THE WORKS OF M R Stephen Marshall late Minister of the Gospel at Finching-Field in Essex And since at Ipswitch in Suffolk THE FIRST PART VIZ. I. Of Christ's Intercession And of Sins of Infirmity II. The High Priviledge of Beleevers They are the Sons of God III. Faith the only means spiritually to feed on Christ. IV. Of Self-Denial V. The Saints Duty to keep their Heart in a Good Frame c. VI. The Mystery of Spiritual Life Attested By Ralph Venning Thomas Lye Thomas Jacomb LONDON Printed by Peter Cole and Edward Cole Printers and Book-sellers at the Sign of the Printing-press in Cornhil near the Royal Exchange 1661. BEcause it is usual to abuse Readers in thrusting forth broken Notes under the Names of Authors that are of Repute These are to Attest the following fifty Sermons on several Texts Were Preached by M R Stephen Marshall And are now Published by the most perfect Coppy Ralph Venning Thomas Lye Thomas Jacomb Books Printed by Peter Cole and Edward Cole Printers and Book sellers of London at the Exchange Mr. Burroughs WORKS viz. on Matth. 11. 1 Chirsts call to all those that are Weary and Heavy Laden to come to him for Rest. 2 Christ the Great Teacher of Souls that come to him 3 Christ the Humble Teacher of those that come to him 4 The only Easie way to Heaven 5 The Excellency of holy Courage 6 Gospel Reconciliation 7 The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment 8 Gospel-Worship 9 Gospel-Conversation 10 A Treatise of Earthly Mindedness 11 Exposition of the Prophesie of Hosea 12 The Evil of Evils or the exceeding sinfulness of Sin 13 Precious Faith 14 Of Hope 15 Of Walking by Faith Twenty one several Books of Mr. William Bridge Collected into two Volumes Viz. 1 Scripture Light the most sure Light 2 Christ in Travel 3 A Lifting up for the cast down 4 Sin against the Holy Ghost 5 Sins of Infirmity 6 The fals Apostle tiled and discovered 7 The good and means of Establishment 8 The great things Faith can do 9 The great things Faith can suffer 10 The Great Gospel Mystery of the Saints Comfort and Holyness opened and applied from Christs Priestly Office 11 Satans power to Tempt and Christs Love to and Care of his People under Temptation 12 Thankfulness required in every Condition 13 Grace for Grace 14 The Spiritual Actings of Faith through Naturall Impossibilities 15 Evangelical Repentance 16 The Spiritual Life and in being of Christ in al Beleevers 17 The Woman of Canaan 18 The Saints Hiding place c 19 Christ Coming c. 20 A Vindication of Gospel Ordinances 21 Grace and Love beyond Gifts New Books of Mr. Sydrach Simpson VIZ. 1 Of Unbelief or the want of readiness to lay hold on the comfort given by Christ. 2 Not goâ—ing to Christ for Life and Salvation is an exceeding great Sin yet Pardonable 3 Of Fâ—ith Or That beleeving is receiving Christ And receiving Christ is beleeving 4 Of Coveteousness Mr. Hookers New Books in three Volumes One in Octavo and two in Quarto These Eleven New Books of Mr. Thomas Hooâ—ker made in New-Edgland Are attested in an Epistle by Mr. Thomas Goodwin and Mr. Philip Nye To be written with the Authors own hand None being written by himself before One Volum being a Comment upon Christ's last Prayer on the seventeenth of John Wherein is shewed 1 That the end why the Saints receive all glorious Gâ—ace is That they may be one as the Father and Christ are one 2 That God the Father loveth the Faithful as he loveth Jesus Christ 3 That our Savior desireth to have the Faithful in Heaven with himself 4 That the happiness of our being in Heaven is to see Christs Glory 5 That there is much wanting in the knowledg of Gods Love in the most able Saints 6 That the Lord Christ lends dayly direction according to the dayly need of his Servants 7 That it is the desire and endeavor of our Savior that the dearest of Gods Love which was bestowed on himself should be given to his faithful servants 8 That our Union and Communion with God in Christ is the top of our happiness in Heaven Ten Books of the Application of Redemption by the Effectual Work of the Word and Spirit of Christ for the bringing home of lost sinners to God By Thomas Hooker D. Hills WORKS The Kings Tryal at the High Court of Justice Wise Virgin Published by Mr. Thomas Weld of New-England Mr. Rogers on Naaman the Syrian his Disease and Cure Discovering the Leprosie of Sin and Self-love with the Cure viz. Self-denial and Faith A Godly and Fruitful Exposition on the first Epistle of Peter By Mr. John Rogers Minister of the word of God at Dedham in Essex Mr. Rogers his Treatise of Marriage The Wonders of the loadstone By Samuel Ward of Ipswitch An Exposition on the Gospel of the Evangelist St. Matthew By Mr. Ward The Discipline of the Church in New-England By the Churches and Synod there Mr. Brightman on the Revelation Christians Engagement for the Gospel by John Goodwin Great Church Ordinance of Baptism Mr Loves Case containing his Petitions Narrative and Speech A Congregational church is a Catholick Visible Church By Samuel Stone in New-England A Treatise of Politick Powers Dr. Sibbs on the Philippians Vox Pacifica or a Perswasive to Peace Dr. Prestons Saints submission and Satans Overthrow Pious Mans Practice in Parliament time Barriffs Military Discipline The Immortality of mans Soul The Anatomist Anatomized The Bishop of Canterbury's Speech Woodwards Sacred Balance Dr. Owen against Mr. Baxter Abrahams Offer Gods Offerings Being a Sermon by Mr. Herle before the Lord Major of London Mr. Spurstows Sermon being a Pattern of Repentance Englands Deliverance By Peter Sterry The Way of God with his People in these Nations By Peter Sterry Mr. Sympson's sermon at Westminster Mr. Feaks sermon before the Lord Major The best and Worst Magistrate By Obediah Sedgwick A sermon A Sacred Panegyrick By Stephen Marshal A sermon The Craft and Cruelty of the Churches Adversaries By Matthew Newcomen of Dedham A sermon Clows Chyrurgery Marks of Salvation Mr. Stephen Marshals New WORKS VIZ. 1 Of Christs Intercession or of sins of Infirmity 2 The high Priviledg of beleevers They are the Sons of God 3 Faith the Means to feed on Christ. 4 Self-denial 5 The Saints Duty to keep their Hearts c. 6 The Mistery of spiritual Life Several Physick Books of Nich. Culpeper Physitian and Astrologer and A. Cole c. 1 Idea of Practical Physick in twelve Books 2 Sennertus thirteen Books of Natural Phylosophy 3 Sennertus two Treatises 1. Of the Pox. 2 Of the Gout Sennertus Art of Chyrurgery in six Parts 1. Of Tumors 2. Of Ulcers 3. Of the Skin Hair and Nailes 4. Of Wounds 5. Of Fractures 6. Of Luxations 4 Twenty four Books of the Practice of Physick being the Works of that Learned and Renowned Doctor Lazarus Riverius Physitian and Councellor to the late King c 5
our nourishment comes from Ordinances for though the Lord be the Fountain of it yet the Ordinances are the canales the channels wherein the Lord gives out a greater supply of himself we must receive all these by Faith The Word profits no man unless it be mingled with Faith your Prayers they must be Prayers of Faith the Sacraments they are received by Eaith All Ordinances are so far effectual to the soul as the grace of Faith puts them upon you Faith is not only the means of our Food but for Physick the overcoming of our evil al the Spiritual enemies of our spiritual life all that would destroy it it is Faith alone must do it You shall find Satan the great Enemy how do we overcome him By resisting him in Faith The World another Enemy every one that is born of God overcometh that the world cannot prevail upon them and this is that that overcometh the world even your Faith So All our Lusts it is by Faith that we put off the old man the Scripture is cleer in it nay the actings of our lives all the actions of our spiritual life all the excitings and callings out of all our graces in every relation publick and private the Spirit of God laies it al upon Faith until we come to be consumated and put into Heaven the Lord doth leave the mannagement and carrying on of our spiritual life to the grace of Faith himself is the Sum the fountain but so far as the Creature hath a hand in it that is the sanctified creature it is this faith whereby the whol life is acted Thus you see the first thing I hope sufficiently cleered That the Life of al Gods People while they live in this world it is the life of faith But now comes the greatest Question for there are so many cleer Scriptures about that you cannot doubt of it you had as good doubt of your Christianity as to doubt of this Whether a Christians life is the life of faith But now What the holy Ghost signifies by this what is it to live by faith That is a thing that may be more difficult to be understood and if it please God that I can but cleer it to you out of the Word that you may see wherein the true living by faith doth consist when I have opened this I wil not doubt but so many as are Gods People wil say this is my very condition but as for others they wil say every body talks of living by faith one man makes living by faith only to be a fancy in his own head that God wil do this and that for him without any warrant from the Word another it may be fancies that live how he lists if he hope but to go to Heaven when he goes out of the world then he lives by faith But living by faith is substantial I shal now set my self by the Lords help to clear to you what the holy Ghost signifies when he saith that the life of Gods people in this world they live it by faith and to this end I must premise these two things but to make way The first is That our Lord Jesus who is our Head our spiritual mystical Head he hath not only an Al-sufficiency for al his people for every one that beleeveth til they come to glory but he hath a full purpose in his heart never to be wanting of supply unto his called ones a full unchangeable purpose to supply them with whatsoever is needful to bring them to glory That is the first thing I lay down as a foundation to lead you to know what it is to live by faith there is an all sufficiency in Christ our Head yea a ful purpose and resolution unchangeable to supply to all his people whatsoever they can need in any condition til he hath brought them to glory That is the first thing no body wil doubt this the Scripture is so ful to it The Second thing is more immediate and closer to my purpose and it is this That Jesus Christ hath not only this determinate purpose in his heart but he hath in his Word declared and manifested al that he will do for his people and expect from his people til they come into Heaven mark that is In his Word hath he declared Promises which hold out al the good that Christ means to do for his people not only general promises for pardon of sin to bring them to Heaven but promises for every condition that can be he hath declared what he means to do and which way he wil do it He hath there likewise declared what his will is for al the duties that his people are to perform iâ— the way of obedience he wil never expect from them in al their life time any thing but what in his Word he hath set down And thirdly In the same Word he hath not only laid down Promises what he wil do and precepts what they must do but Directions that hold out both arguments to stir them up and waies that they should take al these hath he laid down in his Word al the means either to attain strength to do duties or to accomplish the benefit of any Promise in his Word he hath laid down al his mind and that is called his will concerning us that is the will of God concerning us Now these three things premised the purpose of Christ to do all that he will do and expect the declaration of all this in his Word These two taken for granted now in the third place which is my Doctrine and which wil make you understand what the living by faith is The Grace of Faith wrought in us by the Spirit of God and acted in us by the Spirit of God it immediately hath its whol application to the Word Good Friends hearken I say the grace of faith is the work of the Spirit in us and is excited and stirred up to work by the Spirit the Spirits proper and immediate work is to deal with the will of Christ revealed in his Word it looks not at Heaven immediately it looks not to Christ immediately but it looks at God and Christ and Heaven mediately through the Word In the Word there saith sees all the good things promised that in its life time it shal stand in need of in the Word it seeth the injunction of al those duties that the renewed soul should be conversant about or be exercised in in the Word and in the Word only he seeth the Methods the Counsels the arguments the Directions that are to be attended upon for the enjoyment of all that which is in Christs purpose to do for us Now mark The grace of faith stirred up by the Spirit of God to look to the Word in every thing in the right way and the Lord by his invisible and secret work making the things held out in the Word effectual to the soul by this act of faith in the whol course of our life applying
of Application is come the making himself over to them in the consideration or notion of an elder Brother and so they really by their conjunction with him partake of it There is the second work 3. There is the work of the Holy Ghost and til that likewise be past over the Soul never is any man made the Son of God The Holy Ghost and his work is so eminent and apparent that he is called the Spirit of Adoption that when the Lord gives his Spirit unto his Children he cals it by the Spirit of Adoption because it is the great Office of the Spirit to make that great work of Adoption Quest. Now what is the Holy Spirit 's work about it Answ. I Answer It stands in three things and you wil see them all cleer in Scripture and I hope I shal have some time for the Application for I go it over as fast as I can the Holy Ghosts work in making us the Sons of God stands in three things as it is cleer in the Scripture The one is 1. When the acceptable time is come that the Lord means to make a Soul that is by nature a Child of wrath to become the Child of God He sends the Spirit of Jesus Christ into that Soul to be a band of union betwixt Christ and that soul that whereas Christ is to be applied to them as a Brother and they to be mystically united unto him the holy Spirit takes this Office upon himself to come and dwel in the heart as a band of union betwixt Christ and them that Christ and they should never more be separated and this work of the pouring out of the Spirit into the Soul to take possession of him for Christ and to give the possession of Christ unto him the Spirit being the band of it this is the first work of the Spirit as he is the Spirit of Adoption There is one The second work of the Spirit is this 2. That when the holy Spirit comes to make Christ and us one he as the elder Brother and we as his Brethren inseparably united to him whereas he findeth us enemies hateful hating that would rather be united to Harlots to the Creature to any thing the Spirit of God works a Child-like heart in them framing and molding their Spirits that for the time to come they calling God Father as they have warrant to do they likewise shall be made Sons even in the frame and bent of their spirits which is very excellently expressed in the very next words to my Text wherein it is said He gave them this Prerogative that they should become the Sons of God which were born saith he mark not of Blood nor of the wil of the flesh nor of the will of man but of God Now no longer shal flesh and blood sway them but being born of God the Spirit of God gives a new birth and a new life now they come to have the hearts of Children that as nature hath planted in the heart of a Child toward the Parent Honor and Love and Reverence and Obedience where sin hath not utterly perverted it this is the natural genius of a Child to his Father So the Spirit of God molds and frames the Soul and this the Scripture signifies when it saith Because you are Sons God hath sent the Spirit of his Son into your hearts whereby now we can cry Abba Father now the hearts of them shal stand to God and be carried to him in Faith and Prayer as the hearts of Children are naturally carried to their Parents That is the second thing And then the third and last work of the Spirit and so you have all this indeed as plain before you as I can set it out briefly the Third Work is this 3. This Holy Spirit even as it is the Spirit of Adoption doth not only unite them to Christ and frame a sutable disposition in them towards God and Christ But it abides in them upon all need to witness to their Spirits that this is their condition to give not only the Seal of it by changing their hearts but by giving them the comfort of it as they need it in their necessities which the Apostle expresseth in those words it is in Rom. 8. And the same Spirit witnesseth to our spirits that we are Gods Children it carries our hearts to God and testifies to the Soul that God is their Father There is the second Now I have been larger in that because in truth the world doth not ponder these things nay few of Gods own Children do ever consider what a strange work it is that none but the blessed Trinity can undertake and each of them have their distant work in it of bringing a poor Child of Wrath to become the Child of God That is the second You hear now what Adoption is and how it is wrought Now the third thing in the Doctrinal part and then I hasten to the Application is Wel What are the benefits of it Now what are the benefits of our Adoption That when the Lord hath took this strange course and brought about this strange work Wherein doth the worth of this Priviledg stand I answer You wil receive a great deal of light of it at least it wil help you to remember it and understand it the better if I do illustrate it by the practice that was amongst the Romans So their Adoption and the Roman Adoption had three things in it it carried three things as all learned men that have read their Stories and Laws do know The first is 1. When a man was Adopted into a Family the Family of a Caesar or the great men by his Adoption he was cut off from the Family from which he sprung by his natural birth cut off from it not simply but from whatsoever was base or unworthy in that Family that if his Father were a Slave and himself by his birth a Slave it was hereditary to him or if any blot or infamy stuck upon his family whatsoever it was the Adopting of this Person into another Family wholly cut him off from al the base ignominious slavish bondage and dangers which belonged to the Family from which he sprung by his natural birth That was the first The second was 2. That by his Adoption he was taken as belonging to the Family into which he was Adopted as much as if he had been begotten by him he was to have by the Laws of the Empire the same respect from his adopted Father the same provision the same protection the same immunities whatsoever that his own begotten Son might claim by nature from the Roman Laws the adopted Child was instituted in them all And Thirdly 3 By his Adoption he had the same right to the inheritance that the begotten Child had if there were no other begotten Children the whol Inheritance sel to the Adopted Child if there were another begotten Child though beloved the Adopted shared with him in it Look how
the inheritance was to go amongst the begotten Children by the Laws of the Empire so by the same Laws it was to go amongst them that were adopted Thus it was amongst them but whether any Lawyers can except against it or no I will not much dispute it but I shal make it cleer to you that it is thus absolutely and fully in our adoption Absolutely and fully in the adoption of a Child by Faith all these three things meet First 1. We are hereby cut off from the Family from which we sprung by nature I speak not now of our Civil birth or rights but of our spiritual standing which is to be Children of wrath Children of Belial Children of old Adam Children of Sin and Death we are cut off from that Family no longer to be reckoned of it the Bondage Baseness Obligations Curses whatsoever lay or doth lie upon Adams Family or upon any that spring from it assoon as ever the Lord cals him Son through Christ he is wholly cut off from all that is plainly thus and because I cannot possibly open these in a short discourse I wil commend it to your studies 1. We are for example all of us by nature under the Dominion of sin that is our birthright sin and the curses of it we are al under it assoon as ever the Lord cals a Beleever Child that he hath let his adoption pass upon him the bondage of sin the curse of sin the dominion of sin it is wholly removed from him ye 〈◊〉 not under sin sin cannot have dominion over you because you are now brought under Grace And then likewise 2. The Law whereby sin is irritated and animated the Law that in the Rigor of it and the Curse of it that lies upon all the Sons of Adam we are cut off from it assoon as ever we are Gods Children and therefore the Apostle expresseth it thus to the Galatians that he made his Son born under the Law that he might Redeem us that are under the Law that we might have the Adoption of Children I hope no Body will mistake me for it is most clear in the word that the Law remains as a rule to Gods Children and that is their priviledg but as for the Rigor and curse of it they are wholly cut off from that when they are made the Sons of God by Adoption That is the First That the Lord calling Sons to Jesus Christ and owning them as his Children for the sake of Christ they are delivered from all the Curses and bondage that belongs to Adams Family and which all the Rest of the world lie under But then the Second is greater then this And that is 2. That by our Adoption we are really I speak of Beleevers not nominal Christians but real Christians they are all of them taken into Gods Family as his Sons and Daughters that is he owneth them to be his Children and hath the Bowels of a Father to them really that they are now under his care under his provision under his Protection under his indulgence and whatsoever he hath commanded the most Holy Parents to exercise towards their own Children that fear them he hath ingaged himself perpetually for ever to do all these things unto those whom he is pleased to cal his Sons and Daughters by Adoption There is nothing so ful no pearle so ful of excellency there is nothing so ful of any thing that is good as this is ful of consolation to the saints of God that can but understand it therefore he must needs bear with them therefore he must needs provide for them therefore if he correct them it must needs be in Love with nothing but a Fatherly rod for we are all taken into his Family and may go to him as to a Father in all things wherein we have need of a Father that is the Second A great comprehension of Priviledges not to be uttered And then the Third branch is as clear 3. That when God calls us to be his Children we are thereby made his Heires we are Heires of God indeed in the Civil Law inheritance it is by a succession into the right of the Dead but now as the Lord is pleased to apply it to his Children it signifies a certain inheritance but certainly the inheritance that the Lord of Heaven is to give to any or that he hath given to his Son Jesus Christ all his Brethren the Brethren of Christ and the Sons of God have a share in it If you wil have it a little more fully I will tell you in a few words thus for you have the proof of it in Rom. 8.16 That the Spirit witnesseth with our Spirits that we are the Children of God and if Children then Heirs Heirs of God and Coheirs with Christ But I mean these two things by it First 1. The Heir while he is a Child is Lord of all he is Lord of al before he comes to the injoyment of it he is the Lord of it so now while Gods Children are in their minority while they are poor ones in this world they are Heirs of the world the Lord hath called his Children to be Heirs of the world that is whatsoever is in this world is for their sakes the Angels the World the Devils in Hel in spite of their Hearts they are al under the Saints and are compelled by the Lord they against their wills and the Angels with their good wils they all of them are subservient to those that are the Sons of God by Adoption and whatsoever is in the wide world and may be enjoyed any waies for the good of his People they are the Heirs of all this is their Portion while they are in this world the Scripture saith it plain All is yours and you are Christs and Christ is Gods and therefore Paul and Apollo or Cephas or whatsoever is in the world all is yours the Saints of God have a real right to al by vertue of their Sonship not in the Law of man but in the spirituall sense that the Scripture holds out And then 2. For the other life where the prepared possession which was cast by God from all Eternity all the Glory of Heaven such as Eye never saw nor never entred into the heart of man to conceive of it is all kept to be the everlasting inheritance of all those that are called the Lords Children Thus Brethren I have as briefly as I could and yet I have through Gods goodness plainly opened to you this great priviledg of all priviledges that whosoever doth beleeve in Jesus Christ really accepts him to be their Savior they are upon their beleeving in Christ made the Sons and Daughters of God Now let me make some Application before I dismiss you and one thing that I would fain have you think upon alone is USE 1. 1. To take heed you be not deceived about it this would require a Sermon whensoever I should treat of it and therefore I wil
set you down any one of them may be sufficient to convince but al of them together may and I hope wil abundantly satisfie you that we have no such Duty lies upon us as to our selves in this world as the looking to our hearts The first is 1. Because the heart that heart which I have interpreted it is beyond all comparisons the best part of man it is the head quarter You know in an Army they have their Sentinel in every corner they would be loth to have the out quarters beat up but the head quarter where the General or chief Officers lie there is the strongest and watchfullest guard of all Now the heart of man the wil and the affections and the intellectual faculty that is beyond all degrees of comparison better than every thing else that is in man so much better than all the rest that our Lord saith that the man makes a very ill bargain of it that gaines all the world if he lose his soul Loose thy Heart and thy Soul is lost Now then if our Souls if the heart be ten times more worth than all things else that we have surely it should be kept more diligently than any things else we have This I think no man can question the strength of the reason of it it is the best Remember our Saviors word in a lower case when he did chide men that did take care of meat and drink and clothing and the like saith he Is not your life more than your food Is not your body more worth than your raiment I do but allude to that comparison Now I may say then Is not thy Heart better than thy Head Is not thy heart thy inward man better than thy outward man What is the body but meerly the shel It is the Heart that is the Jewel That is one I hope to have a little more time afterwards to shew what this includes in it this keeping at least to point at it but that is one ground Because the heart it is the best part of man it is the Queen it is the Prince it is the head quarter and al others are nothing when compared with it Secondly A second ground that is for the demonstration of it is this 2. Because the heart it is not only the best part of the man but it is the treasury wherein better things are laid up than it self The heart is a very rich Cabinet yea but it is a Treasury or Cabinet of the rarest the invaluablest wealth that is in Heaven or Earth Understand me aright I speak not of the heart of a wicked man of an unconverted man for Solomon tels us expresly the heart of a wicked man is nothing worth it self is a base thing and there is nothing in it but that that is worse than it self nothing in the world but the rubhish and the filth of the Devil and the World and Hell lies in the heart of a wicked man but a man that is a Child of wisdom that is Gods Child Oh! there is a rich treasury laid up in his heart You shal read our Savior speaks of a good man who out of the good treasury of his heart bringeth forth good things he hath a good treasury Now would you know what are the treasures that are laid up by God not of our own getting but of the Lords depositing Quest. What are the treasures that are in the heart of a Gratious man Answ. I Answer the Tongues of men and Angels cannot tel you what I wil name you a few The one is 1. The great God himself hath chosen to make the heart of every Godly man his own privy and Presence-Chamber himself saith it that though the Heaven be his Throne and the Earth his foot-stool yet he dwels in in an humble broken heart in the heart of one that trembleth at his word and fears his name there doth he himself dwel And then 2. Christ Jesus dwels there Emmanuel the Son of God the Savior of poor sinners the Scripture is plain That Christ may dwel in your hearts by Faith Christ dwels in our hearts Is not there a Jewel I tel you the Apostle saith of Christ In him there are hid all the treasures of God The God of Heaven is worth no more than is laid up in Christ and Christ al he is worth comes to dwel in the heart and in him saith the Apostle they are both of them in Collos. 2. the one in verse 13. and the other in verse 9. where he tels you that the fulness of the Godhead dwels in Jesus Christ essentially or bodily Now Jesus Christ dwels in the hearts of Gods people And then 3. The Holy Ghost dwels there too For the Heart of every Godly man is a Temple of the Holy Ghost and if you wil I might go on to Multiply more 4. That all the graces of Gods spirit are laid up in our Heart It is Faith in the Heart and love unfained in the Heart and all those excellent things And 5. The word that is the Rule of Life saith David I have laid up thy word in my Heart I have hid thy word in my Heart Now Brethren where there is such a treasury that God is laid up in it and Jesus Christ is laid up in it and the Holy Spirit pardon the expression is pleased to dwell in it and all Gods Graces all they that are Gods ordinances are there laid up his word and the like do not you think this should be wel watched and well barred and wel kept and wel looked to There is a second ground that thy Heart it is not only the best piece that is but it is the treasury of that that is a great deal better than it self the richest treasury and therefore Heaven hath not a richer treasury in it than the Heart of every Saint hath and therefore it should be kept above al keepings Thirdly A third ground of demonstration is 3. Because that the Lord whom we serve or pretend to serve and profess to serve and do serve if we be his The Lord looks only at the Heart in all the services that we perform to him All things that we are to do to the Lord as an homage and tribute and honor to him he regardeth nothing but the heart in them all nothing else is of any esteem with the Lord but the Heart My meaning is this plainly that in any services God liketh a thing never a whit the better for the brave accomplishment or adornment of it with any of our parts or faculties Wits Fancies Memory expression Decorum fair carriage and deportment of the Body the Lord values not this one button in any service whatsoever but so much as the heart is in it so much as the wil affections are in it so much doth the Lord value it insomuch that this one thing wil satisfie you about the truth of it read all the Scriptures over that speak of the servants of God
valuing of this spiritual Life wil appear in these three things just as it is in the other life The one is A natural propensity and inclination and appetite towards those things that are the nourishment of their Life Look what God in Nature hath made the means to preserve life those things living man so far as he is living hath the greatest inclination and disposition to and therefore of al desires that man is subject to none so vehement as those of hunger and thirst a man may love Gold or Silver or Lands but there is nothing so vehemently carries him out of himself as the satisfying hunger and thirst So it is with all those that have this spiritual Life Look whatsoever God hath placed their life in as David had learned God had placed it in his Word O Lord saith he give me thy Word my life lies in it and new born Christians if ever you tast how sweet the Lord is desire the sincere Milk of the Word that you may grow by it be longing after a high and reverent esteem and an appetite after those things wherein the Lord hath placed thy nourishment though they be but the channels the vessels whereby his spirit is administred to you the supplies of the spirit comes in them to you of al things in the world these are the most desired Others that are painted Christians may for their reputation and that others may think well of them and to get knowledg c. and for such carnal ends but with an inward savor no man is mightily and eagerly carried out after the means of spiritual Life but he that lives it That is one A Second thing that manifests the high value of that spiritual Life is A most vehement declining of what they know to be destructive to life Let a man that is thirsty come in and give you all his money in his purse for a cup of Beer but let one come and tel him Sir that Beer in that cup is poyson that man wil drink his own Piss rather than that shal go down Oh! it wil destroy Life God hath put it into the bruit beasts as put a Sheep into a pasture he carries that discerning tast he wil not eat the poysonous Weeds that are there the Tree it will shoot no Root that way it will decline it So those that are the Lords People that live the life of Christ what their souls are convinced of to be destructive to their spiritual life that they decline shun and hate and turn from and of all things under Heaven nothing so hateful to them as the waies of sin And thirdly it wil appear in this That look as it is in the natural life every Creature as it longs after that which would nourish it and declines that which would destroy it so if they must come to the parting they wil part with al other good things in this world actually part with them to save their lives It was a speech of Esau and had his Birthright been nothing but a Civil Priviledg it would have been justified If I die for hunger what good would my Birthright do me he sels his Birthright for to preserve his life Skin for skin and al that a man hath he wil part with rather than his life Take me a man that is alive to Christ if he must part with his Christ or with his wealth with his Christ or with his outward life though it be the best thing that is to be enjoyed under the name of all worldly things yet to a man that lives the life of Christ that is a poor thing to him in comparison of his spiritual life you shal rather strip him of al. I know when we come to practice our weaknesses ignorances temptations reliques of corruption often over power us which may cause matter of self abhorrence but no man that hath this life of Christ but in the bent of his soul doth these things nothing so lovely as that that preserves his life nothing so abominable as that that wil destroy it and if he must part with any they must go before Christ. Pray lay up these things The Second and other Note whereby this Spiritual Life of Christ may be judged of is this That look as it is in al other Lives there are some vital operations some kind of motions or operations that are properly vital that where they are found you may say and swear it too that there is life and where these are not found there is no life or that life is in a swound As now take the Life of a Tree we know the natural operations of it are al those of vegetation to draw nourishment to expel superfluous moisture to put out their seed in the sap and bark and seed and the fruit according to its kind where you see these things if the sap run if the buds be if there be vegetation the Tree is alive if it appear there be none of these in their season though they may be dead in Winter it is a dead Tree So likewise in the life of man the sensual life of a Beast if there want the pulse that there be not those beatings that there are not such motions of the heart we conclude there is no life there if there be a beating of the pulse though never so weak life is there Now in this Spiritual Life there are some things that you shal find in the Scripture that are the proper beatings of the pulse some operations that though the things the acting of them abroad may be counterfeit as to others yet to a mans own soul that studies his own heart and the motions and operations of his own inward man he cannot be cozened in it and therefore you may by them be able to discern whether the pulse of this spiritual life beateth Now they are many but I thought but of these three and I think most of the rest wil fall under them The one is The proper genuine and as I may so say the natural motion of this Spiritual Life is to enjoy God in Jesus Christ as their chiefest good that I say is the great thing wherein their pulse beats because Jesus Christ is not only the fountain of it and so it must flow back to him but he is the supream good of the soul God in Christ is the supream good and to be carried to that that we fancy to be our supream good it is not in our choyce we do it necessarily Nature compels every man to follow that that he looks upon as his chief good therefore we use to say that of the chief end there is no deliberation a man is not of choyce but is carried to it Now God in Christ being the chief good of the soul the aiming after him the braying breathing after him the mourning for the want of him the joying in the presence of him and all those things that would argue Christ to be the souls chief good are never
inward man where Christ dwels and the things you look at in buying selling and purchasing and sporting and in al the things you may do that are Lawful to you observing Gods Rules you take Gods Word to be your Rule then I tel you for your comfort these two things First The Lord hath communicated to thy soul the excellentest life that ever he gave to any creature Three things I wil speak briefly that you account of First To be thus minded to be thus molded thus framed it is absolutely the highest the noblest the excellentest life that any creature ever partaked of I might shew it you in a world of Particulars out of the Word that there is no life like it We use to say in Phylosophy That the life of a Pismire it is a more noble life than the life of a Cedar though one Cedar be worth many thousand Pismires yet the life of the Pismire is better because it cometh from a nobler spirit Now the Life God hath given thee comes from the spirit of Jesus Christ. It is the noblest the operations of this Life are above what poor creatures can do as we say the Life of Reason it is such a brave flying thing to be a top above the poor sensual things of bruit Beasts and to deal with God And It is the sweetest too that is another for in al other lives men tast but the sweetness of the Creature but here the sweetness of thy Life is God and Jesus Christ himself there is no life so excellent as this is Secondly I say for thy comfort The Life God hath given thee is the greatest pledg of his love he ever giveth to any he hath given thee life it was the end of Christs undertaking to give life to his beloved ones he never giveth this to any man he means hurt to He can give a Kingdom to a man he means to destroy he gave it to Saul and cast him away in his wrath he can give an Apostleship to one that shall be damned he gave Judas an Apostleship and yet he perished but to have this Life to close with Christ to live to him according to his Word had you this Church ful of Diamonds given you to do what you would with and to raise your posterity to be the greatest men in this part of the world it were not such an expression of his love as to give Christ to you And thirdly I tel you This Life that the Lord hath given thee of which Jesus Christ is the Fountain thou mayest be bold to rely upon him for the preservation of it because it flows from him he is the Well-head of it he is the Well spring of it and therefore when thou thinkest how many evils thy Life may be incident unto what temptations thou mayest meet withal how weak thou art to resist them remember man or woman whose Life this is it is not thy life but Christs Life and he ever lives to make us live and therefore thou in an humble walking and dependance upon him in the use of Gospel Ordinances mayest comfortably expect that God wil nourish this Life and cherish it till thou come to be a perfect man till thou come to be transplanted into another Life where Faith and al these things shal cease and God be All in All this the comfort of it Then I thought to have spoken a little to the third Use. That because all the people of Christ live this Life to perswade you all to study it and to seek after it and often compare it with that other life that we so often weary our selves about with a vain shadow hazarding every thing for it to have our accommodation with as much refreshing as can be SERMON II. Gal. 2. part of verse 20. I am crucified with Christ nevertheless I live yet not I but Christ liveth in me now follows that which I shal more insist upon and the life that I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me THe Second Lesson which is the manner how all the Saints of God live this Life of Christ while they are in this world The Life which I now live in the flesh By Flesh there he means not his fleshly part as they are said to live to the flesh who live sensually and wickedly but by the Flesh there is meant our mortal condition while we are here upon Earth while we live our natural life the Life of Christ in us it is lived by the faith of the Son of God that is the faith wrought in us by the Son of God which we place upon the Son of God but that grace of faith it is the manner or the instrument or the means of our holy Life while we are in this world And this Doctrine which beloved is the mystery of Christianity is the very life and soul and kernel of true Christianity I shal endeavor according as the Lord shal enable me this day to open to you This is the Doctrine That that Life of Christ which all Gods people live in this world they live it by faith Understand but the scope aright and I hope the discourse may prove useful to those that have this Life My meaning therefore is That the grace of faith it is not only the instrument or condition required to make us partakers of Christ and his Life it is not only one chief grace or one branch of this Life but while the Saints are in this world the mannagement of their whol Spiritual Life is the work of faith Christ indeed is the fountain of it and the Spirit of God is the great administration of it but that which we do while we live in this world our whol spiritual Life is through the assistance of God acted by the grace of faith and I intend the Lord willing to handle it in this Method First I will cleerly demonstrate to you from the Scripture that it is so that the whol Life of a Christian it is led by faith Secondly which I more aim at I shall endeavor to clear to you what the holy Ghost means by this and what it is for a soul to live the Life of Christ by faith that shall be my chiefest work in the Doctrinal part and then I wil come to the application of it For the proof of it that it is so First Mark how cleerly the Scripture holds it out that while we are in this world the life of the Saints it is led by faith There is one place in Habbakkuk 2.4 I wil mention that you shall see the reason by and by the Spirit of God there speaks of the several waies that men had to live in troublesom times for Habakkuk lived in very difficult times of the Church and there in his discourse he shews how proud men lived by maintaining a good opinion of themselves and lifting up their hearts and how worldly men
yet this I must say That while these lower conditions are and as long as each form carries people to the Word holds out Christ in his Word Christ in preaching Christ in the Sacrament there is food for souls and if we could look aright it may be we would not be so angry with one another about it as we are for there is but one Truth and we pray the Lord to reveal it but stil here is carrying on the life of Comfort Duty Direction and all that faith meddles with that the Lords people may enjoy but for Gods sake and as you love the life of your souls watch against temptations that would take you off from the Word that the Scripture should be nothing this takes you off from that that your faith wholly meddles with for if you can say I beleeve God for such a thing and Christ for such a thing unless you find it promised in the Word it is presumption Therefore Pity such poor souls your own experience may tel you do but mark them generally they that live above Ordinances see whether the Spirit of God do not withdraw see whether the Lord hath any other way to convey himself to them than what he hath held out in his Word their loosness folly pride and joyning in any thing else that is naught almost plainly shews that the Lord hath withdrawn from them And secondly You wil find that such of them as have grace in them for I am far from thinking any that have grace cannot be under such a temptation but I fear not but the Lord will awaken them again though they be asleep because faith must be the navel and the string that must maintain them here But this I did not intend to be large in The great Use that I intend is To all the Lords people whose Life is Christ and in whom Christ doth live I would endeavor in the rest of this hour to give them some help out of the Word that this living by faith might be better known to the Lords People and more exactly practised than it hath been hitherto and if the Lord help me to divide it and you to receive it I will not fear but your life will be more honorable to the Lord and sweeter to your selves than it hath been and there are but two things that I intend to treat upon The one is Some serious Considerations or Motives to provoke all who have any thing of Christ in them that they would study this art of living by faith more than in time past And secondly and principally To lay out of the Word the true Directoins the easiest and the readiest way that a willing soul may take to be built up in it For encouragement to provoke you to it I pray think of these things First If you will be Christians it is our Trade and the way of our livelihood we have no other mystery for the maintainance of our lives but faith that is cleer Schollers may live by their Wits Trades-men upon their Mysteries and Gentlemen upon their Wealth But as a Christian we have no other living or way of living to God but only our faith Now because it is our Life and our Trade and our Profession it would be a horrible shame to be found Bunglers in that that is properly our own Mystery If a man should come and examine me a Minister of the Gospel and put into my hands a Merchants Book and bid me cast up such an Account and I could not this were no shame to me but if he should come and give me a Bible and bid me open a Text if I could not do it it were a shame to me So friend have you the right skil of living by faith No It is thy Trade As thou art a Member of the Common-wealth or one of the Army thou mayest have a Calling but as thou art a Christian which is thy best Life thou hast no Trade but to live by faith no other way to honor the Lord nor to manifest the Life of Christ nor to turn all things for thy good and the Lords glory it is thy living by faith must do it what a horrible disgrace will it be for thee to be found ignorant of it Secondly I tell you there is no other way of Life that any man pitches upon but it will very shortly appear to be but a poor thing If you should think that the living upon God this holy life it is a thing that is a mystery that you do not study but for the present life that you mind and you mean to follow the things that will help you to live in the world I tell you all those after a little while will prove meer delusions If any of you have the way as some of you have found it to raise up your selves to great estates of a poor servant in few yeers to become a great man in the place where you live and now you are wealthy Before our eyes God hath overturned all these things hath not God let us see how he hath pulled down great Princes and Kings hath he not let us see a thousand ten thousand a yeer a man may have and yet live to see them al buried and himself come to beggery doth not God tell us they are not al worth our study The Lord my meaning is dayly before our eyes stains the glory of all other waies of living never to the worlds end did he or wil he stain the glory of living by faith because you can no where else close with him Thirdly that which I most aim at in my Considerations is to acquaint you with this That this same Art this excellent Christian Mystery of living our life by faith it is absolutely the best life the most desirable life that any man or woman can live til they come to enjoy God immediately This I wil demonstrate and I hope I shal make it plain that if a man had the comfort of al other waies of living in any kind never would the learning or wit of man find out any life to be compared with the life of faith for the excellency of it and the excellency of the life of faith I would open to you in four or five Particulars the Lord perswade you but to study them when you are alone One is more general It is the Life which the Lord hath chosen out to be the life of those that he loved from all eternity The Lord you grant him al of you to be infinite in wisdom and therefore before his eyes al waies of living happy were apparent and out of them all he chose this same life of faith to be the life of those he loved from al eternity It is the Prophet Malachi's argument it is the best Conjugal condition for a man to have one wife and a woman to have one husband because else God could have made ten women if he would but he made but one that is Gods choyce