there he findes nothing but happinesse and holinesse as in hell there is nothing but sin and misery As no good can goe to hell so he sees no bad no sinfull and uncleane thing can get entrance into heaven Revel 21.27 saving grace tels him and he beleeves it that without holinesse he shall not see Gods face in heaven Heb. 12.14 and therfore he followes it with such earnestnesse of desire and endeavour and prizeth Christ in whom all holinesse is stored up for us above all things whatsoever Fourthly saving grace taketh a mans heart off from his own ends in all things and teacheth him to seek Christ not so much for selfe-ends as Christs ends When the Lord doth convert a soule to him and workes saving grace in his heart as he gives him a new principle to worke by so he gives him new ends to worke for Before conversion Selfe is all in all to a man Selfe sets him at worke and he workes altogether by selfe principles and to selfe ends God is not in all his thoughts Psa 10.4 for indeed selfe is his God But when God comes to take his place againe in the heart and to be God to a soule then he becomes the utmost end of that soule also so that as he will do nothing but by him commanding and strengthning so he does all to him and for him the soule is now lifted up above it selfe it soares aloft at greater matters then belong to selfe Selfematters are but as flies in his Eagle eye he stoops not to them but as the ponderous flesh makes him his alme is altogether at the glory of God magnifying Christ forwarding the Kingdome of the Lord Jesus building up his Church and repairing the breaches thereof c. Like as good and true Statesmen looke not so much at their owne profits as the common good so the true Christian aimes at the publike good of Christ the advancing of his Kingdome here more then at their owne advancement by him He doth not desire Christ so much to be saved by him as that Christ may be served by him The soul that prizeth Christ above al only for justification seeks him for selfe ends that is for happinesse and salvation by him and thus a soule doth before he hath saving grace But to desire him above all for sanctification is to prize and desire Christ for Christ's owne ends that we may be made holy by him and so become zealous of good workes Titus 2.14 and that we may serve him all the dayes of our life in holinesse and righteousnesse Luke 1.7 4 75. And thus to desire Christ for Christ saving grace teacheth the soule and to doe all for him because such a soule makes Christ its Master and self must be his servant so that selfe must now wait till his Master is served Selfe may attend at the doore of the heart but Christ as Master beares all the sway there and as he will so the heart saith he shall be served whosoever goes unserved and as for selfe such a soule as is principled with saving grace looks at selfe as best served when his Master is most served There is a sweet and holy emulation betweet such a soule and Christ that as Christ takes all that is done to that soule as done to himselfe so that soule takes all done to Christ as done to himselfe and therfore is of opinion that he serves himself best when he serves Christ most Yea he leaves selfe to Christ's disposall and good will knowing that he is a good loving and free master indeed that will suffer his servant to want no good thing Psal 84.11 Fifthly saving grace frames the heart to a conjugall affection of Christ to such a love of him as is between husband and wife so that the soule loves the person of Christ as well as his portion yea and desires him more for his persons sake then for his portions sake all the note of such a soule is that with the Spouse in Cant. 2.16 My beloved is mine and I am his this heart is enamoured with Christ because of that exceeding beauty of holinesse in him he is to her the fairest of ten thousand This soule loves not Christ so much for that which comes by him as for that shee sees in him when God married us as he saith he hath married us Jer. 3.14 his free grace had respect only to our persons and not for any portion of ours whereby he might be enriched and benefited Hence we find a love of mankind for so 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies ascribed to him Titus 3.4 Job 14.15 which Job's words doe well interpret to us saying Thou O Lord hast a desire to the worke of thine hands Wherein is hinted the reason of Gods affection to us not any worth in us but his right to us it is his free grace which makes him owne that his right and the same free grace in the heart of a man reflects on God the same work that soule affects more Christ's person then any or all the things that come by him It is but a kind of whorish spirit to love him onely for what he hath and to get by him that Spouse that loves her Husband's person as shee ought will love him when he is poore as well as rich when sick as well will cleave to him in his necessity content to live in prison with him to goe a begging and be banished with him so where saving grace is the heart loves Christs person so impotently as shee will cleave to him in all his necessities when naked and poore shee will love him as well as when rich and bravely attired with outward pompe if he goe to prison shee will goe too rather then part with her best beloved shee will go a begging with him into banishment with him into the midst of fire any faggot yea into hell too rather then leave him for shee knowes hell would be no hell to her if he be with her and that a heaven would be a hell if he be not in it or shee find him not therein A sixth Reason why such a heart as hath saving grace doth prize Christ above all in matter of Sanctification is because it knowes and feeles as great a want of Gods free grace therein as in matter of Justification For we are as unable to sanctifie our selves as to justifie our selves yea we can doe more to procure sanctification to our selves then to obtaine justification wherefore as we find the good work of sanctification in us ascribed to the Lord both for the beginning and perfecting of it in Phil. 1.6 so we find it attributed to his good pleasure that is his free grace Phil. 2.13 and indeed if we doe seriously weigh things Gods free grace seems to abound more in the sanctification of a soule then in his justification of it for by justification he doth onely acquit it of the guilt of sinne committed but by sanctification he doth not onely
purge it from the filth of sinne committed wich equallizeth the guilt but also strengthens the soule against sinne not committed Sanctification dâ—th not onely heale sinne in us but preserves us from the infection thereof and it is a greater mercy to be preserved from a misery then to be delivered out of it wherefore such as pin Gods free grace onely to our justification seem to me without warrant from the Word too much to straight-lace the full Breasts of Gods free grace from whence a poor soule may such as much comfort for its sanctification as for its justification and that in regard of his daily failings which shew him his wants thereof and drive him to the Throne of Grace for a continuall supply now Christ is the Store-house of Gods free grace what measure soever we have of it it is conveyed to us in and through him not onely that free grace of Justification but also our Sanctification he is made both to us one as well as the other 1 Cor. 1.30 and as he willingly laid downe his life for to justifie us so he did as willingly sanctifie himself that we might be sanctified by him in truth John 17.19 which doth plainly intimate that a soule can no more be sanctified without Christ then it can be justified without him and this the soule that hath saving grace doth know very well and therefore prizeth Christ above all in sanctification as well as in justification Lastly saving grace puts the soule wherein it is upon getting an assurance of its Justification such a soule will not beleeve every report of the deceitfull heart but will examine the truth of it Before saving grace comes all that the heart saith is taken to be as true as the Gospell and thence it is that men before conversion dreame of Heaven and happinesse and hell they are quite out of any feare of it it is otherwise after conversion and therefore the converted soule will still be searching its evidence for Heaven and his chiefest work is to make that sure to him This is easily collected from the Apostles Exhortations hereto Worke out your salvation saith he that is Phil. 2.12 2 Pet. 1.10 the assurance of it to your selves and give al diligence think no pains too much to make your calling and election sure not in themselves for that they are already but sure to you which as yet they are not or at least not so fully as they may and ought to be But no assurance can we have of our Justification but by our Sanctification truly they that perswade men to goe first to Justificrtion to get assurance of God's free grace to them doe set them to unwind that fathomelesse bottome at the wrong end and so makes the poore soules to coster matters together as they cannot cleere their assurance to themselves You know that when you would unwind a bottome of threed you must begin at the last end that is outmost next to you and visible to your sight and by following that you shall come to the first end which at the first lay hid from your eyes you could not come at thus must you deale with a bottome of God's free grace in working out the assurance of your salvation to your own souls and to make it more perspicuous to your understandings I shall briefly unfold the whole mystery thereof Free grace in the worke of salvation runs in three channels the severall effects thereof which are many are reduceable to these three heads First The separation of Gods people from the wicked Secondly the freeing of them from sinne And thirdly the infeofeing them to the inheritance each of these are carried about with many successive acts of free grace but the first the last are in each particular most remarkable In the separation of them from the wicked the first link of the chain is Election the last is Vocation in the freeing of them from sinne The first is Justification the last is Sanctification and concerning the Inheritance the first is Adoption and the last is Glorification Now of these six three are in God and three in us the first three are in God from all eternity the last three are wrought in us in time after we have a being and it is worth your diligence to observe how the first and last three doe sweetly answer to each other for as by election we are separated in Gods purpose from the wretched Masse of the Reprobates so by effectuall vocation we are separated actually from the prophane Masse of the sinfull world And as by Justification we are freed from the guilt and condemnation of sinne so by Sanctification from the fact and pollution of it and as by Adoption we are made heirs and sonnes so by Glorification begun here and perfected hereafter we are put into actuall possession of our glorious Inheritance Thus have you a Breviate of that great work of our salvation and by it you may easily perceive where you must begin in the work of assuring any of the three generall heads as would you assure your selfe of the first generall whose first and last ends were Election and Vocation would you begin at Election No that end which is first to God-ward must be last to us as that which is first to us is last to God in working where God ends there we must begin and that is in this particular at our Vocation and this the Apostle plainly intimates in saying Make your calling and election sure 2 Pet. 1.10 Why puts he calling before election why did he not say election and calling since election is farre long before calling The reason is because though election is first in being yet it is last in existing and appearing to be to us Our Vocation appeares first to us though in order of being it is indeed last and therefore in seeking out our election the Apostle implies we should begin at our Vocation and so from what we best know to proceed to that we least know So for the second Generall the freedome from sin whose first and last links are Justification and Sanctification shall we begin at Justification No that end is the first end which is hid in God from our eyes till we have unreaved the bottome we must begin at that end which is next us which is outmost and visible to us and that is Sanctification God's free grace to us is assured only by his free grace in us We cannot be assured of the freedome from the guilt of sinne till we be find a freedome from the fact filthinesse and power of sinne and the reason is because whom he justifies he sanctifies and both by one and the same meanes not at one and the same time for he justifies us to God from all eternity and therefore is called the Lambe that was slaine from that is Revel 13.8 before the beginning of the World but we are sanctified by him in time after we have a being but the meanes which
nothing Paul knew this very well if his Epistles be seriously scanned if the matter of them be sifted well into the two maine parts thereof justification and sanctification by Christ Jesus and each part weighed by it selfe the greatest quantity of them would be in sanctifications scale True indeed in his Epistle to the Romans and Galatians he is much on free grace in justification against Jewish confidence in Pharisaicall performances but in those and in all his other Epistles he is as much and sometimes more insisting on Gods free grace in sanctification and exhorting thereunto against that loosnesse and carelesnesse of walking which he saw in many Christians truely to me his greatest care seems to be for the maintainance of good works both in himselfe and others In others as appeares by Titus 3.8 and many other places in himself Rom. 7. ch if there were no more testimonies makes it evident now his example should herein be a leading rule to us Ministers his successors both for practice to our selves and for doctrine unto others wherefore having as you know yeelded to importunity to speak a word of exhortation to my native Towne the holy spirit directed me to pitch on such a portion of Scripture as led me to the maintainance of sanctification and setting forth of the necessity of Gods free grace in Christ therefore to be as great as in matter of justification a poynt directly crossing those mishapen opinions of those new-fashioned Christians for so they be to us that are called Antinomians and therefore a poynt most fit for Rye wherein many of that sect were voted to be by reason of those frequent loud and bitter exclamations against them by name in the Pulpit joyned with as earnest and vehement exhortations to take heed of them and dehortations from their society as most dangerous infectious persons I thought now with my self being to come into that place it would be my duty to fight against the doctrine as others had done against the name of the Antinomians and so I did and I hope my labour was not in vaine to the Auditory I am sure it is not in vaine in the Lords account whose truth it was that I delivered and I delivered it as his and none of mine and would not a man conceive this would have been very acceptable to him who seems such a professed enemy to the Antinomians but the contrary appeared to the weakest of his Auditors Whereupon who can but think that either he mistooke the persons he so called or that he did not understand what the Lord delivered by me for mine owne part I must needs say it seems to me as cleere as the Sunne at noon-day that he hath mistaken both them me so abused both with that scandalous name of Antinomian the Lord open his eyes to see the great wrong he hath done me and them hereby that he may repent thereof and have his pardon sealed before he goe hence in the meane time it is more then probable that he which durst snarle at the truth of Christ before my face will behind my back take more liberty to himselfe to let the reines loose to his unruly tongue a fit interpreter to his passionate mind both to bark louder and bite deeper by altering the phrase and corrupting the sense of my words wherefore I thought it necessary in Christian wisdome by way if not of prevention yet of answering to such envious and malicious dealing to communicate the notes of my discourse under mine own hand and into whose hand could I more fitly put them then into yours not only in regard of the outward relation I have to you but also because you have been accused falsly as farre as I can conceive to be one of them that are looked at as Antinomians so that mine intent in publishing this my labour under your name is not so much to manifest my due respects of you as to let the credulous world which is ready to embrace any reports that may scandalize the servants of Christ see how it hath been mis-informed concerning you and such others as with you lye at this present clouded with that black aspersion of Antinomianisme for instead of crying downe the Law Sanctification and Duty I found you upon diligent enquiry both in opinion and practice chiefe pillars thereof The Lord comfort your hearts more and more with his free grace and stablish you in every good word and work 2 Thel 2.17 2 Cor. 7.1 that you may thereby perfect holinesse in his feare here and hereafter be perfected in happinesse Amen Your younger Brother in Christ and affectionate Nephew in the Flesh JOHN BENBRIGGE CHRIST ABOVE ALL EXALTED PHILIPPIANS 3. 7. But what things were gaine to me those I counted losse for Christ 8. Yea doubtlesse and I count all things but losse for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord for whom I have suffered the losse of all things and doe count them but dung that I may win Christ 9. And be found in him Not having mine owne righteousnesse which is of the Law but that which is through the Faith of Christ the righteousnesse which is of God by Faith 10 That I may know him and the power of his Resurrection and the fellowship of his Sufferings being made conformable unto his Death IN these words we have Saul compared with Paul the great Apostle of the Gentiles doth herein compare himself with himself seting forth to us both what he was and what he is what he was when he was Saul and what he is now he is Paul what he was before Conversion what he is since his Calling and this description of himselfe then and and now is delineated by the difference of his judgement now and then For men are according to their judgements and in the sight of the Al seeing eye as these change and alter so doe they to be carnall or spirituall the Apostle in 1 Cor. 2.14 15. doth distinguish of other men as he did of himselfe by their judgement of things A carnall man judgeth carnally of all things but a spirituall man spiritually Thus carnall Saul had a carnall opinion of things he had an high esteem of his owne righteousnesse which was by the Law his Pharisaicall performances of duty and of his Jewish priviledges yea these were his gaine he did not onely esteem of them but also confide in them he hoped to gaine Heaven by them but as for Christ then he was a poore Christ to him worth nothing yea worse then nothing in his account then and therefore he persecuted then this dispised Christ in his Members But now he is spirituall Paul he is quite of another mind for now he looks at his owne righteousnesse Pharisaicall works and fleshly Prerogatives yea all things of this world as losse and dung and poor Christ is now most rich and the true yea onely gaine and therefore he had lost to himselfe all things that he might in their
CHRIST ABOVE ALL EXALTED AS IN JVSTIFICATION SO IN SANCTIFICATION Where in severall Passages in Dr. CRISPS Sermons are Answered Delivered in a SERMON at RYE in the County of Sussex By JOHN BENBRIGGE Minister of Gods Word at Ashburnham in the same County 1 COR. 1.30 But you are of him in Christ Jesus who of God is made unto us Wisdome and Righteousnesse and Sanctification and Redemption LONDON Printed for John Stafford and are to be sold at his House in Brides Church-yard 1645. TO MY WORTHY AVNT Mistresse SARAH NOWELL All Peace Externall Amen All Peace Eternall Amen All Peace Internall Amen Endeared Aunt WHOM I love not onely in the Flesh but also and especially in the Truth and not I onely but also all they that have known the truth for the thuth's sake which dwelleth in us and shall be with us for ever 2 John 1 2. Peter's Watch-word must never be forgotten whilst our warfare lasteth Be sober 1 Pet. 5.8 be vigilant saith he and his reason is Because your adversary the devil as a roaring Lyon walketh about seeking whom he may devour and as the world drawes nearer to an end so he mends his pace and bestirs himselfe the more because his time growes shorter Revel 12.12 1 Cor. 10.11 Eph. 5.15 16. 17 18. wherefore we on whom the ends of the world are come more neere ought to walke more circumspectly both in sobriety and watchfulnesse for new he makes more use of his severall turns and fetches then heretofore that phrase of walking or going about implies he hath many of them and truly I think the world never saw more of them in one age then may be seene in ours As an old souldier hath many stratagems to circumvent his enemie and such as suit best with time place and power he puts in execution to make way for an assault like politick stratagems and engines hath the spirituall adversary of our soules and salvation to set upon us and undoe us The Apostle cals them sometimes his devices at other times his wiles his devices are fine devices 2 Cor. 2.11 1 phes 6.11 spun out in a curious thred his wiles are subtill for cunning both are one though the letters of the words differ yet their sense fully agrees for his wiles are fine devices and his devices sultill wiles This latter word as it is in the Originall 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 duly considered opens unto us the mystery of both shewing where in this his fine cunning doth chiefly lye namely in his marshalling of those his subtill devices that is the method he useth and followeth in acting them For first he labours to prevent the planting of grace in the heart and if he faile of his project therein then he in the next place casts about to hinder the growth of grace in heart and life Repentance faith and obedience are the totall of Christianity beyond which we have nothing to do or professe in these three are summed up all the Prophets and Apostles and the devil seeks as much to hinder as all they doe to further them to prevent the implanting of grace he seeks to keep them from repentance which if he cannot doe then to starve grace that it may have no sustenance he endeavours to overthrow their faith and obedience before a man acted by saving grace sets himselfe to repent all his work is to strengthen his faith that is to make him beleeve he is in a goad and safe condition though indeed he be nothing lesse and this is to keep him from repenting and when he sees the man will repent for the grace of God constraines him thereto then he wheels about and to weaken his faith he sets in order before him all his sinnes which before he hid from his eyes yea he aggravates them as much as he can both for manner and measure for quality quantity and number desirous to bring him to conceive them greater then can be pardoned but when he finds this his device frustrated by the soules cleaving to and laying hold on Gods free grace in Christ justifying and acquitting him from the guilt of all his sinnes then his last piece of policy is to kinder his sanctification and to lay stumbling-blocks in his way of new obedience that he may fall him into actuall transgressions thereby to dishonour God wound his owne conscience and dishearten others from walking godly righteously and soberly in this present world many are the rubs he layes in this soules course of Christianity but none of the least are the totall casting away of the law as unusefull and not belonging to him and the unfruitfulnesse of duty to the doer thereof in any kind These flones with their like he had cast in the wayes of Gods people heretofore but by the power of Christs spirit in some of his worthies they were removed and have laine hid till of late Satan finding an opportunity hath againe tumbled them in And herein his cunning craftinesse appeares yet greater to such as seriously observe things with a spirituall eye that he carries his matters so slyly as he gets some of his knowne enemies to countenance and defend them and so to help and fight for him like as the Papists taught indeed of him have carried on their fine devices so wilily as to delude maâ—y Protestants their knowne and sworne adversaries so farre as to make them take part with him against their owne Christ his Gospell and servants their Brethren is not this Satans Master-piece to bring Gods servants to fight against him to make good men with stand good works Yet this is no new matter for he got once into Peter's mouth and made him speak against Christs doing that good work of our salvation Peter indeed spake out of love to Christ and he meant to save Christ as he thought but the truth is he spake then he knew not what In like manner those good soules who neglect sanctification to extoll justification who reject the law casting it behind their backs as of no use to advance the Gospell who heat downe all duty of a true beleever as no way beneficiall to him to exalt Christ I beare them record that they have a zeale of God but not according to knowledge they under stand no more what they say then Peter did when Christ said to him get thee behind me Satan for the Law is as much Christ's as the Gospell and Gods free grace in Christ is as much seene and magnified in our Sanctification as our Justification he gave Christ for both and Christ dyed for both they therefore that beat downe the Law throw downe Christs Scepter and lay his honour in the dust doth not our present dayly experience shew what will become of a Kingdome if the lawes thereof be taken away and they which extoll Gods onely free grace in justification clip Gods Coyne our onely riches they set up but half a Christ so by halving him they whittle him to
he imployes in both our Justification and Sanctification are the same for as we justified by his Active and Passive Obedience by his death and sufferings by his resurrection c. so we are sanctified by them for the vertue of them as Paul in our Text cals it doth work in us to the killing of sinne in us and quickning of us to new Obedience As Christ died for our Justification so for our Sanctification Titus 2.14 Luke 1.75 as they take away the guilt of sinne so they free us from the filth and dominion of sinne so that you must know this for a truth that you cannot be assured of Christ's living to you in your Justification untill you can find him living in you by Sanctification Our Apostle knew so much and therefore when he would have the Corinthians to get assurance of their salvation by Christ he sends them home into themselves saying prove your selves 2 Cor. 13.5 examine your selves whether you be in the Faith that is in the estate of the faithfull which we call Salvatione And how shall they know this He tels them by adding for know you not that except Christ be in you you are Reprobates that is such as are excluded from that happinesse Now by Christ being in us is meant our Sanctification as to speak strictly our being in Christ looks at and chiefly implies our Justification though indeed this phrase in Christ is used sometimes in a large sense for both but to draw this particular to a close the Apostle sends the Corinthians to their sanctification for a proofe justification and till they can find Christ in them by his sanctifying them they cannot conclude any thing but that for all they know as yet they are Reprobates and hence it is that a good soule earnestly lahouring for assurance which is the very soule and life of a Christians comfort here doth so highly prize Christ for sanctification and thus you have the truth confirmed in both parts come we now to Application Vse The Use that at this time I shall desire you with me to make of that truth we have heard is to goe to a tryall of our selves whether we have saving grace or no Truly my Beloved self-examination is a duty of great consequence and necessary to the wel-being yea to the very being of a Christian indeed it is the very key of the work of assurance Hence the Apostle when he sets them about the work of assurance first directs them to take examination of themselves in hand Let us not then trust to the reports of our deceitfull hearts who will be ready enough to sooth us up with a vain and fruitlesse hrpe of God's free grace in Christ Alas how many are gone to hell with this hope that Christ dyed for them their salfe hearts told them they should be saved and they beleeving them sate down in security and sought no further till it was too late so late as Heaven gate was shut against them as the foolish Virgins Mat. 25.10 11. But this is a truth that if we be in the state of salvation and so may assure our selves we shall be saved for ever then there is saving grace in us and if we have saving grace in us we prize Christ above all things both for Justification and Sanctification so then the point whereof we are to examine our selves is our prizing of Christ above all in the particulars before mentioned and for the cleerer discovery of the truth therein we will draw up the rules of our examination into two ranks answerable to the proofe of the position delivered As First whether we prize Christ above all Secondly whether we prize Christ above all both in Justification and Sanctification First Whether we prize Christ above all If saving grace be in us so will we esteem of Christ as more worth then all we have not time to instance in every particular saving grace we shall therefore at this time but mention one which is accounted as a Mother grace and that is faith Have we but that saving grace Christ will be a Pearle of great price in our eye and you have a cleare proofe thereof by the Testimony of Peter who sayth To you that beleeve he Christ is precious but to them that beleeve not he is a stone of offence 1 Pet. 2.7 Now to beleeve is to receive Christ John 1.12 and by the rule of contraries not to beleeve is not to receive Cstrist wherefore the Apostles words hold forth to us that Christ is precious onely to such as have received him and to such as have not received him he is but as a peble stone nay which is worse a rock of offence whereon they strike in despight and make an utter shipwrack of their soules So then if we prize Christ we have received him now the Question will be whether we have received Christ or no to determine this case we will onely consider the manner of our receiving him for that is so remarkable as it will resolve this doubt if we can find it to have beene in us If you ask what is the true manner of receiving Christ I answer that the soule which receives Christ truly and savingly takes him with a holy kind of greedinesse we receive him with so much earnestnesse of affection as they which took Heaven by violence Mat. 11.12 as if we took Christ by force out of the armes of his Father even when he freely holds him out to us a kind of behaviour displeasing to men but herein most acceptable to God We are like hunger-starven men whose hot appetite doth make them so earnest after victuals as when offered by a charitable hand they doe take them with such earnestnesse as they seeme rather violently to snatch then civilly to receive them such a disposition God loves to see in us and therefore hath called such persons blessed and prommised them a full satisfaction Matth. 5.6 Yea he knowes that till we be such we will not truly receive him and therefore he cals onely such to take him Isa 55.1 But least you should wonder at this I will briefly shew you how it comes to passe The Lord poures the healing Oyle of saving grace into none but broken Vessels he brings down such as he intends to exalt and before he bestowes his Christ on any soule he will make that soul know and feel his want of Christ And why because the sight of his want of Christ will make him prize Christ seeke Christ and to praise his free grace for Christ given to him Now to make a soule see his want of Christ he sets all his sinnes in order before him Psal 50.21 reckons with him to the utmost farthing and so shewes him how much he is endebted to his justice which cals for execution on him to bind him here with great manacles and fetters of temporall and spirituall plagues and judgements and so to lead him to the infernall prison of hell He
thy selfe up with thine owne righteousnesse thou prizest not Christ at all for Justification Secondly aske thine owne heart what opinion it hath of thy good works in procuring thy pardon from God's Justice if they be thy gaine then Christ is losse to thee if thou thinkest with the Papist to merit and gaine Heaven or the least part of Heaven by them Christ is nothing worth to thee I know the Papists say they exclude not Christ by including their works in matter of Justification but what they say not that they doe for by their making of works to be sharers with Christ they doe really exclude Christ and so themselves from Justification If you cry up works in Justification you cry downe Christ the Apostle Paul in our Text prizing Christ above all for Justification beats downe works to the ground for indeed therein Christ must be alone all in all or else nothing at all as all sound and learned Protestants have and doe continually maintaine against the Popish Doctrine of Merit and therefore I shall not need to insist any further on this particular The second is more necessary for us who take that for granted among us but little think of this latter which yet is as necessary to be knowne and learned as the former as hath been proved and whether we have learned to prize Christ above all for Sanctification if we deale truly with our owne soules we may know by these Rules of examination First see how thine heart stands affected with the dishonour of Christ is Christ's disgrace and losse more to thee then thine own for what we desire most we shall grieve most for if we fall short thereof never was Christ more dishonoured by his own people then in these times both in private and publike in families in churches and Kingdomes feele therefore the pulse of thy soule in these diseased times wherein the world seemes to draw nigh apace unto its end Christ is dishonoured in thy family this church and Kingdome and how doest thou take it doest thou not see his Gospell neglected yea opposed are not his Sacraments even by such as goe for his servants cast behind their backs and laid aside as of no use are not his Sabbaths prophaned his Name blasphemed his servants abused and many more horrid indignities put on him and how takest thou it to heart It may be thou wilt say it doth much break your heart to see things so much disordered but be advised here that you may not be mistaken in your griefe see whether it be not more for thy selfe then for Christ's sake now thou seest the ship of the State crackt and sinking to a ship-wrack yea and Church too by the many rents in it if the Lord save not both it may well be thought that thou art deeply affected but I pray weigh the matter throughly in your own soul is it not because thou art a passenger therein and thou hast a venture in this Barke that is split and thou knowest if that sink thou canst not escape but thou and all that is thine must be quite lost and therefore thou settest thy hand to help save the Barke that thou and thine may be saved therein But if thou wert out of the ship and embarqued in another Kingdome and church with all thy venture wouldst thou be so much troubled for the losse of Christ's Vessell here would it come so neer to thy heart then to heare of all the dishonour that Christ suffers by broaching of Errours and Heresies to the great impeachment of his truth and by the great dissention between his best servants Then it is a signe thou prizest Christ above all in Sanctification for a soule that doth so seeks to advance Christ's glory most of all and that Christ may be more and more served by him and all others Secondly consider how thy heart standeth affected towards sin If thou seek Christ above all for holinesse thou wilt be at utter emnity with the greatest enemy thereto and that is sinne every sinne even thy bosome-sin thy darling-sin will become as odious to thee as the foulest Toad neither wilt thou be at defiance onely with outward actuall sinnes but also with those that are more hidden and inward the sinnes of thy nature yea and truly these will be most offensive to thee because they are as fountaines of iniquity and roots of bitternesse in thee thus we find David more complaining of his naughty and corrupt heart then of his actuall transgressions of murther adultery drunkennesse and idlenesse and Paul cryes out of the body of death in him Rom. 7. a soul that seeks Christ for Sanctification would digge up sinne by the roots another man may top and lop lust in the branches thereof try therefore your selves by this rule Thirdly examine your selves what entertainment the doctrine of walking exactly and precisely finds with your hearts truly if you seek Christ above all for holinesse you will prize his strictest lawes at the highest rate if Christ's Commandements be grievous to thee and thou wouldest cast off his lawes as bonds with them in Psal 2. thou hast no esteem of Christ at all for Sanctification His Yoake is light and easie to such as seeke Christ for holinesse Fourthly he that prizeth Christ above all for Sanctification doth not only prize his strictest commands but also practice them he loves to walk in the strictest way his best Beloved hath chalked out to him bring therefore your lives and conversations and lay them to that rule in Titus 2.12 doe you deny ungodlinesse and worldly lusts doe you live godly righteously and soberly in this present world is this your endeavour to give both God and man his due and to keep your selves from being overcharged with surfetting and drunkennesse and the cares of this life Then thou doest seek Christ for holinesse for such a soules desire is to walk altogether in the wayes of holinesse doing of duty in a newnesse of life is all its delight and why because this is the readiest way to grow up in holinesse and to become more and more like to Christ whom he desires above all for this very purpose that he might be perfect in holinesse Lastly take a scantling of your Humiliations Fastings and Prayers and thereby you may judge of your selves concerning your estimation of Christ for holinesse we have fasted and prayed often humbled our selves publikely and privately many times once a moneth at the least for the space of three yeers almost but let us try wherefore we have been so often in humiliation fasting and prayer what hath been the first wheel that hath moved therein Have we sought Christ for our Sanctification in all our Fast-dayes what bottome hath our sorrow stood upon no other ground but the sense of God's wrath a feare of that great judgement of the sword destruction here and damnation hereafter truly if our humiliation hath sprung from no other cause then this we have not prized Christ above