of God in his word but to the eye of a believer beholding God and every part of his revealed will in Christ all is alike In the beginning was the Word and the Word was God That was spoken of Christ now the Believer alwayes beholding God in Christ which is his originall word and the Scripture only Christ written out in the Spirit doth behold God in his originall and in his written word in every part of it one so that every part is of like beauty and pretiousnesse to the soule of a believer Having opened my selfe thus farre I shall doe it farther and declare that to have any hope left to live as sinfull nature pleases casting the revealed word of God behind their backs and under a notion of redemption to deny the Redeemer to talk of free-grace and to trample grace under foote to deny the Lord that bought them in walking as doe others that know not Christ This is so far from entring into my thoughts from that freedome I have pleaded for all this time that if I should name this and call it darknesse I should call it Aegyptian darkenesse so farre from freedome that it is bondage beyond expression The second of the Ephesians sets it out best in these termes The power of the Prince of the Aire ruling in the children of disobedience But that freedome I plead for is the power of the Lord of glory ruling by his Spirit in his children of light and life My aime is not to take away that holy just and good law of God out of the conscience of a believer but as God doth with his people in the new Covenant and in Christ the mediator of it establish them in a better covenant Heb. 8. upon better promises so would I only hold out the matter of the law taken out of the hand of Moses which was but a servant and established in the heart of Christ which is the Son and by the Son in the spirit of light and life written in the heart and conversation of every believing soule And lesse then this I thinke is not in the covenant of the Almighty when he convenants to put his law in our inward parts and to write it in our hearts For my authority in this I shall say as the Apostle Paul in the 3d of Rom. the last vers when in the greatest part of the chapter he hath pleaded this very cause that I doe he concludes in these words Doe we then make void the law through faith God forbid Yea we establish the law So that it is cleare the law of life that makes us free from the law of sin and death which is Christ living by his Spirit in the conscience is not to make void but to establish upon better promises from a law of death to be a law of life Thus much in generall But more particularly I lay downe this as my light that the law is now in the Spirit in the Gospel for a believer to walk by the law is made Gospel as Christ is made flesh the Gospel is both a perfect law of life and righteousnesse of grace and truth why should we separate that which God hath in his free-grace joyned together namely Law and Gospel in one under the government that is given to the childe Jesus Nor is the holinesse or sanctification that God lookes for in his believing Saints such as is falsehood by the law or outward command but by the preaching of faith by which the spirit is given which renewes and sanctifies a Believer and makes him the very law of Commandements in himselfe and his heart the very two Tables of Moses And though the law be a beame of Christ in substance and matter yet we are not to live by the light of one beame now when the Son of righteousnesse is risen himselfe that was a fitter light for those who lived in the regions of the shadow of death it is with the law now or light of righteousnesse as it was with the light in the creation when that which was scattered was gathered into one body of light So Christ now being revealed holinesse and righteousnesse as well as grace and love is revealed in him and and gathered up in him The word is now flesh and dwels amongst us and we behold his glory as the glory of the only begotten sonne full of truth as well as grace is in substance by the Spirit set downe 2 Cor. 3.16 17 18. verses There is the vaile taken away in turning to the Lord. There is Christ held forth to be the Spirit and the spirit of liberty to his people but observe the fruits of this liberty it is from sinne not to sinne but we all with open face beholding as in a glasse the glory of the Lord are changed into the same image from glory to glory even as by the Spirit of the Lord or of the Lord the spirit so it is in the margine Thus is Christ that Sunne to us which warmes us in the very shining upon us the Believer works walks and lives under the Gospel as beholding his perfect redemption wrought in Christ and so brings forth the power of this redemption and salvation through the spirit of Adoption freely working to the praise of his free-grace and freely obeying from the life of this redemption doing every thing in love because of his love shed abroad in our hearts and neither taking in judgements hell or damnation nay not heaven or glory to force on the worke or quicken the duty but doing all from the spirit of life in Christ Jesus except when corruption or temptation hindereth the freenesse and spiritualnesse in the duty A Spirit at this pitch is Christ and his beloved both met in his garden of spices and by feeding on the honey in the honey-combe Christ fils the soule with himselfe and delights himselfe in that fulnesse that is himselfe So the soule in communion with Christ in the Spirit sees it selfe compleat in Christ so joyes in its Masters joy alwayes satisfying it selfe in that love that is Christ himselfe and is able to trumpet out its glory to the world My beloved is mine and I am his This is Christ and his office branches setting about God alwayes feeding on the banquet of love and fitting under the benner of love God beholding every elect soule in Christ the soule beholds God in Christ and Christ beholds himselfe and all his in God and this vision in one spirit swallowes up all into one God beholds every elect soule as Christ Christ beholds every branch in him as of him beholding us in that glory we shall have with him when he appeares in his fulnesse of glory and the believing soule in the Spirit beholding its justification sanctification and redemption and Christ one in eternall love the soule is in this light transformed into this love that is God himselfe so sees nothing of God but what is all God such a soule knowes no divided Christ
the law of God though with the flesh the law of sinne The Lord Christ he ruled and governed in the mind of Paul and he doth acknowledge it for he thankes God through Jesus Christ he served the law of God with his minde and so beares witnesse to this truth that where Christ commands and governes there Gods law is obeyed And the same Apostle in the next chapter Rom. 8.2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death As if he had said I was in bondage under the law of sin in the condemning and the reigning power of it till Christ came to command in my soule by his Spirit and then I found deliverance so that now I can say It is not I but Christ that lives in mee The olde man the law of sinne was in command till Christ came but now we that were sometimes darkenesse are made light in the Lord and that light is the light of life and the love of Christ shed abroad in our hearts is both roote strength to a new life So the same Apostle I can doe all things through Christ that strengthens me Though the new creature be a worke too hard for my flesh yet it is not too hard for Christ in the Spirit Nay it is the certaine and the constant worke of the Lord Jesus to make the new creature Hee is made to us of God Sanctification as truly as Redemption so this is an undeniable truth That if any man be in Christ he is a new creature In this meditation there is much to informe us exceeding usefull for a christians knowledge As first it informes all of the holinesse and purity of God that though his grace call pitty and pardon the worst of sinners yet his purity will imbosome no soule but in Christ and in Christ he makes them new creatures The Lord Christ himselfe tels us in one Text That no man commeth to the Father but by him And this Text tels us That if any man be in Christ he is a new creature So that such souls as come and lye downe in the bosome of God come through Christ in whom they are made new creatures as God in himselfe is that perfection to whom there can be no addition so he is that perfect purity which cannot have communion with any impure thing God is that light which discovers all darkenesse and that fire which burneth up all drosse so that if filth approach his presence his light discovers it it cannot be hid from him all thoughts and things are alwayes naked before his presence and his fire consumes it for God out of Christ is a consuming fire truly he knows not God which saith in his heart that God and Belial may live together Our God is a God of glory and the glorious God he is not a God which hath eyes and seeth not eares and heareth not hands and handleth not exclude sinne and then there is nothing he is not he is the all of all the first the fountaine and the fulnesse of all but sinne so that God is so infinitely pure that he is all but what is impure hee is pure in the fountaine and the fountaine of purity Purity flowes only from God and that only returnes to God nothing but purity can dwell in God for God is pure And if thus then secondly this informes us of the riches of Gods free-grace which hath not only given us a justifying but also a sanctifying Jesus That Christ should not only deliver his Elect from the condemning power but also from the reigning power of sin not only deliver from the justice of God in satisfying Justice for them but so carrying them in his owne righteousnesse into the bosom of God where he biddeth them all eate my beloved feed abundantly and be satisfied A Saints life is bound up in God his blessednesse is to have communion with God Now considering the purity of God and the impurity of fallen man if free-grace had not made Christ our way and our Sanctification as our Redemption we could never have been blessed in communion with God If the bosome of God be a place of rest If the love of God be the foode of eternall life If that glory at Gods right hand be more exceeding and eternall weight of glory Oh then what riches is that riches of free-grace which hath given all this freely and Jesus Christ in whom wee have these and all the fulnesse of glory not only freely but full and that to all eternity If this be the fruit of grace then surely it must be rich glorious grace the fountaine must needs be precious the streames are so full of glory If we be saved sanctified and glorified meerely by grace then it must be rich grace that gives forth so richly to all eternity Thirdly this informes us of the sad and miserable condition of prophane carnal wretches the fruit of such lives tels us plainly that Christ is none of their roote The fruits of darknesse are discovered by the light but cannot be the proceeding or issue of the light The flesh hath workes as proper to it and floweth as naturally from it as any the Spirit hath And the Apostle Paul in Rom. 8.5 6 7 8. Ephes 5.8 9. Gal. 5.17 to the end doth discover both the rootes and the fruits of flesh and Spirit which are as clearely to be distinguished between as light and darknesse and is in no nearer union then the seede of the Serpent and the seede of the woman If any man be in Christ he is a new creature olde things are passed away behold all things are become new Truly this is but sad tidings for such poore soules that are yet old creatures not yet renewed in the spirit of their minds It speaks very loud and plainly to them that they are not yet united to Christ for were they in him he would soon make them new creatures The Apostle Paul in Ephes 4.17 18 19. speaking of the Gentiles Walking in the vanity of their minds having their understandings darkned being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance and blindnesse of their hearts who being past feeling had given themselves over unto all lasciviousnesse to worke all uncleannesse with greedinesse In vers 20. But ye have not so learned Christ As if hee had said such a life as that is the proper fruit of a naturall condition a man out of Christ for Christ he teacheth no such things but on the contrary as in verse 22 23 24. of that Chapter Christ he teacheth To put off concerning the former conversation the olde man which is corrupt according to the deceitfull lusts and to be renewed in the spirit of our minds and to put on the new man which after God is created in righteousnesse and true holinesse It is sad indeed for poor soules to gather that which sinne and Sathan is the roote and to please it selfe
me and so hath taken all my sinnes and the punishment due to sinne from mee And as he was made sinne for me so am I made righteousnesse before God to all eternity in him hee is the full satisfier of divine justice for mee so that I am compleatly righteous in the righteousnesse of God in him thus doth the Spirit seale and roote and ground and establish a soule by faith in Christ And in this assurance it is that the Saints have accesse by one Spirit unto the Father Ephes 2.18 as in Ephes 2.18 In this assurance the soule runnes with holy boldnesse and throwes it selfe into the bosome of his Father In this spirituall light the soule sees that there is nothing but Christ betweene him and his Fathers bosome and this Christ to be him that hath taken all sinne punishment due to the sins of his people on himselfe so that there is not the least tittle of them to stand between God and the soule nothing but Christ betweene and this Christ stands only as the way to the Fathers bosome not to keepe out as the Angel with his sword at the entrance of the garden but to carry home and to present spotless to his Father so that God may truly say of us we have his righteousnesse in Christ Ephes 1.13 14. For further proofe looke into that Ephes 1.13 14. There the Apostle having spoken of the secrets of God his election and predestination according to his purpose in Christ in whom after yee believed yee were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise which sayes he is the earnest of our inheritance plainly making the Spirit to be the seal and the earnest of a Saints inheritance It was from this seale that Job could say I know that my Redeemer liveth and that I shall behold him with these eyes And so the Apostle I know sayes he if this earthly tabernacle were dissolved I should have a building not made with hands eternall in the Heavens And thus the soule is carryed above all feares under the spirit of bondage by living upon God and Christ in the spirit of Adoption bearing witnesse to the soule that it is the childe of God and so filling the soule with God that it is quiet add established and lives boasting in God as the Apostle Paul in Rom. 8. the latter end Who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods elect who shall condemne or separate from the love of God in Christ nothing not life nor death nor any thing shall be able to dee this How knew he this why he tels you in vers 16. The Spirit of God did bear witnesse of this to his spirit And thus the soul through the seale of the Spirit quitely waites for his period in a state of grace till he be swallowed up into the fulnesse of that glory which is by the same Spirit sealed up for it as in Gal. 5.5 We through the Spirit waite saith the Apostle yea and not only wait but waite satisfied under possession the soule is satisfied with a fulnesse of eternall life as in John 4.14 There is the Spirit powred forth into a satisfying of the soul that it thirsts no more after any thing but God and is satisfied with God for it is a well of water springing up to eternall life I shall satisfie my selfe with thus much in the proofe of the first head namely the sealing worke of the Spirit of God in a Saint or a Saint sealed up to the eternall love of God by his Spirit By this we should examine our assurance of Gods love Vse whence we fetch it whether from within or from without whether from externall duties and priviledges or from an internall seale we seee it is Gods end in giving his Spirit that by it Saints may be sealed up to the day of Redemption and that we may thereby know we are his children And this wee finde to be in the experience of the Apostle Paul and other Saints Now let us aske our soules doth our assurance rise from the witnesse of the Spirit of God to our spirit Truly we shall never be established in our spirite till we come to this pitch If we live only upon those graces that flowe from the Spirit it will be a very uncertaine life for our own hearts can best witnesse how many ebbings and flowings of the fruits of the Spirit is within us Now if Gods love ebbe and flow to us as our love doth to him how changeable shall wee make God to be and how unsetled must our spirits needes be sayes God my love is unchangeable and to assure you of it I give you my Spirit to beare witnesse with your spirit that yee are the children of my love God gives his Spirit that we may looke on himselfe which is unchangeable he loves because he will love and as we can give no reason of his love so God gives no period to his love And when once the soule of a Believer comes thus to live on God himself by his spirit then he is an established soul But I hasten to the second head namely a Saints walking and working in the Spirit or the Spirit ruling and reigning in a Saint and this I gather from the 14. and 15. verses of John 14.17 There is the spirit of Truth dwelling and being in a Saint John 14.17 and the Saint knowing of this possession Here is a being and abiding a possession that leads to a ruling and a reigning The Spirit in a Saint is Christ in a Saint now Christ is a Saints head to rule in him and reigne over him And in verse 26. the Spirit puts forth an act of its Soveraignty teaching all things a Saint acting knowingly acts from the Spirit that teaches And in John 16.13 14. There is a further discovery what the Spirit shall doe when it hath possessed a soule why it makes discoveries of Christ to the soule for he shall receive of mine and shew it unto you and thereby you shall be guided into all truth And as a Saint is elected into God and Christ so the holy Spirit dwelling in him he lives in and to God and Christ possessing all fulnesse in God and Christ and making all his performances from God and Christ And thus he walkes and workes in the Spirit Rom. 8.1 2 3 4 5 6.9 10 11. and the Spirit rules and reignes in him This Rom. 8.1 2 3 4 5 6 9 10 11. speaks very exactly of a Saints walking in the Spirit and the Spirit reigning in a Saint They that are in Christ Jesus saith he walke not after the flesh but after the spirit And in verse 2. he tells us he acts only in Christ and lives by the law of the Spirit in Christ Jesus which hath freed him from the law of sinne and death As if hee should say all my duties and performances it is Christ living and acting by his Spirit in mee For saith he in the 3d verse
and Christ is in the Spirit now to enjoy God in his originall love with Christ in all hee is as the fruits of this love this is our life and this can only be in the Spirit Oh then it concerns us to plead our interest as children for the spirit of Adoption as it is in Rom. 8.14 15 16. It is the breathings of the Spirit which makes dead bones to live Ordinances and soules will be both dead without Christ in the Spirit it is expedient to goe sayes Christ to send the comforter and it is as needfull that he give the Spirit without it we can never have fellowship with the Father nor the Sonne in whom only our joy our life and our glory will be full In this Spirit only can wee live upon Christ as hee is the bread of life and our bread of life CHAP. VI. Christs reigne by his Spirit is the Saints liberty from bondage Gal. 4.5 6. To redeeme them that were under the law that we might receive the adoption of sonnes And because yee are sonnes God hath sent forth the spirit of his Sonne into your hearts crying Abba-Father THE Apostle Paul in almost this whole Epistle makes it his businesse and designe to discover to Saints their liberty in Christ and as it appeares by the Apostles writing to them in the foregoing chapter and in this These Saints to which he did more particularly write lay under legall principles and moved with legal spirits now for a remedy of this to them and all Saints after them in these two verses the Apostle holds forth Christ under a double capacity namely Justification and Sanctification to the Believer And in both a perfect freedome from the law so far as it is freedome to be delivered from it The first of these two verses holds out Christ justifying of his people in the redemption of his blood from what ever the law could accuse them of or charge upon them The latter verse holds forth the fruits of this redemption or indeede a part of this redemption it selfe Namely this That because we are sonnes God hath sent forth the spirit of his Sonne into our hearts crying Abba Father Either of these two parts are worthy a Saints study and admiring for ever I shall lay the foundation of what shall follow in this Point Namely that it is part of the Redemption of the bloud of Christ to a believer that no law should command or rule in the conscience or spirit of a believer but the Law of love the spirit of Adoption is here given forth to that very end that in it the soule may keep its communion close with God and Christ and be alwayes able to cry Abba Father In the proofe of this we must consider the first and second Adam as wee were in the first Adam we lay under a law of Creation and a Covenant of workes as creatures to obey our Creator and in obeying to have life doe and live but transgresse and die In the day thou eatest thereof thou shalt die the death But in the second Adam the Lord Christ the Covenant we are under is not of workes but of grace the law is not in the letter but in the spirit not written in Tables of stone but in the hearts of his people by his Spirit as appeares clearely where the Covenant of Free-Grace is recorded as in Jer. 31.33 34. and in Heb. 8.10 In both places God doth not only covenant to be our God reconciled to us not imputing sin and iniquity to his people any more but also to put his Law in our inward parts and to write it in our hearts so that this way he will teach and rule in the hearts of his people under that covenant of which Christ is the Mediator God is a Spirit and when he promiseth to write his law in our hearts wee must understand him thus the workings of his spirit in the hearts of his people Letter shall be turned into spirit Christ shall be a King as well as a Saviour and as a spirituall King so his law and his government spirituall that the Lord Christ and his Father may appeare one in this great engagement of teaching and ruling in the hearts of his people by the Spirit let us looke into Christs promise Joh. 14.15 16 17.26 Jo. 16.13 14. Here the Lord Christ promiseth to performe that Office of his intercession to God for us that he would make good his owne covenant and give his spirit to comfort lead and guâ—de the soules of his people Now the making good of Gods covenant and the efficacy of Christs intercession for this spirit to rule in the hearts of his people every soule in its owne particular can best cleare up the faithfulnesse of God and Christ But the Apostle Paul in the power of the spirit sets it out at large in Rom. 8.2 3 4 5.9 10 11.14 15.26 27. Observe the exprestious of the holy Ghost in the second verse For the law of the â—pirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and 〈…〉 is mention of a double law and as distinct each from other as life and death the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus and the law of sin and death I looke on these two as that which depends on the two Covenants that of Workes and that of Grace or as it is else-where expressed the Law of the first and second husband which is the first and second Adam Now whilst the first Adam is alive in the conscience the conscience is kept under his law which is thus the law of sin and death as it makes known sin and the wages of sin which is death but sin saith the Text is not imputed where there is no law Rom. 5.13 and in Rom. 6.23 the wages of sin is death And then in Rom. 7. beginning the Apostle saith this law hath dominion over the conscience so long as the first husband lives From these places I judge I am not mistaken in the interpreting the law of sin and death but that the holy Ghost clearly meanes that law of Creation doe and live or the bare Letter of command in the conscience Only let us consider what is meant by the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus which I understand thus That through that union the soule of a believer hath with Christ it is made spirituall Christ in his Kingly Office in throned in the conscience and the the soule resting in the bosome of Christ as a dutifull Spouse in the bosome of her beloved husband and his law is the law of the spirit of life that law which is life it selfe and turnes letter into spirit One thing more I would explaine my self in that is how I understand the holy Ghost in this freedome that the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made to a believer from the law of sin and death by the spirit of life I understand Christ
not able to act the new creature without Christ no more is it able to conceale the new creature now Christ is borne in me I am now led by the Spirit and I walke in the Spirit and the fruits of the Spirit is love joy peace c. And such are they that are in Christ for they have crucified the flesh with the lusts thereof That is Christ in them hath crucified the flesh and they are dead to it so that their life is in the spirit and they both live and walk in the spirit because Christ lives in them and they live and act meerly from Christ Saints in Christ are branches in the Vine And if Christ be the root then holinesse will be the fruit for no other fruit can grow from that roote The demonstration of this truth may be found in the particulars following the first demonstration is this That it is Gods designe from eternity that such as are united to Christ should be made new creatures in Christ that Christ should worke holinesse in Saints and that Saints should worke holily as created unto holinesse in Christ For proofe to this take that full place of Scripture in Ephe. 2.10 For we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto good workes which God hath before ordained that we should walke in them In the foregoing verses he tells us that we are saved meerly of grace and though God makes faith the hand to lay hold upon this free-grace of his in Christ yet that faith is the free gift of God as well as Christ which faith layes hold on so wrappes up all salvation in free-grace and in verse 9. excludes workes wholely upon that account But now least the wicked naturall heart of man should conclude thus my salvation is onely upon free-grace good workes addes nothing to it therefore as my salvation is left to Christ so my conversation is left to my self If I beleeve in Christ for to be saved I may live as I list I say to answer this in full arguing of our naturall hearts the Holy Ghost tells us that though holinesse and good workes are not under the account of jstuification yet that the conversation of Saints in truth is as purely out of their owne hands as their just fication is for saith the Text Wee are his workmanship that is Gods created in Christ Jesus unto good workes which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them The holy Ghost speakes methinkes very fully to this truth in this place that it is ordained and decreed by God from all eternity that such as are saved by Christ should be sanctified in Christ as it was the designe of God from all eternity to save soules meerly of his grace through Christ so is it the same designe of God to sanctifie every soul whom he saves through Christ now this is the decree of God that if any man be in Christ and Christ be his justification that Christ shall be in him and his sanctification so that if any man be in Christ he is a new creature for the one is as fully the design desire of the free grace of God as the other holiness it is the worke of God committed as I may say to the hands of Christ The same Apostle tels us That Christ is made to us of God wisdome righteousnesse sanctification redemption And God carries on this decree of his when he calls a soule to lye in his bosome and to have communion with himselfe through the Lord Christ The Apostle makes it an argument in 1 Thes 4.7 For God hath not called us unto uncleanenesse but unto holinesse His businesse in the fore-going verses is to exhort them to holinesse and to avoid the lusts and concupiscence of the Gentiles which saith he knew not God and makes this the argument to his exhortation for God hath called us to holinesse God hath united us to Christ and in that union he hath decreed that we shall be sanctified as well as saved so that to me this is a full demonstration that if any man be truly in Christ he is a new creature for this is the decree of God from all eternity and shall abide to all eternity A second demonstration of this truth may be this That the teachings of Christ in those that are truly taught by him is to put off the olde man which is corrupt according to the deceitfull lusts of the flesh and to put on the new man which is to be renewed in the spirit of their minds after the image of God in righteousnesse and true holinesse The proofe of this doth appeare in Ephes 4.20 21 22 23 24. But you have not so learned Christ If so be that you have heard him and have been taught by him as the truth is in Jesus That yee put off concerning the former conversation the olde man which is corrupt according to the deceitfull lusts of the flesh and be renewed in the spirit of your minds and that you put on the new man which after God is created in righteousnesse and true holinesse By this Scripture it appeares that such soules as have learned Christ and truths as they are in Jesus they are thereby renewed in the spirit of their mindes so as that the olde man which is after the flesh is put off and the new man put on which is after God created in righteousnesse and true holinesse Christ teacheth with power and his teachings make a change from flesh to spirit and from the carnall conversation of the old man to the image of God in the Spirit according to righteousnesse and holinesse Christ he renewes the mind and the conversation when hee teacheth his teachings reacheth the internals the roote receives life from him so that the fruit is the image of God in righteousnesse and true holinesse not a bare form all professed holinesse but a true holinesse that is holinesse in truth which is in Christ the truth it selfe so that the demonstration is full Christ and the new creature alwayes goe together but as if the Apostle had said there may be many formall carnall wretches that may professe Christ and lay claime to him but this is a standing truth they have not been taught truths as they are in Jesus and for their formality and carnality they have that from the old man what ever they professe of Christ for sure I am they have not so learned Christ his teachings are spirituall and his renewings are in the minde which makes the image of God in righteousnesse and true holinesse in the conversation not only a naked professed holinesse for if Christ then the new creature A third Demonstration may be this That God is light and in him is no darkenesse so that whoever hath fellowship with God and Christ walketh in the light as God is light for proof of this take a Scripture or two 1 John 1.5 6. This is the message which we have heard of him and declare unto you
Seeking those things which are above where Christ fitteth on the right hand of GOD. Having its affections on things above and not on things on the earth Col. 3.1 2. As Christ so Saints in the world have no other businesse but to doe the will of their Heavenly Father Now truly the consideration of this may well put all Saints upon that great work of selfe-examination We are apt enough to see a mote in our brothers eye when wee overlooke the beame that is in our owne But it is the onely businesse of every Saint to live up Christ then it is worth the looking into our lives how much of Christ wee can find there what singlenesse of soule is in us to all the wayes will and worke of Christ whether we follow Christ for love or for the loaves For what hee is or for what hee gives Whether it be his love that constraines us to deny ungodlinesse and worldly lusts or whether feare of Hell shame or punishment stops the eyes pursute and stops the prractise of sinne Or whether our profession of godlinesse under what forme soever be to lift up Christ or selfe Whether if Heaven and Sinne might goe together we would not rather have sin live in our souls then Christ Whether that the profession of godlinesse which we seem so much to delight in be not a burthen to us in the power and life of it Whether that day in which Christ is most and selfe least in our souls be best to the souls content Whether it be the souls desire petition at the throne of grace to be unselft in every thing and that Christ may be all in all whether the soul doth indeed count that a lost day hour or moment in which he doth not in some measure lift up Christ and declare the in-dwelling of Christ in his soule by the out-goings of Christ in his life It is worthy a soules examination how the olde man dyeth and the new man is renewed in him day by day how pride and passion is brought under the feete of Christ in our soules how through Christ that loves us we are more then conquerours over sin and selfe by the love of Christ that conquers them in us and enableth us by his love to live like conquerours rejoycing and glorying in the free grace of our God the new creature is Christ in truth and truths as they are in Jesus godlinesse in power and the power of godlinesse holinesse in its beauty and the beauty of holinesse God in the Spirit and the Spirit of God heavenly mindednesse and a mind in heaven it is living and walking in the Spirit it is a soule united to Christ Christ in it and it in Christ Therefore if any man be in Christ he is a new creature CHAP. X. Vanity and vexation of spirit compasseth all things under the sun Eccles Chap. 1. vers 14. I have seene all the workes that are done under the Sunne and behold all is vanity and vexation of spirit THIS Scripture is the testimony of the Wise man concerning all things under the Sunne and it is so upon seeing and trying all these things In the verse before this he tels us hee gave his heart to seeke and to search out by wisdome concerning the things that are done under heaven He hath attained the beholding of what he gave hie heart to seeke so that both seeking and seeing in wisdome he findes all to be vanity and vexation of spirit The vanity of the whole creation is the subject matter of all his booke He begins it thus in this first Chap. and 2d vers Vanity of vanities saith the Preacher Vanity of vanities all is vanity His heart is so full of the matter that hee doubles the sentence and as he begins with it in the generall so in his whole booke he followes the same subject in the particulars of it concludes his booke with the same generall in Chap. 13. vers 8. Vanity of vanities saith the Preacher all is vanity The Psalmist in Psalm 144. vers 4. Bears witnesse to this truth in the top-branch of all the creation Man saith he is like to vanity and he proves it for his dayes are as a shadow that passeth away And in Psalm 62.9 takes in men of high and low degree in the proofe of this generall truth Surely men of low degrees are vanity and men of high degrees are a lye to be laid in the ballance they are altogether lighter then vanity the vanity of the creature is a subject well worthy the study of a wise christian and truly none but Christ our wisdome can give us light into this vanity for method sake wee will draw out one generall truth which I thinke is visible in this Scripture That upon true discovery and knowledge of all things under the Sunne we shall finde them vanity and vexation of spirit For the proofe of this truth let us search the Scripture and our owne experience the wise man to prove this truth begins with man in his labour in his first Chap. vers 3 4. What profit hath a man of all his labour under the Sunne for he stayes not to keepe any fruit of his labour but passeth away one generation goeth and another commeth So in Chap. 2. vers 22 23. Man reapeth no content from all his labours under the sunne They fill him full of sorrow travell and griefe and at last he cannot lye downe and rest in them They are a bed of thornes unfit for rest yea when the poore creature comes to lye down indeed and sleep that sleep of death it find â—s no rest in all its labours under the Sun of what kinde soever So in Chap. 1.6 9.17 18 19. verses He tels us mans labour under these vanities is so great that he cannot utter it and that without any satisfaction though what is pursued be enjoyed For though the eye see yet it is not satisfied with seeing and though the eare doe he are yet it is not filled with hearing The creature can never give so long and so much till that which receives from it saith it hath enough though it give objects to the eye yet the eye wants more objects then it can give and though it offers to fill the eare yet the eare is not filled with all that it can give there is no new thing under the Sunne but that which hath been shall be and that which is done is that which shall be done So that though I give my heart to know all things wisdome madnesse and folly yet I find nothing new in them And in stead of content in all this variety of knowledge I found vexation of spirit for I will tell you the best and then judge you the rest In much wisdome is much griefe and he that encreaseth knowledge encreaseth sorrow And if this be the best of the best who can tell what is the worst of the worst he comes to particulars in Chap. 2. vers 1. he
As if the Lord Christ had said My work and will is bound up in God and it is my joy and content to be doing his worke and fulfilling his will And in the fifth of John verse 30. I seek not my own will but the will of my Father which hath sent me I pursue the businesse that I came about to perfect the will of him I came from from John 6.38 For I came downe from heaven not to doe my owne will but the will of him that sent me so that in all these Scriptures it appeares that Christ owneth nor doth no will but the will of God Now as it was the Lord Christs work to doe the wil of God in all things so is it Saints duty in conformity to Christ their Head to be willing and doing no other will but the will of God If the Lord Christ will allow in himselfe no other will but the will of God then certainly he will not doe it in his members it is both the duty and priviledge of Saints to be made conformable to Christ their Head As the branches in the vine receive that sap which cometh from the root and bringeth forth such fruit as that fap produceth so is it with Saints united to Christ they have their lise and fruit from union and he owneth them to be united to him that heare the word of God and doe it Luke 8.21 This is so cleare a truth so much of God in it that I cannot doubt but it carries its proofe and commission with it into the bosomes of all such as owne God and Christ so that the improving will be more edifying then the proving Therefore confider the second head namely That so farre as Christ liveth in any soule it is the dâ—sire of such a soul that the whole will of God and no other but the will of God may be done in all times and things What Christ is in himself that he is in his members he is in himself one with the wil of God so where Christ lives in any soule so much Christ so much onenesse with and conformity to the will of God Such a soul speaks in Christs strength and so speakes Christs language to God Not my will but thy will be done There is in the best of Saints on earth as in Paul a double Law one in the members and another in the minde one of the flesh and another of the spirit but as that Apostle Rom. 7. last Through Christ he served God with the mind Where Christ possesseth there God is obeyed if he lives and reignes in any soule that soule so farre knowes no will to obey but the will of God and if any part of that man know any other will it is the fleshly part which Christ hath not fully subdued to himself but where Christ liveth there he suffers no other will but the will of God to beare rule And as the fire of Gods Spirit doth consume the lusts of the flesh in Saints so doth the will of such Saints runne more and more into the wil of God they are lost unto themselves and found in God they will and doe every day lesse of Selfe and more of God they are crucified with Christ to the world and the world to them and the life that they then live is by the faith of the Son of God in conformity to the will of God Christ makes the desires shapes and formes the will in such soules as he lives in to God and God is sure to have that which Christ new makes For it is his businesse to doe his Fathers worke When ever Christ new makes or makes the new creature in any soule his end is to make for God and to lift up his own name in lifting up God for he telleth us in the 17. of John verse 21 22. That himselfe and his Father are one and as there is but one will in God and Christ so there is onely that one will in every soul that Christ powerfully liveth in so farre as he doth live in it by his Spirit For it is the property of the Spirit as fire to burn up and consume all but substance what ever is drosse is consumed where that holy fire comes now all flesh and selfe is drosse both in will and work and that the Spirit burnes up and leaves nothing remaining in such a soule where it liveth so farre as it hath overcome but the substantial and holy wil of God And from hence it is that any soul comes to be changed in its desires because it is changed in it selfe or more properly out of it selfe from flesh to spirit from selfe to Christ from its own wil to the wil of God But now if any shall object and say This is a hard saying who can beare it This makes Christianity to be such a burthensome thing as the world reports it to be that a man must be alwayes crossing and denying himselfe of any will or content of his own so as by this rate the way to heaven is to have no pleasure upon earth To this I answer It is ignorance of God and his wayes that makes this objection this sounds like the answer of Nieodemus to our Saviour in the third of John verse 4. when Christ had been shewing him the necessity of regeneration and spake in the Spirit to him of being born again he understood not the Spirit and as he understood him so answered him in the flesh How can a man be born when he is old Can he enter the second time into his mothers womb and be born Christ spake in the Spirit but Nicodemus understood him onely in the flesh and therefore judgeth it hard or impossible that there should be a regeneration or new birth though Christ had told him the necessity of it So doe all that are ignorant of God and his wayes thus conclude of him as they understand him so that when he speakes in the Spirit and they understand him in the flesh they conclude according to the light they are under that what is impossible with man is so with God to them because they have no other knowledge of God but in the flesh But let such as are spirituall consider First God gives what he commands and then commands what he gives God that commands to be worshipped and obeyed in spirit gives his Spirit to worship and obey him in God is no hard master he takes not up where he layes not down he covenants freely and makes it fully good to put his law in the inner parts of his people and to write it in their hearts Jerem. 31.33 And to give them his Spirit of truth to dwell with them and be in them and to teach them all things John 14.17.26 Now none but a fleshly understanding can condemne God for a hard master and his will swallowing up our will to be a joylesse comfortlesse burthensome thing when as hee gives his Spirit to doe that in us which hee requires of
being on earth for it is God in the Creature now this is the wil of man swallowed up in the will of God put forth in the soule and life of man And this is the soule that speakes to God truly in the spirit Not my will but thy will bee done O Father Fifthly and lastly When our wils are melted into the wil of God it puts the soule and spirit into a quiet peaceable restfull and serene condition and it must needs be so upon this consideration For what can make it otherwise when all things worke according to the desires of that soule every thing distinct and all things together perfects the end that this soule drives at and the soule knowes it therefore must needs be at rest the property of this soule is it hath its will in God and desires the fulfilling and accomplishment of no others wil but the wil of God Now tell me what can disturb the peace of this soule Nothing but what is able to frustrate God of his wil and that can be no created being because God that made it can when he pleases make it return to its first nothing that soule hath its peace above disturbance which hath in it the fulfilling of the will of God For all the working in Heaven and Earth doe but fulfill the wil of God and make up the peace and rest of that soule which is bound up in the wil of God And upon this consideration our Saviour tels his people That their joy shall no man take from them because their joy and rest is in God above the reach of man or men and this is the main reason of that vaste difference that is in the spirits that live in him and the men of the World that live in the World in regard of the rest and peace that is in the bosomes of the one and the perplexing distractions that are in the hearts of the other Sayes the Soule that hath given up his wil to God I am at rest for I know in all the workings in the world he is perfecting his own will and setting up his owne glory and his wil it my wil if Gods will be done I have all done that my soule desires therefore nothing can disturb my rest But now ask the worldling how is it with him in point of rest O sayes he never worse the world is so unquiet so full of trouble hazards and change that a man cannot tell where he is safe nor when hee is wel nor doe we know when it will be better when some hopes of rest appeare then new troubles nip that in the bud so that I am hopelesse of any rest in the world That is very true sayes the the gracious soule for the earth that must be shaken and is ever shaking was never made for a place of rest but did you enjoy God and live in the fulnesse of that love which soules live in that have given themselves up to God your mournings would be turned into joyes and your sad complainings into high admirings of the power and wisdome of God that makes all things perfects his ends and lifts up his glory Truly sayes this soule I remember the time when it was with me as with David my heart repined to see the wicked fat and flourish but since my wil hath been moulded into the will of God I can repine at nothing because now I know all things shall fulfill the wil of God I have knowne the time when my spirit hath been disturbed if God should seeme to set me aside and use others in my place to doe his work but truly no such thing disturbs me now my wil is in Gods wil for it is the wil and work of God to be done that I mind not the instrument that doth it nay Gods wil in altering of his instruments satisfies me as much as any other part of his will for it is the doing of his will that I rest in and this makes me alwayes at rest because God is alwayes accomplishing his own will therefore sayes the Psalmist in the 45 Psalme I will not feare nor be disquieted though the earth be removed and the mountaines carried into the midst of the Sea though the waters thereof roare and bee troubled though the mountaines shake with the swelling thereof No why not What is the reason of it Why The Lord of Hosts is with us the God of Jacob is our refuge This is the reason He lived in the power love and faithfulnesse of God and so could not be moved that which could move the earth and carry away the mountaines the great men powers of it could not disquiet him because not remove him from his God Our Saviour intimates thus much unto his Disciples John 14. Let not your hearts be troubled you beleeve in God beleeve also in me i. Beleeve in God live in God and rest on God through me and your hearts will be at rest When the wil of Man centres in the wil of God the peace of God centres in the bosome of that man When God makes any soule to sit down in his wil he doth also make that soule to be at rest in his wil and his love till he take it up for ever into the fulnesse of his glory This is an unparallel'd benefit which that soule enjoyes that hath given up his will to the will of God Wee have an example of this in David 2 Sam. 12.16 whilst the child was sicke he besought the Lord for it but when he knew the childe was dead He arose from the earth washed and anointed himself worshipped God and went to his own house are bread and refreshed himselfe 19 20. And in the 22 23. verses he tels us the reason of it While the child was living he besought God for it he could not tel but it might be his will that the child should live but when God had declared his will in the death of his child that satisfied David so that we see clearly it was the will of God hee looked after and that being revealed the heart is at rest and it s only a heart that is thus bound up in God and his will that can be at rest Gods will is either the rest or the trouble of every soule where it is the rest that soule must needs be at rest because his wil shal alwayes be done but where it is the trouble that soule must ever bee in trouble because his will is ever fulfilling Now it cannot but bee the rest of that soule which hath its will in God and disquietments of such wils as are out of and contrary to God that soul must needs be at rest which hath his wil in Gods because let God strip it of what he pleaseth yet it finds more in God then it can lose for God more love more life more joy more riches more honours and more pleasures then it must needs follow more peace and quiet in such spirits The onely
another And what hast thou which thou hast not received Dost thou call the wisdome strength power and greatnesse that God hath bestowed on thee thy owne And is it thy businesse to lift up thy name by these This is thy mistake thy pride is thy owne indeed thou mayest call thy selfe and the first Adam thy owne originall for all sin and evill but God is only the original of all good now if thou exceed theirs in evill it will be no advantage to lift up thy selfe by for the more sinful the more miserable thou art but if thou exceed others in good as knowledge and the like thou hast in this little reason to lift up thy selfe for thou art not the originall that thou gloriest in It is what thou hast received that makes thee to differ from another wilt thou lift up thy selfe as if thou wert ful because God is ful I tell thee O proud man thy difference is from donation thou art more then another because God gives thee more then another not because thou art more in thy selfe therefore shew me a reason why thou art lifted up in thy selfe wilt thou be proud of thy sins for thou hast nothing else of thy owne Nay it is thy sinne to be proud of any thing thou hast received Wilt thou lift up thy selfe in that which is anothers Robbe God of his glory to cover thy owne face with it Nay wilt thou be so wicked as to make thy selfe as it were God His wisdome thine and thy selfe the originall of his gifts Thou forgettest and seemest to deny that thou hast received that which makes thee to differ when as thou goest about to set up thy selfe Againe shew me thy reason why thou despisest all that are below theâ— and enviest such as are above thee is the one too low and the other too high Why consider who 't is that makes the difference in them it is the same powerfull God that maketh thee to differ by what thou hast received more then those below thee and lesse then such as are aboue thee Now thou canst neither despise the one nor envy the other but thou dost it to God in both for the same wonder-working God which makes thee to differ in excellency and glory from them makes them also to differ from thee in the same what thou hast thou hast received so have they when thou canst make one of thy hairs black or white thou mayest have some seeming good to lift up thy selfe and expect other channels to runne into thee but till then be silent and if thou canst not answer these questions who maketh thee to differ from another and what hast thou that thou hast not received Then for shame lay downe thy selfe at the feete of that God from whom thou receivedst all that good and excellency which makes thee to differ from the lowest degree of sinne and misery This Scripture to a proud spirit is like those words of our Saviour to him that came to the marriage feast without a wedding garment Friend sayes Christ how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment And the Text sayes the man was speechlesse So truly I believe will every proud spirit be that God puts to answer these questions have nothing to say but lye silent under this conviction That God is all good and himselfe nothing but a spring of evill From whence comes his pride but in that hee differs not from other flesh in a state of nature and I wish it could be truly affirmed that pride were not in any but such as are in their naturall condition but this I dare affirm that so much pride which is in any man or woman so much of the old Adam is still remaining in that soule for pride is a fruit of the flesh and is that which God hates and sets himselfe against I may say of pride it is the originall of the Devill and there is no sinne in the soule of man or woman which gives the Devill more service then this doth We have in what hath gone before had some weake discoveries of the principles of it If the Spirit of God be our light it will not be lost time nor paines to looke into the practises of those principles in these few following particulars As first The proud man he seekes to raise up himselfe and not in all to lift up God higher then himselfe His worke is all climing worke hee cannot endure to have any man above him this is that hee plots for and acts for namely to lift up his owne name and his owne will He is very industrious to build Babell that hee might say this is great Babell that I have builded He seekes to be uppermost that all law and rule may come from his lips and if this be opposed the man is abundantly enraged as appeares by Nebuchadnezar when his visage was changed by his wrath and be commanded the fiery furnace to be heat seven times â—â—tter then before and that Shadrach Meshech and Abednego should be cast into it because they disobeyed his commands and would not fall down to worship the Image he had set up this very thing is the practise of all proud hearts so farre as they can reach God chaines up such spirits as hee did Sathan from Job but this is properly their hearts and so farre as their chaine will goe they practise the proud man makes use of one step to advance him to another but not in any to lift up God above himselfe for that is a contradiction to the principles he acts by where God is lifted up there the flesh is throwne downe but the proud mans glory is his flesh not God and that is really his businesse where ever he is to lift up himselfe and it is the disquiet ment of his soule when this designe doth not prosper but let such spirits take the Apostles questions to answer Who maketh thee to diffen and what hast thou that thou hast not received Dost thou know thy originall and by what power thy progresse hath been made from step to step Hast thou mounted with thy owne wings climbed up to what thou art with thy owne hands Or hast thou received that by which thou differest from another Looke upon dead bones and tell me if they can live If you say no I say it is your ignorance they can live by the same power you live you that were dead clay live by what you have received so can these dead bones Where the Spirit of God sets home these questions upon any soule it will not onely silence but crucifie this principle and practice of pride in it Secondly a proud mans practice is to keep others under him that he may keep up himselfe to make the comforts of other men the footstoole of his pride to trample others into nothing that he might make himselfe all So did proud Haman in his heart and designe against poore Mordecai and the whole nation of the Jewes Pride is
A Cluster Of Canaans Grapes BEING Severall experimented truths received through private communion with God by his Spirit grounded on Scripture and presented to open view for publique Edification By Col. ROBERT TICHBOURN 1 Cor. 12.7 The manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withall Matthew 5.15 Neither doe men light a candle and put it under a bushell but on a candlesticke and it giveth light unto all that are in the house 1 Cor. 1.27 But God hath chosen the foolish things of the World to confound the wise and God hath chosen the weake things of the world to confound the things which are mighty Decemb. 25. 1648. Imprimatur Joseph Caryll LONDON Printed by Matthew Simmons 1469. The Author nothaving leisure to attend and correct the Press desires the Reader to be at so much pains as to peruse these Errata and amend what in some places are necessary to be observed to make the sense compleate ERRATA PAge 6. l. 22. leave out and going before blood p. 7. l. 21. for believer r. being for ever p. 22. l. 5. for 35. 53. p. 29. l. 38. for out r. our p. 37. l. 11. for add r. and p. 42. l. 21. for present r. precept p 50. l. 26. for eive r. live p. 58. l. 17. for 35. r. 53. p. 58 l. 20. for sons r. sun p 69. l 28. r. such such p 83. l 14. r. I comprehend and in l. 15. for but r. not p. 84. l. 29. for falshood r. fashioned p. 85. l. 32. for office r. olive p 95. l 32. for ceter r. center p 95 l 36. for he r. thee p 103. l 32. for I have told I you r. I have told you I p 103. l 35. for doe distrust me r. doe you distrust me p 109. l 25. for inful r sinful p 112. l 34. for receive truth r. receive this truth p 121. l 34. for power of their lives r. power of godlinesse in their lives p 125. l. 23. for eyes pursute r eager pursute p 128. l 30. for return r. return of p 131. l 27. for sin r. sun p 135. l 19. for the spirit r. this spirit p 146. l. 1 for constrained r. cōtrived p 163. l 25. for Jews r. Spouse p. 165. l. 2. for but r and p 168. l last r. the workings or God p 182. l 19. for ceasing r. crossing p 18 2. l 27. for you r. he p 183. for rip up r. crye up p 213. l 10. for sure but r. sure none but p 213. l. 27. for upod r. upon p 206. l 5. for fault r. fall p 134. l 16. for body r. other p. 235. l 15. for in his r. or in his p 137. l 14. for give r. have p 239. l 27. for would it r. would if p 240. l 15. for soule ip r. soule is P. 107. l. 20. left out where it is said as those dead bones could not live before God had united them covered them with skin and breathed life into them this should be added no more could they remain dead bones when God had so united them and breathed life into them p. 131. l 7 to he is best satisfied adde not to eate at all To His EXCELLENCY THOMAS Lord FAIRFAX Commander in Chiefe of all the Land Forces under the pay of the PARLIAMENT within the Kingdome of England and Dominion of Wales and the Islands of GARNSEY and JERSEY MY LORD I HAVE observed that Persons engaged by love have used this way to make their acknowledgmēts that when they give their labours to the Worlds view they present them to that hand which hath by kindenesse most obliged them I judge this practice to arise from ingenuity of spirit that where men cannot pay a debt there they wil acknowledge themselves debters Now I beseech your Excellency to give mee leave to take up this practice I am not able to pay the obligements of your Lord-ships love and kindenesse to mee nor in this doe I attempt any higher thing then to acknowledg my selfe your Lord-ships debter for more undeserved favours then any person I know amongst those many thousands that are fellow-debters with mee And if your Excellency shal be pleased to own and accept of this poore acknowledgement I shall declare it to be the fruites of your owne wonted goodnesse my self not at all the lesse but the more your debter I am the more encouraged to Dedicate this to your Lord-ship from the observation that I have made of your spirit to be willing to owne truth and honesty in the lowest person the meanest dress What I here present to your hands I trust will bee found truths by the word and spirit of truth but I confes unto your Lordship it is in a very mean attire without the ornament of humane learning And I expect Worldlings should slight and scorn it upon that account but if they appear truths as truth is in Jesus I am confident they wil be beautiful in your Excellencies eye I have had much struglings between my flesh spirit whether to bury or to bring forth these breathings of God upon my soule The spirit of God hath made them very sweet to me and my spirit judged they might be so to others therefore was I willing to breath them forth but then my flesh objected that the stile was low and meane and that this subject out of my hand would administer matter of scorne from the World and if one of a thousand did value it yet a thousand for one would slight me and it Til it pleased God to cary me above scorn I could not rise to this resolutiō to bring that forth to the World which God by his Spirit had brought into my soule but when I had resolved the world should have it I was not long to seeke in my self of a hand first to present it to but resolved to presume upon your Excellencies exceeding love and goodnesse so as to present it unto your Lordship as the acknowledgement of my reall affections abundant engagements to your Excellency Sir I blesse the Lord I have no base ends in this appearing to the World for if the reasonings of my flesh could have prevailed this had never beene an object for Worldlings scorne And if the Lord shal give you time to read it I hope it wil appeare to your Excellency and to every spiritual eye that shal looke into it that my designe is to lift up something above my selfe Namely God in Christ And finding the same spirit to be in your bosome I am encouraged to dedicate this following Treatise to your Lordship and take that boldenesse as to subscribe my selfe your Excellencies very much engaged and ever faithful servant ROB TICHBURN To the Readers Readers IF you know what you looke for I will tell you what you shall finde that so you may either save your labours or attaine your ends You shall have truth in a meane attire set before your eyes the truths of
reason is this To give the World a true discovery of my spirit and light in those things which I count weighty and every truth of them to be of more concernment then a thousand Worlds I cannot tell the thoughts of men concerning my selfe nor will presume to take the place of God to judge the thoughts of any but this I can truly tell that in the following truths I have clearely opened my heart to the view of every Reader and have faithfully given to the World what light God hath given to me in those maine truths and fundamentalls of salvation in which my soule lives and what I can cheerefully dye in the next moment This is all I shall say I blesse the Lord I am single hearted in this worke let men judge of me and it according to to their light I have no other end then this That the eternall loving kindnesse and free grace of God may be lifted up in the World and that all his people may know how good a God hee is I confesse these truths of God were in my soule like new Wine in old Bottles my flesh could imprison them no longer and now they are abroad give me leave Reader with them to give thee a word of caution If thou beest spirituall and understandest these truths of God in the spirit and findest them sweet then blesse the Lord let thy heart praise him and thy eye be singly set on him overlooke the creature wholy unlesse it be to glory in the Lord that hath magnified his free grace to so weake a one as my selfe is I acknowledge the truths to be Gods and revealed by his spirit of truth so that the beauty of them must center no where but in him but all the failings and weaknesses from first to last are mine the fruits of my flesh and darknesse I beseech you let God have his due glory though you blame me for my failings let not my weaknesses prejudice any soule against the precious truths of God I trust there is nothing but what are truths of God though weakly managed and if any one amongst those many thousands more descerning eyes then mine shall finde out any thing that is not so I trust if in a spirit of love and meeknesse it be made knowne to me I shall blesse God for that soule and honour his truth by acknowledging my owne errours And to the scorner I shall onely say this I wish you could singly scorne me in it and not God then would your sinne be the lesse and so would my sorrow too for God hath carried me above your scornes and were not your sinnes increased by it the care of either side would be but very small Let me deale plainely with you you wrong your selves not me for I can both live and dye full of joy and rest in the love of God though you shall please your selves in scorning and deriding me and all the returne I shall make to this will be to pity your darknesse and to pray the Lord to give you the light of his spirit by which you may truly know him and Jesus Christ which he hath sent and then I know you will be new creatures I shall hold you no longer in the porch but open every doore of the house that you may both read and see the truths of God made knowne by his spirit to the weakest and one as unworthy as any of his Servants Rob Tichbourne The Contents of the severall Chapters contained in this Booke LOVE to all SAINTS shews union with Christ By this shall all men know that ye are my Disciples if yee love one another John 13.35 What Christ hath borne for Saints they shall never beare themselves For as many as are of the workes of the law are under the curse for it is written cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the booke of the law to doe them But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God it is evident for the just shall live by faith And the law is not of faith but the man that doth them shall live in them Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law being made a curse for us for it is written cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree There is neither Jew nor Greeke there is neither bond nor free there is neither male nor female for yee are all one in Christ Jesus And if ye be Christs then are yee Abrahams seed and heirs according to promise Gal. 3.10 11 12 13.28 29. Gods Children have his Spirit to walk and work in For as many as are led by the Spirit of God they are the sonnes of God For yee have not received the spirit of bondage again to feare but yee have received the spirit of adoption whereby we cry Abba-Father The Spirit it selfe bearing witnesse with our spirit that we are the children of God Rom. 8.14 15 16. Gods love giveth Saints to know they shall appeare like Christ Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us that we should be called the sonnes of God Therefore the world knows us not because it knew not him Beloved now are we the sons of God and it doth not yet appeare what we shall be but we know that when hee shall appeare we shall be like him for wee shall see him as he is 1 John 3.1 2. Christ is the foode of living soules I am that bread of life John 6.48 Christs reigne by his Spirit is the Saints liberty from bondage To redeeme them that were under the law that we might receive the adoption of sons And because ye are sons God hath sent forth the spirit of his Son into your hearts crying Abba-Father Gal. 4.5 6. Saints are compleate before God in their union with Christ For in him dwels all the fulnesse of the God-head bodily and yee are compleat in him Coloss 2.9 Free-grace in God justifieth redeemeth through Christ Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus Rom. 3.24 Christ and the new creature are unseparable Therefore if any man be in Christ hee is a new creature 2 Cor. 5.17 Vanity and vexation of spirit compasseth all things under the sunne I have seene all the workes that are done under the Sun and behold all is vanity and vexation of spirit Eccles 1.14 A Saints excellency is to have no will in himselfe but the will of God Saying Father if thou be willing remove this cup from me neverthelesse not my will but thine be done Luke 22.42 No man exceedes another in excellency but by received mercies For who maketh thee to differ from another and what hast thou that thou didst not receive 1 Cor. 4.7 None but God can be a proper subject for a Saint to glory in He that glorieth let him glory in the Lord 1 Cor. 1. part of the 30. vers Saints have victory through Christ over Death and by faith glory
in it O Death where is thy sting O grave where is thy victory The sting of death is sinne and the strength of sinne is the Law But thanks be to God which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ 1 Cor. 15 55 56 57. FINIS Jan. 25. 1648. I Have delightfully looked upon these Clusters of Canaans Grapes and have helped them to the Presse that they may be Wine for Common drinking I onely minde the Reader that these Grapes yeeld the New Wine of the Gospell Let him take heed hee puts it not into the Old Bottles of envy or of malice of prejudice or of contempt if he doe His Bottles will breake and though the Wine because 't is saving Wine cannot but be safe yet himselfe will be a looser yea in danger to be lost Whereas his profit and Salvation are I beleeve on this side the glory of God the highest end of the Author in this publication as they are of the Licenser Joseph Caryl A Cluster of Canaans GRAPES CHAP. I. Love to all Saints shews union with Christ JOHN 13.35 By this shall all men know that yee are my Disciples if yee love one another THE fore-going verse holds out a Command from Christ that all his Disciples those which love and follow him should love oee another And to this command our Saviour holds forth his love as a pattern and incitation to us to love one another That you love one another saith Christ Verse 34 as I have loved you Our Saviour spake these words a little before bis death that they might be of the more force and make the more impression upon the soules of his Disciples as if he should say remember my dying love and let it live in your bosomes as a precept and example for you to love one another In this 35. verse our Saviour advances love holy spirituall love and makes it a Beacon of discovery This love it is the love of Christ within us for without him we can doe nothing Now Christ makes a double discovery by this love The first is he discovers God his Father and our Father and himselfe to us Secondly by this love he makes a discovery of Saintt to the world as they are in union and communion with him the latter of these is that which is held forth in this verse namely A Saint manifesting to the world his union with Christ by his love to every fellow-member as bearing Christs image The point that naturally flowes from these words is this That love to all Saints is a plain manifestation of our union and communion with Christ When I say all Saints I admit of no distinction but only Saintship living in the Spirit up to their interest as Disciples and followers of Christ Not Saints of such or such a judgement in point of worship nor Saints of a higher or lower growth nor Saints distinguished by their various formes of discipsine but as branches of the true Vine which in their union with Christ bring forth the fruits of the beauty of holinesse and the power of godlinesse Christ gives this as a generall command to all his Disciples to love one another Joh. 15.17 our Saviour tells us this As I am in the Father so are you in me and this is a good foundation of love therefore love one another as I have loved you Joh. 15.12 And in 1 John 4.21 And this Commandment have we from him that he who loves God loves his brother also as if the holy Ghost had said Those that truly love God will love his image where-ever they find it Our Saviour in John 17.20 21. prayes upon this principle he prayes for all that shall beleeve in him his love is not stinted onely unto Apostles or Disciples persons of greatest gifts and graces but it runnes as strongly to the weakest beleever So in the 10. verse of that 17. of John All mine are thine and thine are mine and I am glorified in them Christ by an eye of love beholds that union which the weakest beleever hath with him and beholds his glory in that union Here wee have Christ the purest founntain of love for our pattern his love runnes to all in union with him so should our distinguishing love extend to all that hold the head Christ Jesus and walk in the light and life of the Spirit This truth is so cleare from the first Text that it needs not any more to prove it though the Scripture be abundant in it 2 Thess 4.9 as that 1 John 4.19 20 21. and John 15.12 So take in 1 Thess 4.9 the Apostle makes it as it were a needlesse thing to write to them their duty in this to love their brethren in Christ For sayes he you your selves are taught of God to love one 〈◊〉 nother as if he had said you know nothing of God if you know not this duty if you know your union with Christ you will know that that love which made you one with him hath made you so with every of his members So in that 1 John 2.10 11. 1 Joh. 2.10 11. the holy Ghost there speakes the same thing with the first Text and makes love to the brethren to be a discovering Beame of Christ the Lord of Light and Glory in us The Text is plain Hee that loves not his brother abides not in the light but is in darknesse and walkes in darknesse not knowing whither be goes because he is without Christ the light of life who is the light of that soule hee lives in which soule loves Christ and all that is like him In all these Scriptures you may observe how the heart of Christ and all those that wrot from the Dictates of the holy Ghost is upon this very thing God calls himself the God of Love fils his children with his Divine nature by his Spirit and would have them beare his Name too that the world may know that the Father of Love hath begotten Children of Love in his own likenesse I am afraid we all live much below this eminent discovery of our interest in Christ by our love to all Saints in that latitude which Christ intends it therefore to stirre up and engage our hearts more in this glorious and heavenly duty and priviledge let us in the Spirit of Christ seriously weigh these Reasons and Considerations following First Reason or Consi ∣ deration 1 the Onenesse of all Elect beleevers in the originall love of God consider if we all have not one Fountaine of life and were not all in the first Adam involved into one death of transgression Was there any fallen soule lesse guilty in the fall of the first Adam then another Or was there any that God saw more worthinesse in then in another to move him to chuse such a soule Surely no For then that Word of eternall Truth could not stand in Ephes 2.8 For by grace are we saved not of our selves 't is the gift of God
Ephes 2.8 Every saved soule is a child of free grace and its salvation the gift of God in the fifth verse of that Chapter Verre 5. Even we who were dead in sins hath he quickned us together with Christ there is all in one state of death and all in one state of life and the originall of this life he brings in a parenthesis by grace ye are saved love is in God the originall of it to all alike and it never degenerates from this first principle till it comes through the muddy hearts of fallen creatures and we so much degenerate from God and from love Joh. 17 23◠latter part as we live below this love in the Originall John 17.23 latter part our Saviour there prayes that the world may know that God loves Saints as he loves him And hast loved them sayes Christ as thou hast loved me thus is Christ and Saints in one originall love And if head and Member then surely Member and Member All true Saints lye in this one womb the originall love of God Ephes 4.4 5 6. And thus all Saints are of one Body one Calling have one Lord one God and Father of all the originall love of God makes this Onenesse in all the Saints and speakes very strongly this thing That there should be a uniting of affections amongst all Saints upon the interest of Saints Secondly Reason or Consi ∣ deration 2 consider as Saints our onenesse in union with Christ the rock from whence we are all hewen whom God hath chosen to manifest to us his eternall love and to make us capable of enjoying the fulnesse of that love this union our Saviour speakes to in John 17.23 I in them and they in me that they might be made perfect in one Consider Saints perfection lies in this union surely their affections should flow from this union A Saints compleatnesse is in Christ Coloss 2.10 Vnion with Christ hath all the Arguments of love in it For there is the beauty the fulnesse and the compleatnesse of Christ upon such a soule The excellency of Christ seemes to have but little beauty in such an eye or heart as cannot love upon the naked interest of a Saint Ephes 2.5 If Christ bee enough to gain thy love whole Christ is the interest of every Saint every beleever is quickned together with Christ who in all is for eternall interest alike to all that the Father hath given him His blood equall redemption and satisfaction his righteousnesse is as compleat a robe to all his members as to any where Christ is the Head every Member is compleat in him Christ is Head to the whole elect beleeving Body the Foot hath as good an interest as the Hand or Eye God is no respecter of persons he chuses meerly of his own grace and that grace fils every soule with the fulnesse of him that is the fulnesse of the Godhead bodily So that through that free full grace every soule is compleat in him if this union ingage not love it can be no spirituall object which will doe it for the fulnesse of the Godhead bodily is in Christ and Saints are one with Christ every beame of the love and glory of God shines through Christ Whence is it then that union with Christ takes not all the affections Surely Christ bath but little love from such a soule that findes not this Argument enough to perswade him to love his brother that is one with him in Christ and lives up to his union with Christ bearing his Image Faith workes not lower effects then flesh and blood doth refined affections make stronger and purer motions then the highest piece of simple Nature can doe Now flesh and blood will act thus high I must love he is my brother we had one womb to be conceived in I must love hee is my child he beares my Image surely faith workes higher then this spirituall affections make stronger and purer motions upon union and relations then carnall can doe motion from affection made in the soule by a light of this interest He is my brother one womb of love conceived us both we are both builded upon one Rock of Ages this love out-beats the pulse of carnall affections though it beats very strong love to God and Christ is in the bottome of this motion and carries it strongly on 1 John 4.20 If a man say I love God and hateth his brother he is a lyar if there bee love to God and Christ there will be love to every soul that is in communion with Christ Thirdly Reason or Consi ∣ deration 3 consider the onenesse of Saints in the ingagement of God to all namely his covenant of free grace in which all his people have equall interest it is free from God and so equally full to all God freely ingages to be our God and that we shall be his people and that he will freely forgive our iniquity and remember our sins no more God makes this new covenant to all the new creation to the whole body of his elect in Christ which as the holy Ghost tels us in Ephes 2.10 That we are his workmanship ereated in Christ Jesus unto good workes There is not any soule hath any thing to plead for his eternall life but meere grace and this is the free ingagement of God to every soule that he hath given to Christ this is the sure mercies of David this that better Covenant 't is made in God and cannot be broken And in all this glorious interest all the Saints are one there is not a beame of this glory from God that takes in one Saint and shuts out another The weakest beleeving soule may as truly say God is my God in his covenant of free grace as the strongest beleever Fourthly consider Reason or Consi ∣ deration 4 the onenesse of that way which God and Christ hath chosen to manifest their love and their will to all Saints namely the holy Spirt John 14.17.26 Hete is a generall promise to all Saints that they shall be taught all things and this shall be by the holy Ghost the Spirit of Truth whom the Father will send in Christs Name and he shall dwell with them and shall be in them What ever truth of God any Saint hath learned in truth he hath received it from this Spirit of truth Though God as a free agent gives to his children as it pleaseth him to one more light to another lesse but all receive of this one Spirit and this I take to be that one Baptisme spoken of in the 4. Eph. 4.5 Ephefians 5. Jesus Christ administring himselfe by this one Spirit to all his Children by which they come baptized into Christ into his death and have put on Christ Rom. 6.3 4 Rom. 8.14 Rom. 6.3 4. And are led by the Spirit Rom. 8.14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God they are the sous of God To be led by the Spirit
object so drawing that all fetters are shaken off and all bolts loosed so that the soule of this Saint runs forth to Christ and every soule in whom Christ lives as it is said in another case the love of Christ constrains This soule can imprison his love no longer the glorious image of Christ hath so overcome it that it can now no longer argue upon forms but give it selfe up to the power of God that now lives in it by the Spirit Let this shame us who professe our selves Saints in all our frowardnesse one to another wee can see a moate in the worlds eye and not a beam in our own If the world like it selfe be froward to us we can be soone sensible and complaine of it when at the same time wee altogether unlike Saints are froward and become thornes in the sides of our brethren and can sooner say 't is impossible to be otherwise then complaine of our base hearts And I may justly feare that many a soule ☜ which but few yeares since would creepe into corners with other Saints to complaine to God of the injustice unkindnesse of the world to them yet now their feete have beene out of the stockes are become the first that lift up their bande against their brethren I know no cause of it but this in afflictions they looked for God in one another and then love lived in them but in prosperity men looke for selfe and forme and that not being found love growes cold I shall not much question that object to be a stranger to God which makes my soule a stranger to love And truly this very thing hath put a vaile upon the glory of all the formes that I have seene uner the Sunne persecution is such a forreigner to heaven that I may safely say what ever brings it into a person or a Nation never came from God and it will beget a pale countenance at the day of death when conscience shall witnesse that Saints have done that to Saints which they judged unjust from the world to them If God by his Spirie set this home upon our hearts it will make us willing to take shame to our selves and to give glory to God and stand admiring that God should not suffer the world to devour us when we have been so ready and so thirsty to devoure one another Truly I am affraid that there is a discontented spirit in some that God hath not suffered us to devour one another It is a very bad spirit that can be angry at the kindnesse of God It is well for us that Gods ways are not like ours nor his thoughts like ours that his wayes should be wayes of love to us when our wayes are not love to him nor his and that he should have thoughts of kindnesse towards us when we have hard thoughts of his kindnesss and are ready to call our deliverances our troubles It is no kindnesse but the kindenesse of God that can save a people against their will but this hath beene Gods way to us oh that it might kindely melt our hearts and forme us into his owne image to be love as God is love to love God and all that beare his image that his kindenesse might eate up all our frowardnesse and his sweet overcome all our bitter then shall wee appeare his Disciples by our love to one another Secondly Let this teach us as Saints to eye all those things wherein wee are one and see if they doe not justly chalenge love from us we are all begotten of one love all hewed from one rock the rocke of Ages all under one Covenant of free-grace all baptized with one and the same Spirit and have all one joy and glory in this life and to eternity Now what but flesh and darknesse can make such rending and willing to rend and devour one another we see not our proper interest to be our Fathers love and darknesse in this makes us to fall out by the way home The more light we have in God the more love it begets to God and our brethren In the froward fits of our flesh wee complaine of new lights as if that were the cause when the true cause is our olde darknesse That which is borne of the flesh is flesh but darkenesse cannot discerne what is borne of the Spirit it is only the things of God or more properly God in every thing which can engage the soule to love Now the naturall man saith the Text he discerns not the things of God and gives the reason of it because they are spiritually discerned God is never seene but in his owne light and when we have spirituall eyes to discern him wee shall see our interest in him and love one another better Thirdly Let our petitions at the throne of grace be for more sensible enjoyment of our Fathers presence though our God be alwayes present and knoweth the secrets of our hearts yet many times we have not eyes to see him for surely were we sensible of our Fathers presence we durst not fall out with our brethren as we do whence is it that Saints miscall one another and then throw dirt in the faces one of another and at last scratch till the blood comes Is it not from hence that we discern not the presence of God our Father Were wee more sensible of the presence of God wee should as Saints see so much of our relation in God that our affections would be swallowed up in God and in one another surely if God be lovely to us his Image will be so too and when we see him and one another in him then will our affections goe kindly out in the Spirit of God one to another If we cannot love when we see the least of Gods image in a Saint it is much to be doubted we love our owne image better then Gods 1 John 5.1 And every one that loveth him that begot 1 Joh. 5 1. loveth him also that is begotten of him God and Christ is the true object of a Saints love 't is a cold and frozen love that doth not melt and yeeld when God and Christ appears Fourthly Let us study God and the power of godlinesse more To study Selfe and Formes will make us carnall and froward but to study God and the power of Godlinesse will in the Spirit make us holy and humble The experience of this present age is a sad but true witnesse of the former of these How full hath Presse and Pulpit and all conference been in contending about Formes and in them I very much doubt Selfe-interest hath been contended for Now look back and read the fruits of these labours hath it not been the cooling of spirituall love the quanching of those flames among Saints and the blowing up of those flames of zeale without knowledge which hath almost consumed the moisture and vigor both of Christianity and Humanity If mens apprehensions differ in a Form though there be much of God in
three verses holds forth the ground and the reason of all these First he fs full of assurance from the testimony of the Spirit of God bearing witnesse with his Spirit as in vers 16. and from hence he is raised up into such full joy and holy boastings by receiving the spirit of Adoption which delivered him from the spirit of bondage and fear and enabled him to crie Abba-Father as in verse 15. Now being thus filled he breaks out into exhortation to holy walking out of the flesh in the Spirit and in verse 14. makes it the character of the sonnes of God to the world their being ledde by the Spirit I may fitly call this portion of Scripture the lively image of a Saint living in God and to God in the Spirit For methods sake I shall set downe two heads upon which I shall hold forth that which God shall give into me upon the meditation of this Scripture The first is the sealing worke of the Spirit of God in a Saint Head 1 or a Saint sealed up to the eternall love of God by his Spirit and that I gather out of the 16th verse and the latter part of the 15th verse The second head is this Head 2 A Saint walking and working in the Spirit or the Spirit reigning in a Saint and this I gather from verse 14. and verse 15. In this worke I shall endeavour to wave all fleshly reasons as a subject above it and keepe my selfe only to the testimony of the word of God And as a foundation to this building I judge it very necessary in two or three Scriptures to shew how wee live under the promise and the powrings forth of this Spirit in Luke 24.49 Lu. 24.49 There our Saviour promiseth to send the promise of the Father so that the certaine comming waas vnder a double promise Joh. 15.25 And in John 15.26 Our Saviour explains who hee meant by the promise of the Father Joh. 16.7 And in John 16.7 The Lord Christ doth fully promise at his going away from the world by his corporall presence that he would send the Comforter which in the last Scripture mentioned is discovered to be the Spirit Now that Christ hath made this promise good take only that one place in Acts 2.1 Acts 2.1 2 3 4. 2 3 4. I shall keep you no longer from the heads propounded but as they are laid downe so prosecute them I begin with the first of them Namely the sealing worke of the Spirit of God in a Saint or a Saint sealed up to the eternall love of God by his Spirit These Scriptures first mentioned are as full a proofe of this as any in the booke of God they tell us plainly in so many words that the spirit of Adoption being received beares witnesse to the spirit of a Saint that he is the child of God and in this assurance so satisfies the soule of a believer that he cries Abba Father that this is the office of the Spirit to seale up a Saints interest in the eternal love of God and his onnnesse with Christ Ephes 4.30 let us consult that place Ephes 4.30 where the Apostle makes it an argument a gainst corrupt or vain worldly discourse in the Saints That you may not grieve the holy Spirit of God saith he whereby you are sealed up to the day of redemption As if the Apostle had argued thus You know saith he the Spirit hath sealed you up to the love of God in Christ yea into all God and Christ all the love of God and all the blood and redemption of Jesus Christ all the righteousnesse of the Sonne the glory of the Father Now for you to be corrupt vâ—ine and worldly in your communication you seeme to deny this seale of the Spirit or your interest in God and so you grieve the Spirit whose proper worke it is to seale you up to God So in Ephes 3.16 17 18 19. Ephes 3.16 17 18 19. wee finde the Apostle praying for the Saints Now let us consider what he prayes for First that they may be strengthned with might by his Spirit in the inward man so as that Christ may dwell in their hearts by faith and that they may be rooted and grounded in love that they might be able to comprehend with all Saints what is the breadth and length and depth heighth and to know the love of Christ which passeth all knowledge that they might be filled with all the fulnesse of God pray marke it Here is Christ dwelling in the heart by faith and the soule rooted and grounded in the love of God and Christ from whence it comes to know in some measure the height and breadth and depth and length of the love of Christ which passes knowledge and so comes to be filled with the fulnesse of God But whence arises all this why look into the 16th verse from being strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inward man This Spirit seales up and beares witnesse to the soule that it is in the eternall love of God in Christ and so in all that satisfaction which Christ hath made to his Fathers justice and hath an interest in all that righteousnesse which Christ hath as the head And thus Christ by his Spirit takes possession of the heart and dwels in it by faith so as he turnes all into Spirit The knowledge is made spirituall he comes to know heighths breadths depths and lengths of love Letter is now turned into Spirit and the soule now neither knows Christ nor any thing of Christ in the flesh but in the spirit Being thus strengthened with might by the sealing of the Spirit the soule is able to unfold the misteries of God Christ in the flesh and can sucke in and feed on the spirit of the word and when it reades the 53. of Isa 4 5 6 10 11. compared with 2 Co. 5. last It can draw out by the Spirit matter for the soule to live on to eternity I sayes a spirituall soule I now see that God hath set Christ in my roome and that Christ hath so really and â—â—lly all my sins imputed to him and all the punishments due to them laid on him that he is said to be made sinne for me and hee was so made sinne that God hath made him to bear all the punishments due to my sinnes Surely he hath borne our griefes and carried our sorrowes He was wounded for our transgressions he was bruised for our iniquities the chastisement of our peace was upon him and with his stripes we are healed and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquities of us all yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him he hath put him to griefe and his soule is made an offering for sinne And he shall see of the travell of his soule and shall be satisfied for he shall bear their iniquities I sayes the soule now I see in the Spirit and believe that Christ was made sinne for
the bare law of Commandement could not raise mee up to holy walking For flesh which was my owne strength that was weake but God having made up that in his Son Now sayes hee the righteousnesse of the law is fulfilled in us who walke not after the flesh but after the spirit And shewes in the 5th verse what it is to walke after the flesh and what after the spirit and in the 6. verse tells us flesh and spirit is the way of life and death but in the 9th verse he shewes who are in the Spirit namely those in whom the spirit of God dwels And sayes plainly that those which have not the Spirit are none of Christs And in the two next verses shewes if Christ lives in a soule by his Spirit then the body of sinne dyes There is a reigning power indeed the whole body of sin killed by the Spirits dwelling and reigning in a Saint and now all the action and motion of such a soule is from God The soule now in all its wants can have accesse to God through Christ in the spirit as in Ephes 2.18 and in Ephes 3.16 17 18. Ephes 2.18 Ephes 3.16 17 18. John 17.38 39. By the spirit in the inward man the soule is an established soule and a knowing soule and so is enabled to act for God in the Spirit John 7.38 39. There is a promise to believing soules of being so filled with the Spirit that there shall be flowings forth Out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water And this saith the 39th verse is spoken of the spirit which they that believe in him should receive Now what is the end of this fulnesse of the Spirit but that it should rule and reigne in a Saint and that a Saint should walke and act in it In Rom 6.14 There is a promise sin shall not have dominion over the Saints and the reason is given because saith he you are not under the law but under grace Christ is your sanctification and his spirit of grace shall deliver you from the dominion of sin In 1 Cor. 2.14 15. There a Saints knowledge is spiritual and so dstinguished from the world and this spirituall knowledg living in action in a Saint We shall finde in 1 Cor. 12.11 in the former part of the Chapter the Apostle speaks of spiritual gifts acting diversly in severall Saints but all these workings are from one and the same Spirit so as it is the Spirit that doth all in the Saints In 2 Cor. 3.16 17 18. There is a soule made light by having the vaile taken from its eyes and in that light beholding God saith the Text is changed into his Image Now marke it all this is by the spirits living in a soule A soule living upon God in the spirit hath the vaile taken away and lives in a glorious vision of God by which the soul is changed into the Image of God and this is by the Spirit of the Lord saith the end of the 18. Verse And so in 2 Cor. 5.14 15 16 17. There is a new creature made by the love of Christ which constrained the soul from the powerfull operation of the Spirit wherefore henceforth saith he wee know no man no not Christ himselfe after the flesh No How then Why in the spirit that spirit that sheddes the love of Christ in our hearts and thereby constâ—aines us to live in him that died for us and in whom wee are dead to the flesh but alive in the spirit And thus the Spirit acts the new creature So in Gal. 5.16 17 18 22 25. Verses There is an exhortation to walke in the spirit by which a saint is delivered from obedience to the lusts of the flesh though the flesh lusteth against the spirit yet saith the 18. Verse If yee be led by the spirit yee are not under the Law and in the 22. Verse shewes the fruits of the Spirit and concludes in the 25. Verse If you live in the spirit then walke in the spirit making all a Saints life and action to be in the spirit I will only touch one particular of the life of a Saint out of this generall namely his worship and shew you how all that is in the Spirit for a Saint worshiping God in the Spirit take first John 4.23 24. Which is our Saviours Answer to the woman of Samarias Question in the 20 Verse she as one without the Spirit questions about the places of worship going as far as an eye of nature could carry her to externalls but the Lord Christ in the 21 Verse tells her Woman the houre cometh when neither in this mountaine nor in Jerusalem shall yee worship the father your light is onely in externalls and you worship you know not what and then preaches himselfe to her Salvation is of the Jewes as if he had said God will have his people onely worship him and that in the Spirit for the time comes and now is when the true worshipers shall worship God in the spirit and gives the reason of it for saith he God is a spirit and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth This truth is very fully confirmed in Phil 3.3 false teachers in the foregoing Chapter would have brought the Saints under the law of works a gaine and the yoake of circumcision but the Apostle in this 3. Verse tell us those are the circumcision which worship God in the spirit As if the Apostle had said these false teachers endeavour to bring you under a formall worship and to make you debtors to the law of worâ—s againe But we are above it and we are to live in the Spirit and to worship in the Spirit in the 1 Pet. 2.5 There the Apostle tells you who they be that are sit for communion with God they be living stones alive in the Spirâ—t and acting in the Spirit to offer up spirituall sacrificâ— to God by Jesus Christ I but when is a man a living stone fit to offer up the sacrifice sâ—e that in 1 Joh. 2.27 But the anâ—inting whâ—ch yee have received of him abides in you and the same anointing teacheth you all thinâ—s and is truth and is no lye and even as it hath taught you yee shall abide in him Then is a man a visible Saint a living stone fiâ— to worship God and to have communion with him when he hath received the Vnction of the Spirit by which he is taught of God to woâ—ship in the Spirit and in truth This truth is not taught of man but of God and therefore it abides in him thus you see he that worships God truly worships him in the Spirit What a Spirituall Saint is What a Saint is not First he is more than a Morall-man he that is lesse than a morall-man is a beast and he that is at the heigh of a morall-man is but meerly a man a fine civiliz'd peice of clay loving himselfe and therefore doth â—ot devoute another because
refreshes the City of God namely to eye God in all his dispensations to us as a Father of love to his children doth God lay us upon beds of sicknesse and leade us through a wildernesse of afflictions in this life yet behold now are we the sonnes of God and in all this God is a loving Father and all his dispensations are filled and managed to us by and with his love Now I even now from all eternity and to all eternity are we the children of God There may be many times when it may be truly said we doe not act as the children of God but there is no time when it can be truly said that an elect soule is not the childe of God for now even before all time were we sonnes though yet we enjoy not the fulnesse of our interest as sons If you object and say must I apply this time now when I sinne must I then looke on my selfe as a childe of God I answer yes we must and no time more needfull then that I shall demonstrate this truth under these considerations First that according to the law of the Gospel and the Covenant of free-grace there is no other way left to restore a soule fallen in sinne but beholding our interest in the free love of God and so in Christ the great gift of his love that dyed for us is risen againe and now lives for us and makes continuall intercession for us at Gods right hand in glory If sin be the wound what shall be the cure but free-grace If self slay selfe who shall make us alive but Christ as wee are united to him in the love of God Whether shal we goe from the rock of ages to find relief in so sad a state and how shall we justifie it at the throne of grace if we flye to duty and possibly under such a notion as this to fit us for Christ and for mercy will free grace approve of this Is not the law of boasting excluded by the law of faith And what advantage poore soule will it be to thee when thou art stung with sin that fiery Serpent to looke on thy duties will one sin cure another No Christ is the balme of Gilead It is only looking upon thy interest in God and Christ that will restore thy soule It is nothing but looking upon Christ who was typified by that brazen Serpent in the wildernesse which can fetch out the sting of the fiery Serpent of sinne If we looke to the cause in our hearts that keepes us below ous interest poring upon a duty to relieve us under a sinning condition Wee shal finde the cause to be unbeliefe and now poore soule tell me is not this the top of all sinne Unbeliefe makes a soule deny the Lord that bought it it undervalues the Covenant of free-grace the soule must have no life till it have something of it selfe to live upon if unbeliefe may rule and truly this is the workings of our hearts when in a sinning state we doe not eye and improve our interest as we are the children of God by improving our interest in God as our Father by the Spirit The poore soule that sinnes and is within the Covenant of grace can looke upon that love of God which made Christ to be made sinne for us and wee the righteousnesse of God in him 2 Cor. 5 last That soule which eyes its interestin God and Christ hath by vertue of it in the Spirit power over sinne in all points Sin shall not condemn Rom. 8.1 There is no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus So in the reigning power of sin Sinne shall not have dominion over you for you are not under the law but under grace Rom. 6.14 But if a soul decline Christ and its interest in the love of God for its object under a sinning state goe whither it will sinne will revive and the soule shall dye This is the first demonstration of the truth That no other object but our interest in God and Christ is able to restore a sinning soule to life againe all other objects besides this encreaseth sinne in the soule and there is no object but this can carry the soule above sin A second demonstration why an elect soule should under a sinning state looke on its interest in God and Christ is this Because no other object but this can destroy the sin Sin will reigne till Christ reigne and one Text sayes Christ is made to us of God wisdome righteousnesse sanctification and redemption It is in the great defigne of God to glorifie his free-grace that Christ should sanctifie us not our selves So the Apostle Rom. 8.10 And if Christ be in you the body is dead because of sinne The power of sin dyes only where Christ lives So the same Apostle 2 Cor. 5.17 Therefore if any man be in Christ he is a new creature Olde things are passed away all things are become new It is only the presence of Christ that overcomes the old nature in man and slayes the old corruptions goe to what poole you will to be cleansed of your corruptions they will be all helpelesse in themselves If we goe to Duties and to Ordinances wee may lye there all our dayes and never have a cure of this evill of sin till Christ the Angel of the Covenant come and trouble the waters I and hee must put them in too with his owne hand of love all the cure must lye upon his hand This is the top of our glory that we are meerely passive Christ and free-grace is only active in all that concernes the good and welfare of our soules what cause then hath a sinning soule to looke of his interest in God Christ since there lies all his reliefe it is Sathans counsell wee take in so doing the mind and will of God is that wee should looke upon him whom we have pierced when we mourne I deny not any soule to melt into evangelicall teares over the least sin that lives and moves in it only be sure of this that when thou lookest on a living sin that thou lookest on it through Christ that dyed for it and lives for thee This will make kindly child-like mourning over sin and sweete stedfast resting on the free grace of God This is the meaning of the holy Ghost in 1 John 1 2. And if any man sinne we have an Advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the righteous And he is the propitiation for our sinnes As if the holy Ghost had said a sinning soule hath no whither to flye for reliefe but to his interest in Christ and to look up to God through him for says the holy Ghost he is our only Advocate with the Father to plead for us in such desperate cases he can plead his righteousness to be curs and the propitation that he hath made for us and there is no other pleader either at the barre of Justice or the throne of grace but Jesus Christ There
is no other name under heaven by which men can be saved but by the name of the Lord Jesus Christ Oh then where should poore sinning soules looke but to their interest in Christ as sons of God and co-heirs with Christ The Prophet Isaiah in Chap. 35.11 speaking in the verse before of Gods bruising and putting Christ to griefe making his soule an offering for our sins saith Hee shall see the travell of his soule and shall be satisfied God is satisfied with no other object but his sons he looks on all his people through him now wee must eye what God eyes the travell of Christ as our publique person and in that object the soule will live and sin will dye God hath lodged the glory of his grace here that all our reliefe should come in and through the Lord Christ He came from the bosome of Gods love upon this designe to be eyes to the blinde legges to the lame and to set the captive and those that are bound in fetters chains free Is not Christ then and the bosome of free-grace that gave him the only object for a sinning soule to looke on for reliefe an experienced soule in these objects will tell you that a glimpes of Gods love in the face of Christ is the only expeller of the being and the reigning of sin in it such experience as this the Apostle speaks of in 2 Cor. 5.14 15. For the love of Christ constrains us because we thus judge that if one dyed for all then we were all dead And that he dyed for all that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves but unto him which dyed for them and rose againe Marke the spirit of the Apostle he eyed his interest as one with Christ in death and life and speaking of sin sayes he love constraines straines me thus to judge that I am dead to sinne and can live no longer to it because Christ is my interest This is an object indeed able to slay sinne in the soule to behold our interest in Christ that love which made this interest constraines our soules thus to judge and thus to act as being dead to sin because we are alive to Christ so that I hope it is clearely made out that a soule in a sinning condition must eye its interest in God as a Father and in Christ as a head and a husband For no other object besides this can either raise a soule fallen in sin or slay that sinne which lives in the soule Therefore the exhortation stands firm and should make its impression on our soules namely that wee should be much in beholding our interest as we are the children of God and as we are fixed with Christ in his eternall love I may safely say this is our duty as well as our priviledge to be alwayes eyeing our interest in the love of God for herein we serve the ends of God in magnifying his grace to us and shedding his love abroad in our hearts This is fully proved in that Rom. 8.14 15 16. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God they are the sonnes of God For yee have not received the spirit of bondage againe to feare but ye have received the spirit of adoption whereby we crie Abba Father The Spirit it it selfe bearing witnesse with our spirits that we are the children of God Marke it the Spirit is given to beare witnesse of our interest and this is not a spirit of bondage but that free spirit in which we behold our interest as children and sayes the Text cry out Abba-Father If we have received the Spirit it is our duty as well as our priviledge to improve it to this end the constant beholding of our interest as the children of God and in vers 17. of Rom. 8. If children then heirs heirs of God and joynt-heirs with Christ Oh eye this interest as we love our lives let us eye this interest this is our living upon that life which is hid with Christ in God the perfection of which shall be a full enjoyment of God and Christ to all eternity Againe let this perswade us to prize highly and thrust heartily for this most glorious appearance of Christ If our hearts put that day farre from us wee put our highest glory farre from us for till then we are as heirs under age not in full possession for free-grace hath given more and the blood of Christ hath purchased more and heaven containes more glory for us then the world can beare to be revealed but Christ shall come and manifest it all which glory shall consume the world all corruptible things shal dye before it and then soule and body both shall be carried above corruption to be filled and crowned with immortall glory though now we are sonnes yet many times there is such clouds of corruptions and afflictions on us that it hardly appeares what we are much lesse what we shall be Our glory now as children is more then the world can see and when Christ thus appears it shal be more then the world can bear Oh let this bear up our spirits the few moments that are behinde if all in this world be not enough Christ is hard by and he wil bring enough with him Wait cheerfully as those that believe such an appearance of Christ at hand in which we shall appeare in our interest and our union with him Againe let this teach us what value to put upon the world it is too weake a foundation to beare all our glory when we come to possesse our full inheritance as co-heirs with Christ the world will be too narrow to containe it and if it be so then surely the world is not worthy of our love our joy nor our feare That soule which God loves the world is too little for its love God only can and will satisfie that love he makes us love him because he loved us first the flames of love which he kindles in our bosoms he satisfies with that fountain of love which is in his own bosome That soul which hath interest in Christ and waits for his appearance the perishing world is too low a thing for him to rejoyce in But he may always rejoyce in the Lord for there is a sutable portion and truly there is no just cause for a Saint to feare the world when Christ hath undertaken for him at the throne of grace the world must hate us because it hates him whose image wee bear but here is reliefe enough Christ that is our interest in heaven he hath overcome the world for us wee may be encouraged to goe to the Father in Christs name to be kept from the evill of the world but there is no cause why wee should feare that the world shall overcome us for Christ is able and faithfull to preserve all those the Father hath committed to his charge Were the world as little in our affections as it is in our interest we should enjoy it more
vers 50. and 51. This is the bread which commeth downe from heaven that man may eate thereof and not dye I am the living bread which came downe from heaven if any man eate of this bread he shall live for ever And the bread that I will give is my flesh which I will give for the life of the world Here I say Christ demonstrates what is the bread hee meant namely himselfe in the flesh and he becomes this bread of life by giving his life in the flesh for us In the 53 54 55 56. verses of this chapter out Saviour shewes us how that interest in him as a crucified Jesus is our life and that he may fully cleare this out to us he holds forth himselfe not only a crucified Saviour but a living God In verse 57. As the living Father hath sent me and I live by the Father so he that eateth me even he shall live by me Our Saviour's argument seemeth to be thus I live as one in God and you as one in mee And thus is Christ that bread of life or that bread which gives life to his owne in the world Thus much for proof to the two heads that were first laid down I shall now hold out such spiritual observations from what hath gone before as I have received from Christ And the first observation shall be this namely That Christ only is a Saints life By this I mean that every sparke of a Saints life lies in Christ and so in Christ that it is in nothing else in which Christ is not all Christ is so fully and solely a Saints life that take all duties ordinances priviledges and externall advantages whatsoever substracted from Jesus Christ and they are all dead things but like the grave cloaths in the Sepulchre when Christ was risen Our Saviour himselfe beares witnesse to this truth I am the way the truth and the life No man comes to the Father but by me It is a truth so deare to God and Christ that Christ speakes to it in this place as fully as termes can expresse it both in the affirmative and the negative I am the life sayes Christ that is in the affirmative And so the life that no man comes to my Father the fountaine of life but by me there in the negative and affirmative both in the negative exclusive from Christ and in the affirmative inclusive If wee consult that place in John 16.14 where our Saviour speaks of the office of the Spirit and the usefulnesse of it in the hearts of his people we shall find it speak to this thing we have in hand John 16.14 He shall glorifie me for hee shall receiverf mine and shall shew it unto you Marke it the work of the Spirit is to reveal Christ to us as he is our life and so glorifie Christ in shâ—wing him to be our life As if Christ had said the holy Ghost when he comes hee shall shew you your names written in the booke of Life with my blood all your sinnes laid on me and that I have buried them in my owne wounds so that they shall never rise up in judgment more against you my righteousnesse your robe of glory perfect glory in the sight of God my law of love written in your hearts to be the power that shall slay sinne in your lives Thus the Spirit shall glorifie me in shewing you that I am your life in whole and every part of it Christ as hee is one with God is our fountaine of life in all our addresses to God he is our way truth and life For further confirmation take the experience of the Apostle It is not I saith the Apostle but Christ that lives in me and the life that I live it is by the faith of the Sonne of God And in another place Our lives are bid with Christ in God Take this Text for all 1 Cor. 1.30 But of him are yee in Christ Jesus who of God is made unto us wisdome and righteousnesse and sanctification and redemption Marke it here Christ is made all by God to us for what can you call life that is not bound up in some or all of these The 29. verse of that Chapter gives a good and â—ull reason why God made Christ all to his people namely this that no flesh should glory in his presence This reason is so full that the truth stands strong upon it against all gain-sayers grace were nor grace if flesh had any thing in it selfe to glory of in the presence of God our life to be only in Christ preserves as entirely the glory of Gods free-grace as it doth the safety of our soules for that soul that glories in Christ as his life glorifies the free grace of God which gave that life When the Apostle speakes of the acts of life in his soule he makes Christ all for sayes hee I can doe all things through Christ that streng thneth me And the same Apostle in another place sayes he it is meerely of grace that I am what I am so that you see where Christ is made all there free-grace hath the glory of all and this is the great designe of God to all eternity to glorifie his free grace Thus much shall suffice for the first observation That Christ only is a Saints life A second observation is this If it be thus Saints should value and esteeme of Christ as their lives Saints what meane these carnall feares doth not Christ live If the world be nothing is not Christ enough Why feare you so much to loose the meate that perisbes when Christ this bread of life lives for ever cannot you be content the world should bring forth wants why there is no other place of want but that there is bread enough in your Fathers house Heaven only is the proper place of fulnesse doth it not speake an undervaluing of Christ that carnall feare shall possesse our spirits of want when Christ the fulnesse of the God-head bodily is our life portion Nay what mean these stoopings and bendings of our judgements affections services to the world and worldly ends Is not this the end of it to live in their love and esteeme so as to make a portion of perishing things friends of the unrighteous Mammon Saints will this stand with an esteeme of Christ as our life A soule that truly values Christ it pants thus in spirit Let me know truths as they are in Jesus and obey them in the spirit of Jesus God hath made the world my foote-stoole as it is his and I am one with him Christ is only my life and glory I would trample upon my foot-stoole and lie downe in the bosome of Christ who is my life and glory this is a soule that truly values Christ But tell me Saints if we value Christ as our life or portion and our crowne of glory our best and truest friend our faithfull brother and our loving husband one that hath borne all Gods wrath
for the same strength because hee well knew there was no other strength sufficient to this glorious worke The same Apostle in Heb. 12.2 sets a high value upon Christ and makes him all in this worke of grace and gives it us in direction to looke unto Jesus the author and finisher of faith did we thus eye Christ and value him as he is we should not so often look below him goe in our own strength to finish faith that it might be the author of Christ for so we doe when we will not close with Christ till wee have qualified our selves nor thinke free-grace enough in it selfe till we have such such qualification in us which we think to be sit for grace if not worthy of grace Truly I know no worthinesse of our own that free-grace cals a sit subject for it to work its owne glory out of I find God mentioning his grace under this confideration loving us when we lay in our blood no eye to pâ—tty uâ— grace lives when all help below is dead Now such thoughts as these are exceedingly below Christ that is our life Is this a true value of Christ who hath done suffered pardon'd purchased so much for us as he hath That when we are in streights to goe to duty for relâ—ef and not to the God of duties who is the life of soul duties Is not this matter of reproof to those foolish Galatians which began in the spirit would end in the flesh I thinke there is not any piece of the olde man in Saints that darkens more of the glory of Gods free-grace and damps more of the comforts of his people then this doth to goe any whether but to Christ in streights must needs put a dishonour upon him and be an undervaluing of him for doth it not imply thus much the thing we seeke after is not to be had in Christ or not so soone in Christ as in duties or at least that it is not only to be had in Christ but it is all one whether we goe to him or not now all these are conceptions of the olde man in us when through the Spirit we looke upon Christ as our life we shall see all fulnesse in him grace enough to pitty to pardon and to die for us Righteousnesse enough to cloath us and to present us spotlesse to the pure eyes of his Fathers glory Power enough to take us out of Sathans hands and to defend us from all enemies and all evill Wisdome enough to make us wise in him to guide and to governe us that our conversations may be like children of light and heires of glory Goodnesse enough to supply all wants in us and to give out fulnesse of his owne grace to us yea and happinesse enough to satisfie our soules to all eternity and the soule sayes Christ is enough yea he is all and whether should I goe but to him he hath the words of eternall life in him yea he is my eternall life this is the frame of such soules as doe truly prize Christ as their life A third observation is this Observ 3 That if Christ be a Saints life then a Saint only enjoyes his life as be lives upon Christ in the Spirit When I thus mention Christ I doe it as he doth it himselfe I and my Father am one saith Christ and as I am in the Father so are you in me We are one with Christ through the love of God and enjoy this life through the Spirit of God In John 6.63 Christ tels us it is the Spirit that quickeneth the flesh profiteth nothing As if hee had said what ever you enjoy of mee as your life it is through my Spirit 't is not the fruits of your own flesh 't is what comes from me that is spirit and life to you Our Saviour cleares up this truth in his discouse with that woman of Samaria in John 4.23.24 But the houre commeth and now is when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth for the Father seeketh such to worship him God is a Spirit they that worship him must worship him in spirit and truth And in another Text the naturall man discernes not the things of God nor cannot because they are spiritually discerned The Spirit only reveales the hidden things of God so the Apostle in Gal. 5.16.18 For we through the Spirit waite for the hope of righteousnesse by faith This I say then walke in the Spirit and yee shall not fulfill the lusts of the flesh but if yee be led of the Spirit yee are not under the law In the beginning of this Chapter the Apostle exhorts them to stand fast in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made them free and in these verses he tels them what this liberty is namely to live upon Christ in the Spirit So likewise in Ephes 3.16 17 18 19. That he would grant you according to the riches of his glory to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inward man that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith that yee being rooted and grounded in love may be able to comprehend with all Saints what is the breadth length and depth and heigth and to know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge that yee may be filled with the fulnesse of God The sum of the Apostles prayer is in short this That they might live upon Christ as their life to know his love in all the demonstrations of it which is above humane knowledg but he begins thus in verse 16. That they might be strengthened with all might by his spirit in the inward man Hee layes downe this as the foundation As if the Apostle had said Who ever lives on Christ by faith knowing and enjoying his love in the breadths lengths depths and heights of it must doe it by his Spirit that only can make true discoveries of Christ and our interest in him This is the proper office of the Spirit as he is the comforter promised we may see this in Ephes 4.30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God whereby yee are sealed unto the day of redemption Our interest in Christ as he is all to us is sealed up to us in the Spirit it is not a fleshly formall historicall knowledge of Christ in which wee can live on him as our life but it is to know him and enjoy him in the Spirit which is a lively knowledge of Christ and an enjoying of Christ as our life A Fourth Observation may be this If Christ be a Saints life Observ 4 then a Saint should take beed of doing any thing that is against Christ You cannot wounde Christ but you wounde your own lives Christ is your life and if hee looke backe on thee as he did on Peter when he denyed him thou wilt soone reele the wound in thy owne bosome if this truth tâ—ke place in any soule let it then consider how deare every soule is to Christ he
in the spirit Now the freedome the Lord Christ hath made for the soules of believers from this law of Creation under the Covenant of workes It is double Namely from the condemning power the ruling or reigning power of the law in the conscience Of the first of these there is the least scruple and not being so fully within that I desire to hold to I shall wave it and keep only to the latter Namely how Christ hath freed the. Believer in his conscience from the ruling or reigning power of the law of creation in the letter only For light in this consider the 4th verse of Rom. 8. and so forward taking in the latter part of the 3. verse it wil appeare to be the designe of God in sending Christ in the the flesh that Christ in the Spirit might rule in the soules and spirits of his people God sending his Sonne in the likenesse of sinfull flesh that the righteousnesse of the law might be fulfilled in us who walke not after the flesh but after the spirit That is to walke after the rule which is not the flesh but the Spirit and so goes on to shew the difference betweenâ— flesh and spirite making it all along a part of our redemption in Christ to live in the Spirit making the Spirit our light and our life our rule and our strength In Rom. 8.14 There the Apostle speaks plainly and makes it a demonstration of our sonne ship to be ruled by the Spirit For as many as are ledde by the Spirit of God they are the sonnes of God Hee speakes in verse 16. following of the seale of the Spirit But here he speaks distinctly of the ruling power of the Spirit that hath power of a man to lead the man as it pleaseth and that is the terme here sonnes of God led by the Spirit of God that this Spirit is sufficient to rule the consciences of believers wee may plainly see in Rom. 6.14 Sinne shall not have dominion over you for you are not under the law but under grace I know not what can be more plaine then this here is a promise sinne shall not have dominion over us And the reason given is that part of the redemption of Christ to the soule of a believer from the ruling power of the law to the ruling power of the spirit of grace Marke the inference therefore sinne shall not have dominion over you because sinne shall not find you under the ruling power of the law in your conscience which affords no stâ—ength against it but sinne shall finde you under the law of the spirit of grace which is in Christ the law of life to the soule and death to sinne therefore sinne and death shall be swallowed up of victory in you by the spirit of Christ as it was for you in the death of Christ Sinne hath its repulse in the soule from the change of the law that rules the law of sinne and death turned into the law of spirit and life I can doe all things through Christ that strengthens me saith the Apostle I am not delivered from the dominion of sinne because I have the light of the law of creation to discover sinâ— but I am under the law of the spirit of life and grace not only to discover but to destroy sinne Sin hath not dominion because that which opposes it is Christ not I. Thus I have endeavoured to let you understand that light God hath given mse in this part of the redemption of his blood for his Sonne to deliver us from the ruling power of any law in our consciences but the law of love in the spirit of life But that I may be rightly understood I desire you to remember a clause that I laid down in the beginning where I endeavored to open these verses the clause is this That the Believer in the blood and spirit of Christ hath a perfect freedome from the law so farre as it is freedome to be delivered I laid it so downe that I might have here roome to distinguish betweene the ruling power of the law and the matter and substance of the law In the first sense the ruling power of the Law I doe really believe from what hath beene delivered already and some further reasons that I shall discover That the conscience of a believer is by the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus made free from the law of sinne and death But for the second part the matter or substance of the law which I take to be the whole revealed will of God and is in its utmost power and purity written in the heart of every believer Not only the whole revealed will of God in his word made flesh and dwelling among us but made Spirit and dwelling in us Thus to give you a little light I shall be more full in what followes give me leave to adde some further reasons to prove the former thing As first If the law in the letter be the rule in the conscience of a Believer then Moses not Christ must be the King for sayes the Text Moses was faithfull in his house as a servant but Christ as the sonne Moses may rule till Christ comes but as Christ had none to help him in the work of redemption no more will he in the work of ruling Secondly If Moses be to rule where Christ hath redeemed where is the making good of Gods Covenant to write his law in our hearts what benefit in the promise of the comforter that spirit of truth to lead into all truth Thirdly If the law rule and Moses be King the strength must be in our selves to obey for neither Moses nor the law in the letter can give any strength If either could Christ hath dyed in vaine and if strength be in our selves then Gods designe in sending Christ is lost which is to justifie his people freely by his grace so as there may be no roome for flesh to boast in not the law of works but the law of faith to be pleaded as appears in that third chapter to the Romans Lastly If the Law be to rule in the spirits of Gods people then obedience to that law must quiet satisfie the hearts of Gods people Now as the Apostle in Gal. 3.2 This only would I learne of you Received yee the Spirit by the workes of the law or by the hearing of faith So say I and appeale to the consciences and experience of every Saint that tasts the joyes of life in God received it you by the the workes of the Law or in the seale and workings of the spirit of life in which you are freed from the law of sinne and death So I shall come to that second part the matter and substance of the law Under this comprehend the whole revealed will of God in his word but to distinguish betweene that part of Gods word more distinctly known by the ten commandements from any other part of the revealed will
or parted God every tittle of revealed truth which is Christ written out by the Spirit it is all God and Christ in one and this Spirit that reveales Christ to the world in the word and to the believer in his soule this Spirit is God too that so all within the soule is God all about the soule is God and all comes from the soule is God and this is the freedome the believer in his conscience hath from the law in the letter it is not destroyed but established It is taken out of the hand of Moses the servant and put into the hand of Christ the Sonne it is not made void but fulfilled for us and in us who walke not after the flesh but after the spirit Now behold the Law in its glory changed from law to Gospel from letter to spirit from Moses to Christ from death to life from an angry God to a loving Father as it is Gospel so it is Spirit 't is Christ yea it is God himselfe On the glory of that Law which is God not only declaring the mind will of God but in the spirit of love filling the soule with strength to obey from whence we find Christ in the Gospel calling upon those that love him to keepe his Commandements God Christ and the Spirit being in the Law it becomes the law of life when the law had in it but a naked demonstration what a Creator might justly require of a fallen creature but gave no strength it is held forth under the termes of the law of sinne and death by which it had not that glory to invite a poore soule to looke on it because the soule could see nothing but its death in it but as Christ being made under the law to redeem them that were under the law hath satisfied his and our Father fully in it for us so hee hath turned this law into his law of love into Gospel into Spirit into himselfe and his Father Now this law hath that beauty which allures and takes every beleeving soule nature turned into grace it is now meate and drinke to a believer to doe the will of God in the Spirit First This will let us truly to understand who they be that be Antinomians Those that deny the Law if I may judge I should say it is those that would keepe it in the hand of the servant out of the Sonne what can be a greater denying of it then to keepe it in the Letter out of the Spirit to rob it of that glory which is God and Christ in the Spirit What soule dare put it selfe under the Law out of Christ when in so doing it makes it selfe a debter to the whole law And as the Apostle in Gal. 3.10 11. sayes So many as are under the workes of the law are under the curse of the law and under that law which can never justifie before God Now to keepe the law in such a state as this is will make every soule shun it not daring to come under it as seeing nothing but death in it Sathan is the soules greatest enemy in darkning it with legall principles that it sees not Christ so are those the greatest enemies to the holy just and good law of God that would pul that nature of Christ in his Spirit from it and leave it still the law of the letter in the hand of Moses when God and Christ hath made it Gospel-law the law of love in the Spirit The law may here complain as the Spouse did of those watch-men that rent her vaile those that rend Christ from the law rend the beautifull vaile the glory of the law from it These holds forth the law dead like Lazarus in the grave stinking and those that follow it weeping Or as Pharoah to the children of Isael doubling the tale of bricks and giving no straw what glory is there in this But those that hold out the Law in the Spirit holds it not only forth as a law that lives but a law that gives life so farre from requiring the tale of bricke to be doubled and give no straw that in every duty it brings Christ in whence we are able to doe all things This makes it plainely appeare who they be which deny the law and may justly be distinguished by the name of Antinomians Againe this exhorts Saints that seeing it is part of the redemption of the blood of Christ That no law but the law of love the spirit of life in Christ should rule or reigne in the conscience of a believer To take the counsell of the Apostle in Gal. 5.1 Stand fast therefore in that liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free and be not entangled againe with the yoake of bondage God hath not given nor Saints received the spirit of bondage againe to feare but the pirit of adoption whereby we cry Abba Father This is the life of our lives to live in the spirit It is the great promise of the Gospel to give the Spirit This would I know when doth the soule feast but when God spreads tables of love and in the Spirit bids us eate my beloved eate abundantly and be satisfied Nature teaches the outward man to stand for liberty oh then what should grace doe how should this stirre us up to stand for that liberty which is our life loose this and loose all your spirituall life in a moment doe but once looke on the law out of Christ and it will be with us as those in 2 Cor. 3.15 But even to this day when Moses is read the vaile is upon their hearts This vaile will be a vaile of darknesse that the soule shall not see Christ in propriety in any of his offices benefits or merits If any or all these be deare oh then stand fast in this liberty wherewith Christ bath made us free This is that freedome the Sonne hath made which is freedome indeed But if the Sonne make us not free then are we bond men to eternity If thy heart be hard looke on him whom you have piereed and then shall it be evangelically melted If sinne sting thy conscience looke on him that is is lifted up which the brazen Serpent typified this is our freedome and Christs prerogative the governement is on his shoulders he is that King and his Spirit that Law which is only to reigne in the conscience of his people Why should not our soules count deare of that which is so deare to Christ and all his people This is that glory Christ will not give to another therefore this is that glory wee should only give to Christ Oh then admire and extoll for ever this glory of the riches of the free-grace of God in Christ that hath freely given this state of grace this glorious state to us that were by nature the children of wrath as well as others It doth not yet appear what we shall be so that more glory shall be then is yet revealed but our soules must confesse that
which doth appeare is more glory then wee can expresse Sure then it is our duty to admire and extoll the riches of this free-grace which hath freed us from the law of sinne and death translated us from the power of darkenesse to the Kingdome and government of his deare Sonne enthron'd Christ in our hearts and written his holy law there in his Spirit Oh let us extoll this God in the fruits of the Spirit which is love joy peace long suffering gentlenesse goodnesse faith meekenesse temperance against which there is no law Thus I shall conclude This is our freedome so to live in the Spirit as to be led by the Spirit CHAP. VII Saints are compleat before God in their union with Christ Coloss 2.9 and part of the 10. vers For in him dwels all the fulnesse of the God-head bodily and yee are compleat in him THIS portion of Scripture is a part of Pauls Epistile to the Church of God at Colosse it is the very center of all those sweete comforts that the holy Ghost hath dropped downe in this Epistle Nay sure I am it holds forth the corner-stone of all the building A Saints perfection and the reason of it is the subject-matter of this Scripture The reason stands first in reading as a foundation is laid before a sure building The Apostle holding forth a Saints compleatnesse sets before it Christ fulnesse From these drops we may observe these two points First That a Saint hath no compleatnesse in the sight of God Observ 1 but as it is united to Christ And secondly That as a Saint is one with Christ Observ 2 so he stands compleat before God in Gods owne fulnesse First That a Saint hath no compleatnesse in the sight of God but as it is united to Christ To prove this First observe the scope of the holy Ghost in this Scripture For in him which is Christ dwels all the fulness of the God head bodily Here the holy Ghost takes in the God-head in all the fulnesse of it and centers it in Christ and so makes out the Saints perfection in union with him As if he had said all fulnesse in perfection dwels in Christ as the fountaine or the body and is so in you as you are in him hee filled for you you filled in him hee compleat as one with God you compleat as one with him as Christ sayes himselfe I in the Father and you in me Mark it till the holy Ghost had center'd all fulnesse in Christ hee mentions no compleatnesse for a Saint which points at this truth had not Christ been full for us wee had never beene compleat and when he doth mention the Saints compleatnesse he doth it inclusively compleat in him This is not only full mercy but also it springs from pure love it is free-grace that wee are compleat in him for free-grace sees no compleatnesse but in him Thou art my beloved Sonne sayes God speaking of Christ in whom I am well pleased And in another place I beheld the travell of his soule and am well pleased I never met with any mention of God being well pleased and satisfied but Christ was Alpha and Omega all in all in it This which is already laid down makes a fair way for such a quere as this is Pray wherein lyes the compleatnesse of a Saint what are the parts or substance of Saints compleatnesse or fulnesse To this I answer it will be best discerned by its contrary The Saints fulnesse and compleatenesse before God in Christ will be most transparent when wee spiritually discern our condition in the first Adam and that will appear in Ephes 2.1 2 3. The Apostle speaking there of a state of nature speaks of a person dead in sins and trespasses walking according to the course of the wicked world and the will of Sathan that Prince of the Aire fulfilling the lusts of the flesh and so by nature the children of wrath This is the state of a naturall man under the wrath of God separated from the bosome of God and so dead in sins and trespasses a vassall to Sathan led by his will according to the course of the wicked world fulfilling the lusts of the flesh alienated from God Christ from the Common-wealth of Israel breaking every holy law of God so often as Sathan will And then not having Christ made a curse for him lyes under the curse of the law and the wrath of God to all eternity A soule fully delivered from this state and compleatly stated in the bosome of God and in glory with Christ will be acknowledged a full compleatnesse First observe the state of nature drawne into these heads First the wrath of God Secondly vassalage or slavery under Sathan to be led to the fulfilling of lusts at his will And lastly to be dead in sins and trespasses In opposition to these I shall hold out justification sanctification and glorification And in these three heads I shall endeavour to shew how we are compleat in him namely Christ First how Christ is our compleat Justification see this in Rom. 3.20 to the 25. Here Justification exclusively and inclusively is set forth In vers 20. By the deeds of the law no flesh is justified in his sight There the holy Ghost shews where it is not by deeds of the law I under stand our best duâ—â—s the highest performances wee can make to the will of God in this no justification But then looke into the 24. verse and there you shall see Justification lying between or in these two breasts that alwayes flow with eternall life namely the free grace of God and the redemption of the blood of Christ here is free-grace giving Christ to be our redemption and Christ in his blood giving satisfaction to his Fathers justice bringing us to lye down in the bosome of this free-grace which gave him out for us he doth this by being made a curse for us Gol. 3.13 God and Christ are one in this as in all things else for layes the Text He hath made him to become sinne for us that we might be made the righteousnesse of God in him Isa 53.5.11 marke there Christ is wounded for our transgressions bruised for our iniquities the chastisement of our peace laid on him Now marke the issue with his stripes we are healed And God sees the travell of his soule and is satisfied Here is God satisfied our soules healed and all this through the wounds of Christ The whole booke of God his sull of this take for proofe only these two places more Coloss 1.13 14. and then I thinke it will stand fair to view that the clect Sâ—int stands before God for just fication compleat in Christe this is the part of the compleatnesse wee have in Christ and so delivered from the wrath of God for as one Text sayes were there no law there would be no finne if no rule then no transgression so may I say the curse being born and the law satisfied
is that state in which God loves a soul though it lyes in its blood so as no eye but Gods can pitty it and is not this free-grace then Let us consult with the covenant of grace and see if it be not free-grace Jer. 31.31 32 33 34. The engagements in it are from God and thereupon God freely engages himself to make a man eternally happy in his love God engages himselfe to be our God and we shall be his people that hee will forgive our iniquities and that he will remember our sins no more and that he will put his law in our hearts and write it in our inward parts What soule can discern this in the Spirit but he must acknowledge God in the riches of his free-grace In Heb. 7.19 The holy Ghost speaks plainly that the law makes nothing perfect but the bringing of a better hope As if he had said it is free-grace not the deeds of the law that perfects any soule That soul which is compleat before God it must be in him namely Christ And sayes another Text If the Sonne hath made you free you are free indeed which implies there is no freedome or compleatnesse but in Christ Now Christ sayes the Text is the redemption of the free-grace of God and that the Apostle knew full well when he desired to know nothing but Christ and him crucified In Rom. 8. The Apostle glories in the free-grace of God It is God that justifies sayes he and Christ that hath dyed Who shall condemn As if he had said free-grace hath magnified it selfe to me in which I am safe so that none can condemn and in this I glory And the same Apostle in Rom. 5.2 makes mention of the accesse that Saints have by faith into the grace wherein they stand If we look into the 53d. of Isa we shall there finde particulars of much of that grace of God under which wee are namely the sufferings of Christ for us The Text sayes plainly He bore our griefes and carryed our sorrowes and he was wounded for our transgressions bruised for our iniquities and the chastisement of our peace was upon him and it is by his stripes that we are healed and his soule was made an offering for our sins and that God beheld the travell of his soule and was satisfied This is a state of grace indeed for if wee compare this with 2 Cor. 5. the last we shall see there a plaine discovery of the design of Gods free-grace says the Text he was made sin for us who knew no sin that we might be made the righteousnesse of God in him The Lord which had no sinne of his owne had never been made sinne nor had he born sin with all the punishments due to them but for this end and designe of God namely that fallen sinners in the first Adam might be his righteousness in the second Adam the Lord Christ Now surely this is a state of grace to be the righteousnesse of God in Christ Rom. 10.4 The Apostle tels us Christ is the end of the law for righteousnesse to every one that believeth And this salvation is of the free-grace of God wee have this righteousnesse freely of his grace Gal. 2.16 By the workes of the law shall no man be justified Gal. 3.10 For as many as are of the workes of the law are under the curse But in vers 13. of that Chapter Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law being made a curse for us In short this is the state of grace Christ made ours and we his he made sinne for us and bearing all punishment due to sin for us satisfied Gods justice and made a redemption to a perfect state of innocency in him Thus Christ hath taken all that is ours and given us all that is his his blood to cleanse us his righteousnesse to perfect us in the sight of God his Spirit to guide us to lead us into all truth and to doe all our works in us Gal. 5.16 17 18. and at last to resign us up to his Father to enjoy fulnesse of glory with him to all eternity Now reade all this backeward and forward and behold the heights the breadths the depths and lengths of it and then you will find it all the free-grace of God and sure I am every soule which in the Spirit comes to know and behold himselfe thus fully justified will give God the glory and acknowledge it to be freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Jesus Christ This gives all to know that Gods way in justifying of his people is through Christ the great gift of his free-grace not of workes sayes the Text no not from good meanings or from good doinge all good in a Saint arises from his one-nesse with Christ in whom both persons and duties are justified by the free-grace of God It is not our externals makes our beauty in the sight of God not our getting into fellowship with the Saints and enjoying Ordinances and priviledges with them but our fellowship with Christ I in you and you in me saith Christ And the Spouse my beloved is mine and I am his I herein lyes the glory and the interest of a justified one Christ sayes to his Come yee blessed of my Father and the Father sayes yee are compleat in him Here is God making a soul from all eternity one with Christ and pronouncing him for ever justified in the blood and righteousnesse of Christ Oh then when you have but a thought of standing justified before God lay downe all but Christ If you have an eye to duties looke on them as the fruits of Christ in you by whom you are justified of the free-grace of God you may looke on duties as the fruits of your Justification but none but Christ as the roote and foundation of it Secondly It should beget admiration in considering Gods giving freely such eternall love and lovelinesse to his elect Saints though by nature they hated him Let us aske our soule in the truth of that word which tels us God loved us before we loved him and that he chose us we did not choose him what struglings hath our natures made against his love shed abroad in our hearts Oh then what vild hearts had we before he dropped love into them yet to us God doth not only drop drops of love but hee gives us all his love and to witnesse it he gives Christ the sonne of his loue which knew no sinne to be made sinne for us that we might be made the righteousnesse of God in him the perfection of righteousnesse Oh here is love making lovelinesse here is Christ given to a soule which is infinite love and being found in his righteousnesse is made perfect lovely without spot or wrinkle sayes the Text compleate in him Can we consider this and not admire it wee can as men admire that we can give no reason for Oh then let us admire this love of God which surpasses all our
reason and can never be apprehended but by an eye of faith why any should be vessels of wrath and not we or why wee vessels of honour when others are vessels of dishonour If you can give me no reason then admire this love this free love this full and eternall love Oh what beloved like our beloved that could love such wretches as we and so love us as to make us one with himselfe to all eternity this is only fit to be admired by Saints First This cals upon Saints to trust God and to live upon him by faith Secondly To love God and Jesus Christ which hath thus loved us Lastly To lye low at the feete of God and the weakest Saints Oh trust God who is like him to be trusted Which hath forgiven us freely and justified us freely and fully when God might have glorified his Justice in our damnation but hath freely chosen to glorifie his grace in our salvation Oh for a Saint to distrust God how unworthy it is of that love and free-grace by which we stand justified in his sight for ever If God should argue with us thus what doe you distrust me Doe you thinke I either am or will be wrath with you Why I have made you one with Christ and I can as well be in wrath with him as with you What should I do more I have cleansed you in the blood of my Sonne and cloathed you with my owne righteousnesse and do you thinke I can now be wrath with you Surely then you think me unjust may God say I have told I you am satisfied in Christ and how can I as a just God satisfie my wrath on you again Nay I have put my Spirit into your hearts by which you have come to me crying Abba-Father and yet doe distrust me Surely it is your flesh and not my Spirit in you which creates these hard thoughts of me I say if God should argue thus with us who should be able to answer him God is a gracious God to us a God of free-grace oh then live on the free-grace of this gracious God what though thon canst not see those qualifications in thee that would perswade thee to love thy enemie were they in him yet measure not God by thy selfe he is a God of infinite free-grace his ways are past finding out Now if he tels and perswades thee by his spirit he loves thee believe it this love was from eternity and shall abide to eternity enquire no reason God is above thy reason live on him by faith If God tell thee he hath laid thy iniquities on Christ and the griefe and punishment due to them and that he stood as the sinner in thy roome because thou mightest for ever stand righteous in him I say if God tell a poore soule this in the Gospel those glad tidings of peace oh then goe not backe to Sathan and thy owne heart to find reason of this love qualification sutable to this love before thou wilt believe Gods word but lie downe at the feete of God and cast thy selfe at the throne of his free-grace for there is thy salvation believe that the reasons is in himselfe and the sutable qualifications shall spring from communion with himself and the Lord Christ in the Spirit Secondly Oh love God and Jesus Christ which hath and doth thus love us oh that our hearts did truly say there is no beloved like our beloved Who will shew us any good says one Text. Why soule wilt thou not love those that shew thee good Oh then love God Christ in whom is all thy life and all the good of it bound up what ever may engage love it is all in God and Christ there is the fulnesse of riches and glory and mercy and beauty and pleasures and honours and all that the vastest soule can desire to be found in fellowship with the Father and the Son If there were no other argument but this to love him it were enough because he loved us and gave himselfe for us The Father gave him and he willingly became sinne for us and hee tels us the end that we might be made the righteousnesse of God in him Oh that now in the beholding of this love we might be changed to his Image to be love as God is love Lastly Oh lye low at the feete of God and the weakest Saint when we looke upon all our glorious inheritance as Heires and Co-heirs with Christ yet remember it is all of free-grace 'T is of grace wee are saved out of the jawes of hell What hast thou which thou hast not received you shall finde it in the design of God to exclude boasting As in Rom. 3.27 Let not the wise man glery in his wisdome the rich man in his riches nor the strong man in his strength but let him that glorieth glory in the Lord For truly a Saint hath no glory but as he is in God and Christ The Apostle Paul desired to know nothing but Christ and him crucified and only to be found in his righteousnesse this was his his glory and sayes he If I boast I will boast of the Crosse of Christ Hee had according to the outward man learning and honour and much to boast of but this is selfe and hee throwes it downe at the feete of God and will only glory as he is one with Christ And truly when a soule can say my beloved is mine and I am his hee hath spoken all at once and this glory of the Sunne puts out the light of the Starres and now all that is selfe is nothing I sayes Paul in me that is in my flesh in all that is my selfe there is no good Thus is a Saint living on the free-grace of God nothing in himselfe but all in Christ and from hence he comes to prize the weakest Saint he looks on him as hewed out of the same Rock as an heir of the same glory as a soul created in that free-grace that himself is and so argues thus he is my brother and though he be weake and I strong yet I must not boast but beare not boast over him but beare him in my armes If I have more gifts they are al for the edification of the body not to discourage the least member but to help all and therefore sayes he my bosome shall be a bed for my brother to rest in And if hee may see further on my shoulders I will lye downe at his feete that he may get up If I have gifts it is to beare the burthen of the weake Gifts truly sanctified heithens Christ but they humble a Saint Christ discovers himselfe by them and the Saint in beholding Christs fulnesse doth see his owne emptinesse and so owns and admires God but abases and denies himselfe The soule argues thus that justifying grace I have from Christ it is for my selfe and I rest in it but my sanctifying grace those gifts and fruits of the Spirit they are in me
sayes the weake man to the strong I thought if I could have stood upon your legges I might have stood strongly but now I find that strength is weaknesse and the worm of vanity is at the roote of that tree which knowes it till it dies Aske the rich man if a pillow stuffed with gold could make him sleep nay doth not his bags of gold keepe him awake Aske the great man whether all his greatnesse could satisfie his spirit nay is not the spirit of Haman there which is restlesse if Mordecay bow not his knee aske him that hath conquered all the World what hee wantt and he will tell you he wants more worlds to conquer After asking let us come to offering set dainty and delicious food in the abundance of it before a ficke and a lost stomack and bid it eate to satisfie he will tell you hee is best satisfied for in stead of loving he loaths it Then set it before a strong and healthy stomach and bid him eate and be satisfied he eates to satisfie till he destroyes both health and stomach so that he which eates not is not satisfied with emptinesse nor he which doth eate made glad by his fulnesse for both conditions are under the Sun and there is vanity in them man lives not by bread alone nor by any thing below God for all things under the Sun are vanity Offer a man that gaspeth for breath goodly buildings and glorious apparell no sayes he my coffin and my winding-sheet is of nearest relation to my conduion they must be my apparrel and my dwelling your offer is vanity I now finde the world to be such but vanity will not satisfie my living soule which is now bidding adieu to my dying bodie the worlds vanities may dazell and deceive a man that lives in pleasure but they can never please nor satisfie the eye heart that is going to sleep the sleep of death and lie downe in the bed of the grave the whele world is but a world of vanity and therefore to all that rest upon it must first or last prove vexation of spirit the proofs of this truth are a cloud of witnesses Every moment of our passing through this wildernesse of the World brings forth sinne Now because what is written for our instruction it will be wisdome in all to make use of this truth which the Wise man holds out to us upon his owne experience and which all Saints in their experience must and do beare witnesse to And first we may improve it thus It giveth us a discovery of the fruitlesse labours and contentions of all those that labour and cond contend meerely for the World in part or in whole For if this be truth that all things under the Sunne be vanity then it must needs be fruitlesse labour and contention which if it attain what it seekes yet findeth nothing but varity and in it vexation of spirit If this were truly set home upon our spirits by the Spirit of God Sathan would have fewer to worship him upon that temptation which he assaulted our Saviour with in shewing him the World in all its glory As wee come more to know God in the spirit so that we by that spirit know the world in its vanity and emptinesse then shall we labour and contend lesse for the vanities of the World and the World of vanities then shall we see the vanity of our laborious contending for that which is but vanity till then wee shall be laying out our money for that which is not bread and our spirits for that which profits not for till God gather up our spirits by his Spirit to himselfe the World will hold us and all that while wee are but wrapt up in the armes of vanity and dandled upon the knees of death for all things under the Sunne are vanity all that is below God is too low for a Saint to labour after or contend for This truth not only concernes those worldlings that are buried alive in the world but it may make Saints blush yea the best of Saints to consider how they have stretched forth their hands to graspe the wind and opened their hearts to let in vanity and upon this regard have been ready to conclude 't is good to be here let us build Tabernacles And so have labored to blow up this bladder of vanity with these pleasing imaginations to our flesh of honour profits pleasures of this world till God prick the bladder and let out this wind so that then wee see it vanity But truly so much of this old man as is in Saints makes a very uncomely sight that heirs of glory joynt-heirs with Christ in glory such as have a more exceeding and eternall weight of glory prepared for them waits to swallow them up to all eternity should be pursuing after vanity it best becomes Saints to be always upon the wing of faith for heaven above those vanities there is no footing in the World for a Saint the World is an ocean of uncertain waves that goeth one way the other way as the wind drives them so that the Dove can have no rest for the sole of her foote till she comes to the Arke from whence she went out a Saint shall find rest in nothing but in God his originall it is vanity in all to pursue vanity but especially in Saints for their lives are hid with Christ in God It is great folly for an empty stomacke to sucke in the winde for its satisfaction and this title wee may give to the wisedome of the wisest worldling which makes the Prodigals choise to feede on huskes if he could have had enough of them this winde may fill but it can never satisfie but sure this is exceeding folly in Saints who have bread enough in their Fathers house and their treasure in Heaven to have their hearts any where but in Heaven where their treasure is And it is much to the dishonour of God who is the glorious and satisfying interest of his people that they should be running to empty Cisterns when hee himselfe is an eternall fountaine of love life and exceeding glory to them and doubtless Saints in truth are very tender of the glory of God these children of love are much in love with their Fathers glory it grieves their spirits to see prophane wretches dishonour him but it doth exceedingly wound them if they be found actors in such a worke themselves and if so then wee should be very watchfull lest wee be under the fruitlesse labour and contentions of those that labour contend for the World in part or in whole If this truth were spiritually understood surely Saints would be more carelesse of the worlds frownes and lesse solicitous for their smiles and favours their best gifts and their sowrest lookes are all comprehended under this terme vanity and hee that hath their smiles hath no less of vanity then he that hath their frowns for they are vanity themselves and
the fruit can be no other then the tree is and it is the darknesse of that flesh which is in Saints that keeps them from a cleare discerning of that truth and makes them smile when the world smiles on them and be sad when the world frownes on them Vanity could not unsettle our spirits if vanity were not in them It is that vanity which is in our flesh that puts a value upon the vanity that is in the world but truly it is our exceeding shame that having the Lord to glory in we should glory in any thing but the God of our salvation and having so sure and abiding glory that any frownes from vanity should make the least damp upon our glory Saints are of an eternall glory and substance and therefore should not labour for nor glory in any thing but what is sutable that which will abide for ever and upon this consideration the whole World that lumpe of vanity is cut off at once it withers in the using and certainly dyeth either before or with our flesh it is not able to satisfie either out soules or bodies therefore unworthy to be laboured or contended for by any but especially by Saints that have God to live and delight in Againe the Wise mans discovery is that all things under the Sunne is vanity Carries along with it this counsell that we should use the world as if we us'd it not i. value it no higher then vanity let it be so in our eye and hearts let Gods end in creating of the world be our end in using of it He made the World to serve man and man only to serve himselfe so may we use all things not sinfull moderately and with thankesgiving making the whose Creation our servants and our foot-stoole so that in all and with all we serve our God and live in his bosome of love which is so bright a glory that it swalloweth up all the glory of the World and makes that something or nothing meerly as God appeares in them or not in them God is so perfect a glory that he makes the darkest lanthorn of the creature when he appeares in it to shine glorious and when he withdrawes his presence the Lanthorn is dark again sutable to its owne nature this should the world be in a Saints eye what of God is in the whole or any part of the creation embrace that keep close to that lift up his name his power and his glory in all so use the world as to lift up God above it My meaning is this use all power all place all honours and interest among the sonnes of men to lift up the Name of God This is a pretious spirit indeed that can despise the worlds glory when Gods glory goeth not with it and can rejoyce in the worlds reproaches when in that he may more advance the glory of his God this is to use the world as if we used it not to take it up and lay it downe onely as it may serve the highest end of our Being the lifting up of the glory of our God If there were any thing but vanity in the world I verily perswade my selfe it should have been part of the Saints portion but as it is it is too low a Region for the Saints to live in God giveth full blessings to his children and therefore hath given himselfe to be his peoples inheritance hath done them no injury in binding up the whole world under vanity for it is not their portion it is at most but their Wildernesse footstoole Christ is their Rock of Ages Heaven their more exceeding and eternall weight of glory Saints would soon have low thoughts of the world if their hearts were lifted up to their interest the King and Kingdome of glory it will then appeare that we used it as if we used it not that when we have it it is no part of our life and glory so when it is gone we have no want of it for God is our all and we have at all times all in God It is not the creature which is vanity that maketh a Saints joy but God in the creature and if that vanity vanish away yet the comfort doth not because that is bound up in God who liveth for ever God doth often vary in his dispensations to his children but not in his love which is their life though in reference to the world he leads them through good and bad reports through ficknesse and health high and low honorable and dishenorable esteem of the world yet in all this his eternall love is alwayes the same and Saints knowing this are as full of life and joy in the one condition as in the other because God and his love is their life and joy in all conditions And hence it comes that Saints use the world with so much slightnesse because not any of their life and interest is bound up in it if the Gourd be green and flourish yet God and not that is their life and glory if the Gourd wither and die yet they doe not for they have lost nothing in the Gourds being nothing because God who is all is their all Oh that the Spirit did live more in Saints then should we live more in God and lesse in the world then should wee truly use the world as if we used it not This truth doth also shew us the glorious interest of Saints that have a God to live and glory in though there be vanity in all things under the Sunne Sure it could not but be amazement to that Tyrant to behold the 3 children in the fiery furnace and not consumed And were it well considered it would be as great an amazement to the world to see Saints full of rest joy and peace in their spirits though the world be full of changes and altogether vanity Put these together and we shall finde the cause to be one and the same in Daniel 3. verse 25. The Text telleth us That foure men walked in the midst of the fire and the form of the fourth is like the Sonne of God The Text gives us the reason why the fire could not consume them according to its own nature because the presence of God was there the reason is the same though the Saints have their being among the vanities under the Sunne yet they have their reall being and their life in the bosome of God and his Spirit lives in their bosome so that it is his presence which makes that rest joy and peace that is in their soules A Rock that giveth forth water in a dry and long Wildernesse hath its double beauty such is God to his children in this wildernesse of vanity he is Rock and Water of life both and such as experiment him can tell they have meat to eat such as the world kowes not of and when the world shall be forced to confesse that their food is buskes and not enough neither then can such as have an interest in God
make this their boastings that they live upon the living God that to them it is Christ to live and gain to dye that they want nothing here and have this assurance in their bosomes that there waits to swallow them up to all eternity a more exceeding and eternall weight of glory The vanity of all things urider the Sunne doth onely make them miserable whose lives are so low but for such as have their interest in God and live upon him they live in the Sun of Righteousnesse that is above all vanity and in the love of God which hath not the shadow of change in it contrarieties sets forth each other the misery of that soule which hath nothing but a vaine world to live on sets forth the glory of him which hath the God of glory to his portion only herein they differ the world is not so perfect an emptinesse as God is fulnesse there is more in God to satisfie then can be in the world to dissatisfie If all the vanity and emptinesse of the world appeare at once to disquiet and distract a spirit yet if at that moment one glimpse of Gods love doe but appeare it stils and quiets all this shewes how glorious an interest God is to his peopse that a world of vanities is not able to disquiet where his love appearer The loving kindnesse of God is better then life it is all our life it is life in death and above death it puts the soule upon this triumph nothing shall seperate me from the love of God and Christ neither life nor death things present or things to come or any thing because God is my interest my life and my glory That can never come to nothing which made all things out of nothing now that is God He made all things out of nothing but can never be made nothing himselfe all powers springs from him therefore no powers can be above him Hee said let there be light and it was so let the Sunne rule the day and the Moone the night and it was so It is this power and glory that is the interest of Saints so that an empty world can neither take from nor adde to their felicity because their lives are hidde with Christ in God and when Christ shall appeare then shall all his appeare with him in glory Furthermore It will be the wisdome of Saints to learn from the Wise mans experience First not to trust in the World or any thing under the Sun because all is vanity hee that rests upon a broken reed doth not only lose his hopes and his ends but is wounded by that which he trusted in The world is this broken reed it makes a show but can beare no weight the soule that trusteth it must find it so because 't is vanity and in the experience of this vanity there is not only hopes lost and disappointments in their roome but also vexation of spirit 'T was so with Jonas when the Gourd failed him hee said hee did well to be angry Disappointments have a mighty weight upon a naturall heart the hopes of the world do puffe up like a bladder which is filled only with wind but the disappointments of the world come like a mil-stone that presseth down to the dust nay the hopes of the world have so many fears mixed with them that it is hard to discover which is most the hopes or the feares but when the disappointment comes then the former hopes encrease the present griefes and the complainings then are as the Prophets were My friend that lay in my bosome hath betrayed mee I neither knew it nor feared it to be a broken reede till I had placed my hopes and confidence in it and that weight discovered it Indeed saith this poore heart though I had no mind to think of dying yet I could not tell how short my life was but I well hoped this that the pleasures profits and honours of the World would not leave mee in this life therefore I gave out my heart to them bound up my spirit in them lay downe to rest by them and expected they should be a Gourd to shelter mee from sunne and stormes but the poore soule which thus trusteth in the World doth not see it vanity is not knowing of the worm that is at the roote of the Gourd to consume it his heart saith as the foole in the Gospel Soule take thine ease thou hast goods laid up for many yoares but doth not heare that voice that saith thou foole this night shall thy soule be taken from thee It is a great burthen to be disappointed for the present but to be disappointed to eternity is more misery then can be expressed and thus must every soule be that trusteth the world and layeth out it selfe upon it All things under the Sunne have their creation and their being from God therefore must needs be what God intended them to be i. a created being which must returne to its first nothing The world is a map of vanity never intended by its originall to be an object of faith or hope It is the Earth that must be shaken untill it be crumbled to nothing therefore very unfit to be trusted or rested in the vanity under the Sun will be no better satisfaction to such soules as trust in them then the fig-leaves were a garment to cover the nakednesse of our first Parents neither of both can beget confidence enough to come into the presence of God where the spirit seales up this truth to any soule sure there will be no more trusting of or in the world or in any thing under the Sun because vanity comprehends it all Psal 61.9 Men of low degree are vanity and men of high degree are a lye altogether lighter then vanity So that trust man or men of what degreee soever they must deceive because they are vanity the man of high degree in his out-side promiseth more then him of low degree but he will prove a lye there is a worme at his roote hee will wither to nothing Methinkes the Prophets counsell Psal 2.10 commeth in very sutable to this purpose Be wise now therefore O yee Kings be learned yee that are Judges of the earth serve the Lord with feare and rejoyce in him with reverence Kisse the Sonne lest he be angry and so yee perish from the right way If his wrath be kindled yea but a little blessed are all they that put their trust in him Observe it and it amounts to thus much That the highest and greatest amongst men rest not in themselves or any other piece of vanity but to close with Christ and trust in him For saith the Prophet there will appeare a day of blasting all these lower vanities and then you will finde them to be blessed that put their trust in him On that Kings and Judges Parliaments and people had learned this heavenly wisdome to kisse the Sonne to close with Christ to doe his worke to lift up his Scepter and
his glory to trust under the shadow of his wings to renounce selfe aims and ends and glory to be wise for Christ and not for selfe to use more piety and lesse policie to look upon all things under the Sunne as vanity not to be so vaine as to spend their precious time and spirits in going about to make perishing things permanent not to build Tabernacles and thinke it is good to be here for the Tabernacle that they build withall is perishing and hath but a few moments to be here Ob therefore be wise and whilst it is called to day close with Christ All things below this Sunne is vanity if you trust the World you 'l finde it so The Wise man he tryed the World and found it so such as love the World will finde it loft love and those that serve the World most will finde they serve nothing but vanity and truly that is a very ill Master the latter end of that service will be worse then the beginning it is great pitty then that the World hath so many servants seeing it is so unfaithful a Master how many is there that serve the world as they should serve God with all their soules their spirits and their strength improving their lives liberties and interests to serve vanity and to lift up flish though in that worke they do their utmost to wound Christ in his Members It is a sad employment to blow up those flames that shall burne him that bloweth it to ashes This is the evils of that worke to serve the interest of the World against the interest of God they digge their owne graves they wound their-owne soules and heighten the fury of those flames which will make them cry out for a drop of water to coole their lungs this work in the end will not only make the heart ake but the conscience roare this worke indeed will prove vanity and vexation of spirit To winde up this subject It is God and Christ only that is worthy to be trusted served loved and delighted in there is vanity in all below God but no vanity at all in God we may trust him for hee is faithfull all that ever have trusted him have found him so witnesse the Israelites at the Red Sea hee bid them by Moses to stand still to trust in him and they should see his salvation and he proved himselfe a faithfull God God is worthy to be served because hee commands that which is worthy the service of a holy soule and then he giveth strength to performe the service he requires He giveth his Spirit both to teach and to lead and his service hath life and glory both in the way and end he spirits the soule and then commands spirituall service this is a service worthy to be owned and obeyed God is also worthy to be loved of all his because he loved us first and that first was when wee lay in our blood and no eye could pitty us He is the originall of our love therefore worthy to be loved by that which floweth from himselfe he hath all lovelinesse in him and therefore worthy to have all loves center in him that which is the fountaine of love may justly claime to be the object of love Saints may well say of God and Christ as the Spouse did of Christ that there was no beloved like her beloved for love and lovelinesse the best way of expressing this is to let God and Christ have all our loves By this we plainly tell that there is no object our eyes can looke on so lovely as God and Christ Communion and fellowship with the Father and the Sonne is a place of delight for the soules of Saints Love takes delight in God and Christ for there is banquets of love and banners of love bosomes of love and words of love electing love and redeeming love justifying sanctifying and glorifying love these are objects of delight indeed here we may feede abundantly and be satisfied but can never be cloyed O be wise then stand aside perishing world away with all those vanities under the Sunne there is a brightnesse out-shines it and a glory that swalloweth it up there is no beauty below God nor any excellency out of God and who ever hath a spirituall knowledge thus of God will by the same light be able to say as the Wise man I have seene all the workes under the Sunne and behold all is vanity and vexation of Spirit CHAP. XI A Saints excellency is to have no will in himselfe but the will of God Luke Chap. 22. vers 42. Saying Father if thou be willing remove this cup from me neverthelesse not my will but thine be done THese are our Saviours words when hee was entering into crucifying worke his flesh would have shrunke but his Spirit bore it up and makes this the result of all the thoughts within him to have no will but the will of God and to desire that no other will should be done and fulfilled but the will of God Christ is the head of Saints and it is the glory of Saints to be made like their head this work is too hard for flesh and blood bâ—â— as it was not too hard for Christ no more will it be for a Saint when Christ is in him though it be hard to learn yet it is very sweete in the attaining the paines of the travell will be swallowed up in the birth of this beautiful man-childe The scope of our Saviour in this Scripture to me seemeth to be this That what ever his flesh might desire yet his Spirit leaves all to God and not any will to be done but Gods will Our Saviour in this doth and so should every Saint in conformity to him resigne up the whole soule and body unto the will of God to be and to doe in all times things according to his will so as that in every thing his will may be done That such as read may the better understand take these two heads as a ground-works of the ensuing treaty First That it is the duty of Saints in conformity to Christ their head to have no will but the will of God Secondly So farre as Christ liveth in any soule it is the desire of such a soule that the whole will of God and no other but the will of God may be done in all times and things And first to the first of these That it is the duty of Saints in conformity to Christ their Head to have no will but the will of God The first Scripture makes this cleare that the Lord Christ our Head would own nor stick to no other will but the will of God If there be in my flesh any thing which is not in thy will let it not be done for he confesseth he came to doe the will of his Father So in the fourth of John vers 34. Christ telleth us That his meat is to doe the will of him that sent him and to finish his work
discerne nor savour the things of God Thirdly when God brings in the wil of his people to his own will there he changes the objects and the affections of such soules so that the will chuseth God and his will as its centre to rest in That which the Apostle in the third to the Colossians begin exhorts to God by his Spirit works in and enables the soule to it is That such as are risen with Christ should seek those things that are above where Christ sitteth at the right hand of God that our affections should be there because Christ that is our life is there Now when Gods Spirit commeth and possesseth any soule it sets upon this work immediatly carries the soule upward above the world shewes it God and Christ the love of God in Christ shewes it its glorious union with God and Christ here and in glory to all eternity darkens all the world by revealing but one glimpse of this more exceeding and eternall weight of glory and in changing the object the affections soon alter This more exceeding glory carries away the soules love from the world of perishing glory When the Prodigall but considered the fulnesse of bread in his fathers house he soon resolved to leave his empty Trough of Huskes and his swinish company but surely when hee had been embraced in his Fathers Armes and tasted the love in his Fathers bosome when hee had possession of what hee longed for and was in the vision of his Fathers kindnesse and glory hee then quite forgot the Swine and the huskes his affections and wishes did not then runne to obtain enough of them no the object was changed and the affections with it and having been taken up into his Fathers glory he doth not chuse to goe backe and feed with swine any more now he chuseth to centre in God Thus doth God bring in all his prodigals when they have tasted the worlds perishing love then by his Spirit hee makes known his eternall love to them when they have tryed trusted and looked upon the world so long till they finde it empty then he by his Spirit shews them his own fulnesse when they have had the pleasure of sinne for a season and the bitternesse of sinne hath seased upon them with the visage of eternity then God by the same Spirit makes known himself to be a God of grace that pardons freely nothing to move him but his own love and how great that love it he makes manifest by a crucified JESUS and now sayes the soule I know where to centre where to sit downe where to give up my self even into the bosome of Gods love This is Gods way of conquering the soules and wils of his people He alters the object that alters the affections and centres the will in God the object is according to the eye if the eye bee flesh it discernes no object but in the flesh so if the eye be spirituall it spiritualizes every object the Spirit of God enquires for God in all it sees and where God is made the onely object there he is sure to gain the affections for he hath all love and lovelinesse in himselfe and the affections being taken the will goes where ever they go he that lives in love hath his wil in that he loves not in himselfe so the soule that hath his affections drawne into God by his love made known unto it in the Spirit hath no will in it selfe but in God in whom it lives by love Thus God doth sweetly gain and win into himselfe the will of his people by revealing the glory of his grace and love to them in the Spirit till by that Spirit they make choyce of God to give up their wills unto and say as Christ their head Not my will but thy will be done Fourthly God when he gathers in the will of his people to his owne will he gives in higher and fuller joyes and contentments into their soules then ever they had at any time or in all times and things before The Prophet David in Psalm 4. latter end given in light in these truths vers 6. There be many sayes he that say Who will shew us any good Now mark his answer in the same vers Lord list thou up the light of thy countenance upon us As if hee had said doe they enquire for any good Lord doe thou but smile upon us looke graciously on us and there is all good in that nay in vers 7. he tels us his experience of it Thou hast put gladnesse in my heart more then in the time that their corne and their wine encreased This speakes to the very thing here is a time of more fuller joy and gladnesse in the heart of Gods people then under the enjoyments of the World for I judge the termes of Corne and Wine comprehends the whole but observe when is that time why when the Lord lifts up the light of his countenance when God by his Spirit makes knowne himselfe to be their Father in Christ then is the soule filled with gladnesse but in the last verse observe the effects of this upon Davids soule I will lay me downe in peace for thou Lord only makest me dwell in safety As if he had said I will now resigne all up to thee and take my peace in thee and expect my safety from thee thou hast so filled my soule with thy joyes that I cannot leave thee but leave my selfe with thee continue but to lift up the light of thy countenance upon me and then leade me where thou wilt and doe with mee what thou wilt for I will lay all downe before thee my will and my wayes thou shalt be my peace and my safety Observe the working of the Spirit of God in the Apostle Paul's spirit when God had brought over Paul's will to his to goe upon hard and suffering work such a work as he was told he should meete with sufferings in Acts 21. When hee would needs goe to Jerusalem Agabus the Prophetesse prophesies to him that the Jewes should binde him and deliver him to the hands of the Gentiles And in vers 10 11 12. The people besought him not to goe up to Jerusalem but in vers 13. he answers them what meane you to weepe and to breake my heart for I am not only ready to be bound but also to dye at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus As if he had said you only with a fleshly eye looke at the difficulty of the worke you know not the inwaâ—d supply of joy in God that I have to doe this and the whole wâ—ll work of God doe you thinke God is a hard task-master to command bricke and give no straw Doe you thinke the work God gives is more then the strength he gives If so you are mistaken for I am supplyed with joyes and in comes of God not only to goe through binding worke but also dying worke for Christ I goe in Gods strength to doe his
will of God and what ever soule hath that singly in his eye shall never want a cleare object for God will never hide himselfe from that heart which he inclines to enquire after him much lesse to such a soule as hath resigned it selfe wholly up to God to see with his eyes to hear with his eares and to work with his hands to know nor doe nothing but Gods will in his Spirit God can never leave that soule to it selfe which hath given it selfe up to God And this is the language of such a soule when as duty worship and service is required of it Shew me the will and command of my God in what you require and I shall soon obey otherwise I must deny what you require untill I see it be the will of my God for there is my will bound up and truly where God appeares not I must deny my selfe to you and all flesh For I am not my own but Gods and cannot act but by the command and in the strength of my God it is not my will nor your will but Gods will that my spirit can yeeld obedience to for God is my single object upon whom I look and from whom onely I can receive light in what I should doe and strength to act according to that light This is a great and glorious benefit which comes into that soule whose will is given up to the will of God it enquires for God and pursues after the knowledge of his will in all things for this is the breathing of his spirit to God Not my will but thy will bee done A third Benefit of our wils given up to Gods will is this It carries the soule resolvedly and stedily to its duty and leaveth the issue and successe to God If God make knowne his will to this soule it doth not protract its obedience till God hath made known unto him in particular what shall bee the issue of that hee requires but makes this conclusion The duty is mine now God hath declared himselfe in it and the successe is Gods it is in a safe hand and I know in the general it shal be good because it is in God and comes from God but let God take his owne time to declare that he hath at present made known his wil concerning my work my enquiry is now at an end and I will obey Queene Hester is an eminent example in this when as God by Mordecai had shewed his wil and her duty in that great and weighty businesse of her interceding with King Ahasuerus for altering of his decree that was to take away the life of Mordecai and all the Jewish Nation though in the performance of this work she must go in to the King without his sending for her which was not according to the law and in which shee hazarded the losse of her life as well as her petition yet duty being made known she resolves to obey though ignorant of the successe shee takes up the duty with these words in her mouth If I perish I perish This is a resolved duty that comes from a stedy soule which hath given it selfe up to God as if she had said If the issue bee to perish I shal willingly take up that when God declares himselfe in it but at the present God hath declared his will that I should goe and that will of God I shall obey though I perish she doth not stay to know the issue before she goes whether perish or not perish but she obeyes the command leaveth it to God in his own time to make known his will in the successe as well as the work whether it it be perishing or not It was a pretious spirit yea it was the spirit of God in her and it is the same spirit that brings over the wil of Saints to the will of God and makes them to be stedy and resolved in their duty It was thus with Paul he could not forbear his going to Jerusalem though his friends begged him with tears and he knew bonds should take hold on him there yet neverthelesse God had declared his will for him to goe and goe he must his will was as Gods will and that manifested his obedience is stedy and resolved So it is reported of Luther that he should say he would goe and preach the Gospel though he met with as many Devils as tiles on the house Difficulties cannot hinder duties in such a soule as hath given it selfe and its will up to God when God doth but declare his will for that is all which such soules look after and when God hath declared that the soule takes it up resolvedly to obey it and casts it selfe and whole worke and wayes upon God that he would own him and his work so as to carry the soule through it according to the glory of his mighty power whereby hee is able to work all things to himselfe and leaves the issue in Gods hand to the same end the glory of his Name saying to God Not my will but thy will be done A fourth Benefit of our wils being surrendred up to the will of God is this It sanctifies and beautifies the life and conversation of Saints with the image and presence of God If the wil of God bee that fountaine which giveth life to all our motion then surely that motion will be the life of God that soul which will take up no practice upon trust but doth try all and make Gods will the touch-stone to try them shall be sure never to be deceived with copper in stead of gold that soule which wil embrace nothing but what God shal first approve of is in a sure way of keeping it selfe pure and undefiled Now this is the frame of Spirit which is in such soules as have given up their wils to Gods wil for their wils being in God they wil be sure to see his will in all they doe they can take up no practice but what they have his precept for and they will give you this for an unanswerable reason They have no wil but what is in God therefore can take up nor obey no worke nor wil but what is the worke and wil of God And such as walk by this Rule sayes the Apostle Peace be to them and to the Israel of God God is such a Rule as can produce no other end and what ever soule takes it work onely from Gods wil must needs be doing the will of God which is in a few words to be holy as God is holy to bring forth the fruits of righteousnesse because what that soule receives is from a righteous God that soule which hath all from God is alwayes with God and the presence of God changes soules into his own image and that soule which hath its wil in God must needs have God in his wil and work which wil certainly make a holy wil and a holy work because both are made by a holy God The new Creature is the most glorious
this was not Gods wil Haman hee designes according to his will but it being without God observe the fulnesse of his disappointment and the Justice of God returned into his own bosome In Esther 6. Esther 7. and vers 10. of Chap. 6. The King asketh Haman what should be done to the man the King would honour Doubtlesse Haman thought the King meant himselfe and therefore makes him this answer in verse 8. Let the royall apparrel be brought which the King useth to weare and the horse that the King rideth upon and the Crowne royall which is set upon his head and let his apparell horse be delivered to the hands of one of the Kings most noble Princes that they may array the man withall whom the King delights to honour and bring him on horse-backe through the streets of the City and proclaim before him thus shall be done to the man whom the King will honour It appeares cleare by this counsell that selfe was in his heart but observe in vers 10. the miserable disappointment of this proud selfish man Then the King said unto Haman make hast take the Apparell and the Horse as thou hast said and doe even so to Mordecai the Jew that sitteth at the Kings gate let nothing faile of all that thou hast spoken First Haman is disappointed in that he is not the man Secondly To aggravate his misery Mordecai whom he hated he is the man for whom hee had beene inventing death and dishonour God makes him the instrument to invent honours and to compleat this miserable disappointment Haman himselfe must be the Kings servant to honour Mordecai whom hee hated we see by Hamans answers to the King what proud and selfish men seeke after but their wils being out of God the higher they clime the lower they fall and the greater their expectations be the fuller of misery is their disappointment Yet the justice of God left not this proud cruel man but brought him to be hanged upon the Gallowes of fifty cubits high which he had in his wil appointed for Mordecay This is the fruit of having our wils out of Gods wil So Jonah his wil was the gourd should continue but that was not Gods wil therefore dye it must now how doth this disquiet the man even so much that he seemes to justifie his anger there was no cause of his discontent but that his wil was not in Gods wil. Secondly This doth informe us whence this rest and quiet that is in the bosomes of Gods people doth arise namely in this that their wils are in Gods wil therefore when God declares his wil under any dispensation in the World they are at rest for the appearance of his wil makes their rest all things besides this brings disquietments upon the spirit but when the wil of God appeares it silences all disputes and quiets all thoughts in the heart of him that hath given up his wil to Gods wil this soule doth not quarrel with but kisseth the feete of God when the wil of God lays it there it is in spirit at rest upon a sicke bed because of the wil of God there Disappointments in the outward man do not cease upon this man to disturbance because the wil of God is in them and that is his rest he is best at rest in that wherein he seeth most of Gods wil discovered to him what ever it be in its owne nature this soule can say with David when Gods wil appeares in it It is good for me I have beene afflicted and makes this the discovery of the good and evil of all he meddles with namely the wil of God If Gods wil appeare in it he acknowledgeth it to be good but if he see not that he cannot own it as his good or any thing for him to rest in for he rests only in God and it is nothing but the appearance of Gods wil that makes his Spirit at rest under every dispensation of God and from thence this soule hath a quiet being But againe This truth doth informe us as Saints of our duty to enquire after Gods will in all we doe or require others to doe The will of Christ was that the will of God should be done so is the wil of Saints in conformity to the wil of Christ their head and if to be done then surely to be known Nay Saints ought to doe nothing before they know the wil of God in it If this rule were observed there would not be so much doing and undoing as this uncertaine age affords If God led men into what they doe hee would so owne them that they should not be ashamed of it this is the true reason why men doe and ondoe because in what they doe they seeke their owne wils not Gods wil but hee that hath given up his wil to Gods wil before hee works he will see Gods wil this is the true reason why the men of this World with all their power and policy cannot make Saints worship as they doe the unknowne God or at least wise in such a manner as they know not whether it be the wil of God or no. I say this is the reason because they are bound up in the wil of God so that they cannot worship any unknowne God nor the God they know in any manner but what he makes known to them to be his wil that they should worship him in If men be truly zealous for the worship of God it can goe no farther then this That such as know him and his wil should worship him according to his wil made knowne to them for any thing else cannot be the true worship of the true God Now such as know God and his wil in truth the spirit of truth they are a willing people to worship God according to his wil made known to them by his Spirit in which they worship him If this were seriously considered in the Spirit of God it would appear to be the beauty of Saints not to act before light to know Gods wil and so to doe it therefore Saints should be teaching one another in the Spirit but not to force any where the Spirit hath not taught then there is no neede of forcing for the Spirit of God that teacheth doth also leade his people into obeying of his truths and wil. The Saints in truth speak thus in the spirit of truth to God Not my will nor the will of any man or men but thy will be done Therefore Lord shew me thy wil and it sufficeth he that rules should enquire after the will of God to rule by and he that is ruled for the will of God to be the rule of his obedience Oh that our Rulers did enquire after and finde out this rule to rule by Then would righteousnesse flourish in the Land as a greene Bay-tree and the branches of it would cover the Land with that much desired peace It is the want of this which makes the want of peace did
Governors and governed seeke Gods wil and not their owne both they and the Land would soone be at peace in the righteous wil of God If men did truly enquire after Gods wil that they might loose their owne wils in his the contending for our owne wils would be at an end true rest and peace would come into our soules and this Nation for this is only true rest to rest in God and his wil. But then how excellent is this in that soule which doth in the Spirit of God truly apply it and close with it that hath indeed its wil only in the wil of God and desires nothing to be done for it but the wil of God nor in it but Gods wil nor to it but Gods wil that desires to thinke speake nor doe nothing but Gods wil that hath but this one single object to looke after the wil of God and finding that hath found its joy hope peace riches glory aimes and ends with all the good can be named to that the soule can joy in the Lord alwayes have this hope alwayes lively his peace continually within him his riches constantly by him his glory certaine because above himselfe in the wil of his God and his aimes and ends certainly accomplished because he hath all these in God his wil being only in the wil of God The workings God in the World which perplexes other men satisfies this man because the wil of God is done in them and by them this is indeed the very top-branch of Christianity this was Christs lesson when he was going out of the World and that soule which learns this lesson is going with Christ out of the World I meane not bodily but spiritually not the flesh dying in the World but his spirit dead to the World as Paul crucified to the World and the World to him both agreed hee had as little spirit for the World as the World had satisfaction for his spirit his spirit was bound up in God and that must needes make an excellent soule which hath its all in God and from God its wil so in God that it can wil nothing to be done but the will of God Not my will but thy will be done CHAP. XII No man exceeds another in excelency but by received mercies 1 Cor. Chap. 4. part of the 7th vers For who maketh to differ from another and what hast thou that thou didst not receive THis Scripture is to my understanding one of the most humbling pieces to the flesh and fleshly pride of all men and women that the whole Booke of God affords humility is the generall scope of the Apostle in it and he hath very fitly suited his arguments to his end the Apostle both argues and proves his Argument in this Scripture by way of question This Scripture may fitly be called a paire of questions or a twofold question and it speaks most properly to a paire of grand lusts and sinnes that are in the hearts of all men women by nature Namely pride and peevish repining Now to the finding out and answering of these two in the Apostles language I shall bend my medications And first the proud heart Now if you aske me a definition of a proud heart I shall first answer in generall the tree is knowne by the fruit and the fruits are so many that they cannot be gathered all into so narrow a compasse but so farre as God doth enable mee I shall give light into it by these words following namely A proud heart is a heart lifted up in it selfe despising all that are below it and envying all that are above it Pharoah is a full testimony of this truth Exod. 5.2 when Moses and Aaron went in and told Pharaoh Thus saith the Lord God of Israel let my people goe that they may hold a feast with me in the Wildernesse Mark his answer And Pharoah said who is the Lord that I should obey his voyce to let Israel goe As if hee had said doe you tell mee of the Lord is there any above me that should require this people out of my hands Here is an exact embleme of a man lifted up in himself and despising of all below him and above him too But when God by his judgements had forced him to let his people goe in which God and his people were above Pharaoh see then how full of envy this proud man is to God and his people that hee musters up all his strength to hinder God in his designe and to destroy his people so that Pharaoh is a full proofe to all these particulars of a proud heart That poore wretch Herod was also lifted up in himselfe who when he had made his Oration and the people cryed out the voyce of God and not of man he tooke it to himselfe for that was his end to lift up himself this is the foundation principally of all proud hearts So Nebuchadnezar in Dan. 8.15 when he had threatned Shadrach Meshech and Abednego what hee would doe to them if they should not at his command fall downe and worship the golden Image which he had set up that he would cast them into the fiery fornace And who is that God that shall deliver you out of my bands This is indeed superlative pride the man in his owne thoughts had set up himselfe above God So he that builded Babell tels us his designe that he might say in the conclusion Is not this great Babel that I have built His proud heart was lifted up in himself and that made his worke sutable to his heart to lift up his own name so as he might call Babel which hee had built These also are the proper characters of proud Haman he was so lifted up in himself that if poore Mordecai bow not his knee the man is restlesse despiseth him plots his ruine and with him all the Nation of the Jewes yea even Esther the Queen that was above him The proud man to set up selfe despises and envies all below him and above him a proud heart is boundlesse in seeking to set up it selfe So proud Goliah despised little David thought him fit for nothing but to trample upon These proofes of Scripture with the spirituall discoveries of this sinne in our selves and others hearts and lives wil be testimony enough to prove the definition of a proud heart That a proud heart is a heart lifted up in it selfe despising all below it and envying all above it It wil wel become humble Saints to consider how fully the holy Ghost by the Apostle doth answer and silence this proud flesh and spirit in every part of it and that by way of questions which can receive no answer but in the plucking up of pride by the roots As if the Apostle should say you that are lifted up in your selves and make your boasts of your owne wisdome riches strength power and greatnesse above others come you forth and answer me this question Who maketh thee to differ from
of that power beyond and contrary to that end hee received it for Otherwise the impositions upon the people of God in the matters of their God and the persecution of them for not obeying men rather then God would finde no footing in the World If pride in men doe not make them act further then they have received Rule and Commission from God his people would not complaine as they doe at the Throne of Grace for being persecuted because the Rule of God is That every man be fully perswaded in his own bosome for whatsoever is not of faith is sin Rom. 14.5.23 But the proud man puts forth his power beyond the bounds which God hath set him and is so cruell that he cannot heare the cryes of the poore people of God which onely plead for Christian forbearance and doe professe in singlenesse of heart as in the presence of God they are ready to obey their commands to the utmost so farre as God shall fully enlighten and perswade them it is his will so that in what they doe they may not sinne through unbeliefe And sure I am nothing but pride and cruelty can stop an eare to these cryes How ugly now must pride needs look to the eye of a godly soul And how doth such a soule observe the folly and cruelty of pride This should make every soule exceeding earnest at the Throne of Grace that the Lord would by the fire of his own holy Spirit destroy the lust of pride in them It is the throne of the Devill O beseech the Lord to destroy that throne it is the very flames of hell in the soule O begge of the Lord to quench them and wholly to extinguish them by his Spirit Pride in the Soule is the Devils Banner of defiance against God O be earnest with the Lord of Hosts to make himselfe in thee a Conquerour over this lust Where pride reignes God abhorres where that is King Christ is an enemy O therefore implore the power of Heaven to keep this under to destroy it and root it out of all its strong holds in the soule All the Devils in Hell without the soule are more easie enemies then pride within the soule that man is a perfect slave which hath pride for his Master and untill the Sonne and Spirit make a soule free it will never bee free indeed We should be therefore often with God beseeching him that Christ may live in us by his Spirit to make us free from the sinne and slavery of pride That soule which begges of God the death of pride in it selfe hath a promise attending its petition for it is according to the will of God God having declared himselfe an enemy to pride O that all Saints were like God in this open declared enemies to pride in themselves and others improving all their interest at the throne of Grace that God would destroy this peece of Selfe and Satan root and branch out of the Soule that neither Fruit nor Branch may ever grow upon it more Againe From this discovery of a proud man in his principles and practises I have learned thus much That if ever I should be called to put power into the hands of any man or men and to entrust all those liberties which I could commit to trust into such hands I would make this a generall rule of all men to avoid a proud man for I would never trust a foole with power nor a cruel man with my liberties and I am sure a proud man is both these so that surely that person or Nation shal never but be miserable that committeth power and trust into such hands such men as single persons are the burthen of a Land but put power in their hands and they will be so farre as their power will reach the ruine of that Land Though men as Gods instruments give a proud man his power yet he soone forgets that he hath received the power by which he differs and so Tyrant like makes use of his power to plucke downe them that set up him and to sacrifice those rights and liberties which he is intrusted to preserve to his own pride this I am sure he can never be true to me that is faulty to God but a proud man is so because in substance he denyes God to be the originall of his power for did he acknowledge himself to receive that by which he differs he would never be proud of his debt and his duty nor use his power contrary to or beyond the rule of God who gives both rule and power It is the humble heart which only hath a hand fit to put power into and to intrust any thing that is deare and precious withal because there is acknowledgements in receiving that wherein it differs this man is most like to be a faithfull Steward to give an account of his trust for he acknowledgeth himselfe to be a Steward a Trustee or indeed a trusted servant for the good and happinesse of them that have trusted him the weight of his work sanctified by the Spirit of God keeps this man humble It is this humble man which will be a blessing to them that trust him Hee that God makes humble is a sit man to make honourable and by putting trust in such hands will Nations and Kingdoms be made happy And now I must crave leave to be plain and single hearted with men in power only in asking them the Apostles questions Who maketh thee to differ from another and what hast thou that thou hast not received Have you more power then others yet remember you have received that power from God as the fountaine from men as the streames and it is onely in what you have received by which you differ from other men and pray remember this your account will be as great as your power because your power is received Let me begge you to consider what is Gods end and mans end in trusting you and putting power into your hands Gods end is his owne glory that you should lift up his Name in all you doe defend his people with all your power to be a defence to all that is praise-worthy and a terrour only to evil doers to make his will your worke not your owne wills a law his Word and Spirit your rule his single glory your end the people of the Covenant of his free-grace your beloved ones that you should establish righteousnesse justice and judgement in the Land which will be the firme end and lasting pillars of peace this is Gods end in giving you power and according to these ends will God have from you an account of your using that power hee hath committed to you and that you have received from him Mans end in putting power into your hands is their owne good that you should by that power defend them in all just and righteous wayes maintaine to them their proprieties and not to diminish but encrease their just liberties such in which all just men may be
happy and no sort of men enabled by your authority to intrench upon or violate the peacefull rights and liberties of others You that are trusted by the whole should have no squint eyes nor ceasing of hands when you give forth your blessings but carry the whole in your hands heart and eye you should be as Melchisedech without Father and Mother related to no party but the whole This is man's end in committing that to your trust which is in their power to commit to trust now who ever casts up this account will finde no cause to be proud of his employment or his power but to lye low at the feete of God for his continuall presence that you may have the strength of Christ to discharge this duty and trust received for nothing lesse will carry any soule wel through his worke The discharge of this trust wil be judged by an impartial Judge before whom all things are naked such as God shall acquit may walk and lye down in peace but if God charge any soule of misusing and abusing this received trust and power it wil be with such a soule as with Belieshazar when he perceived the hand-writing upon the wall his countenance was changed and his thoughts troubled him so that the joynts of his loynes were loosed and his knees smote one against another Yea and conscience will be wounded too that which none can beare will be the weight to presse downe such a miserable soule I judge no persons nor shall I entee into particulars only professe my sadnesse to heare so many complaine some for want of justice others of injustice most men say the eye is not single it is devided into parties so that the whole is neglected all mens mouths are opâ—n and God hath at one time or other made them to discover their hearts but when they rip up 't is some for Paul and others for Apollo and a third for Cephas when intruth all should be for Christ it is this division of the flesh which divides the Land and sowes seedes of warre to destroy this and after Generations if the Lord prevent not by the powrings forth of his Spirit to unite us again in that common roote and head of all Saints the Lord Jesus Christ The Magistrates worke as I humbly conceive to effect this happy union is this singly to eye Christ so as to give forth their power for protection to all that in the beauty of holinesse and the power of godlinesse doe live up his Image leaving Christ his own Throne the consciences of his people this so farre as I can see is according to the trust committed both by God and man I thinke the want of peace doth arise from the want of this righteousnesse justice and judgement to runne downe in the Land and till God give this Spirit and practise amongst his people I shall have but little hopes of lasting Peace for sure I am what ever Peace shall be made upon other terms the foundation will be too weake to beare its burthen so that the building cannot long stand I thinke this is the controversie God hath with all the Nations of the Earth at this day and till God have his will we shall not have peace Oh that all which desire peace would take Gods way to establish it Peace is the common theame of all men but this way of God to it is the practise of very few if any this Peace to some and warre to others protection to some and destruction to others of the people of God is mans peace not Gods for Christ takes care of the whole body the hand and foote as well as the eye and that peace which man makes without God God can and will soone destroy by or without man and if men should prove false to that trust they have received from God and man yet God will never faile his people nor be faithlesse to his Covenant they shall finde him his peoples God not protecting part only but the whole and when men act according to what they have received from God they will doe so too Such as have the present trust have another weighty consideration lyes upon them seriously and in the feare of God consider how many times God hath given you your lives when you have been appointed by men to be a sacrifice to their lusts and in the will and end of these designes the knife hath oftentimes been almost at your very throats when you have not seen nor known it but the All-seeing eye of God hath discovered and his all-powerfull armes prevented for the most pâ—rt in the very nicke of time when cruelty thought to have effected his ends to have made glad their hearts with washing their hands in your blood These life savâ—ng kindnesses of God sure will make deepe impressions upon graciou and nâ—enuous spirits but this is not all you have yet â—urtâ—er to consider how many thousands of those which chose trusted you with their lives temporall liberties and estates have to maintaine you in being for these ends spent their estates denyed themselves of their liberties and have lost their lives Oh looke upon the cripled limbs the bleeding wounds the Widowes and the Fatherlesse Rachel weeping for her children because they are not I have told you before what is the end of aâ—l this both in God and man many thousands have given you their lives already and others goe on still in this selfe denying worke and all they cry for is this that the living may have their just rights liberties and priviledges for which ends only thâ—y have called you and put power into your hands and have obeyed your call to take up arms in which they have laid downe their lives and doe daily drop away that you may be preserved to make good these ends and in them to be a blessing to this bleeding and distressed Land You have had the prayers of Gods people for you at the Throne of grace take heede you returne them not evill for good For if these prayers be once turned against you they will soone overturne you I cannot tell what to call this faithfulnesse kindnesse from God and man to you it is so great but sure I am where it finds unfaithfulnesse in any it will beget a heavy account remember this you act upon received power and must give an account of your Steward-ship the longest day is hard by in a little time death will close your eyes and then you can be no longer Stewards that by which you differ now will leave you then your bones and dust will not be known in the grave from others But you may remember in the beginning I told you that this Scripture by its double question did speak properly to two grand lusts peevish repining as well as pride and I promised to enquire after them both and to apply the Apostles questions by way of answer to them to define a peevish repining heart and spirit I shall do
it thus It is that which earnestly desires every thing but likes and is pleased with nothing shapes out it s owne happinesse and presently mislikes its owne handy worke thinkes all things sweete which it cannot reach and therefore pines after them but nothing sweete which it doth enjoy and therefore is peevish and not content with what ever it possesseth This is a foule stomack that which will nourish another doth annoy and burthen it he is like a sick man that findes fault with every bed because his disease is in his body and he carries it with him from bed to bed hee repines that some others have more then himselfe but is not content though he have more then many others he suckes the sweete out of every thing before he comes at it by his earnest desire to it and his over-prizing of it so that when hee doth reach the thing it reaches not his ends therefore the heart is alwayes repining This eye multiplies things at a distance but diminishes when neare at hand this man forgets what he hath and only remembers what he would have this repining heart must needes be an unthankefull heart for such as blesse God doe acknowledge that they receive blessings from God so doth not the repining heart for he cannot count that a blessing which he repines at this is a sore evill among the sons of men and it ariseth from this two-fold ignorance of God and our selues First Ignorance of God that all fulnesse is in him and that hee is a free agent to dispense when where and how hee pleaseth Secondly Ignorance of our selves that in our selves we are meere empty nothings and that what ever wee have or enjoy it is received God makes us passive to receive what he gives and that is the top-glory of selfe Now to this heart the Apostles questions comes very close and home Tell me O peevish repining heart Who maketh thee to differ from another what hast thou that thou hast not received Canst thou give mee a reason why thou wert not created a worme to crawle upon the earth a fit subject for every foote to tread upon rather then a reasonable and defensable creature Wert thou clay in the Potters hands and dost thou quarrel at what thou art made Hast thou received a tongue and shall it speak against the giver Doth thy heart live by life received and yet murmure against the hand that gave thee life It ill becomes such as are beholding for every thing to pine at any thing It is nothing but meere mercy kindnesse bounty goodnesse and free-grace in God that makes thee to differ from the most wickedst wretch on Earth from the veriest foole alive from the miserablest man or woman in the World yea that makes thee any title beyond the lowest most despisablest piece of the whole Creation or not being left in thy first lump of confusion Now quarrell if thou canst justifie thy selfe in it with the dispensations of God to thee If thou hadst made thy selfe why didst thou not doe it to thy owne content but if God have made thee any thing out of nothing why dost thou quarrel with God if God be free in himselfe and have freely blessed thee thou shewest an ill heart and spirit to quarrel with and repine at the free workings and blessings of his owne grace Consider man The whole family in Heaven and Earth is Gods he gives thee day by day thy daily bread thou dost weare his cloaths and breath in his aire thou walkest in his strength and lyest downe to sleep on his bed thou hast received all from him and he gives nothing so as to put the propriety out of himselfe Hee that gives all can take all away when he pleaseth and then murmuring heart thou maist know the want of that which thou didst not prize the enjoyment of thou that repinest must repine at this that the will of God is done Now doe but consider the exceeding evill of that spirit which can be angry because God is pleased when at the same time this man lives moves hath his being and his wel-being from the good pleasure of this God God is pleased to doe good to him but he thinks it not good that God should be pleased for he is not pleased with the good will of God hee that repines at the workings of God doth by that imply he thinkes himself wiser then God and if he had power could mend the workings of God in the World Thou hast nothing but what thou hast received therefore thou canst not be displeased with what thou hast and art but thou must finde fault with the giver as well as the gift and art thou not in this an ignorant and unthankefull wretch This is not the Apostle Paul's frame of spirit for he makes this acknowledgement It is by the grace of God that I am what I am And upon this account wee finde the same Apostle content in all conditions he knew both how to want and abound and in all estates to be content for Christ had taught him That grace in God dispensed all conditions to him hee knew that hee received all from free-grace and that the free-grace of God was in all that he did receive and this made his soule to be satisfied and kept repining from his heart and lips Sure if God by his Spirit reveale and set home this truth upon the hearts of any though murmurers and repining proud ones before yet then they will lay their hands upon their lips and lye downe at Gods feete confessing that they are fooles and in this as ignorant as bruit beasts that they have not knowne all this while that they have lived upon free-grace and spent upon received mercies kindnesses from God and then the streame will be turned from repining to admiring as he did Lord what am I and my Fathers house What is man that thou thus regardest him Nay what was I before thou mad'st me what I am I have received all from thee even my first being Oh how wonderfull is the Lord and his wayes past finding out sayen this soule Nay I have had continued to me abused mercies I have wronged God with his owne mercies and yet he hath continued to be gracious he hath silled my bosome with those kindnesses that I have unkindely throwne in his face Oh now breake heart melt soule and fall flesh before the everliving God whose eternall love thou hast lived upon and abused thou hast resisted God with his owne strength turned his grace into wantonnesse the gifts and parts thou hast received from him to the opposing of his will the abusing of his members Blush then and be ashamed O proud heart be silent and complaine not O repining soule Finde no fault for thou art a debter thou hast beene all this while a receiving and hast no cause to make mention of the returnes thou hast made admire thou art not in Hell that God should not choose
that glories glory in this That he understandeth and knoweth me that I am the Lord which exercise loving kindnesse judgement and righteousnesse in the earth This Scripture is a full proofe to the thing in hand both in the Negative and in the Affirmative First in the Negative not to glory in any thing out of God or besides God not in Wisdome Power Riches or any other thing of that nature any thing below God himself is too low for the people of God to glory in if you will glory here is a subject fit for your glory namely God to understand and know him to bee the Lord which exercises loving kindnesse judgement and righteousnesse in the earth he that truly knowes God may glory in God who is the onely fit object of glory God is so glorious that hee makes the foolish things of the world to confound the wise weak things the mighty and despised things to bring to naught things that are Therefore wisdome power riches nobility in the world are not proper subjects for a Saint to glory in no God is the onely and single vubject of his peoples glory and when you finde them glorying it is in the Lord as in the 30. verse of this chapter the Apostle glories in this that through the freegrace of God Christ is made to his people wisdome righteousnesse sanctification and redemption his glory is in God and Christ Christ as the gift and God as the giver Christ made of God and so forth This is my glory Gods wisdome righteousnesse sanctification and redemption Christ is all this to Saints of the free grace of God Therefore be that glories let him glory in the Lord. His selfe is nothing but Christ as the gift of God his All and his Glory So the same Apostle in Galat. 6.15 God forhid that I should glory save in the crosse of our Lord Jesus Christ Hee tels them there be such which make a fair shew in the flesh that would have them to be circumcised that they might not suffer persecution But sayes the Apostle tell not me of these poore low shifts or glory for in Christ Jesus neither circumcision not uncircumcision availeth any thing but a new creature And in another place Christ in us the hope of glory I can glory in none of these empty outsides and shadowes of things it is the new Creature Christ in me the crosse of Christ the redemption of free grace the eternall love of God that I can glory in or make the subject of my glory as in that most remarkable place Eph. 2.8 9. For by grace are yee saved through faith and that not of your selves it is the gift of God not of works lest any man should boast Mark it and we shall find here is a sure provision to keep all the glory upon Gods head so that who ever glories must glory in God Why because the whole matter of salvation comes of by and from the free grace of God yea even faith the hand that layes hold of the free grace of God is also the gift of Gods free grace worke selfe is wholly excluded because God will have no flesh to boast or glory in his sight or in any thing but himselfe Therefore God who is rich in mercy for his great love wherewith he hath loved us even when we were dead in sinnes hath quickned us together with Christ therefore it is by grace that we are saved He loved us when we lay in our blood when no eye pitied us his love is first to us and from hence he makes a covenant of free grace to be our God and that we shall be his people that he will put his law in our hearts and teach his people by his own Spirit What doth all this prove but thus much That God alone is and ought to be the onely subject of his peoples glory and we shall find the Apostle Paul in this first of the Ephesians not onely in the precept but in the practice of this thing blessing of God and glorying in God in the third verse Blessed be the Lord God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who hath blessed us with all spirituall blessings in heavenly places in Christ Observe it he blesses and glories in God he mentions nothing to glory in but God in Christ God in himselfe when he speaketh of chusing electing love and glory he doth it in Christ verse 4. Chosen us in him before the foundation of the world and so forward in the fifth verse Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himselfe according to the good pleasure of his will verse 6. to the praise of the glory of his grace wherein he hath made us acceptable in the beloved And in the seventh verse according to the riches of his grace verse 8. wherein he hath abounded towards us in all wisdome and prudence Thus the Apostle spends the whole chapter in declaring the glory of the full love and free grace of God to his in Christ he is in a very glorious frame of spirit full of glory and blessing but God is the subject of all his glory and blessing So we may find him in his triumphing Chariot That Rom. 8. verse 1. No condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus and walk after the Spirit in which there is freedome from the law of sinne and death 33. Nothing to be laid to the charge of Gods elect which God justifies and that nothing can separate from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Gods love is the subject the Apostle glories in it was the love of God and so everlasting unchangeable love it was justification by the free grace of God therefore above condemnation Mark it God is the subject of his glory God justifies and God loves So in Rom. 11. latter end O the depth of the riches both of the wisdome and knowledge of God how unsearchable are his judgements and his wayes past finding out For of him and to hins and through him are all things to whom be glory for ever Amen The Apostle finds all to be in God and God the onely subject for him to glory in and give glory to What ever God doth himselfe is the glory of all his workes and God is a depth of riches wisdome and knowledge he is unsearchable in his judgements and his wayes are so full of glory that man cannot trace them he is so pure a glory that he can bee discerned by no light but his own 2 Cor. 2.14 But the naturall man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God for they are foolishnesse unto him neither can hee know them because they are spiritually discerned God is so greaâ— a glory that he darkens all glory besides himselfe so that nothing but himselfe can be a discovery of himselfe and this the Apostle declares as the glory of God he is an unsearchable and more exceeding and eternall weight of glory Therefore sayes hee
when we were dead in sinnes hath quickened us together with Christ Marke it it is love in God which is the originall of life in Saints it must needs be full love that should give life to soules dead in sinnes and it must be eternall love because it gives eternall life for it quickens soules together with Christ to live because he lives John 14.19 Now sayes this soule I thus glory singly in Christ which you cannot in any thing besides That holy and divine love is originally in God love in all the dimentions of it is lovely and ful of glory how ful of glory must it then needs be In the original of it which is God The Ocean Sea is the glory of all waters so is love in God the original glory of all love Now says the soul give mee leave to glory in my God as the God of love who is the eternal fountaine of love to whom I never went to in Christ but I found love and this I finde love in God is that which assures mee and carries me to him and truly ever since I have knowne him in Christ I have found him a God of love and his bosome of love a place of rest it is ful love I never wanted any thing when I lay downe to rest in it it is unchangeable love at no time a bed of thornes This love of God is so ful of glory in the enjoyment of it that it is the glory of all I doe enjoy it is Gods love in every mercy that makes it a mercy where Gods love is not the glory is departed from that thing Love in God is love in the original of it and there is heights depths breadths and lengths of love such heights as none can out-reach none can love more then God for he is the original of love or is originally love in him are breadths of love enough for all soules to spread themselves on to satisfaction and yet breadths of love to spare yea in him are depths of love as deepe as eternity Original love no soule can fathom its bottome or beginning it is such a deepe so firmly fixed it cannot be shaken to all eternity This love of God is not only the rivers of the waters of life but also such a deepe as can never be drawn dry I and it is lengths of love too love without end he cals it lengths because he cannot tel how long it exceeds both measure and expression this is all the account can be given of the length of it it is Gods love and God is love so that what God is that is this love now he that can measure God may measure love this is love singly in God so in God as in none besides God the fruits and effects of this love wil appear in the next particular but as love is originally fully and eternally in God so is God the only subject of his peoples glory wherefore he that glories of love let him glory in the Lord. The next particular is this The freenesse of Gods grace That grace is free none wil appeare so ignorant as to deny for the nature of the thing confirms it it could nor be grace were it not free but if that should not be understood yet the fruits and workings of Gods grace wil demonstrate it to be free-grace in al the operations of it from first to last And first Let us looke into predestinating and choosing grace Eph. 1.4 5. According as he hath chosen us in him in Christ before the foundation of the world having predestinated us unto the adoption of Children by Jesus Christ to himselfe according to the good pleasure of his will Marke how free-grace runnes through and gathers up this whole worke predestinated and chosen the very termes speaks freenesse but sayes the Text this is in Christ and this makes it still free-grace for Christ is wholly without our reach in our selves but that which puts all out of doubt is this the Text speaks plainly this worke is according to the good pleasure of his will God doth all in and by the freenesse of his owne grace nothing to move him but his owne bowels It is the Apostles argument upon this very question Rom. 9.18 Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy and whom he will he hardneth That is as I understand the scope of the holy Ghost in this place God chooseth whom he pleaseth in his free-grace to make them vessels of mercy in union with Christ and the others hee chooseth to leave in the first Adam dead in sinnes and trespasses If you aske me the reason of this I will answer you with the Apostles argument in vers 21. Hath not the Potter power over the clay of the same lump to make one vessell to honour and another to dishonour That I mention it for is to prove the freenesse of Gods choosing and electing grace and to that end it is a very ful Scripture for if you observe one clause in it it makes God to be as free in the vessels of honour as in the vessels of dishonour that is the same lump it is out of one and the same lump of clay that God doth both Now it must needes be free-grace that makes vessels of mercy to be filled with the riches of his glory out of the same lump that others remaine vessels of dishonor Thus Gods grace is free in choosing his owne vessels whom hee will fill with the fulnesse of his grace and glory to all eternity Secondly The grace of God is free in the calling of his chosen vessels out of themselves into himself Whom he predestinates before all time he cals in the fulnesse of his owne time and both in his free-grace Ephes 2.5 is a full proofe of this Even when wee were dead in sinnes hath quickened us together with Christ by grace yee are saved It is this free-grace of God that runs through the whole matter of salvation observe but the time of calling and it will appeare to be free-grace in God that cals even when dead in sinnes What could here move God but his owne free-grace the soule is dead there is no beauty in a dead soule to allure a living God nay dead in sinnes can this move a holy God to call such a soule to lye downe in his bosome No that which moves God is in himselfe the freenesse of his owne grace and the fulnesse of his owne bowels of love God can worke from himselfe to man though there be nothing in man to invite but to distast God and this is the glory of his free grace he cals a Moses out of Pharoah's Court a Saul out of the Sect of the Pharisees even when his heart was posting with his commission to persecute the Saints and by this call doth not only change his name from Saul to Paul but his spirit from a persecuter to a Preacher of Christ crucified What doth this prove but that God is free in his
now feare of death is no lesse then diffidence of that Redemption therefore Saints should be very watchful that they harbour no sad nor hard thoughts of death because in so doing wee dishonour a true friend nay Christ that made death thus to be our friend In the next place this cals upon Saints that when death comes to sit in our bosomes wee should bid him truly welcome and give him the entertainement of a friend that is be truly joyful to see him let him finde by the joy of our hearts that he is welcome to our besomes let his countenance be pleasing to us for though hee be pale death to our flesh yet that flesh shall be a gainer by its palenesse and finde nothing in death but a quiet rest til it shal put on incorruption But to the spirit death is a messenger from God and Christ of glad tydings and the feet of those which bring glad tidings should be beatiful to us let death when he comes finde he is a long looked for friend that he is not come before he is welcome but should have beene welcome if hee had come much sooner that thou takest him for so good and so real a friende that thou art heartily willing to goe with him and to leave all thy friends in the flesh that thou hast kept them company but til he comes and now art willing to leave them all to goe with him Saints may wel bid death welcome as a friende for Christ is in him and the love of Christ when Christ tooke sinne from Saints which was the sting of death he gave them love in the roome of sinne so as before we had sinne in all now we have love in all and though death to Saints have not the sting of sinne yet it hath the love of Christ and is worthy to bee bidd welcome and entertained with gladnesse when hee commeth But in the next place This calleth loude to Saints that they beleeve strongly in that love of Christ who hath taken away the sting of death which is sinne and thereby made death that was an original enemy to be a true and constant friend the Scripture teleth us 1 Cor. 15.26 The last enemie that shall be destroyed is death Now death as an enemy to Saints is destroyed in the death of Christ for his sting which is his enmity is taken away by Christ that I inferre is this Saints have much cause to beleeve strongly in that love the strength of which hath overcome all enemies for us Christ hath overcome death the last of enemies why should we ever then feare the fading of that love which hath left no enemies to make us afraide Saints feares are of their owne creating for what ever might have beene a true cause of feare hath beene under Christs destroying for he hath destroyed all enemies and where no enemy is there is no true ground of feare what remaines then Why nothing but a firme and lasting foundation of faith the love of Christ is a strong foundation for a Saint to beleeve strongly in what should we feare death is our friend the love of Christ hath made him so the breakings forth of this love is ground sufficient to banish all feares if death be no enemy then there is no enmity betweene death and us for death is the last destroyed enemy and the love of Christ hath destroyed that enmity Saints have many that hate them but none that can hurt them take this for proofe death is a Saints friend there can bee no greater testimony of love then the destroying of enemies for no man will destroy the enemies of him that he is an enemy to himselfe enmitie would make enemies it is onely love that destroyes them and this love is Christ to his people his love is so great that he will leave us no enemy that is no person persons or things shall ever be able to destroy a Saint then surely Saints may and ought to beleeve strongly in the love of Christ let worldlings know their nailes are too short to scratch out this love their strength too weake to shake this eternall foundation if they suck our bloods they may choak themselves but doe us no hurt for through the love of Christ Saints are conquerers over death Saints may believe strongly on the love of Christ for a worse enemy then the World shall never be able to destroy them even sinne for Christ hath destroyed sin and in that death for all that believe in him so as a Saint triumphs over death in the want of its sting is in the love of Christ which hath taken away sin and this is that love which the soules of Saints should believe in and rest strongly upon Saints need not fear they cannot lay more upon this love then Christ is able and willing to beare nay then he hath born already for he hath borne all the transgressions iniquities sinnes griefes sorrowes stripes and chastisements of his people Isâ— 53. So that hee hath redeemed his from the whole of sin and believing Saints may not feare to venture their soules in all upon the love of Christ nay doubtlesse it is the duty of Saints to live believing strongly in the love of Christ which hath put Death to death and overcome all enemies for them But in the fourth place Saints should make this improvement of these truths to waite upon God patiently in believing Death will assuredly come and deliver them from all their troubles in the flesh Faith made Job to waite patiently all the dayes of his appointed time till his change did come There is an appointed time in which the change shall come and beyond that time it shall not stay There can be no loss of faith in this thing for death waits upon our Fathers will and shall certainly come at his appointed time I confesse it is hard for Saints that are heires of heaven and know it willingly to stay longer out of heaven and their Fathers imbracings and in that time to be in a body of sin and a sinful world to beare the infirmities of the body with the scornes slanders persecutions of the World yet remember that this is the fulfilling of the will of our God and all this time death our friend is a comming every moment bringeth this longed for blessing nearer and nearer and we cannot tell but it may be at the doore that death may be in the next moment is the worlds feare let it be a Saints joy and serve to quench immoderate thirst here is this to answer all feares it will certainly come and cannot be farre off Christ longeth more for us then we doe or can doe for him and though we thinke him long yet he that shall come will come and will not tarry Remember the body is made of brittle earth it will be soone cracked or moulder away it cannot by its constitution last long the word of truth calleth him a foole that counted upon many yeares when