as if he had but one Believer to make over himself unto The Faithfulness of Christ Jesus is engaged to you the Love and the Grace of Christ Jesus is engaged to you Now Christians if you would come to rejoyce in Christ then often consider of these propose these Attributes as under a special unchangeable Covenant-reconciliation and obligation to you and consider also how much there is in every property of his Nature do but consider how much there is in the Power of Christ how much there is in the Love of Christ how much there is in the Grace of Christ how much there is in the Wisdom of Christ Christians there is a fountain in every Attribute of Christ there is a fountain of Power in Christ's Attribute of Power and there is a fountain of Love in Christ's Attribute of Love and there is a fountain of Grace in Christ's Attribute of Grace and these fountains they are set open for you Christians do but see then how many fountains you have to go unto you complain of want and emptiness that you have nothing why here are full fountains to go unto all these set open at all times for your relief do but propose these Christians to your consideration and your hearts will soon sally out to rejoyce in the Lord. 15. In the last place If you would come to live by Faith upon the Lord Jesus in all conditions then reckon that your All is in Christ and is alwaies sure in Christ though some outward comforts of your condition are coming and going Jesus Christ is the possessor of your blessedness your blessedness is not in your own hand nor in the hands of a stranger but in the hands of Christ and the outward comforts of your condition are not your portion Christians they are not your All but your All it lies in Christ and when you have lost an Estate your All is still sure in the hands of Christ When you have lost a friend and lost a relation your All is still in the hands of Christ untouched there 't is and 't is alwaies sure in the hand where 't is lodged Now do but reckon that your comforts lye here and that the Lord is the keeper and possessor of all your hopes of all your blessings and blessednesses of all your comforts and consolations of your whole treasure and your Souls will come to be drawn out after Christ to a rejoycing in him Says the Apostle in Col. 3.11 But Christ is All and in All. He sums up all in a few words all is in Christ why then you that have an interest in Christ reckon that your All lies there and then will your Souls be enlarged to look towards him And I might add unto this for a close That you should look up unto the Lord the Father in the sense of your weakness in Faith or want of Faith to encrease your Faith or to give you Faith The Disciples they went unto Christ Luke 17.5 and said Lord encrease our Faith So Christians you should do 't is an evil day a trying day 't is by Faith only that you will come to stand and 't is Faith
not for me only says he but for you also rest with us You shall come into the same Rest with us Ministers and People that are faithful in Christ Jesus shall all come into the same Rest a Rest that none of the troublers shall be able to disturb Rev. 14.13 Blessed are the dead that die in the Lord from henceforth yea saith the Spirit that they may rest from their labours and their works do follow them The labours and the pains that you take here they are very many We were driven by God into this condition in the sweat of our faces to eat our bread Well but this is but for this life You have a Hope that is laid up in Heaven for you of a blessed and a glorious Rest wherein you shall have freedom from all your labours you shall have freedom from all the disturbances and pressures that you have here 4. There is a fulness of Joy that is laid up in Heaven for all Believers Says the Prophet Isa 66.11 That ye may suck and be satisfied with the breasts of her consolation that ye may milk out and be delighted with the abundance of her glory If that there be such a time a coming wherein this may be true of the Saints here upon Earth it will be much more so in Heaven for Heaven will heighten all it will heighten all your joy and heighten all your comfort and not only heighten the joy and comfort that you have but that succeeding Saints shall have when the whole Earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the Lord still there shall be a disproportion between Earth and Heaven When the voice saith Come up hither that which follows is Enter into your Master's Joy Matth. 25.21 Here the Lord for the bearing up of the hearts of his People sends down a little joy into their spirits he sends down the Comforter unto them and he comes and now and then speaks a reviving word now and then he gives a drop of consolation and it may be it is upon the end of the Rod too and this is counted a great matter and truly it should be so with us But there is a hope of another manner of Joy or other measures laid up in Heaven for you Joy it shall be the Air that the Saints shall breath in it shall be the very Orb that they shall move in the very Elements that they shall dwell in their hearts cannot hold all it shall be overflowing it shall be round about them 1. The Joy that is laid up in Heaven for the Saints it is that that shall be fully satisfying They shall have enough of it they shall be filled with it to the full so as there shall be no room for more Psal 16.11 Thou wilt shew me the path of life in thy presence is fulness of Joy and at thy right hand are pleasures for evermore But shall the Saints have enough of this yes Psal 17.16 As for me I will behold thy face in righteousness I shall be satisfied when I awake with thy likeness The Soul hath not its satisfaction here when it hath a little it is enlarged to bless God but it hath not enough it would have more still a little more communion with God But in Heaven there is satisfaction to the full When I awake that is in the morning of the resurrection when this mortality is blown out of his eyes when he comes to open his eyes in the other world then shall I be satisfied with thy likeness 2. The Joy that is laid up in Heaven is unmixed Here there is a mixture with your Joy you have a little joy and a great deal of sorrow you have a little peace and a great deal of trouble you have darkness with your light and you have vexation and crosses with your comforts But in Heaven there is nothing to cross there is nothing to grieve there is only joy there is no mixture with your joy It will be pure joy 3. And thirdly That Joy that is laid up in Heaven will be permanent It is such as you shall sit down in and that which you shall partake of to eternity Here your joy is not only mixed with sorrows but it meets with great overwhelmings it is coming and going it is partaken of here at great uncertainties but now in Heaven it will be alwaies the same 4. There is in Heaven laid up for you absolute freedom and full liberty of Soul in the Service of God Here 't is not so when the spirit is willing the flesh is weak and how often are our hearts ready to die within us The Spirit will not hold out we can hardly watch with Christ one hour bodies tire and spirits tire but now there will be a fulness of strength in Heaven and there will be liberty of spirit proportionable to all strength and to all grace the Soul will be in absolute freedom for God and the body under an absolute freedom too answerable unto all the freeness of the Soul now the body is a great clog to the Soul it is a great hinderance that you cannot do for God and you cannot lay out your selves for God as you would but there will be no weariness in Heaven in your Spirits though you shall serve night and day world without end the promise is Isaiah 40.31 That they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength they shall mount up with wings as Eagles they shall run and not be weary they shall walk and not be faint The Saints rejoyce as they can experience something of this here but the fulness of this promise will be in Heaven there you shall mount up indeed as with wings there Soul and Body shall be in all liberty in the service of God Now what would Saints give to have their Spirits in a freedom and full liberty for God but one day O they would count it a corner of Heaven if that they could have their Spirits set in full liberty for God but one of his daies that they may serve God and delight themselves fully in the service of God a whole day But Sirs in Heaven you shall be fully delighted in the service of God to eternity all clogs shall be taken off from your Spirits 5. The Saints have a hope laid up in Heaven for them of an eternal abode in the glorious pallace of their Father here their dwelling is uncertain they have no sure dwelling place upon earth their Landlords sometimes warn them out of their Houses and command them to seek a new dwelling sometimes God turns them out of their Houses they may be driven out of their Houses here by the Sword they may be driven out by fire but the Lord he hath chosen Heaven as the place of their perpetual residence Deut. 1.33 Who went in the way before you to search out a place The Lord went before Israel in the Wilderness by Fire and by the Cloud to search out a place for
beloved Son of God all the while but yet there is a time a coming when all those that are discharged in Gods Court in Heaven shall be cleared both in the Court of their own consciences and also before the whole world We shall observe this method in our brief handling of it 1. To shew you the truth of it from Scripture 2. To give you the properties of this discharge that is given out by God to believers 3. The ground upon which God proceeds in the discharge 4. The time when the Soul is taken into this priviledge and hath the discharge given out to him And then the Application 1. Scripture clears this That there is no Condemnation to them that are in Christ they are absolved they are discharged by God Believers are so but as for all those that are in their Sins they are under the sentence of condemnation it hangs over them and it follows them where-ever they go John 3.18 He that believeth on him is not condemned but he that believeth not is condemned already really condemned he hath the sentence really denounced against him he is really declared a dead man in the sense of the law as we say when the judge hath denounced sentence of death against a Malefactor he is a dead man so every one in his sins is a dead man he is condemned already There is indeed this difference between him and one that is in Hell he that is in Hell is condemned and executed but the sinner upon Earth is condemned and not executed The Sinner in Hell is condemned and executed and there remains no hope for him The Sinner upon Earth he is condemned and yet there is hope that comes in at the door of the Gospel which gives some probability that if he will bestir himself the sentence may be removed the patience of God is exercised and it is drawn out into a great length and it is to lead the Sinner to repentance Rom. 2.4 Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and long-suffering not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance After the Sentence God waits upon the Sinner and will not suffer the law presently to take hold and to do its work the hand of Justice that is held from smiting the Sinner is not presently executed and in the patience in the forbearance and long-suffering of God there is a pardon that is tendered and a way discovered whereby the Sinner may come to get free from the doom that was upon him but the sentence that hangs over the head of every unbeliever as John 3.36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life and he that believeth not the Son shall not sâ—e life but the wrath of God abideth on him the wrath of God that hangs over his head it hangs over his head in that ancient sentence that was denounced against man upon his first transgression Gen. 2.17 In the day thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die or thou shalt die the death here is the sentence here is the doom and God abideth by his word to this day hereupon saies the Apostle Gal. 3.10 For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse for it is written cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them being under the works of the law you are under the curse because the broken law doth denounce a curse against all the breakers of it so as all those that are unbelievers all those that are under the first Covenant all those that are in a state of sin before God they are condemned already But now all those that are in Christ Jesus have this sentence of death taken off they are absolved and discharged by the Lord saies the Prophet Isaiah 38.17 For thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back It is spoken by God after the manner of men when a man gives out the bond of another and freely dischargeth him of the Debt the Bond is cancelled and thrown away it is cast behind his back for wast-paper never more to be made use of the Debt never more to be brought into question again nor yet the Debtor upon the account of the Debt Now says he thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back thou hast given me a discharge that they shall no more lie against me Rev. 2.17 To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden Manna Manna of old was a type of Christ The Apostle to the Corinthians clears it Now says he he shall eat of the hidden Manna he shall feed upon Christ every overcomer shall have communion and fellowship with Christ and that is not all but I will give him a white stone The Lord in this expression doth allude unto the Custom that was amongst the Romans when a person upon his tryal was found guilty he had a black stone given him in token of his condemnation and he that was discharged and cleared he had a white stone given him in token of his absolution Now says he I will give him a white stone and in the stone a new name written which none knows but he that receiveth it I will discharge him says the Lord Every overcomer every one in Christ he hath a white stone given him by the Lord. There is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus 2. We shall proceed to shew you what are the properties of this discharge that the Lord grants unto those that are in Christ First It is a real discharge It is no imaginary thing It is a real truth that the Apostle doth here affirm There is says he therefore now no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus The absolution of a Believer is as real as his sinning was real as his condemnation was real he was really a sinner and he was really condemned on the account of his sin and he is as really discharged You have the word of the Lord for it The same word of truth that tells us there is condemnation to every Unbeliever tells us that there is no condemnation to the Believer But you have not only the Word of God for it but you have your discharge under hand and seal And therefore the Apostle tells us that those that believe they are sealed by the Spirit of the Lord. The Seal of the Spirit it is God's Seal Eph. 1.13 In whom ye also trusted after that ye heard the Word of Truth the Gospel of your Salvation in whom also after that you believed ye were sealed with the holy Spirit of Promise And again Eph. 4.30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God whereby you are sealed to the day of Redemption He comes and gives you a sealed pardon he gives you the Seal of God's pardon upon your own hearts And hence the Apostle speaks with as much confidence as man can speak upon a sure testimony 1 Joh. 3.14 We know that