God and when he is there he may yeeld an eare to listen and he hath common discourse and understanding to know what is said and upon what ground he can offer himselfe to the worke of the Spirit he can come to the poole though he be not thrust in this day or that day when God stirrs the waters this by common grace any man living in the Church may doe Therefore though we be all dead even the best of us by nature yet let us use the parts of nature that we have that God hath given us to offer our selves to the gracions and blessed meanes wherein the Spirit of God may worke Let us come to heare the Word of God Iohn 5.25 The time is come and now is that the dead shall heare the voice of God where the voice of God is in the Ministery and so they shall live As in the latter day the noyse of the trumpet shall raise the dead bodies So the trumpet of the Word of God sounding in the eares of men together with the Spirit shall raise the dead soules out of the grave of sin Therefore J beseech you as you would be raised up out of this death heare the noyse of Gods trumpet come within the compasse of the meanes As God is the God of life and Christ calls himselfe the life and the Spirit the Spirit of life So the Word is the Word of life because together with the Word God conveyes spirituall life The Word of God in the Ordinance is an operative working Word As it was in the creation God said Let there bee light and there was light So in the Ministery it exhorts and stirres up to duty and there is a cloathing of the ministeriall word with an almighty power it is a working word As when Christ spake to Lazarus when hee stanke in his grave he said Lazarus come foorth it was an operative working word there went an almighty power to raise Lazarus Therefore though we finde our selves dead and have no worke of grace yet let us present our selves more and more to the Ordinance of God God will be mighty in his own Ordinance the blessed time may come let us waite when the waters are stirred and take heede that we despise not the counsell of God which is to bring man to spirituall life this way And object not I am dead and rotten in sin many yeares I am an old man You know many were raised in the Gospell some that had beene dead few daies Lazarus was rotten and stanke It shewes us that though a man be dead and rotten in sinne yet he may be raised first or last the blessed time may come therefore waite never pretend long custome and long living in sinne All things are in obedience to God though they have a resistance in themselves yet God can take away that resistance and bring all to obey him All things in the world though they be never so opposite to Gods grace they are in obedience to his command Therefore though there be nothing but actuall present resistance in the soule to that that is good and a slavery to the bondage of sin yet attend meekly upon the Ordinance God can make of Lions Lambs he can take away that actual resistance As Christ when he was raised the stone that lay upon the grave was remooved So when God will quicken a man he will remoove the stone of long custome that is upon him though he have beene dead so many yeares yet God can rowle away the stone and bid him rise up Therefore let none despaire God is more mercifull to save those that belong to him then Sathan can be malicious to hinder any way The best of us all though we be not wholly dead yet there are some relicks of spirituall death hanging upon us there be corruptions which in themselves are noysome Therefore let all attend upon the meanes that the Spirit of God by little and little may worke out the remainders of death the remainders of darknesse in our understandings and of rebellion in our wills and affections For there bee usually three degrees of persons in the Church of God Some open rotten persons that are as graves open sepulchres that their stincke comes foorth and they are prophane ones There are some that have a forme of godlinesse that are meerely ghosts that act things outwardly but they have not a spirit of their owne they have an evill spirit and yet doe good workes they walke up and downe and doe things with no spirit of their owne The second are more tollerable then the first in humane society because the other stinke and smell to common society common swearers and prophane persons that stinke to any except it be to themselves But the godly have this death in part the life of sentence is perfect the life of justification but spirituall life in us is by little and little wrought in the meanes the Spirit of life joynes with the Word of life and quickens us daily more and more A word of these words And you hath he quickned Suteable to the occasion This being our estate let us know how much we are beholding to God who hath quickned us God quickens us with Christ and in Christ. It is a comfortable consideration In that God hath quickned Christ and raised him from the grave it shewes that his Fathers wrath is pacified or else he would not have quickned him he gave him to death and quickned him againe therefore we may know that he hath paid the price for us And he quickens us with Christ and in Christ whatsoever we have that is good it is in Christ first That Christ in all things might have the preheminence Christ first rose and ascended and sits in Heaven and then we rise and ascend and sit in heavenly places with Christ Therefore as St. Peter saith well in 1. Peter 1.20 God hath raised Christ that our faith might bee in God If Christ had not beene raised up our Faith and Hope could not have beene in God that he would raise us up we are quickned and raised in Christ all is in Christ first and then in us The ground of this is that Christ was a publike person in all that he did in his death therefore we are crucified and buried with him in his resurrection and ascention therefore we are quickned with him and sit in heavenly places with him He is the second Adam And if the first Adam could convey death to so many thousands so many thousand yeeres after and if the world should continue millions of yeares he would convey death to all shall not Christ the second Adam convey life to all that are in him So thinke of all things both comfortable and uncomfortable in Christ first when we thinke of sinne thinke of it in him our Surety and when we thinke of freedome from death and damnation thinke of his death when wee thinke of our resurrection thinke
have a false uncleane nature whereby I am ready to commit a thousand such if God should let mee alone I have the spawne of all sinne as farre as the Spirit hath not subdued it It is a defect of judgement to be more humbled for particular sinnes nature is more tainted then any action that sowing breeding sinne as the Apostle saith it is worse then the action it breeds the rest So much for that they confesse here Wee are all as an uncleane thing in our selves But what comes from us That that aggravates to the utmost a sinnefull state All our righteousnesse is as filthy rags He doth not say we have filthy actions but our best actions are stained and not one but all Marke how strong the place is We all the people of God he includes all as Daniel saith I confesse my sinnes and the sinnes of my people and there is no man in the Church but he might have this confession in his mouth We the people of God and all We in all our actions All our righteousnesse c. so all the actions of all the righteous the best actions of the best men and all the best actions of the best men are defiled and stained it is as great an aggravation as may bee Some would have it to intend the Legall righteousnesse yet notwithstanding it is true of all and when we now humble our selves it is good to thinke of all so we may say all our righteousnesse whatsoever comes from us it is stained and defiled As for their Legall performances there is no question of them for alas they trusted too much to them in Isaiah 1. and Isaiah last they thought God was beholding to them for them Away with them away with your new Moones c. they were abhominable to God as the cutting off a dogs neck as it is Isaiah the last so all their righteousnesse their ceremoniall performances were abhominable But I say we may raise it high â—â— it is not onely true of them but in greater matters in our best morrall performances they are all as tainted rags How can this be It is strange it should be so the Papists crie out here that we discourage men from good works if all our righteousnesse be as filthy rags why should we performe good workes Put case a man be sick all the meate he eates it strengthens his sicknesse shall he therefore not eate at all Yes he must eate somewhat there is nature in him to strengthen as well as his disease Thy best performances are stained wilt thou doe none therefore yes though they be stained yet there is some goodnesse in them thou maist honour God and doe good to others besides the ill there is good there is gold in the Ore there is some good in every good action nay there is so much good as that God pardons the ill and accepts the good So though our good actions be ill yet for their kinde and matter and stuffe they are good they are commanded of God For their originall and spring they are wrought by the Spirit of God for the person the worke-man it is one in the state of grace and for acceptance God rewards them But it is another thing when we come before God to humble our selves then we must see what staines and sinnes are in them There is no good action so good but there are wants and weakenesses and staines and blemishes in it as it comes from us The Spirit of God indeed is effectuall to stirre us up to good actions but we hinder the worke of the Holy Ghost and doe not doe them so throughly as we should therefore besides our wants and weakenesses there is a tainture of them either we have false aimes they are not so direct or our resolutions are not so strong false aimes creepe in for a while though we doe not allow them and then there are some coolers of our devotion our love is cold our hatred of sinne is not so strong our prayers are not so fervent our actions are not so carried without interruption but are hindred with many bie thoughts who cannot complaine of these things Who is not brought upon his knees for the weakenesse of his best actions Nay I say more a Christian is more humbled for the imperfections and staines of his best actions then a civill carnall person is for his outward enormities for he turnes over all his outward delinquences and makes the matter but a tricke of youth when a poore Christian is abased for his dullnesse and deadnesse and coldnesse for false aimes that creepe into his actions for interruptions in his duties that his thoughts will not suffer him to serve God with that intention that he would but puts him off with motions and suggestions and temptations in his best performances this abaseth him more then outward grosse sinnes doth a carnall person When wee deale with God Our righteousnesse it is as menstruous cloathes Know this for a ground that there is a double principle in a Christian in all things that he doth there is flesh and Spirit and these two issue out in whatsoever comes from him In his good words there is flesh as well as Spirit in his thoughts and desires in his prayer his prayer it selfe stands in contraries So every thing that comes from him it is tainted with that that is contrary the flesh opposeth and hinders the worke of the Spirit and so it staines our good works Therefore contraries are true of a Christian which seeme strange to another man A Christian at the same time is deformed and well-favoured He is blacke and comely I am blacke but yet well-favoured saith the Spouse blacke in regard of sinne but well-favoured in regard of the Spirit of God and the acceptation of Christ. He is a Saint and a Sinner a Sinner in respect that sinne hath spread over all parts and a Saint in respect of Christs acceptance My Love and my Dove Christ makes love to his Church as if she had no defilement but he looks on her better part he lookes on her as she is in his love and as he meanes to bring her after But the Church looking upon her selfe as she is in her selfe she is much abased the ground of it is the imperfection of sanctification in this world The best of our works are as menstruous cloathes when we thinke of the corruption of the best things as they come from us when we come to humble our selves before God we must downe with proud stiles and Pharisaicall thoughts although there be somewhat that is good yet let us thinke of all the ill that may abase us There is a season for every thing when we are tempted to be overcome by Satan then thinke of the good as Iob when he was tempted I have done this and this you cannot take away mine innocency In false temptations from the world and Satan then stand upon our innocency But when
made the Author a man of God perfect thorowly furnished unto all good workes and as became a faithfull Steward of the manifold grace of God he endeavoured to teach the whole counsell of God and to store men with the knowledge of Gods will in all wisedome and spirituall understanding I desire that both thou and I and all Gods people may so reade these his labours that it may farther our growing in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord Iesus Christ to whose grace I commend thee being Woodstreet November 6. 1638. Thine in him ARTHVR JACKSON A DESCRIPTION OF CHRIST In His neerenesse to GOD In His calling In His qualification In His execution of his calling In three Sermons Being the leading Sermons to that Treatise called the Bruised Reed preached upon the precedent words By the late Reverend and learned Divine RICHARD SIBS Doctor in Divinitie Master of Katherine Hall in Cambridge and sometimes Preacher at GRAYES INNE ISA. 61.1 The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me because the Lord hath annoynted me to preach good tidings unto the meeke LONDON Printed by G M. for N Bourne and R. Harford and are to be sold at the south entrance of the Royall Exchange and at the guilt Bible in Queenes-head-Alley in Pater-noster row MDCXXXIX A DESCRIPTION OF CHRIST MAT. 12.18 Behold my servant whom I have chosen my Beloved in whom my soule is well pleased I will put my Spirit upon him and he shall shew judgement to the Gentiles he shall not strive nor crie neither shall any man heare his voice in the streets c. THE words are the accomplishment of a prophesie taken out of Isaiah 42. as we may see by the former verse That it might bee fullfilled Now the occasion of bringing them in here in this verse it is a charge that Christ gives verse 16. That they should not discover and make him knowne for the miracles he did he withdrawes himselfe he was desirous to be concealed he would not live to the view overmuch for he knew the rebellious disposition of the Jewes that were willing to change their governement and to make him King therefore he laboured to conceale himselfe all kinde of wayes now upon this charge that they should tell no body hee brings in the Prophet Isaiah prophesying of him Behold my servant c. hee shall not strive nor crie neither shall any man heare his voice in the streetes Other Kings labour that their pomp and magnificence may be seene but he shall not mind ostentation he shall not be contentious nor clamarous for these 3. things are meant when he saith he shall not strive nor crie neither shall his voice be heard in the streetes he shall not yeeld to any ostentation for hee came in an abased state to worke our salvation hee shall not be contentious nor yet clamarous in matter of wrong there shall be no boasting any kinde of way as wee shall see when wee come to the words you see then the inference here The inference in the Prophet Isaiah is to comfort the people and to direct them how to come to worship the true God after he had declaimed against their Idolatry as we see in the former chapter Behold my servant c. Great Princes have their Embassadours and the great God of Heaven hath his Son his servant in whom hee delights through whom and by whom all intercourse betweene God and man is It is usuall in the Prophesies especially of Isaiah that Evangelicall Prophet when he foretells any thing comfortable to the people in the promise of temporall things he riseth to stablish their faith in better things by adding thereto a prophesie and promise of Christ the Messias to insinuate thus much I will send you the Messias that is a greater gift then this that I have promised you therefore you may be sure of the lesse as the Apostle reasons excellently Rom. 8. If hee spared not his owne sonne but delivered him to death for us all how shall hee not with him give us all things So here I have promised you deliverance out of Babylon and this and that doe you doubt of the performance alas what is that in comparison of a greater favour I intend you in Christ that shall deliver you out of another manner of Babylon Behold my servant whom I have chosen and in Isa. 7. Behold a Virgin shall conceive and bare a sonne c. I will send you the Messias God shall become man therefore I will not stand for any outward favour or deliverance whatsoever So he goes to the grand promise that they might reason from the greater to the lesse There is another end why in other promises there is mention of the promise of the Messias to uphold their faith Alas wee are unworthy of these promises wee are laden with sin and iniquity It is no matter J will send you the Messias Behold my servant in whom my soule delighteth and for his sake I will delight in you I am well pleased with you because I am well pleased in him therefore be not discouraged All the Promises are yea and Amen in Iesus Christ For all the promises that be though they bee for the things of this life they are made for Christ they are yea in him and they are performed for his sake they are Amen in him So much for the occasion of the inference in the Evangelist Saint Matthew and likewise in the Prophet Isay. To come more directly to the words Behold my servant whom I have chosen my Beloved in whom my soule is well pleased c. In the words you have a description of Christ his nearenesse to God Behold my servant whom I have chosen my Beloved in whom my soule is well pleased And then his calling and qualification I will put my Spirit upon him And the execution of that calling He shâ—ll shew judgement to the Gentiles Then the quiet and peaceable manner of the execution of his calling He shall not strive nor crie neither shall any man heare his voice in the streets c. Behold This word is as it were a Beacon lighted up to all the rest in all the Evangelists you have this word often repeated and the Prophets likewise when they speake of Christ there is no Prophesie almost but there is this word Behold Why Not to spend time in the variety of acceptions but to speake of it as may serve for the present purpose The use of it in the Prophet especially out of which these words are taken was to present Christ to the hearts of the people of God then therefore he saith Behold for Christ was present to the Beleevers then he did profit before hee was hee did good before he was exhibited because he was the Lambe of God slaine from the beginning of the world he was yesterday as well as to day and to morrow as well as to day yesterday to day and the same for ever
servant to do our worke for us to suffer for us to beare the burthen of our sinnes upon the tree to become our husband to bestow his riches upon us to raise us to the same condition with himselfe and withall to be such a one as God hath chosen out to love and delight in as the best object of his love and most capable of it and for us not to solace and delight our selves in him that God delights in when God delights in him for our sake God loves and delights in him for the worke of salvation and redemption by his blood and shall not wee love and imbrace him for his love which is for our good What good hath God by it but onely the glory of his mercy in saving our soules through Christ Therefore if God love him for the good he doth to us much more should we love him for the fruit of it that wee receive our selves It should shame us therefore when we finde dullnesse and coldnesse upon us that wee can heare of any thing better then of Christ and arguments concerning Christ are cold to us alas where is our love and joy and delight and when we can make no better but a carnall use of the incarnation and other benefits by Christ we should therefore desire God to shed the love of Christ into our hearts more and more that we may feele in our soules the love that hee beares to us and may love God and Christ againe for that that hee hath done for us Hence we have also a ground of estimation of Christians to be excellent persons doth God valew poore sinfull soules so much as to give Christ for them to become a Saviour doth he delight in Christ for giving himselfe for them and shall not we love one another whom God and Christ so loves But if God love and delight in those that are in Christ with the same love and delight that he hath in him how shall I know that I am in Christ and that God thus delights in me Briefly a man may know that hee is in Christ if he find the Spirit of Christ in him for the same Spirit when Christ tooke our nature that sanctified that blessed masse wherof he was made when there was an union betweene him and the second person the same Spirit sanctifies our soules and bodies there is one Spirit in the head and in the members therfore if we find the Spirit of Christ in us we are in Christ and he in us Now this Spirit is renewing Whosoever is in Christ is a new creature all is new old things are done away the old manner of language the old disposition old affections old company all old things are past all is new and if a man be a new creature hee hath right and title to the new heaven and new earth let us examine the worke of grace in us if there be no change in us we have no present interest in Christ we have to do with him because he is still woing us to be in him but as yet we have no title to him The very beholding of Christ is a transforming sight the Spirit that makes us new creatures and stirres us up to behold this servant it is a transforming beholding if wee looke upon him with the eye of faith it will make us like Christ for the Gospell is a mirrour and such a mirrour that when we looke into it and see our selves interessed in it wee are changed from glory to glory a man cannot looke upon the love of God and of Christ in the Gospell but it will change him to be like God and Christ for how can we see Christ and God in Christ but we shall see how God hates sin and this will transforme us to hate it as God doth who hated it so that it could not bee expiated but with the blood of Christ God-man so seeing the holinesse of God in it it will transforme us to be holy when we see the love of of God in the Gospell and the love of Christ giving himselfe for us this will transforme us to love God when wee see the humility and obedience of Christ when we looke on Christ as Gods chosen servant in all this and as our surety and head it transformes us to the like humility and obedience those that find not their dispositions in some comfortable measure wrought to this blessed transformation they have not yet those eyes that the Holy Ghost requireth here Behold my servant whom I have chosen my Beloved in whom my soule delighteth I will put my Spirit upon him Now wee come to the qualification of Christ for his calling in these words I will put my Spirit upon him that is I will cloath him with my Spirit I will put it as it were upon him as a garment Now there were divers degrees of Christs receiving the Spirit at severall times for hee was conceived by the Holy Ghost the Holy Ghost did sanctifie that blessed masse whereof his body was framed in the wombe of the Virgin he was quickned in the wombe in his conception by the Holy Ghost and he was graced by the Holy Ghost and led by the Spirit in all things before his Baptisme but afterward when he came to set upon his office to be the Prophet and Priest and King of his Church that great office of saving mankind which he did not solemly set upon till hee was thirty yeares old then God powred upon him a special portion of the Spirit answerable to that great calling then the Spirit lighted upon him Christ was ordained to his office by the greatest authority that ever any was ordained from the beginning of the world for at his Baptisme when he was ordained and set apart to his office there was the Father from heaven uttered an audible voice This is my beloved Sonne in whom I am well pleased and there was Christ the partie baptized and installed into that great office then there was the Holy Ghost in the forme and shape of a Dove it being a matter of the greatest consequence that ever was in the world greater then the Creation it was fit it should be done with the greatest authority and so it was the Father Sonne and Holy Ghost being present at the admission of Christ into his office this is especially here intended though the other bee included I will put my Spirit vpon him that is I will annoint him as it is in Isaiah 61.1 The Spirit of the Lord is upon mee saith Christ because the Lord hath annointed me to preach good tidings to the meeke to binde up the broken hearted to proclaime liberty to the captives to open the prison for them that are bound to proclaime the acceptable yeare of the Lord that is the yeare of Iubile for that was a Type of Christ to preach the Gospell deliverance to all that are in captivity servitude and thraldome under Satan and sin this was
as in the first Adam we receive of his emptinesse curse for curse ill for ill for his blindnesse and rebellion wee are answerable wee are borne as hee was after his fall so in the second Adam by his Spirit we receive grace for grace Hence issues this that our state now in Christ is farre more excellent then our state in Adam was How doth it spring hence Thus Christ is God-Man his nature was sanctified by the Spirit hee was a more excellent person he gives and sends the Spirit Adam was onely a meere man and therefore his goodnesse could not be so derived to his posterity For how ever the Holy Ghost was in Adam yet the Holy Ghost did not so fill him he was not so in him as in Christ the Holy Ghost is in Christ in a more excellent manner for Christ being equall with God he gave the Holy Ghost the Holy Ghost comes from Christ as God now the second Adam being a more excellent person wee being in Christ the second Adam we are in a more excellent and in a more safe estate we have a better keeper of our happinesse then Adam he being a meere man he could not keepe his owne happinesse but lost himselfe and all his posterity though he were created after the Image of God yet being but a meere man hee shewed himselfe to be a man that is a changeable creature but Christ being God and man having his nature sanctified by the Spirit now our happinesse is in a better keeping for our grace hath a better spring the grace and sanctification wee have it is not in our owne keeping it distills into us answerable to our necessities but the spring is indeficient it never failes the spring is in Christ. So the favour that God beares us it is not first in us but it is first in Christ God loves him and then he loves us he gives him the Spirit and us in him Now Christ is the keeper both of the love of God towards us and the grace of God whatsoever is good he keeps all for us he receives all for himselfe and for us he receives not only the Spirit for himselfe but he receives it as Mediator as Head for we all of his fullnesse receive grace for grace he receives it as a fountaine to diffuse it I say this shewes us our happy and blessed condition in Jesus Christ that â—ow the grace and love of God and our happinesse and the grace whereby we are sanctified and fitted for it it is not in our owne keeping originally but in our head Christ Iesus These bee comfortable considerations and indeed the life and soule of a Christians life and comfort if we conceive them aright they will quicken us to obedience and wee shall know what the Gospell is To come to make some use of it I might observe this that none should take that office upon them to which they are not called of God nor qualified by his Spirit especially Ministers because Christ did not set upon his office till the Spirit was put upon him the Spirit must inable us and fit us for every thing but I leave that and come to that which concernes us all First then hath God put the Spirit upon Christ as the Evangelist saith in Ioh. 3.34 Hee whom God hath sent that is Christ hee speaketh the word of God For God gives him not the Spirit by measure God doth not stand measuring grace out to Christ but hee powers it out upon him full measure running over because he receives it not for himselfe alone but for us we receive the Spirit by measure Eph. 4.7 According to the measure of the gift of Christ Christ gives us all a measure of sanctifying knowledge and of every grace till wee grow to be a perfect man in Christ. Therefore it is called the first fruits of the Spirit as much as shall fit us for Heaven and grace sufficient though it be not that measure wee shall have hereafter or that wee would have here Christ had a full measure the fullnesse of a fountaine diffusive not onely abundance for himselfe but redundance and overflowing for the good of others hee being the head of the Church not onely a head of eminence but of influence to bestow and convey all grace in him to all his members proportionable to the service of every member therefore he received not the Spirit according to measure that is sparingly but it was showred upon him hee was filled and cloathed with the Holy Ghost Is it so Let us labour then to see whereto have supply in all our wants wee have a full treasury to goe to all treasure is hid in Christ for us what a comfort is this in any thing we want If wee want the favour of God goe to his beloved Christ desire God to love us in his Beloved and to accept us in his gracious Son in him whom he hath made his servant and annoynted with his Spirit for that purpose If we want particular graces goe to the well-head Christ consider of Christ now filled for us as it was in Aaron the oyle that was powred on Aarons head ran downe to his beard and to the skirts of his cloathing the meanest parts of his garment was bedewed with that oyle so the graces of Gods Spirit powred upon our head Christ our Aaron our high Priest runne downe upon us upon all ranckes of Christians even upon the skirts the weakest and the lowest Christians every one hath grace for grace we all partake of the oyle and annoynting of our spirituall Aaron our High Priest If wee want any thing therefore let us goe to him I can doe all saith S. Paul in Christ that strengtheneth me goe to him for patience for comfort for every thing because God hath put his Spirit upon him to supply all our wants he hath the oyle of gladnesse above his fellowes but for his fellowes Psal. 45. he hath the oyle of grace more then any but it is not onely for him but for us all Therefore let us have comfortable meditations of the fullnesse of Christ and make use of it all this is for me in Col. 2. S. Paul sets it out in him the fulnesse of the God-head dwells personally for that is meant by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and it followes after in him wee are compleate Wherefore is all the fullnesse that is in him to shew that in him we are compleate so in 1 Iohn 5.20 to shew how the spirits of the Apostles agree in this saith he wee know that the Sonne of God is come in the flesh and hath given us an understanding to know him that is true and we are in him that is true even in his Sonne Iesus Christ This is true God and eternall life Christ is true God and eternall life for us all for our comfort We know that the Sonne of God is come and hath given us an understanding c. Little
no Spirit of Christ at all I will not be large in the point onely I speake this by way of tryall to know whether wee have the Spirit of Christ in us or no if not we have nothing to doe with Christ For Christ saves us not as he is out of us onely Christ was to doe something of himselfe that wee have no share in onely the good of it is ours hee was to redeeme us by his blood to bee a Sacrifice the title to Heaven and salvation was wrought by Christ out of us but there is somewhat that he doth not onely for us but hee works in us by his Spirit that is the fitting of us for that he hath given us title too and the applying of that that he hath done for us Whosoever therefore hath any benefit by Christ he hath the Spirit to apply that to himselfe and to fit and qualifie him to be a member of such a Head and an heire of such a Kingdome whosoever Christ works any thing for he doth also worke in them there is a Spirit of application and that spirit of application if it be true it is a Spirit of sanctification and renovation fitting us every way for our condition Let us not abuse our selves as the world commonly doth concerning Christ they thinke God is mercifull and Christ is a Saviour Jt is true but what hath he wrought in thee by his Spirit hast thou the Spirit of Christ or else thou art none of his Romans 8. Where ever Christ is he goes with his Spirit to teach us to apply what Christ hath done for us and to fit us to bee like him Therefore let those that live in any sinnes against conscience thinke it a diabollicall illusion to thinke God and Christ is mercifull I but where is the worke of the Spirit All the hope thou hast is onely that thou art not in Hell as yet for the time to come but for the present I dare not say thou hast any thing to doe with Christ when there is nothing of the Spirit in thee the Spirit of Christ conformes the Spouse to bee like the husband and the members to be like the Head therefore begg of Christ that hee would annoint himselfe King in our hearts and Prophet and Priest in our hearts to doe that that he did to know his will as a Prophet to rule in us as a King and to stirre up prayers in us as a Priest to doe in some proportion that that he doth though it bee in never so little a measure for wee receive it in measure but Christ beyond measure wee must labour for so much as may manifest to us the truth of our estate in Christ that we are not dead but living branches Now Christ gives and conveyes his Spirit especially and most of all since his ascention and sitting at the right hand of God for after his resurrection he declared his victory over all his enemies and therefore was able to give the Spirit without opposition and upon his resurrection death and hell and the anger of God were overcome and our sinnes were satisfied for now Christ was Head indeed having trod all his enemies under his feete now he was enabled to give the Spirit but upon his ascention into Heaven and his sitting there he was more enabled for even as the Sunne being so high above the Earth doth convey his light and heate and influence upon the inferiour bodies So Christ being so highly advanced is fitter to infuse his Spirit and grace heere below since his exaltation therefore the Church is fuller of grace and grace hath beene more spread and diffused since the ascention of Christ then before and the Evangelist gives it as a reason The Spirit was not yet given because Christ was not ascended intimating that after his ascention there was a more full portion of the Spirit given God being fully appeased by the death of Christ and Christ staying the advantage that was fittest to give the Spirit now God the Father gives the Spirit with the Sonne so in both regards there was a greater fullnesse of the Spirit Therefore the Prophets speaking of the times of Christ especially of his exaltation shew that then they should be filled with the Spirit that the Spirit should be povvred out upon all flesh more aboundantly then before And that is the reason that the Apostles so differed from themselves before and after Christs ascention what a wondrous alteration was there Peter before hee flies even at the voice of a maide and they were full of contention and vaine glory but after we see when the Spirit the Holy Ghost came downe after Christs ascention into Heaven how couragious and valarous they were that they accounted it a matter of glory to suffer any thing and indeed we have more or lesse valour and courage the more of lesse Spirit we have now they having received more abundance of Spirit hereupon they were more couragious and undaunted at one time then another and this abundance of the Spirit comes especially since Christs advancement But how or by what meanes doth Christ give his Spirit to us This Spirit that is so necessary for us it is given by the ministery of the Gospell which is the ministery of the Spirit received ye the Holy Ghost by the workes of the law or by the hearing of faith preached when the love of God in Christ and the benefits by Christ are layed open in the preaching of the Gospell to us God gives his holy Spirit the Spirit of Christ. Now God in Christ would save us by a triumphant and abundant love and mercy and the Spirit of God never goes but where there is a magnifying of the love and mercy of God in Christ therefore the ministery of the Gospell which onely discovers the amity and love of God to man-kinde being now reconciled in Christ it is accompanyed with the Spirit to assure us of our part and portion in those benefits for the Spirit is the fruit of Gods love as well as Christ Christ is the first gift and the Spirit is the second therefore that part of the word that discovers Gods exceeding love to man-kinde leaving Angells when they were fallen in their cursed estate and yet giving his Sonne to become man and a curse for us the discovery of this love and mercy of God and of his Son Christ to us is joyned with the Spirit for by the Spirit we see our cursed estate without the love and mercy of God in Christ and likewise we are convinced of the love of God in Christ and thereupon we love God againe and trust to his mercy and out of love to him performe all chearfull obedience whatsoever we doe else if it be not stirred by the Spirit apprehending the love of God in Christ it is but morallity A man shall never goe to Heaven but by such a disposition and frame and temper of soule as is wrought by the Holy Ghost
perswading the soule first of the love and favour of God in Christ. What are all our performances if they be not out of love to God and how shall we love God except we be perswaded that hee loves us first therefore the Gospell breeds love in us to God and hath the Spirit together with it working a blessed frame of sanctification whereby we are disposed to every good duty Therefore if we would have the Spirit of God let us attend upon the sweete promises of salvation upon the doctrine of Christ for together with the knowledge of these things the Holy Ghost slides and insinuates and infuseth himselfe into our soules Therfore the Ministers of the Gospell should be much in laying open the riches of God in Christ in unfolding Christ all other things will follow as S. Paul in 2 Tit. 12. The grace of God hath shined hath appeared gloriously teaching us to deny all ungodlinesse and worldly lusts and to live holily and soberly in this present world where the grace and love of God is perswaded and shed into the soule all will follow What is the reason that former times were called darke times and so they were the times of Popery a darke age Christ was vailed the Gospell was vailed there was no preaching of salvation by Christ alone people were sent to stocks and stones and to Saints and instead of the word they were sent to legends and such things Christ was obscured thereupon they were darke ages those ages wherein the Spirit of God is most is where Christ is most preached and people are best alway where there is most Spirit and they are most joyfull and comfortable and holy where Christ is truly layd open to the hearts of people the peaching of meere morallity if men be not carefull to open Christ to know how salvation is wrought by Christ and how all good comes by Christ it will never make a man perfectly good and fit him for Heaven it may make a man reforme many abuses like a Phylosopher which hath its reward and respect amongst men but nothing to give comfort at the houre of death and the day of judgement onely that whereby the Spirit is conveyed is the knowledge and preaching of Christ in his state and offices Againe the Spirit of Christ is given in obedience to this Gospell Acts 5.32 Hee gives the Holy Ghost to them that obey him Now there is the obedience of faith and the obedience of life when the soule is wrought to obedience to beleeve and to be directed by God then the Holy Spirit is given in a further measure still the Holy Ghost is given to them that obey to them that doe not resist the Spirit of God for in the Ministery of the Gospell the Spirit is given in some degree to reprobates it is offered it knockes at the hearts of the vilest persons that lives in filthy and false courses of life whose tongues and bodies are all instruments of an unsanctified soule to offend God they have gracious motions offered them but then they doe not obey them therefore the Spirit seizeth not upon them to rule in them they have the Spirit knocking upon them he doth not dwell in them and take up his lodging in them The Spirit is given to them that obey the sweet motions of it Now who is it that heares the blessed word of God the blessed tidings of salvation but he hath sweete motions of the Spirit to be in love with God and the mercy of God and to hate sinne a little for a time then presently upon it corruption joynes and and swels against those motions and they onely rest in the bare motion and never come to any perfection This is the state of reprobates in the Church they have many motions by the Holy Ghost but their hearts are not subdued to obedience not to constant obedience Therefore if wee would have the Spirit of Christ let us labour to subject our selves unto it when we have any good motion by the Ministery of the Word or by conference or by reading of good things as holy things have a savour in them the Spirit breathes in holy exercises Oh give way to the motions of Gods Spirit we shall not have them againe perhaps turne not backe those blessed messengers let us entertaine them let the Spirit dwell and rule in us it is the most blessed lodger that ever we entertained in all our lives If wee let the Spirit guide and rule us it will leade us and governe and support us in life and death and never leave us till it have raised our bodies the Spirit of Christ in us at length will quicken our dead bodies Rom. 8. it will never leave us till it have brought us to Heaven This is the state of those that belong to God that give way to the motions of Gods Spirit to rule and guide them therefore if we would have the Spirit of Christ let us take heed of rebelling against it This is the state of many of us the Lord be mercifull to us and cure us that we doe not onely not receive the motions of the Spirit deepely into us but if they bee such a crosse us in our pleasures and profits though the Word and Spirit joyne together there is a rising of the proud spirit of man against so much of the Spirit and the motions of it and against such parts of the Word as crosseth us this will bee laid heavy to our charge one day that wee would bring the Spirit of God to our corruptions and not bring our hearts to Gods Spirit and hereupon be those phrases in the Scripture of tempting the Spirit Ananias and Saphira tempted the Spirit that is when men will doe that which is naught and try whether God will forgive them and put it off or no how many are there that tempt the Spirit that put it off perhaps I shall have the like motions another time I shall have better occasion when I can gaine no more when I can have my pleasures no more thus men resist the Spirit as Saint Stephen saith that is when the Spirit discovers to them what they should beleeve and what they should doe and they see it crosseth their resolution to be naught heereupon they resist the worke of the Spirit that else would close with their soules and sanctifie them and fit them for Heaven if they would give way to it And there is a quenching of the Spirit that is when men have sweet motions of the Spirit and presently by some ill language or course of life they defile their vessels and quench the sweet motions of the Spirit Let us take heed of all these of tempting of resisting and quenching the Spirit For undoubtedly living in the bosome of the Church we have many heavenly motions especially those that have so much goodnesse in them as to attend upon Gods ordinances they have those motions at those times that they never have after perhaps
order the baser part doth not rule the higher but the higher part of the soule a sanctified judgement rules all because the whole is in right judgement therefore sanctification is called judgement and other courses though they be never so fashionable are but madnesse and folly and disorder in the censure of the Scripture nothing is judgement and true wisedome but sanctification and obedience flowing from sanctification Therefore saith Moses in Deuteronomie Then shall you be knowne to bee a wise people when you obey the Lawes that I have given you onely that shewes a wise judicious man to be obedient to Gods truth by the Spirit sanctifying him Without the truth of God and the Spirit in us framing our soules answerable to the truth we are out of all good order For then the affections that should bee ruled rule us then the body and the lusts of the body rule the soule and the Divell rules by both what a shamefull disorder is this when a man shall be ruled by the Divell and his owne lusts that he should treade under feete and trample upon and this is the state of all that have not this judgement in them that have not the word of God written in their hearts bowing and bending them by the Spirit of God to spirituall obedience to proove this J will name but one place among many Titus 3. â— hee shewes the state of all men that are not brought into subjection by this judgement by the Word and Spirit of truth We our selves saith he were sometimes foolish and disobedient till this judgement is set up in us wee are foolish in our understandings and disobedient in our wills and affections deceived and misled by the Divell and our owne lusts for that followes upon folly those that are foolish and disobedient are deceived and led away to eternall destruction There is a way that seemes good in a mans owne eyes but the issues of it are death saith Salomon this is the state of all men that are not led with the judgement of Gods truth and Spirit sanctifying and framing their soules to obedience they are foolish and disobedient and deceived and so it will proove with them in the end Serving diverse lusts and pleasures living in malice and envy hating one another Now when God by his blessed Truth and Spirit sets up his rule in the heart it brings all into captivity as Saint Paul saith it brings all the inner man into subjection The Word of God is the weapon of God these judgements are mighty in operation together with the Spirit to beate downe all strong holds and to set up another judgement there it brings all into captivity to the truth and command of God and to the motions of the Spirit the Word and Spirit beate downe all the strong holds that are raised up in the heart by Satan and our corruptions so wee see here what is meant by this phrase Hee shall declare judgement to the Gentiles It is a militant word therefore J have stood somewhat the longer in unfolding of it Now this is wrought by the preaching of the Gospell Hee shall declare judgement to the Gentiles all grace comes by declaring The Gospell is the power of God to salvation Let but the Gospell which is Gods judgement how men shall be saved and how they shall walke in obedience by way of thankefullnesse to God be declared and all that belong to God shall come in and yeeld homage to it and bee brought in subjection The Divell in the Antichristian state knowes this well enough therefore he labours to hinder the declaration of judgement by all meanes he will not have Gods judgements but mens traditions declared he knowes the declaring of Gods judgements will breed an alteration quickly in mens dispositions For when hee saith Hee shall declare judgement to the Gentiles he meanes the consequent as well as the thing he shall so declare judgement that they shall yeeld spirituall obedience and come in and be saved Let the Divell doe his worst let all seducers of soules doe their worst if they would but give way to the preaching of the Gospell let but judgement be declared let Gods arme be stretched forth in delivering the truth hee would soone gaine soules out of the captivity and bondage of Satan they know it well enough therfore by all the wayes they can they stop the preaching of the Gospell and disgrace and hinder it and set up mens traditions instead of the Gospell but I will not inlarge my selfe farther upon these wordes but goe on to the next Hee shall not strive nor cry neither shall any man heare his voice in the streetes These wordes set downe the mild and sweete and amiable manner of Christs carriage upon earth here in his first comming to worke the great worke of our redemption he did not carry the matter in an outward glorious manner in pompe but he would have his miracles concealed oft times and himselfe hidden his God-head was hid under the vaile of his Manhood he could not have wrought our salvation else if the divell and the world had knowne Christ to be as he was they would never have made those attempts against him therefore considering he had such a dispensation to work our salvation as a King Priest and Prophet he would not cry and contend and strive hee would not come with any great noise Now here is an opposition to the giving of the law and likewise to the comming and carriage of civill Princes You know when the Law was given all the mount was on fire and the earth thereabout quaked and trembled and the people fled they could not indure to heare the voice of God speaking in the mount there was such a terrible smoake and fire they were all affraid thus came Moses now did Christ come as Moses was the Gospell delivered by Christ as the law was in terrors and feares Oh no Christ came not in such a terrible manner in thunder and lightning but the Gospell it came sweetly A Dove a mild creature lit upon the head of Christ when he was Baptised to shew his mild manner of carriage and he came with blessing in his mouth in his first Sermon of all Blessed are the poore in spirit blessed are they that mourne blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousnesse The Law came with curses Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things written in the law to doe them Christ came in another manner the Gospell was delivered in a mild sweete manner Christ as an Ambassador came sweetly to intreat and beseech there is a crying indeed but it is a crying out of love and intreaty not a shouting in a terrible manner as was at the giving of the law no nor as at the comming of other civill Princes into a citie with shouting and noise of trumpets with pompe and state and great attendants Christ came not into the world to execute his kingdome and
and shall not the beasts of the forrest tremble Shall wee heare God roare in his judgements and heare the trumpet blowne and not be affected wee see here how God complaines that when he harkened and heard they spake not aright Let us therefore make conscience of all our words Wee shall if not now yet at the day of judgement give account for every idle word for every cruell word as it is in the prophesie of Enoch cited in the Epistle of Iude But especially let us take heed of our words when wee speake of Gods judgements for it is the not speaking aright of them that is here especially meant I hearkened and heard but they spake not aright So much for the evidence come wee now to the next clause Gods complaint upon this evidence No man repented him of his wickednesse They did not repent of their wickednesse and the fault was generall No man repented the first yeelds this instruction That it is a state much offending God not to repent when his judgements are threatned God will not suffer it long unpunished to be impenitent when his judgements are abroad and threatned much more when they have already ceazed upon our brethren For that is the end of all his judgements to draw us neare to him to draw us out of the world and out of our sinnefull courses when therefore we answer not God must take another course What is the plague and other judgements but so many messengers sent to every one of us to knocke and our answer must be Lord I will repent of my evill waies I will turne from my evill courses and turne to thee If wee give this answer God will take away his judgements or sanctifie them and that is better but when there is no answer the messenger will not be gone God will adde plagues upon plagues till we give our answer till wee repent and turne from our wicked vvaies Novv that vve may doe this vvee must bee convinced thorovvly that the courses vvee live in are unprofitable dangerous hatefull courses and that the contrary state is better For repentance is an after-vvit and man being a reasonable creature will turne from his vvay except hee see great reason vvhy therefore there must be sound conviction that it is a bitter thing to offend God vvee must indeed be convinced by the Spirit of God and the Spirit of God usually takes the benefit of affliction affliction together vvith instruction instruction without affliction will doe little good stripes and the Word must go together else we will not give God the hearing as we should Therfore that we may be soundly convinced of our sins we should desire God especially in the houre of affliction to helpe our soules by his Spirit that wee may bee convinced that our courses are naâ—ght that they are courses dishonourable to God and dangerous to our selves that sinne defiles our soules that it hinders our communion with God which is the sweetest thing in the world that sin puts a sting into all our troubles that sin makes us affraid of that that should bee comfortable to us of death and judgement and Gods presence that sinne grieves the good Spirit of God that would take up his lodging in us that it quencheth the motions of the Spirit that are sent as sweete messengers to us to allure and comfort us that sinne grieves the good Spirit of God in others that it grieves the good Angells that are about us that it gratifies none but the Divell the enemy of our salvation that it defiles and slaines our soules wherein the Image of God should shine that it doth us more harme then all the things in the world besides indeed nothing hurts us but sinne because nothing but sinne seperates us from God that it shuts Heaven and opens Hell and so makes us affraid of death least death should open the gate to let us into Hell in a word that it hinders all good and is the cause of all ill Let us consider of this and worke it on our hearts And consider withall our former courses rip up our lives from our child-hood consider the sinnes of our youth together with our present sins that so we may the better stirre up and awaken our consciences Let us consider whether we are now in a state wherein wee could bee content that God should send his judgements upon us Consider how wee have been scandalous to others how we have drawn others to sinne that the guilt of other mens sinnes will lye upon us it may bee wee have repented but have they Consider the repetition of our sinnes if wee have not committed them againe and againe and other circumstances that may aggravate them Let us labour to worke these things on our hearts and desire the Spirit of God to convince our soules of the foulenesse and dangerousnesse of sinne When we sinne against conscience what doe we but set the Divell in the place of God wee make our selves wiser then God wee leave Gods waies as if wee could finde better and more profitable and more gainefull courses then his sound conviction of this will moove us to repentance And let us be stirred up to repent presently doth not God now warne you Is it not dangerous living one houre in a state that wee would not dye in May not God justly strike us on the sudden Doe but purpose to live in sinne one quarter of an houre may we not be taken away in that quarter Is not repentance the gift of God and are not gifts given according to the good pleasure of the giver Waite therefore for the gales of grace and take them when they are offered Grace is not like the tide that ebbs and flowes that we know when it will come againe when we see it goe No God gives the gales of grace according to his good pleasure therefore take the advantage of the present motions of the blessed Spirit The longer we live in any sinne unrepented off the more our hearts will be hardened the more Satan takes advantage against us the more hardly he is driven out of his old possession the more just it may bee with God to give us up from one sinne to another the understanding will be more darke upon every repetition of sinne and conscience will bee more dulled and deaded Those that are young therefore let them take the advantage of the youth and strength and freshnesse of their yeares to serve God That which is blasted in the bud what fruit may we looke for from it afterward Alas when wee see the younger sort given to blaspheme and sweare to loosenesse and licentiousnesse what old age may we looke for there Againe what welcome shall wee expect when we have sacrificed the best of our strength and the marrow of our yeares to our lusts to bring our old-age to God Can this be any other then selfe-love Such late repentance is seldome sound it
comes I say from selfe-love and not from any change of heart As in the the humility of wretched persons a little before the judge comes though they haue carried themselves as rebels before yet then they will humble themselves not out of any hatred to their courses but out of feare of the judge So it may be now thou art arraigned by Gods judgements thou forsakest thy sinnefull courses not out of the hatred of thy sinnes for if thou couldest thou wouldest sinne eternally and that is the reason sinners are punished eternally Because they would sinne everlastingly but thou seest thou art in danger to be pulled away by Gods judgements It is not out of love to grace it is not from any change of nature that thou desirest to be a new creature that thou admirest grace to be the best state but it is to avoid danger not that thou carest for the face of God to be reconciled to him but to avoid the present judgement And what a staggering will this be to conscience when a man shall deferre his repentance till Gods judgements seaze upon him We see it is false for the most part Because such persons that are then humbled when they recover they are as bad or worse then ever they were Therfore an Ancient saith well He that is good onely under the crosse it never good it comes not from any change that God works but meerely from selfe-love Therefore presently let us repent of those waies that God convinceth our conscience to be evill wayes God may strike us suddenly Those that forget God and care not for him now it may be just with God to make them forget themselves to strike them with frenzy to take away the use of their memories then and when sickenesse comes wee shall have enough to doe to conflict with sicknesse we shall have enough to doe to answer the doubts of conscience Oh it would upbraid then We shall thinke it a hard matter then to have favour from God whose worship we have despised the motions of whose Spirit we have neglected and resisted Conscience after long hardening in sinne will hardly admit of comfort it is a harder matter then it is taken for Therefore even to day presently you that are young now in the daies of your youth now in the spring of your yeares repent you of your sinnes before old-age comes which indeed as Salomon describes it is an ill time to repent in Alas then a man can hardly performe civill duties as we see in Barzillai he complaines that in his old-age he could not take the comfort of the creatures Therefore put not off this duty till then And all both young and old now when the judgements of God are abroad in the world take the advantage returne to God renew your covenants make your peace now now this danger doth warme our hearts a little let us strike the Iron now while it is hot let us take the advantage of the Spirit now avvakening us vvith this danger Our hearts are so false and so dull we have need to take all advantages of withdrawing our selves from our sinful courses And to incourage us to doe it let us consider if we doe this and doe it in time wee shall have the sweetnesse of the love of God shed abroad in our hearts You will say wee shall loose the sweetnesse of sin I but you shall have a most sweet communion with God One day of a repentant sinner that is reconciled to God is more comfortable then a thousand yeares of an other man that is in continuall feare of death and judgement Oh the sweete life of a Christian that hath made his peace with God! he is fit for all conditions for life for death for every thing now by this wee shall have this grace and favour of God the Lord will say unto us by his Spirit I am your salvation And besides you shall have his grace renewing and altering and changing you framing you to a better course of life And he will be so farre from misliking any for their former sinnes that hee will give them cause to love him the more as wee see Luk. 7. Shee loved much because shee had much forgiven her Christ we see upbraided not any of his followers with their former sinnes hee regarded nor what they had beene formerly Zaccheus the extortioner Mary Magdalen Matthew the Publican Peter that denied him wee never heare that he upbraided any of them hee doth not onely vouchsafe mercy to Peter repenting but advanceth him to his former office Apostolicall so sweete a God have we to deale with let this incourage us Againe it is the way to prevent Gods judgements as wee see in Nineveh and others Put case we repent not we cannot goe fafe in the citie nor any where but God may meete with us and strike us with his arrow The onely way to prevent his judgements is to meete him speedily by repentance This is the way not onely to turne away the wrath of God concerning eternall damnation but outward judgements as wee see Ioel. 2 and many other places Then againe should we be stricken if we have made our peace with God if we have repented all shall be welcome all shall be turned to our good wee know the sting is pulled out If the sting of death be pulled out if the malignity and poison of any sicknesse be it the plague or whatsoever be pulled out why should we feare it Jt comes in love and shall be turned to our good and in the meane time God sweetens it Here is a grand difference betweene the children of God and others If the judgement of God light upon a repentant person it comes from favour and love to correct him for his former sinnes it is turned to good and in the meane time it is sweetned with love and mixed with comfort and moderated as it is Isa. 27.7 hath hee afflicted thee as I afflicted others No hee moderates his judgements to his children and not onely moderates them but sweetens them with comfort Jf God doe correct a repentant person hee is no looser by it nay he is a gainer It is good for mee that I have been afflicted Oh the blessed estate of that person that repents and turnes from his evill wayes But if a man doe not repent but live still in sinne what a state is hee in God cares not for his prayers If I regard iniquity in my heart God will not heare my prayers and what a state is a man in when his prayers that should beg for blessings and avoid judgements and procure deliverance are not heard but shall be turned into sinne When God that is a God hearing prayer shall not regard his prayer What a case is this Yet if we regard iniquity in our hearts if we repent not of our sinnes God will not regard our prayers Then besides that there is a noise of feare in the
Heathens were hardened and given up to destruction The wrath of God is revealed from Heaven against them because they lived in a course of rebellion against the light of nature shall you that have the light of nature and the word of God and the motions of his Spirit too thinke to live in rebellion and not be accomptable for it It shall be easier for them that never heard of the word of God where God hath magnified his mercy he will exalt judgement those that are lâ—ft up to Heaven in priviledges shall be cast downe to hell Woe unto thee Capernaum c. The more in priviledges the more in judgement if they be abused Againe another particular sin whereby wee may discerne a judgement comming is unfruitfulnesse under the meanes as the fig-tree when it was digged and dunged and yet was unfruitfull then it was â—eare a curse Jn Heb. 6. the groud that is tilled and manured and hath the raine falling on it it is then neare unto cursing if it bring not forth Perhaps a Heathen a Pagan if hee were under the meanes would bee fruitfull therefore there might be hope of him but those that are under the meanes under the Sun-shine of the Gospell under the influence of it the Spirit working on their hearts and yet they live in the sin of unfruitfullnesse it makes way for judgement The axe is laid to the roote when men are taught then the instrument of vengeance is laid to the roote and downe they goe if they bring not forth good fruit Sinnes of omission when that all hath beene taught are sufficient to bring a man to judgement At the last judgement you have not visited me in prison you have not releeved the poore c. will be evidence enough to cast a man into hell And the like may be said of the omission of other duties when a man is called to place when he hath opportunity to doe good hee hath a price in his hand and yet hath no heart to lay it out to his power God hath made him a steward and yet he is unfruitfull and labours to undermine and ruine the state of others What can such a man looke for but the judgement of God to light on him first or last if not present judgement on his body yet to be given up to hardnesse of heart and so to hell which is worst of all Nay more decay in our first love is a forerunner of judgement when we love not God as we were wont In Rev. 3. I will take away thy Candlesticke because thou hast left thy first love Is there not such a plenty and depth in good things especially of the Gospell whereby our sinnes are pardoned and grace is given is there not that sweetnesse in them whereby to gaine our love more and more Is there not a necessity to renew our peace Why should we decay in our love The things of the Gospell are so excellent and so necessary that when God sees them undervalued it is a forerunner of judgement let us take heed of decay in our affections When there is no zeale for the truth it is an ill signe Jt is a good signe for the present that God hath some blessing for us that now in our publique meetings there is regard to Religion and that in the first place there is some zeale for the cause of God against those that would wrong the cause of Religion wee have some cause to hope in respect of that And let every one laboâ—r to stirre up the Spirit of God and study how he may doe and receive good and be fruitfull and warme in his affections considering what excellent blessings we enjoy in the â—ospell What is the glory of the kingdome we live in above Popâ—ry our religion that wee have the sun-shine of the Gospell now the riches of Christ are unfolded wee have the key of Heaven Heaven opened what glorious times are those The glory of the times is the manifestation of the Gospell and shall we grow in the decay of our love â—s there â—ot cause to grow in love to the Gospell when God hath taken it from others and hath given â—â— to us Now Jdolatâ—y is where true Religion was and the Masse is said where God was religiously worshipped in other places and countries Shall God deale so with us and shall we not be in love with that truth Since we have had the truth what peace and plenty have we had And if ever we loose it it will goe with other things if God take away the truth away goes our peace and prosperity he will not take it away alone it came not alone and he will not take it away alone Doubtlesse it must needes make way for judgement when our love to so precious a jewell as the Gospell shall beginne to die and decay when we shall begin to slight and disregard it And so for any particular man that hath had good things in him if they now begin to decay it is an ill signe that God is fiting him for judgement Well but what shall we doe when judgements are comming Wee see judgements are like to come nay are in part come the Plague of pestilence hath ceazed on us already and then warre is threatned and that by enemies that have beene foyled before Foyled enemies are dangerous enemies if they bee proud Now wee have proud enemies that have beene foyled and Idolatrous withall and what mercy can wee looke for from them God fought against them for us from Heaven in some measure and they being cruell provoked enemies are the lesse likely to shew any mercy God is indeed so mercifull to us yet that he hath taken us into his owne hands rather then to give us up to the malice and fury of Idolatrous enemies But yet those that can lay things together and consider the times they shall see there is more cause of feare then is taken to heart Well and in this case what shall we doe First in the interim betweene the threatning and the execution there are some judgements in the cloud and the storme seemes to hang oâ—ver us and the sword of the pestilence is drawn over our heads by the destroying Angell though he hath not yet striken us in our particular now in the time betweene the threatning and the execution Oh improove it make use of this little time get into Covenant with God hide your selves in the providence and promises of God make your peace deferre it no longer And secondly mourne for the sinnes of the time that when any judgement shall come you may be marked with those that mourne Take heed of the errours and sins of the times least when a judgement comes you bee swept away in the generall judgement but let us rather have our part with those that mourne that God may give us our lives for a prey And thirdly be watchfull practise that duty we have the plague to put us in
other men it is with the spirit of the writer He cannot speake to God in praise or to others in experience of the worke of grace because he hath a dead soule Put him to his owne arguments to talke of vanity to sweare or to talke of the times you shall have him in his theame but to talke of God and divine things unlesse it be to sweare by them and to scorne good things he cannot he is speechlesse there it is not his theame And as he is speechlesse so he hath no spirituall eyes to see God in his works There is nothing that we see with our bodily eyes but our soules should have an eye to see somewhat of God in it his mercy and goodnesse and power c. And so he hath no relish to taste of God in his creatures and mercies when a man tasts of the creatures he should have a spirituall taste of God and of the mercy in him Oh how sweet is God! A wicked man hath no taste of God And he cannot heare what the Spirit saith in the Word he heares the voice of man but not of the Spirit when the trumpet of the Word sounds never so loud in his eares These things ought not to be overmuch pressed much curiosity must not be used in them but because the Holy Ghost raiseth the proportion from these things some thing must be said of them As there is no sence nor mooving to outward things so no outward thing can moove a dead body offer him colours to the eye food to the taste or any thing to the feeling nothing mooves him So a dead soule as it cannot moove to good so it is mooved with nothing that that affects a child of God and makes him tremble and quake it affects not a carnall man at all And as in bodily death the longer it is dead the more noysome and offensive it is every day more then other So sinne it makes the soule more loathsome and noysome daily till they have filled up the measure of their sinnes till the earth can beare them no longer We say of a dead body it is heavy so dead soules I am sure they are heavy heavy to God and to Christ that dyed for sinne and heavy in themselves they sinke to earthly things in their affections and thereby they sinke lower and lower to Hell and never leave sinking till they be there As the life of grace is like the Sunne when it riseth it growes still till it come to full perfection till it come to the life of glory So on the contrary this death is a death that is more and more increased in the loathsomenesse and noysomenesse of it every way so that the longer a carnall man lives the more guilt hee contracts A child of a hundred yeares old as the Prophet saith the longer he lives the more vengeance is stored for him he treasures vengeance up against the day of vengeance and it is a curse for a man in his naturall estate to live long for he growes more and more abhominable every way These things helpe to understand the Scripture and therefore so far we may well thinke of them If this be so I beseech you let us learne to know what we are by nature not to make our selves in our owne conceits better then indeed wee are We judge of our selves as we are to civill things A man that hath naturall parts that can discourse and understand the mysteries of law and of the state we value men by these Alas poore soule thou mayest be dead for all this what are all these abilities for Are they not for the spirituall life What is this to the life of grace They onely blow thee up with pride and set thee further off and make thee uncapable of grace If thou talke of learning the Divell is a better scholler then any man he knowes matters of state and other things better then thou doest and yet he is a Divell for all that therefore never stand upon these things But there is a company that are more to blame then these one would thinke that these have something to be proud off that they might set themselves against God and goodnes but there is a generation that have little in them that yet think themselves the only men in loose licentious life despising all caring for none think it the only life to live as they list to goe where they list in what companies they list to have bounds of their owne these think themselves the onely men when indeed they are no body they are dead loathsome creatures it is the mercy of God that the ground doth not sinke underthem and yet they carry themselves as if they only were alive Againe if we be all dead by nature and there ought to be a separation of the living from the dead let us take heed in our amity and society that we converse not with naturall men too much that have not spirituall goodnesse in them that we converse not with them with delight and complacency It is a tyrannicall thing to knit dead and living bodies together and he was accounted a tyrant that did so surely in choosing our society conjugall or friendly any intimate society to joyne living and dead soules together we are tyrants to our owne soules Wee wrong our soules to joyne with dead persons who would converse with dead courses and corps The very creatures startle at the sight of a dead body nature startles at that that is dead If wee had the life of grace further then the necessity of civill conversation and the hope of bettering them forceth it upon us wee would have no society with those that we see are in the state of nature What issues from them but stench eyes full of adultery nothing that is pleasing can come from them nothing can come from all their sences but rottennesse and stench what comfort can a man that loves his owne soule and hath any desire to be saved have by intimate converse with such persons let them have never so good parts they hurt more one way then they doe good another you see wee are all dead by nature and what this death is But you will say there is a difference betweene naturall death and spirituall death for in naturall bodily death there is no mooving but in this spirituall death of the soule men have sences and motion c. Jt is true thus farre they differ though a man be spiritually dead yet notwithstanding he hath feete to carry him to the house of God he hath eares to heare the Word of God he hath abilities of nature upon which grace is founded God workes grace upon nature Now a man living in the Church of God that is a grace when a man hath grace to live within the compasse of the meanes he can by common grace without any inward change of nature come and heare the Word of
of Christianity and who will not If men will goe to Heaven they must be violent they must be at the cost and charges sometimes to venture life it selfe and whatsoever is deare and pretious in the world A man must be so violent that hee must goe thorough all even death it selfe though it be a bloudie death to Christ this discards all luke-warme carnall professors who shake off this violence in all estates of the Church it is almost equally difficult to bee a sound Christian for God requires this violence even in the most peaceable times Now the truth and religion are countenanced by the lawes yet the power of it is by many much opposed Therefore hee now that in spight of reproach in spight of slander will beare the scornes cast upon the Gospell that will goe with Christ without the gate bearing his reproach such a man may be said to be thus violent it is an easie thing to have so much Christianity as will stand with our commodity or with pleasure c. but to have so much as will bring us to Heaven I say it is equally hard in all times of the Church it requires violence to carry us thorough these lesser oppositions Againe God will have us get these things with violence that we may set a greater price on them when we have them when we have things that are gotten by violence that are gotten hardly O we valew them much Heaven is Heaven then things that are hardly gotten and hardly kept are highly prized Againe the excellencie of the thing inforceth violence it is fit that excellent things should have answerable affections Now it being a Kingdome and the Kingdome of Heaven what affection is answerable but a violent strong affection Againe together with the excellencie the necessity requires it for the Kingdome of Heaven it is a place of refuge as well as a Kingdome to inrich us There were Cities of refuge among the Jewes when a man was followed by the avenger of blood he would run as fast as he could to the Citie of refuge and there he was safe so when a guilty conscience pursues us when there is a noise of feare in the heart when Gods judgements awaken us hell is open when a man apprehends his estate and is convinced what a one he is and what he deserves of necessity he will flie to the Citie of refuge and where is that but in the Kingdome of Heaven in the Church happie is he that can but get in at the gate of this Kingdome there is no doubt of his going in further but there must be a striving to enter in at the gate and then there he shall be hid in his Sanctuary as the pursued Doves get into their nests and the Connies hide them in the rock when they get that over their heads then they are safe so a Christian when he is pursued with conscience and with the temptations of Satan he flies to his Sanctuary doe you wonder that a guilty man should flee to his sanctuary and the pursued creatures to their hold and refuge In this respect the Kingdome of Heaven suffereth violence Herein it is compared to some great rich Citie that hath some great treasure and riches in it and it must be besieged and beleagured a long time and those that can enter into it they are made for ever Or it is like the entrance or gate of a Citie where there is striving and thronging and where besides enemies are that if men strive not they are cut and mangled and killed so it is in the state of this Kingdome when a mans eyes be opened he sees the divell and hell behind him and either he must enteror be damned and being entered it makes him rich and advanceth him for ever so he is strongly mooved to offer violence on both sides if he looke behind him there is the kingdome of Satan darknesse and misery and damnation for as Pharaoh pursued the Israelites when they were got out of his kingdome so the divell pursues a man when he is broken out of his dominion And then before him there is the kingdome of happinesse and glory the feare of that that followes them and the hope of that that is set before them both make them strive to enter into the gate of that Citie What should this teach us First let it be a rule of tryall to know judge of our estate whether we be entred into this gate of Heaven or no our lives are very short very uncertaine let us consider if we be in the way to Heaven what striving what strugling what violence have we ever offered There are a company that regard not the meanes of salvation at all either in private or publique Some come to the Word and heare but they doe not heare it as the Word of God to bee ruled by it but as a discourse to delight themselves for the time to have matter to speake of and to censure not with a spirit of obedience to be guided by it as the Scepter of the Kingdome What violence is this now and then to heare a Sermon now and then to reade a Chapter now and then to utter a yawning prayer betweene sleeping and waking perhaps when thou knowest not what thy selfe saist how then wouldest thou have God to regard it What violence is in the lives of most Christians what strength to enforce good actions how doe they improove the meanes of salvation many meanes are wholy neglected some perhaps they use that may stand with their convenience now and then whereas there must be an universall care of all the meanes there cannot one be neglected without the losse of grace and there must be attendance on them with violence There is none of the meanes can profit us without rouzing and stirring up our spirits we cannot heare nor pray without drawing up and raising up our soules the flesh will stop the comfortable performance of any action else and Satan will kill them in the very birth if he can To search a little deeper doe but compare your courses toward these good things of Heaven with your courses towards the world If there be hope of preferment the doores of great men are sure to suffer violence with favourites The Courts of justice suffer violence to have our right in earthly things The stages and such places are thronged and suffer violence If a man could but over-looke the courses of men abroad in the Citie he should see one violent for his pleasures running to the house of the Harlot as a foole to the stocks Another to the exchange to increase his estate Another to the place of justice to detract his neighbour or to get his owne right perhaps neglecting his title to Heaven in the meane time Another to the Court to get favour to rise to some place of preferment These places suffer violence but what violence doth the poore Gospell indure Alas it
none These are persons to be taken heed off breeding a temper opposite to Religion more then any other Christ can least brooke them there is great reason for it who can brooke any favour to be neglected and sleighted Especially for these excellent things to be under-valued and sleighted it cannoâ— be that God can indure it There will be a faction in the world while the world stands Christ and Antichrist Good and evill light and darkenesse but a man cannot be of both he must shew himselfe of one side or other in case of opposition Therefore the temper of the true pofessor is to be earnest in case of opposition of Religion and in case of opportuninity to advance his Religion in civill conversation and dealing with men that are subject to infirmities he must be gentle and meeke The Spirit of God descended in the shape of a Dove upon Christ as well as in fiery tongues upon the Apostles But in the cause of Christ in the cause of Religion he must be fiery and fervent No man more mild in his owne cause then Moses he was a meeke man but when occasion served when God was offended downe he throwes the Tables of stone he forgate himselfe though he were the meekest man in the world otherwise in his owne matters So I say the Spirit is both meeke and gentle as a Dove and earnest and zealous and hot as fire In Acts. 2 The Spirit of God comes downe as a mighty winde The winde is a powerfull thing if it be in a mans body There is no torment like to windy sicknesses as their complaints witnesse well enough that feele them and if a little winde be inclosed in the earth it shakes the whole vast body of the earth The Spirit is like winde it makes men bold it fills them with a great deale of eagernesse in the cause of God Againe the Spirit appeared to the Apostles in the likenesse of fire it inflamed their zeale and made them fervent that were cold before as we see in Peter the voice of a damsell terrified and affrighted him but when the Spirit came upon him it so fiered him that he accounted it his glory Act. 5.41 to suffer any thing for the cause of Christ. Therefore those that hope for any thing by religion let them labour to be for that Religion in good earnest they shall finde God in good earnest with them else Againe hence we see that Religion takes not away the earnestnesse of the affections it doth direct them to better things it changeth them in regard of the object It takes not away any thing in us but turnes the streame another way Violence requires the height and strength of the affections Religion taketh them not away but turnes them that way that they should goe If a streame runne violently one way if it be derived by skill and cunning another way it will runne as fast that way when it is turned as it did before So it is with the heart of man Religion takes nothing away that is good but lifts it up it elevateth and advanceth it to better objects There are riches and honours and pleasures when a man is in Christ but they are in a higher kinde therefore they draw affections and greater affections then other things but these affections are purified they runne in a better in a cleaner channell whereas before they ran amaine to earthly dirty things below the same affections of love of desire and zeale doe remaine still he that was violent before is as violent still onely the streame is turned For example take St. Paul for an instance he was as earnest when he was a Christian as before he was never more eager after the shedding of the blood of Christians and breathing out slaughter against them as he was afterwards in breathing after the Salvation of Gods people and a desire to enlarge the Gospell Zaccheus was never so covetous of the world before as he was covetous of Heaven when he became a Christian. I say Religion takes not away any thing onely it turnes the streame But it is a miracle for the streame to be turned it was God that turned Iordan so it is a greater work then man can doe to turne the streames of mans affections that runne amaine to earthly things to make them runne upward it is onely Gods worke This is the excellency of Religion it ennobles our nature that which is naturall it makes it heavenly and spirituall that a man shall be as earnest for God and good things as ever he was before after the things of this life So much for that point The third thing is the successe The violent take it by force The earnestnesse of affection and violence it is successefull they take it The good things of God they are here compared to a Fort or to a well fenced and well armed Citie strengthened with bulwarks and munition that is a long time besieged and at length is taken for this clause The violent take it by force it doth as well shew the issue of these violent ones striving for the Kingdome of Heaven to wit that they doe at length take it as the manner how it is taken namely by force The violent and onely the violent and all the violent doe at length certainely obtaine what they strive for the Kingdome of Heaven Why 1. Because it is promised to the violent Knock and it shall bee opened unto you Bee zealous and repent that is the meanes to cure all former transgressions repent and bee zealous and doe the former workes and To him that overcommeth that is he that is earnest that will never leave off till he hath overcome to him will I grant to sit with me on the throne and To him that overcommeth will I give to eate of the tree of life all the promises are to him that overcomes to him that is zealous and earnest Then againe the spirit whereby a man is earnest is a victorious spirit as Christians have the Word and promise to build on that leades them on and incourageth them so they are led by a mighty Spirit that hath the force of winde and fire that beates downe all before it that breakes thorough all oppositions and difficulties being lead with a divine Spirit what earthly thing can oppose that which is divine it brings under and subdues all therfore the violent take it the Spirit of God seizing upon and possessing the heart and carrying it with strength after these things And then onely the violent take it because God hath set it at this rate he that heareth and doth he that perseveres to the end he that sells all for the pearle for the treasure in the field there must be nothing retained all must bee parted with we must be at any cost and charge and perill and all little enough it is offered to us upon these termes of parting with all of induring any thing
doe more then twenty Sermons when God teacheth and chastizeth too when together with teaching there is correction then it is effectuall And this is the reason of Gods course why when nothing else will doe he humbles his people with afflictions because hee cannot otherwise teach them Affliction withdrawes that which is the fuell of sinne for what doth our sinnefull disposition feed on upon pleasures and vanities upon the honours of this life and riches c. Now when affliction either takes these things away or imbitters them if we have them then that which sinne carried us to and that we fed our owne base earthly lusts with being gone when a man is stripped of these he begins to know himselfe what he is he was drunke before I deeme a man in prosperity little better then drunke he knowes neither God nor himselfe nor the world he knowes it not to be as a vaine world he knowes not himselfe to be vanity to be an empty creature except he consist in God and make his peace with him he knowes not God to be â—uch a holy God and such an angry God for sinne but when affliction comes and withdrawes and strips him of those things that made him fierce against God then he begins to know God and to tremble at the judgements of God when he begins to smart he begins to know himselfe to be a mad man and a foole and a sot he did not know himselfe before in his jollity and then he knowes the world indeed as a vaine world Blessed be that affliction that makes us know a gratious and good God and the creature to be a vaine creature and our selves out of the favour of God to be nothing You see what afflictions will doe God doth use to breake men as men use to breake horses they ride them over hedge and ditch and over plowed lands uneven grounds and gall them with the spurre and with the bit and all to make them tractable and then afterward they ride them gently and meekely and rather so then otherwise So God is faine to carrie his children over plowed lands he is faine to breake them in their wickednesse to bring their waies upon their heads hee is faine to gall them and humble them every kinde of way that they may carrie him that he may bring their spirits under him that he may leade them in the waies that leade to their owne comfort Let us never murmure therefore at Gods hand but willingly yeeld at the first what doth a stubborne horse get but the spurre and stripes and what doth a man get that stands out when God comes to humble him by affliction and intends his good nothing but more stripes To come to the parts We are all as an uncleane thing c. Heere first you see there is an humble confession I will not inlarge my selfe in the point of humiliation but speake a little because this is the day of humiliation the occasion is for humiliation all this is to bring us low to humble 〈◊〉 to make us know our selves Without humiliation Christ will never be sweete unto us and the benefit of health c. will never be precious to us I meane by humiliation when God humbles us and we humble our selves when we joyne with God when Gods humbling of us and our humbling of our selves goe together then mercy is sweet and favour and protection is sweete when God powres his judgements on others and spares us Now humiliation it is either reall or inward or verball Reall humiliation indeed that is our humbling our selves by fasting especially when it is joyned with reformation of our wicked waies or else it is a mockery of God as it is in Isaiah 58. to hang downe the head for a while and in the meane time to have a hard heart to shut up our bowells to our brethren but that is a reall kinde of humiliation when we thinke our selves unworthy of the creatures of meate or drinke of any refreshing for this humiliation of fasting is a kinde of profession though we speake not so that we are unworthy of these things But all is nothing without inward humiliation of the soule verball humiliation is in words as we shall see after in confession and it must come from inward humiliation of spirit Therefore considering it is here the first disposition of Gods people let us labour to work upon our selves those considerations that may make us humble I will hâ—â—â—e a few First to bring our selves to the glasse of the Law examine our selves how short we have been of every Commandement But especially bring our selves to the Gospell we hope to be saved by Christ and have we mourned for our sinnes as one mourneth for his first borne Our sinnes have wounded Christ. Have we preferred Christ in our thoughts above all the things in the world have they all beene dung to us Have we had that blessed esteeme of the gratious promises of the Gospell and the prerogatives therein set foorth that they have been so precious to us that we have undervalued all to them as S. Paul did A base esteeme of the Gospell is a great sinne How shall we escape if we neglect so great Salvation Put case we be not enemies to the Ministery and to holinesse of life expressed in the Gospell as many cursed creatures are yet a base esteeme and undervaluing in our thoughts is a thing punisheable How shall we escape if we neglect so great Salvation Have we walked worthy of the dignity we are called to by the Gospell Have we carried our selves so in spirituall things as to rule our base lusts Have we been carefull of private Prayer to offer our selves to God as Priests Are we not pressed in S. Pauls Epistles To carry our selves worthy of our profession and have we done so Let us bring our carriage and see how proportionable it is to Gods advancing of us in these glorious times of the Gospell and this will bring us on our knees We are ashamed of a little unkindnesse to men But when we consider how unkind we have been to God that thought not his deare Sonne and Heaven and happinesse too much for us besides other favours that he protects and cloaths and feeds us every day and yet we have not been answerable these considerations would humble us proportionable to our carriage to men Can we be ashamed to offer an unkindnesse to men and are we not ashamed cannot we be abased with this that we have carried our selves so towards God It comes from Atheisme and infidelity of heart that either we beleeve not these things to be good or else that we haue not our part and portion in them could we ever be so dead and dull hearted else Againe that we may be humbled let us call to minde now in this day of Humiliation our speciall sinnes we may soone know them our consciences and our enemies
Leprosie or some other contagious disease those that were tainted of them were separated from the Congregation seven daies or some set time So it is with sin especially the sins of this people they had sinned grievously and were severed from their land not seven daies but seventy yeares the leprosie and filthinesse of their sins and lives was such Indeed sinne especially the sinne of nature it is a leprosie contagious pestilentiall and as a leprosie it spreads over all the parts and powers of body and soule Take a man that is not changed he hath a leprous eye full of adulterie hee hath a leprous uncircumcised â—are aske him how he judgeth of discourses and Sermons hee relisheth nothing but that which is frothy and vaine plaine substantiall solid discourses either in hearing or reading will not downe with him hee hath a leprous judgement his eyes and eares and tongue are defiled and corrupt he is vile and abhominable in his speeches he is uncircumcised in all all are uncleane all his powers are defiled by nature All the washings in the Law did signifie this the corruption and defilement of our natures which needs another washing which they tipified a washing by the blood and Spirit of Christ. Christ came by water and blood both in Justification and Sanctification There is a Fountaine opened for Iudah and Ierusalem to wash in All those washings shewed a defilement spirituall that needed a spirituall washing This sinne is a leprous contagious sinne therefore by nature we may all crie as the Leper uncleane uncleane the best of us may take up that complaint as farre as we are not renewed A leprous man defiled the things that he touched so it is with sinne till it be forgiven we defile every thing A proud man especially when he is set out in his bravery he thinkes himselfe a jolly man a brave creature alas he is a filthy creature not onely in himselfe but in every thing he puts his hand unto he taints and defiles every thing even civill actions hee sinnes in eating and drinking not that they in the substance of them are sinnes but he staines every thing for he forgets God in them he forgets himselfe exceedingly and he returnes not thankes to God so in morall civill actions much more in religious he defiles himselfe in every thing he is defiled to all things and all things are defiled to him this is our state by nature We are all as an uncleane thing This should enforce a necessity of cleansing our selves in the blood of Christ that is in the death of Christ who hath satisfied the justice of God Our natures are so foule in regard of the guilt and staine that the blood of God-man that is the satisfactory death of God-man was necessary to breed reconciliation and attonement betweene God and us And the blood of Christ which by the eternall Spirit offered himselfe must purge our consciences c. our consciences will not otherwise be pacified and cleansed in regard of guilt but will clamour and crie still much lesse will God be appeased neither God nor conscience will be pacified but by the blood of him who by the eternall Spirit offered up himselfe and then it will in regard of the guilt and staine then God and conscience will both be appeased Therefore in Zach. 13. There is a Fountaine opened for Iuda and Ierusalem to wash in And The blood of Christ cleanseth us from all sinne Blood is of a defiling nature but the blood of Christ cleanseth because it is a satisfactory blood he died and was a sacrifice as a publique person for us all Then againe considering that we are all defiled besides this cleansing from the guilt of sinne let us get our natures cleansed by the Spirit of Christ more and more wee are all defiled And take heed of those that are defiled take heede of sinners who would willingly lie with a leprous person yet notwithstanding for matter of marriage and intimate society there is a little conscience made men converse with leprous company they joyne in the most intimate society with those that are leprous in their judgements The life of nature we know and are carefull to avoid what may impaire it but it is a signe we have not the life of grace begun in us because we doe not valew it if we had we would be more carefull to preserve it and to take heeed of contagious company Who would goe to the Pest-house or to one that hath Lord have mercy upon us on the doore none but a mad man he might doe soe and surely those that joyne with swearers and drunkards and filthy persons and goe to filthy places and houses as many doe the more shame for them they think they have no soules nor no account to make 〈◊〉 goe to these places and infect themselves It is a signe they have no life of grace all companies are alike to them Is this strength of grace No they have no life of grace they have nothing to loose for if they had the life of grace they would preserve it better Sinne is a filthy thing more filthy then the leprosie nay then the plague it selfe for the plague or leprosie makes but the bodie loathsome but the sinne that we cherish and are loath to heare of makes the soule loathsome The one makes unfit for the company of men but the other sinne and corruption and lusts unfit us for the Kingdome of God for Heaven for life or death therefore it is worse The leprosie of the body makes a man not a whit odious to God but the leprosie of the soule makes us hatefull to him We may have more intimate communion with God in the plague then out of the plague because God supplies the want of outward comforts but in sinne we can have no comfortable communion and society with God therefore this plague of the soule is many waies worse then the pestilence But we want faith God hath not opened our eyes to see that that we shall see and know ere long and it is happie if wee consider it in time To conclude this point concerning the corruption of nature take Davids course Psal. 51. when sinnefull actions come from us or unsavourie words or beastly thoughts or unchast and noysome desires that grieve the Spirit of God let us go to the Fountaine alas my nature is leprous as farre as it is not purged I was conceived in sinne my mother brought mee forth in iniquity The more we take occasion every day to see and observe the corruption of our nature the lesse it is and we cannot better take occasion then upon every actuall sinne to run to the fountaine the filthy puddle from whence all comes and be more humbled for that then for particular sinnes It is a mistake in men they are ashamed of an action of injustice c but they should goe to their nature and thinke I
we humble our selves before God Alas I am dust and ashes I abhorre my selfe as Iob and Abraham said lay all proud apprehensions of our selves aside and all good workes especially in one kinde in matter of justification all is dung in comparison of Christ. All must be sold for the pearle the Righteousnesse of Christ. There is no reckning must be had of good works by way of merit in justification and our title to Heaven What gives us title to Heaven and frees us from Hell The death of Christ the obedience and satisfaction of Christ. God by it hath redeemed us perfectly without any thing in ourselves and accepts us to life everlasting onely by the Righteousnesse of Christ therefore it is called Gods Righteousnesse because it was done by Christ it was wrought by God Our righteousnesse is as a menstruous cloath it is spotted and stained and defiled it will not doe the deed it will not satisfie conscience much lesse the exact piercing judgement of God that is the righteousnesse that must stay our soules in life and death and we must oppose it to all temptations as a satisfying thing that will set downe conscience to be quiet it must be the Righteousnesse of God-Man nothing else will doe it All our righteousnesse is as filthy raggs that is the confession of their sinfull actions The next thing he confesseth is sencelesnesse There is none that calls upon thy Name that stirreth up himselfe to take hold of thee There be other words betweene concerning the complaint of their miserable estate but I will handle them that concerne their sins first There is none that calls upon thy name In a word he meanes that none worshipped him because prayer is put for the whole worship of God as indeed it may well be put for the whole for it exerciseth all the graces of the Spirit What one grace is not set on worke in prayer it is put for all the inward worship of God Jf it be faith prayer is the flame of faith when there is faith in the heart there will be prayer in the mouth The knowledge of God prayer is grounded upon a Promise so it comes from that part of spirituall worship Hope hope makes a man pray no man would powre out his supplications but to him that he hath hope in And for Love Gods love and mercy drawes us into his presence and joy and delight in the presence of God drawes us to pray We give God the honour of all his attributes in prayer of his truth of his goodnesse of his mercy of his presence every where c. So it sets all graces on worke and gives God the honour of all It is the worship of God every way for though it be an outward verball worship of it selfe yet it expresseth the worship of God inward it gives God the honour of all Therefore those that pray not what kinde of persons are they Wretched persons The sicknesse is now among us Jf a man should aske now what Family is likeliest to have the vengeance of God on it though I speake not to censure those that have it but I speake in Gods ordinâ—ry course surely those that doe not exercise the duâ—y of prayer Powre out thy wrath upon those that call not upon thy name Those families that call not upon God humbly morning and evening or that person that doth not morning and evening reverently call upon God they are fit objects for the vengeance of God for the plague or the like Powre out thy wrath upon the families and persons that call not upon thy name insinuating that the Lord will spare us if we doe call upon his name and humble our selves If thou wilt needs powre out thy vengeance let it be on them that have not grace humbly to call upon thy name Let us make conscience of this duâ—y except we will prove athiests and lie open to all the vengeance of God There is none that stirreth up himselfe to take hold of thee He represents God to us as a great person that would bestow some benefit and is ready to turne away himselfe yet none layes hold of him or desires him to stay so saith he there is none that laies hold on God to keepe him that he should not goe away Therfore when he saith None calls upon thy name or stirs up himselfe to take hold of thee he meanes there are none that pray earnestly Incense was to be burnt or else it cast no sweet smell our prayers must have fire and zeale in them our prayers must be cries that must pierce Heaven Out of the deepe have I cried unto thee Lord. Wee must stirre up our selves wee must waken our selves to waken God indeed before we can waken God we must waken our selves There is none stirreth up himselfe to take hold of thee Insinuating that if we would lay hold of God he will be staied To speake a little more particularly of this God is so gratious that he will be staied even by prayer the way to stay God in his judgements and to lay hold of him and to keepe him among us it is prayer Let us take notice now of the hand of God upon us what is the meanes to stop his hand that he come not among us with his publick judgements It is prayer The way to stop God and the Angell that hath his sword now drawn over our heads it is prayer God so condiscends that hee will be stopt by prayer as we see in Exo. 13. he saith to Moses let me alone Moses prayed and alleadged arguments to God that he should not confound his people Let me alone saith he insinuating that prayer binds Gods hands So powerfull is prayer that it binds the Almighty it makes the omnipotent in some sort impotent hee cannot doe that he would he cannot execute his wrath prayer binds him when a company of Christians lay hold on him by prayer he cannot doe that he threatneth the onely way to lay hold of God is by prayer In Ezek. 22. there is a complaint that none stood in the gap insinuating that if any had stood in the gap when the vengeance of God was comming abroad they might have prevented the wrath the way to stand in the gap and to keep God is to pray and to pâ—ay hearâ—ily Now that God may be held by our prayers they must be strong prayers every prayer will not hold God they must be strong prayers that must bind such a Sampson that hath his strength therefore there must be a stirring up of our selves he saith here There is none that stirreth up him selfe to take hold of thee So it is the duty of Christians to stirre up themselves in these times How shall we stirre up our selves First by considering the danger we are in danger felt or feared it will make a man lay hold When a child feeles the smart of the rod he layes hold upon his father or his mothers
God Because as there is a great deale of Atheisme in regard of God so there is much dead flesh in regard of men Who is so pitifull of our brethren round about as he ought We had need to stirre up our selves the danger is present we are beset round about yet who is stirred up to earnest prayer we want bowells of compassion Those that have hearts compassionate it is a signe that God intends good to them but of the most we may take up this complaint we are dead-hearted in regard of our sinnes against God and in regard of the contagion among us A man may see it by mens discourses there is inquirie how the sicknesse spreads how many dies but men doe not labour with God to make their accounts even with him nor we are not compassionate to men for that would bee a meanes to stirre and to rouze us up to lay hold of God to stay his hand out of love and pitie and compassion to our brethren which are our flesh though it should never seize on us I say I feare this complaint is too justly on many of us I beseech you let us labour to amend it as wee tender our owne salvation perhaps that wee doe not regard so much we shall ere long but then as wee tender the health of our bodies which wee preferre before our soules let us humble our selves more then ordinarie now Some divells are not driven out but by prayer and fasting so some judgements they will not away without prayer and fasting not onely publique but private fasting and prayer Sometimes there must be more then ordinary humiliation for some sinnes for some kinde of temptations there must be prayer and fasting for some maladies prayer and fasting and more then ordinary stirring and rouzing up of our selves to lay hold upon God God will not be held with ordinary humiliation that will not doe it but there must be a resolution against and a hatred of all sinne and to please God in all things We must doe it with extraordinary humiliation now because the judgement is extraordinary There is ordinary humiliation and extraordinary as there are ordinary feasts and extraordinary so there is ordinary humiliation for daily trespasses but in extraordinary judgements extraordinary fasting and humiliation As there is ordinary washing daily but there is washing and scouring at good times God calls for extraordinary humiliation now not onely prayers but stirring and rouzing up of our selves We should apprehend the danger as seizing on our selves this night it may seize upon us for ought we know It should affect us and make us stirre up our selves This is the way to hold God by prayer and if we hold him he will hold the destroying Angell he hath all creatures at his command Thus you see how we should confesse the sins of our persons the sins of our good actions our want of calling upon God There is none that calls upon thy Name that stirres up himselfe to take hold of thee Thus farre proceed the branches of their sinfull disposition in those times Now he complaines likewise of the judgements of God Wee all fade as a leafe Our iniquities as the winde have taken us away Thou hast hid thy face And we are consumed because of our iniquities The complaint hath these foure branches a little of each We all fade as a leafe Wicked men are as leaves and worse they are as chaffe Godly men because they have a consistence and are rooted in Christ and set in a good soile they are trees of righteousnesse But godly men in the state of their nature and in regard of this life they are as leaves wicked men are as leaves every way and as chaffe which the winde bloweth away as we shall see afterwards We all fade as a leafe He meanes first in regard of ceremoniall performances that were without vigour and spirit of true devotion There was no spirit in their Legall performances they were dead emptie things therefore when judgement came they were as leaves So an idle carelesse hearer when judgement comes all is as leaves when conscience nips him as his atheisticall heart will doe ere long then he is as a leafe all fades away The Jewes when they were in trouble all their Legall performances faded they were all as a leafe So is it true in regard of mortality the vanity of health and strength wee all as a leafe fade away when Gods judgements come to nip us Men are as leaves as the leaves now in autumne fall and there is a new generation in the spring and then they fall away and a new generation comes againe so it is with men some are blowne off and some come on againe Wee all fade as a leafe not to be large in the point At this time we are all as leaves in this Citie now there is a kinde of wind that nips a world of men many hundreds in the head It is an autumne winde that nips the leaves our autumne winde with us is before the time a kinde of autumne winde in the spring in summer that nips the leaves and takes away the vigour of health And so as I said for all idle performances that have not a foundation in substantiall piety they are all as leaves when trouble of conscience comes they are as Adams figleaves when God comes to search and examine they all fall off both in respect of our performances and in respect of our lives wee are all as leaves when God comes in judgement this is one part of the complaint We are all as leaves the like we have of Moses the man of God Psal. 90. when God blowes upon us with the winde of his displeasure we fall off as leaves Then another expression is Our iniquities as the winde have taken us away As chaffe or things that have no solidity in them are blowne away with a puffe of winde so it is with a man if he be not a Christian set into and gathered unto Christ. By the fall we all fell from God and were scattered from him sinne blew the Angels out of Heaven it blew Adam out of Paradice and now Christ the second Adam gathers us to him againe by his Word and Spirit and so we have a solid and eternall being in him But out of Christ our iniquities as a winde and Gods judgements blow us all away first or last Wicked men settle on their dregs a great while but when Gods judgement comes it blowes them in this world to this part and that part oft-times when it pleaseth him to exercise his outward judgements but if he doe not blow them away here he will give them a blast that shall send them to hell their center Out of Christ there is no solidity no consistence or being for any man therefore when Gods judgement comes it blowes them away in this world and at the houre of death sends them to hell this is the state of
of Christ we are helped and assisted against the remainders of our corruptions For the third the miseries of this life we have victori◠in Christ In him we are more they conquerours as you have it in this Chapter They can doe us no harme Nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Iesus We have 〈◊〉 singular comforts in this Chapter against all the troubles than can be fall us and this is one that triumphs over all All things shall worke for the best to them that love God What should I speake of hurt from any thing that befalls us when all shall worke for the best by the over-ruling of him that commands all Vers. 28 And for death it selfe Neither life nor death shall be able to separate us from the love of God And for damnation which accompanies death It is God that justifieth who shall condemne There is opposite comforts in Gods Booke nay in this Epistle and in this Chapter against all that may any way trouble our peace There is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Iesus saith the Apostle and then he goes on after to shew how by the helpe of the Spirit all things worke for the best c. In this very Verse likewise you have this comfort set downe of our freedome by Christ from any thing that may hurt us For the Law of the Spirit of life in Christ Iesus hath made me free from the Law of sinne and of death The words are dependant as we see in the particle for For the Law of the Spirit of Life c. They depend upon the first Verse thus as a reason why how ever there be sinne in Gods children yet there is no damnation to them There is no condemnation to those that are in Christ Iesus he prooves it thus Those that are free from the Law of sinne and of death which brings in condemnation those undoubtedly are free from damnation but those that are in Christ Jesus they are freed from the Law of sinne and of death therefore there is no condemnation to such But how shall we know that we are in Christ Jesus Those that have the Spirit and are led by the Spirit of Christ they are in Christ The Law of the Spirit of life in Christ Iesus hath freed me from the Law of sinne and of death So I say the words are especially a reason of the former There is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Iesus because by the Spirit of Christ they are freed from the Law of sinne and of death and by consequent they are freed from damnation for what brings in damnation but sinne In the words then there is an opposition there is Law against Law The Law of the Spirit of life in Christ and the Law of sinne and of death Now where there are contrarie Lawes if there be contrarie Lords as there must be New Lords will have new Lawes especially if they be Lords by conquest they will alter the very fundamentall Lawes that were before as you know the old Conquerours have done in this Kingdome Here is Law against Law and Lord against Lord Christ against sinne and death Here is a Lord by conquest over all other Lords and Lawes therefore here must needes be an alteration of Lawes upon it the very fundamentall Lawes must be altered But to come more particularly to the words For the Law of the Spirit of life in Christ Iesus hath freed me from the Law of sinne and of death The words are much vexed by Expositors I will rather speake my owne judgement of them and reconcile them then dash one mans judgement against another for that tends not to edification The Law of the Spirit of life c. The meaning of the words is plaine if we compare it with other Scriptures The Law It is nothing but a commanding power for so the word written the Law in the Apostles meaning is but a power forcing and commanding So the Law of the Spirit of life is the commanding and forcing power of the Spirit of life in Christ Iesus and so the Law of sinne it is either the tyrannicall command and forcing power of sinne or else the condemning for sinne afterwards as we shall see hereafter for we shall unfold the words better in the particulars First then here we have set downe what estate we are in by nature we are under the Law of sinne and of death And then here is our freedome and deliverance from that we are made free from the Law of sinne and of death And then the Author of it Christ Jesus The Law of the Spirit of life in Christ Iesus hath freed me from the Law of sinne and of death In the words and those that goe a little before there are these three maine fundamentall points of Religion The miserie and bondage of man The deliverance of man And his dutie Here you have his miserie he is under sinne and death Here is his deliverance he is free from this by Christ. And for his dutie you have it in the last Verse of the former Chapter speaking of his deliverance Oh wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from the bodie of this death then it followes Thankes be to God through Iesus Christ our Lord Thankfulnesse is due not verball thankfulnesse onely Indeed the whole life of a Christian after his deliverance is a reall thanksgiving but that is not in my Text. To speake therefore of our estate by nature and of our deliverance our estate is that we are under the Law of sinne and death We are under the Law of sinne We are under sinne what sinne We are under a three-fold sinne We are under the first sinne of our first father for as Levi payd Tythes in Abraham to Melchisedech so we all sinned in the Loynes of Adam our first Parent and the guilt of that first sinne lyes upon us Secondly there is another sinne that is derived and springs from that first sinne which is the deprivation of the Image of God the pravation of our nature we call it originall sinne whereby we are stripped of that good we had in our first creation and have the contrarie image the image of Satan stamped upon us so we are under the first sinne the guilt of it and we are under the sinne of nature which we call originall sinne because it is derived to us even from our birth and first originall we had in Adam And then we are under actuall sinnes which are so many bonds to tie us fast under sinne We are dead by nature but we are dead and rotten by actuall sinnes we super adde to the guilt of our sinne by our dayly conversation We are blind by nature but we are blinded indeed much more by our custome of life Every sinne doth as it were tie us faster to damnation and keepes us faster under the bondage of sinne Every new sinne takes away
and to have societie with the Devill and his Angels in hell and that forever and for ever Thou maist perhaps make â—light of the service of sinne because thou hast the present baits to delight thee but thou shouldst regard death Thou maist neglect death but then regard eternall death This word Eternall it is a heavy word Eternall separation from all good and eternall communion with the Devill and his Angels and for the wrath of God to seize on thy soule eternally world without end me thinkes men should not set light by that Therefore considering that this is our estate by nature we are all slaves to sinne and death let us labour to get out of this cursed estate by all meanes which is by The Law of the Spirit of life in Christ Iesus Now I come to speake of our freedome The Law of the Spirit of life in Christ Iesus hath freed me from the Law of sinne and death This is good news indeed to heare of freedome good newes to the Israelites to heare of freedome out of Egypt and for the Jewes to heare of Cyrus Proclamation for their freedome out of Babylon Freedome out of bondage is a sweet message Here we have such a message of spirituall freedome from other manner of enemies then those were The yeare of Jubile it was a comfortable yeare to servants that were kept in and were much vexed with their bondage when the yeare of Jubile came they were all freed therefore there was great expectation of the yeare of Jubile Here we have a spirituall Jubile a manumission and freedome from the bondage we are in by nature The Spirit of life in Christ makes us free from the Law of sinne and death There is life in Christ opposite to death in us there is a Spirit of life in Christ and a Law of the Spirit of life in Christ opposite to the law of sinne and of death in us So that this is our happinesse while we live here oh it is the blessednesse of men to make use of it while they have time and space and grace to repent and to cleave to Christ that whatsoever ill we are under by nature we may have full supply in Christ for all the breaches that came by the first Adam There came the wrath of God the corruption of our nature terrours of conscience death and damnation all these followed the sinne and breach of the first Adam all these are made up in the second He hath freed us from all the ill wee received from the first Adam and that we have added our selves for we make our selves worse then we come from Adam by our voluntary and daily transgressions but wee are freed from all by the Law of the Spirit of life in Christ Iesus How comes this freedome There can no freedome be without satisfaction to divine Justice For why are we under sinne God gives us up to sinne why are we under death God gives us up to death Why are we under Satans government he is Gods executioner Gods serjeant he gives us up to him here because we offend him Why are we under damnation and wrath because God is offended All our slavery comes originally from God however it be sinfull in regard of Satan that keepes us yet the power whereby he keepes us is good for he doth it from God His will is alwayes naught but his power is alwayes lawfull therefore the power whereby the Devill keepes us if wee looke up to God under whom the power is it is a lawfull power for God hath a hand in giving us up to finne it is a judiciall giving up and then by lusts and â—inne to Satan and death and damnation So if we speake of freedome wee must not begin with the executioner the wrath of God must be satisfied God must be one with us so as his Justice must have contentment Satisfaction must be with the glory of his Justice as well as of his Mercie his Attributes must have full content one must not be destroyed to satisfie another hee must so be mercifull in freeing us as that content must be given to his Justice that it complaine not of any losse Now reconciliation alway supposeth satisfaction it is founded upon it And satisfaction for sinne it must be in that nature that hath sinned now man of himselfe could not satisfie divine Justice being a finite person therefore God the second Person became man that in our nature hee might satisfie Gods wrath for us and so free us by giving payment to his divine Justice The death of Christ God-man is the price of our liberty and freedome But why doth the Apostle speake here of a Law of the Spirit of life in Christ which frees us but here is no mention of satisfaction by death Oh but death is the foundation of all as we shall see afterwards To unfold the point therefore because it is a speciall point and the words need unfolding Here it is said there is life in Christ. A Spirit of life in Christ. and a Law of a Spirit of life in Christ. There is life in Christ not onely as God for so indeed he is life God his life is himselfe for life is the being of a thing and the actions and moving and vigour and operations of a thing answerable to that being So the life of God is his being As I live saith the Lord that is as I am God I will not the death of a sinner Now Christ hath life in him as God as the Father hath but that is not especially here meant There is life in Christ as God-man as Mediator Now this life is that life which is originally from the God-head indeed it is but the God-heads quickening and giving life to the man-hood in Christ the Spirit quickning and sanctifying the man-hood And we have no comfort by the life of God as it is in Gods life alone severed for alas what communion have wee with God without a Mediator but our comfort is this that God who is the fountaine of life he became man and having satisfied Gods Justice he conveyes life to us he is our head hee hath life in himselfe as God to impart spirituall life to all his members so there is life in Christ as Mediator And there is a Spirit of life that life it is a working life for spirit is an emphaticall word spirit added to a thing increased the thing Againe he saith the Law of the Spirit of life Law is a commanding thing to shew that the life in Christ it is a commanding life it countermands all opposite lives whatsoever of sinne and death and this Law is a countermand to all other Lawes the Law of the Spirit of life frees us from all other Lawes So here is life the Spirit of life and the Law of the Spirit of life all words of strong signification But for the cleare understanding of this sweet and comfortable point First
sanctified judgement and a mighty power to raise the soule to cast it selfe so upon Gods mercy in Christ. So that besides the obtaining saluation by Christ there must be a grace to apply it and this faith doth Faith is said to doe that that Christ doth because faith layes hold upon Christ what faith doth Christ doth and what Christ doth faith doth therefore it hath the same actions applyed and given to it that Christ hath Faith is said to save us you know it is Christ that saves us but faith layes hold on Christ that saves us faith purgeth the heart and overcomes the world Christ by his Spirit doth all this but because faith wrought by the Spirit is such a grace as layes hold on the power of Christ it goes out of it selfe to Christ therefore what Christ doth faith is said to doe So then the Law of the Spirit of life in Christ not onely freed Christ himselfe by his Resurrection but likewise by the same power whereby hee raysed himselfe he rayseth our hearts to beleeve what hee hath done both in his state of humiliation and exaltation and makes all that Christ did ours The Spirit of life in Christ Iesus working faith in us and by faith other graces doth free us from the Law of sinne and death Christ doth it and faith doth it and grace which issues from faith doth it subordinately Christ doth it by way of merit and by his Spirit working faith in us to lay hold upon whatsoever Christ hath done or suffered as if we had done it our selves so it frees us from the law of sinne and death because it layes hold of the freedome wrought by Christ for us But besides and next to faith there is a Spirit of sanctification by which we are free from the commanding law of sinne and death But to cleare all this consider there is a freedome in this life and in the life to come from sinne and from death A freedome in this life in calling in justification in sanctification and in the life to come a freedome of glory There is a freedome in effectuall calling by the minâ—sterie of the Gospel the Gospel being preached unfolded faith is wrought whereby wee know what Christ hath done for us and wee see a better condition in Christ then we are in by nature seeing by the Spirit of God the cursed estate wee are in we are convinced of sinne in our selves and of the good that is in Christ and hereupon wee are called out of the thraldome wee are in by nature by the Spirit of Christ and the Word of God unfolding what our condition is for man by nature having selfe-love in him and that selfe-love being turned the right way he begins to thinke I doth the Word of God say I am a slave to sinne and damnation the Word of God can judge better then my selfe and then the Spirit of God sets it on with conviction that undoubtedly this is true And together with the cursed kingdome and slavery that I am under there is discovered a better state in Christ for the Gospel tells us what we are in Christ freed from hell and death and heires of heaven oh the happy estate of a Christian to be in Christ The Gospel with the Spirit discovering this a man is called out of the cursed estate he is in by nature to the fellow-ship of Christ by faith which is wrought in this calling so that now he comes to be a member of Christ by faith so that whatsoever Christ hath or is or hath done or suffered it is mine by reason of this union with him by faith which is the grace of union that knits us to Christ and the first grace of application So there is the first degree of liberty and freedome wrought by the Spirit of God together with the Gospel in effectuall calling The second is in justification that faith and beleefe in Christ that was wrought in effectuall calling it frees me from the guilt of my sinnes For when the Gospel in effectuall calling discovers that Christ is such a one and that there is such an estate in Christ and there is faith wrought in me then that faith layes hold upon the obedience of Christ to be mine For Christ in the Gospel offers his obedience to be mine as if I had done it in mine own person whatsoever Christ did or suffered is mine for he is made of God to be Wisedome righteousnesse sanctification and redemption to be all in all the Gospell sets him forth to be so Now faith laying hold of Christ to be made of God all in all obedience righteousnesse c. whatsoever is needfull hereupon this faith justifies me hereupon I come to be free from the guilt of my sinnes because my sinnes were laid upon Christ Christs death was the death of a surety it was as if I had dyed my selfe and more firme thus I come to be free in justification for what my surety hath done I have done Againe there is a freedome in sanctification that is when a man beleeves that Christ is his and that his sufferings are his then the same Spirit that discovers this to be mine it workes a change and alteration in my nature and frees me from the dominion of sinne The obedience of Christ frees me from the condemnation of sinne and the Spirit of sanctification frees me from the dominion of sinne This is the freedome of sanctification which faith layes hold on Whosoever hath not the Spirit of Christ is none of his Christ as a head derives to me the holy Spirit to sanctifie my nature and of his fulnesse we receive grace for grace so the Spirit of sanctification in Christ frees me from the dominion of sinne and death It is said here that by Christ we have spirituall liberty and freedome not from sinne and death but from the law of sinne and of death It is one thing to be freed from sinne and death and another thing to be freed from the law of them for wee are not indeed freed from sinne and death but from the law of sinne and death that is from the condemning power of sinne that though sinne be in us yet it doth not condemne us and though we die yet the sting is pulled out death is but a passage to a better life So I say in Justification wee are freed from the condemning power of sinne and in sanctification from the commanding power of sinne When we are knit once to Christ we have the obedience of Christ ours in justification and the holinesse of Christ is derived to us as from the head to the members in sanctification and so we are freed from the law of sin To understand this a little better the same Spirit that sanctified the naturall body the humane nature of Christ wherby he became bone of our bone and flesh of our flesh the same Spirit doth sanctifie the mysticall body of Christ
to send us to heaven and make us partakers of that we desire most First wee desire that God will be with us here and secondly that we may be with God in heaven they make Gods children partakers of their desires by killing of them Let Tyrants and all persons that have a malignant disposition to the Church of God and are armed with power let them doe their worst the cause must stand impregnable Christ will have a Church and Kingdome in the world and their spirits will be impregnable against them they may kill them but they cannot hurt them they may kill them but they cannot kill their courage As we see in the Martyres there was the Spirit of God in them above all the dealings of of the persecutors there was a fire of Gods Spirit in them above all outward fire whatsoever You see it must be taken for granted that the Church of God and every particular Christian hath many enemies against them as it is Psal. 129. From my youth up saith the Church they have fought against me but they have not prevayled From my youth up from Abel to the last Saint that shall be in the world there will be alway some against Gods people yet their comfort is that none shall be against them to prevaile either over the Spirit of God in them or over the cause that they manage First of all you see then that the state of a Christian in this world is an impregnable state and a glorious condition Here is glory upon glory from this clause to the end of the Chapter If God be with us who shall be against us If God gave his Sonne for us shall hee not with him give us al things else there is another glorious speech Who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods people another glorious triumphant speech another glorious speech Who shall separate us from the love of God founded in Christ Hee loves Christ first and us in Christ as members and as he loves him eternally so he loves us eternally too Therefore you see every way the state of a Christian is a glorious condition Who can be against us You see the state of Gods people it is an impregnable and glorious condition Then by this meanes those that are strange Paradoxes to flesh and blood yet they agree in a Christian. He is never alone when hee is alone God is with him the Father Son and Holy-Ghost are with him Angels are with him God is not only with him but his guard is with him and Gods Spirit is with him and in him victoriously both in grace and comfort Christ saith to his Disciples when they thought to leave him alone saith hee you cannot leave me alone My Father is with me and Saint Paul towards his latter end that had deserved so well of the Christian world All forsooke me saith he but the Lord forsooke me not but delivered me out of the mouth of the Lion So a Christian is not alone hee is not left to the mercy of his enemies but God is with him and who shall be against him to prevayle over him Againe though a Christian be a worme a person trampled upon for so the Church is the most afflicted part of man-kind yet Feare not thou worme Jacob. The world accounts them as wormes and they account themselves so they are trodden on as wormes they are wormes upon earth yet they have a glorious head in heaven and a glorious guard about them strange things agree in a Christian therefore let us not stumble though wee see not these things presently the life of a Christian is a mysterie Againe hence we see that a Christian profession to be a sound Christian to have true faith in Christ to be one with Christ and to be taken out of the state of nature this condition and the happinesse of it it hath the strongest foundation of any life in the world Christianity is founded upon the strongest and the greatest reasons that can bee Faith stands with the greatest reason that a thing can doe Why The comfort of a Christian is that he hath no enemy that shall prevaile over him and what is the ground of that God is with him God the Father Son and Holy Ghost Faith is that that layes hold upon that presence and promise and covenant of God and is not faith well bottomed A Christian that carries himselfe valiantly and couragiously is not his course grounded on sound reason Is not God with him God the Father is his father God the Son is his Redeemer God the Holy Ghost is his Comforter There is no other men that have strong reason for their course for that choise that they make of their Religion and of their wayes they prove but fooles in the conclusion onely the sound Christian that by the Spirit of God hath his eyes open to see the cursed estate he is in by nature and what it is to be in Christ and by a Spirit of faith is made one with Christ hee is the truely wise man in his faith and affiance that the world mockes at that hee hath no common supports in the world which hee cares not for if God be on his side hee cares not what man can doe against him as it is Psal. 118. you see on what ground it is founded God is with him and none can be against him Let us labour to lay up these principles wee worke according as our principles are Principles are the foundation of all conclusions that arise from them As our grounds are so are we in our faith and working and grace and comfort every way if wee have rotten principles if the grounds of our comfort bee rotten our course will be rotten and uncomfortable in the conclusion Let us build upon the Rocke to be well bottomed and founded that our principles and grounds bee strong and that they be so to us for what if God be with his if he be not so to us Let us labour to lay up sound grounds Grounds have influence into the whole course of our lives this one Text hath influence into all the parts of our lives in doing in suffering in all conditions I know not a more pregnant fruitfull principle in the Scripture than this If God be with us who can be against us It is like a pearle little in quantity few in words but strong in sence large in the fruit that issues from it Therefore as wee may carry pearles or precious things wheresoever we go because there is a great deale of worth in them and they be small in quantity so wee may carry this principle with us let us bee sure to lay it up and make use of it There be these two That there is a God and that God is with his children and so with his children that hee will subvert and overthrow all their enemies and all their plots and endevours a principle of wonderfull comfort If
himselfe Thou art a God that hidest thy selfe hee seemes as a stranger in his owne Church to be as a way-faring man as the Prophet saith he takes no notice of his Church and their afflictions hee seemes not to take them to heart nor to pitty his Church Oh! but this is but for a time and for tryall Can a mother forget her childe Isai. 49. Put case she should yet will not I forget thee God hides himselfe but a while to try the graces of his children and to give way to the enemies to let his children to see their corruptions his wise dispensation And these desertions wee must be acquainted with God seemes to be away from his children yet he is with them and supports them with invisible strength Hee seemes to bee with wicked men in prospering them in the world that they have al at their wil in outward things yet he is farre from them hee withdrawes himselfe in spirituall things they have no grace no sound inward comfort And he seemes opposite to his children hee leaves them outwardly in regard of assistance and friends but they have an invisible inward presence of the spirit to support and strengthen them therefore measure not desâ—ertions Gods being or not being with us by outward respects for so he is with the enemies of the Church oft-times and not with his children But hee is with his in the sweetest manner supporting of them when they are in darkenesse and see no light of Gods countenance yet they have so much light though they thinke they see it not as makes them trust in God Let him that is in darknesse and sees no light trust in the name of God Therefore as I said it is a principle pregnant for comfort and use if God be with us he is with us in life and death for whom he loves he loves everlastingly from everlasting to everlasting If this be so what shall wee doe to God againe what is the best evidence to know that God is with us There is a relation betweene God and his he is so with them as that they are with him likewise in all passages Doth he chuse them they in time chuse him Whom have I in heaven but thee and there is none in earth that I desire in comparison of thee Doth hee call them they answer Doth hee justifie and free them from their sinnes they make that answer of faith that Peter speakes of I doe beleeve Lord help my unbeliefe they have faith to lay hold upon the forgivenesse And likewise if God be with them they can delight in Gods presence Can God delight to bee present with them that have not grace to delight in him Gods children maintaine their communion with him in all the sanctified meanes they can they are afraid to breake with God Therefore those that to please and give content to others and for base ends will displease their God it is a heavie signe that God as yet hath not shewed himselfe in his gracious mercy in Christ Iesus to them If God be with us wee will be of his side and his enemies shall be our enemies and his friends our friends Hee that claimes this that God is with him he will say I will bee with God and for God God hath two things in the world that wee must have a care of his Church and his cause take them out of the world the world is but a hell upon earth a company of miscreants prophane godlessâ— impudent poysonfull creatures take away the cause of God Religion and the people that are begotten by Religion and what is the rest of mankind The world would not stand but be all upon heapes for a company of sinfull wretches that will have their wills but it is for the Church and people of God that the world stands Now hee that hath God with him and he is in termes with God that they are friends as Abraham was the friend of God he will side with God and Religion Gods cause shall bee his cause and Gods people his people hee will cleave to Gods side as the safest if hee may have never so much prâ—ferment in the world hee will not joyne with Antichrist hee will not betray the cause of Religion if hee might have a world for it Why because he knows if God be with him who can be against him God hath given us understanding and grace to maintaine friendship with him to haâ—e common friends and common enemies Therefoâ—e if we stand not for God let us never talke of Gods presence with us Hee will bee present to confound us to overthrow us and pursue us to Hell but not graciously present without wee labour to maintaine the cause of Religion as farre as wee may God is with us if â—â—e be with him 2 Chron. 15. if wee be with God to take his part hee will be with us to protect and defend us to guide and comfort us and to give issue to all our affaires Not that our being with him is the prime cause of his being with us but it is an evidence to know whether hee be with us as wee make profession when as farre as our callings will suffer wee be with him and maintaine his cause Againe If wee would know whether we be with God and hee with us aske conscience whether it bee with thee for conscience is Gods Vicar Is conscience with thee dost thou not sinne against conscience What conscience saith God saith and what it forbids God forbids especially when it is enlightned by the word doth conscience speak peace to thee from the Word then thou art with God and God is with thee Especially in the great point of justification doth conscience speak peace to thee in the blood of Christ is thy heart sprinkled with it that it is not as the blood of Abel that cries for vengeance haâ—t thou a spirit of faith to beleeve that Christ shed his blood for thee in particular then thou art with God and he with thee because God hath sprinkled the blood of Christ upon thy heart What course shall wee take to keep God comfortably with us Looke thou be in covenant with him and not onely at large in covenant but looke that continually upon all occasions thou renew thy covenant for sometimes Gods children may be in covenant they may be his children yet because they renew not their covenant especially after some breaches God is not with them so comfortably as hee would to free them from their enemies as wee see in the case of the Benjamites Gods people sometimes may have the worst though they be in covenant because they have committed some sin and have not renewed their peace and covenant with God Therefore if we would make a comfortable use of this truth that God is with us and would finde him so in our affaires and businesse let us renew our covenant upon all occasions and
downe the glorious condition of the Church in this world in part yet the desire of the Church rests not in any condition here therefore it is carried to the consummation and perfection of all There shall be a kind of new world at the conversion of the Iewes but when the Church is under that blessed condition yet it is under desires still of farther perfection till an end be made of all things Therefore this saying here Come hath reference to the future state of the Church All the desires of the Church are restles till the consummation of all things in the latter comming of Christ. It carries all before it in a desire Come Lord therefore to call the Iewes Come Lord to confound Antichrist which must be before that for the Iewes wil never come in till the scandal of Idolatry be removed when all this is fulfilled then come Lord to make an end of this sinful world As it is with a river it carryes all before it till it discharge it selfe into the Ocean where it is swallowed up so it is with the desires of a Christian they carry all in the meane time between heaven and them in a streame and never rest â—â—ll they be swallowed in heaven it selfe and â—â—e second comming of Christ to finish 〈…〉 s and then is the period of all happinesse and â—he accomplishment of all promises when Christ shall come to be glorious in his Saints The words they are as it wâ—re â—n eccho aâ— answere backe againe of the Bride the Spouse of Christ unto his promise of his comming which he makes twise in this Chapter in ver 7. Behold I come quickly and in ver 12. Behold I come quickly and he comes not empty handed My rewardâ— is with me Now the Church here ecchoes backe againe Christ saith I come and the Spirit and the Bride say come The words containe the most heavenly desire that can be of the most excellent personage in this world the Queene the Bride of Christ and it is a desire to the most excellent person absolutely Christ himselfe a desire of his comming and it is stirred up by the most excellent Spirit the holy Spirit of God for the meaning of the words is this The Spirit and the Bride say Come not as distinct and severed but the Bride by the Spirit saith Come the Holy Ghost in the Bride as it is Rom. 8.26 Wee know not what to pray but the Spirit makes intercession How is that The Spirit makes intercession by making us make intercession for what Christ doth the Spirit causeth us to do for there is one Spirit in Christ and us So the Bride by the motion of the holy and blessed Spirit say Come The order of our discourse upon these words shall be this First to speake of the person wishing and her condition The Bride And then of the desire of this excellent personage the Bride And then of the mooving cause that stirres up the Bride to desire the comming of Christ First for the person the Bride The Church is sometime compared to a woman for weakenesse sometimes to a wife for faithfulnesse to her Husband and Christ sometimes to a Bride because she is contracted to Christ in this world sometimes to a mother for her fruitfulnesse sometimes to a Virgin for her chastity here to a Bride because this life is but the time of Contract but the consummation of the marriage shall be in heaven Now this contract between the Church and Christ and betweene every particular soule and Christ for both are the bride of Christ. Even as it is the same soule that is in the little finger and in all the whole body the same soule enlivens both so it is the same Spirit in the Bride in generall and in every particular Christian therfore the Bride is both every particular Christian the whole Church Now the contract that is made betweene the soule and between the Church Christ it is by the Spirit of God which knits the soule to Christ and Christ to the soule And for this end that Christ might be a Husband and contract this Bride to himselfe in our nature he married our nature that he might marry our persons There is a three-fold degree of union An union of Nature An union of Grace An union of Glory The union of nature was then Christ tooke our nature upon him The union of grace is when we take his nature when wee partake of the divine nature The union of glory is when we shall all be in heaven The first is for the second and the second for the third Christ became bone of our bone in nature that we might be bone of his bone with him in grace and so perfectly one with him in glory We see the Bride that is the Person Here I might take occasion to speak of the sweet comfort that issues from this that the second Person in the Trinity should dignifie us so much as to take us to unity with and contract us to himselfe but I will not speak much of this point having spoken more at large of it out of the Canticles If marriage be honorable what is this marriage and contract which is indeed the patterne of all other others are but shadowes to this Hence comes the sweet security peace of the Church from this contract between Christ and it for all our debts are discharged by this he tooke upon him our sins And then the Church hath interest in him and all his in this contract and marriage which is to be consummate all that he is hath is the Churches All is yours because you are Christs What a large comfort is this if we had hearts to consider of it and to improove it his grace serves for the Church Of his fulnesse wee receive grace for grace So wee may say of all the priviledges that Christ hath they are first in him and then in the Church the Church shines in his beames And as it is matter of wondrous comfort so it is likewise matter of more speciall comfort in case of infirmities The Church is a woman therefore the weaker vessell Now God that bids us beare with the woman as the weaker vessell to honour her with the honour of gentle usage for that honor is meant he that teacheth man his duty will he not performe it himselfe to beare with his Church as the weaker vessell Especially when it is the condition of the marriage Hosea 2. I will marry thee to me in mercy wee may clayme mercy as a part of our dowry by Christ pardoning mercy forbearing pittying mercy we make not use of this comfort when we are discouraged But this teacheth us likewise how to carry our selves to Christ as we should doe chastly to take heed how we judge of things we must keep our judgements chast A Christian hath not liberty to ryot in his opinion to run at randome to see what 〈◊〉
higher house in heaven and the lower on earth and both say come What is the reason that the Church in heaven saith Come Because the Church in heaven have bodies that be rotting in earth which bodyes helped them to serve God on earth fasted with them and prayed with them and indured pains and toyle with them The soule acccounts it selfe imperfect till it be joyned to its old companion the body againe therefore it desires Come Lord that my body may be united to me againe that so wee may both perfectly prayse thee in heaven Then againe they have not all their company all the Saints are not gathered and they will not be merry indeed till they all meet in heaven therfore that all may meet even the Church in heaven hath a desire Come Lord so both heaven and earth agree in this they meet in this desire This may be a ground of tryall whether wee be truely the Bride of Christ or no the ground of the tryall may be gathered hence whither is the bent of our desire carryed is our condition so here as that wee desire to be as we are still then all is naught with us The Church we see saith come nothing will content her in this world so those hearts that are wrought upon by the Spirit of God nothing here will content them but still they say come The disposition in carnall persons is cleane contrary they say as it is in Iob Depart from us wee will none of thy wayes they are of the mind of the Devill in the Gospel Why doest thou come to torment us before our time doe not come If it were in the power of most men in the Church whether Christ should come to judge the world or no doe you thinke they would give their voyce that way that Christ should come they would never do it for they know how unfit a condition they are in for the second comming of Christ. If theeves and malefactors might have liberty to chuse whether there should be Assizes or no surely they would never have any so it is with the men of the world that live in sinfull wretched courses that abuse their tongues and their bodies are they of the disposition of the Bride to say come oh no they know they have not done their duty therefore let us enter deepely into our owne soules and try whether cordially we can yeeld this desire of our hearts to say come Therefore to spend a little time in a further search if wee can truely say Come we will desire Christ to come into our soules now to rule our soules now to come and make way for himselfe in our hearts Is it possible for the soule to desire to goe to Christ that will not suffer him to come to it If Christ rule not in us wee shall never raigne with Christ if Christs Kingdome come not to us we shall never enter into Christ Kingdom therefore the soule that hath this desire truly to say Come it will give Christ entrance into it and let him come by his Ordinances Come Lord by thy word come by thy Spirit into my heart close with my heart drive out whatsoever is there that will not give thee liberty to raigne as thou wilt these desires will be in a true heart it will not cherish wilfully those desires that are contrary to this Shall we thinke that that Christian that saith these words in good earnest will put Christ away in his Ordinances and not care for to heare his word nor care to meet Christ here in earth and yet pretend a desire to meet him in heaven where is Christ here is hee not in his Congregations and Assemblies of his Saints those therefore that despise the Ordinances of God and yet pretend that they desire that Christ should come doe they not prophane the Lords Prayer when they say Hallowed be thy name Thy Kingdome come They patter it over they doe not meane it in good earnest when they despise the Ministery and the Ministers and whatsoever is Christs despise the motions of his Spirit and will not suffer him to rule in their hearts but are ruled by rules of policy and reason and flesh can they say Come No they doe abhominably prophane the Lords Prayer what kind of Service is that when their desires are quite cleane contrary It is a protestation contrary to their faith and therefore it is a nullity they professe in their prayers that they would have Christ to come and yet their course of life is contrary they would not have him come Againe those that truly desire Christ should come they will be subordinate helpers under Christ to promote those things that tend to his comming before Christ comes Antichrist must be abolished and consumed the Jewes must be converted and the number of the Elect must be consummate and finished Therefore what shall wee say when those that pretend to desire the comming of Christ shall countenance heresies that mâ—st have an end first And those that are against wholesome Lawes to be made in that kind those that countenance Idolatry and false worship stablishing what Christ must abolish before he come can they say Come in good earnest Their course is contrary to what they pray Therefore indeed and in good earnest we pray Thy Kingdome come and say with our soules as the Church here Come when we set our selves to abolish heresie and false worship of God that is adulterous and promote the true Service of God when we labour in our places that the number of the Elect may be consummate when wee labour that our children may be Gods children and our servants may be Gods servants and every one in our places labour that the Kingdome of Christ may be inlarged If wee put not to our helping hand to that wee pray for it is a contradiction Those therefore that live scandalous lives iâ— scandalous courses and speeches and hinder the conversion of peoples soules and labour to draw them to wicked hellish courses when they post to hell themselves and labour to draw others into cursed society with them selves they cannot truly say as the Church here Come Let us take it to heart that we doe not mocke and dally with Religion it is a greater matter then we take it for It is impossible but a Christian that saith his prayers in earnest should be thus affected unlesse wee make a mockery of Religion Againe if we can indeed say Come there will be a fitting for this comming a preparing our selves for it for our going to Christ. Is it not so in civill things and doth not grace worke that that nature doth in a higher degree If we desire that a great person should come to us will there not be a fitting of our houses of our apparell and entertainement â—â—table to the worth of the person or else a man may say surely you looâ—e for no body this day there is nothing fitted and prepared so if we
Spirit in the Spouse saith Come The Spirit doth all as the soule doth all in the body it acts it and leads it and comforts it and gives beauty to it so the Spirit first knits Christ and us together there is the same Spirit in Christ the head and in the Church there is one common Spirit in head and members And when it hath done so it acts and leads and sanctifies and purifies the Church it acquaints the Church with the good things that God hath given her acquaints her with the deepe meaning of God the love of God in Christ it acquaints God with our desires hee knowes our meaning in our prayers and we know his meaning it acquaints us with the state we shall have after and assures us of it It is the earnest of the Inheritance the Spirit and the graces of it are not onely the earnest but a part of that Inheritance a part of heaven where our bodies shall be spirituall not that they shall turne to be spirits but they shall be ruled wholy by the Spirit as the soule rules the body As it is in a river it is impossible that the streame should run higher then the spring-head from whence it comes so it is impossible that our desires should rise higher then the spring from whence they come the desires of nature cannot goe higher then nature the desires of the flesh are fleshly but spirituall desires as they spring from heaven they have a noble originall and head so they carry to heaven againe Therefore as the Spirit comes from God the Father and the Sonne so it carries us backe againe to the Father and the Sonne as it comes from heaven so it carries to heaven back againe That is one way to know whether our desires be spirituall or no our desire of death and of the comming of Christ if it be from wearisomnesse of life and from afflictions in the world so nature may desire I were better be dead then to be thus as Ionas wished death and the children of Israel and Elias in a passion oh that I were dead c. but if those desires spring from the Spirit then they come from heaven from the consideration of the excellency of the state wee shall have there that it shall be better with us and that death is but a darke passage to a glorious condition We may know our desires are spirituall from the rise of them if they come from spirituall and holy and heavenly considerations the Spirit doth all in the Spouse that is holy and Spirituall Therefore let us give entertainment to the Spirit of God and be where we may have further and further communion with the Spirit in spirituall Ordinances The preaching of Gods holy Word though it be meanely esteemed by the world it is the Ministerie of the Spirit in the hearing of it the Spirit is given if we would have the Spirit let us attend upon the Ministerie of the Spirit And let us study Christ and make him all in all Saint Paul questions with the Galathians saith hee I would know of you how came ye by the Spirit by hearing of Christs Gospel or of the Law preached No it was by the Gospel so that not onely the Ministerie in generall but the Evangelicall Ministerie that unfolds Christ and the infinite love of God in Christ the excellent condition we have in this world and look for in the world to come the Spirit is effectuall with these thoughts to make us holy and heavenly The Law beats downe but the Gospel especially these Evangelicall truths make us spirituall Therefore wee should be willing to heare spirituall points There are a company of men that love to heare curious and nice points and if a Minister be quaint anâ— satyricall and unfold points sutable to their apprehension they can digest this but come to speake of things above nature of Christ and the benefits by him they are spirituall they are remote and transcendent above their nature that they cannot relish them But he that hath the Spirit of Christ of all points there are none to those that unfold Christ and the benefits by him the glory that wee hope for by him in another world And let us not grieve the Spirit but give way to his motions The Spirit is now among us in his Ordinance knocking at our hearts and desiring entertainement let us give way and not quench the good motions that hee stirres up and the Spirit shall be given more and more to us The Holy-Ghost is given to them that ebey him And let us beg the Spirit God will give his holy Spirit to them that aske him Luk. 11. As if hee should say the Spirit is the best thing that God can give you that are evill can give good things to your children but your heavenly Father hath one good thing instead of all he will give his Spirit Therefore when wee find our hearts dead and dâ—ll and earthly and base-minded thinke thus Alas I am a lump of flesh now where is the Spirit of God certainely if I had the Spirit in me I could not be as I am If we love our soules we will take this course wee trifle with Religion else God doth all by the Spirit the Spirit is Christs Vicar here is no need of a Ministeriall head betweene the Spouse and Christ the Spirit and the Spouse are so neere together there is such a conjunction betweene Christ and his Church that where the Spirit is hee stirres up desires of his comming Onely let us attend upon the meanes and Ordinances that hee hath left in his Church And let us consider wee are not for this life we are not to live here alway the child in the wombe is not for that life and when it is in the world it is not for this life there is a third life that we are for An imperfect state rests not till it come to perfection our best is behind let those that are naught feare the second comming of Christ. Let Herod and Iudas and the beast of Rome feare that shall be cast into the burning lake Let Felix tremble the corrupt Judge and all that live in corrupt courses But wee that professe our selves to be Christians and hope for better things in another world let us labour to banish base feares and to this end let us labour to be spirituall and not to be lead by the flesh Whosoever is Christs hath the Spirit of Christ or else he is none of his as it is sweetly and largely and heavenly prooved Rom. 8. We have nothing to doe with Christ unlesse we have his Spirit to stirre up motions and desires of better things then this world can afford FINIS DAVIDS CONCLVSION OR THE SAINTS RESOLVTION In one Sermon By the late learned and reverend Divine RICHARD SIBBS Doctor in Divinitie Master of Katherine-Hall in Cambridge and sometimes Preacher at Grays-Inne Ieremy 30.21 Who is this that ingageth his heart to approach
we look for the Saviour who shall change our vile bodies and make them like his glorious body according to his mighty power whereby he is able to subdue all things to himselfe So you see the blessed Apostle led with the same spirit as the man of God here he considers not what men do he fetcheth not the rules of his life from the example of the great ones of the world or from multitude these are false deceiving rules but he fetcheth the rule of his life from the experimentall goodnesse he had found by a contrary course to the world Let the world take what course they will it is good for me to draw neare to God I might adde a little further that The course and corrupt principles of the world are so far from shaking a child of God that they settle him They stir up his zeale the more As we say there is an antiperistasis an increasing of contraries by contraries as we see in winter the body is warmer by reason that the heat is kept in springs are warmer in winter because the heat is kept in So the spirit of God in the hearts of his children works boyles when it is invironed with contraries it gathers strength and breaks out with more zeale as David Psal. 119. when he see men did not keep Gods law we see how he complaines to God It is time Lord for thee to work Indeed it is the nature of opposition to increase the contrary those that have the spirit and grace of God in truth they gather strength by opposition Therefore the use we are to make of it is to discerne of our selves of what spirit wee are what principles we lead our lives by whether by examples of greatnesse or multitude or such like it is an argument wee are led by the spirit of the world and not by the spirit of God Gods children as they are severed from the world in condition they are men of another world so they are severed from the world in disposition in their course and conversation therefore from these grounds their course is contrary to the world But it is good for me But is not in the originall it is And it is good for me but the other is aimed at the sense is But it is good for me to draw neere to God and so it is in the last translation Thus you see what way we have made to the words I do but touch these things and it was necessary to say something of them because the words are a triumphant Conclusion upon the former premises And in the words in generall observe this first of all that God by his spirit inableth his children to justifie wisdome by their owne experience To make it good by their owne experience It is good for me to draw neere to God And this is one reason why God suffers them to be shaken and then in conflict to recover that after recovery they may justifie the truth nihil tam certum c. nothing is so certaine as that that is certaine after doubting nothing is so fixed as that that is fixed after it hath been shaken as the trees have the strongest roots because they are most shaken with winds and tempests Now God suffers the understanding that is the inward man of the best men to bee shaken and after settles them that so they may even from experience justifie all truths that they may say it is naught it is a bitter thing to sinne Sathan hath abused mee and my owne lust abused me and intised mee away from God but I see no such good thing in sinne as nature perswaded me before As travellers will tell men you live poorely here in such a country you may do wondrous well there you shall have plenty and respect and when they come there and are pinched with hunger and disrespect they come home with shame enough to themselves that they were so beguiled So it is with Gods children sometimes he suffers them to bee foyled and lets them have the reines of their lusts awhile to taste a little of the forbidden tree that after they may say with experience it is a bitter thing to forsake God it is better go to my former husband as the Church saith in Hosea when God took her in hand a little sinne will be bitter at the last So the prodigall he was suffered to range till he was whipped awhile and then he could confesse it was better to bee in his fathers house God suffers his children to fall into some course of sinne that afterward by experience they may justifie good things and be able to say that God is good And the judgement of such is more firme and doth more good than those that have beene kept from sincking at all God in his wise providence suffers this We should labour therefore to justifie in our owne experience all that is good What is the reason that men are ashamed of good courses so soon It may be they are perswaded a little to pray and to sanctifie the Lords day to retire themselves from vanity and such like I but if their judgements be not setled out of the book of God and if they have not some experience they will not maintaine this therefore they are driven off Now a Christian should be able to justifie against all gainsayers whatsoever can bee said by his owne experience That to read the book of God and to heare holy truths opened by men led with the spirit of God it is a good thing I find Gods spirit sanctifie me by it To sanctifie the Lords day I find good by it by experience That where there is the communion of Saints holy conference c. I can justifie it if there were no Scripture for it I find it by experience to bee a blessed way to bring me to a heavenly temper to fit mee for heaven So there is no good course but Gods children should be able both by Scripture and likewise by their owne experience to answer all gainsayers when either their owne hearts or others shall oppose it he may bee able to say with the holy man here it is no matter what you say It is good for me to draw neere to God So much for the generall To come more particularly to the words It is good for me to draw neare to God HEre you have the justification of piety of holy courses which is set downe by drawing neare to God And the Argument whereby it is justified It is good This glosse put upon any thing commends it to man for naturally since the fall there is so much left in man that hee drawes to that which is good but when he comes to particulars there is the errour hee seekes heaven in the way of hell he seekes happinesse in the way of misery he seekes light in the way of darknesse and life in the way and path of death his lusts so hurry him
immortality there is no death in that birth A Christian as hee is a new creature hath a generation to eternitie hee never dies In regard of our being here there is generation after generation successions of men but when wee are new borne though wee cease to be here we go to heaven He that beleeves in mee saith Christ shall never die Man that is 〈◊〉 of a Woman saith Job hath but a short time to live and that short time is full of misery but man that is borne of the spirit hath an eternall time to live and that a happie life All flesh is grasse in regard of this life we lead which is supported with meat and drink and the comforts of this life all flesh is grasse and the beauty of it as the flower of the grasse but the Word of God indureth for ever and as Saint Iohn saith hee that doth the will of God indureth for ever The word of God indures for ever because it makes us having the spirit of God to indure for ever The world passeth and the lusts of it but he that doth the will of God that is new borne by the word of God and transformed to the obedience of God he abides for ever Would you abide for ever and not passe from alteration to alteration as wicked men they alter and come to nothing and worse than nothing then labor for this estate this is the way to abide for ever this life hath no date of daies no death Labour to plant our selves in Christ by faith that so in him wee may have an eternall estate Thou art our habitation from generation to generation It was a Psalme that was made upon occasion of their falling away in the Wildernesse they dropped away as leaves and few of them came to Canaan Well saith he we fall away here and wither as grasse c. But thou art our God from generation to generarion that is wee have a perpetuall subsistence in thee A Christian when hee is in God by being in Christ hath a perpetuall everlasting subsistence As we are Temples of God so he is our Temple wee dwell in him thou art our habitation c. Who would not labour to bee in such an estate for in this world there is nothing but a succession of Generations Secondly Every man hath a particular generation There is some emphasis in this David in his generation For men drop not into the world at all adventure but every man hath his own time appointed when to come into the world and when to goe out some in one time and some in another Therfore the times wherin they live are foreknown of God he hath set downe when such a man shall be borne in such an age of the world so long he shall live such work hee shall do and when he hath done his worke he shall be taken away hence and another shall come and stand up in his place So every man hath his own generation designed and appointed and ordained by God himselfe from all eternity not only his generation but all the circumstances of it the very place of his abode the time and season and country where he shall live all are set downe It is usefull for this end to observe in what times our lot is fallen to what times God hath reserved us what generation and age we live in to consider of the state of the times Are they good blesse God that hath reserved us to those times We pittie some good men that lived in ill times as our Countrie-men in Queene Maries time and other dark times they were worthy men and it was pitty they lived not in better ages certainly they would have beene excellent men then Therefore we should blesse God for reserving us to better times What makes the times better The discovery of salvation by Iesus Christ the discovery of the meanes of happinesse in another world In what age there is a cleerer discovery where there is most spirit working together with the outward meanes that is a blessed age the spirit of God was not working so much in former times of darknesse and Popery Then there were many that followed the Beast to their eternall destruction though God had mercy on many soules that followed him As it is said in Scripture they followed Absalom in the simplicity of their hearts not knowing whither they went so they followed Popery in the simplicity of their hearts not knowing the danger God had mercy on them yet certainly thousands of them were wrapped up in darknes they were miserable times then Those that know Popery wil say so those that read the story will say so the world was wrapped in wars and miseries in those times It is true our times are not so good as they should be and in many regards they are miserable times and we must not murmure at this dispensation of God if God hath so appointed that our lot shall be to live in hard and ill times I say in some respects these are bad times for the world the older it growes the worse it is As it is in a sinck the further it goes the more soyle it gathers so al the soyle of former times are met in the sinck of later times in that respect this generation is an ill generati◠but if we consider what makes times good the manifestatiō of Christs glorious Gospel that hath shined for a hundred yeere more in our Church the discovery of the means of salvation so cleerly the abundance of the spirit with the meanes making men to apprehend the means enlightning their understandings to make use of them and working their hearts to obedience look in what age these are they are happie times Witnesse our Saviour and he is the best Iudge Happie are the eyes that see the things that yee see and the eares that heare the things that you heare Oh! in former times if they had seene that that wee see and heard that that wee heare they would have accounted themselves happy Oh! those that lived two hundred yeeres ago though they were good men if they had lived to see that that we see and to heare that that we heare living in the glorious lustre and Sun-shine of the Gospell how would it have reioyced them Therefore as we have cause to consider of the ills of the time and generation that wee bee not swayed away with them so we have cause on the other side to blesse God that hath reserved us to these times of knowledge In regard of the ills we may say with Saint Austin Lord to what times are we reserved But in regard of the good things wee may say blessed be God that hath reserved us for these things that he hath cast our time thus that we should be borne in this generation in the blessed time of the Gospell in this second spring of the Gospell We should blesse God for it
subordinate rules whatsoever what is that The word of God it hath authority from it selfe not borrowed of men it is a rule that rules all is ruled of none others rule but by this rule this is a rule ruling the very rulers of the world No mans will is a law further than it is squared by this law of lawes It is an inflexible rule it cannot bee bent to mens purposes man would bring Gods will to his will but it is the measure that measures all and is measured by none for we must not judge the word the word must judge us You have some presumptuous persons that will judge and murmure at the word but the word will bee too good for them and judge them Hee that judgeth the law and gives sentence on the law shewes himself a foole the law must judge him much more the law of God therefore it is authenticall These are the maine properties of that that must be a rule to judge our lives by Now the word of God is both knowne and is not subject to errour any kind of way and it is equall to all things that may fall under it and it is authenticall of credit for it selfe let men say what they will it must rule and not be ruled Therefore David when hee ordered his course of life by this will of God he deserved this commendation that in his generation he served the will of God There bee subordinate rules in their kind as the Law of Nature and the Lawes of men direct in things of this life to doe them in that manner according to the rule a civill Law for civill actions mens Lawes for mens actions but when we doe any thing holily we must have direction from Gods Law and that must put the respect of service to God upon our actions For howsoever wee doe things civilly by the Civill Law and doe things comely by the Law of Nature Nature teacheth us to carry ourselves in a decorâ—m to give every man his due but it is not a service of God except it be directed by the rule of God a man cannot serve God without a higher rule than man can give But you will say how shall wee apply and make use of this rule in particular actions the Word is but short but actions are infinite the Word of God directs me not to this or that action and â—aith you shall doe this or that in particular but gives generall rules how shall we come to carrie our selves in particular actions here is the skill for a rule is not to hang up a measure is not to bee cast aside but to be applied a rule is a thing in relation to a thing ruled and a measure to things measured and if we doe not apply it we lose the use of it How shall we know how to serve the Will of God in every particular action Besides the generall Word of God we have some outward helpes and some inward The outward helpes are First the Ministery that is one maine outward help and what is the Ministery for but to dig up the treasure the Myne of God to lay open the Will of God in particular to branch out and lay open and anatomize the duties of such and such callings by their Ministeriall gifts which God hath given his servants in a competent measure to give particular directions They have their callings for this end to speak a word in season they have the tongue of the learned God hath not set up this calling for naught therefore as we goe to the learned in the Law in doubts in that kind so in particular doubts why doe we not make use of those that study that way if it be in such a case as perhaps we have no light in our selves It is one end of their calling because perhaps our callings are such as that we cannot studie particulars our selves therefore God hath sanctified that calling that wee might have the use of it that is one Another outward helpe for particulars it is communion with good people those that are led with the spirit of God for wee must know that God oft times laies up the practise of one man in the breast of another because he would knit man to man We are oft times at a losse the best of us all in particular directions what to doe sometimes a meaner man in some things than our selves can give better directions in particular than our selves shall we storme and swell at this no it is Gods wisdome that one man should carrie that which is for the speciall use of another that wee might take counsell and aske advise one of another A wise man ordereth his doings by Counsell saith the Wiseman and oft times he that takes advise of himselfe hath a foole to his Counsellour and he beshrewes himselfe that he would not take the benefit of another mans advice therefore besides the publique Ministerie this is one helpe our Christian friends and acquaintance and they are reserved for such a time A friend is made for adversity for ill times in perplexed and doubtfull cases this is to make use and benefit of others Againe the Lawes of men what are the Lawes if they bee good but particular determinations of the Will of God We ought to have reverent conceits of the Lawes for they doe but bring Gods generalls to particulars if they bee good Lawes if they have not their derivation from Gods Lawes they are naught but if they backe that in any thing they are nothing but a particular determining of the generall rules in Gods Word to give every man his due c. Therefore in many cases we may know what the Will of God is by the good Lawes of the kingdome which bind the Conscience to obedience There is no disobedience to mens Lawes but where there is disobedience to Gods Lawes first which hath stablished mens Lawes And then in some particulars when it doth not appeare what wee should doe the example of good people of the wisest and best in the ranke and place where wee live till wee know the contrary the best way is to rest in their judgment to follow the advice of others the direction of friends or the Lawes and customes and not to be refractary and opposite except there be reason to the contrary for mans spirit is a divine thing it must alway be led with some reason but with this reservation a man may keep to others till it appeare otherwise till hee see other light and direction to take this course This is the â—disposition that should bee in every peaceable â—man These bee some outward helpes to know the Will of God in particular actions The inward helps to know what Gods Will in particular is together with the Word of God unfolded The Spirit of God which is as a voyce behind us saying This is the way walke in it Isa. 30. Wherefore serves the blessed Spirit
but to be a Counsellour as Isa. 9.7 Christ he is the blessed Counsellour how comes he to be so not immediatly by himselfe but by his Spirit All things he doth to his Church is by his Spirit he fills his Church with his Spirit Now the children of God having this Spirit of Counsell to advise them in particulars they are led with the Spirit This is one inward help and a maine one And surely if we would give way to the blessed guidance of Gods Spirit and not grieve and quench and resist the Spirit the Spirit of God would be readie to direct us upon all occasions wee should be guided in particular actions with a better Spirit than our owne And this Spirit we may have by prayer God will give the Spirit to them that beg him Luk. 11. Then another inward helpe is particular grace which God gives to his children Particular prudence to speake words and to doe actions in season that every thing may bee beautifull in its time There is Sapience Wisedome and Prudence I Wisedome dwell with Prudence It is the wisedome of a man to understand his way what to doe in particular or what not to doe It is Prudence or discretion to discerne of differences now that grace of God is in some measure given to all his children he makes them wise to understand their owne way They are not so wise perhaps for other things it is not their way God lets some men goe with a lesse measure of discretion to heaven than others because he hath lesse worke for them to doe but every man hath as much as will bring him to heaven the lesse he hath himselfe the more hee shall have of others Some men are excellent in gifts of Wisedome they can tell you generalls out of the Booke of God excellent well but come to directions in particular and you shall have meaner men of better discretion than they Either we have it our selves or else God will associate us and by his providence cast us upon other acquaintance that have a greater measure of this grace that hee will have us acquainted with God gives every one of his a Spirit to discerne what to speake how to advise how to comfort what to doe And the meanest Christian is more in this for religious actions than the greatest man in the world that hath not the Spirit of God for hee can tell in particular how to beare afflictions and how to enjoy prosperity because the Spirit directs him what to doe Againe God hath put into every man a Conscience wherefore serves conscience but especially to direct in particulars There is a faculty of the soule that wee call a Treasurie a preserving faculty that is to lay up generall rules out of the Word of God and directions out of good bookes and from the counsell of other men it is a faculty to treasure up rules therfore it hath the name of preserving but there is a conscience under this that being sanctified by the Spirit of God being directed in generall by the word of God it directs in particular Conscience tels us this in particular you ought to doe this you have done in this particular you have done well in this you have done ill so conscience is put in us to check or direct us in particular It is Gods Vicar in every man together with the Spirit Conscience together with the Spirit is a great helpe to know Gods Will in particulars If men would not bee too bold with Conscience Conscience together with Gods Spirit would be faithfull to them Conscience may say as Reuben said to his brethren when they were in miserie Did not I tell you doe no hurt to the lad deale not so hardly with Ioseph as to cast him into the pit so many men do many things amisse Conscience may say did not I tell you this before it was naught and yet you would needs doe it yes certainly and when Conscience is not hearkned unto as a director it will scourge as a Iudge It hath many offices and it is good to keepe this Conscience in its office to let Conscience doe its full duty let Conscience direct us to the full Certainly if wee would hearken to this Vice-gerent in our hearts this littlegod that God hath placed there in mercie to guide our lives in particular it would be better with us than it is wee should end our dayes with more comfort and give a better reckoning than we can Againe experience may bee added as another helpe Experience is a great helpe in particulars for indeed generalls are raised out of experiments in particular Therefore those that are wise Polititians States-men they are not so out of bookes altogether but men of experience that can say such a case hath beene so at such a time so that out of observation and particular experience they are able to say upon the like case it should bee now at this time thus and thus If therefore wee would treasure up experience it would bee a good helpe to know what is to bee done in particulars to consider how it hath beene in former time and consider the experience of others you see then what the rule of our service is Gods Will with these helpes subordinate to it how to direct our selves in particular actions to serve the Will of God So much for that point Hee served NOw I come to the act of Service God must bee served according to his owne Will wee must search and trie what is the good and holy and acceptable Will of God Rom. 12. I have shewed how we may search in particular what the good and acceptable Will of God is Now when this is discovered the next thing is to serve God in the knowledge of his Will for all the blessings are annexed to service and not to knowledge If yee know this Will is there all no happy are yee if yee doe it If we know the rule and doe it we are happy What if wee doe it not Hee that knowes his Masters will and doth it not shall be beaten with many stripes It will but aggravate our damnation to know the rule to have directions what to doe and not to doe them Then the rule that we have hath another use if we use it not for direction in what wee doe it wil be brought against us at the day of judgment as a direction for God to damne us by this you knew this counsell you had these motions of the Spirit you had this Conscience told you this the Ministery and your friends told you notwithstanding you crossed and thwarted all when it is not a direction for us to obedience it will bee a direction for God to give sentence Therefore let us make conscience first to know the will of God which is the rule of all our actions by all the meanes we can and then to give service to it David served the will of God
his life was not unfruitfully and wickedly spent but he served the Counsell of God that had planted and placed him there in the world for that purpose Why hath God planted us here in the Paradise of the Church that we should not bee barren trees or bring forth ill fruit but that wee should serve him and bee fruitfull in our places This word service is a harsh word and such a thing as proud spirits could never digest Why did the Divells fall they would be in a state independent and not under others they would have their owne courses and therefore the Scripture saith they kept not their owne standing God set them in one course and they swelled and would not keep it The particular is not set downe in Scripture but they kept not their owne standing Neither the Divell who is a proud creature nor men led with the spirit of the Divell can indure service every man would be a God to himselfe to be guyded by his owne lewd will and lusts and God knowes they are blind guides and we shall know it to our cost if wee have not a better guide when the will of God is revealed therefore wee must have a care to serve it Now to serve implies two things especially an action and a reference of that action to the will of another that is service as I said before to do a thing and to do in obedience for if a man do never so many things if it be not in obedience to the will of another it is no service he serves himselfe so to serve God is when we know the will of God to do accordingly and to do it because it is the will of God then it is service or else it is a work indeed done but no service or obedience All obedience is with looking to the will and pleasure of another that hath authority to direct us and then we serve the revealed will of God when the whole inward and outward man is fashioned and framed to that when there is a measuring of both together as when wee obey the directions when wee tremble at the threatnings when wee imitate the examples of holy writ when we are raised up with the comforts when answerable to every divine truth there is an answerable disposition of soule when there is a sweet harmony betweene Gods truth and our inward and outward man Rom. 6. We must be cast into the mold of the word as a thing when it is molded in another frame it carries the print of the frame or mold so wee serve the will and word of God when we are molded answerable to that will Now more particularly this service of the will of God It is either immediate inward service of the will of God or outward service Inward service is the obedience of the first Commandement when upon the konwledge of God wee set him up in our soules and cleave to him in our affections of trust and joy and love and delight to give him the supremacie of all these then we serve him with inward worwip and service and this indeed is to set the Crowne upon Gods head and to make him King and God in our hearts he must have the prime of our inward service when we love God above all and feare him above all and delight in him above all cleave to him when all things else faile us this is the immediate service of God in our hearts when wee give God his owne in our hearts Hence comes all other service whatsoever or else it is but the eye-service that is not enlivened with the inward worship of God Now besides this inward there is a service of God that comes from this inward service which is of the outward man that is when we pray to God and that requires our words when we praise God in thanksgiving when we come to heare the word and to receive the Sacrament and so all outward holy actions are the service of God and are drawne from the inward immediate worship of God that I spake of before Besides these which come more immediatly from a sanctified spirit there is a service of God that is the obedience of the second Table when we do good to men with an eye to serve God as we say there is an elicite proper service of God a cōmanded service of God cultus imperatus All duties to men are a service of God when wee do them as commanded of God as because I love God therfore I honour my parents and Magistrates and therfore I will not commit adultery as Ioseph shall I do this and offend God So the Scripture alleageth reasons out of the first Table when wee are tempted to sinnes against the second Table and then the duties of the second Table are a worship and service of God when they are commanded by the first And this is the difference betweene a meere formall man and a Christian in his outward performances a Civil man is altogether for the second Table but hee hath not his rise from the first hee gives every man his due c. but it is not in obedience to God because God hath commanded him to do it but because he sees it is a deformed thing to bee unjust out of the light of nature hee condemnes the sinne but not out of religious respects it is not a service of God all this while I but when it is from love to God when that great command thou shalt love God above all sets him upon this then all the duties hee performes to man are a service of the will of God for God commands them Even the basest works are a service of God when they are done in obedience to God as Saint Paul tels them in Collos. 3. and Ephes. 6. the poore servant serves the Lord Christ when a poore servant is at his work imployed in the businesse of man poore common things yet hee serves the Lord all the while For God hath set him in that calling and he doth the second Table in obedience to the first and he serves men those that are his governors with an eye to the great Governour and Master that is above all that will reward them for their poore service however their Master reward them Ephes. 6. This is to serve the will of God then to yeeld to him the immediate service of the soule and the outward expressions of it and to go thorow all other duties as they spring from the first then wee are molded as I said before answerable to the word of God To apply this to our blessed man David and then to make use of it to our selves Thus did David serve the will of God in his time for you may see what he was hee is anatomised and laid open to our eyes in the Psalmes you may see his care of serving God in his 〈…〉 See how he cleaved to God in his 〈◊〉 in Psal.
2 67. R Reason Different conclusion of Gods Word and carnall Reason 2 135 Redemption Gods love greater in Redemption then in Creation 1 12 26. Reflect Man can Reflect upon his actions 1 100. Repentance Late Repentance seldome true 1 92. Benefit of lively Repentance 1 95. See Sinne. Reproach Reproach not to be regarded 1 â—45 Resolution Ground of Resolution 2 219. Riches To carrie our selves answerable to our Riches 1 48. Rule Properties of a Rule appliable to Gods Word 2 190. Rule how to bee applied in particular actions 2 194. See Word S Salvation Christ as man chosen to Salvation 1 19. Saints To delight in the communion of Saints 2 225. Sanctuarie Benefit of entring Gods Sanctuary 2 135. Satan When we are under Satan 2 10. Scripture How to understand the Scripture 2 164. Sealing Seâ—ling of Christ what 1 201. What use to make of Christs Sealing 1 204. How to know Christ is Sealâ—d for our good 1 205 209. Sealing threefold 1 206. Sealing of thâ— Spirit what 1 207. Servant Service Christ a Servant how 1 7. Comfort that Christ was a Servant 1 17. To offer Christ in our Service to God 1 20. Danger of deferring Gods Service 2 184. God the object of our Service 2 186. Service what 2 188 203. Common actions a Service of God how 2 â—12 Qualification of our Service of God 2 214. See Life Shaken Gods children Shaken why 2 141. Secret Secret will of God no rule 2 190. Security Security a forerunner of judgement 1 119. Sight Sin takes away the Sight of it selfe 2 21. Sinne. The hurt we have by Sin 1 90. Particular Sins foreshewing judgements 1 121. Naturally we are under Sin 2 5. Sin threefold Ibid. Justice of God to give men up to Sin 2 8. Misery to be under Sin 2 9. Fruit of thraldome to Sin 2 16 Men not given up to all Sinne alike 2 22. Wee should see death in our Sins 2 28. See Generality Death Leprosie Iudgement Sleepe The death of the godly a Sleepe 2 220. Society Society with carnall men to be avoided 1 151. Soule The Soule chiefly to bee cared for 2 228. Spirit How to know wee have the Spirit 1 30. Degrees of receiving the Spirit 1 32. The Spirit put on Christ how 1 33. Spirit given and received by Christ how 1 38. Three things wee receive by the Spirit 1 42. How Christ gives the Spirit 1 55. Spirit in Christ how 2 36. Meanes to get the Spirit 2 123. See Ascention Gospell Stirre See Hold. Strength God the Strength of a Christian 2 79. Successe Succession Christians indeavours Successefull 1 255. There is a Succession of men 2 172. Sufferings Service of God in our sufferings 2 209 214. Supply Our Supply whence it is 1 46. T Table Service of God in obeying the second Table 2 205 207. Tast. Tast a most necessary sence 1 193. Temptation Comfort in Temptation 2 53. Thankefull See Popery Thraldome See Sin Time Times Time when especially to bee improved 1 129. Why to make use of Time 2 173. How our Times both miserable and happie 2 177. To serve God our whole Time 2 183. Gods children must serve their Time 2 218. Every mans Time allotted by God 2 219. Tirannie Tirannie of sin 2 19. V Vaine-glory Vaine-glory why to bee avoided 1 72. Valew Ground whence to Valew Christians 1 30. By what God Valews his children 2 167. Violence Violent Violence offered the Kingdome of Heaven how 1 233. Christians disposition Violent how 1 235. Ground of this Violence â— 236 To judge our estate by our Violence 1 â—41 Violence after outward things 1 242. Violent onely take Heaven 1 251. Freedome of grace inforceth Violence 1 253. Holy Violence hopefull 1 254 Pretious things require Violence 1 259. Exhortation to holy Violence 1 61. Gospell in Luthers time imbraced with Violence why 1 265. How to get holy Violence 1 271. See Wisedome Vnderstandings How to use our Vnderstandings 1.102 Vnfruitfullnesse Vnfruitfullnesse a forerunner of judgement 1 126 Vs. All good in Christ before in Vs 1 40. How the Spirit takes from Christ and gives to Vs 1 41. How the Spirit is put on Christ for Vs 1 50. What Christ did was for Vs 2 41. W Washings Washings in the Law what they signified 1 295. Watchfullnesse Watchfullnesse when requisite 1 130. Will. Will of Christ to give himselfe 1 119. Will of God knowne and not done aggravates sin 2 201. Will-worship Will-worship why forbidden 2 189. Winde Wicked men blowne away as with a Winde 1 317. VVisedome What violence may stand with VVisedome 1 244. VVisedome in man corrupted 2 21. VVisedome justified by whom 2 140. VVord Spirit given in the Ministery of the VVord 1 55. Written VVord the rule of our service 2 189. VVorld Businesse of the VVorld hinders consideration 1 104. VVorldly things to be neglected why 1 171. Christians rule of life not from the VVorld 2 138. Ill courses of the VVorld settle Gods children 2 139. VVorship Prayer put for all Gods VVorship 1 304. FINIS 1 Tim. 3.15 2 Tim. 1.14 Scope of the words Christ promised in the old testament 1 To stablish faith in other promises 2 To comfort them against their owne unworthinesse 2 Cor. 1.19 The word Behold used 1 To shew Christ as present 2 To take their mindes off from their miseries 3 To raise their mindes from earthly things Christ a servant 1 By Condition 2 By Office In respect oâ— God 1 Pet. 3.18 In respect of us Gods love to us 1 In the person thus abased Phil. 2. 4. Conjunctions wonderfull Christs abasemeâ—t tâ—e greaâ—est 2 Whence Christ was so abased Gods love in Redemption greâ—ter then in Creation 3 The fruit of Christs abaâ—ement Matter of wondâ—rment in the worke of Redemption Christ a servant by way of excellencie Vse Seeing Christ was a servant wee should bee humble Vse 2. Comfort that Christ became a servant Christ chosen of God Christ chosen to his office Christ as maâ— chosen to salvation To reâ—t in Gods choice To offer Christ to God in our services Take heed of neglecting Christ. Christ beloved of God 1 As God 2 As Man 3 As Mediator 4 In regard of the execution of his office Quest. Answ. God loves Christ mysticall Comâ—ort Gods love to us grounded on Christ. God loves the worke of our redeâ—ption Comfort in our daily approach to God To stirre us up to deligâ—t in Christ. On what 〈◊〉 to valâ—w Chrâ—stians We may know we are in 〈◊〉 1 I we have his Spirit How to know we have the Spirit Degrees of Christs receiving the Spirit What is meant by putting the Spirit on Christ Three sorts of persons annointed Three maine defects in man Supplied in Christ. In what order Câ—riâ—t performes his offices Chriests priâ—stly office the principall Object Answ. How Christ both gives and receives the Spirit All 〈◊〉 in Christ then 〈◊〉 How the Spirit takes of Christ and gives to us Three things
consider how the Law of the Spirit of life is in Christ what it doth in him and then how it is derivatively in us First of all we must know this for a ground whatsoever is done to us is done to Christ first and whatsoever wee have Christ hath it first Therefore life is first in Christ and then in us Resurrection first in Christ and then in us Sonne-ship first in Christ and then in us Justification from our sins first in Christ he is freed from our sinnes and then in us Ascension first in Christ and then in us Glory in heaven first in Christ and then in us We have nothing in us but it is derived from Christ therefore this being layd as a ground we must consider how the Spirit of life works in Christ what it doth in Christ and then what it doth as it is in us for whatsoever Christ hath it is not onely for himselfe but for us What doth it in Christ The Spirit of life in Christ first of all it did quicken and sanctifie his humane nature that nature that Christ pleased to take upon him it stopped sinne it made a stop of originall sinne in sanctifying that blessed masse out of which his body was made for the foundation of his obedience actuall that it was so holy it was hence that his nature was purified by the Holy-Ghost in the wombe of the Virgin the foundation that his death and sufferings was satisfactory and acceptable it was that his holy nature was sanctified by the Spirit of God So the first worke of the Spirit of life in the Sonne of God it was to sanctifie and quicken that blessed masse that he tooke upon him And the Spirit of life that quickned and sanctified our nature in Christ did likewise ennoble our nature for even as a base woman is ennobled when she is taken in marriage with a great man shee hath his dignity accounted hers so our nature by the Spirit being sanctified is knit into the union of person with Christ that our nature and the second Person make one Christ so our nature by the Spirit is ennobled by this union And also inriched it with all grace that our nature is capable of for the nature of Christ had this double prerogative above ours First of all that blessed masse of flesh it was knit to be one person with God and then that nature was inriched and ennobled with all graces above ours And this the Spirit of life did to Christ himselfe to his humane nature that he tooke upon him that hee might be a publicke Person For God the second Person tooke not upon him any mans particular person of Peter or Paul or Iohn for then there should have beene distinct persons one person should have dyed and another rise but hee tooke our nature into his Person so that the same Person that did dye was God though he dyed in our nature that he might be a publicke Person So we must consider Christ sanctifying our nature that he might sit and sanctifie all our persons But did the Spirit of life doe nothing else but sanctifie and inrich the humane nature of Christ with grace Yes for the Spirit of life in Christ did sanctifie him for his Sacrifice as he saith Iohn 17. in that blessed prayer I sanctifie my selfe for them it prepared him for his death and made him a fit Sacrifice When he entred upon his calling he had more of the Spirit the Spirit of life as it were was increased For it is no heresie to thinke that the gifts of Christ for the manifestation of them were increased For in every state he was in hee was perfect and when he set upon his Office and was baptised hee was fuller of the Holy-Ghost as it were there was a fuller manifestation then before when he did not set upon his Office openly In his death what did the Spirit of life then It supported him in his very death for there was an union of the Spirit when there was a separation of his soule and body there was not a separation of the union That which gave dignity and strength and value and worth to his death it was the Spirit though there was a suspending of the comfort a while yet there was no separation of the union but I speake no more of that being not especially meant here But especially in his Resurrection which we are now to thinke of by reason of the day and it is not amisse to take all occasions especially then the Spirit of life that had sanctified Christ and quickened him and inriched his nature and supported him and done all that Spirit of life quickened the dead body of Christ And he was mightily declared to be the Sonne of God by the Spirit of sanctification Rom. 1.4 by his Resurrection from the dead The Spirit of life raised him from the dead and put an end to all that misery that he had undergone before for our sakes For untill his resurrection there was as it were some conflict with some enemies of Christ either with Satan or the world or with death it selfe he lay under death three dayes untill Christs body was raised our enemies were not overcome Gods wrath was not fully satisfied it was not declared to be satisfied at least for he being our surety till he came out of the grave we could not know that our sinnes were satisfied for But now when the Spirit of life in Christ comes and quickens that body of his in the grave and so doth justifie us as it is Ro. 4. He dyed for our sinnes and rose againe for our justification that is by the Spirit of life in Christ quickning his dead body hee declared that we are fully discharged from our sinnes because he was fully discharged from our sinnes being our surety hee shewed by his Resurrection that he was fully discharged from all that he tooke upon him When a man comes out of prison that is a surety his very comming out of prison shewes that he hath a full discharge of all the debt hee undertooke to pay so the Spirit of life raising Christs body the third day manifestly declared that the debt he tooke on him was fully discharged and so as he dyed for sinne to satisfie Gods Justice for them so hee rose againe for our justification to shew that hee had a full discharge for all Now since the Spirit of life in Christ Iesus hath quickned his body the soule may make a bold demand to God as it is in 1 Pet. 8. It may make that demand Rom. 8. Who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods Elect it is Christ that dyed nay rather that is risen againe and ascended into heaven and makes intercession for us Who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods people it is God that justifieth who shall condemne our sinnes Christ hath taken our sinnes upon him and satisfied divine